A Spoonful of Honey or Sugar?

A lot of times I get asked if as a diabetic patient, substituting honey with sugar would help manage blood sugar levels. Here are some quick pointers.

For folks with diabetic levels of sugar, neither is good. Both honey and sugar will raise your blood sugar levels. Honey breaks down slowly and would take longer to digest than sugar. And hopefully, and mostly, you would take less honey than sugar since honey is sweeter than sugar. But still, as a diabetic or pre-diabetic, I would say, stay away from both. And satisfy your sweet cravings with natural fruits like apples.

But for folks who do not have diabetic issues, honey maybe a better alternative due to many other nutrients that it has when compared to refined sugar.

From calorie counting standpoint, honey has 21 calories per teaspoon compared to 16 calories of refined white sugar so use less than sugar to control your caloric intake.

Honey does have small amounts of Vitamins C and Folate and Magnesium and anti-oxidants whereas sugar has none of these. But if you are really after anti-oxidants, blueberries and walnuts are far superior alternatives than honey. And you can get more Vitamin C from Oranges including much needed fiber than honey.

In summary, folks with diabetes should stay away from both honey and sugar and the rest of you should use it in moderation and not rely on it for nutrition value.

Five essential elements to incorporate in your daily meals...

1. Beans - Green Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Red and Black Kidney Beans, Black eyed peas, Legumes, Lentils...
2. Nuts - Almonds, Walnuts - no more than a fistful or 6-12, whichever is less!
3. Seeds - Pumpkin, Sunflower - no more than a tablespoon
4. Eggs - Natural egg cholesterol is different from your blood cholesterol, so for it
5. Veges - Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Spinach, Chards, Beets, Radish, Eggplants, Peppers, Mushrooms, Bottle-gourd, Bitter-Gourd

And do start your day with a bowl of Oats (unprocessed, steel cut) with Unsweetened Almond Milk, handful of blueberries, teaspoon of flax seed powder, pinch of chia and hemp seeds.

Natural fruit snacks (no juices or pills or concentrates please) - apples, berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries), oranges, pears, grapefruit, pomegranate, cherries...Eat all colors of fruits for snacks...

Incorporate all of the above in your daily meals and see the blood chemistry run towards a perfect mix of numbers...

New Age Pancake...

You ask anyone what is your favorite vege and they would never list “Bottlegourd”, but this is such a great starch-free vegetable, with so few calories, that one could create an entire delicious meal with it.

The picture below is of a bottle gourd from my very own garden. You can also find it in Asian stores. I plucked it fresh and created the pancakes as an appetizer, a curry with lentils, a salad, and even a dessert!

• Start with peeling the bottle gourd; remove the ends. 
• Next, cut into large chunks and pulse them in your food processor. This step should give you a dry grated bottle gourd. If you pulse it too long, you would get a very watery grated bottle gourd - hang it in a cheese cloth to drain off the excess water. It is better if it is dry so that you do not end up using too much of flour as a binder.
• Bind it with a tablespoon (or more as needed) of flour (almond flour works great, but you can use a very small quantity of regular flour as well). 
• Add grated ginger, pinch of salt and chili flakes, teaspoon of cumin and caraway seeds. 
• Heat your pancake griddle to 400 degrees. Spray some olive oil spray. 
• Next make flat balls in your hand and flatten them. Place them on the heated griddle. Turn and cook them on both sides.
• Take them off the heat once both sides are golden in color. Enjoy these delicious pancakes today as an appetizer or a whole meal.

For a variation, soak half a cup of lentils and pulse them separately and add them to the grated bottle gourd. This combo gives you a whole meal in a pancake - proteins, carbs, and all the vitamins and nutrients of a non-starchy vege!

Stay tuned for my curry and salad and dessert recipes using bottle gourd as the key ingredient.

Ginger: Spice up your life…

Looking for a natural way to bring down inflammations in your body or control nausea?  Ginger has been used for thousands of years in China, India, and Middle Eastern regions as a remedy. Now scientific studies tell us why. 

Ginger is rich in phyto-nutrients called gingerols that are anti-oxidant, ant-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral. Several controlled researches have shown ginger to have a positive effect on various diseases like Arthritis, Cancer, Migraine, Asthma, Heartburn, Cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. 

I have drunk my fair share of ginger ale during my pregnancy to combat morning sickness. Many folks take concentrated ginger capsules to prevent motion sickness and nausea. Ginger suppresses the release of vasopressin from the central nervous system that helps with nausea.

Ginger has been incorporated in many cuisines worldwide. Gingerbread cookies anyone? Gingerbread house is a Christmas tradition around the world. Picked ginger in Japanese cuisine and the main ingredient in Kimchi is ginger. South Asian countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Mynamar, India, Sri Lanka use ginger extensively in their curries. Ginger Beer, Ginger Liquor, Ginger Ale, Ginger Candy, Ginger flavored coffee, and Ginger Tea are popular drinks worldwide.

Ginger is a root and sold in supermarkets. Store fresh ginger in a cool dry place along with your onions and garlic and it would stay fresh for few weeks. You can also find ginger powder in Asian markets, but I prefer fresh ginger! To use it in your cooking, peel it, and then grate it. And use it in practically any and every dish being prepared in your kitchen.

I am a heavy user of fresh ginger in my cooking. Below are some ways of incorporating it in your cooking:

• Teaspoon of grated ginger in Masala Chai (tea) makes it a tasty drink to sip slowly and enjoy.
• Grated or ground ginger added to all curries and stir fries enhances the taste of the dish manifold.
• Grate ginger and combine it with fresh mint leaves paste. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil or butter and add the grated ginger-mint paste to it. Use it as a dip for your chips or use it as a spread on your crackers.
• Use grated ginger as a garnish on your noodles and stir fry vegetables.
• Add a teaspoon of grated ginger or a pinch of dry ginger powder to the bread dough.
• Add grated ginger to your quinoa or couscous or whole grains as you steam cook them.

Net: Ginger is a very versatile ingredient with amazing health benefits and so easy to incorporate in your cuisine, that there is no excuse not to do so. Enjoy…

Spinach & Blueberry to the rescue today…

On the hook to prepare something and take something to the last summer BBQ of the season? Here is a delicious salad recipe that would make you the star chef of today’s gathering!

Pickup a pack of fresh blueberries and a bunch of fresh spinach leaves from your local Farmers Market. Wash the spinach and blueberries and combine them in a salad mixing bowl. Take a quarter cup of sliced was and roast them in a pan. Toss them into the salad bowl together with the blueberries and spinach. Now dress up the salad with fresh grapefruit juice (half cup), pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Optionally, you can garnish it with fresh crumbled feta cheese. Enjoy this refreshing salad as you bid good-bye to summer in some parts of the country.  Serve on top of steamed quinoa for a full hearty meal.

Quinoa with Raspberries - salad or meal - enjoy it your way.

Just picked up fresh and juicy raspberries from the Farmer’s Market; they were too tempting to leave behind so bought a whole basket. Next challenge was to use them before they start to mold. With some help from fresh basil and coriander leaves from my herb garden, roasted walnuts, and a dash of fresh lemon juice and walnut oil, created a visually delighting and tasty summer meal to enjoy on the patio!

Take half a cup of whole quinoa and boil it with a cup of water. Simmer until all water is absorbed.  Finely chop quarter cup of basil leaves and a tablespoon of coriander leaves. Toast half a cup of walnuts. Fold the basil and corainder leaves into the cooked quinoa. Add toasted almonds.  Sprinkle salt and pepper.  Drizzle a tablespoon of Walnut Oil and fresh juice of a medium-sized lemon. Toss it together and serve it warm. Savor the looks and smells. Enjoy as a salad or a whole meal!

Happy Independence Day.

When I visited Athens few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised with the influence of Greek cuisine on Indian preparations. It was obvious that India had assimilated ideas from everyone who traversed or touched its borders and Alexander the Great was definitely instrumental in introducing the Greek cuisine to India.

Similar is the story of American cuisine. As multitudes of cultures assimilate into American diaspora, they bring with them their foods and are now influencing the American cuisine.

So as you celebrate Independence Day and try to stay cool and hydrated with a simple cucumber and tomato salad or relish a mint-yogurt raita or grill eggplants to use in Baingan Bhartha, a definite relative of Baba Ghanoush, or just roast peppers, or make Bamiya style okra curry or Indian style Garbanzo beans curry, remember the roots of these dishes and thank all the people who have came to this country and added layers to this great melting pot. Happy Independence Day!

Reheating leftovers tonight? Take care...

We have seen quite a few opinions on using plastics in microwave – here are some crisp guidelines:

·         Do not use old cracked containers – they start releasing toxins when heated even slightly.

·         Do not use containers that have been washed hundred of times (these release more toxins when heated).

·         See discoloration? Time to put this container in the recycle bin.

·         Have butter or cream in the food? Do not heat it in the plastic container – why? Because fat absorbs harmful chemicals when heated.

Phthalates, used to make plastic containers flexible, release into food when heated. How much is released into your food when heated? It depends on the type of plastic, for how long you heat it, and what shape the container is in. So, a safe guideline for heating food would be to stop using plastic and start using glass, ceramic, or stainless steel or iron pots and containers.

So, how should I reheat food? In the good old traditional way – i.e., in a pan on a stove top; this heats food evenly, even in the interior cold spots that usually harbor bacteria. You can also use the oven, but make sure you check the inside and outside temperatures.

To healthy cooking and reheating…

Khichdi Unchained

A simple mung bean and rice prep is given to kids and adults in India when they are recovering from an illness. It is kept simple to make it easy to digest as your digestive system recovers from an onslaught of viral or bacterial attack.

I have taken this very popular and simple recipe and transformed into a dish that you can have for any meal – “Khichdi Unchained.”

To prepare, take half cup of brown rice and one and half cups of yellow mung beans. Wash and place it in a pressure cooker with eight cups of water, pinch of salt, a teaspoon of turmeric powder, and a pinch of chili powder and steam it on medium heat. Stop after the pressure cooker has emitted two whistles. Let the cooker cool down and the steam escape naturally.

Meanwhile, dice a medium sized onion, one large tomato, one green chili  and 4-5 garlic cloves chopped coarsely. 

Take a saucepan and add a tablespoon of olive oil. When warm, add a quarter cup of shelled unsalted pistachios. Saute and remove them as soon as they start changing colors. Keep aside on a paper towel so that the excess oil is absorbed.

In the same pan, add a tablespoon of butter. When warm, add garlic cloves. When they turn light brown, add chopped onion and green chili. Saute until it becomes translucent. Add a teaspoon of cumin seeds and fennel seeds followed by diced tomatoes. Next add the steamed rice-lentil mix. Mix it thoroughly. The consistency should be almost running fluid, like porridge. If needed, add some warm water until the desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat.

Spoon it into a serving dish. Garnish with chopped green coriander leaves and fried pistachios.

Enjoy with some Poppadoms or a bowl of yogurt or both.

In our home, we love it so much that we repeat this dish substituting brown rice with quinoa or amarnath or barley or any whole grain of your choice. And to make it even more wholesome, add steamed green vegetables like zucchini, any Indian gourds, beans etc. Try it and you will love it. An easy to make and huge on the taste dish for your next meal. Enjoy...

Enjoy a colorful lunch on a beautiful Almost-Spring day...

It feels like Spring in CA (Sorry to folks on the East Coast struggling with the weather). Staying with the spring theme, I had greens today for lunch - crispy Kale chips, sauteed Spinach topped with sunny-side up, and a Spring Mix salad.

To prepare the Kale chips, just toss the fresh Kale leaves with some Olive oil, pepper, and a pinch of rock salt. Put it under the Broiler on High (keep the tray away at least six inches) for around 8 minutes. Once the leaves start turning crisp, take it out of the oven. You can do the same with some colorful peppers to add some color variation to the Greens...

Saute Spinach leaves in a pan with a teaspoon of Olive oil. Sprinkle some chili flakes.

Prepare an egg sunny-side up.

Toss together fresh Spring Mix with Avocado slices, juice of half a grapefruit, a teaspoon of Walnut Oil, and sprinkle some sea salt and pepper.

Now plate all of this as shown in the picture below or any other creative way you can think of.

Enjoy Greens!

Today's vegetable is Okra...

One of my favorite vegetables is Okra or Ladies Finger as known in some parts of the world. Quick and easy to prepare – slice the Okra lengthwise or in small discs (you can also get chopped Okra in the frozen aisle in your Supermarket); microwave with salt and chilli peppers until cooked. Another tasty way to prepare Okra is to saute it with onions and green chillis and add a pinch of turmeric before cooking them in the microwave. Microwave cooking makes the Okra crisp – my preferred way of having it.

Okra has lots of fiber that helps our bodies in numerous ways: stabilizes blood sugar levels by controlling the rate of absorption of sugar in intestines; binds excess cholesterol and toxins in the body and helps eliminate the waste; neutralizes acids and provides a protective coating for the intestines with its alkaline properties. So enjoy some Okra tonight for dinner.