Ever since I read on Sandeepa’s blog about green whole moong’s ability to get rid of the toxins from our body, I have been thinking of ways to incorporate more of these beans in our diet.

Here is what one source says about these small green beans. “They are very nourishing, while being relatively easy to digest–they do not generally create abdominal gas or bloating, the drawbacks of larger beans. According to modern nutrition, mung beans offer 14 gms of protein per cooked cup. Mung beans are also a good source of dietary fiber. They also contain thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper, and are a good source of folate.” (Source).

Here are some Indian Mung Bean Recipes that I prepare often:

• Green Moong Daal Dry Curry (Mooga Usli)/ Whole Moong Stir Fry
• Onion Cucumber Sprouted Moong Salad
• Moong Curry and Cucumber Idli (Mooga Ghashi & Tausha Idli )

So for a change I decided to make a regular everydaydaal; I also used the split moong daal along with this to give it a thick consistency. Since I had some Methi , I used it as well. I do not like pressure cooking the methi leaves along with the daal, as I feel its flavor is lost. I usually add chopped methi leaves during the Tadka/tempering process. Methi leaves emit a wonderful aroma when it hits the heat and cooks along with chopped onions. If Methi/Fenugreek is not available, then substitute any other greens by all means.

Of course with addition of onion, methi and other daal I am not sure if this exactly qualifies to be the one to detox  the body the Ayurveda way. But then this daal I feel is a nutritional powerhouse full of minerals and protein, enhanced by the goodness of Methi/Fenugreek and ginger. Nevertheless it was one tasty and wholesome Daal.

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I had bookmarked this recipe for Savory Semolina Cake from TBC long time ago and had since been in my to-do list. She had adapted this recipe from Anjum Anand’s website from Here.  So last Friday evening when I had some time I decided to give this a try. I involved DS in this as he likes mixing, measuring etc and it is a good way to keep him busy. At the end of it all he feels proud and happy that he is a big boy and that he can bake a cake.

It did not take much time to put this together; let me warn you that the batter by itself tastes delicious and is addictive. I was not hungry at that time; otherwise I am sure I would have finished eating the batter as is.:-)

Don’t be bothered by the long list of ingredients below. The process of making this is simple and straight forward. It is versatile too and you can substitute any vegetable of choice instead of the ones that I have listed like cabbage, beans etc or skip some ingredients, make it spicy and probably add more greens like spinach, Methi etc.

Taste Test: It is a light tasting savory cake; the inside tastes like vegetable Upma/Rava Idli but with lightly crusted outside. As an added bonus, it is healthy, low fat and guilt free snack too. Good one to snack on as is or as an accompaniment with afternoon tea/coffee. I am glad I found this and I am sure I will make this often.

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Whenever I go through my old posts, especially the ones I posted when I just started blogging, I think to myself, “Oh, I should I have provided more information” or “the picture is so bad” or gosh, “what was I thinking when I wrote this” etc. Not that I am an expert or that I write any better but some things just stand out and makes me want to re-write those posts again.

Incidentally Jaya of Desi Soccer Mom came up with a great event idea for re-posting and so I am posting this recipe for Bitter gourd Crisps which I feel needs some major re-writing. My original post for this is here.

This recipe has been our family favorite for years. This is prepared in the microwave. It is one of those recipes that requires less effort but has a surprisingly wonderful taste; more like the deep fried Bitter Gourd Chips. Whenever I have prepared it for my friends they have enjoyed and relished it.

Both DH and I love bitter gourd and luckily we get good bitter gourd/Karela all year round at our Indian grocery store. We make these crisps at least once a fortnight. They are easy to make, do not require baby sitting and are healthy, low-fat too. Done the right way, they taste pretty much like Bitter Gourd Chips. They form a good side tem with simple Daal-Chaawal or with Khichidi and yogurt.

Taste: When you first take a bite, you get that crisp taste that lingers in your mouth and toward the end there is a bitter taste along with oil, salty and spicy taste. Let me assure you though that the bitterness is masked and not at all dominant.

Off this goes to Jaya’s re-post event at Desi Soccer Mom.

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Raagi Dosa served with Potato Curry

I was happy when Madhuram announced the ingredient selection for JFI as Raagi. It had been a while since I cooked anything with this wonderful whole grain and this was an opportunity for me.

Raagi (Finger Millet in English) a whole grain rich in iron content. Finger Millet is a mildly sweet, nut-like flavor and contains a myriad of beneficial nutrients. It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is particularly high in the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium. The seeds are also rich in phytochemicals, including Phytic acid, which is believed to lower cholesterol, and Phytate, which is associated with reduced cancer risk. (Source)

Back home in India, my MIL makes wonderful things with Raagi like Raagi Rotti, this Raagi Dose and also the best Raagi Mudde.

Note: The texture of this dosa is pretty much like a regular urad dosa, mainly because of the addition of Urad flour and flattened rice. However the dosa has a nutty and fibrous flavor of the Raagi along with mild flavor of Urad. This is a very healthy, nutritious and a filling dosa. I think this is a good one to try especially if you are new to eating Raagi.

This is my contribution to JFI-Raagi an event hosted by Madhuram at EgglessCooking. This event is a brain child of Indira @ Mahanandi.

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Methi Paratha served with Dahi and Lima Beans Subzi (as side dish)

A paratha(also spelled as parantha) is an Indian flaky, flat-bread made up of whole wheat flour. Dough is first prepared, rolled out and then cooked over a flat pan/tava.; ghee or oil is added during the cooking process. Sometimes veggeis, greens like fenugreek, spinach are added to the dough making the parathas healthy and delicious. For this recipe of Methi Paratha, methi/fenugreek is added while making the dough and then the parathas are made the usual way. Spinach paratha can be made similar way.

My mom makes varieties of parathas for breakfast and she is an expert in making Aloo parathas and Methi parathas. (Don’t we all think the same way about our moms :-) ). I remember growing up my mom used to pack these for my lunch and my friends would finish them up in no time. They would even request me to bring more of them the next time around.

Fast forward few years (OK, 10 years to be precise) and I make these at home myself; of course nowhere near to what my mom makes. We get very good Methi/Fenugreek leaves during the fall, winter season here and so I make them whenever I can. The frozen methi variety does not have the same flavor, zest and aroma as the fresh ones and so do not yield good results.

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The weather here in our neck of woods for the past 3-4 days has just been gorgeous.  The temperature currently is in the 60’s and it gets even better this week. This is in stark contrast to the gloomy and bone chilling cold weather we had for the past few weeks, making this a happy and welcome change.

Frankly, it is difficult for anybody to stay indoors during such an inviting weather.  I am sure on any other day we would have come up with an excuse to be outside and enjoy the bonus weather. But not yesterday. Why? Oh, because we wanted to stay back and watch the football match. The local team that we rooted for made it to the playoffs after a long long time. This gave me ample time at home and with the weather being a motivating factor I decided to make these easy, low-fat, whole wheat banana muffin.

There is no one single source for this; I came up with this recipe after going through different websites. I used the whole wheat flour called Atta (Hindi) available in the Indian store for this. Adding Applesauce indeed made a difference and made the muffins soft and moist. Note: Since whole wheat flour is used, the taste will not be the same as that of the APF muffins. These are slightly dense and have the after taste of wheat flour in it.

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