February 2024
Be a Kitchen QUEEN
Learn how to make healthy dips, jam and sauces at home to perk up the flavours in your food and avoid buying off -the-counter products high on processed sugar and preservatives, says Naini Setalvad
Eating healthy is an art. It is a balancing act between nutrition and flavour. If you get this right, then you have won the battle. Many people believe that the more tasteless the food, the healthier it is. Let me bust this myth. Your senses play vital role in the food choices you make. A flavourful dish satisfies your taste buds as well as your mind, preventing cravings and binge eating. So forget munching on drab food and spruce up your daily food.
The easiest way to elevate your food is by adding condiments to it. Dips, and sauces are a fool proof way to make your food delicious without compromising on your health.
Important pointers
To ensure that your dips and sauces are nutri tious, you need to keep a few pointers in mind. Firsly, make sure that there is no processed sugar in the condiment. The dips and sauces need to be made with good quality fat like nuts, seeds and cold pressed oils. Palmolive oil should be avoided at all costs and they should be made with as fresh a produce as possible. If you are picking them off the shelf then ensure they are made without preservatives.
If you have fussy children at home who throw a tantrum at the mere sight of vegetables, then this is for you. Dips are a very convenient way to hide vegetables and should be always
be kept stocked in
your pantry. Serve
them at snack
time and con
your kids into
getting their
vitamins and
minerals. One of my favourites is a beet- r o o t walnut dip. Not only is it packed with nutrients and healthy fats but it’s also a complete hit with the kids. Tomato salsa with cucumber batons is also my go to. Yogurt dips with pumpkin, spinach, bottle gourd are a unique way of having these vegetables.
Another wonderful way of getting in healthy fats is serving up a hummus or babaganoush. I like blending in some roasted bell-peppers or pumpkin in my hummus to add more fibre and colour to it. Red peppers and pumpkin are both
high in anti-oxidant beta-carotene which is effec tively absorbed in the presence of a good quality fat.
Sauces and jams
Sauces can really make a meal fun. A few which I like to keep in my refrigerator include a whole grain mustard, chilli-garlic sauce and soy sauce. I like to keep balsamic vinegar and tahini handy to toss into my salads. But I must admit, one sauce that I believe is a life saver is my Mom’s ‘All Pur pose Sauce’. Made with tomatoes, onion and gar lic; it can be used as a dip, a pizza sauce, a sand
wich spread or a gravy to cook vegetables in. It truly is remarkable.
I am often asked by ardent breakfast-lovers if they can include jams in their diet. I tell them, “Jams made with processed sugar are a complete no-no.” But this doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a healthier alternative once-in-a-while. Make your jams with honey, jaggery or stevia instead of sugar. You can also use dates, prunes and figs as sweeteners that will give a jam like consistency without any cooking needed. Try to make your jams from seasonal fruits as they are likely to have the least amount of chemical fertilizers.
It’s time to re-stock your kitchen with these de licious dips, sauces and jams. Confused where to begin with? Start-off with these recipes shared below.
Food 41
Prune and Fig Jam
Ingredients
• 10 Prunes
• 10 dried figs
• A pinch of cinnamon powder
• A pinch of salt
• Water
Method
1 . Soak the prunes and figs for 6 – 8
hours in water.
2. Drain out the water.
3. Blend the prunes, figs
and add cinnamon powder
and salt.
4. Serve fresh or store in a
cool place.
Beetroot Walnut Dip
Ingredients
• 200 gms beetroot,
boiled
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp garlic paste
• 5 tsp walnuts,
coarsely grounded
• Salt to taste
Method
1. Boil the beet
root and blend it to a
paste.
2. Add lemon, garlic, walnuts and salt. Mix
well
3. Chill and serve with vegetable crudités.
42 LifePositive | FEBRUARY 2024
All Purpose Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste • 1 ½ kilo tomatoes
• 4 tbsp. olive oil / ghee
Method
1. Sautee celery, onion and garlic in oil/ghee for a few minutes till golden brown. 2. Let it cool
3. Sautee tomatoes in oil till soft.
4. Let it cool
5. Mix the two together and blend to a smooth paste
6. Cook the mixture on a flame till it is thick. 7. Add the spices and seasonings and stir well 8. Let the sauce cool down. Serve as a dip or use in a recipe.
Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
• 1 dozen strawberry chopped
• 1 tbsp jaggery
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1. Take strawberries in a pan and cook on a medium heat.
2. Add lemon juice to it and cook till mushy 3. Lower the heat and add jaggery.
4. Once it reaches a sticky consistency, add toasted sesame seeds.
5. Let the jam cool down.
6. Chill and serve.
Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light on healthy food habits. Contact her at healthforyou@nainisetalvad.com
Food 43
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