Eggless Chocolate Cake - Vegan

This ( the search for the recipe ) started when we were to have some guests from US....one of T's cousin and her family...which included a granddaughter who was allergic to diary...

I had a couple of favourite cakes - one date, and the other chocolate - but both had milk, butter, or eggs or yogurt....so checked the net ...and found this one in all-recipes site...

It is such a simple recipe and yet it turns out into an amazingly delish cake - it is a little chewy sort of brownie type...really liked it...after which I have made it many times - even for regular ( i.e. non allergic ) folks...and everyone has loved it too...

There are some changes that I have made to the original recipe....one is to reduce the sugar...we like ours to be just sweet...not too sweet...sometimes I replace a quarter cup of sugar with brown sugar - that gives it a more caramelised taste...
I also like to reduce the oil - so my standard substitution for that is to skin and grate an apple ( small ) - and then micro it for about 4-5 minutes with a few drops of water till it becomes soft and pulpy...cool and use in the cake batter...this increases the taste, nutritional value besides making it more healthy by reducing the oil...and of course cannot do without some nuts, so chopped walnuts it is...( this is optional and can be omitted )

Ragi Bread (made with yeast)

Ragi Bread

I think we are all increasingly become a wired society...just this moment I connected my camera to the comp ...to upload the pictures of the bread I had made...there u go ...wires...then job done..rolled it up and put it in...
In the morning - more wires ...to charge up my laptop...wires of mobiles(in plural) ...for each of us...why(?!?)...who knows...being so connected to the world is not necessarily a very good idea...methinks. Soon with evolution we might start growing wires out of our own bodies ( theory being that - that which is not used disappears and that which is frequently used becomes stronger )....science fiction ?!? you say...well u never know...it just might be the future.

Nyways just random & stray thoughts...were we better off when lives were simpler...and access to all a little bit more restricted...when we were not so privy to every itty bitty detail of others lives & happenings(Facebook & What's app)....where they all are at any given time...what they ate, what they saw, did, enjoyed...who they met...
I guess every bit of development & progress has it's cons...and we have to live with that whilst enjoying it's benefits.

What has that to do with this recipe...nothing actually...sorry guys...to let you down this path...just thought I would let out a bit of my angst.

So coming back to this bread...I am on a bread discovery, new flours discovery, and more healthful alternatives to the original options...hoping to achieve food nirvana some day... :-).

This bread contains a mix of 3 flours, used ragi ( nachani ) my new favourite, whole wheat, and some all purpose to lighten the dough a bit...
Dates is my new sweetener...have written more about it below...
Fruits or veggies my all time favourite...try to always incorporate them in my baking..

It all worked out beautifully and came together in the form of this bread...which can be had for breakfast or evening tea, or even a midway snack...it is not sweet at all...so for those with a sweet tooth...the sugar or dates can be increased...otherwise it could be had as is...with butter or fruit preserves of choice.

And here goes, the recipe for an amazing bread is as given below....


Ingredients:

3/4 cup Ragi flour
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3/4 tsp active yeast
1 Tblspn sugar
8-10 dates, seeded and chopped**
1 Tblspn olive oil ( or any other oil )
1 large or 2 medium carrot(s) grated (optional)*
1/2 tsp salt


Topping (optional ):
1 tsp milk 
1/2 Tblspn sesame seeds

Method:

1) Warm the milk, add sugar and yeast and keep aside for 10 minutes, add the chopped dates to this mixture.
2) Mix all the flours in the bowl, add salt, oil, and mix thoroughly.
3) Add the grated carrots, and the yeast mixture, knead to form a smooth dough - you could add some water or flour if required, the dough is a bit sticky.
4) Oil the dough surface, and the bowl, keep covered with a moist cloth for 1 hour in a warm place. The dough rises to double it's size.
5) Beat the dough down and knead it lightly, shape in form of a loaf...put it in a baking dish - cover with cloth and keep again for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hrs to rise again.
6) After the second rising - pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C, brush the dough with milk, and sprinkle sesame seeds over it, press lightly so that it sticks to the dough.
7)Bake 180 for 35-40 minutes till done. Check with a toothpick to see if done.

8) Cool over a wire rack - then slice and serve.
Enjoy !!!

Note:
*1) The carrots are optional - it is just to add some more flavour and to increase the nutritional quotient...you could add spinach or bottle gourd ( dudhi ) or zucchini...but in case of those you may need to remove some of the water esp. regards dudhi or zucchini...so as to not make the bread too moist.
Apple or banana also make a good addition...have used it in other recipes - turns out good.
You could also just go with plain ....

**2) The addition of dates is to increase the sweetness of the bread without increasing the sugar...
Dates provide a lot of health benefits - it is a rich source of iron, vitamins, minerals and also helps lower cholesterol...it is a natural form of sugar so I try to use it instead of sugar in most of my sweet dishes.

The previous time I had tried a whole wheat bread - it had become too dense - and since it was not too sweet either I did not have a lot of takers for it...so had to valiantly finish it off on my own...this time decided to try with smaller portions ...
So this was a half measure of an recipe with my modifications ....make one small loaf - the slices look big cause I cut it a bit diagonally...but you could go double it to get a regular sized big loaf...
Hope you try this ...I loved it...and do plan on making it again myself.
And regards my angst above...don't worry any communication from my readers is most welcome...please do let me know what you think..re. my recipes...or in general....life & the world... :-)

Eggless Ragi Banana Cake

Eggless Ragi Banana Cake

Recently, I met up with one of my very close friends(D had a great time with you) who was visiting India ( she lives in Dallas US )...and we got to discussing the various grains and cereals and what is good and healthy...and can be used in a lot of our day to day cooking, baking etc...

One of those was amaranth...and while trying to get the Indian name for it we mistakenly referred to it as ragi...then later realised that it is not so...the actual name is rajagira...which is supposed to be very good, considered a superfood.

All this bought to fore my desire to move on to new methods and ingredients in my baking in my quest for a more healthy sweet or dessert...since we have tried unsuccessfully many a time to resist the sweet temptations.

So while browsing for recipes got a few using ragi ( nachani ) flour and was very impressed with a couple of them - one was a chocolate cupcake and the other a banana cake...
The latter won the toss mainly cause I had 3 bananas on verge of going to the bin if not used immediately...but I also wanted to try an eggless version and use sweetened condensed milk which was part of the first recipe....confusing right ....nyways the end result was a combination of parts of both.

Ragi is a cereal which is very nutritious, it is rich in  calcium, has a lot of dietary fibre, has a lot of iron, is a natural relaxant, and a host of other properties...

So after reading the above recipes I was quite keen to try it out - though I was unsure how it would be received by all at home, generally I do not have much takers for my "healthy attempts" ...but this one turned out so amazing - it was soft, delish (even with the reduced sweetness) and one could not make out that it was made without the regular flours...

Healthy Dates & Carrot Quick Breakfast Bread

Dates & Carrot Breakfast Bread

So now I am on a health trip - trying to find ways to reduce the sugar, all-purpose flour from my recipes...did a bit of experimentation with yeast...and then found my way back to the quicker variety with baking powder & soda...

Though right now I am still continuing with the carrots & dates & banana or apple pulps combinations, this particular bread recipe had agave ( for sweetness)  which I replaced with honey...the previous recipe was a whole wheat bread which was very dense - so decided to go a bit lighter this time with a combination of flours...and since this had oats(loads of goodness)...felt I could add in a bit of AP flour...the sweetness is due to the dates and honey - both of which just barely flavours the bread - and that is good for a breakfast bread..which is where I was going with this one...
However if you would like it more like a dessert you make add more honey or dates or even sugar to the mix.

The spices in this bread brings out the flavours of dates, the slight aroma of banana...and brings to mind the Christmas plum cake...making it absolutely yummy !!!

Apple & Strawberry Quick Bread

Apple Strawberry Bread

Omg ....I have to write about this, have baked banana bread so many times - love it...and muffins with apples & applesauce..amazing....but they are all totally different in taste and texture from this - once you start eating this, you cannot stop with just one piece. 

Have to confess that this actually was a recipe for applesauce bread - but I had this jam on hand a combi of strawberries and apples - decided to use that instead of the applesauce...and oh wow !!! ....

This has a mix of all purpose flour(maida) and whole wheat flour(atta), hint of cinnamon, sweetness of the fruits(strawberry & apple - though you could use just the apples), goodness of yogurt, nourishment from egg & nuts, reduced fat with oil instead of butter, brown sugar and that too just 1/2 cup...with all those healthy options...the taste is just awesome...definitely gotta try this one out. And it is one of the most easiest things to put together - just 2 bowls - one for dry, one for wet ingredients - mix the two...and voila...there you have it..one of the most fantastic, moist, flavorful, healthy snacks, breakfast, dessert, sweet...call it as you like it.

Homemade Buns with Filling - Sweet / Savoury

Savoury Buns

Maine pehne party shoes...
Gonna let my body loose....
Karli hai.-----------------.....
There's party on my mind....

This song from the movie Race 2 ...which translates as follows "I have worn my party shoes,  and am all carefree...etc etc...with partying on my mind...." comes to my mind, as I get ready to greet the next batch of visitors from overseas who plan to drop in to see us....

If you have been following/reading my earlier posts - you would know that we had quite a few guests recently...and it truly was like one party after another....good fun to meet and spend time with our near & dear ones...also gave me an opportunity to try out my culinary skills...ahem.

So back to the thought processes, shopping for groceries, planning the menu...you would think I am planning a huge dinner or lunch with four courses, salad & dessert...nope...not really...just tea & snacks...what ?!?  :-) ...I know ....but still whether the party is small or big - it is fun planning it out.

Our guests were to join us for tea and snacks - and I thought these buns with savoury filling of cheese, garlic, and cilantro (coriander leaves / dhania patta ) would be just the thing to prepare...
I had tried it out before ...and it had turned out amazing...it was so lightweight, and the taste of the filling - cheese, garlic, with cilantro is a very good combination. I got this recipe from Divya's easycooking...her easy and simple style and pictures makes it very convenient to follow and adapt.

Does this ever happen to any of you - that you try out a new recipe and make something amazing, and at first shot the results are so outstanding that it even surprises you...and then you decide to replicate that success with guests...and guess what - not that great....
Well that has happened a few times to me...so I was a bit wary of trying this one out for our visitors...but the results was so good, maybe even better ( with a few minor changes from the first time around ) that I had to put it down for all of you.

You could try making these plain or with any other stuffing you like - including onion, or even add some veggies mashed - like potatoes, peas etc...

These can be made with a sweet filling of sugar, coconut, chopped dates, chopped nuts etc. too....the main difference between the two with regards to the dough is the amount of sugar and salt you add to it.

Eggless Low-fat Chocolate Brownie....or cake...or something in middle

Now this is a sort of repeat of one of my earlier posts, but had to put it down - could have done a update - but decided that it needed it's own space :-)

How it all started...

End of last year I had discovered a low-fat brownie recipe which I liked a lot - and as I mentioned in that post - it was not a proper brownie recipe -which is supposed to have a high proportion of fat to flour ...whereas that one was more cake like - and the term low-fat brownie is sort of an oxymoron...but as I said since it was such an amazing recipe - and I added a chocolate drink powder on top to give it an icing look - and turn it into a yummy desert...I had been thrilled with the end product and with myself... :-)

Anyways so yesterday we were invited to a sort of snack fest by one of our cousins - and I was to bring brownies with me to the do...now many in my hubby's family are non egg eaters...hence the search last night for an egg less brownie...
Turned up quite a few - but none as quick and easy as the earlier mentioned "low-fat brownie recipe"....so decided to innovate and turn that into a egg less recipe...

And again am so thrilled with the recipe and the end product and myself too... that I had to put it down in a post of it's own - to celebrate the success...

Onion Bread

Onion Bread

Well, this was not the first bread that I had baked - and some of them have turned out pretty good - and some not that great ....some with yeast and some quick bread (of which banana bread is my all time fav.).

But somehow I was quite impressed with this bread that I had experimented with this morning...am not quite sure how I got around to doing this today - had not really planned it so...but sometimes I find myself just working on a new recipe without realising it...it just happens...and those are sometimes the best dishes.

This is one of them...I had earlier backed some buns with coriander, garlic & cheese stuffed in them - it was pretty good...and T and discussed that onion would be a good stuffing too...while reading up some recipes, I got this one which is not exactly a stuffing but the onions are fried ( browned ) and then mixed with the dough - so you get the flecks of it all thru - not just in the centre...
As usual I made some changes - added some garlic too (one of our favourite ingredients) - and also brushed the top with some milk and put some sesame seeds onto it...gave it a more professional look and feel.

Low fat Chocolate Brownie / Cake / Something in middle...

Ok, So I am doing this after a very long time - by this I mean putting down my recipe....not sure why ....
I am generally rather thrilled when I plan to try out anything new and even more thrilled when the end result ( after all my changes ) comes out successful....

I start off with quite a bit of research on the net....take on a few of the best options (with regards to the recipes & it's ingredients) ....check out the pros & cons...and then generally try out one of them with a few of my own variations....
And if it turns out to be a winner - boy am I thrilled (as mentioned above)...and that's when I love to blab about it to anyone who will give me a ear...( or think of blogging...in case the first is missing). 

And that is the cause of my confusion - why the delay ??? in posting - but anyways now that I am here - let me get on with the recipe, this time it is the brownie that I was into...
Actually this is not my first...I have used the box mix many a time with beautiful results...this was way before I started  on my adventures with baking from scratch...with cakes, muffins etc...

I have also baked a sort of instant brownie - which was supposed to be a single serve...which was not bad ....but this was supposed to be full fledged recipe.

As I said I researched and found quite a few - more true to the concept of brownie than this one...but it all had a huge amount of butter, or oil, and sugar..and then I came upon this one...
The recipe said that it was low fat - that was the main attraction for me...as for the sugar - I had my own twist on that...
The only thing is that in most brownie recipes as opposed to cake the flour and butter proportions 1/2 cup is to 1 cup - whereas this really did not fit that category, hence does not fall into the true brownie category - but does it matter...
It is quite fudgy, chocolaty, yummy, delicious - call it what u want  - brownie, cake or anything in between....but do try it...bake it...enjoy it.....cause it is fantastic......and my secret to reduce the sugar ????...to make it more amazing....Dates !!!!
And a twist to an amazing icing on the brownie - Bournvita !!!! that is a chocolaty drink which we have at our place at all times...

So when my alterations to an already amazing recipe yielded even more amazing results - I had to put it down...
Could I have used the word "amazing" any more...well ....let me see.... :-)....

Date & Walnut Cake (Eggless)

Eggless Date & Walnut Cake

I was so sure that I had already put down this recipe in an earlier post, so decided to run a check on my blog for cakes...to my surprise did not find any entry...What?!?  cannot believe I did not post any cake recipes at all...well that is certainly not the case, so then....duh...guess what? somehow I had not put that down as a label at all, so had to do a more thorough check thru the dessert list and found I did have a chocolate cake down ( one of the many I make regularly )...but no entry for the above date cake - which is an absolutely amazing cake and one of my favourites.
Wondering however did I miss both the label cake in my blog and the post for this date cake...anyway set out to rectify both. 

So here I am, in the process of baking this once more ( this time at a request from hubby )...took some pictures of the final product - sorry do not have any of work in progress cause as I said - did not know that this was not down already in my blog...so anyways the next time maybe I might manage to get that too...

There are a lot of recipes for the same on the net... this one was adapted from one of them - have made the original one too but this is more moist and had a more intense date taste, due to increase in the no. of dates used.

I have passed on the date cake recipe to many and all have loved it, including my friend C who visited us the other day - she had come over for lunch and the dessert for that day was a rice & date kheer ( another recipe I really need to get down here ) - nyways this started her off on a discussion on the date cake - and how simple it is to make and how amazing it turns out, and how all her colleagues and friends with who she has shared the cake and recipe loved it....etc...

All this talk on the date cake made hubby long for it too...and hence the request for it ( not that I need a reason to bake it )...

Oh and did I mention that it is egg less - a boon for when I have to take something across for those of my friends and relatives who are vegetarians ( including C ).

Eggless Banana Walnut Muffins



Banana muffins

Every post ( recipe ) starts out with a long story (so say my folks)....and  there's one for this too... so here's how this goes.....

It all started with us planning to visit my hubby's cousins - for some reason or the other we have not been able to go over to their place for quite some time...we have met out ( at other's friends, relatives place & functions )....but it is not the same as just visiting them and chilling out - have chai, gupshup and generally relaxing together...

Finally we made plans to go on one Sunday ( yesterday ) as they and we were free...it happened to be Maha Shivratri also ....so while considering what to carry with me....I had to think egg less....

I had bought some bananas a few days back planning my favourite banana muffins - but then that had egg...checked the net out for a few egg less options and noticed that some bloggers used an additional banana  to replace the egg in their recipes....
So that decided it for me...
Went ahead with my favourite recipe ( which is also my first blog - and one of my first few bakes [as an adult ] ) Banana walnut muffins made a few changes to the original as follows....

Bananas 4 instead of 3
Addition of  1 tsp of vanilla essence

I found the mixture a little too dry / thick - so added a couple of spoons of milk, it is possible that the omission of egg reduced the liquid component of the original recipe...in case you find that it is not so in your case you could omit the milk.

The muffins turned out wonderfully soft and moist ( you could not make out that it was made without eggs ) it looked good and got to taste it too later.
So thought that this deserves a post of it's own....

Hubby made a cover for the box of muffins (more as a joke )- it was so artistic, so cute that I had to put it up here...(though with some changes , removed the photo and a bar code which he had put up to make it look like an item on sale)  - this  ofcourse caused our cousins to wonder whether I have started marketing  professionally....the answer to which is....no, nyet, nahi, ijji, non....in all the languages that I know and some... :-)

As for the evening with our cousins - it was really wonderful - we had such a great time - we had tea, with snacks and muffins ( which did taste good )....after tea we chatted, sitting out in their balcony which overlooks  Shivaji Park  (beautiful grounds in Dadar, Mumbai )- there was a gentle breeze blowing thru, sounds of  people playing in the park - traffic on the street below...and us reminiscing about places, people and events...

It was followed by a sumptuous dinner, which included undhiyu, puri, shrikhand, kadhi, rice - the undhiyu ( which is such a complicated dish to prepare ) was perfection itself - we relished the food....and the company...were truly sorry to say bye...

Thank you Be Ru Da ...for the lovely hospitality...we had a great time and hope it was the same for you and that you all enjoy the eggless banana muffins too...till we meet again...

Eggless Carrot & Apple Muffins

Eggless Carrot Apple Muffins

The rain gods have really been showing their might the past few days, this in the month of September ...is most unusual - but then this year - the monsoon has been very weird - in the months of June to August ( when it should have been at it's peak ) it hardly rained - a few short bursts of rainfall and then hot & dry the rest of the time....we were all worried for our yearly water supply, which if the lakes were not filled would be short ....well now I think that problem should be taken care of....

But all this unprecedented rains is causing a lot of gloom....we generally tend to avoid going out - due to the roads being bad ( potholes etc...) and traffic slowing down...and being at home more than a couple of weekends brings in a feeling of claustrophobia...so it was with a sigh of relief that I greeted the news that we were going to meet up with some friends this weekend....some gupshup...some chai / shai...a welcome change.

So now that was set...my mind got whirring...what do I take with me....ran through my list of cakes/ muffins....our friends would prefer something without eggs...thought of my favourite eggless chocolate cake...but having made that a couple of times recently, decided against it, thought of a carrot cake - had a great eggless recipe ( had made it once before - my sister's friends had given it a thumbs up...awarded it the no. 1 place )...so went ahead with that plan...even started with the carrots...but then while going thru the recipes I had noted with me ( on the search for the above carrot cake recipe ) ....found this carrot & apple muffins....it also had coconut ( which I was keen on )...and there the capricious mind was hooked...

Rave reviews Chocolate cake...in a Microwave

The day after....

Yesterday was my birthday ...and as I mentioned in my post of mocha muffins it was a hectic day of with phone calls, sms'es, FB msgs...and trying to do some special stuff in the kitchen in between all of these...

Then finally it was evening and my entire family got together - we had a great time - every one was eager to sample the baking - so even before the ceremonial cake cutting - the mocha muffins were disappearing quickly...it was proclaimed a success ( or maybe everyone was hungry.....no no it was truly amazing )...

Then came the cake...well what do I say...first of all the 'rave reviews part'  in the title ...they all come from my family - so you may think that they are biased...but you do not know my family...they do not hesitate to call a spade a spade...so if they like this - it has to be gooooood.....

Everyone was waiting eagerly...and finally the cake was  cut and served to all....my husband was eager to capture everyone's picture - so while I was serving or feeding the cake - he kept telling us "aam juyo", in gujarati it means "look here" - so that we could look into the camera for his shots....and the entire crowd being South Indian ( my side of the gang )...they all started saying "aam juyo" to each other and slowly the "aam" changed to "mango" - aam in Hindi means mango - the fruit...
So while T was taking the photos - everyone was calling out "mango juyo"...it was more funny then ...over there...and no ...there were no spirits involved......just high spirits :-)

Anyways ...the cake slowly disappeared too (after the mocha muffins )...& was proclaimed a big success too....
I have baked this many times - and had it appreciated by all...but somehow till date I have not had a chance to post this recipe...not sure why ...
So decided to do it...did not take any pictures of the said cake (too busy with all the phone calls I think ) - other than at cutting time...but had taken a picture of the cake made at an earlier time and have posted that here to give you all a glimpse too...this one did not have walnuts on top unlike the one made yesterday but never mind you get the idea.

Mocha Muffins

Mocha Muffins

It is my birthday today...

There were a lot of thoughts going thru my mind re. what I should be doing today...first thought was to just relax & pamper myself......just chilling out....but somehow things did not pan out...am not surprised....I have found that life seldom happens the way I want....more proof that there is a higher power somewhere controlling the events...and maybe we should just go along with the flow....
nyways...enuff of the philosophy talk....to get back on track...my plans for the day...

It started out with what we should do to celebrate...decided to have a get together at my parents place...my brother and sister and their families....we were to order in from a nearby restaurant...and since I did not have to do any cooking / shooking decided that least I could do was bake a cake ....my Mom insisted that I should bake a chocolate cake that she loves ( had baked it many times earlier for her and others )....so that was the first item on the menu...

Then I thought that since we were so many should I bake another one...or try out something new on my bookmarked lists...( one of my favourite past times is going thru recipes and keeping them aside to try out some other time ?! ....that list is so long...am probably going to go before I get thru it...and this is just the stuff I want to do re. cooking....my bucket list contains many more things....and that is another long story...will save it for some other time )
So getting back to my bookmarked lists...decided to try out mocha muffins ....have been wanting to bake something with coffee & chocolate combination...had not done it before...though that made both  the items as chocolate dessert...I was ok with it...since most in family are chocoholics...
So that was the second addition to my menu...

All this was after we got up - had our cuppa & toast...and in between all the phone calls, sms, FB msgs....and all....
Then since the celebration was for the evening - had to think of brunch or lunch or whatever...did not want the regular fare...so decided to make rava idli, sambhar, and chutney.
That made the third addition to today's cooking....

So my day of chilling and relaxing changed into one of slogging and sweating...?!?.. is there some lesson to learn from this...I think so...will let you all know once I figure it out :-) .....

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

After I have written the title I do not think anything more needs to be written ...it is all said...mmmm....( well maybe the recipe, after all that is what this blog is supposed to be about )...hmmm...maybe I could put in a bit about the making & admiring & tasting...& admiring again...

The aroma of  the cookies has filled my house ...just absolutely love it....I think that is the reason I love to bake...just so as to have the house smelling so good...I know there are candles with that fragrance and can imagine that would be a good sell.

Our favourite cookies are oatmeal raisin cookies...and we would often buy a pack of them ....so when I decided to bake some, I went through quite a few recipes for the same...found some very healthy one - with honey and oats etc..did try it out....with disappointing results...not that the cookie was bad ...just not the same as what we were looking for...
Then I came upon this one from the "Joy of Baking" site...and it turned out to be amazing...the only thing I would change it the quantity of sugar - it could do with a little less.

This is good for a snack with milk or just by itself or after a meal for dessert...or if you are like me...just to nibble on and off... am wondering whether any will be left for others :-)

Healthy hearty bread

The current trend is to eat healthy -anywhere and everywhere you read, there is talk of how to make the food that we eat more healthier, 
There are so many things that are considered bad for you,  that finally we may have to give up eating all together...[ though that may not be so bad, I hear fasting is good for you :) ]

The most confusing part is that the powers that be keep changing the rules of the game...how do we keep it all straight ?

Sometimes it is wine that is bad, now a glass of red is considered good..chocolates were bad...now dark chocolate has the nod...whole wheat flour was considered better than all purpose flour or maida...oh wait...that is still considered  to be so...but now there are a whole bunch of other flours which is said to be better that WWF...millet flour, sourgham flour, soyabean flour, amaranth flour.....

After going through the net I found some recipes for rotis, chapatis with a combination of all these above along with a little bit of  flax seed, sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds all powdered...
tried various combinations and now try to make it the healthy way most of the times.

Then of course the natural progression was from rotis to breads...got some recipe for healthy bread...tweaked it a bit to make it more healthy and also added some fruit pulp, either banana or apple ...along with some nuts ( love the crunchiness in all baked goods )...
This also contains oats ..yogurt, milk and honey ...with so much goodness ....it would be hard to improve upon...but that did not stop me !?
So here's the healthy hearty bread recipe...

Ingredients :

1 cup oats + 2 Tblspns
11/3 cup wheat flour
1 cup AP flour
1 cup yogurt
3/4 cup milk
2 tsps Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 banana mashed
1 egg
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup chopped nuts - I used almonds

Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 F or 190 C.
Coat a 9 x 5 pan with oil and sprinkle one tablespoon of oats all around it.
Mix the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, flax seed, baking powder, baking soda, salt in a bowl with a whisk
Mix all the wet ingredients along with 1 cup of oats.
Mix the flour mixture with the oats mixture stirring gently - do not overmix - put in the chopped nuts, vanilla essence and mix gently.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes - 1 hour or till a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool for 10 mins in the pan - and after removing for another 15 mins on the rack.
Enjoy !!!

Tips : You can make it healthier by reducing the oil and adding applesauce.
I reduced the 1 cup of AP flour to 1/2 and substituted the remaining 1/2 with a mix or millet flour, sourgham flour, a tablespoon of soya flour...

First post....Banana walnut muffins

I don't know why I thought I could do this...have been thinking about it for a long time and decided to finally take the plunge...went ahead and started this blog...


Now I am getting cold feet ...it is difficult for me to ramble in print...I am too direct and get immediately to the point...[ it is a different story when I get talking...then there is no stopping me...or so I am told :-) ]


Anyhow...let me not prove myself wrong ( by rambling )...and get to my favourite muffin recipes...starting with banana muffins...they were one of the first things I baked...the recipe was given to me by a very close friend who was an amazing cook...we loved going over to their place for dinner or tea or anything...mmmm....


As a kid I do remember baking a few things with my mother ( bread, cakes ) - we had a very old style dome structure oven...do not remember what happened to it or why we stopped ......but after a very long hiatus I restarted .....and the taste of this moist and absolutely heavenly muffins bought back all those memories...esp. the smell of baking filling the house...making our mouths water, and waiting impatiently for it bake and then cool...so that we could dig in...

So getting back ...here's the recipe that I follow...



Ingredients:


3 large bananas
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar or demerara sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup walnuts chopped


Method :


Mash the bananas. Add the sugars, and lightly beaten egg.
Add the melted butter.
Add the dry ingredients.  Fold lightly - do not overmix, add the walnuts and put in muffin tin...bake at 375 for 20 mins...or till a toothpick inserted comes out dry...gives 12 muffins.


The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar which I have changed as above...you could also use all brown sugar ...and the AP flour could be changed to half of AP and half whole wheat ...this will change the texture and taste of the final product but it still makes a very delicious treat...so go ahead and experiment...