Zucchini, Carrot & Tofu Paratha

Have you ever prepared paratha with tofu, if not you should give a try them. Tofu gives a fabulous softness to the paratha and its stays prefectly soft even to pack in a kid's lunch box. I have been cooking with tofu since a long. Earlier i was bit skeptical to use this soya cheese as its was quite an unknown ingredient for me. However i have learned myself to cook with this incredible tofu and now its quite our favourite cheese which i never fail to cook with. I can easily get this soya cheese as am living in China town. Obviously tofu have its own place in my weekly cooking. Tofu exists in three varieties, silken tofu is used often in vegan desserts, firm tofu and extra firm tofu for making dishes out of it.

Varagu Arisi Upma Kozhukattai/Kodomillet & Black-eyed Peas Steamed Dumplings

Upma Kozhukattai is a healthy, filling and satisfying South Indian breakfast, which is also enjoyed as a mid-day snacks, tiffin items to serve with some spicy coconut chutney. This steamed dumplings is prepared usually with rice rava or else with rice flour. And this steamed dish is also called as Kara pidikozhukattais as well. I love to replicate some traditional South Indian dishes with some healthy stuffs in it. Hence i opted for a millet dumplings aka gluten free upma kozhukattai. This is quite a healthy version of steamed dumplings which is seriously loaded with protein rich black-eyed peas beans. Obviously you cant miss this incredible protein rich to try if you are looking for a super healthy dinner or breakfast for week days.

Jowar Rava & Oats Idli/Instant Sorghum Semolina & Oats Idli

Most known, healthy and quite filling steamed breakfast dish in South India is Idli. Idli is prepared prominently with rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Instant versions of this Idlies do exists, and this instant versions of idlis are seriously very easy to make. If you dont have idli batter, you can still stick with varieties of Instant versions of Idlies. Coming to this steamed dish, semolina aka rava is usually used in dishing out Instant versions of Idlies. However any sort of semolina can be used and here comes an another version of instant idli which i dished out with Sorghum semolina aka Jowar rava.You may wonder how this idly will be in taste and texture, i didnt find my difference between the usual instant  rava idlies we do quite often.

Chinese Steamed Savoury Eggs

If you are looking for a simple and quick steamed dish with eggs, dont forget to check my today's Chinese steamed eggs. This quick savoury steamed eggs makes an excellent meal to have with some chinese soups or noodles. Am running this week's blogging marathon with 'Steamed dishes' as theme. Obviously this week's posts are going to be some healthy, quick and delicious steamed dishes. And am kick starting this week's theme with this easy breezy steamed eggs. Flavored with soya sauce, sesame oil,and herbs or spring onions, this savoury egg custard is definitely a must to try if you are looking for an easy egg dish.

Vegan Black-eyed Peas Tomato Stew

After two interesting soups, my today's post is a super delicious again a nutritious stew i simply prepared with black eyed peas and tomatoes.Stews are similar to soups as there is no clear distinction between these two dishes. Stews have less liquid than soups and much thicker as well. Stew needs a longer cooking in low heat and soups can be cooked easily which requires less cooking time than stews. Stew can be served in a plate with rice, mashed potatoes or pastas while soups are always served in a bowl. You can add seasoning or flavourings to the stew depending upon your tastebuds. Actually i flavored mine with minced garlic, cumin powder, paprika and coriander powder along with dried oregano. Obviously this stew makes an excellent pair to enjoy with hot steaming rice.

Vegan Tomato Moongdal Soup/Tomato Dal Soup

Weather went too down here, obviously we want to finish our dinner simply with a bowl of soup than making any other dishes for our meal.  If you are looking for a healthy, super filling and nutritious soup,dont forget to check this fantastic gluten free tomato soup. Though i used green moong aka whole moongdal for making this fantastic soup, you can still prepare this soup with masoor dal or split moongdal or else with a mix of both to prepare this soup.Since my hubby grabbed a bag of juicy tomatoes from farmer's market, i couldnt stop myself to add some tomatoes to this nutritious soup.

Vegan Mixed Vegetables & Kidney Beans Quinoa Soup

Quinoa, this incredible tiny grains are our family favourite. Cooked either as salad, any South Indian dishes, sweets or else simply cooked as much as rice to serve along with a stew, quinoa makes an excellent meal. Quinoa is definitely a versatile grain, you can cook anything with. I have been cooking for a while with this gluten free grains, and these grains are seriously easy to cook with. Even my kids love this grains, needless to say Quinoa is becoming our most favourite grain after oats and rice.

Black-eyed Peas Fritters/Karamani Pakoda

Black eyed peas is becoming one of my favourite ingredient after Urad dal for making fritters or vadas. After trying my hands with black eyed peas vadas, i couldnt stop myself frying out some pakodas with them.They came out extremely super crispy and prefect to munch with some tea for snacks. However these cute crispy balls was a big hit among my kids, obviously they enjoyed munching them with their favourite sauce while i had this pakodas as side dish for some hot piping rasam rice. Yes you can even serve these cuties as side dish for your rice dish. As much as like usual gram flour based pakodas, these fritters came out extremely crispy, but all you need is to soak and peel the skin of black-eyed peas.

Quinoa and French Lentils Salad

I just love French lentils cooked with loads of garlic and thyme, when served along with baguette slices, i can finish my lunch or dinner happily. Actually cooking lentils with garlic and thyme is a classic French dish, a super aromatic protein rich dish as crushed garlic cloves are sauteed with thyme leaves.French lentils works awesome for making some delicious salads as well. And my today's dish is a prefect dish to cook with this nutritious lentils. French lentils are also known as Le Puy Lentils which is easily available in all provisional stores here. Needless to say how nutritious this lentils are, obviously lentils are rich in protein and extremely rich in dietary fiber as well.

Banana Blossom Channadal Kootu/Vazhaipoo Kadalaparuppu Kootu

After tangy tamarind gravy aka Kuzhambu and dal based sambhar, kootu is an another popular dal based dish cooked often in South Indian cuisine. Kootu have their own place in a meal served on a banana leaf on festive days or else for a special occasion. Kootu can be prepared with any sort of vegetables or else with a combination of beans or vegetables. My today's post is an healthy and protein rich Kootu prepared with banana blossom aka vazhaipoo. Banana blossom is an edible flower which is also known as Banana heart, used very much in Southeast Asian and very much in Indian cuisine. Though this banana blossom is known as flower, Indians consider this bitter banana blossom as vegetable.  Indian cooks this banana blossom as stir fries, curries or else in stews. Looking for some interesting dal dishes, then check here.

Vegan Grilled Masala Vegetables

I have been posting some delicious grilled vegetarian dishes for the post two days as my theme for this week's blogging marathon is Vegetarian grilling. After a lipsmacking mustard cauliflower steak, and some delicious cheese potatoes, my today's post goes to some Indian spiced grilled vegetables. Indian spices added to any vegetables makes some fantastic dishes and this grilled masala vegetables is definitely a must try if you love Indian spices. You can enjoy this very less oil, spiced and vegan grilled vegetables simply with a bowl of rice or as accompaniment with some rotis or breads. You can adjust the spice level of this grilled vegetables depending upon your tastebuds. I went with a simple Indian spice mixture which calls for red chilly powder,pepper powder, garam masala powder, cumin powder and fennel seed powder.

Bittergourd Peanut Stir Fry/ Pavakkai Verkadalai Masala

Bittergourd, this vegetable is not a favourite of many but trust me its my favourite vegetable since i came to know how healthy this vegetable is. Obviously whenever i go to Indian groceries i dont forget to grab them. Back home, i dont forget to dish them as many delicious dishes out of them. I have been looking for a chance to cook this bittergourd differently since a while and finally i decide to go with this fantastic masala prepared quickly with peanuts. Though this dish will tastes bitter, dont forget to mix this dish with some hot steaming rice and enjoy with papads. You will definitely love this fantastic stir fry.

Broken Wheat Lemon Pulihora/Godhuma Rava Lemon Puliyogare

Broken wheat/Godhuma Rava/Cracked Wheat/Dalia/Godhuma Nooka is a super healthy ingredient with all the nutrients in it. This broken wheat replace very well rice especially in Diabetic friendly meals. I have been cooking with broken wheat since a long as this healthy ingredient is one of my favourite after quinoa. After cooking couple of delicious dishes out of this broken wheat, am yet to try many more fantastic dishes with this grain. Not to forget, am an ardent fan of one pot meal, obviously if i get a chance to cook for a theme called 'One pot meal for Summer' how can miss a chance to cook an interesting dish with this broken wheat.

Vegan Whole Moongdal Lollypop/Green Moongdal Lollipop

This week's blogging marathon is going to be Kid's friendly party menu dishes, yes the theme for this week is Kid's Delight-Anniversary Party. Obviously kids and even grown up kids will definitely enjoy my dishes i have dished out for this week's theme. Yes am sure in it, see how confident i am. However for the first day's post, am posting a Vegan and Vegetarian friendly lollipop/lollypop, usually this is prepared with meats or seafoods. Yes chicken wings are quite famous for dishing out meaty lollipops while prawns, fish or crab meats are used for seafood lollipops. My today's post is a Vegetarian lollypop which is completely prepared with Whole moongdal aka green moongdal. Extremely healthy and nutritious, this vegan lollypops makes an excellent starter to enjoy with your favourite sauce for a party.

Cumin Flavored Tofu Paratha/Tofu Paratha with Cumin seeds

After paneer, i couldnt resist to prepare some healthy parathas with silken tofu which is simply flavoured with slightly crushed roasted cumin seeds. Cumin seeds gives a pleasant flavor to this healthy and super soft paratha. If you are planning to add tofu in your dishes, just give a try to this fantastic paratha. Though silken tofu is usually used in many desserts, they suits absolutely prefect for making parathas too. Silken tofu grinded as fine paste works awesome for making parathas. It helps a lot to give the softness while making parathas. Trust me kids will definitely enjoy this healthy, protein rich parathas very well with any side dish.

Oats and Palm Jaggery Kheer/Oats Panavellam Payasam

Oats is my most favourite wholegrains and i never forget to make varieties of kheer out of this incredible grain. When i picked Diabetic friendly sweets as this week's theme for blogging marathon, i couldnt resist to dish out a simple and diabetic friendly kheer. Yes my today's post calls for both rolled oats and palm jaggery syrup,when cooked together this two incredible ingredients makes an excellent kheer to relish without any fuss. Fortunately everyone at home just love kheer especially with rolled oats. When i told them about palm jaggery and oats kheer, my lil one asked me to go with as his sweet tooth were craving for some kheer.

Moongdal, Palm Rock Candy Sugar Laddoos/Pasiparuppu Panakalkandu Laddus

I have been posting beautiful diabetic friendly sweets for this week's blogging marathon as i picked Diabetic friendly sweets as theme for this week. After some fabulous steamed sweet dumplings aka kozhukattai, my today's post calls for yellow moongdal aka pasiparuppu. Instead of sugar, i opted for palm rock candy sugar and this healthy rock candy works awesome for making this incredible laddoos. Actually i was bit skeptical to give a try to this laddoos as i dont know how the final result will be. However i dont want to give up and dished out these beauties. Trust me, we just loved this healthy laddoos.

Wheat Flour Palm Jaggery Steamed Dumplings/Godhumai Karupatti Kozhukattai

I have been cooking with palm jaggery since few years and love to dish out some traditional dishes out of this fantastic healthy jaggery. Obviously my pantry will always have this jaggery. I have been looking for a chance to makes some kozhukattais aka steamed sweet dumplings with both wheat flour and palm jaggery. Finally i tried my hands with this combination when i picked Diabetic friendly sweets as this week's blogging marathon's theme. Palm jaggery can be used by diabetic patient for sweetening. Though diabetic peoples can enjoy thoroughly many health benefits of this jaggery its better to have it in limited quantity.

Vegan Quinoa & Black Beans Tabbouleh Salad

My kids are biggest fans of Tabbouleh salad and its been a while i prepared them at home. When i picked Kid's delight-Soups and Salads as theme for this week's blogging marathon i immediately thought of making this fantastic aromatic salad. But instead of preparing this salad with Bulghur, i replace bulghur with quinoa. Quinoa works awesome for preparing this salad and to make it more healthier, i couldnt stop myself adding some cooked black beans. Trust me whoever love tabbouleh will definitely enjoy thoroughly this super healthy, nutritious, easy breezy chilled salad. Since this tabbouleh is quite easy to prepare, you can make this salad few hours before your lunch. Obviously you can plan this dish earlier to enjoy your lunch happily especially during summer. Served chilled, this salad is quite a satisfying and filling salad to enjoy with some grilled meats or grilled vegetables.

Broken Wheat Dal Khichdi/Wheat Rava Khichdi

Am trying to cook with broken wheat often just to include this healthy ingredient to everyone's meal. I have tried couple of delicious dishes from healthy breakfast dishes to lipsmacking dessert. But still i have completely forgotten our most favourite dish to post in my space, obviously without any delay, am posting my family favourite Broken wheat dal khichdi. Yes this khichdi calls for dal and broken wheat, with simple cooking process, anyone can cook this healthy dish without any hassle. Easy to make and delicious to eat this khichdi makes a prefect lunch if you serve this dish with some spicy side dish. A complete meal to enjoy without any fuss, this khichdi will definitely fill some hungry tummies easily.