Mashbla's Cooking Room

1. Preserve the nutrients and colors in veggies. Cook them quickly by steaming or stir-frying.
2. Use herbs, vinegar, tomatoes, onions and/or fat-free or low-fat sauces or salad dressings for better health, especially if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
3. Use your time and your freezer wisely. When you cook once, make it last longer by preparing enough for several other meals. Freeze it and have a ready-made healthy treat for the next time you are simply too tired to bother.
4. A smoothie can cover a multitude of needs. Throw a banana (you can keep them in the freezer for weeks) into your blender along with frozen berries, kiwi or whatever fruit is around, some orange or other juice, some fat-free or low-fat yogurt and protein powder. You can get 4-5 servings of fruit in one glass of yummy shake. Try getting your loved one to sip on a smoothie. It's easy, cool, refreshing and healthy.
5. Prepared seasonings can have high salt content and increase your risk for high blood pressure. Replace salt with herbs and spices or some of the salt-free seasoning mixes. Use lemon juice, citrus zest or hot chilies to add flavor.
6. Canned, processed and preserved vegetables often have very high sodium content. Look for "low-sodium" veggies or try the frozen varieties. Compare the sodium content on the Nutrition Facts label of similar products (for example, different brands of tomato sauce) and choose the products with less sodium.
7. Prepare muffins and quick breads with less saturated fat and fewer calories. Use three ripe, very well-mashed bananas, instead of 1/2 cup butter, lard, shortening or oil or substitute one cup of applesauce per one cup of these fats.
8. Choose whole grain for part of your ingredients instead of highly refined products. Use whole-wheat flour, oatmeal and whole cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to half of all-purpose flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole-wheat flour.
9. In baking, use plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt or fat-free or low-fat sour cream.
10. Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use fat-free milk or 1% milk instead of whole or reduced-fat (2%) milk. For extra richness, try fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.

Today : Yellow Dhal - Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups dry yellow lentils
* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 1 tomato, finely chopped
* 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
* salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
* chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish


Directions

1. Rinse lentils under running water; drain. Place lentils, 2 1/2 cups water, and turmeric in a medium pot, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place cubed sweet potato in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes (time may vary depending on size of potato pieces). Once tender, mash sweet potato and lentils together; set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the onion until lightly browned. Stir in tomato, jalapenos, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking another 3 to 5 minutes. Place lentils, vegetables, and potatoes in a stockpot over medium heat. Stir in water as needed to attain desired consistency. Serve warm with cilantro or green onions.