Frittata

Filling and super easy to make!!

 

Grated carots

Peas

Potatoes (small slices)

onions

red bell pepper

green chillies

Eggs

salt and pepper

cheddar cheese

Veg additions: Spinach, mushroom, herbs

Non-veg additions: chicken, ham, sausage

Pour everything into a oven safe pan Beat the eggs thoroughly, milk can be added for the fluffiness. Top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350C until done. 

You can also do this on low heat on gas if you dont want to use an oven. 

Enjoy!

 

Besan Puda

This is like a uttapam dosa but made with chickpea flour.
I generally add grated carrots, very finely chopped green chillies, very finely chopped onions, salt and pepper to taste in besan. Add water to make a flowy batter. Heat a pan and spread it the same way you would spread an uttapam. However,  you need to spread this into very thin layer. A thick layer would not cook properly.

Couscous Salad/Appetizer

This is a very quick and healthy recipe, serves as a great appetizer!

Couscous

Lemon

guacamole/avocado

cranberries

cucumber

onions

green pepper

chips - preference

shrimp - preference

Squeeze some lemon juice and add it to lukewarm water. You can also use lemon zest or orange juice/orange zest. Now add salt to water and then couscous. Let it soak until it soaks up all the water and fluffs up. 

Once couscous is ready, add finely chopped cucumbers, onions, green peppers and also cranberries. You can also add avocado slices or use guacamole. 

You can use cooked shrimp in it. Cranberries and shrimps go pretty well with couscous. Enjoy!!

Chilli Chicken

Garlic

 Jalapenos

  Onions

Green and Red bell peppers

Chicken chunks

Soy sauce

salt and pepper

Vinegar and red chilli - preference

Heat some oil in a pan, add some garlic and jalapenos. Once the garlic is golden brown, add chicken and cook it to half way before including the rest of the veggies. Now add some black pepper, salt to task and soy sauce. You can also add vinegar and red chili if preferred. Cook until the chicken is nicely done.

The reason veggies are added half way is to allow extra time for chicken to cook beforehand. This would leave the veggies a little crispy than fully cooked. But you can choose however you prefer.

Chicken/Tofu Soup

You can choose to make it veggie by adding tofu if you want.

Chicken broth/Vegetable broth
Chicken(thighs)/Tofu
Spinach
Onions
Broccoli

Boil the broth and add all the veggies and chicken at the same time and let it cook until chicken is nice and tender. If using tofu, add tofu towards the end.
Beat the egg whites and add them to the soup toward the end while stirring the soup. Add croutons if you choose.

Easy, quick and healthy!

Healthy wealthy and wise - Salad!

I have been trying to watch what I eat these days, we all know how Thanksgiving to New Year winter time  can leave us with a few extra pounds.
I add as many veggies and as many fruits I can possibly add to the salad. And then there are few secret ingredients that I add for sure to give it a pleasant yummy taste. I make my own healthy dressing as well.

Secret ingredients: 
walnuts
almonds
cranberries
a little cereal for the crunchiness
garbanzo beas/pinto beans

Dressing:
lemon
honey
salt
black pepper
pudina masala/chaat masala

What to do if your stomach doesn't feel satisfied?
Add broccoli
chicken
boiled egg whites (whites, avoid yellow part)
Beans, eggs whites, broccoli and meat help fill up your tummy well

They all make the salad very healthy and tasty!

Aloo mattar peanuts

Aloo mattar and peanuts

I was looking to make some quick lunch this morning without much groceries in hand. Since I always have frozen peas and potatoes at home, I thought I would make aloo mattar but I didn't want to wait on cooking the onions first and then adding tomatoes and the rest of the stuff. So instead... I chopped some onions, ginger, green chillies, tomatoes, potatoes and mattar all in one go. I saw some roasted peanuts lying around so I casually threw them in and let everything cook until I went and got ready. Ofcourse you can add turmeric, black pepper, coriander powder and the standard masalas you normally add.
When I tasted it at lunch today, I couldn't believe that the roasted peanuts could give such a pleasant taste to aloo mattar, try it sometime! Attaching a picture this time :D

Secret Ingredient: peanuts

Peanut sauce

Quick and easy to make at home and comes out just like the one served in restaurants!

Required:
- Oil
- Peanuts
- Spices
- Honey :: The secret ingredient

Pour some oil in the pan. Roast the peanuts on a light flame and make sure they are golden brown. Make sure they dont burn to prevent the burning flavor (because that would dominate the whole flavor).
Now, add some water and grind them to make a fine puree. Pour this mixture back into the pan and heat for a little more time. At this point, you can add any spices that you would like. I added black pepper and red chilli powder. Also, add salt.
Make sure the consistency is as required by you. If its too thick, add some water and bring to boil. If its too watery, leave it in a pan uncovered for a while until the extra water evaporates on a slow flame. When done, switch off the stove.
Now, add appropriate amount of honey. This is kinda the secret ingredient in the recipe so dont forget it!
Ready to be served!

PS: Pictures would come in later :D

Rice Rolls

A fresh and crunchy snack

Please see the ingredients listed in Italic font below:

The veggies I used were:
any greens- spinach/lettuce- give a nice crunch and freshness
mushrooms - sauteed - improves the texture and taste
onions- sauteed- improves the texture and taste
avocado- always good to have!
Red pepper- sauteed- good taste and crunchiness
Cucumbers- give that nice crunch and freshness
Sprouts- crunch crunch


Good additions:
Chicken/Tofu - You can add these in any form: marinated/grilled/fried

You can basically add whatever you want in here. Make sure to not add any moistness in this mixture, keep it dry.

Add any spices you would like to. I added black pepper only. Make sure to enjoy this with peanut sauce, without any kind of sauce, not sure how it would taste.

Rice sheets- Can be found in the Asian section. The instructions on how to use these are on the back of this packet. All you want to do is, get a flat pan and warm up the water so that its lukewarm. Quickly dip the sheet in and pull it out and place it on a dry surface to put the stuffing in. Once you have the stuffing placed at the center, fold the rest into whatever shape you want.

Best served fresh! Enjoy!!

PS: Picture will come in later :D

Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Method

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes one loaf.