HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous NEW YEAR 2010.

May the new year brings new hope and happiness in your life.
(Pic was taken by me on 29th December, 2009)

Hummus...

Hummus is an Arabic word which means chickpeas. It is a dip or spread which can be eat either with raw fresh vegetables or with any kind of sandwiches, pita bread or something fried.

Hummus is an oldest food that can be traced back to the old Egyptian age. It tastes different in different places as one can use various ingredients to make this spread.

I am giving you the recipe of Hummus with roasted garlic, which is very easy to make.

Ingredients: 1 cup chickpeas (keep it in water overnight and use when it becomes soft); 2 tablespoon roasted garlic; 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon oregano (or ajwain, I think this will also do fine instead of oregano).

Method: In a blender put all the ingredients and blends until it becomes a paste of thick consistency. If required add one more spoon of olive oil.

As the hummus looks very bland, always add some chopped parsley leaves (or chopped coriander leaves)with it, spread some red chilli flakes on it and serve it in a very colorful dish. It not only needs to taste good, it needs to look good and attractive at the same time.

You can preserve it in your refrigerator for 2-3 days in an air-tight container.

Reasons to eat Walnut...

For healthy snacking walnut is an excellent choice.
Walnut contains omega-3 fatty acid. It is a good vegeterian source of this essential fatty acid which helps to promote cadiovascular rates and reduce inflammation.

It also contains ellagic acid, an antioxidant compound that helps to maintain a healthy immune system.

Walnut is also helping to maintain a healthy blood pressure.

So try to add walnut to your hot or cold breakfast and also as a snack. Use walnut oil as salad dressing.

Phentermine-the weight-loss pill

Phentermine is the main ingredient of a particular type of diet pill. In 1990, the FDA of USA has approved the use of phentermine together with another drug fenfluramine and uses this cocktail drug as a weight loss pill. It had created a huge success. But it has been discovered that the ingredient fenfluramine was causing heart valve failure among the users. So from then on the cocktail drug has been banned, and instead of fenfluramine, only the phentermine is used in this weight loss pill.


It has many side effects such as dry mouth, diarrhea or constipation, restlessness and others which are not so serious. Some serious side effects may also occur. So before using this drug, always consult your doctor and last but not the least try to maintain a controlled lifestyle so that you will not require using this weight loss pill at all.

Fast Weight Loss-Effortlessly Remove Unwanted Belly Fat!

When you decide to loss weight, you may choose any of the three following three categories, such as: fast & effortless weightloss, permanent weightloss and low cost weightloss.

If you choose fast weightloss, it is simply not going to happen. You may loss unwanted belly fat also, but for this you need either a hospital surgery, or a slow and steady weight loss program that’s healthy for you. You didn’t gain the belly fat over three beers, you won’t get rid of it that quickly either.

For this you need a good low-carb diet … and the understanding that you have to be prepared to eat low-carb the rest of your life. Too many people think that a diet is some sort of temporary restriction, binding you only as long as needed to drop the weight. But how do you expect the weight to stay off if you go back to the eating and exercising lifestyle that put it on in the first place?

As Albert Einstein put it: "Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If your previous lifestyle got you fat, you can’t go back to it and expect a different result. So whatever diet & exercise routines you settle on – just be sure to understand that it’s for life, not for just a few weeks.

You want to get rid of unwanted belly fat? It’s going to come off as you lose weight with any good diet plan – there isn’t any method to take off weight only from a single desired spot on your body. (Sort a like looking at a glass of water, and saying “I only want to drink the water in middle”… the fat in your body may be more visible as belly fat – but trust me, it’s all over your body!)

Fast weightloss is a myth that is advertised to suckers to separate them from their money… plan a change in your lifestyle, and you’ll drop the weight naturally and permanently.

Benefits of consuming green tea...

Do you know consuming green tea 4 or more cups per day may actually helps to reduce weight of your body? It actually does.

Our day time activities may actually helps to burn 8-10% of calories and body's own calorie burning process is called thermogenesis in medical terms. Drinking of green tea with every meal contribute 4% more to this calorie burning process which would add up to 37-40% total calorie burning. Green tea may also reduce the risk of heart diseases and certain types of cancers.

So drink green tea. Always buy tea from a reputed brand. Thyroid patients, avoid drinking it without consulting your doctor.

The goodness of olive...

Olive oil is the only kind of edible oil whose 70% of fat is mono-unsaturated. Oil is extracted from oil and the quality of olives greatly determines the quality of oils. There are about 700 types of olives grown in wolrd. Different grades of olive oil has different quantity of anti-oxidants level. The quality of olive-oil not only depends only on the quality of olives, it also depends on the extraction process.

Those suffering from diabetes and coronary heart disease do benefit from consumption of a MUFA rich oil in the prescribed amounts. There is some new evidence regarding the benefits of this oil. It seems that olive oil has a role in getting rid of Helicobacter pylori infections, which is a common bacterial infection of the gut with symptoms such as heartburn, acidity, pain in the abdomen.

There are also some studies to show that consumption of olive oil may retard gallstone formation. All in all, a good oil to use in its pristine and virgin form! ......Neelanjana Singh, Senior Nutrition Consultant PSRI,New Delhi.

A very easy and delicious recipe for you. It is from my mother's recipe book. Just boil the fresh olives till they become soft. After cooling, make a fine paste of them, add sufficient quantity of sugar and small amount of salt to it. You may discard the seeds. A delicious sweet dish is ready for you. Take it after a heavy lunch or dinner.

Aloo (Potato) Pakora..

A very quick and easy recipe for you all knowing that most of you are already aware of this one.

Ingredients: 3-4 big potatoes, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon ginger paste, 2 tblspoon onion paste, 3-4 green chillie paste (optional), salt and oil to fry.

Method: Boil potatoes and peel them. Mashed the potatoes smoothly and mix eggs, ginger paste, onion paste, chillie (optional) paste and salt with it. Take a small portion of this mixture with your hand, make a flat round shape and fry till red in a fry pan with a little oil.

Serve while hot with any sauce or chutney. It's delicious!!!

Singapore food

A very nice blog on Singapore food. We the people of other countries actually know nothing about this country, especially about the food. We actually don't know that this country has a special kind of food, as this city-state is occupied by the people from all over the world. He himself explained it clearly that the Singaporean food consists of the foods of Malaysia, Indonesia, China and India.

The template of the blog is very nice and attractive and pictures are also very good. The preparation of an item is well explained. He also post a recipe of 'Chicken Bumbu Bali' with video.

You must visit this site to know everything (food) about Singapore.

Atopic Dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a type of non-contagious skin disease which relapsing periodically. The word ‘dermatitis’ means inflammation on skin and ‘atopic’ refers to those diseases which are hereditary. The extreme itchy and inflammable redness and swelling condition occurs on skin in atopic dermatitis and the most commonly affected parts of the body are the inner parts of elbow and knee.

Atopic dermatitis is generally a set of three other diseases: such as eczema, asthma and allergies or hay fever. Not all those three diseases occur at the same time on a body, but these patients are usually susceptible to all these conditions in his whole life.

The infants and young children are affected mostly by this disease. In case of many children, atopic dermatitis may remit permanently when they become adult, although their skin remains dry and sensitive and easily irritated by the slightest provocation from the environment or other allergens. Some people may also be affected by this disease for the first time in much later period of their life.

Although this dermatitis is hereditary, it may be aggravated by the contact with some certain allergens or may be influenced by some other environmental factors. There is a close association between atopic dermatitis and food intake, so avoid them which may trigger your allergic reactions. Avoid dust and polluted environment. Keep your skin clean, clear and well moisturized.

In severe case of dermatitis use of mild dose of corticosteroid ointments may help to reduce the irritation to some extent.

A nice blog on recipes...a must see for everyone

Here is a beautiful blog on healthy and delicious cooking peacecooking.blogspot.com. She maintains the motto 'Be happy--and make others happy too' which is very unusual in today's blogging world. She is publishing many authentic recepies which are mainly from India. I love her 'stuffed cucumber' and 'Spicy Pumpkin'. Almost all the recipes are good especially for their beautiful pictures. Procedures and ingredients are well written and well explained.

I am requesting you all to visit this website and follow her religiously. You can find her here.

Kashmiri yakhni!

It is said that Kashmir is the Switzerland of India. I am here with a world famous recipe from that valley. It is called 'Yakhni' (I don't know the exact spelling in english. I spelled it as it sounds).

Yakhni is basically made from a combination of spices (aniseed or fennel is one them) and its basic ingredient is yogurt.

Ingredients: 1 cup yougurt; 2 tblspoon aniseed or fennel,; 1 or 2 small pieces cinnamon; 6 pieces of cloves; 6 pieces of small cardamom; ginger past as required.

Method: take the yougurt and bit it well, keep aside. Now take all the spices together, fry it on a thick bottomed pan till red (do not use any oil or anything). Now make powder of them with the help a grinder. Keep aside.

Take a thick bottomed bowl, put some oil. After heating it add the ginger paste. After frying for a while add the powder of those spices and keep stirring. Now add that yogurt, salt and small amount of water and keep it boiling for some time. Now the gravy is ready. You can add either chicken or mutton to this gravy. Bring the flame to a medium level and wait till the mutton or chicken is done.

Your Yakhni is ready. Serve it with boiled Basmati rice or chapatis.

You can take this preparation on the next day to get the better flavour of spices.

Teeth Grinding is really a problem...

'Are you waking in the morning with sore cheek muscles, loose or temperature-sensitive teeth, a headache, earache, or jaw pain? If so, you may be grinding your teeth or habitually clenching your jaw in your sleep (or even during waking hours). Known as bruxism, this is a fairly common problem caused by a misaligned bite (malocclusion) or nervous tension or suppressed anger. Left untreated, bruxism can eventually wear down your teeth.

If your dentist has found your bite to be normal, you may be stressed out or internalizing your anger. There are a number of ways to relieve stress or rage: Biofeedback training specifically aimed at reducing jaw muscle tension can be helpful. Breathing exercises are a must: they are an effective stress-reliever. Daily physical activity, such as a brisk 20-minute walk or practicing tai chi or yoga can also make a big difference. In addition, avoid consuming alcohol late at night. It has been shown to make people clench their jaw more frequently.

You might also ask your dentist for a plastic mouth guard to wear while you sleep. This can help to ease some of the side effects of bruxism. Use it in conjunction with stress-reduction practices for best results.'--- this is what Dr. Weil is telling.

Somatic Therapy for Body, Mind and Heart!

Mr. Eric Sjoberg is offering a free 30 minute therapy to heal anxiety, depression, relationship issues, chronic fatigue, residual effects of accidents, post traumatic stress disorder and much more. Eric has an extensive training somatic psychology, spiritual counseling and more which has given him the power to treat any types of mental and physical problem. Just visit San Diego Therapist website and know much more about it.

Health benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric, which we frequently use as a natural colouring agent in almost all of our food items, is one of the nature's most powerful healer as it contents curcumin. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, scientist are now revealing its benefits for the treatment of cancer to Alzheimer's desease.

For other health benefits of this spice you may consult this website

Besides those above mentioned benefits (refer to the site), I can tell some more benefits which I am getting by regularly using it.

1. Use turmeric paste with a little honey and and apply it on your face and skin. It will brighten your face if you use it regularly.

2. Make a paste of turmeric and neem leaves together and apply it if you have any skin infection. Your infection would vanish after applying 3-4 times.

3. Make a solution with water and turmeric powder and apply it if a corner of your house is attacked by black ants. They will vanish within a minute and not appear for a couple of week.

4. Use the same solution on the trees of your garden to prevent any insect.

Cigarette smoking is injurious to health! So quit it…

Almost all the people start smoking at a very young age, say about 14-15 years. At first, they start smoking as a challenge with other folks of his/her age group, and then it becomes a habit with time.

But in one fine morning, as various health related problems appears or docs ask him to quit smoking, he decides to quit it without realizing the pain he would get while trying it. Quitting a habit, either it is drinking or smoking is the hardest thing in your life. But if you succeed, you will soon notice less coughing, easier breathing, less tiredness, less choking of throat and overall a healthy lifestyle.

There are many over-the-counter stop smoking aids available, which include nicotine patch and gum. They are not always effective as most of the users start smoking as soon as the course completes. Then how could one stop smoking?

Here comes a formula, called CigArest formula, which is all natural and very effective to help quit smoking. This program help smokers to deal with the pain and frustration of those nicotine withdrawal symptoms, especially in the first couple of days.

This CigArest kit, which is a 90 days trial pack, contains (a) chewable tablets to overcome the craving for smoking, (b) Stop smoking gum, (c) VitaGuard smoker’s vitamin, (d) a program guide and an exercise handbook, (e) an instructional audio CD.

So if you have decided to quit smoking for the rest of your life, try to quit with CigArest. It is really very effective.

For more details, please visit this website.

Fight cough and cold with ginger..

We, the Indian are using ginger as one of the main ingredients while making any curry, either with chicken, fish or simply with vegetables. Ginger is also treated as a herb which has many medicinal benefits and I am trying to tell you something here.

If we soaked in rain for a longer period of time, we take tea with ginger, bayleaves and small cardamoms. It is very beneficial for our health as it prevents us from being caught by cold.
Method: Just boil tea leaves with small amount of ginger (1/2 inch piece and crushed), 1 bayleaf and 1-2 cardamom (also crushed). Add required amount of sugar and take the liquor without milk. It is also a very refreshing drink for those who've already caught with cold and cough.

Take 1-2 teaspoon full of ginger juice and honey mixture 1-2 times daily to prevent and cure the cough and cold condition.

Just chew 1/2 inch ginger with salt (for your taste) to control continuous coughing.

Boil plain water with a small piece of ginger, bayleaves, jaggery (a little), 3-4 black pepper together for some time. Put off the flame, take away all those elements from the liquid and take it while still hot. It will also control continuous coughing and also bring some soothing effects to your throat.

A sweet dish made out of Sweet Potato

This is from my mother's recipe book.

Ingredients
Sweet potatoes: 500 gms, potato: 1 large, flour: 4 tablespoon, sugar: 500 gm, white oil or ghee: for frying.
For stuffing
coconut: 1 small pc. and 250 gm sugar.

Method: First grate the coconut. Mix it with sugar and microwave (put on flame in a thick bottomed pan) it in 100 percent power for 2-3 miniute while stirring occassionaly. The coconut mixture should be ready within this time, if not, try for some more time. The sugar should be desolved and mix thoroughly with the coconut the mixture should be sticky.

Now boil the sweet potato along with the potato. When it becomes cool, peel it and mix it with your hand smoothly. Take a small amount of mixture with your hand at a time, make a small ball. Make a small hole into this ball, put some coconut mixture into it, cover the hole and then shape it into a small oval piece, shaped like a side pillow. Make sufficient quantity of pieces with this mixture.

Heat ghee/oil and fry these shapes till golden brown. Meanwhile make a syrup with the help of 500 gm sugar and 3 cups of water by boiling these two on flame. When the syrup is ready keep aside.

Now put the fried pieces into this syrup and soak into it for 2-3 hours. Serve when soft and cool.

Tomato Jam

Ingredients: Tomatoes(ripe): 2 kgs, Sugar (approximately half the quantity of tomato puree) : 500 gm, Lime juice: 1 lime.

Method: Wash the tomatoes, clean and cut them into big pieces. Cook them in a thick bottomed vessel without putting any water. Keep on medium heat. Remove from fire when it is properly cooked and let it cool. Put the cooked tomatoes through a liquidizer, to make puree. Strain the puree and put in in a thick bottomed vessel. Mix sugar, which should be half the measure of the tomato puree (for 1 cup puree add 1/2 cup sugar) and keep on low heat, stirring from time to time. When it becomes a little thick add the juice of 1 lime as this gives shine. Let the mixture cook till thick.

To test: whether it is ready, take 1 cup of water and put a little of the mixture in it. If it does not dissolve in the water, the jam is ready.

To control Acne...

Acne is a common problem among teenagers as well as adults. Heredity, stress and hormones all influence the appearance of inflamed hair follicles, which result in breakouts. While cleansing the face with a mild glycerin soap and applying topical treatments such as tea tree oil or benzoyl peroxide can address blemishes, making dietary changes can also be helpful.

1. Increase your consumption of antioxidant-rich foods, including fruits and vegetables.
2. Include omega-3 fatty acids from foods like sea fishes or freshly ground flaxseeds to help reduce and prevent inflammation.
3. Drink lots of water to keep the skin hydrated and healthy.
4. Limit processed and refined foods.
5. Don't be afraid to eat a piece of dark chocolate now and then - there is no link between chocolate and acne, and dark chocolate actually has antioxidant benefits!

An excellent dessert made out of carrot!

Our version of this desert is healthier than any sweet dishes available in the market. You can make this dish in two ways. The process of making it with milk is much healthier than the other one. I am telling you the both for your convenience.

Process 1.
Just grate the carrots finely, boil milk and when it thickens slightly add grated carrots to it and keep boiling. As the mixture thickens gradually, add sugar (desired amount), add cashew nuts and raisins. When it dries up more, just remove from the flame, make it cool and serve.

Process 2.

make a paste of carrot with the help a mixture-grinder. Put a thick bottomed pan in the flame and put some ghee to it. Add the carrot paste to it and keep stirring. When the water from the carrot dries up, add sugar and continue stirring. Remove from the heat when the mixture becomes dry. Add cashew nuts and raisins and serve hot or cool.

Food as Medicine: Carrots are excellent sources of carotenoids, and good sources of vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and potassium.

Here are a few tips to get a flat stomach without much exercise!

1. Eat slowly to avoid swallowing extra air that may cause bloating.
2. Avoid those carbonated drinks.
3. Be aware of some particular food which may cause bloating. Those are pulses, dried fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, sprouts, peppers and citrus fruits, e.g., oranges and lemon.
4. Reduce your salt intake, either with food or without of it.
5. Avoid raw vegetables, especially carrot. Try to take them in boiled form.
6. Avoid fried food.
7. Eat regularly. Long gaps between meals, smoking, drinking, taking tea or coffee with sugar and milk may also cause boating.

So the main thing is to AVOID BLOATING.

Want to change the looks?

I am not telling to change your looks, but to your devices such as laptop, cellphones or almost any thing you like. While surfing the net, I found an wonderful website about changing the skin of our favorite devices. Now what is the skin of a device? They said that the 'skin is a durable vinyl that can protect your device'. They can change the skin of cellphones, laptops, ipods, iphones and Macbooks. You can choose your favorite skin from the gallery (Just check the gallery/site by yourself: laptop skins )they are providing or make a skin from your favorite picture you have stored in your computer. And all they are doing for a very affordable price.

They also assure you to refund the money in full if you would not get the satisfactory result. So don't hesitate, just try this site and carry your device with the look which no one has seen before!! laptop skins

Palang Paneer!

Turmeric, one of the spices traditionally used to make curry, has a long history of medicinal uses in both Chinese and Indian healing systems. Its anti-inflammatory action has been employed by traditional practitioners to treat conditions including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual problems, toothache and bruises.

Try to use turmeric powder in all your cooking as possible and if used in the following recipe, the green colour would remain more green.

Here I am discussing about a recipe which is very beneficial to health as it consists spinach, and everybody knows how spinach affects our body, as it contains iron and other elements.

Palang Paneer (Spinach with cottage cheese)

Ingredients
1 kg spinach,
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
2-3 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
500 gm cottage cheese or Paneer, cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves

Instructions
1. Wash and drain spinach, removing any coarse stems and midribs. Cut into half-inch strips and boiled in plain water with a little salt.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, curry powder, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar.

3. Heat the oil in a boil and sauté onion over medium-high heat until it begins to brown. Add the spice-and-tomato mixture, mix well, and cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the paneer cubes (lightly fried) and 2 cups water.

5. Mix well, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.

6. Add greens and cook for 10 minutes more.

7. Correct seasoning to taste. Garnish with the chopped fresh coriander leaves if desired.

Serve with hot rice or home made chapatis.

Relationship between sleep habits and body weight

Need or want help achieving and maintaining a healthy weight? Aim for eight hours of sleep a night. Research suggests that appetite-regulating hormones are affected by sleep and that sleep deprivation could lead to weight gain. In two studies, people who slept five hours or less per night had higher levels of ghrelin - a hormone that stimulates hunger - and lower levels of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin than those who slept eight hours per night. So make sure getting adequate sleep is near the top of your optimum health checklist! ---Dr. Andrew Weil

An unusual chicken recipe...

What I am telling here is purely my elder brother's brain-driven. He is quite enthusiast about cooking and always experiments with different ingredients and makes his wife busy all the time for supplying those materials to him. He just orders his wife to collect all the things, do the marination (if requried), make all the pastes of spices for him and so on. He just put the bowl on flame and makes the wonderful dishes for us. This recipe is one of them.

I myself haven't prepared this dish yet. So I can't tell you how it tastes but my sister-in-law and my nephew (my brother also) said that it is really delicious! So let's try together...

Just marinate the required amount of chicken pieces (small to medium sized, don't use big sizes) with lemon juices (1 to 2 lemon). After 30 mnt of marination, put the bowl to the flame and make it well done. Add little water if required. Put salt to taste. Now put another thick bottomed pan on flame and add some oil to it. When the oil get hot, put some small pieces of green chillis (as required) to it and fry for a while. Put the chicken into this bowl and stir. Now its ready. Put off the flame and add some black pepper powder to this preparation and serve hot with steamed rice.

A Blog - about anything in life

While surfing net, I've found a blog liezl-read-write.blogspot.com which is dealing with many aspect of life. It contains suggestions about how to earn money using different programes, which I think is very useful, especially for me. Earlier I have no idea about how to earn money using Adgitize. But here she explains everything about this programe. Besides, earning money online, she also posts other topics, e.g., home improvements, some hillarious jokes, how to manage your valuable times etc.

Some of her interesting blog-posts:

She discusses 'Review Stream' programe in details. Those who are newbie in this field, like me, may gather informations on how to earn money by simply reviewing something, may be it is a product or a website/blog. Just go through this link and you'll find it by yourself: Review Stream

she recently wants to change the template of her blog. If you think you can deal with this may talk with her with Blog-makeover.

The benefits of black tea

Reserach has shown that tea contains minerals, vitamin, calcium and also antioxidants which are beneficial for our health though it contains 40 mg of caffenine in one cup of tea which is far negligible in compare to a cup of coffee which contains 85 mg. There is another thing. Green tea has a greater percentage of antioxidants than the black tea.

How tea can help you?

1. It prevents heart disease.

2. Women over 65 who drank at least one or two cups of tea daily had higher bone density in the spine and thighs - common areas of fractures caused by osteoporosis - than women of the same age group who did not drink tea at all.

3. Drinking black tea (without milk and sugar. Using both of them is the most common form of taking tea in India)has been found to prevent dental plaque formation and kills bacteria that infect our teeth.

4. It is very good stress-reliever. When we are tensed, just sipping a freshly brewed black hot tea slowly relaxes our muscles and hence gives comfort.

Apart from these benefits which are directly related to our health, tea is also doing good for our health and body externally.

Boil some used tea leaves in water and make it cool. Mix it with a whole lemon juice and wash your hair frequently with it. It is an excellent form of hair conditioner.

Wash your face frequently with cold liquer of tea. It will make your skin good and may help to reduce some agening sign.

Take used tea leaves and wrap them in either a cloth or paper towel. Pour hot water over them and place them on your eyes whilst lying down. It helps relieve the strain and relax the eyes.

Weight loss Tips for the family

As a parent setting a good example is important. This is especially true around the dining table, since children tend to pick up eating habits from the family routine.

Try the following - your family may not even know they are eating more healthful meals:

1. Incorporate a vegetable into every meal. Peas, broccoli, beans, red, yellow or green bell peppers, spinach - you name it, vegetables provide nutrients and fiber.

2. Use more beans and legumes, and less meat. Chickpeas, lentils and beans of all types are good sources of fiber and protein.

3. Serve up whole grains. Brown rice and home-made chapattis from brown wheat are the excellent source of fibre and protein, vitamins. Try to use bread (from the market) as little as possible.

4. Switch sweets. Instead of soda, stock the pantry with sparkling waters. Pour fruit juice into a pitcher and dilute it to lessen the sugar content. Stock your kitchen with fresh, whole fruits, and leave the cookies in the store.

5. Avoid instant noddles, instead just make noodles with lots of vegetables, chicken pieces and eggs.

Prawn Malai Curry

Ingredients: Prawn (midium sized): 1/2 kg, Onion - 1 (ground), Ginger paste - 1 tspspoon, Garlic - 5-6 pods, Turmeric Powder - 1 tspspoon, Chilli powder - as required, Tomato puree - 2 tblspoon or Curd or yogurt - 1 tblspoon, Sugar- 2 tspspoon, coconut (grated) - 1/2.
Garam Masala (Green Cardamons - 2, Cinnamon - 1, Cloves - 2)-ground together, Bay leaves - 3, Oil - As required.

Method: Soak the grated coconut in warm water (1 cup) and leave it for half an hour and press out milk.

Wash the prawn properly and mix a little salt and turmeric powder and set aside.

Put about 4-5 tblspoon of oil in a pan, when hot remove from the fire and put bay leaves. Now add chilli powder and tomato (or curd). Add the sugar and put the pan again on fire. Fry it and add ground onion, ginger and garlic paste with it. When doen, add the prawns. Add salt and continue frying till the water dries up. Add the coconut milk, simmer on low fire till the prawns are cooked.

Reasons to eat red coloured vegetables

Do you know the red coloured vegetables, such as tomatoes, pumpkins and carrots contains lycopene - researchers have linked the lycopene (a carotenoid that gives them their color) with a lowered risk of heart disease and cancer (including prostate, breast, colorectal and lung), as well as being helpful in lowering high cholesterol.

They are also low in calorie and excellent source of Vitamin C, and provide vitamins A and K, potassium, manganese and fiber.

So try to use lots of these vegetable to you meal.

One very easy recipe to eat red pumpkin is :
Just boil the required amount of this vegetable. Add 1 tsp mustard oil, finely chopped green chilies, finely chopped onion and salt to this soften version of pumpkin, mix well and take with boiled hot rice. Its really delicious!!

How to lose weight!

Keeping a journal has a hidden health benefit: A recent study indicates that keeping track of your eating habits in a diary or journal can help to double your weight loss.The study, published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, followed almost 1,700 overweight or obese men and women with an average weight of 212 pounds.

After 20 weeks of study participation (which included weekly group meetings, recommended daily reduction of 500 calories, 30 or more minutes of daily moderate intensity exercise, adherence to the DASH diet, and daily journal entries of food intake and exercise minutes) the total average loss was about 13 pounds. But the more that the participants wrote in their journals, the more weight they lost - about twice as much as those who did not maintain records.

By keeping a simple food diary, you can more objectively determine how much you are eating and become accountable for your food intake. Try to enter the portions eaten after each meal, and use whatever method works best for you - email, pen and paper, a spreadsheet - to help keep the process consistent.

10 fruits that work as anti-oxidants

When making a fruit-salad, please try to include the following fruit(s) into it. These fruits are exceptionally high in antioxidants.

Wild blueberries
Cranberries
Blackberries
Prunes
Raspberries
Strawberries
Red delicious apples
Granny Smith apples
Sweet cherries
Black plums

Those fruits are not always avaialble in Indian markets, but nowadays many shopping malls are there where you may find some of them. I think we call some of them by different names, such as, black plums is very common in our locality which is known as 'kul'. I don't know what others are calling this fruit.

Cucumber Raita

Cucumber and yogurt Raita

It's very cool and delicious. It would be best if taken in hot, humid weather or with a spicy dish.

Ingredients: Cucumber-500 gm, homemade yogurt-250 gms, onion-1 large, salt to taste, mustard seed-1 teaspoon, white oil-1 teaspoon.

Method: Grate cucumber and onion together, mix them well. Add some salt to this mixture and keep it in refrigerator. After one hour, take it out and discard all the water the mixture produces. Wash the mixture in cold water and keep again in refrigerator. Before serving the raita (salad), add chilled yougurt to it, add more salt if needed. Now put a bowl on flame, add the oil and when it is hot, put the mustard seed into this. Now put this oil with all those seeds to your raita, mix well and serve immediately.

Note: You can add small pieces of tomatoes, Capcicums (green chillies) or other vegetables with this raita also. All would go fine.

Why you need to eat almonds..

Almonds contains:

1. Monounsaturated fats that help reduce the risk of heart disease
2. Protein to provide sustained energy
3. Calcium for strong and healthy bones
4. Magnesium, which promotes normal blood pressure and healthy metabolism.

So have plenty of unsalted or low-salted almonds with your salad, on yogurt or simply by itself. Just put a few of them in water and after 1-2 hr, eat the softer version of it and have fun.

Pineapple Chicken

Here is another interesting and unusual recipe for those who loves both fruits and chicken

Ingredients: 6-8 boneless chicken pieces, 2 medium sized grated onions, 1 tablespoon garlic paste, 1 teaspoon dry chilie paste, half-teaspoon black pepper dust, salt, One medium sized coconut's milk and half cup pineapple pieces.

Method: Take a karai (thick bottomed bowl), add ghee to it and fry onion. When the onion becomes brown, add remaining spices and keep frying. Now add chicken pieces and after a while add the coconut milk. Add salt and turn the flame to low. After 10-15 minutes, when the chicken becomes tender, add piceapple pieces and put the flame off. Keep for while with a cover. Serve with steamed rice.

Blog about having Fun!!

While surfing internet, I found a blog funtasticlinks.blogspot.com which is not about any particular topic It would bring you to different blogs where you will get some informations, some useful tools and also some fun along with your whole family. So do not hesitate to follow this blog. The full url of this blog is : http://funtasticlinks.blogspot.com

A healthy Kitchen must contains...

Dr. Andrew Weil's prescriptions...

A healthy kitchen promotes variety, especially when it comes to vegetables. For optimum health, keep your pantry stocked with produce that covers the whole spectrum of colors, including the following:
Onions: This classic, pungent vegetable adds flavor to any meal. Allicin, a phytonutrient found in most varieties of onions, may be responsible for its health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and blood pressure.
Garlic: This fragrant bulb contains many of the same phytonutrients as onions, as well as antibiotic and antiviral compounds. It may help boost the immune system, prevent colds, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and fight fungal or yeast infections.
Spinach: This dark leafy green (and others like it, such as kale and collards) contains lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidant carotenoids that may help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. Spinach is also a source of calcium and folate, a B vitamin that helps to prevent birth defects. Buy organic spinach, since pesticides are commonly used on conventionally grown varieties.
Cabbage: This low-cost yet highly nutritious cruciferous vegetable contains nutrients called indoles, which may protect against both breast and prostate cancer. It also provides significant amounts of fiber and vitamin C.
Sweet potatoes: Rich in beta carotene, these vegetables may help boost the immune system, deliver vitamin C and folate (which may reduce the risk of heart disease and prevent certain birth defects), and are low on the glycemic index and glycemic load charts.

Indian Masalas (ingredients) and their English counterparts

Here are some Indian ingredients which are necessary in any Indian cooking along with their English appropriates. I think while writing any recipes, it is necessary to let all of you know about it. I am writing here only a few of some must needed terms. Hope to post more in my next attempts.
Basmati -> Long Grained Rice
Paneer -> Cottage Cheese
Garam Masala -> Mixture of Black Pepper, Cloves and Cardamoms used wither whole or powdered
Ghee -> Clarified butter
Jaiphal -> Nutmeg
Javatri, Jaitri -> Mace
Kesar -> Safforn
Kishmish -> Raisins
I will post more tomorrow.

Rice Pudding!

It is a delicious sweet dish from India, especially from West Bengal. We called it 'Payas' or 'Payasam'.
Ingredients: 1 ltr milk, 1 fistfull and a little of Gobindabhog Atap (scented rice), bay leaf, raisins and sugar (as required).
First boiled the milk on low flame with 2 bayleaves for a while. Add washed rice into it and keep boiling until the rice get soft. Now add sugar and keep boling. Remember that, after adding sugar, the rice would not get soft any more, so before adding sugar just make sure that the rice is done enough. When the milk and rice get thickened, add raisins and move from the flame. Let it cool and serve with chopped cashew nuts over it.

For Osteoporosis

What Dr. Weil is prescribing:

Changing your diet can be an effective, gentle, inexpensive - and even delicious - way to prevent, relieve or even reverse a wide variety of conditions. If you are at risk for or have been diagnosed with osteoporosis, consider adding these calcium-rich foods to your diet:
1. Low-fat or non-fat dairy products
2. Canned or fresh sardines and salmon
3. Dark green vegetables such as broccoli, collard greens.
4. Calcium-fortified juices and soy milk
5. Black-eyed peas
6. Blackstrap molasses
7. Poppy seeds and sesame seeds
8. Almonds
9. Figs

With Watermelon!!

I learnt this recipe from a TV show and want to share with you before it fades out from memory.

Mix some de-seeded watermelon pulp with grated cottage-cheese (paneer, what we called it in India) . Put a thick-bottomed pan on low flame, put some ghee (butter) into it, when hot, add that mixture and stir a little. Add some sugar to it. When two mixes well, put off the flame and let it cool. Decorate it with some fozen watermelon (deseeded) scoop and serve it, either to your friend or to yourself!.

Watermelon for men’s health?

A summertime favorite, watermelon is more than just a refreshing afternoon snack. Besides being a low-calorie, antioxidant-rich treat, watermelon has plenty of healthy nutrients, including vitamins C, A, B6 and B1. It is also a good source of the carotenoid lycopene, which has been shown to help reduce the risk of prostate and other cancers. Add this colorful fruit to your summer menu for a healthy way to cool off - perfect for any hot day.

Mutton Biriyani

Though this food is not originated in Bengal, it is one of the most favourite foods of this part of India. It is considered as one of the most popular street foods also. I am giving here the recepi of a famous restaurent from the suburb of Kolkata.

It is for 10 people.

Ingredients: 1 kg Basmati rice, 2 kg mutton, 1 kg potato (each one divided in large pieces), 500 ltr milk, 250 gm pure ghee, 100 gm green cardamom, 40 gm Jayitri (Mace), 20 gm cinnamon, 5-6 cloves, a pinch of Jafran, 2 tsp full keora essence, 1 large onion, ginger-garlic paste as required, salt, red chilli powder.
Process: Boil mutton in water for half of an hour and separate the mutton from the juice and keep it. Boil the potatoes with salt and chilli powder. Boil the rice in water and keep aside when half done, spread it on a flat place for cooling.
Mix all the spices, mutton juice and milk together. Take a thick bottomed large utensil (pan). Add potatoes, half done rice, and mutton in that juice and milk mixture. Add ghee. Spread Keora essence and jafran at the top of the mixture. Now place the bowl on the oven, keep it there for 15 minutes when the flame is high. Then turn the flame to a minimum position and keep the pan for another 10 minutes.

Now your mutton Biriyani is ready to eat.

You can add/alter anything to this recipe to make the biriyani more yummy!!!

After a long time I am now here again to post something new and interesting.

I would like to let you know that I, myself is not so good in cooking, but my mom and monther-in-law are really very good at this culinary skill and some of my relatives also know some good cooking from yesteryear. I will let you know all of those, and they are not only from Bengal or India, I will try my best to introduce you to some of the best recepies of the world.

I wouldn't follow any rule while posting my recepies, i.e., they shouldn't follow any particular category. I would also like to post some health related problems, what to eat, how to eat and also some kitchen tips.

So bear with me.

I am requesting you all to participate in my discussion and also to post some interesting recepies from your place.

Introduction!

Hi, I am from West Bengal. I am here to let you know some of the delicacies of Bengal as well as from every parts of India and hope you all can enjoy and participate in this discussion and post your valuable comments.