Breakfast Or Coffee

  
 How do you start your day ? Would it be with  rich Coffee or breakfast or with both. I am not a big coffee person even though I love , love, love the smell of hot brewing coffee.I start my day with good breakfast and end the breakfast with less than quarter cup of coffee. I guess it is the good feeling of holding a coffee mug that I love more than the coffee itself. My Husband R , on the other hand is a serious coffee lover who religiously grinds coffee beans each morning to make that first special cup of morning coffee to kick start his  day. Today was one of those cold winter mornings that needed a good warm breakfast to complement it and the first thought that came to my mind was Oatmeal.I had a bunch of apples ready to be used and here is a recipe to a great tasting quick fruity Oatmeal .

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

1 cup peeled diced fresh apples
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup water
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 tspn Cinnamon powder

Boil water,milk together.
Whisk in oats and mix together.
Simmer for three minutes .
Add apples and Cinnamon.
Simmer for another 5 minutes or according to your desired consistency. 

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

I usually top my Oatmeal with 1 tablespoon Agave Nectar,flax meal,Chia seeds and a teaspoon full of Almond or peanut butter.

Now, that is some way to say Good Morning !

Spinach Two Ways

Pesto Panini With Gomen Wat

 Holiday season is my most favorite time of the year.It feels like everybody is celebrating in one way or the other , decorations everywhere and the world seems like a really happy place. The temperatures are dipping here in Chicago and I have been craving some comfort food. It has been more than 10 days since my last grocery store visit and all I am left with in my refrigerator is one huge box and a bag of Spinach . I decided to make it a Spinach day and made Spinach for lunch and dinner in two different ways.

Pesto Panini Sandwich With Gomen Wat 

1 Small bag Spinach chopped
1 Small Onion diced
1 tspn Garlic
1 tspn Ginger
1 tspn minced Jalapenos
2 tbspn lemon juice
1/2 tspn turmeric
Salt to taste
2 Tbspn Oil
1/2 cup water

Saute Onion in Oil till they become soft,add Garlic,Ginger,chopped Spinach and 1/2 cup water. Cook till the greens get tender and the water is absorbed .Add minced Jalapenos,Turmeric,lemon juice,salt mix ,cook on low heat for couple of minutes and serve hot.   

To make Panini spread Pesto on both the slices of bread , add Mozzarella cheese , top it with the second slice and put it in the sandwich maker.

Saag Paneer

  
Saag paneer is my idea of comfort food. Typically Saag is made with spinach and Mustard greens.Paneer is kind of fresh Indian cheese widely used in Indian food. Most times I skip mustard greens and add any other greens on hand like Chard, still to get a great tasting saag. I often come across different versions of this dish ,but, the one I make, is quite popular amongst my friends and most sought in my family.

Saag Paneer 

1 bunch Spinach
1 Small Onion finely chopped
2 juicy tomatoes finely chopped
3 tbspn Oil
5-6 cashews (optional)
1 tbspn Corn meal
1 tspn Chilli powder
1 tspn dry mango powder
1/2 tspn turmeric
1 tspn Garam masala
1 tspn coriander powder 
1-2 green chilli
Salt to taste

Bring 1/2 cup water to boil , add salt,chopped spinach,green chilli and blanch it for a couple of minutes  drain and set aside. Heat one tablespoon oil,add onions ,tomatoes and saute till they get mushy  add cashews,  all the spice powders highlighted in blue,mix for a couple of minutes and let it cool.Blend onion tomato mixture and the spinach together ,return it to the pan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes ,add corn meal, mix  well and turn it  off. To add an extra zing I heat a tablespoon oil,add cumin, minced garlic , a pinch of chilli powder and season the saag paneer. 
Saag Paneer  is traditionally had with Indian flat breads.

  
  

Injera With Shiro Wat

 Last weekend we were at an Ethiopian Restaurant for lunch. That was our first time trying Ethiopian  food. We knew our choice would be limited being vegetarians but, to our surprise, it was a vegetarians jackpot. Ethiopian food in so many ways reminded us of Indian food specially in the use of spices and lentils. My trip to any new cuisine we try, usually ends with recreating the meal at home . Injera is traditionally made with Teff Flour. Teff flour is soaked and fermented for 3 to 5 days to make sour,spongy Injeras. I  didn't use any starters or yeast to ferment the Teff flour.I just soaked two cups Teff flour in four cups of water and left it ferment for 24 hours and the best part of Injeras -they are rich in Iron and there is no oil used.Finding Teff flour  in Chicago wasn't really hard either ,a little help from Google and I was ready to go.My local Whole Foods market carried Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Teff Flour.

Soaked Teff flour after 24 hours

  You can learn more about Teff  here.

Injera in the making

Traditionally Injeras are had with some kind of stew called Wat  made with split peas. We had our Injeras with Shiro wat. I created my own version of shiro wat in my kitchen and it turned out to be almost like the restaurant version minus the butter. You can find the recipe for Shiro Wat here . All wats contain Berebere, a mouthwatering Ethiopian spice mix . I made mine  by grinding Cinnamon,Cardamom,Cloves,Cumin,Coriander,Allspice,Turmeric and Pepper corn.  Shiro powder and berebere spice mix are simmered together in tomato onion base to make a Wat.

Injera with Shiro Wat

 I had a fun time preparing an Ethiopian meal at home for lunch. Next time I try making Injeras, I would probably try to make them  using a starter to get more spongy breads.And finally if you love a little spice in your food like we do ,then Ethiopian Cuisine is for you too !

Winterized Summer Salad

One of our family's favorite way to eat veggies is a salad. Cold salads in winter is not anyone's idea of a great meal.I usually dress up the salads to make them more appealing even in winters.  My base vegetables are usually the same old lettuce, different
peppers,cucumber, carrots ,olives,avacados and to make my salad, a meal, I  add different kinds of beans. Using beans in a salad makes the salad more filling and adds, that much needed,extra  dietary fiber. Check the picture below to see my salad transformation.

  Salad topped with hummus,Greek yogurt, two to three crushed baked veggie chips for the crunch ,one tablespoon shredded cheese and last but not least Tomatillo salsa. Now, salsa can be store bought or home made .We usually make a huge batch of salsa that lasts us a week, the recipe of which, will follow soon. Right now enjoy this summer salad in winter just like we do !

First day,First show !

Why another food blog and why me ? Well, that's exactly what I asked myself time and again. I guess deep down I  have always had an budding culinary enthusiast in me.I could feel I had something to share and make a contribution in my own way to the food blogosphere. I credit my interest in food to my Father , who had the unique opportunity to visit too many countries because of his profession . We grew up listening to his interesting tales about the food patterns of people from around the world. He still never shies away from trying something new. 

Elaborate cooking is not for me ! I try to spend as little time as I can in my kitchen.Well again, that is my motivation to come up with ideas for  new food.I  call it "the lazy person's easy food". I usually  stuff my pantry with a bunch of grains, legumes,beans,flat breads and my freezer with my "plan B" vegetables, "plan A" being fresh ones:). My goal is to whip up a great dinner in the shortest amount of time with healthy ingredients. I do partial cooking and more assembling of the  ingredients together in my kitchen. Living in the United States has broadened my idea of food altogether . There are too many choices to pick from. My family has no reservations in trying out new cuisines whatsoever .My husband has always been a game for any new recipe I whip up and my son loves to help me out in the kitchen.He is six years old and knows exactly that the cheese which goes in lasagna is not  same as the one in a sandwich and he knows them by name. The kind of recipes you would find in my blog are going to be quick ,healthy and a interesting blend of different cuisines. This blog is my way of documenting,saving and sharing my most favorite recipes with you all. If you find my blog interesting do leave a comment and visit this space soon for more servings of fusion food.Welcome !