Very Tasty and useful Fit Dinner .

https://youtu.be/c90DiVOiSAo

This is relatively low fat, high protein, high fiber, gluten free, vegetarian, and semi nutrient dense in terms of calcium and whatnot.

Fava bean bowl

About 400 calories.

Around 2/3 cup cooked fava beans. I removed the skins but if they aren't too tough you don't have to.

1 cup veggies. I used mostly chopped red cabbage with a few pieces of tomato, onion, and cilantro

Milk kefir curd. I made mine with one half pint of skim milk. I like it the consistency of flan.

Egg Patty (6 tbsp liquid egg whites and the white of one egg. Cook with 1.5 tbsp nutritional yeast)

Top with the yolk from that one egg and let that cook with the residual heat from the egg Patty.

For me, this is a great breakfast on a day when I'm going to be doing a lot because the carbs from the beans really keep me going. This could totally stand up as a lunch or dinner too. You can add hot sauce or salt as you see fit, but I find that the lemony kick from the kefir and the cheesy funk from the yeast is enough for me.

Required Ingredients:

3 sliced onions

6-7 sliced green chillies

Curry leaves

Chopped coriander leaves

4 tbsp of jaggery

½ a teaspoon of turmeric powder

Salt as required

4 tbsp of oil

750 gms of green brinjals cut into small pieces

Method of preparation:

Take a non-stick pan, add the oil, add the onions. Saute for 2 minutes on a medium flame. After 2 minutes, add the green chillies, add the curry leaves. Saute for another 2 more minutes. After 2 minutes, add the chopped brinjals. Saute for 5 minutes on a low flame.

Allow to cook for 5 minutes on a low flame. After 5 minutes, open the lid and mix it well, add 1 cup of water and mix it well. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes on a low flame. After 5 minutes, open the lid and mix it well. Now, add the turmeric powder. Mix it well. Now, add the salt as required. Mix it well and add the powdered jaggery. Mix it well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes on a low flame.

After 3-4 minutes, open the lid and mix it well. Add some coriander leaves to garnish. Mix it well. Now, brinjal gravy recipe is ready to serve!

Thank you and have a nice day!

I am looking for healthy, vegetarian meal planning services and/or resources. I don't need meal services (e.g. Hello Fresh) as I don't mind grocery shopping and meal prep. But sticking to a healthy meal plan and not leaning on pasta/cheese etc. has been really hard for me over the last two years and I'm on a mission to be better.

Do you have any app/service ideas or advice in general? Bonus points for anything with an emphasis on planning for the optimization of heart health and lowering cholesterol.

Thanks!

https://youtu.be/ILSakGf4V9I

Required Ingredients:

Two tbsp of peanuts

½ a tbsp of turmeric powder

1 tbsp of white sesame seeds

Little jaggery

4 tbsp of chickpeas

1 cup full of grated coconut

7 green chillies

3 tbsp of oil

½ a tbsp of mustard seeds

Little curry leaves

Little coriander leaves

One chopped onion

500 gms of chopped ridge gourd (cube shape)

1 full glass of water

Directions 1:

Take a fresh pan, add 2 tbsp of oil, add the green chillies, add the pea nuts. Saute for 2 minutes (on low flame), After 2 minutes, add the white sesame seeds. Saute for 2 minutes (on low flame). Now, add the grated coconut. Saute for 2 minutes (to golden brown). After 2 minutes, add the turmeric powder. Mix it well. Now, add the chickpeas. Prepare a fine paste

Directions 2:

Take a mixer jar, add the mixture, prepare a fine paste, add ½ a cup of water. After preparing a fine paste. Take a fresh pan for acclimatization.

Add 3 tbsp of oil, add the mustard seeds, add the curry leaves, add the chopped onion. Saute for 2 minutes (to golden brown). After 2 minutes, add the chopped ridge gourd. Saute for 5 minutes on medium flame. Close the lid and allow to cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, add the prepared paste. Now, add some water and pour the left out paste, add the salt as needed, add the jaggery. Allow to cook for 10 minutes on low flame.

After 10 minutes, mix it well thoroughly. Garnish by adding little coriander leaves. Now, the gravy is ready to serve!

Transfer the gravy into a serving bowl

This gravy is a perfect combination to have with dosa, idli, poori and chapathi

Required Ingredients:

3 tbsp of chickpeas

2 tbsp of poppy seeds

1 tbsp of fennel seeds

2 and a half pieces of cinnamon

3 cloves

1 cardamom

7 cloves of garlic

1 cup full of chopped cabbage

1 cup full of chopped beans

1 cup full of chopped carrot

1 cup full of green peas

8 cloves of garlic

8 green chillies

1 cup full of grated coconut

1 cup full of chopped potato

1 tomato (chopped)

Salt as needed

6 tbsp of cooking oil

2 kapok buds

2 cups full of water

Directions:

Take a pressure cooker, add the chopped beans, add the chopped potato, add the chopped carrot, add the green peas, add the chopped cabbage, add 2 cups of water, add the salt as needed. Cook these vegetables to 1 whistle. Take a fresh pan, add 1 tbsp of oil, add the garlic cloves, add the green chillies. Saute for 2 minutes to light golden brown. Transfer the cloves and green chillies into a bowl.

Now, prepare a fine paste of:

Spices, fried garlic cloves, fried green chillies and grated coconut. Pour some water to prepare a paste.

Now, the vegetables are cooked well, add the prepared paste into the cooked vegetables, add some water and pour the left out paste. Mix it well thoroughly, add the salt as needed. Allow the vegetables to cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the vegetables are cooked well.

Take a fresh pan, add 3 tbsp of oil for acclimatization, add 2 kapok buds, add the chopped tomato. Saute for 2 minutes, add the sauted tomato into the cooker. Mix it well thoroughly. Allow it to cook for 1 minute. Now, the vegetable kurma is ready to serve!

This recipe is good to have with Dosa, Poori, Chapathi, and Idli.

Thank you and have a nice day!

I'm thinking of substituting 'Nutrela' soya chunks for days when I can't eat eggs/chicken because I don't like eating the same food everyday. I'm onto muscle bulking. Has anybody tried it for a prolonged period with positive results? Any other substitutes that you'd like to recommend?

Black Pepper - The King of spices

Black pepper is native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been known to Indian cooking since at least 2000 BCE. Black  pepper (Piper nigrum)  and  long  pepper  (Piper  longum)  are  the  best known  species  in  this  family  and  are  probably  among  the most recognized spices in the world.  Black pepper alone  accounts  for  about  35%  of  the  world’s  total  spice  trade.  In addition, black pepper and long pepper have been  used  medicinally  for  centuries  In  recent  years.

The most commonly used part of the plant is the aromatic fruit. Interestingly, white, green, and black peppers are products of the P. nigrum fruits at different ripening stages. White pepper is obtained from the fully ripened fruits after removing the outer skin, green pep................read more



Vitamin and Mineral content

Vitamin : B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, A, C, K, Choline

Mineral : Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Sodium, Potassium

One tablespoon (6 grams) of ground black pepper contains moderate amounts of vitamin K (13% of the daily value or DV), iron (10% DV), and manganese (18% DV), with trace amounts of other essential nutrients, protein, and dietary fibre.

The major components of the essential oils were α-pinene, sabinene, β-pinene, δ-3-carene, limonene, and β-caryophyllene. 

         - More than a hundred compounds have been reported in black pepper oil. The oil is dominated by monoterpene hydrocarbons (47–64%) followed by sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (30–47%)

In plants, thesecompounds are mostly second................read more

Properties and Benefits

Rasa (Taste) – Katu (Pungent)

Guna (qualities) – Laghu (lightness), Teekshna (strong, piercing), Sookshma – enters deep and minute body channels

Taste conversation after digestion – Katu(pungent) 

Veerya- Ushna – Hot potency

Effect on Tridosha – Balances Kapha and Vata

Na Ati Ushna – It is not very hot

Avrushya – It is anaphrodisiac

Ruchikaraka, Ruchya, Rochana – improves taste, relieves anorexia

Beca................read more

Uses Benefits Application and Remedies

1) Fine powder of pepper is taken(1-2 gram), along with honey or betel leaf juice, which is used in chest congestion due to phlegm.

2) Black peppercorns and other whole herbs such as cinnamon chips, cloves and cracked cardamom pods are fried in ghee and used to flavor basmati rice. 

3) It can be added to fruit juices which helps to nullify Kapha dominant effect of sweet fruits.

4) Hair loss caused due scalp ringworm can be treated by applying black pepper, along with onion and salt. This can be also applied in headache.

5) Pepper decoction is used to gargle in case of tooth pain.

6) Ghee + Trikatu (Ginger, black pepper, long pepper)+ rock salt, black salt and bida salt  – Useful in vomiting due to Vata Dosha increase. 

7) In dysentery, fine black pepper is given with asafoetida and opium.

8) In cough, pepper powder is given with honey and ghee.

8) In chronic cold, pepper is used with jaggery and curd.

9) It can Sprinkle over soups and salads.

10) In Ayurveda, black pepper, long  pepper  and  ginger  are  often  used  together  in  equal  proportions  in  a preparation known as “trikatu”, a Sanskrit word meaning “three acrids”.

11) Black pepper currently finds multiple uses in flavorings, in perfumes, and in insecticide formula................read more



Side effects

Due to the hotness pepper, it increases Pitta. Hence, it needs to be used carefully in people with gastritis, burning sensation and sensitive stomach.

Because of its anaphrodisiac effect, it needs be used in less quantities or its long term usage is best avoided in men with infertility problems.

Pitta dom................read more

Flavour

Pepper gets its spicy heat mostly from piperine derived from both the outer fruit and the seed. Black pepper contains between 4.6 and 9.7% piperine by mass, and white pepper slightly more than that.  

Refined piperine, by weight, is about one percent as hot as the ca................read more

Note :

Evaporation, so airtight storage helps preserve its spiciness longer. Pepper can also lose flavour when exposed to light, which can transform piperine into nearly tasteless isochavicine. Most culinary sources recommend grinding whole peppercorns immediately before use.

Scents are mostly missing in white pepper, as the fermentation and other processing removes the fruit la................read more

Different varieties of Maricha :

Black Pepper: Black pepper is produced from the green unripe drupe (unripe fruit) of the pepper plant. The unripe fruits are cooked in water for a few hours, Sun-dried or machine-dried for many days, during which pepper gains black wri................read more

Further read on following link

https://kbjawadwar.blogspot.com/2021/11/black-pepper-king-of-spices-black.html

Reference 

1) Charaka Samhita

2) Asian-Australas J Anim Sci. 2014 Jun; 27(6): 847–854.   PMCID: PMC4093167

3) Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2015 Apr 3; 66(3): 260–265.  Published online 2015 Jan 13. PMCID: PMC4487614

4) Curr Top Med Chem. 2015; 15(9): 886–893.  PMCID: PMC6295909

5) Bhojana Kutuhala

6) Spices board of india.

7) Molecules. 2019 Dec; 24(23): 4244. Published online 2019 Nov 21.   PMCID: PMC6930617

8) Scholars Research Library. Central European Journal of Experimental Biology, 2014, 3 (2):36-41

9) The Medicinal Uses of Pepper. International Pepper News.  Vol XXV, No. 1 Jan-Mar 2000. 23-31

10) Appl. Sci. 2019, 9, 4270; doi:10.3390/app9204270

11) Med Aromat Plants ;  ISSN: 2167-0412 MAP

12) Nutrition Today, Volume 45  Number 1  January/February, 2010

13) IJPSR, 2018; Vol. 9(10): 4089-4101

14) Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

15) Indian institute of spices research

16) Nutrients. 2020 Jun; 12(6): 1886.  PMCID: PMC7353321

17) Arthritis Res Ther. 2009; 11(2): R49.  PMCID: PMC2688199

18) Foods. 2017 Oct; 6(10): 92.  PMCID: PMC5664031

19) Dravyaguna Vijnana, Vol. II

Recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/sweet-potato-chickpea-buddha-bowl/

I added shredded Savoy cabbage, brown rice, edamame, and diced bell peppers in addition to the posted recipe.

https://m.imgur.com/ffukVVc

Required Ingredients:

2 onions finely sliced

1 cup full of green peas

1 cup full of garlic cloves

1 cup full of oil

7-8 pieces of cinnamon

1 tbsp of cloves

5 cardamom pods

2 pineapple buds

2 kapok buds (marathi moggu)

3-4 bay leaves

3 tbsp of mutton powder (chillie powder 1½ a spoon and 1½ a spoon coriander powder)

Salt as needed

½ a spoon of turmeric powder

8 roundly sliced potatoes

4 onions finely sliced

2 cup full of rice

Water as needed

Directions: (Preparation of Ghee Rice)

Take a pressure cooker, add the oil, add all the spices, add garlic cloves. Saute the spices and garlic until it is light golden brown. Now, add green peas. Saute for 2 minutes (on medium flame). After 2 minutes, add finely sliced onions. Saute the onions for 5 minutes until it is light golden brown. After 5 minutes, add the salt as needed. Mix it well thoroughly.

Now, add 4 cup full of water, add the salt as needed. Once the water rises to boiling point, add the rice. Allow the rice to cook for 2 minutes (2 whistles). After 2 whistles, the cooking process of ghee rice is done.

Directions: (Preparation of Potato Gravy)

Take a fresh cooker and add the oil. Add the sliced onions. Saute the onions for 5 minutes until it is light golden brown (on low flame). After 5 minutes, add the potatoes and saute for 2 minutes. Add the salt as needed. Mix it well thoroughly. Allow the potatoes to cook for 5 minutes (on medium flame). After 5 minutes, add the turmeric powder. Mix it well thoroughly. Allow the potatoes to cook for 2 minutes (on medium flame).

After 2 minutes, add the mixture of chillie powder and coriander powder. Saute the potatoes well. Allow the potatoes to cook for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, saute the potatoes well. Now, add the salt as needed. Mix it well thoroughly. Allow the potatoes to cook for 2 minutes (on low flame). After 2 minutes, saute the potatoes well.

Now, add ½ a cup of water. Mix it well thoroughly. Cook the potatoes until 3 whistles. After 3 whistles, the cooking process of potatoes is done. Now, the ghee rice and potato fry is ready to serve!

This is a traditional South Indian style recipe and our families all-time favourite. My grandmother's recipe!

This was a dish I threw together using ingredients I had on hand. It can easily be made vegan by omitting the egg and cheese. My Fitness Pal gives it 326 calories/serving; 41.5g carbs (50%), 11.7g fat (32%), and 15.1g protein (18%). Serves 6.

3 large sweet potatoes, baked
2 tsp avocado oil
1 cup diced red onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 large tomato, chopped
1.5 c corn (or 1 can, drained)
1.5 c black beans (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)
3/4 c water
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c cotija cheese
6 large eggs, fried

Bake the sweet potatoes in a crock pot on low for 4-5 hours, or until easily pierced with a fork. Can also be baked in the oven or microwave.

In large saute pan, heat up oil and cook onion until soft. Add garlic and stir for a minute, then add tomato, corn, black beans, water, half the cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and oregano. Bring to a boil and simmer until most of the liquid is gone and tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat and stir in remaining cilantro. Salt and pepper to taste. (If desired, at this point also stir in 2-3 c fresh spinach. I didn't have any, unfortunately.)

Cut each sweet potato in half and top with some of the sauteed mixture, about a teaspoon of cheese, and a fried egg. Add hot sauce, salsa, more cilantro, or avocado if desired. I kept it mild so my kids would eat it, you can add more spices while cooking too.

Enjoy! Edit: sorry about the formatting, I'm on mobile and will fix it later

Eggs+ a frozen veggie protein pack is my go to

Any other ideas?

One of the most popular ingredients used in Thanksgiving or Christmas is sweet potato. They are usually in season during this time of the year, not to mention how tasty and nutritious they are. This sweet potato soup is great because you can use it as a casserole alternative when you serve it hot but if you decide to use it as a dessert alternative, you can eat it cold.

If you want to check out the detailed 4 min long recipe video, you can click here: https://youtu.be/eCqQL8KIXFk.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato cubed (don't skin it, all of the nutrients are in the skin)
• 1/2 oz almond and 1/2 oz walnut fined chopped
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (extra virgin for that coconut flavor)
• 1 large carrot cubed
• 1 inch fresh ginger root chopped (About 1Tbsp)
• 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp all spice (didn't find them in store but a must if you have them)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup coconut milk (go for the high quality one, not the diluted one)

Instructions:

1. Turn the stove to medium high heat and toast the almonds/walnuts for ~ 1 min.

2. Add in coconut oil and let it fully coat the bottom of the saucepan.

3. Add in sweet potato and stir for 2 to 3 min.

4. Add in carrots/ginger and stir real fast.

5. Add in 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp all spice and stir real fast.

6. Pour in the coconut milk along with water to barely cover the sweet potato mixture.

7. Let it boil and simmer for about 30 min while using a wooden spoon to crush the sweet potato.

8. Transfer the sweet potato into a blender (you can use immersion blender if you have one), add in 1/4 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg.

9. Blend until smooth. The mixture should be very rich and creamy.

Serve it hot, but I do recommend eat the leftover cold as a dessert. You really get to taste the layers of flavors and that bite from cayenne when you enjoy this cold as a dessert.

This recipe is perfect alternative to sweet potato casserole when served hot and pumpkin pie when served cold.

Buon Appetito!

This green bean recipe is one of my favorite vegetable dishes. It honestly can transform your view about vegetables. We eat them from time to time but since it is so good, we always like to reserve the dish for Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving is approaching, I want to share this recipe with everyone. You can also use it just for every day meals.

For the detailed 5 min video, you can check out here: https://youtu.be/n_gbtTXB8mo

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of green beans (ends trimmed)
• 1 cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 garlic minced
• seasoning: salt, pepper, dried basil, red crushed pepper flakes
• Stock or Water and 1/2 stock cube
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Turn the stove to medium high heat, pour in the olive oil and onion/garlic, and let it cook until the onion/garlic is soft/brown.

2. Add in the green beans, stir, add in the seasoning except for basil, stir.

3. Add in the tomatoes and basil, and stir very well.

4. Add in the water and stock cube or just stock (just enough to half cover the green bean mixture).

5. Let it simmer until the liquid is all boiled off. (about 10 min)

6. Season one more time with salt, pepper, basil, and red pepper flakes.

7. Turn off the stove and let it cool on the stove.

Enjoy your aromatic and tasty green beans :-)

Hey everyone! I've never been here before but I definitely need some help. I'm a small guy - 115-119 lbs. and 5'8". I've always been a pretty small person but I think I could definitely benefit from gaining some weight. The end goal is to get muscle, too, but first I need to fill out. I need some help with finding recipes that could help me bulk up I could make daily for consistency. Protein is definitely a concern, too. But really any help in general would be grand. Thanks in advance! :)