Mushroom Asparagus Egg Drop Soup | Low Calorie Soup Recipes

Want to eat healthy but don't have enough time? I have been there some days. Answer: a healthy but simple soup to the rescue. This soup is loaded with all the goodness of the veggies with the protein from the egg whites and protein and calcium from the tofu. What else does one need in a filling meal? Yes, this soup is a one pot meal and is very filling.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3; Preparation time - 15 mins; Cooking time - 20 mins
Adapted from Cooking light - way to cook vegetarian cookbook
Vegetable Stock - 2 cups
Water - 1-1/2 cups
Ginger - 1 tsp minced
Garlic - 1 tsp minced
White Mushroom - sliced thin - 1 cup (about 5-6)
Asparagus - sliced on a bias - 1 cup (about 7-8)
Extra Firm Tofu - 4 oz ~ 100 g - cut into cubes
Rice wine vinegar - 2 tbsp
Soy sauce, low sodium - 1/2 tbsp
Black Pepper, freshly ground - 1/2 tsp
Corn Starch - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 tbsp
Egg whites, lightly beaten - from 2 eggs
Scallions/Spring onion greens, a handful - chopped
Cilantro - chopped - a handful

Method:
Whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce and pepper in a small bowl. Mix 1 tbsp of corn starch with 2 tbsp of water in another small bowl. In a non-stick pan spray some oil and toss around the tofu until it crisps up ever so slightly. In a large pot mix the stock, water, ginger and garlic and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile saute the sliced mushrooms and asparagus one by one with very little oil, for about a minute each. When the soup boil, add the veggies and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar mixture and tofu. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Pour the corn starch mixture and mix well. Continue to simmer for another 3 minutes or until the soup thickens a little. Stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, pour the egg whites in a steady stream until tiny ribbons form. Remove from heat and garnish with cilantro and scallions. Serve hot.
Notes: The soup does not need salt because of the salt in the soy sauce and stock. But you may add salt for your taste.

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Carrot Mutta Podimas / Carrot Eggs Stir Fry

How do you increase your protein intake? Eat eggs if you can. How do you give protein to the one who doesn't eat eggs (read as don't want to)? Sneak up with something they eat. Again this method doesn't even work the slightest in DH. He can smell eggs even from a mile away. This is for the little one who I am training to eat eggs. He likes the taste but just can't stand the texture. There are only a few ways he can eat eggs, like this poriyal here mixed with rasam or curd rice. Or like in this kulambu mixed with rice.

Ingredients:
Serves - 3
Carrots - 4 - medium sized (shredded)
Eggs - 2
Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Garam masala - 3/4 tsp (Can substitute curry powder)

Method:
Heat oil in a skillet and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves. Add the grated carrots and fry in medium heat until it is cooked through. Add the garam masala, salt and saute for a minute. Crack open the eggs into the skillet and mix with the carrots. Continue cooking by stirring the mixture around until the eggs are scrambled and cooked. Serve as a side or as a filling for a sandwich. Also goes good as a stuffing for a khatti roll.

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Muttai Kulambu / Steamed Egg Curry - South Indian Style | Indian Egg Curry Recipes

The other day (read few months ago) I called up my grandma to ask for her Egg Curry - Muttai Kulambu recipe. She gave me the recipe I asked for and also gave me one bonus recipe for the Muttai Kulambu in a steamed version. I had not gotten a chance to try this version until recently. It is another super tasty, not too difficult to make and easy to drool over family recipe.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2-3
Eggs - 3
Onion - chopped - 3/4 cup
Tomato - chopped - 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to  taste
Pepper powder - a pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1/4 tsp
For the spice paste:
Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1/2 tsp
Khus khus / poppy seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2" piece
Cloves - 3
Fennel Seeds / Sombu - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 3
Coriander seeds / Dhaniya - 1/4 tsp
Garlic cloves - 4 
Tempering:
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few

Method: 
Beat the eggs until fluffy with a pinch of salt and pepper. Apply some oil in a small steel bowl and pour the eggs. Steam until done, about 10 minutes. Transfer the steamed egg to a plate and cut into 1" cubes. Make a smooth paste of the ingredients for the spice paste. Heat oil in a large kadai and add the ingredients for tempering. Now add the chopped onions and saute until soft. Add the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt and continue to cook until mushy. Add the turmeric powder and the freshly ground spice paste. Fry for a couple of minutes and add about 2 cups of water. When it starts boiling, simmer for about 10 minutes. Check for salt and add the cubed steamed eggs. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat. This is a great side for idli, dosa, chapathi and steamed rice.

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Muttai Kulambu / Boiled Egg Curry - South Indian Style | Indian Egg Curry Recipes

There would be quite a few family recipes we all love but have forgotten. Being far away from my family and home country, certain dishes just vanish from my mind though the taste lingers in the thoughts. This is one such dish which I remembered one fine day and promptly called up grandma for the recipe. She patiently mentioned every ingredient and measurement with the steps involved. I also got a bonus recipe (another type of muttai kulambu). I followed the recipe to the T and arrived very close to the taste. I believe it was her touch that was missing :)

Ingredients:
Serves - 4
Eggs - 4
Onions - 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato - 1 - chopped
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 2 tsp + 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
To grind:
Coriander Seeds - 3 tbsp (heaped)
Cloves - 3
Cinnamon - 1" piece
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dhal - 1/2 tsp
Raw Rice - 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves - 3 or 4
Grated Coconut - 4 tbsp (heaped)
Dry Red Chillies - 4

Method:
Boil the eggs as mentioned below and slice into two lengthwise. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a kadai and roast all the ingredients under "to grind" except coconut. Roast until the rice takes a light brown shade. Remove from heat and mix in the grated coconut. The residual heat is sufficient for the coconut to get roasted. Cool the mixture completely and grind to a smooth paste in a mixie/blender. Heat the remaining oil and splutter the mustard seeds, urad dhal and curry leaves. Add the chopped onion and saute until it turns pale. Add the chopped tomato with a pinch of salt and saute until the tomato becomes mushy. Now add the ground paste and mix in medium heat until the raw smell disappears, about 10-12 minutes. Add required quantity of water per the desired consistency and allow it to boil. When the kulambu boils, add salt, do a taste check and drop the halved eggs slowly. Simmer for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Serve hot with steamed rice. This is also a great side dish for chapathi, idli or dosa.
How to boil eggs:
In a medium saucepan, bring 2 litres of water to boil. Drop the eggs slowly into the boiling water. Cook in medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Drain the water and fill with cold tap water. Set aside for about 5 minutes and then peel the eggs. Wash again in running tap water to remove any tiny bits of shell.

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Pesto Pasta Primavera & One bowl Eggs Florentine | Easy Pasta Recipes

Our weekend lunches are mostly simple. I would prefer to keep cooking time to minimum to spare more time for cleaning or other chores. If you are looking for a simple and wholesome meal look no further. This is a fusion of two of my favorite pasta dishes, Pesto Pasta and Pasta Primavera. I used the vegetables I had at hand to make this dish. It is a simple dish with whole grain pasta, loads of vegetables complete with a cheesy and filling omelet. 

For the Pasta:
Serves - 2
Spaghetti - 1/4 of a box (angel hair)
Asparagus - 6 spears 
Zucchini - 1/4 cup - julienned
Red bell pepper - 1/2 - julienned
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
Red pepper flakes - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Basil Pesto or any Herb pesto - 1/4 cup (Click here for Home made Pesto recipe)
Milk - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste (optional since pesto and cooked pasta already has salt)

Method:
Cook pasta in 4 to 6 litres of salted boiling water until done. Drain and set aside to cool. Heat oil in wide skillet and toss the vegetables in high heat. Add the red pepper flakes, italian seasoning and salt to taste. Add the cooked cooled pasta and toss well. Remove from heat and add the milk and pesto. Mix well and serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.

One bowl Eggs Florentine

DH being a vegetarian, I made this One Bowl Eggs Florentine just for me. This recipe can easily be doubled. Traditional eggs florentine are poached eggs on a bed of spinach on a cheese sauce. I took a shortcut and made this omelet style eggs florentine with egg, spinach and cheddar cheese. 

Ingredients:
Egg - 1
Spinach - a handful chopped
Low fat Milk - 2 tbsp
Grated Cheddar cheese - 2 tbsp
Salt & Pepper - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:
In a bowl whisk the egg well until frothy. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Coat a skillet with 1 tsp of oil. Pour the egg-spinach-cheese mixture and let it cook on medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Patience is the key to not change this fluffy omelet into scrambled eggs. Anyway, it tastes awesome either way. Flip over with the spatula and continue cooking for another minute. Serve with Pesto Pasta Primavera for a complete meal.

Sending this plate to Pari's Only-Continental event; Your Kitchen in Spring and Let's Cook for Kids.

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Mushroom Asparagus (crustless) Mini Quiche

Do you want something quick for a busy mornings and do not want to stand near the stove cooking some dosas or oatmeal. Then these mini quiches are for you. These simple to make (bake) dish has all the goodness you need for the morning to keep you going until lunch. Eggs for protein, Milk and Cheese for Calcium and Mushroom and Asparagus adds up to your daily serving of vegetables for the day. Score!

Ingredients:
Serves - 4
Eggs - 6
Low fat Milk - 1 1/2 cups (360 ml)
Mushroom - 6 oz pkt
Asparagus - about 6 to 8 spears
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Pepper - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Grated Cheddar cheese (reduced fat) - 1/3 cup or as needed

Method:
Preheat the oven to 350F / 175 C. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with oil.
Slice the mushrooms and saute in a pan with little oil until all the water evaporates. Drain on a paper towel. Saute the asparagus similarly until it is almost cooked. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and mix well. Pour carefully into the greased muffin tins until full. Bake for 30 mins or until the knife inserted into the center comes clean. Cool in the muffin pan for 15 mins. Remove carefully with a spoon and place in a plate lined with kitchen towel until cooled completely. Transfer to a ziptop bag and pop into the top shelf of the refrigerated and pull out as desired. Reheat in the Microwave for about one minute or as desired.
Alternate layering:
Divide the cheese into two and layer the bottom of the cups with half of the grated cheese. Layer the vegetables above the cheese. Now pour the eggs-milk mixture into all the pans until full. Now sprinkle the remaining (reserved) cheese over the pan equally. Bake like the method above.

Linking these beautiful mini quiches to Let's Cook - Healthy Breakfast; Mission - Breakfast; Breakfast Club.

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Vegetable Puffs & Egg Puffs

To begin with, sorry for the sudden absence from this space. I am so elated by the considerate inquiries from my blog buddies. It was totally an unplanned break but things are fine at my end. Thank you very much everyone for your love!
Do you remember the after-school snacks you had in your childhood. Ah! those are cherished memories aren't they? Well, anything involving food is a cherished memory or most (not all) of the cherished moments can be related with food. Coming home after a tiring day at school, wash up and dig in something to munch on with a glass of milk. Mostly it would be home-made goodies like kozhukattai, sundal, sandwich but occasionally dad would buy hot samosas and puffs from the bakery on his way back from work. I tried to reproduce the bakery flavors with this recipe.

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry Sheet - cut into 3x5" pieces - 5
Onion - 2 cups - thinly sliced
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry Mango Powder/Amchur powder - a big pinch
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tbsp 
Milk - for brushing
For Veg Puffs filling:
Carrots - chopped fine - 2 tbsp
Frozen green peas - 2 tbsp
For Egg Puffs filling:
Egg - 1 - hard boiled - sliced in half
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - a pinch

Method:
Thaw the puff pastry sheet to room temperature for 45 mins and cut into pieces. Preheat the oven to 430F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the remaining oil and add the sliced onions and saute until it turns golden brown, about 15 to 20 mins in med-high heat. Add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and amchur powder. Saute until the masalas incorporate in the onions. When done remove half of the onion mixture and set aside to cool. 
For Veg Puffs:
In the remaining masala in the pan add the peas and chopped carrots with 1 tbsp of water. Saute for 2 mins until the vegetables get cooked. To assemble in one sheet place about 2 tbsp of mixture and apply water on the edges. And fold over to form a purse. Press the edges tightly so that the filling doesn't ooze out.
For Egg Puffs:
Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan with turmeric powder and roast the halved eggs for about 10 seconds on each side. To assemble, in one sheet place about 1 tbsp of the (reserved) onion masala and place the egg cut side down. Bring together two opposite ends and seal together by applying little water. 
To Bake:
Place the prepared puffs on the baking sheet and brush with milk on the top. Bake for 20 mins. Serve warm with tomato ketchup.
Note: Play around with the spice powders for varied flavours.

Sending this to Serve It - Savory-Baked event by me and Denny, To Vardhini's Bake Fest and also to Srivalli's Snacks Mela.

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Baked French Toast Minis with Strawberries

This weekend for my regular Sunday morning french toast breakfast, I tried baked french toast with chopped strawberries. These were cute little bakes which were colorful and elegant at the same time. Perfect for breakfast these can also be served as a party dessert. You should definitely use old bread since fresh bread would become mushy. Also check out my other french toast recipes, Blackberry French Toast and French Toast with Stuffed Walnuts.

Ingredients:
Preparation time: 10 mins; Setting time: 4 - 8 hrs; 
Serves - 2; Yields 8 muffins;
French bread - stale - 7 or 8 oz - cubed
Eggs - 2
Milk - 1.5 cups
Light brown sugar - 2 tbsp (can use white sugar as well)
Ground Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla - 1/2 tsp
Strawberries - 5 or 6 - chopped
White Sugar - 1 tsp

Method:
Grease the muffin cups with butter or oil. Chop the strawberries into small pieces and add some white sugar. Allow it to macerate for about 10 mins. Meanwhile drop 3 or 4 cubes of the bread to each muffin cups. Whisk the eggs until frothy. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Add the milk mixture to eggs. Pour the egg mixture to each cup until full. Spoon the strawberries on the top. Cover with an aluminium foil and pop it in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of 4 hrs. Bake for 20 - 25 mins in an oven preheated to 350 F/175 C. Cool for a couple of minutes and then scoop out carefully. Serve hot topped with sugar or maple syrup and fresh fruits.
Note: Before baking you could top the strawberries with a mixture of cinnamon and brown sugar for a caramelized topping. The toast will be puffy just out of the oven but eventually flattens down.

Sending these to Let's Cook - Scrumptious Breakfasts event by Radhika and to Anu's Strawberries - Dessert event.


Sending this to Srivalli's Kid's Delight hosted by Nupur of UK-Rasoi, for the month of April 2012.

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Blackberry French Toast

Blackberry French Toast is a basic tried and tested french toast recipe which I tweaked in a little. I made it colorful and interesting by adding chopped blackberries. The french toast was pretty with lovely speckles of berries on it. I made this for Sunday morning breakfast, when I like to indulge and treat myself in contrast to the weekday's regular cereals and oatmeal. Also check out my French Toast with Stuffed Walnuts here. Now on to the recipe for Blackberry French Toast.

Ingredients:

Serves 1
Bread slices - 2 (I used whole grain)
Egg - 1
Milk - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 2 tsp
Blackberries - 5 or 6
Salt - a pinch

Method:
Beat egg and sugar with a fork or whisk until pale. Add salt and milk and mix together. Chop the blackberries coarsely and add to the egg mix. Set aside for 5 mins if you want the color of the berry to steep in the mix. Otherwise start right away. Cut the bread slices into desired shape. Spray a hot griddle with non-stick spray. Dip the bread slice in the egg mix and place it on the hot griddle. Toast for about 2 mins and flip. Cook for another minute until brown. Serve hot dusted with sugar or honey and with fresh fruits.
Note: Would you be convinced if I say the berries here were frozen? Yes, I used the fresh berries which I froze before a couple of weeks. I wash the fresh berries and allow them to air dry. Then I transfer it to the same pack it came in and put the pack in a plastic cover or ziploc bag and pop it in freezer. It stays fresh for long and tastes the same and bleeds much slower than the store-bought frozen berries.

Sending this decadent french toast to Breakfast Club - Berries event by Helen of Fuss Free Flavours, guest hosted by Nayna of Simply Food. Also to Food Palette series - Purple event by Akheela.

Sending this to Srivalli's Kid's Delight hosted by Nupur of UK-Rasoi, for the month of April 2012.

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Orange Flan / Orange Crème caramel

Flan or Crème caramel is an easy to make and a convenient make-ahead dessert and perfect for get-together. It can be made in little serving bowls or in a cake pan according to the personal desire. I had been wanting to make Flan aka Crème caramel for a long time ever since I saw it in few blogs. Many recipes used condensed milk and/or heavy cream but I wanted to keep it simple. So I made with just regular milk and eggs and flavored it with orange zest and juice. It tasted just out of the world.

Ingredients:

Adapted from here
Makes 3 - 7 oz ramekins, can be doubled as needed
For the soft caramel:
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Water - 40 ml
For the custard:
Milk – 1 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Eggs – 2
Egg yolks – 1
Vanilla essence – 3/4 tsp
Orange zest -  from 1 orange
Orange juice – from 1 orange – approx 1/2 cup

Method:

For the Caramel:

Add sugar and water to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. When it starts to brown, swirl the saucepan around. Do not use a spoon to stir, because swirling ensures that the sugar becomes brown evenly. When it reaches a honey brown color, remove from heat and pour directly into the ramekins. Swirl each mold to coat the caramel evenly at the bottom.

For the Custard:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Heat the milk until it is heated through but not boiling. Mix the eggs, egg yolk and sugar until pale and light with a whisk or hand mixer. Add the vanilla essence. Now add the milk to the eggs slowly in a single stream and stirring continuously while adding the milk. The milk should not be poured at once since the heat from the milk would cook the eggs. Add in the orange juice and zest and mix well.

Pour the milk-egg mixture into the caramel coated ramekins. Place the prepared ramekins in a cake pan and fill the pan halfway through the ramekins with boiling water. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325 F. Bake for another 30-40 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out clean. Remove the pan and cool the ramekins until the water cools. Chill the ramekins in the refrigerator until the time of serving. While serving, un-mould the bowls with a knife and invert it over a bowl or a plate. Serve chilled with fruits if desired.

Sending it to Veggie/Fruit of the Month - Orange event by Savitha and Priya and to A.W.E.D. Mexican event by DK and Smita. And finally to our event Serve It-Chilled happening at Denny's Oh Taste N See.

Sending this to Srivalli's Kid's Delight hosted by Nupur of UK-Rasoi, for the month of April 2012.

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