One of my favourite south Indian breakfast is this paniyaram. Unlike most homes where it is made of rice flour or a dosa batter, I make mine with sprouted moong (green gram) with no rice at all. That does make it a longer process, almost 5 days, but if your home is like my home, which always has sprouts it’s easy-peasy.
“Baked donuts!” Exclaimed my husband! Yes, why not..If everything can be made diet friendly why not donuts! Everyone’s making them these days and I’m going to try make them not just sugar-free but also with barley and oats flour!
What’s with the weather? One day, you’re cold and happy snuggled within a comforter and on the other, the sun is out beating the sweat out of you. It’s no strange coincidence that so many people are unwell! This year, flu, cough and cold have bitten more people than ever. I mean just in my office, at one point more than half the girls, we are a girl’s only office :), were on sick leave! With examinations around the corner, it’s also time to get the kids immunity up and running at full steam.
Which kid doesn’t like a cookie? As a kid, the only reason I would reach for that glass of milk was for that delicious cookie that came with it! However, things are different today, people have become a lot more aware of what they are eating by adopting healthy living, but are kids missing out on the goodies. Here’s a brookie, a combination of a cookie and brownie, that’s amazingly delicious, healthy and easy to make.
From prep to baking time, it takes all of 30 minutes. And it’s made with absolutely no added sugars and is gluten- and lactose-free.
It’s been a long hiatus. Blame the 365 salads I was working on, that I hope, make it to a book. Last year, I set myself a GOAL or resolution, as I would like to call it, of making 365 NEW SALADS in the year, a new salad every day, and sure enough, I managed. Was it tough? Yes, of course, it was. But sheer determination and resolve saw me reach Day 365 with a celebration of life!
This year, I hope to post 2 things a week, yup 52 only of each!
A healthy juice or smoothie and a child-friendly healthy meal.
There’s always something exotic or should I say romantic about chocolate cookies. They bring with them smiles and happiness no matter how small they are. The first bite is bliss, the second, heaven and by the third, you’re dancing with angels.
This was the showstopper at a dinner date with 7 girlfriends and my sister! Nothing could be simpler to make and look so exotic that people actually start asking you for its recipe even before they have the first bite! At home, a Brie dish is always served as an appetiser, it’s a cheese that makes you look good. It’s exotic and it pairs beautifully with wine. This time however I took the brie a notch higher, yes that is possible, by pairing it with some glorious honey coated roasted figs. Honey and figs, a pair made in heaven!
This dish has been one of the hottest selling entrees in both my restaurants. The name has appeal, the simplistic recipe allows you to enjoy the vegetables, it’s healthy so works with the crazy gym-addicts, and me, and it’s a looker!
Aubergine or brinjal is technically a fruit…and you can’t keep me away from fruits for too long. Full of vital vitamins, minerals, fibre and with the ability to lower cholesterol and help manage weight, brinjals have always been a hot favourite in my kitchen. And what’s even more interesting is the ease with which it can be used in any cuisine. Like, tonight, I’m trying a Sweet-Sour-Spicy Aubergine with Sichuan chilli, if I get my hands on it, and am going to serve it with brown rice noodles and a quick 5 veggie stir fry. But coming back to the brinjal, you’ve got to cook it right to prevent it from becoming a soggy mess.
There are few things in life that can be deterred to a later date. Baking is one of them. Just last night I watched two sisters, create an amazing flourless sugarless warm chocolate pudding with figs…yeah, it was a gooey mess, and i mean that in a very, very good way. The recipe by Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley on Hemsley & Hemsley had to be replicated in my own style.
Crackers are fairly simple to make and it’s rather surprising that I don’t make them as often as I should. On our trips to Europe we often stock up on these knäckebröd and bring enough home to last a few months. It’s when they run out that the quest for ready-made Indian varieties start and sadly I haven’t come across a single good gluten-free sugar-free variant as yet.
The wonderful thing about these crackers is that you can flavour it as you choose. Even the basic recipe is delicious, but when your kitchen is a store house of flavours from across the world, why would you let your imagination dry up? What I also enjoy about making these crackers is that its relatively stress free. Most Indian women are used to kneading dough, you just do it instinctively, yes I had to remind myself to measure the quantity of water I used when I developed this recipe. And the crackers get done in a flat 45 minutes, you need no yeast, no waiting for the dough to rise, no getting the temperature right..nothing. It’s as simple as knead, roll, cut and bake. And the end product is only 20 minutes away.