Turmeric Milk

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Turmeric Milk | The Novice Housewife

Spices are what make Indian cooking. Besides giving flavor to Indian dishes, spices carry a lot of antiseptic properties and the reason why they are used in a lot of Ayurvedic medications. While I love adding ajjwain (carom seeds) in the pastry I use for samosa, ajjwain is also perfect for upset stomachs. When mixed with water and boiled, it works as a great remedy for gastritis. Cinnamon is great for cinnamon rolls, but it is also a great anti-oxidant, is anti bacterial, controls blood sugar and has anti-cancer properties.

The award for the most multi-purpose spice though, at least in my dictionary, has to be given to turmeric, or what we Indians call haldi. Besides being a part of most of the Indian dishes we cook, turmeric is also a great healing spice. The anti-inflammatory elements we have always known about for ages, are starting to make rounds with foodies. The spice is trending online right now and is being predicted “super food of the year”.

And rightly so.

Turmeric Milk | The Novice Housewife

Turmeric, which has been used medicinally for over 4,000 years in India, is excellent for arthritis, the skin, digestion, our immune system, and cancer. A recent article by Time of India, mentioned that India’s premier medical institution, AIIMS is now testing alternative therapy that uses turmeric as a treatment for epilepsy.

It’s rich with anti-oxidants, which is why it’s been part of the beauty rituals of Indian women for years now. When I got married, like all other brides-to-be, my skin was rubbed with a mixture of haldi and besan (gram flour). This mixture of haldi and gram flour, results in a clearer, brighter skin and lends the bride-to-be to the perfect glow.  Turmeric is an effective treatment for dark circles too. Mix turmeric with buttermilk and apply on your face. Wash, repeat and be amazed. For acne free glowing skin, use this treatment by Farah D for your face.

And while turmeric is excellent as a topical treatment, its real benefits shine when you consume it. So today as part of Garam Masala Tuesdays, I am sharing a recipe for turmeric milk/ haldi doodh. It’s so easy that I kind of feel like I am cheating by calling it a recipe. You can’t call two steps a recipe- can you? Recipe or not, this turmeric drink is a gold mine of health benefits.

The only strife I have with turmeric is that my ladles, white utensils and cloths turn yellow on contact. Recently though I learnt that putting turmeric stained cloth out in the sun for a few hours will remove the stain. Problem solved.

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Polenta with sautéed vegetables and Review of “Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook

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Polenta with sautéed vegetables | The Novice Housewife

To be very honest, on receiving the American Heart Association Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, I was not very excited about cooking from it. I love and actually look forward to pictures in my cookbooks and this had none except for the cover photo. If you are more of a visual person, like me, then this book will leave you a little disappointed. Having no pictures to get tempted and cook a particular recipe, I did have some difficulty in choosing something to make.

I do appreciate the idea behind the book though but having being spoilt for choice by Food Network’s the Best and the Lightest (which I have reviewed here), I think my expectations were high. I am sure the book has some good recipes and the one I am sharing today- polenta with vegetables, was one that my mom and I enjoyed for our dinner. V unfortunately isn’t a fan of this type of cooking or the cuisine and prefers more spicy (read Indian and the occasional thai and chinese) food, so it was a nay from his side. And that’s why although I like the idea of this book, and did find a few interesting recipes for healthy appetizers and salads, this cookbook will not have much of a place in our kitchen.

Healthy Fats, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook

I had cooked the Tuscan style chicken recipe as well from the book and that recipe is something that I would not be visiting again. To be fair having grown on butter chicken and spicy chicken curries, the tuscan slow cooker fell a little flat. I used the leftovers to make sandwiches, which were good though.

What I did like about this cookbook was the information in the starting few pages and I found their section of healthy hints pretty helpful and informative. Overall though, this cookbook did not speak too much to me.

Polenta with sautéed vegetables | The Novice Housewife

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Tofu Tacos

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Tofu tacos | The Novice Housewife

When I posted the photo of these tofu tacos on my social media accounts, soon I started getting requests for the recipe. And rightly so. These tacos are super easy to make and taste great and are chock full of all the good stuff.

I recently got the Food Network’s The Best and Lightest cookbook to review and have been enjoying my time cooking through it. The recipe for these tofu tacos is from that cookbook. I have had great success in all the recipes I have tried and look forward to trying more from the cookbook. You can read more about my review here. And if healthier meals in 2016 is your goal, you might want to check this book out.

I did want to make a more V-day oriented recipe and post and while these tacos would be great any day, I had originally planned to do a more sweet (read chocolate) oriented post like . These eclairs that I posted on my instagram were my choice but I made a mistake with the choux dough and I did not get the right shape. They tasted great though and V and I have been chowing them down like crazy. Hopefully a few more tries and I will be able to post a recipe soon. Instead I am sharing these tofu tacos recipe today.

And if you are looking for some sweet ideas you can try these recipes:

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