Quick and Easy, Colorful Bell Pepper Mix !!!

Diets are really hard. First it restricts so many ingredients and then you come to know that there are very little food dishes that you can really eat if you want to follow this diet. :). And I really wanted to follow this diet I did last year. I guess this was my first diet program ever and I was really excited.

I was on a non-grain diet and non-grain means you cannot have rotis. So apart from salads, I usually had moong daal cheelas as a replacement to rotis. But moong daal cheela did not taste good with various sabjis and hence I used to prepare and mix, quick and dry vegetable saute, make my cheelas and then have meal. This sabji of different capsicums tasted really well with cheelas and it made my meals more satiating during that diet.

Ingredients:

Serves 2

Bell Pepper - I used 4 colored bell peppers (Red, Yellow, Orange, Green), diced, 1 and 1\2 cup
Onion - diced, 2 tbsp
Tomatoes - chopped, 2 tbsp
Potatoes - 1 medium sized, cooked in microwave for 2-3 minutes, peeled and diced
Chopped fresh Coriander\Cilantro - 1 tbsp.
Cumin and Mustard  - Each 1 tsp seeds for tempering
Garam Masala - 2 tsp
Red Chili powder - 1 tsp or as per taste

Sugar - Pinch to taste (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

1. Mix and microwave chopped capsicum for 3-5 minutes, to semi-cook it.. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, When they splutter add cumin seeds. Now add chopped onions. Saute for a minute or two.

2. Now add the capsicum, potato, tomato and mix. Add salt, garam masala, red chili powder, sugar and mix again.Cook untill capsicums are soft but not soggy.

3. Adjust masalas and top with chopped coriander. Serve hot with plain Roti or plain Paratha.

Tips:

• Make this sabji right before you are going to have your meal. 
• It will only taste better when you have at least 3 different kinds of bell peppers. The colors also add to its nutrition and presentation.

Running out of options for breakfast - try this, "Sevai Upma" (Vermicelli Mix)

Sevai is a tricky item to work with. I had about 4-5 failed attempts of Sevai upma before I could make it right. This is usually a rare dish people make, at least I have not seen people make Sevai upma as frequently they do Poha or regular Upma for breakfast. This, therefore makes, a good dish for guests too. The only tricky part is how much water you put when you cook Sevai upma and the lesson I learnt is to start with small amounts or try the microwave version of cooking it.

Ingredients:

Thin Vermicelli \ Sevai - 2 cups

Chopped Onion - 1\2 cup

Frozen Peas - 1\2 cup

Green chillies - either slit or in a paste form, as per taste

Roasted Peanuts - whole or crushed

Salt per taste

Sugar - 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 3\4

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tsp

Chopped Coriander

Method:

1. Put vermicelli in a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tsp oil to it and mix it so that all sevai is greased. Microwave this for 1-2 minutes stirring every 30 seconds. Stop when you see the sevai getting red. Add 1\2 cup water to this bowl and then continue cooking. You will require 2-3 minutes for the vermicelli to be cooked. Add water if necessary. Eat a little sevai to check if its cooked.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds and curry leaved. Add chopped onion and saute till onion turns translucent. Add turmeric powder, green chilly paste\slit, peanuts (whole\crushed), salt, sugar and mix well.

3. Now add cooked vermicelli and mix again delicately, making sure everything mixes well. Adjust salt, sugar to taste. Cover for 2 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Tips:

You can also add roasted split chana daal when sauteing onion, for that extra and different flavor.
Additional veggies of your choice will add colors and nutrition.

All I wanted to know about Antioxidants!

I been upto a lot of things lately and definitely this is not the post I want to resume my writing with.
I was reading about Green Teas (as I have started drinking it instead of regular tea) and that directed me to read about antioxidants. This topic, like many others, had always been dwelling in my mind but its just today that it surfaced and I thought this is good to write about.

I want to write down about it in the language that I can clearly remember and explain others.

What is oxidation:

What I knew - Rusting of iron or a peeled apple turning red is related to oxidation. So definitely oxidation is a chemical reaction, that is related to oxygen (as the name suggests) and could be slower or a faster process. Definitely it is not good as nobody likes a rusted iron or a peeled apple that had turned red. :)

What I learnt - Oxidation never occurs on a painted iron object or not on the Apple that has skin, which means, it occurs when some kind of cells\molecules come in contact with oxygen. As we know any burning process requires Oxygen and so does the food (glucose) in our body requires oxygen to ignite itself and generate energy that body requires for functioning. We also burn the energy resulting into heat that can damage cells. This process is nothing but oxidation.
The damaging of the cells actually occurs because of the electrons that are generated during these reactions of molecules and oxygen. These free electrons are also called as free radicals.

Prolonged damaging of cells can cause serious injuries.
 
Effects of Oxidation:

What I knew - Nothing

What surprised me - As the oxidation\burning can occur anywhere in the body, the effects could also been at any place or of any kind. Here is the list which is literally shocking and if we correctly know how tackle the oxidation we can at least eliminate a good chance of these disease ever happening and lead a healthy life. (source- http://www3.amherst.edu/~dmirwin/Reports/BetterHealth.htm)

• Deterioration of the eyes, which contributes to blindness.
• Inflammation of the joints (rheumatoid arthritis).
• Damage to nerve cells in the brain.                   
• Acceleration of the ageing process.
• Increased risk of coronary heart disease, since free radicals encourage low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to adhere to artery walls.
• Certain cancers, triggered by damaged cell DNA.

What are antioxidants ("free radical scavengers"):

What I knew - I should eat antioxidants like berries to have healthy life.

 

What I learnt - These are the chemicals that are responsible for removing the free radicals that cause disease. Many vitamins act as antioxidants. Antioxidant supplements do not work as well as the natural sources of them found in vegetables, fruits, etc.
Antioxidants block the process of oxidation by neutralizing free radicals and themselves become oxidized. That is why there is a constant need to replenish our antioxidant resources.

 

Sources of antioxidants:

 

Type	Source
Allium sulphur compounds	Leeks, onions and garlic.
Anthocyanin	Eggplant, grapes and berries.
Catechins	Red wine and Tea.
Cryptoxanthins	Red capsicum, pumpkin and mangoes.
Flavonoids	Tea, green tea, citrus fruits, red wine, onion and apples.
Indoles	Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower.
Isoflavonoids	Soybeans, tofu, lentils, peas and milk.
Lignans	Sesame seeds, bran, whole grains and vegetables.
Lutein	Leafy greens like spinach, and corn.
Lycopene	Tomatoes, pink grapefruit and watermelon.
Polyphenols	Thyme and oregano. Grapes, all berries
Beta carotene	Pumpkin, mangoes, apricots, carrots, spinach, parsley.
Vitamin C	Oranges, blackcurrants, kiwi fruit, mangoes, broccoli, spinach, capsicum and strawberries.
Vitamin E	Vegetable oils (such as wheat germ oil), avocados, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Copper *	Seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts.
Selenium *	Seafood, offal, lean meat and whole grains.
Manganese *	Seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts.
Zinc *	Seafood, lean meat, milk and nuts.

* Need only in small amounts.
 

• Know it right and do it right !

Schezwan Fried Rice

Finally after lots of visits to the Indian store, last week I could get a bottle of Schezwan Sauce. Ohh I thought I got lucky. Haha not really, a friend of mine told me that she got one and hence I ran the other day to grab one for me. I am not sure if this is something which is also found in China but in India its popular in making of a Chinese food. One can make this at home as well but I prefer this ready made version ;).

I wanted to make Schezwan noodles but somehow my taste buds craved for the rice.

Ingredients:

Basmati or regular Rice: 2 Cups, Cooked

Vegetables that go in Chinese food like Carrots, Capsicum (red and green), cabbage, onion, broccoli florets. The quantity can vary as per liking. Some people like more veggies some do not. Some do not like broccoli, so its optional. But carrots, capsicum and onion are the must to have).
Fresh Firm Tofu : 7-8 Cubes
Garlic : 3 cloves, finely chopped
Soy Sauce: 2-3 tsp
Schezwan Sauce : 2 tbsp
Siracha, red chili sauce: as per taste
White Vinegar: 2-3 tsp
Spring onion: Greens for garnishing, whites mix with other veggies
Salt: per taste
Oil

 

Method:

1. Break the Rice lumps and separate all the grains. (For this, put some oil into the rice while cooking it and do not cook it in pressure cooker. Use either microwave or cook directly on the burner. Use rice after it cools down completely).

2. Dice onion , wash broccoli florets, chop spring onion, and julienne rest of vegetables.

3. Shallow fry the tofu cubes to maintain its firmness after adding them to the rice.

4. Heat oil in a pan and add onions, garlics, Saute for few seconds and then add other vegetable. Saute for a while but make sure you main the crispness of the vegetables. The crunchiness tastes better than the softer version of the veggies.

5. Now add sauces and vinegar. Saute again.

6. Add tofu and mix delicately.

7. Now add the rice and salt and mix everything well. Adjust the sauces.

8. Cook for 2 minutes and garnish with spring onion greens.

Tips:


You can cover tofu with cornflower paste and then shallow fry, but its optional.

Wiltons Cake Decorating Class

              Its time to share what I was doing for the past whole month. Since I got busy now on weekdays (due to my job, obviously) all I am left are only weekends to write new posts. And when it gets to weekend my body joints start yelling at me and ask me not to do any work. Precisely I get too lazy. But my love towards my blog gets my hands working and I get motivated to write something.


Well for the last month I did not post any thing. And that's only because I was busy even on weekend. It was Wilton's Cake Decorating Class. Oh man it was fun learning experience. And I am going to share it here.


Many of you might have already taken this class , heard about it or are right now wondering who is Wilton....!!!  :) Well lets start with it then.


Wilton is a number one Cake Decorating company. They are the best in cake baking, cake decorating supplies and ideas. They conduct these classes in many of the local stores. The classes are programmed by Wilton and the instructor is trained and asked to follow the process that's is set by Wilton.


What will you learn ?

Basically Wilton cake decorating classes come in 4 levels. It goes from basics to advanced. First one being basic, here you will learn

• tips to perfectly bake your cake, techniques to store cake, how to cut cake
• how to make icing, what are different consistencies for icing and what to use when
• make different flowers, make leaves, rose flower, using the most popular star tip and what all we can do with it, borders
• decorating cupcakes
• drawing pictures on your cake, writing on the cake (use of piping gel for this)

Isn't that enough for a newbie like me. The stuff you learn in basics class is not hard and can be learnt easily at home. But then who will motivate you to do this at home :) :). I know there are hand full of girls out there who can do this at home as well but it was  sheer fun for me to go there, look at other's decorations, their creations and then of course the value able tips that you get from the instructor.

How can one learn at home ?

I said this can be done at home because each class comes with a kit and a plan book. Kit is where you find all the tool you need and book is where you get to read all the instructions and then its easy...

Where are these classes conducted ?

Search for these classes in any of the local craft store. Here at my place these are conducted by Joann and Michaels.

Tips for purchasing the supplies and enrolling in the class ?

All these craft stores have a huge coupon program. Some things you should do if you want to enroll in the class and also want to save some bucks :)

• Subscribe for the coupons on the website of these local stores.
• Go to the store and get the booklet of the classes. Here you might come across the discounts for the classes.
• On some special days like "Open House" the class could be at half of its price. I was luck to grab this deal.
• You always get 40 to 50% of coupons and always always use it towards your purchases of supplies. Saves a lot.
• Find a partner. You can share your tools and help each other during the class.

During the class ?

• Take pictures and videos for your future reference
• Take pictures of the cakes decorated by others on the last day. You get to learn a lot from each of them
• Try to reach to the class at least 10 minutes ahead of time. This is to good seats. :). I never made it :(
• Ask questions to the instructor
• Ask questions to your friends out their
• And Have Fun .............. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well here are some pictures from my class....

This one is by me :)

And here are by others.......