We all know that like an idle mind, an empty tummy is the devil's workshop too! So when you're at home and hungry, here are some quick recipes that you can use to make some yummy snacks and satisfy your cravings:
• Mmmm...Maggi
The best part about a pack of Maggi noodles is that you can tear it open and use just two minutes to cook it in boiling water. But just to make it a little more interesting, we'd suggest that you add some veggies to it. Sautée some chopped up tomatoes, green chillies, onions and garlic in a little bit of oil. Stir this for about 3 minutes and then add your cooked Maggi to the pan. Throw in a dash of salt, pepper, chilli powder and the Maggi seasoning. The Maggi Masala flavour goes best with this recipe. Voilà, you have yourself a tasty meal!
TIP: If you like, you could sprinkle some cheese of your choice onto the steaming noodles.
• Mushroom Toast
We're making snacks but they don't necessarily have to be unhealthy. So in this case, we can very well use brown bread. Now, to make yourself this mushroom toast, sautée some tomatoes, mushrooms (you can buy them from your local vendor), garlic and onions with a pinch of chilli powder, pepper and salt. The tomato lends a tangy flavour to this dressing. Once you've cooked it around for a bit, add the dressing to a slice of brown bread and add some mozzarella cheese to it; cover this with another slice of brown bread and pop it in your toaster. The end-result is a double toasted mushroom sandwich! The cheese will have of course, melted on the inside. Yummy, huh?
• Tangy Salad
For this sweet and sour salad, you will need: tomatoes, onions, green chillies, cucumbers, garlic and boiled corn. For the dressing, you'll need to have the following in your kitchen: salt, pepper, sugar, chaat masala, Tabasco sauce, olive oil and lime juice. In a bowl, add a chopped onion, tomato, cucumber and a green chilly. Add a dash of Tabasco (depends on how hot you want it to be), a pinch of salt and pepper, half a tsp of sugar and a tbsp of lime juice. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil and a little water; now for the garlic, the trick is to chop it sideways whilst mixed with a little salt, this helps release the juices. Add the chopped garlic to your salad and finally, sprinkle some chaat masala and mix it all up. You'll have your lips smacking for more!
• Pancake Toast (Courtesy of Emily)
It only seemed right that after a bunch of yummy and tongue-tingling snacks, we suggest a recipe that is sweet. To make Pancake Toast, you need: an egg, 2 tbsp of butter, 3 tbsp of sugar, 3 tbsp of milk, 4 tbsp of refined flour, 1 tsp of vanilla essence and ½ tsp of baking powder. Mix the above ingredients in a bowl. Once that's done, heat some oil in a pan (just enough to ensure that the pancake-toast doesn't stick to the surface), dip whole a slice of bread (you can use white bread for this recipe) into the batter and then fry it on both sides. Once a little golden you can remove it. The batter should last you for about 8 more slices of bread. When the pancake-toasty breads are ready, serve them with a little maple syrup and cinnamon powder on top. TIP: Add a scoop of your favourite ice-cream to the stack of toasts and gobble on!
Tell me when you've tried out these yummilicious recipes and sampled them with your friends; I wanna know what you think of them. Happy Eating!