Thursday, May 24, 2012

Tasty Low Calorie SALAD DRESSINGS

Sometimes due to the heavy dressings we use on salads we actually end up consuming much more calories tha we intend to.
So i have collected a list of classic dressings for your salads which are both low calorie and super yumm!! So here goes....



Mustard dressing
Ingredients: 30 ml balsamic vinegar, 10 ml white wine vinegar, 20 ml honey, 12 gms mustard paste, salt and pepper to taste
Method: In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix with a wire whisk or in a blender. Store in a covered bottle in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.

Orange and pepper vinaigrette
Ingredients: 50 ml  orange juice, 10 gms sugar, 30 ml extra virgin olive oil and black pepper to taste
Method: In a blender, add orange juice, sugar, and pepper. Add olive oil in a thin stream, whisking until emulsified. Adjust the quantity of pepper and sugar to keep the contrasting, sweet, sour and spicy flavours coming through.

Thai chilli lime dressing
Ingredients: 30 ml fish sauce or mushroom soya sauce, 10 ml lime juice, 5 gms garlic (grated), 10 gms onions (chopped), 5 gms coriander (chopped), 5 gms fresh red chilli (finely chopped)
Method: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and store in a jar in a fridge. The dressing tends to get stronger in flavour gradually. Hence, reduce the quantity accordingly.

Low fat yoghurt and mint dressing
Ingredients: 75 gms low fat yogurt, 10 gms mint leaves, salt and pepper to taste
Method: Take low fat yoghurt in a bowl. To it, add washed and shredded mint leaves. Add salt and pepper. Garnish with some torn mint leaves and serve.

Your pantry must-haves for any-time salad dressing
>    Lemon juice
>    White wine vinegar
>    Sea salt
>    Extra virgin olive oil
>    Parsley
>    Garlic
>    Red wine vinegar
>    Fresh herbs
>    Peppercorn
>    Paprika powder
>    Cajun spice

FLAVOURFUL SALADS YOU CAN TRY:

Apple & crab meat salad with dill dressing

Ingredients: 80 gms apple, 50 gms crab meat, 40 gms fennel shavings
For the dressing: 30 ml grape fruit juice, 60 ml orange juice, 5 gms chopped dill, 5 gms dijon mustard, 150 ml extra virgin olive oil   
Method: Dice the red apples. Add to it tinned crab meat and fennel shavings. Mix the juices and the mustard together. Pour in oil and whisk briskly. Mix the dressing with the apple, crab and fennel and serve.

Asparagus salad with honey dressing

Ingredients: 60 gms asparagus, 30 gms cherry tomatoes, 30 gms black grapes and 100 gms mixed greens
For the dressing: 10 gms curry powder, 100 gms yoghurt and 20 gms honey    
Method: Take thick yoghurt and beat well. Add curry powder, honey and seasoning into it. Blanch the asparagus tips. Cut the grapes and de-seed. In a mixing bowl, add the asparagus tips, grapes, cherry tomatoes and mixed greens. Toss the above ingredients with the dressing and serve.

Organic Lettuce with  Soy and Ginger Dressing

Ingredients: 200 gms assorted organic salad greens, 1 avacado, 1 orange, roast turkey shreds, salt and pepper to taste 
For the dressing: 20 ml light soy sauce, 20 gms ginger, 10 gms sugar, 20 gms white sesame seeds and 10 ml orange juice reduction
Method: Pick and clean the organic lettuce leaves, wash and store in the chiller. Make a dressing with soy sauce, finely chopped ginger, sugar, sesame seeds and orange juice reduction (boil orange juice to half the volume to get a thick reduction). Roast the turkey breast or use the trimming left over from the roast turkey. Clean and cut avocado and store in orange juice to avoid it from turning black. Peel and cut oranges into segments. For the assembly, in the salad bowl mix the organic lettuce, pour the dressing and mix well, garnish with avocado and the roast turkey shreds. Serve chilled.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

EAt to Loose WeiGht!!!

We starve, we exercise and we pray to get the perfect body but wat if we can actually EAT to help get and maintain that fab body each of us craves for.
Below is a list of healthy food items that help in a healthy weight loss.

Olive oil :       
                         
Olive oil is considered to be one the healthiest of oils by many nutrionists across the globe. It not just reduces the amount of bad cholesterol and increases the amount of good cholesterol in the blood, but it also keeps you full for longer.

Tomatoes:
                     
 Tomatoes are great for health due to their high vitamin C and antioxidant levels. They are also low in calories. They can be had in almost any form- in soup, salad, in a dal and even raw. Tomatoes not only keep heart diseases and cancer away, but will also make your skin glow. These keep you fuller for longer too.

Lemon: Vitamin C in lemon boosts metabolism, thus keeping you slim. “Fresh lemon juice had with warm water twice a day is considered  a really good weight loss technique.

Green tea: Green tea is a great source of antioxidants.These speed up metabolism and fat burning.A cup or two of green tea a day will also help you lower levels of bad cholesterol.And this is one option i sure vy for..

Walnuts: Widely known as brain food, walnuts are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. This helps in keeping you full and therefore, makes for a good snack.

Yogurt: Yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium that helps you burn fat.It also is a great source of  probiotic bacteria which keeps your digestive system healthy.

Prunes: Low in calories, high in fibre, prunes also have a low glycemic index,so they can be eaten by diabetics too. Known to keep you fuller for longer, this is also a good blood purifier.

Carrots: Carrots are a good source of complex carbs that keep you from getting hungry too quickly. They are also a good source of fibre vitamins A and B complex. These improve your bowel movements too.

Oats: Oats in the form of bars and cookies are another healthy snack. It is high in fibre and will keep you fuller for longer. For that matter, any grain eaten whole is healthier as they help you absorb other nutrients better.

Spinach: Spinach is one of the healthiest vegetables around. It is loaded with fibre, iron and folate. A cupful of spinach has only 35 calories and can be had in almost any form from dals and soups to salads and with pastas too.

Flax seeds: Eaten plain or sprinkled on salads, flax seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. It also keeps your cholesterol levels in check and aids digestion.

Pears: Pears contain pectin fibre that helps in decreasing blood sugar. Pears are considered to help in weight loss as they limit the amount of fat cells by limiting the amount of fat your cells can absorb.
Pectin also causes cells to release excess fat deposits.

Fish: Fish can also be called heart food as they are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids increase insulin sensitivity which increases muscle mass. And muscle mass increases your ability to burn fat .

Broccoli: Broccoli is a great source of vitamins A and C and calcium too. Make soup out of it or add it to whole wheat pasta for a wholesome low-cal meal.

Eggs: Eggs are a healthy source of protein. A medium-sized egg contains only 70 calories. Eggs contain amino acids that aid fat loss. They also helps to stabilise blood sugar levels and maintain lean muscle tissue. Consuming only the white of the egg is advisable as the yellow has a high fat content.


So... Include thesein ur diet,exercise regularly and enjoy a healthy and beautiful body..
Cheers!