HOMEMADE GRANOLA BARS

Finally I tried making Granola Bars at home and realized why didn't I make them for so long. Granola Bars are so easy to make at home and when you have a husband who is a fitness freak and diet conscious you ought to give it a try.
The best thing that I liked about Granola Bars is that you can add whatever nuts and seeds you like to it depending upon your taste buds and flavors. I actually added most of the things I could lay my hands on in the kitchen.

Granola Bars serve as a perfect snack for your munching or your mid afternoon or evening hunger pangs. If you got late and missed out on your breakfast just grab a Granola Bar and you're good to go for a couple of hours because with all the nuts and seeds and the binding agents it is quite heavy and fills up your tummy. 
So here's the recipe of a Healthy Granola Bar the way I made it you may add or omit  or increase or decrease a few ingredients as per your liking.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Oats
1/4 cup Almonds (Badam) chopped

1/4 cup Cashews (Kaju) chopped
1/4 cup Walnuts (Akhrot) chopped
1/4 cup Pistachios (Pista) chopped 
1/4 cup Raisins (Kishmish) if you use the bigger ones you may chop mine were pretty small so i used them as it is
1/3 cup Dates (Khajoor) chopped
1 table spoon Melon seeds (Magaz)
1 table spoon Flax seeds (Alsi)
3 - 4 table spoons Maple syrup
2 - 3 table spoons Peanut Butter 

METHOD

1. Dry roast the oats lightly. Remove them from the pan and keep aside.
2. In the same pan add the almonds, cashews, walnuts and pistachios and dry roast them too. Remove and keep aside.
3. Now add the melon seeds and flax seeds to the same pan. Dry roast them lightly.
4. In a bowl add the roasted oats, all the nuts and seeds and mix.
5. Now add the raisins and the chopped dates. Mix everything well.
6. Add 2 table spoons of maple syrup and 2 table spoons of peanut butter.
7. Mix everything together and see if you are able to bind them together. If not add more and try to hold it in your fist like we do for laddoos. 
8. Once you get a mixture which is able to hold shape. Take a baking tray and line it with parchment. Spread the mixture evenly pressing it with your hands. Apply cuts with a knife according to the size and shape you want your Granola Bar to be.
9. Bake the Granola Bars in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool completely on the tray. Store in an airtight container.


PICTORIAL GUIDE

METHOD

1. Dry roast the oats lightly. Remove them from the pan and keep aside.

2. In the same pan add the almonds, cashews, walnuts and pistachios and dry roast them too. Remove and keep aside.

 

3. Now add the melon seeds and flax seeds to the same pan. Dry roast them lightly.

4. In a bowl add the roasted oats, all the nuts and seeds and mix.

5. Now add the raisins and the chopped dates. Mix everything well.

6. Add 2 table spoons of maple syrup and 2 table spoons of peanut butter.

7. Mix everything together and see if you are able to bind them together. If not add more and try to hold it in your fist like we do for laddoos. 

8. Once you get a mixture which is able to hold shape. Take a baking tray and line it with parchment. Spread the mixture evenly pressing it with your hands. Apply cuts with a knife according to the size and shape you want your Granola Bar to be.

9. Bake the Granola Bars in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Let them cool completely on the tray. Store in an airtight container.

HAPPY BAKING!! 😊

PULI INJI (SWEET AND SOUR GINGER PICKLE)

This is another instant pickle recipe that I've learnt from my mother in law which is used during Vishu and Onam Sadya.

This pickle mainly uses ginger and gets its sweet and sour flavor from jaggery (gud) and tamarind (imli).

This one too is quick and easy to make and can be prepared in advance to serve along with the Sadya.

I've made a small quantity of this pickle as I was making it for the first time you can double the recipe to increase the quantity.

I'm sharing with you basic measurements but everyone has different tastes when it comes to pickles some like it sweet. some like it spicy and some like it tangy so you are free to play around with the ingredients to suit your flavor.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup  chopped Ginger (adrak)

1-2 chopped green chillies ( hari mirch)

2 table spoons cooking oil

1/4 tea spoon Asafoetida (heeng) powder

1/4 tea spoon red chilli (lal mirch) powder

1/4 tea spoon turmeric (haldi) powder

1/2 tea spoon Black mustard seeds (sarson/ rai)

1-2 dry red chillies (sukhi lal mirch)

10-12 curry leaves (kari patta)

salt to taste

1/2 cup Jaggery (gud)

1/4 cup Tamarind (imli)

METHOD

1. Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup water and keep aside.

2. Wash and peel the ginger and chop it finely.

3. In a pan or kadai heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering add heeng, dry red chillies and curry leaves.

4. Add the chopped ginger and green chillies.

5. Fry the ginger and green chillies well till the ginger changes colour to light brown.

6. Squeeze out the pulp from the soaked tamarind and strain it.

7. Add the tamarind extract to the pan. Mix well.

8. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.

9. Lastly add jaggery and let it melt.

10. Cook for a few more minutes till the mixture becomes thick.

11. Switch off the flame and let it cool completely. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate.

PICTORIAL GUIDE

1. Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup water and keep aside.

2. Wash and peel the ginger and chop it finely.

3. In a pan or kadai heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering add heeng, dry red chillies and curry leaves.

4. Add the chopped ginger and green chillies.

5. Fry the ginger and green chillies well till the ginger changes colour to light brown.

6. Squeeze out the pulp from the soaked tamarind and strain it.

7. Add the tamarind extract to the pan. Mix well.

8. Add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt.

 

9. Lastly add jaggery and let it melt.

10. Cook for a few more minutes till the mixture becomes thick.

11. Switch off the flame and let it cool completely. Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate.

                                   HAPPY COOKING!! 😊

EGGLESS POUND CAKE

Pound Cakes are cakes which are made of a pound of each of the four ingredients- flour, sugar ,butter and eggs.

Pound cakes were usually baked in a loaf tin or a Bundt pan and are mainy served as tea time cakes. 

Though I already have a pound cake recipe with eggs but one of my dear friend who does not eat eggs wanted me to bake an eggless version of it.

So here it is a simple, moist, buttery flavourful Eggless Pound Cake.

INGREDIENTS

100 gms/1 cup All purpose flour (Maida)

1/2 tea spoon Baking Soda

1 tea spoon Baking Powder

115 gms/ 1/2 cup Butter

2 table spoons Powdered sugar

 25 gms Corn flour

200 gms/ 1/2 tin Condensed milk (Milkmaid)

150ml/ 3/4 cup Milk

1 tea spoon Vanilla Essence

METHOD

1. Grease and dust a cake tin and keep aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.

3. Sift maida, baking powder, baking soda. Keep aside.

4. Mix butter. sugar and corn flour in a bowl and beat till very light and fluffy.

5. Add condensed milk and beat well again.

6. Add milk and vanilla essence. Mix well.

7. Add half of the maida  and beat well.

8. Add the remaining maida and beat well till the mixture is light and fluffy and of soft dropping consistency.

9. Put the cake batter in the prepared cake tin.

10. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 150 degrees.

11. Check with a knife or a toothpick, if it comes out clean the cake is ready. If done remove from the oven or else let it bake for another 5-10 minutes.

12. Once out of the oven, let the cake col in the cake tin for another 5-10 minutes.

13. Now remove from the cake tin and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

PICTORIAL GUIDE

1. Grease and dust a cake tin and keep aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.

3. Sift maida, baking powder, baking soda. Keep aside.

4. Mix butter. sugar and corn flour in a bowl and beat till very light and fluffy.

5. Add condensed milk and beat well again.

6. Add milk and vanilla essence. Mix well.

7. Add half of the maida  and beat well.

8. Add the remaining maida and beat well till the mixture is light and fluffy and of soft dropping consistency.

9. Put the cake batter in the prepared cake tin.

10. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 150 degrees.

11. Check with a knife or a toothpick, if it comes out clean the cake is ready. If done remove from the oven or else let it bake for another 5-10 minutes.

12. Once out of the oven, let the cake col in the cake tin for another 5-10 minutes.

13. Now remove from the cake tin and let it cool completely on a wire rack.

                                     HAPPY BAKING!! 😊