Bisi Bele Bath

Having busy schedules tends to put 'Balanced Diet' in the back burner many a time, if we loose track. However to our rescue we have dishes like bisi-bele bath which can free us from guilt. It has a balance of protein from dal, carbohydrate from rice, vitamins and fiber from vegetables and calcium from the side raitha!! and not to mention the great taste :) Though i have mentioned a list of vegetables, feel free to add any of the vegetables you have in ur refridgerator. This is an other one item like the 5 a Day the Color Way...
Ingredients
SERVES 3
Red gram dal (tur) - 1/2 cup
Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Brinjals - 2 small
Onion - 1
Carrot - 1
Drumsticks - 2 nos
Tamarind - size of a small lime
Green chillies - 4 nos
Mustard - 2 tsp
Cashewnuts - 20 gms
Fresh grated coconut - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves, Curry leaves - Few
Dry red chillies - 6 ; Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp ; Coriander seeds - 1 ; Poppy seeds(khus khus) - 1 tsp ; Cardamoms, Cloves - 4 nos; Cinnamon - Small piece
Method
- Fry all masalas in little oil and make powder it in a mixie
- Heat oil in a thick bottomed pot, and mustard seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder; let it splutter
- Add chopped vegetables and toor dal
- When vegetables and toor dal is half cooked, add rice, tamarind pulp, salt, powdered masala and stir well
- Close the lid and cook until done on a low flame

Pav Bhajji

The “5 A Day The Color Way” slogan reminds us to include a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables in the daily diet. Try to consume fruits and vegetables from the five color groups every day. The color groups are RED, ORANGE/YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE/PURPLE and WHITE. Each of the color has its own implication and benefit. Some people I talk to agree but complain about the choice/availability. Below are a few examples that come on top of our head and what we normally consume. Just ensure that they are all in your food:
RED - Tomatoes, Beetroot, Red Bell Pepper, Raddish, Cranberries, Pomegranates, Rasberry, Red Apple, Straberry, Red Grapes, Water Melon
ORANGE/YELLOW - Carrot, Pumpkin, Corn, Yellow Bell Pepper, Cantaloupe, Apricots, Lemon, Mango, Orange, Peach, Persimmons, Pineapple
GREEN - Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Zuchini, Green Leaves, Cabbage, Cucumber, Beans, Okra, Peas, Watrercress, Avocados, Green Apple, Green Grape, Kiwi
BLUE/PURPLE - Eggplant, Purple Cabbage, Blackberries, Blueberries, PLums, Purple Grapes, Raisins
WHITE - Cauliflower, Onion, Potato, Banana

One of the Indian snack that covers all the colors for the day is PAV BHAJJI. The beauty of this dish is that you could modify it to suite your pallete. The recipe i mention below is just a guideline, Please feel free to make your own additions/deletions/modifications.

Ingredients:
- Cauliflower - cut into florets about a handfull
- Potatoes - cut into large chunks about a handfull
- Green, Red, Yellow Bell Pepper - sliced about a handfull each
- Green Peas (fresh or frozen) - about a handfull
- Corn (fresh or frozen) - about a handfull
- Beetroot - cut to small pieces about a handfull
- Broccoli - cut to florets about a handfull
- Tomato puree - 1/2 cup
- Onions chopped - equal quantity as that of tomato
- ginger-garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste, zeera powder, corriander powder, dhanya powder, garam masala, turmeric, chilli powder, kasoori methi, pudhina powder , aamchoor powder
- optional 1 tbsp Everest pav-bhaji masala (or more to taste)
- 2-3 tbsp butter
- oil - 2 tbsp
Method:
1. Boil all the vegetable in the pressure cooker till tender with a little salt and set aside
2. Heat oil in a deep saucepan; saute onions, ginger-garlic paste and some green pepper
3. Add tomato puree and all the spices. Saute for a few minutes
4. Add cooked veggies, pav-bhaji masala and smash them all to a coarse paste on the pan before saute
5. Add water as required. Check taste and add the butter. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to really get the flavors to blend together.
Serve with:
1. Fry the bread in some butter first. For an even spicier result, make masala pav...melt some butter in a skillet. Sprinkle zeera and pav bhaji masala in it, then fry the bread in this spicy butter until sizzling and golden.
2. Finely sliced/ chopped onions, minced cilantro and wedges of lemon.