Eggless whole grain pancakes - a perfect way to start a day

Pancakes are my little D's favourite. He is a very picky eater and when it comes to sugary items....he always says a big "NO". So we were shocked and surprised when he had pancakes the first time and actually enjoyed them. So now I make them at least twice a month.

The first time I wanted to try pancakes at home, I just thought how difficult could it be????? Then as I slowly started to try out various recipes......oh god....it sure is an art. My first pancakes are the classic white flour pancakes with eggs and butter. Then I slowly started experimenting using all the healthy alternatives.

Little D always asks me for a smiley pancake....I make them every time and this is one of my recipes that sure brings the smile out of both big J and little D.

Ingredients:

(Makes 6 to 7)

1 1/4 cups of whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats flour

1/4 cup barley flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp organic sugar(can be substituted with white sugar)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup of reduced fat milk

2 tbsp ground flax seed

1/2 cup water

little olive oil (optional for drizzling)

In a bowl beat the ground flax seed with the water till they blend together and add the milk to this mixture and mix them completely. Now in a separate bowl sift together all the other dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and pour the wet ingredients. Gently mix them until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook them till they turn brown on both sides and serve hot with your favourite syrup. I topped them with some sliced bananas and maple syrup:)

Channa chaat - A refreshing snack

I have been craving for this channa chat for a long time. Since I usually make these kind of snacks for the evening, I would often forget to soak the channa in the morning. So yesterday as soon as I woke up I soaked the chick peas. You could also make them using the canned chick peas also. But I always prefer this way:)

This is a wonderful snack that you could munch any time of the day. You can even serve them in one of your dinner parties and it will definitely be a hit. Jagan(my husband) also loves it so much, it is one of our favourite snacks that we both would never get enough or get tired of. Do try this recipe.



Ingredients:

1 cup dried chick peas/channa
1/2 cup finely chopped onion(I used the yellow onion)
1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes(remove the seeds before chopping them)
1 green chili finely chopped(remove the seeds)
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp olive oil(or any kind of oil)
1/2 tsp chaat masala(adjust according to your spice level)
pinch of red chili powder(to add an extra kick)
salt to taste

Soak the chick peas overnight or at least 6 hours. Cook them along with 3 to 4 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt. I usually pressure cook them for 3 whistles. Drain the chick peas and toss them with the oil. This would prevent them from getting dry. In a big bowl add all the other ingredients along with the chick peas and mix them. Keep aside for minimum 30 minutes for the flavour to come together. Serve them as a snack with a hot cup of tea or as a salad during meal.

If you are using canned chick peas, just make sure you drain and wash the chick peas before using them.

New look, new recipes...I am ready.... lets meet again:)

Oh god....its been already six months since I blogged. It really was a busy time. My parents visited me here. I was all excited in seeing them after three years. Then we went to India for our vacation. After we came back I was all jet lagged and home sick.

It was my husband and my friend Meena who were constantly reminding me-definitely not those gentle reminders:) So here again sitting in front of the system and meddling with the blog.
I received lots of good feedbacks from my friends and relatives for this blog. Many of my friends had requested for more vegetarian dishes. So I am planning to blog lots of vegetarian dishes also.

Kindly visit the blog for more updates. Lets start our culinary tour again....gear up...get ready for action

Amazing Carrot muffins

zThese are really awesome muffins...With mild sweetness and a soft texture, this would definitely be a winner:) You can serve them as breakfast or as a evening snack. I made a big batch of them during the hurricane and had them during those two/three days when we were out of power and water supply.



Ingredients:
(Yields 12 muffins)

1 1/3 cup All purpose flour
2 tsp Baking powder
1 1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
3 Eggs
2/3 cup Olive oil
1 cup Dark brown sugar
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup warm water

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Grease or line the muffin tray.

Meanwhile soak the raisins in the warm water for 15 mins. Drain and squeeze the water from the raisins and keep aside. Sieve together all the dry ingredients the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil and the brown sugar until they blend. Add the dry ingredients, carrot, walnuts and raisins and fold the mixture(don't mix too much at this stage). Spoon the mixture into the muffin tray and bake for 20 mins or until done.

Black forest cake for my husband

Yesterday was his birthday and I made his favourite "Black Forest" cake. He loves it so much and at least I make this once in two months for him. The cake was a huge hit and everybody loved the cake. I will post the recipe soon but this is just a glimpse of the cake. Please don't mind the mess in the photo as I was very busy on the day baking the cake and cooking dinner for the guests, I took the snap in a hurry:)

Poha Chivda - A simple and healthy snack

If you are looking for a healthy and tasty snack you could munch anytime without feeling guilty about the fat or the calorie content, then you are at the right place. You can take them with you anywhere you want and enjoy them. This is would make a good substitute for the regular mixture we used to have and please do try it and let me know your comments:)



Ingredients:

2 cups thin poha (thin rice flakes)
1 cup red rice poha
(Matta rice flakes available in some Indian grocery stores, this is optional. I add this because this has 100% recommended Vitamin B and 25% iron content. So it would make this snack nutritional)
2 tbsp raw peanuts
2 tbsp roasted channa dal
1 tbsp cashews
2 dried red chillies
1 garlic clove sliced
1/4 cup Poha corn
(Available in Indian grocery stores. This is just the raw corn flakes generally deep fried and added to the traditional "Indian mixtures". You can substitute this with regular corn flakes)
2 roasted pappad crushed into bit sized pieces
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste


If you are using the Poha corn, just sprinkle few drops of oil and place them in a microwave safe plate in a single layer for 2 minutes stirring every 30 secs.

Heat the oil in a large pan at low flame. When the oil is hot enough add the red chillies and garlic and saute for 2 mins. Then add the peanuts, roasted channa dal and cashew nuts and roast them till they turn golden, take care that you don't burn them. Now stir in the turmeric powder and salt. Then add the regular thin poha and the red poha and roast on low flame for another 10 mins or until they turn crisp. Finally add the microwave cooked poha corn or corn flakes and the
roasted pappad and mix well. Let it cool and serve them with a hot cup of coffee/tea.

Spicy mutton fry

Hello everyone..sorry for the long gap....I lost my camera charger and couldn't get the pictures of all my cooking:( Finally I found that in my son's toy box and ta da..here I am blogging.


I remember the Sunday mornings I used to go to the meat shop with my mom(I used to be a vegetarian those days). It used to be too crowded, people in a hurry to get the meat and go. We would return home with the meat and my mom would start cooking....so it used to be always a late lunch for us on Sunday afternoon. But now I get the meat the previous night and cook them the next day:) This is one simple mutton fry which taste great which can be served as a side dish for rice. We had them along with zucchini and green beans sambhar. Definitely try this out and tell me how was it.







Ingredients:


1 lb mutton, washed cut into small pieces
1 cup of thinly sliced onions
2 green chillies slit lengthwise
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder(adjust according to your taste)
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp oil(I use less oil but you can increase the amount if you want)
salt to taste


Pressure cook the mutton for 4 or 5 whistles along with 2 cups of water, turmeric powder, salt, 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste, pepper, cumin powder and coriander powder. In a separate pan, heat the oil and when the oil is hot enough add the fennel seeds. Then add the onions and green chillies and cook them till the onions turn golden. Then add the ginger garlic paste and saute for another 3 minutes. Now add the cooked mutton pieces along with the water(in which it was cooked) and add the chilli powder and garam masala. Cook till all the water evaporates and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.