WINTER FOODS FOR HEALTH

Warm your way through Winter

Wintertime – a fantastic season for that extra hour curled up under your razai; invigorating walks in the crisp fresh air; for warm and nourishing food and drinks.

Why do we feel hungrier in winter? Have you ever wondered? Cold weather brings a drop in your body temperature, which stimulates your appetite. Eating helps to generate heat and keeps your body warm. Your body works harder and spends more energy just trying to keep you warm during winter, so your desire to eat more comes from your body’s natural increase in energy use.

It is tempting to use cold weather as an excuse to overeat but you do not need a layer of extra fat to stay warm...add an extra layer of clothing instead!! While you definitely can enjoy a healthy appetite during winter, do monitor your calorie intake, or you could end up putting on unwanted weight at the end of the season.

“Eat wisely to stay healthy” is the only health slogan for cold winter days. It’s beneficial to focus on foods that keep you warm and get your body temperature back to normal. Be good to yourself this season with healthy, hearty winter foods that will leave you feeling fine and avoid adding inches to your waistline.

Bring a little sunshine into your home during the cold winter months by enjoying the bounty of produce that's available this season. Fresh fruits like citrus fruits, amla, nd vegetables, herbs and some cereals and pulses are few of the foods that make us feel warm, supported and secured. Hence eat all the tradtionaly foods like gaund ke laddu, urad pak, gajar ka halwa, etc to keep you warm but in resricted amounts though.


HEALTHY OONDHIYA

Startling though it may seem, here is a wonderful and healthy modification of the famous festive Gujarati dish which is ordinarily loaded with oil. I've changed this recipe and cut down on the oil along with the invisible fat which you get from coconut.
The methi muthias added to this recipe are baked to a wonderful rich golden brown colour that are very appealing and also cut down a lot of the calories you get in the fried version.
A good amount of iron and calcium is available from this hearty dish and this is sure to become your family favourite.

Preparation Time : 15 mins.
Cooking Time : 30 mins.
Serves 6.

For the oondhiya
2 cups surti papadi (double beans)
1¼ cups kand (purple yam), peeled and cut into cubes
1 cup baby potatoes
1¼ cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
3 to 4 small brinjals
½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
a pinch soda bi-carb
salt to taste

To be mixed into a masala
1 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
½ cup poha (beaten rice flakes)
¼ cup green garlic, chopped
3 teaspoons coriander-cumin seed (dhania-jeera) powder
1 teaspoon ginger-green chilli paste
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)
¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 ripe banana, mashed
salt to taste

For the baked methi muthias
1 cup chopped fenugreek (methi) leaves
1/3cup whole-wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
1/3cup besan (Bengal gram flour)
½ tsp ginger-green chilli paste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
¼ tsp garam masala
1 tsp oil
Salt to taste

For the garnish
1 tablespoon chopped coriander (dhania)

For the baked methi muthias
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a soft dough using a little water.
2. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions, shape into even sized rounds and flatten them by placing between your palms.
3. Place on a greased baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C (400°F) for 7 to 8 minutes. Keep aside.

For the oondhiya
1. String the surti papadi taking care not to separate the 2 sides.
2. Wash the papadi, add the carom seeds, soda bi-carb and salt and mix well.
3. Make criss-cross slits in the kand, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes and brinjals taking care not to separate the segments.
4. Fill half the masala mixture into the slits of kand, baby potatoes, sweet potatoes and brinjals. Keep aside the remaining masala mixture.
5. Combine the surti papadi, stuffed vegetables, remaining masala mixture with 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistles.


How to proceed
1. Transfer the cooked oondhiya, methi muthias into a large serving dish and toss lightly.
2. Serve hot, garnished with the chopped coriander.




MINTY MORNING

This is a variation of the most popular breakfast juice of all time, the orange juice. It is sure to appeal to everyone's taste buds as well as health.
Oranges boost overall resistance and also stimulate the salivary glands thus aiding digestion. Mint on the other hand is rich in iron and vitamin C. It is also the best digestive and cooling herb. By combining the health-giving properties of oranges with mint; this juice makes for a powerful cleanser.

Makes 2 small glasses (300 ml).

Ingredients
4 medium sized oranges, peeled and separated into segments
8 to 10 sprigs of mint (phudina) with the leaves, roughly chopped
crushed ice to serve

HOPPER / JUICER
1. Juice all the ingredients.
2. Add some crushed ice in 2 glasses and pour the juice over it. Serve immediately.

OR
MIXER / BLENDER
1. Blend all the ingredients using little water (if required) till smooth.
2. Strain the juice using a strainer or a muslin cloth.
3. Add some crushed ice in 2 glasses and pour the juice over it. Serve immediately


GAUND KE LADDU

Gaund is an "edible gum" that is extracted from the bark of a tree.
It is available in crystal form as pearly yellowish translucent pieces of varying sizes. The bigger crystals are more expensive.
Gaund is a "heaty" food i.e. food that provides heat to our body and is usually had only in the winters. It is deep fried in ghee and then added to the dish it is being used in. I have also discovered that if you dry roast it on a non-stick pan, it puffs up just like popcorn. This is a great way to cut down on those unnecessary calories. These delicious gaund laddus are a traditional winter delicacy that are had with a glass of warm milk for breakfast. I personally prefer them as a dessert after a nice meal.

Preparation Time : 15 mins.
Cooking Time : 30 mins.
Makes 15 laddus.

1¼ cups whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)
3 tablespoons gaund (edible gum)
½ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon cardamom (elaichi) powder
¼ cup ghee

Other ingredients
ghee for deep frying

Method
1. Heat the ghee in a pan, add the whole wheat flour and roast it over a slow flame while stirring continuously till the flour turns golden brown. Allow it to cool.
2. Deep fry the gaund in hot ghee, one tablespoon at a time till the pieces puff up. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.
3. Add the powdered sugar, fried gaund and cardamom powder to the roasted wheat flour and mix well.
4. Divide the mixture into 15 portions and shape each portion into round laddus using your hands. If you find it difficult to shape the laddus, add a little melted ghee.
5. Store in an air-tight container.

How else can you shift your winter into high gear? Eat frequent winter-friendly meals to keep your energy levels at an even keel all day.
So go on, pull out the winter woollies, stock up the kitchen with these delicious and nutritious foods and look forward to a wonderful winter.