Leafy vegetables are rich in nutrients.
The monsoon is believed to be the ideal season for including lots of greens in your daily diet.
Commonly consumed greens are amaranth, drumstick leaves,
chekkurmanis, pumpkin and colacassia leaves, kozhuppa, thazhuthama, spinach, lettuce and watercress.
Leafy vegetables are low in calories and fat.
Research shows that their daily consumption can help decrease the possible risks of chronic diseases.
As they can be contaminated easily by parasites and bacteria, take care to wash them thoroughly before cooking.
Here are some recipes using any leafy vegetable…
Cheera cutlet
Ingredients
Cheera - 150 gm
Potato - 100 gm
Onion chopped - 150 gm
Green chillies chopped - 2 tbsp
Garlic-ginger chopped - 1 tbsp each
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - half tsp
Egg - 1
Bread crumbs - 100 gm
Salt - to taste
Oil - for frying
Method
Clean and chop cheera. Boil potato, cook well, remove skin and mash well. Heat oil in a frying pan sauté all chopped ingredients till
light brown. Add garam masala and pepper powder. Stir in chopped cheera and sauté for 3-4 minutes and add salt to taste. Remove from heat. Add sautéed cheera to the mashed potato and mix well. Divide the mixture into eight equal parts and shape into an oval cutlet.
Beat egg well, dip each cutlet in the beaten egg and then roll it in the bread crumbs. Deep fry until golden brown and serve hot with sauce.
Drumstick leaves omelette
Ingredients
Drumstick leaves - 75 gm
Onion - 25 gm
Egg - 2
Milk - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 2
Salt and pepper - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Tomato chopped - half cup
Coriander leaves chopped - 2 tbsp
Method
Wash and clean drumstick leaves. Chop onion and green chillies. Beat eggs well with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a tawa, pour little oil, sauté onion and chillies, then add drumstick leaves and stir for another three minutes. Stir in sautéed mixture and add milk to the beaten egg and mix well. Heat tawa, smear oil and prepare 2-3 omelettes. Garnish it with chopped tomato and coriander leaves before serving. Serve hot.
Cheera – Bread Uppuma
Ingredients
Bread slices- 6 (1 day old)
Cheera or any leafy vegetable chopped - 100 gm
Grated carrot - 50 gm
Chopped onion ginger & green chillies - 1 tbsp each
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - half tsp
Salt - to taste
Method
Soak bread slices in water, squeeze and allow it to drain. Heat oil in a tawa, add mustard seed and chopped ingredients. Sauté for five minutes. Add chopped cheera and grated carrot. Stir well. Add salt to taste. Finally add flaked bread and curry leaves, stir well and serve hot.
