HEALTHY COOKING

Paneer Beans Stir Fry in Tamarind Chutney

August 3, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Chutney. Chop. Stir and serve. This paneer beans stir fry is a great, delicious meal with some rice on the side or some noodles. Simple and splendid.

Stir-fries are a girl’s best friend when looking for an easy meal that feels fancy and loved by all. Lunch time when the boys would go to school and work was a peaceful time, all by myself soaking in the moments. Plated well, simple it might be, but always fancy-ish and healthy. The lesson — that lunch can be and should be the welcomed break in our day to recoup and recharge — changes the entire game of the day.

This is hardly work: some stirring, pouring, and a bit of fry up, and then, here’s lunch. The trifling effort yields plush, sweet and spicy paneer that snuggles up with green slightly crisp beans. I love to have it as is, it is simple and absolutely delicious….

Healthier Salmon Cakes (Salmon Patties)

July 16, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

These healthy Salmon Cakes are a crowd pleaser. A back pocket recipe that I’ve made so many times and is always a hit at home. Requires very few ingredients, healthy and comes together in 10 minutes plus the cooking time. I had to post the recipe when a friend of mine as me if I had a salmon cake recipe that is healthier, and here it is.

Cooking salmon was overwhelming at one point. If you’ve been intimidated by cooking fish in the past, I hear you! I spent years avoiding buying salmon because I thought it would be too complicated to make, or that worse yet, I’d mess it up and ruin a beautiful piece of fish….

How to grow mung bean sprouts

April 16, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Mung bean sprouts filled with nutrients and are a common ingredient in Indian homes. It’s great raw, steamed or pureed, they provide a crisp, healthy addition to any meal. Growing mung bean sprouts is easy and when done right, they are perfect in less time.

Mung Bean is a legume that is commonly used in the Asian countries. Mung Beans go by many names in different parts of India. Pasiparuppu in tamil, mung sabut in hindi, pesalu in telugu , hesarukalu in kannada, cherupayar in Malyalam. Green gram is high in protein fiber, vitamins and nutrients. Sprouting any legume increases it’s nutrition value and it’s easy on the tummy and easily digestible.

Two ways to sprout mung beans

The first method is to put in a jar or box and put a tight lid on and keep in a cool place. The second method and my favorite method is to sprout it in a cotton cloth, hanging it in a warm dry place in the kitchen.

Tips on how to sprout mung beans

Get the best high quality fresh green gram. Older stock of mung beans will not sprout well.

2. Organic mung beans, take longer time to soak and as well to sprout.

3. Hybrid variety soaks faster and sprouts faster

4. If you want your sprouts in few days, plan ahead. It take 36 hours to grow sprouts.

5. Wash and rinse the green gram with clean water 3-4 times to avoid the risk of contamination.

6. Use slightly lukewarm water to soak the green gram.

Method on how to grow mung bean sprouts

There are two methods of making sprout.

Method 1

Once you’ve washed and soaked the mung 8 hours, drain it well. You can use any clean thin cloth you have to sprout. Add the drained mung beans in the middle of the cloth and pull the sides together and tie it. Hang this on a hook in a slight warm dry place. Every 6 hours sprinkle some water on the cloth. Do NOT soak it. The cloth should be slightly damp. The sprouts will be ready in 36 hours.

Method 2

After soaking it for eight hours, drain it well. Add it to a jar or any container, cover with a tight lid. The sprouting will take again about 24-36 hours.

…

Asian Jalapeno Chicken and Beans

February 23, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

This perfection of a meal comes together 20 min from start to finish. Quick and Easy Asian Jalapeno Chicken and Beans is loaded with flavor and boosts of textures. Better than take-out and so much healthier!

If you are like me and looking for quick and easy weeknight dinners, and I mean, who isn’t? Stir fry dinners are the way to go. You get your protein, your veggies, your everrrything in one skillet and less than 2o minutes later, the family is at the table eating a healthy dinner.

I am a huge fan of one skillet dinners and make them at least a few times each week.

And this Asian jalapeno chicken isn’t even breaded nor fried, so this is really more of a “skinny” dish, all smothered in a simple sauce, a sauce that you’ll clearly want to pour or dip in many things….

Buffalo Cauliflower

February 17, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Oven Baked or Air Fryed Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are a fun and easy appetizer or snack made with just a few simple ingredients. Fully loaded with all the awesome flavor of chicken wings, these low carb and vegetarian Buffalo Cauliflower Bites have a soft and tender inside and crispy outside.

Buffalo Cauliflower

All the delicious, tangy flavor of buffalo wings without the mess and calories. I’ve never been a huge fan of chicken wings, so this substitution was an easy one. But even all you wing fans out there will love these spicy little buffalo-sauce-covered cauliflower nuggets.

Tossed in your favorite homemade or store-bought buffalo sauce and dipped in creamy Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing, this healthy buffalo cauliflower is a crowd favorite and is always gone in minutes!…

Honey Walnut Cauliflower

January 4, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Honey Walnut Cauliflower will change the way you look at cauliflower. Vegetarian version, crispy baked cauliflower tossed in a creamy, sweet sauce topped with caramelized walnuts! Tastes just like take-out, but BETTER.

We love Chinese food. I could eat it on any given night, and whenever we order take-out, the honey walnut shrimp always makes it home. It’s my little ones favorite.

While I do make shrimp for the boy at home, I prefer the vegetarian version and healthier version more. Eat it without feeling guilty and for those days you crave vegetarian or if you are a vegetarian, this is perfect.

Now this dish involves baking the cauliflower to crispy perfection tossed in a creamy, sweet sauce along with some candy-glazed walnuts….

20 TASTY Quick Healthy Recipes Ideas

January 1, 2020 By Asha Shivakumar

Here are my top 20 tasty quick healthy recipes to get you back on track for the new year, or to give you some ideas to change up your menu to keep eating healthy, interesting, and exciting.

Here we are in 2020, and many of your New Year’s resolutions may surround health or fitness. To have a sustainable healthy lifestyle, you cannot cut one group of food completely. In fact, doing that might just make you crave that particular section more. Unless you are allergic to certain foods, I would not recommend cutting out anything. I personally believe in eating everything as long as you’re conscious. If you like desserts, try making healthier desserts with coconut sugar or maple syrup and have just a small portion of it to satisfy your sweet cravings. Eating is important! Fueling your body with good food is good for your body and mind….

Peanut Chicken Curry

December 5, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

If you love a different recipe for chicken you have to try this recipe! This Peanut Chicken Curry is brimming with flavor thanks to all the spices, it’s rich and creamy and it’s amazingly hearty when you finish it off with basmati rice or naan.

Peanut Chicken Curry

Chicken curry is common to several continents including India, Asia and the Caribbean. There are probably a chicken curry in some form that every household loves and makes. My favorite of them though is this aromatic Pepper Chicken Curry, I’m always just craving these flavors. Also, I might be biased because it’s a recipe I learnt from my mom and a favorite of my boys….

10 BEST recipes with Beets

December 3, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

“THE BEET IS THE MOST INTENSE OF VEGETABLES. BEETS ARE DEADLY SERIOUS.”- TOM ROBBINS.

Beets have a inherently woodsy taste to them. I’ve had them in desserts as well as really spicy dishes, it can be very adaptive. I happen to love this vegetable. Didn’t know I love it this much. Here are my top 10 BEST recipes with Beets.

BEET BIRYANI

This easy and delicious beetroot vegetable biryani is my go-to on days when I feel like having a healthy biryani. A one-pot meal of rice, vegetables, and aromatic spices, it’s rich in flavor and elaborate enough to take center stage at parties or just for the family. Each bite is suffused with spice, veggies, or caramelized onions—deep and layered in flavor….

Cozy Vegan Autumn Veggie Potato Creamy Soup

November 28, 2019 By Asha Shivakumar

This Cozy Vegan Autumn Veggie Potato Creamy Soup Soup is full of hearty seasonal vegetables and wild rice, it’s wonderfully creamy and comforting, and easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stove top.

For those days when you’re craving a cozy, creamy, comforting bowl of soup…I have the perfect new recipe for you.

It’s a riff on a dish I grew up and love. A coconut milk stew. I’ve loaded this soup up with lots of seasonal veggies, but you can add shredded chicken to it too. And added in some bolder savory seasonings. The coconut milk is creamy and delicate, instead of heavy cream. And the result?

Basically the most delicious, hearty, sweet-and-savory, thick-and-creamy, comforting soup a girl could ask for. ♡…