Staying alone and away from home does not mean you need to miss good food. Try these quick, easy to prepare and tasty recipes!

1.    Lemon Rice

Ingredients
•    Cooked rice- 1 cup
•    Lime juice-  1 tbsp.
•    Groundnuts- 2 tbsp.
•    Urad Dal- ½ tsp
•    Gram Dal- ½ tsp
•    Mustard Seeds- ½ tsp
•    Dry red chillies- 2 (broken into half)
•    Curry leaves-  1 sprig (wash well and remove leaves)
•    Turmeric – a pinch
•    Oil- 1 tbsp.
•    Salt- to taste

Method:
1.    Heat oil in a deep non-stick vessel on medium flame, once hot, add groundnuts and fry, until brown. Add mustard seeds, when they crackle, add the dals and fry for 2-3 minutes.
2.    Add dry red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric, sauté for 5 minutes
3.    Add cooked rice and mix well. Sprinkle lime juice over rice, add salt and stir well.
4.    Cover and keep on low for 10 minutes.
5.    Remove from flame and serve hot.

2.    Brinjal fry

Ingredients:
•    1 Large black brinjal [slice into rounds of medium thickness and prick gently with fork]
•    Turmeric- ½ tsp.
•    Red chilli powder- ½ tsp.
•    Salt to taste
•    1 egg (beaten)
•    Oil- 2 tbsp.

Method
1.    Place brinjal slices in a large bowl and mix with turmeric powder and red chilli powder. Leave for 10 minutes. Just before frying, add salt to pieces.
2.    Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan, when hot, dip brinjal into beaten egg and place on pan.
3.    Cook brinjal for 3-4 minutes, once browned, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes on the other side.
4.    Remove from pan and drain excess oil on paper towels.
5.    Serve hot.

3. Carrot Salad

Ingredients
•    Grated Carrot- ½ cup
•    Green chilli- 1 sliced
•    Onion- 1 small
•    1 celery- 1 spring chopped
•    Curd- 3 tbsp.
•    Salt – to taste
•    Jeera powder- a pinch

Method:
1.    In a deep bowl, mix grated carrot along with green chilli, onion and celery.
2.    Add curd and salt and combine well
3.    Before serving sprinkle jeera powder
4.    This can be served immediately or chilled in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving

4.Veggie loaded omelette

Ingredients:
•    2 eggs
•    3 button mushrooms- sliced
•    ¼ cup coloured capsicum- green, red, yellow
•    1 small tomato- chopped
•    1 small red onion- finely chopped
•    2 tbsp. palak- chopped fine
•    1 tsp. grated cheese
•    ¼ tsp. red chilli flakes
•    A pinch of pepper
•    Salt- to taste
•    1 tsp. olive oil

Method:
1.    In a large bowl whisk eggs with salt and pepper. Add chopped vegetables and mix well.
2.    Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame and add oil. When hot, pour egg mixture into pan.
3.    Sprinkle red chilli flakes and grated cheese onto omelette
4.    Lower flame and cook on one side for 5 minutes.
5.    With a spatula gently flip over omelette and cook for another 5-7 minutes on low flame, until browned.
6.    Remove from pan and serve hot.

5.Mixed daal tadka

Ingredients:
•    ½ cup mixed dals (make ½ a cup using a combination of toor, moong, channa dal, masoor)- wash dals well under running water and soak for 30 -45 minutes
•    1 small onion- chopped
•    1 medium sized tomato- chopped
•    1 sprig curry leaves
•    3-4 garlic pods- mashed
•    ¼ tsp. grated ginger
•    ½ tsp. mustard seeds
•    2 dry red chillies
•    1 small green chilli- slit lengthwise
•    ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
•    2 tbsp. fresh coriander leaves- chopped (for garnish)
•    Oil 1 tbsp. (divided)
•    Salt – to taste

Method:
1.    In a pressure cooker, on medium flame heat oil. Add onion, green chilli and turmeric powder and fry until onion turns golden brown.
2.    Add tomato and cook for 5 minutes until tomato becomes pulpy and the raw smell disappears.
3.    Drain water from soaked daals and add daals into the pressure cooker. Stir well along with salt for 3-4 minutes. Add water just above the level of the daal.
4.    Pressure cook with the weight, on low flame for 15-20 minutes until daals are soft and well done. 
5.    For tadka- Heat 1 tsp. of oil in a small vessel, once hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add dry red chillies, curry leaves ginger and garlic. Fry until ingredients become fragrant and garlic turns golden brown.
6.    Pour tadka into cooked daal and stir until mixed.
7.    Serve hot with rice or chapathi.

6.Savoury French Toast

Ingredients:
•    2 slices of bread, cut into triangles (gives you 4 pieces)
•    1 egg (beaten)
•    1 small onion- chopped (optional)
•    1 green chilli- chopped fine
•    ½ tsp. minced garlic
•    1 tsp. chopped coriander leaves
•    1 tsp. grated cheese
•    2 tbsp. milk
•    A pinch of pepper
•    Salt – to taste
•    1 tsp. cooking oil

Method:
1.    In a bowl combine all ingredients, except bread and oil.
2.    In a small non-stick pan, heat oil on medium flame. When hot, dip bread into egg mixture and coat well.
3.    Place on hot pan and cook on one side for 3-5 minutes until lightly browned. Flip over and repeat on the other side.
4.    Repeat for the next 3 slices.
5.    Remove from flame and serve hot.

7.  Milk Payasam (Pal Payasam)

Ingredients:
•    1 litre (4 glasses) of milk
•    Basmati rice 2-3 tbsp.
•    Sugar - 1/4 cup 
•    Saffron - few strands, soaked in a tbsp. of milk
•    Cardamom powder – a pinch
•    1 tbsp. ghee (divided)

Method:
1.    In a small pan, on low flame add a few drops of ghee and gently fry basmati rice for 3-4 minutes until slightly browned and fragrant. Transfer into small mixie jar and pulse for 2-3 seconds until grains are coarse (do not grind to a fine powder)
2.    Heat remaining ghee in a pressure cooker, on low flame. When ghee melts, add milk and allow it to boil. Do not increase the flame. When the milk boils, add in the coarsely ground rice to the cooker. 
3.    Cover cooker with the lid along with the weight. Cook for 10-15 minutes and switch off flame. When pressure has come down, open the lid. The milk should have thickened, if not continue boiling for another 15 minutes.
4.    The milk should have a thick and creamy consistency. Add sugar and mix well, let milk boil for 2 minutes. Add saffron and powdered cardamom and stir gently.