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 !!!

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...

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...

Banana smoothie

Banana Smoothie

This year the rains have a strange pattern...it comes in fits and starts...it is certainly more scanty than earlier years...not at all like Mumbai monsoon...and since it is not a sustained rainfall there has not been any appreciable cooling down of the temperatures...we have been having more of summer like  rather than monsoon like weather...

Our regular (for the summer ) cooling drink of lassi along with our meals have been carried over to this supposedly rainy season too...and today with the heat still on, thought that instead of our mid morning regular fare of fruits, it would be great to have a smoothie...a cool refreshing healthy and yummy drink.

Smoothies are something we have had quite regularly in the recent past...earlier whenever we had to make a drink with a fruit it would be more like milkshakes - e.g. banana or mango or chikoo pulsed with milk and sugar...and there you have your typical drink...
Then the concept of smoothie was introduced...though the smoothie could be made with milk as well...the more popular ingredient is yogurt, along with or without milk, & ice.
And due to health conscious folks - sugar free sweetners, or honey etc replaces regular sugar...
I also tend to add some nuts to give it that extra punch....

Many recipes call for crushed ice ....I prefer to use frozen fruit - generally when a banana has ripened and is being ignored by all and sundry - I quickly peel it and put it in a container and freeze it for further use...sometimes it is in a muffin or bread ...and as today in a smoothie...

Whole wheat Coconut Banana Mini Muffins

Mini Muffins

What again ??? This cause I was making my upmteen banana muffin or bread and also my third almost in a row coconut baked something....also have been using coconut quite a bit in other stuff, the most recent being the papad with coconut kosambari ( happala kosambari )....though according me to that does not count - it was a savoury ( spicy ) dish and not to be put in the same mould as a sweet one....

But as I said recently I had made a carrot cake ( which had been given a no. 1 star by my sister's work friends ), a coconut marbled cake / bread ( both recipes still to be posted ) and now this banana mini muffins with coconut...
well what do you do .....when you find a gem of a recipe you have to try it out ...right :-)

Well so here I am making this simple, very healthy ( whole wheat, no butter ), with some of my favourite ( banana, coconut ) ingredients...and very little sugar...so yes I am really thrilled...the occasion ...did not really need any...but had one handy...our friend was to pay us a visit ...it was not a sure thing...but I had to be ready  for him ???

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...