Blueberry & Yoghurt Breakfast Smoothie

Another super yummy, super healthy, super quick breakfast in a glass.. using all of 3 ingredients - fresh Blueberries, Yoghurt and Honey. Can't possibly write a longer introduction for something that is made in just a few minutes :) But yes, I have to tell you that Blueberries are excellent fat  busters, are high in anti-oxidants and maintain healthy urinary tract and visual health. See this link for more information: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090419170112.htm

Ingredients: (Makes 2 glasses)
- 1 cup fresh Blueberries, washed & drained
- 1-1/2 cups plain Yoghurt
- 2 or 3 tbsp Honey

Method:
Stick everything in a blender and whirrrrrrrrr away. Add a couple of teaspoons of water to thin out the smoothie if its too thick. Garnish with a couple of blueberries, and Drink up!

Bread pudding with salted- sugared Pecans

I'm pretty certain that most most of you who are reading this, have often had, a few slices of bread ( or sometimes even half a loaf) going stale in your refrigerator. Na na... nothing to feel embarrassed about, i do too... I usually air-dry stale bread over a few days and make bread-crumbs, my go-to ingredient for instantly adding 'body' to soups and gravies.

But... I was in the mood for something sweet yesterday, and I figured that eggs, milk and bread (pretty standard breakfast ingredients) would make a quick dessert...an unassuming, comforting, no-fuss bread pudding...
For this recipe I used honey as a sweetener since I'm consciously trying to avoid refined sugar in my recent baking endeavours...Also, I created a salty-sweet nutty crust, with pecans, salt and a pinch of brown sugar... tasted absolutely yum!

Ingredients:
- 7-8 slices stale Bread 
- 1/2 cup Raisins
- 1/4 cup Brandy / dark Rum
- 1 cup Milk
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1-1/4 cups Pecans
- 1 tsp cold Butter
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp brown Sugar


Method:
1.) Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Soak the raisins in the brandy or the rum. Cut the bread slices into 1/2" cubes.Tumble them into a non-stick baking dish.

2.) Whisk the eggs till they're light and frothy. Add the milk, vanilla, honey and a few tablespoons of the brandy from the raisins. Whisk all the liquid ingredients together.

3.) Add the raisins to the bread cubes. Toss with your fingers to mix gently. Pour the egg-milk mix over the bread cubes. Let the bread soak in the mix for about 10 minutes.

4.) Meanwhile, roughly chop the Pecans and transfer to a bowl. Add the cold butter and with your fingers rub the butter onto the pecans. Add the salt and brown sugar to the pecans and using your fingers coat the pecans nicely.

5.) Spread the salted-sugared Pecans over the soaking bread mixture. Bake @ 180 deg C for about 35-40 minutes.

Serve hot/ cold with fresh berries / cream or topping of your choice. I like this better made with brown bread instead of white. Also, if you have trouble finding Pecans, Walnuts will work just as well... Go on... make this NOW! :)

Pancakes with Instant Blueberry Jam-Sauce

Vineet doesn't like pancakes! I almost dint believe him the first time he said that !!     
After detailed interrogation, I discovered that my dear husband, has trouble accepting what he calls, "deceptive" foods! Things that look like one thing but taste COMPLETELY different!
Like Shrikhand (a sweet-sour yoghurt, saffron & cardomom based indian dessert) for example - the first time he tried it, he was convinced it was mango ice-cream...and it very obviously wasn't. So it seems his enemity with pancakes was that he thought that they were omlettes, and they turned out to be sweet!
I on the other hand LOVE them! Mom made these for Rahul & me during the school holidays, where I'd spend nights devouring Enid Blytons mysteries, dream about my own adventures, and wake up in the morning demanding pancakes... if the FAMOUS 5 had them with bacon on the side.... I wanted it them too! :)
So since Vineet was away on work, I treated myself to these as a lovely Saturday breakfast.

Ingredients: (makes 8-10 pancakes)
1-1/2 cups All-purpose flour (maida)
1-1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup Milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Olive oil (or butter)

Method:
1.) Measure out all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Set aside.

2.) Whisk the egg using a fork till its light and fluffy. Add the milk, vanilla and olive oil and whisk lightly to mix.

3.) Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly pour a little of the milk-egg mixture. Stir it in and repeat till you have a nice thick batter. The consistency should be like a cake batter/ or even like dosa batter. If its too thin, add a couple of teaspoons of flour to thicken it.

4.) Heat a non-stick pan. Spoon a little of the batter onto the hot pan and gently spread making clock-wise circular motion, till they're about 4-5 inches in diameter. Keep the heat gentle and wait for bubbles to form and the top to set ( like the photo).Lift the edge of the set pancake and peek to see if its golden-brown.


5.) Using a flat wooden spoon, flip the pancake over to cook on the second side. Transfer to a plate. Make the rest of the pancakes.

Enjoy these will maple syrup or honey, or if you're in the mood for something more special, try the 

THE BLUEBERRY JAM SAUCE

I made this right before I started with the pancakes, so it had some time till it was cool enough to eat.

Ingredients:

1 pkt dried Blueberries

5-6 fresh Blackberry or mulberry (optional)

1 tsp grated Lemon zest

1 tsp Lemon juice

2-3 tbsp Honey

1/2 cup Water

Method:
1.) Heat a saucepan. Add the water, honey and dried blueberries.  Roughly chop the blackberries, and add them to saucepan.

2.) Turn the heat to high and let the contents bubble away and gradually thicken. Stir in the lemon zest and turn off the heat. At this point the sauce will be really thick and very sticky. The dried blueberries will have softened and the blackberries , if used, will get easily mashed. Squirt the lemon juice and mix well. Transfer into a bowl and set aside to cool.

3.) Drizzle over the pancakes and Enjoy!

I had a few extra tablespoons of this instant "jam" left over, which on refrigerating became even stickier. I was just wondering how to use it up, when I spotted the tub of Yoghurt on the top shelf... and Bingo! I had instant home-made fruit yoghurt ! Without all the horrid sugar, that shop-bought flavoured fruit yoghurts have!! :)

Also, I preffered to use dried blueberries instead of fresh ones, since I wanted the berries to retain their shape, and also wanted the sauce to be thick-ish... fresh blueberries made a delicious, runny sauce, so use that if you like! :)

Sabudana Khichdi

When you're normally used to cooking for 2, no matter matter how much you enjoy cooking, it seems like a chore to do it for myself. At the best time it is the best time to treat yourself to the stuff that you love but your significant other might not miss if not made for a long time :) Today's posts are about the things that I treated myself to in the past week while Vineet was away on a work-trip to India.
Sabudana khichdi is a childhood favorite of mine, and I realised I had'nt eaten it in really long time...So, I made a big bowl and enjoyed it with my dear pal Seema, who came over to spend Sunday afternoon with me.

The only prep you will need to do in advance is to soak the Sabudana (sago) a couple of hours before you plan to cook it.
Calculate 1-1/2 cups of un-soaked Sabudana (sago) to feed two persons a hearty breakfast, or 2 cups if you want to make a meal out of it.

Ingredients:
- 1-1/2 cups Sabudana (raw)
- 2-1/2 cups Water
- 1 cup Roasted Peanuts (coarsely powdered)
- 1 medium Potato, cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp Olive oil (or ghee)
- 2 tsp Cumin seeds
- 2-3 green Chillies, chopped into 1" pieces
- Salt & Sugar, to taste
- Red Chilli powder, to taste
- Coriander & lemon wedges, to garnish

Method:


1.) Measure out and put the Sabudana (sago) in a sieve. Hold under running water. Transfer the rinsed Sabudana into a large bowl. Pour 2-1/2 cups of water over it and cover and set aside for the next couple of hours till it absorbs the water and puffs up. Toss the puffed Sabudana gently with your fingers. Sprinkle the roasted peanut powder, salt, sugar & red chilli powder. Toss gently to mix well.

2.) Heat the ghee/ oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai/wok. Add the cumin seeds. When they begin to sputter, add the chopped green chillies and fry. Add the cubed potato and saute till they're golden brown and cooked.

3.) Lower the heat and add the Sabudana-peanut mixture to the tempering. Stir to coat the Sabudana in the tempering. Cover and allow mixture to cook over a gentle heat. Switch off the heat and keep covered to let the steam work its magic.

4.) Serve garnished with Coriander and lemon wedges. Is also delicious when eaten along with some chilled plain yoghurt. Eat up!

The 3 C's Breakfast Omlette

Breakfast is my most favourite meal of the day... and nothing celebrates a glorious Sunday morning like a freshly made Omlette dotted with brightly coloured bits of Chillies, Coriander & Cheese... I used bright red fresh chillies to contrast the green of the coriander and it made a delicious omlette even prettier :)

Ingredients:
- 3 Eggs
- 1 large Red Chilli, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch Coriander, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup grated Cheddar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- Freshly cracked Black pepper
- 1 tsp Olive oil, for frying



Method:
1.) Crack the Eggs into a bowl. Whisk with a fork until light and fluffy. Add the salt & pepper and whisk again.


2.) Add the cheese, chillies and coriander into the eggs and lightly whisk to mix well.


3.) Heat a frying pan on medium flame. Drizzle the olive oil and swirl it around to coat the surface of the pan. Pour the egg mixture onto the pan and allow it to spread out evenly and thinly. Cover with a lid and cook over a low-medium flame, so that the eggs are cooked through but do not 'brown' too much.


4.) Uncover the pan, and check if the eggs are set by a simple swirling action. Cover and cook if the top is still a little runny.Switch off heat when cooked.


Fold in half and transfer onto your plate. We enjoyed this with some toast and a glass of freshly squeezed Orange juice :)

Mint-Coriander Chutney

A few bachelor-boy friends of Vineet and mine, have been requesting I post something VERY simple that they can put together as breakfasts on weekdays. Chutney Sandwiches are my breakfast of choice since we bore easily with Cornflakes on a regular basis. These are handy, as you can put them together and just eat them on the way or after you're at work, therefore saving precious time in the mornings.
All one needs are a bunch of ingredients, a mixer/blender and a glass jar. Once made, store the chutney in the refrigerator and it should keep very well for atleast 10-12 days, if it lasts that long.

 Ingredients:
1 bunch Coriander, leaves seperated
1 small bunch Mint, leaves seperated
2 Green Chillies, chopped into big pieces
2 Garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2" piece Ginger, roughly chopped
1 tsp Cumin seeds (heaped teaspoon)
1 tsp Lime Juice
Salt, as per taste

Method for the 'Chutney':
Wash an roughly chop the coriander and mint leaves. Put into a blender or mixer/food processor along with 3-4 tbsp of water. Do not add the salt and lime juice at this stage. Pulse together till it forms a even paste. Ensure that  everything is nicely pureed. Scrape down the sides of the mixer jar and transfer into a glass jar or bowl. Add the lime juice and Salt and mix well. S
Cover and Store in the fridge.

For Sandwich:
Toast 2 slices of bread. Slather the chutney onto one or both slices. Arrange thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and a slice of cheddar cheese on one side. Cover with the second slice and press slightly. Cut into triangles and Eat!
This along with the watermelon smoothie will make a delicious and substantial breakfast. Enjoy!

Watermelon-Strawberry smoothie

Made this, just this morning. Gave me the much needed zap I needed to get my eyes to open. Super simple, nourishing and ultimately refreshing... perfect for the oncoming summer months.

Ingredients:
3 cups Watermelon, chopped in cubes
6-8 fresh Strawberries
Juice of 1/4 lime
5-6 fresh Mint leaves (optional)
4-5 Ice cubes
2 tbsp honey (if fruit isn't naturally sweet)
Method:
Chop all the fruits into big chunks. Stick everything into a blender and whirrr it till smooth and thick. Drink up!

Papaya-Orange Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfasts are the first meal of the day, that most of us including me, skip most of the times simply because we have just no time to put things together before we need to haul our reluctant selves to work...This section on beverages, which is not limited to non-alcoholic beverages (do I hear a, "thank god!" from you boys?) is my attempt to come up with something easy, delicious and healthy... basically, breakfasts-in-a-glass.
This recipe is super-healthy, low on fat and sugar, best made with freshly squeezed orange juice, and seriously takes all of 2 minutes if you take care to peel and cube the papaya the previous night. 

Ingredients:
1 small Papaya - peeled, de-seeded & cubed
(approx. 2 cups cubed Papaya)
1 cup Orange juice
1 cup Yoghurt (dahi)
3 tbsp Honey ( Or 2 tbsp Sugar)
6-8 Ice cubes

Method:
Just stick everything in a blender, and give it a whirrrrrrrrrrr! Add  a few tablespoons of chilled water or a few more ice cubes if you feel its too thick.
Pour into a glass and sprinkle some ground nutmeg. Drink up! :)

Paraanthe - waala Blog

Our friends Manasi & Piyush are getting married in a few months. Now both are fans of the great 'Stuffed Indian flatbreads', and Manasi requested I include this one in my blog, for a ready reference on lazy Sunday mornings!
So,I made up a batch of mixed paranthas, to help me quantify the ingredients, and we've had a very satisfying Sunday lunch! :-)

How to stuff a parantha: Take a largish piece of dough and roll it into a thick circle, about the size of a saucer. Put the stuffing in the centre and fold the rest of the dough and seal the stuffing into the dough using your fingers. Roll into desired size using a rolling pin, and fry using a little oil.

Serve with plain dahi / boondi raita / pickles of your choice. 

Good ol' Aaloo Parantha

Ingredients for stuffing:

2 medium sized Potatoes (boiled, mashed)
1 small Onion (finely chopped)
2 tbsp fresh Coriander (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 green Chilli (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Cumin powder (jeera) + 1 tbsp Coriander powder (dhania) +1 tsp Carom seeds (ajwain)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt (as per taste)

Paneer Parantha:
Ingredients for stuffing:
1-1/2 cups Paneer (grated)
2 tbsp fresh Coriander
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1 green Chilli
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Carom seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder + 1/2 tsp Garam masala
Salt (as per taste)

Kheema parantha:
This is a good way to use up any left over kheema curry, if not, a fresh batch takes hardly any time to make.
Ingredients for Kheema:
1 cup Chicken keema (minced chicken)
1 medium Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Green Capsicum (finely chopped)
1 medium tomato (pureed)
1 green Chilli (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder (jeera)
1 tbsp Coriander powder (dhania)
2 tbsp Meat masala powder + 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
2 tbsp fresh Coriander + 2 tbsp fresh Mint leaves (chopped)
Salt (as per taste)

Preparation of the Chicken kheema:
1.  Sautee the chopped Onion, chilli, ginger-garlic paste till light brown. Add chopped Capsicum. Saute till capsicum is cooked.
2.  Add Tomato puree and all the dry spice powders and salt- and cook till fragrant.
3.  Add the Chicken kheema and cook through ( alternatively, pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistles) 
4. Once the kheema is cooked through, remove the lid and open cook and dry out the kheema till it is moist, but all the water is absorbed. 
5. Add the chopped Coriander and mint leaves and mix well. Stuff into dough and roll out the parantha as usual.


Andaa (egg) Parantha:
Ingredients for stuffing:
2 large Eggs
1 medium Onion (chopped)
1 medium tomato (chopped)
1 green Chilli (chopped)
1/2 tsp Garam masala
2 tbsp Cheese grated (optional)
1 tbsp Fresh green Coriander (chopped)


Preparation of the Andaa Parantha: 
1.  Whisk the eggs along with the onions, tomato,chilli,cheese and garam masala.
2.  Roll out a 2 plain rotis to the required size.
3.  Put the rolled out roti onto the frying pan and wait for a few seconds till it begins to set. Pour the whisked egg mixture onto the roti and sprinkle the coriander leaves over the setting omlette.
4. Place 2nd the rolled out roti onto the omlette when it is almost set,and wait for it to cook through and become firm.
5. Drizzle a little oil over the roti and flip over and fry till golden brown.

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.