Tasty and Healthy Juices on Thursdays : Juice Recipe 6 & 7 and A Smiley Award from NithuBala

Today is Thursday and I am here with 2 more wonderul juice recipes to share with you.They are very refreshing and healthy juices.

Juice Recipe # 6

-------------------

The main ingredients in this juice are-------------

Grape Fruits...............2

Apples.......................3

Carrot........................1

Ginger........................1 inch

Rinse the fruits and veggies under cold water.Juice the grape fruits followed by apples followed by carrots followed by ginger .Stir the collected juice in the bowl and serve immediately in serving glasses.

This yielded 2 large glasses and 1 small glass of juice. The juice was orange in color.

Juice Recipe #7

------------------

This juice comprised of the following ingredients---------------

Water Melon.............3/4th (of Medium Sized Melon)

Ginger.......................1 inch

Rinse the water melon and ginger under cold water.Remove the hard rind from the water melon, you can use the white pith  of the melon along with the red juicy pulp to juice too .First juice the melon followed by ginger .Stir the collected juice in the bowl and serve immediately in serving glasses.

This yielded 4 large glasses of juice. The juice was red in color.

Smiley Award from Nithu Bala

NithuBala from Nithu's Kitchen has passed me this Smiley Award for guessing the few ingredients in her Guessing Game.Thank you Nithu.

Celebrating My 100th Post with a Win from a GiveAway and My First Event Announcement

My 100th Post------It sure feels like an achievement.

My family, blog-pals and all the visitors of SUMADHURA have been there continuously supporting me in this beautiful journey of blogging .Thank you to one and all for your love and support.Please help me in continuing this journey and in achieving many more such milesones with your valuable suggestions and thoughts.SUMADHURA focuses on recipes that are low-fat, low in sugar , high in fibre and also emphasises on incorporating whole-foods like wholegrains ,legumes,beans,vegetables and fruits to our everyday meals(I do use white rice along with brown rice in my cooking but will try to introduce more posts with brown rice too).I will continuously try to add more nutritious and healthy foods to my posts.

Winner of Silk : Almond Milk GiveAway--------

This came as a pleasant surprise a little while ago when I was getting ready to post my 100th post .Yasmeen from http://yasmeen-healthnut.blogspot.com/  has made my day and this 100th post more special by letting me know that I won the GiveAway.Thank you Yasmeen and SILK for the Almond Milk GiveAway Coupon.

Introduction to My First Event Announcement-----------

I am very happy to announce my First Event and I would like to keep it as an on-going event as long as possible.This event will concentrate on whole foods like Whole Grains, Legumes, Beans ,Nuts, Fruits,Vegetables.As you know that I love to use whole foods in my cooking ,my first event theme is something related to this.Our ancestors were very strong and could live healthier than us because of the whole foods they consumed.With sophistication and modernisation we not only introduced ourselves to more refined foods but also to more unknown diseases.Along with adults we see little kids being affected a lot with allergies,diabetes,hypertension,obesity etc. to name a few due to unhealthy food habits and lack of exercise.As food is the main element that keeps all the living things going it is important for us to introduce whole foods in our diet .

It's hard to depart with our old habits but there is always room to entertain new habits. Eg: We love to eat rice and roti as a old habit but we sure welcome the new habit of eating pizza.Similarly we should try to encourage our kids and other family members to eat whole foods.

Whole Foods according to WIKI 
-------------------------------------------------
Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as sugar, salt, or fat.[1] Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains; fruits and vegetables; unprocessed meat, poultry, and fish; and non-homogenized milk.

The term is often confused with organic food, but whole foods are not necessarily organic, nor are organic foods necessarily whole. Because of the lack of basic processing, some whole foods have a very short shelf life.


The United States Food and Drug Administration defines whole grains as cereal grains containing the bran, endosperm and germ of the original grain.[2] Federal Dietary Guidelines issued by the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion in 2005 recommended the consumption of at least three servings of whole grains each day, as they are proven to help cut risk of cancer and heart disease.[2]


There are several ways to meet the body's needs with respect to whole foods. One way is to consume a variety of fresh raw fruits and vegetables every day.


"Diets rich in whole and unrefined foods, like whole grains, dark green and yellow/orange-fleshed vegetables and fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds, contain high concentrations of antioxidant phenolics, fibers and numerous other phytochemicals that may be protective against chronic diseases."[1].

Photo Courtesy :WIKI

In the above picture you can see some whole foods that we can add to our healthy diet ------------

 Cooking with Whole Foods(CWF) : Whole Grains,Legumes, Beans,Nuts,Fruits and Vegetables.


As this is going to be an ongoing event I would like to conduct this every 2 months that means we are going to host this event 6 times in a year everytime with a different whole food the host chooses. For this year 2010 this event will be hosted only 3 times as it is being introduced in the middle of the year in June.If you like this theme and would like to volunteer to host this event please send me an email to kjsumadhura@gmail.com

For the starting of this event I am choosing CWF-Whole Grains : BARLEY

Whole grains means using grains with the husk and bran.It would be great if you can use whole barley in your recipes in any form.If whole barley is not available use pearl barley in your cooking. Well ,introducing different healthy grains to our diet is important.Barley is good for the heart, and the entire body.Great coolant for summer time.Let's start cooking and sharing.

Source 1 : http://www.aaoobfoods.com/graininfo.htm

Much like rye, barley can grow in harsh conditions and poor soils where other grains wouldn't produce well. Being an ancient grain, barley was one of the first grains domesticated, even before wheat was cultivated. Not used as much as it once was as a food, barley is still a very important crop in today’s market place. Today, barley is primarily used as animal feed and for making malt in the making of beer. However, on a smaller scale, barley can be processed for human consumption in the form of pot or hulled barley, pearled barley and barley flakes.

Barley's nutrition is much like wheat's. There are a few minor differences, however. Barley contains twice as many fatty acids as wheat which accounts for its 10% higher calorie count. And as great as wheat’s fiber content is, barley contains about 40% more, or over 17%. Barley contains vitamin E; wheat contains none. And barley contains 68% more thiamin, 250% more riboflavin and 38% more lysine than wheat, giving barley a more balanced protein.

Whole barley must be prepared for human consumption because of it’s hard, fibrous hull that is not easily removed. Only buy barley in it's whole form if you want to sprout it and eat it as barley grass. Processors use an abrasive machine to remove the hull making it safe to eat. At this stage it’s called hulled or pot barley. In this processed form, the germ has been damaged to the point that it will no longer sprout. Pearled barley, which is hulled barley with the ends of the kernel removed so it’s round in shape is another popular way you can get barley. Pearled barley has it’s germ and much of the bran around the endosperm removed. This is where many of the vitamins and minerals are found and because of this, it’s nutritional qualities are down about 25%-33% from what you generally find in hulled barley. But pearled barley cooks up much quicker which is it’s big advantage. Both pearled barley and hulled barley are primarily used in soups and stews where they fluff up to almost the size of a pea. Some people also cook a pot of hulled or pearled barley and eat it as a breakfast cereal. It's also sometimes an ingredient in vegetable stuffing or used in pilafs.

You can make barley flour at home by putting hulled or pearled barley though your grain grinder. Barley flour has a weaker gluten than wheat flour so when making yeast breads, you will not want to add more than 50% barley flour to your wheat flour. In some parts of the world such as Scotland and Ireland, barley flour plays a predominant part in their baking. Barley flour adds a nutty and appealing flavor to your baked goods. When making pancakes, biscuits and rolls, you can use 100% barley flour and still get good results.

Barley 'flakes' are made by rolling hulled barley. It looks almost identical to rolled oats and can be used like rolled oats in making cooked breakfast cereal. Barley flakes are also a perfect ingredient for granola. A few barley flakes mixed with bread dough gives your breads a unique texture and makes them even more healthy with a robust appearance and an enhanced flavor.

For the qualities barley possesses it is far under-used in North America today. Inexpensive in price, barley in it’s many forms can be used to add wholesome, nutritional goodness to the vast majority of foods you cook every day.

Source2 : http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=127 This page has wonderful information about the Health Benefits of Barley .


Source 3 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley.

Simple Rules for Participating in this Event :

1) Use your creativity and make a healthy  dish with the main Ingredient : BARLEY   (soups,salads,smoothies,breads,cakes,Indian Dishes etc...)

2) Link your recipe to this event page and my name and my blog name.


3) Send in as many recipes as you can with the main ingedient.( All Vegetarian , No Eggs ).


4) Archived recipes are accepted, link your main recipe to this event page ,my name and blog name.(Need not repost).


5) You must post the logo of this event on your homepage if you are participating in the event during the duration of the event ,this helps to spread the word.You can save the logo by left click.(Once the event is done you can remove it).

6) Late entries are not accepted.

7) When you mail me the recipe in the Subject mention :CWF -Whole Grains:Barley


8) Please send your recipes to  kjsumadhura@gmail.com by August 10th with the following details :

Your Name :
Recipe Name :
Recipe URL :
Photo of Recipe :
Your Location :

Non-Bloggers can send in their recipes too by sending me the recipe and a picture(optional) of the recipe and your location to kjsumadhura@gmail.com .

For recipe ideas you can see here and here .

Dear Friends waiting for you all to fill my inbox with your delicious and healthy recipes with Barley.I would like to invite my fellow bloggers to join me in continuing this healthy journey by participating in the event as well help me by volunteering to host this event.

Let's all work together and make this event a success , for a healthier you and for a healthier me.

Ridgegourd Peel Chutney/Beerakaya Thokkala Pachadi

You can see that when I cook certain vegetables if the entire vegetable is edible I try to make complete use of it.For example you can see the 3-in-1 recipes where I make complete use of the plantain and the peel and make 3 lovely dishes out of them.Similarly when I cook with Ridgegourd/Beerakaya too I use the whole vegetable both the pulp and the peel.Ridgegourd/Beerakaya peel can be used to make chutney,or curry or podi.This is how my grandmother and my mom did and I am following their footsteps.

Today I am going to show how I make chutney with the peel--------------

Main Ingredients :
-----------------------
Ridgegourd Peel/Beerakaya Thokkalu..............from 3 big Ridgegourds
Green Chilly.....................................................4

Seasoning Ingredients :
---------------------------
Canola Oil..............................2tbsp
Mustard Seeds........................1tsp
Cumin Seeds...........................1tsp
Chana Daal..............................2tsp
Urad Daal................................2tsp
Methi Seeds............................1/8tsp
Asafoetida/Hing.......................1/8tsp
Red Chilly................................1
Turmeric..................................1/4tsp
Tamarind..................................few flakes
Salt...........................................to taste

Preparation :
------------------
Rinse the peel well before using it.Place a pan on the stove on medium high heat.Add oil to the pan,once it heats up add the cumin seeds ,mustard seeds,chana daal ,urad daal , methi seeds and red chilly.Once the seeds all splutter add hing to the seasoning.

Once the seasoning is done transfer the seasoning to a mixie jar and let it cool.Now add slit green chillies and the ridgegourd peel to the remaining oil in the pan and fry till the rawness in the peel is gone and the peel looks cooked.

Once the peel is cooked switch off the stove and add tamarind flakes to hot peel.

Now transfer the peel with tamarind flakes into the mixie jar with the seasoning(keep little seasoning aside to garnish).Add salt and turmeric to the peel and blend it till smooth.

You need to grind the peel when it is hot so that you don't need to add any water while grinding.If you wait for the peel to cool down it would be little hard to grind ,then you will have to add little warm water while grinding.

Delicious Ridgegourd Peel Chutney /Beerakaya Thokkala Pachadi is reday to be served with rice, rotis, dosas and idlies.

Note :
--------
I did not use any water while grinding this chutney.

This recipes goes to Green Gourmet Event hosted by Preethi Kashyap.

This recipe goes to Best Out of Waste Event hosted by NithuBala.

Yellow Cucumber with Mustard Paste/Dosakaya Aava Pettina Kura

This dish is very popular in traditional vegetarian families in Andhra Pradesh.Mainly, making some special dishes for festivals and special occassions with Mustard Paste is a tradition.We make pulihora and some other vegetable curries on special days with this mustard paste.When made with mustard paste the dish has strong flavors , not everyone can enjoy this taste.It sure would be out of the world if you like the pungent flavors of mustard .This is a favorite dish of our family and a favorite dish of my Dad.

Yellow cucumber is a vegetable that can be lightly sour or bland in taste.It might sometimes be bitter too.When bitter do not use it.Dosakaya cooked with mustard paste results in a very delicious flavored curry.

Let us see how this delicious dish is prepared-------------

Main Ingredients :
--------------------
Dosakaya(Yellow Cucumber)............2(med. size)
Green Chilly.......................................2(slit)

For Mustard Paste :
----------------------
Mustard Seeds...............................2tsp
Green Chilly...................................1
Raw Rice.......................................1/2tsp
Tamarind Juice...............................1tbsp(or as needed)

Seasoning Ingredients :
-------------------------
Canola Oil....................................2tsp
Cumin Seeds................................1tsp
Mustard Seeds.............................1/2tsp
Red Chilly.....................................1
Curry Leaves................................1sprig
Asafoetida/Hing.............................pinch
Turmeric........................................pinch
Salt...............................................to taste

Preparation :
---------------
Rinse the dosakaya or yellow cucumber under cold water and remove the peel.Cut the cucumber ,remove the seeds and dice it into cubes .Sometimes the cucumber might be bitter, taste it before you cook.

Place a pan on the stove on medium high heat and add oil to the pan.Once the oil  heats up add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.Once they splutter add chana daal , urad daal,red chilly ,hing , slit chilly's and curry leaves.

Once the seasoning is ready add the cubed dosakaya/yellow cucumber pieces ,turmeric and stir well.Cook covered.While it is cooking blend all the ingredients under mustard paste and get the smooth mustard paste ready.

Now add the mustard paste and salt to the cooked dosakaya/yellow cucumber pieces and cook covered for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove.

Delicious Dosakaya Ava Pettina Kura/Yellow Cucumber with Mustard Paste is ready to be served with hot rice and a drizzle of ghee.You can eat it as a side with roti too.

Note :
---------
1) Please check the yellow cucumber for bitterness before you cook.

2) I did not have curry leaves so I did not add but curry leaves do enhance the flavors of this dish.

3) I forgot to take a picture after grinding the paste with green chilly and tamarind juice but still they are a must in this dish and I used them in the dish.

This goes to I Love My Dad event hosted by Jay.

Tried and Tasted on Tuesday's(3T's) : June 8 2010

It is Tuesday and I am here with 2 more recipes that I tried this week from our fellow blogger friends.Both these recipes were very tasty and delicious.They get two thumb-up from me and my family.Here are the recipes that I tried----------

1) Raw Mango Rice from Foodelicious by Pari .

I followed the recipe as is but reduced the quantiity and used cashewnuts  instead of peanuts.This dish tasted very delicious and would surely make it again.Thank you Pari for sharing this tasty rice dish with us.

2) Onion Tomato RedChilly Chutney from Creative Sanyukta by Sanyukta .

I followed the recipe as is except I used regular sugar instead of brown sugar and it tasted very delicious.I make this chutney without onions, adding onions has given a sweet taste to the chutney.This chutney tasted nice and delicious. Thank you Sanyukta for sharing this yummy recipe with us.

Dear friends visit their blogs for more delicious and creative recipes.

Barley in Seasoned Yogurt/Barley Raita

This is another healthy dish made of barley and yogurt to try out during this summer.Its easy to make and helps in beating the heat.

This dish goes to CWF:Barley Event hosted by me.
Let us see how this simple and healthy dish is made----------

Main Ingredients :
-------------------
Pearl Barley......................1cup
Water...............................2cups
Yogurt..............................3cups

Seasoning Ingredients :
-------------------------
Ghee.................................2tsp
Mustard Seeds..................1/2tsp
Cumin Seeds.....................1/2tsp
Chana Daal.......................1tsp
Urad Daal.........................1tsp
Cahew Nuts......................few
Red Chilly..........................small piece
Asafoetida.........................pinch
Turmeric...........................pinch
Salt..................................to taste

Garnish
----------
Cilantro............................few leaves

Preparation :
------------------
Rinse the barley and pressure cook in 2cups of water for4 whistles.Take out the cooked barley and keep it aside to cool down.

Take yogurt in a bowl and whisk it (do not add water) and add salt and turmeric.

Place a pan on the stove on medium heat add ghee to it .Once the ghee heats up add mustard and cumin let them splutter and add chanadaal ,urad daal ,redchilly and hing .Once done switch off the stove.

Now add the cooked barley to the yogurt and pour the seasoning over it.Garnish with cilantro.

Healthy and delicious Barley in Yogurt or Barley Raita is ready to be served.You might like to check out Barley Kanji too.

Note :
----------
1) We can add grated carrot and cucumber to this dish and serve.

Methi Greens Chutney/Menthikura Pachadi

Methi greens or Fenugreek leaves are used in various dishes in Indian cuisine.They are used with legumes and lentils to make healthy daals , used in making parathas or rotis ,used in various rice dishes , in snacks and finally last but not the least in making chutney.Methi greens and methi seeds are having lot of health benefits.Back in India my mother used to make sure that this was another green that was surely in our menu atleast once a week.She would prepare various dishes with this delicious greens.

Today I am sharing with you the recipe for making this healthy chutney----------

Main Ingredients :
--------------------
Tender Methi Leaves..............1big bunch

Seasoning Ingredients :
-------------------------
Canola Oil............................1.5tbsp
Mustard Seeds.....................1tsp
Cumin Seeds........................1tsp
Chana Daal..........................1tsp
Urad Daal............................1tsp
Red Chilly............................2
Garlic..................................2cloves
Tamarind.............................few flakes(or 1tsp thick paste)
Turmeric............................. pinch
Asafoetida...........................pinch
Salt.....................................to taste

Preparation :
-----------------
Rinse the tender methi leaves with stalks under water so that there is no sand or dirt in them.Cut 2 to 3inches from the root to the stem of the bunch as that part would be hard.Now chop the rest of the methi bunch including leaves and stalks.It need not be fine cut as we are going to fry it and blend later.

Place a pan on the stove on high heat and add oil to it .Once the oil is hot add mustard seeds,cumin seeds,chana daal,urad daal and red chilly.Let them fry ,once the seeds splutter add hing and remove the sesonings into the mixie jar.

To the remaining oil in the pan add 2 garlic cloves,turmeric and the chopped methi leaves and fry till the rawness is gone.

Once the raw smell is gone switch off the stove.Transfer the fried seasoning and toasted leaves to the mixie jar and add few flakes of tamarind and salt and grind the leaves.

Grind it when it is still hot so that you don't have to add any water.

Tasty and healthy Methi Greens Chutney is ready to be served with rice or roti.

This recipe goes to Best out of Waste Event hosted by Nithu Bala.

This recipe goes to GreenGourmet Event hosted by Preeti Kashyap.
Note :
---------
1) We can use the stems and leaves of the methi bunch if it is tender.If the bunch is not tender and the stems are too hard just pluck the leaves and use.I prefer using the entire methi bunch including stalks as it has lot of fibre in it.

2) I did not use any water to grind.

3) This chutney is very tasty does not taste bitter.

Tasty and Healthy Juices on Thursdays : Juice Recipe 5 & Awards from Jyoti & Thank You Card from Love2Cook

Today isThursday and time for me to post one more tasty and healthy juice recipe.This recipe is very simple and easy and made with very common ingredients we have in hand.This juice was very tasty and delicious.

Let us see how this healthy juice is made------------

These are the fruits and veggies used in the juice---------------

Apples.................7

Carrots.................4

Ginger..................1inch

Rinse the fruits and veggies under cold water.Juice the apples followed by carrots followed by ginger .Stir the collected juice in the bowl and serve immediately in serving glasses.

This yielded 5 small glasses of juice. The juice was orange in color.

Awards from Jyoti of Panchpakwan

Jyoti from Panchpakwan has shared with me these beautiful awards.Thank you Jyoti for keeping me in your thoughts and sharing with me these wonderful awards.

Thank You Card from Love2Cook

Love2Cook is celebrating her 1st Blog Anniversary and had shared this beautiful Thank You Card with all her blog friends and me being one of them.Thank you Love2Cook.Wish you many more wonderful years of blogging and lots of success and happiness in your life.

Simple Okra Stir Fry/Bendakaya Vepudu(Low Fat)

This is an other excellent and delicious dish from my Dear Husband . Okra is a favorite dish of our family.We all love to eat it in any form.

Let us see how this delicious curry is made in his words---------

Main Ingredients :

------------------------

Tender Okra.......................1.5 lb

Seasoning Ingredients :

---------------------------

Canola Oil.............................2tbsp

Mustard Seeds......................1tsp

Cumin Seeds.........................1tsp

ChanaDaal............................2tsp

Urad Daal.............................1tsp

Turmeric...............................1/4tsp

Paprika.................................2tsp

Lemon Juice..........................2tsp

Salt........................................to taste

Garnish

------------

Cilantro...............................few leaves

Preparation :

-----------------

Rinse the okra and towel dry it.Cut the okra into small pieces and keep aside.

Place a pan on the stove on high heat and pour oil.Add mustard and cumin let them splutter then add chana daal and urad daal .Once they are toasted add cut okra and turmeric and stir well.

Cook it covered for 3minutes.Remove the lid and stir well.You can see that the okra starts to gel,now add 2tsp of lemon juice to the okra and stir.Cook covered for 3 more minutes.

Now remove the lid and add salt to your taste and stir well and cook for 2 more minutes.Do not cover.

After 2minutes add paprika chilly powder to the okra and stir .Let it cook for 2 more minutes and switch off the stove.Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Delicious Okra Stir Fry is ready to be served with rice or rotis.

This recipe goes to His Cooking Event hosted by Priti.

I am sending this recipe to Green Gourmet Event hosted by Preethi Kashyap.

Tried and Tasted on Tuesday(3T's) : June 1st 2010

Today is again time for posting the recipes I Tried and Tasted from fellow bloggers blogs.Today I am posting the recipes from 3 wonderful bloggers.All these recipes tasted very good and here they are----

1) Cashew Salad from My Recipes Dairy by Kalai .

I followed the recipe as is except I used toasted cashews instead of frying them and used yellow onion instead of red onion.It sure was very delicious and was done in just few minutes.Everyone loved it.Thank you Kalai for such a healthy snack.

2) Spicy & Tangy Garlic Chutney from Priyas Easy N Tasty Recipes by Priya Suresh.

I followed the recipe as is except I used canola oil instead of gingely oil.It sure was very spicy and tangy.Me and my husband loved it.Thank you Priya for sharing this delicious chutney with us.

3) Miriyalu Charu(Pepper Rasam) from VineelaSiva by Vineela.

I too make this rasam but her recipe was a little different from mine.She added ginger garlic paste and jaggery in hers.I wanted to try it and this came out very delicious.We all enjoyed it.Thank you Vineela for sharing such an aromatic rasam with us.

Dear readers enjoy these recipes and many more by visiting their blogs.Till next week, for more Tried and Tasted.

Note :

----------

1) The garlic chutney and rasam are a little dark as the tamarind I am using right now is very dark.For better pictures check the original recipes.