The heal'thy way

A stock broker turned home chef, Bengaluru hudugi Gauravi Vinay's tale is an intriguing one. Her passion for healthy cooking began when she had to battle hyperthyroidism and weight gain. Since then, there's no stopping this recipe creator and stay-at-home mom who creates drool-worthy recipes through healthy and fresh ingredients. “I have always believed in alternative healthy methods of cooking, but life post-pregnancy was not kind to me. I had to fight my own demons and started recording my progress on Instagram. I went through a massive lifestyle change. I’ve been vegan for more than a year now. Once you start liking the transformation process and see the results, it only motivates you to do better,” says the 29-year-old food blog contributor.

Throwing light on why she took the healthy turn, this nutrition student shares, “Diabetes runs in the family. Whenever I refused to try or eat a not so pleasant tasting healthy vegetable, my Dad would insist I try it. He told us to treat food like medicine, and that explains the health factor in my recipes. We are always fighting something or treating something when we eat food. So it's important to be in charge of what we eat.”

Ask her what inspires her when she's creating delectable khana and she says, “Fresh produce inspires me and I have been very lucky to experience the best of Bengaluru and Melbourne. And of course, the cultures - nammooru is a melting point of cultures and so is Melbourne.” Her mom’s food is another thing that inspires her when she’s dishing up healthy fare. “She is absolutely brilliant. Her understanding of the nature of ingredients and the way she transforms them into something magical each day is praise-worthy”

Gauravi shares her three scrumptious and innovative recipes with us....

Buckwheat breakfast pizza pancakes

Buckwheat breakfast pizza pancakes

For the pancakes:
1 cup Buckwheat flour
1 cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 th cup mashed banana
1 tbsp cacao powder
1/4 th cup powdered jaggery
1 tsp vanilla extract
virgin coconut oil as needed
1 tbsp choice of nut butter
3 sliced strawberries
2 sliced figs
1/2 a sliced plum
a couple of mint leaves

Method:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and in a separate bowl combine all the wet ingredients.
Bring both dry and wet ingredients together and mix well to make a pancake batter.
Now heat a griddle/dosa pan and spread about 1/2 a cup of batter and spread it wide to make a large pancake. Flip and cook on both sides using coconut oil.
Let it sit on plate, spread the nut butter and top it with fruit and mint. Enjoy!!

Note:
Almond milk can be easily substituted with your preferred milk.
Again the sweetener can be anything healthy coconut sugar perhaps!
Absolutely no rules with the fruit. Go wild!

Brown rice salad

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown rice, cooked to packet instructions and cooled
1/2 an onion, finely diced
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels, steamed
1 small tomato, seeded and diced finely
1/2 a carrot, thinly julienned or spiralized
5-6 picked jalapeños
Handful of salad leaves, spinach preferred
1/2 cup avocado, diced
5-6 strawberries, hulled and halved
2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds or chopped up walnuts
2 tbsp, dried cranberries or chopped up dried figs.

For the dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp coarse grained mustard
1 small clove of garlic, minced salt
l  cracked pepper

Method: Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl to make the dressing. In a large salad bowl tip all the salad ingredients and mix gently. Drizzle the dressing just before serving.
Note : Honey can be used in
place of maple syrup.

Midnight feast
Weekends just got a lot more exciting with a delectable midnight buffet. Try Gosht Dum Biryani, Kashmiri Pulav and Zaffrani Macchi Tikka, or Pav Bhaji, Keema Pav and halwa.
Where: JW Kitchen, JW Marriott Bengaluru
When: Friday and Saturday, 12:30 am to 2:30 am

Cricket & cocktails
Witness a stadium like experience this IPL with summer coolers and finger foods from the Stadium Bites menu. Feast on Leander Pae's Pav, Tendulkar Aila Pav, Baichung Wontons, KKR- Kolkata Kaathi Rolls and Deviled Egg series to name a few.  
Where: Underdoggs Sports Bar and Grill, JP Nagar 2nd phase.
When: All through IPL.

Thai wonders
Raise your glasses to a host of delicious Thai cocktails and mocktails. Stirred, shaken and tossed around, these zesty drinks infuse local Thai flavours. From Tom Yam Siam, Muay Thai Punch, Siam Sunrise and mocktails like the White Elephant and Purple Lotus, there’s a lot to look forward to this summer.
Where: One Night in Bangkok, Indiranagar.