Summer Breakfast Parfait

Dear Foodies,

I will forever be envious of those who can pause in the morning to make themselves a good breakfast before getting started with their day. I wake up with just enough time to get ready for work and rush out the door. Taking a few extra minutes to sit down and enjoy breakfast even if its just a bowl of cereal or a banana makes me antsy. But skipping it entirely isn't an option either so I've found my way around it. I can't stick to one recipe for more than a few weeks but variety is good, right ? I've circled through many breakfast ideas and tricks over the years and will share some of them so I remember when the lull moves in.

We are in the cusp of berry season and stone fruit season leaving us with an abundance of choice. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, plumcots, lychees, jackfruit and the list goes on. Each of them proudly vibrant, plump and bursting with sweet juices making it impossible to not be greedy. But its a good problem to have on hand, pretty much wash-eat-repeat I'd say.

My breakfast during the last few weeks has been yogurt + fruit. I wanted to make it a little more fancy and played with the idea of a parfait. I was out of granola so I made a quick stove top version that was ready in 10 mins. I toasted rolled oats, flax seeds and slivered almonds in some brown butter on really low heat for 8-10 mins until they were evenly browned. I finished it off with some local honey and sea salt to balance out flavors. While this was happening I scooped a few spoonfuls of homemade yogurt into a strainer to get rid of excess moisture. I also pitted plump rainier cherries, roughly chopped strawberries and tossed them with a few blueberries and another drizzle of honey and a squeeze of floral lemon juice.

All three components will be ready in just over 10 mins. All that's left to do is layer them as you please. If you are feeling fancy pick a tall glass or jar like I did, be meticulous in your layering of yogurt followed by fruit and granola. Step out onto your patio and enjoy breakfast under the pleasant warmth of the early morning sun. Or Scene 2 - dump them together with no real rhythm into a container with a tight lid and rush out the door to where ever your day takes you. Either way, you'll enjoy the beauty of summer fruit and look forward to another mornings' breakfast.

Summer Breakfast Parfait

Prep time: 15 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients

Quick Granola

• 3/4 cup - Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup - slivered Almonds
• 1-2 Tbsp - roasted Coconut chips
• a pat of butter
• 1 Tbsp - Flax seeds
• 2 tsp - Honey
• a pinch of sea salt

• 1/2 cup - Yogurt, strained
• 1 cup - Cherries, Strawberries and blueberries
• 1 tsp - Lemon juice
• 1 tsp - Honey

Method:

1. Place a wide, shallow plan on low-medium heat and spread slivered almond into an even layer. Toast them gently, tossing every few minutes until evenly browned and set aside. Next add butter and heat until it begins to brown slightly. Add oats and flax seeds and toast on low heat till they are turn a nice golden color. Remove from heat, add almonds and while still warm drizzle honey and salt. If adding dry fruits like raisins or cranberries, do so at this stage.
2. While nuts and oats are toasting, spoon yogurt into a strainer (placed over a bowl to catch whey) and place in the refrigerator. 
3. Pit and roughly chop cherries and strawberries into a bowl, add blueberries, lemon juice and honey. You may need more or less honey based on how tart or sweet the berries are.  Place these in the refrigerator as well until ready to assemble.
4. In a tall glass or jar spoon a layer of berries followed by yogurt and granola. Repeat as many layers as the glass will hold and end with a drizzle of sweet juices from the macerating berries.

The combinations are endless with this one - add vanilla bean seeds or extract to the macerating fruits or lemon/orange zest or cinnamon/cardamom or a tiny bit of grated nutmeg. Use whatever combination of fruit you have on hand, I cannot think of a bad one. Jackfruit + honey + pistachios is divine, papaya + candied pineapple + toasted coconut chips, for tropical bliss. Add other nuts to the instant granola - pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, pine nuts, raisins or dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, pineapple or cherries. You know, no rules. And of course, you can flavor the yogurt too or make a compote from some of the fresh fruit, but when simple, weekday-morning-doable can be this good, I'll stick to minimal work.

Sprouted Quinoa & Oats Granola

Dear foodies,

My blog seems to be a on health kick and I don't want to break its stride. We've covered a few salads but lets focus on the first meal of the day - breakfast. I've tried numerous cereals and still haven't found the one. Winters are easy, all I need is a warm bowl of oatmeal with some dry fruits on top and I'm happy. But the rest of the year is a mash up of many different breakfast finds. When in grad school nothing could beat Honey bunches oats with Almonds, well except Raisin bran crunch. We (roomies) would have it every single day and somehow did not tire of it. Never once did we complain while going through box after box of them. And then once I moved out I couldn't have another morsel of that cereal again! I had probably hit the quota limit for one kind of cereal and ever since the search for the next continues.

The first time I made granola at home I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and more importantly how easy it is to make. Since then I've made numerous batches each different from the other. I pick up a cup of so of dry fruits from bulk bins and store them in refrigerator.

After experimenting with multiple batches I've narrowed my list down to using two type of nuts and dry fruits in each batch. Having this equation cuts down my confusion and makes it easier to get a batch done. The only constant in the last few batches has been crystallized ginger. I dice the chunks into tiny bits that disappear in the granola and the spice hits you by surprise when you bite into it. Switching out the combination of nuts, fruits and even the sweetener keeps it interesting. I've used honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, apple sauce and for this recipe Pomegranate molasses as a sweetener. I keep a jar of granola on the kitchen counter and a box at work. When the snack craving hits I don't have to look too far for something healthy to munch on.

I've always used rolled oats as the bulk of the granola but with plenty of quinoa on hand I decided to experiment. Cooking quinoa was out of the question for a granola so I decided to sprout the seeds instead. Sprouting, in general helps our body absorb nutrients a lot easier by breaking down some of the enzymes. And quinoa seeds are the easiest to sprout as they need a relatively short time. A 15-20min soak in water after a good rinse helps hydrate the seeds, overnight works too. Spread them out on a piece of clean cloth, cover to block any light and keep away from sun light for 4-8hours. If the conditions are right you could see tiny sprouts in just 4-5 hours. Its recommended that the sprout not be longer than the seed for consumption. Given the teeny tiny size of the seeds themselves tiny sprouts are just what we want. Sprouted quinoa can be used in various recipes like this granola or salads and stir-fries. Store unused sprouts in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 days. I've been adding about 2Tbsp to my breakfast smoothie for extra protein and it tastes just as good.

Oats are a great source of thiamine, iron, and dietary fiber making them perfect for breakfast foods.

Before                                                                                                      all decked out after baking

Sprouted Quinoa & Oats Granola

Prep time: 1 day ahead

Cook time: 40 mins 

Servings - makes ~6 cups

Ingredients:

• 3 cups - Old Fashioned, Rolled Oats
• 1 cup - Quinoa
• 1/2 cup -each of Almonds, Pecans coarsely chopped
• 1/3 cup each Cranberries, Raisins, coarsely chopped 
• 2 Tbsp - Crystallized ginger, finely diced
• 2 Tbsp - Flax seeds
• 1 Tbsp - Orange Zest
• 3 Tbsp - Butter
• 2 Tbsp - Oil, Honey, Pomegranate molasses
• 1 tsp - Vanilla extract
• A pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

Method:

1. Approx 8-10 hours ahead - Thoroughly rinse quinoa and set to soak for 20-30mins (can be left overnight). Drain water and spread the seeds on a clean kitchen towel. Cover and keep away from direct sun light for upto 8 hrs. When you see tiny sprouts they are ready to use, you can begin checking after 4-5 hrs. If you don't see any sprouts after 8 hrs then rinse, drain and repeat the process of spreading them out for another 8 hours.
2. When ready to make granola, Pre-heat oven to 325F
3. In a huge microwave safe bowl, combine butter & oil, microwave for 45-60secs. Add honey, pomegranate molasses, vanilla extract to melted butter and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients (excluding dry fruits and orange zest) and mix together coating them with some of the wet mixture. 
4. Spread the mix evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-40 mins, flipping it every 10mins. Once you begin smelling the toasted nuts and oats check to see if they've turned a light brownish hue. 
5. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chopped dried fruits, finely grated orange zest and combine. The oats may not be crunchy right out of the oven, let them cool a bit to dry out and get deliciously crunchy.
6. Store in an clean and dry air tight container on the counter for upto 2 weeks or move to the refrigerator for longer shelf life.

Note: This recipe makes a mildly sweet granola leaning on dried fruit for sweetness. Pomegranate molasses also adds sweetness and a mellow tartness to the granola which I enjoyed. On its own pom molasses is extremely tart, making you pucker and the taste reminds of rola cola/purple poppins I had as a kid.
If I want chunks of granola I pulse about 1/2 cup oats or add almond meal and pack the granola mix in the baking sheet before it goes in the oven. Being extremely gentle when flipping ensures that the chunks hold up.
Millet can also be sprouted and used here but it takes longer to sprout compared to quinoa so plan ahead.

Tart, sweet, crunchy, colorful and healthy...can't ask for more from one recipe. Enjoy it on its own or use in other recipes, either way its a winner. Layered with fresh summer berries and homemade yogurt you have a perfect summer parfait to cool you down. Citrus zest and pomegranate molasses add bright bursts of flavor and pair really well with other fruits. You would want to stop and relish this for breakfast instead of rushing out the door. So customize this recipe to your liking and let me know what your favorite combination for granola is ?

Eggless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Dear Foodies,

During my Masters, we had a Subway sandwich place inside our campus and it was just outside the building that housed my lab. Needless to say a veggie sandwich was my lunch far more times than I can count. I hardly go there now, but every few months I start craving that sandwich. My sub would have most of the veggies and the dressing combo was always sweet onion & chipotle always. After a few months I did not have to repeat my selection at all, the moment I was spotted walking into the place, they would have my sandwich started. I had a well ordered 'usual' on the menu and recognized at most of lunch spots around campus. I know I should not be proud of it, but well it felt good in some twisted way...:) On the days that I knew I was going to have a long day ahead of me in the lab, I would add a cookie to my order at Subway, either the oatmeal raisin or the white chocolate macadamia nut. These cookies are massive, and a mini meal by themselves. I think this was my first introduction to cookies too, and though not the best ever, they atleast did not put me off cookies either. I've eaten many more cookies since, and also experimented with making them at home. These fabulous chocolate cookies were made last two Christmas's, to share with friends & family and I think it'll continue to become a tradition from now on.

One challenge that I face when baking at home is my aversion to using eggs. I've experimented with different egg replacements for different recipes to see which combination resulted in the best end product. Applesauce, flax seed, banana puree, leavening ingredients, cornstarch, tofu, vinegar have all been tested. Muffins, cookies and small cakes turn out really well using these substitutions and you'll never notice a difference. These cookies today use flax seeds to replace the eggs in this original recipe.

Home-made Granola Mix

Dear foodies,

It's Fall already! And the weather outside isn't the poetic nip in the air' kind, its the kind that sends you rummaging deep into your closet for that heavy winter coat! The leaves have been changing color really fast, and I cannot wait for the rain to stop, so I can go out with my camera. Now the dear camera has been on a long rest, no recent dinners or lunches were offered to it first, instead it sat, neatly tucked in its bag. With the last weekend being a little cold I wanted to make amends, and bake something special. Most blogs I visited were serving bowls of delicious roasted stone fruit and muffins with cinnamon and spices....all of them ushering in the new season and the warm flavors it brings with it.

My apartment though was filled with the warm fragrance of vanilla and roasted nuts. For the longest time I've been planning to make my own granola mix/bars. I get a mini snack attack at 3 in the afternoon, and having something healthy and crunchy scores high. I tried making granola bars once, but failed miserably. I really don't know how I managed to do that! So I decided to made my own granola mix this weekend, and it really is one of the easiest things you can make, and one of the best too. I was soo excited after the first taste that I've put them on my Christmas gift list for friends. Its that good! You will want to share it with everyone you know....uh, or may be not, after the second bite...

Apart from being easy to make, you are also in full control. I usually have atleast one kind of nut or fruit that I don't like in the store bought granola mix. Most mixes either have too many peanuts & cashews or sun flower seeds. Now, I like these, but they need to be balanced with the rest. At home though, I am the boss. I can choose the quality of ingredients that go into it, the quantity and also the combination of flavors. The recipe below is more a method for you to experiment with, my only request will be that you come back and share your combination with me :-)

I shopped for all the ingredients at our local organic store which has a pretty good bulk section. For recipes such as this that need a long list of ingredients, but in small quantities, the bulk bin is your friend. You can buy small amounts of a variety of nuts and still not spend a fortune. I used hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans (my current fav), dried cherries and plump golden raisins. Almonds were a huge favorite in most of the recipes I found online, so while digging deep into my refrigerator looking for them, I found a bag of ruby red Goji berries instead! Looking thru the refrigerator is almost like a treasure hunt sometimes ;-) Most recipes also used Wheat germ, I could barely recollect that at the store. I found some Wheat bran next to the flax seed I was buying and so got some of it too. Wheat bran is the outer cover of the wheat kernel and is a source of magnesium and iron, about a quarter cup also has about 6gms of fiber. Some wild flower honey, and locally made maple syrup added the sweetness to the enticing mix.

Bejeweled!

Home-made Granola mix

Ingredients:

• 2 cups - old fashioned Rolled oats
• 1/4 cup each (unsalted)- Walnuts, Pecans, Hazelnuts - coarsely chopped
  
• 1/4 cup - Wheat bran
• 2 Tbsp - Flax seeds
• 1/4 cup each (packed) - dried Cherries, plump Golden raisins - coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup - Goji berries
• 1 Tbsp - Butter
• 2 Tbsp - Oil (I had olive oil, but any vegetable oil works too)
• 2 Tbsp - *Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbsp - *Honey
• 1/2 tsp - pure Vanilla extract

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325F
2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter, oil, honey and maple syrup. Microwave for a minute and whisk them all together. Add the vanilla extract and mix.
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the oats, chopped nuts, flax seed and wheat bran. Slowly add the liquid mix and combine with your hand, coating all the ingredients. Use just enough of the liquid mix to help form a rough ball of the mixture when held firmly within your fist.
4. Spread the mix evenly on the baking sheet and place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 25-30 mins, flipping it every 10mins.
5. The nuts will soon fill the kitchen with the smells of their roasted goodness, and the oats will turn a slight orange-brown color. Bring the baking tray out, mix the chopped dried fruits and allow to cool. The oats will not appear to be crunchy when brought out of the oven, but they will get there on cooling.
6. Store in an clean and dry air tight container for upto 2 weeks, it won't last that long though :-))
   

Notes: * You can also use a combination of brown sugar and honey for sweetening the mix. Add the sugar while microwaving the rest, so it melts into liquid mix. or simply use only honey or maple syrup, instead of both.
Any combination of nuts and dried fruits can be used. I added some chopped crystalized ginger to a tiny portion. Dried apricots, papaya, mango, pineapple, candied orange peel, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, cashews, pistachios.....this list is endless!
If using dates or prunes add them during the final 5mins of baking time to dry them out a bit. Or the moisture in them could soften the oats during storage.
You can also add a tsp of cinnamon or ground cloves or nutmeg to spice things up a bit.

The smell of warm vanilla and the nuts that was filling the kitchen while baking the granola, is in itself a great reason to make this at home! Seriously! I was amazed by how good this turned out. the chunks of nuts and fruits were a delight to bite into. I have been eating it not just at 3 in the afternoon, but at every excuse I can find to get into the kitchen. I have a bag of it in my desk at work too. When I looked at the amount of granola I had, I expected it to last a few weeks, but I might have to make another batch this weekend. The honey and maple syrup on their own do not contribute to the needed sweetness, its the dried fruit added at the end that complete it. The raisins and cherries I used were tart and sweet and along with the chunks of nuts and crispy oats, you will not want to stop munchin & crunchin. I purposely left the nuts in bigger chunks so you can taste the individual flavors when biting into them. The butter and oil help in crisping the oats, you could substitute the quantity with either one too.

You can top some on your yogurt or cooked oats porridge for breakfast, or eat them as is for a snack. While baking the granola I also tossed in a few bowls of chopped plums and apricot drizzled with a little of the extra liquid mix I had, into the oven. After the oats were out, I let them roast for an additional 10 mins. Out they came oozing out all their sweet juices, topped with some of the fresh granola it was a perfect end to the cold weekend :) Happy Fall season!

Cherry & Peach Crumble

Dear foodies,

The summer heat hasn't come to see us this year, but the fruits haven't been as mean to us. Strawberries, blueberries, pineapples, mango, cherries, peaches & nectarines have made their way into my kitchen. Eaten as is or cooked up in jams, compotes, cakes and muffins, I tried to enjoy the bounty as much as I could. Sometime I ended up being greedy and bought more than I could eat. A few sadly made they way into the bin, but the rest became gifts to friends :)

Cherries troubled me the most by going bad really fast, theres only so many I could eat in 2 days! So this time I made a quick and incredibly good dessert called crumble. The first time I made this dessert was from Sug's blog, last year. I've made numerous variations since and have loved all of them. I called it a crisp, but its also very similar to a crumble, an English dessert made with apples or any stone fruit. The original has a butter laden topping made with all purpose flour and sugar. I changed things up based on the crisp I've been making and turned it into a much more tasty and healthier dish.

make-shift cherry pitter - oil bottle lid

Pitting cherries can be a task you would wish you could avoid. There are some fancy gadgets that you could buy to help you out, but you could find similar stuff right in your kitchen. I used the lid of an oil bottle, you could also use a sturdy straw with a wide enough opening I guess. The hole was the perfect size and it was fun pitting cherries this way :D

Cherry & Peach Crumble

Ingredients: fills a 6-inch square dish

• 3/4th cup - Sweet Cherries, pitted & halved
• 3/4th cup - Peaches, cut in chunks
• 1/2 tsp - Cornstarch (or all purpose flour)
• 1/2 Tbsp - Sugar
• 1 Tsp - Lemon juice
  

crumb topping

• 1/4th cup - Pistachios
• 1/3rd cup - Rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp - Whole wheat flour
• 11/2 Tbsp - light, Brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp - Olive oil
  
• a pinch of salt (skip this if the nuts are salted)

Method:

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients and allow to sit for 20-30mins. Pre-heat the oven to 375F.
2. For the topping, coarsely powder the pistachio's and oats. Combine it with the whole wheat flour, sugar and olive oil to get a crumbly mixture.
3. Transfer the fruits along with the juices to the baking dish, top it uniformly with the crumble topping and bake for 20-25mins or until the juices start to bubble and the topping gets a brown shade.
4. Cool a bit and serve warm with a scoop of your favorite ice cream flavor or on it own :)

Note: Almost everything in this recipe is interchangeable. You can use any stone fruit, and switch pistachios with your choice of nuts. Jaggery or white sugar could be used as a sweetener. Add some vanilla essence or lemon/orange zest to the topping for another variation or some cardamom powder perhaps ?

This is a fabulous way to enjoy seasonal fruit when you get tired of eating them on their own. Not much work involved but the results are great. I sent this bowl to my neighbor and she called back as soon as she tasted it saying she wanted the recipe immediately. All the ingredients used in the topping are good for you, so anyone watching their diet can feel good about this one dessert atleast, don't count the ice-cream on the side though ;-)

I also made small cherry cakes following Deb's recipe for raspberry buttermilk cake. It turned out fab and the neighbor who got one of the cakes had compliments waiting for me when I met her next :) I skipped the eggs in the recipe and used flax seed powder instead.

The Cherry crumble if off to Vaishali who is celebrating British cuisine in It's a Vegan World July. She was kind to accept my last minute entry :) Simran is hosting AWED this month and has chosen British cuisine, so here's some for her too :) AWED also travels around the world each month and was initiated by DK. Thank you lovely ladies. Have a great week ahead all.

Winter oatmeal, made festive!

Dear foodies,

Now that I am back again, lets start form the top! All of you must already know that breakfast is your *most important* meal of the day, and unfortunately for me, the meal I dislike the most. After so many years, I am still not used to eating something that early in the day :( It was a little easier when I was at home with my mom cooking, cos her breakfast spreads were delicious. Idli's, dosa's, upma, chapati, bread and many more. But here its cereals most days, and it does not help that they are on the sweeter side. I hate waking up early too, so making something else in the morning is totally out of the question. So boringgg cereal it is, interspersed with apples/bread toast/cereal bars on a few days.

This worked well for the summer, but to have something cold during the freezing winter mornings is painful! So I switched to oatmeal, and not the instant kind that comes in sachets, it is old fashioned rolled oats, good gal naa :D The few times I cooked oatmeal in the past, it was on the stove top, but I chose to use the microwave in the morning to avoid having dishes to wash. The first few days, I used milk to cook the oats and that ended up with a very messy microwave from the milk spilling over. It took me a couple of days to make the switch to water, my brain needs some time to warm up in the mornings you see :D To increase the interestingness of the oatmeal I use honey(plain, orange blossom) or maple syrup as a sweetner, and usually stock dried fruits (blackberries, cherries or goji berries) and nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistacios), that I add to it based on my mood that morning.

This new strategy has been working for me the last few weeks. But with Thanksgiving fever in full throttle in this part of the world, even my oatmeal is not spared. Here is an interesting twist to make it special....

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup - old fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 -1 cup - Apple cider
• 1/4 cup - milk/soy milk
• 1-2 Tbsp - honey/maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp - dried fruit/berries/nuts

Method:

1. Add the oats and apple cider to a microwave safe bowl and cook for 2 1/2 mins. The oats must be completely soaked in the cider, so add as needed.
2. The oats should now be a little mushy since they break open while cooked. Add the milk, your choice of sweetener and stir it in.
   
3. Top with dry fruits and enjoy! If its too hot for you, then step outside onto the patio and place the bowl on the closest mound of snow and watch it sink into the melting snow ;)

The apple cider gives the oatmeal an exquisite flavor! I've become a fan of warm apple cider recently, it has even replaced my cup of tea in the evenings. I did not know it could be warmed and my first can of apple cider did not move that quickly. A recent trip I made included an overnight stay in the Marriott and their breakfast table had a huge pot of apple cider slowly warming up, one sip and I was hooked.

Oatmeal is a really good breakfast option as they have complex carbs with fiber, protein, iron and minerals in them. When eaten regularly they help lower your cholesterol by removing LDL. It also helps reduce your risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and also is your friend for weight loss. But apart from all this, I think the most important fact is they are quick and delicious and keep you feeling full for a long time!

So whats your spin on oatmeal? And your favorite weekday breakfast? Please fill up this space with your ideas as I really really need them!