Veggie mocktail is one of the juice you can drink without any worry of calories or sugar. Its a combination of veggies and no fruit or added sugar in it. Its totally healthy and calorie free drink. As its sugar free and no fruit is added its a pure Diabetic friendly drink.
I used blender instead of juicer as the juicer tend to remove the fiber and nutrients from the veggies. If you like your mocktail watery and clear,use juicer or use a strainer to strain the pulp after grinding it. But i prefer it with the pulp, as the purpose of this mocktail is to fill you with all the goodness of the veggies.
I used just vegetables here, if you not watching your calories or not on sugar free diet you can add some fruits like berries, orange, watermelon, pomegranate to this mocktail. Always the fruit, veggie combination gives a good taste to the mocktails. Create your own flavors with your creativity !!!!!
Ingredients:
Serves one cup
Tomato - 1
Carrot - 1 small
Celery - 1 stalk
Lemon - 1
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Method:
Wash all the vegetables.
Peel the carrot and chop it, cut one stalk of celery and remove the ends, chop the tomato, squeeze the lemon juice and remove the seeds.
Now add tomato, carrot, celery into the blender and add the salt and pepper.
Blend it till the veggies turn to a smooth paste.
Add 1/2 cup water, little by little while blending.
Add lemon juice and give a final blend.
Pour it in a juice mug and serve immediately. Add ice cubes for chilled mocktail.
Garnish it with cut lemon piece or with some mint leaves.
My Grandma and chithi used to prepare this spicy snack. It has two versions, spicy and sweet. I love the spicy version. Its very easy to prepare and its done in 15 min. I prepared this for my first deepavali after wedding, as I was beginner in cooking that time. So beginners can try this without any fear as it will turn perfect even for the first timers.
Wheat flour can be replaced with Maida / all purpose flour. Also adding ajwain is optional. Store it in an airtight container and enjoy for weeks. It stays fresh. Instant snack when you dont have any other option.
Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 2 handful
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tbsp
Ajwain - 1 tsp (optional)
Salt
Ghee - 2 tsp
Water to knead
Oil to fry
Method:
Take the flour in a wide bowl, add red chilli powder, ajwain, salt, ghee and mix well.
Now start adding water slowly and knead the flour.
Make the dough soft like chapati dough, but not too soft.
Now make medium size balls out of the dough.
Roll it like chapati, make horizontal and vertical cut to bring diamond shaped thukkada.
Use a somasi cutter or knife or pizza cutter.
Place it in a plate.
In the mean time heat oil in a pan or kadai.
Once you are done with the cutting, place all the diamonds in the oil in batches.
Give room for the diamonds to fry well.
Toss it both side till it become crisp and little brown.
Remove from oil and place it in a paper towel.
Cool down and store it in a air tight container.
It stays fresh for weeks.
Karadayan Nombu is a festival celebated in Tamil Nadu. It is celebrated on the aspecious time when the tamil month 'Masi' ends and 'Panguni' starts (English month March). The function is based on a legend told in old times.
The synopsis of the story is, Savithri a princess got married to a Sathyavan who is cursed with a short life span. Despite of this fact, Savithiri Prayed to lord Yama, God of death to bring back her husband to life. She performed this viratham and offered the adai made of rice flour (Kara-adai-yan Nombu)and butter to lord Yama. With her brilliance she tricked Yama and asked boon to give life to her husband. Yama appreciated her devotion and gave life to her husband.
On this day, married women keep virat and offer vella adai, uppu adai with unmelted butter to God and tie a yellow thread (saradu in tamil)around neck for the well being of her life partner.
While offering the prasad to God the two lines " Urugatha Vennaiyun, oradaiyum naan nutren
Orunallun en kanavar ennai vittu piriyadhirukka vendum" is chanted,
meaning "I'm offering you unmelted butter and adai, my husband should never leave me"
Now we are going to the recipe,
Vella Adai/Sweet Adai:
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Karamani (cowpeas/ black eyed peas) - 1/4 cup
Coconut pieces - 1/4 cup
Cardamom Powder - 1tsp
Water - 2 cups
Method:
Soak 1 cup karamani overnight and cook with salt (4 to 5 whistles). Use this for both the adai.
Cut the coconut pieces into thin slices.
In a heavy bottom pan add the rice flour and fry till it turn brown colour( more brown than vella adai). Make sure not to over fry or burn.
In the mean time add the jaggery to the 2 cups water and bring them to boil. (If your jaggery is impure and have dust, first dissolve it in water and strain it using a strainer)
Remove the rice flour from pan and place it in a plate .
Add the jaggery water to the pan and bring to boil.
Once you see the bubbles, add coconut, karamani, cardamom powder and give a stir.
Remove the pan from heat and slowly add the flour to it stirring constantly. (remove from heat to avoid lump)
Now bring back to the heat and stir till all the water gets evaporated (approx 2 to 3 min)
Switch off the heat and remove from the stove.
Close it with a lid to retain the moisture.
Wait to turn warm, make small balls out of it and flatten it and make a hole in the middle.
Place it in the greased(with sesame oil) idly plate and steam it for 15 to 20 min.
Kara Adai / Spicy Adai:
Ingredients:
Rice flour - 1 cup
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 7 to 8 leaves
Red chilli - 1
Green chilli - 2
Asafetida (hing) - 1/2 tsp
karamani - 1/4 cup
Coconut pieces(chopped into thin slices) - 1/4 cup
Salt
Water - 2 cups
Method:
Take a heavy bottom pan and add the rice flour to it.
Fry it till it turn very light brown, keep the flame in medium.
Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.
Heat oil in a the same pan.
Add mustard seeds, once it splutters add urad dal, curry leaves, red chilli , green chilli and fry for few seconds.
Add water and bring to boil.
Once the bubble start appearing add karamani, coconut, salt and give a stir.
Remove the pan from heat and add the rice flour slowly, stirring constantly.
Bring it back to the heat and fry for a minute and switch off the stove.
Remove it from heat and close it with a lid to maintain the moisture.
Once it become warm, make small balls out of the flour.
Flatten it, and hole it in the center.
Grease the idly plate with oil (sesame or coconut, coconut gives nice flavor).
Place the adai in the plate and steam it for 15 to 20 min like idly.
Switch off the stove, cool it and remove from the plate.
Spread the butter over the adai before serving!
Note:
I kept both vella adai and uppu adiai in same idly plate. You can do it when you are doing in small quantity to save time.
Keep limited adai in one plate to avoid sticking.
For large quantity, do it in batches as adai may stick with each other if crowded in one plate.
The jaggery should not reach the one sting consistency as it will spoil the recipe. Just boil it.
I added karamani 1/4 cup. But its can be added as per your taste, more or less.
I used the fresh coconut chopped into thin slices. You can also use the frozen shredded coconut.
Dosa is an all time favorite tiffin item in many households. But the regular dosas with chutney or sambar will bring the boredom soon. Also same goes with the potato masala dosa. Though its a most loved food of all age group, a change once in a while is good for the taste buds.
I made this cauliflower masala dosa for a change from regular dosas. This spicy dosa goes well with chutney and sambar. If you are dosa fan, then you will definitely love the cauliflower dosa and coconut chutney combo.
Don't forget a filter coffee after this spicy dosa!!!
Ingredients:
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 of 1 big onion
Tomato - 1 big
Ginger, Garlic chopped - each 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Green chilli - 1 stilted
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Coriander chopped - 1 tbsp
Salt
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Method:
For Cauliflower Masala:
Wash and chop the cauliflower into small florets.
Boil water in a pan and add the florets to the boiling water. Sprinkle some salt and cook till the florst turn soft. (don't overcook, the cauliflower will turn mushy)
Remove and drain the water. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add cumin seeds and fry for few seconds.
Add chopped onion, curry leaves, green chilli and ginger garlic and fry till the onion turn light brown.
Add the tomato and fry for a minute.
Now add all the powders, chilli, dhaniya, turmeric and salt.
Fry for 5 min and add the cooked florets.
Now turn the flame to medium low and fry the masala till it get cooked well. (Approx 15 min)
Once you see the oil oozing out from the masala, chop the coriander and sprinkle over it. (I forgot, then added while making dosa)
Give a quick fry and remove from the flame.
For Dosa:
Heat the dosa pan.
Once it is ready to use, pour a ladle full of dosa batter and spread it in circular motion using the ladle.
Sprinkle some oil (preferably sesame oil). once it turn crisp and you see brown parts, turn it to the other side using a dosa ladle.
Wait for few seconds and turn the dosa(before it turn crisp), place the masala and close it in crescent moon shape.
Cook on both side till it turn crisp.
Remove and serve hot with any chutneys or sambar. Coconut chutney goes well with this cauliflower masala dosa.
Here is the link for making Dosa batter
Note:
The taste of the dosa depend on the cauliflower, if it overcooked the masala will turn mushy. If it not cooked well, it gives a raw crunch taste.
Depend on the nature of the cauliflower the cooking time may differ. So half cook while boiling in water, then check if it cooked well in the last stage of making masala.
You can use microwave for cooking the cauliflower.
You can add ginger garlic pasted instead of whole ginger garlic.
