Vegetarian Lunch - 5-a-day and more at a time

A cool and cooling lunch for the health conscious. This lunch is bursting with vegetables and fruits and tastes. Now who can say that you cant have all your 5- a-day at one go without compromising on taste? This menu contains 8 vegetables and  5 fruits!

Your vegetarian menu for 6 consists of

Cucumber pachdi
(Raw cucumbers in a yoghurt-coconut gravy)
Vegetable pulao
(Vegetables with rice and herbs)
Navratan kurma
(Vegetables, fruits and nuts cooked in a mild onion and tomato based gravy)
Paneer  Jal-Frezi
(Cottage cheese stir fried with vegetables)
Mango lassi
(Fresh ripe mango and yoghurt smoothie)

Cucumber pachdi

1.    1 cucumber grated
2.    ¼ cup low fat yoghurt
¼ cup coconut
1 green chilly
1 garlic clove
Salt to taste
Curry leaves

Grate cucumber.
Grind all ingredients in section 2.
Add to cucumber and garnish with coriander leaves.

Vegetable Pulao

1.    Rice – 3 cups
Boiling water – 6 cups
Salt
Turmeric – ½ teaspoon

2.    Cut mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, peas and corn) – 2 cups
Cut fresh potato-2
Cut cauliflower – ½ cup
Chopped Onion – 2
Mint leaves – 5 stalks
Coriander leaves – 5 stalks
Ginger and garlic paste – 2 teaspoon each
Garam masala – 1 teaspoon
Salt- to taste

3    Garnish
Fried Cashew nuts
Fried Raisins
Mint leaves
Fried onion
Lemon juice

Cook rice with salt and turmeric and keep aside.

Finely slice one onion and deep fry them and keep aside for garnishing.
Fry cashew nuts followed by raisins and keep aside for garnishing

Brown the onions, add ginger and garlic paste followed by garam masala and salt. Add the mint and coriander leaves and vegetables and cook on slow fire with lid closed till done. (For a healthier version, you can mix all ingredients together and steam on a steamer).

In a big serving bowl, mix rice and vegetables with a fork without mashing the rice and vegetables. Sprinkle lemon juice. Garnish with onions, mint, nuts and raisins.

Navratna kuruma

1.    For gravy
Onions – 2
Tomatoes – 3
Oil – 2 table spoons

2.    Mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, corn)- 2 cups
Frozen cauliflower florets- 1/3 cup
Paneer (Cottage cheese)- 1 cup
Cashew nut -20
Raisins – 1 few
Grapes-20
Pineapple-2 rings
Red pepper – ½
Apple – 1/2

3.    Double cream – 2 table spoons
Red Chilly powder – 1 teaspoon
Red food colour
Salt
Turmeric-1/2 tea spoon
Garam masala – 1 teaspoon

Skin tomatoes by blanching in hot water. Brown onions in a teaspoon of hot oil.

Blend the onions and tomatoes to form a smooth paste.

Steam all vegetables together with salt. Make sure that the vegetables are not mashed or change color.

Cut pineapple and apple to small pieces.

Fry cashew nuts and raisins.

Cut paneer into small pieces and shallow fry till golden brown.

In a pan, heat oil and sauté the onion-tomato paste till the colour changes. Add red chilly powder, garam masala, turmeric, food colour and salt. When the sauce boils, add all cooked vegetables as well as paneer, pineapple and apple. Let boil thoroughly. Add cream and switch off the stove. Add cashew nuts, raisins and grapes. Garnish with a few cashew nuts and coriander leaves.

Paneer Jal Frezi

1.    Cooking oil – 3 table spoons
Cumin – ½ tsp

2.    Sliced Onions -2 cups
Juliened fresh carrots- 2 cups
Juliened French beans – 2 cups
Juliened Paneer – 2 cups
Juliened Green chillies- 2
Salt- to taste

Heat cooking oil, pop cumim, sauté ginger and garlic paste. Add all ingredients and stir fry on high heat till the vegetables are done, but crunchy.

Mango Lassi

1.    Fresh yellow mangoes – 2
Fresh yoghurt – 500 grams
Fresh milk – 1 cup
Powdered Cardamom – 2 pods
Sugar – 3 table spoons (optional)

Blend all ingredients except cardamom. Serve to tall glasses. Garnish with powdered cardamom.