Home of Ayurvedic and Vegetarian Recipes!
May-27th-2020
Iron Rich Diet
Iron is a mineral and an important component of hemoglobin, the substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. Hemoglobin is a type of protein (British English spelling is Haemoglobin)
Iron is available in meat as well as plant food. It exists as two types, heme and non-heme. Animal foods such as meat, seafood, and poultry provide both types and are better absorbed by the body.
Non-heme iron is found in plant foods. Non-heme iron is absorbed slowly by the body. For vegetarians, it is often recommended that iron-rich food should be consumed along with with vitamin C rich food so that the absorption of iron is faster in the body.
Read more about Iron rich food
Vaishnav Food
Dear Readers,
Vaishnav refers to one who is related with Lord Vishnu. As per mythology, Vaishnav food is that which is loved by gods. There are three main categories of food-
- Satvik
- Rajsik
- Tamsik
Vaishnav food is considered as Satvik food. A satvik diet is based on fruits, dairy products if the cow is fed and milked in the right conditions, nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes, whole grains etc.
Vaishnav food is vegetarian but does not include onion and garlic. In India, in most of the states, food which is prepared for offering to gods does not have onion and garlic.
There are several stories behind this exclusion. One version is that at one time fruits and vegetables were being served to gods. However, onion and garlic were left underground and were not the part of offering. From that time on they are not considered as auspicious.
Happy cooking,
Shuchi
-
Mangaudi papad ki Sabji
Mangaudi papad ki sabji is a very popular Rajasthani preparation. Mangaudis are small sun dried lentil dumplings made with moong lentils. Mangaudi is a very common element in Marwadi Cuisine - many dishes can be made with mangaudi, such as Mangaudi ki tehri (a rice dish), mangaudi ki kadhi etc. You can either make mangaudies at home or buy them from grocery stores....
-
Chutney ke Aloo
Chutney ke aloo is very North Indian dish. This is a very popular chaat item from Kanpur. Small boiled potatoes soaked in spicy coriander chutney - that's all it is, sounds so simple; yet very pungent and yummyyyyyy......
-
Samosa Chaat
Samosas are one of the most popular Indian snacks known all over the world. These are triangular shaped patties stuffed with spicy potatoes. For samosa chaat, crushed samosa is placed on top of a bed of cooked chickpeas and garnished with smooth yogurt, sweet-n-sour tamarind chutney, and green chutney. Now this yummy chaat is garnished with crispies and chopped coriander leaves.read more...
-
Brown rice vs White rice
What is brown rice? Any ordinary rice which has a brown hull is called as brown rice. In order to make white rice this hull is removed from the grain. This process is known as polishing the rice. Usually, in the American market, Basmati brown rice is more popular, but there are many varieties.... read more...
-
Turmeric benefits and usages
Turmeric (botanical name Curcuma) is a member of the Zingiberaceae family, like ginger. It is a tropical perennial rhizome and can be grown easily in your home garden in warm summers. Turmeric is called as Haldi in Hindi and its medicinal properties are mentioned at several places in ancient Ayurvedic texts. The key compound in turmeric is curcumin which is... read more...
Healthy Food for Diabetics | Diabetes recipes
Dear Readers,
Diabetes is a disease characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from a reduced ability of the body to produce and/or use insulin. This disease can be kept under control by healthy living and good eating habits. On this page, I am outlining some good eating practices and recipes that I have gathered over the years.
In the last few months I have received a lot of queries about diabetic diets. I have replied to many of my readers by mail, but it is time to write in the site about this worldwide problem. Usually doctors make a healthy meal food chart for their diabetic patients. Diabetics are asked to cut on carbohydrates, sugar, refined food etc in their daily diets. Doctors also often suggest that diabetics should eat 5-6 small portions of food, rather than 3 big meals.
Some healthy recipes for diabetics
-
Moat Salad
Moat, also spelled as moth, are oval shape beans that can be easily found in Indian and Asian grocery stores. These are also available in most health/ organic stores. This is a highly nutritious breakfast recipe of moat sprouts for all ages. Sprouts (germinated seeds)....
-
Tomato Carrot Soup
Tomatoes are good source of vitamin A, B6, C and also vitamin E. Red tomatoes are also rich in dietary fibers. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A. The combination of tomato and carrots make a perfect soup which is definitely healthy and very delicious also. The carrots give a sweet flavor...
-
Balanced and healthy daily North Indian food platter
Dal chawal, roti, and sabji is a perfect, healthy, balanced, delicious, 600 calories meal. This vegetarian food platter is a staple in North India. It has a combination of protein, carbohydrate, vitamin, minerals etc. In North India most families have a similar food platter in one of their meals. This lunch platter which usually consists of - a variety of dal(lentil/beans)... read more...
Some popular and useful articles on Chezshuchi
-
Blender and Mixer for Indian Cooking in USA
Many of my readers have trouble finding the best blender or mixer for Indian cooking in USA and Canada (110 volts). This article is an attempt to detail my experiences with a similar exploration. For a family in a new geography, alongside many other challenges, a small but a regular kitchen challenge has been that of finding the perfect Mixer or/and Blender...
-
Loading a Dishwasher Correctly
Loading a dishwasher is not rocket science but loading it correctly can save your time and consumption of water, as well as result in cleaner dishes. Here are a few things I have experienced and learned over time about loading the dishwasher....
Dear readers, growing vegetables at home is becoming popular these days. There are plenty of reasons as to why people like to grow things in their own garden....Some people worry about the use of chemicals/ pesticides in vegetables and fruits, while others like to be close to nature, and find it relaxing to work in the garden. Some enthusiasts also grow rare and hard to find vegetables.... Whatever may be your reasons for thinking about growing your own vegetables; it should be fun for you, and not a chore...
Enjoy Gardening,
Shuchi
Vegetable Gardening ideas-
-
Homegrown Tulsi/ Basil
Basil can be easily grown at home. You can start by planting basil seeds or can plant a baby plant directly. Basil seeds as well as plants can be easily found in most of the nurseries in spring season. One can plant basil in the ground or in pots. Basil is a summer plant and it cannot tolerate even a light frost.....
-
Homegrown Lauki (Bottle Gourd)
Lauki, Ghiya, Kaddu, Doodhi, Bottle Gourd and here in America it is also called as Squash. One vegetable and so many different names. Bottle gourds contains about 96% water. They are rich in dietary fibers, and are also a good source of vitamin B and contain iron as well. Bottle gourd is one of the lightest vegetable and it is very easy to digest...
-
Lunch Box
These Idlies are steam cooked savory cakes of fermented batter of Semolina (sooji/ rava ). Usually in South India Idlies are served with chutneys for the breakfast. This is an ideal meal for kid's lunch boxes. You can also put some coconut chutney. Add your kids favorite fruits and sweet!
-
Italian Cuisine
Italian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines around the world. The words bring to mind the world of pizza, pastas, ravioli, spaghetti, delicious breads, salads, mouth watering cakes, pastries, coffee .
