Bran Mini Muffins

Once a month or so, when I am all fired up, I manage to whip up a batch of bran muffins to be consumed as a healthy morning breakfast.

I started making mini bran muffins, about two dozen at a time, as one mini muffin seems the right portion for my toddler Ana's breakfast, along with a glass of milk.

And, of course, D and I end up gobbling two each for breakfast so that the whopping two dozen mini muffins are gone by the end of the week :)

The recipe is fairly standard, nothing spectacular. It can be varied to incorporate fresh seasonal berries or even other dry fruits like prunes and cranberries (which are my favorites).

Optionally, I like to add a tablespoon of flaxseed meal to the batter, if handy - and it is usually handy in my kitchen as I try to sprinkle it on our meals about once or twice a week, especially for Ana :)

Ingredients

dry ingredients 1½ cup all purpose flour 1 cup bran 1/3 cup brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon powder ½ tsp baking soda 1 Tbsp baking powder ½ tsp salt

wet ingredients ½ cup milk 1 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 ripe banana, mashed 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg ½ cup raisins ½ cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and make a well in the center
2. mix the wet ingredients together and gradually pour into the well made in the dry ingredients, gently folding them all together with a spatula till well incorporated; do not overmix
3. pour into mini muffin pans - the ingredients here makes 24 mini muffins
4. bake in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes or till done - a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

Lime Chili Garlic chunky pickle

I love the Indian style pickles - spicy and packed in oil - served as a side with any meal. Over the years, having been disappointed by the taste of packaged pickles, I started making my own... especially since I found the Joys of Home Canning :)

Over summer, when our garden is bountiful, it is always fun to can away the fresh produce for those dreary winter days. But, the pantry always has a dozen or more jars of assorted types of pickles... well... pickling away, till ready for consumption, pretty much year-round.

The only two kinds of pickles I absolutely relish and cannot make myself at home are: Spicy Mahali/Mahani pickle (a type of strong flavored root made into a pickle), and Tender Baby Mango Pickle (Kadugu Manga). My mom used to make these just the way I love them and the flavors still linger in my memory to-date... so, these are the two kinds I end up buying at the store to satisfy my cravings on and off...

At any given time, there would be Chunky Mixed Vegetable Pickle, Lime Pickle, Chunky Lime+Chili+Garlic Pickle, Spicy Chunky Garlic Pickle, Mild (Spreadable) Garlic Relish, Tomato Thokku, Chilli Thokku (green or red chilies) , Ginger Thokku, canned and labeled with the dates, patiently aging away in the pantry waiting to be consumed when ripe and ready :)

The picture above is that of lime+chilli+garlic pickle at the beginning of the process - I just dished some out for the picture... but at the end of the process, before it is ready for canning, they lose their rawness and are well sautéed and wilted. And finally, after maturing for about 8-10 weeks, the lime is soft and fork-tender, the flavors mellow and well-blended, looking absolutely irresistible.

Usually, it takes about 4-6 weeks for them to sit undisturbed so they can mellow out a bit and the flavors can meld before they can be relished.

Since I don't have an exact recipe and each batch of pickle turns out slightly different from the others depending on my mood and ingredients handy, I thought I should record the general procedure here rather than specifics. Sometimes the vegetables are diced nicely, sometimes they are ground to a fine paste (like for the thokku), sometimes they are minced (like for my garlic relish) and sometimes I like to leave them as large chunks...

Ingredients:
Lime
green chilies
garlic
salt
oil
extra hot dry red chili powder
toast: small amounts of mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds, and grind them to a coarse powder
hint of brown sugar (optional)

Preparation:

• heat adequate amount of oil (can add more as needed later)
• add the lime, chilies and garlic, plus the spices, sauté and let it cook on medium low heat till well softened
• add a little oil at a time so the pickle is not too dry, stirring often
• when oil starts separating and is no longer "absorbed" into the dish, taste and adjust flavors
• can them if making a large batch OR just store them in an air tight container in a cool dark place to age a little
• if not canning, allow to cool a bit before storing in an airtight container

Simple Cabbage Koottu

This unpretentious cabbage koottu is such an everyday food that it never occurred to me to post a version of the recipe here until now. Especially now. Since I have not been making anything exotic and have been relying on comfort foods for the last several weeks...

I can eat a bowlful of this cabbage koottu as a meal by itself... but, it is good with rice, simple roti or even spelt or whole wheat tortillas.

Crisp green cabbage, some moong dal, and perhaps some coconut, curry leaves and green chilies is all it takes to make this dish in its simplest form. If moong dal is limited to say ¼ cup (dry) per 4-5 cups of finely chopped cabbage, this qualifies as a "low-carb" diet easily, of course, not including the rice or roti to go with it, and assuming one doesn't eat it all in one sitting. Agreed, I am not a nutritionist and wouldn't want to start pretending to be one, but, this sure seems like such a light carb-load to me, at least based on glycemic index readings I've seen so far :)

Ingredients
4-5 cups of finely chopped green cabbage
¼ cup split yellow moong dal
¼ cup dry (unsweetened) grated coconut
1-2 dry red chilies or fresh green chilies
5-10 curry leaves (optional)
salt to taste
chicken or vegetable bullion cubes, or broth (optional)
water as needed

Preparation

1. combine the coconut, chilies and curry leaves in a blender and process to a fine powdery paste; set aside; reserve some curry leaves for garnish if preferred
2. bring about 2-3 cups of broth or water to a boil, add the moong dal and allow it to cook partially; add the bullion cubes to the water, if using; add the cabbage and cook till it is not raw anymore - I like the cabbage to hold the crunch and not get mushy
3. add the coconut+chili+curry leaves paste, simmer some more till moong dal is done to your liking - I like it cooked through but still firm and holding shape, not mushy
4. adjust salt to taste; add water as needed - I like the koottu to be fairly thick, not runny, so it can be eaten by the spoonful as a solid meal

Green beans or even carrots are a good addition to this dish... of course, peas and potatoes will not keep it low-carb, but are a good addition as well...

dal and cream of wheat porridge (kichadi)

This humble kichadi/porridge of sorts is one of my comfort foods. It is easy to make, is wholesome, and can be enhanced with flavors and veggies and even meat if desired.

I like to add ginger and garlic to simple foods not only to enhance flavor but to take advantage of the health benefits of ginger and garlic.

A hot bowl of this kichadi/porridge is a wonderful winter night meal.

In its plain and mild form, this was one of Ana's favorite foods as an infant when her digestive system was getting stable and she started relishing solids that are still mushy but have some discernible texture and flavor.

Ingredients
¼ cup split yellow moong dal
2 cups cream of wheat OR cream of rice
salt to taste
1 Tbsp ghee or canola oil
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock/broth
2-4 cups water (depending on how runny you would like the porridge)
¼ cup finely minced onions
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove minced finely (optional)
favorite veggies - peas, carrots, cabbage, green beans

Preparation

1. heat the water in a pot and add the moong dal and allow it to cook partially
2. add the rest of the ingredients, adjust water, turn heat to low, cover and let it simmer till flavors meld and it acquires the gooey porridge consistency
3. stir on and off, adjust water to desired consistency

Baba Ghanouj

I was going through my old photos again. I had skipped posting this one as it didn't capture the mouthwatering quality of the dish - it just looks like a dirty blob of goo in the photo... however, I decided to note down the recipe here while the taste of this dish, when I made it last, is still lingering in my memory...

We make this quite often at home, almost as often as my chutneys or salsas, so much so that D has gotten quite good at it that he whips it up usually without any constructive input/interference from me :)

While large fleshy eggplant is commonly used for this dish (and readily available in markets here), I found that Ichiban and Calliopes from my garden had a certain bold eggplant flavor that I liked.

Serve with pita chips or even simple rotis or dosai.

Ingredients
1-2 globe or black beauty or other large, soft fleshy eggplant
3-4 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 Tbsp lemon juice
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or put through a garlic press
1 tsp Hickory Smoke Flavoring liquid ^*
salt to taste

^* D uses this a lot in his cooking, so, we have it handy at home, and we love the smoky flavor... but this is definitely an optional ingredient

other optional items: cayenne pepper, paprika, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro (to taste)

Preparation

1. Slice the eggplant with the skin on, spray or brush some oil and either roast in a 375°F oven till tender, or, what I like to do is to char them a bit over open flame of my gas stove
2. allow to cool a bit; remove skin if you don't care for it - I like it, so, I leave it on
3. combine the eggplant with rest of the ingredients, a little at a time, in a blender/food processor, and pulse to desired dip texture/consistency; i like it a bit coarse, not smooth and silky
4. taste and adjust flavors;garnish with paprika, or cayenne pepper powder and sesame seeds

Roasted Cauliflower

We have been eating Boca burgers, Soy dogs, Tofu, Whole wheat wraps, Salads and Soups for a few weeks now so I had nothing interesting to share. But, I found this photo of roasted cauliflower in one of my old folders and realized I haven't posted this recipe yet. And, the photo is one of my early efforts where the bowl takes up most of the space and not the food!

Roasted vegetables are always a treat when done right and eaten hot. This was just a quick pan-roasted cauliflower, using home-made annatto ghee. But, alternately, can be roasted in the oven.

Ingredients
1 head large cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
1 Tbsp canola oil
1-2 Tbsp annatto ghee
spices to suit your taste - i used a mixture of coriander powder, paprika, chili powder and Madras Curry powder
salt to taste
optional - garnish with cilantro or curry leaves

Preparation

1. blanch or microwave the cauliflower florets and pat dry
2. combine the oil, salt and spices in a container or zipper lock bag, throw the florets in and shake till they are well coated with the spices
3. roasting
   • oven: in a 400°F oven roast in a single layer for about 30-45 minutes or until done to your liking, tossing and turning midway; brush the annatto ghee and finish under the broiler
   • pan: in a hot pan, add the ghee a little at a time as needed and roast the florets, stirring/turning them to roast all sides
4. serve warm with yogurt sauce and rotis, or even with rice

Mapo Tofu Sauce

Usually, I make up the sauce for my dishes depending on ingredients that are handy in my kitchen, and depending on my mood.

A while back, I came across packaged Mapo/Mabo tofu sauce at FuBonn supermarket and was going through the list of ingredients when I decided to try and make my own version of it at home...

It was interesting to find this bit of trivia about this dish: A famous Szechuan recipe - the name Ma Po Tofu is roughly translated as "pockmarked grandmother beancurd," named for the old woman who supposedly invented the dish.

Anyway, so, as usual, this is a fairly loose adaptation and I lay no claims to authenticity - it is a fusion of Japanese and Chinese flavors - but, it turned out quite tasty with the things I threw together that I decided to make a note of it for future reference :)

Ingredients
1 pkg extra firm tofu, diced
sliced red and green chilies for garnish
sliced spring onion for garnish
1-2 tsp cornstarch or tapioca starch
water
for the sauce:
2 Tbsp black bean chili paste
3 Tbsp sambal oelek
3 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp red miso paste
1 Tbsp crushed Japanese dry red peppers (or Szechuan peppers)
4 Tbsp light soy sauce
½ tsp Chinese 5-spice powder (optional)
1 Tbsp Agave nectar (optional)

Preparation

1. in a pan or wok add all the sauce ingredients plus some water as needed and bring to a gentle simmer
2. if sauce is too runny, dissolve the corn starch in a few tablespoons of water and gently stir it in to thicken
3. gently slide in the diced tofu and let it simmer some more
4. taste and adjust flavors
5. garnish with spring onions and sliced fresh hot chilies

Simple Onion Soup

I haven't been cooking anything exotic for a while now... mostly simple soups, or some of my old favorites. As I was sifting through, I realized I have not posted this simple onion soup recipe.

Nothing fancy, but, it turned out to be sumptuous and satisfying on a cold winter night a few weeks ago. It is a thin, watery soup, sort of like my favorite rasam :)

Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, sliced thin
1 can low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
3 Tbsp Frank's™ Red Hot sauce
1-2 Tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup herbed dry stuffing mix
2-4 Tbsp of your favorite blend of dried/fresh herbs: I used rosemary, marjoram, parsley and chives
water as needed
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 tsp brown sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions till they carmelize
2. add all the rest of the ingredients except water and stuffing mix and allow to simmer gently for a few minutes; add a little water if needed; adjust flavors to taste
3. when ready to serve, add the stuffing mix to the bowl, pour some hot soup on top and serve right away; by the time it cools enough to start enjoying the soup, the bread in the stuffing mix is well softened and ready