Bibbe Upkari ( Tender cashewnuts sautéed with gherkins).

Bibbo means tender cashewnut in konkani language. Bibbe upkari is essentially tender cashewnuts that are sautéed and garnished with freshly grated coconut. It is usually cooked with gherkins or sweet potatoes. When made with gherkins, it is served as a side-dish for lunch or dinner. When cooked with sweet-potatoes, it is usually served for breakfast. The reason for cooking tender-cashewnuts with either vegetable is because tender cashewnuts are extremely expensive. They are often served as status symbols at weddings. People who can afford it cook it all by itself. Tender cashewnuts are usually available only during spring in India. This dish has a presence for all major festivals and occasions.

Today is Ugadi ( konkani New Year) and making this dish on this auspicious day  is tradition for us.
I am sharing with you the recipe for Bibbo sautéed with gherkins.

This is a super-easy and a super-delicious dish!

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

Tendle ( Gerkin): 250 gms or 10 oz
Tender cashewnuts ( Bibbo): 250 gms or 10 oz.
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Dried red chillies: 1-2 medium sized, broken into two pieces.
Salt: as per taste
Water: 1 cup
Freshly grated coconut: 2 tbsp ( for garnishing)( optional).

Method:

Wash the tender cashew-nuts thoroughly. Separate the halves. Keep aside.

Wash gherkins thoroughly. Chop the tips off at both ends of the gherkin. If it is red inside, discard it. Slice the gherkin thinly along the length of the gherkin as shown in the picture. Each gherkin can be sliced into 6-8 slices. Thinner the slice, faster it cooks and tastier the dish. Slice all the gherkins in this manner and keep aside.

Heat coconut oil and mustard seeds in a sauté pan. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add dried red chillies.  Now add the sliced gherkins and the tender cashew halves. Add salt, water and mix well. Cover and cook on low flame until tender( around 15 mins).

Turn off the flame. Garnish with freshly grated coconut.

Serve hot with rice or flatbread/ roti.

Enjoy.

I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday#33, Fiesta Friday#114 and Saucy Saturday#39. Angie's co-host this week is Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.

Cooking made easy:

People like us who don't have the luxury of having fresh tender cashewnuts have to use dried tender cashewnuts. You have to soak it water overnight,peel it and then use it.

The above dish can be made quicker if cooked in a pressure pan. After adding the sliced gherkins, tender cashewnuts, salt and water, bring it to a boil, close the pressure pan lid. Place the weight/whistle of the pressure cooker and cook on medium flame until you hear the first whistle. Turn off the flame. Wait for the pressure to be completely released before opening the lid. Garnish with freshly grated coconut if you wish.
This method has the risk that the tender cashewnuts may be overcooked!

Tip for healthy living:

Cashewnuts are protein rich.It is packed with energy, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for robust health.Cashew nuts are calorie-rich. A little bit goes a long way. 100 g of nuts provide 553 calories. They are packed with soluble dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and numerous health-promoting phyto-chemicals that help protect from diseases and cancers.They are rich in “heart-friendly” monounsaturated-fatty acids like oleic, and palmitoleic acids. These essential fatty acids help lower harmful LDL-cholesterol while increasing good HDL cholesterol in the blood.Minerals, especially manganese, potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium are concentrated in these nuts.Cashews are also good in many essential vitamins such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and thiamin (vitamin B-1).

References:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/445717-how-are-cashews-good-for-you/
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/cashew_nut.html
http://foodfacts.mercola.com/cashews.html

Food for thought:

There are no strangers here; only friends you haven't yet met. William Butler Yeats

Fall/Winter Fruit Salad; Meatless Monday.

Happy New Year Everyone! May 2016 bring much happiness to each one of you. I wanted to start off the New Year on a healthy note. Hence, I am bringing to you this recipe that I was part of the spread at the parties in my home.

For me, any party is incomplete without some fruits on the table. Whole fruits can be kept handy but they are merely decorative as most people don't reach out and eat an entire fruit during a party. However if you keep a platter or bowl of cut fruits, they are more likely to be consumed, at least 50% if not more! Fruits make for a great choice for guests who are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or have nut allergies and you weren't aware of it beforehand!! They will have something to eat! Fruits are healthy and make for a great dessert choice . You can make serving fruit even better by making a fruit salad; without ice cream of course!! Here is a fruit salad recipe that uses fruits available during Fall/Winter. Hence, I decided to name it " Fall/Winter Fruit Salad". It is a very easy recipe that everyone will enjoy!

Servings: 8-10 ( 1 cup per person)

Ingredients:

Clementines/mandarins: 4, peeled and sections removed.
Pomegranate seeds: 1/4 cup
Apples: 2 medium-sized, peeled, cored and diced.
Pears: 2 medium-sized, peeled, cored and diced.
Craisins: 2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Orange juice: 1 tbsp
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Chat masala: 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Take all the ingredients listed above in a bowl. Mix well.

Serve chilled. I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday , Saucy Saturdays & Fiesta Friday #101. Fiesty Jhuls and the calm Mr Fitz are co-hosting!!

Cooking made easy:

To prevent cut apples/ pears from becoming dark, squeeze a little lemon/orange juice and mix well.

If you don't have chat masala, you can add 1/4 tsp each of  cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder. This gives it a nice flavor.

You can add more or less fruits based on availability and individual preference.

Tip for healthy living:

Fruits are not only a great source of daily recommended vitamins and minerals, they are also a great source of much needed fiber.It is recommended to included 4-5 servings of fruits a day.

Food for thought:

We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe. John Henry Newman

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Quinoa-Sweet Potato Mini-Cutlets with Cranberry Chutney/Dip; DFT

It's that time of the year when there are holiday parties galore!! Tons of food everywhere: work, home, you name it! No, I am not being a Grinch. I am all for parties. With a little planning and thinking, we can make these festive gatherings healthy. One just has to be smart about it. There are different ways to achieve this: 1. Sneak healthy ingredients to all your menu items.
2. Make 50% of your menu items healthy.
3. Reduce the portion size of all your hors-d'oeuvres.
4.Serve desserts that are not that sugary and are more natural, fruit-based.
5. Provide smaller plates for eating.

Here are some healthy appetizer ideas for your holiday party.Go ahead and celebrate this Holiday Season with Team DFT with some figure fitting, weight watchers and Diabetes Friendly Recipes!

                       Creating Recipes with a Cause! I am a proud DFT blogger. 
                                        To learn about DFT, Read this Link! 
                                        To view more DFT recipes, Click here!

My contribution to this are these very delicious protein-packed mini-cutlets made with the goodness of quinoa and sweet potatoes.They are crunchy when you bite into them and soft on the inside.  They are totally guilt-free. Are you surprised that I am recommending sweet-potatoes for diabetics?? Believe it or not, according to the American Diabetes Association, sweet potatoes are considered a superfood for diabetics! You can read more in the "footnotes" ( tip for healthy living).

Coming back to the quinoa-sweet potato mini-cutlets, they are simple and easy to make. You don't need too many ingredients either. You can make it gluten-free too. I made half the batch gluten-free and the other half not because I ran out of white cornmeal. This dish uses very little oil. You could bake them or pan-fry them. I baked half the batch and pan-fried the other half. Frankly, I prefer the pan-fried version as it crisps and browns better than the baked version.

So, go ahead and give it a try and share your thoughts and opinions. I look forward to them.

Recipe for Cranberry chutney: click here.

Recipe for the Quinoa-Sweet potato Mini-Cutlets

Servings: makes 24 mini-cutletsServing size: 2 per person with 1 tsp chutney

Ingredients:

Quinoa: 1/2 cup, uncooked
Water: 1 cup
Salt: 1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp ( adjust as per individual taste)
Sweet potato: 1, medium-sized
Water: 4 cups
Onion: 1, small
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
Green chillies: 1-2 ( adjust as per individual spice level), chopped fine.
Cumin powder ( jeera powder): 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder ( dhania powder): 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder: 1/8 tsp ( optional).
Cilantro ( coriander leaves): 2 tbsp, chopped
Cornflour: 1 tbsp
White cornmeal ( makke ka atta) / Cream of wheat ( sooji): 1/2 cup, for dipping; may not need all.
Cooking oil : 1-2 tbsp for greasing the skillet/pan.

Method:

Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 1/4 tsp salt and 1/2 cup washed quinoa. Reduce the flame to low, cover the saucepan and let it cook for 15mins. When done all the water should be gone and you should see small curly strands on the quinoa. Fluff it with a fork/ spoon and keep aside to cool.

Bring 4 cups water with the washed unpeeled sweet potato  in it to a boil. Reduce the flame and cook for 15 mins or until the sweet potato is tender enough to be mashed. Alternatively, you could steam the sweet potato.

Let the sweet potato cool down completely. Peel it and mash it in a bowl. Add cooked quinoa, cumin powder, coriander powder,garam masala powder,  chopped onion, ginger garlic paste, chopped green chillies , chopped cilantro ,cornflour and mix well. Your dough is ready.

Take the white cornmeal/cream of wheat/ sooji in a plate.

Using wet hands, pinch a lemon-sized dough in your hand and make a ball. Gently press it down to make it into a pattie/cutlet. Do this with all the available dough.

Heat a skillet/frying pan on medium heat. Grease it with 1 tbsp oil.

Roll each cutlet in  cornmeal/cream of wheat/ sooji and place it on the hot skillet.

Reduce flame to low and cook for 7-8 minutes. Flip and cook the other side for 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden. It should be crispy from the outside and soft on the inside.

Alternatively, if you choose to bake, place the cornmeal/ sooji rolled cutlets on a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Bake it at 350 deg F in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until it turns slightly golden.

Flip it once halfway through the baking.

Serve hot with cranberry chutney.

I am bringing these beauties to Throwback Thursday, Fiesta Friday #99 and Saucy Saturday! Caroline @ Caroline’s Cooking and Linda @ La Petite Paniere are co-hosting Angie's Fiesta Friday this week.

Cooking made easy:

You could make the batter and shape the cutlet ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. An hour before the party just roll it and pan-fry or bake it.

Alternatively, you could make it completely the previous day. Just warm it in the oven an hour before the party.

Footnotes ( tip for healthy living):

Again, according to the American Diabetes Association, sweet potatoes are considered a superfood for diabetics! Sweet potatoes have shown stabilization of blood-sugar levels by lowering insulin resistance. The high fiber content in sweet potatoes also helps reduce the " bad" LDL cholesterol in the body. The glycemic index of sweet potatoes is much lower than potatoes. A cup of mashed sweet potato has 58 grams of carbohydrate of which 8.2 gms is fiber. ADA recommends that a diabetic consumes no more than 45-60 grams of carbohydrate per meal. This means that sweet potatoes can be part of the meal, provided the rest of the meal is food free of carbohydrate.

Quinoa is a nutrient- rich superfood that is not only protein-rich, but is so rich in dietary fiber. It has a low glycemic index and helps stabilize the blood-sugar level.

Disclaimer

I am not a nutritionist or dietician. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietician before making any changes to your diet.

Other DFT contributors  and their links!

http://simplyvegetarian777.com/2015/12/16/spicy-rajma-chaat-in-tomato-baskets-diabetes-friendly-thursdays/

https://shailjatomar.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/black-bean-meatless-meatballs/

http://eatingwelldiary.com/2015/12/16/easy-savory-or-masala-granola-for-diabetes-friendly-thursdays/

http://www.sarikasethgunjal.com/murgh-malai-tikka-dft/

Food for thought:

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. John

Date-coconut Balls ( Khajoor laddoos); Meatless Monday

Diwali is a festival where lot of sweet and savory dishes are made in people's homes and then shared with family and friends. As a rule, I don't make sweet dishes too often. On the occasion of Diwali, I wanted to make something for my kids, but something relatively healthy. I decided to make these quick date-coconut balls . Like the name suggests, these are literally  dates that have been shaped into little balls and rolled in dried coconut flakes. It has only 2 all natural ingredients, hardly takes any time to make and is a great source of iron. There is no cooking/baking involved. It is a great energy booster for 3 pm slump.The only downside is that I would not recommend it for diabetics as dates are a concentrated source of natural sugars which can spike their blood-sugar levels.But for my kids, this is perfect! I would rather them eat nutrient-dense treats and desserts than just sugar-rich ones!

Servings: 4 ( makes around 8 dime-sized balls)( serving size: 2 per person)

Ingredients:

Pitted Dates: 12 numbers
Dried coconut flakes: 1/4 cup ( may not need all)
A dab of olive oil: to grease the palms.

Method:

Chop the pitted dates and put them in a small microwave safe bowl.

Cook it in the microwave for 30 seconds so that the dates can soften. Do not do it for longer as it gets burnt very easily!! 

Let it cool down slightly, then blend it in a food processor until it is a homogeneous mass.

Take it out.Grease your palms using a dab of coconut oil. Pinch a little dough and make a nickel-sized ball. 

Do this to all the available dough.

Take the coconut flakes in a shallow bowl/plate. 

Roll each of the date laddoo in it.  

Your khajoor laddoos ( Date-coconut balls) are ready!

Store it in an airtight container at room temperature.Can be stored for months in this fashion.

I am linking this to Throwback Thursday, Angie's Fiesta Friday#94 & Saucy Saturday. Judi @ cookingwithauntjuju and Stef @ The Kiwi Fruit are co-hosting the Fiesta Friday this week!

Cooking made easy:

If you have no nut allergies, you can add powdered roasted nuts to these laddoos and make it even more protein-rich and nutritious. Check the recipe here.

Tip for health living:

Dates are a concentrated source of energy and much-needed minerals. They are usually found growing on palm trees in the deserts,  where nothing much grows. They form an instantaneous source of energy with 100 grams of Mejdool dates providing around 277 calories. This is the reason Muslims eat it after breaking the fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Dates are rich in dietary fibers which prevent constipation. They are also rich in tannins which are known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-infective properties. They also have other antioxidants like beta-carotene, Laurence and Zea-xanthin that protect the cells in the body thereby preventing cancer. Dates are a moderate source of vitamin A and B-complex.Dates are an excellent source of iron  and potassium, carrying 0.9 mg iron and 696 mg potassium /100 g of fruit. It is also rich in other minerals like calcium, manganese, copper and magnesium.

Food for thought:

We are no longer happy so soon as we wish to be happier. Walter Savage  Landor.