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Tag: Breakfast

Healthy Irish Oatmeal

Irish Oatmeal2

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup Irish Oats
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup agave
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Add 4 cups water into a medium saucepan. Add the cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the oats and simmer on medium low heat for about 30 minutes or till the oats are soft but still have a bit of chew to them. Turn the heat off and add the agave and vanilla extract.
Top with flaxseed, walnuts and banana.

Four-Cheese Frittata with Arugula Salad

Four-Cheese Frittata1

  • 6 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • Pepper
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 1 cup shredded four-cheese mix (asiago, provolone, parmesan, mozzarella) divided

Add the eggs, salt, pepper, half and half and half cup cheese. Beat well and keep aside.

  • 5 to 6 red skinned potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Heat a non-stick large pan with the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté on medium high heat for a minute. Add garlic and the potatoes. Add the thyme, salt and pepper. Saute on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the eggs and cook on a medium low heat for another 10 minutes. Top the frittata with the remaining half-cup cheese and place under a broiler on low heat. Cook till the top is golden brown- about 5 minutes (depends on the broiler heat, so keep a close eye). Take out and let sit for a few minutes. Slide out on a large platter.

  • 2 cups wild arugula
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Mix the arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Top the frittata with the salad and serve.

Four-Cheese Frittata

Pumpkin Duffins with Cream Cheese

Here is another version of our favorite healthy dessert- duffins. I wanted to make something for Halloween and the first thing I think of – is pumpkin. When I think of pumpkin, cream cheese frosting comes to mind- it really is a match made in heaven.

So, in order to make duffins, I decided to invert the two and use the cream cheese as a filling in the middle.

The result was delicious- well, eventually. I made one batch and had a few friends taste test for me and give me some critical analysis. My daughter is the most honest taste tester I have- she has no qualms about telling me when things are not right. She told me the duffins didn’t have enough pumpkin flavor and the filling tasted too much like cream cheese and not like a frosting. She was right- I had forgotten to add vanilla extract in the cream cheese mixture.

The second batch included more spiced including cinnamon, ginger and cloves. It also included the missing vanilla extract. The result was delicious.

Make these for halloween…

  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1½ cups white whole-wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup extra light olive oil
  • ¾ cup 1% milk
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger

Filling

  • 2 oz cream cheese
  • 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Keep aside.

Topping

  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted
  • ½ cup fine raw sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Lightly grease a 12 muffin tin with a bit of oil in each cup.
In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg till light and fluffy. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and pumpkin puree. Mix to combine.
In a small bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Pour into the egg mixture and stir well.
Add a quarter cup batter in each cup. Add a teaspoon of cream cheese on top. Top each cup with the rest of the batter to cover the filling.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
While muffins are baking, melt butter in a small bowl. Pour ½ cup sugar into another small bowl.

Once the muffins are done, lightly brush the top with melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in the sugar, coating all parts of the duffin.

Super Easy Indian Style Omelet

This is a great, quick snack to have- definitely one of my favorites.. I usually make this delicious omelet when I don’t feel like eating anything else- or I am in the mood for something very spicy. I add lots of serrano chillies and cayenne pepper!

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Healthy Vegetable Scramble

Healthy Scramble I like starting my day with a healthy breakfast.

I bought a carton of egg whites and decided to pair some up with a regular egg.

I sauteed up some veggies as well. My fridge is filled with peppers, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, and sprouts. I decided to use some mushrooms, peppers and spinach. I cooked them with a tiny bit of oil. I used the non-stick pan so it doesn’t take too much fat to cook the vegetables. I mixed up the egg whites and egg with salt and added it to the non-stick pan.

It is a delicious breakfast with a very large cup of coffee- perfect way to start the day…

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 to 2 cups baby spinach
  • ½ cup yellow or red pepper, sliced
  • 3 to 4 cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • ¼ cup low fat, shredded cheese
  • 1 teaspoon extra light olive oil

Beat the egg and egg white in a small bowl. Add the salt and cheese and mix well. In the meantime, heat a non-stick frying pan and add the oil. Add the spinach, peppers and mushrooms. Saute on medium heat till the mushrooms have cooked down- about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the egg mixture. Mix well and turn the heat off as soon as the mixture begins to set. Serve immediately.

Indian Sweet Rice with Brown Sugar

Sweet RiceDiwali– Indian New Year is on Tuesday this week. For those who are not familiar with the holiday- there is just one thing you need to know- it a fabulous time to eat good food including something sweet.

Regardless of  where you live in India or what tradition you follow, it is a day to eat sweets and spend time with your family and friends.

We usually get together with family and eat lots of delicious food. As I just mentioned, one of the traditions is to eat something sweet.

I had this sweet rice recipe which I thought would be perfect to eat on such an occasion. Actually it is ideal for breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee.

I grew up eating this delicious rice flavored with jaggery, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and cumin seeds. It has an amazing nutty flavor. In this recipe I have used brown sugar instead- just to make it more accessible. I love eating this rice hot with a dollop of low fat tangy yogurt- it is delicious.

Try this one- it has an amazing flavor…
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Scrambled Eggs with Peppers and Steak

Scrambled Eggs with Steak and Peppers I still had some of the steak and vegetable mixture left from the other day- about half a cup. I came downstairs to my kitchen Saturday morning and wondered what to make for breakfast. It is my favorite time of the day- no one is around and I love being in my kitchen by myself.

I was going to do the usual coffee/tea, toast/GG crackers but then I thought about the steak mixture I had in the fridge. I decided to use it up with some shredded cheese and eggs.

I took out some eggs and beat them up with a bit of salt. I added chopped cilantro and the shredded cheese into the egg mixture. That was it- I sauteed the steak mixture in a non-stick pan and added the eggs. I folded them gently while turning the heat down.

I served the eggs with warmed whole-wheat tortillas and it was delicious…
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