The season of IPL has started and it's time to have those much awaited house parties with the spotlight on cricket. But such a gathering ensures unhealthy eating which ultimately does no one any good. But you can make the IPL parties much more fun by being a bit healthier in terms of what you serve as snacks. That's why Priya Kathpal Independent Nutrition Consultant, Mumbai shares with a simple recipe which is not only delicious but also healthy.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Foil for pan.

2 medium sweet potatoes peeled.

2 tbsp rice bran oil.

1 tbsp brown sugar.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

1. Preheat oven at 230 degree C.

2. Cut the sweet-potato lengthwise and chop them into thick and long strips.

3. Spread them on the foil with some space around avoiding the piling now mix them with sugar and oil. Bake for 15 mins, turn them around with a help of tongs and bake for 5-7 mins more, until they are lightly browned.

4. Sprinkle salt and pepper.

5. You can either serve them room temperature or cold.

Reported by the Times  of India

Daliya or phada can be given a miss to give break to monotony in your breakfast. Oats khichdi is equally delectable too. Spring is 'the' time to experiment and it is the season to let the farm fresh ingredients add a hint of lip smacking taste. Ingredients like spring garlic, ginger and spring onion simply add different tastes and texture to a preparations. Similarly, the basic ingredient can also be replaced by other ingredients to add another element of difference to a dish. Making khichdi with oats is one such preparation that does not require much time. Easy to prepare and very sustaining the oats khichdi when cooked with tomatoes, potatoes and farm fresh chives, is a yummy treat to the taste buds.

Ingredients:

Oats: 100 gms

Moong dal: 2 table spoons

Tomatoes: two

Potato: 1

Spring garlic: a couple (as per your liking)

Spring onion: a couple (as per your liking)

Ginger: chopped - little quantity

Curry leaves: few

Red chilli whole: 1 to 2

Salt to taste

Turmeric: a pinch

Ground pepper: a pinch

Mustard and hing for tadka

Method:

In a pan, take two to three tsp of oil or ghee and heat it. Put hing and mustard seeds to the hot oil and as soon the mustard seeds start to crackle add the halved whole red chillies, curry leaves, followed by chopped tomatoes, diced potato, chopped ginger, chopped garlic and spring onion. Mix the ingredients well. Add moong dal, ground pepper and salt. Allow these ingredients to cook in steam for two minutes by covering the lid. Take the lid off and add 50 to 100 ml of water for the entire thing to cook well.

Note: For the moong dal to cook quicker, just soak it for about 15 minutes before cooking, that way you will be able to save on the cooking time.

Once moong dal and potatoes are cooked, add oats. Mix the ingredients well. Add 50 to 100 ml of water. And allow the entire khichdi to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

Serve the piping hot khichdi along with ginger flavoured tea or a hot cuppa of coffee. 

Tip: If you want the khichdi to taste spicier, you can add a pinch of sambar powder or even a pinch of curry masala. Either way, the taste gets enhanced as per one's liking.

Steamed Momos from the east Indian state of Sikkim are delicious and easy on the conscience too! You can fill them with any minced meat of your choice. Momos are usually served with a fiery Sikkimese tomato chutney and a clear soup called Thukpa.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

Salt to taste

Water

1/2 kg pork mince

1 large onion chopped very fine

8-10 cloves of garlic chopped very fine

3 tbsps soy sauce

1 tbsp chilli sauce

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

Salt to taste

3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil

Preparation:

Mix the flour and salt to taste and add a little water at a time to make a stiff dough.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions till translucent. Add the garlic and fry till it begins to turn golden.

Add the meat and brown.

Add the soy and chilli sauces and mix well.

Add the freshly ground pepper, salt to taste and cook till the pork is done.

Divide the dough into equal-sized balls and roll into very thin circles of roughly 4" diameter.

Dab a tiny bit of water on the edges of the circle. Put a tablespoon-full of pork in the centre of each circle. Fold the edges over the pork and pinch and twist to seal or fold the Momo in half (into a semi-circular shape) and pinch the edges shut. Get as creative as you like with shapes, as long as you make sure to seal the edges well.

Place the Momos in a steaming dish and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Serve piping hot with tomato achaar and Thukpa.

Summer time is pickle time. here's a lowdown on the best of khatta, meetha and theekha pickles from across the nation. Try your hand at pickling! Aromatic hot rice mixed with a dash of ghee and a spoon full of avakai — the very imagery is enough to make your mouth water, especially if you are someone born or bred in this part of the world, where no meal is considered complete without a generous helping of suspiciously fiery looking, mouth-watering mango pickle. In fact, pickle-making used to be a national summer pastime of sorts till recently.