KALA CHANA & PAALAK KABAB

Looking for the perfect bite-sized guilt free snacks to celebrate your holiday party?Here is one such recipe you will love to try. A very healthy and delicious mini kababs made with kala Chana ( Bengal gram or Black chick peas) plus Spinach and Paneer. Yes yes yes!!! it is a complete blend of protein and fiber and hence guilt free and a great option to serve to even diabetic people as well as weight watchers.

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Commonly known as ‘Kala chana’ (Hindi) in India,  Black chickpeas are a part of the vegetarian diet in India. These are basically legumes belonging to the Fabaceae family. The plants are short in height and are mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions. The seeds are excellent sources of protein.Being low in fat, high in dietary fiber and rich in vitamins and minerals, black chickpeas can indeed be a healthy addition to your diet. Two to three tablespoons of these legumes are equivalent to one portion of the daily recommended five portions of fruits and vegetables. Check out the footnotes for more health benefits of black chick peas.
I  made these Kababs  few days back for my friends who are weight watchers. They really loved them. Black grams are first soaked overnight and then boiled and the drained. They are then pulsed in a food processor along with giner garlic and green chilies. Paneer, Spinach and spices are mixed with this coarse paste and then small patties are made. These patties are then roasted in a non stick pan using minimal oil and Tadaa!!! Your healthy hors devours will be ready to serve.
here is the detailed recipe

Serving Size per person- 4-5 small Kababs

Ingredients

2 cups boiled and drained Kala Chana ( Black Gram)
2 cups packed Spinach leaves
1/4 cup grated low fat paneer ( indian cottage cheese)
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
1-2 green chilli
2 tbsp of besan ( gram flour)
salt to taste
red chili powder- 1/2 tsp
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
4 tsp oil for cooking them.

METHOD
1. Wash and roughly chop the spinach leaves. Boil them in water for 5 minutes and the drain them using strainer. Place the strainer under running water and in this way Spinach will get blanched. it will reduce to near about 1/4 cup. Also don’t throw the water. you can use it in kneading dough, or in soup or in daal too.

2. In a food processor put kala Chana, ginger,garlic,green chili and pulse until combined but still coarse.( you don’t have to make a paste.)

3. Add flour, onions , lime juice all the spices and mix well. Squeeze out the spinach and add as well. Mix everything well. Now roll this mixture into balls. If you feel that the mixture is too sticky add some more flour and grease you hand a little bit.

4. roll dough into lemon sized balls and gently flatten them to make a patty.

5. Place patties on a non stick pan. Brush each patty with little oil , flip them over and brush on other side
6.cook on both sides for 15 minutes, then flip them over and roast for another 15 minutes, until golden crisp on both sides.
7. Serve it to your family and let them enjoy this delightful healthy meal loaded with taste and nutrition.
Enjoy,
Thanks,
Swati.

FOOT NOTES
Treatment of Leucoderma:

Leucoderma is a disease characterized by white spots on the skin. Those having leucoderma can soak a handful of chickpea seeds along with 10 grams triphala churan in 125 ml of water for 24 hours and eat them when sprouts appear. Doing this religiously for a few months can be effective in getting rid of white spots.

Prevention of Diabetes

As already stated, the carbohydrates in legumes such as black chickpeas are digested slowly, thus reducing the blood sugar levels. This contributes to insulin resistance, thereby reducing the risk of getting type-2 diabetes.

Stabilizes Blood Sugar and Low Glycemic Index (GI):

The soluble fiber in black chickpeas controls the absorption and release of blood sugar. Moreover, chickpeas have low glycemic index of 28 to 32 which means that the carbohydrate in them is broken down and digested slowly. This aids in weight loss by controlling appetite. The low GI causes blood sugar to rise moderately and slowly leading to lower blood sugar levels. Consuming ½ a cup of black chickpeas a day is effective in controlling blood sugar in just a week.

Benefits of Spinach

The American Diabetes Association denotes SPinach as a super food for type 1 and type 2 diabetics. Low in calories and high in vitamins, spinach is one of the most nutrient-dense foods in existence. One cup of the leafy green vegetable contains far more than your daily requirements of vitamin K and vitamin A, almost all the manganese and folate your body needs and nearly 40 percent of your magnesium requirement.

It is a good, very good or excellent source of more than 20 different measurable nutrients, including dietary fiber, calcium and protein. And yet, 1 cup has only 40 calories! Spinach is an excellent choice for nutrition without high calories.

For information please refer to these links
http://www.m.webmd.com/default.htm
http://www.livestrong.com
http://www.diabetes.orgI
http://www.idf.org/membership/sea/india/diabetic-association-of-india
http://www.stylecraze.com/articles/benefits-of-black-chickpeas-for-skin-hair-and-health/
https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/2014/07/benefits-of-spinach-for-type-2-diabetes/

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Disclaimer
I am not a nutritionist or dietician. My knowledge and information is based on my research and reading from different resources. Please consult your doctor or dietician before making any changes to your diet.

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