As someone who loves a good meal, cooking one, came to me as a natural passion. I belong to a family where meal times consisted of not just food, but also noisy conversation centered around the events of the day and discussing the menu for the next. (ah yes, we are a greedy lot! )

For the most part of my life so far, my contribution in the kitchen was assisting mom and my duties were limited, to chopping veggies and laying the table. Then along came the great Indian wedding, and I was suddenly the queen of my very own kingdom. My curiosity about this magical world, coupled with an enthusiastic sous-chef (my husband, Vineet), led me to take on the challenge of preparing meals on a daily basis, and not succumbing to the convenience of hiring a cook.

This blog is a product of my experiments with food (not all are life threatening :D) for my fellow culinary enthusiasts - especially the newly weds and hungry bachelors and is dedicated to the women who've inspired me in the kitchen;
Aji (s),Ma and Nigella Lawson.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Of Manic Mondays, Tuesdays , Wednesdays.....

Planning a different breakfast for each day of the week, for the easily-bored, always-in a hurry-eater is a daunting task for the rookie cook... Our mothers innovated breakfast and reinvented it by using up leftovers, and making sure we sustained on what we ate until lunch-time.


Not all of the recipes are fancy and complicated - some are plain common sense, but on days when you cant think of what to make, they'll give you some ideas and a ready list of groceries, or might just help you figure out how to to deal with leftovers.

Enough with the chat, and on with the mission!

Breakfast 1 : QUICK SUB & FRUIT SMOOTHIE 
(Serves 02 persons with moderate appetites)

QUICK SUB: Ingredients
2 soft boiled eggs - sliced
8 strips bacon rashers (can be substituted with chicken salami)
1 medium tomato - sliced
2 slices of cheese (optional)
6" long Baguette aka French bread ( i had left overs) /OR/ Simply toast 4 slices of bread

1.) Grill / Fry 8 strips of bacon rashers. Drain onto a paper towel.
     Meanwhile, Soft boil 2 eggs. Peel. Slice lengthwise into 4 pcs.
2.) Slice the baguette and assemble the sandwich with the bacon / sliced eggs/ tomato/     cheese. Stick it into the oven to grill if you feel like you have the time for it...and get     on with the juice.


FRESHLY BLENDED JUICE: Ingredients
1 1/2 cups orange juice ( i like the one with the pulp)
4 nos. fresh strawberries
2 tbsps honey / sugar

Just stick everything into the blender and give it a quick whirl!
The Vitamin C laden goodness will zap the sleepiest eyes open!



Breakfast 2 : MIXED FRUIT-MINT-HONEY
(Serves 02 persons with moderate appetites)


This quick breakfast took just 10 mins to put together this morning. I made this using Papaya and fresh Prunes (since that is what I had in the fridge), but you can use any combination of fruits for this one - Mango / Pear/ Guava / Grapes / Banana / Strawberries / Kiwi / Apples / Pineapple/ Melons (although I avoid mixing watermelon with a pulpy fruit - because it tends to make the fruit mix watery and soggy) etc. I also like sprinkling sunflower seeds/ pumpkin seeds over the fruit*.

Honey-mint dressing: (to drizzle over 1 medium bowl of fruit)
2 tbsp Honey + 1 tsp lemon juice + 1/2 tsp Salt + chopped mint (as required)

1.) Chop fruit into bite-sized cubes + Pour honey-mint dressing over it. Toss gently.
2.) EAT!

* Sunflower and Pumpkin seeds are powerhouses of vitamins, calcium and potassium. Sprinkle these over salads for a nutty-crunchy flavour.... One packet of each will go a long way. Google will help you find more detailed descriptions about health benefits.

7 comments:

  1. Sonia ChoksiSeptember 28, 2010

    Kya baat hai !! wah wah !!
    You remind me of my early marriage days when i used to find new new things to cook, inspite of having no free time from work ! :) But am inspired to get back to it with this ! Cheeeers to healthy eating and satisfying our taste buds !! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Sonia! Your's is the first comment on my blog :) I'm so happy :) Hopefully, will get a chance to cook for you on your 'family' vacation to Singapore :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Awesome... Bring it on! 'Cooks' like me need this!
    I must say... Chatur is one lucky husband!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tanyaaa lovely pic of the smoothie and its so mouth-watering. Just love the way you have described yourself and the content in the blog. This blog is sure gonna be a big hit.
    Bravo!
    Luv
    Seema

    ReplyDelete
  5. hey tanny it has come oually nice. wil try
    MIXED FRUIT-MINT-HONEY
    tomo... i m sure we wil love it...

    gr8 going

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the mixed fruit mint n honey too...as u suggested i used sweet basil....slurp slurp!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. hey good job!!! abhi aa gayi na line pe!!! tummytanny@hungry.com!!!!ha..ha..
    loved the mixed fruit mint honey..since thats the easiest one!! specially the second pt...EAT!!! ha..ha...great going...

    ReplyDelete