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Healthy Recipes by Homemakers

spinach kebabs by Ritu Mendiratta tomato soup by Chitra Balachander cracked wheat dalia by Ritu Mendiratta chavanprash by Anita Chahal raw turmeric-ginger pickle by Sunita Sethi cough remedy by Anita Chahal Kullar by Nature Kahlon broccoli amla soup by Mandeep Kaur dahi gatte by Ritu Mendiratta home made chayavanprash by Radhika Maheswari chatpatte moth by Ritu Mendiratta Amla Candy by Parul Bansal

A Trip Down the Memory Lane

What is the history of Chola Sheb? How many of you know of its significance in Sikh history? Do you know the chola belongs to Shri Guru Nanak Dev? 2016 began on a great note. A ride through Himachal’s snowcapped hills, criss-crossing the Beas (Vipasha in ancient Hindu Texts) and the Satluj (Shatadru in the Rig Veda) umpteenth times, visit to mythological Shakti Peethas and stay at important gurudwaras (sikh pilgrimages) on the slopes of the Himalayas allowed enviable and relishing moments to savor. chola saheb - chola of guru Nanak The magnificent view of Bhakra Dam, serpentine mountainous roads at Bharwain, Kangra, Nadaun, and Naina Devi and imposing hills rising over  5,000 ft near Bilaspur still entice us to have that scintillating experience again and again. On top of it, it was a self-driving adventure through the hills. The food at local dhabas in Himachal was so inviting and worth relishing again. The chants of Jai Mata Di continue to r

Mani - A Traditional Sweet 'n Sour Delight

mani- sweet sour Recently, I visited Dinanagar, my friend's place. Dinanagar is a small town in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. The place is close to some hilly parts of Himachal Pradesh. This means the recipes of hill dwellers have fused with those of the bordering Punjab districts. So my friend introduced me to a pahari (hill) recipe, which is both sweet & sour. The tangy gravy makes a delightful accompaniment with rice and even roti. I enjoyed it today with rice, roti, and shalgam-aloo bharta . Without much ado, let's go to the recipe. I have altered the recipe a bit. Ingredients 8-10 imli (tamarind) pieces 1 tbsp sugar (or more if you want) 2 tbsp- besan (gram flour) 1/2 tsp- fenugreek seeds (methi dana) 1 tbsp- mustard oil salt, turmeric kasuri methi (optional) coriander leaves (optional) Process Boil imil in 2 cups of water. Take a vessel. Add oil. Put methi dana. Next add besan. In the authentic version, they do not roast besan, rather, m

Winter Indian Sweets: Instant Til Ladoo, No Ghee, No Sugar

til ladoo Looking for a traditional Indian sweet recipe? This til ladoo recipe can come in handy. Loaded with benefits of sesame seeds, this easy and quick ladoo is inspired by Nature Kahlon's kullar recipe. gur til ladoo - winter sweets by Naturedeep Kahlon What's in the recipe? Til ladoo - 2-ingredient winter delicacy with a dash of walnuts.  No sugar, no butter, no heating required. Gather, churn, and bind - it's as simple as that! Explore the benefits of sesame seeds here . This winter sweet tastes good and is easy to churn and roll out :) In fact, this special Indian sweet recipe comes from our grandmoms who used to spend hours cleaning sesame seeds during winters, then dry roast them on chullahs, mix with jaggery powder, and bind the dough into balls with clarified butter or ghee. Fond childhood memories there. Having observed my grandmom do this for us all makes me luckier. Ingredients 2 tbsp til (sesame seeds) 1/2 tbsp g

Shalgam Alloo Bharta (Turnip Recipe: Stir Fry)

Shalgam bharta ? Yes, you have heard it right! After alloo bharta, shalgam or turnip bharta would become a welcome addition to your dining table. cooking with turnips: bharta Shalgam or turnips aren't too welcome at my place, especially as a vegetable, though I love to munch on them in the form of salad. I decided to experiment with this vegetable loaded with vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and calcium, In fact, its slight bitter taste is attributed to its high calcium content. It is a proud member of the cruciferous vegetable family. According to WHFoods, "The glucosinolates in turnip greens are phytonutrients that can be converted into isothiocyanates (ITCs) with cancer-preventing properties. All cruciferous vegetables have long been known to contain glucosinolates, but it has taken recent research to show us exactly how valuable turnip greens are in this regard." To know more about turnip benefits, please check here . Though these taste bland, t

Lip-Smacking Turnip Recipe: Shalgam Chana Dal

shalgam chana dal Not fond of shalgam recipes or looking for more turnip recipes to tinker the taste buds of your loved ones? I know this may taste like a bland vegetable, but I love shalgam in every form - as salad, as chutney, as bharta, and as curry. I have even tried shalgam recipe as a snack. Now I am sharing a new turnip recipe in the form of a finger-licking good dal curry. A few days back a Bengali neighbor introduced me to this sumptuous chana dal shalgam recipe. I wanted to give it a try. Since hubby does not like turnip (shalgam), I found this recipe useful as I could include this healthy vegetable in our meals. When I tried it, hubby approved the recipe. Could I ask for more? If you have fussy eaters at home, who detest the very taste of turnip, then there is a way to bring  them to the dining table! Perhaps, you need just 2 key ingredients - chana dal (chickpea lentils/bengal gram) and turnips. Surprised? Well, make this healthylicious chana dal

Oats Atta Cookies With Almonds: Simple Cookie Recipe

oats atta cookies After a long break, it's time to bake another healthy cookie batch. This time I have experimented with baking with whole grains, so I have come up with oatmeal cookies with almond. Homemade cookies Ingredients atta cookies 1/2 cup- oats 1/2 cup- wheat flour 1/2 cup- besan (gram flour) 1/2 cup- suji (semolina) 1/2 cup- almond powder 1 tsp- baking powder 4 tbsp- ghee/butter 3 tbsp- oil 3 tbsp- sugar powder (you may add more, depending on your taste..I take less sugar) 1 tbsp- curd (optional) 2 tbsp- milk (or more if the dough feels too dry) 4-5 elaichi (cardamom) pieces, 1 small cinnamon stick (dalchini) Baking with whole grains Process oats cookies Grind oats. Grind almonds. Sieve baking powder, wheat flour, gram flour, suji. Mix almond powder. Add sugar. Add ghee, oil, curd, milk, elaichi, and cinnamon.  Put this mixture in a grinder. You may use your food processor...this will ensure instant mixing of ingr

Sesame Seeds for Joint Pain

A few days ago, my dear friend Nautre Kahlon posted a traditional Punjabi recipe on Facebook group Healthy Recipes by Homemakers . This sweet delicacy called Kullar, a true delight for many in Punjab and north India, made from sesame seeds (Til in North India) and jaggery (Gur) has been used by our grandparents to stay warm and get rid of debilitating joint pain during the cold winter days. This lip-smacking medicinal delicacy inspired me to explore its scientific basis. To my surprise, I discovered research papers that attested to its medicinal qualities. According to a recent report in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, sesame seeds are superior to most-used medicines as far as knee arthritis treatment is considered. Based on a report compiled by Azerbaijan’s Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, the study found that sesame seeds offer better and more effective results compared to common non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) when prescribed to pati

Semolina Recipe: Suji Cake on Stovetop

suji cake eggless Looking for semolina recipes Indian? You have come at the right place. Here I present before you eggless semolina cake recipe. Suji (semolina) cakes have become one of my favorite eggless cakes. This simple suji cake recipe tastes great with a mish mash of nuts and coconut. Try it for once and you will relish every bite of this yummy no sugar cake. semolina cake Semolina Cake Ingredients 1 cup- Suji 1 cup- yogurt/curd (I used curd) 1 tbsp- milk 3 tbsp-ghee (clarified butter) 1/4 tsp- baking soda 1/2 tsp- baking powder 1/2 cup- jaggery (or sugar as per your taste) 1 tbsp- Roasted sesame seeds (til) Almonds, walnuts or nuts of your choice 1/2 tsp- oil for greasing 1/4 cup- fresh/dry coconut Suji Cake Process Take suji. Add curd and milk. Next add powdered jaggery or gur. Or add sugar if you are using sugar. Set aside for one hour. Grease a baking pan with oil and sprinkle sesame seeds in the pan. Keep aside,  Take

Business Negotiation Tips: Craft Your Success

BusinessDictionary.com defies negotiation as “bargaining (give and take) process between two or more parties (each with its own aims, needs, and viewpoints) seeking to discover a common ground and reach an agreement to settle a matter of mutual concern or resolve a conflict.” Effective negotiation techniques together with important business skills can be a rewarding combination that can help you attain desired outcome. 1.        Timing : Time is critically important to negotiation process, and negotiators can reach a mutually agreed conclusion before the deadline. Time can be used to create pressure on negotiators to reach an agreement and set the tempo of events. Some timing strategies include patience, surprise, and deadline. a) Patience - Prolonging the negotiation. It is one of the top negotiation tips or tricks employed by negotiating parties to discover more information about the other so as to have a better deal. b) Deadline – The idea is not to reach quick settlements, be

Eggless Oatmeal Cookies With Whole Wheat Flour, Cornflakes

cornflakes cookies I love baking because I love cookies. Call me a cookie lover or addict, I am on a cookie experimentation spree. My experimentation with different healthy ingredients continues. This time I bring to you one of my best healthy cookie recipes. Try it and you will know what makes these healthy biscuits so special. I have tried a similar oatmeal cornflakes cookie recipe earlier, but the end product and procedure was a little different from this one. If you want to check the cornflakes recipe, here  it is. Those were crunchy bites. Cornflakes Cookies with whole grains eggless cookies  Whether you are looking for homemade whole wheat cookie recipe or a flavorful trip down the memory lane, you will love this simple recipe. Easy to process, this eggless whole wheat cookie recipe is a keeper for healthy cookie lovers. homemade oatmeal cookies homemade whole wheat cookies Homemade Eggless Oatmeal Cookies With Cornflakes 1/2 cup-oa

Dudh Peda Toffee

dudh milk peda As kids, we would crave for milk toffees, without any worries of cavities or weight gain. The temptation of relishing toffees would awaken the child in each one of us even today, isn't it? I tried to make milk toffees so you can offer your kids home-made sweets, but ended up making pedas. Nevertheless the end product is delicious, so I am happy with whatever I have ended up making. Shall try making dudh toffees again :) Here's the simple recipe of dudh peda toffee: 1 cup- condensed milk (made at home - 2 cups of milk mixed with 3-4 tbsp of milk powder) 1 small piece - gur (jaggery) - you may add sugar as per your taste 1/2 cup- almond powder 1 tsp- ghee elaichi (green cardamom) dudh peda Procedure Mix milk powder with milk & elaichi and keep it on low flame. Keep stirring so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. When the milk is reduced to half, add almond powder and ghee. Keep stirring until it gathers lik

Eggless Whole Wheat Orange Cake in Cooker No Sugar

eggless wheat cake Wondering how to make cake from wheat flour? Well, I tried this eggless whole wheat cake on New Year. The wheat cake turned out soft & yummy. Taking my healthy cooking spree further, this whole wheat cake without sugar comes as a reward for my efforts toward healthy eating. On top of it, this atta orange cake, as its name suggests, is bursting with the aroma of orange, from the addition of orange juice and zest. Of course, I never say baked goodies, such as cookies and cakes, are healthy. But yes, when you want to indulge in these goodies, why not choose healthier ingredients to raise their health quotient? So I always choose whole grains for my recipes, with no place for refined white flour or maida. cake recipe using whole wheat If you are looking for dessert recipes whole wheat flour, you will find a range of healthy whole grain recipes here. Orange Atta Cake Ingredients 1 cup- wheat flour 1/4 cup- besan 1 tbsp- roasted