Ingredients:

• Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup
• Green cardamoms – 3 nos (powdered)
• Sugar – 1 cup
• All purpose flour (Maida) – 1 tbsp
• Ghee – 2 tsp

Method:

1. In a deep vessel or a pan on a low heat, take freshly grated coconut. Cook it for one minute stirring it continuously.
2. Then add sugar and keep stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
3. When the sugar melts and begins to boil, add 1 tbsp of All purpose flour (Maida).
4. Mix the contents and then add cardamom powder. Keep stirring the mixture until it thickens.
5. Add ghee and mix well.
6. In about 10 to 15 minutes the mixture will thicken to a consistency where the sugar syrup is no longer clearly visible and cannot be separated from the coconut.
7. Now move the contents into a large enough plate and spread the mixture such that the height is around 3/4th of an inch. Make sure when you spread the mixture it does not tear in between. It should all be in one piece.
8. After a few minutes while it is still hot, cut into diamond or square shaped pieces with a sharp knife.
9. Allow it to cool completely at which time each piece would have hardened and you can easily separate out the pieces and store them.

Ingredients for Vegetable Pulao Recipe

• 2 1/2 cup Basmati
• 2 Onions (long slices)
• 2 Big Tomatoes
• 15-20 Beans (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 2-3 Carrots (cut into pieces)
• 1 1/2 cup Cauliflower
• 1 cup Peas
• 1 tbsp Mint leaves (chopped)
• 1 tbsp Coriander leaves
• 1/3 cup Oil
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 inch Cinnamon stick
• 4 Cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp Kasuri methi (dry Fenugreek leaves)
• 3 Marathi Moggu (What’s this)
• 1 Star Anise
• 3 Cardamom
• 1 1/2 cup Coconut milk
  TIP: If you don’t have canned coconut milk you can prepare it yourself. Grate one coconut. In a blender grind the grated coconut with one cup of lukewarm water for a few minutes. Then strain through a fine sieve to get the coconut milk.
• Salt to taste

Grind the following ingredients into a thick paste:

• 20-22 Green Chilies
• 1 hand full of Mint (Pudina) leaves
• 1 hand full of coriander (Cilantro) leaves
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 6 Cloves
• 1/2 tsp Peppercorn
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp Dhania (Coriander) powder
• 1/2 medium sized Onion
• 4 tbsp Ginger Garlic paste 

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 30 min

Serving: 4 people

Vegetable Pulao Recipe Cooking Method

1. First wash and soak the Basmati rice for 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Take a pressure cooker or deep pan. Add oil and when it is hot add Bay leaves, Cinnamon stick, Cloves, Kasuri methi, Marathi Moggu, Star Anise and Cardamom.
3. After a minute or so add onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Then put all the vegetables and 1 tsp salt.  Cook for 6 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and cook them till they are mushy or pulpy.
6. Then put the paste that was prepared earlier and mix well.
7. Cover and cook on simmer till oil separates.
8. Add coconut milk and 2 cups of water required for the rice to be cooked.
9. When the contents come to a boil. Taste the liquid and add salt if required.
10. Now add rice, mint leaves and coriander leaves.
11. Close the lid and cook till you hear 1 whistle (pressure release) if your using a pressure cooker. If you are using a deep pan then cook till most of the water dries up. You will know the rice is done when you press a grain between your thumb and index finger and it squishes completely. And you are done!

Serve piping hot Vegetable Pulao with tomato, onion and cucumber raita.

Peas Rice Recipe Ingredients

• Rice – 2 1/2 cups
• Green chilly – 15 nos (split lengthwise)
• Tomatoes – 2 (medium sized)
• Onion – 2 nos (Big sized chopped length wise)
• Garlic – 8 nos (crushed)
• Ginger – 1 inch (crushed)
• Coriander leaves – 1/2 cup (chopped)
• Mint leaves – 1/2 cup (chopped)
• Peas – 1 cup
• Clove and Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp
• Bay leaf – 1 nos
• Star Anise – 1 nos
• Cardamom – 3 nos
• Marathi Moggu – 2 nos
• Kasuri methi – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 1/3 cup
• Salt to taste

Peas Rice Recipe Cooking Method

1. Wash the rice and soak it in water for 10 minutes.
2. Take a rice cooker and add oil. When oil is heated put all the spices (Bay leaf, Star Anise, Cardamom, Marathi Moggu, Kasuri methi) in.
3. Add crushed ginger and crushed garlic. Sauté for 4 minute.
4. Then add onion,green chilly and sauté for 5 more minutes.
5. Now add coriander and mint leaves, mix well and cook for 2 additional minutes.
6. Then add tomatoes and turmeric. Cook till the tomatoes are mushy.
7. Add peas and mix well. Cook for 4 minutes and add water.
8. Bring it to boil and add salt.
9. Put rice and clove & cinnamon powder.
10. Now close the cooker lid and cook till your hear 1 whistle.

Serve hot with raitha or pudina chutney! Also try out other Rice recipes.

Ingredients for Mutter Paneer Recipe:

• Paneer – 250gms
• Mutter (Peas) – 1 1/4 cup
• Green chilly – 2 no
• Onion – 1 (medium)
• Tomato – 2 (medium)
• Ghee – 2 tbsp
• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Oil – 1 tbsp
• Jeera (cumin) – 1tsp
• Chilly powder – 1tsp
• Poppy seeds (Khas Khas) – 1 tbsp
• Garam Masala powder – 2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Cashew nuts – 5 no
• Kasuri methi (fenugreek leaves) – 1 tsp
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Food color (a pinch)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Cooking Method for Mutter Paneer Recipe:

1. Take oil in a pan. Add onion and fry lightly.
2. Then put green chilly, ginger garlic paste, jeera, poppy seeds, kasuri methi, cashew and fry till you get aroma of poppy seeds.
3. Remove the pan from heat and add 1/2 cup of water and set aside for 30 minutes. Now grind the contents in to a paste.
4. Blanch the tomatoes in hot water, remove the skin and make puree out of it .
5. Cut the paneer into cubes and roast them with little ghee in a pan. When the paneer cubes turn light golden brown remove them from heat and set them aside in little warm water so that they stay soft and tender.
6. In the same pan in which you fried the paneer, add the paste from step 3 and sauté for 3 minutes.
7. Then add tomato puree, mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.
8. Now put chilly powder, turmeric powder, garam masala  powder, food color and butter. Mix the contents well.
9. At this stage add mutter. If you are using fresh mutter from the shell, boil them for a few minutes in water and then add them. If you are using frozen mutter, you can add them without cooking. Cook the contents till the oil begins to separate.
10. Then add 1 cup of water, sugar, salt and bring it to boil.
11. Now add paneer and cook for five more minutes and the recipe is done

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with paratha, naan, chapati, poori and any other kind of indian bread. You can also serve it as a gravy item for jeera rice and ghee rice.

Ingredients for Gajar halwa Recipe:

• Carrot - 1 kg
• Milk - 1 1/2 cup
• Khoya or mawa (Use Ricotta cheese to make Khoya. See below.) - 1/2 cup 
  
• Sugar - 1 1/2 cup (as per taste)
• Ghee - 1/2 cup
• Cardamom - 35 no
• Arrowroot powder – 2 tbsp
• Cashew nut - 1/2 cup
• Raisin - 1/2 cup
• Food color as required

Preparation:

• Grate the carrot and set aside.
• Peel the skin of 25 cardamoms. Take the peeled cardamom with the unpeeled ones in a blender. Add 2 tsp of sugar to the the blender and made powder.
• Cooking Tip: Home made Khoya/Mawa from Ricotta cheese
  In a heavy bottom pan cook the ricotta cheese on medium heat. Stir frequently until all the liquid evaporates. Now you are left with crumbled Khoya or Mawa which you can use for this recipe.

Cooking Method for Gajar halwa Recipe

1. Take a non stick pan or kadai. Put grated carrot and fry for around 8 minutes on low heat.
2. Then add milk and cook on medium heat till it is fully absorbed while stirring frequently.
3. Add khoya (Ricotta cheese) and cook till the khoya blends fully into the carrot. This usually takes about 15 minutes.
4. Now add sugar and mix well until the sugar melts.
5. Add ghee and mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Add the arrowroot powder and mix well. As you mix you will observe that the contents are now become a little sticky which is when you know the recipe is almost ready.
7. Meanwhile in another pan fry the cashew nuts and raisin for a couple of minutes in a little ghee and add it to the carrot mixture.
8. At this stage add the cardamom & sugar powder and mix well.

Ingredients for Chicken 65 Recipe:

• Boneless chicken – 1/2 kg
• Egg – 1 no
• Ginger-Garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Red chilly powder  – 1 tsp
• Red food color – 2 pinch
• Corn flour – 2 tbsp
• Green chilly – 8 no (split)
• Curry leaves – 10 no
• Ginger finely chopped –1 tbsp
• Curd/Yogurt – 1 1/2 cup
• Ajinomoto – 1 pinch
• Black Pepper powder – 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Oil for deep frying
• Salt to taste
  

Cooking Method for Chicken 65 Recipe:

1. Take a bowl. Add ginger garlic paste, food color, salt, chilly powder, corn-flour, egg, chicken and mix well. Set aside this marinate for half an hour.
2. Take a heavy bottom deep frying pan with sufficient oil.
3. When oil is hot, fry the chicken pieces in batches and set aside.
4. Take another nonstick pan. Put 2 tbsp oil, add finely chopped ginger and fry for 2 min.
5. Put green chilies and sauté for another 2 minutes. Then put curry leaves and fry till curry leaves turn crispy.
6. Add yogurt and cook for a couple of more minutes. When the curd starts to bubble, add salt, ajinomoto , food color and then add the fried chicken. Now increase the heat and mix well.
7. Once you see that the chicken has absorbed 3/4th of the curd, add pepper and mix well.
8. Continue tossing the chicken slowly without breaking them into smaller pieces. I would recommend using a wooden spatula. Toss the chicken until all the curd is absorbed and you are left with almost dry chicken pieces.
9. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

As for the health benefits of Palak, we all know that it is considered a rich source of iron and calcium. In fact researchers have identified at least 13 different flavonoid compounds in spinach that function as antioxidants and as anti-cancer agents especially against Prostate and Ovarian cancers. There are many more health benefits of spinach but that's for another time. For now lets get started with the recipe.

Palak Paneer Recipe Ingredients:

• Palak (spinach) – 2 big bunches
• Paneer – 250gms
• Onion – 2 nos (medium sized; 1 whole used for puree and the other finely chopped)
• Tomatoes – 2 nos
• Coriander leaves – 1 handful
• Ginger garlic paste – 1tsp
• Green chilli – 3 nos
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Ghee (clarified butter) – 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds (jeera) –1tsp
• Garam masala (cinnamon and clove powder) – 1/2 tsp
• Bay leaf – 1 no
• Cardamom – 1 no
• Fresh cream (Doodh malai) – 2 tbsp
• Sugar – 1 tsp
• Kasuri methi (Fenugreek) leaves – 1 tsp
• Dhaniya powder (coriander powder) –1 tsp
• Chilly powder – 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Cooking Method for Palak Paneer recipe:

1. Blanch Tomato: Take a  vessel, add a liter of water bring it to boil. Put tomato and cook for 8 minutes. Take out the tomato and allow it to cool. Then remove the skin and grind it to a paste and set aside.
2. Blanch Spinach: In the same water, cook palak and coriander leaves. Add a pinch of salt so that the color of Spinach remains intact. Let it cook for 3 minutes. Remove the palak and coriander into a separate container. Set the water aside for later use.
3. Make a puree of the cooked spinach with coriander leaves in a blender.
4. Also make a puree of one medium sized onion with 3 green chillies.
5. Take another vessel or kadai on medium heat. Add oil and then when it is hot add paneer cubes. Fry for 4 minutes. Take the paneer cubes out of the vessel and soak in warm water. This ensures that the paneer stays soft and tender.
6. In the same vessel or kadai in which you fried paneer with the same oil, add jeera seeds. When it starts to crackle add one finely chopped onion. Sauté till golden brown.
7. Add onion and chilly paste and fry for 4 minutes on medium heat.
8. Then add chilly powder and coriander powder. Mix well for a minute. Add tomato puree and cook for 5 more minutes on low heat.
9. Then add palak and coriander paste and cook for 6 additional minutes.
10. Add fried paneer, salt to taste and add little water that was used for cooking the palak. Cook for 10 minutes until gravy like consistency. Add more water if needed.
11. Now add cream, kasuri methi leaves, garam masala and ghee. Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.

Serve hot with rotis, naan or rice.

Prawn Curry Recipe Ingredients:

• Prawns (Shrimp) – 1 lb or 1/2 kg (cleaned and deveined)
• Onion (Medium sized) – 2 nos
• Coriander leaves – 3 tbsp (finely chopped)
• Curry leaves – 20 nos
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Home made Sambar powder – 1 1/2 tbsp
• Dhania or Coriander powder – 1 tbsp
• Pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
• Oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Water – 1 cup

Prawn Curry Recipe Cooking Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai or pan. Add mustard seeds.
2. When it starts to crackle, add onion and curry leaves.
3. Fry the onion till it is translucent then put the prawns or shrimp and let it cook for 10 minutes on low heat.
4. Then add coriander leaves and stir the mixture for 2 minutes.
5. Meanwhile take a separate bowl with 1 cup water. Add sambar powder, dhania or coriander  powder, pepper powder, turmeric powder and mix well.
6. Then pour this water and spice mixture in to the pan containing the prawns and add salt.
7. Cook the shrimp for a few minutes until you get the gravy consistency and you are done.

Serve hot with Jeera rice, Ghee rice or plain rice.

Fish:

They contain Omega-3 Fatty acids which are known to stabilize heart rhythms, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and reduce inflammation in the arteries. One recent study claimed that there is 17 percent less risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by consuming just half a serving weekly.

Olives and Olive oil:

They contain mono-saturated fat which is good for the heart while other types of oils contain saturated fat. Also antioxidants called Polyphenols contained in Olives help reduce inflammation in the blood vessels, improving cholesterol.

Tomatoes:

The lycopene in tomatoes, a powerful antioxidant in the cartenoid family, protects against heart disease by preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Cooking tip: Because cooking releases lycopene from tomatoes, you'll reap greater reward from sauce, rather than raw tomatoes.

Apples:

The antioxidants in apples and apple juice delay the breakdown of LDL cholesterol by about 20 percent. Also Apple's antioxidants mimic statins, stimulating the liver to remove harmful LDL cholesterol from the blood.

Go Nuts!:

Nuts sure have a lot of fat, but  its the good mono-saturated & polyunsaturated varieties which help to lower cholesterol while protecting your heart. This is possible because nuts offer fiber, protein, vitamin E, magnesium, b vitamins, and potassium