Broccoli Paratha

 I came up with this recipe because I wanted to try something new with broccoli. I realized that it was no more a new recipe when I goggled.  But anyways, I am happy that I can making my own version of broccoli paratha. It tasted good especially with the mixed veggie achar/pickle and I could not stop eating. This recipe is also a good way to make kids eat veggies without they knowing about it.

Ingredients:

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For Dough:

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2 cups of Whole wheat flour + ½ cup flour for rolling

1 tsp Yogurt

salt to taste

Water as needed

¼ tsp oil

For Filling:

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2 Broccoli heads washed and grated.

1 Potato boiled and mashed

1 small Onions chopped finely

¼ inch Ginger grated

2 green Chilies chopped finely

salt to taste

¼ tsp Turmeric powder

¾ tsp Red Chili powder

½ Cumin powder

¼ tsp Garam masala powder

½ tsp Amchur powder

3tbsp Butter

Method:

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Dough:

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1. In a mixing bowl add flour, stir a bit. Add yogurt and 1 cup of water at first and knead the flour to make it into a dough (add water as needed).

      2. Spread the dough with oil and cover with wet cloth and keep it for about 15-30 mins

Filling:

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1. Mix all the filling ingredients. (Note: Broccoli and onions should be cut just before mixing the ingredients to make the paratha, else it will release water. If there is little bit water squeeze the water and then bring all the ingredients together).

 Paratha making:

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1. Make medium (tennis ball) balls out of the dough, coat with flour and keep them aside.
2. Take one ball of dough and spread it to a small circle with fingers and stuff 2-3 tbsp of stuffing and close the sides to make a ball again.

3. Now again cover the stuffed ball of dough into the flour and roll it gently to a paratha shape without giving lot of pressure while rolling (make sure that the filling stays inside) (Note: If the stuffing comes out a bit, press the stuffing inside a bit and sprinkle some flour on top of it and roll again gently).

4. Now heat a tava or cast iron skillet and place the paratha gently and wait until it starts getting brown color spots.

5. Now turn to the other side and spread butter on top of the paratha.

6. Now wait for the other side also to get brown spots.

7. Turn again and spread butter to the second side and flip again for 5 secs. 

 8.Now remove it from tava and serve it hot hot with flavored yogurt/plain yogurt/pickle or it can be eaten as it is.

9.Enjoy this wonderful, yummy and healthy paratha which is very filling.

Tried and Tested from Alka's SindhRasoi

This Month Tried and Tested is featuring Alka's SindhRasoi, hosted by Ria, an Event Started by Zlamushka, and now taken over by Lakshmi Venkatesh. It was a good experience peeping into Alka's Kitchen and trying out her Yummy Dishes.

I Tried 3 of her dishes and have 2 more in buffer to try out. I especially loved her collection under Cooking for kids, with an enthu patani, who gets easily bored with repeated dishes, u definitely have to, take a look @ her Dishes. Interesting, for the grown-ups too!!!! 

Loved this Bread Chat, easy to make if you have all the ingredients @ hand. The Title Guilty pleasures - Bread Chat, pulled me towards this recipe. It was an Instant hit, Crispy bread with Potato, Boondi and Yoghurt, Wow!!!! it was Delicious!!!! Guilt ko Maaro Goli,(Kill the Guilt) Enjoy, once in a while!!!!!

My Hubby Loves to have Paneer along with Roti, This Paneer Bhurji was an excellent combo with Roti's. This post has good information about healthy bones too. From the Ingredients list i just omitted Butter and Cashew, for the obvious reasons!!! :) But even without them , it tasted Divine, We enjoyed this a lot, i even made this again for my hubby's Lunch Box. Definitely hubby dear was impressed!!!

Seero was an easy-to-make sweet. Just like our kesari, except for the Food Colour.

Hope to be back with some more delicious dishes from Sindhrasoi, before the event ends. Till then, Have a Great Weekend and a Very Happy Navrathri.

5 Spices That Can Help You Lose Weight

Although we’re inclined to scour the Web in search of the best diets and meal plans, the truth is, some of the tools to weight-loss success are already on your spice rack! Here are five ingredients that not only add flavor to your favorite dishes but can help in your battle against the bulge.

1. Cinnamon:

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A 2003 study published in Diabetes Care showed that as little as one teaspoon of cinnamon per day can boost the body’s weight-loss ability by reducing blood sugar and promoting healthier processing of carbohydrates. It also lowers LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) by seven to 27% and total cholesterol by 12 to 26%. Plus, cinnamon has been shown to prevent the metabolic syndrome commonly seen in pre-diabetics. But before you go on piling the spice by spoonful, note that cinnamon contains a chemical called coumarin, which can lead to liver damage if consumed in very large amounts.

 

2. Cayenne:

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The main ingredient in spicy cayenne—capsaicin, which is also found in other hot peppers—has long been studied for its fat-burning abilities and thermogenic properties (the stimulating of the central nervous system to produce heat in the body, leading to an increase in calorie burning). In fact, Nicholas Perricone, M.D., cites several of these studies in his wildly popular The Perricone Weight-Loss Diet and concludes that capsaicin acts as an appetite suppressant. Many think that cayenne pepper promotes weight loss because it’s simply difficult to overindulge in spicy food. However, later studies performed by the Journal of Obesity also found that the spice increases fat oxidation, “ramps up energy expenditure, and stimulates activity by the sympathetic nervous system”—all which help the body to shed excess weight. Not a fan of fiery cuisine? Not to worry! Research has found that cayenne’s ability to reduce appetite is equally effective whether ingested as food or in capsule form.

 

3. Black Pepper:

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Among the dozens of health benefits of this common household ingredient is its ability to improve digestion and promote the absorption of nutrients in tissues all over the body. Plus, its main component—piperine (which gives pepper its pungent taste)—boosts fat metabolism by as much as 8% for several hours after ingesting it. If you want your pepper to pack the most punch, use freshly ground pepper, which has the most concentrated amounts of piperine.

 

4. Mustard Seed:

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Like the other hot ingredients on this list, spicy mustard helps boost metabolism and allows you to burn fat more quickly, thanks in part to its thermogenic properties. Scientists at England’s Oxford Polytechnic Institute recently found that eating just one teaspoon of hot mustard can “boost metabolism 20 to 25% for several hours after eating, resulting in an additional burn of about 45 calories if a 700-calorie meal is consumed.”

 

5. Ginger:

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Long used for its medicinal properties, ginger is also an effective diuretic (a substance that increases the elimination of urine). It improves gastric mobility (i.e. it pushes food and waste through the digestive system) and hinders the absorption of cholesterol. Although according to the Mayo Clinic, more study is needed, preliminary evidence suggests that this versatile spice helps to increase metabolism.