Tag: olives

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Couscous, Beans, Spinach & Eggs

After a walk in the morning, Indu and I like sitting out in the balcony, watch the sun come up, sip tea and share breakfast. Sometimes, a groggy, bleary-eyed Cherie joins us.

I’m experimenting with a rajma-galauti kebab recipe, and had a pile of boiled rajma (kidney beans) available. Starting from there, this platter came together, with spinach pancakes, some spiced up couscous and a bit of hot, green chutney to bring it all together.

The pancakes were really soft, softer than I thought they’d be. Parathas make me lethargic and I tend to avoid them as beloved as they are though a bit of carb indulgence on a weekend is nice.

Ingredients:

  • Pancakes
    • Spinach, blanched and pureed, 1 cup
    • Flour, any – besan (chickpea), whole wheat, maida, 2 tbsp
    • Eggs, beaten, 2 nos
  • Couscous
    • Couscous, cooked in salted water, 50gm
    • Onions, chopped
    • Coriander, chopped
    • Garam masala, per taste
    • Olive oil, extra virgin, per taste. Go easy.
  • Rajma, boiled
  • Olives, bottled
  • Green chutney
    • Coriander, garlic, ginger, onion, green chillies, lemon juice

Method:

  • Pancakes: Mix the lot, adjusting for consistency. Pour on to a pan, cover and let the top side steam. They’re prettier this way.
  • Couscous: Mix the lot, adjust seasoning.
  • Chutney: Blend the lot, adjusting for personal taste. We went heavy on the garlic, choosing a somewhat coarse texture.
  • Assemble and serve

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Recipes

Breakfast Platter #1

I’m trying to post regularly, yet again, and want to try documenting the stuff we do in the kitchen. It helps to have something to refer to.

It’s Saturday and this is breakfast in bed for the girls.

When we spend more time eating from a platter with multiple ingredients designed to be eaten together and to complement each other, we take more care in choosing what we put in the platter and then have to contemplate nearly every bite. This results in slower eating, more conversations, more time spent together, smaller portions and ultimately, greater satisfaction.

Indu is a small eater and the smaller platter is hers, though even this is stretching it a bit.

The eggs were slowly cooked so the whites wouldn’t crisp up, which none of us like, potatoes were boiled and then grilled with the tomatoes in a grill-pan, broccoli florets blanched, broccoli stem trimmed and the tender portion chopped, cucumber sliced and a spoonful of olives to go with the potatoes.

A spoonful of spicy spring onion jam spread on a burger bun brought in a burst of flavour and was the central point of the platter. Freshly squeezed and chilled orange juice to wash it all down.

Altogether, simple to put together, interactive and easy to eat, all altogether satisfying. We realised later there was no meat on the platter and that’s a good thing. We’re trying to reduce our consumption of meats and such meals help.

Ingredients:

  • Broccoli, florets, blanched
  • Broccoli, stem, trimmed and chopped
  • Olives, bottled
  • Potatoes, boiled, sliced and grilled
  • Tomatoes, halved and grilled
  • Eggs, very slowly fried and drained
  • Cucumber, peeled, trimmed and sliced
  • Oranged, juiced, with pulp
  • Jam
    • 3 Spring onions, chopped
    • 1 tsp Garlic powder
    • 1 tbsp Balsamic reduction
    • 1 tbsp Olive oil
    • Salt and pepper
  • Burger bun halves

Method:

  • Jam: Put all jam ingredients in a pan and cook to a soft mush.
  • Assemble all ingredients and serve

What do your weekend breakfasts look like?

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Recipes

Egg Salad – Take 2

Who says egg salads have to be a mess of chopped boiled eggs in a sloppy dressing? Sure, it’s a comforting combination, but you can do better.

This egg salad is a delightful mixture of eggs, fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheese and flavoured oils that you’ll absolutely love making and feeding to your friends, family and children.

When you eat this salad, there’ll be a surprise in every bite – the crunch of nuts, a burst of moist sweetness from the grapes, the satisfying smoothness of cheese, crisp onions, juicy bell peppers and more.

Nutritionally, this egg salad has very low carb content, some fat and plenty of different nutrients. It’s great as a quick, light breakfast or a snack that’ll satisfy without slowing you down.

Ingredients:

  • 4 Eggs, medium size, beaten, scrambled
  • 1 Bell pepper, red or yellow, chopped
  • 5 cloves Garlic, toasted
  • 1/2 Onion, medium size, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Olives, sliced
  • 10 – 15 Mint leaves, torn
  • Handful Coriander, with stems and roots, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon Cheese of your choice
  • 1 tablespoon Peanuts, salted and roasted without oil
  • 2 Strawberries, medium size, sliced
  • Handful Grapes, sweet, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil, extra virgin
  • 1 tablespoon Sesame oil, Chinese
  • Half a lemon, juice of
  • Salt and pepper as per taste

Method:

  • Mix all ingredients and serve

Serves 2

When you cook and eat this salad, I want to know how it worked for you, the changes you made, why you made them and what your version tasted like. So, do leave a comment, okay? :)