Oats- Choco Blocks

These chocolaty granola bars is the best after snack to satisfy your sweet tooth. Flavors of honey, cinnamon and chocolate combined together to make it a perfect granola bar for everyone. It is also healthy as it has health king Oats as an ingredient. While I was eagerly looking for some healthy and nutritious recipe,which I can make and gift to my friend on our Christmas party cum play date at her place, I finally found this recipe. So I decided to give it a try! It came out so perfectly well that everyone in her family liked it so much that she couldn't resist to call and tell me the reviews. Sincerely, I would like to thank my friend divya for making me feel so proud of my efforts. I hope you will also like this simple and healthy recipe.

Nutritional benefits:

Oats are generally considered "healthy", or a health food, being touted as nutritious. The established property of their cholesterol-lowering effects  has led to acceptance of oats as a health food. Oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain, resulting in slower digestion, a feeling of satiety and suppression of appetite. Oat protein is nearly equivalent in quality to soy protein, which World Health Organization research has shown to be equal to meat, milk and egg protein.

Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 40 mins

Serves- 2 heart shape size

Ingredients:

Oats - 1/2 cup
Refined flour (maida) - 1 cup
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Nuts and raisins- 1/4 cup
Honey - 1/2 cup
Cooking Oil - 1/2 cup
Vanilla essence- 1tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
White Chocolate - 1/2 cup
Dark Chocolate - 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Mix refined flour,Oats, cinnamon powder, baking soda, brown sugar and salt. Keep aside
2. Chop some dark chocolate and add to the dry ingredients. Chocolate chips can also be added
3. Now add raisins, nuts, honey, cooking oil and essence. Mix all the ingredients well
4. Pour this mixture into desired moulds. I used silicon moulds for baking these bars
5. Preheat the convection at 180 deg. Bake it at 180 deg for first 20 mins and then at 160 deg for next 10 mins or till it turns brown
6. Remove from oven and let it cool
7. Melt the dark and white chocolate separately by double boiler method
8. Now keep the grains bar inverted with smooth surface facing up
9. Now first pour melted white chocolate over the bar sparingly. Now pour dark chocolate all over the bar. Refrigerate for 1 - 2 hr and let it set
10. Cut into slices and serve

Notes:

1. These granola bars can be stored at room temperature in winters and in refrigerator in summers for a week or two
2. This can be made ahead of time when guests are coming
3. If you are using Museli instead of oats then adjust the nuts accordingly as museli contains nuts

Eggless Chocolate Choco Chip Muffins

This recipe is perfect for afternoon tea snack or to pop one in lunch box.Tried this classic chocolate-chocolate chip muffins recipe for the first time on kids playdate and it turned out perfectly well in first go. Kids are anyways fond of chocolate flavor. Kids n mommies liked them so much and they were sosoft and spongy that everybody wandered if they are eggless :) .I am sure you will also fall for this simple, quick and easy eggless recipe

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 8 Muffins

Ingredients:

Refined flour (maida) - 1cup

Cocoa powder - 1/3cup

Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Curd - 1/2 cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Brown sugar - 3/4 cup

Chocolate chips - 1/4 cup (as desired)

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, sieve together refined flour,cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda
2. Dust all choco chips with flour and keep aside
3. In another bowl, add curd,oil, vanilla essence, brown sugar 
4. Mix and keep aside till sugar dissolves completely
5. Now make a hole in the center of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients on it.
6. Mix gently so that no lumps are formed. Do not over mix
7. Fold in choco chips as desired 
8. Preheat convection at 180 deg. Fill the muffin liners up to 3/4th level and sprinkle some choco chips over it
9. Bake at 180 deg for 20 mins. Give a standing time of 1 minute
10. Can be enjoyed warm or cold like cake

Notes:

1. Plain sugar can also be used in the recipe
2. Do not over mix the batter
3. Let it stand for a minute after mixing batter. Bubbles will form. This signals that your baking soda is working well
4. Icing can also be done to turn them into cupcakes 

Creamy Matar Mushroom

Creamy Matar Mushroom

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Green peas (matar) - 1 cup
Mushroom - 250 grm
Bay leaves (tej patta) - 1
Cloves (laung) - 2
Cinnamon stick (dalchini) - 1/2 inch
Carom seeds (ajwain) - 1/2 tsp
Cumin (jeera) - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder(dhaniya) - 2 tsp
Turmeric Powder(haldi) - 1tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Dry Mango Powder(amchoor) - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Onion Paste- 1 onion
Tomato Paste- 1 tomato
Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Ginger Paste - 1tsp
Slit Green Chillies - 2
Oil - 1 tbsp
Fresh cream - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander for garnishing

Creamy Matar Mushroom

Method:

1. Wash and chop mushrooms and keep aside
2. Wash peas and keep aside
3. In a non stick kadai, add oil. Add bay leaves, cloves n cinnamon to hot oil. Stir for 5 sec and add cumin and carom seeds
4. When cumin splutters, add ginger paste and garlic paste and cook for half a minute on low flame.
5. Add onion  paste, slit green chillies, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder to it and again cook till oil starts leaving from sides
6. Add tomato paste and cook till  done
7. Add peas and salt. Cook on low flame with lid for 10-15 mins or till peas are half done
8. Add mushroom, garam masala and amchoor powder and cook on low flame with lid for  mins
9. Remove the lid, add 1 tbsp fresh cream and cook for 4-5 mins
10. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and fresh cream

Coriander Chutney

Coriander Chutney

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Serve: 4

Ingredients:

Coriander(dhaniya) - 100grm
Mint leaves - 1/2 cup
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Onion - 1
Ginger paste - 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Black Salt (Kala namak) - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper powder (Kali Mirch) - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2-3
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1 pinch
Lemon - 1

Method:

1. Wash and cut coriander and mint leaves with stems
2. Put all the ingredients except lemon in blender and blend to fine paste
3. Add lemon in the end and mix well

Notes:

1. Lemon juice also helps in retaining the fresh green color of chutney
2. For variation, tomato can also be added 

Dahi- Dhaniya Chutney

Dahi - Dhaniya Chutney

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Coriander(dhaniya) - 100grm
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Black Salt (Kala namak) - 1/2 tsp
Black Pepper powder (Kali Mirch) - 1/2 tsp
Green chillies - 2-3
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1 pinch
Dry Mango Powder(Amchoor)- 1 tsp
Curd (Dahi) - 2 tbsp

Method:

1. Wash and cut coriander with stems 
2. Put all the ingredients except curd in blender and blend to fine paste
3. Now add curd and blend again
4. Dahi wali dhaniya chtney is ready to serve

Strawberry Trifle

Strawberry Trifle

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Serves - 4

Ingredients:

Sponge cake(eggless) - 5-6 pcs
Strawberry - 8-10
Castor sugar - 1/4 cup
Fresh cream/ Whipped cream - 1/2 cup
Custard powder - 2 tbsp
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Hung Curd - 1 cup
Strawberry syrup (optional)

Strawberry Trifle

Method:

1. In a pan, boil milk. Mix custard powder with 1 tbsp cold milk and add it to boiling milk. Add sugar and stir continuously to avoid lumps. Let it cool and refrigerate
2. To make strawberry syrup, blend strawberries in blender. Add castor sugar and mix again. Cook on low flame for 3-4 mins. Let it cool. Ready made syrup can  also be used. In that case avoid step 2 
3. If using ready made syrup, mix syrup with little water
4. In a separate bowl, add hung curd, whipped cream, 2-3 grated strawberries and mix well.
5. Add this to pre- prepared custard mixture and pipe into piping bags
6. Cut sponge cake and settle it to the base of serving cup
7. Soak it  with strawberry syrup. Add a layer of chopped  strawberries 
8. Now pipe chilled custard mixture in it and fill half the cup
9. Now repeat adding cake slice and soak with syrup. Again pipe the custard mixture and fill the glass with it
10. Let it cool and garnish with thick syrup and strawberries

Oats- Broccoli- Carrot Pancake

Oats-Broccoli-Carrot Pancake

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time:  30 mins
Serves- 2

Ingredients:

Oats - 1 cup

Curd - 1/2 cup

Broccoli (finely chopped) - 1/3 cup

Carrot (grated) - 1/3 cup

Ginger Paste - 1/2 tsp

Garlic paste  1/2 tsp

Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Slit green chillies(optional) - 2

Oil - 2 tsp

Eno - 1 pinch

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except oil and eno
2. Adjust the consistency with water if required and let it rest for 2 mins
3. Now, heat non stick tawa . Add eno to the batter and mix 
4. Pour 2 tsp of batter on tawa and spread it evenly in round shape
5. Cook on low flame for 1-2 mins and turn. Again cook on low flame for 2 mins
6. Once you feel its done. Keep it off the  flame
7. Enjoy with dahi - dhaniya chutney