Watching Weight: Day Six

As you can see today was leftovers day.
Breakfast: Cereal, same as the day before.
Lunch: A bowl of rice with toor dal and chori gravy. A bowl of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar.
Snack in between: 1/4 cup mix of roasted walnuts and almonds. A Newman’s Own mini chocolate chip cookie (40 cal).
Dinner: Two rotis with left over chori curry. A couple of pieces of watermelon.
Exercise: No exercise for today.

Watching Weight: Day Seven
Pav Bhaji with Broccoli

A clarification for the contents of the daily food log today: For lunch I ate my three year old’s left over PB&J sandwich because I can’t bear to throw away good food.
I had guests coming over for dinner and I had deep fried some store bought frozen samosas. I was not planning to eat more than a couple but our guests were later than the usual desi late time (it’s a long story, set for a rant post) and I was so hungry by the time one half of the couple arrived I ate quite a few of those. For dessert I had ice cream which at 110 calories wasn’t too bad but since I had resolved in my first post not to eat ice cream I was feeling a little conscious but happy. I figure it is ok to indulge once in a while otherwise you end up binging on it eventually.
Breakfast: One egg omelette over a piece of toasted artisan garlic Gilroy bread with a slice of pepper jack cheese melted on top.
Lunch: A bowl of leftover chori curry and a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and strawberry jam. Half a cup of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar.
Dinner: 8-10 deep fried petite samosas and a slice of toasted bun with 1 cup of pavbhaji.
Dessert: 1/4 cup of Starbucks Mocha Frappuccino Ice Cream (110 cal).
Exercise: 30 minutes of brisk walk around the neighborhood (yes, I was in my flip flops again).

Honest Pav Bhaji with Broccoli (Vegetarien Sloppy Joe)

I’d never heard of sloppy joe till I came to US eight years ago. I have never made it but as far as I know SJ is made by cooking a lot of loose meat and then eaten by stuffing it between two pieces of bun or bread slices. To me that sounds like Pav Bhaji which is nothing more than a lot veggies cooked together (Bhaji) in a sloppy mess and eaten with buns (pav).
Like all Indian recipes, there are lots of variations to making Pav Bhaji. However, potatoes, green bell pepper and cauliflower are a few of the must have ingredients. The amount and kind of spices used, the ratio of different veggies used and the consistency of the bhaji all vary according to the cook’s discretion. So when I started making it with left over broccoli instead of cauliflower, I felt I was breaking a cardinal rule of PavBhaji. But the end result was just as delicious as the original.
Note: In the past I have tried various combinations of store bought pav bhaji masala and other spices. I find sticking to any one brand of PavBhaji masala gives the best results. I used Honest brand which is a local, Ahmadabad pav bhaji joint of the same name and they sell the masala in their restaurants.

Ingredients:
1 big onion, chopped fine
2 tomatoes, chopped fine
1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
4 tsp Pav Bhaji masala (vary according to taste)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
Vegetables:
3 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 green bell pepper, chopped in small cubes
1 -2 cups of broccoli, chopped fine
1/2 cup of frozen or fresh peas
Cilantro and chopped onion for garnish

Method:

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a flat pan and sauté the onions for about a minute. Add the ginger garlic paste and a tablespoon of pav bhaji masala. Roast for a minute till the raw smell of spices turns fragrant. Add the broccoli and bell pepper and cook for a few minutes before adding chopped tomatoes and some more masala. Cover and cook till the tomatoes soften and give off their juices, maybe 5—7 minutes.
Add the mashed potatoes and remaining masala powder. Stir to mix all the veggies together. Add the pea and the crushed tomatoes. Adjust salt and add some water. Cover and cook on low for about 15 minutes before mashing the veggies with the back of a ladle or a potato masher. Turn off the heat and transfer to a serving dish.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and finely chopped onion and serve with toasted pav or bun.
To make this richer and creamier, add a tablespoon of butter (preferably Amul). I being on calorie watch skipped it.

Recently, Vaishali of Holy Cow posted the recipe not only for Bombay Pav Bhaji but also for the pav* (buns) that traditionally are eaten with them. Vaishali's experience of Pav Bhaji stalls and the other eating joints of Bombay are so close to mine, I can relive them through her post.

*I did try making the pavs but must have messed something up in my measurements because though mine tasted delicious they came out crusty on top.