Chocolate-chip Peanutbutter Pancakes with Strawberry Preserve Surprise

I was up at 7 AM this morning. Didn't know what to do, so I got inside the kitchen to get on with breakfast. I made myself an egg white and mushroom scramble, but I thought I'd make a few pancakes for good measure. My jar of peanut butter made eyes at me as soon as I opened my shelf door. I couldn't disappoint it, hence -
Chocolate chip peanut butter pancakes with strawberry preserve surprise.

Ingredients:
Flour - 1 cup
Milk - 3/4 cup
Peanut butter - 1 tbsp
Strawberry reserve/jam - 1/2 tsp for each pancake
Egg - 1
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Chocolate chips - handful
Butter/oil - to grease pan

Method:
1. Get the dry ingredients in a bowl together - flour, baking powder and salt.
2. In a coffee mug, put the peanut butter in and slowly add milk to mix it well.
3. Add the egg into the dry mix and begin mixing.
4. Add the milk and peanut butter mixture into the dry mix and egg slowly, using a balloon whisk.
5. Add the chocolate chips and stir once.
6. Grease a nonstick pan with oil/butter. Make sure it isn't smoking hot else the pancake will burn without cooking through.
7. Now take half a ladle of the batter and add drops/bits of the reserve/jam in the batter, in the center a couple of drops on the sides while still in the ladle.
8. Pour this on to your pan and let it cook on one side - when you see bubbles forming on the top side, flip it over and let it cook for minute on the other side.

Serve hot with honey, maple syrup, chocolate syrup or any other syrup you may want to.

Wheat Spagetti in Chunky Tomato Sauce and Minced Chicken

Outside of Indian food, a bowl of pasta is my favourite comfort food. Quick and easy recipes help, and make it all the more comforting. A basic tomato sauce with any form of pasta should do.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti - 250 gms (or as required) I used whole wheat
Tomatoes - 3 large, roughly cut up
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
Minced chicken - 200 gms
Garlic paste - 2 tbsp (yes!)
Paprika - 1 tsp (or 1/2 tsp of chilly powder)
Basil - a handful
Olives - 2 tbsp (optional)
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Cook spaghetti in salted water and a tbsp of olive oil for 7 mins, and strain.
2. Heat the remaining olive oil, add garlic paste and minced chicken to cook for 4 - 5 mins.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, salt and basil. Mix well.
4. Turn the flame to low and let the chicken and tomato mix cook for 10 mins with the lid on.
5. Take lid off, stir and take off heat.
6. Mix spaghetti in, or serve on top of spaghetti with olives.

You can add any herbs/vegetables
you want, or make it as spicy or not add any spices at all. Make it yours.

Chicken Fried Rice with Raw Mango and Basil

I've decided to call myself "The Queen of Leftovers". The pan grilled chicken from last Sunday, went into a Chicken fried rice with raw mango and basil on Monday. It tasted better than the grilled chicken dish itself. The best part about leftovers is that you can turn into a great rice dish or an omlette, or maybe something more.

Ingredients:
Leftover chicken - Shredded
Cooked rice - 2 cups
Raw mango - 1/2 mango grated
Onions - 1 medium, chopped
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Sesame oil - 1 tbsp
Fish sauce - 2 tbsp
Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat oil, tip in the onions and ginger garlic paste, and let them change colour.
2. Add the chicken, raw mango and basil leaves and saute for a minute or two.
3. Add cooked rice and mix well.
4. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce and mix well.
5. Take off heat and serve.

The fish sauce and oyster sauce are optional. You could go with soy or any other sauce as well. If you have other vegetables like beans, carrots, peppers, mushrooms - toss them in too.

Ginger and Lemon Chicken

I didn't know if I should have cooked these whole chicken legs Indian or random way. Of course, I went the random way. All I wanted was a nicely charred chicken with a sweet and sour sauce.

Ingredients for marinade:
Whole chicken legs - 2
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Lemon juice - 2 tbsp
Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Salt

Marinate chicken in above ingredients for a few hours or even better, overnight.

Other ingredients:
Sesame oil - 2 tbsp

Method:
1. Heat the sesame oil and place the chicken legs for them to get a nice char.
2. Flip them over after 7 - 8 mins and cook for another 7 - 8 mins or till done.
3. Remove and place over paper towels.

Ingredients for sauce:
Soy sauce - 1 tsp
Fish sauce - 2 tsp
Green chilli paste - 1 tbsp
Leftover chicken marinade
Chicken bouillon cube - 1 (optional)
Basil leaves - a few

Method:
1. After removing the cooked chicken, in the same pan, tip in the leftover marinade with half a cup of water and let it come to a boil.
2. Add the bouillon cube, fish sauce and green chilli sauce along with the basil.
3. Simmer for 3 - 4 mins and take off heat.

Serve the chicken and the sauce with a side of vegetables or plain cooked rice like the way I did.

Fried Fish in Coconut Milk

I wanted fish curry, minus the fuss. From breaking a coconut, scraping the flesh and grinding it with a hundred spices wasn't something I was ready for. Hence, the shortcut - onion and tomato gravy base with coconut milk. 

Ingredients:

Fish - 250 gms boneless

Onion - 2 medium

Tomato - 2 medium

Coconut milk - 1 tetrapack (200 ml)

Dried red chilly - 1 

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Coriander leaves - handful

Fresh green/red chillies - 2

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Note: Marinate the fish in ginger garlic paste and salt for a couple of hours. Shallow fry in hot oil till cooked, and keep aside.

Method:

1. Grind onions with the dried red chilly to a paste.

2. Heat the oil, add curry leaves and let them splutter.

3. Tip in the onion paste along with chopped green/red chillies paste and let it cook down till the paste has browned.

4. Add chopped tomatoes, turmeric and garam masala. Cook for a couple of minutes.

5. Add the fried fish.

6. Add coconut milk and stir well.

7. Garnish with more fresh red chillies and coriander.

 

Caramelized Banana Frozen Yoghurt

I have made the choice of changing a few things in my life. The most important and prominent one is, my diet. I'm avoiding sugar, processed foods, packaged foods, and the likes. I read somewhere that the more you give up on sugar, the lesser you crave it. I'm still at the place like where the comma is in my last sentence. Since I don't want to go back to heavily and/or artificially sweet desserts, I thought I'd use sweetness from fruits to keep it slightly guilt free. This is something I tried and you can alter it accordingly.



Ingredients:
Hung curd - From 2 200 ml set curd packs (just put the curd in muslin cloth and let it drain over a pot for a few hours or overnight)
Banana - 2
Brown sugar - 1 tsp
Olive oil - 1/2 tsp
Chocolate chips - 1 tbsp (optional)

Method:
1. Grease a nonstick pan with olive oil.
2. Crush the bananas on to the pan and stir.
3. Add the brown sugar and mix well.
4. Once the bananas cook down, take it off the heat.
5. Whip the hung curd with a fork or whisk till light and fluffy.
6. Fold the banana mixture into the curd and put it in the freezer to let it set overnight.

Serve with chocolate chips, banana slices, or both.

What I also did with the leftovers was, blend it along with a little coffee powder, one banana and some milk to make a healthy smoothie post workout.