By: N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe
New Delhi: Working from the office alongside your colleagues and friend has resumed. While most of us secretly wished for offices to open, going back to the office routine still feels hard. The two most challenging issues in the office routine are waking up early and preparing a healthy breakfast. A meal that does not consume much time and is easy to prepare so you can reach the office on time.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, a firm believer in healthy eating, said, “Most of us took a step towards a healthy lifestyle during the pandemic and the travel time that we saved every day, helped. But now offices have opened, this means leaving office in a hurry. But don’t break the momentum of eating healthy. Remember that it is important to add lots of vegetables and fruits to your eating habits for a healthy, balanced diet. Don’t forget that raw vegetables and fruits may be laden with pesticides and germs as they travel places before reaching you. Hence, it is crucial to thoroughly clean your vegetables with a natural action vegetable cleaner like Nimwash before consuming them.
Chef Sanjeev Kapoor and dietician Sonia Sinha of Fitfoodyin come to the rescue and share five tasty and healthy recipes that can be prepared in the nick of time.
Broccoli Toast
Heat sufficient water in a non-stick pan and add sweet potatoes to cook till they are done. Trim the edges of the bread slices and halve them. Heat another non-stick pan to place bread halves in it and drizzle a little olive oil to make them golden and crisp. Mash sweet potatoes. Remove pan from heat, add salt, butter, cream, and red chilli powder, and mix well. Remove the toasted bread pieces from the pan and place them on a plate. Heat orange juice in the same non-stick pan. Add salt and crushed peppercorns, mix well and let it reduce. Add broccoli, mix well and cook till the broccoli turns a little soft. Transfer into a bowl and let it cool slightly. Spread some mashed sweet potato mixture on each toasted bread half. Place some broccoli over the sweet potato and serve immediately.
Oatmeal and Mushroom Breakfast Stir Fry
Dry roast oats in a non-stick pan till light golden. Remove from heat and set aside. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in another non-stick pan. Add the garlic and saute till golden. Add the onion and saute till translucent. Add the button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, salt, crushed peppercorns and torn thyme sprigs, mix and cook on high heat for two to three minutes. Add three cups of water, mix and bring to a boil. Add the roasted oats and stir continuously till it is cooked. Add the spinach, mix well and remove from heat. Heat some olive oil in another non-stick pan. Break in an egg, sprinkle some salt and crushed peppercorns and cook till golden from the underside. Similarly, prepare with remaining eggs. Put some oats-spinach mixture on individual serving platters, place one fried egg on top and serve hot.
Dietician Sonia Sinha of Fitfoody.in said, “As most of my clients are working, I share a list of easy to make healthy recipes that are balanced and do not take too much time to prepare, so they don’t feel burdened in the morning. I also advise my clients to plan their meals a day before so they have all the ingredients in place. If they have limited time, I suggest they wash the vegetables with a herbal cleaner like Nimwash before chopping and storing them. Remember, only selected vegetables can be chopped and stored a night before, so choose wisely.” Dietician Sonia Sinha shares the following balanced meal recipes to make the morning routine easier.
Palak Mushroom Sandwich
Add 1tbsp of chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly in 1/2 tsp oil. Add onion, mushrooms and boiled spinach and stir fry till the mixture is dry. You can put some herbs or masala of your choice and add a little paneer or low-fat cheese to the mix. Stuff it in toasted bread, and your sandwich is ready.
Palak Paneer Rolled Oats
Add some chopped garlic, ginger, green chillies and onion in 1tsp oil. Put some carrots, beans and 1tbsp peas. Add the rolled oats and stir fry. Put the chopped or steamed spinach (with water) and paneer cubes in the mixture. Add some water if required and stir. Put some salt, pepper or mix herbs as per your taste. If you want to add more protein, break one egg on top and sprinkle salt on the egg. Cover the lid and cook for 2-3 mins. A fit and yummy Oats recipe are ready.
Besan Chilla
A perfectly balanced meal that takes no time to make is Besan chilla stuffed with sauteed veggies. Make a thin batter of besan and curd, add black pepper and salt according to taste and make a thin chilla (like dosa). Now, chop your favourite vegetables like capsicum, bell pepper, carrot, tomatoes, beetroot etc. and saute. Once the besan chilla is crisp, stuff it with the sauteed vegetables and serve with green chutney.”
(N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)
