Starting Your Day Off Right : Breakfast !

                                                      

BREAKFAST – as the name suggests, means breaking the overnight fast. Breakfast provides our body and brain the fuel to get going. Apart from providing us with energy, breakfast foods are good sources of important nutrients such as calcium, iron and B vitamins as well as protein and fiber. One should consume it within 2 hours of waking up.

Why You Should Eat a Healthy Breakfast

• Cognitive Function : Studies have shown that breakfast helps in improving memory and concentration levels and reduces stress.
• Body Weight : Breakfast is very important in maintaining healthy body weight. People who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight as compared to breakfast skippers.
• People who skip breakfast are unlikely to make up their daily requirement for some vitamins and minerals that a simple breakfast would have provided.
• Long Term Health : Eating breakfast has long term health benefits. It helps in reducing obesity, hypertension, heart disease and diabetes.

FOOD CHOICES

For a healthy breakfast pick 2-3 foods, including at least one from each of the following food groups:
-bread and grain (i.e.cereal, toast, muffin)
-milk and milk product (i.e. low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk)
-fruit or vegetable group (i.e bananas, apples, carrots)

Let us have a quick look at some of the healthy breakfast options :

• Breakfast Cereals 
  
  Ingredients                                                                     

2 cups cornflakes                                                                  

1 cup milk

1 cup berries, fresh or frozen, thawed

Preparation

1. Place cornflakes in a small bowl. Top with milk and berries.

• Oats idli

Serves: 15 to 16 idlis                                     

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

Main ingredients:

• 1 cup oats, quick cooking oats or rolled oats
• ½ cup fine sooji/rava/cream of wheat
• ½ cup fresh or sour curd
• 1 cup water or add as required
• 1 tsp eno or ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 small to medium carrot grated or ⅓ to ½ cup grated carrot, optional
• 3 tsp chopped coriander leaves/dhania patta
• Salt as required

For tempering:

• ½ tbsp oil
• ½ tsp mustard seeds/rai
• ½ tsp cumin seeds/chana dal
• 1 tsp chana dal/bengal gram
• A pinch of hing/asafoetida
• ½ tsp crushed black pepper
• 1 or 2 green chilies chopped or 1 tsp chopped green chilies
• 1 tsp finely chopped curry leaves/kadi patta
• 1 tsp chopped ginger or ½ inch ginger chopped
• 8 to 10 cashews, chopped
• 1 or 2 tbsp grated coconut, optional

Recipe:

Prepping:

1. Take 1 cup oats in a grinder or blender jar and grind or blend to a fine flour.
2. Peel and grate 1 small to medium carrot.
3. Finely chop the ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves and green chilies.

Tempering and roasting:

1. Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan. on a low flame, add the mustard seeds, chana dal and urad dal. stir and saute till the mustard seeds crackle and both the urad dal and chana dal become golden.
2. Now add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, cashews and a pinch of asafoetida. saute for a minute.
3. Add ½ cup of sooji/rava/cream of wheat. stir and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Then add the oats flour. stir very well and keep on stirring often while roasting the flour.
5. Roast for 4 to 5 minutes. take this mixture in a bowl and let it cool down completely.
6. Then add the grated carrots and chopped coriander leaves. you can also add steamed peas or finely chopped french beans or skip the veggies altogether.
7. Add ½ cup curd. you can add either fresh or sour curd.
8. Add 1 cup water. stir the idli batter very well. the batter should have a medium consistency. cover and allow the batter to sit for 5 to 6 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, grease the idli moulds with some oil or ghee. also heat water in the idli steamer or in an electric cooker or pressure cooker.
10. Now add salt as per taste and stir very well.
11. Now add 1 tsp fruit salt (eno) or ½ tsp baking soda. for a less soapy alkaline aroma you can also add ½ tsp fruit salt or ¼ tsp baking soda. the texture in this case is less fluffy and soft.
12. As soon as you add the fruit salt, quickly begin to stir the whole batter.
13. Be quick and stir very well so that the eno is mixed evenly in the batter.
14. Pour the oats idli batter in a the greased idli moulds. try to use all the batter in one steaming.
15. Place the moulds in the steamer/electric cooker/pressure cooker. cover and steam the idlis for about 10 to 12 minutes. a toothpick inserted in the idlis should come out clean.
16. Allow the steamed idlis to stand for some minutes. then remove them with a spoon dipped in hot water.
17. Serve these light healthy oats idli hot or warm with coconut chutney or sambar.

Vegan option,
1. you can use a vegan yogurt like cashew yogurt or almond yogurt. cashew yogurt will taste better.
2. or just skip adding curd and add about ½ to 1 tsp of lemon juice to get a slight sour taste and also to help in the acid alkaline reaction.

• Dal parantha

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

For the dough:

• 3 cups whole wheat flour/atta
• 1 cup water or more if required
• 1 to 2 tsp ghee or oil (optional)
• Salt as required (optional)

For the stuffing:

• 1 cup chana dal/bengal gram (soaked overnight)
• 2 cups water
• 1 small to medium sized onion (finely chopped)
• 1-2 green chillies/hari mirch, chopped
• ½ tsp ajwain/carom seeds or a generous pinch of asafoetida
• ¼ tsp garam masala powder
• ½ to ¾ tsp amchur/dry mango powder or as required
• 1 to 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves (optional)

Other ingredients:

• Ghee or oil for frying the parathas, as required

Recipe:

Preparing the dough:

1. In a mixing bowl first mix the flour with salt. add the ghee and half cup water.
2. First mix everything with your hands and then begin to knead the dough.
3. Add the remaining ½ cup of water and continue to knead. the dough should become soft and pliable.
4. If the dough becomes sticky then add some flour and if it looks dry and crumbly add some water. cover the dough and let it rest for 30 mins.

Preparing the chana dal stuffing:

1. Soak the chana dal/bengal gram overnight or for 3-4 hours (check notes)
2. Add the soaked chana dal in pressure cooker with 2 cups of water.
3. Pressure cook for 1 or 2 whistle (check notes)
4. The chana dal should be cooked well and yet remain separate. they should not become mushy or pasty.
5. Drain the dal in a strainer. keep the dal in the strainer for 15-20 minutes so that all water gets drained off. there should be no water in the dal.
6. If there is any moisture in the dal you won't be able to make the parathas.
7. You can also very lightly squeeze the dal in your palms without mashing them if you don't have a strainer.
8. Mix the drained chana dal with finely chopped onions, dry mango powder/amchur, garam masala powder, green chilies, asafoetida and salt
9. Pinch a medium sized ball from the dough. first roll it well between your palms.
10. Then on a dusted flour, roll it out to a small circle with a rolling pin.
11. Now add the spiced chana dal mixture/filling in the center of the rolled out dough.
12. Bring the edges together and join them in the center.
13. Now by applying pressure with your fingers press the edges down and make a neat stuffed ball. make sure there are no tears or cracks.
14. In a lightly dusted rolling board or surface, roll the stuffed dough ball with a rolling pin gently. make sure that the chana dal parathas do not break. although some chana dal pieces might come out.
15. Dust with more flour if required. roll it into a size of a normal roti or chapati.
16. Put the rolled chana dal paratha on a tava or hot griddle.
17. Fry the chana dal paratha with oil or ghee. be liberal in using oil or ghee while frying the paratha as this make more crisp. make sure that the edges are also fried well. you can also press the paratha edges with spatula.
18. This way, fry both the sides of the paratha till you see some brown spots and it is fried well.
19. Serve the chana dal paratha hot with curd/yogurt or white butter or pickle.

Notes

If soaking overnight than pressure cook the chana dal for one whistle on medium to high flame. if soaking for 3-4 hours, then pressure cook for two whistles on medium to high flame.

• Moong dal cheela

Serves: 4

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

For the batter:

• 2 cups green moong beans
• 1 green chilly, chopped
• ½ inch piece ginger, chopped
• A pinch of asafoetida/hing (optional)
• ¼ tbsp rice flour
• ¼ cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves (optional)
• Salt as required

For the topping:

• 1 finely chopped onion, finely chopped
• 1 green chili, finely chopped (optional)
• A few sprigs of chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
• Oil or ghee for frying

Recipe:

1. Firstly, pick and rinse the moong beans.
2. Then soak the moong beans overnight in enough water.
3. Drain and add the moong beans along with the rest of the ingredients mentioned above for the batter.
4. Add some water and grind into a smooth paste.
5. Remove the batter in a bowl or pan.
6. Stir in the rice flour and mix well.
7. On a griddle or flat pan, smear a little oil/ghee.
8. With a big spoon, pour the batter on the griddle and use the same spoon for spreading the moong dal batter into a round shape.
9. Pour some oil on the sides and in the center of the cheela.
10. Sprinkle the finely chopped onion, green chilies and coriander leaves.
11. Press these with the spatula so that they get stuck to the batter which is getting cooked.
12. Flip and cook both sides a couple of times till crisp and browned.

Notes

This can also be made with spilt green gram or sprouted moong.

Instead of adding rice flour, you can also make ground both soaked rice and moong beans together.

• Rawa upma

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1 cup fine sooji/rawa/cream of wheat
• 2 tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/rai
• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 tsp urad dal/husked split black gram
• 1 tsp chana dal/husked split bengal gram
• 1 or 2 dry red chilies/sukhi lal mirch, broken and deseeded
• A pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 50 grams onion/pyaaz, 1 medium onion, chopped or ⅓ cup chopped onions
• 150 grams tomatoes/tamatar, 2 medium to large tomatoes or ¾ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
• ½ inch ginger/adrak, chopped or 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 6 to 7 curry leaves/kadi patta, chopped
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi powder
• ¼ to ½ tsp red chilli powder/lal mirch powder (can also add vangi bath powder or bisi bele bath powder)
• 2.5 cups water
• Salt as required
• 1 to 2 tsp ghee for drizzling on top, optional

Recipe:

Roasting rava:

1. Heat a pan or kadai first. add 1 cup rava or cream of wheat.
2. On a low flame, begin to roast the rava. stir often while roasting the rava.
3. The rava or sooji grains should become fragrant and start to look dry, separate and crisp. don't brown the rava.
4. Switch off the flame and then add the roasted rava in a plate and keep aside.

Preparing upma:

1. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp ghee or oil.
2. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds.
3. When you hear the crackling sound of mustard seeds, it means they are getting cooked.
4. When the mustard seeds are crackling, then reduce the flame to a low and add 1 tsp cumin seeds along with 1 tsp chana dal and 1 tsp urad dal.
5. Stir and saute them on a low flame till the both the urad dal and chana dal become golden. take care not to burn the dals.
6. Now add 1 or 2 dry red chilies and a pinch of asafoetida. stir well.
7. Add ⅓ cup chopped onions.
8. Stir and begin to saute the onions on a low to medium flame till they turn translucent.
9. Then add the chopped green chilly, ginger, curry leaves. saute for half a minute.
10. Add ¾ cup chopped tomatoes,1/4 tsp turmeric powder and ¼ to ½ tsp red chilli powder. you can also add ¼ to ½ tsp vangi bath powder or bise bele bath powder instead of red chilli powder.
11. Mix very well and saute the tomatoes on a low to medium flame till the tomatoes soften.
12. Next add 2.5 cups water to this mixture.
13. Add salt as per taste. check the taste of water and it should be slightly salty.
14. On a medium to high flame, heat the water and let it come to a rolling boil.
15. When the water comes to a rolling boil, lower the flame to its lowest. then add the rava in 4 to 5 batches directly from the plate or with a spoon.
16. As soon as you add the first batch, immediately stir and mix very well.
17. Then add the next batch of rava.
18. Stir again. this way keep on adding and stirring the rava up to the last batch.
19. Quickly stir and mix well so that lumps are not formed. the rava grains absorb water and thus swell and get cooked.
20. Cover and allow the rava upma to steam for 2 to 3 minutes on the low flame. then switch off the flame.
21. Lastly add about 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves. stir well.
22. Drizzle ½ tsp of ghee on each serving and serve tomato upma hot with coconut chutney or lemon pickle or lemon wedges.

• Vermicelli

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 1.5 cups seviyan or fine whole wheat vermicelli, roasted and kept aside
• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 9-10 curry leaves
• ½ tsp mustard seeds                                        
  
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 green chili, chopped
• 1 red chili, whole (optional)
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• A pinch of asafoetida/hing (optional)
• 1 cup water
• Salt as required
• Sugar (optional)
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee

Recipe:

1. First roast the vermicelli till browned or you can use ready roasted vermicelli.
2. Heat oil or ghee in a pan.
3. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop in the oil.
4. Add the urad dal and the cumin and fry them till they get browned.
5. Add the onions and saute till they become translucent.
6. Now add the curry leaves, ginger, green chill, red chili and saute till the raw aroma of the ginger goes away.
7. Add asafoetida and stir for a few seconds.
8. Add water, salt and sugar and let the mixture come to a boil.
9. Lower the flame and add the roasted vermicelli.
10. Stir and cook the vermicelli till they become soft and all the water is absorbed.
11. Keep on stirring in between.
12. When the vermicelli is cooked completely and all the water is absorbed, switch off the fire.
13. Serve the vermicelli upma garnished with some coriander leaves.

• Uttapam

Serves: 1-2

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

Main ingredients:

• ½ cup fine variety of rava or sooji, 100 grams (rava is not roasted)
  
• ½ cup water
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp baking soda or ⅛ tsp eno (fruit salt)
• Salt as per taste
• Oil or ghee for greasing the pan & drizzling

Optional ingredients:

• 1 small onion, chopped or 5 to 6 pearl onions, thinly sliced
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 green chili, finely chopped

Recipe:

1. Mix the rava and water in a bowl.
2. Keep the batter to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile when the batter is resting, you can slice or chop the onions, tomatoes and green chilies.
4. Mix the chopped veggies and keep aside.
5. After 30 minutes, stir the batter again.
6. Then add 3 tsp lemon juice, salt and ¼ tsp baking soda or ⅛ tsp eno (fruit salt).
7. Stir and mix very well.
8. Heat a tawa or griddle and spread some oil. you can also use a non stick pan.
9. Take the batter in a large serving spoon.
10. Pour the batter and spread it gently. don't spread too much.
11. When the batter is still raw from the top, add the onions-tomatoes-green chilies mix. gently press the onions-tomatoes with the spatula, so that they stick to the batter.
12. Drizzle some oil on the sides and the top.
13. When the base is cooked and lightly browned, flip gently.
14. Cook till the onions and tomatoes are light golden or golden.
15. Flip and serve hot. if you want you can flip a couple of times too for even cooking.
16. For making plain rava uttapam, cook the uttapams without any toppings.
17. Serve rava uttapam with coconut chutney or coriander chutney. they also go well with tomato ketchup.

Notes

- skip or reduce green chilies for kids.
- you can also add chopped coriander leaves.
- mix grated veggies like carrots, beetroots and finely shredded cabbage or finely chopped capsicum can also be added.
- you can also grated cheese or paneer in the toppings.
- recipe can be doubled or tripled.

• Poha

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

Prep ingredients:

• 2 cups thick poha/parched rice/flattened rice
• ½ tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• ½ tsp sugar or add as per taste
• Salt as required

Veggies:

• 1 medium potato
• 1 small to medium carrrot
• ⅓ cup green peas, fresh or frozen

Tempering and other ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds/rai
• 1 tsp chana dal/split husked bengal gram
• 1 tsp urad dal/split husked black gram
• 10 to 12 cashews or 1 tbsp peanuts
• 1 red chili
• 1 or 2 green chilies, chopped
• ½ inch ginger/adrak, finely chopped
• 8 to 10 curry leaves/kadi patta
• A pinch of asafoetida/hing
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped or ⅓ cup finely chopped onion
• 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
• 2 to 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 small lime or lemon for serving

Recipe:

Prepping veggies:

1. You will need to steam veggies if you plan to add them. i used 1 potato, 1 carrot and some peas. once steamed, peel and chop the potato and carrot and keep aside. you can also cook the veggies directly with the tempering in the pan. you can even skip the veggies.

Prepping poha:

1. Rinse 1 cup thick poha in water in a colander or strainer for a couple of times. the poha just need to get softened. so rinse gently.
2. Add ½ tsp turmeric powder, sugar and salt to the poha.
3. Mix gently. keep aside.

Tempering and preparing poha upma:

1. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and add 1 tsp mustard seeds.
2. When the mustard seeds crackle, add 1 tsp chana dal (optional), 1 tsp urad dal (optional) and 10 to 12 cashews. you can also add peanuts instead of cashews.
3. Stir and saute till both the dals and cashews turn golden.
4. Now add ⅓ cup finely chopped onion, 1 tsp finely chopped ginger, 1 tsp chopped green chilies, 1 dry red chili, 8 to 10 curry leaves and a pinch of asafoetida (optional).
5. Stir and saute till the onions turn translucent.
6. Add the veggies and stir very well.
7. Then add the poha. stir and mix gently. check the taste and add more salt or sugar if required.
8. Ensure that everything gets mixed evenly and cook on a low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. after mixing you can also cover the pan and allow the poha upma to steam for 3 to 4 minutes on a low flame.
9. Lastly add 2 to 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves and mix gently. you can also add 2 to 3 tbsp grated coconut at this step. you can also drizzle some lime or lemon juice and mix. or serve the poha upma with lime slices.
10. Serve poha upma hot or warm with lemon or lime slices or a lemon pickle.

• Eggs

Ingredients (measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml)

• 2 eggs
• 1 finely chopped onion
  
• 1 finely chopped green chilly
• Pinch of turmeric/haldi (optional)
• 2 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves
• Salt
• Ghee, oil or butter for frying the omlette

Recipe:

1. Firstly, break the eggs in a bowl. discard the shells. beat the eggs.
2. Mix the chopped onion, green chilly and coriander leaves with the beaten eggs. mix it well. add salt. If you want then you can also add pinch of turmeric. adding turmeric is optional.
3. In a shallow pan, heat ghee or oil or butter. pour the egg mixture in to the pan. cook on one side. then flip it over and cook the other side. add more ghee, butter or oil if necessary.
4. If the oil/ghee/butter is less then the omlette sticks to the pan. so add sufficient amount of oil so that you can turn the omlette easily.
5. When the omlette is cooked and firm on both sides, then remove it from the pan. serve egg omlette with buttered toasted bread and sauce or chutney.

Now that you have a few ideas to get you started, try incorporating these into your morning meal on a regular basis. Think of breakfast not only as a chance to refuel your body after a night of sleep, but also a chance to take on your day in a positive way.