Whole Wheat-Oats Onion Roll & Awards

Know what you Eat - Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They also contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel. Whole wheat is rich in dietary fiber and is a good source of iron. Onion is a powerful anti-septic that is rich in vitamins A, B and C. It is a potent source of folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chromium, iron and dietary fiber.

For the saturday morning breakfast i normally try something new and last week end baked these onion roll. Next time when i bake i am going to add some chilli peppers or cayenne pepper to make it real spicy.

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 30 mins

Makes - 6 buns

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pastry flour - 1 cup

Whole Oat flour - 1 cup

Yeast(for whole grain) - 1 1/2 tsp

Warm Milk- 1/4 cup

Onion 1 small - chopped into fine pieces

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

Sugar - 1/4 tsp

Butter - 1 tsp(room temperature)

Oil(Olive/Canola/Sunflower) - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Soak yeast in warm milk along with sugar and let it sit for 15 minutes to foam and rise.

2) Once the yeast is activated mix the Wheat flour, Oat flour, Salt, onion, butter and the yeast mixture.

3) Knead and make it into a soft dough.

4) Cover and leave it in a bowl for about 1 hour till the dough doubles in size.

5) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

6) Now knead the dough one more time and make it into small balls and keep in a baking tray covered with parchment paper. Flatten the balls slightly in the middle.

7) Brush the top with oil and bake till a knife inserted comes out clean.

8) Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee or tea.

Event Participation

1) This is our entry to Susan's yeast spotting event.

2) This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

3) This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up Event hosted by Lorie.

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Cabbage-Celery Soup

Know what you Eat - Cabbage belongs to the family of cruciferous vegetables, which includes, kale, broccoli, collards, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kohlrabi. Cabbage is a rich source of vitamin C, of fiber, of iron, calcium, sium. The odor that it emits comes from the sulphur content of cabbage which helps the body to resist bacteria and protects the protoplasm of the cells. It is said to aid in producing glossy hair. Celery is high in Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate, Potassium, Manganese, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium and Magnesium.







Cabbage is a vegetable which i like to stock up, it is very healthy and versatile and the whole one can stay fresh for couple of days. It goes into stir fry, cole slaw, upma, curry, kootu and what ever was the balance went into this soup. But when sauting cabbage, the odor from the sulphur is not very inviting and i decided to use celery to counter the pungent smell and the soup came out really well. That too with the addition of coconut milk it was really tasty, creamy and kid certified.



Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Serves : 4



Ingredients:



Cabbage- 4 cups(finely chopped)

Celery - 1 1/2 cups(Chopped)

Coconut Milk - 1 can (120z)

Mint - handful

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Water

Oil - 2 tsp(i used coconut oil)



Method



1) Wash, rinse, drain and chop cabbage.

2) Wash the celery and chop into fine pieces.

3) Heat a pan, add 1 tsp of oil and then add the chopped cabbage and celery pieces.

4) Saute till they are tender.

5) Let this cool and then transfer to a food processor and puree it adding little water.

6) Now peel the ginger and cut into thin strips.(Always peel the ginger and use the inner part alone).

7) Heat 1 tsp of oil and once hot add the mint leaves and ginger strips and fry till you get a nice aroma.

8) Now add the pureed cabbage and celery mixture, coconut milk and water to the desired thickness and let this simmer for 10 minutes.

9) Add salt and pepper to taste and serve it hot with your favorite bread.



Event Participation:



Original Recipes - Monthly Round up hosted by Lorie.







Cooking for Kids leafy greens hosted by Pavani originally started by Sharmi of Neivedyam.

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Mango Quinoa

Know what you Eat - A recently rediscovered ancient "grain" native to South America, quinoa was once called "the gold of the Incas," who recognized its value in increasing the stamina of their warriors. Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Quinoa's amino acid profile is well balanced, making it a good choice for vegans concerned about adequate protein intake, also quinoa is especially well-endowed with the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. In addition to protein, quinoa features a host of other health-building nutrients. Because quinoa is a very good source of manganese as well as a good source of magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorus, this "grain" may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis. The raw mango is a valuable source of vitamin C. It contains more vitamin C than half-ripe or fully ripe mangoes. It is also a good source of vitamin B1 and B2 and contains sufficient quantity of niacin. These vitamins differ in concentration in various varieties during the stages of maturity and environmental conditions.

Quinoa has become a staple in our house over taking rice. So when you have to cook and eat a grain every day, you have to be innovative to come up with different dishes so that you don't get bored. So what ever dishes are possible using rice like mixed rice varieties i do all of them using quinoa. This is one of them.

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 15 mins
Serves - 2

Ingredients

Cooked Quinoa - 2 cups
Grated raw mango - 1 cup (firmly packed)
Peeled and grated ginger - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves chopped - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Roasted Peanuts - 1 handful
Chopped coriander - handful for garnishing
Salt to taste

Curry powder

Channa Dal(Bengal gram) - 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Coconut - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 or to taste

Method

Cooking Quinoa
1) Soak Quinoa for atleast 30 minutes and rinse thoroughly otherwise you will get a bitter taste out of the cooked quiona.
2) Add 2 measures of water to 1 measure of quinoa and cook till it is soft and fluffy. I normally pressure cook till 1 whistle and switch off.
3) Let it cool completely( if possible cook quinoa the previous day and refrigerate it).

Curry Powder
4) Dry roast channa dal, coriander seeds and red chilli. Once the raw smell is gone and the ingredients are slightly brown in color add grated coconut and switch off. The heat in the pan is enough to roast the coconut, if you are planning to keep it for a few hours or use the curry powder next day roast the coconut nicely. Keep this aside to cool completely. Once cooled, dry grind into a coarse powder

Final Touches
4) Heat oil add mustard seeds and leave till it splutters completely.
5) Now add the curry leaves and the grated ginger ,mango, salt, turmeric powder.
6) Saute on a low flame for 10 minutes once cooked completely add curry powder and cooked quinoa and stir thoroughly so that all the spices are mixed evenly.
7) Switch off and add the roasted peanuts and garnish with chopped cilantro.
8) Serve with raita of your choice. You can have this power food for breakfast or lunch.

Event Participation

1) This goes to Mango Mela hosted by Srivalli.

2) This goes to EFM June Breakfast series hosted by Srish.

3) This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up Event hosted by Lorie.

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Oats-Almond Meal Cookies with Strawberry Filling

Know what you Eat - Almonds are low in saturated fat and contain many other protective nutrients - calcium and magnesium - for strong bones, vitamin E and compounds called phytochemicals, which may help protect against cardiovascular disease and even cancer. Oats are an excellent source of iron, dietary fiber and thiamin. They also contain antioxidants that are believed to protect the circulatory system from diseases such as arteriosclerosis, which affects the arterial blood vessel.

My Uncle passed on this recipe from some Online Vegan forum, ever since i got this recipe i have baked these several timeswith different combination of fruit spreads. It just comes out very well and the best part is it doesn't have all purpose or evenwhole wheat and has the goodness of Oats and Almond with out compromising on the taste. I am trying various variations with this base recipe using Pistachio ,Cashew etc. If successful will post soon.

Cooking Time - 15 mins
Preparation Time - 10 mins
Yields - Around 18 cookies(depends on the size you make)

Ingredients

Oats(Quick Cooking not instant oat meal) - 2 cups and 1/4 Cup
Almonds - 1 cup
Honey - 1/2 cup
Strawberry spread/jelly/preserves - 1/2 cup( Or any fruit of your choice)
Sunflower/Canola Oil - 1/4 cup(2 oz)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Measure 1 1/4 cup of Oats and grind into flour in the processor.
2) Transfer all the almonds to a food processor and grind into a powder, this need not be a fine powderbut can be little coarse Almond meal.
3) Combine the grind Oats, Almond and the rest of the ungrind Oats, Salt and Cinnamon powder
4) Add Oil, Honey and mix thoroughly and form a dough.
5) Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
6) Grease a cookie tray
7) Roll the dough into small balls and flatten them in your hand, make a small depression in the middle andplace them in the cookie tray one after another leaving enough space between the cookies as they will expand.
8) Fill the centers with Jelly of your choice.
9) Bake for 10-15 minutes until well baked, they get baked quickly so keep a watch on them otherwise you will get brown or burnt cookies.
10) Cool them and transfer to a airtight container. They are sweeter the next day.

Note - The original recipe uses Maple syrup, when using maple syrup use 1 cup of Oats flour and 1 1/4 cup of Oats.When using honey the texture becomes little soft and crumbly so i tried to change the proportion and it did work well.The original recipe uses 1/2 cup of jelly, i make it 1/4 when making for our family as this 1/2 cup is too sweet for us. But if you have a sweet tooth this
1/2 cup will be just right or may not be enough.

Event Participation

1) This goes to Low Fat Eggless Baking event Hosted by Madhu.

2) This dish goes to My Kitchen Treasures for the Strawberry Event .

3) This dish goes to Fruit & Nut event hosted by Mansi.

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Bell Pepper Raita(Pachidi)

Know what you Eat - Brightly colored bell peppers, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. To start, peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells. Free radicals are major players in the build up of cholesterol in the arteries that leads to atherosclerosis and heart disease, the nerve and blood vessel damage seen in diabetes, the cloudy lenses of cataracts, the joint pain and damage seen in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and the wheezing and airway tightening of asthma. By providing these two potent free radical destroyers, bell peppers may help prevent or reduce some of the symptoms of these conditions by shutting down the source of the problem.

This raita i make frequently and some times i saute them by adding ginger and tomato pieces also. Since i wanted to send this to Priya's bell pepper event, didn't want to add too many things in here.

Cooking Time - Nil
Prepartion Time - 10 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Green bell pepper - 1 medium sized
Pearl Onion - 4
Grated ginger - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli paste - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt to taste

Garnishing

Cilantro - 1 tbsp chopped

Method

1) Wash dry and chop the green and red bell pepper into small pieces.
2) Chop the pearl onion into small pieces, you can also use the regular onion but pearl onion has a distinct taste and flavor.
3) Add grated ginger, green chilli paste, salt and yogurt mix well.
4) Garnish with Cilantro and serve


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to AFAM-Bell Pepper event, hosted by Priya orignially started by Maheswari.

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Methi-Mint-Multigrain Paratha & Tomato Scallion Raita

Know what you Eat - Whole wheat flour is a good source of dietary fiber, calcium, iron and other minerals. Jowar(Sorghum) calorie wise Jowar is same as wheat, except it is rich in Iron. Bajra(Pearl Millet) is rich in iron and calcium.Oats contain high fiber, protein and couple of more nutrients.Fenugreek helps lower blood glucose and cholestrol levels, and an effective treatment for both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Mint is a strong diuretic and therefore, helps in eliminating toxins from the body. When included in the diet on a regular basis, mint reduces the growth of bacteria and fungus in the body.

We are going through a total food(life) style change based on our doctor's input. Dr. R is a very knowledgeable person and he introduced us to some of the grains which has become a staple in our diet like Quinoa, Chia etc replacing Rice and Wheat to a large extent. He oriented us to go for multigrain rather than a single grain in any food. So lot of the dishes i make have more than one ingredient in them and i don't find a big difference in the taste. Next time i am going to add Quinoa flour also to this.

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cooking Time - 20 mins
Serves around - 15 Parathas

Ingredients

1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup Oats Flour
1/2 cup Bajra Flour(Sorghum)
1/2 cup Jowar Flour(Pearl Millet)
1 tsp oil for dough
2 tbsp oil for frying
3/4 cup washed, drained,chopped fenugreek leaves (methi)
3/4 cup washed, drained, chopped mint leaves
2 tsp sesame seeds
3 tsp lowfat yogurt
1 tsp green chilli paste
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric pwd
Salt to taste
Ghee 2 tsp (optional)
Water to mix the dough

Method

1) Mix together all the ingredients,then add enough water to make a stiff dough and set it aside for 15mins.
2) Divide the dough in small balls, using floured board roll out not too thin circles.
3) Heat a iron griddle, grease some oil and place the parathas. Once it is golden brown in color, apply some oil on the uncooked side and turn over.
4) Press gently and remove it once cooked.
5) Apply little bit of ghee for flavor and serve hot with side dish of your choice. Serve with Raita.

Tomato Scallion Raita


Ingredients

Yogurt - 2 Cups
Chopped Scallion- 1 cup
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped finely
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Fresh ground pepper - 1/4 tsp or to taste
Cilantro - 1 tbsp(optional)

Method

1. In a big bowl, combine yogurt, salt, & black pepper together.
2. Now add chopped scallion, tomato and cilantro to the above mixture and serve.


Event Participation:

This dish is our contribution to SWC- Cooking with greens event, hosted by Sowmya.

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Sweet Appam but not so sinful

Know what you Eat - Brown Rice Flour, Oats, Whole Wheat all are rich in dietary fiber. High fiber foods reduces cholestrol in the digestive system that would otherwise end in the blood stream. Bananas are good source of Vitamic B6 and C, Potassium and dietary fiber. Potassium gives you instant energy to the body. Coconut is fruit rich in protein and helps to keep your soft wrinkle free.

My mom makes these appams during lot of festivals and each time depending on the occassion the ingredients will vary. Sometimes it will be rice and little bit of urad dal or wheat flour alone. Normally it will be fried or shallow fried in the appam pan. But i didn't want to do either because i made this for a quick after school snack, so less time and wanted all the nutrition. I combined Oats, brown rice flour and wheat flour and it did taste very nice.

Cooking Time - 15 mins
Preparation Time -10 mins
Serves - Makes around 20

Ingredients

Brown Rice Flour - 3/4 cup
Oats Flour - 3/4 cup
Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup
Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup or to taste
Banana - 1
Elaichi powder - pinch
Coconut(Small Chopped pieces not grated) - 2 heaped table spoons
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water
Oil/Ghee(Clarified butter) - 4 tsps

Method

1) Add little bit of water to the jaggery and heat it till all the jaggery dissolves. Switch off and let this cool for few minutes.
2) Meanwhile slice the banana and make a puree and add it to the jaggery.
3) Add elaichi powder, salt and the coconut pieces to the dissolved jaggery.
4) Now combine all the three flours and add the jaggery mixture to this and add enough water to make idli batter consistency.
5) Heat the appam pan and add drops of oil in each of them and then pour the batter. Cover it and let it cook till one side is completely cooked.
6) Now turn it and leave till the other side is cooked.
7) Enjoy these nutritious guilt free snack.

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