The sudden bout of rain is back in action. Just before the winter is knocking on doors and we had forgotten about monsoon and the health problems it brings along, it has been raining cats and dogs all over again. Common colds, flu, and seasonal allergies have become part and parcel of our everyday life one more time.
While we all do our best to keep ourselves safe from sudden attacks of mild to severe bacterial and viral infections, at some point we all get hit by them. This is where a great diet backed by a strong immune system comes into play. Nature has provided us with fantastic herbs loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that go a long way in keeping us safe from these agonizing pathogens-borne illnesses. Eating a nutrient-dense diet replete with green leafy and cruciferous vegetables and keeping hydrated during this time is a sure-shot remedy to these sudden health anomalies. Therefore, we must add all this to our food habits.
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A platter filled with greens or an array of veggies of vibrant hues and colours is bound to be packed with every possible nutrition on earth. While the leafy greens as well as a cruciferous portion of vegetables taste sumptuous whether you eat them raw, boil them, sauté them or add them to a gravy, if they are done into a simple spiced-up decoction or a hot soup, it can work wonders in combating monsoon issues. Every vegetable is rich in vitamins A, B, and C, Vitamins B9, and Vitamin K besides antioxidants, fibre, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium. Dark leafy greens also contain phytonutrients which are plant-based compounds that may help to lower inflammation, treat liver problems, and kidney disease and reduce the risk of developing cancer.
Also Read: 5 Unique Vegetables From The Mediterranean Diet To Uplift Overall Wellbeing – Infographic
To ensure that during this last bit of monsoon, you get a powerful dose of all these nutrients, we bring you the following recipes that are easy to make, do not need any extensive or pro to get them ready, and can be a boon during the rainy season. Great on the taste buds, they can be relished any time of the day.
Vegetable Oat Soup
2 small cups of steel-cut oats
1/2 cup chopped French beans
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup garlic
1-inch ginger
1/4 cup green onions
1/2 cup sweet corn
1 tsp butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Water as desired
Method
Melt butter, ginger and sauté garlic until it becomes aromatic and brown
Add oats and cook for about 5 minutes until they turn nutty
Add all the vegetables and sauté them for about a minute
Add water according to the desired thickness
Cook well until it gets blended
Add the sweet corn and cook for another minute or so
Add salt and pepper to taste
Serve the soup warm
You can add lemon if desired
Nutrition
The soup has oats as its key ingredient which are rich in antioxidants, including avenanthramides, polyphenols, and ferulic acid. It also contains soluble fibre. This helps in reducing the risk of coronary artery disease and other numerous harmful ailments. The soup is also laden with vegetables that pack a whole nutritional punch of vitamins and minerals.
Tomato Coriander Shorba
3 tsp oil
2 bay leaf
1-inch cinnamon
2 cloves
2 pods cardamom
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp gram flour
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 small bowl chopped coriander stem
4 cubed tomatoes
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1/2 coriander powder
1/2 tsp crushed pepper
Salt to taste
3 cups water
Method
In a large vessel heat oil and sauté bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and cumin seeds
Add ginger garlic paste and sauté until the raw aroma disappears
Add gram flour and roast until it turns golden brown
Add coriander stem and tomatoes
Sauté until the tomato softens and add turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, pepper, and salt
Sauté until the spices turn aromatic
Add water and boil for 20 minutes
Mash everything well to extract thick pulp from it and filter anything extra
Add coriander leaves
Tomato shorba is ready
Serve hot
Nutrition
Tomato shorba recipe tastes amazing when prepared with a slightly watery consistency and is loaded with all the essential nutrients. It also contains coriander that can fight viral and bacterial infections. It is also rich in immune-boosting antioxidants that are needed to keep the pesky monsoon-related illnesses at bay.
Source by www.netmeds.com