Easy beany dinner

Its the end of the day and your eyeballs are about to pop out of their sockets from weariness, yet you have to figure out something for dinner. If you didn't have to regret it the next day, you'd just dump those eyeballs into the microwave and serve them up.... AUUUGHHH!!! your brain screams. What are you thinking?? Tiredness getting to you?

Heheh. I experienced the above 'hallucination' the other night, and miraculously, I managed to coax a few renegade braincells to come up with this extremely easy meal that goes down well with most tired spouses (except mine, unfortunately.. but I hope that others have it better.. in the way of baked beans and mushrooms, that is). The pre-requisites to have in your kitchen are -- some bread (stale aso no problemo), baked beans, cheese and a microwave oven. Mushrooms are a bonus, as are the list of substitutes:


Baked Beans, Mushroom & Cheese Meltdown

4-6 slices bread
1 can baked beans
4-6 slices tasty cheese (I used cheddar; you can mix it with mozzarella, parmesan, etc.)
fresh/can mushrooms, sliced (can substitute or add: chopped tomatoes, capsicums, chillies, onions)

Open can of beans and load spoonfuls onto bread. Add mushrooms (and other stuff if using) and top with cheese. Microwave on high for 1.5 minutes, or until cheese melts to your liking. Cool it for awhile (the filling can get real hot!) and .... EAT!!! Mmm... bread supplies Carbs, beans supply
fibre and some neat nutrients (also some gas, but who cares when the alternative is microwave-zapped eyeballs), and cheese supplies calcium and a super-comfort-food taste to this meal.

Good night, sleep tight.

Roti - breadbreadbread

I don't own a bread maker, but I am lucky to have two able hands that can make a very simple, almost foolproof bread that is much appreciated by my husband. That's an important thing in marriage; having the ability to think up food that charms the vilus off your spouse's tum-tum. Here's the extremely simple, adjustable and healthy recipe:


Simple pan-cooked bread a'la chapati

2 cups plain flour (can substitute 1 or both cups with whole wheat flour)
1 cup oat bran (or any other health grain you wish to get your significant other to eat. I might try wheat germ or plain oats. Would you believe my mom has sneaked in fenugreek??)
2 tsp dry yeast
1/2 cup flaxseed, or mixed herbs (for texture, and flaxseed add a nice bitty nuttiness, much like sesame seeds..)
drizzling of olive oil (I use extra virgin)
pinch of salt
2+ cups of warm water

Sift/pour everything except the warm water to form a mound in a large bowl. Make a well in this mound and using a fork, stir in the warm water a little at a time till the mixture forms a sticky ball (not too sticky). Knead till soft and pliable. Divide into golfball size thingies and leave to rise (about an hour).

Roll out into flat pancakes on a floured surface, and heat over a flat griddle or nonstick pan, flipping so that both sides cook evenly. Depending on how much the yeast is acting, it may rise a little (or not at all :-P). Serve immediately with anything you fancy (butter & jam, fish curry, banana, cheese... or just plain).