Healthy Eating: Indian Style Omelette, a Comfort Dish from My Childhood

A new book publication is always a hectic affair, and since the birth of Before We Visit the Goddess, things have been exciting but crazy. I’ve been rushing around on book tour, eating whatever I can grab on the run. So now that I am home for a few days, I thought I would make something healthy for myself and Murthy for our lunch.

I decided on an Indian style omelette, because it is tasty, easy to make, quick, healthy and low-carb. It's also a comfort-food out of my childhood. My mother used to make omelettes spiced with onions and chilies to be served with khichuri, a rice-and-lentil dish, on rainy days. We were not rich; she probably chose to make this meal because it was an easy and inexpensive way for her to get her family some protein. Still, I have many happy memories associated with omelettes.

I started by chopping up one red onion and a jalapeno pepper, because I like my omelette spicy. I chopped up an inch of ginger, one green bell pepper, and one red bell pepper. You can add garlic, also – I just wasn’t in the mood for any. I sautéed all this in 1 tablespoon olive oil in a nonstick pan. I chopped some cilantro leaves and kept them aside. I used 1/4 cup, but you can adjust for taste. I added a little salt into the vegetables.

I beat up four large eggs, adding 1 tablespoon of water because I don’t like my egg mixture too thick. (I only use cage free eggs nowadays because I feel it’s more humane. I use eggs from pasture roaming hens when I can find them.) I added salt and pepper to taste.

I sprayed a non-stick skillet with olive oil spray, added the egg mixture, lowered the temperature to 3, and allowed the eggs to solidify without browning at the bottom. Once they were semisolid I lowered the temperature further (I don’t like crisped omelette!), added the sautéed veggies onto one half and sprinkled the whole thing with shredded cheese – shredded sharp cheddar works really well for me, but mozzarella is good, too. I topped the cheese with chopped cilantro and folded the omelette in half. I cut it into two pieces-- and lunch was ready!

I feel an omelette is a full meal in itself, so that was a good lunch for me. Murthy ate his with brown bread, and that, too, is a good way to eat omelettes!

 What is a favorite comfort dish for you out of your childhood? I'd love to know. 

Chitra's Creative Cuisine: Stir-fried Tofu with Bean Sprouts, Cilantro and Ginger Root

In my upcoming novel, Before We Visit the Goddess, about three generations of women–a grandmother, mother and daughter who love, support and battle each other–Tara the daughter says that she likes cooking things that require only 20 minutes of time, from the chopping board to the table. I often feel that way, and on some of those days I create my own dishes. Today was one such day because I'm getting really busy with pre-publicity for the novel, which is coming out in April 2016. Below is the recipe I cooked up, stir-fried tofu with bean sprouts, cilantro, and ginger. I was really pleased with how this healthy low-carb dish turned out, and I hope you will be, too.

Ingredients:  One 16 ounce pack extra firm tofu, 16 ounces bean sprouts, half inch ginger root, grated, quarter cup chopped cilantro, four T peanut sauce, two T soy sauce (more for taste if you like soy sauce), one t Sriracha sauce, 1 T sesame oil, garlic powder, onion powder and salt to taste.

Cut the tofu long and thin, as in the photo above. Sauté for two minutes in a nonstick pan. Add all of the seasonings. Sauté for one more minute. Add the bean sprouts. Sauté for one minute. Take off the stove and mix in the cilantro and ginger.  Serve by itself if you want a low-carb dish. Otherwise serve over hot brown rice.

The whole thing took me 10 minutes!

Let me know if you try it and how you like it, and if you have your own favorite 10 to 20 minute dish, please post it below.