Quinoa-Strawberry Scones


We have virtually fallen in love with scones. Most importantly because they tend to be on the guilt-free side. They can be made with less sugar and less fat and they satisfy the cravings just as well.


Here is another version of scones made with quinoa and strawberries for Day 4 of BM #14.


Ingredients - 


Wheat Flour 1 cup
Cooked Quinoa 1/2 cup
All Purpose Flour / Maida 1/2 cup
Baking Powder 1 Tbsp
Sugar 3 Tbsp
Salt a pinch
Soy Milk 2/3 cup
Apple Cider Vinegar 1 1/2 tsp

Vegetable Oil 2 Tbsp
Strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped 1 cup

Quinoa-Strawberry Scones

Method Of Preparation -


Preheat the oven to 375 F.


Grind the cooked quinoa to a fine paste and set aside.


Mix apple cider vinegar and soy milk in a small bowl and set aside.


In a mixing bowl, add the flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and incorporate the quinoa paste in the flour mixture.


Add the vegetable oil and mix well until it resembles crumbs.


Slowly add the soy milk mixture into the flour mixture and mix gently to get a clumpy but not sticky dough.


Gently press on a floured surface to get a 1/2 inch thick disc. With a Pizza cutter mark 8 wedges on it and transfer on to a lined baking sheet.


Bake for about 15-17 min or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.


Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!


Check to see what the fellow marathoners are cooking for BM #14.  
 

Sending this to "HITS ~Fiber Rich Foods" happening at Spicy Treats.  


Preparation Time 10 min + baking time 15 min
Makes 8 scones

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Ragi Idiyappam


I have always relied on store bought idiyappam so far when I had the urge of enjoying some. But of late, I have seen some posts from my fellow bloggers which convinced me that making them at home is easy and so here I am beaming with satisfaction of having made them at home.


Contrary to my fears that Ragi Idiyappam wouldn't be accepted by my family owing to the color, my husband and the older one enjoyed every bite of it! Can I ask for more??
Check out another diabetic friendly recipe for day 3 of BM #14.


Ragi Idiyappam


Ingredients - 


Ragi Flour 1/2 cup
Rice Flour 1/2 cup
Salt as needed
Water 1 cup (actually a little less than 1 cup)
Oil to spray on Idli plates


Tools used - Murukku Press and an Idli cooker


Ragi Idiyappam


Method Of Preparation -


In a sauce pan, boil water adding adequate salt. Reduce the heat and add the flours. Mix well stirring vigorously so there are no lumps and remove from fire. Cover and let it rest for 5-10 min.


Grease the murukku press and the idli plates. 


Spoon the ragi dough (I got a very soft dough) into the murukku press using the fine perforated disc. 


Press the dough as strings onto the idli plates.


Steam them for about 15 min. Let it cool for 5 min and remove the plates from the steamer.


Unmould the idiyappam and serve it with the accompaniment of your choice. We enjoyed with Peanut Chutney. But traditionally it is enjoyed with coconut based gravies or kurma.


Check to see what the fellow marathoners are cooking for BM #14.  



Sending this to "HITS ~Fiber Rich Foods" happening at Spicy Treats.

Preparation Time 25 min
Makes 16 idli sized idiyappam

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Posted by Harini R on Sunday, March 18, 2012

Barley Flakes Pulao

A few days back, I was making a list of whole grains in my pantry, I had jotted down that I had some rolled barley flakes. So I went ahead and googled for some ideas and information. I came across a few sites where it was mentioned that barley flakes don't get soggy upon cooking with water in sharp contrast to oats. I found this bit of information very interesting and useful as well.

I experimented with this pulao and found the texture to be similar to Poha (atukulu/beaten rice). It was immensely liked by my older one and my husband felt it was bland to his taste. I will take up on his suggestion that if it is made spicier then he would have it next time. :) 

This is diabetic friendly and has a healthy dose of protein, fiber and iron. So here is the recipe to good health and for day 2 of BM#14.

Ingredients - 

Rolled Barley Flakes 1/2 cup
Mixed Vegetables 1 cup (carrots, beans, corn and peas)
Onions chopped 1/4 cup
Garlic minced 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala/Chana Masala 1/4 tsp
Coriander-Cumin Powder 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice as needed
Seasoning (Oil 2 tsp, Cumin Seeds 1/4 tsp)

Barley Flakes Pulao

Method Of Preparation -

Dry roast the barley flakes until they are light brown in color.

In a 4 cup microwave safe bowl, add 1 cup of water and the barley flakes and microwave on high for 5 min checking up in between after 3 min. Leave it untouched for a couple of minutes.

In a heated saute pan, add oil and cumin seeds. After the cumin seeds are brown, saute the garlic and onions until they are golden brown.

Boil the mixed vegetables separately and add them to the sauteed onions.

Sprinkled turmeric, coriander-cumin powder, salt, red chilli powder and garam masala and mix well.

Transfer the cooked barley flakes in to the vegetable mixture and saute till the moisture is evaporated. 

Remove from fire and squeeze in some lemon juice and enjoy with some raitha.

Check to see what the fellow marathoners are cooking for BM #14. 

Sending this to "HITS ~Fiber Rich Foods" happening at Spicy Treats.

Preparation Time 20 min
Serves 1-2

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Posted by Harini R on Saturday, March 17, 2012

Jonna Rotte


Blogging Marathon initiated by Srivalli is here again for this month. The theme I have picked out for the 1st week is 'Whole Grain Dishes'. So look out for some healthy whole grain recipes for the next week.


As a child, I used to occasionally sneak out to the farmer's house near my grandparent's farm and used to enjoy the jowar rotis prepared by the farmer's wife. She used to specifically keep some jaggery, jowar roti and sugarcane for me. Those were the days....


In the later years, these jowar rotis were virtually forgotten as they were never prepared at home. But a couple of years after I got married, I saw my MIL sending some jowar to the local flour mill. I was wondering if my MIL would make Jowar rotis and she said she would indeed. She then taught me an easy way to enjoy these earthy rotis. 


Traditionally these rotis are patted on the palms of both the hands using the jowar flour for dusting and the kitchen counter would be all 'flour-y'. But this method is a no-nonsense one. 


So for Day 1 BM #14, here is the recipe for Jonna Rotte or Jowar ki Roti.


Ingredients - 


Jowar Flour 2 cups
Salt as needed 
Water 2 cups
Oil 2 tsp 


Special implements used - Puri Press or a tortilla maker
*Freshly milled jowar flour yields the best results!


Jonna Rotte
Jonna rotte with Gongura Pacchadi and Methi Dal
Method Of Preparation -


In a sauce pan, boil 2 cups of water adding salt as needed.


Reduce the heat and add the jowar flour. Mix it briskly so there are no lumps formed and remove from fire. Cover with a lid and let the dough cool down for a few minutes.


When the dough is safe to handle, knead the dough with your hands and pinch lime sized portion for each roti.


Grease 2 plastic sheets (I cut a zip lock cover into 2 pieces and used them), place them between the puri press / tortilla maker and press them into circular discs (rotis).


Heat a griddle and carefully transfer the pressed dough on to the griddle and let it cook for a couple minutes. Flip it and cook the underside as well. 


I cook the flipped roti on a phulka pan and place it directly on the fire to get the authentic feel. If the flour is fresh, the rotis will puff out like a phulka. 


Remove when cooked through and store it a roti warmer. This will make sure the rotis are soft after a while.


Continue the process for the rest of the dough.


Enjoy with any dal/curry of your choice. Traditionally the farmers eat this with green chillies, onion and jaggery. I didn't dare. :)


Check to see what the fellow marathoners are cooking for BM #14.



Sending this to "HITS ~Fiber Rich Foods" happening at Spicy Treats.


Preparation Time 1 hour
Makes 20 3-4 inch rotis.

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Posted by Harini R on Friday, March 16, 2012

Sarvapindi

When I first read the recipe posted by Srivalli for the Indian Cooking Challenge for February 2012, I thought it was very much like thapilantu or biyyam rotte or akki rotte. The basic difference was in the usage of sesame seeds and spring onion. 

The recipe has been shared by Usha and thanks to her my kids have become fans of this snack. Apparently it is a typical snack from Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh. This only reiterates the fact that each region has a variation of the same kind of food and is known by different names as well.

I had earlier posted a recipe Masala Jonna Rotte similar to this but made with Jowar Flour. 


Ingredients - 

Rice Flour 1 cup
Sesame seeds 1/4 cup
Peanuts 1/4 cup
Spring onion finely chopped 1/4 cup
Onion finely chopped 1/2 cup
Garlic minced 1 tsp
Coriander leaves finely chopped 2 Tbsp
Curry leaves finely chopped 1 Tbsp
Salt as needed
Green chillies / Red Chilli Powder as needed
Oil 2-3 Tbsp or as needed

Variations - 
*Roasted gram/dalia/putnala pappu can also be used for added crunch.
*Chana Dal soaked for 2 hours can also be added.
*Grated vegetables like carrots, bottle gourd (sorrakaya/doodhi) can also be added.

Sarvapindi

Method Of Preparation -

Soak sesame seeds and peanuts separately in water for 10 min. (Coarsely crush the peanuts to remove the skin before soaking.)

Coarsely grind onions and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, add the rice flour, soaked and drained sesame seeds and peanuts, salt, green chillies or red chilli powder, minced garlic, chopped spring onion, coriander leaves, curry leaves and coarsely ground onions. 

Sprinkle water and knead into a stiff dough.

Pinch some dough [depending on how big the pancake (rotte) is desired] and pat the dough with your fingers on a cold griddle/tawa so the dough is spread out like a thin pancake. 

Make a few depressions on the pancake and place it on medium heat.  Drizzle oil as needed. 

Let it cook for about 5 min or until a reddish hue appears on the underside of the pancake. 

Flip on to the other side and let it cook for a couple minutes.

Remove from fire and let it cool. The cooler it gets, the crispier it gets provided it is left uncovered away from moisture!

Continue with making the pancakes with the rest of the dough. To speed up the process, I used 3 different griddles and made the pancakes. On another note, these are traditionally made in a deep wok/kadai. 

Also note that the griddle should be cool enough to enable you to pat the dough with your fingers.

Preparation Time 30 min
Serves 3-4

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Posted by Harini R on Thursday, March 15, 2012

Methi Paneer Malai


If you have been following my space, you probably are aware of the Blog Hop Wednesdays started by Radhika. Each month we are paired with one other person in the group. Each of us has to prepare and post one recipe from the partner's space on the designated wednesday (usually the 2nd wednesday of every month). 


This month I have been paired with Jyothi of 'Pages'. She has a wide variety of recipes filled with colorful and enticing pictures of them. Upon the request of my husband I picked up this recipe and it sure was a super hit at home!! This is a keeper of a recipe. 


Ingredients - 

Paneer 250 gms , cubed about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
Onions chopped 1 cup
Tomato blanched and pureed 2 cups
Tomato Paste or Tomato Ketchup 2 Tbsp
Kasoori methi 2 Tbsp
Ginger 1 inch
Garlic 2 cloves
Chat Masala 1/4 tsp
Salt as needed
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala and/or Chole Masala 1 tsp each
Milk 1/4 cup
Fresh Cream  2 Tbsp (I used Whipped Cream lite 2 Tbsp)
Seasoning ( Oil 2 Tbsp, Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp, Cloves 4-5, Cardamom 2, Cinnamon 1 inch, Bay leaf 1)



To blanch and puree - Drop the tomatoes in boiling water and remove from the fire. Cover and set aside.  After about 4-5 min, de-skin the tomatoes and puree along with the water.


Methi Paneer Malai


Method Of Preparation -

In a bowl of hot water, soak the paneer cubes and set aside until needed.


In a heated pan, add 1 tsp of oil and saute the onions. Also add sliced ginger and garlic.


Remove after the onions turn golden brown and let it cool. Make a paste of the onions and set aside.

In a heated wok/kadai, pour the remaining oil and add the remaining seasoning ingredients. After the  spices are aromatic, transfer the onion paste, tomato puree.


Also add the tomato ketchup, turmeric, salt, Kashmiri chilli powder, chat masala and Chole Masala (if using).


Add more water to the desired consistency. Let the mixture come to a boil and after the oil floats on top, add the drained paneer cubes.


After a couple minutes, add garam masala, kasoori methi and milk. Let it come to boil. Dribble some cream and remove from fire in a couple minutes.


Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve warm with Roti/Naan/Paratha.


Please drool over the blog hoppers' recreations here.




Preparation Time 45 min 
Serves 4-5

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Posted by Harini on Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Corn-Wheat Flour Calzone


When I first read about Calzones, I thought it was just another form of pizza, or folded over pizza. Then I realized the combinations can be too many and some of them might be too good to resist! So when I saw the announcement from Kalyani regarding this month's Magic Mingle #3 with Corn and Wheat as the main ingredients, I thought it was high time I baked these. I am sure I would be baking these calzones with different fillings too!


I baked these without cheese and jalopenos for my older one but for my husband definitely a spicy version! He had a field time biting into the cheesy, spicy calzones!!


Ingredients -
For the Dough -
Whole Wheat Flour 2 1/2 cups
Vital Wheat Gluten 2 Tbsp
Water up to 2 cups (or as needed)
Oilve Oil 2 tsp
Italian Seasoning 1 Tbsp
Garlic minced 1 Tbsp
Active Dry Yeast 1 Pkt (2 1/4 tsp or 7 grams)
Salt 2 tsp (Divided use)
Sugar 1 tsp
Warm Water 1/2 cup

For the Filling -
Corn Kernels 1 cup (I used frozen)
Onion chopped 1/2 cup
Carrot grated 1/4 cup
Peas 1/4 cup
Salt as needed
Turmeric 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala / Chole Masala / Pav Bhaji Masala / Curry Powder as needed
Red Chilli Powder 1/4 tsp
For the Calzone Assembly - 
Pizza Sauce (I used Home made) as needed
Grated Cheese as needed
Black Olives sliced as needed
Jalopenos sliced as needed
Milk for brushing the tops


Corn-Wheat Flour Calzone

Method Of Preparation -

For the outer cover -
In small bowl of warm water, add 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar and yeast. Let it froth up in a warm place for about 7-10 min.

In another mixing bowl, add in the wheat flour, vital wheat gluten, Italian Seasoning, minced garlic and salt. To this mixture add the proofed yeast solution, water and knead into a soft pliable dough. If it gets too sticky, apply oil to your hands and knead for about 10 min. [I used up to 1 tsp of oil].

Oil the bowl and the dough (to keep the dough from drying out) and cover it with an oiled cling film. (I used a deep bowl as a lid.)

Keep the covered dough in a warm place undisturbed for about 2 hours or until the dough doubles.

To Prepare the Filling - 
In a heated sauce pan, add oil, cumin seeds and saute the chopped onions. 


After the onions are golden brown, add the grated carrot, peas and corn. (Since I used frozen peas and frozen corn, I thawed them first). Stir fry for about 2 minutes.


Add turmeric, salt, Spice powder (I used Chana Masala Powder) and mix well. Remove from fire and let it cool.


Assembly of the Calzones -
Divide the dough into 12-15 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a thin disc of about 3-4 inches in diameter.


Spread a teaspoon of pizza sauce in the center of the rolled out disc, put in the corn filling, add in the additional toppings of olives, jalopenos and cheese whichever is preferred on one half of the disc making sure the edges of the semi circle are free. See picture below.


Corn-Wheat Flour Calzone


Moisten the edges with water and carefully fold the filling free half to form a semi circle. Seal the edges by pressing the rines of the fork. Poke the calzone in multiple places with a fork to make way for the steam to escape.


Preheat the oven to 375 F. 


Arrange all the prepared calzones on a lined baking tray and keep them covered until ready to bake. [They can be allowed to rise for a second time if preferred]


Brush milk on top of the calzone. Place the baking trays in the center rack of the preheated oven. I baked them for 25 min.


Remove from the oven and be careful when you bite into the hot, cheesy calzone.

Preparation Time 1 hr + Rising Time 2 hrs + Baking Time 25 min
Makes 12-15 calzones

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Whole Wheat Garlic Naan


We all love to eat Naan  in a restaurant, right? After trying my hand at preparing Butter Naan at home, I was tempted to try it the healthier way and the Vegan way (Made a few vegan ones) as well. So here is a bare bones version of the Garlic Naan which I attempted. 

Ingredients -

Whole Wheat Flour 2 1/2 cups
Maida/All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup
Yeast 2 tsp
Water 1 cup + more as needed
Salt as needed
Garlic 2-3 cloves finely chopped
Ajwain/Vaamu 1 tsp
Oil 1 Tbsp
Oil as needed for Vegan Version / Butter as needed while cooking for a non vegan version

* Alter the flavor by using spring onions, green chillies, sauteed onions, onion seeds, sesame seeds or whatever is your preference.


Whole Wheat Garlic Naan


Method Of Preparation -


In a bowl, add some warm water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar and yeast. Set it aside for about 4-5 min until the yeast is frothy.


In a mixing bowl, add the flours, salt, garlic and ajwain and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and knead for about 7-10 min into a soft dough.


Add oil and knead for a couple min, cover it and set aside in a warm place for the dough to rise.


After about 1 1/2 - 2 hrs, when the dough is doubled, make equal portions of the dough.


Roll each of the dough portions into an oblong shaped Naan and cook on a hot griddle/tawa.


When the bubbles appear , flip on to the under side and apply some butter/oil. Spray butter/oil on both sides and remove after both the sides are browned enough.

Continue for the rest of the dough and serve them hot with a curry!


Preparation Time 30 min 
Makes 14-15

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Posted by Harini on Monday, March 5, 2012

Vegan Coconut Cake


Gayathri of Gayathri's Cookspot started a group called Baking Eggless. It is a group of baking enthusiasts who want to be challenged by converting a known cake recipe with eggs into an eggless one. This month we are kicking off with this flavorful Coconut Cake.


As part of my experiment, I tried making this cake twice and the second time I got the perfect result! 


The first time the cake was very crumbly and I thought that the texture wasn't right though the taste was pretty good.


The second time the cake was very fluffy, just sweet enough and perfect for us and our guests! The kids had a great time in the 'demolition'!! I preferred to use powdered coconut instead of the shredded variety. 


Also I went the Vegan way as my older one is dairy milk intolerant. The coconut milk enhanced the 'coconutty' flavor and was a treat to have. 


Vegan Coconut Cake


Ingredients - 
Dry Ingredients -
Whole Wheat Flour 1 cup
All Purpose Flour / Maida 1 cup
Coconut Powder 1 cup
Baking Powder 2 tsp
Wet ingredients - 
Brown Sugar 1 cup + 2 Tbsp
Coconut Milk 1 1/2 cups 
Apple Cider Vinegar 1 Tbsp
Olive Oil 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
Shredded Coconut for topping (Optional)


Vegan Coconut Cake


Method Of Preparation -


Preheat the oven to 350 F. 


Grease or Line a muffin plate or 10 inch baking pan.  [I used a 24 mini muffin plate and a 8 X 6 X 2 rectangular glass dish.]


In a bowl add the wet ingredients and beat them well until frothy. Since I used Olive oil, the mixture was not frothy , just well blended.


In a mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk well. To this pour the wet ingredients and beat with an electric beater for about 2-3 minutes. [I guess this can be done manually as well.]


Distribute the batter into the muffin plate and the 8 X 6 X 2 rectangular glass dish.


Bake them in the middle rack until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The cup cakes were done in 15 min while the rectangular cake took 28 min. 

This cake didn't brown too much but the aroma of the cake itself indicated the doneness of the cake. :)


Cool the cake on a cooling rack and invert upon cooling. The cupcake cuties are just fine off the pan. :)


Take another closer look at the fluffy interior of the cake!!


Vegan Coconut Cake



Linking this post to 

Spice n sugar hosting cake, cookies and Desserts

Sizzling Taste buds hosting Bake fest of zesty palettes 

Preparation Time 10 min + Baking Time 28 min
Makes 12 mini cupcakes and 8x6x1 cake

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