A healthy start

Beetroot paratha

MOUSHMI KISHORE :The Hindu:dec 2012

Some easy-to-make and tasty breakfast options.

Power up the day with hearty breakfast recipes that will help keep you full and energized until lunch. It is the prevention meal because it heads off overeating and over snacking during the day and easy way to check you eat better and lose weight.

Make sure your breakfast is well rounded, meaning it packs produce, protein, and whole grains. These recipes are tempting enough to get you out of bed as most of these meals are ready in 15-20 minutes or less, so that they can be whipped up even on frantic mornings, others can be prepped the night before. Time to rise and dine your hearty breakfasts.

Broccoli And Cheese Omelet

Ingredients:

½ tsp olive oil

1 ¼ cups thinly sliced broccoli florets

1 tsp freshly ground pepper

1tbspn grated cheese

1 egg, plus 2 egg whites

1tspn red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

Method: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Cook broccoli covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and some pepper. Transfer to plate. Add cheese to skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until melted and golden in about 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium low. Add egg and egg whites. Keeping egg yolk intact, drag a spatula through the whites to spread them evenly in the pan. Cook covered, until whites are set and yolk is still runny, 1 to 1 ½ minutes. Top with broccoli mixture and fold omelette over. Sprinkle red pepper flakes.

Banana Toast With Walnut, Dates And Honey

Ingredients:

2 tbsp cheese spread

1 slice whole wheat bread toasted

½ banana, sliced on the bias

1 medium pitted date, thinly sliced

1 tbsp coarsely chopped roasted walnuts

1tspn honey

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.

Method: Spread cheese spread on toast. Top with banana, date and walnut. Drizzle with honey. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and some pepper.

Chickoo And Oat Shake

Ingredients:

2 ½ medium to large chickoos, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 ¾ cup skim milk

1 cup low fat butter milk

2/3 cup rolled or quick cooking oats

1/3 cup ice-cubes

2 tsp chocolate syrup

2 tsp white cream

1 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Sugar to taste

Method: Freeze chickoos in a single layer on a baking sheet overnight. Combine chickoo, milk, butter milk, oats, ice, chocolate syrup, cream, cinnamon and sugar in a blender. Blend on low speed, then gradually increase speed to high. Blend until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Pour into chilled glasses, and garnish with ground cinnamon. Serve Immediately.

Creamed Spinach Wrap

Ingredients:

4 flat out light original flat bread

2 bunch fresh spinach, washed thoroughly

3 tbsp unsalted butter

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

1 ½ tbsp whipped reduced fat cream cheese spread

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method: Cook spinach in a large pot with ¼ inch water until steam has collapsed leaves, 8-10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out liquid. Coarsely chop. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Stir for 1 minute. Whisk in milk and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Fold in chopped spinach. Spread cheese spread over one side of flatbread. Top with creamed spinach. Roll flatbread to enclose filling.

Daal And Vegetable Idli

Ingredients:

1 cup urad daal

½ cup each of channa (black gram) and moong daal

1 small bunch of fenugreek leaves

125gm shelled green peas

1 carrot

½ coconut

1 big bunch coriander leaves

6 green chillies finely minced

1 onion minced

1 tsp mustard seeds

Pinch of asafoetida, salt to taste.

Method: Soak the dals for 4 hours and grind a little coarsely after draining out water. Mince together green chillies, fenugreek and coriander leaves. Grate the coconut and carrot to fine bits. Half boil the peas and grind coarsely. Mix together dals, vegetables, coconut and onion. Heat 1 tbsp oil and put in mustard seeds and asafoetida. When seeds stop crackling put those into the dal mixture and mix well. Grease small round bowls of idli stand with ghee or oil and fill ¾ full. Steam till idlis are firm. Remove them from container and serve them hot with seasoned curd or sambhar or coconut chutney.

Beetroot Parathas

Ingredients:

250gms sifted whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp ghee

1 cup water

2 cups grated beetroot

1 tbsp crushed pomegranate seeds

2 green chillies minced

Handful of chopped coriander leaves

½ piece chopped ginger

½ tsp jeera powder

½ tsp chilli powder

Method: Mix salt and rub ghee in the flour. Add water gradually, knead well and mix the flour. See that dough formed is uniform, smooth, soft and pliable. Mix all spiced ingredients in grated beetroot. Now take a piece of dough and roll it flat like a chapatti. Spread a little ghee or butter and then fill in the grated, spiced beetroot. Seal the edges nicely, sprinkle a little dry flour on top and then roll out the parathas as thinly and as roundly as you can, being careful not to break it. Grease a smoking tava or a girdle with ghee and place the paratha over it. When underside turns a little golden coloured, apply ghee on top side and turn over. Press gently and cover this side also with some ghee keep on turning until paratha turns golden coloured. Serve it hot with 1 tbsp of fresh butter and a bowl of fresh curd seasoned with desirable condiments.