Myriad Musings

Another year bit the dust, another zillion resolutions have fallen by the wayside but hope springs eternal. I am once again going to attempt to Blog Regularly, Cook differently, Eat healthy, Get Fit and Of course, reduce procrastination. That last one had already fallen to the onslaught of my usual vices, this post is at least 25 days in coming :) When I ruminate over my cooking style and variety, I find I am known for a few classics: My Cocoa Brownie, Idlis, Chola + Phulka, Aaloo and the myriad varieties of side dishes possible with it, Rasam, Daal, healthy muffins, granola, rajma, veg rice, waffles, paniyaram etc...  I am certainly not discounting the value of the ability to cook regular food well.  It is nice when my youngest appreciates the basic Dosa + Coconut chutney I make for his snack box frequently.  Time is short, appreciation is rare and when I do get it I want to record it and frame it and press the play button every time I am bored/frustrated/...

I woke up, reluctantly, at 6 am today, spent time pressing Gau's uniform, waking him up and still managed to get him out of the house at 6.50 am with a roti in his belly and complete, packed nutritious meal :)  DH mocked me when I announced this at home.  But seriously about 40 minutes to make and pack lunch is awesome no? Theplas are a kind of Gujarathi roti (flat bread).  The dough is prepared exactly like roti, except for the addition of yogurt, chili powder, turmeric powder, hing and sometimes vegetables and/or greens. These Theplas have amazing staying power, and travel well. Paraphrasing they stay fresh for a long while, so good to take when you are travelling. I had made the dough for Methi Theplas yesterday, and I had also soaked chana (chickpeas) plannning on Roti, Chana for lunch.  But at 6.15 I decided I lacked the time to chop lots of onions, tomatoes and garlic and still get the chickpeas cooked and ready.  I made a paneer hummus instead....

Without making a single brownie :) Today we had to renew my son's passport.  Our appointment was at 9:45, which meant we had to leave home by 8:45.  Gau is on his first-term break; He does not see the light of day before 9 am at the earliest. The only hope of getting out this early was PBJ for breakfast.  Since we got back only at 10:50 and I wanted to be at work within an hour at least, I planned the simplest lunch possible - Dal Tadka and Potato Fry.  I came home at 6 pm to an empty rice bowl :) I think proceeded to make the quickest dessert possible:  Coconut Chocolate Ladoo. Gau popped one in his mouth and exclaimed "You bought this?  You made this!" I must have spent an hour in the kitchen today in entirety, but hours at the stove has never generated such a enthusiastic response.  Viva to Simplicity! Eco-nut makes a lovely Peanut Butter and I buy organic jam or imported jams to keep the sugar level low. I buy whole wheat bread usually....

Today I was done in 90 minutes flat! I made a complete breakfast and lunch with something green, something orange, lots of lentils.  The only dark spot was my white rice ;) I remember blogging about a vegetarian food pyramid a while ago, complicated.  Pyramids, such as these, are out of fashion now, plates are in .  The gist of a vegetarian diet especially, is, 1/2 the plate should be fruits and vegetables, 1/4 grains and 1/4 proteins. My usual plan is to cook to so that the resulting menu has 2 - 3 vegetables,  a good amount of protein and the usual grain(s). Today's lunch menu toed this guideline fairly well: Recipe / Meal Planner  This riff off the Weekly Menu Planner serves as a rather neat daily/lunch/dinner Menu planner right?  Kichdi with methi.  1 cup moong+masoor dal in any proportion or just 1 or the other dal 1 cup raw rice 1cup methi leaves 1 medium sized onion 2 spring onions cleaned and sliced white and green ...

I never managed to cook by 7 am.  Not once in the 31 days of August.  My best time was 8.30 AM. I found 3 major roadblocks to getting out of the house early: My tendency to  complicate dishes - adding a larger variety of spices, vegetables, garnishes... My tendency to make up a recipe as I go along rather than follow familar methods. My 2 year olds clinginess and cuteness :) I can fix the first two w better planning, the third will be enjoyed while it lasts :) I have a 9 days reprieve in September.  Gau's school is closed for first term break.  I am going to take a hard look at my pantry, figure out staples and simpler cooking methods. Tupperware anjalipetti       South Indian staple Anjalipetti with 7 boxes containing mustard, jeera, methi, split urad, chana, red chillies and black pepper Turmeric Powder Hing Fresh sprigs of curry leaves and/or coriander leaves Sambhar Powder Rasam Powder Oil Salt Simple 3 - 5 ingredien...