Simple Yogurt Parfait

I am always humbled how at every turn in my life, I have been offered real friendships by amazing people. The kind who’ll call you on your silliness, who’ll listen patiently to your travails & offer you sanity when all around you, things fall apart. The best thing about these friends are that they offer you the chance to be yourself.

The last time I visited one such dear friend, her husband & she offered me the healthiest breakfast, which included an improvised yogurt parfait.

Here’s how I went about trying to recreate her lovely breakfast item using leftover strawberries & oats & bunch of other goodies.

What We Used (for 2):

Rolled Oats* – 1/2 cup

Almonds – 1/4 cup

Sweetened Shredded coconut – 1/4 cup

Cinnamon – 1 tsp

Chopped Strawberries – 1/4 cup

Honey – a little less than 1/4 cup

Water – as needed

Yogurt – 1 cup

Pure Vanilla extract – 1/2 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp (optional)

Sliced Peaches* – as needed

Baking Sheet, small saucepan, small bowl – 1 each

How We Did It:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread oats, almonds, shredded coconut & cinnamon on a baking sheet. Toast for about 15-20 minutes or till the mixture turns golden brown.

• In a small saucepan over medium flame, stir together the strawberries, honey and a tiny bit of water for about five minutes.
• In a small bowl, stir well the yogurt, vanilla extract and sugar.
• In a bowl (I used an ice cream serving bowl), spoon the strawberry confection, smooth & spoon the oat mixture, smooth surface and spoon the yogurt combination on top. Top with sliced peaches.

Note:

*The best kind of oats to use are rolled oats. Cook’s Thesaurus has a clear little explanation of the difference between rolled oats & quick oats. If you have no rolled oats, I have seen others use cornflakes, which are sadly, less healthy than the oats. I am thinking you can skip the toasting if you are using cornflakes or any other kind of cereal.
*You can also use any kind of fruit you wish for the topping. And you can even add more sugar if you like your parfaits sweeter. I have also seen recipes where the layers are repeated, so you have a taller parfait. In the end, it all depends on you & your’s personal taste.

Breakfast of Eggs & Juice

Continuing with my Anniversary Special thanks to our friends!

Growing up, I never imagined that I would stay in touch with my high school friends. I hoped I would but I recognised that, at best, it might only be a murky probability. I think that’s the curse of the expat life. I lived out my high school in two different countries and while I was blessed to be always surrounded by friends who gave me so much, there was also the reality that leaving was just around the corner and not knowing what the future held made keeping in touch a tenuous affair.

Which was what made having two of my dear friends from high school at my wedding such a joyous victory. Because in spite of time, terrestrial locations, and intervening absences; we had remained friends & better yet, were able to revert back to those abundantly buoyant creatures we were in high school.

So, here’s to friends with whom you grow up & grow old with – they are like a lazy Saturday breakfast – easy & delicious!

Note about omelet: I always love to eat bread with my eggs but unfortunately on Saturday, all we had in the house was day old French bread. And then I remembered this fabulous idea I saw on Nigella‘s show once where she crumbled bread on to an omelet and that’s what we did. My thoughts are you can use any kind of bread here. So here it is.

What We Used (Omelet for 2):

Egg whites – 4

Whole Egg – 2

Finely Chopped Scallions – 4

Chopped, defrosted Frozen Veggies (we used zucchini & carrots) – 1/4 cup

Chopped bean sprouts – 1/8 cup

Diced Turkey Slices – 1/4 cup

Crumbled old bread – 1/8 cup

Pepper Jack Cheese – 2 slices or grated (whatever you have around the house)

Salt & Pepper – to taste

Dried Basil – a pinch

Frying Pan – 2

Whisk & bowl – 1 each

How We Did It:

• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites, whole eggs, a little salt & pepper and the dried basil.
• Saute scallions, frozen veggies, bean sprouts, and turkey with a little salt & pepper over medium flame in a small frying pan. After five minutes, remove from flame.

• In a separate pan, over medium heat, pour half the whisked egg mixture. When it starts bubbling and looks like its firming up, place half the sauted mixture over half the egg.
• Crumble bread pieces over it.

• Add a slice of cheese on top of the bread. (I got a little carried away here and added it all over the place. Ideally, you want the veggies, bread and cheese to stay neatly in one half of the egg base, just enough so it’ll be easy to fold).

• Fold omelet.

• Repeat process to make another omelet.

Juice Cocktail
We had some left over store-bought juices from when house guests visited and decided to make a juice cocktail with some home made grenadine. Our grenadine, though not as red as store as the store-bought one, comforts me for it gives me a modicum of control over the ingredients & sugar level. It’s also deliciously tastier .

What We Used:

Pomegranate Juice – 1 cup

Sugar – 1/4 cup (you can add more sugar if you wish. I have seen combinations of 2 cups of juice to 1 cup of sugar, courtesy Cocktail Chronicles)

Passion Fruit Juice – 1/2 cup

Pineapple Juice – 1/2 cup

Lemon Juice – 1/2 of a lemon

Saucepan & Jug – 1 each

How We Did It:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the pomegranate juice to a boil. Reduce heat, add sugar and let simmer for about 15 minutes, or till it is reduced in half. This is grenadine!!!
2. In large juice jug, combine the passion fruit juice, pineapple juice, lemon juice and the grenadine. Stir to mix, pour into glass and enjoy!

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Ever since getting fresh blueberries from the Farmer’s Market, I have been itching to make blueberry muffins. There’s nothing more wholesome sounding than blueberry muffins. Every time I think of baking myself blueberry muffins, my brain seizes upon images of apron clad beings in little cottages with iron ovens, from whence comes soft, bouncy little goodies stuffed with blueberries. Which they proceed to eat, along with piping hot coffee, by the sea. In my brain, all apron clad people live in cottages by the sea.

I digress.

Here’s an interesting tidbit about blueberry muffins. Did you know in 1988, Minnesotans decided to declare it their state muffin?

So, in honor of my lovely friend Anu who brings her own brand of sunshine to cold, cold Minnesota; I give you healthy Blueberry Muffins, modified from Coconut & Lime’s Virtuous Muffins.

What We Used:

Whole Wheat Flour – 1 cup

Flax Seed – 3/4 cup

Blueberries – 1 & 1/2 cup

Sugar – 1/2 cup

Yogurt – 3/4 cup

Oil – 1/2 cup

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Baking soda – 1 tsp

Salt – less than 1/4 tsp

Egg – 1

Cooking Spray Oil

Bowl – 1

12 cup muffin pan – 1

How We Did It:

• Preheat oven to 350 °F. Spray oil & sprinkle flour over the muffin pan.
• In the bowl, mix well the flour, flax seed, sugar, yogurt, oil, vanilla essence, baking powder, baking soda, salt and egg till it makes a smooth batter.
• Fold the blueberries into the well combined batter.
• Pour evenly into the 12 cup muffin pan.

• Bake for about 17 minutes or till a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Our Verdict:

We love how soft these muffins are, despite the fact that it has no butter in it. Using yogurt reduces the fat content and also makes it chewier but still soft. As for flax seed – it adds a pleasant nutty taste to the muffin. If it’s not sweet enough, a little honey poured on top of the muffin will make it sweet. All in all, we enjoyed this moist, hearty concoction for breakfast, snacks and in between. Hope you do too!

Kerala Easter Breakfast

Growing up in the Middle East, we didn’t really get into Easter celebrations because it didn’t fall on a holiday. Which seemed like a terrible waste because that meant there was no respite from the exhausting experience that was Good Friday Service (stretching from morning to evening – though our parents did let us sleep in and attend at noon ).

What we did get to enjoy on Easter though, was my mom’s delectable Appam and Chicken Stew curry for a hurried breakfast before we scuttled off to school. Also enjoyed after school, before play, after play, before bed, anytime – because it was just that Yummy!

This Easter, the appam that I made was edible & photo worthy, but not entirely post worthy.

The chicken stew, though, was most excellent. And I owe it to Mallugirl at Malluspice, whose recipe was what I looked at for our Chicken Stew, because I had left it too late to call my mom up for hers .

I added some changes like marinating the chicken for a bit, and skipping the poppy seeds, curry leaves, lemon and yogurt (personal preferences), and got a very close version of my mom’s chicken stew.

What We Used:

Cubed, boneless Chicken – 2 1/2 cups

Chopped Red Onion – 1/2 an onion

Chopped, skinned Tomatoes – 1/4 a tomato

Chopped, skinned Potato – 1

For the Marinade:

Vinegar

Black Pepper

Coriander Powder

To be ground:

Cashew Nuts – 6

Cumin Seeds – a handful

Chopped Green Chilies – 2

Garlic Paste – 1 tbsp

Ginger Paste – 1 tbsp

Dry Spices to add to the stew:

Turmeric – 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder – 1 tsp

Black Pepper – 1/2 tsp

Chopped Mint leaves – 2 leaves

Chopped Cilantro/Coriander leaves – 1/4 tsp

Cinnamon Stick – 1

Cloves – 3

Cardamom – 2

Oil

Salt & Pepper – according to taste

Canned (13.5 FL.OZ. or 400 ml) Coconut Milk – 1/2 a can

Large cooking Pot – 1

Small Skillet – 1

Bowls – 2

How We Did It:

1. Wash the chicken pieces throughly. In a bowl, marinate the chicken with vinegar, pepper (enough to cover the chicken pieces) and coriander powder (1 tsp) for about 30 minutes.
2. Soak the cashew nuts and cumin seeds in warm water, for 30 minutes, in a small bowl. I am thinking this is so that it gets nice and soft for grinding. After 30 minutes, grind the cashew nuts, cumin seeds, garlic & ginger paste, and chilies together.
3. In a small skillet, add a bit of oil, and lightly fry the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom on low heat, till their aromas waft out.
4. In a large cooking pot, add some oil and fry the onions (on medium heat) till they are transparent, add the fried spices (cinnamon, cloves & cardamom) to this and stir for a while.
5. To the cooking pot, add the ground paste (cashew, cumin, garlic, ginger and chilies), the dry spices (turmeric, coriander powder, ground pepper), a little water, and stir well.
6. Once the onions are nice and soft; add the chicken and potatoes, salt, pepper, and cook on high heat, for about 5 minutes or so.
7. Lower the heat to medium, add the canned coconut milk and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Taste for salt & pepper.
8. Add the tomatoes, the chopped mint and cilantro leaves and cook covered till the chicken and potatoes are done.

We had it with appam for breakfast, and with paratas for a snack

Egg-In-the-Hole

I have been meaning to make Egg-in-the-Hole ever since I saw V from V for Vendatta making it. It’s so simple, that I wonder why I have taken this long to post it. This is a quick and easy breakfast/snack/anytime meal for all egg lovers on the move

What We Used:

For Serving 2

Bread – 2 slices

Butter

Eggs – 2

Pan – 1

How We Did It:

• Heat pan on medium heat, using a small dollop of butter. Tilt pan so that the pan is nicely greased.
  
• Use a small glass or a bottle to cut out a round hole from a slice of bread. Discard the round bread piece.
  

• Butter both sides of the bread lightly. When the butter in the pan begins to splutter, place the bread on heated pan. Flip over when the bread browns (about 2-3 minutes), place a little butter in the hole; after it melts, break open an egg into the hole.

• When the white of the egg sets, flip the bread over and cook till the egg sets.

This goes to the competition Event for Eggs at MeetSudeshna’s Here I cook blog

In search of a pretty Frittata

I have been fascinated by Frittatas ever since I saw it on the WHFoods website. It just looks like a complete meal in itself, so filled with goodies, almost like a baked pie.

As the Mostafa would sell his birthright for anything with eggs in it, we thought we’d try it out, though we weren’t very sure we wanted the tofu in it.

In our search for the perfect frittata, we came across this NYTimes Iranian Frittata that looked too scrumptiously gorgeous for words. But of course, as it happens with us, when the time came for making this perfect Frittata, we couldn’t find our recipe. So we improvised and here it goes:

What we used:

Milk – quarter cup

Dill – a handful (just enough to make it look pretty. It’s got a strong flavor, so use cautiously)

Cilantro – a handful (same as dill and besides we are going to be using coriander pwdr, which is dried crushed cilantro, right? so you don’t want it to turn into a cilantro/coriander frittata)

Red Onions – quarter

Green, Yellow, Red Pepper/Capsicum (if you just happen one kind of pepper that’s fine, the idea is to have the sweet flavor of pepper/capsicum and for the frita to turn out prutty) – quarter cup

Tomatoes – half

Squash – a couple of slices

Orange Habanero - 1 (frack, these are hot so use v.v.cautiously, but they give such a unique flavor to the dish)

Potatoes – 1

Any kind of meat (optional) – I used 2 turkey slices

Mozzarella Cheese (optional)

And of course, EGGS – 5 (I used 2 egg whites, 3 full eggs)

The usuals – salt, pepper (as per taste), olive oil

The not so usuals (depending on where you’re from) – cumin, coriander pwdr (quarter teaspoon, depending on taste)

10 inch skillet

How we did it:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Boil Potatoes in Pressure cooker or just in a boiling vat of water. Take them out after second whistle or till the potato is soft enough to be pierced with a fork
3. Finely chop (separately) the dill, the parsley, onions, tomatoes, the peppers, squash, habernos, boiled potatoes, deli turkey slices
4. Beat the eggs. Pour in the milk, beat some more. Add the dill, parsley, pepper, salt, cumin, coriander pwdr, beat some more!
5. Heat a 10 inch skillet, add a little olive oil, and once it starts sizzling, saute onions, peppers, squash, habernos
6. When the veggies turn soft (adding a bit of salt really helps the veggies saute faster), drop in the chopped turkey slices – don’t worry too much about how long to saute. Just make sure its not too long because we are going to pop the whole thing into the oven in a little bit.
7. Pour in the egg mixture. Use a wooden spoon to distribute the eggs and filling evenly around the skillet so it looks as pretty as possible. Let sit over hot stove for 3-4 minutes
8. Before popping it into the oven, sprinkle a bit mozzarella cheese (or parmesan or no cheese at all) on top
9. We let our frittata sit in the oven for 14 minutes at 350° F and took it out when the cheese on top melted and the frittata started swelling up.

This is an excellent breakfast /brunch item with toast or just by itself. Enjoy!!!

In search of a Pretty Frittata