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Colours give me a deep sense of contentment. It was during my college days, I realised how tints and hues of deep and bright colours affect my state of being. I was lucky to be in a design college, to be able to explore the vast unknown territories of colours. Even over a period of time, with the transition of my profile from a designer to a homemaker, my love for colours remained unwavering. However, my perspective towards these colours changed a bit.

It was a Sunday evening. And a happy Sunday calls for loads of vegetable shopping. More so, like any usual Sunday we reached this lane queued up with fruits and vegetable carts. Mind me, I desperately wait for this moment the entire week! Because in this lane, I can experience the cosmos of colours sprawled over. And within no time, my bags were full of these goodies.

“BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THESE? Aren't they too many?”, asked my husband. Yes! they were indeed too many and we need all of these, the wide variety of colours, wide range of nutrients and ingredients. And today I am going to share with you- the list of foods that you can easily make a part of your kitchen.

Excited??

I am always mesmerised at the thought of how the universe works in synchronicity. With every season comes the right kind of food and vegetation. So, the things that come first on my list is to choose seasonal foods. At this moment, whichever part of the globe you are placed in, look out at what is growing around you in that season, and indulge in that.

A few things that can be seen in winters in India are:

Mustard Greens, Spinach, Amaranth Greens, Green garlic, Ginger, Red Carrot, Fenugreek Greens, Green Chickpeas, Goosefoot greens, Broccoli, Multi-coloured peppers, Indian gooseberry and the list goes on.

There is an endless variety of fruits too, naming oranges, kinnow, strawberries, Indian plums, cape gooseberries, guava, sapota, dates, grapes, papaya, apples, pomegranate and so on.

Much like the above two, diversity of millets can also be seen according to seasons such as pearl millets, maize, finger millet, gram flour, oats and so on. 

All of these foods are powerhouse of nutrients, the humble superfoods that we fancy. 

Want to revive your kitchen with a twist? I am going to share with you a few recipes that will have all the super ingredients, but in a new AVATAR. 

All geared up people!!! 

On your mark, 

Get set 

Go.

MIXED GREEN SAMBHAR

Ingredients: 

1 cup of Tuar Dal, 

2 cups of roughly chopped greens, 

Tamarind pulp paste, 

1 Onion, 

1 Tomato, 

Some garlic greens, and 

Sambhar masala.

 

Tempering (Tadka) ingredients: 

2 Dry red chilly, 

1 Onion, 

1tsp Mustard seeds, 

1 Spring curry leaf, 

1/4th tsp asafoetida (Heeng),

Salt, 

Turmeric, 

Cold pressed cooking oil.

 

Steps-

1. Wash your greens thoroughly and then pressure cook dal, onion, garlic and greens for two whistles. 
2. Grind fresh coconut with sambhar masala. 
3. When the pressure releases, open the lid off the pressure cooker and add ground coconut to cooked dal.
4. Bring it to boil till it is nicely mixed. 
5. For tempering, add oil to a cooking pan and allow it to heat up nicely. Add mustard seeds, asafoetida, red chillies and curry leaves to oil. 
6. Let the seeds splutter, add chopped onions and fry till golden brown. 
7. Add tomatoes and cook till the oil separates. 
8. Add spices, mix well and wait for 2 more minutes. 
9. You can now add cooked greens, tamarind pulp and dal to this tadka. 
10. 10.Mix well and Ta-Da!!  
11. 11.Serve it with rice or chapati. This recipe is a perfect blend of protein, fibre, micro-nutrients and aromatics.

 

GREEN CHICKPEAS HUMMUS WITH BAJRA CRACKERS

Hummus- a dip that has bagged all the glory from the world, let’s give it a twist today.

Hummus Ingredients:

3 cups of green chickpeas, 

¼ cup Lemon juice, 

3 tbsp Roasted sesame, 

4-5 cloves of Garlic, 

2 Green chillies, 

Sea salt, 

Ground cumin, 

Extra virgin olive oil.

 

Bajra Crackers Ingredients: 

1 cup bajra flour, 

½ cup whole wheat flour, 

1tbsp clarified butter (desi ghee), 

½ tsp pomegranate seeds powder, 

½ tsp coriander powder, 

Chilly flakes and Oregano (as per taste), 

Salt (as per taste), 

Sesame seeds for garnishing.

 

Steps:

1. For hummus, boil the chickpeas till they become soft and allow them to cool. Strain excess water. 
2. Now in a grinder, put all the ingredients and grind them to a fine paste by adding some ice water. 
3. To this smooth dip you can drizzle some more oil, sesame seeds and lemon zest and Voila!!
4. For bajra crackers, mix two flours and add clarified butter to it. Rub the flour nicely till it comes to sand like texture. 
5. Now add all the herbs and spices to it. Add water little by little, you can knead it to a soft dough. 
6. Divide the dough in small balls and roll them out thinly. 
7. Now cut them in any desired shape with a knife or cookie cutter. 
8. Prick holes in the crackers and bake them for 15 mins at 180 degree in a preheated oven. 

AND YOUR HEALTHY HEART-FULL SNACK IS READY.

Please try these recipes and do share your feedback with us. And if you are looking for more healthy yet creative food ideas, leave a comment and we will bring many many more of such recipes for you.

Till then, eat local and seasonal, spread love, stay safe and healthy.

Love and Light.

Author: Charu Rajpal | Editor: Taahira Kisna | Publisher: Kosha Life