OATS, POHA, METHI PARATHA, EGG TOAST
- Creamy bowl of Rolled Oats.
Healthy and full of surprise…Oats have it all. It is one of the best breakfast choices for under 400 calories. Oats contain rich nutrients like carbohydrates, essential minerals, vitamins, and proteins that provide energy and boost immune system. They contain soluble fibre like beta-glucan that stimulates WBC (White blood cells) and improves immunity. A heart friendly and blood sugar regulator, oats are powerhouses of nutrients.
Let’s try this out-
Rolled Oats …brand of your choice. 1 large bowl servings or two small.
Time needed: 20 minutes.
Calories- 370 Kcal
First, cook the oats (5-6 table spoon as per need) in water and milk (proportion 40:60) and cook till it thickens. Bring the mixture to a boil. After 5-7 minutes, lower the heat and bring it to a simmer. Cook until the water proportion reduces further and the oats are partially cooked (check it with fingers)
Add milk to the mixture. Then raise the heat. Allow it to simmer for another 7-10 minutes. Stir quite often so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan (you can use non-stick or steel pan under supervision)
With thickened creamy mixture, let it be still runny and pourable. If it gets too thick, add a splash of milk.
Precautions with water-
Using too little water = clinging oats + heavy oatmeal.
Using too much water = soggy, watered-down oats.
More toppings and flavorings
- Classics: Honey, fresh fruit (such as bananas and berries), nuts, and seeds.
- Dried fruit: Raisins and dried berries.
- Nut Butters: Peanut butter and almond butter are most common for adding protein.
- Fall: Cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, pecans, and brown sugar.
- Omega-3 boost: Flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and chocolate chips.
- South Asian Style: Nuts, dates, and jaggery powder.
- Sweeteners & Toppings: You can go for raw cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and honey. Use sugar with caution as it can raise calories.
** You can try steel cut oats with more water and more milk (even more cooking time with different or same combinations)
- Kanda Poha (Tasty under 400 calories dish you wish)
The flattened rice dish popularly known as Poha is quite a favourite. It is easy to cook and tastes delicious! This classic Indian breakfast option is light, filling, tasty, and guaranteed to sparkle your day. When you feel lazy cooking, this dish, which is prepared with onions, potatoes, lemon juice, and curry leaves, is a great choice.
Let’s try this out-
Poha/ kanda Pohe…flattened rice. Serves two with moderate diet.
Time needed: 20-25 minutes.
Calories- 250-300 Kcal
Medium or thick poha is preferred over thin (chivda) poha. Wash and soak it for 1-2 hours before actual cooking.
Keep ready one finely chopped red onion. If you desire to use potato (small to medium), go ahead. I prefer carrots instead.
Put oil in a pan and heat it. Temper it with mustard seeds, green chillies, and curry leaves. Keep aside crunchy lightly fried peanuts (before tempering). If you prefer sour and sharp taste, use freshly squeezed lime juice.
Let the onions get reddish brown (3-5 min). Then, add potato/carrot in the pan. Cover and cook on medium-low heat till the potatoes are soft and perfectly cooked. Sprinkle some water if required. (You can also use pre-boiled cubed potatoes to it and sauté for 2 minutes
Add rinsed and drained poha, turmeric, salt, and sugar. Mix everything well. If you feel the pohe is too dry, sprinkle some water. Cover it with a lid and cook for 2 minutes on low heat. Turn off the heat. Add the lemon juice and roasted peanuts, and give a quick mix. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Add-ons
- Add Veggies: You can add vegetables of your choice, like carrots, green beans, bell pepper, and green peas, to this poha recipe to make it nutritious and healthy. Hariyali Poha is a variation where you can use green pastes of coriander, ginger,garlic with peas to make it green.
- No Onion: You can also substitute onion with cabbage or skip it for a no-onion poha recipe.
- Coconut grated (optional)
3. Methi Paratha (you will not touch 400 calories even with two medium parathas)
is a healthy tasty nutritious whole wheat flatbread made with fenugreek leaves. Methi ke paratha, the Punjabi style are packed with flavor and nutrients. Cook this methi paratha recipe in less than 30 minutes (if you have prepped methi leaves) and serve with curd, mango/lemon pickles, and curries! Crispy and soft, these parathas have a lovely fragrant aroma and a light bitterness of the fenugreek leaves. They are a quick and healthy breakfast or side that can be eaten with any Indian curry or sabzi.
Let’s try this out-
Methi Paratha serves 2 (2 paratha each)
Time needed: 20-25 minutes.
Calories- 200-250 Kcal
Tips – If Fenugreek/Methi leaves are too bitter
If you feel the fenugreek is too bitter in taste…mix some salt to the rinsed leaves and set aside for 15 minutes. Otherwise, put the methi leaves in hot water for one minute. Drain, rinse with fresh water, and use. It is best to use simply washed and drained dry leaves.
Dough preparation– In a bowl add 2 cups (medium size) of whole wheat flour and ½ teaspoon salt or as required. Add the chopped fenugreek leaves, ½ to 1 teaspoon chopped green chilies (1 to 2 green chillies), 1.5 teaspoons of finely chopped garlic (optional) and 2 teaspoons oil. Pour ⅓ cup of water bit by bit. Do not add all the water at once. Add a portion of water as you go on working on the dough. The fenugreek leaves will release a good amount of water, so take a note of this while kneading.
Keep in mind that the water proportion will vary with the water content in the fenugreek leaves (100gms or more) and the type, variety of wheat flour. Knead the mixture into a smooth, soft, and pliable dough. Add more water if required while kneading.
If the dough feels sticky, add a few tablespoons of whole wheat flour, and knead again. If the dough is dry or dense, add a couple of tablespoons of water and continue to knead.
Lightly flatten the dough ball and keep it on the rolling board. Lightly dust the dough ball and the rolling board with some flour. Start rolling the paratha with a rolling pin.
For a flaky, crispy layered paratha, spread ghee/oil all. Choose any shape of paratha round, triangular that suits your eyes.
The layering method with ghee or oil adds more fat in your parathas. Place the paratha on a hot skillet or tawa. Keep the heat to medium-high or high before you place the paratha on it. The tawa must hot before you start making the paratha. Just then…garam garam paratha is ready!
Add-ons– Ginger-garlic paste/onions/garam masalas while preparing dough.
Substituting methi leaves with palak or kasuri methi
Serve with curd, pudina chutney, lemon/mango pickle or green chilies coconut chutney.
- Egg Toast -do it the French Way!
Breakfast under 400 calories
Quick, easy, and tasty…what else you require for a breakfast. Eggs and bread remain the evergreen choices. This recipe cuts down on cooking time and helps better egg toast bonding.
Let’s try it out-
Serves 2 slices
Calories- 250-300 calories (depending upon seasonings, each slice size)
Instead of cooking omelets separately, save up on time by making a savoury French toast. You start the recipe as you would for a spicy, Indian-style omelets – 1 egg, green chilies, seasonings of your choice and finely chopped onions, tomatoes, and coriander. Add them to a flat bowl so that you can easily dip your bread into the mixture, later.
Add some milk (2 tablespoon) to your egg mixture and whisk well. The milk helps to add moisture to the dish – but don’t add too much. Anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 1/4th cup of milk should do, any more milk will make the French toast soggy. Since this recipe is only for two slices of bread, stuck to using two tablespoons of milk.
Then comes the bread. Got bread that is just about to go stale? Use them for this savoury French toast. Wheat/brown bread work as well, since the slices are sturdier.
Lay the slices of bread onto the egg mixture and allow the mixture to coat the slices, 5 seconds on each side. Then heat a pan and place the coated slices of bread and cook on one side for 1 minute. Flip and then pour over the leftover egg mixture onto the pan, over the bread and cook until the toast is lightly browned.
Follow the same process with the remaining slice. Serve hot with some mint chutney or ketchup.
Tip– If you are using a softer bread then you can keep the slices in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.