Saturday, June 28, 2008
Simple Veggie Soup
OK, friends. I am back again after a long lull. Ask me what I have been doing and I have plenty of stories. I moved into my new job last year, and it took me long time to settle in the new environment. Missing gym and eating lunch out almost everyday gifted me some unwanted extra pounds. So after nearly a year of having excuses not to exercise I woke up one day said to myself “Enough being lazy, get up before it late, start moving.” and then I was juggling between my job and gym. It took me a year to understand that coming back home after work and saying “I feel tired to go to the gym” is purely an excuse to not exercise and pamper my taste buds.
Year 2008 has been really good so far. Lost the extra pounds that I gained last year, I am being quite regular in my exercise and I have made very good changes in my eating habits’. A major change has been including a lot of soups, veggies and fruits. So this year the weight that I have lost has been a pure result of changes in my lifestyle and food habits’. Nothing out of way or extra. It’s been really slow and not as much as expected, but I am happy with it. I have been involved in a lot of group exercises like Hip hop, Zumba, Yoga and step Aerobics. If nothing I just go for an walk. I was just too bored to get on to the treadmill. This has been a very pleasant change and “yoga” is my favorite right now. I have seen changes in my posture and flexibility in just 2 months.
And now that half of the year is over, I am getting back to my blog.
So friends that’s my story in short. I have missed you all so bad, but hey I did visit your blogs once in a while though I dint leave any comments. But I really do want to be a regular blogger, not just sharing my recipes but picking up good stuff from you all, and being in touch with you guys.
Thanks Christie (my colleague) for lending me the “Simple Classics Cookbook”, from which I have had many ideas for simple healthy meals , especially soups.
My recipe for today is a very simple but flavourful soup called “Veggie soup with tomato basil Sauce”
Ingredients:
2 ripe tomatoes (big)
1 cup cut spinach leaves (cut into stripes)
2 tb sp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion diced into cubes of ¼ th inch
1 small baking potato peeled and diced
2 cups mix veggies
(I used Mexican squash, Zucchini, Green beans, Carrots) All cut into same size as onions.
Other options can include baby corn, mushrooms, cauliflower or whatever you like.
½ cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 Tb Sp fresh Italian flat leaf parsley chopped finely.
6 cups chicken stock
1 big Garlic clove
½ cup tomato puree
Salt, pepper
For the Tomato Basil Sauce:
In a blender blend together 1 clove garlic, ½ cup tomato puree, ½ cup basil leaves, 1 t sp salt, 1 tsp pepper powder, 1 tb sp Olive oil. Set Aside.
For soup:
Heat the olive oil till warm. Add onions and sauté till they turn translucent but not limp. (4 min).Do not let them turn brown.
Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, parsley. Let it steam and cook for 4-5 min. Remember to keep the flame low. All veggies should be steamed and firm. Not over cooked or Mushy. Then add the chicken stock, raise the heat to med and bring to simmer. Add the beans and squash and bring the heat to low. Cook till just done (6-8min).
Add spinach and s/w off the gas. The spinach will cook in the heat of the ready soup.
Put the soup in a bowl and top it off with the basil sauce before serving.
This soup is the broth based soup I have ever had. Do not omit the basil sauce as it is this sauce that adds a distinct flavor to the soup. Please use fresh herbs for this recipe. The dried version will not give that flavour. Enjoy !
Friday, December 29, 2006
Happy New yearDear Friends
Wish you all a happy and prosperous new year ahead !
Thanks for remembering me ,dropping by and leaving me sweet messages. I Think I should come up with some good article soon :).
Miss U all
Neelu
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
HellloHello friends
Due to some personal inevitable reasons I am not able to take out time for writing my fav stuff , hence thought of informing you all that I am on a long blog break (which i really realy hate -I miss u all soo much ) else you all would wonder where I absconded !
I will be back as soon as possible- for now I am not sure how long I would be away !
luv
Neelu
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Are fats really bad for health ?When I was reading articles about fats, one of the article has used the analogy of a house to explain how FAT is not always bad ! Yes friends, fats are not always bad and it’s necessary to have good healthy fat diet to keep your body strong just like building a strong house. Now you might think what’s good about fats? The term fat as in the fat stored in our body and that makes us look obese n unattractive has created a general notion among people that Fat is always bad. I am no different, and I too have been on a low fat diet for 3 whole years while in
Fats help our body in absorbing nutrients, nerve transmission, maintaining cell membranes etc. So if we eat a good diet full of nutrients and no fat how will our bodies absorb it? Fat is a essential part of our diet and that is why health conscious people should be savvy about it and understand the related facts.
Fats even though have roughly the same calories in any form have different compositions and it’s this composition that makes it good and bad.
Saturated Fats as we all know are considered bad as they not only raise the bad cholesterol levels in our body but also lower the good cholesterol and give a helping hand to gain weight and increasing heart problems by clogging the arteries. On the other hand Monounsaturated Fats and Polyunsaturated Fats are considered to be good. (I am tempted to write about the atomic structure at this moment but I won’t delve into the atomic structure details – we are not studying chemistry - are we?)
The good fats lower the bad cholesterol, transports essential nutrients throughout our body, cushions and protect our organs, benefit our heart, boost our metabolism (good for weight loss) and strengthen our immune system.
The sources of bad fats are Whole milk, butter, cheese, and ice cream; red meat, chocolate, coconuts, coconut milk, margarines; vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, deep-fried chips; many fast foods, most commercial baked goods like cookies, crackers and pastries.
Good fats can be found in Olives, olive oil (which I Use for cooking everyday meals) , canola oil, peanut oil, cashews, almonds, peanuts, and most other nuts, avocados ,soybean, safflower, and cottonseed oils and fish.
- Cook using healthy fats instead of butter, animal fat (like Ghee) or Margarine.
- Snack on nuts instead of chips n bakery goodies.
- Use fats with ingredients like vegetable oil as the main ingredient.
- Include lean meat and fish frequently in your diet and cook it wisely (Grilling, baking, broiling as opposed to frying).
How much Fat should we consume daily?
Though good fats have numerous benefits, always remember the baseline-
Have it in moderation, Excess of anything will not give you the benefits! According to the food guide pyramid 30% of the total calories that we consume should come from fats and not more than 10% of that should be from saturated fat if you are moderately active.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
BPW Event on meeta blog
For me life would be incomplete without a chocolate because it not only gives instant energy but it is also a great mood enhancer and a delightful treat.Chocolate is made from fermented and roasted seeds of the tropical plant cacao and is available in myriads of variety and used in spectrum of recipes . If chocolate wasn’t there I think 50% of the deserts would not have existed! We have basic varieties in dark ,milk and white but by adding various other fruits and syrups we cannot guess how many varieties are available in the market .
And Flowers…..They bring life to a empty room, a smile to a face ,joy to heart and fill our soul with a fragrance.My favourites are roses and the same are included in the card. Aug 6 is a friendships day and what could be a better gift for a blogger friend than these. Dont you all agree ?
Roses are red voilets and blue ,sugar is sweet and my friends - so are you !!!!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Can anyone see the pictures on my blog ?Hello Friend this is one more frustrating moments on blogspot and its hightime i move to some other domain. Gues what ! I cant c any of my pictures Can you ?
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Cannot Post PicsHello Friends
I cannot upload the pictures of my recipes since last few days. Are you facing the same problem or does anyone know why this is happening ? I will appreciate your help in this matter because I try atleast 4-5 times a day to upload pics and the blogger doesnt seem to do the job!