Healthy Indian Meal Plan to Lose Weight (Vegan / Vegetarian)

By Joanna 16/10/2017 In
Recipes
Breakfast
Lunch / Dinner
Meal Plans

Hi my lovelies, to all my Indian fans, happy Diwali. So a lot of you have requested for another healthy Indian meal plan. It is unfortunate that Indian food tends to get a bad rep of being unhealthy. What makes a food healthy or unhealthy really comes down to the preparation, cooking methods, ingredients used and portion size. In my previous Indian Meal Plan video, I shared some really simple tips on how to cook and enjoy healthy Indian food without sacrificing the flavours. Do check it out on my channel.

Indian cuisines can be complicated and time consuming to cook. So I’ve recreated some of my favourite dishes to make them healthier, simple and fast. These recipes are vegan friendly, gluten-free and dairy-free. You can enjoy them for breakfast, lunch & dinner.

For breakfast, we have Savory Indian Pancakes. The ingredients you’ll need are:

Breakfast

Indian Pancakes (Makes 6 pancakes)

Ingredients:

  1. 1 cup Rice Flour – 578Cals
  2. 1/3 cup Small Onion, finely chopped – 22Cals
  3. 1/3 cup Carrot, grated – 35Cals
  4. 1 Red Chilli, finely chopped – 18Cals
  5. 3 tbsps. Coriander, finely chopped – 1Cals
  6. Approx 1/3 cup Warm Water
  7. ½ tbsp. Vegetable Oil – 62Cals
  8. A pinch of salt

120Cals per Pancake

Steps:

  1. In a bowl, mix in the rice flour, carrot, onion, chilli and coriander. Combine well.
  2. Then add in the water, little by little to make the dough.
  3. Grease a non-stick pan with oil over medium-low heat.
  4. Pour the batter equally onto the pan to cook the pancakes. This should make about 6 pancakes. Don’t worry if the pancakes do not look perfect.
  5. Cook for about 3 – 4 mins on one side until it’s lightly browned. Flip over and cook until the pancake is done. Serve warm.

Instead of the typical sugar loaded sweet pancakes, this recipe is packed with vegetables! Each pancake has about 120 calories. Have 3 – 4 pancakes for breakfast to fuel your body and give you the energy you need for the day.

For lunch, let’s make Rice Noodle Upma. This recipe is great because you can prep it ahead and bring it out with you to work or school. What you’ll need are:

 

Lunch

Rice Noodle Upma (Serves 2)

Ingredients:

  1. 3 oz Rice Noodles – 309Cals
  2. 1 Small Onion, diced – 7Cals
  3. 1 Red Chilli, finely chopped – 18Cals
  4. 1 sprig Curry Leaves – 1Cals
  5. 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil – 124Cals
  6. 1 tbsp. Channa Dal / Urad Dal – 16Cals
  7. ½ tsp. Cumin – 4Cals
  8. ¼ tsp. Black Mustard Seeds – 12Cals
  9. ¾ cup Mixed Carrot, Corn & Peas – 90Cals
  10. ¼ cup Cashew Nut, halved – 160Cals
  11. A pinch of Salt to season
  12. 2 sprigs Coriander, chopped – 2Cals

370.5Cals per serving

Steps:

  1. Let’s start by prepping the noodles. Soak noodles in boiling water for about 5 minutes or until soft. Drain and set aside. (Soak for 5 minutes)
  2. In a non-stick pan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
  3. Add in the cumin, black mustard seeds and dal. Fry for about 3 – 4 minutes until the dal turns lightly golden.
  4. Then stir in the curry leaves, chilli, onion, cashew nuts and mixed vegetables. Sautee very quickly for another 2 - 3 minutes until cashews are slightly roasted.
  5. Don’t forget to also season with a pinch of salt.
  6. Finally, mix in the noodles and stir until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. At this point, you can go head and taste your dish, add more salt if needed.
  7. Garnish with coriander and serve warm.

This is my take on Rice Noodles Upma, which is more like a stir-fried noodle dish. This recipe is quick, easy and very convenient to be eaten. Each serving has about 370 Calories. Feel free to add a different variety of vegetables. If you want to, you can even mix protein into the recipe such as tempeh, tofu, egg or meat. It is your dish to experiment with.

As for dinner, I’ll be serving Chickpeas Sweet Potato Greens in Coconut Milk. The ingredient you’ll need are:

 

Dinner

Chickpeas Sweet Potato Greens in Coconut Milk (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

  1. 1 medium Onion, diced – 44Cals
  2. 1 Clove Garlic, peeled – 4Cals
  3. 1 Ginger piece, thumb-sized, peeled and sliced – 6Cals
  4. 1 Red Chilli, finely sliced -18Cals
  5. ½ tbsp. Vegetable Oil – 62Cals
  6. ½ tsp. Turmeric Powder – 4Cals
  7. 1 tsp. Ground Cumin – 8Cals
  8. 1 tsp. Garam Masala – 7Cals
  9. 2 cups Pumpkin, peeled and diced – 60Cals
  10. 1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained – 360Cals
  11. 150g Sweet Potato Greens – 53Cals
  12. 1 cup Coconut Milk – 410Cals
  13. 1 cup Vegetable Stock – 31Cals
  14. A pinch of salt

267Cals per serving

Total Calories with Rice: 471

Total Calories with 2 Chapati: 487

Steps:

  1. In a food processor, add in the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli. Blend very quickly until it becomes a paste.
  2. In a large non-stick pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Fry the paste for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and then add in the spices – turmeric, cumin and masala. Continue to fry very quickly for another minute.
  3. Next, add pumpkin and chickpeas. Stir and mix well.
  4. Then add the coconut milk and stock. Bring to a simmer and allow all the ingredients to cook for about 20 - 30 minutes until the pumpkin softens and the sauce thickens. Don’t forget to stir occasionally.
  5. Once the pumpkin has soften, add in the sweet potato greens and cook until wilted. Season with salt. Serve warm.

I love the nutty and earthy flavor of chickpeas, combined with the sweetness of pumpkin, and the creaminess of the coconut milk. This dish is just bursting with flavours. Chickpeas are also a great source of protein for vegetarians.

One serving on its own has about 267 calories. You can serve this with a cup of rice or 1 – 2 chappati.

I hope you love these nutritious and healthy indian recipes. I like to keep it simple, balanced and moderate. Which is your favourite dish. Let me know comments below.

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