Peanut Butter and Banana Pancakes

This was such a wholesome and delicious breakfast that it almost made me wish I woke up earlier in the mornings to make it more often. Almost.

You'll need:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup buttermilk*
1/3 cup peanut butter* 
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter to cook
1 Banana
Chocolate chips (optional)
Maple syrup

For the buttermilk, instead of using the milk method, I just used half and half of thick yoghurt and water.
For the peanut butter, I used the crunchy variety, but I assume the creamy version would blend better.

Thinly slice the banana and keep aside.

In a bowl mix the peanut butter,  buttermilk, egg and vanilla till they're blended.

Sieve in the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Fold gently till the flour is mixed in well but don't over-mix - the batter should be a little lumpy.

Heat a small pan on medium flame, put in some butter to coat the bottom. Pour in a ladle of batter and gently spread it out.

While the bottom layer is cooking, top the pancake with some banana slices. You can choose to add the chocolate chips now or just top it up while serving.

Turn the pancake and cook for another minute.

Remove from heat and serve with syrup.

Makes: 4-5 pancakes

Cheddar Biscuits

I had these at Red Lobster and they were so delicious that I had to learn to make these at home.
I got a recipe which said use melted butter, but it turned out bread-y instead of biscuit-y. So cold butter, like in the making of pie crusts, is the way to go.

You'll need:
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 cup buttermilk, cold
1/2 cup butter, cold
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, sharp/mature
1 tbsp baking powder
1tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
Pinch of salt

*I resisted using wholewheat/regular flour because I was afraid they wouldn't rise in the oven.

In a bowl, mix the flour and butter till crumbly.

Fold in the rest of the ingredients gently, putting in the cheese at the very end.

Place tablespoon sized batter on greased baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

For the topping:
1 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp finely chopped coriander or oregano

Mix all the ingredients and brush over the biscuits while they're still hot.

Best served warm.

Makes: 12-15 biscuits

Tomato Juice

I love tomato juice - V8 is my favourite but it has way too much salt. I wanted to try for a healthier alternative at home. It tasted good, but it was a bit more effort for the small output (2 small glasses).

You'll need:
5-6 large tomatoes
4-5 celery stalks (no leaves)
salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp sugar (if needed)

Wash the tomatoes thoroughly. Pour some boiling water on it so that the skins come off.
Boil the skinless tomatoes in 1 cup of water for about 5 minutes.

In a blender, put in the tomatoes and celery stalks and blend till smooth. Add some water if the consistency is too thick (but not the water the tomatoes were boiled in).

Sieve the paste and add water and seasoning to preference
and taste.

Buttermilk Pancakes

I used to get the packet mix pancake till I realised that homemade ones are easy to make and tastier.
This recipe makes around 4 to 5 medium sized pancakes, enough for 2 people for breakfast.

For the Buttermilk:
1 cup milk at room temperature
Add 1 tsp vinegar or the juice of 1/2 lemon
Let it rest for 5 minutes. It will curdle.

Pancake batter:
1 cup flour
1 egg
1 tbsp butter
1 cup Buttermilk
Additional butter to cook

Optional (any 1):
1 mashed Banana
1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Mix all the ingredients together, but not too smoothly. The batter should be a bit lumpy. Heat a pan and add some butter to the base. Pour a layer of the batter. Once it starts to set at the bottom, flip it and wait for a minute or so to cook completely. Remove from pan. Repeat for the rest of the batter.

Toppings (single or combine your favourites) :
Maple syrup (avoid the sugar syrup available in most stores)
Honey 

Chocolate syrup
Jam
Butter
Fruits (bananas, berries, apple, poached pears, etc)
Cinnamon

Chewy Oat Cookies with Candied Fruits

I had some candied ginger and cherries from my last holiday that I thought would go well with oat cookies. They made for a nice breakfast.

1 egg (slightly beaten)
1/2 cup of candied cherries and ginger
1/4th cup chocolate chips (optional)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4th cup butter
3/4th cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
2/3rd cup flour
2 cups (250gm) porridge oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp boiling water

Melt the butter in the microwave and the sugar and syrup. Mix well. Stir in the rest of the dry ingredients, and add the egg at the end.

Arrange spoonful of the batter on a baking tray and bake at 180 deg C for about 20 minutes. (For a crispier cookie, bake at 160 deg C for about 25-30 min.)

Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 12
to 15 cookies. Store in an air-tight container once cool.

Oats Dosa with Onion Chutney

I don't like porridge oats at all. Many have tried to coax me to eat it, and I've tried, but it doesn't happen. Not wanting to miss out on the goodness of it all, I keep trying ways to make it edible for me. Cookies are one way. The other is this very simple dosa (crepe).

You'll need:
3/4th cup porridge oats
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
salt to taste
About 2 cups of Water

Oil to cook

This makes the basic batter that should be easy enough to spread on the pan.

For topping, finely chop and mix into a separate bowl the following:
2-3 green chillies
1 onion (or spring onion with leaves)
some corriander
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger

Heat a flat pan on medium to high heat. Spread the batter with a ladle, and add some of the topping. With a spoon, pour some oil on the circumference. Keep an eye on the heat - turn it lower if the pan gets too hot. On medium heat, this doesn't need to be flipped over. Each should take about 3 minutes to cook.

Onion Chutney
Grind together:
1 onion
4-5 red chillies
1 tsp tamarind paste
2 inch fresh coconut (optional)
1/2 tsp salt 
Keep aside.

In a small wok, heat
2 tbsp oil

Once hot, add
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
5-6 curry leaves
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Black gram (urad dal)

Once they start to sizzle, add the onion paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Serve with warm dosas.

Cherry Clafoutis

I got this recipe from the tried and trusted Joy of Baking. Not only did this make a good dessert, but it was also good as a quick breakfast option.


1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 tbsp granulated white sugar
3/4 cup (180 ml) milk 
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix all these ingredients well until the batter is smooth.

For the cherries

1 tin of Cherry filling OR 

If you can find good fresh cherries and have the patience to de-seed them, then get about 

         300 to 400 grams fresh cherries, pitted

         1 tbsp butter

         1 tbsp sugar

In a saucepan, heat the butter on medium heat. Add the cherries and cook for about 2 minutes till they're nicely coated with the butter. Then add the sugar and cook till the cherries start to get syrupy.

Transfer the cherries into a baking dish. Pour the batter over it and bake for about 20 minutes at 220 deg C. The filling will rise so do not open the oven door till the edges/top have browned a little towards the end - or else it will collapse.

Let it cool. Dust the top with some icing sugar. Serve warm or cold.

Ginger Oatmeal Cookies

Oatmeal is not very appetizing on its own...but with a little help from butter and sugar, it magically transforms itself as the best thing to munch on in the mornings.

Dissolve 2 tbsp flax seed powder in 1/4 cup of warm water and keep aside.

In another bowl, mix together:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg

Now add the flax seed mix as well.

Also add,
1 tsp vanilla
1tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 tsp ground star anise (optional)

Sieve into this mixture the following ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Fold it in the wet mixture, then add 2 1/2 to 3 cups of oats and mix well.
Put this batter in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Then, line a baking tray with paper, and put a spoonful of the batter on it. Make sure to keep a gap of 2 inches between dollops as the batter will spread when heated.

Bake for 15 minutes in an oven pre-heated at 180 deg C.

Cool on rack for 20 minutes before digging in.

Hash Browns

On the topic of breakfast, here's another favourite.

Half boil 2-3 potatoes (don't cook them completely else the hash browns won't get crisp).

Let them cool then peel the skin off. Grate the potatoes and add some salt/pepper and 2-3 tbsps of oil.

Take a handful of the mixture, squeeze it into a ball so that it sicks and flatten it out on a pan or baking tray.

You could cook it on a pan or bake it for 20 min in a preheated oven at 180 deg C.

Baked Eggs

A great breakfast idea and easier to make than an omlette.

Butter a ramekin.
Make a base with your favourite cold cut/bacon slices
Add chopped veggies if you like (onion, mushrooms, broccoli)
Break in 2 eggs
Add salt/pepper
Top with some grated cheese
Garnish with some oregano and chilli flakes

Bake at 180 deg C for 10 minutes.