Carrot Amaranth Kheer

Every year in school, for Republic Day and Independence Day, we used to gather in our schools to sing the national anthem and to unfurl the national flag. After watching parades and band performances, we used to get the customary 'Rajgeera wadi', a rice crispy like concoction made of popped amaranth seeds and probably sugar syrup. Little did I know then that the tiny amaranth grains would turn out to be supergrain powerhouses!!

I had some toasted amaranth at hand and I decided to use it up along with some shredded carrots and evaporated milk to make this sweet kheer..Why did I have toasted amaranth, you ask ? I had actually intended to pop the amaranth to make granola, but the amaranth was probably not fresh enough, because it didn't pop as I expected. The moisture content of the seeds must have been very less. I read somewhere that the moisture present in the seeds is what causes them to pop under heat..if the seeds have dried out, or have been sitting in your pantry for too long, then they wont pop!The carrot amaranth kheer turned out surprisingly well, considering that I didn't follow any particular recipe.

Carrots have been long acknowledged as a wonderful vegetable, chock full of vitamins and fiber and beta carotene. Its a naturally far free food and easily adaptable to savory as well as sweet dishes.
Amaranth has been slowly emerging as a super grain and a super food.

• It contains all 8 essential amino acids which make it a complete protein. 
• It has 9 grams of protein per cup (cooked) and has a decent percentage of fiber as well as iron. 
• It is a very versatile grain, it cooks up easily and can be used in a variety of grain dishes, breads, salads. 
• It is easily digested and makes a very good baby food. 
• It is also gluten free.

If you haven't tried it before, definitely get some from your nearest health food store. If your grocery store has a bulk food section, then you can try some from there..Always a good alternative to getting a big pack and then not knowing how to use it all up!




Ingredients:
1  C shredded carrots
½ C amaranth (washed and drained)
½ C evaporated milk
½ C low fat milk
¼ C grated jaggery
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cardamom
2 Tbsp chopped nuts (cashews , almonds)

Method:
1. In a medium sized pan, boil two cups of water with a pinch of salt. When water comes to a boil, add the amaranth and let simmer until the grain is cooked. This should take about 20 minutes. If required, add more water. Amaranth, when cooked, gets slightly soft , but is still slightly crunchy.
2. Meanwhile, heat up a stair fry pan and saute the carrot shreds until they are no longer raw. You may add a few drops of your favorite oil, but that is optional.
3. Once the grain is cooked, reserve a quarter cup of water in the pan and drain the remaining (if any). Add the evaporated milk, low fat milk and the carrots.
4. Add the grated jaggery, which is nothing but an unprocessed sweetener that is widely used in Indian sweets, and the sugar.
5. Simmer on low flame for about 20 minutes more.
6. Garnish with roasted dry fruits and serve either hot or cold.

Notes:

• The kheer was not overly sweet, the carrots and the cooked grain making it quite creamy. The nutty taste of the amaranth was pleasantly delicious. I preferred eating it cold. Its better to serve it after a few hours, because the flavors seemed to have melded better the next day. If you want a different texture, you could blend up the cooked carrots before simmering along with the grain. This will give a smooth, orange colored kheer.

• Jaggery is an unrefined cane sugar product that's mostly used in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. It is healthier than refined sugar. If you cannot get jaggery, you can always substitute raw sugar, turbinado sugar or brown sugar.
• If the kheer seems to be getting too thick as it cooks, add more milk.
• Adjust the sweetener to your taste.

Ideally, this post should have been up at the beginning of the year..what could be a better way to herald in a new year, new beginnings and new experiences than a delicious creamy kheer ? But life interrupted (well...I have a lot of other excuses too..) but better late than never. After all, where does it say that we have to limit new adventures to the beginning of the year, right ?

I do hope you do try this recipe and commence on a new culinary adventure of your own :-)

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Hi there, everybody..hope your new year's off to a roaring start ! Hope you have new plans for a beautiful new year and a fresh outlook on life :) Did you make any resolutions, I wonder ?
I usually don't make any, and I haven't this year either..well, not particular resolutions anyway..just a small determination to challenge myself more ..to try and get more out of the time that is available to me..to try new recipes, new experiences, to spend more time with my family..because I have realized that sometimes (mind you, only sometimes), I get lazy and fritter away small chunks of time by watching TV or browsing on my phone..when I know that I could use it to get started on almost any task that I need to get done !
Anyway, enough of that..lets move onto the recipe..
For the past several weeks, my husband and I have gotten into the habit of making weekly menu plans. It has been a good strategy for us..I don't have to rack my brains every afternoon, pondering over what to make for dinner..I get to make better use of the ingredients in my pantry and fridge and I give my much stressed brain a little break LOL
Soup and roasted veggie sandwiches feature on the menu plan almost every week. Soups are a wonderful way to sneak in vegetables, they are hearty, flavorful and just yummy in any season!
The recipe that follows is for a creamy broccoli soup. It doesn't use any heavy creams for the creaminess and is really mild and tasty. Hope you make it and like it !





Ingredients :
1 tsp oil (of choice)
½ onion, diced
1 tsp chopped ginger
1 medium carrot , diced
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 C broccoli floretstsp turmeric
½ tsp garam masala
juice of ½ a lemon
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
½ tsp fresh black pepper
½ cooked lentils (I used split moong beans)
4 C of water

Method:
1. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed sauce pan. Add the ginger and the onion and saute until soft.
2. Add the turmeric and the garam masala and warm gently.
3. Add the diced carrots and potatoes and stir until evenly coated with the spices.
4. Add the water and boil until the vegetables are almost cooked.
5. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 10 more minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
6. Stir in the lemon juice.
7. Remove from heat and cool.
8. Once cool, add the cooked lentils and the vegetable mixture into your blender and puree until smooth. You might need to do this in batches, unless you have an industrial sized blender !
9. Pour back into the sauce pan, add the salt and pepper and warm through.
10. Serve hot with home made croutons.

Notes:
My husband, my almost 2 year old toddler and I really liked the slightly spicy, creamy soup. My
6 year old was another matter altogether {sigh} He did have about half a cup of the soup and
since I had told him that he at least had to try it before he announced that he didn't like it..I guess I should be satisfied :) The addition of the potatoes and the lentils makes the soup really smooth and creamy without the addition of heavy cream. The lentils increase the protein content as well.

I used yellow split mung beans which you can easily find in any Indian grocery store, but you could use any lentil that cooks up soft.

Try the soup, you might be surprised :)

Review : Xlear SparX Candy

Its the season for celebrations and you know what that means, candies and sweets of all kinds..
Although I am not a tyrant when it comes to letting my kids have candy, I usually limit it pretty strictly.
There is a host of information on the net, various books and especially from pediatricians that confirms that sugar is bad for the human body; it has zero nutritional value. When Halloween comes around, I cringe at the amount of candy that my son lugs in!
So when I heard the words healthier candy, that almost sounded like an oxymoron !




I was offered the chance to review Xlear SparX candy as part of the Moms Meet blogger program. SparX candy contains xylitol which is a naturally occurring plant based sweetener that has been proven to
improve dental health and strengthen tooth enamel. So not only is it not bad for you, its supposed to be good for your teeth ! Imagine that in a candy !!
My review kit contained two tubes of Xlear SparX candy in two different flavors. Now I had already had the opportunity to try other Xlear products containing xylitol, the Xlear Nasal spray and Xlear Spry toothpaste. I had positive experiences with both the products and was looking forward to trying out the candy.

The Xlear SparX candy is more like small mints. It has a refreshing feel and taste to it. It definitely does not give the overly sweet aftertaste that I get from some of the other candies on the market. My son loved these small candies and I didnt feel too bad handing him some! I would definitely offer these to other family and friends.
I have been reading more about xylitol and products containing this sweetener. Although the name sounds like some chemical ingredient, its a naturally occuring substance and is plant based. It doesn't interfere with the body's blood sugar levels or insulin production. This makes it safer for kids and adults on a sugar-controlled diet.The candy is available in Berry, Citrus and fruit flavors and doesnt contain any artificial flavors or colors.

Its definitely an option to check out when you are trying to buy some candy for your kids, be it for celebratory occasions or to give it in their lunchboxes as a special treat. The candy retails for about $1.49 for one tube.

You can find more information about the candy on their website and facebook page.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free from the sponsor of the Moms MeetSM program, May Media Group LLC, who received it directly from the manufacturer. As a Moms MeetSM blogger, I agreed to use this product and post my opinion on my blog. My opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of May Media Group LLC or the manufacturer of the product.

Healthy Spinach Rice

My elder son, who is all of 6 years old now, used to be a very good eater.
When other parents complained about how they had to sit in front of their toddlers, food bowl in hand, for hours together, I commiserated with them, but never really understood their dilemma.
Now that is coming back to bite me in the rear..He still eats pretty well,but I have a tough time getting the majority of vegetables into him, at least straight up..I have had to sneak in some into a few of his favorite foods - add frozen veggies to pasta dishes, chopping up big veggie pieces into tinier ones, etc.
When I decided to make a rice dish for dinner, the other day, I wanted to use some spinach puree so that it would make the dish healthier. On a whim, I also decided to use up some broccoli...In keeping with the green theme, i added some frozen edamame beans as well. along with these vegetables and some simple spices, the rice dish was pretty healthy and tasted good too. I wasn't sure how my son would receive this offering, however. Imagine my delight and my surprise when he gobbled it all up, with a hefty serving of plain yogurt alongside!

I plan to make this again, maybe adding peas, instead of edamame, or adding some shredded carrots for color. It would also make a nice lunch box staple. Do try.



Ingredients:

1 C of spinach leaves
1 - 2 green chiles
1 - 2 cloves of garlic
½ inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped
½ C of broccoli, finely chopped
½ C of edamame beans
½ onion, finely chopped
2 - 3 C of cooked rice
2 tsp canola oil (or oil of your choice)
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander - cumin seed powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp juice of a lime
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Puree the spinach leaves, green chiles, garlic and ginger with justa little bit of water.
If you are using frozen spinach, then thaw and drain completely before use.
2. Heat the oil in a medium pan over moderate heat. Once the oil is hot, add the spice powders and saute for about 10 seconds.
3. Saute the onion in the hot oil until softened. Then add the broccoli and the edamame beans. Saute until tender, but not mushy.
4. Add the salt and pepper and lemon juice and mix well.
5. Add the spinach puree mixture and stir until heated through.
6. Now add 2 C of the cooked rice and mix thoroughly with a gentle hand, so as not to crush the rice grains. Do a taste test. If it looks as if more rice is needed to even out the flavors, then add the remaining cooked rice and mix.

Serve with plain yogurt, pickles and/or papad (poppadam wafers) for a hearty, healthy and delicious meal :)

Eggless Coconutty Banana Bread

I love to bake..I mean, I am no expert, but I like to try out new recipes, especially when the results are yummy! I usually try and bake something every week, because granola bars and trail mixes can go only so far in satisfying my son's snack appetite.
This last weekend, I wanted to bake up some banana bread, because, you guessed it -- there were some pretty ripe bananas on my counter. I tweaked the recipe that I had for banana muffins and came up with a keeper..I have tried it out twice now and both time the entire loaf was gone within two days!




Ingredients: 
* 1 C Whole wheat pastry or whole wheat flour
* ½ C all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* ½ teaspoon salt
* 3 bananas, mashed
* ¾ C sugar
* ⅓ C light sour cream
* ⅓ C coconut oil
* ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
* ½ tsp ground cloves
* ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
* ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
* ½ C unsweetened coconut
* handful of chopped nuts
* handful of semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)
* a couple of drops coconut essence (optional)

 Method: 
* Preheat the oven to 350°F.
* Mix the flours, the baking soda, baking powder and the spices in a small bowl.
* In another bowl, add the mashed bananas, the oil, sour cream, sugar and essence, if using.
* Mix the wet ingredients really well.
* Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time and mix in gently.
* Be careful not to beat the batter to death, we want a light loaf, not a brick.
* Once all the flour has been incorporated, mix in the coconut, nuts and chocolate chips.
* Pour into a greased 9 X 5 loaf pan and bake in the oven for 50 - 60 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.
* Cool the loaf completely before slicing it.

Notes : 
You can substitute yogurt for the sour cream.
I added about 1/2 C of sugar instead of the 3/4 C in the recipe. If you want the bread to be sweeter, then you can add the entire amount.
For an easy vegan version, just replace the sour cream with tofu sour cream or soy yogurt.
The riper the bananas, the sweeter they will be and richer the taste of the bread. You could also use less sugar.

Enjoy!