Mingle it up

2.5 years back when I started my weight loss journey, I would not find as many healthy food choices in the grocery store as there are today. But wait, are they really healthy & good for you as they claim? For sure, the healthy offerings have increased but just don’t go by the labels alone. I do some reading before buying a new product from the aisles & check for some red-flags. Just don’t be blown away by the fact that the product is labeled “low-calorie”, “low-fat” or low-something..!!

Red Flags

1. Low fat label by itself does not necessarily mean its good for you except in the case of low-fat diary. In Milk along with proteins, vitamins and calcium you even get saturated fat(which is bad). Lowering the fat content in milk just removes the saturated fat. It doesn’t strip the milk off nutrition or add unwanted ingredients.

Typically when fat is reduced in food items other than diary, some other ingredients creep into the list to make up for the loss of texture, flavor, shelf-life etc of the food. The most commonly added item is Corn Syrup which is added to make up for the loss of flavor and texture.

Not all low-fat items are bad. For example Dreyer’s Light Vanilla Ice cream is surely far less in fat & saturated fat than its Grand Ice cream. Its important to read through the contents before making the choice.

2. Whole Wheat doesn’t mean 100% Whole wheat - there is a DIFFERENCE. If the ingredients show Enriched Wheat flour or refined wheat flour, it lacks important minerals & vitamins which you get from Whole Wheat Grain.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) - This is basically a sweetener made from corn which is cheaper than sugar & increases the shelf life of the product. No wonder this item is now the most common ingredient in foods.
HFCS imparts a nice browny texture to the breads, gives sweetness to our sodas, juices, yogurts (flavored & plain) ,cereals,ketchups, salad dressings and several other items. So now you know why the store bought yogurt is sweeter & home-made or organic one tangier, thanks to HFCS.

I know it sounds like YoPlait but hey thats the intention. So many people eat these store bought flavored fruity yogurt for a snack or dessert and I was one of them :). My office refrigerator is loaded with these . But has anyone thought that making something similar at home can be easy and much more nutritious since you control everything that goes into it. But there is a catch here , the Yogurt you use & the amount of sweetness you put matters. Please visit my post on Yogurt Shopping if you haven’t read that.

My FruPlait is a heavenly medley of luscious greek yogurt, your choice of chopped fruits & granola or cereals.

I use 0% fat Greek Yogurt from Trader Joes or make my own (read below on how to make it) for this recipe. Greek Yogurt is just a fancy name for strained Yogurt. Straining removes its whey (liquid). Straining the yogurt results in thicker & creamier consistency. Greek yogurt has twice the protein content compared to normal yogurt per serving. However normal full-fat Greek Yogurt is heavier on fat than plain full-fat yogurt. No worries we use the fat free one. So read on…

This recipe serves 1-2

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of 0% fat Greek yogurt. If you can’t find it in the store, just hang the regular non-fat yogurt in a muslin cloth for 3-4 hours. You can also use normal yogurt just that the texture of Fruplait won’t be that creamy & thick. But it will taste quite good nonetheless.

• 1/2 cup cut Strawberries + Sweet Ripe Mangoes. You can use any fruits you like. Since its summer I like to use sweet ripe Mango(my husband’s favorite). If mangoes are not available you can use bananas, blueberries etc

• 1 tsp of powdered/icing sugar (I use Splenda) + 1 tsp of honey. If you don’t want to use Honey, you can always use 1 more tsp of sugar instead.

• 3-4 tbsp of Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. You can also use Granola, crumbled oatmeal cookies..basically anything you like to give the sweet crunch.

Directions

1. Finely cut the fruits & add 1 tsp of icing sugar in it. Mix it well so that sugar is coated to every fruit piece
2. In a bowl whip up the yogurt with 1 tsp of honey.
3. Take your serving cup - add half of your fruit mixture. Top that with 1/2 of your yogurt mixture & sprinkle some cereals.
4. Repeat this layer “fruit - yogurt - cereals” one more time and its done.

Bean Sprouts Mix can easily top the charts as one of the healthiest food items. It’s very rich in proteins, fiber, vitamins & minerals. Unlike beans that can cause digestion problems, sprouting destroys the seed’s natural preservative enzymes that inhibit digestion. In turn creates an enzyme that aids digestion.

You can sprout several different kinds of seeds like -

• Mung beans
• Kidney beans, Black eyed peas, Pinto beans etc
• Soy beans
• Lentils

Sprouting is a very simple process that doesn’t need any special equipment, detailed attention or great technique. We just need to mimic the underground environment where seeds grow for them to sprout like moisture, darkness & bit of warmth. So let’s get started -

Sprouting the beans

1. Soak your beans for about 8 hours in water. I generally use a mixture of
   • Mung Beans
   • Kidney Beans
   • Black Eyed Peas
2. After 8 hours, the beans would have increased in size by absorbing water. Drain off the water & rinse them well.
3. Take a damp cloth or kitchen towel & put the beans in them. Place this in a vessel & keep it in a dark and warm corner of the kitchen like Oven.
4. Keep monitoring the beans every day & make sure the towel in which the beans are wrapped in is a little damp.
5. After 2-4 days depending upon the warmth of the place, your sprouts should be ready.

Making Bean Sprouts Salad Mix

1. Boil the sprouts for around 10 minutes with the vessel covered. Just remember that boiling the sprouts for longer time strips off its nutrients so keep the boiling process smaller.
2. Once they are boiled, drain off the water & let them cool.
3. Till then finely cut all veggies you like for the salad -
   • Onions
   • Tomatoes
   • Cucumbers
   • Red Bell Pepper
   • Coriander/Cilantro
   • Green Chilies
4. Seasoning for the salad (as per taste)
   • Salt & Pepper
   • Chat Masala Or Black Salt
   • Pinch of Amchur (Dried Mango) Powder
   • Few tsp of Lemon Juice
   • Cumin Powder
5. Mix all the above well in the cooled sprouts & your nutritious mix is ready!!

There are several ways to enjoy these sprouts other than the salad

1. You can make a nice sabji (Indian entrée eaten with Bread) by giving a nice tempering of oil seasoned in ginger/garlic.

Bruschetta is a fancy name for a simple Italian appetizer. In simple words, its French baguette topped with tomatoes, basil & olive oil.

With my twist on Bruschetta, it becomes a very well-rounded healthy snack item or a starter which is packed with great flavor. The reason I say it’s well rounded because you get -
Good Carb - I use Whole Grain French Baguette from Trader Joes so you get fibre & proteins
Good Fat - few tsp of Olive Oil
Veggies - I use red/green bell pepper, tomatoes, cilantro
Taste & Appeal - it looks & tastes great

I guess you must have figured out the ingredients by now but anyways lets go through them

½ Whole Grain Baguette (If you don’t have baguette no sweat, you can use Whole wheat bread or bagel & call it something else ;))
2 tsp of Olive Oil
½ cup finely chopped Tomatoes, Red & Green Bell Pepper, chilies (as per taste), and cilantro
Garlic Salt to taste
Pepper
Dried or fresh basil
3-4 tsp of Parmesan cheese

Yields around 10 pieces
Oven Temperature - 400 F

1. Cut the baguette at an angle about ¾ inches thick.
2. Lightly brush both sides with olive oil & put it in a pre-heated oven for 2-3 minutes. Switch sides & keep it for another 2 mins.
3. Till then cut all our veggies finely, add 1 tsp of olive oil, garlic salt, pepper & basil.
4. If you don’t have garlic salt, then lightly rub a clove of garlic on the surface of the bread after it comes out from oven. This imparts a little garlic flavor on the bread.
5. Put the veggie mixture on the warm bread & top it with a little Parmesan cheese.
6. Return this to the oven again for 3-4 more minutes.

And viola! Your good-looking bruschetta is ready to be eaten.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Coriander/Cilantro is by far the most used herb across India. There is something in it’s fragrance & taste that adds so much freshness & earthiness to any dish.

Cilantro Chutney is a great sauce to have handy at home. It can be used in several different ways:

1. Spread on bread/Parathas for a quick sandwich or frankies with veggies
2. Dip with chips
3. Salad Dressing with Olive Oil
4. Raita - Chutney + cool yogurt + finely chopped veggies (cucumbers, onions, tomatoes)

I have tried all of the above successfully. You are just limited by your creativity. Apart from it being tasty and easy to make, it is my favorite because of some fond childhood memories that I associate it with.

When I was a kid, my nani (maternal grandmother) used to make this awesome chutney that I and my cousin sister would eat with practically anything. That would be one thing that was always on the menu when we would visit her. My mom inherited that art from her & I would like to believe that some of it has rubbed on me too . My bum chum (childhood best friend) used to love this chutney that mummy would make. I remember she would come home & the first thing she would ask my mom to make would be chutney sandwich.

So let’s get started. You need the following ingredients,

1 medium sized bunch of Cilantro
4-5 Thai Chilies (As per taste)
12-15 Peanuts or 2 tbsp of Roasted Daliya (split chickpea)
1 inch of Ginger
1 clove of Garlic
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
½ Lemon Juice
Up to ½ cup of water

Most of the ingredients here are to taste. If you like the chutney to be milder, reduce the chilies. You can add more garlic if you like garlic-y flavor.

This recipe yields about 1 cup of chutney.

1. Nicely wash the cilantro in cold water. Just cut off the last few inches of stem & then give rest of the bunch a very rough chop.
2. Put all the ingredients in the blender, starting from chunky items first. It’s easier to blend.
3. Start with ¼ cup of water & add more to get the consistency you like.