Healthy Paneer Diet Recipes: ToneOp

Good food is the foundation of a  good diet! 

Eating healthy is the most effective way to maintain good health. These include foods that are both healthy as well as tasty. For example, paneer is a fantastic food option widely used in Indian cuisine. 

You can include paneer in every step of your diet, whether it is a starter, gravy, or main course, and adding paneer to your daily diet has several health benefits. It helps muscle gain and even aids in several  medical conditions. Paneer is what chicken is to non-vegetarians!

Table Of Contents 

1. What Is Paneer? 

2. Nutritional Value Of Paneer

4. Healthy Paneer Diet Recipe 

5. Dietitian’s Recommendation 

6. The Final Say 

7. FAQs 

What Is Paneer? 

Paneer, also known as Indian cottage cheese, is a fresh cheese with a soft spongy texture and a sweet acidic flavour. It is a well-known South Asian dish, particularly in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. It does not melt like other cheeses and can be grated, sliced, or crumbled. If you prefer, you can eat it raw or cooked.

Paneer is made by heating milk and curdling it with vinegar, lime juice, or other acidic ingredients. The acid determines the flavour of the paneer used to curd the milk. Paneer comes in various forms: low-fat, soy, vegetable-impregnated, filled paneer, and UF paneer.

Nutritional Value Of Paneer

Paneer is high in fat, protein, calcium, vitamins, phosphorus, and minerals while low in lactose. The nutritional value of 100g paneer is as follows:

• Energy- 323 kcal
• Carbohydrate- 5 g 
• Fat-  27 g 
• Protein- 15 g 
• Cholesterol-  76 mg 
• Iron-  0.9 mg 
• Calcium-  350 mg 
• Potassium- 63 mg 
• Copper-  0.10 mg 
• Phosphorus- 350 mg 
• Zinc-  2.74 mg 
• Magnesium- 25 mg

Healthy Paneer Diet Recipe 

Here are a few healthy recipes that you can add to your diet. Have a look! 

1. Paneer Tikka 

Paneer tikka is one of the most popular appetisers from north India. However, it is eaten and loved by many people all over the country. It consists of paneer cubes and some veggies marinated in curd and grilled over tandoor. The presence of veggies along with paneer makes it a healthy choice for everyone.

Ingredients 

• Paneer- 150g 
• Onion- 1 small 
• Red, yellow, and green peppers- ½ each, cubes 
• Low-fat greek yoghurt- 3tbsp 
• Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp 
• Paprika- 1 ½ tsp 
• Chilli powder- 1 tsp 
• Cumin powder- 1 tsp 
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp 
• Cumin powder- 1 tsp 
• Garam masala- ½ tsp
• Turmeric powder- ¼ tsp 
• White pepper powder- 1 tsp 
• Dried fenugreek leaves- 2 tsp 
• Lemon juice- ½ tsp 

Preparation Method 

1. Cut the onion into half and peel the layers. 

2. Beat the geek yoghurt in a bowl and add all the spices and a pinch of salt.

3. Adust yoghurt a little bit as per the consistency, and add ginger garlic paste. Make sure the coating must be slightly thick.

4. Coat the paneer pieces and the veggies. 

5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Spread the paneer pieces and veggies with a sufficient gap in between. Brush with olive oil slightly from the top.

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 10-12 minutes by checking in between or until golden brown. Or place paneer cubes and veggies on a nonstick pan. 

8. Serve with a delicious homemade mint yoghurt dip or plain yoghurt sprinkled with paprika, salt and pepper, and your favourite salad.

9. Squeeze some lemon juice, and our fav paneer tikka is ready to eat.

2. Paneer Salad 

Paneer salad is an easy-to-prepare and nutritious salad, especially for weight watchers.

Ingredients

• Broccoli- 2 tbsp 
• Breadcrumbs- ½ cup 
• Tomatoes- 2, diced 
• Capsicum- ¼, sliced 
• Celery- 2 tbsp 
• Olive oil- 2 tbsp 
• Lemmon juice- 3 tbsp 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation Method 

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and combine them properly. 

2. Refrigerate until you want to serve it.

3. Paneer And Peas Pulao 

Paneer and peas pulao is a three-layered paneer dish with a balanced food story on each sheet. It is made with brown rice, low-fat paneer cubes, and boiled green peas. Its ingredients improve the food and make it ideal for weight loss compared to other meals.

Ingredients

• Low-fat paneer- ½ Cup 
• Green peas- ½ Cup 
• Onion- 1, minced 
• Chilli garlic paste- 1 tsp 
• Tomato pulp- ½ cup 
• Chilli powder- ½ tsp 
• Garam masala- ½ tsp 
• Brown rice- 2 ¼ cups 

Preparation Method 

1. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to a pan and heat it. Add the onions and fry them until they turn orange.

2. Add the ginger garlic paste, tomato pulp, and green chillies and roast for 1 minute. Blend for 3-4 minutes after adding all of the spices.

3. Pour in one cup of boiling water, add the paneer, salt, and green peas and cook for another two minutes.

4. In a separate jar, cook the brown rice with sliced onions.

5. Arrange one layer of brown onion rice, one layer of cooked vegetables, and one layer of green peas and paneer on top.

6. Brown rice with three onion layers is ready to eat.

4. Besan Paneer Chilla 

Besan is a popular ingredient in Indian rice. Besan is typically easy and quick to prepare. Paneer besan chilla is a light and nutritious paneer dish that is typically eaten in the mornings or as an evening snack.

It has a lean and crispy texture when diced with tomato sauce or green chutney. As a light and flimsy paneer recipe, it also aids in weight loss.

Ingredients

• Paneer- 50g 
• Besan- 1 cup
• Onion- 1 small, chopped 
• Tomato- 1, small, chopped 
• Green chilli- 1, small 
• Spinach leaf- A few 
• Salt, as per taste
• Black pepper- ½ tsp 
• Dhanita powder- ½ tsp 
• Chilli powder- ½ tsp 
• Water- 1 cup 

Preparation Method 

1. Mix besan, onion, tomato, green chillies, spinach leaves, coriander, chilli powder, black pepper, dhania powder, and paneer.

2. Add one cup of water and thoroughly mix the batter until there are no besan crumbs. Add water to taste; the batter should be semi-liquid in consistency.

3. Take a nonstick skillet, add a few drops of oil, and cook for a few minutes. Scatter the oil all over the pan with tissue paper, then remove the oil from the pan. This will give the pan's surface a bit of smoothness.

4. Pour some mixtures into the pan and spread the oil around. Then, flip your chilla upside down and cook it from the bottom to achieve a brownish texture. Remove it from the pan and grate paneer and coriander leaves on it.

5. Serve hot with green chutney or tomato chutney.

Dietitian’s Recommendation 

Paneer is high in fat, so eating and engaging in serious exercise is the best option for preventing cholesterol buildup because energy and protein are released and consumed faster in the body. 

You can easily consume paneer thrice a week or even daily if you have a good exercise routine to avoid cholesterol buildup.

-Dietitian Lavina Chauhan

The Final Say 

Paneer is a great source of proteins for vegetarians. It also contains a lot of other nutrients. Therefore including it can be beneficial to your health. You can convert it into different recipes and add it to your diet.

About ToneOp

ToneOp is a platform dedicated to improving and maintaining your good health through a comprehensive range of goal-oriented diet plans and recipes. It also intends to provide value-added content to our consumers.