Sauteed Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas)

Wash and soak about 1 cup of yellow Garbanzo beans and a 1/4 cup of black Garbanzo beans over night. Cook them in a pressure cooker with a dash of salt and turmeric. This is the time to get salt in to it. So manage salt according to your preference. Strain and leave on the counter top to dry off the water.

Cooked, drained, and air dried mix of Garbanzo beans

In the mean time prepare the following for your saute.

Chopped fresh ginger, curry leaves, De-seeded Jalapeno peppers, red ionion

Black mustard seeds, Dried Chili peppers cut

black pepper, turmeric, crushed red chili pepper

Now heat about 1tbsp of Olive oil in a non-stick pan. First add Curry leaves, as you start to get the aroma from the curry leaves, add red onions.

Once onions start changing color, add the mustard seeds and dried red chili peppers. Mix-in.

Wait for the mustard seeds to start splattering. Now add a dash of salt and then add the ginger and Jalapenos to the mix. Stir.

 It's time to stir in the cooked Garbanzos

Then add your dry ingredients such as turmeric, black pepper and crushed red chili peppers. Saute all together. Garnish with un-sweetened coconut flakes.

The final product

Oh it's Monday

Was up from time to time with A coughing. He had to take his medicine 11:30pm, 2:30am and 5:30am. After doing multiple sessions of steam and following up with medicine on time he feels better in the morning. Planning to keep him home today to take him to the doctor to get his lungs checked. The advantages of not having to go to work outside home...letting sicknesses take it's own course. Rest and recover. Never liked dropping sick kids off to school when I had no other choice. I am thinking I shouldn't push my un-rested body into a major workout today.


Breakfast:
2 slices of toasted wheat bread with butter and polsambol (about 250 cal)
1 decaf with 2 tbsp of non-fat milk

Take A to the doctor. His lungs are clear! Yay! Since he is sick and home I decided to make him a healthy treat. I had 2 ripe bananas and some instant cinnamon apple instant oat meal that no one was eating. This is what I came up with: Banana Apple Oat Bars

Ran for 20 minutes. Walked for 10 minutes.

Snack:
2 pieces of home made Banana Apple Oat Bars

 Banana Apple Oat Bars

Lunch:
1 small bowl of Finger- Millet Noodles with 4 small pieces of fish
1 Rajgira brittle ball
1 tall glass of Sencha

Easy Healthy Banana Apple Oat Meal Bars

  Banana Apple Oat Meal Bars

3 pks Apple Cinnamon Instant Oat Meal
3 pks Original Instant Oat Meal
The above two should give you 2 cups of dry oat meal
2 Large extremely ripe bananas
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
9x9 oven proof dish well oiled

Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Then add the vanilla extract. Peel bananas and place them in the same bowl. With a fork smash the bananas very well while mixing it with other ingredients. When everything is evenly mixed into a thick paste, Start heating the oven at 350 and leave the mix in the bowl covered for 10 minutes.
Take the oiled oven proof dish, pack the wet mix evenly so there aren't any trapped air. Back for 20 minutes. Take out. Leave the oven on. Run a knife around the edges. Turn upside-down. With a clean sharp knife cut in to any shape you like. Place them on a flat baking tray and bake for another 10 minutes until edges are crunchy.
Homemade simple healthy goodness at its best!

The Rest Day

Slept in. Woke up at 7:00am. Fantastic sleep! Not planning to exercise today nor do anything, period. House is quiet. No one has a schedule today. Hang out and enjoy each other's company. Yay! Little bit of a worry is A still has a cough. Boys want Quesadillas. Fruits for G.

Breakfast:
Bowl of Finger-Millet (Ragi) Porridge
Orange and Kiwi Juice

 Finger-Millet (Ragi) Porridge

Lunch:
A good day for soul food! Where else to find them other than with infamous Chettinad Cuisine. Anjappar Chicken Masala and Ceylon Egg Parotta for G. Egg Kotthu Paratha, Chicken Lollipop, and Onion Pakoras for V, Chicken 65 and Naan for A. Also G got some European Chocolates for dessert.
Have to note though that I managed not to binge as much as I love that food. Didn't order anything for myself. However, I tasted food ordered by other three.

My favorite Rum Dark Chocolate with 2 Tall glasses of Sencha Tea

Dinner:
A Pear

Self, stay desciplined!

G has a back pain. Not good for his work out! I usually have very hungry people in the house Saturday mornings. Planning to make potato hash with bacon, peppers, onions with cubed Parmesan toast for the guys.

Love early morning walks on Saturdays. No traffic. No people. Air smells fresh. Walk 30 minutes

Breakfast:
Papaya
1 Bran cracker
1 cup tea

Papaya with lime

Lot of driving and cooking today. A good day to feed everyone freshly cooked vegetables. V loves Okra, G loves Capsicum, and Banana Blossom. All super rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

My Lunch:
Stir fried Okra
Curried yellow capsicum
1 piece of oven crisped chicken

Stir Fried Okra

Curried Yellow Capsicum

 G's Lunch:

Red rice, Stir Fired Okra, Lentils, Curried Yellow Capsicum, Banana Blossom, Oven Crisped Chicken

Power walk for 20 minutes

Dinner:
1 soup bowl of Finger Milled (Ragi) Noodles
1 piece dark chocolate

Fish Hate...FryDay

Yay! It's Friday. Woke up at 5:45am. Fresh and energetic. This is what I love about eating well and exercise. Feeling fantastic mentally and physically.
I remember when I was 145lb in 2003 after having two kids very close to each other...I lost 40lb of that weight in two years just doing what I'm doing today. Eating food close to heart in moderation and regularly working it out. When it comes to food, most importantly I have the need to fill my soul. That food is usually the food I ate as a child(Sri Lankan home cooked goodness) or have developed a taste-for at a certain period in my life(Simple goodness of Japanese food). Small quantity of these make me feel immensely content thereby giving me no need to think about food for a long period of time.
In 2005 I weighed 105lb. 7lb less than my pre-pregnancy weight. Felt awesome! Then of course due to various reasons such as going back to a full-time work outside the home, etc. or not being diligent on my part, I gained 10lb back over the next 7 years. However, it's fair to mention I did stay active, did moderate exercises such as walking often, and was conscientious about what I was putting in my body.
It's time to get rid of 10lb I gained. I don't like how this 10lb make me feel than look most importantly. I like the lightness and the strength of 10lb less. I'm excited of the good start a week ago. Too early for a celebration though. No looking back now. I'm more than enthusiastic G has joined me too. From past experiences, when both of us are disciplined it works the best.

Breakfast:
1 High Fiber toasted English muffin with a poached egg
1 cup decaf with 2 tbsp non-fat milk
1/2 pk sugar substitute

Walk 30 minutes. Not a power walk. It was a walk to get weekly vegetables. Muscles are tired today. Decided against riding the bike. Elliptical only for 20 minutes.

Lunch:
1/2 cup mixed grain rice
3 small cubes grilled salmon
1 tbsp polsambol
1 coconut water

Dinner: 
Japanese Soba noodle soup...ooh the salty goodness after a long time
1 Avocado

Finger Millet (Ragi) Noodles

Super easy to make. Simple Ingredients, simple taste, healthy goodness!

Ingredients:

Finger Millet Noodles

Few carrots

Leaks

Celery

Red Onion

1/4 of a green chili

2 whole dried red chili sliced

Ginger and garlic

Curry leaves

Boil water with a dash of salt. Add the dry noodle. Turn off the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain the water and let the noodles air dry for sometime. The below picture show cooked noodles.

 Then prepare the vegetables as shown:

Heat about 1tbsp of olive oil and add curry leaves, then the onions and leaks.

Now add a dash of salt. When onions and leaks start to sweat, add the carrots, garlic, ginger, dash of pepper, celery and chilies. Saute well.

If you like your vegetables well done add a little water, cover and let cook. If you like them crunchy add the cooked and air dried noodles and mix well on low heat.

Just delicious on it's own or with a salad and grilled meat.

When I want another layer of flavor, I would add sliced almonds or cashew nuts, and raisins to the saute. 

Red Rice and Coconut Milk: A Breakfast Porridge

1 cup Red Cargo Rice

Wash rice and soak in water overnight.

In the morning, strain the water, add 2 cups of water to a heavy bottom pan and cook rice until tender. Transfer the well cooked rice to a blender with a dash of salt, 1 tbsp of unsweetened coconut milk powder, and some water. Blend coarse. Transfer back to the pot you cooked rice in. Bring it to boil while stirring with additional water if necessary. Taste for salt. Garnish with some cracked black pepper.

Samolina with Carrot and Spinach

This needs to be made when you are ready to eat. Silkier the better...melts in your mouth. Just delicious!

Pan roast1 cup of thin semolina for 4 people. Don't let it change color. Keep it aside.

Grate 10 baby carrots. Take 4 hands full of baby spinach. 1 hand full of Cilantro leaves. Keep aside.

Rub a heavy bottom pan with a light cooking oil. Add the following in the given order.

4 curry leaves
1/2 white onion chopped
1/2 Serrano chili sliced
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 ginger chopped

Then add the grated carrots. A dash of salt and black pepper. Add 2 cups of water, cover and bring to boil. Add the semolina and reduce the heat. Stir and mix very well. Cover for few minutes. Add the spinach and Cilantro. Mix well and take out of the stove. Keep the lid on for 10 minutes before serving with a rounded scoop.

 
 

Shrimp Boil

Good aromatic medium grain white rice needs to go in the rice cooker to accompany this!

2lb fresh shrimp with all their crustacean body parts intact 
2 tbsp Sambal Belachan paste
1 tsp powdered turmeric
1 tsp hot red chili powder

Wash shrimp well. Pat them dry and rub all the above ingredients on them and keep them covered in the fridge not more than 2hrs.

1 tbsp Sambal Belachan paste
I medium red onion chopped
2 Serrano chili whole
2 cloves garlic chopped
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
3 medium size red skin potatoes quartered 
 
Heat a heavy bottom cylindrical pan. Add the Sambal Belachan paste. This has oil. So you don't need to add any more. then add the curry leaves. Once they start to emit their signature aroma, add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry on medium-high heat. When everything is coated well, add 1.5 cups hot water cover and let the potatoes cook. Once potatoes are just under cooked, add the marinated shrimp. Mix everything well. Cover and cook for good 20 minutes stirring few times in between on medium heat. Serve over steaming hot white rice and be ready to get your hands and face dirty!

Kale Mallung

Simple ingredients, simple healthy goodness!

 

Get a bunch of Kale, wash, remove hard stems, pat dry and chop as above.

Add the following ingredients to a heavy bottom pan.

1/2 medium size red onion chopped

1/2 Serrano chili

3 curry leaves

1/8 inch piece of cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp dry Fenugreek

1/4 tsp powdered turmeric

1 heap tbsp unsweetened medium flake desiccated coconut

Salt and black pepper 

1/4 cup cold water

Cook on medium heat covered until you see the almost dry state below:

Now, increase the heat to high, add chopped Kale and mix well. The moment green turns to a bright green, remove from heat and plate on a pre-cooled dish. Why it's very important to plate in a cool dish is to stop cooking right away. Otherwise your greens will turn to a dark overcooked state.

  

This is absolutely delicious over steamed white rice.

Sprouted Red Mung Bean Salad

I take one cup of dry red mung beans for four people. Remember they double in quantity when cooked.

Sprouting:

Wash and soak dry red mung beans in water overnight. They should be nice and plump the next day. Drain the water. Take a shallow tray. Double layer the tray with wet paper towels. Spread the red mung beans evenly. Place the tray in a place where there is no direct light such as the cupboard under the kitchen sink. Spray the mung beans with a spray bottle twice a day to retain moisture. In about 4-5 days it's well sprouted and ready for a salad. You may leave it longer if you need bigger sprouts.

Salad:

Steam the red mung beans in a steamer until they have no raw taste left. Sometimes I add slices of ginger to the boiling water to infuse red mung beans with ginger flavor.

3 red shallots finely sliced
4 Curry leaves
1/2 Serrano chili sliced
1/8 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Salt and pepper

Lightly rub a shallow pan with extra virgin olive oil and heat. Add the Curry leaves first, then the sliced shallots. When shallots start changing color add salt and pepper. Then sliced chili. Toss in the steamed red mung beans and coconut flakes. Serve warm.
 

Beet Root Rolls and Cucumber Triangles

 

This was one of the most common school lunches as kids growing up in Sri Lanka. Our mom would make these the night before and have our lunch boxes ready for the next morning. How efficient?

Beet Root Rolls

Cook one large Beet Root with a dash of salt and water in a pressure cooker whenever you have time. Drain the water, let cool down, place in a plastic bag and leave it in the fridge until you need it. This can stay in the fridge up to 3-4 days.

When you are ready to make the Beet Root Rolls, take the cooked Beet Root, peel it and cut it in to thin slices. Sprinkle with black pepper if you like.

Take pre-sliced  bread at room temperature, cut the crusts off and lightly apply a soft spread. Place the Beet Root slices on one side. Using plastic wrap roll it like a sushi roll. Twist the edges of plastic wrap like a popular candy and keep it aside for awhile. Make whatever the number of rolls you need this way. Then open the wrapped rolls, toss away the plastic wrap and cut the roll diagonally to expose the pretty color. Chilled is the best.

Cucumber Triangles

Remove seeds from a Serrano chili and chop it fine. Thinly chop some Cilantro leaves. Take about 1/2 cup of any soft spread for a loaf of bread, mix in chopped chili, Cilantro, salt, and pepper.

Thinly slice an English cucumber and spread them on a clean towel to get rid of excess moisture. 

Spread slices of bread out. Apply a very thin layer of jazzed up soft spread on every slice of bread. Spread cucumber slices on one half of the slices. Close sandwiches. Shave off the edges cleaning the knife often with a wet paper towel so that edges stay clean. Cut them in the middle diagonally in to triangles. Serve chilled.

Caramel Flan

Oh my! This was the most common dessert we had growing up. Simple goodness, basic ingredients, easy to make!

Until our mom felt comfortable giving us something made with store bought canned condensed milk, she would substitute condensed milk with baby formula and cut the sugar to 1/4 and make kids' special Caramel Flan while she made the original for the adults.


For the Caramel:

1/2 cup white granulated sugar
A round cylindrical heat proof glass dish with a lid. This dish should easily fit your steamer.

Add the sugar to a heavy bottom preferably a nonstick pan.  Add some water just enough to wet all the sugar. Start cooking on medium heat.

If your pan is dark, you have to be careful not to burn the caramel because it's hard to see.

Watch your pan closely. At one point you will see a golden spot of caramel develop. Reduce heat. Hold the pan with its handles and move the liquid inside a little. When all the liquid is golden, immediately pour it to the round cylindrical heat proof glass dish. Rotate the dish to cover the bottom and the sides with golden caramel. Keep it aside. You have to be super careful working this as this hot caramel can burn you bad.


Get your steamer going with the pasta insert.

Now it's time for the flan:

1 can condensed milk
4 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Add all the flan ingredients to a deep mixing bowl. Make sure to scrape all the condensed milk out of the can. Fill half of the empty condensed milk can with water. Wash it well with a spoon. You will see the water turning to milky white. Add to your mix of ingredents. Do the same three more times. Beat with a cake mixer for 2 minutes at high. Now pour this into your glass dish with the caramel bottom. Close the dish with a lid and place it in the steamer. Make sure there's enough water in the steamer to last 45 minutes at high. Once done, let it cool down completely before placing in the fridge.

If you are up for the challenge of turning this upside-down for better display. Once it's completely chilled, take blunt tip knife along the inside glass edge. Cover it with your display dish and do a vertical 180 flip on to the display dish.

Cracked Bulgur Wheat Pilav with Sour Mango

   
Unbelievably light!

1 cup Bulgar wheat
1.5 cup water

Bring the water to boil in a heavy bottom pan. Add Bulgar wheat. Wait for the water to boil again. One stir with a fork or a whisk. Reduce the heat to low. Close with a lid. Should be ready in less than 5 minutes. No water should be left. Fluff Bulgar with a fork. Keep aside. Do not cover the pan with the lid. If Bulgar is overcooked, it has a tendency to develop a sliminess.

Next,
1/2 red bell pepper cubed
1/2 raw mango peeled and julienned 
1/2 Serrano chili pepper cut in to rounds
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp sliced almonds
2 red shallots chopped
4 curry leave
1 stem Cilantro for garnishing
salt and white pepper

Rub a non-stick pan with good olive oil. Heat the pan and add curry leaves, red shallots, ginger, garlic, raisins, salt and white pepper. Toss and stir on med-high heat. Don't let anything burn. As you start getting the beautiful aroma, and raisins are picking up moisture, add the almonds, Serrano chili rounds, red bell pepper, and mango. Toss and mix in the cooked Bulgar wheat evenly. It should be light and airy and no lumps. Taste for salt and pepper. Remove curry leaves. Plate and garnish with Cilantro. 

This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a day. However, in that case mango should be avoided.  

You can use common white button mushrooms in place of raw mango. It has a completely different, slightly heavy flavor, since mushrooms have the tendency to absorb oil. Also you have to work with the heat to avoid buildup of liquid from mushrooms.

Kale and Black Eyed Peas

We make this all the time!

 

Soak1/2 cup of black-eyed peas for bout 4 hours in water. Cook them with some turmeric, salt and black pepper. Drain and keep aside. You can do this well in advance.

When you are ready for preparation, wash one bunch of Kale and pat dry. Break the leaves with your hand while removing the thick stems. You can save these stems, wrap them with a kitchen towel, and will stay in the fridge for few days for a soup or a stew later on.

Rub a nonstick pan with Olive oil. Heat the pan, add chopped red shallots, garlic, and ginger with few curry leaves. When you can sense the aroma, throw in some salt, few mustard seeds, and flakes of crushed chili. Now add the well drained black-eyed peas. Toss Kale in. Taste.Take out of heat immediately and plate. Garnish with grated coconut. You don't want Kale to turn dark green-brown but, crunchy and bright green.

Sufficient for two adults and two children.

Lotus Root Salad

 

Simplicity at its best!

One can find lotus root in most of the Asian grocery stores. Lotus root is very high in vitamin C and has a wide variety of trace minerals; Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese, Copper, etc. because it grows in mud and pulls all those good things from it. I bet it has no cholesterol and it's low in carbohydrates. Very mild in taste, aroma, and unique in texture.They are very high in fiber. Lighter the color of the lotus root the newer it is. 

Once you are ready for the preparation, thinly skin the outer layer of the root. If you leave it in the open, due to the oxidation of ions, this has a tendency to turn in to an unsightly brown. Have a bowl of cold water mixed with some vinegar to drop the root slices as you cut them. Drain. I prefer to cook the sliced root in a pressure cooker without its top with some lime juice and a dash of salt for about 10 minutes until they are tender to bite yet have a fair crunch. 

Take them out of the pressure cooker, strain away the water and pat the cooked slices of root dry with a clean towel. Keep them aside.

Rub olive oil on a non stick pan, heat. Temper curry leaves, chopped red shallots, sliced green chillies, julienned fresh ginger root, and a few mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splatter, add the well drained cooked lotus root and toss. Now mix in few flakes of crushed red chilli and grated coconut. Taste and adjust salt for personal preference. 

Finger-Millet Porridge

Simplest, most satisfying, and one of the healthiest breakfasts I had growing up. I can still smell the aroma of finger-millet flour roasting in the kitchen as we children get ready for school early in the morning.

Very low on sugars, high on iron, vitamins B, and fiber. I'm pretty sure there is some proteins in this from the fresh coconut milk that's added at the end.

First, pan roast the finger-millet flour until you can sense the roasted aroma of finger-millet. Keep it aside. Boil about 2 cups of water for 1/2 cup of finger-millet flour. Add 1-2 finely chopped garlic, about 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh ginger, salt to taste. Let the garlic and ginger cook well in the boiling water. Lower heat. Slowly add the roasted finger-millet flour while stirring it thoroughly to avoid forming lumps. I have also seen the flour shaken though a sieve in to the water while stirring. I believe this is to avoid forming lumps. Add about 1/8 cup of fresh coconut milk. Keep stirring under low heat. Velvety silk, shiny, thick porridge is what's to look for.