The second week of BM#17 starts from today and I am going with "cooking with ready made stuff" theme. I did not have to go beyond my utility room (literally) for inspiration this time. I have a large utility room which doubles up as my second pantry or a mini grocery store as my mother calls it. We (particularly my husband ) know no boundaries when it comes to grocery shopping and keep stocking stuff as if there is going to be an emergency soon. My husband is very well versed with quality and price of the ingredients but goes overboard when it comes to the quantity. Result? My pantry and refrigerator are filled with loads and loads of grains, beans, dairy, veggies, fruits, snacks and so on enough to feed a crowd and to shock any newcomers to our home. :)

At any given time, I will also have a huge carton full of MTR instant mixes of all kinds. Not that I need instant mixes or use them enthusiastically but my husband feels that they will come handy during time crunches. For the first day post, I made use of MTR's bisibelebhath powder to prepare bisibele huli using oats and masoor dal for a quick and healthy lunch.
If you are bored to eat the mushy, bland oatmeal but would like to incorporate it into your diet, here is a spicy oatmeal preparation. This doesn't need even a pressure cooker as masoor dal cooks quickly and this comforting, one pot meal can be put together in around 20 minutes.

Ingredients: (3 - 4 servings)

• 1/2 cup masoor dal
• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats (Dry toast oats until they start to change color.)
• 1 to 1.5 cup chopped veggies (I used carrots, beans, potatoes and peas.)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 - 3 Tbsp MTR bisibele bhath powder or homemade BBB powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tbsp thick tamarind juice
• For tadka: 2 Tbsp ghee, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 Tbsp cashews and few curry leaves

Method:
* Wash masoor dal in two exchanges of water. Add washed masoor dal, prepared vegetables, turmeric powder and about 5 cups of water to a pan and cook until masoor dal is done. It will take around 15 minutes.
* When masoor dal is cooked, add bisibele bhath powder, salt, tamarind and oats. Continue to simmer until oats are cooked through.
* In the mean while, heat ghee in a small pan and toast the tadka ingredients. When cashews turn golden brown, remove and add to the cooked oats - dal mixture and mix well.
Serve warm with papad / chips / khara boondi.

Source : Veggie Platter

These easy peasy oatmeal-peanut butter bars can be made in a jiffy and are great for snacking. I followed this recipe for these yummy bars and all good, healthy things can be sneaked in these bars.

Ingredients: (yield 4 bars)

• 1.5 cup oats
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp each - sweetened coconut flakes and chopped walnuts
• 1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
* Place peanut butter, chocolate chips, brown sugar and vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave the mixture until it melts.
* Remove and add the oats, coconut and walnuts. The resulting mixture should be fairly dry.
* Mix well and pat the mixture into a greased, square pan.
* Freeze or refrigerate until firm and then cut into pieces.

After a little hiatus, I am back with another edition of Srivalli's blogging marathon. Yes, it's BM# 16 time and my posts this week are going to be "Pick one - Cook all" theme based and my ingredient choice is oats. My first oats post is going to be these yummy muffins that are regular at my home. They are perfect for breakfast or snacking. This recipe particularly comes handy when those overripe bananas need to be put for good use. You can keep the recipe basic without the addition of nuts / dry fruits but I recommend them since they definitely enhance the flavor and make these muffins special.

Ingredients:(Makes 12)

• 3/4 cup oat flour (Make your own flour by grinding either quick / rolled oats.)
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 mashed bananas

Method:
* Preheat oven to 375 deg F / 190 deg C.
* Combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coconut flakes and raisins in a bowl.
* Mash bananas in another bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Stir in melted butter. Then stir in dry ingredients.
* Grease or line the muffin pan with paper cups. Spoon the batter into cups so that it fills up to 3/4th of each cup. Sprinkle walnuts.
* Bake until a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean or for about 25 - 30 minutes.

Another interesting way of incorporating oats in an Indian kitchen and thanks to Priya Suresh. This wonderful idea of adding oats to a spice powder came from her, who had posted another version during last marathon. It sounded so interesting that I tried it last week and nobody could point out the difference between the regular chutney powder and this oats one.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup oats (I used quick oats).
• 1/4 cup chana dal / Bengal gram
• 1/4 cup urad dal / Split, skinned blackgram
• 1/4 cup dried coconut grated
• 12 red chillies (Less or more depending upon the spiciness preferred.)
• 1 tbsp tamarind
• 2 Tbsp jaggery
• 2 stalks of curry leaves
• Salt to taste

Method:
* Toast chana dal and urad dal in a pan on medium flame until they start to change the color. Transfer them to a plate and let them cool.
Add oats and red chillies to the same pan and toast for a minute. Let them cool as well. Dry toast curry leaves and keep them aside.
* Now add all the ingredients to a grinder / blender and grind the mixture to the desired consistency. I usually prefer a coarse powder.
* Store it in airtight container and use it as a side dish for breakfast items like dosa, idli, rice or with plain rice and ghee.

Source:Veggie Platter