Lemon Tart with Healthy Flour:

Lemon tarts are a real pleasure to have. When I have homemade lemon curd, usually I make it a point to use it in my baking and enjoy the tangy taste. Usually first preference would be Lemon thumb print cookies by using healthy flours. Then comes the Braided bread and lastly, lemon tart, which my daughters just love to have and this time, one of my daughters tried to bake it and she enjoyed the healthy baking process. At first, we did try by using Oats and whole wheat together and second batch with only whole wheat flour. Both the trials worked out just fine. Oats and whole wheat tart shell was more like a cookie with added flaky texture and whole wheat shell was like any normal tart shell.

We normally like mini cup cake size of lemon tart, due to its tangy and sweet taste. So, giving the measurements for 12 – 14 mini tarts.

This is an Egg-less version and I will update both the versions.

How we did:

Ingredients:

Flour – ¾ cup

Salt – ¼ tsp

Cold butter – 50 grams

Brown sugar – ¼ cup

Cold water – as needed.

Lemon curd – As needed

Method:

-If you are taking whole wheat flour, take ¾ cup. If you want to mix oats or any other flours of your choice, go ahead and use half the quantity of oats flour (by grinding ) or any other flour and half whole wheat flour.

-Now, take flour of your choice, salt and dry mix nicely. Add sugar powder and mix thoroughly.

-Add cold butter by cutting into chunks. Mix everything by using hand or processor. Until mixture looks crumbly.

-Now add couple of tablespoons of chilled water and make a dough. Keep it in an airtight box and allow to rest under refrigeration for 45 minutes.

-Pre heat oven at 170°C . Remove dough and roll the dough by using flour dusted platform.

-Take a cookie cutter, lay those circles in greased  mini muffin pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

-Remove, fill with lemon curd, once again keep it in the oven and continue baking for 5 more minutes.

-Remove, cool and enjoy sweet and tangy/ lemony treat.

 

 

Apple Pie Pancake:

Pancakes are always a boon to our busy morning schedule or during the weekend brunch. When you are locked down at home, due to our recent Corona virus scenario, it is an ideal thing to use the ingredients that are available in your pantry to make filling healthy meal than to prepare apple pie, by rolling, filling and baking, this pancake is the perfect answer for your Apple pie craving and a much more healthier option due to the usage of varieties of healthy flours, as it has room for addition or deletion of flours and choice is yours.

Here I have used ground oats, whole wheat and brown rice flour with caramelised apples as well as with the goodness of flax seed to give extra fluffiness without adding any eggs. So, it is eggless too.

If you want to make gluten free version, replace the whole wheat flour and add any flour of your choice. I love this cinnamon flavoured pancake ,which is a perfect variation of the classic dessert and tastes really yum! With Maple syrup.

How I made: For 4 people

Ingredients:

Apples – 1 or 2 (chopped)

Salt 

Jaggery – 2 tsp

Cooking soda – ¾ tsp

Flax seed powder – 1 tsp

Cinnamon powder – ½ tsp

Milk – 1 cup

Oats – 1 cup ( powdered)

Whole wheat flour – ½ cup

Red rice flour – ½ cup

Method:

-Mix Apple, jaggery , cinnamon and keep aside for 5 minutes. Add milk and cook until apple cooks and becomes soft.

-Switch off ,leave aside for 5 minutes. Add in cooking soda, flax seed powder and mix vigorously until it is frothy.

-Add all the flours ,salt, water to make a batter pourable consistency.

-Heat tawa, when it is hot, pour a ladle of batter, sprinkle some ghee or butter, cook in a low flame.

-When it is almost cooked, flip and roast the other side. Serve with maple syrup and enjoy.

 

 

Baked Cracker by using Ghee Residue:

By now, you would know about my love towards brown sediment which is known as ghee residue. Ghee residue is a moist, brown coloured by-product formed after preparing ghee from white butter.

Ghee residue is a rich source of essential fatty acids, natural antioxidants and proteins.

I have shared my experiments with ghee residue earlier. It all started by trying simple tea cake ,then chocolate cake  then apple -cinnamon cake and by trying chocolate chip cookies.

This time I did try some savoury version, and everyone liked it and it turned out pretty well.

You can use whole wheat flour and oats or a mixture of any flour of your choice.

Ingredients:

Ghee residue – 2 -3  tablespoons

Curd -2 tbl spoons

Water – 4 tbl spoons

Jaggery or sugar – Acc to the taste

Mixed spice powder – 1 tbl spoon (pepper-cinnamon-ginger)

Salt

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

Powdered Oats – 2 tbl spoons

Rice flour – 2 tbl spoons

Kasuri methi – 1 tbl spoon

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

White sesame seed – 1 tsp

Method:

 -Take the ghee -residue and all the dry ingredients and mix everything properly. Add curd and sufficient water to make a pliable dough. 

-keep the dough covered, and rest for 30 minutes.

-After 30 minutes, take a small portion, make a ball and roll like thin roti /chapati, cut this by using a cookie cutter or pizza cutter.

-Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170 -180 °C for 20 – 30 minutes.

-After cooling for some time, take out it would turn crispy and enjoy it with a cup of coffee or tea.

-Store it in an airtight container. It stays good for many days, and it is an excellent snack for growing up kids as well.

 

 

 

Energy cake:

This energy filled cake has millets, oats, coconut flour. Usually after extracting coconut milk from the fresh coconut, the residue that remains will go into the trash. Coconut residue is very high in fibre. It is much healthier than wheat bran or oats bran. I usually collect this residue, after extracting the milk for any south Indian kheer, and use it in my baking as it is, by storing it under refrigeration for a couple of days.

This energy bar is a little softer than a normal crunchy bar. So, I named it as Energy cake. Shelf life is any where between 2 to 3 days at room temperature, Up to 10 days under refrigeration. If it was under refrigeration, please re-heat to get soft texture.

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Ingredients:

Oats – 1 cup

Mix millet flour – 1 cup

Coconut residue – ¾ to 1 cup (You can use coconut flour or desiccated coconut as well)

Brown Sugar – ¾ cup

Butter – 100 grams

Honey – 2 table spoons

Milk – ¼ cup

Cooking soda – ½ tea spoon

Vanilla essence – 1 tea spoon

Choco chip and almond flakes – to garnish

Method:

-Pre-heat oven, line a baking tray.

-In one bowl, combine oats, 2 flours and mix thoroughly.

Ribbet collage 1

-Take one sauce pan, heat butter and sugar. When sugar melts, switch off.

-Add in honey, milk,vanilla and cooking soda and mix.

-Pour the frothy wet mixture over oat and flour mixture and fold the batter.

Ribbet collage 2

-Batter will be a little thick and heavy. Pour the mixture and spread evenly on a lined baking tray.

-Garnish with Choco chips and almond flakes and press a little.

Ribbet collage 3

-Bake this in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for about 25 to 30 minutes or until done.

-Cool, cut into pieces and serve as a snack or a breakfast bar.

 

 

Oats cookies with kisses:

Wanted to use Hershey’s “Kisses” in baking from so many days, finally I did try out this and my kids liked it too. These are a real treat for kids and at the same time filled with high fiber and are healthy because of the usage of Whole wheat flour and oats. I like lemon flavor in my cookies, if you don’t want to use lemon you can add vanilla or cardamom too.

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Now we will see how I made this.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour -1 cup

Powdered oats – 1 cup

Sugar -1 cup

Baking soda -1 tsp.

Grated lemon zest- ½ to 1 tsp.

Ghee /Clarified butter – ½ cup

Milk – 3  to 4 table spoons (to bind)

Hershey’s Kisses chocolates for decoration.

Method:

-In a mixer jar, powder oats, measure and keep aside.

-powder sugar and keep aside.

-Now take one mixing bowl, take all the dry ingredients like whole wheat flour, oats powder ,sugar powder ,baking soda ,lemon rind and mix it thoroughly by using hand ,so that flavor will spread uniformly.

-Now mix in melted ghee and bind it together. If it is a little dry, add one to two table spoons of milk, if it binds and holds a shape well and good. Otherwise add one more table spoon of milk and make a ball like Chapati dough.

-Now pre-heat your oven in 180C.

-Line your cookie tray with butter paper or aluminum foil and keep it ready.

-Take one small cookie scoop or a Table spoon to shape the dough into semi-circle balls, and place them on a parchment covered baking/cookie tray.

Ribbet collage 1

-Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until base becomes light brown in colour.

-While baking process is going on, keep kisses chocolate ready by removing its cover.

-When it is done, take out the tray and immediately press a chocolate into the center of each cookie.

Ribbet collage 2

-Base of this chocolate will melt a little, so it holds firmly after it cools down. Cookie will crack around the edges.

-Now don’t disturb these beauties and allow them to cool completely. It will take anywhere between one to two hours to cool completely.

-Because of the heat, chocolate will become very soft and after some time it will hold its shape and become firm.

-Then you can store this in an airtight container.

 

Instant Oats-Rava Idli:

This is how I prepare oats idli/idly at home. This recipe is so handy, healthy and a very good option to finish off our stock of sour curd. I usually roast rawa and oats the previous night and proceed directly to prepare in the morning, so that one can save time and it also gets enough time to cool down properly. I don’t use any seasoning and make it exactly like our regular normal idly and serve either with hing or onion and coconut chutney.

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Ingredients:

Quick cooking oats – 1 ½ cup

Normal rava/semolina – 1 cup

Sour Curd – 2 cups

Water -1 cup

Eno fruit salt – 1tsp

Salt

Ghee /clarified butter – 1 table spoon

Method:

          Take one tawa and roast rava by adding ghee.

          When rawa becomes white, sandy in texture, add oats and proceed frying it for 2 to 3 minutes and switch off the gas.

collage 1

          Cool this properly. (I usually do this the previous night)

          Mix curds, water, required amount of salt (around 1 tsp) and Eno.

          Add roasted rawa and oats mixture. Consistency should be like regular idly batter.

          Set cooker for steam cooking, by adding 1 to 2 cups of water and keep it on a fire.

          Rinse idly moulds or stand with clean water (This will help as a non-sticky coating)

collage 2

          Pour 1 serving spoon of a ready batter, steam cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

          Serve with any chutney of your choice.