Date and Chai Muffins#BreadBakers Theme: Natural Sweeteners Recipe: Date Chai Muffins Date Chai Muffins are soft, delicious, fruity muffins without any refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. Instead, I’ve used dates, figs, raisins and apricots to add the required sweetness to these wholewheat muffins. Healthy and nutritious, Date Chai Muffins make a good breakfast or tea time treat for both kids and adults. To add some flavour I add my home made Tea Spice Mixture or Chai Masala. Ideal for diabetics in moderation as the sweetness is natural. What are Natural Sweeteners? Actually, it is amazing how many natural sweeteners are available. As a matter of fact, honey and maple syrup are the fore runners. Then add sweet fruits, dried without added sugar like dates, raisins,…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: FOODIES_ REDOING OLD POSTS #50 RECIPE: BANANA MANGO SMOOTHIE BOWL Banana Mango Smoothie Bowl A filling, healthy and delicious breakfast is what Banana Mango Smoothie Bowl provides. Easy to make and a versatile recipe as one can replace the ingredients with what one prefers. What is a Smoothie? A smoothie is as the name suggests a smooth thick drink usually made from fresh fruit/ vegetables with milk, water or ice cream. Smoothie is much thicker than a milkshake. One can find flavored milkshakes that may or may not be made with fresh fruits. What is a Smoothie Bowl? While smoothies, though thick can be sipped, smoothies in a smoothie bowl are much thicker and one needs a spoon to enjoy it. Its…
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Continue ReadingVitumbua #BreadBakers From the East Coast of Africa Vitumbua (singular kitumbua) pronounced as vee toom booa are the local answer to pancakes/ doughnuts in East Africa especially in Tanzania and the coastal part of Kenya.Instead of being deep fried, they are made in a special vitumbua griddle/pan. Its similar to the aebleskiver pan or appe pan or paniyaram pan. Vitumbua is a common Tanzanian street food and found during Ramadhan in Mombasa. Its usually served with hot tea as breakfast. Beneath the crust the interior is light and fluffy, melt in the mouth texture. Most of the East African Coast cuisine has been influenced by Indian, Yemeni and Omani culture so perhaps vitumbua too may have been brought here by one of the settlers. The…
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Continue ReadingEVENT:BREAD BAKERS |FOODIES_REDOING OLD POSTS THEME: ANCIENT GRAINS RECIPE: BUCKWHEAT SAVOURY PANCAKES Buckwheat Savoury Pancakes or Farali Kuttu Ka Cheela is healthy, easy to make and delicious. Usually enjoyed as a hot breakfast options, these gluten free pancakes are loaded with vegetables. Often, I make these pancakes or cheela when I am fasting for Ekadashi. Best enjoyed with some plain yogurt and green chutney. Sometimes I make them as an accompaniment to a simple potato curry. What Vegetables Can I Add? Well, any which you prefer. Spinach, boiled peas, boiled and finely chopped french beans, cooked corn, onion, etc are some suggestions. However, if you are making them for Ekadashi Fasting, then omit vegetables that are not allowed during the fast. I usually like to…
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Continue ReadingEVENT: BREAD BAKERS THEME: HEARTY FALL BREADS RECIPE: SPICED PUMPKIN BREAD Spiced Pumpkin Bread is a soft, delicately sweetish, spicy home baked yeast bread. Walnuts, raisins, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin pie spice mix makes this bread ideal for breakfast or as a tea time treat. Memories Do you write down everything in a diary to remind you what has to be done on which day? Do you still belong to the old school where its written and not on your mobile? I am, as I really cannot trust technology 100%. What if my mobile gets stolen, or it is not charged or refuses to work for some odd reason. Last month’s theme was jotted down in my diary as a reminder. I had baked the…
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Continue ReadingRECIPE: PAPAYA LEMON JAM Papaya Lemon Jam is a delicious, pectin free, easy to make condiment. It actually is the best way to use up papaya that is totally bland. We love to have papaya every day for breakfast. But there are times when papaya is tasteless, bland. And no body touches it! Recently had two papayas that ripened at the same time. One was sweet and one bland. Cut papaya goes all mushy in the fridge if left for over 12 hours. So I decided to make it into a jam. The amount was small and the jam got over within a few days. Occasionally, I use papaya to make it into a healthy smoothie. NO NEED FOR PECTIN Papaya naturally has a lot…
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Continue ReadingWhat is Raab? Raab is like a soup or porridge made from pearl millet flour (bajri). Incidentally, Ragi(Finger Millet) Raab, Ragi Kanji or Ragi Porridge is very popular in South India. Also its a very popular breakfast in Kenya and is called Uji. In the case of my grandmother, whenever she didn’t feel like eating a normal meal, a bowlful of Raab/ Millet Porridge was what she would want. Lactating mums are given Raab everyday for the nutritional values. Its also a remedy for sore throats and colds. Also, its given to people recovering from an illness. In addition to other food, toddlers are given a tablespoon or two of Raab. Health Benefits of Raab Raab has loads of benefits. Its comfort food, wards off cold,…
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Continue ReadingFeta, Olive and Basil Bread Feta, Olive and Basil Bread is a homemade bread which is stuffed with feta, olives and basil. Superbly delicious, goes well with a hearty salad or soup. Makes a good bread to carry for lunch, picnics or even when you’re travelling. Fresh Basil or Dried? While fresh basil would have been a better option, I didn’t have any so used the dried version. I’ve also tried the stuffing with other herbs and it tastes equally good. So, go ahead and use a herb of your choice. Plain Flour or Whole Wheat Flour? The first time I baked this bread, I used all purpose flour only. Nowadays, I prefer to use wholewheat flour and add just a little of the…
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Continue ReadingGujarati Pudla | Chickpea Flour Pancake Gujarati Pudla | Chickpea Flour Pancake is a healthy, nutritious, instant, easy, gluten free savoury flatbread or pancake made from chickpea flour. It is usually enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack. Serve it with some pickle, chutney, tomato ketchup or yogurt. What is Gujarati Pudla | Chickpea Flour Pancake? Gujarati style pudla or puda are made from chickpea flour (besan, chana atta), yogurt, a few spices and fresh fenugreek. Commonly served for breakfast, as a snack or even as a light dinner option along with some salad. While I enjoy them piping hot, many love it cold. No wonder it is a popular lunch box item. Pudla are also known as chila in other parts of India. They…
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Continue ReadingRecipe: Oatmeal Coconut Cookies Oatmeal Coconut Cookies are delicious, egg free, crispy cookies packed with healthy ingredients. Oatmeal, wheat flour, nuts, dried fruit and to top it up coconut make these cookies a treat for breakfast, tea time, parties, kids lunch boxes. Cookies And Me I’m the kind of person who needs at least one cookie if not two with my afternoon. A rare midnight snack can be a cookie and a glass of milk. Have to dunk cookies in my tea, coffee or milk. So no wonder you’ll rarely find my cookie jar empty. Occasionally buy cookies or biscuits from the supermarket but most times I bake them at home. I love how I can pack a cookie with healthy ingredients like nuts, seeds…
