Winter Delights in India

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 North India especially, during winters provides some irresistible, colourful foods that are a must have if you’re here. Well, even if you’re not living in the north you can enjoy the warming foods if the ingredients are available. They are healthy, yummy and different from the summer foods. Provide variety, colour and good cheer. 

1. Sarson ka saag

2. Methi delicacies

3. A variety of foods mage of jaggery and safeon

4. Soups

5. Bajra, makki and use of other flours

6. Sesame preparations

7. Pea preparations

8. Other veggies that we get during winters only and are locally produced giving that juicy yummy taste. 

I will keep adding the recipes and pictures of my cooking here. You add on too ❤️ 

❤Picture number 8 is Sarson Ka Saag. It is made with greens of the mustard plant, that has a typical tangy taste, Spinach leaves, and Bathua leaves, also a part of the green leafy brigade. It is grown in some limited parts of the world and is consumed during winters in a few forms. Mainly as a vegetable or its paste is used to flavour the yoghurt, or then used in this saag. The "saag" is an Indian word, mainly the greens cooked together and eaten with indian bread made of cornflour flour. 

These greens are boiled together with ginger, a tablespoon of mustard oil, garlic, green chilli and channa dal (split chick pea lentil). Once done blend it in a smooth paste , temper it with cumin seeds, red chilli, garam masala in pure cow ghee. ( for vegans use olive oil.) Add a dash of cream, that can be avoided for vegans. 

Serve this hot with hot freshly made Makki ki roti. Roti's are synonymous with chapatti's that are thin, flattened bread cooked on a skillet. 

This food is loaded with iron and other vitamins and minerals. Also Calcium , manganese, Vit C, other flavinoids and phytochemicals.Detoxifies the system, keeps you warm and is the ultimate winter delight. 

Serve it with salad, curd, butter, and jaggery. If Eggplant veggie is there it a great compliment to the Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag combo.

❤Picture no 4 is Bajra ki roti Made from kneading the pearl millet flour with hot water, add, a bit of oilve oil ,chopped green chillis, chopped green coriander, salt and ajwain (Carom seeds).   Make small balls and pat the dough with hand on a muslin cloth as rolling it with the rolling pin will prove to be difficult. Use olive oil or pure cow ghee to make these parathas (bread) and have it with any veggie or Amla chutney. 

Bajra or flour of pearl millet is gluten free, kind on the gut, and a winter comfort food. An alternate to this is the bread that is made without salt and had as a sweet with jaggery.

Bajra has some amazing goodness other than being gluten free. It has a lot of fiber, magnesium, potassium and folic acid. Keeps blood pressure, obesity, anemia, diabetes and other ailments at bay. 

❤Picture number 1 and 2 is Mashed smokey egg plant with dill and peas. This too is an amazing winter vegetable. Roast the egg plant (the round variety) , remove the skin and mash it roughly. Take a tsp of mustard oil, add cumin seeds, red chilli powder chopped ginger and chopped onion and garlic. Onion and garlic is optional..avoiding it brings out the taste of the smokey flavour of the roasted egg plant. Put the mashed brinjal in the hot oil with the above mentioned ingredients. Saute it for some time and its ready to eat. Garnish it with fresh chopped dill and coriander leaves.

❤Picture numbers 3, 6 and 9 Are the bonfire lit on the 13th of Jan especially to herald the harvest season for farmers all across India. Its a festival that people celebrate with cooking meals with sesame, peanuts, corn, jaggery,puffed and flattened rice and other winter stuff that they first offer to the fire, pray and thank God for a healthy crop and then partake it amidst a lot of song and dance.

❤Picture number 10 ans 11 Are ingredients for tomato veggie soup. I add tomatoes 8, the fresh juicy red carrots4-5, beetroot 1, a small piece of gourd (lauki), ginger an inch, garlic, about 10 pieces, coriander sprig i, onions 2. Boil it all together, with salt and pepper. Once done, blend it and pass it through the sieve. Add water if it is thick, and a bit of cream (optional). add vinegar to make it tangy and a few herbs like oregano and coriander, basil too. Serve boiling hot. sprinkle a bit of pepper on serving.

❤Picture number 7 is a part of the colourful veggies available during winters. There are so many more. 

Till Laddu (sesame sweet with palm and coconut jaggery)

Till ka laddoo made in palm jaggery, ground walnut, cashews, almonds, cardamom and love 💖 The white and black sesame was roasted and ground coarse  too #sesamesweets #blacknwhitesesame #feedwithloveandrespect #veggiedelights #cookmeyum #cookathome #indiandessertsarethebest #calciumloaded #mineralsloaded #vitaminsloaded #healthysnacks #healthfulliving365 #eatwithoutworry

One catori till, warm it slightly in a pan, do not toast it too much. Keep aside. 

Take jaggery , in a hot pan add a tsp of ghee, add 2 1/2 cups of jaggery which is cut in pieces so that it melts faster. Add just a tsp of water, add mixied dry fruits and seeds.. 1/2 a cup( optional), sonth thora sa maybe 1/2 tsp, and quickly remove from fire..

The tough part is to make the laddoos when hot. Keep wetting your palm with water.

If making the laddoos is difficult then set it in a greased plate to make barfis. 

Enzoyeeee

Besan (chickpea) sweet balls

Besan ladoos (chickpea flour sweet) made for Raksha Bandhan 🙏🙏♥️♥️🙏🙏 Always make a festival special by cooking up some delicacies or favourite foods of the family.
Lots of strength required to continuously stir the mixture roasting of low flame. The fragrance of ghee and roasted chickpea flour spreads all over the house. When its nicely done leave it to cool. Add powdered sugar and cardamom powder along with broken cashews. Use your hands to make round balls. Enjoy!!
PS: I used granulated sugar also called Bura sugar, available in shops or online too..Can be made at home too. Where the sugar is boiled and dried , the clean residue left is a healthier option.

A Simple and Healthy Meal

A vegetarian pulav, where rice is cooked with vegetables and a culinary blend of Indian spices, making it a mouth watering dish. Along with a boiled egg and tomato chutney.

My Page

Sharing my Facebook page here. Do see it and comment, give suggestions, recipes anything. Thank you.
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Breakfasts-sumptuous and doable

This post is my attempt at putting up the daily breakfast that we have here as vegetarians, egg being the maximum we are inclined towards the non veg side. I am always intrigued and keen on a variety of options we can create as a good breakfast. As they say eat healthy and well in the morning. After all we are breaking the night long fast and the tummy needs its fuel to be bright and active through the day. These morning options are great, and I am sure you all must be having it this way, or maybe healthier. If so, do suggest your ideas, they are welcome. These are a copy of my Facebook posts on my page https://www.facebook.com/healthncookery/
Day 1
Vermicelli savoury, ragi (finger millet or nachni atta as it is called) paratha and fruits. Savour the breakfast with sumptuous nutrients meant to be had in the morning an hour after the morning tea with oats biscuits. An effort to start the day with healthful food that keeps us active and mindful through the day, should be the mantra for today and everyday. Idea being that one must be able to churn up healthy options and a variety quick enough.#easycookhealthfulfood

Day 2

Today's breakfast that will keep us full till the next meal is idli chutney with fruit and lime juice. Idli needed some prep from a day before, three katoris broken rice, one katori urad dal soaked for6 hours, then ground it in the mixer grinder, put salt and water till dropping consistency, kept it for about 8hours. And then put baking soda, just a pinch and a bit more water. Steamed the batter in the idli mould. I added grated carrot on a few to feel healthier ;)
Chutney is a mix of coconut, roasted chana, onion, garlic, small piece of ginger, few grains of jeera and coriander leaves.
Satisfying!!

Day 3

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The omelette of course was made by beaten and fluffed eggs, both white and yellow ( we feel that an egg with the yellow is healthy). Added chopped onion, green chilies and coriander, salt and pepper on a non stick pan.
The cottage cheese sandwiches too were very simply made.
My aim is to impress upon all that a good breakfast cooked taking care that all nutrients are present is a very good effort, if we manage it. My variants are all simple and nutritious.
So some other combination tomorrow, lets see.
Till then please do share your super duper breakfasts.

Day 4

Monday, happy labour day! 
Today my cook reused the left over idlis that were made from urad dal and rice, a steamed healthy morning meal. She sautéed curry leaves, sesame seeds, onion, moong, urad and chana dal all three making up one spoon, crumbled the idlis and made this upma. Also a healthy alternative, an addition to list of wholesome breakfasts. 
I had it with sautéed beetroot, adding some morning nutrients, making me feel good. And the drink today was a chocolate smoothie. Well, indulgence at times can be okay. Morning times are active and busy, so you can make an attempt to burn those calories you think are extra.
 The sabudana khichri, made from the tapioca sago, which needs some prep time, about 5 of hours to soak in minimum water so that it becomes fluffed up with the water due to osmosis. The water should be just the level if the sago pearls if you want nice separate pearls, else be prepared for a gooey mess.
This is then made in a pan with ghee or oil as you so prefer, add sesame seeds, jeera, green chilli, small cut potato and peanuts crushed coarse. Add salt and sauté the mixture till it the sago pearls look transparent. The purely vegan, gluten free meal is done. You can have it with yoghurt or chutney.
What did you have for your breakfast today?
Stay hydrated stay healthy.

The kokum juice

Kokum or Gracinia indica has several health benefits
as an Anti-oxidant: The fruits of Gracinia indica is an excellent source of anti-oxidants, thus helps to minimise the impacts of many diseases. It also promote cell regeneration and repair.
Kokum for Allergy: Cold blend of Kokum is used as local application in urticarial and allergic rashes on the skin. The infusion is highly effective and suggested for these purposes.
Gracinia indica for Constipation: When a person is suffering from constipation, peel of dried fruits are given in the dose of 500 mg at night. It helps to ease constipation.
Kokum and Hyper acidity: Having acidity or hyperacidity, the cold mix of Gracinia indica, sugar and little amount of salt is given to overcome from the problems of acidity and hyperacidity.
Gracinia indica for Flatulence: Kokum is effective in case of flatulence, stomach pain and gaseous distension. The patient may take sip of the mix of Gracinia indica, ginger, honey, sugar and salt.
Kokum as healthy and refreshing drink and Syrup: The syrup of Kokum is in great demand not only in India but also all over the world for its medicinal properties.
Cracked Heels and kokum: The application of Gracinia indica butter is quite useful for cracked heels.
Indigestion and Gracinia indica: Suffering from indigestion, one should take the mix of Kokum should be taken along with black pepper and salt.
Kokum is also welcome in diseases and conditions such as hyperacidity, piles, fistula, heatstroke, infection, dysentery, etc.
When allergy takes the chronic form, the cool infusion may also be used internally.
Side-effects and Precautions: The fruits of Gracinia indica shouldn’t be used in excess. Milk and milk products should be used after one hour.
The kokum juice, dried fruit that i boiled and cooled to have it as a juice with raw honey and mint leaves.