Flavors of India for Breakfast?

Breakfast is one of my favorite meals of the day. I love it when I get to sit with my husband and eat the kind of breakfast my kids wouldn't touch. You know, the grown up kind like a fragrant fritata or a veggie loaded omelet.  This recipe shown here would lend itself well to a light lunch or supper. The inspiration for this loaded scrambled egg comes from the Parsi dish 'Akuri' which is an explosion of flavors right at breakfast. The flavors in this vegetable loaded scramble can be kept light as my husband prefers it, or a bit stronger the way I like it. What's so amazing about this meal is that you can get an entire serving of vegetables right there for breakfast. I am estimating the quantities in this recipe as I have never measured it.



Clicking on this picture will show you a  larger, and more mouthwatering version.


Ingredients
(serves two)

chopped onions - about a quarter cup
roughly diced green peppers (or any other color you have on hand) - a half cup
zucchini quartered lengthwise and then sliced across to yield quarters - 1 cup
tomatoes - seeded and chopped for cooking and garnish - 3/4 - 1 cup
In terms of vegetables, these are the ones I would definitely say are a must
These are the other ones I like to add
summer squash - cut the same way as the zucchini - half cup
corn - cut off one cob or frozen (half cup)
left over potato (especially from Indian meals)
left over chickpeas or Chole (Indian Chickpea stew)

3-4 Eggs (we use half real eggs and half fake liquid eggs due to cholesterol issues)
salt and pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon of ground cumin
¼ teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of any cooking oil (for health reasons I use olive oil)
chopped cilantro (quite optional if you hate them but if you are ok with it, really enhances the flavor)

Heat the oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. If you make this for lunch or dinner and like things a bit livelier you could add a small amount of crushed garlic. Too much garlic will overwhelm the balance of flavors in this recipe, so go easy. *Saute the onion until translucent and then add all the vegetables except for the tomato, cilantro, and left over potatoes and chickpeas (if adding). Saute on medium heat for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the seasonings,  tomato, chickpeas and potatoes (if using) and stir, let heat through for 1-2 minutes. Add the chopped cilantro and then crack over the whole thing, the eggs. Stir gently but do break the yolks. Reduce the heat to medium low and allow the egg to set. Stir gently periodically to make sure all the egg is cooked. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

I love to eat this with a little extra chopped fresh onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. A squeeze of fresh lemon brings out the flavors of all the vegetables.  Serve with it toast or better yet, some toasted pita bread or any Indian roti.

This is a substantial meal which will keep you satisfied during a long morning or comfortably filled on a warm summer night. 

Almost all my recipes lend themselves extremely well to substitutions and additions. To me cooking has always been creativity. I was lucky that I had a mother who is an amazing creative cook and a father, who is a fantastic cook in his own right. My childhood memories are filled with family friends appearing suddenly on a Sunday morning at our door with grocery bags filled with fresh ingredients. 'We brought food, will you cook for us?' And my parents never disappointed them. Everyone was handed kitchen tools, cutting boards, bowls and colanders and given instructions. Soon the kitchen was filled with the sounds of animated discussions, laughter and the aromas of a multitude of spices, herbs and fresh ingredients coming together in an altogether magical way.

*A note on cooking onions for this recipe. If you like a light flavor add the veggies when the onion is translucent. If you like the flavors stronger let the onion start to lightly brown before adding the veggies.

Cooking is a forgiving art. So go for it. And for anything you didn't like, give it to the dog or the sink disposal. I've never heard them complain.

Mrs. B's best Zucchini Nut Muffins

The obscenely ginormous, huge, zucchinis from somewhere in Iowa.

Yesterday, when I came back from co-hosting a seminar, my husband met me at the door.

'I have a surprise for you', he announced grandly. 'You've never seen anything like this before!' he claimed and with a flourish presented me with these huge, green objects. 'Have you ever seen zucchini like this before?'

I had to admit I had not. I didn't even know they could get that big. Even the smaller of the two is larger than any zucchini I've ever seen.

Apparently our neighbor had been blessed by someone they knew with cucumbers and zucchini. They knew what to do with the cukes but had no idea what to do with the zukes. But, bless her heart, she knows I love to cook and that I love veggies. What she didn't know was that I particularly adore zucchini.  The kids of course wanted zucchini muffins.

No problema!



I would really recommend clicking on this picture to see the muffin larger as it doesn't really show it as well in the smaller picture.



My son won't touch zucchini unless it's converted in Zucchini Nut Muffins. I found the recipe in a Taste of Home magazine many years ago, adapted it to suit our palate and it's been a family favorite since then. When my son was a toddler at daycare I gave them this recipe. The first time they made this recipe the kids plowed through the first batch of muffins so fast they had to quickly whip up another batch.



 
Feel free to add or exchange ingredients. This is the recipe they way we changed it from the original.

Mrs. B's best Zucchini Nut Muffins


2 cups un-bleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
3/4 cup plain sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
½ cup applesauce (we use unsweetened)
2 cups packed, shredded zucchini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ cup golden raisins (we don't use that because the kids don't like them)
2 tablespoons Demerara sugar or Washed Raw Cane Sugar for sprinkling (this will give you a crunchy texture on top - big yum! factor)


Pre-heat oven to 350F.


Combine sugar and eggs in a bowl; blend at medium speed for 2 minutes. Gradually add the oil; beating constantly for 3 minutes. Add the applesauce, vanilla extract and shredded zucchini and blend well. Stir in the chopped walnuts. Now, if you want a more pronounced walnut taste, toast them first until fragrant.


In a separate bowl mix the flours, salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and ground flax seed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined but not overmixed.


Pour batter into 24 lined muffin cups or non-stick muffin tins and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar; bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

(You could substitute a half cup of craisins for the nuts and add some quick cooking oats to up the health-factor)



Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

We are addicted to these pancakes and they make a wonderful Saturday breakfast. We love them with ripe pears although applesauce works well too.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Yield: 15 smallish pancakes

1¼ cups all-purpose flour (we use half unbleached all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2-3 tsp. pumpkin pie spice mix depending how strong you like it (the original recipe calls for separate spices but I am lazy even though I have all the spices mentioned)
1 cup milk  (if you use whole wheat flour you may need about a ½ cup more as the dough gets too thick otherwise)
½ cup pumpkin puree (we like to use a bit more than that)
1 large egg
2 tbsp. vegetable oil or melted butter

Preheat the oven to 200˚F. Set aside a baking sheet or oven safe serving platter.
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and spices in a medium bowl. Make sure to blot out any chunks of brown sugar. In a separate small bowl, combine the milk, pumpkin, egg and oil or butter. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. The batter may still be lumpy.
Heat a greased skillet or griddle over medium heat (325˚F for the griddle). Pour the batter on the griddle or skillet in 1/3 cup portions. Use the back of the spoon or measuring cup to smooth the batter into desired circle shape. When bubbles start forming on the top, carefully use a spatula to flip to the other side. Let cook for a few more minutes until golden brown. Transfer the pancakes to the baking sheet or oven safe platter; place in the oven to keep warm until serving. Repeat with the rest of the batter until it has all been cooked, regreasing the pan as needed. Serve with cinnamon sugar, honey or  maple syrup.

Adapted from a recipe found at http://penniesonaplatter.com/