Sunday, November 30, 2014

Oats and Sunflower Seeds Cookies

I am not much of a baker as I lack patience. But once in a while I do like to whip up some goodies for my little boy. This easy oats cookies recipe caught my fancy and I perked up the health quotient by adding some sunflower seeds to it. The original recipe also called for dried cranberries but I substituted that with some raisins. It can be a good option for kiddie tiffin box too. Trust me your kid will not be able to resist the aroma of this freshly baked cookies!



Ingredients:

Sunflower seeds - 4 tbsp.

Olive oil - 2 tbsp.

Butter - 50 gms - I used Amul butter

Castor sugar - 1 cup

Egg - 1

Wholewheat flour - half a cup

Oats - 1 cup - I used the regular rolled oats that we use for breakfast

Raisins - a handful

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C. Grease and line a baking tray.

Dry roast the sunflower seeds and grind into a fine paste adding 2 tbsp olive oil.

Mix together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Gradually beat in the egg, the mix in the wheat flour and the oats. Mix in the sunflower seeds paste, then stir in the vanilla essence and the raisins.

Place heaped tbsp full of the mixture on the baking tray, spacing them well apart.

Bake in the oven for 10 mins until golden. Leave on baking tray for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve warm or store for later use.


Notes:

  • You could substitute raisins with any nut of your choice.
  • Keep an eye while baking the cooking as they take very little time.
  • Sunflower seeds could be substituted with flax seeds too.




 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Ragi Blinis - A healthier twist to pancakes

Blinis have a Russian origin. They are thin pancakes prepared from batter and cooked on hot frying pan topped with dollops of butter. It has an ancient history of being made for hungry travellers made from oats jelly. But with time blinis have undergone changes and are now also being made with wheat,rye,buckwheat or even barley. In my quest for healthy nutritious recipes for kids and grown ups alike I stumbled upon this dish. I was very happy to see such a great alternative to traditional pancakes that kids across the globe love. So I made some Ragi Blinis - thin pancakes made of finger millet flour. Now Ragi is being considered as a wonder grain. It is rich in calcium and protein and is low on unsaturated fats. It is now easily available across stores in the city and can be used to make varieties of crepes, dosas, adai and similar things.
Now coming back to my blinis. I loaded it up with some grated cheddar cheese to make it kid friendly and it tasted very good. You could also add finely chopped veggies to the batter if your child likes it that way. Serve it up with a side of simple sprouts salad .


Ingredients:

Ragi Flour - 1 cup

Wholewheat flour - 2 tbsp.

Egg - 1 no - lightly beaten

Milk - half a cup - approx.

Salt - to taste

Black pepper powder - to taste

Cheddar cheese - half cup - grated

Baking powder - 1 tsp


Butter - for greasing the pan

Method:

In a bowl mix together the ragi flour,wholewheat flour and the baking powder.

Add the egg and milk and mix  well to form a pancake batter. Not to thick or thin just like a dosa batter. Add the grated cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and keep aside for 10 mins.

In the mean time heat a non stick flat pan. Grease with a little butter . Cook the blinis in batches. Drop dessertspoon ful of batter into the frying pan,spacing them well apart.
Cook the blinis for 2 mins until the top is bubbling and the underside is golden. Turn them over and cook until the other side is browned.

Wrap the cooked blinis in a clean napkin to keep warm. Coook the rest of the blinis in the same way, brushing the pan with extra oil as needed.

Serve the blinis warm, topped with a little butter or all time favourite ketchup and accompanied by the salad.


 
 
 

Notes:
  • The blinis can be made into a sweet version too. Just add sugar to the batter instead of salt and cheese and drizzle with honey and whipped cream or any sauce of your choice.
  • Blinis can also be used as base for appetizers in dinner parties too. Load up the blini base with grated cheese or a piece of salami and serve as starters.
  • Addition of oatmeal instead of whole wheat is also an option.

Prawn Curry - Simple Comfort Food

Now with the festive season over for the time being and before we dive into the Christmas - New Year celebration frenzy, how about indulging in some simple comforting everyday dishes. Am sure most of us have indulged majorly during pujas and Diwali and now its time to get back to some easy "ghar ka khana". That ofcourse wouldn't mean that we stop eating tasty food. Sometimes the simplest of meal bring so much respite to our tired souls. I for one is going through a super hectic stressful phase ( would elaborate maybe later sometime ) For now I made this very simple flavourful Prawn Curry with everyday spices and enjoyed it with some boiled rice and a squirt of lime. I made it a little spicy coz I felt like eating a hot curry! You can easily adjust the spice levels according to your taste buds.
Prawn is something immensely enjoyed by us at home and this is a perfect dish which doesn't require much of a preparation.


Ingredients:

Prawns - 500 gms - medium sized - de shelled and deveined

Potato - 1 large or 2 medium sized - cut into cubes

Onion - 1 large - thinly sliced

Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tsp each

Red chilli powder - 1 and half tsp - adjust according to taste

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 heaped tsp

Tomato puree - 2 tbsp.

Bay leaf - 2 nos

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Sugar - half tsp

Green chillies - 4-5

Refined oil - 1 tbsp for frying the prawns and 1 tbsp. for the gravy

Method:

Wash and dry the prawns. Marinate with 1 tsp turmeric and salt.
Heat 1 tbsp oil and lightly sauté the prawns till they turn golden.
Drain and keep aside.

In the same pan add another tbsp of refine oil.

Add the bayleaf. Next add the sliced onion and fry till slightly browned.
Add the ginger garlic paste and fry that too.

Next tip in the cubed potatoes and fry for 2-3 mins.
Add all the dry spices  except the garam masala - cumin powder,red chili powder,turmeric , salt and sugar along with the tomato puree.

Roast the spices well, add a little water if the masalas stick to the sides. Roast on low flame so that it doesn't burn.

Once the spices start to leave oil on the sides, add one cup water and let the gravy simmer for 5 mins.

Add the sautéed prawns , green chilli and garam masala powder. Give it a boil and remove from heat.

Serve with hot rice and some lime on the side. Even some roasted papad would go really well with it #afterthought


 
Notes :
  • Don't overcook the prawns as they would turn rubbery.
  • You could also add some diced tomates for that extra tang.
  • Tomato purees are as it is very tangy so cut out on that if using fresh tomatoes.
  • You could also garnish with some fresh coriander leaves.
  • Medium sized prawns work best with this dish. But you could use big ones too. You could also replace prawns with either rohu or katla.
 

Veggie Dunkers with Nutty Yogurt Dip - For kids and oldies alike!

As my primary role of a being a mom to a growing 7 yr old my biggest challenge lies in feeding my kid healty, nutritious food. And it doesn't help if the child is a bit fussy when it comes to eating veggies and nuts. So I am constantly on the look out for recipes that are innovative and helps me make my child eat without complaining. Ever since I started this blog I realised that I have mostly shared recipes that suit that adult taste apart from the occasional muffins and quiches.Meal times are well handled as my kid likes to eat rice with fish curry or a chicken curry but its the snack time that gives me jitters. I get completely lost as to what to serve to take care of the 4 pm hunger pangs. So I have consciously decided to dig out and share recipes that are kid friendly and doesn't compromise on the health quotient. And why only kids we adults too do not consciously take care of what we eat and end up binging many times.

The very first recipe coming your way is super easy -peasy Veggie Dunkers with a Nutty Yogurt Dip - packed with the goodness of fresh winter veggies and nuts. Serve it on play dates and see them polish of the dip in no time. Apart from the dip this dish only needs some assembling.


Ingredients:

Assorted vegetables  - cucumber ,carrots, beet root and tomatoes - cut length wise

For the dip :

Yogurt - 1 bowl - use the thick ones - I used Amul

Cashewnuts - a handful

Almonds - a handful

Olive oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Honey - 1 tbsp

Paprika /Chilli flakes - for garnish - optional

Method:

Cut all the vegetables lengthwise and dip in cold salted water till served.

For the dip:

Dry roast the cashewnuts and almond in a pan.
Ground it into a fine powder and keep aside.

Whisk the yogurt till smooth. Season with salt and honey.
Next add the powdered nuts and mix well. Add a little olive oil too.

Garnish with chilli flakes /few roasted nuts and a drizzle of olive oil.


This dip can even be served as a party starter along with some nachos,tortilla chips, chicken nuggets, just about anything.



Notes :
  • Use any fresh veggie that you would want or whatever your child likes. Some sautéed mushrooms would also go well.Or maybe some grilled paneer sticks.
  • You could also use hung curd instead of yogurt.