Vegan Fat free Banana Oat Nut Bar & Banana-Beet Milk

Know what you Eat – Oats, via their high fiber content, are known to help remove cholesterol from

the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream.Bananas are an exceptionally rich source of fructooligosaccharide, a compound called a prebiotic because it nourishes probiotic (friendly) bacteria in the colon. These beneficial bacteria produce vitamins and digestive enzymes that improve our ability to absorb nutrients Almonds which is high in monounsaturated fats, that is good for the body  and is associated with reduced risk of heart disease. In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, Magnesium and Potassium. Jaggery (Panela) is a "natural" sweetener made

by the concentration of sugarcane juice WITHOUT the use of any chemicals / synthetic additives or

preservatives. It contains an enormous wealth of minerals / protein / vitamins and iron. Beets get their garnet color from antioxidants called betalains, which help your body detoxify potentially cancer causing substances.  Go for raw milk than pasteurized and homogenized milk, which causes higher incidence of milk  allergies or lactose intolerance, from organic grass fed cows without any growth hormone or antibiotic.





After school snack is the most important meal in our house, the dining table becomes the vent out place to discuss what all things happened in the school in the whole stressful?? day, so the table should look colorful and tempting as per the kids, at the same time should be nutritious according to me. It is not very difficult to achieve both with little bit of planning and creativity and this is one such snack, which they relish. Using beets instead of artificially flavored strawberry drinks, is much  more healthier.





Vegan Fat free Banana Oat Nut Bar



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 Minutes

Serves - Makes around 12 bars



Ingredients



Old Fashioned Oats - 1 3/4 cup

Oats Flour - 1/4 cup

Banana – 2 big

Powdered Jaggery(Panela) - 1/2 cup

Chopped Almonds - 1/2 cup

Grated Coconut – 1/2 cup

Chopped Dates - 1/4 cup

Toasted Chia seeds – 2 Tbsp

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt pinch

Water



Method



1) In a pan add little bit of water to the powdered Jaggery/Panela  just to cover the surface and heat

till the jaggery is fully dissolved. Filter it of any impurities and keep it aside.

2) Combine the Oats, Oat flour, flaked almonds, chopped dates, cinnamon powder and salt.

3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, In a blender puree the banana and add the

banana puree and the jaggery syrup.

to the Oats mixture and mix well and thoroughly.

4) Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and transfer the Oats mixture to the baking pan

and bake  till a knife inserted at the center comes out clean.

5) Take it out of the parchment paper and set it aside to cool.

6) Once cooled cut into bars of desired size and store in an airtight container.

7) Can be kept at room temperature for 2 days, refrigerates up to 2 weeks.



Notes – I make these bars quite often, I keep on changing the nuts and dry fruits with

sunflower, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots, figs, raisins, cashews, walnuts, dried cranberries etc

just not to get bored with the same taste.



Check out the recipe here for the  Banana & Beet Milk

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Mango Icecream(Kulfi) & Agave Nectar is it good or not??

I prepared this mango kulfi during the summer months without using any refined sugars. I use refined sugars very rarely in my cooking. I prefer natural sweetners like Jaggery(Panela), Raw Honey, Maple syrup and quite few times have used Agave Nectar also. I came across lot of debate going on about Agave Nectar if it is good for you or not.  Agave is it good or not, i am leaving it for your to decide and if you know more about it please let us know.



Agave nectar (sometimes called agave syrup) is most often produced from the Blue Agaves that thrive in the volcanic soils of Southern Mexico. Agaves are large, spikey plants that resemble cactus or yuccas in both form and habitat, but they are actually succulents similar to the familiar Aloe Vera. Agave syrup consists primarily of fructose and glucose. Due to its fructose content and the fact that the glycemic index only measures glucose levels, agave syrup is notable in that its glycemic index and glycemic load are lower than many other natural sweeteners on the market. However, the extremely high percentage of fructose (higher than that of high-fructose corn syrup) can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome, hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation. Yes all natural sweetners, even fruits anything sweet contain fructose so moderation is the key. So let us know what you think about this sweetner and which do you think is the best natural sweetner.



Now coming to the recipe, greek yogurt is a good source of protein and calcium and i use it as a substitute for whipped cream in fruit salads, as a vegetable salad dressing and so on. I substituted half of the cream with greek yogurt and  it had really turned out nice. Instead of buying store made icecreams with so many preservatives, it least i was feeling glad that this is free of any additives, refined sugars etc.



Ingredients



Cream - 1 Cup

Strained Greek Yogurt - 1 (I Squeezed out the excess water from Greek Yogurt)

Evaporated Milk - 1 tin(140z)

Mango Puree - 1 and 1/4 cup

Chopped Nuts - 1/2 cup(Almonds, Cashew and Pistachio)(This is optional)

Raw Honey - 3 Tbsp or as per taste and the sweetness of the mango puree

Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp

Saffron few strands



Method



1) Whip the cream for around 15 minutes till it becomes thick.



2) Now add the mango pulp, greek yogurt, honey, evaporated milk, nuts, cardamom powder and saffron strands and mix them thoroughly.



3) Pour into kulfi moulds or into plastic containers and place in the freezer overnight.



4) Dip the container in hot water for a few seconds, loosen the ice cream and enjoy.

Event Participation



1) I am sending my favorite ice cream to Cook for yourself event hosted by Radhika of Food for 7 Stages of Life.



2) This goes to Fall in love with Fruits for this Season hosted by Sanghi.

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Blueberry & Strawberry Crisp

Know what you Eat - Blueberries are a source of Vitamins A and C, potassium and folate. Blueberries are very low in fat and sodium, and high in dietary fiber and potassium.Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese. They are also a very good source of dietary fiber ,iodine, potassium, folate, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, copper, and vitamin K. These berries are rich in phytonutrients phenol, which makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one.These berries are packed with antioxidants which neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.



I always love to try out new recipes, i get recipes from lot of sources. My Dad passes on recipes which comes in television shows over phone, my Mom sends across recipes from magazine cutting. This is one such recipe and my Uncle scanned and forwarded me this recipe, this crisp is very easy to make and a must try during the berry season.



Cooking Time - 20 mins

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Strawberries - 2 cups(Chopped)

Blueberries - 1 cup

Brown sugar - 1 tbsp

Whole wheat flour - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp



Whole wheat flour - 1/3 cup

Brown sugar - 1/4 cup

Oats - 1/4 cup

Cinnamon powder- 1/2 tsp

Chilled Butter - 2 1/2 Tbsp (Cut into pieces)



Frozen Vanilla Yogurt - 1 cup



Method



1) Preheat Oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Combine first four ingredients in a bowl and spoon into a baking dish.

3) Place the brown sugar, whole wheat flour, oats and cinnamon powder in a food processor pulse two times until combined.

4) Now add the cut butter pieces and pulse 4 more times till the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

5) Sprinkle over the berry mixture and bake at 375 until bubbly and the top mixture slightly browns and becomes crisp.

6) Top each serving with 1/4 cup of frozen yogurt and enjoy these guilt free snack/dessert.

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Chick Pea fruit and vegetable salad

Nutritional Info - Chickpeas are a good source of protein, iron and folate. This folate is shown to help improve insulin resistance and reduce risk of heart disease.







Cooking Time - Nil
Preparation Time - 15-20 min
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Cooked, rinsed, drained chick pea - 1 cup
Chopped onion - 1/4 cup
Cubed pineapple - 1/3 cup
Cubed mandarin orange pieces - 1/3 cup
Bell Pepper - 1/4 cup
Chopped Cabbage - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp to taste
Chat masala - 1/4 tsp or to taste

Garnishing

Cilantro (optional)

Method of Preparation

1) Combine chick pea, pineapple, orange, onion and bell pepper.
2) Add salt and chat masala to the above.3) Toss all of the above and garnish with chopped cilantro

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