SOYA BEANS - QUINOA DOSA / PANCAKES.

Though I have been exercising for the past 5 years, I never gave importance to my diet as I am doing now.

As long as I was burning those calories, I need not diet…this was my thought and I convinced myself to do that. But I was wrong.

I went on a gluten-free diet for two months and I lost 3.5 kilos, of course combined with exercising.  And being a vegetarian and very rigid about my food preferences and tastes I was forced to research the Internet to make foods that I can eat and yet not feel bored eating the same things over and over.

I came upon the recipe of soya bean dosa here - veg recipes of India.

All other recipe website/blogs had rice, urad dal, rava as an ingredient either as flour or as a whole grain. I wanted to modify this a bit.

Ingredients: -

Soya beans – ½ cup

Quiona – ½ cup

Flaxseeds – 2 tbsps.

Whole black pepper – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste.

Makes about 8 to 10 medium sized dosas/pancakes.

Method:

·      Soak soya beans, quiona and flaxseeds overnight.

·      Grind them together in the morning by adding salt and whole black peppers to the dosa batter consistency.

·      Place a non-stick gridle or tawa on the gas and heat it on a medium flame.

·      Pour a big spoonful of batter on the gridle and gently spread it like a dosa.

·      Flip the dosa and let it cook the other side too.

·      Serve hot with chutney or curry of your choice.

NOTE – Like the regular dosa batter, this does not need fermentation.

You have to use the batter immediately after grinding it. If the batter is allowed to ferment, the dosa/pancakes will start breaking.

The batter is a bit thicker than the regular dosa batter and hence you cannot spread it out. These dosas are medium sized and bit thick.

HEALTH BENEFITS – 

SOYA BEANS – is rich in proteins and hence called the ‘meat without bones.’ The discovery of very small and unique proteins in soya called the ‘Pepticides,’ is now known to provide us with health benefits like better control of blood sugar levels, regulation of blood pressure and improved function of the immune system. Soya beans are rich in Vitamin K2 and B12.

QUINOA – the grain that has taken the super food status lately, is rich source of B vitamins, folate, zinc, iron, magnesium and phosphorous. It also has a sizeable amount of calcium. It is gluten-free and easy to digest.

FLAXSEEDS – contains both soluble and insoluble fibers, omega 3 fatty acids that are good for the heart and also is rich in Lignans with antioxidant properties.

Eat Nutrilicious foods and stay healthy :)

HIGH PROTEIN SNACK.

I learnt a little bit more about proteins today. We would have heard from our school days how proteins, minerals and vitamins are important for our body’s nutrition. If you are not a Science student, then there are chances that you wouldn’t know much about these nutrients unless you have made an effort to learn. Or is it just I?

For now, let us stick to the basics.

Proteins -

They are the complex combinations of smaller chemical compounds, amino acids. The building blocks of human tissue, they are also a fuel source. They also repair tissues, helps in making enzymes, hormones and some body chemicals.

The main source of protein is our diet even though our body synthesizes some of the amino acids. For vegetarians like me, pulses and beans are the main and rich source of proteins. Here is a snack, which can also substitute as a meal.

Mixed beans/pulses chaat.

Ingredients:

Different types of beans (kidney, white, black eyed)

Pulses like green channa, chickpeas, black gram and green gram.

1 medium sized tomato finely chopped.

1 medium sized onion finely chopped.

Finely chopped fresh coriander for garnishing.

Herbs of your choice.

Chaat masala, salt and lemon juice – to taste.

Method:

Soak the beans and pulses for 8 hours.

Pressure cook them.

Mix all the ingredients together. I used a pinch of basil and thyme.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

Variation of this chaat.

Ingredients:

A bunch of mint leaves.

A bunch of coriander leaves.

A few green chillies.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Grind the above ingredients together in a grinder.

Mix this paste with the cooked beans and pulses. Heat it up a bit so that the masala is absorbed well by the pulses. Garnish with finely chopped coriander.

This can be eaten for breakfast / as an evening snack or even as dinner.