You’re what you eat

You have been given some amazing gifts here. Focus on how you can develop and use them instead of looking at what that girl over there is doing. Be Yourself , You’re Amazing ! Look at the things you have already achieved , overcome and experienced . No one can do you as amazing as you can . You’re responsible for your health, growth and peace of mind .
No one can live a life for you..No one can push for you .. Love you for all that you have been,all that you are , and all you are yet to become .

You are YOU and No one is YOU and that is your super power .

You have one life ..

Live your BEST life ..

I strongly believe, “Health is Wealth” and “You’re what you eat”

Started a healthy eating lifestyle challenge this month ..  #AprilChallenge #selflove #selfcare

Health is not something we have. It’s something we create. Do you agree?!

It’s been over 2 years (today marks the day ) that I’ve eaten a vegetarian diet, and I’ve loved each moment. It’s been a transformative mind, body, spirit journey. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Health is something that will never go out of style .. it allows you to live your BEST LIFE. I encourage you to try one vegan meal a day. I don’t need to say much more. You’ll feel and see a difference. Enjoy the gift of health.

(some of these pictures from search engine. Thanks!)

Winding up with a Quote

“Invest in yourself, it’ll be the best investment you ever made.”

Love , Devi ❤

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Weekend Table Spread !

Day 28 of 365

And this is how the weekend flies…

🙌👊🏼 I’m going back on my Vegan diet so if anyone sees me eat cheese  smack me 👊🏼✨

(Dinning out with family)

“Your life is an occasion. Rise to it.” ✨- Suzanne Weyn

Being a vegetarian makes life fantastic  🙂  Try it ❤

Health/Diet Tip

Hi Everyone !

It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything on my Food category .

I’ve been regularly posting pictures of my healthy plates on social media sites .If you’re anything like me and are ALWAYS hungry, then volume eating is your best friend. Volume eating allows you to increase your food intake without increasing your calories. I love incorporating lots of veggies into my diet so that I can eat a LOT of food at every meal!

See below for  pictures of fruit bowls .

Fruits,Sprouts and peanuts .

Devi Venkatesan

Cauliflower pakoda/ Gobi pakora

 

Cauliflower pakoda/ Gobi pakora  is a delicious deep fried snack. This is  my daughters favorite starter .

Ingredients:
Cauliflower – 250 gms, chopped
Besan Flour – 1/3 cup
Salt – 1 tsp
Saunf – 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves – few
Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
Green Chilli – 1, small, finely chopped
Oil as required for frying

Method:
1. Mix the gram flour, salt, saunf, cumin powder, turmeric powder and enough water to make a thick batter.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies.
3. Add the cauliflower florets and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a deep frying pan.
5. Add the cauliflower florets, drain any excess batter, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until light golden brown.
6. Serve with tomato sauce or  chutney.

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Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires #devivenkatesankitchen

 

Cluster Beans Paruppu Usili/Kothavarangai Paruppu Usili /Seeni Avarakkai Usili

Sharing a recipe today .. Are you ready ?

Paruppu Usili is a traditional South Indian dish which is prepared with lentils. It is a very healthy dish as it has lentils and is steam cooked. This goes excellent with almost any type of kuzhambu. You can try the same recipe with french beans as well..Follow this procedure and enjoy a traditional meal with your loved ones.

 Ingredients

Cluster Beans -1/4 kg
Tur dal -1/3 cup
Bengal Gram/channa dal/kadalai paruppu -1/4 cup
Red chillies -2
Green chillies-2
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp

For the seasoning
Mustard seeds-1/4 tsp
Asafoetida/hing -1/4 tsp
Curry leaves –few

Preparation

Wash and chop cluster beans finely. Add turmeric powder, salt and steam cook.
Soak tur dal and channa dal together for 1-2 hours. Drain the water completely and grind it (without adding water) coarsely with green chillies or red chillies and salt.
Grease idly mould and steam cook the ground dal. Once cooked, crumble the mixture with your hands.

Method 
Heat  oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add hing and curry leaves.Then add the crumbled dal, cook for 3-4 minutes on low heat, then add the cooked cluster beans (if there is water, squeeze it out completely and add to the above) and mix well.Cook for further 2-3 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve as a side dish for rice.

Appreciate all feedbacks ! Please like and share it .

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Millet Idly #HealthyBreakFast

Millet Idly

Millets are good for diabetic patients.

Finger millet,Foxtail millet,Ragi,Pearl millet (Use any of these)

 Millet -2cups

Urad Dhal – 1 cup

Fenugreek Seeds – 2 tsp

Salt – as required

Measure the ingredients and wash well. Soak everything together for 1-2 hour. Drain the water and grind them to a smooth, thick and fluffy batter with less water. Add salt required while grinding itself. Allow the batter to ferment overnight or 8 hours. It rises a little and not like our idly batter.(Boil water in a idly pan, pour batter in the idly plates and steam it for 8-10 minutes. )

Serve hot with spicy chutney.

Notes

Fenugreek Seeds are optional.

You can try the same recipe with Kuthiraivali,sama and varagu millets.

Devi Venkatesan

#DeviVenkatesan #mybloginspires #devivenkatesankitchen

 

 

 

 

 

Carrot Halwa

Carrot Halwa

This is one of my favorite dish.

Halwa is an Indian sweet item . 

Carrot Halwa is made with carrots , sugar  and milk.

Recipe serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 cups milk
• 3 tablespoons Ghee
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 6 Raisins and cashewnuts 
• Method:
• Melt the ghee in a frying pan on medium heat.
• Add the shredded carrots and stir for about seven to eight minutes.
• Roast the cashew nuts and Raisin and set aside for the garnish.
• Boil the milk on medium-high heat in a non-stick pan until it is reduced to about to 1 cup.  Set aside.
• Add the milk and carrot until the milk dries. This will take about eight to ten minutes.
• Next add the sugar, and cardamom powder and stir for another three to four minutes until the halwa starts to leave the side of frying pan.
• Garnish with cashew nuts and Raisin .

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires

More Kuzhambu (Yogurt / Curd/Buttermilk Gravy)

More Kuzhambu is my favorite gravy.It goes well with rice.

My Mom used to prepare it every alternate week.Lets see how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• Thick buttermilk (1/2 cup curd + 1 1/2 cups water)- 2 cups
• Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
• Toor Dal- 1 tsp
• Green Chillies- 2
• Coconut grated- 2 tbs
• Rice- 1 tsp
• Jeera- 1tbs
• Salt to taste
• Any one of the vegetables (Potato, Beans, Carrot, Ashgourd, Pumpkin) chopped- 1/2 cup

For Tempering

• Coconut oil/cooking oil- 1 tbsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Red Chilli-2
• Curry leaves- a few
• Asafoetida- a pinch
• Preparation
  • Soak rice and Toor Dal together for 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Add turmeric powder to buttermilk and beat well and keep it aside.
  • Grind soaked rice and Dal with coconut,Jeera,Green Chillies to a fine paste.
  • Half boil the vegetables ,In a pan then add the ground paste and salt to it.
  • Simmer the flame and add little water to it so that the veggies are cooked fully and the raw smell of the paste goes off. Add the buttermilk to it.
  • Heat coconut oil in a frying pan and add the tampering ingredients one by one and fry for a minute.
  • Pour the mixture to this pan and mix well.
• Note :
  • More kuzhambu can be prepared with/without vegetables.

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires #devivenkatesankitchen

Onion Chutney / VENGAYA CHUTNEY RECIPE

INDIAN ONION CHUTNEY RECIPE | VENGAYA CHUTNEY RECIPE

Preparation time: 4 minutes 
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Makes 1/2 cup of chutney

Ingredients:

Onions
Red chillies (adjust to taste) 

Urad dal a spoon

1 pinch of hing (asafoetida or perungayam)

2 cloves of garlic, chopped 

1 small piece of tamarind (optional, I rarely use this)
1 tsp of salt (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp of nallennai or Indian sesame oil (or any oil you prefer)

How to Make Vengaya Chutney:

1. Heat the oil and add onions. Sautè until it turns pink and transparent.
   2. Add the red chillies, dal,hing, and garlic, along with salt.
   3. Continue to fry in medium heat until the onions turn golden brown.
   4. Cool and grind to an almost-smooth chutney (add the tamarind, if using) without adding water
   5. Serve chutney with idli or dosa

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires  #devivenkatesankitchen 

 

Masala Paniyaram / Kuzhi Paniyaram / Kara Paniyaram

Masala Paniyaram /  Kuzhi Paniyaram

Ingredients:
Onion – 1 Medium 

Idli Batter – 2Cups
Green Chilies – 2
Curry Leavse – few
Chopped Coriander Leaves – 2 tbsp
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Freshly Crushed Peppercorns – 1/4 tsp
Oil – 2 tsp + To cook paniyaram
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Split Urad Dal – 1 tsp
Grated Ginger – 1/2 tsp
Grated Coconut – 1/4 Cup
Salt – Required

Method:
1. Finely chop onion, green chilli, curry leaves, coriander leaves.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok or pan add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal, green Chili, onion saute until onion becomes soft. 

3. Add fried onion, ginger, coconut, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder, crushed pepper, coriander leaves with idli batter and mix well. 

4. Heat the paniyaram chatti/pan, add a few drops of oil. Pour spoonful of the batter or until 3/4 of the paniyaram mold.
5. Allow the batter to cook for 2-3 minutes on a low or medium flame, turn each paniyaram with the help of a wooden skewer or spoon and cook until crisp, turn once or twice for uniform cooking if required. Repeat same for rest of batter.

 

Serve hot with Chutney.

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires #devivenkatesankitchen

COCONUT MILK RICE/THENGAI SADAM

COCONUT MILK RICE/THENGAI SADAM

Ingredients:

Basmati rice-2 cups(soaked for 30 min)

Coconut Milk-2 cups
Water –  1 cup

Coconut-1 cup grated

Peas-1 cup

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Salt to taste

Sugar-1 tsp

Ghee-1 tblspn

Coconut Oil-1 tblspn

For Seasonings:

Cashew-2 tblspn

Ginger-1 inch piece(chopped

Cinnamon(pattai)-1 stick

Cardamom(yelakai)-2

Cloves(krambu)-2

Pepper-1 tsp

Raisans-2 tblspn

Garlic-6 cloves

Cumin seeds(jeera)-1 tsp

Bay leaves(brinji ilai)-1

Green chilli-3

Method:

In a pressure cooker add oil and/or ghee and heat it now add in all the seasoning ingredients and fry for a minute.

Then add in the soaked rice,peas (You can also add sweet corn which pairs well with peas.)and fry for a minute .Add in coconut milk and 1 cup of water and bring that to boil.Season with salt and sugar.Cover and cook for 10-15 min.

• In the mean time fry the coconut in a oilless pan till golden and chop the coriander leaves finely.You can also add sweet corn which pairs well with peas.

When the rice is done just add this fried coconut,coriander leaves and ghee and mix well.

Serve hot with any Raitha.

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #mybloginspires

Radish Sambar and Cauliflower Potato masala recipe

I prepared Radish Sambar and Cauliflower Potato masala for Lunch today
This will go well with Rice. See below for sambar recipe

Ingredients:

2 cup Sambar (Tuvar) Dal
1/4 kg Vegetables(any vegetable Drumstick,Ladiesfinger,Brinjal)

I used radish today
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
3 Red chillies
3 Green chillies
1 tsp Sambhar powder
Curry leaves
a pinch asafodita
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Mustard
1/4 tsp Tamarind paste
4 tbsp Cooking oil

 

Method:

 

• Wash and chop vegetables.
• Boil water and cook the dal with turmeric and salt.
• Separate the cooked dal and water, and keep them aside.
• In thuvar dal water cook the vegetables..
• After the veggies are cooked, add tamarind paste.
• Now add the cooked thuvar dal and simmer for  sometime
• Heat some oil in a pan, splutter mustard, then add methi, red chillies, green chillies, curry leaves, asafodita, turmeric, and sambar powder and keep frying for a few minutes.
• Season the sambar with the above prepared 
• Sprinkle coriander on top.
• 

Devi Venkatesan

#devivenkatesan #devivenkatesankitchen #mybloginspires