Healthy Bowls...story of a bean and a rice!

I am seriously getting "cabin fever"... there are the days when the BollyX dancing is reserved for the evening where by late morning I am ready to tear my hair out. Today was one such day...when I realized we were low on some essential staples Coffee, Beans and Daals - it was a much needed lifeline.

I decided to do a grocery run to Whole Foods...and I am so glad I did...I  have never ever been so happy grocery shopping as I was today, there was barely anyone at the stores - I think everyone was resting after the long weekend revelry  - I got the Keurig coffee pods, fresh corn (they had an amazing deal on it!), some chicken kabobs (yup! another amazing Prime Deal) and as I was walking towards the bulk section - I noticed a 25% off Bulk Items (already in containers)...unheard of at Whole Foods.  I ended up buying Garbanzo Beans (Cholle), Black Eyed Peas (Lobia) , Brown Basmati Rice,  Red Lentil (Masoor), Raw Sunflower Seeds and Muesli (all organic and honestly cheaper than what I would have paid for non-organic at my local indian store).  Thus was born my meal plan for today and we have enough Channa Masala to last us one more meal tomorrow (For the win!)

Punjabi Cholle Masala (served with brown rice pulao)

 

What's in it?

• 8 oz of my  Bhuna Masala (what you haven't made this - it's a life-saver!)
• 2 tablespoons Roopak Punjabi Cholle Masala (my sis-in-law keeps me supplied with this - Thanks Anu !!!) - key is use your favorite cholle masala
• 12 Oz Dried Cholle (soaked overnight)
• 12 Oz of Water
• Kasturi Methi, 2 Black tea bags
• Cinnamon Powder+ Ketchup (my mother adds this in all her gravy subzis and I just blindly follow ;-) ) 
• Salt to taste, Grated Ginger, Turmeric Powder

You can make it in one step where you dump everything in and just have your Cholle cook for 30 minutes, I break it into a two part process, only because I have done the dump and cook method and feel like the 2 part process somehow makes the Cholle taste spectacular !!!

How I made it?

• Turn on Saute Mode on your instant pot
• Dump in the soaked Cholle+12 Oz water+ Turmeric Powder+ Grated Ginger
• Cook on Beans adjusted to 25 minutes (which is Manual High 25 I think), QR
• Now add in the Bhuna Masala, the Cholle Masala, Kasturi Methi, Salt to Taste and the 2 black unflavored tea bags to the IP
• Cook on Manual High for 4 mins, NR
• Open and stir in the cinnamon powder and ketchup, taste & savor
• This is the time to garnish with Cilantro and Lemon, I had no Cilantro so I squeezed lemon in my bowl.

Servings

This is about 8 servings of Cholle with 140 calories, 20 grams  carbs, 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein

The brown rice pulao was about 6 servings with 120 calories, 20 grams carbs, 4 grams fiber and 4 grams protein (this is pretty basic but I am happy to share the recipe if there is interest 

My son was begging me for pizza for dinner but he tasted a spoon of the rice and the channa and all his complaining went silent and I felt really happy about putting a healthy meal on the table...over and out!

Going with the flow & the story of a Badam Burfi !

"Because I said so, so it must be..."

Life has an interesting way of teaching us lessons. Human beings don't like change, especially when it is imposed on them without  rhyme or reason - take for example this more than two months quarantine due to the Coronavirus. The more we feel like things are not in our control...the more we resist it and create unnecessary stress for ourselves. Wouldn't it just be easier to go with the flow...

Going with the flow leads to us making our mental health a priority. May is Mental Health Awareness Month and here are a few things that have worked for me :

1. Pause...Breathe...Check in with yourself
2. Take Breaks (sometimes take breaks from the overdose of covid 19 information)
3. Make time to sleep and exercise (I teach a free  BollyX Class on Zoom, I have lost 10 lbs in 3 months and more importantly find a lot of joy in dancing and the community we have built!)
4. Reach Out and Stay Connected (whether with my friends on zoom, a phone call or even a text, we have kept in touch...
5. Seek Help - if things get too overwhelming...understand you are not alone and reach out for support.

So while I was introspecting on "beating my Monday Blues", I also was craving a sweet something BUT I didn't really want to spend too much time in the kitchen...thus was born this easy peasy 10 minutes Badam Burfi recipe.

Badam Burfi

Ingredients

• 1  Cup of Truvia Blend
• 2 Cups of Almond Flour
• 1/3 Cup of Water
• 2 tablespoons Ghee 
• Crushed Cardamom Powder (6-7 pods, discard the skin after crushing)

How to make?

1. Turn the Instant Pot to Saute
2. Add the ghee + Truvia Blend+Crushed Cardamom+Water
3. Mix thoroughly
4. Turn the IP to High Pressure 4 minutes, Quick Release
5. Add the Almond Flour to the syrupy mixture in the IP
6. Now mix it to the consistency of atta/flour and roll into a ball
7. Lay out a silicon sheet, cover it with a parchment paper, lay the flour ball 
8. Now put another parchment paper on top and roll out the dough
9. Cut into diamond shape

Enjoy with your family. Remember to take care of both your mind and body!