Moong Dal Cheela and Aloo Simla [Green Lentil Sprout Pancake and Potato Capsicum] is a wholesome, quick, easy meal packed with healthy complex carbohydrates, protein and multivitamins and minerals. The cheela is an easy and protein packed replacement for the traditional roti or naan made in Indian cuisine which often takes some time and hard work to make. Aloo Simla is a dry curry that is again very quick and easy, perfect for a busy day! 😋
Moong Dal Cheela and Aloo Simla [Green Lentil Sprout Pancake and Potato Capsicum]
Yield: 1 serving Time: 20 min Calories: 567.1kcal (per serving)
1/2 cup Mung Dal/ Green Lentils, sprouted or soaked overnight 1 Garlic 1 tbsp Ragi Flour [or any other flour] 1 tsp Mustard Oil 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 1 tsp Asafetida 1/2 Capsicum, chopped 1 Potato, chopped 1/4 cup Water 1.5 tsp Salt 1/2 tsp Black Pepper 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder Coriander leaves, to garnish Ginger julienne, to garnish Yogurt, to serve on side
DIRECTIONS
In a blender, add lentils, garlic, salt, pepper and blend until fine paste
Add flour to it
Heat up a pan and spread the batter like a pancake and cook from both side
In the same pan, add oil and when heated add cumin seeds and asafetida
Add potatoes, capsicum and all other spices
Sauté for a minute and add water
Cover and cook until all water is evaporated and potatoes are soft
Garnish with coriander leaves and ginger julienne
Serve along with yogurt and enjoy hot! 😊
Moong Dal Cheela and Aloo Simla [Green Lentil Sprout Pancake and Potato Capsicum]
Rajma Pulao [Red Beans and Rice] is a wholesome, quick, easy, one-pot meal packed with healthy complex carbohydrates, protein and multivitamins and minerals. Rice and beans when combined together forms a complete protein and when paired with the right Indian spices, makes for a very delicious lip smacking meal! 😋
Rajma Pulao [Red Beans and Rice] is a traditional dish from India where generally basmati rice is cooked with red beans along with potatoes, onions and other aromatics. Do not be afraid of the long list of ingredients. Most of the spices are optional. You can still make the dish without them or with alternatives and it will still turn out great. 😊
Rajma Pulao [Red Beans and Rice]
Yield: 2 servings Time: 15 min Calories: 252.31kcal (per serving)
1 tbsp Mustard Oil 1 BayLeaf 1/8 inch Cinnamon Stick 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 3-4 Black Pepper 1-2 Cloves 1 tsp Asafetida 1 tsp Ginger, grated 1 tsp Garlic, grated 1 Onion, chopped 1 Potato, chopped 1 Green Chilli 1/2 cup Red Beans, boiled 1/4 cup Basmati Rice, soaked and drained 1 cup Water 1 tsp Salt 1 tbsp Rajma Masala Coriander leaves, to garnish Lemon juice, to squeeze on top Yogurt, to serve on side
DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add BayLeaf, Cinnamon Stick, Black Pepper, Clove, Asafetida
After 20 seconds add ginger, garlic, onion and sauté for 40 seconds
Add all remaining ingredients and close the lid
Let it cook until two whistles or 10 minutes on medium heat
Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice (optional)
Ragi Raabdi [Finger Millet Soup] with vegetables and black chickpeas is a wholesome, quick, easy meal packed with healthy complex carbohydrates, protein and multivitamins and minerals.
Raabdi is a traditional dish from Rajasthan, India where a flour [usually bajra (pearl millet) or makka (maize)] is mixed with yogurt and lots of water in order to make a soup like dish. It can be consumed hot as a soup in winter or cold mixed with buttermilk in summers. These flours are highly rich in multivitamins and aids immensely in digestion. Usually, it is made more as an accompaniment than as a full meal and hence here when I wanted to eat it as a wholesome meal, I added black chickpeas for protein and fresh vegetables for additional vitamins and minerals.
Ragi Raabdi [Finger Millet Soup]
Yield: 1 serving Time: 15 min Calories: 316.86kcal (per serving)
2 tbsp Ragi Flour [Finger Millet Flour] 1 tbsp Yogurt 3 cups Water 1 cup Black Chickpeas, boiled 1/2 cup Carrot, diced 1/2 cup Spinach 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper
DIRECTIONS
Mix the flour and yogurt in a bowl and add all the water gradually to make a lump free paste
Heat up a pan and add the mixture
Mix thoroughly and add all remaining ingredients
Cook for 10 minutes or until desired consistency is reached
Vegetable Khichdi is the healthiest most simple Indian lunch/dinner if you want to eat something light yet filling and nutritious. It requires minimal ingredients, rice, any lentils, any mix of vegetables 😮 and all put together in the pot with minimal spices!
Khichdi is a dish enjoyed in entire India and abroad, especially as a light meal. I love it because it is so quick to make and you can basically put everything in it that is lying in your pantry and you want to finish up! 😉 Here I use a bag of mixed (cabbage, broccoli, potato, peas, carrot, green beans) frozen vegetables, green moong split lentils and basmati rice. Also it is very versatile in terms of consistency. You can always increase the quantity of water to get a thinner consistency. I generally like my Khichdi slightly thicker. For someone who is new to Indian cooking, this is a perfect dish to start with. 😊
Vegetable Khichdi
Yield: 3 servings Time: 15 min Calories: 193.23kcal (per serving)
1 tbsp Mustard Oil 1 tsp Cumin Seeds 3-4 Black Pepper 3-4 Cloves 1 Bay Leaf 1 Green Chilli Vegetables of choice (fresh or frozen) 1/2 cup Basmati Rice 1/2 cup Green Lentils (or red/yellow) 3 cups Water 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves 2 tsp Salt 1 tsp Turmeric Powder 1 tsp Garam Masala 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
DIRECTIONS
Wash and soak the rice and lentils in water for 30 minutes
Heat up the oil and add all the whole spices and green chilli
After 30 seconds, add all the chopped vegetables like cauliflower, potato, green beans, peas, carrots
Drain the rice and lentils and add to the pot along with water and all powdered spices
Close the pressure cooker and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes
Switch off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes before opening
Vegetable Uttapam [with black chickpeas] is quick, super easy and great for a protein rich meal/snack. In addition it is very healthy and tasty. Also you do not need a lot of ingredients to make it which is awesome!! 😛
Uttapam is a South Indian dish enjoyed in entire India and abroad. You will find various kinds of Uttapams like the one with vegetables, spicy ones, with meat and so on. I love it because it is so quick to make and you can basically put everything on it that is lying in your fridge and you want to finish up! 😉 But here I use onions, tomatoes, chillies, spinach for some greens and black chickpeas for lots of protein. For someone who is new to Uttapam, you may look at it as a savory pancake with vegetables. 😊
Vegetable Uttapam [with black chickpeas]
Yield: 2 serving Time: 15 min Calories: 321.8kcal (per serving)
1/2 cup Semolina 25g Yogurt 1/2 Onion 1/2 Tomato 1/2 cup Spinach leaves 1 cup Black Chickpeas 1 Green Chilli 1 tbsp Coriander Leaves 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper 1 pinch Red Chilli Powder
DIRECTIONS
Soak the semolina in yogurt and keep it aside
Meanwhile, cut all the vegetables and add all the remaining ingredients to the batter
Heat oil in the pan, add the batter and spread
Once cooked from the bottom, flip and cook from the other side as well
This Vegan Quesadilla with hummus and vegetables is so easy to make and full of delicious flavors and fresh ingredients. It is a very healthy version of the traditional Quesadilla incorporating a bunch of nutritious ingredients and still full of flavor. 😛
I love Mexican cuisine, especially Quesadillas. So instead of having the cheesy version all the time, I experiment a lot with it. I find that replacing cheese with hummus work wonders here. Hummus is such a creamy, rich and delicious spread that works really good in the recipe as I use a heaping amount 😉 Adding a bunch of vegetables, not only increases the nutrition profile but also make the dish fresh and light instead of heavy. 😊
Quesadilla with hummus and vegetables [vegan]
Yield: 1 serving Time: 15 min Calories: 374.39kcal (per serving)
Vegetable Uttapam [with Soy yogurt] is one meal that is quick, super easy and great for a light appetite. In addition it is very healthy and tasty. Also you do not need a lot of ingredients to make it which is awesome!! 😛
Uttapam is a South Indian dish enjoyed in entire India and abroad. You will find various kinds of Uttapams like the one with vegetables, spicy ones, with meat and so on. Traditionally, it is made with natural yogurt but I have replaced it with Soy yogurt in this recipe, making it vegan. I love it because it is so quick to make and you can basically put everything on it that is lying in your fridge and you want to finish up! 😉 But my favorite toppings are onions, tomatoes and chillies. For someone who is new to Uttapam, you may look at it as a savory pancake with vegetables. 😊
Vegetable Uttapam [with Soy yogurt]
Yield: 1 serving Time: 15 min Calories: 482.6kcal (per serving)
Taco Tempeh Salad is an extremely flavorful and nutritious salad, loaded with vegan protein and pairs really well with the Avocado Cashew dressing. I love Mexican cuisine especially tacos and quesadillas. There are so many similarities between Indian and Mexican cuisine in terms of ingredients and spices used. The Taco Tempeh salad recipe that you will find below is made with keeping in mind its meal prep friendliness. Since we are making it in a jar, you can put it together ahead of time and it will last in the fridge for upto 4 days.
But it is very important to layer the ingredients in the right order for it to last long and feel as delicious as freshly made salad. The right order means layering the wet or water rich ingredients at the bottom and as we go up we layer the dry or crispy ones. This is done so that the excess water do not flow down and make the entire salad soggy.
Taco Tempeh Salad [with Avocado Cashew Dressing]
The Avocado Cashew dressing in this recipe is very rich and creamy, eliminating the use of any oil. We are also using Nutritional Yeast in the dressing to make it more cheesy tasting and give it a boost of Vitamin B12. It has juice of one whole lime and a whole bunch of Coriander leaves, which are all the ingredients that give Mexican food its life! They brighten up our salad by bringing in lot of freshness.
All the different vegetables used are a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals. Black Beans and Tempeh are our Vegan Protein here. Tempeh is very rich source of protein and Vitamin B12. A combination of Spinach and Butter Lettuce ensures the presence of antioxidants and Vitamin K in the meal.
Yield: 2 servings Time: 15 min Calories: 358.08kcal (per serving)
1 handful Cashews 1 medium Avocado, ripe 1/2 cup Soy milk 1 Lime Juice 1 cup Coriander leaves 1 tbsp Nutritional yeast 1 tsp Garlic powder 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper
DIRECTIONS
The night before, soak the cashews in soy milk and keep it in the fridge. This will soften them up for the next day and the dressing will become creamier.
Rinse, drain and chop all the vegetables.
Rinse and drain the corn and black beans.
Rinse and cut the Tempeh into bite-sized pieces.
Heat up the olive oil and sauté the Tempeh until brown.
Mix the remaining flavorings together and add into the pan.
Sauté until all the marinade is absorbed. Keep it aside to cool down.
Add all the ingredients for the dressing in a blender and blend until it becomes a smooth paste. Adjust any flavoring, if needed.
To assemble in a jar, add the dressing first, then tomatoes, corn, onions, peppers, black beans, tempeh and salad leaves
You can eat it right away or keep it in the fridge for upto 4 days. Mix the ingredients before eating and enjoy! 😊
Chickpeas belong to the legumes family and are a rich source of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. They are considered very healthy as they aid in digestion, weight management and and helps in reducing risks for various diseases.
Chickpea Sandwiches are a very healthy type of sandwich as it does not need any oil, are rich in fiber and protein and keeps you satiated for very long.
Yield: 2 Sandwiches Time: 15 min Calories: 336.4kcal (per sandwich)
Sweet Potato is a root vegetable and a very good source of complex carbohydrates. It can be used in both savory and sweet recipes. It is also packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Due to the fiber, it helps in promoting gut health and strengthen the immune system. Various research and studies also suggests that it has cancer fighting properties.
Yield: 1 baked sweet potato Time: 40 min Calories: 230.62kcal
