Lunch Ideas - Creating Balanced Vegetarian Meals

@butterflyice this was the only greens that were easily available in plenty in hill station 20 years back, and our cook used to make it frequently..i have always seen it available with greens sellers. there are loads of greens that many of us don't even use on a regular basis or get..

How many of you have eaten wild amaranth/ my granny used to call this sothu kuppai keerai for the tendency of it growing in the wild..



and there is one with mild thorns called the spiny amaranth..both the wild and spiny are equally high in their medicinal value. these are not even found as commonly as they were found earliers even farm areas these days. i have heard that it is cultivated in some places around the world.


both steamed in a mudpot with a few cloves of garlic was all it took by the workers..they would just pluck them while they freshened up themselves at the pump/bore and they will just walk around the well/bore and pluck these. oh the memories..

Pictures courtesy google.

 

@butterflyice

you mean manathakkali/night shade variety has multiple benefits..easy to grow too.

hummingbird leaves or agathikeerai is known in other places, maybe they don't cook it. but i know online stores selling them in bangalore and other states too.

the other day my cousin was talking about chana dal keerai and i had no clue, until she showed..they cook the greens of chanadal.. so each state must be having some special greens that others may or maynot be aware.

like andhrites eat fresh tender tamarind leaves..

yeah not just quinoa and amaranth, they have discovered turmeric and coconut oil..

Scientists have found the best way to cook rice, as per a recent article.
Scientists discover a simple way to cook rice that could halve the calories - ScienceAlert.. our granny's and their grannies did the same. added a drop of sesame oil into the rice while cooking...

 

@parineetha neethu great to have you back. this year the wheeze has been bad all around. a couple of them had pneumonia..next year we will learn to cope better with better strategies. take care and don't stress..but do peep in..

@butterflyice i prefer fresh. with the climate changes and environmental changes i feel it is better to cook just enough for the day rather than carry it forward. no wonder the pattu, pazham pattu was so common. even for the pazhaya saadham they cooked in the evening and poured water and left it out only. today if i leave it in outside the next morning it will be frothy and smelly especially summer.. all changes..
and my granny used to add a tsp of sesame oil into the cooking rice..it was always handpounded, cooked in open stove and strain method..

i don't mind the chutney, or thokkus to be kept inside. sambhar in my place is boiled too much compared to regular household..due to the raw smell issues that my dh has..so that sometimes is kept inside the fridge to be used the next day. otherwise i prefer fresh. i think eating fresh is one of the rules for those who go for infertility treatment in siddha/ayurveda.. we are returning back to olden ways only at a high cost..

our elders definitely were great planners, and i can't appreciate it enough.. even today for rama navami..look at the neivedyam..salad (kosumalli/vada pappu), panagam and neer mor..light and coolant.owing to the summer heat that starts around this time..as the system needs time to adjust...

 

@karanu did you check out @satchitananda's thread in gardening
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/gardening/269651-kitchen-garden-balcony-apartment-possible.html
. she has mentioned some stores..and more than that you can definitely exchange seeds and plants between all of you. @hrastro, @madhuprabha satchi and few more are from bangalore..so i am sure satchi would be interested in your parsley and basil and will be happy giving you some cuttings of perandai..this is so simple..networking. if you are on fb i am told by a gardening friend that there is a group there for blore that exchanges seeds just like they do in chennai.

and i love that pasta..my son is reminding me that i have not made some for quite long..weeks become months and years when it comes to his food..lol.

 

could not post my plate for yesterday, had guests and got busy..


It was panagam, (this was the first time my son guzzled the entire chilled drink without my reminding it was prasadam. i made it with karupatti vellam, lemon, sukku,elaichi..and full marks from the family), neer mor, barley rice, carrot&cucumber kosumalli, rasam and cabbage+sprouted kollu/horsegram sabji with a little turmeric pickle.