MTR's Diet Delite Spiced Cereals With Vegetables

Sometimes it's tough to eat a well balanced meal when you're too busy working and catching up with life. That's why it's nice to have "Ready To Eat" entrees handy. You just heat them up and enjoy. Which leaves more time for other stuff like RELAXATION. These days it's easy to find these types of meals; they're available everywhere. They're becoming quite popular even in India where now lots of people are turning to Quick and Easy products to make cooking easier and faster. There's also a variety of brands to choose from at our local Indian store: Deep Foods, Tandoor Chef, MTR, Gits, Rasoi Magic and etc. Some are tasty and some are just BLAH!
The last time we went grocery shopping, we picked up some. One of them was MTR's Diet Delite: Spiced Cereals with Vegetables.

Here's why we were drawn to this product:
- Whole wheat and lentils cooked with aromatic spices
- Low on fat, high on fiber and taste
- Made with 100% Natural Ingredients
- Suitable for vegetarians and mildly spicy

Everything stated above was clearly a win-win for us and so we bought it. I was delighted to see some of my favorite Indian dishes made even easier to eat since all you have to do is heat it up. I was excited to try a different kind of Pongal.

This does not look like the picture on box.

All my excitement went down the drain when I emptied the contents into a microwaveable bowl and heated it up. It was just a bowl of mush with some signs of vegetables and spices. It wasn't very aromatic and it surely wasn't tasty. We ended up cooking something to make up for the bad taste in our mouths.

We do not recommend buying this product. It's not worth it.

As the famous proverb goes: There are plenty of other "Ready To Eat" vegetarian meals on the market and we're sure we will find them.

Cool Cucumber Salsa

Didn't think we would see much sun this summer...especially with all the rain in the last couple weeks. However by clockwork, in the third week of June, the sun came up and dried up all the rain. Additionally, in the last week, it scorched us all with temperatures in the high 80s and 90s. It hardly gave us time to adjust to climate and temperature changes. It's important to keep cool and stay refreshed in this weather.
Some of the ways, we stay cool is by enjoying yummy delights like mangoes, spritzers, iced teas, and salads. Summertime also brings a lot of families and friends together for backyard parties. We came up with this new fusion recipe for a salsa that incorporates cucumbers...and not just as a garnish but as the main ingredient. It has a bit of everything; heat, sweet, tang, and surprisingly crisp flavor.

Ingredients:
- 1 long firm Green Cucumber, peeled and chopped
- 2 Green chilies, chopped
- Walnut size ball of Tamarind
- 1½ tbsp of Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp of Dhanjeera powder
- ¼ cup Coriander, chopped
- ½ tsp Salt (adjust to your taste)


Add a little water and soak tamarind until soft (or microwave for 30-40 seconds) and put aside. Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and use chop mode to mix all the ingredients well. Helpful Hint: Do not pulse until it's a smooth paste unless you want to drink the salsa. Pour out the mixture into a presentable dish and enjoy with your favorite chips.