Oat Meal for breakfast

Hmmm.... Oats?!? Yukkkh! What about my Maska Paav or Egg Omlette with Tea? Who eats Oats for breakfast? Well I do :) and I love it by the day, everyday. Surprised? How can one eat those dry ugly looking flakes. Well not anymore, try this...

Ingredients:

½ cup White Oats
1½ cups Milk
3 tsp sugar
½ tsp Flavoring Essence
2 cups Water
A pinch of ground Cardamom
A pinch of grated Nutmeg
½ tbsp Wheat Bran (optional)

Method:

Mix together Oats, Bran, Sugar and Water. Boil the mixture for 5 mins, till the oats mixture starts thickening. Now add the Milk slowly to the mixture to loosen it a bit, making sure there are no lumps formed. After a quick boil, remove from fire and add the nutmeg and cardomom. When slightly cooler, add the essence. I prefer Vanilla or Rose flavor. Let it cool to room temperature and you're all set to have a hearty breakfast which is very healthy and nutricious. Tastes great even when refrigerated.

Optional servings:

You can add cinammon and grated apple to the meal instead of cardomom and nutmeg. I like to add Bran to this since it is high in fibre which is deficient in my regular diet.

Hope you enjoy this one!!

Garlic Bread with Cheese

This is my personal favourite and I can have it any time of the day. Sad thing is it gets stuck in the wrong places in me :( But still I love making it once a while. So here it goes...

Ingredients:

1 foot long Garlic or Herb Bread
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese or Pepper jack cheese
3 tsp dry Garlic powder
3-4 tsp chilly flakes (as desired)
Salt as per taste

Method:

Cut the bread into thick even slices. Grill the slices in the microwave for 7 mins on one side and another 5 on the other side till the slices turn light brown. In the meanwhile, mix the cheese with garlic powder and salt. Avoid using Cheddar cheese since it doesn’t melt. Once the slices are done, pour the cheese lavishly on the slices and grill the slices for another 2 mins till all the cheese melts over the slices. When done, remove from microwave and shake some chilly flakes over the slices and serve them immediately. Goes well with beer and pizza, it also makes a quick and hearty breakfast :)

Fusilli with Pesto Sauce

The other day, mom was on her way to learn some healthy cooking tips at her gym. It was a Sunday and I was in no mood to go with her and learn myself. She went on her own and got back some goodies when she returned. NO these were not any freebies, but she bought (read as made to buy) Barilla’s Mini Fusilli, Bertolli’s Olive Oil (not the extra virgin one) and some local brand Sesame oil. From what I got to hear and after scanning the new food items at home, I guessed it was more of an advertising of the products than teaching the healthy cooking :) Anyways, now that she somehow got convinced to buy all the stuff but who the hell is gonna cook Fusilli?? Well, who better than me…! Here’s what I tried out last night and turned out to be one of the best things I’ve experimented

Ingredients:

½ pack Barilla’s Fusilli
3 tsp Red Chili flakes (I like it hot ;) )
2 chopped Carrots
2 chopped capsicums
7-8 chopped French Beans
100gm Green Peas
Some dried Parsley
1 tsp Italian Seasoning (optional)
3 tbsp Pesto Sauce
½ cup Milk
1 tbsp Bertolli’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt as per taste


Method:

Boil the Fusilli in lots of water for about 10 minutes till its soft and edible. Add some salt to it. In the meanwhile, heat some Olive Oil in a pan, add red chili flakes to it and sauté it. Add chopped carrots, chopped capsicums, french beans, boiled peas to it, some salt and sauté. Now add some dried parsley, Italian seasoning and the pesto sauce. Stir for 2 mins on medium flame and then add the milk. Let the milk thicken the gravy and then add the boiled Fusilli to it. Stir a little and make sure the herbs and the spices mix well in the twists of the Fusilli. Serve hot and remember me while enjoying this delicious treat ;)