Winter is that time of the year when all we want is to curl up with something warm and comforting. And let’s be real – nothing beats a big, hearty bowl of soup on a chilly night. It’s easy to whip up, packed with flavour, and gives you all the cosy vibes. If soups are your thing, you’ve probably tried every recipe out there. Tomato, mushroom, mulligatawny, laksa – you name it. But have you ever given kala chana soup a shot? We know, it might sound like a weird combo but hear us out. Once you try it, you’ll be wondering why you’ve been sleeping on it all this while. It’s hearty, wholesome, and might just become your ultimate winter go-to. Curious about how to make it? Keep scrolling! Also Read: 5 Foolproof Tips To Whip Up The Creamiest Mushroom Soup Ever
Photo Credit: iStock
Why Should Kala Chana Be On Your Plate?
Kala chana (aka black chickpeas) is a powerhouse of nutrients, and there are a ton of reasons to make it a regular part of your diet. Here’s why it deserves a spot in your kitchen:
1. Packed With Fibre
Kala chana is loaded with fibre, which can work wonders for your gut. It helps keep digestion smooth and can prevent bloating, gas, and other tummy troubles.
2. High In Protein
It’s also an amazing protein source. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 100 grams of kala chana gives you a solid 20 grams of protein.
3. Supports Blood Sugar Levels
The high fibre content also helps in managing blood sugar. It keeps your sugar levels from spiking suddenly, making it a great addition for diabetics. But hey, always consult your nutritionist before switching up your diet.
Is Kala Chana Soup Weight-Loss Friendly?
Short answer: absolutely. Kala chana soup is basically a dream for anyone trying to lose weight. The fibre and protein combo keeps you full for longer, so you’re not reaching for those midnight snacks or binging on unhealthy junk. Add this soup to your weight-loss meal plan, and it could totally change the game for you.
The Recipe: How To Make Kala Chana Soup
The recipe for this comforting soup comes from Instagram creator @super_moms_recipes, and it’s super simple to follow.
Start by heating oil in a pan, then toss in some minced garlic and butter. Saute till fragrant.
Add chopped onions, carrots, cauliflower, beans, and capsicum. Give it a good mix.
Separately, roast black peppercorns and jeera, then crush them with a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle this fresh masala into the veggie mix.
Pour in the kala chana water (the liquid you get after boiling the chickpeas) along with the boiled kala chana. Let it simmer for a few minutes.
Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and add paneer cubes. Let it cook for a couple more minutes.
To serve, place boiled kala chana in a bowl, drizzle some lemon juice over it, and pour the steaming hot soup on top. Done!
Watch the full video recipe here:
Also Read: This Simple Amla Soup Recipe Is All You Need To Fight Winter Flus And Boost Your Health
Will you give this unique soup a try? Let us know in the comments below!
Chia seeds have gained massive popularity over the years due to their impressive nutritional profile. They are tiny but mighty, packed with protein, fibre, and essential nutrients. While many people enjoy chia seeds in smoothies or puddings, there’s a more creative way to incorporate these superfoods into your meals-by turning them into a guilt-free wrap. This unique chia seed wrap recipe combines the power of chia with the versatility of a wrap, offering a nutritious and tasty alternative to traditional bread or tortillas. The recipe was posted on the Instagram handle ‘_sunchef’ and went viral with more than a million views. Let’s see how you can make your own chia seed wrap and why it’s an excellent addition to your diet.
How To Make Chia Seeds Wrap I Chia Seeds Wrap Recipe
To make the chia seed wrap, start by mixing chia seeds, a pinch of salt, and water in a glass. Stir well to ensure everything is combined, and then let the mixture sit in the fridge for a couple of hours (up to 24 hours) until it reaches a gel-like consistency. This gel forms because chia seeds absorb water, creating a thick texture that can easily be spread out into a wrap.
Once the chia mixture is ready, heat a pan with a little olive oil. Pour the chia gel into the pan and use a spatula to spread it evenly into a thin layer. Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes, allowing the water to evaporate and the wrap to set. Once it starts to firm up, flip the wrap over and cook the other side for a couple of minutes until both sides are lightly golden.
Now, the fun part: adding your toppings! You can choose anything you like sliced turkey, fresh mozzarella or some microgreens for a light, refreshing crunch. The wrap is not only customizable but also a perfect way to enjoy a low-carb, high-protein, and high-fibre meal.
Watch the complete recipe video of chia seed wrap here:
The Benefits of Chia Seeds Chia seeds are a nutritional powerhouse that can significantly boost your overall health. Here are some of the top benefits of incorporating chia seeds into your diet:
High in Protein: Chia seeds are an excellent plant-based source of protein. With approximately 4 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons, they provide a significant protein boost for vegetarians and vegans, helping to support muscle growth and repair.
Rich in Fiber: Chia seeds are packed with fibre, which supports digestion and helps regulate blood sugar levels. A high-fibre diet also aids in maintaining a healthy weight by keeping you full for longer, making chia seed wraps an ideal choice for a filling yet light meal.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Chia seeds are an abundant source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for heart health. These healthy fats help reduce inflammation, lower cholesterol, and promote overall cardiovascular health.
Packed with Micronutrients: Chia seeds are loaded with important vitamins and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and iron. These micronutrients support bone health, muscle function, and overall well-being.
Supports Hydration: Chia seeds have the unique ability to absorb up to 10 times their weight in water. This makes them great for promoting hydration, especially when mixed with water to form a gel. Consuming chia seeds can help keep your body hydrated and improve skin health.
Gluten-Free: Chia seeds are naturally gluten-free, making them a great option for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. They can easily replace traditional wheat-based wraps, providing a healthier, gluten-free alternative.
Why Choose Chia Seed Wraps? The chia seed wrap is an ideal option for anyone looking to make healthier food choices without compromising on taste or texture. High in protein and fibre, this wrap offers a filling and nutritious alternative to traditional wraps or tortillas. Whether you’re enjoying it for lunch, dinner, or as a snack, the chia seed wrap can be tailored to suit your taste with a variety of toppings, making it a versatile option for any meal.
So, next time you’re looking for a unique and healthy way to consume chia seeds, try making a chia seed wrap! It’s a simple, delicious, and nutritious way to enjoy this superfood in a new form.
Right on cue, just as his mum is explaining how the unexpected sight of him instantly made everything bearable when confronted by more Olympic heartache, Tommy pipes up on the baby monitor; the squawks of a premature wake from the morning nap.
“Sorry, I’ll have to stick a dummy in and see if he goes back to sleep,” says Amber Rutter, stepping over Mila the cat – luxuriating on the living room rug – and skipping upstairs to tend to her six‑month‑old son.
She returns a minute later: “Sometimes he can settle himself or sometimes he decides he’s just awake. We’ll see which this one is.”
The silence is fleeting before contented gurgles replace the hush, Rutter casting irregular glances at the screen to check Tommy is OK. Like all new parents, sleep is paramount in her thoughts. The memory of the dreaded four-month sleep regression has not faded, although she recognises her good fortune: Tommy slept the entire return flight from their recent family holiday to Barbados and has started going through the whole night.
Rutter’s Olympic silver medal sits on display in its case next to the sofa, surrounded by assorted baby paraphernalia in her spotless Berkshire home; a reminder of an extraordinary ability for her dual lives as elite shooter and mother to coexist in a way few thought possible.
When she announced her intention to compete at the Paris Olympics little more than three months after giving birth, Rutter, 27, did so with no expectations: “I honestly just didn’t think I would do very well.” That she returned with a skeet silver medal was almost unthinkable.
Amber Rutter competing in the Skeet women’s final during the Paris Olympic Games. Photograph: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images
Yet her remarkable achievement was clouded in controversy in a manner she feared would prove inescapable until the vision of Tommy appearing in the French countryside shone through.
To explain why fully involves going back three years to the Covid‑delayed Tokyo Olympics, when Rutter was ranked world No 1 but forced to withdraw from the Games due to a positive test the night before her flight to Japan was due to leave. It was a crushing blow that almost caused her to quit the sport for good.
When the contentious incident arose at the Paris Games, her first thought was how she could possibly cope again. It was during the sudden-death shoot-off for gold that Rutter was ruled to have missed a shot when footage clearly showed it had hit. On attempting to appeal against the decision, she was informed video replays were not in place at the Olympics despite their regular use at other international competitions. She duly had to make do with silver behind Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid, while millions back in Britain spent their Sunday afternoon in a rage watching live on BBC.
By the time she spoke to the few media in attendance at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, 270km south of Paris, a sanguine Rutter was eager not to let the dispute take the shine off her achievement. That, it turns out, was Tommy’s doing.
“I was really pissed off but there’s only so much you can actually do in that moment,” she recalls. “I tried to argue it, but when they are telling you to get off the stand if I start kicking and screaming that’s the thing I’m going to be remembered for.
“When I came off I went straight to my mentor, Richard [Brickell], and started doing one of those cries where you can’t catch your breath because all the emotions are flooding in. Full-on waterworks. The thing that went through my mind was how on earth I could live through the ‘what-ifs’ again after what happened in Tokyo.
“It was only when Richard turned me around and I saw James [Rutter’s husband] with Tommy that everything seemed to lift off me. I hated the Olympics for so long that I didn’t want to go down that route again. It’s not about the medal, it’s about redemption. Winning a medal with my son watching me was the closure I needed. That’s how I can live with what happened. My family is the most important thing.”
The acceptance is genuine, and she knows nothing can be done after the event, but the injustice still rankles. Ten days after the final, she addressed the matter on social media, asking for an apology and assurances that such an error will not be made again when the stakes are so high. She has heard nothing from neither the International Shooting Sport Federation nor the International Olympic Committee.
Amber Rutter (left) on the Olympic podium with the gold medallist, Francisca Crovetto Chadid of Chile, and the bronze medallist, Austen Smith of the US. Photograph: Amr Alfiky/Reuters
“I think I owed it to all of the girls in that final who were cheated out of a fair result,” she says. “Somebody needs to put their hand up, say they got it wrong and they will learn from it and improve it in the future. That’s what I came out looking for: someone to take accountability. Maybe the letter got lost in the post but nobody even acknowledged it.
“The organisers really messed up. They let not only the competitors down, but the viewers. It makes shooting look so amateur.”
Rutter’s sole exploit with a gun since was one casual morning firing at clays with her family. Instead, attention has been focused on her ever-growing family, with Tommy the latest addition to a clan that includes Mila the cat, Wolf the rottweiler and a large tank of tropical fish that Rutter explains is looking far murkier than usual on the other side of the room due to a recently added piece of driftwood.
Her diary is increasingly full of public speaking engagements for corporations wanting to learn from her journey, and she launched her own shooting apparel range in September. The original plan had been to “take a step back” from elite sport and not target the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. “But it doesn’t always work like that,” she explains, telling a story of being recognised while swimming in the Caribbean sea as to why she is now more than likely going to continue for the next four-year Olympic cycle.
“From the success you have off the back of a successful Olympics, it’s too big an opportunity to say I wouldn’t do the next one,” she says. “I haven’t made a clear decision but if that reason is important enough to you, that’s why you do it.
“When I first started, it was because I loved spending time with my grandad. Then there were times when I loved winning and representing my country. Now I’m doing it because it’s my job. I have a family to support and I’ve learned to accept it.”
Making the Olympic podium so soon after giving birth remains a source of great pride. She acknowledges that “shooting isn’t like sprinting or jumping”, which allowed her to return to competitive action when most first-time parents would only just be emerging from their newborn cocoon.
“But “I really hope to set an example,” she adds. “I hope it shows that you shouldn’t put off important things in your life like becoming a mum, getting married or any other big life goals. You can make everything work. It might be challenging and very tiring, but it is possible.”
So, presumably, Rutter’s experience means she would not think twice if she found herself pregnant again so soon before sport’s biggest competition?
Amber Rutter: ‘Right, I’ve got to go and get him because he’s going to kick off.’ Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Observer
“I definitely wouldn’t be doing it three months before the Olympics again, I can tell you that,” she says, laughing. “If you wanted to, you can do it. But there’s easier ways. Personally, the next baby is going to be more planned. The fact I managed to make everything work when I wanted it to is something I’m so proud of: to be able to win an Olympic medal, become a mum and get married all without sacrifice.”
A sudden elevation in Tommy’s volume on the baby monitor prompts Rutter to stand up. “Right, I’ve got to go and get him because he’s going to kick off,” she says, heading back upstairs, passing a photograph of her with Tommy in arms after winning the Olympic medal.
It is an image that was never meant to exist, Rutter having given her husband strict orders not to travel to France with their baby for risk of distracting her. Only when she turned around, paralysed by emotion at her lowest ebb, did she realise how grateful she was that he had disobeyed her. “It’s the one and only time I’m so glad my husband didn’t listen to me,” she says. “That moment will stick in my mind for ever.”
Between his stint as a player on Clarke Central’s state championship football team in 1985, playing baseball for Georgia in the early 90s and then coming back in the early 2000s to coach the Bulldogs to three College World Series, and then going back to his alma mater to coach the football program in 2016? He’s been loyal to the Classic City’s athletic successes at both levels., there’s no doubt about it.
He’s a walking legacy of sorts.
It’s his eighth year as the head coach of the Gladiators football team. As a player, he won three region titles (’83-’85) and as a coach he’s just claimed his fourth (’19-’21, ’24), seventh overall. Clarke Central had its best season since 2021, credit in part to the senior quarterback they brought in from Arizona over the winter, Hezekiah Millender.
“But I’m not thinking about that,” Perno said. “I’m thinking about next week. We don’t want to shortchange what we’ve got, and what we’ve got is a pretty good football team. They keep improving, but we need to stay where our feet are.”
Coming into this season, it was evident that they needed a culture shift. They needed their guys to get their heads on right, get their sights set on greatness and then get to work for it or else they were never going to get back to the team they were from 2019-2021.
They’d lost the recipe to building a team and needed to start from scratch. They put the focus on finding the key ingredients through the winter and into the spring. This meant finding discipline in the classroom and on the field. This meant adopting selfless attitudes, especially while Perno and his staff played chess with roster positions — they moved senior Skylier Walter Jr. from running back, which he played since ninth grade, to linebacker in his final season.
“We kept moving guys, trying new combinations, and when we tried that in the past there was push back and excuses,” Perno said. “That’s not the case with this group. They’re all in it together and it’s been a joy to be on this journey with them.”
Story continues below.
Of course, having a quarterback of Millender’s caliber come in and be a solid force the way he has doesn’t hurt. In fact, it elevated them. Like adding garlic to a meal (garlic lovers unite!). Millender is unique, because while he’s outrageously talented, having led his Arizona team to a state championship right before moving to the Peach State, he’s also outrageously humble.
He takes joy in seeing other people succeed, which is rare now-a-days, in today’s ‘look at me, look at me’ social media day and age, Perno said. His eyes aren’t green with envy, but alight with excitement for the people he cares about when they do big things. He’s a poster child for a dictionary-defined team player.
That’s what Perno wants Clarke Central to be about. Family competition. Love of and dedication to each other. Millender’s devoted family-man values lit the match and set the ranks ablaze.
“I kind of think, I made an impact like this on my other team too,” Millender said. “I’ve always been a big family guy, making sure everybody’s heads are right, making sure everybody’s ready for the game, making sure there’s no problems in school or in their personal lives. It’s not always about football with me. I just always try to pick everybody up.”
Senior running back Corey Watkins Jr. said there are chemistry and trust this year with real leaders in place. They took the fact that they have good players and built them up to also have a good record, something they didn’t do last year when they lost three heartbreakers in a row. Perno said they kind of just melted down last year, knowing they had a chance and letting it slip through their fingers one after another, unable to recover from losses like Jefferson, Flowery Branch and Loganville. They didn’t have set leaders, despite having good players, so things were like a machine needing oil.
This year, they went out there with a plan and they won the region, even going so far as to beat all three other top 4 teams in the region on the road (Winder-Barrow, Jackson County and Habersham Central).
“That they’re fun to watch,” Perno said when asked how he wants this 2024 team to be remembered. “They’re an exciting team and they play for each other. That’s the biggest thing. They’re not a group of individuals that are good football players. They’re a team of good football players. Because of the people around them, they make each other better.”
Who doesn’t love kadhi? Packed with flavour and hearty goodness, every bite feels like a warm hug. When paired with steaming hot rice, nothing can get better. Whether for lunch or dinner, kadhi can be enjoyed for any meal of the day and is always a delight to indulge in. From classic Punjabi kadhi to Sindhi kadhi and more, you must’ve tried several varieties. However, have you ever heard of or tried kale chane ki kadhi? Yes, a dish like that exists, and let us tell you, it’s incredibly delicious. This recipe for kadhi brings something unique to the table, setting it apart from other varieties. The recipe for this kale chane ki kadhi was shared by the Instagram page @diningwithdhoot. Also Read: Pyaaz Ki Kadhi: An Instant Kadhi Recipe That Will Leave Your Guests Asking For More
What Is Kale Chane Ki Kadhi?
Kale chane ki kadhi is unlike any other variety of kadhi out there. Traditionally, kadhi features crispy pakodas made of besan, onions and aloo. But in this recipe, kale chane takes centre stage. You can expect a similar flavour profile to that of regular kadhi, with the only difference being chane in place of pakodas. The addition of chane in this recipe also helps increase its protein content, giving it an edge over the regular kadhi.
What To Serve With Kale Chane Ki Kadhi?
Just like regular kadhi, kale chane ki kadhi tastes best when paired with a bowl of steaming hot rice. However, if you don’t like rice, feel free to enjoy the kadhi with regular chapati. Don’t forget to pair it with some onions and a pickle (achaar) of your choice. You can also have a crispy papad on the side.
How To Make Kale Chane Ki Kadhi | Kale Chane Ki Kadhi Recipe
Kale chane ki kadhi is an easy-to-make recipe at home. Start by adding curd, red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, and haldi to a large bowl. Mix well. Next, add water and give it a good stir. Set it aside. Now, heat oil in a pan and add jeera (cumin) and slit green chillies. Let them cook for a few minutes, then add besan and roast well. Add the curd mixture and whisk until no lumps remain. Once done, add boiled kala chana and simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Finally, add kasuri methi and garam masala. Mix well, serve hot and enjoy! Your kale chane ki kadhi is now ready to be savoured! Also Read: Move Over Regular Kadhi Pakoda: Spice Up Your Winter With Rajasthani Kadhi Dhokla
Watch the complete video below:
Looks delicious, doesn’t it? Try making it at home this weekend and impress your family with your culinary skills. Happy Cooking!
