Healthy Breakfast and Lite snacks

Breakfast and lite snacks ideas .....

As we all know eggs contain 6 gm of high quality protein, they are very versatile, as you can prepare many forms of egg dishes , also rich source of other vitamins like A, E and vit B12, so its  a great source of energy. 

Eggs are desirable, making it a healthy option too. I like to add veggies like, green bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach to the omelet, adding low fat milk ,shredded cheese can be a good source of calcium.

If you are in a hurry during breakfast time, especially on week days, you can just scramble eggs, or prepare 6 to 7 boiled eggs before hand and store in the refrigerator.

As a vegetarian, the options to get protein and fiber can be obtained by making:

1.Oatmeal smoothie with chia seeds, using low fat yogurt.

2.Granola bars , prepared using dried fruits, nuts and  rolled oats are a great energy source. Peanut butter can be added, for protein. 

3.Greek yogurt parfait prepared at home ,are a good source of calcium and protein. 

4.Kale and avocado smoothie is another great morning starter high protein drink. Also beet juice , carrot juice and apple juice , combined together is a power house of energy and healthy too.

  Today, I will be making a healthy chevda, that can be enjoyed as a snack , its good for all, because of the healthy ingredients . This chevda uses very little oil. It is a mixture made  by using nuts, cornflakes,rice krispies cereal,sunflower seeds, flax seeds, healthy snacking without the guilt.

Ingredients
1 cup ready store bought cornflakes
1 cup rice Krispies (cereal)
1 cup kurmura ( puffed rice, available in Indian grocery)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped almonds, cashews, peanuts each (all unsalted) 
1/4 cup raisins 
3 to 4 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds 
2 tsp white sesame seeds
2 tsp sunflower seeds or flax seeds 
salt to taste
1 tsp chaat powder (available in Indian store)
2 dried red chilies

Diet / healthy  Chevda 

Method:
1.Heat  2 tsp oil ,add  mustard seeds, allow to sputter , next add in  cashews, almonds and peanuts, saute` for a minute or two.
 2.Add in dried red chilies, curry leaves,salt, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chaat powder.
3.Add in cornflakes, continue stirring on low heat, next add rice crisps,kurmura (rice puffs) mix all together,on low heat, stir for another 8 to 10 minutes and close burner.
On cooling,store prepared chevda (Diet mixture) in an air tight container , and enjoy as a healthy snack.


Downward facing Dog pose#4
A yoga pose  that resembles an inverted  V letter ,very beneficial pose, elongates the spine, and gives strength and body circulation.
Stand tall with feet hip distance apart. Shoulders relaxed.
1.Breathe in ,raise your arms up ,stretching your hand up above your shoulders.
2. Breathing out , lower the arm, and bend forward,with knees slightly bend, place palms on the ground,  spread  palms to help distribute the body weight.
3. Lift your hips up and head down, looking at the feet and body into an inverted V shape. keep this pose for a minute or two, and then bend knees to the floor, exhale and relax.
. Do not exert or push yourself, through the pose.

Day 2 Breakfast post

Day 2
Yoga
We all understand and know the importance of yoga and meditation, in today's stressful times. The benefits of yoga are many. It not only improves the physical  strength, also helps us focus better . Practising yoga poses greatly provides the right balance and flexibility.

Tree Pose 
Stand tall, with legs a feet apart. Starting with the left foot, bend the left leg knee, so the sole of the left foot sits on the inner thigh of the right leg. Fold hands in Namaste, and try to focus , looking straight. It requires balancing and that's what this pose helps. Alternate, with the other foot. Repeat for 2 rounds, This pose is called the Vrkrasana  (Tree Pose) and it helps strengthen the spine, thigh and neck. It helps perfect the balance of mind and body and is relaxing too. Beginners if you want use the wall for balance.

Tip of the morning
Ginger, is a root plant with many beneficial properties , cut 1 inch ginger piece into long strips,sprinkle them with little sea salt, add 1/2 lemon juice and eat these ginger strips. Having 2 to 3 strips of ginger a day helps our immune system and  our digestive system.

Menu of today 
Uttapam ( Rice pancakes with veggie fillings)
 savoury pancakes,filled with ingredients of your choice, mostly veggies... 
Ingredients
500 gms  Dosa batter ( ready store bought) 
1 medium onion chopped finely
3 to 4 green chillies finely chopped 
Salt to taste
1 medium size red tomato, chopped finely
1/4 cup freshly chopped coriander
1/4 cup water
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp chaat powder (optional)
Coriander chutney (store bought or prepare using my previous recipe)

Method:
1.Heat  a non stick pan (flat pan), add few drops vegetable oil.
 Mix the batter , if its  too thick, add 1/4 cup water to give the batter a medium consistency. Using a spoon, spoon a tablespoon of batter on to the hot non stick pan, using the back of the spoon spread the batter make a round pancake like shape. Add few drops of vegetable oil,and continue cooking the uttapam.
2. In another bowl, mix chopped onions with green chillies, add chopped coriander leaves, chopped tomatoes, season with salt, red chilli powder and tsp chaat masala (store bought) Mix together 
3. While the uttapam is still  cooking , add a spoonful of this onion's mixture onto the surface of uttapam and cook it on low to medium heat, by adding few drops of vegetable oil.Turn and cook on the other side for a minute or two. Serve hot uttapam with store bough coconut chutney.
These uttapam are nutritious and make a good filling breakfast. (breakfast is break the fast) 

                                                       

Ingredients

                                                    

Uttapam

Flip to cook on both sides

                                                  

Uttapam 

Friends do share your views recipes , tips for breakfast an important meal of the day.Share it on the comments box on Spicenflavors.

Misal Pav

Misal, means  a mixture, of 2 or 3 beans that are soaked, overnight and later cooked in a spicy curry and enjoyed with pav ( bread). It is a very popular dish  in the Western region of India in the State of Maharashtra. Also  prepared for breakfast.

For making Misal, first wash and soak overnight , moong, moth and matki (beans) in 2 cups water. Next day strain the water and allow the beans to sprout , by placing them in a cloth and tieing  the cloth  loosely, sprinkle some water over the cloth to keep it moist. Next day it starts to sprout , these sprouted beans are considered very nutritious and wholesome full of fibre. Indian cooking not only tastes good, but most of the dishes prepared have nutritional quality and the spices we all know offer medicinal values too. Do try making these as they are good for you:)

Ingredients
1 cup Moth sprouted (ready sprouted beans are available in store)
1 cup Matki sprouted (beans or legumes)
1/2 cup Whole green Moong sprouted
1 tspn salt to taste
2 to 3 green chillies finely diced
2 to 3 cloves garlic chopped finely
1 inch ginger grated or chopped finely
1 medium onion finely chopped
1/4 cup dried grated coconut
2 to 3 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1/4 cup freshly chopped coriander leaves for garnish
1 cup spicy ready mix chevda available in Indian stores
1 packet ready pav ( bread)

Misal Pav

Method
1 Wash and soak all three legumes (beans), and next day drain the excess water if any , and tie them loosely in a cloth and sprinkle few drops of water. If you want them to sprout more , than leave them another day and use the next day to prepare the dish. Or else, you can pressure cook the soaked legumes in a pressure cooker by adding 1 cup water and 1/2 tspn salt. After 2 whistles, close the pressure cooker.
2.In a pan, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Add cloves and cinnamon,add the chopped onions ,stir for 5 to 6 minutes,add ginger ,garlic,green chillies, add the grated coconut and  continue stirring.Add in the chopped tomatoes, and cook till they appear softened. Now add in the seasoning's,salt,red chilli powder, cumin powder,turmeric  and 1 tspn freshly squeezed lemon juice. Drain the cooked beans, and add to the  pan and carefully mix together. Cover with a lid and cook another few minutes,close burner and garnish cooked Misal.
Serve with pav, and garnish with ready mix and chopped coriander.

Chicken Salad

 Chicken salad is one of my favourite salad's, it  can be made in many ways with different ingredients, though main ingredient is chicken , but one can add nuts like walnuts, roasted pecans, slivered almonds and fresh herbs to bring out the flavours of this dish. It is  served cold and leftovers can be used  for preparing chicken sandwiches.

Ingredients
2   medium sized boneless ,skinless chicken breast
1/4 tspn  finely chopped tarragon leaves
1/4 cup finely diced green onions and chop the stem of the onions too
1/2 cup finely diced celery stalks
1 boiled egg cubed
1 bowl freshly chopped lettuce leaves 
1 bag mixed greens salad leaves
1 cup seedless red and green grapes cut into halves.
Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tbspn honey
2 tspn salt
1 tspn black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Chicken Salad 

Method.
1. Brush each chicken breast with olive oil, season them ,both sides salt and black pepper,rubbing it all over the chicken breast nicely. Place onto a baking tray and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes at 375 degrees, till the juices from the chicken breast appear clear and chicken is done., then cut chicken into 1/2 inch cubes and place into a salad bowl.
2. Next for the dressing take  mayonnaise in a separate  bowl , add in 1 tspn salt, add butter milk ,1/2 tspn pepper, honey to lessen the acidity from buttermilk and tarragon leaves. Slowly mix in olive oil and Whisk together and dressing is ready.
3. To assemble this salad , to the chicken  add in green onions, salad leaves and diced boiled egg , next, pour in  prepared dressing. lightly mix in the grapes . Cover and refrigerate for an hour , enjoy this salad any way you like it, over lettuce leaves, or in a sandwich :))

Tomato Basil Creamy Soup

When we think of soups only one thing comes to mind and that is comfort food. Preparing soup, at home helps us control the amount of salt, needed.
Weather here is cloudy and perfect for a warm cup of home made tomato soup, cooked  with basil ,garlic and seasoning.  Basil ,also known as sweet basil, is a common herb that has very aromatic leaves ,belongs to the mint family and is great addition to  Italian Mediterranean dishes. Whenever possible, I prefer cooking with  fresh herbs.
I also like to prepare home made stock, veg/chicken, and store it for later use, in preparing gravies or other soups. 

Ingredients
2 pounds plum tomatoes chopped in cubes
1 small red onion chopped finely
3 to 4 Basil leaves chopped finely
1 tspn freshly minced garlic
salt to taste
2 tspn black pepper
1 tspn sugar 
1 cup or 250 ml chicken or veg stock 
1/2 cup Half n half 
 For croutons, take 3 to 4 slices of bread cut in cubes, lay on baking tray, drizzle with  1 tspn olive oil , salt, black pepper and  bake  for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees , till they turn golden brown croutons. Keep aside.
2 tsp Vegetable Oil/Olive oil

                                                                            

Ripe Tomatoes 

Baked in Oven 

Sauté` onions, garlic

Add in tomatoes and basil leaves 

Tomato Basil Soup

Method:
1. Heat 2 tspn vegetable/olive oil in a medium pot ,add in onions and freshly minced garlic, sauté for 4 to 5 minutes till onions get translucent.
2. Chop tomatoes into cubes, and bake them in oven at 350 degrees, for about 20 minutes and then add to the soup, to get a smoky taste in the soup.
3. Add in basil and baked tomatoes,and the seasoning. Next add in stock and cover to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes.
3.Check for salt, if less add 1/2 tspn more,add in 1 tspn sugar and 1/2 cup cream. Take off the burner and allow mixture to come to room temperature.Using a hand blender mix the soup roughly for 2 to 3 minutes , not making it too smooth.

This tomato soup is served hot and its texture is thick and hearty. Pour hot soup into a soup bowl and garnish with prepared croutons.

Vegetable Soup stock
To prepare Vegetarian soup stock ( Stores well in freezer for later use) Vegetable soup stock Recipe
Ingredients
2 medium carrot,potato, chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 red onion cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tomatoes cubed 1 inch
2 tspn salt
1/4  tspn black peppercorns
1 stalk celery chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
1 inch fresh ginger chopped


Method:
1.In a medium sized heavy bottomed pan, heat 2 tspn oil,add in peppercorns, sauté` onions, garlic, ginger for about 2 to 3 minutes,add in carrots,potato, celery, allow to cook for another few  minutes. 
2. Add  6 glasses of water ,bring to a boil, allow to continue to cook for another 30 to 40 minutes and as it cools ,  Blend the mixture in a blender and sieve through a strainer, the soup stock is now ready . A perfect base for using to make soup or gravies, also stock made at home is better in taste and lower in sodium content.

Ready stock can be stored in plastic container for more than a month in the freezer of the refrigerator. Remember to defrost the stock  before using for soups or gravies.

Kala Chana Curry

Kala chana or black chick peas, is an Indian curry dish. These  nutritious legumes are packed with nutritional protein.They can be cooked out of a can or soaked overnight. If you plan to use the can beans ,try to use the less salt ones as the salted ones are too high in sodium.
1 cup of cooked chana gives 15 gm protein and 13 gm of fibre, these chana's and other types of beans, legumes, vegetables, nuts are all excellent source of fibre.
 These can be prepared dry or with a curry, the recipe below is the Indian curry Kala chana, that is a famous dish in Northern part of India.

Ingredients
500 gm uncooked chana
2 cups water to soak chana overnight
4 cups water to pressure cook soaked chana
1/2 cup ready curry paste (recipe available in Flavors of India book) or instead use grated onion, and tomato as shown below
1 medium size red onion grated
1 medium size tomato pureed
2 to 3 cloves
1 inch stick cinnamon
1 small bay leaf
1/4 tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn turmeric
1 tspn red chilli powder
2 tspn salt or as per taste
1 tspn ginger ,garlic paste
3 to 4 green chillies
1 tspn grated ginger
Vegetable Oil

Kala Chana 

Method 1.Rinse and soak the channa  overnight. Next day pressure cook the chana's in 2 cup of water. Add 1 tspn salt, 1 tspn grated ginger. Pressure cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, later check to see if the chana are cooked properly, strain and keep aside.
2.In a pan heat oil,add cumin seeds, cloves,bay leaf,cinnamon stick and add ginger garlic paste and green chillies .
3.Add in  onions, allow to turn golden in colour, add in tomatoes and stir together allowing the tomatoes to soften and add in salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander powder, mix to form a curry paste.
4.Next add in the strained chana  to prepared curry and after stirring for about 3 to 4 minutes, add in 1 cup water and cook covered on low to medium heat another about 10 minutes. serve hot with rice or roti.

Kutch Speciality - Dabeli.

Friends, today I am going to share with you a speciality dish from Kutch. It is called Dabeli. People in Western part of India are familiar with this dish as it is available in Gujarat and major cities of Maharashtra. Others may not be aware of it. However, once you try it,  you will enjoy it and will want to have it again. I learnt this dish from my mother in law. She was born and did her schooling in Mandvi, a small town in Kutch. Before I start writing about the dish, I would like to start with saying few things about Kutch. 


Kutch district is a district of Gujarat state in western India. Covering an area of 45,652 km², it is the largest district of India.  Kutch District is surrounded by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea in south and west, while northern and eastern parts are surrounded by the Rann of Kutch. To the North of Kutch is the Pakistan border. The Rann of Kutch boasts of beautiful white sand. The language spoken predominantly  is Kutchi language, sort of a mix of Gujarati, Sindhi, and Hindi. The place is becoming a popular tourist attraction after Gujarat Government started promoting the natural beauty of the place. Credit also needs to go to the popular ad campaign featuring none other than the Big B - Mr. Amitabh Bachchan. The Rann Utsav, in December, and Kite festival in the month of January have added to the popularity of this place. These festivals are attended by thousands of people from across the world.  Here are couple of photos of Rann of Kutch.

Rann of Kutch

Rann Utsav - Celebrated on full moon in December

Kutchi Dabeli

Ingredients:
2 pounds potatoes boiled
4 tbsp oil
1 cup raw peanuts
2 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp garlic chutney (available in Indian store)
1/4 cup ready sweet tamarind chutney
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp dabeli powder (roast and grind to a powder- 1 cinnamon stick, 2 to 3 cloves, 1 tsp coriander seeds,2 red chilies,1 tsp cumin seeds)
pomegranate seeds- for garnish (optional)


Method:


1.Boil the potatoes till well done,peel and mash the potatoes.Keep aside.
2.In a large skillet, heat oil,add in the peanuts, saute till brown in color, careful not to over brown them. .Remove from oil and keep in a container.Add 1/2 tsp salt,1/2 tsp red chili powder,1/2 tsp cumin powder,sugar to the peanuts. Keep aside.
3.In the same skillet add garlic chutney,red chili powder,tamarind chutney,salt,lemon juice,garam  masala,dabeli powder and mix in the potatoes.Stir together for about 5 minutes.Close burner.


Enjoy with bread buns and peanuts.

http://www.simplysensationalfood.com/2012/03/announcing-event-lets-cook-speedy.html

http://rascookbook.blogspot.com/2012/02/im-star-my-first-event.html