Dosa

Ingredients:
3 Cups Raw rice
1 Cup of Urad dal (Split black lentils)
2 Tbs of Chana dal (Split Yellow lentil)
1 Tsp of Fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste
Butter for serving

Preparation:
Wash the urad dal, raw rice, chana dal and methi seeds. Soak in enough water for at least 4 hours.
Grind to a smooth paste with a little water. Cover and keep aside for at least 4 hours but keeping the batter overnight is better. Add salt just before you make dosa and mix well
Heat a non-stick pan and grease lightly with ghee or oil. When hot, sprinkle a little water, pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter and flatten it out with a flat base bowl. I use a flat base steel bowl to make my dosa and cook on one side.
Pour a little ghee or oil along the edges while cooking. When crispy, fold and serve hot with Coconut Chutney.

Egg Provencal

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil

1 cup of your favorite tomato sauce 

1/2 cup half and half

1 spring of rosemary

4 eggs

1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan

Pinch of Italian Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a cast iron skillet. Add the tomato sauce and half and half and stir until incorporated. Cut the sprig of rosemary into small pieces and add half of them to the sauce. Bring to a lively simmer.

2. Crack each egg, one at a time, into a small ramekin and gently pour it into the skillet. Make sure to space them evenly.

3. Continue to simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes until the bottoms of the eggs turn white. This is for over-easy poached eggs with loose yolks. If you like your eggs more well done, cook them for another 1-2 minutes.

4. Then sprinkle the Parmesan and Italian Seasoning over the top and place under the broiler for another 30-45 seconds until Cheese melted.

5. Garnish with additional bits of fresh rosemary, salt & pepper. Serve with a toasted baguette. Enjoy while warm.

Baked Eggs

Ingredients:

4 Tbs Thickened cream
2 Tbs Butter
4 Eggs
Handful of Parmesan, Grated
1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning
Freshly cracked black pepper

Preparation:Preheat the oven to 350F.
Place butter and 2 tablespoon of cream into each of two ramekins.  Place in the hot oven on a tray until the butter melts and the mixture starts to bubble.
Remove from the oven and carefully place two cracked eggs in each dish.  Sprinkle with the parmesan, herbs and pepper, and place back into the oven for around 5 – 10 minutes, or until the whites of the eggs are cooked and the yolk are still runny.
Serve with some crusty bread, I love to have this baked egg with some garlic bread .

Chitau Pitha (Rice and Coconut Pancakes)

Ingredients:
1 Cup Rice soaked overnight
1 Cup Shredded Coconut
Water as needed
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil as needed

Preparation:
Make a fine paste of coconut and rice. Add salt and leave it for 1 hr.
Add water to make a thin batter out of it.
Heat oil in a pan, pour some batter into it, and cover it.
After sometime remove from flame.
Serve hot with curry or chutneys or go wild have with chicken curry.

Tofu Burji (Scrambled Tofu)

Ingredient:
2 Slice of firm tofu
3-4 Tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
Handful of Mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp Chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp oil
Handful of Spinach
1 crushed Garlic
4-5 Tbs chopped Onion
1/2 of Tomato chopped
3-4 Mushroom chopped 
Salt to taste

Direction:

Heat a non-stick over medium high heat add oil to pan .
Add garlic and saute for few seconds then add onion again saute until onion get transparent.
Then add tomato and meat masala and fry until tomato got mashed properly.

Add spinach ,mushroom, salt, pepper  saute until all get cooked well.
Crumble tofu using palm and add to the pan. Add chili garlic sauce mix all together.

Mix the cheese in a bowl and put over the dish . Give a quick mix and serve hot with rice or chapati.

Mushroom and Spinach Frittata (Hi Fi Omelet)

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
3-4 Tbs Parmesan cheese, grated
Handful of Mozzarella cheese, grated or add any cheese you found in your fridge
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1 tsp Butter
Handful of Spinach
1 crushed Garlic
4-5 Tbs chopped Onion
3-4 Mushroom chopped 
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to broil setting.
In medium size bowl, using a fork blend together eggs, pepper, and salt. 
Heat 12-inch non-stick, oven safe saute pan over medium high heat. Add butter to pan and melt.
Add garlic and saute for few seconds then add onion again saute until onion get transparent.
Add spinach ,mushroom, salt, pepper and italian seasoning.
Pour egg mixture into pan and stir with rubber spatula. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the egg mixture has set on the bottom and begins to set up on top.
Mix the cheese in a bowl and put over on the dish.
Place pan into oven and broil for 3 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned and fluffy. Serve immediately.

Methi Paratha

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup fenugreek leaves washed and patted dry
5 tbs vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 of finely chopped onion

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garam masala powder1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. After about 5 seconds, add onion and saute until get translucent then add ginger garlic paste fry for few second then add all the spices and salt. Add fenugreek leaves. Stir until the leaves start to wilt and get lightly toasted. Let this mixture cool.

Add the spiced methi mixture to the atta, more salt if needed and enough water to make a soft, pliable dough.

Divide the dough into golf ball-sized portions and roll between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.

Very lightly flour a rolling board or clean counter surface and roll each ball into a circle of 7-8" diameter. For convenience roll out as many parathas as you like, stacking them, ready to cook with a layer of cling film between each paratha.

Heat a griddle and fry the parathas one at a time like this: Put a paratha on the griddle. Do the first flip when you see tiny bubbles rise on the surface of the paratha. As soon as the first flip is done, drizzle a bit of the remaining oil on the top and spread well over the surface of the paratha. Flip again in 30 seconds and drizzle oil on this surface too. The paratha is done when both sides are crispy and golden brown.

Serve with chilled yogurt and your favorite pickle or with tomato ketchup.

Thanks Jhumi for sharing the recipe with me.

Healthy Tofu Smoothie

Ingredients:
Soft Tofu (softer the better)
Fat Free Flavored Yogurt (Yoplait/Danon/anything)
Almonds - 2-4
Milk/Water
Ice Cubes
Any fresh berry (I used Blueberries)

Preparation:
Mix all the ingredient in a blender with ice and blend smooth. Garnish with blueberries!

Recipe Courtesy: Healthy Living

Aloo Paratha

Ingredients:
Chapati flour
Salt to taste
Water as needed

For the Stuffing

• 3 large boiled potatoes and mashed

• ½ Onion finely chopped

• 1 Tomato finely chopped

• 1 tsp Ginger and Garlic paste

• 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

• ½ tsp Cumin powder

• ½ tsp Coriander powder

• Red chili powder to taste

• Oil

• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Dough
In a large bowl take chapati flour add salt. Now add water little by little and mix to a firm-ish dough, adding more water if necessary.Knead for about 5 minutes, cover and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes.


Stuffing
In a pan heat 1-2 tbs of oil. Add chopped onion and fry until gets translucent (do not need to make the onions brown).Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for 1 -2 minutes then add tomato and saute for again 1-2 minutes.Now add turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt.Fry the mixture until oil starts to come out.Now add mashed potatoes and give a good mix. Remove the potato masala from heat and keep aside.


Making Paratha
Now cut or break the dough into small ball size pieces  Place a ball on a floured surface, press to a disc then roll out to 2-3″ in diameter.Place a ball of the potato masala mixture in the middle of the paratha. Fold up the sides to make a giant ball. Turn the paratha over and gently roll out to about 4-5″ diameter.Heat a flat pan over a medium heat. Put the paratha on the pan and cook for 1 minute. Turn over and cook for about 1 minute on the other side.While the paratha is cooking on the second side brush it lightly with oil or melted butter/ghee. After you flip the paratha brush the other side with oil/ghee/butter.Continue to cook the paratha for a further 2-3 minutes, turning from time to time until the outside is brown and slightly crispy.
Serve hot with raita or pickle.

Uttapam

Ingredients:

1 Small Onion finely chopped

1 Medium Tomato finely chopped

Green chili finely chopped to taste

For batter refer the Idli batter recipe 

Preparation:

Spoon 1 or 1and 1/2 ladle full of the batter into hot greased pan. Sprinkle generously the chopped onions, tomato and green chili fully covering the top. Drizzle a tsp of oil . You can add few drops of ghee if desired. Cook in medium fame.

After a minute or two, flip the uttapam and cook in low flame for 2 minutes or until the onions get golden brown and crisp.

Serve hot with Coconut chutney or Sambar

Idli(Steamed Rice Cake)

Ingredients For Idli:
2 cups Idli Suji
1 cup whole white Urad dal
Salt to taste

Preparation of Idli:

Soak urad dal for atleast 4-5 hrs.

Grind urad dal until it become smooth and thick in consistency. Do not add access water while. For me it took 1/2-1 cup water. 

Pour the urad dal batter out into a pot big enough for it to have room for the batter to ferment and rise.

Whip up the batter with your hands till it get light and frothy.To test whether the batter is completely done or not,put a small dollop of batter in a vessel of water,if it floats then the batter is done.

In between soak the idli suji or idli rawa. 

Squeeze out the water from the Idli Rava and add to the Urad Daal batter. Mix it well.

Cover and allow the batter to ferment in a warm place overnight .

Once the batter has fermented, it will rise.

Add Salt to your taste.( I recommend to add salt after it has fermented, because salt decreases the process of fermentation.)

In a stock-pot or a pressure cooker(with out whistle), add about an inch of water and allow it to come to a boil.

Grease the idli stand.Spoon a ladle full of batter into the Idli stand.
Stack up the idli plates in alternates, avoid one directly over the other giving the idli space to rise.

Steam it for 10-12 mins.Let it rest for another 5 mins.

Serve with Sambar and Coconut Chutney.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Chatni Dal
1 Cup Grated coconut
1/4 tsp Grated ginger
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Green chili to taste
Water as needed

For tempering
2 Tbs  Vegetable oil
1 Tsp Mustard Seeds
2 Red chili
Curry leaves
Pinch of Asafoetida

Preparation:
Grind the above ingredients (Chatni dal, Coconut, Ginger, Cumin seeds, Green chili) to a thick and fine paste by adding little water.
Shift it to a bowl and add salt.
In a frying pan, heat up oil add mustard seeds, when they splutter add red chili, asafoetida. remove the pan from heat then add curry leaves.After the curry leaves spluttered completely pour this tempering to the coconut chutney.
Give it a good mix and serve with Idli or Dosa or Vada.

Puri

Ingredients for Puri:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup water (or as needed to make a pliable dough). 
• Oil for deep fry

Preparation of Puri:In a bowl add wheat flour and salt together and combine well together. Add water little by little to gather to form a stiff dough.Then knead it well to form a smooth dough . 
Tips:Do not let the dough sit. Usually for rotis, I insist on letting the dough sit for some time which makes the dough very soft. But for puris do not let the dough sits for longer time which makes it prone to soaking up lots of oil while frying. Use the dough immediately to make the puris.

Separate into equal lemon sized balls(or slightly smaller).Take a ball and roll it out with rolling pins making sure the thickness is even. Don't roll it very thin like we do for rotis/chaaptis.

Do the oil-temperature test to see if it is ready. The oil should be hot but not too hot that it smokes. 

Tips: Drop a small piece of dough into the oil. The dough should fry up immediately and come to the surface. You know the oil is not hot enough when the puri does not puff up, is flat  and instead is also soaking up oil.

Now drop the puri into the oil.While the puri is slowly coming to the surface, make sure to keep ladling in the hot oil on the surface.This helps the puri to puff up.

Turn it so that it gets evenly reddish brown or golden yellow.

Place it on paper towel to drain off any excess oil.

Serve it with guguni or potato masala or side dish of your choice. 

Oriya Special Breakfast

Ingredients For Idli:
2 cups Idli Suji
1 cup whole white Urad dal
Salt to taste

Preparation of Idli:

Soak urad dal for atleast 4-5 hrs.

Grind urad dal until it become smooth and thick in consistency. Do not add access water while. For me it took 1/2-1 cup water. 

Pour the urad dal batter out into a pot big enough for it to have room for the batter to ferment and rise.

Whip up the batter with your hands till it get light and frothy.To test whether the batter is completely done or not,put a small dollop of batter in a vessel of water,if it floats then the batter is done.

In between soak the idli suji or idli rawa. 

Squeeze out the water from the Idli Rava and add to the Urad Daal batter. Mix it well.

Cover and allow the batter to ferment in a warm place overnight .

Once the batter has fermented, it will rise.

Add Salt to your taste.( I recommend to add salt after it has fermented, because salt decreases the process of fermentation.)

In a stock-pot or a pressure cooker(with out whistle), add about an inch of water and allow it to come to a boil.

Grease the idli stand.Spoon a ladle full of batter into the Idli stand.
Stack up the idli plates in alternates, avoid one directly over the other giving the idli space to rise.

Steam it for 10-12 mins.Let it rest for another 5 mins.

Serve with Sambar and Coconut Chutney.


Ingredients for Puri:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 1/4 tsp salt 
• 1/2 cup water (or as needed to make a pliable dough). 
• Oil for deep fry

Preparation of Puri:In a bowl add wheat flour and salt together and combine well together. Add water little by little to gather to form a stiff dough.Then knead it well to form a smooth dough . 

Tips:Do not let the dough sit. Usually for rotis, I insist on letting the dough sit for some time which makes the dough very soft. But for puris do not let the dough sits for longer time which makes it prone to soaking up lots of oil while frying. Use the dough immediately to make the puris.

Separate into equal lemon sized balls(or slightly smaller).Take a ball and roll it out with rolling pins making sure the thickness is even. Don't roll it very thin like we do for rotis/chaaptis.

Do the oil-temperature test to see if it is ready. The oil should be hot but not too hot that it smokes. 

Tips: Drop a small piece of dough into the oil. The dough should fry up immediately and come to the surface. You know the oil is not hot enough when the puri does not puff up, is flat  and instead is also soaking up oil.

Now drop the puri into the oil.

While the puri is slowly coming to the surface, make sure to keep ladling in the hot oil on the surface.This helps the puri to puff up.

Turn it so that it gets evenly reddish brown or golden yellow.

Place it on paper towel to drain off any excess oil.

Serve it with guguni or potato masala or side dish of your choice.