Carrot Cake Breakfast Squares

Carrot Cake Breakfast Squares

Carrot Cake is a favourite of ours, so whenever we pass by a cake shop we indulge in a large slice even though we know how to make it ourselves. While browsing the internet a while ago I came across this healthy version which is a delightful, fragrant version of a popular dessert cake.  Have it for breakfast or at any time you choose without feeling guilty.  And oh yes, you can eat a double helping every time!

Original Recipe from www.eatwiseuk.com

However, I have tweaked it and made it my own.

The Recipe:

1 cup instant oats; 2 tbsp Herbalife Protein Powder;1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/8 tsp nutmeg; pinch of salt; 1 large egg; 1/2 cup homemade curds; 1 tsp vanilla essence; 1/2 cup carrot, grated; 2 tbsp honey;2 tbsp walnuts, chopped; 2 tbs cashew nuts, chopped; 5 large dates, stoned and chopped ;1 tbsp raisins.

Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and grease a non-stick baking tray.  Mix the oats, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, curds, vanilla, grated carrot and honey.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix to combine, then stir in the cashew nuts and dates.  Scatter the raisins and walnuts on top and bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and the mixture is coming away from the sides of the tin.  Cut into squares and enjoy for breakfast or as a snack.  Serves 3.

Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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Date and Banana Custard

Sugarless Date & Banana Custard

While going through recipes on Pinterest I came across this recipe which sounded good. So I hastily scribbled it down on a piece of paper. Those were the days when I was a novice on the computer and words like 'cut' and 'paste' were Greek and Latin to me.  I tweaked it to suit our tastes and got a dessert that's good enough for any occasion.

The Recipe:

3 eggs; 2 large very ripe bananas; 4 dates, pitted; 1 cup low fat milk.

Blend all ingredients to a thick cake like batter.  Pour into oven proof dish and bake at 200 C in pre heated oven for forty minutes or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean.  

A simple, deliciously quick dessert to satisfy the sweet tooths.

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Arabic Rice

Arabic Rice

I loved this rice from the minute I ate it a few years ago in Bangalore and made up my mind to get the recipe by hook or by crook.  I can't tell you how many recipes I've tried from www.google.com and how often we ate the many versions of  Arabic Rice.  To cut a long story short, I was going through my list of recipes last month and decided to google the internet once more and I found what I had been searching for.  Here it is, modified by me.  I cooked and froze about 6 boxes for the family to use while I am travelling or too lazy to cook.

The Recipe:

1 kg skinless chicken, jointed, washed and drained; 250 gms Low G. I. brown  Basmathi rice, washed and drained; 1 large tomato, quartered; a fe carrots; 6 cloves garlic, crushed;  1 lemon juiced; rind of 1 lemon; 1 tsp pepper to taste; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 stick cinnamon; 3 cloves; 3 cardamoms; 1large onion sliced; 500 ml water. 3 boiled eggs for garnish, halved.

Mix the spices, garlic, lemon juice, rind, pepper powder and olive oil in a bowl.  Marinade the chicken in half of this mixture for 30 minutes.  Next, boil the chicken and carrots in 500 ml water and simmer for 5 minutes.  Take the chicken and carrots out and keep warm.  Measure 500 ml stock to cook the rice and keep the remaining aside.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a non stick pan and stir fry half the onions till glazed.  Add the rice and gently stir fry till coated with oil.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in another non stick pan and  fry the remaining onions till golden brown.  Add the remaining lemon and olive oil mixture and stir fry for 2 minutes.  Add to the rice and mix well.  Transfer to rice cooker and add the 500 ml stock.  Cook till done.  Transfer to large pyrex dish and layer the chicken and rice.  Pour the remaining stock over and bake for 15 minutes at 200 C or 400 F till the chicken on top is brown.  Garnish with carrots and boiled eggs and serve with a mint and cucumber yoghurt.  This is one dish I could eat everyday.  Mmmm...

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Baked Seer Fish With Gravy

Baked Seer Fish With Gravy

This is a wonderful recipe to serve at parties and to make an impression.  It is not only a visual treat and  a gastronomical delight- it is easy to prepare.  Just get everything ready the night before and throw it in the oven the next day.  Multi task and get everything done together.

The Recipe:

1 small seerfish ( about 900 gms), gutted, washed and drained. Slash the fish on both sides to enable the marinade to go in.

Masala Paste:1 tbsp ginger garlic paste; 1 dsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera powder; 1/4 tsp turmeric powder; 1 tsp chilli powder or more to taste; 2 tbsp vinegar.
  Mix all the ingredients together into a thick paste.

3 large potatoes, parboiled and sliced thickly.

Rub the masala paste inside and all over the fish and potatoes.
Marinade the fish and par boiled potatoes in the masala paste  overnight.  Next day bring to room temperature and bake fish and potatoes in a pre heated oven at 200 C or 400 F for 20 minutes each side.  Test with a metal skewer for doneness.  Rest for 10 minutes, garnish with greens and tomatoes and serve hot with boiled rice or any bread. 

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https://plateculture.com/where-to-eat/optimummm-indian-cooking-workshop

Guilt Free Basil Vanilla Silk

My sister Anu has been cooking up a storm this week and made a delectable Qatari Hissu Drink which she shared on her Facebook Page called "FoodPrints."  We all loved it and this is my version of the ever popular sweet basil drink which is good for the respiratory and digestive system.

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Low Calorie Mango Pudding

Mango Pudding

Mango Pudding is a Malaysian favourite and this is a delicious low calorie version of it.  It is so good, you could even have it for breakfast or any time you fancy or when your sweet tooth gets the better of you.

The Recipe:

250 ml low fat milk); 100 gms mango cubes;  1 tbsp gelatine powder.

50 ml evaporated milk and extra Mango cubes.

Heat 50 ml of milk and sprinkle the gelatine over and leave aside until it blooms.  Add to  and blend with the milk and  Mango cubes. 

Pour into glass dish and set in the refrigerator.  

To Serve:  Pour a little of the evaporated milk in a glass bowl and place a portion of the Mango Pudding in it.  Top with cherries or additional mango cubes.  Serves 2 people and if you like you could polish off the whole lot yourself.

NB:  This could also be made with a F1 Mango Shake - my favourite way of cutting down on calories.  In this case make 1 shake with 3 scoops of F1 Mango and 250 ml low fat milk with 100 gms Mango Cubes.  Blend together with 1 tbsp of gelatin that has bloomed, set in the refrigerator and you have an easy peasy version of it.  Serve as above.

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Apricot Bread Pudding

An Old Favourite

This is

 An Old Favourite with a twist.  Instead of steaming or baking this bread pudding, I merely drenched it with an extra large Herbalife French Vanilla  Shake and left it to soak overnight in the refrigerator.  The result was stupendous and this is a dessert we have frequently because of it's taste, nutritional content and low calorie count.

The Recipe:

For The Shake:  500 ml low fat milk; 4 scoops (60 gms Herbalife French Vanilla Nutritional Mix; 30 gms almond powder/ meal; 1 tsp vanilla essence.  

Blend together for one minute and keep aside till required.

For The Bread Pudding: 8 slices, brown bread, buttered on one side only; 20 apricots.

Soak the apricots in warm water just enough to cover them, overnight.  Next day stone them and boil apricots in the same water till thick and soft.  Extract the kernels from the seed.  

Heat a large nonstick pan and toast brown bread on medium flame both sides till crisp and golden brown.  Layer in a glass dish.  Pour the shake over and leave to soak in the refrigerator.  When well soaked decorate with the apricots and kernels.  Drizzle the juices over.  It is so delicious, it leaves you wanting for more.

Quinoa

Just Quinoa 

Quinoa seems to be the fashion at all food stores I visit and whether intentionally or not I seem to be bumping in to a number of people who have included it in their diet on a daily basis. I was curious to know how it tasted and bought some and stored it in my kitchen while I hunted for a suitable recipe.  After googling a bit I came up with some interesting facts which caught my attention.  

Culinary ethnologists will be interested to know that Quinoa pronounced as keen-wah  was a staple food for thousands of years in the Andes region of South America as one of just a few crops the ancient Incas cultivated at such high altitude. While quinoa is usually considered to be a whole grain, it is actually a seed, but can be prepared like whole grains such as rice or barley.  
 it takes less time to cook than other whole grains - just 10 to 15 minutes,  tastes great on its own, unlike other grains and quinoa has the highest protein content, so it's perfect for vegetarians and vegans. Quinoa provides all 9 essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. Quinoa is a gluten-free and cholesterol-free whole grain, is kosher for Passover, and is almost always organic.

You can make it into anything you like- pulav, biriyani, use it as a breakfast cereal or a salad.  Just follow these guidelines for that perfect meal.

Basic Quinoa Facts

How much cooked quinoa does 1 cup dry quinoa yield?
1 cup dry quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa.

How much liquid do I need to cook quinoa?
To cook 1 cup quinoa, you need about 2 cups liquid.

How long does it take to cook quinoa?
1 cup quinoa will cook in about 20 minutes.

How do I make quinoa less bitter?
Nearly, if not all, of the natural bitterness of quinoa's outer coating can be removed by a vigorous rinsing in a mesh strainer.

How do I make better-tasting quinoa?
Quinoa is really excellent when cooked in vegetable or chicken broth. Also, add about 1/4 teaspoon salt to each cup dried quinoa when cooking. Try adding other spices aromatics during cooking as well: A clove of smashed garlic, a sprig of fresh rosemary, a dash of black pepper.

Can I use my rice cooker to make quinoa?
Yes! Just use the 2:1 liquid to quinoa ratio and follow the instructions on your rice cooker.

I made it into a stir fried meal for two with chicken and it turned out really well.  My only regret is that I made just enough for two and there were no leftovers to tide me over the next day.

The Recipe:

1 cup Quinoa, washed three times in a large wire mesh strainer;  salt to taste; 1/2 cup shelled peas; 1 tsp ginger garlic paste; 1 dsp olive oil; 1 onion sliced; 2 cups warm water; 1 medium sized pandanus leaf.

Heat olive oil in a non stick pan and stir fry the onions and ginger garlic till golden brown.  Add the Quinoa and stir fry on a medium flame till all the grains are coated.  Transfer to rice cooker, add the peas, pandanus leaf, warm water and salt to taste.  Cook till done and serve with Roast Chicken.  Smells good, has a lovely nutty flavour and am certainly going to make it again.

Recipe for Roast Chicken 

http://fromthefryingpan.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-years-chicken.html

Black Forest Shake

Black Forest Shake

It feels wonderful to get up in the morning everyday and look forward to my Black Forest Breakfast Shake.  I have been on it for 8 years now and love it.  Tastes so good and I could rhapsodize on it for hours and hours.  Mix and match, play around with it, enjoyed by all who taste it, I am addicted for life to this low calorie Chocolicious Shake!

The Recipe:

250 ml low fat milk; 4 large scoops Herbalife F1 Dutch Chocolate Flavour; 1 tsp chocolate sprinkles; a few black cherries, stoned;  a dollop of low fat cream.

Blend the Dutch Chocolate and milk together.  Pour into a tall glass.  Garnish with black cherries, chocolate sprinkles and a dollop of low fat cream.  Absolutely Chocolicious!