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These crepes are light and are quick to make. You can call this as an instant meal as it takes very little preparation time. I tried to make it healthier by adding grated carrots and little spicy by adding chopped onions and green chilies.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour – 2 cups
- Water – 3 ½ cups
- Carrot – 1 (grated)
- Onion- 1(chopped finely)
- Green Chile- 3 (chopped)
- Cumin seeds- 2 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
- Oil for making crepes/dosa
Directions
1. Mix whole wheat flour and salt well in a large bowl. Gradually add water while mixing, so as not to form any lumps. The consistency of the batter should not be too thick or too runny.
2. Add grated carrots, chopped onions, green chilies and cumin seeds. Mix thoroughly.
3. Set a skillet and once hot, wipe the pan with little oil and pour a ladle full of batter starting from the edge of the pan and ending it in the middle.
4. Add some oil to the corners and let it brown. When the corners are browned flip the crepes/dosa and let it cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Remove the crepes from the pan and make crepes the similar way with the rest of the batter.
We had our crepes with plum chutney.
Notes
1. The crepes should be made immediately after the batter is mixed. allowing the batter to stand for sometime would end up in messy crepes.
2. Adding onions and carrots are optional.
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This quick-fix meal is so versatile that it can be had for breakfast, dinner or as a snack.
Ingredients
- Flat rice (poha) -2 cups
- Onion -1 small (cut into length wise)
- Carrot -1(shredded)
- Green peas -1/2 cup
- Green chilly -2(slit length wise)
- Pepper – 1 teaspoon
- Ginger – 1 inch (grated)
- Turmeric – a dash
- Salt – to taste
- Lime or lemon juice -1 to 2 teaspoon
- Cilantro (to garnish)
- Coconut -1 tablespoon (to garnish)
- Oil – ½ tablespoon
Directions
1. Soak the flat rice in water for 5 minutes. Drain the water.
2. In a deep pan, add oil and sauté the onion, green chilly and ginger followed by vegetables and add the salt, turmeric powder one by one and stir-fry for few minutes.
3. Finally add the drained flat rice and mix well.
4. Now switch off the stove and add lime juice, pepper and cilantro and mix well and serve hot.
Notes:
1. For a rich flavor, add any nuts of your choice.
2. After soaking, drain as much water as possible from the flat rice.
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Did you know cracked wheat is a product of whole wheat kernels which are crushed to form smaller pieces? Cracked wheat carries a great deal of nutrition and fiber as it has rich outer bran and germ of wheat. It has a pleasant nutty flavor and can be used in place of rice and couscous (Added advantage- it has a better glycemic index than white rice and couscous).
Here is my version fo pilaf with cracked wheat and lentil.
Ingredients
- Cracked wheat – 1 cup
- Lentils – ½ cup (soaked for 2 hours)
- Onion (medium sized) – 1 (chopped finely)
- Celery – 2 stalks (diced finely)
- Green bell pepper- 1 (chopped)
- Chili flakes – 1 teaspoon
- Coriander powder- ½ teaspoon
- Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
- Oil- 2 tablespoons
- Vegetable broth/ water- 3 cups
- Salt to taste
Directions
1. I used dry lentils, so I rinsed, soaked them for 2 hours and cooked for 15 minutes until soft but not mushy. Set aside.
2. Cook cracked wheat in an electric cooker or sauce pan using 3 cups of vegetable broth/water. Fluff them up.
3. Set a pan, add oil. Once hot splutter cumin seeds and add onions. Cook till the raw smell goes away and add diced celery and bell pepper. Add chili flakes and stir fry them for 4 minutes. Stir in cooked lentils and add coriander and cumin powders and sauté them for couple of minutes.
4. Add salt and mix well. Stir fry until the veggies are crisp and tender. Stir in the cooked cracked wheat and toss well for the veggies to mix well.
5. Switch off the stove and serve hot.
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This is a really good balanced meal, carbs, plenty of vegetables and a good sized portion of protein, a satisfying and complete meal. This dish is very quick to fix if use pre-cut veggies. This dish could be had for lunch/ dinner, and works well, when you are not ready to spend a lot of time in kitchen.
Ingredients
- Onion – 1 (sliced)
- Red chili Pepper- 1(deseeded and diced)
- Green Thai eggplant – 6(diced)
- Bell pepper- 1 (diced)
- Zucchini- 1 (diced)
- Button mushrooms – 1(8 ounces pack- sliced)
- Carrots- ½ cup ( I used crinkle cut carrots)
- Cilantro leaves- ¼ cup
- Ginger –1 teaspoon (minced)
- Garlic – 1 teaspoon (minced)
- Mint leaves- 3 sprigs
- Soy sauce – 3 teaspoons
Directions
1. Heat oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add minced ginger, garlic, red chilies and onions. Cook till onions become translucent. Add chopped egg plants and stir fry for 5 minutes until eggplants are tender.
2. Stir in bell pepper and zucchini and stir fry for 4 more minutes. Stir in sliced mushrooms and stir fry for 4 more minutes until veggies are tender.
3. Add cilantro leaves and mint leaves along with soy sauce and cook till the leaves are wilted.
4. Switch off and serve with brown rice/ jasmine rice.
This is my entry for Priya’s It’s a vegan world- Thai and Vaishali’s Vegan world.
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No, the name does not matter, as for as the dish is tasty. I wanted to fix a super quick meal and at the same time wanted it to be healthy. I hate to prepare an elaborate meal, when it comes to me dining alone for lunch. Sometimes I go in for sandwich and very rarely my taste buds demand something hot from stove. So, I settled for oats upma. Upma is a kind of dish prepared in cracked wheat, semolina and vermicelli. It’s a like fast food and is ready in minutes, without much labor in kitchen. Its is versatile too and different veggies are added in various permutations and combinations.
Here I have tried the same with frozen veggies (carrot, beans and corn). I named it pilaf as my oats upma is similar to pilaf preparation.
Ingredients
- Old fashioned oats- 1 cup
- Onion- 1 (chopped)
- Green chilies- 2 (slit)
- Tomato (medium sized) – 1 (chopped)
- Ginger and garlic paste- 1 teaspoon
- Frozen veggies – 1 ½ cups
- Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
- Oil – 2 teaspoon
- Water- 1 ½ cups
- Cilantro for garnishing
Directions
1. Set a pan, add oil and splutter cumin seeds. Add onion, green chilies ginger garlic paste and cook till onions become translucent.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become mushy.
3. Stir in frozen veggies and fry till they become tender but crisp.
4. Stir in cup of oats and fry for 2 minutes.
5. Add water and bring it to boil. Add salt and stir occasionally.
6. Cook till the water is well absorbed by the oats.
7. Switch off the stove and garnish with cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.
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If you are looking for a quick-fix meal but don’t want to compromise on the nutritional value of the meal, this sandwich is for you. Bell peppers are great source of vitamin A and vitamin C, and make a colorful meal.
Ingredients
- Yellow bell pepper small – 5 or 6
- Tomato (small) – 1 (sliced into thin layers)
- Small onion – 1(cut into layers).
- Small cucumber- 1 (cut into small circles)
- Pickle (any kind of pickle or pickle relishes)
- Garlic powder- ¼ teaspoon
- Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Red pepper flakes – ½ teaspoon (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Hot dog buns/ subway bread
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss bell peppers with the mixture.
2. Wrap bell peppers in aluminum foil and bake it for 400 for 20 minutes or until it becomes soft and cooked (depends on the oven). Let it cool.
3. Slit the bread in the middle, but keeping one end attached.
4. To assemble the sandwich, place the bell peppers, tightly packed. Then place cucumbers, tomato and onion. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
5. Place pickles above the assembled veggies.
6. Garnish with cilantro/ coriander leaves.
Note:
You can add a twist to this sandwich by adding a layer of spread such as carrot lentil spread or hummus spread.
You can make this sandwich with baked eggplant instead of bell pepper.
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Do you want to eat tasty food and still lose weight? Try this veggie wrap. It’s simple and easy to cook and is packed with the nutrients of veggies and nuanced flavors. This veggie wrap has very little fat and no preservatives, making it a healthier choice.
Ingredients
- Bell pepper – 1 (medium sized) cut into thin strips (Use red and green bell peppers to make the wrap colorful.)
- Onion – 1 (cut into thin strips)
- Zucchini -1 (cut into strips)
- Mushrooms – ¼ pound (sliced thinly)
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
- Chili flakes- 1 teaspoon
- Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
- Whole wheat tortillas/ whole wheat roti/ chappathi/ – 4
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 450° F. spread bell pepper, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms in a pan.
2. In a small bowl, add 1 tsp of olive oil and mix with ½ tsp of cumin powder, chili flakes and salt.
3. Now toss the veggies with the olive oil mixture and bake in the oven uncovered at 450° for 15 minutes.
4. Cool slightly.
GARLIC MAYONNAISE
1. Garlic bulb- 1 ( cut the bulb into half, without separating the cloves)
2. Wrap in a tin foil with head open and drizzle some olive oil.
3. Bake it along with the veggies at 450° .Once cooked, remove from the oven and cool.
4. Squeeze out the garlic flesh and blend it in a blender with ½ cup of soft tofu, a spoon of vinegar and parsley leaves.
Getting your Veggie Wraps Ready
1. Heat tortillas in an ungreased skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds, turning once.
2. Spread a teaspoon of garlic mayonnaise, down the center of the tortilla. Top it with vegetable mixture and fold one end of the tortilla over the filling. Bring the other end and fasten it with the tooth pick.
This veggie wrap will go well as a kids lunch box food. Involving your kids to prepare the wrap (spreading the garlic mayo on the tortillas, rolling the wrap, fasten the wrap) will make your kids feel ownership for this food, and will make them want to eat this.
Variations:
You can make this veggie wrap with different combinations of veggies and the spread. Try hummus or soy been paste instead of garlic mayo. For vegetables, you can try fresh veggies such as cucumber, olive or stir fried veggies.
Also, you can wrap the veggies in multipl styles to interest the kids. Try to fold down the open end of the wrap to make “veggie packets”, or spread the veggies thin on the tortilla and roll it packed to make “veggie spirals”.
Enjoy!!
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Who does not like strawberry and chocolate for breakfast? I know I am not the only one who long for this kind of sweet treat. This strawberry sandwich combines the fresh fruits, tofu and chocolates and makes its a nutritious treat!
I was reminded of this healthy treat recently in Healthy Appetite with Ellie Krieger . Here is the yummy and healthy sandwich, for you.
Ingredients
- Whole grain bread – 4 slices
- Strawberry – 20 (sliced thinly)
- Carob chips – ½ cup
- Soft tofu – 2 tablespoons (pureed with 1 tablespoon of soymilk)
- Margarine spread – 2 teaspoons
Directions
1. Heat a skillet. While it gets hot, spread some pureed tofu on one side of the bread. Arrange the sliced strawberries so that it is tightly packed.
2. Now stack the carob chips or chocolate chips above it. Cover the strawberries and chocolate chips by placing bread above it and toast it on the skillet with margarine.
3. Toast till the bread is browned and the chocolate chips melt. Remove from skillet and serve.
The sandwich tastes yummy with the fresh burst of fruits and the right combination of chocolate/ carob. The tofu helps to hold the strawberries and hardly will you taste the tofu in the sandwich. It is a perfect quick fix sandwich.
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It so happens that you want to cook a good dinner but don’t want to spend too much time. Frozen veggies are life savers in times like these. We are great lovers of pasta and my son loves his pasta with little heat in it. Here is a version of pata with two types of pasta shells (to add some variety and excitement for kids) and stir fry veggies.
Ingredients
- Pasta- 4 cups ( Use two different varieties if you want. Cook according to the pack instructions).
- Mint leaves- ½ cup ( washed )
- Biryani masala powder or curry powder– ¼ tsp.(optional)
- Italian seasoning – 1 tsp.
Directions
- Set a deep bottomed pan and add olive oil. Add the garlic once the oil is hot. Take care not to burn them. Stir in the red chilies and onions and fry till they are cooked.
- Add the mint leaves and fry till the leaves wilt. Stir in the thawed veggies and fry for a couple of minutes (.if using biryani masala add it now) Add salt.
- Ladle the cooked pasta from the boiling water so that the pasta is not dry and has soft, yet firm texture.
- Add the pasta, toss with the vegetables and sprinkle the Italian seasoning.
Your taste buds will encounter the flavor twist from mint leaves and biryani masala. If you don’t care for biryani flavor, just don’t use it and yet you will have a tasty dish.
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Couscous, coarsely ground semolina pasta, is easy to cook and can come under quick fix meal. Couscous doesn’t have a distinct flavor on its own, but can fuse with any kind of flavor – and is a versatile dish. I will be sharing with you more varieties of couscous dishes soon.
For this version, I have used butter beans – for its protein content and carrots for veggie porition. The nutty taste from butter beans, sweet notes from carrot , the subtle taste of curry powder make this dish very much delectable and your taste buds will be pleased with the tasty couscous!
Depending on whether your bought the traditional or instant couscous, cook couscous according to the instructions given on the pack.
Ingredients
- Couscous- 5 oz
- Carrots – 2 (cut into small cubes).
- Butter beans- 1 can (thoroughly rinsed).
- Onion – 1 (finely chopped).
- Garlic – 2 cloves (minced).
- Curry powder – 1/ 2 tsp.
- Vegetable broth or water – 1 cup.
- Salt to taste.
- Vegetable oil – 1 tsp.
Directions
1. In medium skillet, heat oil, add garlic and onions. Once the onions turn translucent add carrots and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Once the carrots are tender, add butter beans and sauté for 2 more minutes.
3. Add ½ tsp of curry powder and fry till the raw smell goes away.
4. Pour vegetable broth or water according to the package instructions for the amount of dry couscous you are about to cook.
5. Bring the broth to boil and stir in the couscous. Let stand for 5 minutes or until water is absorbed. Fluff couscous with fork.
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