A Wholesome Breakfast in Under 20 Minutes

Breakfast, as you all know, is the most important meal of the day. In my opinion, if you start your day off with a good breakfast, the rest of the day is bound to go well, don't you agree? The usual routine of idly, dosa, upma becomes boring after some time and I wanted to have something different. That's when I decided to make myself some toast and scrambled tofu. So here's what I did.

Ingredients (Serves 1)

Tofu – ½ cup

Finely chopped onions – 3 tbsps

Finely chopped green chili – 1 tsp

Finely chopped ginger – ½ tsp

Turmeric powder – a pinch

Oil – 2 tsps

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Cilantro for garnish

Brown bread – 2 slices

Butter

Method

Crumble the tofu with a fork and keep ready. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the onions and sauté until they turn slightly brown. Add the chopped ginger, chili, and turmeric powder and sauté for a minute.  Add the crumbled tofu  and salt and mix well. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until the tofu loses a bit of its moisture. 

As the tofu cooks, toast and butter the bread and keep ready.

Turn off the heat, add the freshly ground black pepper and cilantro and enjoy it with the toast.

I also made some freshly squeezed orange juice to wash it all down. Have a wonderful day! Bon Appétit.

 

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

My husband and I are still doing smoothies and juices for breakfast, a few times a week. As part of that I made this dairy free smoothie which was a big hit. I saw this recipe on an Indian cooking show based on healthy recipes.

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

Uncooked oats – ½ cup

Strawberries – 4-5

Banana – 1-1½

Honey (optional)

Water for cooking the oats and blending the smoothie – 2½ cups (approx)

Method

Place 1 ½ cups of water and ½ cup oats in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat and stir until thick and creamy. Remove from the stove and allow it to cool.(I placed mine in a glass container and put it in the freezer for faster cooling. You could also place the saucepan in a vessel filled with cold water.) While the cooked oats are chilling, chop the strawberries and bananas and keep ready.

Once the oats are completely cooled, pour a little water into the blender, add the oats and the cut fruits and blend away. Taste for sweetness and add honey if required.

Pour into glasses and slurp!!! Bon Appetit.

Our opinion about the smoothie: We did not miss the yogurt/milk and the oats kept us full almost until lunch time. You could also add some walnuts or almonds for extra nutritive value. Fruits that will taste good in this form, I think, are Sapotta (Chikku), Apples, Blackberries, Blueberries, Mango, and  Papaya. Feel free to experiment and let us know your favorite combinations.

Recipe linked to Carole's Chatter Food on Friday: Breakfast Dishes

Kara Dosa (Spicy Dosa)

Here is a recipe I tried last night. The dosas came out so well that I couldn't wait to share it with you. The recipe was taken from the Shastha Foods recipe book. 

Ingredients

2 tbs - Coriander seeds

1/2 tsp - Cumin seeds

2 tsps - Tamarind paste

1/4 cup - Shredded coconut

5-6 (depending on your spice level) - Finely chopped red chilies 

1/2 tsp - Powdered pepper

Gingelly oil

Salt - to taste

Dosa Batter (Recipe given below)

Method for Kara Dosa

Saute all ingredients and grind. Add ground mixture to dosa batter and mix well. Make dosas and serve hot with the chutney of your choice.

Recipe for Idly/Dosa Batter

• 3 cups of parboiled rice/idli rice
• 1 cup whole black gram dal/urad dal
• 2 teaspoons fenugreek seeds
• Water for soaking and grinding.
• Salt to taste

Soak dal and fenugreek seeds together and soak the rice separately for about 4-5 hours.  Grind the dal first, adding small amounts of water, making sure it becomes a smooth paste. Grind rice into a smooth batter, adding water occasionally, and add to the dal mixture. Add salt, mix well and let the batter ferment(preferably overnight). In colder regions, it helps to place the batter in the oven and leave the light on, as the light gives enough warmth for the batter to rise. In case your oven does not have a light, preheat the oven at about 250 degrees Farenheit, switch off and place the dough inside. Once the dough has risen well, you can use the batter for making idlys. The freshly fermented batter will give you light and fluffy idlys. After two or three uses, you can use the same batter for your favourite dosas. If the batter feels too thick, dilute it with a little water.

Simple Coconut Chutney

Grated coconut

Green chilies

Ginger - sliced

Curry leaves (optional)

Salt

Method

Grind all ingredients together and voila you have a delicious chutney for your spicy dosa.

Chutneys are so versatile that you can easily pick and choose the ingredients that you want to add. The simplest chutney would be the coconut chutney, with green chillies and ginger. But if you want to experiment with flavours, feel free to add coriander leaves/mint leaves/onion/red chillies etc, according to your taste buds.