How Can You Choose the Best Juicer?

For vegetarians, a juicer is a must have appliance. There are very many brands which are available in the market with different capacity and capability; different sizes and designs etc. It is prudent to select one which will suit your needs. To get the best juicer, you must evaluate the following key parameters:

Working efficiency 

Juicing is a labor intensive exercise though the entire process has been automated by juicers. To juice all your fruits and vegetables effortlessly, it is important that you go for an efficient juicer. A juicer which does not eject pulp or introduces either heat or oxygen to the juice is considered highly inefficient. You must avoid such appliances. Before you buy any juicer read customer reviews about the juicer. If possible, you can consult a friend who loves juicing for whatever reason.

Ease of cleaning 

Juicers which are used frequently tend to accumulate a lot of dirt therefore; it will be pointless to own an appliance which will be hard to clean. There are those appliances with twin gear, complex designs with numerous sieves and filters. This may not only be difficult to clean but also be very frustrating. This is an important aspect you must consider. Remember juices ferment faster due to presence of sugar.

Warranty 

Almost all appliances are susceptible to either damage or malfunction. Companies which sell genuine product will give their customers an exclusive warranty for every product they purchase. Only buy those products with a warranty. This will save you on the extra repair costs and the cost of purchasing a new item.

Type of fruits and vegetables which the juicer can process 

Juicers are designed differently and the manufacturer will specify various types of foods the appliance can process. Therefore, you must read the user manual. You will get all the details on which types of foods a blender can process. Premium juicers can process a wide range of fruits and therefore, they are slightly expensive.

Cost 

There are very many factors which determine cost of a juicer. For instance, robust and premium juicers which can process a wide range of fruits and vegetables will be slightly expensive. Furthermore, the brand will also determine the cost of a blender. There are those brands which are more expensive than others. Basically, the price of juicers is always a game changer or a deal breaker while shopping for these items. Under no circumstance must you go for a cheaper product simply because you want the cheapest product. Again, you must not buy these products expensively for no apparent reason. Before you buy these appliances, visit several shops to compare the prices.

Feed chute 

The diameter of the feed chute is another important factor to consider. The normal range spans between 1.5 inches and 4 inches. There quite a number of juicers with varying chute diameter; go for one which suits your needs. It is advisable to go for larger one so that you may not me limited by the size of the chute.

Usage and quality of juice the appliance can produce 

There are those juicers which are robust and they can perform heavy juicing tasks. On the other hand, there are those which are delicate and therefore, they can break down if you use them for heavy juicing processes. You should go for robust juicers as much as they could be slightly expensive.

Blending all these parameters together will be a sure way to buy a suitable juicer. The choice is all in your hands but you can also visit bestjuicecleanse website for more guidance and information about juicers.

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Pan-Grilled Tofu and Eggplant Wraps

These tasty vegetarian wraps look and taste much "heavier" than they are. Extra-firm tofu stands up well to pan-grilling, and eggplant, onion, and bell pepper add their own grilled-vegetable goodness.

The richest flavor here comes from the creamy, garlicky Mediterranean-style sauce, made extra rich with the addition of nutty tahini. It's a thick sauce, but you can adjust the consistency to your own liking by adding a little water to thin it.

Note: If you don't have a grill pan, use a hot, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet to sear the tofu and vegetables.

Makes 4 wraps

Ingredients

For the Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

6 oz plain Greek yogurt

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cumin

water, for thinning, as needed

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

For the Wraps

8 1/3-inch-thick slices of extra-firm tofu, about 3 X 2-inch rectangles

1/4 tsp each ground cumin, turmeric, chile powder, garlic powder

olive oil, for brushing

1 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise in half, each half sliced into 1/4-inch half-moon pieces (about 16 total; reserve remainder for another use)

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, sliced into thin 1-inch strips

1/2 large red bell pepper, sliced into thin 1-inch strips

4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas

Preparation

For the Garlic-Yogurt Sauce

Combine the yogurt, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, and cumin in a medium bowl. Stir in a little water, if desired, for a thinner consistency (should be fairly thick). Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

For the Wraps

Place the tofu slices on layers of paper towels and cover with more layers to drain moisture. Let stand 15 minutes.

Combine the ground cumin, turmeric, chile powder, and garlic powder in a small bowl. Set the spice mixture aside.

Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat and brush with olive oil. Season the eggplant slices with salt and pepper and grill until tender and lightly charred, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a heatproof plate and keep warm in the oven.

Brush the grill pan with a little more oil and add the onion and bell pepper slices. Season with salt and pepper and grill, stirring frequently, until tender and lightly charred, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to the same plate with the eggplant and keep warm.

Blot the tofu with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and the reserved spice mixture. Brush the grill pan with more oil and grill the tofu until brown and charred in places, 2-3 minutes per side. (Turn the pieces carefully with a spatula to try to prevent breaking.

Lay the tortillas on a work surface and spread a line of garlic-yogurt sauce slightly left of center down each one, using about half the sauce.

Divide the tofu slices on top of the sauce and top with eggplant, onion, and bell pepper. Dollop the remaining sauce over the filling. Starting on the left side, roll the wraps tightly over the filling.

Brush the grill pan with more oil and place the wraps in seam-side down (2 at a time, if needed). Press with a large spatula or grill press and grill until char marks appear, 1-2 minutes. Turn and grill 1 minute longer.

Transfer to a cutting board and cut each wrap in half on the diagonal. Serve right away.

For more recipes and cooking tips from Pamela Steed Hill, check out The Briny Lemon.

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Festive Cherry Beet Slaw

Come holiday time, festive side dishes go over really well. Most fall into the vegetable or bread/stuffing category. Many people also enjoy the standard jellied cranberry sauce or the cranberry-orange relish with its beautiful colors of red and orange. But here I offer an alternative that's just as delicious and just as brilliant in color that will surely add to the festivity at your holiday table.

To make my Cherry Beet Slaw you will need:

1 large apple - unpeeled

1 medium raw red beet

1 large carrot or 2 medium ones

1 lime - juiced

1-2 packets of stevia

1/3 cup dried pitted tart cherries

1/4 teaspoon ginger powder (optional)

Directions:

Shred the apple, beet and carrots into a bowl.

Add the dried cherries. The ones I use are tart pitted Montmorency cherries.

Add the lime juice and stevia. Mix well.

I love using Stevia. It's my go-to sweetener. You may only need one packet so please do test the sweetness level and adjust according to your taste. If you want to add a little spice, by all means add in the ginger powder and adjust that to your taste as well.

The beets will color the other ingredients but the bright orange from the carrots will pop through so this is a beautiful dish.

Warning: Beets stain! Be careful about splashing the juice on your clothing. As for your hands, you'll probably need to wash several times to get the bright red stain off. Also, the bright red color of beets is from a compound called betanin. It's not broken down in the body, and in higher concentrations, may temporarily cause urine and stool to look a bit red; fear not, it's harmless and will dissipate once the food is out of your system.

Obviously this is the type of recipe that you can adjust based on amount needed and sweetness level. There is a lovely earthiness from the root veggies and the dish is a festive slaw that can easily be a side dish or a dessert, albeit not a traditional one.

Nutritionally speaking: Beets are a good source of Vitamin C, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. The bad news is that they are generally high in sugars as are carrots. Carrots are a good source of Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium.

Lastly for those of you who just have to have your cranberries, of course you can substitute them for the cherries. I've even come across orange flavored cranberries so they would work well too. But try the cherries as they really add a nice flavor to the slaw. Happy holidays!

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Heirloom Grains: Our New Heritage All Over Again?

GIVEN THE RECENT ACQUISITION of quinoa in many pantries, there's an increased interest in healthful heirloom grains. For the most part, these grains have been harvested and eaten for hundreds, if not thousands of years. What do they have in common? These grains are unaltered, neither through hybridization, nor genetic engineering. In whole grain form, they provide more fiber, protein, calcium, vitamins, and nutrients than modern-day wheat. And they are gluten-free.

The major drawbacks of these heritage grains: they're sometimes difficult to obtain and they have to be cooked longer. But the cooking time can be decreased if soaked overnight. Also, some can be fried before boiling, similar to fried rice. If these heirloom or heritage grains aren't soaked or fried first, it may take hours to cook them. But they are usually more flavorful, often with a nutty taste. Also, these grains are less likely to cause weight gain.

Throughout most of history man has been close to famine and the answer was the development of hybrid wheat, corn, and rice that packed on the pounds. In most of the first world nations today, there is an abundance of food; consequently, the consumption of those hybrid grains causes weight gain and, in some cases, morbid obesity.

These heirloom grains can be found in some breads, soups, cereals, snacks, and salads. They include:

· Spelt, ancient wheat grown as long as 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia.

· Teff, a minuscule grain that has been grown for hundreds of years in Ethiopia.

· Farro, precursor of wheat, one of the first cultivated grains grown in ancient Egypt.

· Millet, grown in northern China over 5,000 years ago, and in Africa for at least the past 2,000 years

· Some of the others include sorghum, amaranth, einkorn, emmer and, of course, quinoa.

Following is one of my favorite heirloom grain recipes.

Millet with Mixed Mushrooms

· 2 cups dried mixed mushrooms, soak 15 minutes in pre-boiled water

· 4 tablespoons flaxseed oil

· 4 tablespoons butter, that's ½ stick

· One large Walla Walla sweet onion, chopped

· 2 cups millet, soak 1 hour

· 2 tablespoons minced garlic

· 2 cups sliced baby Portobello mushrooms

· 1 tablespoons soy sauce

· ¼ cup cream sherry

· 1 teaspoon thyme

· Salt and pepper to taste

1) Remove and wring mixed mushrooms into the remaining water, keep the water in reserve, and chop the reconstituted mixed mushrooms.

2) In 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add the pre-soaked millet, the mushroom soaked water, and one cup water, bring to boil, cover, simmer for 30 minutes, and salt to taste.

3) In the remaining butter and oil, add garlic, all mushrooms, and sherry, sauté for ten minutes, and add pepper and thyme.

4) Place the millet on plates, top with the mushrooms, and enjoy a healthful meal.

In the spirit of Unbroken, Tears in the Darkness, and With the Old Breed, the author of this article has written a World War II, creative non-fiction book under the pen name Chris Gregory. Dismounted Liberty, about a young man's challenging youth, his survival of the Bataan Death March, and horrific treatment as a POW, is available in paperback and kindle edition formats on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Gregory/e/B00FYXT8BA

To learn more about this heart-wrenching story, go to http://www.BuckshotPie.com

Happy reading and best wishes for 2015!

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Indian Vegetarian Food Is Known for Being Healthy, Flavourful and Delicious

Many Indian recipes were developed according to the laws and principles of nature, or dharma. These principles state that we are basically what we eat, as different foods affect our bodies in different ways. We eat to live, not live to eat, and there is both a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

Northern Indian cuisine

Northern Indian cuisine is typically from the Punjab region of the country, otherwise known as the land of five rivers. The region has very fertile soil and ample means for irrigation. As a result, it is very rich in agriculture and is known as the "bread basket of India". Punjab was partitioned into two provinces in 1947 when Pakistan was carved out of India. Hence the western portion is now an eastern province of Pakistan. Hence, the cuisine has quite the diversity when it comes to the way food is prepared. Sometimes the spices in each dish vary from one region to another, depending on migration and family tradition.

Restaurant food tends to be heavier and richer due to the generous use of fats such as oil and clarified butter, or ghee, whereas home-cooked meals are simpler and have more flavour. Local specialties to the Punjab region are a food lover's dream. For example, makki di roti, a thick tortilla-like bread made of corn flour, or sarson da saag, a vegetable dish made of dark rapini-like leafy greens often served with the corn roti.

Indian Vegetarian Diet

The practice of a mainly vegetarian diet in Indian culture began thousands of years ago. It was evident in the sacred Vedic texts, which are ancient books of wisdom passed down through the ages. These texts support a meatless lifestyle, and are seen in Hindu tradition to be the first rule in obeying the will of a higher power.

In Hinduism, cows are considered to be a sacred animal. The slaughter of cows and the eating of their flesh is seen as taboo. The Rigveda text refers to the cow as a goddess. But there are other reasons behind a mainly vegetarian diet in Indian culture besides these religious principles.

Karma is defined as "the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence" and is viewed as "deciding their fate in future lifetimes." In other words, what goes around comes around. Eating the flesh of another animal is seen as inflicting unnecessary pain and cruelty for your own gain, and has consequences for your life after this one.

Even though religion is the most prevalent reason for eating a vegetarian diet across India, there are other more practical reasons as well. A diet that restricts meat and is rich in fruits, vegetables and grains has been shown to lower the risk of certain ailments such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and dental problems. It has also been shown to reduce or prevent certain cancers. In addition, the foods from this type of vegetarian diet are digested more quickly than meats, therefore providing the body with more energy.

Some key components of the Indian vegetarian diet:

Bread - Naan and roti are both traditional Indian breads made with wheat or flour, then cooked on a stove or in a tandoor

Rice - Rice has been a staple of vegetarian cuisine for centuries and can be flavoured in a number of ways. Rice pilaf, biryani and kheer are some examples.

Curries - Refers to gravies and vegetable dishes cooked in spices, and can vary by region.

Fried - Savoury and sweet delicacies such as pakoras, samosas, poori, gulab jamun.

Sweets - Typically made with milk, nuts, dried fruits and certain grain and bean flours.

Preparation Methods

One thing that makes Indian food so delightfully fresh and tasty is simply how it's prepared. Below are some of the more common and traditional ways of cooking Indian food:

Tandoori ­­- While most people associate tandoori with spicy roasted dishes, tandoori simply refers to cooking in a tandoor, a metal or clay oven that is heated with wood or charcoal. It allows for slow heating and the long roasting times are essential to creating savoury vegetable or meat dishes, as well as breads such as naan and tandoori roti.

Tawa - This is a large, flat metal pan used like a griddle for making flatbreads like roti, and can also be curved on the edges to hold meats or vegetables, quite similar to a wok.

Fried - Foods fried in oils or clarified butter add a crispy crunch to vegetables, fish or meats which are first dipped in a spiced batter.

When it comes to Indian cooking, there is no right or wrong way to cook your meal. It is just a matter of becoming familiar with the spices and other ingredients, as well as the basic preparation methods. If you have the inclination to learn, we can help you to add some spice and sizzle by introducing you to a whole new selection of meal ideas for your culinary repertoire. http://globalvegetarian.ca

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Fried Japanese Tofu Recipes

To make these fried Japanese tofu recipes you will need:

1 - 2 blocks of extra firm tofu

Potato starch

Oil (I used olive oil)

Sweet rice wine

Soy Sauce

Other ingredients you may use are scallions, mushrooms, ginger, dashi, daikon radish, Nori

My Happy and Delicious Accident

My son decided a year ago to cut out meat and dairy products from his diet. He was living on his own so I didn't have a need to make vegan or vegetarian food.

Now that he is home I search recipe blogs for yummy vegan dishes for him.

The other night I made something tasty on my own with what we had available - tofu, sriracha sauce, and soy sauce without a recipe.

I squished all the water out trying not to break the tofu. The paper towels were soaking wet. Once it was as dry as I could get it I sliced it into cubes - probably 2 inches each.

In a separate bowl I put sriracha sauce, soy sauce, garlic flakes, and some seasoning. After mixing it and putting some gloves on I placed the tofu cubes into the sauce. I gently moved the pieces in the bowl to make sure I covered each piece.

While I let this sit I heated some olive oil in a frying pan on low heat. Once heated I added the pieces one by one placing a lid on top.

After about 3 - 6 minutes I flipped them - they were brown on one side. Be careful and keep the heat low or use protective gloves because the grease does splatter.

I removed them from the fire a few minutes later.

Next, I reheated some rice with soy sauce and sriracha along with scallions, thinly sliced carrots, and broccoli.

Finally, I placed the rice on the plate with the fried tofu on top. I tried a bit myself and my mouth did a happy dance. I actually made something yummy.

My son ate his meal with enjoyment.

What did I just make? I know from eating at Japanese restaurants that they have something like this so I searched online.

It's called Agedashi Tofu. You make in a similar way except you add a coating to it.

Below are a few mouth-watering recipes I found online.

1. Agedashi Tofu by Nami of Just One Cook Book

She uses soft tofu in her recipe along with vegetable oil, potato starch, dashi (kombu dashi for vegetarian - she has a homemade recipe on her blog), mirin, soy sauce, scallion, daikon radish and Japanese seven spice.

Included is a step-by-by step photo tutorial as well as video tutorial.

She suggest squeezing the liquid out of the tofu for 15-minutes. I think I may have done 5-minutes so I'll have to try getting more of the water out next time.

After chopping the onions and grating the radish (and making the sauce) she deep fries the tofu. Agedashi is crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. Read the rest of her tutorial as well as some interesting tidbits about this appetizer on her blog Just One Cook Book.

justonecookbook.com/recipes/agedashi-tofu-2

2. Deep Fried Tofu by Bebe Love Okazu

This recipe looks very simple.

- drain the tofu

- coat it with potato starch

- fry it

- make sauce and cut up vegetables

- serve

Visit Judy Ung's blog Bebe Love Okazu for the complete recipe.

bebeloveokazu.com/2011/08/16/agedashi-tofu

Tip: Tofu frying tips from Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2012/06/tofu-frying-tips

3. Fried Tofu in Dashi Sauce by Natsuko Kure

For this version you'll need soft tofu, potato starch, Enoki mushroom, chives, salad oil, Dashi stock and Dashi flakes (make sure it is vegetarian), soy sauce, mirin, and Nori seaweed.

Tip: Drain Your Tofu The Right Way - Natsuko drains her tofu using the microwave. Visit her to see how she does it.

cookmap.com/en/recipes/agedashi-tofu-fried-tofu-in-dashi-sauce

Don't these recipes sound yummy?

Next time I cook for my son I'm going to try draining the tofu as Natsuko suggests as well as taking a few pointers from Andrea on frying so I don't get splattered with grease.

Have you made Japanese fried tofu? Which of the three recipes will you try?

And now I'd like to invite you to follow me on Pinterest as I learn cooking by trying various recipes.

I'm Sara a mom on a journey to be a better cook. Follow my Recipe Trails Pinterest board as I try different foods from around the world. My latest obsession is Vegan and Asian Recipes. I write about blogging tips, crafts, and life at Momwithahook blog Get Updates [http://crochetbusiness.com/cbb-updates/] when I publish new articles.

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From Meat to Vegetarian: It's a Life-Style Choice

As a non-vegetarian, you've been accustomed to eating meat your whole life. Consequently, your body is addicted to that food group. When meat is eliminated, some people may experience significant withdrawal, something similar to quitting caffeine or smoking. It's important to know that synthetic chemicals and hormones are regularly used in food production animals. Such hormones are injected into cows to increase their milk production and length of lactation, and as many as six different hormones are used within the meat production process to promote growth in livestock. As your body rids itself of these toxins that have been built up from years of meat consumption, withdrawal will affect not only your body but your emotional state as well.

The good news is that after the withdrawal from meat is complete and you've successfully transitioned to a vegetarian lifestyle, you will feel significantly better within days. As you continue with your meatless diet, your body will start to heal itself. You will become healthier, more likely to fight off harmful bacteria that makes you sick, and biologically stronger than ever before. As great as all of this sounds, those that have just switched or are thinking of choosing vegetarianism undoubtedly have some nutritional concerns that need to be addressed before making the switch.

Let's take a closer look at some of these health issues and how they can be addressed.

Common Health Concerns

Because beef, pork, and poultry have been found to be nutrient-dense and packed full of protein and other essential vitamins, the question most asked by those wanting to become vegetarian is: "Will I get enough protein?" The short answer is yes. Here are some great sources of meatless protein:

Whole grains

Tofu

Beans

Lentils

Nuts and seeds

Eggs

Low-fat dairy products

Some of these may surprise you, but it's true! The USDA recommends that 10-35% of your diet be comprised of protein, and by combining one or more plant-based proteins, you'll be supporting your daily protein intake in the best way possible. This plant-based protein chart will help you to become familiar with the best foods for your new lifestyle.

Some other nutrients that come into question as part of a vegetarian diet are:

Iron - It is completely possible to meet your iron intake requirements with plant-based sources. Most breads and cereals are fortified with iron during the production process, but there are several other sources of natural iron such as spinach, broccoli and other dark, leafy greens; dried fruit and prunes; seeds like pumpkin and sesame; and blackstrap molasses. Preparing your food in iron cookware will also help increase your iron intake.

Calcium - This is very essential for a healthy immune system and stronger bones, and most vegetarians can meet their USDA recommended daily amounts of 1000mg with low-fat and fat-free dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt. You can also choose to include calcium-fortified breads and cereal to your diet. There are several plant-based sources of calcium as well, such as dark green, leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, mustard, and turnip or collard greens; dried fruit like figs; sunflower seeds, broccoli and bok choy.

Vitamin D - Your body needs adequate calcium in order to absorb vitamin D, so both are equally important in a vegetarian diet. There are very few natural food sources that include vitamin D, but incorporating food such as vitamin-D fortified milk, cereals, eggs, mushrooms, tofu and ricotta cheese into your daily diet will ensure you won't become deficient in this important nutrient. It is also recommended that you get healthy doses of sunlight to encourage your body's own vitamin D production. Adding a vitamin D supplement to your diet is another option.Making these foods a natural part of your everyday diet will help you transition to becoming a vegetarian in less time than you think.

Much like quitting smoking or reducing caffeine consumption can heighten cravings and intensify need, it is better to start eliminating meat in small steps to avoid total withdrawal. The steps to get there are relatively simple and focus on making positive diet choices one at a time until you find yourself fully immersed in the vegetarian lifestyle.

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Help! A Vegetarian Is Coming for Dinner! A Quick Guide to Cooking for Vegetarians

You've got a vegetarian coming for dinner. Your mind is blank. What will you cook them? How do you know you are getting it right? Let me tell you there are an enormous amount of options out there. All you need to do is be mindful of a few things and you will be cooking up a storm for everyone to enjoy, whether vegetarian or not. Follow these tips and you can have a worry free time and your veggie pals will be bowled over.

Don't ask: do you eat fish?

Vegetarians do not eat animals -- whether they live on the land or in the sea. As such they do not eat fish or any other sea creature for that matter. I know there are many people out there who eat fish and call themselves vegetarians. But they are not.

This is a problem for vegetarians as it is not uncommon to be served fish or the only so-called vegetarian option in a restaurant is fish. People who eat fish are known as pescetarians.

And if you come across a vegetarian that eats fish or chicken then do feel free to correct them. I once came across someone person who one day was eating a sausage roll, then the next was claiming to be a vegan!

Do ask: do you eat eggs or dairy?

Vegetarians may eat eggs and diary or just one of the other. If they do eat eggs, do use genuine free range eggs. This makes good sense, whether you are a vegetarian or not. If your vegetarian guest eats cheese, check the label for non-animal rennet. 

If your guest says they are vegan they will not eat eggs, dairy or honey. Fortunately there are a great many vegan alternatives available and you can easily use soy, rice, almond or coconut milk in your cooking.

Take care with desserts

You've cooked up a tasty vegetarian starter and main, now to dessert. Easy right? After all, how can there be meat in a dessert? Actually a lot of desserts are not vegetarian friendly. This is because many contain gelatine. Gelatine is made from animal by-products, you probably wouldn't want to eat. When I first discovered what gelatine was, even before I became vegetarian I was appalled by the knowledge of what I was putting into my body.

Do not use gelatine if you are making your own dessert. Alternatives are available - in particular agar agar. If your dessert is ready-made do check the ingredients list. Gelatine is mostly found in jelly, marshmallows, some creams, cakes, yogurts and ice cream. Also keep a look out for animal fat.

Vegetarians will always read the ingredients labels before buying a food item. The main things you want to look out for are: gelatine, animal fat, animal rennet and cochineal. There are a number of e-numbers that vegetarians look out for but you can only do your best, so try not to worry too much.

Julia Barnard has written two cookbooks to help take the guesswork out of entertaining vegetarians and vegans. Vegetarian Tapas and Vegan Tapas both contain 150 quick and delicious snacks and bites for sharing.

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Five Facts About Vegetarians That Will Impress Your Friends

It's always nice to throw out an interesting fact when you are with friends. Here are some vegetarian-related snippets for you to use, whether you are vegetarian or not.

1. There are a lot of vegetarians out there

If you are a vegetarian you may sometimes feel a little lonely. You scour menus searching for the veggie option (hoping it isn't mushroom risotto - or worse: vegetable stack) and most of your friends and family eat meat. Yet in actual fact, there are many, many vegetarians in the world. Millions! In India it is estimated that over 350 million people are vegetarian. In Taiwan, around 13% of people are vegetarian.

If you live in the UK you may be interested to know that as many as four million of you are vegetarian. In Brazil 8% of the population (that's 15.2 million people) are said to be vegetarian. In the United States, 13% of the population regard themselves as either vegetarian or vegan.

So you are not alone. Someone just needs to tell the restaurants.

2. Vegetarians do not eat fish (or chicken)

Vegetarians hate being asked if they eat fish. By definition, a vegetarian does not eat animals - whether they are from the land or the sea. Where the problem lies is you may have met a fish-eating vegetarian. Or rather, someone who eats fish and no other animals and then labels themselves vegetarian. They are not vegetarian. Such people are actually called pescetarians.

The fish-eating issue can cause problems for vegetarians as all too often they may be served fish by their host at a dinner party or 'fish' ends up being the vegetarian option on a menu.

So the next time you meet a person who eats fish but calls themselves vegetarian, feel free to correct them.

3. Vegetarians do get enough protein

There's another question vegetarians get asked all too often: where do you get your protein from? People who ordinarily don't care about nutrition feel compelled to worry about a vegetarian's intake of protein. It's the sort of question that feels like the one trick meat eaters have up their sleeve and it's not a very good one. Mainly because they are showing their ignorance of nutrition. Protein is plentiful in a vegetarian's diet. Here's a list to get you started: nuts, beans, textured vegetable protein, tofu, cheese, lentils, peas, yogurt, broccoli, spinach, avocado, soy and quinoa. Furthermore, many people actually eat too much protein (this is the case in Australia at least). So it makes little sense to be worrying about a person's protein intake, especially when so many people are unable to meet their daily fruit and veg requirements.

4. Vegetarians have a lower risk of developing heart disease

People may be vegetarian for ethical or religious reasons. However, there is a positive consequence to your health if you are vegetarian. Vegetarians are less likely to develop heart disease. This is not the only benefit however. Vegetarianism can also reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes and some cancers (including breast, colorectal and ovarian). Vegetarians are less likely to become obese. When you consider how prevalent these diseases are on society, this is good news indeed.

5. Anthony Hopkins is a vegetarian

In my first point I stated that there are many vegetarians in the world. It is not surprising then to learn that there are a whole bunch of celebrities out there who are vegetarian and vegan. Here's a quick list, but there are many, many more. We have: Kate Winslet, Corey Feldman, Sarah Silverman, Carrie Underwood, Casey Affleck, Diane Keaton, Pamela Anderson, Ian McKellan and Natalie Portman. From the music world we have: Kelly Clarkson, Billy Idol, Bryan May, Johnny Marr, Moby, Michael Bolton, Ricky Martin and Nelly.

Julia Barnard is the author of the cookbooks Vegetarian Tapas and Vegan Tapas. Each book includes 150 quick and delicious snacks and bites for sharing with friends and family.

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Avocados Are a Wonder Food!

People can be really lukewarm about avocados. If you don't know when they are at peak ripeness, they can be kind of weird both in taste and texture; that is, no taste and waxy in texture.

Until recently, people didn't choose avocados partly because they thought they had no flavor, but mostly because they thought they were high in fat and cholesterol. We all needed more information to make a healthy choice about this fruit.

If you eat a ripe avocado... that is, not too green and not over ripe, it is a delicacy! The flavor is amazing and the texture is so creamy!

If that isn't enough to make you love to eat them, do you know how healthy avocados are for you? They have great benefits, especially for vegetarians.

One of the greatest challenges if you eat a vegetarian, or mostly vegetarian diet, is to get enough good quality protein. Avocados provide a complete protein! While the avocado ripens on the tree, the sun breaks down the proteins in the avocado into easily digested amino acids. Your body needs all 18 essential amino acids to create complete proteins, and you can get this complete protein from eating avocados!

Avocados also are a wonderful source of healthy fat, and we now know healthy fats are essential for good health, and especially for good brain health. Studies have shown that eating avocados have beneficial effects on cardio-metabolic risk factors and have produced lower levels of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or the "bad" cholesterol.

All this makes eating avocados a win-win! But how do you eat them? They are easy to add to your meals, so use your imagination. Slice them on a salad; mash them and use them as a spread in a sandwich; top your scrambled eggs with them; you can even make an amazing chocolate mousse pudding with avocados; and then there's always guacamole.

If you're on a budget and trying to eat as much organic produce as you can, it's good to know that so far, avocados are on the Environmental Working Group's "clean 15" foods list. That is, they are among the foods that are the least sprayed with pesticides. For the present, you can grab conventionally grown avocados at lower prices than the organic ones.

One final bit of advice: eating an avocado at the right time can really make you love them. Buy several at a time, keep a couple in the fridge and put them out a day or two before you need to have them at the proper ripeness. That way you will always have a beautiful, creamy avocado ready when you need it!

Cheryl Major is a Certified Nutrition & Wellness Consultant. She blogs about health, clean eating to lose weight and feel better and deal with depression, and about how to use food as your medicine. Get a FREE copy of her Sugar Detox 411 at http://www.ThinStrongHealthy.com

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3 Herbs and Spices Vegetarian Recipes to Serve at Your Next Party

Adding a dish or two of vegetables to your menu also helps balance the food out, especially if you're planning to serve meat-heavy dishes. A little nutrition at the table does not hurt anyone, too. So start shopping for more greens and get cooking!

Here are 3 delicious vegetable dish recipes using herbs and spices that your guests (vegetarian or not) will surely love:

Herb-Crusted Baked Vegetables

What you need:

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 rib celery, thinly sliced

3 cups broccoli florets

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 tbsps. low-fat margarine

2 tbsps. water

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning

1/2 tsp. oil

Coat a square baking dish with oil. Arrange vegetables in the baking dish then sprinkle with water, basil, garlic salt and herb seasoning. Dot with margarine. Cover and bake in a pre-heated oven (450 degrees Celsius) for 25-30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Serve warm.

Herbs and Spices Veggie Soup

What you need:

4 small yellow tomatoes, sliced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 kale leaf, chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 cup sliced carrots

1 cup kidney beans

1/2 cup chopped parsley

4 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsps. olive oil

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in sweet potato cubes, celery, onion and carrots. Season with salt and pepper and for 6-8 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes and garlic then season with paprika. Cook for another minute or so. Add in vegetable broth and kidney beans. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30-40 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat then add kale and parsley. Cover for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Rosemary and Red Potato Galette

What you need:

8 cups thinly sliced red potatoes with skin on

2 leeks, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. oil

Coat a non-stick skillet with oil. Arrange half of the potato slices onto the bottom of the skillet, overlapping the slices. Sprinkle half of the leeks, rosemary, kosher salt and black pepper over the first layer. Drizzle with half the butter then top with a dollop of sour cream. Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients. Bake in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees Celsius) for 40-45 minutes until potato slices are cooked through. Cool for 5 minutes then serve.

Add these easy herbs and spices vegetarian dishes to your party menu and prepare to give out their recipes because your guests will surely be asking for them!

Adrian T. Cheng is a food blogger who promotes healthy eating. He has written numerous posts and articles about natural herbs and spices, shared countless of delicious and healthy recipes and reviewed top-notch cooking accessories that are worth checking out. You can view Adrian's posts about healthy eating and other interesting topics on his blog.

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How A Nutritionist Can Help Plan A Nutritious Meatless Diet

These days many people chose to become vegetarian or vegan for a variety of reasons, these commonly include ethical issues regarding the treatment of animals, sustainability concerns surrounding meat production and religious beliefs.

When making a decision to begin adhering to a meatless diet, seeking the expert advice of a nutritionist can help insure that your dietary preferences do not negatively affect your health. Read on to discover how a nutritionist can help you plan your meat free diet.

Assess medical needs

Besides the goal of a vegetarian diet, the nutritionist can pin point other dietary requirements and goals of the client based on their medical needs. For example, if the client has type 2 diabetes that will significantly influence the food choices in vegetarian or vegan menu planning. The same applies to those who have high cholesterol, gluten sensitivity or any other issues where food is relevant.

A nutritionist will conduct a detailed food history

Before making any recommendations regarding dietary intake a good nutritionist will conduct a detailed food intake history with their client. This will help the nutritionist understand the client's usual dietary pattern and food preferences. In addition to this, it will provide invaluable information regarding which foods groups or specific foods you do not consume, which can assist to highlight nutrients that you could be at risk of becoming deficient in.

The nutritionist will then be able to suggest dietary changes that can insure you achieve sufficient intake of any at risk nutrients. This is particularly important for vegetarians and vegans who are commonly deficient in iron and B12.

Many nutritionists are qualified to read your blood work

Nutritionists that are also dietitians are trained to read and interpret your pathology results. Should your blood work show you to be deficient in any specific nutrients they will be able to suggest dietary changes to remedy the situation, in addition to this they will be able to track your progress by examining any follow up pathology results.

Provide Education On Proper Nutrition

Nutritionists educate clients on proper nutritional intake to ensure that choosing a meat free diet does not have a negative impact on health.

Support Weight Loss

Provide detailed meat free meal plans that also support healthy weight loss should that be required.

Nutritionists can assist you to develop a balanced meat free diet

For many people following or switching to a meat free diet, ensuring that their intake is balanced can be difficult. By working with a nutritionist to develop a personalized meal plan you will have a template that you can follow to ensure that your preference for meat free eating does not damage your health. Your nutritionist will give you practical meal ideas that are nutritious, tasty, and best of all meat free.

Expert supplementation advice

For most healthy people supplementing vitamins and minerals is simply not necessary as their diet meets their requirements. However, for those with more restrictive diets such as vegetarians and vegans, supplementation can often be a useful tool to correct or avoid deficiency.

Before embarking on a haphazard program of supplementation be sure to consult with a nutritionist who will assess you current dietary intake and will therefore be in the correct position to make any recommendations regarding supplementation.

Support and advice

In general, a good nutritionist will support their client in following a healthy diet plan and offer advice as needed. For many, making a major diet switch such as choosing to live meat free can pose challenges, and having the support of a professional can really be invaluable in making the transition a smooth one.

Choosing a specialist

When choosing a nutritionist, take the time to ensure that they are also a registered dietitian, as this means they are up to date with the latest nutritional science, have attended an accredited university, and can be trusted to provide high quality advice.

If you do not feel comfortable at your first appointment, or feel that you and your nutritionist are not a good match, take the time to find another.

Summing it all up

There are many valid reasons for choosing to consume a vegetarian or vegan diet, including ethical, environmental, and religious reasons. However, embarking on such a diet without sufficient research and planning can quickly result in nutritional deficiencies and associated health problems.

By consulting with a trained nutritionist, you will be able to ensure you are consuming a nutritious diet whilst adhering to your vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. A good nutritionist will take the time to understand your current eating patterns before making suggestions to improve your nutritional status should any such changes be required.

They will also be more than happy to help you develop a customized eating plan and can answer any questions you may have regarding vitamin and mineral supplementation.

Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, a website devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. The site encompasses a wide variety of health and fitness activities including general health matters, pilates, yoga, CrossFit, treadmill training, running, kettlebell, swimming, baseball, camping, hunting, HIIT, triathlons, extreme sports, equestrian and more. Should this subject matter be of interest you can visit the HF & S Club home site where you'll find over 1,300 quality posts with new posts being published daily. To quickly access those that are of interest you can select any of 20 Categories broken down by over 260 Sub-Categories for easy access. You can also visit visit any of the HF & S Club's four Stores all of which feature 1,000s of sports and health products at the very best prices.

Access this website by going to http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com

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3 Delicious Veggie Burger Recipes That Even the Most Dedicated Meat-Eater Will Love

Unless you were born a vegetarian, you have probably had a delicious hamburger or cheeseburger at some point in your life. Meat is one of the foods that vegans and vegetarians have a hard time ignoring, especially when they first adopt this healthy lifestyle. Don't worry, you can have your vegetarian lifestyle and eat burgers at the same time, when you enjoy the following 3 flavorful and satisfying veggie burger creations.

1 - Portobella Veggie Burger

You are going to need cooked black beans, minced fresh broccoli, a red onion, 3 XL eggs, Panko bread crumbs, olive oil, your favorite seasoning, anchovie-free Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic and vegan grated Parmesan. Oh yeah, and portobella caps.

Mash 1 cup of black beans in a large mixing bowl. Cube your portobello caps into small pieces. Add them to the mashed black beans, along with 1 more cup of black beans, your favorite seasoning, 1 cup of minced broccoli, 1/2 cup red onion and 2 tablespoons minced garlic. Mix well.

Add 3 extra large eggs beaten, 3/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese, and a little more than 1/2 cup of Panko bread crumbs. Mix gently.

Over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a nonstick pan. Wet your hands and form burgers from your mixture. Cook in oil for 3 to 5 minutes per side.

2 - Kickin' Chickpea Veggie Burger

The kick here comes from hot and spicy sriracha sauce. Rinse, drain and mash 1 can of chickpeas in a large bowl. Add 1 grated zucchini, 1/2 red onion finely diced, 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro and 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar. Mix.

Add 1 tablespoon of sriracha sauce, 2 tablespoons veggie peanut butter, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1 cup of your favorite quick oats. Mix thoroughly.

Form into patties and cook on your barbecue grill until done. You cal also fry in a pan on your stove for 3 to 5 minutes each side.

3 - Super Simple 6 Ingredient Veggie Burgers

Sometimes simple is the best. These healthy plant-based burgers were created by a vegetarian who was on the road in a hotel room. They require just 6 ingredients, including 15 ounces of rinsed and drained black beans, ketchup and mustard, garlic powder and onion powder. Add your favorite quick oats. Here we go!

Preheat your oven or barbecue grill to around 400 degrees. Mash 2/3 of your can of beans. Add the remainder of beans, 1 tablespoon yellow mustard, 2 tablespoons ketchup and 1 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder. Mix well. Add and mix 1/3 cup instant oats, and then divide this mixture into 4 veggie burger patties. If grilling or baking, 7 minutes on each side is fine. Add your favorite whole-grain bun or bread, vegetarian condiments and toppings, and enjoy.

Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, a website devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. Should this subject matter be of interest you can visit the HF & S Club home site where you'll find over 1,300 quality posts with new posts being published daily. To quickly access those that are of interest you can select any of 20 Categories broken down by over 260 Sub-Categories for easy access. . Access this website by going to http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com

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Fast and Easy Lacto Fermentation

Lacto-fermentation is a way of preserving vegetables with naturally occurring lactobacillus bacteria and salt. This ends up turning the sugar in the vegetables into lactic acid and preserves the vitamins and enzymes in the vegetables as well as rendering them more digestible and keeping them for future eating.

This differs from fermenting with yeast, such as in wine and beer making, where the sugar turns into alcohol. And this differs from pickles made with vinegar, more useful with mass production than home preserving and lacking the probiotic benefits.

The Lacto-fermentation environment has two stages:

First stage - salt brine kills off bacteria, changes the solution to a pH 3, and produces lactic acid.

To process foods for lacto-fermentation, you first wash and then cut or shred the vegetable, like cabbage, and layer it with kosher salt at a rate of 2 teaspoons per pound of cabbage, packing it down as you go with a wooden pounder to remove the air bubbles. This helps bruise the cabbage further and lets the salt enter and draw out the cabbage liquid.

Then you put a weight on top of the cabbage to keep it submerged in the liquid coming out of it and mixing with the salt to make brine. If you don't have enough liquid from the cabbage to cover, add a brine made from 1 teaspoon salt to one cup of water. Make sure the water you use for fermenting does not contain chlorine, fluoride, or chloramines, because they will affect the fermenting process. Keeping the cabbage submerged keeps it out of reach of any molds or fungus or any harmful bacteria. These cannot live in the salty brine. Put the jar in a warm place in your kitchen, such as on top of the refrigerator. This then starts stage 2.

Second stage - Lactobacillus blooms and grows in a salty, moist, anaerobic, dark, room temperature environment. The lactobacillus spore was already in the vegetables when it growing in the field. You do not need to add any culture to start the fermentation. The lactobacillus uses up any leftover oxygen in the solution as well as turns any remaining sugar in the vegetables into lactic acid.

Taste your sauerkraut daily, noting when it starts to fizz, then put into the refrigerator and keep tasting until it is sour enough to your taste buds. Then you can eat it. It will last a long time in the refrigerator and keep getting sourer. It's up to you when you want to eat it. Then start a new batch the same way, this time add a bit of the juice brine from this batch.

For the most part, this is a very safe way to preserve vegetables and is self-correcting because you will know if a batch goes bad, you will be able to tell by the smell alone. Look online for many different recipes to try.

Lacto-fermenting leaves the fermented vegetables broken down and easier to digest by our bodies, It also gives us the minerals, enzymes, vitamins preserved in the vegetables, and probiotics to colonize our gut to further benefit our bodies..

Lactobacillus and the human body's ecosystem

The lactobacillus bacteria was discovered in the fermentation of milk products such as kefir and yoghurt and is how it got the name "lacto" for milk. It is a bacteria naturally found in the human body in the mouth, vagina, and the gastrointestinal tract. It is for immune defense and digestion. When our colony dies back, we become ill and have problems such as acid reflux, IBS, milk allergies, gluten sensitivities, candida overgrowth in the vagina and thrush in the mouth. Our bodies become malnourished because we can't digest food as easily or get the nutrients out of it. We can also have skin rashes, hair loss and more. Probiotics are the first line of defense in our immunity system. We need to replenish them and eating lacto-fermented vegetables is the way to do it.

Almost all cultures have some form of lacto-fermentation. Eskimos ferment seals and fish, African tribes ferment grains into sour porridge, The Asian countries have kimchi, pickled vegetables and fermented soybean products like tempeh and soy sauce. We are more familiar with American hotdogs and sauerkraut, from the Germans, and relishes from our forefathers. Try your hand at creating this nourishing food that you can make in your own kitchen.

Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, a website devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. The site encompasses a wide variety of health and fitness activities including general health matters, pilates, yoga, CrossFit, treadmill training, running, kettlebell, swimming, baseball, camping, hunting, HIIT, triathlons, extreme sports, equestrian and more. Should this subject matter be of interest you can visit the HF & S Club home site where you'll find over 1,300 quality posts with new posts being published daily. To quickly access those that are of interest you can select any of 20 Categories broken down by over 260 Sub-Categories for easy access.

You can also visit visit any of the HF & S Club's four Stores all of which feature 1,000s of sports and health products at the very best prices.

Access this website by going to http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com

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7 Interesting Healthy Recipes for Kids

Imagine it is between 3 to 4 pm, your child is back from school and the many extra-curricular activities and is hungry. While you do want to keep them satiated until dinner, stop and think for a minute before you grab that conveniently packaged snack off the counter. Do you really want to give your child a snack of artificial food with additives? Certainly not!

Would it not be great if you could find some quick and interesting recipes to make for your kids, while resting assured that you are giving them something they enjoy eating and yet, nutritious?

The simple solution is - incorporate almonds!

These nuts are not only a great snack option but are also convenient and deliver a host of nutrients like vitamin E, riboflavin, fibre, protein and many others. In other words, almonds are a healthy alternative for a variety of unwholesome snacks, readily available. In addition, since these nuts are tasty and crunchy, they can also satisfy your child's sensory cravings.

Here are some super yummy yet nutritious recipes that you could try out for your kids:

Badam Custard

Custard has always been a favourite with the tiny humans. With addition of almonds, you can add this to the list of wholesome snack recipes for kids!

Serves 2

Preparation Time: 20mins

Cooking time: 15mins

Ingredients

Almonds (roasted) - 200gms

Milk -500ml

Sugar -100gms

Egg yolk - 6no

Vanilla essence - 3ml

Corn flour - 25gms

Method

Blanch almonds and make a smooth paste, keep aside. Mix egg yolk and corn flour in a bowl, keep aside.

Boil sugar and milk. Then, add some warm milk to the egg yolks and whisk, keep aside. Keep milk at simmer, add the tempered yolk mixture and cook for 5 mins.

Keep stirring and pour the almond paste and set in a fridge. Serve cold.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

2530

Protein

76.8 gms

Total fat

174.7 gms

Saturated

28.6 gms

Monounsaturated

81.2 gms

Polyunsaturated

29.3 gms

Carbohydrates

163 gms

Fibre

21.4 gms

Cholesterol

1674 mg

Sodium

138.2 mg

Calcium

1216 mg

Magnesium

805.4 mg

Potassium

2255 mg

Vitamin E

53.1 mg

Almond Cookies

This quick and easy recipe not only gives you delicious cookies but will also leave your kids asking for more.

Serves 2

Preparation Time: 20mins

Cooking time: 15mins

Ingredients

Flour - 1kg

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon zest -2 tblspn

Salt - a pinch

Butter (unsalted)-700 gms

Powdered sugar - 300 gms

Almonds (finely crushed) - 200gms

Method

Mix cream, butter and icing sugar thoroughly. Fold in all the dry ingredients.

Shape it in small balls and roll it in crushed almonds.

On a greased baking tray, bake the cookies at 170 degree Celsius for 20mins. Serve.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

11093

Protein

151.6 gms

Total fat

693.8 gms

Saturated

252.2 gms

Monounsaturated

179.7 gms

Polyunsaturated

44.7 gms

Carbohydrates

1060 gms

Fibre

24 gms

Cholesterol

756 mg

Sodium

822 mg

Calcium

690 mg

Magnesium

1286 mg

Potassium

2700 mg

Vitamin E

49.8 mg

Badam Elaichi Shake

This is one of the easy recipes to make which gives you a whole of lot of goodness from ingredients like elaichi, badam, honey and cardamom.

Serves 2

Preparation Time: 10mins

Cooking time: 15mins

Ingredients

Milk - 3 cups

Almonds (peeled and chopped) - 1/2 cup

Honey - 1tbl spn

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Saffron - 5 strands.

Vanilla ice cream - 2 scoops (optional)

Method

Mix all the ingredients and blend in a blender. Froth it up and serve chilled, garnished with almond flakes.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

1216

Protein

38.8 gms

Total fat

82.8 gms

Saturated

22.7 gms

Monounsaturated

35.6 gms

Polyunsaturated

7.5 gms

Carbohydrates

78.1 gms

Fibre

1.25 gms

Cholesterol

108.4 mg

Sodium

317 mg

Calcium

1062 mg

Magnesium

355.9 mg

Potassium

1447 mg

Vitamin E

13.1 mg

Paneer Badam Ka Cheela

This Indian recipe, that pretty much every Indian household is familiar with, can be a great snack recipe for kids for mid-meal munching.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10mins

Cooking time: 20mins

Ingredients

Besan - 2cups

Baking powder - 1/4thtsp

Salt - ½ tsp

Ajwain - 1/4thtsp

Red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Oil - 3 tblspn

For the stuffing

Paneer (mashed) - ½ cup

Badam (chopped) - 1/4th cup

Jeera roasted - 1 tsp

Salt - ½ tsp

Green chilly chop - 1 no

Ginger chop - 2 tsp

Green coriander chop - 1 tblspn

Method

Make a thick batter using besan, salt, ajwain, red chilli powder, baking powder and water. Keep aside.

Mix together all the ingredients nicely for the stuffing.

Heat a non stick pan and drizzle a little oil. Pour a little batter and spread around thinly. Allow to cook on one side and then gently turn it. Flash cook on this side and turn immediately.

Now spoon out the stuffing and place in the centre horizontally. Fold the cheela like a dosa or a cigar.

Remove and serve hot.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

1966

Protein

83.9gms

Total fat

99.5gms

Saturated

3.7gms

Monounsaturated

13.7gms

Polyunsaturated

10.9gms

Carbohydrates

184.2gms

Fibre

6.7gms

Cholesterol

4.2

Sodium

263.4 mg

Calcium

410 mg

Magnesium

462.9 mg

Potassium

2470 mg

Vitamin E

8.6 mg

Toasted Almonds and Tomato Uttapam Pizza

A western twist to a popular south Indian recipe can be all the excitement your kids can ask for, pre or post their play time.

Serves: 1 person

Preparation time: 8 - 10 minutes

Cooking time: 12 - 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Uttapam batter - 75 ml

Almonds cut into half(unpeeled) - 15 g

Tomato deseeded and chopped - 10 g

Chopped onion - 10 g

Chopped ginger - 2 g

Chopped coriander - 2 g

Pizza sauce - 5 g

Parmesan cheese grated - 3 g

Salt - to taste

Refined oil - 5 ml

Method

Pour the uttapam batter in the centre of a heated non-stick pan. Sprinkle chopped tomato, onion, ginger and coriander, evenly on top. Turn the uttapam upside down to cook it from top for about a minute. Then, turn it back and spread the pizza sauce. Add almond halves and turn it over, once again.

Then, remove from the pan and sprinkle grated parmesan on it. Cut it into 4 pieces like a pizza. Serve hot.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

393

Protein

12 g

Total fat

14.7 g

Saturated

1.6 g

Monounsaturated

6.2 g

Polyunsaturated

5.1 g

Carbohydrates

56.5 g

Fibre

0.5 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

Sodium

967 mg

Calcium

76 mg

Magnesium

63 mg

Potassium

252 mg

Vitamin E

3.9 mg

Badam ki Kheer

This popular desert accompanies most Indian food preparations at home during festivals. However, since it is prepared so rarely, kids love it so much more.

Do not hesitate to make your kids happy every now and then by whipping up some kheeron regular days.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10mins

Cooking time: 20mins

Ingredients

Desi ghee - 2 tblspn

Almonds - 1 cup

Green cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Rice - 3 tblspn

Milk - 1lt

Raisins - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 150 gms

Almond slivers - 1 & 1/2tblspn

Method

Soak rice for half hour. Soak raisins in water for 15 minutes. Blanch the almonds, remove skin and grind to a paste adding little water.

Heat a pan and add desi ghee. Now lightly sauté the almond paste on low heat for 1 minute. Add milk and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and add rice. Cook for 15 minutes or till the rice overcooks and thickens the kheer. Add sugar and raisins. Garnish with almond slivers.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

3000

Protein

70.6 gms

Total fat

169.4 gms

Saturated

34 gms

Monounsaturated

52.3 gms

Polyunsaturated

16.7 gms

Carbohydrates

298.7 gms

Fiber

3.5 gms

Cholesterol

99 mg

Sodium

173.3 mg

Calcium

1748 mg

Magnesium

778.9 mg

Potassium

2847 mg

Vitamin E

31.9 mg

Almond and Soya Milk Smoothie

A healthy recipe to serve your kids, anytime of the day, a glass of this smoothie can give them the goodness of soya milk and almonds which can provide essential nutrients such protein, calcium and many vitamins and minerals.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: no cooking time

Ingredients:

Almond Flakes - 100 g

Soya Milk - 750 ml

Honey - 150 g

Whole almonds - 350 g

Banana - 200 g

Method:

In a mixer jar, take whole almonds without skin add soya milk, honey and banana in it. Blend it and garnish with roasted almonds flakes.

Tip: Add a berry flavour as per availability to enhance flavour.

Nutrient Analysis

Calories

3588

Protein

122 g

Total fat

240.6g

Saturated

17.4 g

Monounsaturated

144 g

Polyunsaturated

56.6 g

Carbohydrates

267.6 g

Fibre

40.8 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

Sodium

440.7 mg

Calcium

2154 mg

Magnesium

1407.6 mg

Potassium

4351 mg

Vitamin E

118.5 mg

The author loves to talk about healthy food and how balanced diet can help live a fuller life. Also, the benefits of almonds can not be neglected in our daily diet. A list of easy to make healthy recipes are also uploaded regularly. http://www.almonds.in

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