Friday 29 May 2015

Healthy Foods That Can Help You Lose Weight

Eating healthy foods lead to a healthy heart! Fill your plate with fruits and vegetables, pay proper attention to consumption of fibrous food, eating fish and restricting unhealthy fats like saturated and trans fats to get a healthy makeover.

Healthy Foods
Though no single food is known to contribute to weight loss, there are certain foods, combination of which have shown to improve your health. Listed here are some healthy foods which will help you drop a size. So, if you want to lose several pounds, put these powerful foods on your plate.

1. Salmon: Not only is it rich in protein, but also have plenty of healthy fats that are packed with metabolism-boosting omega-3.
2. Cucumbers: These are over 90% water and the finest food for beating bloat. This is a healthy food which works best when you want a snack for least calories.
3. Strawberries: Munching on these berries leads to the consumption of an average of 134 fewer calories in the next meal.
4. Hazelnuts: This healthy food is stuffed with monounsaturated fats that can help lose weight and reduce the puffed out belly. It moreover contains fiber, folate, and potassium.
5. Eggs: Eating eggs in the morning helps in eating less all day long, as these are packed with filling nutrients.

Additionally, the ingredients which should always be stocked in your kitchen include:
Spinach, Balsamic vinegar, Full-fat Greek yogurt, Fresh dill, Whole-grain Ezekiel bread, Dijon mustard, Apple cider vinegar, Mustard seed, Sugar, Feta and Honey.

These ingredients help you create healthy food, perfect for your lunch, dinner or snack time. Are you ready to create mouth watering fat-blasting meals? Check out the recipes below:

Salmon Scramble for Breakfast
Sauté 3 oz sliced raw salmon in about 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Do this until fish is opaque, that is, for about 1 to 2 minutes. Now add two beaten eggs and scramble those. Serve with 1 cup spinach tossed in 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.

Egg and Cucumber Sandwiches for Lunch
Take two hard-boiled eggs and slice them into half. Using a fork mash yolks, 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt, 1/2 tablespoon Dijon and 1 tsp chopped dill, after which spoon into egg-white halves. Now you need to spread 1 slice Ezekiel bread with Dijon. Slice the bread diagonally into 4 pieces and top each with 2 cucumber slices, 1 piece of feta cheese and egg.

Hazelnut-Crusted Salmon with Strawberry-Cucumber Salad for Dinner
Mix 2 tablespoon finely chopped hazelnuts with 1 tablespoon olive oil, with salt and pepper to taste. Coat a 4 oz salmon fillet with the mixture, and bake it in an oven which must have been preheated to 350°F. Do this until fish is flaky, which takes about 8 to 10 minutes. With 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and 1/2 cup sliced cucumbers on plate, put that on plate and sprinkle it with 1 oz crumbled feta cheese and balsamic vinegar as per taste.

Friday 22 May 2015

Experience an Inexplicably Good Taste with Goan Food

Goan chorizaGoan cuisine comprises of regional foods popular across Goa that is situated along India’s west coast along the Arabian Sea. Some of the main ingredients used in Goan food include chicken, lamb, seafood, coconut milk, rice, and local spices flavours of which are intense. Another distinct feature in the food of Goa is the use of kokum, and the meal is considered incomplete without fish.


Since Goa mainly has Hindu and Catholic communities, fish is the staple of both. Even those who pay a visit to Goa apparently are of the opinion that Goan food and drink means fish, curry, rice and feni! And for Goans, fish, curry and rice indeed are the three basic necessities of life. It is all of these that if combined form a heavenly daily meal for the Goans.

It cannot be denied that Goan food has many unerring flavours and tastes to support the comprehensive treasure trove of culinary delicacies of Goa. The specialties of Goa are Bebinca, Ambot Tik, Crab Xec Xec, Fish Curry Rice, Chicken Cafreal, Goan Feni, Sorpotel, Mushroom Xacuti, Mackerel Reacheado, Sanna and Goan Sausages, to list a few.

Traditional Goan cooking involves a lot of time and use of muscles. Grinding happens to be a part of almost every recipe. The dish gets tastier with the time it takes to be prepared. Although some of the Goan food is simple, however, most of it is chilli hot, spicy, and pungent. Also, seafood such as prawns, lobsters, crabs, pomfrets, clams, ladyfish, mussels, and oysters are brought to use in order to prepare a variety of curries, fries, soups as well as pickles.

A Goan values his food, and seafood holds a place of pride in a Goan meal – be it fried fish or exotic blends such as ambot tik, sea food is something that is usually a must on the menu. Not only do they take pleasure in satiating their taste buds, but also take extreme delight in the way they prepare Goan food. Though modern conveniences have completely taken over in urban areas, the conventional ways of cooking in clay pots on firewood still hold a significant place in most rural areas of Goa. The smoky flavour that this style of cooking adds to the food is unimaginable and highly valued by Goans.
The degree of heat in Goan recipes ranges from mild to explosive, and you got to visit Goa so as to relish mouth watering Goan food, drinks, and culture.

Saturday 16 May 2015

Seafood in Goa: Joyride for the Taste Buds

People visit Goa from across the world and most of them get attracted towards its seafood like magnets. The typical Goan food mainly consists of fish and other non-vegetarian items such as prawns. The entire cuisine is a perfect blend of Indian and Portuguese food as Goa was home to the Portuguese people for a long period of time. People who find non-vegetarian food irresistible can definitely consider Goa as their food paradise. The food tastes even better when enjoyed facing the breathtaking beaches of Goa.

Sea Food
Fish, rice and curry form the staple diet of a Goan resident and people literally cannot imagine their meal without them. The Goan fish curry is very popular for its rich taste and aromatic flavors which make it a must have for all the visitors in Goa. Seafood in Goa is a treat for the taste buds and a wide variety of dishes are available to try and relish. Whenever one visits a distinctive Goan restaurant then he will definitely come across sea food dishes on the menu as the menu is literally incomplete without them.

Seafood in Goa is more than just a way to fill the stomach with food. The people here prepare the dishes with love and each and every dish reflects the rich culture of the place. The Goan cuisine has certainly evolved with time and certain modern flavors have made their way to the trademark dishes. However the same old mouthwatering taste can still be experienced and people cannot stop them from falling in love with the Goan cuisine. The sea food that is available in Goa is of a wide variety and it mostly includes fish, prawns, lobsters, pomfrets, crabs, oysters and ladyfish.

Goa is a unique destination and its popularity is spread worldwide. The food of Goa reflects the same uniqueness and a quality that is hard to find in any other cuisine. The sea food that one can enjoy in Goa is certainly hard to imitate as it is rich with flavors that date back to yesteryears. Therefore all the people who plan a vacation to Goa definitely add enjoying Goan food to their list of to-do things.

Saturday 9 May 2015

Chicken Sandwich: Quick to Make and Healthy to Eat

There are definitely many ways to make a delicious chicken sandwich but the classic way is the best one. This sandwich is a whole meal in itself and can be regarded as a complete and healthy lunch. It is easy to prepare and can be prepared in very less time. Overall it is a wonderful dish for the people who cannot compromise on the taste but have less time on their hands. As discussed earlier there are many ways to prepare this sandwich and below is the old-fashioned classic method.

Chicken Sandwich
The main ingredients required to prepare a traditional chicken sandwich include 2 whole wheat bread slices, green olives, tomato and onion slices, lettuce leaves, cheese and last but not the least a fillet of chicken breast. The bread slices need to be toasted a bit so that they do not become soggy too early. The chicken breast needs to be sliced into thin slices and then they must be fried until nicely cooked in olive oil. People who wish skip the fried part can also opt for grilling the chicken slices. The olives must be mixed with the cheese to make a good and delicious dressing for the sandwich.

The last step would be to assemble the sandwich by using all the ingredients and enjoy the final product to heart’s content. A chicken sandwich is popular among people of all ages and everyone enjoys and relishes it. People love having this sandwich because it is healthy and filling in nature. This sandwich can be prepared conveniently at home and can also be enjoyed at restaurants as well. As per observation people usually order this sandwich a lot when compared to other chicken dishes.

Some people consider this sandwich as a fast food but it has to be noted that it is way healthier than fast food. It is a much more recommended option than other oily fast food options. Many new additions can also be made in this sandwich in order to make it even more exciting and mouthwatering. A sandwich made with cooked chicken slices is delicious undoubtedly and everyone from a kid to an adult loves to have it in their life.