Easy Sausage Loaf

This bread is a full meal deal which is flavorful and comforting. Its easy to knead and perfect for anytime. Complement this bread with some scrambled eggs or poached eggs and you have an elaborate brunch.

 Ingredients:
Warm Water - 1/4 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil - 2 tbs
All Purpose Flour - 3 -3 1/4 cups
Whole Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup
Sausages - 1 pound (you can also Italian Sausages with the meat removed from the casing)
Egg - 1, beaten lightly to glaze
Yeast - 2 1/4 tsp

Sprinkle the yeast over warm water in a large electric mixer bowl. Let the yeast stand for about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, sugar, salt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour and mix in to blend untill smooth and elastic. Add in the whole wheat flour and about 1/4 cup more of the all purpose flour. Knead the dough till it is smooth and satiny. Turn the dough into a well greased bowl and allow to rest for about 45 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, fry the sausages till brown. Using a slotted spoon remove the sausage and cool on paper towels. Punch the risen dough and pat down into a 1/2 inch thick circle.
Sprinkle the meat over the round of the dough, fold and knead the sausage lightly into the dough. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a greased baking tray. Make incisions across the top of the dough. Brush the  top with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and leave to prove for another 45 minutes. Brush with egg yolk. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for about 35 minutes till golden and the crust sounds hollow. Cool on a wire rack before slicing. Serve with a mayo dip or cheese spread.

Tuna, Egg & Sweet Corn Wrap~ Smart Lunch

Midday meal is it a problem for you?? Forget the lunch box blues and put a quick fix on this idea for healthy options for a light snack or meal!

Ingredients:
Natural Yogurt - 1 tbsp ( I used the set curd)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
White Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
Dijon Mustard - 1/2 tsp
Pepper to taste
Hard Boiled Egg - 1 large
Canned Tuna - 200gms, drained
Canned Sweet Corn Kernels - 200gm drained ( I did'nt use them as my family is not fond of sweet corn)
Flour Tortillas - 4
Cucumber Sticks
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Onion - 1 large, finely chopped

Whisk the yogurt, oil, vinegar, mustard and pepper in a little bowl and keep aside. Then mash the egg and keep aside.In a frying pan, saute the onion in a little vegetable oil till just transparent, then tip in the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are soft. Add in the drained tuna and fry for about 10 minutes. Once the mixture is cooled, add in the mashed egg and dressing. Onto each tortilla, spread the mixture and place 2 cucumber sticks and wrap them up! Grill them over a skillet or sandwich maker and your packed lunch is ready!

Kheema Dosa

Looking for an easy way out to cook? at least for today I'm not wanting to slave it all out ..so had ready-made dosa batter, some beef mince equated all out to give me Kheema Dosa!!

Ingredients:
Ground Beef - 1/2kg
Onions - 2 medium finely chopped
Black Pepper - 1tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4tsp
Minced Garlic - 1tsp
Green Peas - 1/2cup
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and minced garlic and sauté for till the onions have become transparent. Add the garam masala, turmeric powder and sauté for 2minutes. Then add in the minced beef, cover cook till the beef is cooked which should take about 7-10minutes. Remove the lid and add salt and pepper, mix well, and stir in the green peas and continue to sauté for another 3-4minutes.Incase the mixture becomes dry, add in a couple of tablespoons of warm water, to ensure the mixture is still moist. Make a thin dosa, and stuff the kheema into the dosa to make it look like a masala dosa.

Corned Beef Omelette

This was a post that was long due....after all those late night action packed football frenzy on television, nothing to like to kick start your day with a heavy breakfast or rather brunch....

Ingredients:
Eggs - 5 beaten
Corn Beef - 1 tin
Onions - 2 small finely chopped
Pepper and Salt to taste

Saute onions till pink, and then add corn beef and saute till it becomes brown. Add pepper and salt to taste and set aside. Into a large skillet, lightly coat with oil, pour in half mixture of the beaten eggs. Tilt the pan so that the eggs spread out evenly. Cook over a moderate heat.ensuring the omelette does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook till the bottom is set and the top is still moist. Spoon a generous mixture of the corn beef into the middle of the omelet. Using a spatula lift the sides of the omelette to fold it into half. Tip onto a plate and serve immediately. Use the remaining egg mixture to make one more omelette.

Sunday Brunch ~ Chicken Bell Pepper Crostini

Elijah (my son) and I were lazing in the front of the television watching cartoons when my phone rings. The name appears as "dad" (my father in law), he says that both he and my mother in law were coming right over to visit us. It's a Sunday morning, and I couldn't go to church as Elijah was not doing too well the previous night, so decided to be at home. Since our home is not too far from church, is the reason my in laws would have decided on a quick detour here. Never the less, I would have to come up with something to serve them because they would be famished, after a long church service.
The previous day, I had watched Jun Tanaka on the show Cooking it, teaching a culinary catastrophe an easy, yet elegant dish, that had a restaurant appeal. I had the ingredients to the dish and thought I'd give it a try and serve my in laws with some style. This is also my entry to the monthly mingle brunch.

Ingredients:
Chicken breasts - 250gms cooked and shredded
Yellow bell pepper - half a pepper julienned
Red bell pepper - half a pepper julienned
Vienna Chicken Sausages - 2-3 diced
Onion - 1 small finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch finely sliced and cut into thin strips
Garlic - 3-4 pods finely chopped
Soya sauce - 1 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1tsp
Salt - 1tsp
Coriander leaves  - 1tbs finely chopped
Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Bread - 10 slices

Heat a wok and drizzle in some olive oil. Add in the onion and sugar, saute till translucent pink. Then add the ginger and garlic, saute for about a minute. Add the shredded chicken, sausages, soya sauce and combine very well. Toss in the peppers and coriander leaves and fry for another 3 minutes. Check in on the seasoning, add salt only if required. Take off from the fire and carefully spoon the mixture over a toasted bread.

Toasted Bread
I have cut the bread into circles using a cookie cutter and lightly toasted the bread without butter onto a flat pan/ tava.

Tip: I had cooked the chicken breasts in 1 cup of water, 3 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 star anise, 1 green cardamom, 1tsp of salt and 1/2tsp of white pepper for 25minutes on slow flame. The reserve stock can be used in making a soup, or to cook basamati rice if anyone is attempting a fried rice/ pulao.