Beetroot Dip

Dips are fun food that can be part of a snack or can be the basis for interesting starters when you have guests. Recently, we had some friends over and had 4 types of dips served with toasted baguette slices, toasted pita slices and nachos. Here are some healthy dips that I definitely hope you will try and enjoy. As usual, these are really easy to make.

I start with the Beetroot Dip.

Ingredients:

1 Medium Beetroot

1 Tablespoon cumin powder

1/4 Teaspoon pepper

3 Tablespoons yoghurt

1/2 Teaspoon lemon juice

Salt to taste.

Method:

1)Boil the beetroot in a pressure cooker and remove the skin and chop into large pieces. Alternately, remove the skin of the beetroot and chop it into pieces. Saute in a pan ( add a little water and close    the pan with a lid) till the beetroot is cooked.

2) Grind the chopped beetroot in a mixer until it is smooth. 

3) Add cumin powder, yoghurt and lemon juice and grind once more

4) Add required amount of salt and pepper to this mixture

5) Serve chilled or at room temperature with toasts or nachos or even crudites.

Optional Additions:

Instead of boiling or cooking the beetroot, you can bake in an over after drizzling some olive oil. This will give a slightly different flavour to the dip.

Add herbs of your choice like chopped parsley/ dill/ basil for different flavours.

Nutrition:

High in

 iron.

Dietary Considerations of the Basic Recipe:

Gluten Free

Nut Free

Wheat Dosa ( Godumai Dosai)

Wheat Dosa or Godumai Dosai is an all time favourite in our house. Its ones of those dishes that can be made in a jiffy and tastes great with any available side dish including just pickle and curd.

Basic Recipe:

Ingredients:

(makes 6 dosas)

1 cups wheat flour ( chapathi flour)

1/4 cup tablespoons Rice flour

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon coriander leaves washed and chopped

1 small green chilly finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

a pinch of hing

oil/ghee for the dosas

Method:

1) Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. 

2) Add water slowly, stirring the contents and making sure that there are no lumps.

3) Add water till the batter is smooth but runny. This batter is very runny and not like the iddly/dosa batter.

4) Take a flat pan/ tava and smear with 1/2 a teaspoon oil.

5) Once the pan is hot, take a ladle full of batter and start pouring it on the pan in a circular manner - starting from the outer side of the pan. This dosa will have holes in it. 

6) Now reduce the flame to medium heat.

7) Add a little oil around the dosa. ( The amount of oil depends on individual taste and health)

8) Once the dosa comes off the tava easily, flip it over and cook till golden brown.

9) Remove and serve hot with chutney, sambhar, pickle and other side dishes.

Optional Additions:

Onions can be added to the batter  for a slightly different flavour.

It is important that the tava is hot when you start pouring the batter.

Very little oil is required if it is made on a non-stick pan.

Dietary Considerations:

Lactose Free

Almost Oil Free