Semiya Upma(Vermicelli Noodles)

Serves 2

Ingredients:
Oil-1.5 tbsp
Finely Chopped Mixed Vegetables(onion, carrot, capsicum, peas)-1 cup
Garlic chopped-1 pod
Vermicelli(Semiya)-1.5 cups
Salt
Turmeric powder(optional)- a pinch
Water-2 3/4 cups
Lime juice-1 tsp
Coriander leaves- to garnish

Seasoning:
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds-1 tsp
Curry leaves- a few
Urud dal-1 tsp
Green chilli chopped
Ginger chopped-1 tsp
Hing-a dash

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add ingredients listed under "seasoning".
When mustard seeds crackle, add onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Add rest of the veggies and sprinkle salt and turmeric powder.
Saute for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
In the same pan, roast vermicelli on low flame. At the same time, bring water to boil.
When vermicelli turns golden brown, pour boiling water and mix well. Sprinkle salt. Cook till it absorbs all the water. Add the veggies, lime juice and coriander leaves and mix well.
Serve with pickle/yogurt or sugar.

This goes to Show me your Breakfast! - July 10th event!

Comments on Green (Kitchen) Remodeling

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area we do a lot more remodeling of existing homes than building new ones. This is because we are "built-out" in cities and suburbs that line the Bay. Remaining building lots in these areas are few and far between and usually on steep slopes requiring expensive engineering to build a house.

Developers pounce eagerly on flat sites such as the closed Alameda Naval Air Station, or Hunter's Point shipyard in San Francisco; even though toxic cleanup is required, because homes in the immediate Bay Area bring such premium prices. That's not going to change no matter what happens with the economy.

Extensive remodeling of existing homes has been going on here since the 80's, and I'm sure it will continue into the foreseeable future.

Some people actually buy obsolete homes in desirable areas (for millions of dollars) and tear them down to build a dream home.

What does this have to do with "green remodeling" you say? Well, a lot.

Green building is really a lot easier than green remodeling because you start with nothing when you build. So building with green materials and methods will result in a green home. How green depends on the materials and methods, but green.

When you remodel, you are starting with a structure that is obsolete. And in many cases, the remodel will only target part of the structure - for instance, the kitchen. So, even though you might choose bamboo cabinetry, cork flooring, Energy Star appliances, and all the other accouterments of a truly green kitchen; your green kitchen will still be mired in a not-so-green house.

What to do?

I suggest starting your planning for a remodel, any remodel of your obsolete home, with an Energy Audit and report.

This excerpt is from Green Building Advisor's page on Green Remodeling Projects

"An Energy Audit includes inspections and tests to assess moisture flow, combustion safety, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and durability.

An energy audit becomes a roadmap for smart repairs and helps organize improvements into sensible order. When renovations are to take place in stages, as the budget allows, an energy audit ensures the most pressing problems are taken care of first."

Never before has the technology or knowledge been available to assess your home as a "system". It's here now.

My husband and I recently contracted with Recurve (formerly Sustainable Spaces), of San Francisco, for an Energy Audit.

We were planning to replace our furnace and attic ductwork. So it seemed to be a logical move. But I highly recommend an Energy Audit before undertaking ANY remodeling work on your home, because the roadmap that the report provides should be incorporated in everything you do on your house from now forward.

In our case, Recurve gave us a very different picture than the furnace guys who gave us estimates a couple of years ago. Our new furnace is quite a bit smaller than the ones they were quoting, and our ductwork is different too. Yet we are far more comfortable than we have ever been in our home. That's because our Energy Audit told us that our home needed some major sealing attention, and we did that as part of the furnace and ductwork project.

No more drafts! And in chilly foggy South San Francisco, that's AMAZING!

Recurve also suggested our Metlund Hot Water D'MAND System. A product of which I was entirely unaware. I LOVE it and it saves a whole lot of water. I will also specify it for all of my clients henceforth. I gush about it in a previous post.

With an Energy Audit in hand you will be prepared to make your home truly green over a period of years, with every remodel you undertake.

You will also be cutting your impact on the environment in manageable steps.

It is so worth the small cost.

Do it today.

To see some green remodels on the Green Building Advisor site click here.

For a view on "Five Things You Can Do Right Now to Cut Your Utility Bill", as well as a treatise on "greenwashing", from Matt Golden, President of Recurve and a member of the advisory team at Green Building Advisor, click here.

Peggy

Whole Moong Dosa and Instant Mango Pickle - Maanga Curry

I am used to having filling breakfast like idli/dosa/pongal. Oats porridge, cornflakes ,muffins or energy bars can't find place at breakfast table. I like to have variety in breakfast at the same time making it healthy too. These whole moong dosa do appear in our breakfast table once in a fortnight. The soaking time is less compared to our usual dosa. Also no fermentation required. Split moong dal can also be used in place of whole moong, though the taste will be different. I prefer whole moong for the fibre content. This is similar to Andhra pesarattu. I believe, in Pesarattu, only whole moong is used.

you will need
1 cup raw rice
1 cup whole moong
1 inch piece ginger
3 green chillies
few curry leaves
2 medium sized onions (optional)

Yields 12 dosas.

Wash and soak raw rice and whole moong for 4-5 hours. Grind them along with ginger, green chillies and curry leaves, to a not too smooth batter. You can grind this in the mixer grinder also and batter can be slightly coarse too.

Before making the dosas, mix in the finely chopped onions to the batter. I haven't added this time. Of course adding onions enhances the taste. Make slightly thick dosas and cook both sides. You can cook it either soft or crisp according to your taste.

I served with fresh instant mango pickle. During summer, when raw mangoes are freely available, this pickle was part of our meal on almost all days. Its very easy to make and there is not much of a recipe for that. the pickle needs only 15 minutes of standing time after it is made to start consuming. Didn't I tell you its instant. I usually don't add too much of chilly powder since my husband usually eats it like a veggie side. when served during feasts, usually it will have a red color because of the chilly powder. I wonder now a days, the caterers do add a pinch of red color to give that fiery touch to it.

For the pickle, you need
1 raw, slightly sour mango
salt to taste
2 tspn of chilli powder (adjust to taste)
a big pinch of hing
1 tspn mustard seeds
2 tblspn of gingely oil

chop the mangoes into bite sized pieces. Heat oil in a small pan/karandi. When hot add mustard seeds. When it splutters, add hing, chilli powder and salt. Remove from immediately to retain the red color of chilli. Mix into the chopped mango. Mix well. Leave it for 15 minutes for the flavors to blend in.
It goes very well with curd rice and practically with anything at my home.

I am sending the plate of moong dosa to showcase at Dil Se's Breakfast table , to MLLA 13 guest hosted at TongueTicklers , an event started by Susan and to Padma's Dosa Corner

The jar of instant pickle makes it to Mango Mela at Valli's