Celebrations

Green peas, or “garden peas,” are the small, spherical seeds that come from pods produced by the Pisum sativum plant. They have been part of the human diet for hundreds of years and are consumed all over the world. Strictly speaking, green peas are not vegetables. Green peas are quite filling, low in calories, and high in fiber. Thus help in weight loss. Contain several minerals and vitamins. Enriched with proteins and antioxidant, these are heart healthy, control blood sugar levels, and prevent from cancers.

Fenugreek is an annual plant with leaves consisting of three small obovate to oblong leaflets. It is cultivated worldwide and its seeds, plus leaves are pretty common ingredients in dishes from the Indian subcontinent.

Fenugreek has many health benefit. Such as lowering blood sugar levels, increasing milk production in breastfeeding mothers, reducing cholesterol levels, lowering inflammation, and to help with appetite control

Mustard greens contain many health-boosting antioxidants like beta carotene, which can protect our skin and lower risk factors of diabetes. The greens are also a great source of several B vitamins, including thiamine (B1,) niacin (B3,) and pyridoxine (B6.) A serving also offers high amounts of Vitamin K.

Mustard greens are rich in fibre that facilitates weight loss. They also make for a good detox food. According to the book, ‘Healing foods’, “the antioxidant beta-carotene and vitamins C and K help neutralize toxins and remove them from the body, providing effective detox support’.

Tinda also known as round gourd or apple gourd in English is a small green gourd vegetable available for hardly two months during monsoons in India.

Round gourd or tinda contains vitamins and carotene that boosts the immunity and keeps you healthy. Its antioxidant property protects you from pathogens that affect our body thus making it one of the best vegetables to eat during the monsoon. It’s pulp is less fibrous which is why it can be easily digested.

Green Chickpeas are an incredible source of vitamins like B6, C, folate, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and minerals including manganese, phosphorus, iron and copper.

The wealth of nutrients in green chickpeas is beneficial in boosting the immune system, promote muscle mass, regulates diabetes and enhance hair, skin and nail health. Here, I am creating a very easy breakfast or anytime recipe from it.

Bell pepper is also known as sweet pepper or capsicum or shimla mirch. Though they are fruits, (botanically classified as berries), they are commonly used as a vegetable ingredient or as a side dish. Enriched with carotenoids, antioxidants, vitaminC, and vitamin B6, they are excellent for eye health, cancer prevention, to boost immunity, balancing mood, and in sleep quality.

Further, it’s low in calories, therefore helps in weight loss. Vitamin E in bell peppers brings a radiance to skin. Heart healthy, as the Capsiacin present in bell peppers helps lowering the cholesterol. Together vitaminC and vitaminK of the veggie are anti-inflammatory.

Cabbage, and especially red cabbage has many health benefits. It seems to raise levels of beta-carotene, lutein, and other heart-protective antioxidants. It also helps lower something called “oxidized” LDL, which is linked to hardening of the arteries. And since it eases inflammation, it can help prevent heart disease.

Steaming was found to retain the most antioxidants and vitamin C compared to other cooking methods, making this a good option if you don’t like it raw. Here, I am sharing a very flavorful cabbage recipe with some basic spices.

Rice pudding is simply raw rice cooked in sweetened milk. As the rice cooks, it lets off starch that thickens the milk and suspends the tender grains of rice, contributing to its creaminess.

Traditionally, it is started with uncooked rice. Whereas, to cut short the cooking-time, it can also be started with the leftover cooked rice.

Rasmalai is basically a flavored, creamy, and thick milk consists of Chenna or homemade paneer balls. The flavored milk is made with thickened milk, sugar, saffron, cardamom powder, and rose water. The super soft Chenna balls are the core of this recipe and make Rasmalai a great dessert for special occasions. Rasmalai is always served chilled.

Kebabs are quite popular in India. These can be created with a variety of ingredient. Here, I am sharing the recipe of kebabs made with Kala Chana or Black Chickpeas, and homemade paneer. Black Chickpeas N Paneer Kebabs make an appetizing and protein-packed snack. It is just perfect for the growing kids as a stuffing for the grilled sandwiches, wraps, burgers etc. Also, an excellent recipe for weight watchers.

Good thing about these kebabs is that we can always create them in advance and refrigerate for later use.