Have you tried healthy cooking with Quorn?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of goviral. All opinions are 100% mine.

Every time i think about food i either i order a healthy snack or browse through recipes to cook up a delicious healthy dish for my family and myself. Doesn't necessary have to be for main meals but also for mid meals. Coming across the quorn website was quite interesting and i decided to read through and got to know that, back in the 60's our nutritionists predicted the growth of population in the future would lead to the shortage of food and discovered mycoprotein, an ingredient born of an organism amazingly found occurring naturally in the soil in a field in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

In the 90's mycoprotein was grown on a large scale and thus, the first Quorn product which is a savoury pie was launched out of this discovery. What was predicted, never surfaced and the shortage of food never materialized too. However, benefits of Mycoprotein included good taste, health, convenience and nutritional credentials which have never been more relevant in today's world of growing obesity and chronic health issues. This brand has continued to cover almost 500,000 Quorn meals daily in the UK.

The new Quorn recipe book consists of loads of quick, inspirational and healthy vegetarian recipes to try from. Try it today!

Pineapple magic happens at home!

I was eating a pineapple yesterday and was wondering about the benefits of the bright or sometimes faded yellow fruit we all love to eat. What caught my eye was the fact that pineapple could be a great cure for tuberculosis patients and because i so relate to the illness i must take on the advice and remedies provided. But most of all i wanted to know the health benefits overall, of the pineapple because then i would include pineapple into my family's diet too. Aryan is too fussy when it comes to foods, fruits etc... loves pineapple though, but is a junk lover, well as, Alisha is a unfussy healthy eater. I thought including pineapple or its juice into our routine will be beneficial for our whole family. Concerned for your family's health habits too? try the delicious, juicy pineapple today!

Here are some facts, nutritional values and health benefits of the pineapple:

Remember it is best to have pineapple, fresh, as canned or bottled juice can only interfere with the vitamin content dividing it by 3!

Image(s) romanvirdi.com

Never have cut pineapple like people do in India! it would only make us vulnerable to illness's and diseases.

People or patients with weak/problematic, kidney and liver diseases should completely avoid eating pineapples.

It is rich in vitamin C and manganese, B1, vitamin B6, copper, magnesium, and is also a good dietary fiber fruit.

It has minimal calories which helps in maintaining weight.

Contains a mixture of enzymes called bromelain which is excellent for the digestive system.

When it rains, i'm born again!

I was expecting it would rain heavily today when i would able to enjoy the evening showers in harmony swaying to my music, but, the sun came up and spoiled my plans! hehe.. okay, actually yesterday it rained like cats and dogs for a while and before that there were thunders, as loud as maybe, nothing else i heard. I jumped from my place and ran to close my doors but the storm was tough, seems like i was being pushed and being ill, i could'nt handle the breeze all the more. Sand from the pathway blew blown into the house. God, it was too much to handle, but then luckily it started raining and the storm subsided. I was wondering what would be the state of the people on the roads. I know how it feels to get stuck in stormy rains! anyway, i sat down to enjoy the rains which had already turned to drizzles by then :(... so i was dying for it to rain today!


Along with enthusiasm for the rains, i am also excited for the mangoes which are in season. It's a belief that you should eat mangoes only after the first or second showers so that by then the heat from the mangoes would be alleviated and safe to eat or else, one would get boils and sores. Here in India the varieties are huge. In West Bengal the state when i live we can find the following varieties like West Bengal Bombai, Himsagar, Kishan Bhog, Langra.. lol.. funny names, i know! But you cant beat the juicy mangoes you get in India :)

I'm sorry this was a draft supposed to be posted yesterday, i forgot to! :(... it was cloudy today, lets see if it rains :)

Green french beans on my platter these days

Recently i've been eating a lot of green (french) beans, which i believe is very high in dietary fiber and good for the immune system. I have suddenly began blogging a lot about health after neglecting my own, and landed up being very ill! anyway, my darling fussy kids too have began loving to eat beans, which normally they don't. You know the kids.. the very sight of 'greens' make them want to avoid meals or so, but i was not the one to give up and now they're enjoying beans in yummy carrot, bean and macaroni soup which we've been having daily! I know we're in the summers, yet i think soup is appetizing and beneficial to our bodies in many ways. I've also been cooking chow-mein(fried noodles) at home, which we normally have at restaurants. I guess there is nothing more satisfying than a homemade meal cooked with love and care :)

I didn't know one can fry these green beans... i mean in batter, etc... looking around i found this recipe online which i am going to share with you, and will be trying very soon too. Maybe tomorrow, because i cant already wait to taste the results! must be really crispy and crunchy :)

Buttermilk Fried Green Beans

Ingredients:
1 lb. green beans
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt plus more for sprinkling
1/4 tsp. cayenne (optional but delicious)
Oil for frying

Method:
Trim, rinse, and thoroughly dry the green beans. Put them in a medium bowl and toss with buttermilk to coat.
Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and cayenne in a large bowl or re-sealable plastic bag. Drain green beans and toss them in the flour mixture to coat thoroughly.
Bring about 1/2 inch oil in a wide, heavy pot to 350-375 degrees over high heat. Adjust heat to maintain that temperature range. Test temperature using a thermometer or by dipping the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil bubbles around the handle, it is hot enough to fry the beans.
Shake excess flour mixture off beans as you add enough of them to form a single layer in the oil. Fry until golden to medium brown and beans are tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer with tongs or a slotted spoon to a cooling rack set over paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot. Repeat with remaining beans.

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Buttermilk Fried Green Bean bundles

In the image below, you can take four to five green beans at a time and bundle them together, tie them with green onion(onion leak) strips and add seasoning. Dip the bundles into a batter (ingredient above), and deep fry till golden brown. Relish the crispy, crumchy bean bundles with tomato ketchup!

You cant compare to benefits when this fruit, the mango is concerned

Fruits in bowl

It rained yesterday, and i was loving every moment of it. The rain drops fell on my skin as i put my hand out of my balcony and then i splashed the droplets on my face and felt great about it:-). We haven't had rains since months.. hehe.. yeah because it was winters and it doesn't rain here during that season :-) Ok, and i guess the mango season has already begun. The trees are already budding, and little green mangoes peep out at me. This is when i love having those raw mangoes with salt and chilli power! It creates a stinging sensation to your teeth after eating them yet i love the sourness in my mouth. You just have to close your eyes when your eat them, not passionately but when your teeth stings! haha..

Oh, i love ripe mangoes too! healthy and tasty, huh?, and when not over ripe. But i tell you, some ripened mangoes can be tasteless too :-).. its said the mangoes were first introduced in Asia, and moved on other countries but it still remains the largest producers of mangoes :-)

Benefits of mangoes:
That's right that nothing compares to mangoes when its in season. Raw mango is a valuable source of vitamin C. Mangoes also contain Vitamin A, Vitamin B and Vitamin C, fatty acids, carbohydrates and minerals and rich in anti-oxidants. Though low is calories, they are high in natural sugar. After a session of exercise, take a serving of mango and it will help replenish your body's salts, vitamins and energy.


I've also heard that mangoes is a great cure/ relief for common problems like anemia, bleeding gum's, constipation, cough, fever, nausea, sea sickness and to help with weak digestion. The peel can also be used to exfoliate your dead skin.

Best eaten when cut into cubes, or juiced in a processor. I normally just flip it into the processor, add a little water, some cardamon powder and ice-cubes and gulp it down. It refreshes my entire system in second :-)
Budding mango trees(mango flowers)


In my words i describe it as delicious, aromatic, nutritious and excellent fruit.. Do you crave for mangoes too? :-)

Ramadan has begun- some food tips

We are on the second day of Ramadan, which will go on for the whole of one month. Muslims fast from morning(during sunrise) to evening(during sunset) without a morsel of food, not even a drop of water is allowed to be taken until evening when the fast breaks. Its tough on the first few days but eventually the Muslims get used to the daily pattern of the fast. They spend their days in prayers and dedication to god.

Here are some food tips:
Try to consume more of grains and seeds like barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour, unpolished rice, vegetables like green beans, peas, marrow, spinach. herbs like methie, beetroot leaves(iron-rich), fruit with skin, dried fruit especially dried apricots, figs and prunes, almonds. These are slow digesting and fibre containing foods and will be beneficial during the fast period.

Avoid fried foods, they will only cause you indigestion and heart burn making the fast more difficult for you.

Avoid overeating at sehri and too much tea, as it drains out valuable mineral salts during urination, needed by your body during the day.

Drink plenty of water and juices before and after the fast, the time you aren't in fast.

Take advantage of this month to lose weight, but only with a proper balanced food intake so that you dont remain unhealthy in the process.

Will update this post once i find more tips.

WISH YOU A HAPPY AND PEACEFUL RAMADAM, FRIENDS:)

Fruits and Vegetables- Fresh or Frozen???

Do fresh fruits/vegetables contain more nutrients or is it the frozen ones? That’s what I always tried to figure out and I finally got a satisfactory answer which is both contain nutrients but at different stages, depending on the time consumed by us. Fresh is best when its farm-fresh and it has more nutritional value and tastes better than frozen and canned foods. But it’s not always the case... Many fruits and veggies are picked during their peak of ripeness when has a chance for spoilage during storage and transportation. By the time they reach our platters, we have a very less intake of the nutritive goodness. Now I got you thinking, right? Think suppose we gather our own items, from our own very farm or immediately after harvest and froze them. This process does deplete some nutrients but locks in the rest and can be stored for almost 12 months. Even when certain fruits/ Veggies are not in season, yet we can enjoy the taste and have all the nutrients to ourselves, instead of losing them while they sat on the selves during transportation, in the supermarket or while in our fridge!! Thinking??? What is your preference???