Green Cabbage and Edamame – Cooking on a Shoestring Budget

My guileless childhood and callow youth was spent immersed in books. Glorious home spun tales, soaring visions, untraveled lands and boundless imaginations captured my every waking moment. I remember spending an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom and being yelled at by my sisters who were waiting for their turn because I had a book in my hand and couldn’t set it down for long enough to get out the bathroom.

Books, and their authors, spoke to
me in vivid pictures. My mind wove and embellished the tales I read. I saw, heard, felt and smelled every single event in the book. Thus it was, that the descriptions of the smell of cooking cabbage was always associated in my mind with poor households.

This was because then, as now, the humble cabbage is one of the cheapest vegetables you can get. Humble it might be, in terms of cost, but there is certainly nothing humble about cabbage’s nutritional profile. It is the star of nutrition and you would do well to incorporate it routinely in your diet. Cabbage has cleansing and cell detoxification ability, promotes cardio vascular and gastro intestinal health and is a huge powerhouse of Vitamin K.

Regardless of its fantastic nutritional profile, the reason cabbage is generally disliked is because it is cooked so much out of recognition that it loses its texture, taste and color and ends up looking and tasting like a mish-mash of a foul smelling goulash.

So here’s a well known secret tip about cabbage: dont overcook or over boil then you wont have to deal with the smell of cooking cabbage, the smell that has been described and immortalized in many many books by many many authors!

The cabbage recipe that I provide today is, in my opinion, the ultimate in culinary perfection. The taste, the color, the crunch and above all the enhanced nutrition because of being combined with fresh edamame beans makes this dish a gourmet addition to your dinner. Best of all, this is one of the easiest and quickest dishes to make. So go ahead and give it a shot. Next time you go grocery shopping, succumb to the temptation of the fresh green cabbage. Buy a whole head and indulge!

Here is what you need:
1/2 head of fresh green cabbage (washed, drained thoroughly and chopped fine)
handful fresh, frozen edamame beans
1 green jalapeno pepper (chopped fine)
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 pinch asofoetida powder
1 tsp skinned, split black lentil seeds (optional, to provide extra crunch!)
3/4 tsp salt

Here is how you make this:
Heat olive oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to crackle and add the asofoetida powder, green chili and lentil seeds. Brown lentil seeds until they are crisp and golden brown. Add the chopped cabbage and edamame beans. Add salt. Cover for no more than a couple of minutes. Remove the cover and stir fry on high heat for another couple of minutes.

Remove from pan and serve with spiced yogurt rice or spicy tamarind rice.

Cost:
Cabbage: $0.60
Edamame: $0.15
Oil : $0.05
Spices: $0.10
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Total : $0.90

Makes 6 servings.

Cost per serving: $0.15

Spicy Tomato Chutney – Cooking on a Shoestring Budget

There is something very basic and wholesome about tomatoes. The acidic, tangy taste, the thick pulpy flesh, the gorgeous red color, and last but not the least, the awesome nutritional profile – every single aspect of the tomato makes it a much-valued addition to every meal.

Tomatoes are known for their high Vitamin C, A and K content. The lycopene is tomatoes is cherished for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cancer preventing properties. Most importantly, lycopene has been known to be very beneficial in promoting prostrate, colon and pancreatic health. Regular intake of tomatoes also reduces the risk of heart disease, cholesterol, migraines and diabetes.

In the west, tomatoes are generally used in salads, as a base for soups, gazpacho, and as a sauce in chili and other dishes. In India, tomatoes are eaten during every single meal: as a base in gravies, in sambar and rasam, as chutneys to be used as an accompaniment to nearly every main course. This tomato chutney recipe is very easy to make and very popular in India. In the summer, when there is an abundance of fresh tomatoes, the Indian housewife always makes this chutney. It stores well – for a couple of weeks (if you make large enough quantities and it is not polished off the first day!), and is a handy accompaniment for any main course. It goes well with rice, chapathis, tortillas, idly (steamed rice cakes), dosa (Indian version of crepes!), oothapam (Indian version of pancake) or even smothered on a slice of whole wheat bread!

Here is what you need:
8 tomatoes (medium size)
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
handful fresh garlic pods (peeled and washed)
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
Pinch asofoetida powder (optional, if you cannot source it, but very good for health so try to incorporate – available at any Indian grocery store)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted, chopped peanuts (optional)
Here is how you make this:
Wash and chop tomatoes into small cubes. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seed and wait until they crackle. Now add the cumin seeds and roast for 10 seconds. Add the asofoetida powder. Immediately add the garlic pods and roast for about 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt and chili and turmeric powder.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the juice evaporates and the tomato chutney takes on the consistency of a thick paste.

Remove from fire and garnish with roasted, chopped and unsalted peanuts. Store in the refrigerator for upto a couple of weeks. Serve with any main dish.

Cost:
Tomatoes (about 1 lb): $1.49 or $3.99 (if organic)
Oil : $0.50
Spices: $0.20
Peanuts: $0.30
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Total : $2.49 or $4.99 (if organic)

Makes 15 servings of 1 tsp each.

Cost per serving: $0.16 or $0.33 if organic tomatoes are used.

Spicy Okra in yogurt sauce – Cooking on a Shoestring Budget

The great city of Chennai, in Southern India, has its own very unique culture. Chennai has a churning, roiling, ebbing and flowing mass of humanity, which manages to co-exist in relative peace. Like every other large metropolitan city in the world, Chennai too has its class divide between the rich and the poor. In addition, it has a unique class divide that is not based on economic strata. This class divide is based on India’s ancient culture of caste system. However, I like to think that the caste system boundaries have slowly eroded and no longer do people identify themselves as belonging to a certain caste.

Despite all that, there is one way of identifying people of a certain caste: their eating habits. Based on whether they are Hindus, Muslims or Christians, people in India have varying dietary habits. And amongst the Hindus, various castes have different methods of cooking, utilizing spices, and different favorite foods. The distinction is so great, that sometimes, the Chennai-ites refer to people of a certain community by the name of their favorite dish! This is usually done with friendly banter and in a teasing manner. The targets of the banter also take it in the spirit it is meant and do not mind being referred to by the name of a dish!

And so it was, that when I lived in Chennai, I was fondly referred to as “Thair Sadam” or Yogurt rice by my friends. I belong to a community which HAS to end its 3-course meal with Thair sadam. Yogurt is such an integral part of the meal that it is considered a panacea for all illnesses. It is a ubiquitous, favorite food. And any dish made with yogurt is a hot favorite.

Here is one such dish – so very easy to make, so yummy and such a fabulous accompaniment with any main dish – rice or chapathi. The recipe for Spicy Okra in yogurt sauce is one of the series of Cooking on a Shoestring budget. You will see just how easy this dish is on your wallet. Enjoy!

Here is what you need:
10 fresh Okra pods (washed and chopped in about 1/2″ pieces)

1 cup fresh homemade yogurt (if you cannot make yogurt at home, buy Stonyfield low fat or whole milk yogurt)
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder (reduce as necessary)
1 tbsp olive oil

Here is how you make this:
Heat a pan and add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped Okra, salt, turmeric and red chili powder. Stir fry on high heat until the Okra is fried crisp and nearly blackened. Remove from the stove and cool.

In a dish, lightly beat yogurt with a fork. If you are using Stonyfield yogurt, add half cup of water to the yogurt and then beat with a fork. Add the fried Okra into the yogurt.

Serve with Rice, chapathi, or Edamame and Green Onion Rice Pilaf.

Cost:
Okra:      $0.50
Yogurt: $0.90 (for Stonyfield yogurt. If you are using homemade yogurt, it will probably cost $0.15)
Spices:  $0.10
Oil :        $0.10
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Total : $1.60 – Serves 4
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Calabaza Squash Chutney – Cooking on Shoestring Budget

It seems like everyday brings us bad news about our economy. Jobs lost, businesses floundering, people on unemployment, children displaced…Even if you are not directly affected, someone you know might be. I know it is easy to be disheartened.

But, at times like this, it is even more important to stay healthy, focused and strong. And you can do it – you can keep your family healthy on a shoestring budget.

Here begins a series of posts of dishes that cost very less, are healthy and easy to make and keep your family not just fed, but fed with wholesome, enticing, satisfying food on a shoestring budget. The dishes that I plan to post will average around $3-$4 and will feed a family of 4. Most dishes will be served with rice, whole-wheat chapathis (Indian flatbread) or regular whole wheat bread. You can keep the cost of each meal (including rice or bread) to about a $1 or $1.50 per person – sure beats McDonalds dollar menus – in terms of taste, nutrition, variation and satisfaction.

Here are some tips to lower grocery bills – yes, you can still eat fresh!

1. Buy local and seasonal vegetables and fruit. For instance, buy squash and pumpkin in fall. Fresh cauliflower and peas in winter. Watermelon in summer.
2. If your family likes bananas, ensure that you have them at hand. They are cheap – generally about $0.40/lb, available year round, very healthy and wholesome. Try to get the kids to eat at least one banana or some other fruit each day, instead of eating chips and salsa or cookies.
3. Supplement vegetable dishes with canned beans. You can buy canned black beans, garbanzo beans, red kidney beans when they are on sale and stock up. When you are in need of a quick meal, you can whip up a fantastic tasting dish with these beans.
4. Many people end up buying much more than they can consume in a week. Vegetables and fruit are usually fresh only for a week or so. So plan your menu beforehand. When you visit the store, resist buying more than you need. Otherwise, a large part of the grocery bill will go towards wastage. I follow the maxim – “Waste Not, Want Not”.
5. Patronize your local farmer’s market. You will help your local businesses survive during the downturn, while getting fresh, possibly organic produce at low prices.
6. Especially if you are a vegetarian, stock up on a variety of lentils. They average around $1.50/lb and are protein rich. You can also sprout some of them at home for an extra helping of nutrition.

This week, I found fresh Calabaza Squash in my neighborhood grocery store. They were priced at $1.29/lb. I bought a pound and made them into this easy, goes-with-everything chutney. Serve with rice, or chapathis (Indian flatbread) or even with pan-toasted bread.

Here is what you need:
1 lb Calabaza squash
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tbsp skinned, split urad dal
4-5 dry red chili
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp olive oil

Here is how you make this:
Wash and peel the Calabaza squash. Chop into cubes. Heat a pan. Add olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait until the seeds crackle and add the dry red chili and urad dal. Stir fry until the chili and urad dal are brown and crisp. Add the Calabaza squash and salt. Stir fry on high for a couple of minutes. The squash will start to extrude some juice. Keep stirring until some of the juice has evaporated. Remove from the stove. Place in a blender with tamarind paste and blend until smooth.

Serve over rice, or with chapathis or on toasted bread along with some sprouts for a full meal.

Cost:
Calabaza squash: $1.29
Spices : $0.25
Oil : $0.10
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Total : $1.64 – Serves 6

Mustard Greens and Lentils

I’ve heard a lot of people complain that being a vegetarian is an uphill task. I completely understand.

I know what they mean: they have to be on the job 24/7. Especially if they are cooking for a family and are in charge of the kids diets, they have to be particularly watchful about incorporating different kinds of vegetables in many different dishes, so that the kids are tempted to eat their veggies.

You know by now that I am a big fan of vegetables. I love all kinds of veggies. My idea of a wonderful weekend is a visit to a well stocked produce store. And I invariably buy all my vegetables fresh. The only frozen veggies I buy are green peas.

I love the multitude of greens we get here in the US and so I usually pick up a couple of new ones each week – it allows for variety. Greens are not only good for you, they are also good for your wallet. A bunch of greens usually cost around $2 and it makes a dish that feeds a family of 4! This week I came home laden with mustard greens because they looked so fresh.

Mustard greens are stuffed with nutrients. They have 9 vitamins, 7 minerals, dietary fiber and protein. Best of all, they are a unique source of 3 notable antioxidants: Vitamin K, Vitamin C and Vitamin A. They are known as nature’s free radicals scavenger. Mustard greens are wonderful for children and adults who have asthma. The vitamin C in the greens help them breathe easier. The greens are also particularly helpful for women’s health. They are laden with calcium, B6 and phyto nutients. Read more about Mustard Green’s nutritional value here.

I made a mustard green and lentil combo dish that tasted deliciously smooth and buttery, even though it had no butter. It was also extremely quick and easy to make and is not at all spicy, so the kids will enjoy it too. Serve with brown rice and some salad and you have a healthy and complete meal cooked in just 30 minutes. Yeah! Rachel Ray, I can cook a meal in 30 minutes too.

As usual, this recipe uses just one teaspoon oil for the entire dish, so you have an entire meal for a family of 4 made with just 1 teaspoon oil.

Here is what you need:
1 bunch mustard greens
1 cup yellow lentils (tuvar dal)
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric powder

To garnish:
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida powder
1 habanero or jalopeno (chopped fine)
1 tsp olive oil

Here is how you make this:
Wash and boil the lentils in 2 cups of water until soft. Add more water if necessary. When the lentils are cooked, add the chopped mustard greens, turmeric powder and salt. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until the greens are also cooked. Remove from the stove.

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait until they crackle and add the cumin seeds. Brown for 10 seconds and add the chopped habanero. Fry crisp. Add the asafoetiday powder. Remove from stove and pour the garnish over the lentil and mustard green dish.

Serve hot with brown rice and salad. (If you make brown rice side-by-side in another stove, your entire meal is ready in 30 minutes!)

Green Apple in Yogurt Sauce

South Indian Brahmins are known for their enormous affinity for yogurt. In India, people refer to yogurt as “curd”. No meal, and I mean literally no meal – breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, is complete without a bowl of homemade curd.

Yogurt in India is usually home-made with live culture. Every night, before the housewife winds down and closes her kitchen, the last chore of the day is to add culture to pre-boiled milk to set yogurt (curd) for the next day. And every morning, the first chore is to refrigerate the new yogurt.

The new yogurt is used in a multitude of ways throughout the day: eaten plain, with sugar, made into Thair sadam, used a base for various sauces like “More Kozhambu” or “buttermilk sauce”. It is also used with fresh cut cucumber and onions to make “Raitas” or “Pachadis”.

I am a big fan of yogurt. My family consumes vast quantities every day. When I moved to the US, I tried to buy yogurt because no one I knew seemed to make it at home. I have tried various brands of buttermilk and yogurt. I found the unsweetened yogurts pasty and tasteless; I am not sure what they add in it to make it so. The sweetened yogurts are too sweet to be eaten as a meal accompaniment or used in Indian sauces. So I have finally decided to go back to my roots and now I make yogurt fresh and use live culture, just like I did when I lived in India.

Now that I have fresh home-made yogurt everyday, I am tempted to try all those Indian dishes that have yogurt as a base. I am also tempted to try out new dishes. One those new dishes is the “Green Apple in Yogurt Sauce”.

I first saw a green apple in the US. In India we used to get one variety of apple and that was the red apple. When I first tried a green apple, I was surprised at its tart taste. It isn’t very easy to eat as a fruit. But I have since read a lot about its fantastic nutritional qualities, most notably its Vitamin C, fiber and pectin content. So I have learned to use the green apple effectively in various dishes – combined with peppers in the Colorful pepper salad, and now in this simply fabulous recipe of “Green Apple Pachadi”.

This dish is simply heavenly – the tartness of the green apple combined with the natural sweetness of the yogurt and the hot spiciness of the habanero pepper panders to all the flavors the human tongue is used to: tart, sweet, sour and hot!

Without much ado, here is the recipe. This is a fabulously healthy dish, which is also very low-fat and low calorie. Make it in just 5 minutes! Enjoy!

Here is what you need:
1 large green apple (granny smith) (the tarter, the better!)
1 cup thick unsweetened yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar

To Garnish:
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp split, peeled urad dal (for the crunch, optional)
1 pinch asofoetida powder
1 habanero or jalopeno pepper (finely chopped) (optional – but take heed, this is what brings out the flavor of the apple and yogurt and gives this pachadi a fantastic taste)
1 sprig fresh green cilantro leaves

Here is how you make this:
Wash and chop the green apple. Add to the yogurt. Add salt and sugar and mix well. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. Wait for them to crackle. Now add the urad dal and brown until crisp. Now add the asofoetida powder and the chopped habanero and fry until crisp. (Ensure the habaneros are fried crisp – this will cut down the spice but retain the flavor of the habanero). Pour garnish over the pachadi. Decorate with finely chopped cilantro leaves.

Serve as an accompaniment to any spicy dish and rice. I generally serve with rice and sambar or with aloo paratha.

Potatoes in a jiffy – Paani Aloo

As an Air Force brat, I have traveled the length and breadth of India during my formative years. Every two years we would pack our bags and move yet again.

During one of those trips, I came across a sight that remains seared in my mind. Our train had stopped at a station in Rajasthan for an hour long break. My family got off to stretch limbs and get a drink of water, when I happened to look around.

The platform was teeming with life. Urchins were running around. Stray dogs were sleeping on the benches. People sat or stretched out on their bags to safeguard them from pickpockets and thieves. In the midst of all this din, I saw a Rajasthani couple squatted on the floor of the platform. They were poor but obviously not starving. They were switching trains and awaiting their connection.

The husband was imposing in his traditional Rajasthani garb of a wrapped around dhoti, a beautifully embroidered vest, and a huge turban on his head. His young wife wore a long red skirt embroidered with mirrors, a beautiful blouse cut low, exposing her back and her slender waist. The blouse was held together with strings at the back. Her ensemble was topped off with a veil.

It was lunch time. The young wife squatted on the floor and had in front of her a little gas stove. She pumped it and watched the flames leap. Then she rolled wafer-thin, perfectly round, chapathis (whole wheat bread). She would place each one on the griddle, her movements swift and sure from years of practice. As each chapathi unfailingly puffed up, she would place it very carefully on her husband’s plate. Along with the chapathis, she served “paani aloo” or “liquid potato”.

I watched in amazement as she cooked the entire meal for her husband on a railway platform! And she had done that with such grace, such artistic flair and such concentration in the midst of so much chaos. It was a gourmet meal made by a very poor woman, who was so focused on her culinary art that she was completely oblivious to her surrounding. She was a sea of calm in that pell-mell.

And that was a picture that I never forgot.

In that stranger’s honor, here is my recipe for the “paani aloo” – “liquid potatoes”. I think it looks like the dish she made all those years ago. It certainly tastes good and is a very quick and easy dish to make. When your life is chaotic, just take a deep breath and remember that strange Rajasthani woman who valiantly cooked a meal in all that pandemonium and you’ll do fine!

This recipe for “Paani aloo”, is  yet another low fat Potato recipe that can be made in a jiffy. This is made with just 1 tsp oil and is very yummy. Serve with plain parathas, naan, rice or any other bread.

Here is what you need:
3 large boiled potatoes (mashed coarsely with large lumps)
2 cups water

Spices:
1 tsp red chili powder (I buy the Kashmiri chili powder available in Indian stores. It has a deep red color but is not very spicy)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala powder (optional)
1 -2 tsp salt (depending on how much water you add)
1 tsp Olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds

Garnish:
A few sprigs chopped cilantro

Here is how you make this:

Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds. Brown for 20 seconds. Add the coarsely mashed potatoes, water, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt. Bring to a boil. Take off the stove and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Serve hot over rice or chapathis.

Cilantro Green Chutney

Growing up in India meant growing up eating Indian food. And eating Indian food meant nearly every dish was garnished with chopped cilantro leaves.

I have lived in many cities and towns in India. The most ubiquitous factor in an Indian family’s life is their “sabziwallah” and “keerai-kari”.

“Sabziwallah” simply means “vegetable man”. He would arrive early every morning, pushing his cart laden with all kinds of local and seasonal vegetables. There would be potatoes, onions, tomatoes, green beans, a few different kinds of pumpkins and gourds, brinjal (eggplant), carrots, ladies finger (okra!) amongst whatever else he could source that morning. None of the vegetables were refrigerated, so he needed to offload his wares that same day in order to minimize any losses. Invariably, he had a route and many different housewives with whom he had a symbiotic relationship. They needed him and he needed them. The women of the household looked forward to his visit everyday. It was a time to meet and chat with neighbors, take a break from the rush of sending the husband and kids off to work and school and from packing tiffin boxes (lunch boxes) for everyone. It was a time to take in the glorious sunshine and pore over the produce. Each housewife would buy her vegetables for the day and in the end, the sabziwallah would throw in his special free of charge – a small handful of green chilis and a few sprigs of cilantro.

And that cilantro would get washed, chopped and grace nearly every dish as a garnish.

But if the housewife ever wanted to make a cilantro chutney, she’d need to go to another source to buy a bunch of cilantro – the “keerai-kari” or the “green woman”. This was invariably an old woman who would come laden with a huge basket on her head, filled with all kinds of greens. She would have different types of spinach, all kinds of greens and bunches of cilantro. She would stand outside the door and yell, “Amma (madam), I’ve brought greens”. And the housewife would have another break from her household chores. She would go out and help the old woman bring down the basket from her head, haggle over the price of the greens, pay her, help her load her heavy basket back on her head and be on her merry way.

So, for as long as I can remember, cilantro was a staple in my diet – either as a garnish or as a chutney. It is only now that I checked the nutritional value of cilantro. According to the health diaries site, it has phenomenal health benefits – most notable amongst them is the ability to work as a natural chelation agent by leaching out heavy metals like mercury from inside the body. In addition, it is reportedly good for reducing bad cholesterol (LDL), increasing good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering blood sugar. It is also a good source of magnesium, iron, dietary fiber, phytonutrients and flavonoids.

And, oh, did I mention – it tastes simply fantastic.

What more reason do you need to try out this fabulous Cilantro Green chutney? Here’s one more – it is ZERO fat. No fat! Nada!

Here’s the section where I give credit: the Cilantro Green Chutney is my dear mother-in-law, Usha’s recipe. And this is my father-in-law’s most favorite accompaniment for every dish.

I have used this chutney in the Fusion Egg Sandwich recipe and had promised to give you the recipe.
Here it is. Buy a bunch of fresh green cilantro, make this chutney and store in the fridge for upto a week. Super quick and easy to make!

Here is what you need:
3 small bunches fresh cilantro leaves (wash thoroughly under running water)
1″ piece fresh ginger (wash)
2 garlic pods (peeled and washed)
4 green chilis (reduce per taste)
1 tsp salt
Dash of lemon juice

Here is how you make this:
Place everything except lemon juice in a blender. Add enough water to allow the blender to work smoothly. Blend. Add lemon juice. Serve. Enjoy!

Fusion French Toast

As a child living in India, I had only heard about but never tasted the French Toast. In my imagination, it seemed like a very fancy breakfast dish, somehow akin to the French souffles. It brought to mind romantic images of the Eiffel tower and Notre Dame.

For a very long time, I remember, I used to wonder how exactly the French toast was made and as soon as I had an opportunity during a visit to the US, I ordered it for breakfast at a restaurant. I was amazed at being served 4 huge, simply huge, thick slices of bread covered with egg and smothered with maple syrup, sweetened fruit and the whole mound decorated with a dollop of cream. I cannot honestly say I liked the dish. It was too sweet for my Indian trained palate which was used to eating Idly, Dosa and Vada for breakfast.

Besides, I am a big fan of food textures. I need to be able to chew and taste the sensations that accompany food textures. In my mind, wolfing food down before even tasting, because a dish is so refined or so smooth was OK for smooth desserts or ice cream but main menu dishes needed the satisfaction of textures so one doesn’t feel the need to binge. I am a firm believer that eating is not just to fill a stomach but a sybaritic experience as well. When one does not receive that wholesome experience while eating a meal, one tends to binge in order to obtain that satisfaction.

So, suffice to say that I had to convert the french toast to a fusion dish. Here is my attempt – as usual, low calorie and low fat – made with just 1 tsp oil. I hope you like it.

Here is what you need:
4 thin slices 7 grain or 9 grain organic bread
2 eggs
dash of milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil

For Garnish:
Sprig of Cilantro
Tomato Ketchup

Here is how you make this in just 5 minutes:
Break the eggs in a bowl. Add the milk, salt and chili powder and beat for about 30 seconds with a fork.

Heat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Hold up a slice of bread and spread the egg mixture over one side just like you would spread jam. Place face down on the pan and drizzle a few drops of olive oil around the slice. While it is cooking, spread the egg mixture on the side facing up. Flip over and drizzle oil around the edges again. Remove from the pan and repeat for all four slices.

Now add the chopped red onion in the pan and sear on high heat for about 30 seconds (if you like them crunchy). Remove and ladle over the french toast. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro. Drizzle with tomato ketchup (optional).

Serve hot.

Seeing Red!

I love vegetables and so have never had a doctor advising me to eat more veggies. One of my favorite vegetables is the ubiquitous cabbage, so hated by many. I can guess why so many people hate the cabbage;  I can even empathize with them; I think it comes back to my pet peeve – overcooking. Overcooking cabbage brings out its horrible smell and makes the texture unpalatable and unappetizing. In addition, it loses its nutrients. It is a lose-lose proposition all round.

I have read a lot about the benefits of eating colored vegetables, the deeper the color, the more the nutrients. Red cabbage in particular is known for its phytonutrient content and is also particularly beneficial for women’s health – especially in the prevention of breast cancer. It has an inordinate amount of Vitamin K, C, Folate, B6 and dietary fiber, promotes gastro-intestinal health and has cardio-vascular benefits.

Seems to me that eating what I love to eat anyway, is real winning solution! So when I go vegetable shopping, my shopping cart always has a head of green cabbage and a head of red cabbage. I made a red cabbage dish the other day. This is one the easiest dishes to make, especially when you are in rush and want to have something healthy at hand for your family’s meal.

Here’s how:

You will need:
6 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cranberries (you can substitute with raisins)
3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and drain the shredded red cabbage thoroughly. Take care to air dry it until most of the water is gone. Toss it with Olive oil, salt and chili powder. Now add the walnuts and cranberries. Bake for 10 minutes (no more than 10 minutes so that it doesnt get overcooked).

Serve with whole grain bread, or with whole wheat rotis, or as a salad. Simply yummy and very healthy!