A warm belated DIWALI wish to all of my friends!! I hope all of you had a blast with dear and near ones.

Now that most of you might have gained a few pounds (I am no exception), and every one has gorged into gulamjamuns, malpuas and moong daal ka sheera, not to forget, overtly rich paneer delicacies and fried poories and wadas, it is time to go back to normal routine. For some, it is the moment to plan for reducing those extra inches. So, forget about all the yum richness, you have savored and try this simple green khichdi for lunch with less calories and more of health. This khichdi is full of vegetables and protein, made with green split moong daal instead of regular yellow moong daal. Just add the vegetables of your choice and reduce rice and include more of daal. Supplement it with some curd and lots of salads, give your fav aam ka achhar, a miss this time.

Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2 people (on diet )

Ingredients:

• Rice – 1/2 cup
• Green split moong daal – 1/3 cup
• mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, flower, corn, peas) – 1/2 cup
• Spinach/ palak – 1/2 cup
• salt, as per taste
• ghee/ clarified butter – 2 tsp.
• jeera/ cumin seeds – 1 tsp.
• water according to the desired consistency( I prefer at least 3 times the amount of rice+daal)
• tomato – 1 , cut into small cubes.
• haldi/ turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp.

Preparation:

• Clean & wash rice and daal and soak until you do the preparation.
• Clean and wash palak leaves, chop them roughly.
• Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Splutter jeera and add tomatoes and spinach.
• When wilted, add all the vegetables, haldi and salt.
• Sauté for a minute.
• Add the rice-daal and add sufficient water as per your required consistency.
• Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles on a medium flame.
• Serve with salad and curd.
• Relish!!

Notes:

You can definitely give the ghee, a replacement with your regular oil. Add methi instead of spinach for a variation.

I don’t cook the vegetables too much in oil/ghee for khichdi as the whistles will take care of that.