Mung sprouts Poha/ Flattened rice with green gram sprouts

It's a constant challenge for me to churn out a different, tasty,nutritious and well presented breakfast option without repeating every single day for my kids.Kids get bored of food so fast.And breakfast being the important meal of the day is needed for health and mental well being both for adults and children.

During one of those mornings when I hadn't decided what to make for the kids' lunchbox the previous night,these sprouted green mung came to my rescue.As I opened the fridge in the morning groggy eyed after a late night ,these bright green sprouts peeped from the shelves invitingly giving me an instant idea to use them in a nutritious combination with beaten rice or Poha.The Eureka moment worked and the combo was a hit with the kids,the lunch boxes came back polished clean.

Green gram sprouts are always readily found in my pantry as I use them in salad,Upma,poha,pulaos etc.The humble sprouted mung beans are nutritional powerhouses And are a favourite because of their ease and taste.Low calorie and high in vitamin C these can be used in burger patties,for making stews or a easy one pot casserole with mixed veggies.

I am sending this healthy and delicious breakfast to Sadhna 's event My Legume Love Affair and Srivalli's event Come, Join us for breakfast.

You Require  ( 2 Servings)
1C Poha or flattened Rice
1/2 C Sprouted Green Gram or Mung
1/4 C Peanuts
1/2 fresh lime
1 medium Onion , chopped
1 green chilli,chopped
5-6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 -2 tbsp refined oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp fresh coriander ,chopped( optional)

Method

• Wash the flattened Rice in a big strainer making sure not to wash it too much as the rice tends to break and let the water drain out.Add salt and lime juice to it and keep aside.
• Steam the sprouts in a microwave for 2 mins .
• In a pan or wok heat the oil,add the peanuts and fry them till done,when they start crackling  add mustard seeds and curry leaves and let them splutter.
• Add the chopped onions and chillies and fry till transparent, now add the sprouts and turmeric and sauté for a minute.
• Lastly add the poha or flattened rice on low flame and mix till the turmeric gets incorporated properly and the poha looks yellow uniformly.
• Add the coriander and cover it and switch off the flame.
• Uncover after 2 minutes and serve.
• Enjoy with a cup of ginger tea.

Kadali Chakuli..eggless whole wheat banana pancakes...Odiya recipe with a contemporary touch.

I have very fond memories of these pancakes or mitha chakuli as known in Odisha ,my native state.A very common breakfast back home made with overripe bananas ,wheat flour ,milk and sugar.This is a simpler banana version of chakuli.My Aai( maternal grandmother) used to make loads of these when we visited her place.Her death was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with.This post takes me back to those sweet days of my childhood.She would delight in piling up a large plate with those delicious banana pancakes and the plate would get polished off within minutes.Now my children savour these healthy,moist,fluffy pancakes in their breakfast or in their lunchbox.The authentic recipe asks for aniseed as a taste enhancer but my kids love the cinnamon version.I give a twist to the pancakes by cooking in a panniyaram pan which gives a ball shape ,fluffy inside and nice and crispy outside.I am sending these pancakes to Srivalli's Breakfast Event.


You require
1C whole wheat flour
1 big overripe banana
1 tbsp powdered sugar
1 C milk or enough to mix it to a thick flowing consistency
1/2 tsp aniseed (saunf)/ cinnamon powder(dalchini)/cardamom powder(elaichi)
2-3 tsp refined oil for shallow frying

Method
Mash the banana in a bowl.
Add the sugar ,wheat flour and aniseed to the banana.
Now add the milk gradually while whisking till a thick flowing consistency.
Pour a ladle full of batter on a heated non stick pan with a little oil on medium heat .
Flip the pancake when it is browned on one side and cook till the other side has brown spots on it.
Serve with a pancake syrup or honey drizzled on it.

Corn and mushroom on toast and a loss of a dear friend

Has been a miserable week for all of us!

A pall of gloom has set in here in the naval base since the last six days after we lost two of our best fighter pilots in an air crash while performing a spectacular aerobatic display in Hyderabad.One of them was a dear friend of ours,it's difficult for us to believe that he is no more amongst us.

As fighter pilots' wives our brains have been mechanized to come to terms with the fears of the unspoken .We wives live in the everpresent shadow of potential loss.But still the pride and patriotism takes a backseat when an incident like this jolts us out of the blue and an inner fear grips our heart and the Big Question pops up "who next"??

Death is inevitable ,permanent,universal,and cannot be reversed.Just understanding this helps a lot to deal with the loss.But when someone important to us dies,it feels comforting to think magical things like"he is on a secret mission and will be back soon".To be honest I am sad ,angry and frightened.

My dear friend,the deceased's better half is in agony,devastated,struggling to cope with her loved one's loss.She needs our love and support more than ever.God give the ladies enough strength to overcome the pain and grief they are going through during this juncture.That's all I can wish now.The officers were perfect gentlemen,the country's best pilots,great human beings.Their untimely death is a huge loss to the country,to the armed forces, to their family and friends.May their souls rest in peace!

Johnathan Larson quotes

“I can't control my destiny, I trust my soul, my only goal is just to be. There's only now, there's only here. Give in to love or live in fear. No other path, no other way. No day but today.”

I feel much light now,I had this knot kind of a feeling in my heart.Sharing my thoughts with you all
has given me a little respite from my inner turmoil.Just jotting down your feelings does help a lot.

My recipe today is mushroom and corn on toast.A very easy to prepare filling snack.I prepare this mostly for breakfast or for dinner with a clear soup in tow.The recipe here caters for two.

You will need:

Bread slices -4 toasted to your taste and buttered

Button Mushrooms-7-8 medium sized ones,sliced thinly

Tinned sweet corn -1/2 of a small tin

Spring onion -2 onions with the greens,chopped fine

All purpose flour -1 tbsp

Milk -3/4 cup

Cream - 1 tbsp

Oregano -1/2 tsp

Olive oil -1 tsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Take 1/2 tsp olive oil in a pan.Saute the sliced mushrooms for 2-3 minutes or till golden.Keep it aside.
2. In the same pan fry the whites of the spring onions till transparent in 1/2 a tsp oil.
3. Add the flour and fry till light brown .
4. Add the milk stirring continuously so that no lumps remain in the white sauce.Stir in a low flame till you attain a saucy consistency.
5. Add the sauteed mushrooms,sweet corn,the spring onion greens,cream and the seasonings.
6. Remove from fire before it gives a boil .Spread the sauce on buttered toasts ,sprinkle some oregano and serve.

When I run out of spring onions,I flavour the sauce with a little garlic and onions(the pink ones).

Mixed dal or protein dosa

Dosa I am sure is an universal favourite, an authentic, south indian crepe or pancake which is served either plain or with a variety of delicious fillings.Its normally served with a bowl of tart sambhar and spicy chutneys.

During the initial years of my cooking experimentations I had a huge mental block for making dosas.All the processes involved like soaking,grinding,fermenting made it look like an uphill task for me.But my family's love for dosas won and today after all these years the dosa making process seems a miniscule project :)

There was a time when continuously for two months dosa was not made in my kitchen...can you guess the reason why?I forgot to soak the dal and rice every single night for two months :P can you believe this?That is when i felt the need to maintain a to-do list and started scheduling errands and tasks....that was the most productive way to complete them.This forgetfulness bug entered my mind when Mishti was few months old and I had to deal with a cluttered house, a never ending sleep deprivation,the e mails I needed to write,the phone calls I needed to return and top of that my hubby was out sailing in deep seas.I could barely remember the date or day,felt as if my brains were turning to mush,something which was entirely out of my control.During those hard times the simplicity of to- do lists made a tremendous difference in my upside down life.Oops! where is this leading to....from dosas to to-do list!

Back to those yummy crispy dosas.....this protein packed mixed dal dosa is one of my friend Chitraa's recipe who belongs to Kerala.Since the day I had it at her place it has been a regular in my kitchen too.This dosa is more or less like Adai ,the only difference is that this recipe has more rice and needs fermenting.

This mixed dal dosa goes to Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons for her Dosa mela.

You need:
1/4 cup tuvar dal or toor dal( pigeon peas)
1/4 cup urad dal(split black gram)
1/4 cup yellow moong dal(split green gram)
1/4 cup channa dal(yellow gram)
1 cup raw rice
1 cup boiled rice
5-6 black pepper
2-3 dry red chillies
a pinch hing(asofoetida)
1/2 tsp turmeric pwdr
1/4 cup oil or ghee(clarified butter)
salt to taste

Method:

1.Soak the dals (pulses) and rice in 2 seperate vessels for 5-6 hrs or overnight.Soak the red chillies and the whole black pepper with the dals.
2.Grind the soaked dal and rice the next day,add salt ,mix thoroughly and keep it in a warm place for 4-5 hrs so that the mixture ferments nicely.
3.Before making dosas add the asofoetida and turmeric pwdr and mix nicely. The hing or asofoetida helps in avoiding gases which normally attack because of the dals.
4. For making dosas the step by step recipe is here.
5.Serve the dosas with a chutney of your choice.
The chutneys in the plate have been adapted from the talented Sailu's kitchen.... tomato chutney and coriander curd chutney. She has a plethora of delicious Andhra delights in her blog.
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Pear and Rum Souffle Omelette for WBB and AFAM

Nowadays my lunch and dinner menus are mostly based on the blog events.I had been warned by people that blogging is addictive and time consuming but no complaints ...I am enjoying every bit of it.Suddenly I discovered that there are so many facts about cooking that I am unaware of and wont forget to mention the excitement of finding a plethora of delectable delights so immaculately presented in the blogs and of course all the new faceless friends with a common passion of cooking with whom I have already started feeling connected:) Nowadays its a bliss to have my morning cup of tea logged onto Taste of India and checking out all the posts after Mishti and hubby leave for their respective destinations.
Today's post is about the entries for the fast approaching WBB -Healthy Breakfast and AFAM Pears .The common dish is Pear and rum souffle omlette where the rum is optional if you are making for children but with the rum its got a typical taste which I love.The dish is basically a well beaten sweet omelette with pears sauteed in rum as topping yummm.....the taste is divine the melt in the mouth kinds.
For Mansi of Fun and Food who is hosting WBB Balanced Breakfast this month I am sending this omelette with toast and a bowl of four cereal(wheat,oats ,barley,wholegrain rye) flakes cooked in milk and sugar and sprinkled with slivered almonds and a glass of fruit juice.I have included whole grains with milk, eggs, fruits in my breakfast , the whole grains being a source of dietary fiber,vitamins and minerals,eggs supplying the protein needed by your body and the pears which are full of strong health benefits.



This omelette also goes to Raaga of The Singing Chef who is hosting AFAM Pears this month.
Pears make good energy boosting snacks, a low calorie alternative and have vitamin C and copper which helps them to act as antioxidants.They are loaded with fiber and cancer preventing phytochemicals making them one of the best fruit choices.

For making Omelette:1 fresh pear of soft variety,peeled ,cored and sliced
2 tbsp rum
3 tsp sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp water
10 g butter
caster sugar, to finish
Method:
1. Put the sliced pears in a saucepan with 1tbsp of rum and cook over low heat for 2 mins and then stir in 2 tsp of sugar and remove from fire.
2.Seperate the eggs and whisk the yolks with rest of the sugar until creamy.Add the water and remaining rum and beat again.
3.Whisk the egg whites and fold them into the yolk mixture.
4.Pour in the mixture in a heated pan coated with butter and cook over moderate heat until the underside is golden brown.
5.Place the pan under a preheated grill to brown the top of the omelette.Spoon the pear and rum mixture over one half of the omelette and flip the other half with a palette knife.Carefully turn out onto a plate and sprinkle with caster sugar.
You can alternatively use peaches instead of pears or spread the cooked omelette with a jam of your choice and fold and sprinkle with sugar.I normally make the second variation for my daughter omitting the rum part.....saute the fruit for a minute with butter and sprinkle with sugar.
The four cereal flakes are the quick cook variety, 1/2 a cup of flakes has been cooked with 1 cup of water , 1/2 a cup milk and 1 tsp sugar for 3 minutes on medium flame and served with a sprinkling of slivered almonds.



I turned 32 last saturday (22nd) ....well I am a little insecure about growing old,don't want to let go off the present..what I consider the golden years, I dread the isolation, the loneliness, the lack of respect, the psychological torture of uselessness and burdensomeness and most of all health aspects related to ageing .I am already talking like a 50 yr old but I feel once I accept the fact that life not only has a beginning, a middle but also an end would eliminate all my insecurities.
This beautiful birthday cake was Mishti's choice and the whole day my hubby made me shop:) That made my day:)

Healthy eating-Spinach and Sprouts Upma-WBB

Few days back I was going through an article in a magazine and the title loomed large" Eat well and stay slim forever".Sounds so wonderful and perfect ...isn't it?? It needs so much of will power and effort not to over indulge in artery clogging fast food and less nutritious stuff.Sometimes we just opt for convenience over quality.Our eating habits are so ingrained that we are not aware of them.Health problems like indigestion,obesity,blood pressure clogged arteries are all because of increasing stress,imbalance in our lives and an unhealthy eating pattern.In today's world individuals juggling busy schedules and convenience foods is a common occurrence.

There are times when I just ignore the smell, the look , the taste and just wolf down the food without paying any attention.I have been trying to make a conscious effort from my side not to repeat these and have dinners and weekend meals together...no watching TV, no phone calls basically a distraction free meal so that we pay attention to what we eat, eat less and enjoy more.The eat less part is definitely for me:)).

Healthy eating requires planning and effort to include variety of food in your meals and following a perfect diet plan which I have been trying my best to inculcate in my household for the benefit of my 6 yr old growing up daughter and my hubby whose profession as a fighter pilot demands it.It is crucial for a fighter pilot to be fighting fit and in an excellent heart condition to be able to withstand the high and low gravitational forces when piloting a jet at high speed. He needs to have a perfect eyesight,quick reflexes and the ability to stay cool under pressure.

For my hubby who nurtures the passion and fascination of scudding through the sky with the ability to defy gravity with a multi -million dollar piece of machinery , the patriotic fervor, the hard work he has put to make his dream come true would be emotionally tormenting if he is scooped out of the profession because of any health problems . A mere weight gain and they are ordered to stop flying till they get back to shape!! For me it's a constant challenge everyday to rustle up a healthy meal and mentally rehearse" Healthy Eating"!!:)



Well thanks to WBB-Weekend Breakfast Blogging I ended up with a really long writeup.WBB is the brainchild of Nandita of Saffron Trail and is hosted by Suganya of Tasty Palettes this month.I am sending my spinach and sprouts upma as my entry to this event.
Breakfast is the most important and energy enhancing meal of the day.Eating breakfast everyday makes a big positive difference in your health.This nutrition packed upma is a hit in my household and I am sure you all will enjoy it.

You need:
1 cup sooji( semolina)
2 cups water
1 tsp rai (mustard seeds)
5-6 curry leaves
1 green chilli chopped
a pinch hing(asofoetida)
1 cup green mung sprouts
1 cup chopped or minced spinach
1 small onion chopped
2 tomatoes (blanched and chopped)
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
salt to taste,juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:
1. Dry roast the Suji( semolina) till it becomes brown and fragrant, keep it aside.
2. In a wok heat oil,add hing ,rai green chillies and curry leaves.
3. When it starts spluttering add onion,fry till it looks transparent and then add tomatoes.Saute
for 2 mins.
4.To this add sprouts and cook for 2-3 mins.
5. Add the spinach,salt,pepper and cook for 5 more mins stirring on low heat.
6.Add water and bring to a boil.Add lemon juice.
7. Add suji,stirring continuously and cook till dry.Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

This recipe is from Nita Mehta 's Low Fat Recipes but lot of ingredients have been added by me according to our tastes.Enjoy the healthy breakfast !!