New Year’s Eve: 5 healthy recipes to enjoy the celebrations

New Year’s Eve is a special occasion every year! As 2023 knocks at the door, it’s time for a festive fare. If you want to eat something delicious, but are concerned about your health, we’re suggesting some dishes for you to start your year off without any guilt. So, find out some healthy recipes for New Year celebrations with your loved ones!

Health Shots got in touch with nutritionist and wellness coach Avni Kaul, who has shared the list of healthy recipes that you can prepare at home for the New Year celebration.

Kaul says, “The holiday season is here. It means weeks of parties and long stays at home. But having said that, don’t let the holiday season disrupt your health. Enjoy some of the healthy recipes for yourself and your family members.”

Here are 5 healthy recipes for New Year celebrations:

1. Tomato and cucumber sandwiches

This recipe is incredibly easy to prepare and will only require a little amount of time.

Ingredients

Around 8-10 slices of whole wheat, brown, or white sandwich bread, one each of a mid-sized tomato and cucumber thinly sliced; freshly crushed black pepper or pepper powder as required, cumin powder as required; butter as required, salted or unsalted.

Procedure

• Rinse the vegetables using fresh water a few times. Peel the cucumber and finely slice the cucumber and tomatoes in thin rounds. Keep them aside.
• Trim the edges of the bread if one likes it that way. Apply butter evenly on the bread and keep aside.
• Place pieces of tomato and cucumber on the bread.
• Sprinkle 2-3 pinches of pepper powder or freshly ground pepper, cumin powder, and salt on the tomato-cucumber slices.
• Cover using another slice of buttered bread.
• Serve tomato cucumber sandwiches.

2. Carrot cake

The ever-nutritious carrot along with some walnuts and cinnamon is a tasty one to eat.

Ingredients

100 grams of carrot
65 grams each of flour and castor sugar
1 egg
65 grams of oil
2 grams each of baking soda and baking powder
2 grams of salt
50 grams of nuts
2 grams of cinnamon

Procedure

• Grate carrots and squeeze out the extra water.
• Take egg, oil, and sugar to blend together.
• Have a large mixing bowl and take all dry ingredients.
• Mix dry ingredients with wet ones.
• Pour the mix into a lined mould and bake at around 180° C for 25 to 30 minutes.

3. Rasam

This soup is made of toor dal and is a great way to start your meal by having some tangy and spicy flavors. It includes tomatoes, peppers along with toor dal.

Ingredients

100 grams each of tomatoes and toor dal
500 ml of water
25 grams of tamarind.

For rasam powder: 10 grams each of peppercorns, cumin seeds, and coriander seeds and 3 grams of red chilies.

For tempering: 30 ml oil, 3 grams mustard seeds, 2 grams curry leaves, 3 to 4 Garlic cloves, some coriander leaves, and salt.

Procedure

• Crush garlic while chopping the tomatoes.
• Soak some tamarind and get the pulp.
• Roast the ingredients for the powder and grind till it becomes fine.
• Boil dal beside tomatoes till the lentils are mashed and set aside.
• Heat oil and have mustard seeds and leave until those crackles.
• Now add the crushed garlic, curry leaves, and coriander leaves.
• Blend both dal and water to get the required rasam consistency.

4. Coconut rice

Coconut rice is a dish prepared by soaking white rice in coconut milk or cooking it with coconut flakes.

Ingredients

1 cup of rice
1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup of water
3 cloves
1 cinnamon
1 onion
1 tomato
4 chilies
Salt to taste

Preparation

• Have some ghee in a pressure cooker.
• Have cloves, cinnamon, cashew nuts, sliced onions, and chopped chilies and fry till the onion turns transparent.
• Then put in tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes.
• Add rice and mix everything properly.
• Then use coconut milk, water, and salt.
• When the water is boiled, close the pressure cooker and cook around for around 15 minutes using a low flame.

5. Jowar sesame bread sticks

This a perfect recipe if you love snacks.

Ingredients

1/4 cup jowar flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon fresh yeast
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon butter

Method

• Mix all the ingredients and knead them into a soft dough using water.
• Cover it using a damp muslin cloth and keep it for nearly 15 minutes.
• Roll out the dough to the normal thickness and cut it into wide strips.
• Grease the baking tray and bake it in a preheated oven at 140°c for 40 minutes or until crisp golden brown.
• Cool and store it in an airtight container.