I love fish, especially tilapia. Tilapia is a light, flaky fish that does not taste too…fishy! One 4oz. serving of tilapia is only 145 calories and 3 grams of fat. Like most fish, tilapia also contains a decent amount of calcium, 16 grams per serving and over 20 grams of protein. Enjoy this wonderful recipe which I have called Tamarind Tilapia, a sweet yet spicy combination of flavors, perfect for such a light fish!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound of tilapia fillets
• 1TB. of cumin powder
• 1tsp. of turmeric
• 1tsp. of chili powder
• 1tsp. of salt
• 1tsp. of pepper
• 1 large clove of garlic, grated
• ½ in. piece of ginger, grated
• 2TB. of tamarind chutney
• Canola oil spray

PREPARATION

Combine all ingredients except tilapia in a bowl and mix well, to form a paste. Coat each tilapia fillet with the paste.

Spray a medium sized skillet with the canola oil, put this on medium heat. Cook each fillet for approximately 3 minutes on each side.

Allow to cool and serve with lemon. Enjoy!!

ABOUT KANWAL

My name is Kanwal Ullah. I am a 27 year old IT Professional living in good old Jersey City, NJ. As some of you may know, I have a deep passion for healthy living. Most importantly, healthy living starts with what you put in your body. Therefore, my passion also exists in healthy cooking. When I’m not in the kitchen working on healthy recipes, you can find me at the gym or roaming the streets of NYC for great food finds. Born as the daughter of two wonderful Pakistani parents, I particularly crave the culture and food from my ancestors. However, I do not like the fat and calories that have crossed continents to get to me! My passion has developed into revamping our South Asian Cuisine to make it more heart healthy and figure friendly! Bon Appetit!

It’s amazing, but as soon as the weather gets cooler, the days become shorter and the leaves turn yellow, I begin to feel a mild case of S.A.D - Seasonal Affective Disorder. Though typically I am perfectly able to shake the blues with a warm, fragrant bath or an extra helping of chocolate bonbons, this time around my mental malaise has been more difficult to chase away. If I think of the reasons why, I can surely come up with a million plus: work has been a whole lot of deferred payments at a time when money just isn’t coming in from ANYWHERE; most men I have met aren’t interested in anyone over 25 years of age, brain facultative, these days; my alternate business has seen more holes poked into it than my Italian grandmother’s pasta colander; even my beloved passion of Indian cinema has not borne any fruits and only caused me a whole lot of frustration while trying to defend my views AND most of my friends are in the same exact boat at the moment, hence completely unable to help themselves let alone their needy friend in need. It’s been an uphill battle all summer and now my body and psyche are paying the ultimate price. 

So today I spoke to the one person who holds all the answers for me: Dr. Hero. Part Bollywood hunk, part Grey’s Anatomy cool, part same-age uncle with wisdom to spare, Dr. Hero is the prize I received in payment of many years of shoddy health care and no insurance. I came back from Ethiopia in 1998 with an ‘incurable’ intestinal parasite, went to Dr. Hero as my last human hope and within two days - and six pills later - I was my old self again. Indeed, because Dr. Hero WILL NOT take your Aetna or Blue Cross or whatever card you carry in your wallet for payment but he DOES cure all illnesses, be it mental, physical or spiritual. He is my beloved fountain of youth, spiritual temple, Mount of Olives and Freud-slash-Paulo-Coelho in one. My dear Dr. Hero. He administers wisdom at the speed of light.

So, after the good doctor shared with me the cause of my malaise - he called it the ’shock the rat’ syndrome, I’ll explain in a minute - I found relief in the simple state of acceptance. This graphically named syndrome refers to a lab rat being tied down and shocked multiple times, until his will to live and do are wiped away. In these dire times most of us have been pushed to our limits. Our bosses are impossible, if we are lucky enough to still have a job, our working situations meager at best and when we get together with our friends after work, all they ever do is complain about their own horrible working conditions. As a result, our brain loses the ability to even enjoy those things that previously would always bring us joy. It’s an actual medical condition, called ‘Anhedonia’. Although most often seen hand in hand with depression, Anhedonia can be present in a person after the clinical depression itself has been treated and of course, before the onset of the actual illness. The word simply means ‘inability to experience joy’. OK, so most of us reading - and WRITING - this may not be clinically depressed, but that powerful word did jar me into action.

Some of the best therapy for this kind of mental malaise is to do exactly the opposite of what your mind wants to do. If you wish to curl into a ball under the comforter with the TV on CBS’ Monday night comedy line-up, then get dressed, call some friend and meet up for an early dinner instead. If you want to drink and eat yourself to sleep tonight, go and get a beer with a work buddy instead… In my case, if you want to avoid Bollywood’s mush like the plague these days, buy yourself some tickets to the upcoming SAIFF film festival. And so on, and on, you get the message. All part of the wonderful advice from Dr. Hero himself.

There are some drugs and supplements out there that can help, but I am all for mood-enhancing foods. I think for now I’ll leave St. John’s Wort and 5-HT to those who know what they are and how to use them… I have gone and found a few wonderfoods that have started to help me already and look forward to trying more in the coming days. Here are just a few suggestions from your Ajnabee friend…

leafy greens - They are high in Folic Acid which help in raising one’s mood. Most depressed people have very low levels of Folic Acid.

eggs - the true wonderfood, these little treasures of health contain triptophan, part of Serotonin’s make up.

beans, lentils, chickpeas - indeed, when the mean blues hit you, hit the local hummus joint.

whole grains, whole wheat breads and pasta - complex carbs which take a while to break down in the body and give us a general feeling of satisfaction. Anyone who has an Italian family absolutely understands this one!

OK, so I am off to my lavender bath, which is yet another way to find joy in the smallest of things, and after that will relish digging into the juicy grapefruit I got from my friendly fruitseller on 14th Street - the one who speaks to me in Hindi and actually pretends to understand what I answer him back in the language! Because I have always found Vitamin C and a great smile to be the best mood enhancer of all! Oh, and I might just get myself a Full Spectrum Light Box to stare into through the winter… 

Do share your own tips for making it all a bit less drab with all of us! 

‘How I Met Your Mother’ image courtesy of CBS Television

Once Fall descends on NYC, I typically retire into my own cocoon of spending way more time indoors, taking long baths, eating pumpkin pie and indulging in the pleasure of watching movies. There is nothing more fabulous in my book than a day spent watching the latest blockbuster or most talked about indie hit. Thankfully this coming week one of the most anticipated events of the season, the South Asian International Film Festival — or SAIFF for short - takes over a few venues throughout the Big Apple with an array of Bollywood blockbusters, some Hindi indie flicks and even India’s official entry to the Oscar for 2010. The festival is in perfect synchronicity with our need to go inward with the first chill, but also our desire to warm our hearts with the kind of emotions only Indian cinema can provide. 

Find more info and purchase tickets to ‘Aladin’, ‘Fatso’ and many, many other fabulous hit films at www.saiff.org. 

Check out more full pieces about the festival on EGO Magazine and on the AVS TV blog.

Bitter gourds certainly do stand up to their name, and boy are they bitter! Yes, very much an acquired taste, but all should try this unusual yet familiar South Asian dish at least once. Just one cup of bitter gourds has 24mg of calcium and a whopping 349mg of potassium. Not to mention, they are extremely low in calories, about 20 per cup. So if you love bitter gourds try out the recipe below. If you’ve never had bitter gourds, known as karela, this is a great easy dish to learn. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium bitter gourds, thinly sliced
• 1TB. of canola or olive oil
• 1tsp. of salt
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1TB. of cumin seeds
• 1tsp. of turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp. of chili powder
• 1TB. of garam masala
• 1 small tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cup of water

PREPARATION

In a shallow pan, add the oil and turn the heat up to medium.

Add the onion, cumin seeds and salt. Sauté for five minutes, stirring continuously.

Add the turmeric, chili powder, garam masala and tomato. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.

Add the bitter gourds.  Sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the water. Place a lid on the pan, reduce heat to low and allow to cook for 20 minutes.

Once cooled, enjoy with roti and pickled vegetables!

ABOUT KANWAL

My name is Kanwal Ullah. I am a 27 year old IT Professional living in good old Jersey City, NJ. As some of you may know, I have a deep passion for healthy living. Most importantly, healthy living starts with what you put in your body. Therefore, my passion also exists in healthy cooking. When I’m not in the kitchen working on healthy recipes, you can find me at the gym or roaming the streets of NYC for great food finds. Born as the daughter of two wonderful Pakistani parents, I particularly crave the culture and food from my ancestors. However, I do not like the fat and calories that have crossed continents to get to me! My passion has developed into revamping our South Asian Cuisine to make it more heart healthy and figure friendly! Bon Appetit!

 A couple of weeks ago I developed sweet recipe using chickpea flour. This week I decided to develop a savory recipe using actual chickpeas. Chickpeas, also called Garbanzo beans are such a versatile bean. Puree them with some extra virgin olive oil and tahini, and you’ve got yourself a great hummus. Fry them up and you’ve got yourself a crunchy fiber filled snack. Toss these wonderful meaty beans on a salad, and you now have a hearty meal. Sauté them with some spices, and you will have yourself a flavorful dish which can be enjoyed with rice or roti.  

Some of the benefits of this nutty bean are:

Enjoy this wonderful recipe for Channa Masala. A very easy and delicious recipe to make with your chickpeas!

INGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Add the oil to a hot saucepan. Sautee the onions on medium heat, until translucent. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for another five minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another minute. Add the salt, dry chilies, turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala and sauté for 3-5 minutes.

 
Add the diced tomatoes and chili powder and sauté for another minute. Add the tomato puree and tamarind paste. Stir in the chickpeas. Add enough water to just cover the chickpeas.

Allow this to come to a boil, then reduce he and allow sauce to thicken.

Once sauce has thickened to desired consistency, stir in the cilantro, then take off of heat.

Allow this to slightly cool.  Serve with freshly sliced onions on top.  Eat with warm/toasted whole wheat pita. Enjoy!!

ABOUT KANWAL

My name is Kanwal Ullah. I am a 27 year old IT Professional living in good old Jersey City, NJ. As some of you may know, I have a deep passion for healthy living. Most importantly, healthy living starts with what you put in your body. Therefore, my passion also exists in healthy cooking. When I’m not in the kitchen working on healthy recipes, you can find me at the gym or roaming the streets of NYC for great food finds. Born as the daughter of two wonderful Pakistani parents, I particularly crave the culture and food from my ancestors. However, I do not like the fat and calories that have crossed continents to get to me! My passion has developed into revamping our South Asian Cuisine to make it more heart healthy and figure friendly! Bon Appetit!

Do you often find yourself quoting the wisdom of author Paulo Coelho? If you are anything like me, you constantly use Master Coelho’s phrases to inspire those around you, pick up your friends’ mood when things just aren’t looking pink in their lives and disperse on a regular basis the sound advice of this modern-day Brazilian-born prophet.

Well, these days you are in luck. Now you can remind those around you of his wise words by wearing the new Solidarity T-shirts created especially for Spanish retailer Mango, and officially authorized by Paulo Coelho. In fact, the Master has personally approved this new venture, even though he typically shies from selling or even gifting the rights to any of his work. Just ask poor ol’ Laurence Fishburne about his experience with buying the rights to Coelho global anthem to finding oneself - ‘The Alchemist’. I won’t bore you with the details, but lets just say the film never saw the light of day…

So, for just a very reasonable $29.90 you can sport such favorites as “The Good Fight is the one that we fight in the name of our dreams”, “When you want something, the whole Universe conspires to help you realize your desire” and “Love is the key to understanding all mysteries”… And all on cutely colorful, form-fitting and fabulously fashionable T-shirts. Can’t lose with this one is how I see it… 

Images courtesy of Factory PR

Cooking Indian food does not need to be complicated. In fact, I try to follow three rules:

1. 1 - Keep it simple
2. 2 - Make it fast
3. 3 - Allow the spices to enhance the flavor of the meat or vegetable, and not overpower them (as in adding too much garam masala, for example).

One vegetable that I really love to cook in the fall is okra, by making a bhindi masala dish. Okra, is a wonderful vegetable, packed with nutrients which include fiber, folic acid, vitamin B6 and calcium. Although this may be a different vegetable to cook, do not be afraid to try this recipe out. The spices do not over take the hearty taste of this vegetable.

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound of okra, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1TB. of oil
• 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, grated
• 1/2 inch of ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced into wedges
• 1TB. mustard seeds
• 1TB. of cumin seeds
• 2tsp. of garam masala
• 1tsp. of coriander powder
• Salt & Pepper, to taste

PREPARATION

Heat a sauté pan, on medium heat. Add the oil in the pan. 

Add the onion, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and salt. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until spices become fragrant and the onion softens.

Add the tomatos, garam masala and coriander powder. Saute for another 3 minutes.

Add the okra. If the mixture is too dry, add ½c. of water

Stir until the okra is covered in masala. Sauté for 15-20 minutes, or until okra is cooked.

Enjoy with roti or naan. This recipe serves three people.

ABOUT KANWAL

My name is Kanwal Ullah. I am a 27 year old IT Professional living in good old Jersey City, NJ. As some of you may know, I have a deep passion for healthy living. Most importantly, healthy living starts with what you put in your body. Therefore, my passion also exists in healthy cooking. When I’m not in the kitchen working on healthy recipes, you can find me at the gym or roaming the streets of NYC for great food finds. Born as the daughter of two wonderful Pakistani parents, I particularly crave the culture and food from my ancestors. However, I do not like the fat and calories that have crossed continents to get to me! My passion has developed into revamping our South Asian Cuisine to make it more heart healthy and figure friendly! Bon Appetit!

If you have clicked on this post hoping for an insight on Federico Fellini, or an analysis of his 1957 film, or even a commentary on Italian Neo-Realism, you are out of luck. I am not that kind of writer and anyway, critiques and critics bore me. For me, all cinema is about a feeling. While some films touch our hearts deeper and stronger than others, there are very few films that I find totally useless, particularly ones that deal with human emotions and true-to-life communication, or lack thereof, between the sexes. To those who have made it a point to call me a ‘Promoter’ I say, THANK YOU! I am that, only that and very happy with THAT.

By chance, I happened upon ‘Nights of Cabiria’ on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Lazy after weeks of superhuman work and even harder times. Perhaps its grittiness and Cabiria’s helpless yet undyingly positive attitude drew me in, reminding me of my situation. I know, it’s absurd, I don’t live in Ostia in the late 50s in a cement box, I am not an aging prostitute, don’t look at all like the petite Giuletta Masina - the list of donts and nots goes on and on… But humanly, deep in my heart at this time, I relate.

OK, so I’ll take a moment to preach just now. To all men out there, who are even remotely looking to impress any woman - particularly an Italian ‘verace’ such as yours truly - in their future, you must WATCH ITALIAN MOVIES. Even the bad guys in those films have manners. From Mastroianni to Perier, these men buy flowers, they pick up the tab, they compliment a woman. I cried when Oscar meets Cabiria at the tram stop, with chocolates and a kind word about her appearance. Of course, he doesn’t turn out to be quite her Prince Charming, but at least his demeanor is gentlemanly. He acts like a man. 

These days, guys want to split dinner, hardly give a girl who has spent some time on making herself extra pretty for them a second look - God forbid a compliment should escape their lips, they might be stricken dead! - oh, and when you do pick up the tab, out of the kindness of your heart, they ‘forget’ to thank you for it… It’s not a wonder I am single, I think I recognize too easily that the devil hides in the details. But I digress.

Back to Cabiria. There is a deep connection for me with Fellini’s films. It’s the reason I probably inherently understood Anurag Kashyap’s ‘No Smoking’ immediately the first time around, because it holds for me the same charisma, the same wonderful connection that ‘8 1/2′ holds. I don’t necessarily have to have all my questions answered by a film, I just need my heart and soul to understand its meaning. And if that same film delivers a bit of extra magic in my life, even better. No other film non-Fellini oeuvre does that for me like ‘No Smoking’. 

Perhaps this deep connection stems from being Italian. OK, that’s the easy explanation, but it doesn’t stop there. None of my cousins have watched more than two of Fellini’s films in their lifetime and won’t be able to hold a decent conversation even about those they have seen. I myself admit that as a teenager and through my twenties, I rejected his films like ‘La Strada’ as pathos. But after nearly a decade of Hindi cinema, I get his extravagance, his inventive casting, his obsession with grandiose music, his magical stories so much more. His pathos isn’t so pathetic anyone, but actually the beginning of something positive, that time right before the good enters our lives. In fact, Cabiria’s walk among the musician is a walk we have all taken, at some point or another. It’s that moment after signing the divorce papers, after moving on from a terrible situation, after making a difficult but unavoidable decision. It’s a rebirth, which means shedding all that is holding us back first, quite a scary thought for all of us…

So, what was the point of this essay of mine? Well, I guess what I am trying to say is watch more Italian - and Indian of course - films everyone and learn about life from those who really know how to live it.