Trying to lose weight? Bored of the same old diet? Try these delicious low fat and easy to cook savouries and get back to shape!

1. Stuffed Carrot Shells

Ingredients

• 12 medium carrots

• 4 tablespoons pudina chutney

• 4 teaspoons grated onion

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs

• 1 teaspoon butter

• Salt and chilli powder to taste

Directions

• Combine a bunch of pudina leaves, salt, 1 green chilli, a small piece ginger and a handful of coriander leaves and blend in a mixie to a fine paste.  Add lemon juice.

• Lightly steam carrots till soft (Do not overcook).  Let them cool.

• Cut a thin lengthwise slice out of each carrot. Scoop out carrot, leaving a 1/4-in. shell; set shells aside. 

• Place the remaining scooped out carrot in a large bowl; add onion, nutmeg, salt and chilli powder.  Spoon into carrot shells.

• Place in a greased baking dish. Drizzle with one teaspoon butter and bread crumbs.

• Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until tender. 

• Add pudina chutney before serving.

2. Tomato chaat

• 2  tomatoes

• 2 medium sized potatoes

• Green chutney

• Sweet chutney

• Coriander leaves chopped

• Grated low fat paneer – 4 tablespoons

• Salt to taste

• Chilli powder

• Chaat powder

• Lemon juice

• Boiled corn 

Method:    Boil the potatoes.  Cut tomatoes and potato into half.  Scoop out the centre with a scoop or a round spoon.  Mix boiled corn, sweet and green chutneys, salt and chilli powder , chaat powder in a bowl.  Spoon in this mixture in the tomato and potato cups. Sprinkle grated paneer on top and  bake for 5 to 10 minutes . 

3.     Beetroot snack

• 1/4 cup boiled , peeled and grated beetroot

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta)

• 1/2 tsp chilli powder

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (til)

• turmeric powder (haldi)

• salt to taste

• 1/2 tsp oil

• whole wheat flour (gehun ka atta) for rolling

Method

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a stiff dough using enough water. Keep aside for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Divide the dough into 20 equal portions and roll out each portion into a circle of about 75 mm. (3") diameter.

• Grease a baking tray using oil, place 6 to 8 puris at a time on it and prick all over using a fork.

• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°c (360°f) for 15 to 20 minutes or till the puris are golden brown, turning them once in between.

• Repeat with the remaining dough to make more puris in 2 more batches.

• Cool and store in an air-tight container

4.     Baked Chakli

• Rice flour

• Wheat flour

• Palak

• Jeera seeds

• Oil

• Salt to taste

• Chilli powder

Method

Blend palak in a mixer.  Mix rice, wheat flours, jeera seeds, oil , salt and chilli powder.  Add pureed palak. Mix into a smooth dough by adding water as required.   Use chakli press to make small chaklis.  Place on a greased baking tray. Bake these chaklis in a pre-heated oven at 180°c (360°f) for 30 to 35 minutes, turning all the chaklis once after 15 to 20 minutes. Cool and store in an air-tight container.

5.  Baked stuffed capsicum

Ingredients

For The Risotto Filling

• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice 

• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)

• 3/4 cup skim milk

• 1 tbsp rice bran oil

• 1 tbsp finely chopped pudina

• 1/2 cup grated low fat paneer

• salt to taste

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) powder to taste

Other Ingredients

• 4 red capsicum

• 1 tsp rice bran oil

• salt for sprinkling

• 1/2 cup grated low fat paneer

• 2 tsp dry red chilli flakes (paprika)

Method 

For the  filling

• Heat the oil in a broad non-stick pan, add the garlic and sauté on a medium flame for 30 seconds.

• Add the rice, mix well and sauté on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes.

• Add the milk, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 to 3 minutes, while stirring continuously.

• Add the mint, grated paneer, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring continuously.

• Add salt and pepper powder, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 1 to 2 minutes, while stirring continuously.

• Divide the filling into 8 equal portions and keep aside.

How to proceed

• Cut each capsicum into half vertically, deseed the capsicum halves and grease them lightly using a little oil.

• Sprinkle a little salt on each deseeded capsicum half.

• Stuff each capsicum half with a portion of the filling and place them on a greased baking tray.

• Sprinkle a little grated paneer evenly over each capsicum half.

• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C (360 F) for 8 to 10 minutes.

• Sprinkle dry red chilli flakes over the capsicum halves and serve immediately.