10 Savory Vegetarian/Vegan Breakfasts ready in under 30 minutes

A compilation of ten easy to make vegetarian / vegan breakfasts that can be made in under 30 minutes from scratch!

Do you love breakfast? Or are you one of those people who just wants to be done with it cause every scientific article calls it the most important meal of the day? 

I am definitely the breakfast lover category. If you are in the same category, welcome my friend!! 

If not, why is it that you would rather skip this meal - crunched for time? not hungry in the morning? don't have good breakfast options? I'm here to solve some of these problems for you through this teeny weeny post. I am also forever crunched for time, you see while I love breakfast, I am not an early riser and most of my morning is spent scrambling to get ready to catch my bus to office. I give myself exactly 60 minutes from wake up to run for bus. Also, I am absolutely against cereal for breakfast, I believe it is just sugar. So it is always a savory breakfast for me. I have hence, compiled a short list of 10 breakfasts that you can make in under 30 minutes for those busy mornings. Also, a few of them can be prepped the previous night or even, prepared the previous night. Just reheat and enjoy in the morning.

1) Churmuri Soosla [Vegan]

Churmuri Soosla is a stir fry made from salted puffed rice (not the cereal), onions, tomatoes and turmeric.  It is then topped with lime juice and roasted gram powder. This makes for a very good after school snack or evening tea time snack too.

2)  Bread Upma [Vegan]

My favorite way to use up old bread is to stir fry it with spices, onion and tomato. You can make this bread upma with fresh bread as well. Quick and easy recipe.

3) Tomato Omelet [Vegan] 

Omelet always means Eggs, except in this case. Tomato omelet is made from chickpea flour or besan. Add lots of tomato to it and some spices for taste. Pour them onto a hot pan and cook them just like you would cook an omelet. Serve it with bread or eat it just like that, the choice is yours.

4) Wheat Dosa | Savory Wholewheat Pancakes [Vegan]

This one is very similar to the Tomato Omelet above, but this Dosa is made with whole wheat flour or atta instead of chickpea flour. Serve this with some coconut chutney or sambar in pure South Indian style.

5) Breakfast Bruschetta [Vegan]

If you love bread for breakfast, you will love this bruschetta. One is a classic bruschetta with onions and tomatoes while the other is a take on avocado toast with avocados and green olives.

6) Chutney Sandwich [Vegan Option Available]

My favorite picnic breakfast of all times - bread with one slice smeared with butter and another with a simple coriander-coconut chutney. Use vegan butter to make it vegan or just skip the butter. The chutney can be prepared the previous night if you want to cut down on time in the morning. Make the sandwiches when you plan to eat them to avoid a soggy mess.

7) Vegan Zucchini Frittata [Vegan]

Frittatas can be vegan too! Try out this vegan frittata made with chickpea flour or besan and baby zucchinis for added health. Load it up with your favorite veggies to make it healthier.

8) Beetroot Chickpea Pancake [Vegan]

This is just a different take on the tomato omelet mentioned above. Here the tart tomatoes are replaced with sweet grated beet roots that add that wonderful pink hue to the pancakes. For a quicker breakfast prep in the morning, grate the beet root the previous night and save time.

9) Instant Ragi Dosa  [Vegan Option Available]

Instant Ragi Dosa is a very healthy breakfast option as it uses finger millet or ragi flour. Ragi is rich in nutrients and very good for healthy. Ragi flour is mixed with fine semolina or cream of wheat with spices, onions and herbs to make a very runny batter. he only dairy element in there is yogurt to add a little sourness to the dosa, you can either skip it or replace it with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan. 

10) Instant Rava Dosa [Vegan Option Available] 

Again, this is very similar to the Instant Ragi Dosa, but made with rice flour. A popular breakfast in Bangalore, this recipe will teach you how to make it at home with a lot less oil. The only dairy element in there is yogurt to add a little sourness to the dosa, you can either skip it or replace it with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan.

If you tried these recipes, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like these recipes, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Dahi Bread Chaat Recipe

Toasted bread layered with crispy papdi and boiled chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, a mix of chutneys,spices and pomegranate seeds!! 

Happy Tuesday! I hope all of you had an awesome fun filled weekend. I sure did. In fact, I had a fun filled week!

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know, I was out vacationing the last week in Karkala at my in-law's place. I met a lot of relatives, ate a lot of good food and visited a lot of places. And my favorite among them was this beautiful little Jain temple at Varanga. Set amidst a lake and surrounded by greenery, it was mesmerizing. The temple is 850 years old!!! Check out the pics on Instagram.

There was also a TV serial shooting going on there, so we had some of our own fun directing it among ourselves, we created so many story lines in a short span on 10 minutes. Don't you just love making up your own movies? I definitely do. 

Now back to my recipe - Dahi Bread Chaat. I asked a few of my readers who I know personally what they would like me to publish, and a few of them wanted quick snacks, so here it is. This Dahi Bread Chaat is my take on Dahi Bhalla, only it is super instant. No soaking, no grinding, no frying. Healthy and ready in a jiffy. Could you ask for more?

Dahi Bread Chaat is made by layering a few goodies like papdis and boiled chickpeas along with plain toasted bread and soaking them in generous portions of dahi (yogurt), tamarind chutney and green chutney. A dash of spice and a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds and you have a delicious healthy snack to squash that evening hunger. The recipes for baked papdi, yogurt, tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney are all available on the blog, however, you can also buy them in stores or online here- Date and Tamarind Chutney, Mint Chutney,

Dahi Bread Chaat is the perfect dish, if you are personally catering to a small group of friends or family or kitty parties. It requires minimal prep and can be assembled quickly, so you won't be spending all your time in the kitchen instead of mingling with your loved ones. This is also ideal as an after school snack for kids.

To make this dish vegan, use any vegan yogurt such as soy yogurt or cashew yogurt.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Dahi Bread Chaat Recipe

Dahi bread chaat - Indian street food with toasted bread layered with crispy papdi and boiled chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, a mix of chutneys,spices and pomegranate seeds.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     10 minutes
Total time:     25 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices Brown Bread
1 cup cold Yogurt
0.5 cup boiled Chickpeas
12-15 Papdi
3 Tbsp Date Tamarind Chutney
3 Tbsp Mint Coriander Chutney
0.5 cup Pomegranate Seeds
1.5 tsp powdered Sugar
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Whisk the yogurt and add the powdered sugar to it. Mix well and chill till you are ready to assemble the chaat.
2. Toast the bread and cut the bread into 9 small pieces.
3. Divide the papdi and layer in the plates that you will be serving the chaat in. The following instructions are to be repeated for each plate.
4. Place the bread over the papdi. 
5. Add the chickpeas to the plate.
6. Now spoon the whisked yogurt over the plate.
7. Drizzle the sweet date and tamarind chutney and the spicy mint coriander chutney.
8. Sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder and chaat masala.
9. Sprinkle salt as required.
10. Add fresh pomegranate seeds.
11. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Sweet Potato Chaat

Pani Puri

Masala Puri

Read more ...

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls - Greek flavored grilled vegetables and a zingy yogurt sauce, rolled in your favorite bread

I've been MIA for a while, I know. I've been super busy at work doing things I never did UNTIL last week. I was super excited and tired at the same time. I'm used to sitting uber low in my chair at office, getting up only to get a cup of tea or a drink of water (which is a lot of trips). But last week was nothing like that, I got to go to out in the field. So the trips for water and tea were much longer than in office and all that walking around and working from 8am to 7pm kinda got me tired and in no mood to blog.

The little free time I had, I was planning a vacation. It's been 6 months since our amazing last vacation to Cambodia and I'm now ready for more. I'm thinking July, but the weather is kind of deterring me right now. The monsoons will be full swing in India and surroundings, so it has been quite a challenge to pick a destination as of now. I am all open to suggestions, if you have any.

While I don't have a vacation planned, I definitely have a recipe planned for you. I have a wonderful super healthy recipe - Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls that will take you to Greece, at least temporarily. Souvlaki is generally grilled meat with a few vegetables, but I tell you, you are missing nothing when you go all veggies. It is healthy and so quick to make. And so colorful, don't you think so?

I thought about calling it Grilled Vegetable Rolls, but Souvlaki sounded so fancy and the marinade had oregano and Olive Oil, so Souvlaki it was!! The recipe isn't even really a recipe, all you need to do is dice vegetables, the more variety you have, the better. And I would say use all the colors you can get, a bright vibrant dish has more takers. Once you are done dicing, marinate the vegetables in good quality extra virgin olive oil, garlic paste, lime juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Leave it aside for 30 minutes, while you make the yogurt sauce to go with it.

Just whisk together yogurt, salt and pepper. I made the saucy zingy by adding the marinade leftover at the bottom of the bowl after the vegetables were grilled. It made the sauce taste all Greek... Grill the vegetables until they are slightly soft and they develop a char.

You can eat the Vegetable Souvlaki just like this, dip the vegetables in that zingy Yogurt sauce and you have a cool and refreshing meal right there. But I love rolls!! So does Raj. I went all Indian and used Naan bread for the rolls, you can be traditional and use Pita. I upped the healthiness by adding a simple salad of julienne cabbage and coriander leaves. Veggie Power!! Then put the Souvlaki and drizzle the yogurt sauce, roll the bread and your Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls are ready to eat.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life is there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email (How convenient!!)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl - Spicy grilled cauliflower tossed with black rice and a mint coriander oil.
• Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls - Coriander hummus wrapped in grilled eggplant slices.
• Instant Paneer Tikka - Paneer marinated in spices and grilled until charred.

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls

Vegetable Souvlaki rolls are Greek flavored Pita/Naan bread rolls with grilled vegetables and a yogurt sauce. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Greek
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Makes 4 Rolls

Ingredients:

For the Vegetable Souvlaki:

1 Zucchini
0.5 Green Pepper / Capsicum
0.5 Yellow Pepper / Capsicum
0.5 Red Pepper / Capsicum
1 small Onion
2 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
1.5 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp Garlic paste
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup thick Yogurt
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Marinade

For Assembling the Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls:

Naan bread or Pita bread
1 cup julienne Cabbage
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

To make the Vegetable Souvlaki:

Mix together the extra virgin olive oil, garlic paste, oregano, lime juice, salt and pepper to make the marinade.
Dice the vegetables into chunks and mix them in with the marinade. Keep aside for 15-30 minutes.
If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water until ready to grill to prevent the skewers from burning later.
Skewer the vegetables, mixing and matching as you please.
Heat a grill pan and when hot, place the skewers. You can grill these on charcoal or in the oven too.
Once one side is charred, flip the skewers until the other side is done too.
Remove from heat when done and keep aside.

To make the Yogurt Sauce:

Whisk together the yogurt, salt and pepper.
Spoon in the marinade leftover at the bottom of the bowl after grilling the vegetables, and mix well.

To assemble the Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls:

Heat the naan or pita bread.
Mix together the cabbage and coriander leaves with salt and add some over the bread.
Remove the vegetables from the skewer and place over the cabbage.
Drizzle some yogurt sauce and roll the bread.

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Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls [Video]

These Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls are sooo good, this is the ONLY recipe you will ever need for flavored bread rolls

Happy Sunday Guys!!

These Bread Rolls... YUMMMMMM....

If you take it from me, these Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls are the ONLY flavored bread rolls recipe you will ever need. I made this twice in one week. TWICE!!

I first made them on Sunday, last Sunday, and it was more of a trial batch. And then again on Wednesday. Never done that before. I'm more of a buy-bread-from-store types than bake bread from scratch person. I surprised myself by making it twice in a week. See, the thing was, Raj did not get to eat any on Sunday as he wasn't around. I had nice fresh warm bread from the oven and I had just made butter at home. Yes, I make butter at home almost every week, I just love fresh homemade butter so much. And among Gee and I, we wiped off the entire lot of 7 bread rolls. It was soooo GOOD!! Then I just felt bad that he did not get to even taste one, so I made it again in the week.

I'd first seen a Dill and Onion bread roll recipe in an airline magazine. It used dill seeds and raw onions. Fresh Dill is so much easier to find than dill seeds here in Bangalore, so I swapped that. I love caramelized onions. They are soft, and brown and sweet. Yum! I never miss a chance to use them in a recipe and I always make extra to eat along in the week. This week, I stuffed some flatbread rolls with them. But if you are short of time, just saute the onions for 2-3 minutes and add them in the bread. I don't want you to miss out on eating this bread just because caramelizing onions takes time.

Or like me, you can make them in advance and keep them in the fridge, they stay good for one week in there.

There is one more cheat to save time here - Buy Paneer or Cottage cheese from the store. If buying frozen, let it thaw completely before using. Making Paneer at home can seem daunting, but it is the easiest cheese you can make at home. This recipe does not require you to make paneer completely, just the curds. Drain the curds and blend them into a smooth puree for this recipe. You can also replace with cream cheese.

You know what's the best thing about these rolls? Taste, of course, but the aroma that fills your house when a fragrant herb like Dill is cooking is so heavenly. I just love Dill, and its sharp earthiness, it is my favorite green, right from childhood. 

Now that I've made these twice is such quick succession, I'm confident that this is my go to recipe for dinner rolls. They taste great with any gravy, but they taste BEST just by themselves. Slather on some butter and that's IT!! Soft, buttery, fragrant, salty rolls with that little hint of sweetness when you bite into a caramelized onion slice. What more do you really need?

P.S - I have a bonus for you, a VIDEO recipe!!

Video Recipe

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life is there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email (How convenient!!)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Tomato Basil Bread - Another wholewheat flavored bread.
• Banana Bread - Eggless sweet banana bread.
• Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Bread slices topped with a avocados, olives, tomato and onions.

Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls

Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls are fragrant flavorful bread rolls made with fresh cottage cheese, dill leaves and sweet caramelized onions.

Recipe Type:  Bread
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     3 Hours
Cook time:     1 Hour
Yield:                Makes 14 rolls

Ingredients:

For Caramelized Onions:

3 Onions
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sugar or Jaggery
1-2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp Water
Pinch of salt

For Cottage Cheese / Paneer:

1 litre Milk
2 Tbsp Lime Juie
3-4 Tbsp Water

For the Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls:

2 cups Wholewheat flour (Atta)
1 cup All purpose flour (Maida)
1.25 cups Water
3-4 Tbsp chopped Dill leaves
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

To make Caramelized Onions:

Heat oil in a pan and add sliced onions.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and mix well.
Allow the onions to cook on medium to low heat until they are slightly brown.
Add sugar or jaggery and balsamic vinegar.
Add little water to prevent the onions from sticking to the pan.
Remove from heat once the onions are dark brown and sweet. This takes around 30-40 minutes.

To make Cottage Cheese / Paneer:

Boil the milk until it comes to a rolling boil.
Turn off the heat and immediately add the lime juice and mix well.
Once the milk curdles, strain it and keep aside for 15 minutes allowing the water to drain from the cheese curds.
Once the cheese cools, blend it along with a little water to a smooth puree.

To make the Dill and Caramelized Onion Bread Rolls:

Heat 1.5 Tbsp Oil in a pan and add 1/4 cup water.
Add the cheese puree, chopped dill and caramelized onions. Mix well.
Simmer on low heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.
Heat 3/4 cup of water until lukewarm. Add the active dry yeast to it and allow the yeast to bloom.
Once the cheese mixture is cool, pour it into a clean bowl and add the yeast.
Add salt, 1.5 cups whole wheat flour and the all purpose flour.
Knead until combined. Add more whole wheat flour if the dough is very sticky.
Take another large clean bowl and grease it slightly. Move the dough to it. Rub the dough with oil. Cover and allow it to rise for 1-2 hours until doubled.
Once the dough has risen, divide the dough into 14 equal balls.
Grease a baking tray. Shape the rolls and place on the baking tray leaving at least 1" gap between rolls.
Cover and allow it to rise a second time for around 45 mins to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 250 degree C.
Bake the rolls for 12-15 minutes until browned.

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Coriander Chutney Sandwich

Picnics, Trips, Breakfast, Lunch - Eat this Coriander Chutney Sandwich anytime you want! Making it is child's play and it makes a great travel companion...

I was almost embarrassed to blog about this Coriander Chutney Sandwich. This is one of the simplest, basic recipe I have ever blogged about. I have been arguing with myself - should I or shouldn't I, for weeks now. Finally, the "should I" won. Winning arguments - I love simple recipes, and I'm sure so do you folks. No dish is too basic when it has all the right flavors. Flavor triumphs everything else

And there was also the fact, that this has been a favorite family Picnic meal forever. Literally, forever, as long as I can remember!! We don't go on picnics anymore, although I think we totally should. But in my head, you can only go for picnic to the beach. You can remove the girl from Goa, but not the Goa from the girl !! I miss that deep blue sea, the white sand and the shade of coconut trees under which we spread our bedsheets and picniced. While all my cousins and Gee swam without fear of the big bad ocean, I safely sat on the shore and built sand castles. They may think they enjoyed more, but I was closer to the food. Ha!!

I like Bangalore, but my only complain is it is only flanked by land on all sides, no beaches in site anywhere, the closest one is at least 400kms away. I can go to the gardens, but let's face it a garden is no beach and once you have tasted the sea, there is just no satisfying the soul with anything else!! So no picnics in sight anywhere, but we do take a lot of road trips. Not as many as I would like off late, but hey, something is better than nothing. And our little triangular Chutney Sandwich still accompanies us on these road trips along with bags of chips and bottles of soft drinks and chocolates. Of course chocolates!!!

Sometimes this Coriander Chutney Sandwich becomes my Saturday breakfast. I make the Coriander Chutney at night and store it in the fridge, so Saturday breakfast is a breeze. No one has to wait for me to wake up and make breakfast - slapping on some butter and chutney onto 2 slices of bread is definitely child's play. So I get to sleep in. And I myself don't need to worry about "what to cook for breakfast", the most tiresome question I ask myself most days.

This Coriander Chutney is made by blending / grinding together fresh grated coconut, fresh coriander leaves, green chillies for the heat, tamarind for sourness and salt with a little bit of water. A regular coconut chutney that is eaten with Dosa or Idli usually has a lot more of coconut than coriander, but here the quantity of coriander is far more than the coconut. The coconut is there just to add body to the chutney and perhaps, a little sweetness, but otherwise the Coriander steals the show. Add a little mint and sugar to make this chutney extra special.

This is one of "those" recipes which does not follow a recipe. Just take the quantity of the ingredients below as a guideline and change it to suit your palate. There is no right or wrong in making a chutney. The only thing I'd be cautious about is the quantity of water, start small and increase as you go. A watery chutney will lead to a soggy sandwich and no one likes a soggy sandwich, am I right? Except Gee, of course, how can sibling ever agree on anything, I wonder!!!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life is there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email (How convenient!!)

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Beetroot and Cauliflower Burger - Burger made from beetroots and cauliflower served with an eggless mayo.
• Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich - Sandwich inspired by the Panera Bread sandwich of the same name.
• Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Two bruschettas, one topped with avocado and olives and other with tomato and onions.
• Grilled Paneer Sandwich - Sandwich made with rye bread and grilled marinated paneer along with a home-made tartar sauce and lettuce.

Coriander Chutney Sandwich

Coriander Chutney Sandwich is made using a simple coconut and coriander chutney, bread and butter.

Recipe Type:  Sandwich
Cuisine:            Indian
Total Time:     15 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

For the Coriander Chutney:

1/2 cup freshly grated Coconut
1.5 cups loosely packed Coriander leaves
1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp
1-2 Green Chillies
2-3 Tbsp Water
1/4 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

To assemble the Sandwich:

Bread
Butter

Method:

Grind/ blend together all the ingredients to get a smooth chutney.
Add the water by the spoonful to get a thick chutney. Do not add all the water in the beginning, the coriander and coconut will leave their own juices and the chutney may end up being runny.
Spread one slice of bread with butter and the other with the coriander chutney.
Stick the 2 slices together and cut into triangles to make Coriander Chutney Sandwich.

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Bean and Grilled Veggie Sliders with Coriander Cashew Sauce

I finally got around to making these Bean Burgers.

I'm a big fan of Burgers and a bigger fan of Bean Burgers. If I see a Bean Burger on the menu, you can be sure I'm ordering it. Regular Bean Burgers are usually just mashed beans shaped into a patty and fried. They are mushy and generally low on spice. So when I set out to make my Bean Burgers, I knew I wanted to add another element to it, another flavor, something that would make my Bean Burger tastier and juicier. TA-DA! Grilled Veggies.

Grilled veggies are the best, aren't the? Low on calories, high on health, super high on taste, and absolutely vibrant to look at. This burger was a marriage of two of my favorite things.

So let me tell you what's about to go down:

• A crispy golden SHALLOW FRIED patty made from beans, grilled vegetables, garlic, sauteed onions and cabbage, red chilli powder and oat flour. 
• A creamy VEGAN sauce made by blending cashews with garlic, coriander, lime and salt. Juicy creamy green goddess goodness.
• Tomato and Onion slices, just to UP the fresh quotient and to add crunch without any effort at all.
• Multi grain buns. 

Now tell me that isn't healthy!!

Just because it is healthy, does not mean it is losing out on taste or texture. The Bean Patty is everything it should be. It has beans that are hearty and filling. The grilled veggies are coarsely blended with the bean mixture and add a bite to the otherwise plain burger. With each bite you get a different mix of grilled vegetables, so you'll never be bored. I grilled my veggies with very little olive oil in the oven. I used a mix of colored capsicums or peppers and zucchini. The sauteed onions add a much needed sweetness. And the cabbage.. well, I had the cabbage, so I tossed it in. It adds to the texture, but can totally be skipped. Garlic, chilli and salt are a given, so no discussion there. Oat flour - I know this just upped the health factor, but that's not why it is there. The entire patty is made of only wet ingredients, there is nothing else to soak up the juices. Juiciness is needed, but excess of it will make the patty very soft and fragile. The oat flour was added to soak in the excess liquid and give enough strength to the patty, so I could shape it and fry it. This can be replaced with bread crumbs.

Next comes the coriander cashew sauce. Simplest sauce ever!! Soak cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Then drain and blend with chopped coriander and garlic. Squeeze some lime juice, add some salt and pepper. Done!!  There is literally no cooking involved here.

I made sliders instead of burgers, just coz they are so much fun to eat. You can make regular burgers with the same recipe, just adjust the quantities.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Beetroot and Cauliflower Burger - Burger made from beetroots and cauliflower served with an eggless mayo.
• Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich - Sandwich inspired by the Panera Bread sandwich of the same name.
• Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Two bruschettas, one topped with avocado and olives and other with tomato and onions.
• Grilled Paneer Sandwich - Sandwich made with rye bread and grilled marinated paneer along with a home-made tartar sauce and lettuce.

Bean and Grilled Veggie Burger with Coriander Cashew Sauce

Bean and Grilled Veggie Burger with Coriander Cashew Sauce is a vegan burger with a patty made from grilled vegetables and red kidney beans and has a sauce made from coriander and cashews.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     1 hour
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                8

Ingredients:

Bean and Grilled Veggie Patty

3/4 cup Red Kidney Beans, cooked
1/2 cup Mixed Vegetables, chopped (Red Capsicum, Yellow Capsicum, Green Capsicum, Zucchini)
2 Onions
1/4 cup Cabbage, sliced (Optional)
2 tsp Garlic minced
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 cup Oat meal
2 tsp Olive Oil
4-5 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Coriander Cashew Sauce

18-20 Cashews
1 handful Coriander leaves
1-2 Garlic cloves
1 tsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

To assemble the Bean Burger

8 Multigrain Slider Buns
1 large Tomato
1 Onion

Method:

Bean and Grilled Veggie Patty

To grill the vegetables, lay the chopped vegetables onto a baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil on them. Sprinkle salt, mix well. Grill for 15-20 minutes until slightly charred.
Heat 3 tsp of Oil in a shallow pan and add slices onions. Saute until the onions have browned slightly. Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp of Oil and saute the cabbage, (if you are using it) until it wilts slightly.
Grind the oatmeal to powder.
In a food processor or a mixer, add the beans, grilled veggies, garlic, sauteed onions and cabbage, read chilli powder, oat flour and salt. Pulse until the mixture sticks together but it still coarse.
Form 8 patties and keep aside.
Heat the remaining Oil in a small pan and add the patties one by one carefully. Do not crowd the pan and I suggest frying them in batches.
Flip the patty when one side browns. Cook until both the sides are brown and crispy.

Coriander Cashew Sauce

Soak the cashews in hot water for 15-20 minutes.
Blend to a smooth paste along with the coriander, garlic and a little bit of water.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and add salt and pepper. Mix well.
To assemble the burger, heat the burger buns and spread the cashew sauce on the lower bun.

To assemble the Bean Burger

Place the patty on the lower bun and top it up with sliced tomato and onions.
Add a big dollop of the cashew sauce and place the upper bun.
Serve hot.

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Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha

Today was day 1 of my long long weekend. Yesss!!! I have a 4 days weekend. I used to wonder if there is anything better than a long weekend, there definitely is, this 4 days weekend. 4 full days, well 3 now, I'm so excited.

Day 1 was very fruitful. I finished all my festival shopping. The market place was crazzzy. People everywhere. I guess everyone wants to finish off all their Diwali shopping this long weekend.

Let's talk about the Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha. Paratha is wholewheat flatbread that is usually stuffed with either vegetable or cheese. It is a popular breakfast dish across North India. Just as I say that, I must also say I'm a big fan of all day breakfast. Breakfast for lunch, Breakfast for dinner - I'm all for it.

I made this Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha for dinner. It was a busy day, and I wanted something hearty and filling yet easy to make. Don't let the number of steps below frighten you, the paratha is actually very easy to make. Let me take a minute to tell you just how tasty this Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha is - It is super delicious. They have that slight sweetness of the sweet potato, the hit of heat from the green chillis and the saltiness of the melting cheese all enveloped in a crispy wholewheat covering.

I used regular processed cheese cubes. Use any sharp salty cheese that melts when heated. Hard or very creamy cheese will not go well with this Paratha.

I usually knead the dough well in advance and keep in the fridge. The same dough is used to make chapatis or rotis. The dough stays good for 3-4 days in the fridge. So go ahead and make it in advance and remove it around 30 mins to 1 hour before you make the parathas so the dough is pliable.

I also made the stuffing in advance and kept it in the fridge. This also stays good for 3-4 days. So for dinner, all I had to do was the assembling part, where you roll out the dough to a small circle, fill the stuffing in the center and then just fold the edges of the dough until the filling is sealed in the dough. Exactly, as you would seal a wanton or momo. Then gently roll it out as thin as you can without all the stuffing coming out. Then just pan fry it and ta-da, hot crispy parathas are ready to be eaten. Never skimp on oil while making parathas, you will lose out on flavor.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Methi Paratha - Wholewheat flatbread flavored with fresh Methi or Fenugreek leaves and spices. 
• Szechwan Paratha - Wholewheat flatbread stuffed with a mix of cabbage, onions, capsicum and carrot cooked with chinese sauces. 
• Sweet Potato Chaat - Sweet Potato Chaat is a flavorful street food inspired snack that is made with baked sweet potato, sweet and spicy chutneys, finely chopped vegetables, spices and sev.

Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha

Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha is an unleavened Indian whole wheat flatbread stuffed with a mixture of cooked sweet potato and cheese.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     45 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                6 parathas

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

2 cups Wholewheat flour / Atta
1.5 cups Water
0.5 tsp Salt

For the Stuffing:

1 medium Sweet Potato
0.5 cups grated Cheese
1-2 Green Chilli, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
0.5 tsp Mustard Seeds
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

Others:

Wholewheat flour for dusting
Oil to fry the Parathas

Method:

To make the Dough:

In a large bowl, take the wholewheat flour. Add salt and half cup of water.
Bring the mixture together and knead into a smooth soft dough. Add more water as required. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and keep aside for 30 minutes.

To make the Stuffing:

Boil and peel the sweet potato and keep aside to cool.
Once the sweet potato has cooled, mash or grate the sweet potato. Ensure there are no large chunks in there.
Heat oil in a pan or kadhai and add the mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the finely chopped green chillis and fry for 30 seconds.
Add the turmeric powder and mix well.
Now add the mashed sweet potato and salt. Mix well and remove from heat.
Allow it to cool to room temperature and add the chopped coriander leaves and grated cheese. Mix well.

To assemble the Sweet Potato and Cheese Paratha:

Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces and roll them into balls.
Divide the stuffing into 6 equal portions.
Take a ball of dough and flatten it. Dust it with wholewheat flour.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to a circle of about 3.5" to 4" diameter. Dust with wholewheat flour as required so that the dough does not stick to the counter or the rolling pin.
Place the stuffing into the center of the rolled out dough and using your fingers, bring all the edges together and seal the stuffing inside the dough.
Dust the stuffed dough ball with wholewheat flour and roll it out again until the paratha has a diameter of 5" to 6".
Heat a griddle or tava and grease it with oil. Always cook parathas on high heat, cooking them on low heat will make them hard.
Place the paratha on the hot tava. Once the first side has developed small brown spots i.e. it has cooked, spoon oil on the uncooked side and spread it using a spoon.
Flip the paratha and allow the second side to cook.
Repeat the same with the remaining 5 portions.
Serve hot. Parathas taste great with butter, yogurt, chutney or pickle.

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