Masala Toast with Ginger Tea

Generally, I am not a breakfast person and like to have an early lunch instead. However, whenever I am in a mood for breakfast, Masala Toast with Ginger Tea is something that I love to have. It is quick, healthy,tasty and highly satisfying. So here is the recipe -

Masala Toast

Ingredients 

Sliced Multi Grain Bread - 1-2 slices per person

Finely Chopped Red Onion - 1/2 cup

Finely Chopped multi-colored Capsicum - 1 cup

Finely Chopped Green Chilies - 2-3 (depending on how hot you like it)

Finely Chopped Cilantro - A Couple of teaspoons

Buffalo Mozzarella - Optional

Oil - 1 tbspn

Salt to Taste

Method

Heat the oil in a pan

Add green chilies and fry for a minute

Next add the finely chopped onions and let them cook

Lastly add the capsicum and cook for a minute. Leave the capsicum crispy and do not overcook it.

Sprinkle some salt to taste

Now lay the sliced bread in a baking sheet

Spread the vegetable mixture on the slices

Add some Mozzarella if you like

Bake on the "Toast" setting of your oven for 3-4 minutes.

Optionally, bake at 375 degree Celsius for 5 minutes

Serve Hot!!!

Ginger Tea

Ingredients

Water - 1 cup

Red or Black Tea - 11/2 tspn

Sugar or Jaggery - 1 -11/2 tspn

Grated Ginger - 1 tspn

Whole Milk - 3 tbspn

Method

Take the water in a pot and add some Sugar or Jaggery to it. I prefer Jaggery because it gives a more wholesome flavor than refined sugar

Put the water to boil

Once the water starts boiling, add the ginger and the tea in this order

Let it boil for 45 seconds 

Turn of the stove and cover the pot and let the tea steep for 2-3 minutes

In the meantime, heat the milk in a cup in the microwave. 

Once the tea is steeped, pour the hot tea in the cup through a tea filter

Enjoy a steaming cup any time of the day.

Kashaya - An Ayurvedic Winter Drink

Today's is a different post and has something to do with our individual health. As we settle into the cooler months of winter, our digestive fire goes down leading to vaat and kapha provoking disorders like lethargy, body ache, cough, cold, flu etc. To overcome these seasonal disorders, I have been giving my family an ayurvedic spice drink called "Kashaya" every morning before starting the day. Different families have different recipes for this drink, but given below is my recipe. Drink this first thing in the morning and all the seasonal ailments would remain at bay.

Ingredients

Water - 4 cups
Coriander Seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Whole Black Pepper - 5-6
Whole Cloves - 5-6
Cinnamon Stick - 1 inch
Fresh Ginger - 1/2 inch
Jaggery or Honey - Optional as sweetners

Method

Take 4 cups water in a pot
Add all the spices and bring it to boil
Let the tea boil till the water reduces to 2 cups
Remove from the stove and filter the tea removing all the spices
Add Jaggery or Honey to sweeten
Drink hot

Note

If you are adding honey as sweetener, let the tea cool to slightly above room temperature. Do not add honey to hot tea as heat destroys all the enzymes and naturally occurring vitamins in honey.

Mexican Inspired Stuffed Capsicum

Ingredients 

Medium Multi Colored Capsicums - 6
Mexican Rice Mix - 1 Packet
Heinz Chipotle Beans - 1 can
Cumin Powder - 1 tspn
Coriander Powder - 2 tspn
Cayenne Powder - 1 tspn
Salt to taste
Grated Mozzarella - 1 cup
Guacamole - of 1 Avocado
Sour Cream - 1/2 cup
Chopped Onions - 1/2 cup
Chopped Tomatoes - 1/2 cup
Chopped Cilantro - 1/2 cup







Directions

Cook the Mexican Rice as per the directions on the pack.
While the rice is cooking, char the capsicums on the stove, so that they are cooked, but still firm. Keep them aside to cool
Empty the can of beans in a pot. Bring it to a boil adding cumin powder, coriander powder and cayenne powder
Once the capsicums are cooled, gently cut off the tops and remove the seeds
Fill the capsicums half way through with rice followed by beans and top them off with grated mozzarella
Bake at 375 till the cheese starts bubbling
Gently remove from the oven and top it with Guacamole, sour cream, onions, tomatoes and cilantro
Serve hot.

No Soy Vegetarian Burger with Spicy Chipotle Aioli

No Soy Vegetarian Burger

Ingredients

Onions - 2 medium, chopped
Carrots - 2 medium, chopped
Red Capsicum - 1 large, chopped
Potato - 1 large, boiled, peeled and mashed
Green Peas - 1 cup
Red Kidney Beans - 1 can
Garlic Cloves - 3-4
Green Chillies - 3-4
Chopped Cilantro - 1 cup
Bread Crumbs - 1 cup
Ground Coriander - 5 tbspn
Ground Cumin - 3 tbspn
Ground Cayenne Pepper - 1 tbspn
Ground Dry Mango Powder (Amchur) - 2 tbspn
Sugar - 2 tbspn
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/2 cup


Directions

Heat half of the oil in a pan and cook the onions, carrots, capsicum and peas.
Add the ground coriander, cumin, cayenne, garlic and green chillies
Cook the spices for 2 minutes on low heat
Next add the mashed potato, red kidney beans, dry mango powder, sugar and salt
Stir well and leave it on medium heat till the mixture is cooked through
Leave the mixture to cool and bring it to room temperature
Now pulse it through a food processor or with a hand mixie
Next add the bread crumbs and cilantro and mix it well
You can further cool the mixture in the refrigerator for it to firm up. But this is an optional step depending on the consistency of your mixture
Now make about 1/4 inch thick and 4 inch round patties
Add the remainder of the oil to a griddle
Char grill patties on both the side
Serve hot on a bun with tomatoes, onions, cucumber and a Spicy Home Made Aioli

Spicy Home Made Aioli

Aioli is a lovely and fragrant Provencal sauce made of Garlic, oil  and eggs. The word comes from  a combination of 2 words - Ail+oil which lilteraly means garlic + oil. The modern version include various flavorings along with the basic ingredients like basil, chopped nuts, fennel tops and like what we are making here - chipotle peppers and cayenne peppers.

Ingredients

Mayo/ Vegan Mayo - 1/2 cup
Crushed Garlic - 1 clove
Lemon - 1/2
Chipotle Pepper - 1
Cayenne Powder - 1/2 tspn
Sugar - 2 tspn
Salt - to taste

Directions

Mix all the ingredients for a yummy aioli that could be served over burgers, soups etc or as a dip for sweet potato fries, cut veges, etc

Breakfast Ideas

Everyday morning I am faced with a problem of making something quick and new for breakfast. While I can always reach out to the box of cereal kept over the fridge, my son has allergies to some of the contents in processed cereal. So that becomes an option only in times of extreme emergencies. He sometimes prefers scrambled eggs or milk with toast and jam. But just like with all kids (and adults alike), he gets bored of the sameness and likes to have variety in his breakfast.

So I thought of compiling a list of breakfast items that are quick to make, healthy and offer a lot of variety in terms of nutrition as well as taste. Also, since I have a philosophy of eating only hot food for breakfast, I have excluded smoothies, shakes, yogurts etc from my list below.

I hope it would be a useful resource for everyone who faces the breakfast dilemma every morning. I will be adding the recipes for each of these items in due course.

Western Breakfast


Eggs served with Multigrain Toast/ English Muffin/ Multigrain Muesli Buns

• Scrambled with onions and veggies
• Plain Scrambled
• Half Fry
• Full Fry
• Vegetable Omelette
• Spinach Omelette
• Poached
• Frittata

Multi-grain Pancakes served with pure maple syrup, butter  and seasonal fruit

Multi-grain Waffles serve with pure maple syrup, butter and seasonal fruits

Oat Recipes - I prefer using rolled oats to steel cut or instant oatmeal because the cook faster than steel cut oats and are a healthier option than instant oatmeal.

• Cooked Oats with milk, sugar and seasonal fruits
• Cooked Oats with salt, pepper and green peas
• Cooked Oats with maple syrup, walnuts and apple
• Cooked Oats with honey, almonds and cranberries,

Indian Breakfast

Poha

• Onion Poha
• Potato Poha
• Peas Poha
• Carrot and Cauliflower Poha

Upma 

• Rava Upma
• Cracked Wheat/ Daliya Upma
• Cooked Daliya with Coconut and Jaggery

Thalipeeth - This is a Maharashtrian Favorite 

• Bhajani Thalipeeth
• Multi Grain Thalipeeth
• Upavas Thalipeeth

Dhirde/ Chilka/  - A quick instant dosa variety from Maharashtra

• Besan Dhirde
• Rice Flour Dhirde served with Jaggery Milk
• Rice Flour Dhirde with Chillies and Garlic
• Moong Dhirde

Idli 

• Kanchipuram Idli
• Idli Fry
• Coconut Idli

Dosa

• Plain Dosa
• Rawa Dosa
• Masala Dosa
• Mysore Dosa
• Spring Dosa

Uttapam

• Onion Uttapam
• Plain Uttapam
• Cheese Uttapam
• Tomato Uttapam

Appe

• Idli Batter Appe
• Instant Rawa Appe
• Urad Daal Appe
• Sweet Rice Flour Appe
• Vegetable Appe
• Onion and Coriander Appe

Paratha

• Aloo (Potato) Paratha
• Paneer Paratha
• Mooli (Raddish) Paratha
• Sooji Halwa Paratha
• Carrot Cauliflower and Paneer Paratha

Grilled Vegetable Sandwich

Ingredients

Rosemary Focaccia Bread - 1-2 based on the thickness and diameter of the bread
Red Bell Peppers - 2 Large
Baby Eggplant or Stripped Eggplants - 2 medium
Onions - 3 Medium
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/2 cup
Italian Seasoning - 2-3 tspns
Coarse Salt - to taste

Directions

Cut the Red Peppers into quarters and keep them aside
Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices and keep them aside
Slice onion into rings and keep them aside
Heat a cast iron griddle on the stove with some EVOO
Once the griddle is hot, place the Red Peppers on the griddle and cover to avoid splattering of oil
After a few minutes turn them on the opposite side and continue cooking on medium heat till they are completely cooked. The skins might turn black which add to the flavor of the the sandwiches
Next cook the eggplant on the griddle. Add oil to the griddle as required
Lastly cook the onions
Sprinkle the Italian Seasoning and salt on the vegetables
Place the grilled vegetables on the focaccia bread and assemble the sandwich
Cut the sandwich into pieces and serve either with a soup or a salad.