Eggless Nutritious Oats Fruit & Nut Scones

Know What You Eat:  Whole grains one like Oats, play an essential role in promoting your overall good health. Aside from fiber, whole grains can also provide you with a number of essential vitamins and nutrients, including folate, iron, magnesium, selenium, thiamine and riboflavin. Eating the recommended three servings of whole grains each day can also help reduce your chances of developing several serious diseases, such as heart disease, and might help with maintaining a health weight. It also lowers the risk of developing heart disease, Promotes satiety, which is important for weight management maintains healthy blood pressure, as well as keeps you regular..

Ingredients:

1/2 C Almond flour  ( almonds can be powdered in grinder )
1 C Quick cooking oats
1/2 C Whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 C Oats Flour
3/4 C Yogurt OR Apple sauce
1/2 C Candied Fruits (Tutty fruity)
2 Tbsp Mixed Nuts, roughly chopped
1  tsp Baking soda
1- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
3/4 C Melted Butter
1 C Brown Sugar ( add more acc. to taste ) can also be replaced by honey.
Few drops of Mixed Fruit /Vanilla Extract (essence)

 Method:

1.. Add quick cooking oats, almond flour, whole wheat pastry flour in a bowl, add sugar, baking soda, baking powder, butter and candied fruits to the flours and mix until the flour mixture start turning like crumbs.
2.. Now slowly add yogurt or apple sauce and knead everything as a dough.
3.. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F
4.. Sprinkle some flour over a plastic sheet, place the dough over the flour and roll the dough as a disc or thick roti, add few more nuts & tutty fruity chunks over the dough, press with hands.
5.. Now cut this disc into 8-10 triangles.

6.. Bake this scones for 15-20minutes or until its turns pinkish brown, done..Enjoy warm or cold with tea as a quick breakfast, anytime healthy and guilt free snack.

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Eggless Semi HomemadeTiramisu ~ Superhit No Hassel Recipe~

Know What You Eat: Tiramisu literally means "pick me up". The most heavenly Italian dessert on earth with fancy taste without all the work. This dessert is wonderful for a get together or just a special occasion at home. As you all know Tiramisu is a layered dessert, consisting of alternating layers of coffee-soaked Savoiardi biscuits and sweet mixture of mascarpone cheese and eggs and sugar. A BIG BUT, I am a vegetarian and thats how it made me think to come up with a vegetarian tiramisu option, when I had this Italian Christmas dinner party and so I googled a lot of these recipes before exploring into this one, which perfectly fits to my needs, taste and appearance...I used a box of cake mix which happened to be a real time saver and EGG LESS too.. instead of the lady fingers (Savoiardi biscuits), FAT FREE Cream Cheese (hung curd is a good option), Vanilla / Cheesecake pudding OR (Custard mix Brown & Polson is great option). Of Course ! there are countless variations and options available.  Here's how I made.

Recipe: Egg less Tiramisu Semi Homemade

Serves: 8-10      Preparation time: 15 mins     Cooking time: (Bake cake acc to the box instruction)

Ingredients: 

• 1 Box Vanilla OR Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 8Oz Tub Cool Whip OR Whipped Heavy Cream
• 1 8Oz Pack Fat free Cream cheese OR hung curd
• 1 Pack Jello (no gelatin) Instant pudding mix (Vanilla or Cheesecake flavor) 
• OR Custard prepared acc to instruction on box.
• 1 C Coffee Concoction (Boil 1 Cup of water add 2 Tbsp Instant Coffee Powder)
• 2 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 1 C Lowfat Milk

Method 1:

1. Bake cake in a baking dish you want to serve in..according to the instruction on the box a day before assembling this dessert. Cut the cake in half lengthwise or small circles for individual preparation like this picture above.
2. Prepare coffee concoction and pour over this first 1/2 layer cake once it is cooled.
3. In a bowl, mix together a cup of milk and instant pudding mix and whip until the crystals are dissolved.
4. Add Cool whip, cream cheese and blend until smooth.
5. With a spatula or spoon pour this over the cake. 
6. Similarly make a second layer following steps 2-5.
7. With a strainer tap coffee powder along with cocoa powder on the top most layer.
8. You can decorate it with milk or dark chocolate scrapes or chocolate confetti's like above picture.
9. Once prepared refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.
10. ENJOY and ENJOY!!!!

Method 2: 

1. If using hung curd instead of cream cheese and Brown and Polson vanilla custard powder instead of jello, prepare custard according to box instruction. 
2. Mix together hung curd and custard while adding vanilla essence. Blend until smooth.
3. Follow instruction from Method 1 (Steps 2-5 ,7-8).

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Lowfat Eggless Banana Walnut Apricot Muffin / Bread / Cake

Know what you eat: In this post I thought of focusing on why we should use more whole wheat flour/grains over refined flour...Must read eye-opener.

The baking industry is experiencing double-digit growth in both organic and whole grain products. Organic wheat flours are used in a variety of products, and improved whole wheat flour varieties also are finding their way into the market. These new flours often offer added health benefits, such as more fiber, and allow manufacturers to make new health claims.

Lets see what refined flour made from wheat actually is:

Refined flour made from wheat:

* The calorie content of refined white flour actually increases about 10% because of everything else that has been taken out.

* An average of 66% of the B vitamins have been removed.

* An average of 70% of all minerals have been removed.
* 79% of the fiber has been removed.
* An average of 19% of the protein has been removed.

Most refined flours made from wheat are fortified. Let's take a look at the nutritional content of fortified flours:

The B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin and niacin have been added to enriched flours giving an average of 230% of these vitamins over hard red wheat. Most of the vitamins B6 and folacin has been removed in refined flour. These two nutrients are already fairly low in wheat and aren't generally fortified in enriched flour. Of 9 minerals, Calcium, phosphorus, and iron are the only minerals that are fortified in refined flour. And of them, it is not a sure thing that even each of these minerals will be fortified. Check the label before you buy. Mention should be made about chelation. The minerals that have been taken out are chelated, or wrapped in protein. In their chelated form, these minerals are easily absorbed by our bodies. As chelated minerals are expensive, I would expect the minerals that have been added back in are not chelated, and therefore have a very low ratio of absorbtion by our digestive systems.

Summary: In the flour refinement process, except for the carbohydrates, most of the nutrients are removed. To give us confidence in their products, it is sold as fortified flour. Yet the refined flour we buy, except for the few nutrients they choose to fortify, has far fewer nutrients than the wheat it was born from.

When we eat white flour, we are eating a nutrient poor food that happens to be fortified in some areas. It is questionable that the nutrients they do fortify are as natural or health promoting as the nutrients they took out of the wheat during the refinement process.

Dry ginger Powder: Dry Ginger Powder is finely-grounded and light yellow powder renowned for its subtle lemon like aroma and sharp, biting flavor. Health benefit: it can help cure diabetes, head aches, colds, fatigue, nausea and the flu when used in tea or food.

Lets take a look at the recipe now:

I have seen many recipes for banana bread/ muffins , ofcourse, each one has their own version, the same recipe can be made in thousand different ways.....but...but... I wanted to come up with something new and wholesome for my kids and came up with this recipe...as it has all the goodness of whole-wheat pastry flour, cracked wheat...oats flour too, sugar (optional), bananas, & some nuts & given some special touch of dry ginger powder & apricots ...just for additional health benefits + its lowfat & eggless.

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 20-30 mins

Yields: About 12



Ingredients:


1 C whole wheat pastry flour
1 C whole wheat flour

1/4 C Oats flour (rolled oats made into fine powder in spice grinder)
1/2 C Cracked wheat (fine variety)
1/3 C brown sugar (add more if you like more sweet)
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp dry ginger powder
1 C walnuts & Apricot chopped
1-1/2 tbsp butter, room temperature
2 large soft, ripe bananas

Method :

1. In a bowl add butter, sugar, vanilla extract,milk (in short, all the wet ingredients) & mix thoroughly.

2. Now add flour, oats flour, cracked wheat, baking powder, salt, and mashed bananas ( with hands or use a fork), & chopped nuts. Fold in togetgher untill combined. The consistency of the batter should'nt be loose like a cake batter, little harder than that should be fine.
3. Now with a spoon drop this batter halfway in a lined muffin pan.
4. Sprinkle some chopped nuts on it, and bake in a preheated oven 325F for approx. 20-25 mins or untill done.
5. Serve it in a breakfast, or anytime snack....Its super delicious & healthy.

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Vegan Fatfree Pineapple Coffee Cake

Know what you Eat:

Pineapple is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese, which is an essential cofactor in a number of enzymes important in energy production and antioxidant defenses.In addition to manganese, pineapple is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin B1, copper, dietary fiber and vitamin B6. Among the many benefits of vitamin B1 is its ability to increase blood circulation and provide a greater supply of oxygen to the blood cells. In addition, vitamin B1 is known to help with the proper metabolism of carbohydrates, making it vital to good digestion.

I wanted to send something for tried and tasted: fatfree vegan kitchen event and found this recipe in fatfree vegan kitchen. I didn't deviate much from the original except for cutting down the sugar from 1/2 to 1/4 cup and using whole wheat pastry flour instead of whole wheat flour. The pastry flour gives a lighter texture than the regular whole wheat flour. I also baked it in muffin mould as it will bake quicker (also you know, how many you are eating) and my job was done in around 20 mins.

Preparation Time - 5-10 mins

Cooking Time - 15-20 mins

Serves - Around 10 cakes

Ingredients

Whole Oats - 1 Cup(I used old fashioned and ofcourse by food processor literally cried when making the flour).

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Raw sugar - 1/4 cup

Baking powder - 2 teaspoons

Baking Soda - 1/2 teaspoon

Ener-G Egg Replacer - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - 3 tablespoons(if required add this, i didn't add as the pineapple juice was sufficient enough).

Apple cider vinegar - 1 tablespoon

Crushed pineapple in pineapple juice - 1 cup

Unsweetened Applesauce - 1/2 cup

Topping

Demerara sugar - 2 tablespoons

Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp

Method

1) Put the oats in the blender and grind until fine thoroughly.

2) Combine oats powder, whole wheat pastry flour, salt, cinnamon powder, baking powder, baking soda, ener-g egg replacer, sugar.

3) Now add the crushed pineapple in pineapple juice, apple sauce, vinegar and water if required.

4) Stir to mix thoroughly.

5) Spray a muffin mould with cooking spray and fill till 3/4 .

6) Combine the topping ingredients and sprinkle it on the top and bake in a preheated oven set to 350 F for 15-20 mins until a knife inserted comes out clean.

7) Once baked, let it cool for couple of minutes and enjoy these guilt free snack.

Event Participation

This goes to the tried and tasted : Vegan Kitchen hosted by Vaishali originally started by Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen.

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Vegan 4 Grain Strawberry Muffin/Cake

Know what you Eat : Strawberries have higher levels of vitamin c, fiber, folate and potassium than most other fruits like bananas, apples and even oranges. A recent study has shown that eating one serving (about 8-10 strawberries) a day can significantly decrease blood pressure, which may reduce the risk of heart disease.

I love to bake and baked goodies but after baking and eating them i really feel guilty of the amount of sugar and the carb in them. Now a days, i am trying to substitute all purpose flour with whole grain flours. For sugar with apple sauce and fruit juice, in this recipe i added 1 table spoon of beet pulp but really got scared at the color but after baking the color was all gone.


Cooking Time: 30mins
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves – 12 muffins

Ingredients

Chopped strawberries - 1 and 1/2 cups
Oats - 1/2 Cup
Whole barley - 1/2 Cup
Whole wheat pastry flour – 1/2 Cup
Brown Rice flour – 1/2 cup.
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Chia powder - 2 table spoons (chia is very good egg substitute, instead of chia add 1/2 tsp more of baking soda and 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Apple Sauce - 1/2 Cup
Beet Pulp - 1 tbsp
Raw Sugar - 1/4 cup
Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 table spoon
Water - 1 Cup

Method

1) Grind whole barley and oats into powder
2) In a bowl combine Oats, whole barley, brown rice flour, Whole wheat pastry flour, Baking soda, salt, Cinnamon powder, Chia powder and sugar.
3) Mix the dry ingredients well and add Oil ,apple sauce and beet pulp.
4) Now add the chopped strawberries and add water and mix the batter well.
5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6) Pour this batter to 3/4 of muffin mould and bake for 20 to 30 mins till a knife inserted comes out clean.
7) The muffin was slightly sweet if you have a sweet tooth add more sugar or serve with fruit preserves sweetened with fruit juice and fresh strawberries.

Event Participation

This dish goes to Whole Grain Baking Event - Barley hosted by Madhuram.

This dish is our contribution to Srivalli's Mithai Mela hosted by Cooking 4 all Seasons.
This goes to Strawberry Feast @ My kitchen treasures.
This dish goes to Original Recipes - Monthly Round up event hosted by Lorie.

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Eggless Chocolate Cake/Muffin

I tried this cake for the first time, when I came to know that we have to attend a surprise birthday party of one of the family member, and thought of nothing else but, chocolate cake. Read somewhere, to make eggless cake in a jiffy, did some variations and here it is to share.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 cup Canola Oil
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup Hot Coffee
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
2. Grease and use cocoa powder to the pan because it’s a chocolate cake.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and sugar into a large mixing bowl.
4. Make a well. Add the canola oil, & melted butter, then hot coffee decoction, then add milk.
5. And a couple of drops of vanilla essence.
6. Beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, in one direction avoiding lumps.
7. Pour the batter evenly into muffin cups halfway with batter.
8. Bake for 20- 25 minutes, until a wooden tooth pick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Keep it in the middle row of the oven.
9. Let the cakes cool completely before removing them and then transfer on the wire rack.
10. The cake should cool completely on the wire rack before frosting. Usually 7-8 hours should be fine. But since I baked it for a surprise birthday within the next hours, I cooled it just for 2 hours.

For Frosting:
I used the quickest available, and that was Hershey's chocolate syrup, and some chocolate confetti. You can also use strawberries as seen in pic. to decorate.

Enjoy !!

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