Sustenance Granola: Delish Breakfast or Power Snack

I've never been keen on cooked breakfasts - for one, I just don't feel hungry enough and second, where is the time to cook when one is rushing off to work? Enter modern cereal-based breakfasts like rolled oats and muesli. But a while ago, Sustenance Foods, a boutique gifting studio by Richa and Neha, sent me something even better - granola.

Rather like energy bars, granola is chunkier and tastier than plain cereal. Sustenance Granola comes in three variants and all are gluten free, vegan, packed with nuts & seeds, 100% natural and sweetened with locally sourced organic honey. Besides, each batch is hand mixed and baked in small batches at low temperatures to give it a nice crunch and toasty flavour. Here is my detailed review of their three granola variants.

Chocolate and Hazelnut 

Super chocolatey and replete with large hazelnuts, I tried this first (but of course) and loved it the most. It was all right with milk but the best match was thick yoghurt. If you have Greek yoghurt, that's even better. I also loved the fragrance of cinnamon and the dark chocolate chips.

Cranberry and Pistachio

The folks at Sustenance Foods don't believe in skimping on the good stuff at all - the granola had ample chunks of dried cranberry and crunchy pistachios. They often stuck together with the oats and seeds to form delectable clusters. This variety is quite sweet because of the cranberries.

Figs and Walnut

Walnuts are great brain food and figs are very fibre-rich, making this granola very good for you. The dried figs stand out a little but the granola is still quite tasty. However, out of the three, I preferred this least. But it's all about personal taste and if you want to keep your breakfasts healthy, you should ideally have all three variants in rotation.

The granola comes in high-quality glass bottles that could be reused later for storing nuts or dried fruits. However, if you store them for too long, the granola sticks to the bottom. The three bottles I received were 230 gms each and it took me a month to get through all of them.

The founders suggest spooning the granola over ice-creams and fruit salads as well. But honestly, it is so delicious on its own, you can easily replace unhealthy snacks like chips and biscuits with a handful of granola.

The story doesn't end here. They also make excellent preserves & jam, organic coffee, cookies, biscotti, honey, tea cake, flavoured nuts, crackers and indulgent treats. These come packaged in attractive gift hampers. For more information (and a great granola recipe), visit http://sustenancefood.com/breakfast-bowl/.

The tastiest cabbage or patta gobhi sabzi recipe

This is the tastiest Indian cabbage (patta gobhi) sabzi, to be enjoyed with roti or dal rice. I've made it many times in the past but it never turned out this well. The key is to increase the ratio of capsicum (bell peppers or shimla mirch), peas and potatoes. Also, ginger garlic and chillies add much needed spice and flavour.

Cabbage Sabzi Recipe
Serves: 4-6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1 small or 1/2 big cabbage
1 tomato
1 plate of peas
1 big capsicum
2 small potatoes
2 green chillies
Ginger garlic paste
Turmeric powder
Red chilli powder
Dhania powder
Pinch of asafoetida
Masala of choice
Salt to taste
3 tablespoons oil/ghee
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds
Handful of coriander leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:
1. Heat oil or ghee in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they stop crackling, add cumin seeds.
2. Add chopped cabbage, capsicum, potatoes and chillies.
3. Season with salt, asafoetida and turmeric. Mix well and cook under closed lid for a few minutes.
4. When half done, add chopped tomatoes, peas, red chilli and dhania powder and masala of choice (I used chole masala). Mix well and cook under closed lid and slow flame for 10min.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander and lemon juice. Serve hot with roti or rice.

Notes: Decrease oil at the start and add some water when the veggies are half done for a healthier version. If using fresh ginger garlic, saute them at the start until the raw smell goes away. Add aamchur powder with the masala in step 4 if you don't have lemons.

Paneer Bhurji Recipe

I love paneer bhurji because there's paneer in every spoonful, unlike a paneer makhani or palak paneer, where chunks of paneer are used. It's semi-dry and thus, lighter, but goes very well with plain pav. I prepared it the other day for dinner and my husband loved it. I used a dash of ghee in the end to give it a buttery flavour and add moistness. I also like adding hing or asafoetida in all my dishes as it adds flavour, aids digestion and curbs flatulence. Right from the chopping to the garnishing, this recipe took me only 30 minutes.

Paneer Bhurji Recipe
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
150gm paneer
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Handful of green peas
Handful of coriander leaves or cilantro, chopped
A dash of lemon (optional)
Salt to taste
Two tablespoons oil/ghee
Mustard and cumin seeds
Red chilli powder
Dhania powder
Turmeric powder
Garam masala 
Pinch of asafoetida (optional)

Method:
1. Pour two tablespoons oil or ghee in a pan. When it gets hot, add mustard seeds. When they stop bursting, add cumin seeds.
2. Saute the garlic, followed by onions.
3. Add the tomatoes, peas, capsicum and chillies. Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, dhania powder and garam masala. Cook for a minute.
4. Crumble the paneer into the pan and stir well. Cook for a few minutes.
5. Garnish with chopped coriander and a dash of lemon (if required).
Serve hot with pao or bread.