Tag: guest post series

  • Baking with Whole Wheat – Nutrition in Every Slice

    Baking with Whole Wheat – Nutrition in Every Slice

    Baking with whole wheat -Nutrition in every slice is a healthy and tasty brown bread. It is ideal way to enjoy with tea or as an after school snack.  Know more about whole wheat bread in our guest post series.

    We all have, sometimes in our life, followed crazy diets with no results. Some other times, we just left it to the universe to take care of our diet (hopefully nobody follows this diet). But there are some foods that don’t usually come under the category of healthy, for example, bread. But whole wheat bread is a healthy and adaptable supplement to any diet. Whole wheat flour contains the entire wheat kernel, including the bran and germ. Wheat contains the most nutrients, including fibre, B vitamins, iron, folate, potassium, and magnesium. The wheat kernel is left intact, resulting in a less processed, more nutritious bread.

    baking with whole wheat
    whole wheat bread


    Let’s look at some of the ways in which the whole wheat bread benefits us:

    1.  Lowers chances of developing type 2 diabetes – For those who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, new research seems promising. According to a study published in the journal Nutrients in 2018, eating more whole-grain foods is linked to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
    2. Helps with weight management – Despite the fact that bread has a reputation for causing weight gain, choosing whole wheat bread may have the opposite impact. According to an analysis of evidence from 38 epidemiological research, consuming whole wheat bread does not induce weight gain and may even help with weight management.
    3.  Aids in healthy digestion – Fibre is essential for digestive health. Consuming a high fibre diet, such as whole-grain foods, allows for the growth of beneficial gut flora. This so-called “pre-biotic” impact has been shown to improve colon health and immune system strength.
    4. Helps heart conditions – For good reason, whole grains have long been recommended for heart health. According to a major 2016 study published in the British Medical Journal, consuming more whole grains is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease.
    Whole Wheat Bread
    whole wheat bread

     

    Now that you know of the ways in which whole wheat bread benefits your health, why not look at some ways in which you can keep having bread in your diet without feeling guilty about it. The best way to do that is to bake your own bread or buy it. But you have to be careful when you choose to buy your whole wheat bread. Different brands have different nutritional values and you have to read those carefully to understand and pick which whole wheat bread is best suited for your needs. For example, iD Wheat Sliced Bread is one brand that you can go for. It’s produced with all-natural ingredients including wheat flour that was carefully obtained and ground for iD. It’s made with whole wheat flour (atta), refined wheat flour (maida), sugar, iodized salt, refined sunflower oil, yeast, gluten, malt flour, natural improver, fermented wheat flour and RO-purified water.


    iD Bread is prepared with traditional methods, beginning with specially milled flour, all-natural fermentation, and traditional baking, with no chemicals or additives. When compared to other identical items on the market, these are the most important distinctions. iD offers the finest bread without the use of any artificial preservatives, flavours, or colors, unlike other options on
    the market today. The team at iD spent two years developing an all-natural bread, and now they’ve cracked the code and are ready to give a healthier and tastier alternative choice to their customers.
    So, if you haven’t yet added whole wheat bread to your diet, all you need to do is connect to the internet and buy your ID Whole Wheat Bread Online or go to your nearest store. 

  • Tasty Dosa in minutes/ iD  Organic Dosa  Batter

    Tasty Dosa in minutes/ iD Organic Dosa Batter

    Today’s post is slightly different from the usual one. What do you do on a busy and hectic day? You have a long list of pending errands, meeting with client, go to market to buy vegetables and then visit the dentist, later go to school for the meeting. I prefer to bring a ready to cook food at home and make something that is not only tasty but also healthy for the family.

    iD Fresh Food is a leader in breakfast foods in South India. It was started in 2005 by five brothers in a small kitchen in Bangalore. Since then, it has come a long way and are a leading name today in South Indian breakfasts. They have a wide range of natural and organic products which one can easily make at home without any compromise in taste and quality. The variety of products that they have to their belt are Dosa and Idly batter, Vada batter, rawa idly mix, wheat and oats dosa, a range of parathas and a coffee decoction.

    I loved the Organic iD Dosa and Idly batter which is made of pure, organic ingredients. The batter serves a dual purpose, one can either make idly or dosa with it. Plan ahead what you want to make, if it is dosa, you need to add a little quantity of water. Soft, fluffy idly with coconut chutney and piping hot sambar, sound so delicious isn’t it ? It can be made easily with this packet of batter, no hassle of prior soaking and grinding the lentils, it is ready within an hour, just make the side dishes and the breakfast is sorted

    The iD dosa batter is perfect blend of ingredients, I did add a little salt though. I spread a scoopful of batter, put a little oil, smeared a little red chutney after a while and voila, it was beautiful golden brown hued, crispy, the way I often make it at home. I served it with potato sbbji and coconut chutney.


    iD crispy dosa

    It is such a blessing to get these kind of semi-made food that are chemical free, farm fresh and most of all similar to homemade. I could make 13 dosas from one packet, quite sufficient for a family of four for breakfast. The packet comes in a pouch of 1Kilogram and costs Rs80. It is available online at Bigbasket

    Regarding the storage since it is a wet ingredient, it needs to be kept refrigerated. Do not freeze it.

    How to make Dosa with iD Dosa batter:

    Equipments: bowl, ladle, non stick skillet, flipper spatula, small bowl, spoon, plate

    Ingredients:

    • 1 kg iD idly/ dosa batter
    • a little salt
    • water
    • oil /ghee

    Method:

    1. Keep the batter pouch outside, it should be at the room temperature while cooking.
    2. Cut the pouch and remove the batter in a bowl. Add a little salt and water. Make it to the consistency of the usual dosa batter.
    3. Heat the skillet, take a ladleful of batter and put it on the skillet. Spread it inside out to a thin crepe.
    4. Drizzle oil around it and cook it on medium to high for a minute.
    5. Once it golden brown in colour, remove and serve with chutney.

    Serving suggestions:

    • Put a dollop of butter, it tastes heavenly.
    • Spread red onion chutney over thin crepes.
    • You can serve with potato bhaji and coconut chutney.
    • Even uttappa can be made, mix it with finely cut onion and tomato pieces and make small circular dosas.
    • On a lazy day, serve with podi.

     

    iD organic idly and dosa batter

    You can check the product at www.idfreshfood.com

    I liked this one and will soon be trying other products too. They are ideal for busy days when we are packed with other errands. I love the fact that there are no added preservatives in it.

    Do give a try to this, do check out the online store or at your nearest super market. Feel free to share with us if you ever make any dishes with iD Fresh Food.

     

  • Tomato and Garlic Focaccia – Guest Post Series

    Tomato and Garlic Focaccia – Guest Post Series

    Focaccia is a type of Italian flatbread which has the basic ingredients yeast, olive oil, salt and herbs added to the dough. The topping can vary from plain just with herbs and oil to meat. This post is  a part of the guest post series that I run on my blog. (more…)

  • Drumstick Leaves Dal with Coconut | Guest Post Series

    Drumstick Leaves Dal with Coconut | Guest Post Series

    Drumstick leaves are healthy and make a good combination in dal. Try this delicious dal for a comfort and quick meal.
    It’s a guest post today and I have Lathiya Shanmugasundaram of Lathiskitchen. Welcome Lathiya to blogspace. Blogging has made me interact with many different indivduals around the globe, Lathiya is one among them, glad to know her in this blogging journey. She has moringa leaf dal for us, I have heard so much about it, do need to search for it in my place.
    Without much ado, it’s over to Lathiya.
    Thank you for having me on your space. Here I present you the healthy, easy and delicious Drumstick Leaves Dal with Coconut.
    Drumstick leaves are packed with lots of nutrients. It’s said that drumstick leaves have anti carcinogenic properties and it is a must to include in your diet. If you haven’t start using it in your meal plan yet, this is the time to start from this dal curry.
    Making this dal is not so complicated. You can make this dal within 30 minutes. The only time consuming part in making this dal is cleaning the drumstick leaves. It’s a tedious job of cleaning drumstick leaves. You have to be careful not to include the sticks and only leaf should be used. I used to clean the drumstick leaves a day before making this dal. So it takes just less than 30 minutes when I make this dal.

    drumstick leaves dal with coconut
    drumstick leaves dal with coconut

    Ingredients 
    • Drumstick leaves – 1 cup tightly packed
    • Dal – 1/4 cup
    • Coconut – 1/4 cup grated
    • Jeera seeds –  1/2 tsp
    • Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
    • Red chili powder – 3/4 tsp
    • Shallots – 3 or 4 thinly sliced
    • Mustard seeds – 1/4 tsp
    • Ghee / Coconut oil – 1 tsp
    • Salt – as required
    Method
    1. Clean and wash the drumstick leaves. Keep aside.
    2. Cook dal in pressure cooker till mushy. Keep aside.
    3. Grind coconut with jeera seeds to smooth paste. Keep aside.
    4. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan. Sauté the drumstick leaves for a minute.
    5. Add the cooked dal in sautéed drumstick leaves. Add little water to cook the drumstick leaves.
    6. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder.
    7. Let it boil in medium flame. Do not over cook the drumstick leaves.
    8. Add the grounded coconut to the dal and drumstick leaves mix with required water. Add required salt.
    9. When the raw smell of coconut goes, remove the pan from the heat.
    10. In another pan, add remaining 1/2 tsp of  ghee or oil. When it is hot, add mustard seeds.
    11. When it crackle, add sliced shallots and sauté till golden .
    12. Add it to the dal. Serve along with hot rice.

    drumstick leaves dal with coconut

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup drumstick leaves tightly packed
    • 1/4 cup dal
    • 1/4 cup coconut grated
    • 1/2 teaspoon jeera
    • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
    • 3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
    • 3 or 4 shallots thinly sliced
    • 1/4 teaspoon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon ghee/coconut oil
    • salt as required

    Method
     

    1. Cook dal in pressure cooker till mushy. Keep aside.
    2. Grind coconut with jeera seeds to smooth paste. Keep aside.
    3. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan. Sauté the drumstick leaves for a minute.
    4. Add the cooked dal in sautéed drumstick leaves. Add little water to cook the drumstick leaves. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder. Let it boil in medium flame. Do not over cook the drumstick leaves.
    5. Add the grounded coconut to the dal and drumstick leaves mix with required water. Add required salt. When the raw smell of coconut goes, remove the pan from the heat.
    6. In another pan, add remaining 1/2 tsp of ghee or oil. When it is hot, add mustard seeds. When it crackle, add sliced shallots and sauté till golden .
    7. Add it to the dal. Serve along with hot rice.

    About the author :   Lathiya Shanmugasundaram is the person behind lathiskitchen.org.She was born and brought up in India but now settled in US. She is the mother of two super active kids. She has both Malyali and Tamil recipes on her blog.

    Do connect with  Lathiya on social media

    If you have liked this post, do leave a comment and save it. Subscribe to get a book of handyhints for free.