Friday, April 22, 2016

Vegetables Stuffed Egg Wrap - Vegetables Stuffed Omelette Burrito - Breakfast on the Go!

Eggs are perfect for breakfast and they make a great sandwich filling. Even vegetarians give a passing grade to eggs. They came in handy for packing lunches and kids don't complain too much when eggs are on the menu.

We don't have Cable TV or satellite TV and that means I don't get to see my favorite Food Network all the time. I happened to catch a cooking show in the morning one day when I saw Bobby Flay talking about breakfast on the go. Very similar to the Bengali version of the egg wrap - Kati Roll. He spooned some cooked sausage on to the omelette and then rolled it into the tortilla and some tasty breakfast was ready. Seemed like a perfect meal for a busy morning.





Good way to use some of the bit and pieces of vegetables you have to use this is a perfect way to use them. I used zucchini you can easily use mushrooms, cabbage or even minced green means and carrots. As for the wrap I used home made chapathi or you can use store bough tortillas.




Prepare the vegetables for the filling. Make the omelette and keep it ready.
Use a ready made wrap or a home made flat bread like chapathi. Sprinkle cheese on the omelette and when it melts add the vegetables.
Roll the omelette in a tube and place it on the wrap and roll it.
Place a wax paper and roll into a ready to go breakfast :)




Vegetables Stuffed Egg Wrap - Vegetables Stuffed Omelette Burrito
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time:30 minutes
Ingredients
  1. 2 Zucchini diced into small pieces
  2. 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions
  3. 2 tsp black pepper
  4. salt to taste
  5. 4 eggs
  6. 4 tortillas or home made Indian Flat bread like roti/chapathi
  7. 1/4 cup of grated cheese
  8. sliced pickled jalapeno peppers (optional)
  9. 1 tsp oil

Method
  1. Cook the vegetables first, heat oil in a saute pan and when hot add the onions and when it starts to get translucent, add in the diced zucchini and saute till it becomes soft. Add in the salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
  2. Now beat the eggs with salt and pepper and beat so it is nice and frothy.
  3. heat the omelette cooking pan and make the omelette and cook it on both sides.
  4. Spread cheese on the omelette and let it melt. Add some of the cooked vegetables, pickled jalapeno and roll the omelette.
  5. Heat the tortillas or the chapathi and place the rolled omelette on and roll into the wrap like a burrito.
  6. Place it on a wax paper and wrap it ready to go. Add them favorite sauces if you want.
  7. Note:You can make all the omelettes in one shot and assemble them later. Keep the wraps warmed up, ready to go.

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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Apple Blossom

It is Spring! Though a fairly warm and dry one in our parts. Spring means the trees around her are full of blossoms. I did not realize how pretty an apple blossom can be.










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Saturday, April 16, 2016

Quick Roasted Cauliflower - In the toaster oven

These one meal bowls have become a favorite around our house, more for me because they are easy and require no special prep work. To make it extra special it is good to have a few topping up your sleeve as well.





This quick roasted cauliflower is nothing fancy but they are great to do in a toaster oven if you do not want to fire up your big oven and heat up the whole house. Also once this goes in the oven it pretty much cooks itself.

Pat dry the cauliflower florets and toss them with oil, spices and salt.
Broil in a toaster oven for about 10 minutes on either side.

The lovely roasted cauliflower can be topping for a bowl meal or a filling for a sandwich or just an enjoyable snack.




Quick Roasted Cauliflower
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time:30 minutes
Ingredients
  1. Half a head of cauliflower cut into florets slight smaller in size
  2. 1/2 tbsp of olive or any vegetable oil
  3. 2-3 tsp of chili powder or any spice powder of choice
  4. salt to taste

Method
  1. Wash the cauliflower florets and spread them out on kitchen towel so the water gets absorbed completely.
  2. Add the cauliflower to a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, salt and chili powder. Toss well all the florets are coated well.
  3. Spread the cauliflower florets on a roasting pan, place them in a toaster oven and broil them 10 minutes on one side flip them around and broil for another 8-10 minutes.
  4. Let the roasted cauliflower sit on the sheet for a few minutes before serving.

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Thursday, April 14, 2016

Tamil Puthandu Vazthukal - இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்!

இனிய தமிழ் புத்தாண்டு வாழ்த்துக்கள்




May the New year be filled with happiness!


Recipe for the payasam is here - Vermicelli Payasam - Vermicelli Pudding

The recipe above uses chia seeds, you can skip that. The payasam in the picture does not have chia seeds but it has tapioca pearls (javarisi).

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Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Spelt and Wild Rice Salad (Hot or Cold)

We had taken DD2 to an event last week which offered lunch. I am not very fond of cold sandwiches and salads but this one with wheat or it might have been farro along with some red rice was crunchy and delicious. I had some spelt sitting in the pantry and this salad seemed a great idea to put it to good use. Don't get me wrong when I say the last thing I want to cook on certain days is an Indian meal but we still want something tasty and good. I bet all of you have those kind of days.

The salad from that lunch, had farro or some whole wheat grain, onions, lime/lemon juice, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Light and refreshing it was one of the best cold salads I have tasted. The list of such salads that I have tasted is very short because I usually keep away from cold salads. I prefer to eat food that is warm. I still don't get why most of these salads are all cooked and then chilled before serving!!

I added some wild rice and we had the spelt salad with some roasted broccoli. I don't like raw onions so I soaked them in some lime juice. You can skip the onions altogether or add them raw and either way would be delicious.

I have never given much thought to using whole wheat, spelt or farro cooked whole. I am glad I tasted the salad as this is fast becoming one of our favorites as the possibilities are endless. You can add some grilled vegetables, grilled chicken or shrimp making it a complete meal on its own.

We had the salad while it was still warm. Hot or Cold it is going to be please your taste bud. I always have some hot sauce Sriracha to be exact but the red kind, recently I found this green Sriracha which is slightly less pungent than the red one and bit more refreshing because of the lemon juice and cilantro in it. That is what I used for this salad but feel free to use something that you like.

Spelt
Wild Rice

If you want to top it with roasted broccoli, here is the recipe I used.

Spelt requires about 30 minutes of cooking. I used the electric rice cooker. Feel free to use a pressure cooker or cook on the stove top. I cooked the wild rice and spelt together because they required the same amount of water to cook and the cooking time was same.




Cook the spelt and wild rice and when done transfer to a mixing/serving bowl. Add the onions to the rice.
Mix in the onions, olive oil and sriracha sauce.
Top with roasted broccoli and sliced avocado.




Spelt and Wild Rice Salad
Preparation Time:15 minutes + 20 minutes soaking time
Cooking Time:30 minutes
Ingredients
  1. 1 cup of whole spelt
  2. 1 cup of wild rice or brown or red rice
  3. 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions
  4. 2 tbsp of lime or lemon juice
  5. 1/2 tbsp of olive oil
  6. salt to taste
  7. 1-2 tbsp of green sriracha sauce or any sauce or condiment you prefer.
  8. 3 head of broccoli florets roasted
  9. Avocado slices

Method
  1. Wash and soak the whole spelt for about 20 minutes or so. Rinse again and transfer to the electric cooker with 3 cups of water. Add in the wild rice and another 3 cups of water. (see Note:)
  2. While the spelt is cooking roast the broccoli.
  3. Soak the onions in lime juice for about 30 minutes or so.
  4. Once the spelt is cooked fluff it up and transfer to a serving container and mix the onions, olive oil and salt if required and the sriracha sauce and combine.
  5. Top with roasted broccoli and sliced avocado.
  6. Note:I added the wild rice and spelt together because of the same amount of liquid required and the cooking time being the same. If the rice you are using requires different cooking times, cook them separately.

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Saturday, April 9, 2016

Spicy Kale Pulav - Keerai Sadam - In a Pressure Cooker

Week days are getting busier than ever and eating out gets old pretty quick. None of us are looking forward to a heavy meal in a sit down restaurant. Just want to have a meal at home watch some TV and hit the snooze button. This one pot meal is perfect not just for dinner but for the lunch box the next day for both the office going folks and the school going kids.

Your kids are ok with taking rice to school you ask? Mine are! If you have problem with them taking rice then of course you are out of luck.

I used kale but any green should be fine including dill. The kale does not melt away and has texture even after it is cooked with rice. Collards will work great too. If you are lucky to get drumstick leaves go ahead and try with that.

The recipe is pretty simple. Onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes and that is pretty much it. Green chilies can be added for heat instead of the red chili powder. It gets even more tasty after a day.





Spicy Kale Pulav - Keerai Sadam
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Cooking Time:25 minutes
Ingredients
  1. About 4-5 cups of finely chopped kale
  2. 1 1/2 cups of long grain rice (I used Basmati Rice) washed and soaked
  3. 1 onions thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
  4. 1/2 tbsp grated garlic
  5. 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
  6. 2 tomatoes about 1/2 cup finely diced
  7. 6-7 green chilies slit or 1/2 tbsp red chili powder
  8. 2 tsp turmeric powder
  9. 1 tsp cumin powder
  10. salt to taste
  11. 2-3 tsp of oil
  12. seasonings - cumin seeds and mustard seeds

Method
  1. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and add the seasonings. Add in the onions and saute till they start to brown. If adding green chilies add it along with the onions.
  2. Add in the ginger and garlic and saute it for a minute more. Take care not to burn the ginger and garlic.
  3. Add in the turmeric powder and red chili powder if using and the cumin powder. Mix it in well.
  4. Now add the kale and saute it for a few minutes till it starts to wilt and reduce in volume.
  5. Add in the drained rice and salt and saute for a couple of minutes more.
  6. Add enough water for the rice. For Basmati I add a little less than 1 1/2 cups for 1 cup of rice if they were soaking. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
  7. Give the rice one good mix and making sure the rice is submerged in the water, add more salt if required. and then cover the lid, place the weight and in medium low heat cook for about 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let it sit for 20 minutes before opening the lid and fluffing the rice.
  8. Note:Do not wait for the pressure to release when cooking Basmati rice, the time is more of an indicator than the pressure releasing.
Serve with raita or chips.

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