Oats with Milk Recipe

oats with milk

Oats with milk or oats porridge is a quick to make, easy and healthy breakfast option. You can cook oats either in a pan or a microwave. I have shared the recipe for both. Having oats in the morning is a great way to start your day.
Recipe of oats with milk
2 cups milk
3 tbsp oats
1 tsp sugar/honey or to taste
How to make oats with milk
1. Take milk in a pan and add oats to it. If you are using sugar, add it. If using honey, add it after the porridge is ready.
2. Cook on a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your oats are ready.
                                           or
You can take milk in a microwave safe bowl and add oats and sugar to it. Cook on a micro high for 2 & 1/2 minutes. 

Sabudana Vada

sabudana vada

Here is a simple recipe of sabudana vada with no frills attached and with minimum of ingredients. If you follow the recipe completely, you can make delicious sabudana vada. BTW sabudana vada is a Maharashtrian  food which is mainly eaten in fast. You can make these vadas for Ekadashi or Navratra fasts. I have used sendha salt in this recipe as I made them for Ekadashi fast, you can use common salt if you are not making them in fast.
Recipe of sabudana vada
3/4 cup sabudana (sago)
5 medium sized potatoes
3 green chillies- finely chopped
Sendha salt to taste
Oil to deep fry
1. Wash sabudana under running water. Soak in 'just enough' water in which sabudana is immersed and no
more. Soak for at least 1 & 1/2 hour.
2. Boil, peel, cool and mash potatoes. Add soaked sabudana, salt and green chillies and mix well to form a dough.
3. Pinch a ball from the dough and flatten it between your palms to form a patty or tikki shape called vada. Similarly make rest of the vada from the dough.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai (heavy bottomed vessel) and when the oil is completely hot, add the vada to it. Deep fry till the vadas are reddish brown from both sides. Also fry in batches. Serve hot sabudana vada.
Note: Sabudana vada is fried on high heat. If the oil is not hot enough, your vadas will break in the oil.

Corn Upma

Corn upma is a nice variation from regular rava upma with vegetables. Corn I used here is tinned American sweet corn which is readily available in the market. So, try it and who knows it becomes regular in your kitchen.
Recipe of corn upma
1 cup sooji (rava/semolina)
2 tbsp corn kernels (tinned)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Few curry leaves
2 tsp chane ki dal (Bengal gram dal)
3 green chillies- chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai and roast sooji on a low heat for 5 minutes till nice aroma comes out and
sooji turns very light brown. Take out sooji from kadhai and keep aside.
2. Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in the kadhai and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add chane ki dal.
Roast for few seconds.
3. Add curry leaves, green chillies and corn. Fry for 1 minute.
4. Add water and salt. Let it come to boil, then simmer on low heat, covered, for 5 minutes.
5. Slowly add sooji (little by little) mixing with other hand to avoid lumps.
6. Cover the kadhai and let all water gets absorbed. Your corn upma is ready. Serve hot. 

Paneer Koliwada (Cottage Cheese Fritters)

Recipe of paneer koliwada
300 gms paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
2 tbsp curd (yogurt)
1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour/gram flour)
Salt to taste
2 tsp ginger paste
1 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp red chilli powder (cyenne pepper)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
chaat masala- as needed
Oil to deep fry
1. Cut paneer lengthwise into thin strips.
2. Add curd, red chilli powder, cumin powder, ginger paste and lemon juice to besan to form thick
batter. Add little water if needed.
3. Mix paneer strips in besan batter and leave it for 1/2 an hour.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry paneer pieces till crisp. Drain.
5. Sprinkle chaat masala over paneer koliwada and serve hot.

Easy Potato Sandwich

potato sandwich

This is an easy breezy recipe of toasted potato sandwich. This is an instant recipe when you are in a hurry but tell you what, this potato sandwich tastes yummm!!
Recipe of potato (aloo) sandwich
2-3 potatoes (aloo) - boiled, peeled
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
Butter as needed
Bread slices (I used brown bread)
1. Break the potatoes into uneven pieces by your hands.
2. Mix salt and pepper powder in potato pieces.
3. Apply butter on bread slices. Place potato mixture on bread slice and cover it with another slice.
4. Toast in a sandwich maker and serve potato sandwich hot with tomato ketchup.

aloo sandwich

Palak Chilla (Spinach Pancake)

This spinach chilla is packed with goodness. If your kids do not like eating palak, this is one way to make them eat it.
Recipe of palak (spinach) chilla
2 cups besan (gram flour/chickpea flour)
1 cup palak (spinach) leaves- finely chopped
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Oil to shallow fry
1. Mix all the above ingredients (except oil) in a bowl and add enough water to get a batter of thick pouring consistency. Beat the batter.
2. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and for the first chilla, grease it with few drops of oil. Rub your wooden spatula on the tava, a few times, so as to season it. You don't have to repeat this process for remaining chillas.
3. Turn the heat to low and pour 2 tbsp batter in the center of tava. Spread it in a round circular motion with the back of a serving spoon.
4. Turn the heat to medium and drizzle some oil on the cheela. When the edges turn brownish, it means chillla is cooked from underneath.
5. Loosen it with a flat spatula and turn over the cheela.
6. Cook from other side also till golden brown. Serve hot spinach chilla with chutney.

Sprouts Cutlet

sprouts cutlet

A delicious way to eat sprouts is to turn them into cutlet. I am sure even your kids will love sprouts cutlet. I have used moong and moth sprouts in this recipe.
Recipe of sprouts cutlet
2 cup sprouts (ankurit dal)
2 small boiled potatoes
Salt to taste
3 green chillies- chopped
1 tbsp cornflour
Oil to shallow fry
1. Steam the sprouts to 3 whistles. Semi mash them.
2. Peel and grate boiled potatoes or you can mash them with potato masher.
3. Mix all the above ingredients except oil. You will get a semi firm dough after mixing.
4. Form balls from the sprouts dough and flatten between your palms to get round or oval cutlets.
5. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry these cutlets in batches. Serve hot sprouts cutlet with  tomato ketchup or green chutney.

sprouts cutlets

Peethi Poori (Stuffed Fried Flatbread)

Peethi poori or peethi wali poori is a delicious Sunday brunch option. You can also make this poori on festive occasions like upcoming 'Rakshabandhan'.  Peethi poori is nothing but fried flatbread stuffed with ground urad dal.
Recipe of peethi poori
Peethi
1/2 cup dhuli urad dal (split, skinless black gram)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

Dough
2 1/2 cup atta (whole wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
1 tbsp melted ghee or oil
How to make peethi poori
1. Wash and soak the dal for 2 hours. Drain.
2. Grind the dal to a thick coarse paste to get peethi.
3. Mix in red chilli powder and salt. Beat well.
4. Take atta in a bowl and add all the ingredients under heading dough. Add 1 1/4 cup water and knead into a slightly stiff dough. Stiffer than chapati dough. Knead well and set aside, covered for 1/2 an hour.
5. Take a lemon sized ball from dough. Roll out into a 3 inch poori.
6. Place 1 tsp peethi (filling) in the center. Gather the edges and again reshape into a ball. Flatten the ball between your palms.
7. Roll it in dry flour and gently roll out into a 4 inch puri. Make few pooris in the same way and set aside.
8. Heat oil in a kadhai and gently place the puri on it. Let it remain untouched till it rises to the surface. Press the sides of the poori with slotted spoon (pauni, chhaari) till it swells. Turn.
9. Fry the poori till golden from both sides. Drain and serve hot peethi poori.

Green Pea (Matar) Patties

green pea patties

Green pea patties or hare matar ki patty is a good and healthy breakfast option. I'm sure your kids will like it too.
Recipe of green pea patties
1 cup green peas (hare matar) - shelled
2 green chillies- chopped
1/2 cup paneer (Indian cottage cheese) - grated
1/4 tsp roasted cumin (jeera) powder
Salt to taste
2 tsp tomato ketchup
8 slices of bread- buttered lightly
1 tbsp oil
How to make green pea patties
1. Heat oil in a pan and saute green chillies till light brown.
2. Add peas, salt and cumin powder. Mix and cook covered till done. You can also add little water while cooking. Turn off the heat.
3. Mash the peas roughly.
4. Add tomato ketchup and grated paneer and mix well.
5. Spread pea mixture on buttered side of 4 bread slices.
6. Cover with buttered side of remaining slices. Press.
7. Grill on a wire rack of hot oven or toast in a sandwich maker. Cut into triangles and serve green pea patties hot.

matar patties

Kuttu ka Cheela (Buckwheat Flour Pancake)

kuttu ka cheela

Kuttu cheela or kuttu ke atte ka cheela is one of my favorite fasting food option. I make it when I am fasting on Ekadashi. This cheela or pancake is very delicious and an almost instant food with no preparation needed.
Recipe of kuttu ka cheela
1 cup kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour)
2-3 green chillies- chopped
Sendha salt (vrat salt) - to taste
Oil- to shallow fry kuttu chilla
How to make kuttu ka cheela
1. Take kuttu ka atta in a bowl and slowly add water, mixing with other hand so as to prepare lump free batter. Batter consistency should be like dosa batter or any other pancake batter. Beat the batter.
2. Mix in green chillies and sendha salt to the batter.
3. Heat a non-stick tava and smear some oil for the first cheela. Gently rub it with a spatula so as to season the tava before making cheela.
4. Lower the heat and pour a ladle full of kuttu batter at the center of the tava. Spread it in outward circular motion just as you would for any other cheela or dosa. Remember cheela will be cooked on medium heat.
5. After 1-2 minuter, drizzle some oil over kuttu chilla.
6. When the lower side has browned, turn over the cheela and cook from other side as well.
7. Remove the cheela from the tava and similarly make rest of the cheelas. You can have your kuttu chilla with curd or yogurt.

kuttu cheela

Besan Masala Toast

besan masala  toast

You can have this besan masala toast as a healthy breakfast option or as a low calorie snack.

Recipe of besan masala toast

1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour/gram flour)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- chopped

2-3 green chillies- chopped

Fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) - chopped

Bread slices as needed (I used brown bread)

Salt to taste

Oil as needed

How to make besan masala toast

1. Take besan in a bowl and add water little by little, mixing with other hand so as to prepare a smooth lump free batter. The consistency of batter should be pakora (fritter) batter like.

2. Add rest of the above ingredients (except bread and oil) to the besan batter and mix well.

3. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle). Apply a thin layer of besan mixture on 1 side of bread slices.

4. Keeping the heat to low, smear oil on tava and place bread slices on tava with besan mixture side down. Roast on a low heat for 2-3 minutes, and then increase the heat to medium. Roast for 1-2 minutes.

5. Flip and roast other side of bread as well.

6. Remove from tava and serve besan masala toast hot with tomato ketchup.

Note- 1. Apply a thin layer of besan mixture otherwise it will remain uncooked.

2. Roast besan toast on a low heat otherwise vegetables will burn.

3. You can apply besan mixture on both sides of bread also.

Lemon Oats Recipe

lemon oats

Lemon oats is one of the quickest oats recipes that I have come across. When I made it, I couldn't believe that oats can be so tasty. Oats in a yummy avatar dressed in lemon juice is a must try for all those health buffs who get tired of their monotonous oatmeal routine. What’s more, you can make them in a jiffy on a busy morning.

Recipe of lemon oats

1 cup oats (I used Quaker)

1 cup water

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 2 green chillies chopped

Salt to taste

1 tsp dhuli urad dal (gram dal)

1 1/2 tbsp roasted peanuts

Juice of 1 medium lemon

1 tbsp oil

How to make lemon oats

1. Dry roast oats for about 4 minutes. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add urad dal. Let it turn lightly red. Sauté green chillies if you are using.

3. Add water, turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Bring it to a boil.

4. Add oats and salt. Mix, lower heat and cook covered till all the water is absorbed.

5. Turn off the heat and mix in lemon juice. Add roasted peanuts and serve lemon oats hot.

Sooji (Semolina) Toast Recipe

sooji toast

This is a low calorie, healthy and tasty breakfast option. I learnt this recipe of sooji toast from my maternal aunt Mrs. Deepa Gupta while we were casually chatting. She also adds capsicum (shimla mirch) and cabbage (patta gobi) to the sooji -curd mixture.

Recipe of sooji toast

1/2 cup sooji (semolina/suji)

1 cup curd (yogurt/dahi)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- chopped

3 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste

Oil as needed

6-8 bread slices (I used brown bread)

How to make/prepare suji toast

1. Soak suji in curd for 15 minutes.

2. Add salt, onion, tomato and green chillies to it.

3. Apply a thin layer of sooji mixture on one side of bread slices.

4. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle) and smear oil on it. Place bread slices on tava with mixture side down. Keep the heat to low otherwise vegetables will burn.

5. While the lower side of bread is roasting, apply a layer of suji mixture on upper side as well.

6. After 2-3 minutes of roasting, increase the heat to medium and roast for 1-2 minutes more.

7. Flip and roast other side of bread as well. Remove from tava and serve sooji toast hot.

Note- 1. Apply a thin layer of sooji mixture otherwise it will remain uncooked and give raw taste.

2. Also, cook sooji toast on a low heat otherwise topping will burn.

3. You can also prepare suji toast by applying suji mixture on 1 side of bread only but you have to roast plain bread side also.

Hare Matar ki Poori (Green Peas Puri)

hare matar ki poori

This recipe of hare matar ki poori comes from Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). To boil the matar, you can pressure cook them to 1 whistle or you can microwave them. Some people confuse matar ki poori with matar ki kachori. This is a recipe of  matar ki puri and not kachori.

Recipe of matar ki poori

2 cup atta (whole wheat flour)

1 cup hare matar (green peas) - boiled

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

2 tsp oil +2 tsp oil +  for deep frying

1. In a bowl, add atta, 2 tsp oil and salt. Adding water, knead atta into stiff dough. Keep aside, covered, for 1/2 an hour.

How to prepare the stuffing for matar ki puri

2. Mash boiled matar to a coarse paste using a potato masher.
3. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add hing. After this, add mashed matar. Add all the spices and salt and mix well.
4. Saute matar till all moisture evaporates and you get a dry stuffing.

How to make/prepare hare matar ki poori

4. Take a lemon size ball from the dough and flatten it between your palms. Place a little stuffing in it and gather the edges again making a ball.

5. Roll out on lightly oiled surface, into 3 inch round puri.

6. Deep fry this poori in medium hot oil. Fry from both sides, turning as needed, till golden. Drain on an absorbent paper. Serve hot hare matar ki poori with some yogurt and pickle.

Palak Poori

palak poori

This is a simple yet healthy and tasty recipe. You can enjoy palak poori with potato curry or even with pickle. I usually prepare palak ki poori on festive occasions like diwali.

Recipe of palak poori/palak ki puri

1 1/2 cups atta (whole wheat flour)

20 palak (spinach) leaves

Salt to taste

1 tbsp oil + for deep frying

How to prepare palak poori

1. Blanch the palak leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes. Puree the palak leaves.

2. In a bowl, take atta. Add palak puree, salt and 1 tbsp oil. Knead into stiff dough. Cover the dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

3. To prepare palak ki poori, pinch a small ball or peda out of the dough and roll on an oiled surface, into 4 inch round puri.

4. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok. Deep fry palak poori on medium heat. Drain on an absorbent paper. Similarly make rest of the palak poori with remaining dough.

Sookhi (Dry) Moong Dal

sookhi moong dal

This is among the simple and easy yet tasty recipes. What is the moong dal used in this recipe? It is split yellow moong dal or split skinless green gram. Sookhi moong dal is also known as sookhi dal amritsari. You can have this dal as a breakfast option or with your parathas or rotis.

Recipe of sookhi moong dal

1/2 cup moong dal (split yellow moong dal/mung dal)

3/4 cup water

Salt to taste

3 green chillies- chopped

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) for garnish

How to cook sookhi moong dal

1. Wash moong dal, drain. Soak in water for 1/2 an hour. Drain.

2. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they turn darker, add hing.

3. Add green chillies and sauté for 1 minute.

4. Add dal, 3/4 cup water, salt and turmeric powder.

5. Cook, stirring, moong dal till all water evaporates. Add more water if required, remembering that dal should not get mashed up.

6. Turn off the heat and mix in lemon juice. Garnish sookhi moong dal with coriander leaves.

Mini Sooji Uttapam (Semolina Pancake)

sooji uttapam

Sooji uttapam or rava uttapa is a delicious item from South India. You can have these uttapam as a breakfast option or as a low calorie snack as very little oil is used in this recipe.  There is no need for fermentation as it is instant.

Recipe of mini sooji uttapam/ rava uttapam

1 1/2 cups sooji (rava/semolina)

1 1/2 cups sour curd

3/4 cup water

1 big onion- chopped

1 big tomato- chopped

2 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste
Oil as needed

rava uttapam

1. Mix sooji, curd, water and salt to prepare smooth batter of thick pouring consistency. Beat well. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Mix onion, tomato green chillies and salt. Set aside.

3. Heat a non-stick tawa (griddle). Pour some oil on it and wipe with a tissue paper, discard.

4. Keeping on low heat, pour 1 tbsp batter on tawa, no need to spread it as it will spread on its own if the batter consistency is right.

5. If your tawa is big, you can cook at least 3 uttapam at a time (keeping a distance).

6. Drizzle some oil on the uttapa and after 2 minutes sprinkle a little onion-tomato mixture on them. Press the topping with the help of potato masher.

7. When the underside is cooked, turn over and cook the uttapam on other side also. Remove from tawa and serve sooji uttapam hot.

Sprouts Sandwich

sprouts sandwich

Sprouts sandwich is a yummy way to eat sprouts. This way you can even make kids eat them. It’s rainy season here at home so it’s easy to grow sprouts hence these sprouts sandwich.

Recipe of sprouts sandwich

1 cup sprouts (sprouted dal like moong or moth)

1 onion- chopped

3 green chillies- chopped

2 potatoes- boiled, peeled and mashed

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder- to taste

Bread slices (I used brown bread)

Butter- as required

sprouts masala for sandwich

1. Pressure cook sprouts to 2 whistles with 1 tbsp water and salt.
2. In a bowl, mix sprouts, onion, green chillies and mashed potato. Add salt and black pepper powder.

3. Lightly butter bread slices on 1 side.

4. Take a buttered bread slice and place sprouts mixture on it. Cover it with another slice with buttered side down.

5. Place this in a sandwich toaster or grill them. Similarly make rest of the sprouts sandwich from remaining material.

Cucumber Onion Tomato Sandwich

cucumber onion tomato sandwich

These sandwiches are great for breakfast anytime! Cucumber tastes good in a sandwich and tomato, onion impart a lot of flavor plus nutrition. I have used butter as a spread but you can also use mayonnaise in its place.

Recipe of cucumber onion tomato sandwich

6 bread slices (I used brown bread)

1 cucumber- peeled and sliced

1 tomato- sliced

1 onion- sliced

Butter- as required

Salt to taste

Black pepper powder- to taste

sandwich

1. With the help of a sharp knife, thinly remove sides of the bread slices. (You can dry them and make bread crumbs from them).

2. Apply a thin layer of butter on 1 side of bread slices.

3. Arrange cucumber, onion and tomato slices on buttered side of 1 bread slice.

4. Sprinkle salt and pepper on them.

5. Cover the sandwich with another bread slice (buttered side down).

6. Enjoy cucumber, onion and tomato sandwich!

Potato Cutlet Recipe

potato cutlet

Potato cutlet can also be called as aloo tikki. This is mine and hubby’s favorite snack item. It’s not that I deep fry frequently but once in a while, it’s ok. This is a simple recipe of potato cutlet with no frills attached but works out well. The idea is to use 1 bread slice per medium size potato so that cutlet binds well and doesn’t break up in the hot oil.

Recipe of potato cutlet/aloo tikki

5 medium size potato (aloo) - boiled, peeled and mashed

5 bread slices (I used brown bread)

4 green chillies- chopped

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

1/2 tsp garam masala

Oil to deep fry

cutlet before frying

1. Dip each bread slice in water and immediately take out. Squeeze to remove excess water and mash them.

2. Mix all the above ingredients (including mashed bread) to mashed potato except oil.

3. Pinch small balls from the above mixture and make round balls. Flatten them between your palms.

4. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadhai/wok or a pan. When the oil is hot enough, turn the heat to medium. Wait for 2 minutes.

5. Place the cutlets in the oil (a few at a time) and fry from both sides, turning as needed.

6. Fry cutlet till reddish brown. Drain on an absorbent paper. Serve potato cutlet with tomato ketchup or green chutney.