Weekend Breakfast: {Recipe} Egg in a hole | Egg in the basket | Gashouse Eggs | One-eyed Jack with Roasted Vegetables + giveaway winners announced

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“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.” 

Mr.Pooh is so very right. I think everybody should regularly ask that question to ourselves instead of just skipping the breakfast. It sets the mood for rest of the day to follow and eating a proper one is the secret of a healthy living. For me, breakfast is eggs as they are readily available & easy to prepare. Even a simple boiled egg + salt + pepper with a glass of milk is filling and a good source of essential nutrients..

More sumptuous breakfast-egg recipes: Soft Scrambled Eggs, Bombay French Toast, spicy ish-tyle, Roti on an Egg, Vegetable Frittata Muffins, Easy Garden Veggie Frittata

Breakfast is ready, in minutes.

Today's recipe is a twist to a very classic - "Egg in a hole". I am sure these are a childhood favorite for many out there. May be you call it a different name: Eggs in a pocket, One-eyed jack, Baby in the hole, Bird in a nest, Egyptian eggs, just to list a few. The classic breakfast version has an egg fried within a crispy ring of bread. To make it more sumptuous and filling, I roasted a bunch of beautiful vegetables with olive, salt and pepper and placed them around the ring & then crack an egg. Also how well the eggs must be cooked is a personal choice. Some like over easy, sunnyside up or completely cooked through. No matter how you make it, this will remain a favorite breakfast option passed on for many generations to come. :-)

Try to cut these veggies equal sized so that they are evenly roasted.

{Recipe} Egg in a hole with Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients:

Serves 1

1 slice of bread (of any kind)
2-3 tbsp of butter or olive oil
1 egg
few tbsp of roasted veggies (recipe below)

Preparation:

1. Wash and pat dry any kind of firm vegetables. I had one of each - zucchini, red & yellow bell peppers, onions, tomatoes (no juice), green chilli and coriander on hand. Cut them into long, equal sized strips. Preheat oven to 190 C or 375 F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, place veggies and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Arrange them on evenly on a baking sheet and roast them for 30-40 minutes, until crisp and tender. Cool and store in an air tight container if not using immediately. Refrigerate for a longer shelf life.

3. Using a small, sharp jar top, cut a hole out of the center of the slice of bread. Heat a bit of butter in a skillet and pan roast the bread with its cutout on one side. Turn it over and place a layer of roasted vegetable around the hole. Melt a small nugget of butter inside the hole and crack an egg in the middle. Cook over low-medium heat for 2-3 minutes or more depending on how well you want the egg to be cooked.

If you want to cook it through, carefully flip it over and cook for 2 minutes. To use up the left over veggies, the next day for dinner I topped this with one more piece of bread and made it into a sandwich. Two of these with a glass of fruit juice we were stuffed. Yum!

 Giveaway Winners

Randomly chosen, this time by Mr.Husband: Here are the winners.

The lucky winner for a a pair of "Mended" Stoneware Mugs, hand crafted by Rekha Goyal along with a Rs 1,000 Flipkart gift voucher is - Preethi of The Meal Algorithm. Here is her version of Chilli Cornbread

Scarlett O'HaraAugust 23, 2012 6:54 PM

Am making this, or a variant of this now for snacks... :) Will link back :)

Congratulations on this milestone! :)

..and for $50 Amazon gift card, the lucky winner is - Nags of Edible Garden. Looks like lady luck wanted her to have this giveaway. Nags, you should really thank TH to pick your number. ;-)

Nagalakshmi VAugust 23, 2012 8:04 AM

Congrats Siri! It's been wonderful going on this food blogging journey with you, meeting you in MV, having that long chat in Sakshi's car as we dropped you.. and many more :) Your pics are amazing these days, you seem happy to be back home in India and that fund drive you did really made me move my behind and do something to give back. 

Kudos and here's to many more years!

PS: I am totally angliing for the giveaways. I like you already, follow you already, subscribed already on Reader, and I just tweeted too. I am in it to win it ;) HUGS!

Hearty Congratulations to the winners and Thanks all for participating in my 5th year blog-anniversary giveaways. Have a great weekend ahead.

until next time,

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Black and White Photography: Roadside Bhajias

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"Food is our common ground, a universal experience." ~ James Beard

..and street food in particular has its own charm. It acts as a tiny window to understand and get a taste of local favorites. Here is a vendor making hot mirchi bhajias (fritters), perfect for the rainy weather we are experiencing in Hyderabad. Here for my mother's version of the recipe. Don't forget to cut some onions on the side and sprinkle some chaat masala on the top!

*****************************************

4 days left for two special anniversary giveaways open for readers through out the world. Click here for more details .

Previously posted in Black and White Photography series:

Bread and Wine
Stone Mortar and Pestle
Noodles
Chocolate Magic

Wholegrain Goodness 

Plump Pomegranates

Mezze

Freshly Baked Bread

Snapple  

Booze

Eggs

Let's Dine

Pizza

Breakfast Today #sketch #foodart

Bread Basket

Rosemary

Custard Apples - In Season

until next time,

Celebrating 5th year blog-o-anniversary with Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins | Easy Vegetarian Bean Chilli Recipe | giveaway(s)

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Just pinch me Will ya? I can't believe its been 5 years since I started this little blog of mine. 5? Are you kidding me? that is like half-a-decade!. Every single moment, every single recipe and every single thought I put in here is so worthwhile and so exhilarating & relaxing at the same time. How can such feelings co-exist? Well, I am still figuring that out. :-)

Right now as I look back, its not the numbers that matter to me but the evolution and the experience itself. I got to know an amazing bunch of people through blogging. They inspire me. teach me and be there during my happy times and also at the times of despair. Some live in various parts of the world, many whom I never met but they are just a phone call or an email away!. Wow, can such virtual relationships sustain over time? Apparently yes. I am eternally grateful to God for sending them to me. You know who you are and Thank you for your love and  for just being a part of my life.

Scroll down for a chance to win a pair of those beautiful blue handmade clay mugs

A birthday is never complete without a cake. Isn't it? But, for today I made few quick Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins served with Vegetarian Chilli. It is a combination I very much miss since we moved back to India, so I thought what better occasion do I need to feature these two recipes on the blog. As a way to say Thank you for your affection and support over all these years, I planned a few exciting giveaways for you all. Enjoy!

I used bottled jalapenos for the recipe.

mint and coriander

{Recipe} Jalapeno Corn Bread Muffins

Adapted from Escapades

Makes 4 muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup tightly packed herbs - mint & coriander/cilantro
2 tbsp chopped jalapeno peppers
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup milk (or buttermilk)

Preparation:

Step 1: Pulse cornmeal until smooth texture. In a mixing bowl, add cornmeal, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix.

Step 2: Add herbs and jalapenos to it. 

Step 3: In an another bowl, beat together - egg, olive oil and milk.

Step 4: Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and gently mix everything.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F. Grease ramekins with olive oil and pour 3/4ths with batter. Top with some chopped jalapenos if desired. Bake for 18-20 mins until a toothpick or skewer when inserted in the center comes out clean. Rest for 10 mins. 

Step 6: Run a knife around the edges and carefully unmold. Serve as a side accompaniment with soups, stew or chilli (recipe below). Wrap the rest of the muffins in a plastic cling to prevent from drying out. Microwave for few seconds and they are as good as fresh. 

I won this set of ramekins as a giveaway from Divya's blog. :-)

{Recipe} Easy Vegetarian Bean Chilli 

Ingredients:

3 cups boiled beans - I used chickpeas, black eyed peas, pinto beans and soya beans.
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 cups water
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
grated cheese, for topping

Preparation:

1. In a big pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic for few minutes. Add carrot and peppers. Cook until soft.

2. Stir tomatoes and beans. On a low heat, cook for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, chilli and cumin powder and pepper. Add water and continue cooking by stirring once or twice in the middle for 30-40 minutes.

3. Top with grated cheese and Serve hot with cornbread. Save left overs in refrigerator or freeze.

Sending this Vegetarian Bean Chilli as entry to My Legume Love Affair # 50, hosted by Susan this month.

Now for the fun part. To celebrate the blog-o-anniversary, I have some goodies for you all. Just like before, there are two giveaways. One for Indian readers and other for rest of the world.

For Indian readers - A chance to win a pair of "Mended" Stoneware Mugs, hand crafted by Rekha Goyal, a Mumbai-based sculptor. I purchased them a week ago on Shopo and loved them very much. The mugs are microwave proof, oven proof and are beautiful as food props. Along with these, there is also a Rs 1,000 Flipkart gift voucher up for grabs. One winner will be randomly chosen for both the giveaways.

For readers from outside India - You guys have an opportunity to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Yay!

Here is what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. As simple as that. It is important to mention your country - so that you are entered for the respective drawing.

To increase your chances in the random drawing, do one or more of the following and leave a comment once you did so. 

2. Follow Cooking With Siri on Facebook and/or Follow me on Twitter. - @sirime

3. Subscribe to Cooking With Siri feed.

4. Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the below text -
5th blog-o-anniversary celebrations. Comment and win cool #giveaways on @sirime's blog. http://www.tinyurl.com/cwsanniversarygiveaway

If you are already liked me on facebook, following on twitter or subscribed to RSS feed, just leave a comment letting me know and you are entered in the giveaway automatically! These giveaways are open for everybody, You don't have to be a blogger to win them.

Last date for participation is August 31st 2012 midnight IST and two winners randomly picked will be announced on September 1st 2012. . 

Enter and Win. All the very best. 

Cheers to many more such happy times,

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Perfect Light Desserts: {Recipe} Best Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies with Step by Step pictures

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"Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table."

~ William Powell

Almost everybody love desserts, but hate the extra calories that come with them. Isn't it. I wished there was a way where I can enjoy a general serving of cake or a muffin, without worrying or feeling guilty and particularly without using any artificial sweeteners or other fancy synthetic substitutes. I would rather put some pounds than using such stuff. Trust me.

In short, recipes that are low calorie, high in flavor and nothing less than spectacular always appeal to me. I am sure that is the case with you guys too.

If you like this recipe, you might also like - Basic Vanilla Cookie Dough + Cut-Out (Star) Cookies
Black and White Heart Cookies, Wheat Free Chocolate Chip cookies, Orange Pecan Cookies 

..and I ate them all!

..and for the same, I stumbled upon a perfect cookbook during my quest. Those who love baking are already aware of Nick Malgieri's popular book - "How to Bake" and for the cookbook - Perfect Light Desserts: All Under 300 Calories per generous serving, he teamed up with David Joachim, a health food writer to create lighter desserts that are not high in calories using real butter, sugar, flour and eggs. And they do it by using them in moderation and in perfect combination. Each recipe featured has a nutritional breakdown, perfect for people who are dieting and watching their calories. Today I chose to make these simple "David's Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies" which are super duper delicious and very moist. A keeper recipe.

Enjoy!

{Recipe} Best Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Perfect Light Desserts by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim

Makes around 30 cookies

Nick's Notes: My co-author David Joachim eats tons of these moist cookies but still stays very thin. What I love about them is the fact that they are reduced in fat and sugar, yet every bit as good as traditional chocolate chip cookies. 

Ingredients:

11/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation:

Step 1: Soften butter to room temparature. Sift flour, baking soda and salt (omit if using salted butter). Set aside.

Step 2: In a mixing bowl beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, on medium speed for a minute. 

Step 3: Add egg, milk and vanilla.

Step 4: Beat with an electric mixer using a spatula to scrape down the mixture from edges.

Step 5: Add flour, 1/2 cup at-a-time and beat on a low-speed.  

Step 6: Fold in the chocolate chips.

Step 7: Cover and chill the dough in the bowl for about 15-20 minutes to keep the cookies from spreading too much while baking. I made just half a batch immediately and the rest on next day. Both the times, I had amazing results. Chilling the dough overnight definitely helps to hold their shape better. 

Step 8: Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F. Form small balls using two spoons or ice cream scoop and arrange on a cookie sheet or a baking sheet 2 inches apart.

Step 9: Bake for about 8 to 12 minutes until the cookies look dull on the surface, have spread and still quite moist. Cool the cookies on the pans and then on wire racks for 5-10 mins. Slide them off and cool them completely. Keep the cookies between sheets of wax paper in a tin or an air-tight container.

just out of the oven. cooling.

all stacked up

A cookie tastes best when enjoyed with a glass of milk. Now you can have them as many as you want, guilt-free. No one can eat just one as the calorie count per cookie is less than 100 calories. How cool is that! :-)

Best Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookies

P.S - this is not a paid or sponsored post. I bought the cookbook, loved the recipes tested, hence decided to feature here on my blog. Stay tuned for more in coming days.

until next time,

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Under 15 mins: {Recipe} Margherita Tortilla Pizza - Step by Step Pictures

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There's no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap. ~ Kevin James

I would like to change the above quote a little. There is no better felling to have a simple home-made pizza and with an heavenly combination of flavors such as - Tomato, Cheese and Basil.

Both myself and TH long for such quick meals to satiate our midnight cravings especially for italian food. Here is a quick recipe idea for peeps like us - Margherita Tortilla Pizza.

Some more quick and easy recipe ideas - Lemon flavored Rice Noodles, Baked Potato Spinach Corn Tikkis, Sweet Corn Sundal, Under 15 mins Tofu Makhani, Bombay French Toast, 2-minute Pineapple Dessert

It takes less than 15 mins to put together and when served with a salad or sandwich on the side it becomes a complete meal. No one can eat just one of these. I can guarantee you that as my parents who are very picky eaters themselves, especially when it comes to Italian cuisine asked me to make a third helping of these cuties.

These are just irresistible.

Enjoy!

four basic ingredients along with some tortillas & tomato sauce. you are good to go!

{Recipe} Margherita Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients:

4 tortillas
1/2 cup olive oil
few slices of tomato
basil leaves, shredded
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 cup home made or store bought tomato sauce

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 190 C or 375 F. Brush olive oil on both sides of tortilla and prick lightly with fork. Bake for 2 minutes per each side.

2) Spread some tomato sauce (home made or store bought) on the baked tortilla.

3) Place few tomato slices and sprinkle with grated cheese.

4) Top with some shredded basil leaves. Bake for 5-6 mins until cheese melts and the bottom is crispy.

5) Slice and eat.

quick,easy and delicious way to curb those pizza cravings!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend ahead.

until next time,

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Simplicity at its Best - {Recipe} Roasted Cauliflower with Whole Cumin Seeds

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Each one of us has a favorite vegetable. Ofcourse they change over time and as we get introduced to new textures & flavors. But, for me it was always - Cauliflower, my first love which am sure will be likewise in future as well. I usually make a tomato + cauliflower dry curry with minimal spices at every opportunity. Since we had some sporadic gloomy days some time ago, I wanted to a pretext to turn on my oven so that its heat can cheer me up a bit.

Other recipes using Cauliflower - Vegetarian Rogan Josh (with Cauliflower & Tofu), Cauliflower (Gobi) Paratha, Vegan Christmas Tree Pie, Fried Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower with Whole Cumin Seeds

I also was not in a mood to whip, cream and bake something elaborate like cookies or cakes. A sudden whim and I remembered reading about this recipe on Melissa Clark's blog (one of my favorite food writers). A simple toss with olive oil and cumin seeds, roast until crispy and there you have a delicious bowl of roasted cauliflower which is so darn addictive that it took exactly 3 minutes, literally for me and my sister to finish it off in entirety. :-)

{Recipe} Roasted Cauliflower with Whole Cumin Seeds

Recipe idea from Melissa Clark

It is versatile enough to be great as a side dish or just as a snack with an unbeatable combo of flavor and texture. Add whatever you have in hand.  I am planning to add herbs and nuts next time around. For an indianized version, sprinkle some chat masala once out of the oven. For some cheesy goodness, one can also sprinkle grated cheese in last few minutes of roasting.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into florets
olive oil (about 1/2 cup)
generous pinch of cumin seeds (jeera)
salt & pepper


Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 425F or 220 C.

2. In a mixing bowl, add lots of olive oil with cumin seeds. Toss the cauliflower florets until evenly coated. Sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Spread the florets on a baking sheet evenly and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring once or twice for even toasting and caramelization.

Cauliflower florets

Just out of the oven..

Serve with hot sauce like I did or toss/sprinkle cool yogurt/curd with herbs on the top.

I could just manage to save this little bunch for the picture. Rest was all gone by then! :-)

For more such simple yet delicious recipes, Check out the Recipe Index featuring more than 200 posts .

until next time,

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Under 15 minutes: {Recipe} Easy Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Fried Egg

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Today is Saturday. a self-declared do-nothing day. a day usually spent with a book in hand and definitely not a day where I cook something, photograph and share here on the blog.

But today is different.

I just couldn't resist from posting this quick, utterly, buttery recipe - pasta with tomato sauce and fried egg on the side, a combination made in heaven. literally.

{Recipe} Easy Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce and Fried Egg

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 fistful of spaghetti
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup (or more, based on how tomatoe-y you want) home made tomato sauce (or) store-bought tomato sauce
few red pepper flakes
handful of frozen peas, microwaved for 2 minutes
1 egg
1/2 tbsp dried basil leaves + 1 tsp to sprinkle on the fried egg (if desired)
salt - to taste

Preparation:

1. Boil water and add salt to it. Add spagetti and let it cook al dente. Mine was done in 8-9 minutes. Drain. Keep aside.

2. Meanwhile melt butter in a pan and add tomato sauce and peas. Cook for 2 minutes and add cooked spaghetti. Crush basil leaves between your palms and sprinkle on pasta with few red pepper flakes. Mix gently.

3. Heat a pan, add a wee bit of butter or oil, break an egg, sprinkle some salt and basil leaves.

Serve pasta piping hot with fried egg on the side. Yum Yum! This definitely made my day with its simplicity and deliciousness. :-)

I never realized that updating my recipe index would be this tedious and time-consuming. But I did it - neatly categorized and added all the recipes ever posted on the blog. Check it out for some fun breakfast/lunch/dinner ideas. :-) Your feedback is always welcome.

until next time,

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