Today was the day one year ago when I posted my first recipe on Su's Healthy Living. Looking back, what a sad post it was! Not that I am fantastic now! But I have definitely come a long way! Then again, a year ago, I didn't know anything about blogging and I didn't have anyone to guide/support me. I had to figure it out all by myself! It has been a year of figuring out, but now I have many people I could reach out to!
Anyways, on this occasion of the first anniversary of my blog, I have decided to post not one but two recipes today! After all the blog is entering it's second year! Worth celebrating right? I am going to bring to you all two very healthy dishes: one spicy and one sweet!
The spicy dish is the very healthy flaxseed dry chutney powder. The inspiration for this dish was Pratibha Rao, who is a very great cook and a very helpful, humble blogger.You can find the original recipe here. I have modified the recipe to make it even easier and faster to make! Believe me when I tell you that it took me less than 30 mins to make this chutney from start to finish. Literally 30 mins from the time I took out the ingredients from the pantry to bottling the chutney in a nice jar. All through the process I was chatting with my mother via Skype!
Flaxseed is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and of course dietary fiber and therefore very healthy for you. I have used golden Flaxmeal and dry coconut powder, hence it was much faster. You could make it with flaxseeds itself, but you have to dry roast it and then powder it. Same thing with grated coconut. All that takes a lot of time. Also, the use of golden Flaxmeal has lightened the chutney color significantly as opposed to if I were to use the dark flaxseed/ Flaxmeal. I have also used a little chilli powder, because I didn't want it to be too spicy. This too lightened it up. But the end result is absolutely delicious. It would be a great accompaniment to any meal or could be mixed with a little coconut oil and served with chutney or dosa!
Servings: One 400 grams bottle
Ingredients:
Flaxmeal : 1 cup ( I used golden Flaxmeal, any Flaxmeal can be used. If using flaxseeds, use 1/2 cup).
Chana dal ( split yellow peas or split chick peas): 1/2 cup
Toor dal( split matpe bean): 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tbsp
Dried grated coconut/ coconut powder: 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Chilli powder: 2 tsp
Hot red chilli powder: 1/2-1 tsp( can adjust as per required level of spiciness)
Amchur powder( dried mango powder): 1 tbsp
Hing ( Asofoetida):1/4 tsp
Salt: 1 tbsp ( you can adjust as per taste).
Method:
In a heavy bottomed pan,individually and separately dry roast Chana dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, jeera and keep aside. Let it cool down.
Once cooled, put the above items in a coffee grinder/ food processor or mixer-grinder and dry grind it to a fine powder.
Now in the same pan separately dry roast the flax meal and then the dry coconut.
Add in the salt, amchur powder and red chilli powders. Turn off the flame and mix well.
Now add in the ground powder into the pan and mix well.
Spicy, tangy, yummy dry Flaxmeal chutney is ready! Store in an airtight container. Stays fresh for up to a month at room temperature and up to 3-6 months in the refrigerator.
Enjoy it as a condiment with rice,dip by mixing it with coconut oil just before serving; serve it with idli/ dosa. Can be sprinkled on salads, meats to give it a kick.
If you find more creative ways to use it, please do share it with me too.. I am bringing this to my friends at the Fiesta Friday Anniversary Gala, in case they need a condiment to spice up any of the dishes! Nancy & Selma must be running around on their feet helping Angie entertain the massive crowd!
Cooking made easy:
I roasted the Flaxmeal in the microwave by putting it in a microwave safe bowl and warming it 2 minutes first and then in one minute increments until done. Took me around 4 minutes. You can do the same with all the lentils. It is much faster that way.
If you don't have Flaxmeal, use whole flaxseed. Dry roast it first, cool it and powder it like the rest of the ingredients either in a coffee grinder or a mixer-grinder to a fine powder.
Tip for healthy living:
Flaxseed is one of the best plant-based( vegetarian) source of omega-3 fatty acids. It is also a great source of dietary fiber and is rich in lignans which have both estrogen and antioxidant properties. Flaxseeds add bulk to the meal and helps attain satiety earlier. It also helps prevent constipation and therefore is good for digestive regularity.
Flaxseed when consumed whole just passes through the body( the digestive system) undigested and out in the feces and does not get absorbed in the body. Hence it is essential to consume it preferably in a powdered form.
Food for thought:
A forest bird never wants a cage. Henrik Ibsen
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