Green Smoothie

Ingredients (per person)

2 Bananans sliced
2 dates chopped and de-seeded
A handful of edible greens (of one kind or many) chopped fine.
Two table spoons of shredded coconut  (optional)
Half a glass of water
A Powerful blender and a juicer jar

Method

Add bananas to the juicer jar first.
Dates next.  Then greens. And coconut if you like. At last, half the water.

Blend in pulse mode for 90 seconds. Add remaining water and blend at high speed for another minute or so until it becomes fine and smooth. Serve with a spoon.

Adjust proportion of ingredients to suit your taste.

Note: Avoid drinking smoothie with the same type of green every day.

Cooking Greens - ever so slightly..

Masala option 1
Saute half an onion and one tomatoewith a little salt.
Add some daal water to this mix and boil with coriander powder, rock salt and pepper powder.

Masala option2
Cook 2 table spoons of toor dal with enough water to a paste consistency.
Grind 1 Table spoon of coconut, half tea spoon of cumin seeds and quarter green chili (per person) into a smooth paste.

Preparing Greens  
Wash half of a medium bunch of greens and chop them fine
Bring a tiny layer of water to rolling boil.
Switch off the stove, add the greens, one small whole tomato and cover with lid. The whole tomato is supposed to preserve the minerals in greens.

Mixing
Add masala to the greens and mix well. I use a hand blender to mash them up a little.
When done add seasoning (I use mustard seeds, urad dal, cummins, curry leaves spluttered in very little oil) to the mix.

Serves one person.

Dry Vegetables as Side Dish

Candidate Vegetables:
● Banana Flower
● Banana Stem
● Beans
● Beets
● Bittergourd
● Cabbage
● Carrots
● Cauliflower
● Cluster Beans
● Flat Beans
● Greens
● Potatoes
● Raw Papaya.
● Red Radish
● Red Pumpkin
● Snake Gourd

● Beans + Carrots - more beans, less carrots
● Beets + Cauliflower - in equal measure, cut into small cubes and florets
● Cabbage + Carrots + Fresh Peas - more cabbage, carrots and peas in equal measure

Method:
1. Cut veggies into small cubes or thin shreds or florets. Or grate them if you like.
2. Load them on a steamer and steam for 10-15 minutes. (For small quantities, 7 mins should be enough)
   When cooking cruciferous veggies (like cabbage, cauliflower etc), it is good to add some grated ginger.
3. Heat a Kadai and smear its bottom with a quarter tsp of oil.
4. Add your favourite seasoning. ( I do 1/2 a tsp of mustard and upon its
popping, add 1 tsp of channa dal, 2 tsp of urad dal, 1 red chili, a pinch of
hing, a pinch of turmeric, and lots of curry leaves).
5. Add the vegetables, mix in and immediately switch of the stove.
6. Add salt to taste, preferably sea salt or rock salt.
8. Switch off the flame and after 5 minutes of cooling, add a cup of grated
coconut if you like.

Colourful Rotis

Best to avoid adding salt or ghee or oil while mixing dough.

Beets Roti (1 kg of beets can provide juice for 1.5 kgs of wheat flour)
● Cut or shred one medium sized beetroot into small pieces.
● Extract juice using a blender and filter it.
● Blend dough by adding only this juice to wheat flour.
● The dough should be a little harder than usual to make it easy to roll it out.
● Roll into small rotis and cook both sides without oil or ghee.

Greens Roti
● Take a bunch of greens like Palak and cut them into smaller pieces. (AVOID
mint, coriander and methi since they have a very strong smell/taste.)
● Extract juice by adding a little bit of water.
● The rest of the steps are the same as Beets Roti.

Banana Roti (mainly. for kids since it is a Carb-Carb combination)
● Take one small ripe banana and mash it.
● Blend it with enough wheat dough by kneading it in.
● Roll into small rotis and cook both sides without oil /ghee.

Mixed Vegetable Roti● Prepare very fine shreds of mint, coriander, moringa leaf, carrots, radish,
cabbage.
● Add these vegetables to wheat flour.
● Add a pinch of hing and turmeric.
● Add water, knead dough, roll out and cook both sides without oil/ghee.

Grains and Greens

Red Beaten Rice/Aval/Poha - with Veggies

Take 1 small cup of unpolished red beaten rice per person and run it very quickly through the blender to just break it into medium sized granules. To this, add a cup of grated coconut and finely chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle just enough water or coconut water to soak and mix well. Let it sit for 15 minutes.

Candidate vegetables for adding into the mix:

• Grated Beets
• Grated Carrots
• Sprouts
• Grated radish
• Grated Cucumber
• Anything else you like!

Add one or more of these to the mix.
Add rock salt and roasted cummin-pepper powder to taste.
Set aside for another 10 minutes so the taste blends well and serve.

Red Beatern Rice/Aval/Poha - Sweet

Take about 1 small cup of unpolished red beaten rice per person To this, add a cup of grated coconut, one Table spoon of brown sugar and a pinch of elaichi powder.  Sprinkle just enough water or coconut water to soak. Mix well.  Set aside for 20 minutes so the taste blends well and serve.

Green Juices for the Morning

Serving size per person: Juice + Water = 100 ml
 
1) Gooseberry Juice
Deseed 1 gooseberry. Grind it in a small blender and strain the pulp. Add 75 ml of water.

2) Mint Juice
Wash 5 fresh mint leaves and grind it in a small blender with some coconut water or plain water. Dilute the paste by adding more coconut water or plain water and serve.

3) White Pumpkin Juice
Peel , chop white pumpkin (approx. 125 gms per person or 5 one inch cubes) and grind it in a blender. Strain the pulp and add equal amount of plain water or coconut water.

4) Banana Stem Juice
Chop 2"  of banana stem and grind it in a blender. Strain the pulp, add water.

5) Arugambul / Bermuda grass Juice
Get a fist full of fresh Arugambul. Wash, cut and blend in mixie with coconut water. Strain. Add plain water or coconut water. .

6) Manathakkali / Black Night Shade Juice
Get about 10 big leaves, fresh from the plant. Wash, cut and blend in mixie with plain water or coconut water. Strain, add more water if necessary.

7) Vallarai / Brahmi / Pennywort Juice
Get about 11 leaves. Wash, cut and blend in mixie with coconut water. Strain, add more water if necessary.