HEALTHY EGG MUFFIN CUPS

I love that these healthy egg muffin cups can be made in advance. These muffin cups have less the 50 calories per muffin and are packed with vegetables, so eat up and serve with some toast. ( I did'nt add spinach and mushroom  as my children will be fussy about it , but I do put lots and lots of bell pepper)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 whole eggs

4 egg whites

2 cups baby spinach - roughly chopped (measured/packed before chopping)

1 cup red pepper (measured after chopping)

1 cup green pepper (measured after chopping)

1 cup yellow onion (measured after chopping)

1 cup mushrooms (measured before chopping)

Salt, to taste

Hot sauce, optional for drizzling on top!

Method

Start by chopping some veggies: red pepper, green pepper, yellow onion, mushrooms, and baby spinach!Crack some eggs! I used 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. 

Whisk the eggs together in a large four cup measuring cup and set aside. I like whisking the eggs in the measuring cup, because it makes pouring the mixture into the muffin tin easier later on!

Now, heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Once hot, add in olive oil. Then add in the red pepper, green pepper, yellow onion, and a pinch of salt. Saute for about 5-7 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Add in spinach and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.

Taste and re-season with salt if necessary!

Pour the cooked veggies into the whisked eggs. Stir to combine. If you like, you could even add in a little hot sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a muffin pan with cooking spray.

Pour the egg/veggie mixture evenly into the muffin pan. You'll have enough for all 12 muffin slots!

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch or if an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, before removing! Serve immediately or let finish cooling on a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for no longer than 4 days. You can, however, store these individually in the freezer! To thaw, remove from the freezer the night before and store in the refrigerator. Then just pop it in the microwave in the morning until warm.

BHINDI MASALA

Ingredients

250 gms bhindi
3 tomatoes , chopped or 2 tbsp tomato paste
1-2 green chilli chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
4 tbsp yogurt
1 large onion chopped finely
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1-2 tsp coriander powder
1-2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp fennel seeds
finely chopped coriander leaves
3 tbsp oil

Method

Blend tomato to make a smooth paste in blender.
Remove head and tail of bhindi and cut into 1.5 " long pieces .
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in pan over medium flame, add bhindi and sprinkle salt over it.
Shallow fry bhindi until it shrinks from its original size. Turn off the flame and transfer bhindi to a plate.
Heat remaining oil in  apan, add fennel seeds , when they crackle , add chopped onion , gingergarlic paste, green chili and saute for a minute.
Add tomato puree and cook until oil starts to separate from it.
Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garma masala, salt and mix well.
Add curd, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well.
Add shallow fried bhidi and mix well.
Cook it over medium flame for 1- minutes.
Garnish bhindi masala with coriander leaves and serve hot !!!!!

N.P.- If you want gravy add little water and cook until done .

MUSHROOM PEAS MASALA

Ingredients

1 kg Mushroom
1 cup green peas
2-3 nos Tomato , cut into big chunks or 2 tbsp tomato puree
2 nos green chili
1 inch ginger
5-7 nos cashews
3 tbsp. cocnut oil
few Coriander elavers
a pinchj Asafoetida
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp. dry fenugreek elaves
2 nos cardamom
2 nos cloves
1/2 inch cinnamon stick
6 nos black pepper
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilly powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt as per taste

Method

Clean eash mushroom with a cloth nicely and cut into 4-5 pieces.
Soak cashews in warm water for an hour.
Place tomatoes, green chilli, ginger and cashews in a mixture jar and make a fine paste.
Coarse grind whole spices.
Take oil in  a pan, add oil and when its hot , add asafoetida powder and cumin seeds. Then add turmeric powder, coriander powder, grounded masala paste, coarsely grounded spices, and dry fenugreek leaves.
Stir at regular intervals and saute masala until oil starts floating on the surface.
Add green peas in sauted masala, mix well, cover and cook until peas turns soft.
When sabzi starts boiling add mushrooms and 1/2 cup water or ass water as per your preference. Allow sabzi to simmer, add salt.
Cover and cook until mushrooms are cooked.
Add coriander leaves and mix well.
Serve  steaming mushroom peas masala curry with chapatti, paratha, naan or rice.

ALU CAPSICUM CURRY

Ingredients

3 potatoes , peeled and cut into small cubes

1 green bell pepper chopped 

1 onion finely chopped

1 -2 tsp ginger garlic paste

1 tbsp coriander powder

 1-2 tsp chilli powder

1 tbsp tomato puree

salt as per taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Heat olive oil in  frying pan, add chopped onions and ginger garlic paste and fry till onions turns soft. 

Add chopped capsicum and potato pieces  and saute for 1-2 minutes. 

Add spices and fry for 1 minute . 

Add tomato paste and mix well. 

Add enough water along with salt and cook until potatoes are done. 

Yummy curry is ready to eat with chapati, naan or rice.

SWEET PONGAL

Ingredients

½ cup rice

⅓ to ½ cup moong dal

½ cup powdered or grated jaggery or palm sugar

⅛ tsp green cardamom powder

2 to 3 tbsp Ghee (you can reduce it to 1)

1 tbsp raisins

1 to 2 tbsp Cashews broken

few chopped coconut pieces sliced or chopped (optional)

Method

Add moong dal to a heavy bottom pan or pressure cooker and roast it till they turn fragrant.
Add rice to the same pan and wash them at least twice.
Pour 2 ¼ cups of water. Cook till soft either in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles or in the pot.
Pour ¼ cup water to grated jaggery. On a low flame stir and melt it. Keep this aside.
When the pressure from the cooker is down, remove the lid and mash the rice.
Filter jaggery syrup to the cooked rice dal.
Add green cardamom powder. Mix and cook on a medium flame till the jaggery syrup blends well with rice. It should begin to bubble up well. Off the stove.
Heat a pan with ghee, add coconut pieces and fry them till they turn aromatic. Add them to the rice. To the pan, add cashews and fry till golden, off the stove and add raisins. Mix this with the rice.

Notes

Before you add jaggery to the rice, make sure it is cooked thoroughly soft. Rice tends to harden if the rice is not mashed or the sakkarai pongal is overcooked.