One Day At A Time!

Hey everyone! Hope you all are doing well. We are blessed with Goldilocks weather in Texas these days, especially in the mornings. I love my early morning walks on such days. Lets talk about a Sugar free Homemade Nutritious Protein Bar recipe. In January of 2023, I had blogged about Dates Syrup Laddoo . Today, I'll share an easier version of this treat using a food processor. Even Vegans can enjoy these. Ingredients: Dry desiccated Coconut - 1 cup Roasted Mixed Nuts - 1 cup  Date Syrup - about 1/2 cup Grated Nutmeg/Jaiphal - 1/8 tsp How to make Homemade Vegan Sugar Free Protein Bars: Dry roast coconut at very low flame for about a minute or until coconut slightly changes in color. Let it cool. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add roasted Mixed Nuts of your choice. Blend them in the food processor as fine or coarse you would like the nuts to be. Next, add grated nutmeg and roasted coconut. Pulse it again to mix all the ingredients well. Lastly, add Date Syrup and blend until all th...

Hello everyone! Hope all is well in your world! Today's post is my kiddo's favorite American breakfast - Pancakes! Who doesn't like Pancakes? Right! If you wish to make Pancakes at home, do give it a try. You won't miss the restaurant pancakes. Once a week I make Whole Wheat Pancakes for our whole family. Serve these healthier Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Maple Syrup and you'll love them. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Pancake Waffle Mix - 1 cup Egg - 1 Whole Milk/ Full Fat Milk - 3/4 cup Chocolate Chips - 1/3 cup Cooking Spray or Oil or Butter How to make healthy Pancakes: In a small bowl, beat an egg. Add milk and mix well again. In another big bowl, add pancake mix. Slowly add the beaten egg and milk to the pancake mix. Stir the pancake batter well. Make sure there are no lumps. Add chocolate chips and your pancake batter is ready. Heat a cast iron pan and apply butter or oil. I sprayed a cooking spray. Pour a ladle full of batter on the pan. Cook both sides of the ...

I am a person who likes to wander in a supermarket. That gives me a chance to try out new ingredients. This week, I picked buttermilk in the dairy isle for making Rava Dhokla . Up until now, I used to make Dhokla with yogurt. But, dhokla with buttermilk turned out even better. Buttermilk is comparatively sour than yogurt, which makes instant dhokla soft and fluffy. The best part is the health benefit, buttermilk has far less fat content than yogurt. 

For me, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. As you all know, we love South Indian Idli and Dosa. But, these days I am a Mommy, who has less time for cooking. So, for all busy people, here are some quick Indian breakfast ideas and recipes from a busy Mom. Feel free to share your tips through the comment section. Let me start with Instant Idli. Instant Oats Vegetables Idli Instant Rava (Sooji) Idli with Veggies Two more Konkani recipes of Idlis with vegetables. Tavshe (Cucumber) Idli Dudhe (Pumpkin) Idli Well, some delicacies for Gujarati food lovers. Instant Khaman Dhokla Instant Rava/Sooji Dhokla Khandvi/Suralichya Vadya Now is the time for everyone's favorite South Indian dosa. Instant Masala Dosa Instant Oats Rava Dosa Instant Rava Maida Dosa Instant Ragi / Nachni Dosa Some Marathi style Thaalipeeth. Instant Cabbage Dosa Jwari (Jowar) Thaalipeeth A Vegan Besan Vegetable Omlette Vegan Egg Free Omlette How about some Poha ...

Time for another breakfast recipe. But this time, its wholesome breakfast on the go. These homemade nutrition bars are perfect to start your day or as an anytime snack. It has whole grains, nuts and fruits. The best part about making it is, you get to pick your choice of fruits and nuts.

Instant Rava Idli with Veggies Mornings are the busiest in every household. Our home is no different. A bowl of whole grain cereal is the easiest option for me. But on weekends, I don't mind cooking something traditional. This Karnataka style Rava Idli with carrots and peas is one of them. Unlike other South Indian breakfasts which require an elaborate process of soaking, grinding, fermenting, this Sooji Idli is a quick one. Plus, healthy! Ingredients: Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 cup Yogurt/Curds/Dahi - 1 cup Grated Carrots/Gajar - 1/2 cup Green Peas (frozen) - 1/2 cup Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Cashews/Kaju - 3 tbsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 6 Oil or Ghee - 3 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt How to make Instant Rava Idli with veggies: Heat a pan and dry roast semolina at low heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Roast until semolina color changes slightly and turns aromatic. Do not let...

Hey everyone!  Thanks for all the emails and the sweet messages. I missed you guys too.  Hope you all had a great start in 2014. We are in the middle of severe winter weather and as the news readers say "Winter Wonderland". As far as new year resolutions, mine are still the same as last year... eat healthy, eat high calorie food in moderation and stay fit. Talking of healthy, let me tell you about a quick 20 minutes Oats dosa I made this weekend.

As you all know, South Indian Idli Dosa are quite common at our place for breakfast.  Now, some might find these idli dosa recipes time consuming. For them, today's Mung Cheela is perfect, which does not require any fermentation. These protein rich savory pancakes with Potato Sabji is a good way to start your day. Ingredients: Mung Dal/Split Green Gram - 1/2 cup Green Chilies - 2 Ginger - half inch piece Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil How to make Mung Dal Cheela: Soak mung dal in plenty of water for about 4 hours or overnight. Wash the soaked dal well. Grind washed mung dal, green chilies, ginger, cumin and salt to a smooth, thick batter. Heat a flat cast iron pan for making cheela. Lightly grease the pan with cooking spray or oil. You can use butter or ghee as well. Pour a ladle full of batter on the hot pan and spread it in a circular motion to form a round dosa. Drizzle some more oil if required.  Roast both ...

Since I brought a mini pancake pan, Appe has joined our list of breakfast menu. So far, I have posted savory recipes. You guys might have read about Udid Methi Appe   and also an instant version of Gluten free Appe .  Today I made God Appe for breakfast. Sweet appe or paddu or paniyaram are made either with rice or wheat. Wheat flour is the instant one as compared to the rice paddu. Hope you all like these sweet pancakes with bananas. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup Flattened Rice/Thin Poha - 1/2 cup Grated Jaggery/Gud/Gul - 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Ripe Bananas - 2 big Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods Oil or Ghee/Clarified Butter How to make Instant God Appo: Blend flattened rice, grated jaggery, coconut and bananas to a slightly coarse paste in a food processor or a blender. If jaggery is not available, brown sugar is a good substitute. Based on the sweetness you like, add more or less jaggery. Crush cardamom seeds...

Lately, for some unknown reason, I haven't been able to blog about new recipes. But today, I managed to shrug off my laziness and cook something different. So, here I am with gluten free  Indian Rice Noodles or Vermicelli . In Konkani, we call this as Shevai and it is served with both sweet and savory accompaniments. Many of you might know this as Idiyappam or Shavige . Traditionally, Shevai is made by a lengthy process of soaking rice, grinding and stuff. As you know me, I look for the easier way. But, its equally delicious. Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 cup Water - 1 cup Salt Oil How to make Rice Shevai / Idiyappam: In a mixing bowl, add rice flour and salt. Mix well. Heat 1 cup water in a small sauce pan. Turn off the heat when water starts boiling. Pour the hot water to the bowl and mix with a spoon. When it turns cold enough to handle, knead it well to make a soft dough. Divide the dough into 2 balls. Grease the idli plates with cooking spray or oil. ...

Anyone who is familiar with the whole elaborate process of making South Indian Dosa, knows about the importance of measuring ingredients, quite similar to baking.  But, Mushti Polo is traditionally made using fistful of ingredients. Mushti refers to fistful in Konkani. Cooking using fistful of this and fistful of that is slightly inconvenient for me. As usual, my Mom has her recipe for me, where fistfuls are substituted with measuring cups. Ingredients: Medium Grain Rice/Idli Rice - 1 cup Thin Poha/Flattened Rice/Avalakki - 1/2 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/4 cup Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1/4 cup Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1 tsp Salt Oil How to make Konkani Mushti Polo: Soak medium grain rice, urad dal and fenugreek seeds in plenty of water for 6 - 8 hours. Wash the soaked ingredients well. Grind soaked rice, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, coconut and flattened rice flakes, in batches,...

Some days, I forget to soak rice and dal for our regular breakfast - Idlis and Dosas. At times, cereal works just fine. Other days, I rely on such instant versions of South Indian breakfast items. We love such quick gluten free delicacies for lunch as well. Prep work involves chopping vegetables, but still its far more convenient. Ingredients: Idli Rava - 3/4 cup Urad Dal Flour/Split Black Gram Flour - 1/2 cup Yogurt/Dahi/Curds - 3/4 cup Carrots (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Bell Pepper (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Green Onions/Scallions - 1/4 cup Cilantro/Coriander/Kothimbir Leaves - few sprigs Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil How to cook Instant Appe / Paniyaram with vegetables: In a mixing bowl, add carrots, bell peppers, green onions, cilantro, salt and yogurt (preferably slightly sour). Make sure the veggies are very finely chopped, especially carrots. Or you can grate carrots as well. I have used full fat / whole milk yogurt....

When it comes to buying cookware, I am like a kid in a candy store. I love shopping for new kitchenware. But, my minimalistic nature sometimes stops me from picking unnecessary items. I don't like clutter in my kitchen. Anyways, this week I ordered a Danish pan online and here you are reading about a popular South Indian gluten free breakfast - savory mini pancakes called as Paddu or Paniyaram . In Konkani, these soft lentil and rice goodies are known as Appo or Appe . There are many ways of making Appe, both sweet and savory.  For today, lets eat Udid Methi Appe.

Everything about a weekend is so laid back. Relax and enjoy! Its the same with my cooking. Most weekends we eat out, try some exotic food. Tea is the only reason I enter the kitchen. But today happens to be one of those Sundays when I cooked an Instant brunch for us - steamed savory chickpea flour cakes, popular as Khaman Dhokla or Dhokla  in Gujarati. Ingredients: Besan/Chickpea Flour/Gram Flour - 1 cup Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup Green Chilli Paste - 1 tsp Grated Ginger - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Sugar - 1 tsp Salt Tempering/Tadka: Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadipata - 5 leaves Green Chillies - 2 Asafoetida/Hing - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tsp How to cook Instant Khaman Dhokla: Grease a steel vessel with cooking spray or oil. In a mixing bowl, add besan, turmeric, chilli paste, ginger, salt and sugar. Add yogurt (preferably slightly sour), and mix all the ingredients well. Whisk it well.  Now a...

February is here and hope everyone had a great first month. My resolution for 2013 was to blog more about whole grain recipes, include more vegetables in our diet. One day at a time and everything in moderation. That takes me to our today's breakfast - healthy Oats twist to a South Indian Idli, with colorful carrots and bell peppers. Ingredients: Quick Oats - 1 cup Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Yogurt/Curd/Dahi - 1 cup Carrots (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Capsicum/Bell Pepper (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp Salt How to cook Instant Oats Idli with vegetables: Heat a pan and roast oats at low heat for 4 - 5 minutes. Set it aside on a plate to cool. After cooling, grind the roasted oats to a fine powder. Now roast semolina at low heat for 4 - 5 minutes or until it slightly changes color and turns aromatic. Let it cool. In a big mixing bowl, add finely chopped carrots, capsicum, ci...

As I have mentioned earlier, Dosas are quite regular at our home. We love them both for breakfast and lunch. I keep looking for new ways to introduce more protein rich beans in our diet. Today's dosa is made of 15 Beans which are easily available as dry 15 Beans or 16 Beans or 21 Beans Soup packet. And Oats made it more nutritious. Let me tell you the different varieties of dry beans I used - Northern, Pinto, Large Lima, Yelloweye Bean, Garbanzo, Baby Lima, Green Split Pea, Kidney Bean, Cranberry Bean, Small White, Pink Bean, Small Red, Yellow Split Pea, Lentil, Navy, White Kidney Bean, Black Bean.

Chutneys are the most popular Indian condiments.  Coconut Chutney is a well known accompaniment with Idlis and Dosas . This dry Lasani chutney is most loved with Vada Pav  - Indian vegan burger. We relish this chutney more often with parathas and dosas too. Ingredients: Desiccated (Dry) Coconut - 1 cup White Sesame/Til Seeds - 1 tbsp Raw Peanuts/Groundnuts/Shenga - 1 tbsp Tamarind/Imli/Chinch - about 1 tsp Dry Red Chilies - 6 Garlic/Lahsun/Lasun - 5 big cloves Salt - about 1/2 tsp How to prepare Lasun or Garlic Chutney: Dry roast red chilies, sesame seeds, peanuts and coconut, each one separately. Roast at low flame until you get a toasted aroma and color changes slightly. Let all the roasted ingredients cool. Wipe the blender/mixer jar dry. Blend/Grind all the roasted ingredients, salt, tamarind, peeled garlic and salt to a fine powder. Keep it refrigerated, since raw garlic is used for this chutney. Enjoy this Dry Lasani Chutney with the famous Va...

Our morning breakfasts are commonly idlis and dosas - Cucumber Dosa , Oats Masala Dosa , Paan Pole , Dudhe (Pumpkin) Idli and so on. A nutritious breakfast including various types of grains and vegetables, is a good way to start your day. Today's Ragi and Urad Dal dosa is also one of those. My Mother-in-law's South Kanara Dosa Recipe. These gluten free crisp crepes with a curry are perfect for lunch or dinner as well.  Our family favorite is Ragi Masala Dosa , with a simple Coconut Chutney and Potato Bhaji . Ingredients: Ragi/Nachni/Finger Millet Flour - 1/2 cup Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/4 cup Salt Oil How to prepare Ragi Dosa: Soak urad dal in water for 2 - 3 hours. Drain the water and wash the soaked dal well.  Grind urad dal to a fine, smooth paste adding water. In a bowl, add ground urad dal and add ragi flour little at a time. Stir well until ragi flour is mixed well. Add little water if required. Batter consistency is same as any crepe ...

South Indian Dosa or Crepes made of whole mung beans, rice and oats. Mung Bean with its skin on is highly nutritious and provides more fiber. Ingredients: Oats - 1/2 cup Idli Rice or Medium Grain Rice - 1/2 cup Mung Bean/Mung/Moog - 1/4 cup Toor Dal/Split Pigeon Peas - 1 tbsp Fenugreek/Methi Seeds - 1 tsp Salt Oil How to prepare Oats and Mung Dosa: Soak rice, mung beans, toor dal and methi seeds in water for 5 - 6 hours. Aromatic methi seeds impart a nice golden brown color to the dosas. Wash the soaked rice and lentils well. Grind soaked rice, lentils and oats to a smooth paste. I used Quick Oats. No need to soak oats. Cover and let the batter ferment overnight. You can also add 1/8 tsp baking soda if you like. Add salt to the batter and mix when you are ready to make dosas. Heat a pan and grease the pan with few drops of oil or cooking spray. Do not add too much oil or else the dosas wont be thin. Spread a ladle full of batter evenly as thin as possible. Roast both sides ...

Along with rice and wheat, Jowar or Sorghum is also a staple in some regions of India. Jwari Bhakri or Jolada Roti is a popular flatbread in Maharashtra and Karnataka. Thalipeeth is similar to a pancake and is made of a variety of flours. Ingredients: Jowar/Sorghum/Jwari/Jola Flour - 1 cup Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Green Onions/Scallions/Kandyachi Path - about 1 cup Green Chili Paste - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt  Oil How to cook Marathi Jwari Thaalipeeth: Finely chop green onions, both white and green parts. Finely chop green chilies or use green chili paste. You can use red onions instead of green onions. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except oil. Add water, little at a time and mix to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into 5 round balls. Grease a plastic wrap with oil or cooking spray. Place a dough ball in the center  of the plastic sheet. Using your fingers, spread the dough ball into a round pancake. Heat a...