Broccoli Dosa

Dosa is the last thing that I can prepare at home. None of us like to eat Dosa at any time of the day unless Dosa looks different or somewhat special.

This week, the left out Vegetable in our fridge was Broccoli. I had prepared Broccoli rice bath, Broccoli Masala, Broccoli Paratha and Broccoli Palya/Poriyal. So, this time it had to be Broccoli Dosa. Needless to say, broccoli is one of the world's healthiest foods. It controls diabetes and reduces the risk of cancer. It protects our skin from Sun's UV rays and keep skin healthy. Broccoli also detoxifies our body keeping it healthy.

Broccoli Dosa is exceptionally easy and came out to be very tasty. I made cucumber Saagu to go with it and it was perfect for dinner. All the dishes I make are quite spicy and I tend to use Green chillies a lot. You can exclude it or decrease the quantity as per your taste.

Nutritional Information  (Approx)			(per serving)
Energy	140		Calories
Fat	4		%
Carbohydrates	10		%
Dietary Fiber	8		%
Sodium	12		%
Vitamin A	16		%
Vitamin C	0		%
Calcium	0		%
Iron	4		%
Protein	4		Grams
Sugar	0		Grams

Ingredients
[Makes 8-10 dosas]
Broccoli florets	2 cups
Ginger chopped	3 to 4 pieces
Cumin seeds	1 teaspoon
Green chillies	2 or 3
Wheat flour	2 cups
Semolina/Rava	1/2 cup
Salt	1 teaspoon
Water	2 to 3 cups

Wash Broccoli florets. In a mixer, grind Broccoli florets, ginger, Cumin seeds and Green chillies into a coarse paste.

In a bowl, Mix wheat flour, salt and semolina. Add the ground paste to the dry ingredients. Add water and mix it to make a Dosa batter.

Heat a frying pan and sprinkle few drops of oil. Pour a ladle full of batter on pan and spread it using the bottom of the ladle and give it a round shape. Keep it a little thick since it tastes better that way. Cook for 2 minutes and then flip it. Cook for another minute and remove it from the pan.

Serve hot with chutney.

Orange Sorbet

Sorbet is a healthy low calorie, non fat replacement for Ice cream. Sorbet is usually made of fruit juices or water with fruit pulp making it healthy and colorful.

Summer is almost over. But the first rains usually calls for frozen desserts and Ice cream is the first thing that is usually chosen. Because of it's high fat, high sugar and high calorie content, Ice cream is not a good choice to serve as a dessert frequently. Store bought Ice creams are a "no no" if you are trying to keep the extra weight off. They add artificial flavors, sweeteners and thickening agents to make ice creams look creamy.

Home made ice creams are way better choices but good only when eaten once in a while. A good home made ice cream contains 11% of cholesterol, 35% fat and 25% sugar. Distressing isn't it? You can always look for good alternatives like homemade skim milk ice creams or sorbets.

You can make Sorbets with honey as a sweetener instead of sugar. Some fruit juices can be used without any sweeteners like Apples, oranges and melons.

I had a bottle of Fresh Orange juice (no added sugar) that I bought last weekend at a Farmers' market. I used that to make this Orange Sorbet and it came out as a refreshing dessert and just melted in our mouths. You can use any fruit juices of your choice.

Nutritional Information  (Approx)			(per serving)
Energy	45		Calories
Fat	0		%
Carbohydrates	3		%
Dietary Fiber	0		%
Sodium	0		%
Vitamin A	4		%
Vitamin C	83		%
Calcium	1		%
Iron	1		%
Protein	1		Grams
Sugar	8		Grams

Ingredients
Orange Juice	2 cups

In a plastic bowl, pour the Orange juice. Cover the bowl with the airtight lid or wrap it with a plastic cover and place it in the freezer. Take it out of the freezer after 40-45 minutes.

Blend it in a mixer for a minute and then pour the mixture back into the bowl. Place the bowl in freezer and freeze it for another 40-45 minutes.

Repeat the process 4 times and when the blended juice looks creamy and thick.

Transfer back the creamy sorbet into the bowl, cover it and place in the freezer till you are ready to serve.
Take out the bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes before you scoop out the sorbet to serve.