Geetha's Kitchen

Basic Muesli  Whenever I make this muesli, everyone loves it and it disppears quickly without a trace! Recently this muesli got a very high compliment from a Swiss friend; she said this was the best meusli she ever had. Coming from a native daughter from the land of the original Bircher Muesli, that was high praise indeed! Soaking grains, seeds, and nuts makes them easier to chew and digest; besides, the bonus of soaking is that they are ready to eat right away! Simply top it up with more milk/yogurt if needed and extra berries or nuts in the morning or whenever you like. With all the prep out of the way the evening before, you are good to go in the morning! As I was familiar with oat meal from a very young age, the introduction of Bircher Muesli and the subsequent addition of it to our breakfast repertoire was a shoo-in! Over the years, I have tweaked the recipe. Another general blueprint recipe that can be adjusted to the ingredients on hand or your preference. Any...

Cracked Wheat Payasam is a quick and simple but delicious dessert pudding prepared Kerala style! Other types of milks such as almond, rice, or soy may be used instead of the coconut milk. Made with a little more water, half the jaggery, and minus the spices, nuts, and raisins, it does double duty as a lovely kanji for breakfast or snack. We often had this for breakfast growing up. Regular or Irish style steel-cut oats may be used instead of the cracked wheat. Bulgar or cracked wheat is a wonderful staple to have on hand for making Tabbouleh , Upma , and Pongal as well as a simple porridge like oatmeal. I use the finely cracked (#1 grade) for porridge, upma and tabouleh; the coarsely cracked bulgar (#3) is great for pongal and pilaf. Dessert: 4 Servings Porridge: 2 Servings Ingredients: 1/4 cup finely Cracked Wheat (Bulgar) #1 grade 1 cup Coconut Milk 1/2 cup Jaggery or Brown Sugar 2 Cardamom Pods OR 1/2 tsp Dried ground Ginger (chukku) 1 tsp Coconut Oil 1 Tbsp Cashe...

White Chili is a delicious change of pace from the regular Chili! White Chili is made with white beans of course and succulent veggies and flavorful herbs and spices. It goes together very quickly especially if you have cooked beans, home-cooked or canned. If using canned beans, use 2 cans (15.5 ounces) of Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained. Hominy adds a down-home country taste. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups Great Northern beans, cooked 2  tbsp Oil 1 large White onion, chopped 3-4 ribs celery, chopped 1 large Parsnip, diced 2 medium White Carrots, diced 2 Garlic cloves, minced and mashed 2 to 4 Serrano chiles,  finely minced 3-4 tsp fresh Rosemary leaves, finely chopped  1 1/2 tsp ground Cumin 1 tsp dried Oregano  1/4 - 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper Coarse salt & freshly ground Black Pepper 1 can (15 ounces) white hominy, rinsed and drained (optional) 2-3 fresh Tomatillos, finely diced 3 tbsp cornmeal + 1 cup ...