Eggless Whole Wheat Oats Coconut Muffins

My toddler loves cakes and muffins.  I often experiment with healthy ingredients to make these for her.  The funny thing is that whatever cake or muffins I make for her I end up on relishing them myself too :)  These muffins too falls in that category.  I first tried them a month ago and then today.  They came out as good as before.  So fluffy and moist.  My princess just loved them. 

These muffins are simply melt in mouth and delicious.  Addition of fresh coconut gave it a nice crunch and condensed milk made it so rich in flavour.  Its a tried and tested recipe so make it for your family and get the nice compliments from them :)  

I thought to share this recipe as it has all the healthy ingredients that you can enjoy with your kiddos without fear of calories as it is a low calorie snack with just 2 tbsp of butter (you can easily decrease it by 1 & 1/2 tbsp).  I made them a bit on the sweeter side as I loved it that way.  All in all, its a healthy addition in your snacks list. 

So here is the recipe for you to try.  Happy Cooking :)

Makes - 6 muffins 

Baking time - 20 minutes

Temperature - 180 degree

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour	2 tbsp
Oats flour	2 tbsp
All purpose flour (maida)	2 tbsp
Baking powder	¼ tsp
Baking soda	1/8 tsp or 2 big pinch
Butter	2 tbsp
Salt	1 pinch
Fresh grated coconut	5 tbsp
Vanilla essence	¼ tsp
Milk	3 tbsp  or as required
Choco chips	1 tbsp
Tutty fruity (I used my homemade tutty fruity)	1 tbsp

Method:

• Mix together oats flour, whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Set aside.
• Preheat oven at 180 degree and line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Set aside.
• Mix choco chips and tutty fruitty with 1/2 tsp of all purpose flour and set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, take melted butter, condensed milk and castor sugar (if using) and mix well.  Add vanilla essence and milk. Mix again.  Add flour mix little by little.  If you find that the batter is getting thick, add one more tbsp of milk.  The batter should not be too loose.  Keep it a bit on the thicker side.  Add grated coconut and give it a stir.  Finally add choco chips and tutty fruitty and gently stir twice.
• Fill the muffin cups with the prepared batter till a little more than half.
• Bake for 20 minutes or till the top gets a little brown.  Remove and shift to a wire rack to cool down.
• Enjoy.

Notes:

1. I used a different brand of condensed milk that had a bit thinner texture so I added 1 tbsp of castor sugar to perfect the sweetness.  If you are using Nestle condensed milk, skip the sugar.
2. You can add your choice of nuts instead of choco chips and tutty fruitty.  But I recommend to use choco chips too with nuts.
3. Here I used 2 tbsp of butter which can easily be reduced to 1 1/2 tbsp.

Tandoori Aloo

Today I am going to share my tandoori aloo recipe. A no fuss recipe which could replace your heavily fried and fat loaded party starters easily.  And the taste is simply divine.  You can serve it as a starter, side dish or evening snack.  Everyone going to like it for sure and the best part is that its a NO-OIL dish.  You just need to grease the tray for baking and thats it.  But trust me you won't miss the oil in it.  So its a guilt free delicious snack. 

I love the fact that there is no cutting and chopping required to make it.  Just prepare the marination and its done.  You can even modify the marinade according to your taste. Its just the marination that takes time.  Almost 10-12 hrs marination is required here. 

In this recipe, although you can use diced potatoes too but I recommend to use baby potatoes to get the best of this dish.  Here I used Tandoori Chicken Masala for marination but you can use any tandoori masala for the same.  

You can make it on stove top too.  Just use a non stick pan and add 2-3 drops of oil to avoid any sticking.  

So lets start making these lip smackingly yummy Tandoori Potatoes.  Happy Cooking  :)

Ingredients:

Baby potatoes	18
Hung curd	3 ½ tbsp
Ginger –garlic paste	Little less than ½ tsp
Kasuri Methi/Dried fenugreek leaves	1 tbsp
Tandoori Chicken Masala/ Tandoori Masala	1 tsp
Red chilli powder	½ tsp or to taste
Salt	½ tsp or to taste
Green coriander (chopped)	1 tbsp
Oil	For greasing

Method:

• Take the potatoes and wash them thoroughly.  Pressure cook them till partially boiled or for 2 whistles.  Remove.  Peel off the skin and set aside.
• Take a large mixing bowl, add in curd, dried fenugreek leaves, salt, red chilli powder, tandoori masala and ginger garlic paste.  Mix everything very well and make the marinade.  Add the peeled potatoes in the prepared marinade and mix well with hands.  Cover the bowl with a cling film and keep in the fridge for overnight or 10-12 hrs.
• After 10-12 hrs, remove it from the fridge and leave for 10 minutes to come to room temperature.  Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180 degree and line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Spray some oil to avoid sticking and arrange the marinated potatoes in it.  Bake at 180 degree for 15 minutes, after that reduce the temperature to 160 degree and bake for another 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven.
• Serve warm, garnished with coriander.

Notes:

1. Instead of baby potatoes you can take big potatoes and dice them.
2. Partially boil the potatoes.  Do not over boil them as they may break while marination.
3. Marinate the potatoes for 10-12 hrs for best results.
4. While baking keep checking after 15 minutes as the temperature settings varies from oven to oven.  If you find that your potatoes are cooked well with marination you can remove them from the oven.

Phirni

Phirni is an extremely famous North-Indian dessert.  So simple ingredients yet so delicious.  Like so many of you I like it too and love to make it at home.  

There are so many versions of Phirni in Indian Cuisine like Mango Phirni, Orange Phirni, Strawberry Phirni and so on but this one is the most authentic and traditional version. It just needs three main ingredients and you are good to go.  Milk, Rice and Sugar.. a perfect combo that makes so many desserts and sweets and today we are going to use this combo to make this super yummy and creamy Phirni.  

If Phirni is new for you then you would be amazed to see how simple it is to make.  A perfect dessert to end a hearty meal.  So lets start making Phirni.. Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

Full Cream Milk  -  1/2 kg
Basmati Rice       -   3 tbsp
Sugar                   -   6 tbsp
Cardamom          -   2 (crushed)
Tutty Fruitty 
or Almonds         -  To garnish

Method:

• Wash rice very well and soak them in water for minimum 1 hour.  Strain and grind them coarsely with 1/4 cup of milk.  Set aside.
• In a deep pan, boil the remaining milk and add the rice milk mixture.  Keep stirring on medium flame to avoid sticking. Keep mixing and scraping the sides till the mixture thickens.  It would take approx 15 minutes.  Add in sugar and crushed cardamom and mix well.  Keep stirring till sugar melts.  Cook for another 4-5 minutes and remove from the flame.
• Garnish with tutty fruity or almonds.
• Serve chilled.

Notes:

1. Do not grind the rice to a fine paste.  Keep it coarse.
2. You can use low fat milk too but for best results use full fat milk.
3. Adjust the sugar level as per your taste.
4. Instead of cardamom, you can add a few strands of saffron too.
5. You can add some dried fruits too.

Roti Laddu

What do you do with your leftover chapatis?  I often throw them as they get so hard.  Sometimes I make roti halwa with leftover soft rotis.  This time I tried a different way to use them up which came out so delicious.  

There is no cooking required to make these laddus.  Mix up a few ingredients with powdered chapati and these delicious laddus are ready in a jiffy.

The taste was simply awesome.  Nobody can guess that these laddus are made of leftover chapatis. Try once and you will find excuses to make them again and again.  So here is the recipe.  Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

Leftover Roti/Chapati       -    2 & 1/2 (medium size)

Jaggery grated                   -    1/4 cup or 4 tbsp

Desiccated coconut           -    2 tbsp

Raisins (finely chopped)   -    1 tbsp

Cardamom (crushed)        -    2

Ghee/Clarified butter        -    1 1/2 tbsp

Method:

• Preheat the oven at 160 degree and arrange the chapatis in a baking tray.  Bake for 3-4 minutes or till they become crunchy and a little brown on the top.  Keep an eye to avoid burning. Remove from the oven and let them cool down.  Crush them coarsely and throw in a mixer jar.  Grind till they get a coarse powder consistency.  Add in grated jaggery and desiccated coconut and raisins.  Pulse for 7-8 seconds just to mix up everything together.
• Shift the mixture to a mixing bowl and add in crushed cardamom.  Mix well and add in melted ghee.  Again mix with your hand.  Take a little mixture in your hand and shape it to a round ball.  Likewise make laddus with the remaining mixture.
• Serve.
• Store the remaining laddus in an airtight jar for upto 1 day.

Notes:

1. You can increase the quantity of jaggery as per your taste.  
2. You can add other dried fruits also to make them more filling and nutritious.  Add your desired dry fruits at the time of adding jaggery and coconut and pulse for 10 seconds.  
3. If you find it difficult to bind the laddus then add a little more ghee.

Watermelon Mojito

Watermelon is one of my favourite fruits and whenever I get to see it here I simply grab it.  Its a very good body cooler and healthy fruit.  

I was waiting to get it this season for making Mojito.  I have tried virgin mojito and loved it.  So wanted to try it with watermelon and it came out awesome.  Its so refreshing and flavourful drink.  A delicious way to keep your body cool in this summer.  This mojito is so simple to make too and would take just 10 minutes.  So lets start making this wonderfully refreshing drink.  Happy Cooking :)

                                                        

Time - 10 minutes

Makes - 2 servings

Ingredients:

Watermelon                             -    3 cups or 2 cups watermelon juice

Sugar                                       -     1 1/2 tbsp

Water                                       -     2 tbsp

Fresh mint leaves (chopped)   -     3/4 tbsp

Fresh lemon juice                    -     1 1/2 tbsp

Salt                                          -     2 pinch

Finely chopped watermelon    -     1/2 cup 

Ice cubes  (crushed)                -    2

Sugar and salt mix (1/2 tsp white sugar and 1 pinch salt) to decorate the glass rim.

Watermelon slices (to garnish)

Method:

• Take a small steel glass or bowl.  Add in sugar and 2 tbsp water and mix well till sugar dissolves.  Sugar syrup is ready.   
• In another bowl, mix together chopped mint leaves, lemon juice and salt. Crush them well.  Add prepared sugar syrup in it and mix well.  Set aside.
• Take 3 cups watermelon and throw in a blender.  Blend well to make thick juice.  
• Take two serving glasses. In a small dry plate spread sugar n salt mix.  Dip the glass rim in the mix and coat it well.  Set aside.
• Take the decorated serving glasses.  Equally put crushed ice cubes in both the glasses. Then pour the prepared sugar lemon syrup equally over it. Add in finely chopped watermelon. Finally fill the glasses with the watermelon juice and give a stir.  
• Decorate with sliced watermelon and serve chilled. 

Notes:

1. Adjust the sugar level according to the sweetness of your watermelon.
2. Always try to make this mojito fresh. 

Healthy Pizza Packets/ Veg Calzones

Pizzas are favourite to almost everyone.  I love them too though I made them once or twice in a month.  

For my love towards pizzas, I wanted to try pizza packets or calzones.  So I prepared my homemade pizza sauce and pizza dough specially for this recipe.  Then I made the stuffing with my choice of veggies and cheese.. and TADAA!!! got these yummilicious pizza packets.  I made them for the first time and they turned out to be delicious.  Pizza sauce, cheese and veggies were simply bursting out in every bite.  I loved it to the core.

The name sounds not-so-easy kindda dish but its surprisingly easy to make.  To make it a little healthy, I added whole wheat flour to the dough.  Above all, its a baked snack so no frying.  It also has less calories as I stir fried the veggies in just 3/4 tsp of oil  :D

Its a great party starter and kids will love it.  All in all its a must try. So don your aprons and get into the cooking.  Happy Cooking :)

                              

Makes - 6 packets

Ingredients:

For dough:

Whole wheat flour     -      1 cup

All purpose flour       -      1 cup

Instant dry yeast        -      1 1/2 tsp

Olive oil                    -      3 tbsp

Sugar                         -      2 tsp

Salt                            -      1/2 tsp

Lukewarm water       -      as required

For stuffing:

Homemade pizza sauce                           -  1 cup

Processed cheese (grated)                       -   1/2 cup

Cabbage (finely chopped)                       -  1 cup

Capsicum (finely cut lengthwise)           -   2 small

Sweet corns (Boiled)                              -   1/2 cup 

Onion (finely cut lengthwise)                -    1 small

Green beans (blanched)                         -    1/4 cup

Black pepper                                          -    1/4 tsp or to taste

Olive oil                                                 -    3/4 tsp

Salt                                                         -    o taste

Method:

• Dough- Take a large bowl and add in both the flours, salt, sugar and yeast.  Mix everything well.  Add oil and mix with the flour.  Add lukewarm water little by little and make a smooth dough.  Knead it well for 4-5 minutes.  Shift to an airtight container and leave it to rise for about 2 hours.

• For stuffing - Heat oil in a non stick pan.  Add chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes on high flame.  Add sweetcorn and beans.  Stir for 2-3 minutes.  Add cabbage and capsicum and stir for another 4-5 minutes.  Add black pepper and salt.  Stir for 1 minute and remove from the flame.  Set aside.

• Preheat oven at 180 degree.  Grease a baking tray and set aside.

• Take the raised dough and punch it down.  Pinch a lemon size ball from the dough and roll out a 1/4 inch round chapati. Evenly spread pizza sauce on half of the rolled chapati.  Spread the fried veggies on the sauce layer.  Finally top it with grated cheese and bring the other half of chapati over it.  Close it from all the corners well with water.  Make more pizza packets with remaining dough and stuffing likewise.  Arrange on the greased baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or till the top gets lightly brown.
• Remove from the oven and serve warm.

Notes:

1. In place of whole wheat flour, you can take 2 cups of all purpose flour.
2. Mozzarella cheese can also be used in place of processed cheese.
3. You can add your choice of veggies in the stuffing.
4. If you are using dry yeast then proof it first.  For that, take the lukewarm water and add in sugar.  Then add the dry yeast and cover it for 5-10 minutes .  After 10 minutes you will see the bubbles have formed.  Add that mixture to the flour and knead as given in the recipe.

Eggless Choco Coffee Caramel Mug Cake

Mug cakes are so convenient and no mess desserts.  A very good option for sudden hunger pangs.  They take extremely little time to bake too in case of microwaves.  But as I do not have a microwave I make mug cakes in my oven. So presenting my very own mug cake but sorry not for microwaves :)
 Yesterday I was craving for something sweet and chocolaty so decided to make a mug cake as I was not in a mood to mess up so many utensils just for myself.  So whatever came to my mind I simply mixed that up together. Then I saw my homemade salted caramel lying in the fridge and an open pack of marshmallows so added them in too.  Baked and when I took the first bite trust me it was heaven.  Those humble ingredients made an insanely delicious cake.  

While making this cake, posting here was not in my mind at all but after seeing the finished product I made my mind to post it. 

Nothing more to say guys.  Just try it and enjoy it.  Happy Cooking :)

Preparation time - 5 minutes

Baking time - 30 minutes

Makes - 1 Serving

Ingredients:

All purpose flour              -  4 tbsp
Coco powder                    -  2 tbsp
Coffee powder                  -  1/4 tsp
Castor sugar                      -  3 1/2 tbsp
Baking powder                  -  1/4 tsp
Baking soda                      -  1 pinch
Oil                                     -  2 tbsp
Milk                                  -  3 tbsp
Salt                                    - 1 pinch
Salted caramel                  -  1 tbsp (optional)
Marshmallow                   -  1 (chopped) (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven at 180 degree.
• Take a small bowl and add in all purpose flour, coco powder, coffee powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix well.  Set aside.
• Take the mug you want to make the cake in.  Pour oil in it and  add sugar.  Mix well.  Add in milk and mix well again.
• Add the oil sugar mixture little by little to the dry ingredients and mix well to avoid formation of lumps.  At the end throw in chopped marshmallow and give a quick stir.
• Pour 2 tbsp mixture in the mug and top it up with salted caramel.  Cover it with some more batter and pour the remaining caramel over it.  Finally pour the remaining cake batter and tap the mug on the counter gently to remove air.
• Bake it for 30 minutes.
• Enjoy.

Notes:

1. Adding caramel and marshmallow is optional. If you are skipping them then add 1-2 tbsp more sugar to adjust the sweetness.
2. If not using caramel then you can mix up all the ingredients in the mug itself. Add the dry ingredients in the wet ingredients and mix very well.
3. Instead of castor sugar you can use powdered sugar too.
4. Do not use very large /deep mug, it may cause the cake soggy n uncooked from the bottom.
5. Preheat the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Temperature settings varies from oven to oven so keep an eye on the cake.  Keep checking it after 25 minutes by inserting a knife in the center of the cake till the end.  If it comes out clean then your cake is ready.  If not, increase baking time for 5 more minutes.
7. You can double or triple the ingredients and make this cake in a cake or loaf pan too.

Homemade Pizza Sauce

I am a pizza fan just like most of u :) I love making it from scratch so I prepare my pizza sauce as well as dough at home then I simply play around with the toppings.. its fun :D

I experimented with different ingredients and measurements for pizza sauce and after getting 2-3 not-so-perfect ones I finally got this pizza sauce and I am proud to say that its my very own no fail recipe :)

I am sure you will also like this sauce as it is so freshly falvourful with perfect taste and the best part is that it has NO PRESERVATIVES. Making anything at home gives you satisfaction of its being hygienic and fresh.  I love this sauce so much that I even use it for making pasta n noodles and they always come out super yummy. Of course it too makes my pizza taste delicious :D

This time I made Pizza Packets / Veg Calzones with this sauce and they turn out to be awesome.  I will share that recipe soon.  Till then you try this sauce n let me know the results. Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

Tomato (big)	2 ½
Garlic	6 cloves (finely chopped)
Olive oil	1 tbsp
Onion (finely chopped)	3 tbsp
Freshly ground black pepper	¼ tsp
Red chilli flakes	¾ tsp
Origano	¼ tsp
Fresh basil leaves	5 (chopped)
Sugar	¾ tsp
Red chilli powder	1/8 tsp
Salt	¾ tsp or to taste

Makes: for one medium size pizza.

Method:

• Take the tomatoes and wash them thoroughly.  Dip them in hot water for about 10 minutes.  Take out and grate the tomatoes leaving the skin.  Discard the skin.  
• Heat oil in a non stick pan.  Add garlic and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add dried origano and give a stir.  Add tomato pulp and cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring.  Add chilli flakes, chilli powder, crushed black pepper, salt and sugar.  Cook on medium heat till the tomato juice dries up and sauce becomes thick. At the end, add chopped basil leaves.  Give a stir and remove from flame.
• Let it cool.  Use as per requirement.
• Store in a dry glass jar or airtight container.  Keep refrigerated.

Notes:

1. With this recipe you would get a chunky pizza sauce. If you do not like chunks then after cooking the sauce, blend it and then use.
2. You can double or triple this recipe to make more sauce.
3. It can be used as a pasta sauce too.
4. If you are going to use this sauce for kids simply make it without red chilli powder and chilli flakes. 
5. If making in big quantity, here is a tip.  Make the sauce as per the recipe except adding the red chilli powder and chilli flakes.  Once done, take some sauce separately from the pan and add chilli powder and chilli flakes in the remaining sauce.  Add basil leaves in both the sauce and mix.  Sauce ready for kids.

Salted Caramel

Remember Alpenliebe candy..?? yummmm.. I love it.  Its still my favourite candy I must say.  Caramel candies are my all time favorites.

I like making caramel sauce at home for ice cream and pancake topping.  Few weeks back I tried my hands on salted caramel as I wanted to taste the caramel with a new ingredient i.e. salt.  Initially I was so apprehensive about the taste as to how my favorite caramel would taste with SALT :/  But trust me friends it was super duper yummy.  The sweet and salty taste of this caramel would make you crazy I can  bet.  You would want to dip the spoon in it and lick it, its that yum :)  

Salted caramel is famous for its awesome taste.  It is mostly used as ice cream topping, pancake topping, cake topping, baking etc.  In fact, wherever you want you can use it.  
Here in this recipe, instead of 8-10 tbsp I used only 2 tbsp butter and it came out so delicious.  Salt gave it a very unique flavour and I simply loved it.  I drizzled it on my pancakes and ice creams and it surprisingly doubled up the taste.  

I love my version of this sauce and would make it again and again.  By the way, there is a cheat version too that I invented :P  If you do not have time or you are so impatient just like me, add 1-2 tbsp water while caramelizing the sugar and it would get melted in a jiffy.  Then you can proceed as per the given recipe.  There would be a slight difference in consistency but no change in taste. I recommend this cheat version only if you are going to use it for topping and licking :) but if you want to use it in baking then make as per the original recipe that I am giving below.  So my dear readers, here is the recipe of an insanely delicious sweet n salty caramel.  Happy Cooking :)

Ingredients:

White sugar           -    1/4 cup
Brown sugar          -    1/2 cup
Unsalted Butter     -    2 tbsp
Fresh cream           -    1/2 cup
Salt                        -    1/2 tsp

Method:

• Take a non stick pan and add both the sugars in it.  On medium flame, slowly melt it.  Keep mixing gently.  It needs patience :)
• Once the sugar melts, cook it on slow flame for 2 more minutes till it gets a glossy brown color.  At this stage, add butter and mix well till it melts.  
• Add fresh cream and mix very well again.  Let it boil.  
• Remove from flame and add salt.  Mix well.
• Let it cool.  
• Now its ready to use.
• Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes:

1. Instead of brown sugar you can use white sugar too.
2. If using white sugar, it would be easy for you to see the sugar is getting caramelized by seeing its golden color.
3. Adjust the salt level as per your taste.  Initially use, 1/2 tsp then check and adjust it. 
4. If your fresh cream is a little sour then also you can use it in this recipe.  Still it would come out good.
5. Once the sauce get cool down, it would become thicker so do not overcook.
6. If making cheat version, do not store it for more days.  Consume it in a week.
7. For using in bakes, make the original version.
8. In case you don't like salted caramel, do not add salt and use simply as caramel sauce.