How to Make A Perfect Omelet

Being able to cook an omelet is something
everyone needs in their repertoire'.

 Learn to cook one from memory so you are always
ready to make a great breakfast, lunch, and

 sometimes a quick and easy dinner.

For each omelet always use the same proportions;

2 XL eggs and 2 T water.

Water produces a fluffier omelet than milk does.

Whisk the eggs, water, salt and pepper,

 or your choice of seasonings depending on your 

fillings.  (Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, 

curry powder, or soy sauce). I love to use leftovers, 

like salmon or even Chinese food. 

You can choose your favorite fillings using about 

the same amounts as I've used. A favorite is 

fresh spinach, tomatoes and Swiss cheese. 

I'll show that one here. I use whatever I have 

in the fridge; try mushrooms, onions, peppers,

 ham, shrimp, or any cheese.  

Heat 1 T butter in an 8"-10" non-stick skillet.

Use medium-medium high heat.

I like that in this method you saute your fresh

 vegetables first. You can season a bit here too. 

After sauteing the vegetables about one minute

 keep them in the skillet and add the eggs.

Let them cook for 1 minute;

then use a spatula to lift the edges so that

 the uncooked portion flows underneath. 

Tilt the pan. Cook until almost set, about 1 minute

then cover the pan for another 1 minute. 

Sprinkle with cheese.

Fold in half.

Use the spatula and tilt the pan. 

The filling and cheese are nicely distributed in the 

omelet so every bite is full of all the flavors.

Flip over onto a heated plate.

Spinach~Tomato~Cheese Omelet
2 XL eggs plus 2 T water
1/8t salt and 1/8 t pepper
1 T butter
1 C coarsely chopped spinach
1/3 C chopped tomato
1/3 C shredded Swiss cheese

In a small bowl whisk eggs, water, salt & pepper. 

Melt butter in an 8" skillet over MH heat; 

add spinach and tomatoes, saute 1 minute until

 spinach is wilted. Add egg mixture to skillet, 

let cook 1 minute then gently lift edges with

 a spatula so that uncooked egg mixture flows 

underneath. Cook until almost set, about

 1 minute. Cover skillet and cook another 1 minute. 

Sprinkle omelet with cheese and fold in half,

 allowing cheese to melt. Slide or flip onto a 

heated plate. Serve with buttered toast.

Enjoy!

Links: Dwellings,
Between Naps On The Porch,
A Stroll Thru Life, Designs By Gollum,

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Onion and Garlic Foccacia | Vegan Italian Recipes

Bread making had always intimidated me. I mean, working with yeast has always been scary. But when you zero in on the menu to make for one special evening, you got to roll up your sleeves and be ready to face your fear. Ok, I am not talking about a huge wrestling competition. My menu had Foccacia and Vegetarian chili to be made on Valentine's day. Foccacia is a pretty simple yeasted bread that can be made by anyone with no experience in leavened bread.

Ingredients:
All purpose flour / Maida - 3 cups
Salt - 1-1/2 tsp
Active dry yeast - 2 tsp
Sugar - a pinch
Warm Water - 3/4 cup to 1 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 3 tbsp + 2 tbsp + more for greasing
Sea salt - 1/2 tsp
Italian seasoning - 1 tsp
Onion - thinly sliced - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves - julienne

Method:
Sieve the flour and salt together. Place the yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Pour 3/4 cup of lukewarm* water over it and allow the yeast to bloom, about 3-5 minutes. Mix 3 tbsp of oil to the water. Pour the warm water with yeast over the flour and knead together to form a dough, sprinkling water as needed. After the dough comes together, knead for about 5 minutes. Place in a well oiled glass bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Place in a warm place for about 2 hours to rise, or it doubles it size. Punch down the dough and spread it in a 9x9 square pan greased with olive oil. If the dough does not spread to the whole pan, give it a few minutes and try again. When the dough is fully spread in the pan, make little dimples all over it with the index finger. Mix the italian seasoning with 2 tbsp of oil and brush all over the dough. Spread the onion and garlic and gently press over the dough. Bake the bread for 40-45 minutes, in an oven preheated to 375 F.
Cool the pan over the cooling rack. Slice the bread into little pieces and serve.
Notes: This foccacia is thick enough to slice for a sandwich. To help the dough rise, I preheated my oven to "Warm" mode for a couple of minutes and then turned it off and placed the dough inside to rise.
*Lukewarm - warm to the touch, like a baby's bottle.

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Sichuan-style Asparagus Stir-fry | Vegan Chinese Recipes

Asparagus is in season now and I am making full use of it. We always love the simple oven roasted asparagus with salt, pepper and olive oil. But this time I made a PF Changs replica, Sichuan style Asparagus. Spicy, Salty and with a little zing from the ginger, it is a perfect side for your Chinese themed party. I made this as a side for my Tofu and Bell pepper Fried rice.

Ingredients:
Serves - 2
Asparagus - 1 bunch
Onion - 1/2 of a big one
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Soy Sauce, Low sodium - 2 tbsp
Rice wine vinegar - 1 tbsp
Corn starch - 1 tsp
Brown Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/4 cup
Red chilli sauce - 1 tsp (I used Sriracha)
Sesame oil - 3 tsp

Method:
Wash and trim the ends of the asparagus. Slice on a bias. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch and red chilli sauce. Heat 1/2 tsp of oil in a skillet or wok in high heat and fry the onions until brown, about 3-4 minutes. The onions need not be fully cooked. Remove to a plate. Heat another 1/2 tsp of oil and fry the asparagus for about 5-7 minutes in high heat. Transfer to the plate of onions. Heat 2 tsp of oil and add the ginger paste. After a couple of seconds add the sauce mix and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add water now. When it starts to bubble, add the asparagus and onions. Mix well. Remove from heat and serve.
Notes: I did not add salt to this dish because the salt in the soy sauce is enough. You may add salt if needed.

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Chettinadu Poondu Kuzhambu / Spicy Garlic Tamarind Curry | South Indian Curry Recipes

Chettinadu is a region in Tamilnadu, the Southern state of India. The recipes specializes in using freshly ground spices added to make tasty food. Most of the recipes are spicy and tangy with the liberal use of the flavorful spices and herbs native to India. Did you know that many south indian dishes taste better if pearl onions are used instead of the regular onions. Also no, we do not add curry leaves to every dish but there are certain dishes which just can't be made without the aroma of the curry leaves in it. This is one such kuzhambu which has simple ingredients but makes you want to go for another serving.

Ingredients:
In standard cup measurements
Garlic - 3 whole - 1/2 cup heaped
Pearl onions - 10
Tamarind - size of a lemon
Pepper corns - 1-1/2 tsp
Ghee - a few drops
Coriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Tomato - 2 (medium sized, about 1 cup chopped)
Onion - 1/2 cup (chopped) or 10 pearl onions
Sesame oil - 4 tbsp
Tempering:
Fenugreek seeds / vendhayam - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract about 3 cups of juice. Roast the pepper corns in ghee. Make a fine powder. Grind the tomato and onion to make a paste. Heat sesame oil in a kadai and splutter the ingredients for temepring. Add the peeled garlic cloves and pearl onions and fry until it is almost cooked. Add the ground pepper powder, coriander powder and fry for another minute. Pour the ground paste and cook in medium heat until the raw smell disappears and the oil oozes out of the mixture. Mix the tamarind juice and salt. Allow it to come to a boil in med-high heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot over rice with a simple poriyal or fryums.
For the Carrot Beans Poriyal featured in the picture, click here.\
Linking this up to Flavor with Spices - #1.

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Aloor Dum / Baby Potatoes in Tomato Curry | Bengali Recipes

There are some foods that lure you to make immediately. This was one such recipe. When I saw this in Sutapa's space, I thought "If only I had baby potatoes at hand right now..". But that didn't stop me from making this. I had DH get baby potatoes the very next day and I made this for dinner to go with my Spring Onion Paratha. Oh my, this was super tasty. You won't believe how a simple combination of spices would make something this tasty. Is it the baby potatoes or the onions in the spice paste or the ghee? Ghee, definitely had to be the ghee.. or.. ok well I am not able to come to a conclusion. 
Bottomline.. Super tasty curry..

Ingredients:
Serves - 3-4
Baby Potatoes - 15
Onion - sliced thin - 1 cup
Tomato - 2
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 3/4 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1 tsp
Oil - as needed
Spice paste:
Pearl onions - 3
Garlic cloves - 8
Ginger - 1 tsp - chopped

Method:
Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water until fork tender. Drain, peel and set aside. Blanch, remove skin and seeds from the tomatoes. Make a puree and reserve. In a kadai, heat a tsp of oil and fry the ingredients for spice paste. When golden brown, allow to cool and make a paste. In the same kadai, heat about 2 tbsp of oil and shallow fry the peeled potatoes. Remove and set aside. Add oil if needed and fry the onions until it turns golden brown. Add the ground spice paste and the spice powders (all but the garam masala). Cook for about 2 minutes in medium heat and add the tomato puree and salt. Add the fried potatoes with about 1 to 2 cups of water. Mix well. The curry would be watery at this time. Bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until desired thickness is achieved, about 15 mins. Add the ghee, garam masala and give a mix. Turn the heat off. Serve with any roti/paratha of your choice.
Linking this to In my Veg box - Potatoes event.

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Broccoli Stir-fry with just 3 ingredients | Broccoli Recipes

Eating Broccoli can't get any easier or tastier than this. This broccoli stir-fry with just 3 ingredients (well, if you don't count the salt and oil) is a breeze to make. It won points with both my DH and DS, the picky-eaters. It is great as a snack with a dollop of yogurt or as a side with any rice dish or meat.

Ingredients:
Broccoli - florets from 2 heads
Dry Red chillies - 2
Garlic powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash and separate broccoli florets to bite-size. Shake off excess water and microwave in a partially closed container for 4 minutes, tossing once in between. Alternatively you could steam the broccoli. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a non-stick fry pan, in medium heat and add the broken red chillies and the garlic powder. Add salt and the cooked broccoli florets. Stir fry until fully mixed. Serve warm.
Notes:
Adding salt in the oil ensures better distribution and works well for most dishes which does not have a medium like water or gravy or lot of oil.

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Kathirikai Thovayal / Brinjal Chutney | South Indian Chutney Recipes

A simple chutney with eggplant, and honestly eggplant can't get any tastier than this. When Nags posted her recipe, I made a mental note that I have to try that someday. Luckily I had got eggplant the same week, tried it and it tasted awesome. This has been a regular appearance at our lunch since then.

Ingredients:
Eggplant - 1 big - medium sized (or) 10 small Indian brinjals
Dry Red chillies - 2 or 3
Urad dhal - 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Tamarind - size of a blueberry
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Pearl onions - 10 - peeled and sliced thin
Cilantro / Coriander leaves - a fistful
Oil - 4 tsp

Method:
Wash and chop the eggplant into 1 inch pieces. In a kadai, heat 1 tsp of oil and fry the eggplant pieces until slightly golden. Do it in batches if needed. Remove to a plate to cool. Heat another tsp of oil and fry the red chillies, 1 tsp of urad dhal and tamarind. When the dhal turns brown, remove from heat. Allow it to cool and blend with the eggplant in a blender adding salt as needed. For tempering, heat remaining oil and splutter the urad dhal, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the sliced pearl onions and fry until it becomes soft. Mix in the coriander leaves, ground paste and water needed to thin out the chutney. Heat for a minute or two and remove to a serving bowl. Serve with hot steamed rice. A drop or two of ghee or gingelly oil won't harm, don't you think?

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