EASY THAYIR SEMIYA | CURD SEMIYAA




          Hmmm…I Love curd(Yogurt)…I cannot live without it even for a single day….Here I used vermicilli (Semiya) which is a type of pasta thinner than spaghetti. You can make lot of dishes with vermicilli like vermicilli biryani, vermicilli payasam. This is very simple dish made with vermicilli, curd and spices. This recipe is similar to curd rice .Try this semiya bagala bath(Yogurt Vermicilli) with mango pickles.


    Ingredients

    To Cook Semiya

         1/2 Cup of Semiya
         1 and 1/4 Cup of Water
         Salt
         1/2 Tsp of Oil

    To Saute
        
         3 Tbsp of Red Onion, Finely Chopped
         2 Green Chillies, Finely Chopped
         1/2 Inch Ginger, Grated
         3/4 Cup of Curd
         2 Tsp of Butter

    To Temper

         1 Tsp of Oil
         1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
         Pinch of Asafoetida
         Few Curry Leaves
       
    To Garnish

        Few grated carrot
        2 Grapes

    Method

  • Heat water in a pan, add salt and a tsp of oil, bring it to a boil, add semiya to a boiling water,  Stir well. Cover and cook for 5 mins until the semiya absorbs all the water.
  • After it is cooked, keep this aside.
  • Allow it to cool, add curd, mix well.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves, when they pop up, add onion, saute for few mins, add ginger and green chillies, saute this for few mins. Now add the temperings to the semiya.
  • Finally add butter and give a quick stir.
  • Transfer it to a bowl and refrigerate it for 15 mins. Serve chill.
  • Finally garnish with grapes and grated carrot.



    Tips

  • If you use unroasted vermicilli, then you need to dry roast it in a pan and then cook it.
  • You can use raisins and cashews, for extra flavor to the dish.
  • Adjust the number of green chilly according to your taste.
  • If you are planning to prepare curd semiya for lunch box, then add 1/2 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of curd.
  • Don’t ever add curd to the hot semiya, in that case, live cultures get lost in the curd.

    



Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing


Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing


This creamy and delicious tri-color Cold Pasta Salad low-fat 1000 Island Dressing  is really great in taste and very filling. Here I used 1000 Island dressing, which is a salad dressing and condiment, used on sandwiches and salad. It is widely used in restaurant and diners in US. It has mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice, tomato ketchup and salt in it.
Source : Wikipedia – Origin of the name 1000 Island dressing comes from thousand island between the US and Canada in St. Lawrence river. In 1000 island area, fishing guide wife, made this condiment for her husband dinner. Often in this version, actress May Irwin requested the recipe after enjoying it, that how the dressing got popular.
This low fat 1000 island dressing with pasta is creamy and a treat to your taste buds. Also it is great to pack this dish for lunch box.

Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing

Ingredients – Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing

  • 1/2 Cup of Tri-color Pasta
  • 2-3 Cups of Water
  • 1 Tsp of Oil
  • Salt as Needed

For 1000 Island Dressing

  • 7 Tbsp of Low Fat Mayonnaise / Vegennaise
  • 2 Tbsp of Ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
  • 1 Tbsp of Minced Onion
  • Dash of Salt and Pepper
  • 2 Tsp of Olive Oil

Other Ingredients

  • 1/4 Cup of Broccoli Florets
  • 5-6 Mushrooms
  • 1 Tsp of Oil
  • Green Olives to garnish
Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing

Method – Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing

  • Bring 2-3 Cups of water to a rolling boil, add salt to taste.
  • Add tri-color pasta to the water, add oil and stir gently.
  • To get authentic pasta taste, boil uncovered for 10- 12 mins and stir occasionally.once it done, just drain the water and keep it aside.
  • Heat oil in a pan, add mushroom and broccoli, saute this for 2 mins. Keep this aside.
  • In a wide bowl, add all the ingredients listed under “1000 Island Dressing”give a quick stir. Now add pasta, broccoli and mushroom, toss well, make sure the pasta are well coated with dressings.
  • Refrigerate it for 15 mins and serve cold with olive on top. 

 

Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing

 

 
    Tips
  • You can follow the same recipe with any kind of pasta.
  • You can use any vegetable like carrot, tomato and lettuce.
  • If you get fresh parsley leaves, you can add it to the dressing.

Recipe Source : Epicurious
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Pasta Salad with low fat 1000 Island Dressing


Spinach Carrot Pulao | Palak Pulav

         Spinach carrot pulao / spinach rice / palak pulav is a great one pot meal and easy to make dish. You can make pulao in different ways but this spinach pulao recipe is really authentic which has no onion and no garlic in it. This spinach rice is highly nutritious because of rich in iron, calcium and other vitamins. This palak pulao(pulav) is perfect for lunch. Serve with side dish like potato peas fry, papad and cucumber raita.

Ingredients for spinach pulao recipe

To Make Rice

  • 1 Cup of Basmati Rice
  • 2 Cloves
  • 1 Cinnamom Stick
  • 1 Big Cardamom (Black Cardamom)
  • 1 Bay Leaf, Small
  • 2 Tsp of Cumin/ Jeera
  • 2 Tsp of Oil
  • 1.5 Cups of Water

To Make Masala

  • 2 Tsp of Butter
  • 1/2 Tsp of Cumin / Jeera
  • 1 Bay Leaf, Small
  • Pinch of Hing / Asafoetida
  • 3 Green Chillies
  • 1 Tbsp of Minced Ginger
  • 1 Big Carrot,Fine Chopped
  • 1.5 Cup of Spinach, Tightly Packed
  • 1 Tsp of Garam Masala
  • 1-2 Tsp of Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tbsp of Chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)
  •          Salt to Taste

Method for spinach carrot pulao

  • Soak the basmati rice in water for 1/2 hr. Wash the rice for 1 or 2 times in a cold tap water and keep it aside.
  • Wash and chop the carrot, spinach, green chilly and ginger.
  • In a pressure cooker, heat oil, when it is hot, add whole cumin, after it crackles, add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf, fry for few mins. Add rice, fry for another 1 or 2 mins. Add enough water, mix well and pressure cook for 2 whistles. Turn off the flame. Let the pressure release on its own.
  • Heat butter in a pan, add cumin and bay leaf, after cumin seeds crackles, add hing, green chillies and minced ginger, fry for 1-2 mins, add chopped carrot and salt, fry for 2 mins until it turns soft. Add spinach and garam masala, fry for few mins. In a low flame, add the cooked rice, mix gently until combined and cook for 2-3 mins. Turn off the stove. Finally add the lemon juice and coriander leaves, mix gently.
  • Serve hot with papad and raita.


   Tips

  • You can add 1 big onion, if you want.
  • If you have coconut milk, then cook the rice with coconut milk instead of water.
  • Add ginger garlic paste instead of using minced ginger.
  • If you don’t get spinach in your place, try it with some other greens.
  • Black cardamom gives buttery taste to the rice. If you don’t get that, use the green cardamom.

Health Benefits of Spinach

  • One cup of cooked spinach has 42 mg of calcium.
  • Spinach is your best bet for folic acid, which helps keep cells all over the body growing and functioning well.
  • It’s an incredible non animal protein source of iron, which delivers oxygen all over the body, providing much-needed energy to kids’ muscles.
  • Spinach also helps regulate blood sugar and keeps your children’s hearts healthy because it’s high in potassium and magnesium.
  • Improves brain function and cardiovascular health.
  • It has a cancer fighting antioxidants.
  • Strengthens the immune system.

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