PALAK CHANA-DAL****

Here I have a great vegetable for you which is full of nutrition and easy pizzy to prepare .. Lovely... I love cooking such vegetables which are loaded with goodness and which require minimum efforts to make for those who are not in India this will be easier to prepare with the quality of spinach that is available..

Here in India we have to very careful while cleaning any green vegetables and have to check each leaf for worms or dirt but when you do it its a great vegetable 

PALAK- spinach leaves you can read about the benefits of spinach here

CHANA-DAL split chick peas---  i.e. split Chickpeas without seed-coat. Chana dal is produced by removing the outer layer of Kala chana (black chickpeas) and then splitting the kernel. Although machines can do this, it can be done at home by soaking the whole chickpeas and removing the loose skins by placing the chickpeas between two towels and rubbing with a rolling pin.(info from Wikipedia)

Chana-dal is supposed to have a low glycemic Index and hence good for people with diabetics 

I cook this in my mini pressure cooker, which is a boon ( I do most of my daily vegetable preparations in a cooker ) and It takes less than 15 mins to have the dish piping hot on the table YAY!!! Instant gratification.

INGREDEINTS

2 Bunches spinach

1/2 cup chana dal or split chickpea soaked for about an hour

2 medium onions finely chopped

4-5 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

3/4 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp haldi powder or turmeric powder

1/2 tsp dhania-jeera powder (coriander cumin powder)

marble size ball of jaggery

salt to taste

coriander for garnish

METHOD:

Take oil in a pan add garlic let it brown..

Add your onion and stir till soft 

Add your tomatoes and stir till the mixture is soft (you can add salt at this point)

Add the powdered spices , jaggery and stir now add the chana dal and cook for 5 mins

Add the chopped spinach, salt and close the lid of the cooker

let it cook for about4-5 whistles

when cooled add the coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis YUM!!!!

MIX-VEGETABLE DISH

If you have been following my blog you must have read about this dish here which is called as KHATKATE

in Goa , its a mixed vegetable dish which is highly nutritious and pretty to look at...

Its a very elaborate preparation and needs a lot of planning , time to make it as there is lots of chopping and cutting involved...

This dish is made for  festive occasions at our house, but nowadays I make it with less ingredients , so that I can make it more often..

The most important vegetable in this dish is the red pumpkin which is a must..... the other ingredients can be added according to the availability in your fridge.

VEGETABLE WITH GOURD*****

I am sure that there will be many who will just skip this post as " GOURD" is not a vegetable which I have seen anyone relish with passion...

Its a vegetable which is quite tasteless on its own . You have to cook it in such a way that its goodness is enhanced and what you do get a tasty vege..

 But one thing you have to remember it cannot be made into a very spicy vegetable its best if eaten with a little spice and minimum oil.

I have to admit that I too never liked to eat this vegetable if given a choice....but it so happened that last year I had a to go through a surgery and so for my recovery, eating this vegetable was the best option for me....

My mom who loves this vegetable and can eat it in large quantities used to make it everyday for me with the miniumum of spices and oil and as I did not eat anything else but this it made me feel good and healthy and that's how I came to appreciate its benefits and now it falls into one of my favorite food categories..

Here I have combined two types of gourds and tried to make it healthier .. Its a great vegetable for kids as well , its the best option as compared to the other rich and oily vegetable that one has...

Although its not a party vegetable its definetly something that one should try to cook once a week at home and make sure that your family eats it 

I have used a snake gourd and a bottle gourd in this vegetable. If you are interested you can find the benefits of a snake gourd here and read about a bottle gourd here

RECIPE WITH INGREDIENTS AND METHOD

Chop the gourds (total about 1/2 kg) into medium size cubes or slices according to your preference.

Take a pan , heat it and add about 2 tsp oil , add a tsp of cumin seeds let them splutter add 1/2 tsp of asoefotida, 2 chopped green chillies (chillies can be reduced in case of illness or other health problems) .stir a little and then add a 1/2 tsp of haldi powder

Add pre-soaked chana dal (this is optional ) you can also add small tiny cubes of potato , this combination gives a different taste to the vegetable.

add the chopped gourd , salt and a small marble size ball of jaggery.

add about 1/2 cup water and cook till tender , here you can add a tsp of dhania-jeera powder (this is again optional) and finely garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves.

MID-MORNING MUNCHING...

I love my mid-morning round of fresh fruits.. and when I see such a colourful bowl full of fruits it not only makes my tummy happy but so also my mind ..

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WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE FRUIT? 

I love watermelons, papaya, banana and apples in that order...