Oatmeal-Chocolate-Almond Cookies

At home, anything made with 'Oats' is frowned upon by everyone except me ;0
But to my surprise.... these cookies are a WINNER ! They have been liking it and munching on them with a smile on their faces. Being made with oatmeal and whole wheat flour.....a sure score for me!

When I looked up few recipes of oatmeal cookies, I was under the impression that Oats cookies are usually on the softer side of the texture. But these ones turned out Crunnnchy!! How can anyone not like this Chocolaty-Nutty-Crunchy yumminess!!

I combined a bunch of recipes to get this recipe:

Ingredients:

(Makes about 35-40 cookies)

3.5 cups quick oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose four
1 and 3/4th cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup slivered / chopped almonds
2 whole eggs
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp salt

1 tsp  baking powder 
1/2 tsp baking soda

Method:

1) Pre heat oven to 350 F. Slightly butter 2 large cookie baking sheets.
2) With electric mixer or hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.Add the eggs, vanilla and beat/cream some more.
3) Sift the flour,salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder.Add to the creamed mixture and mix. Add the oatmeal and mix till combined.
4) Scoop the cookie batter onto baking sheets or form into flat rounds with hand and place onto cookie sheet. Press chopped/ slivered almonds on top.

5) Bake at 350 F for 12-14 mins until crisp. Remove from oven and let it cool on baking sheets.

Enjoy the crispy crunchy wholesome cookie!

Mukimame (Green Soy) and green peas balls with corn and cheese filling

I am clearly at home today, and doing my most favorite thing...cooking and making something delicious and nutritious at the same time!!

A high protein snack doesn't have to be non vegetarian or boring. These super tasty balls made with mukimame + green beans + oats with a cheesy corn filling made in my favorite "Appe Pan"...will surely make everyone in the family happy:))

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen mukimame
3/4 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup bread crumbs or 3 bread slices
1/3 cup Sooji (cream of wheat)
3 tsp( Ginger+ garlic+ green chili paste)
3 tsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt
Oil

Filling:
1 cup corn kernels
1/2  cup (Cheddar + Parmesan cheese)
1/2 tsp chili powder


Method:
1) Microwave the mukimame and green peas for 3 mins. Grind them in the mixer along with oats, ginger-garlic- green chili paste and cilantro.
2) Mix the bread crumbs/ crushed bread slices, sooji, salt,cumin and form into dough. You can add more oats/sooji if the dough is loose.
3) Mix corn kernels, cheeses and chili powder
4) Form the mukimame dough into balls and stuff with corn and cheese filling.

4) Heat appe pan on low to medium heat.Add few drops of oil. Place the mukimame green peas balls in the appe pan.Cover with lid.Cook till golden brown on one side.Then flip and cook on the other side with a drop or two of oil.

5) Serve hot along with ketchup/ hot and sweet chili sauce!!

 A tasty and high protein snack with warm cheesy filling ....yummmm ooo!

Oats-Almond Breakfast bars (Eggless)

Honestly,breakfast is not a issue for me...I have a good breakfast of a 'non sugary' cereal and add almonds and frozen blueberries to it.Love it! Feels like a good way to start the day!
The issue is however, those 3-4 o' clock hunger pangs. I usually try to eat a fruit at that time, but often still feel hungry by the time I come home...especially with the 1 hour commute that I have.

I have experimented with several homemade versions of cereal/bars before and here is the link to those recipes:
http://www.my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/search/label/Homemade%20Cereal%20bars

For larabars:
http://www.my-kitchens-aroma.blogspot.com/2014/02/larabar-like-healthy-chocolate-bars.html

This Oats-Almond bar ....is easier, is eggless, has no added fats and can be rolled out as cookies too!! Just roll into round balls, press them and bake!

Here goes the recipe-

Ingredients: Makes 12-15 bars
2 cups Quick Oats dry roasted
2 cups Almonds
1 Cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp salt
Few sliced almonds

Method:
Pre heat the oven to 350F. Spray a 9x9 metal pan with cooking spray (make sure to grease really well...otherwise the bars stick to the pan as there is no added fat in the dough)

1) Dry roast the oats and when cooled, powder them.
2) Put the almonds in the blender and powder them. Blend them couple times more..till they start giving out the natural oils and start to come together
3) Mix together the oat powder, almond powder, dark cocoa powder,baking powder, salt and vanilla. Mix with hands.Add little milk at a time to mix and gently knead into a dough.

4) Press this mixture into the greased baking pan. Press the sliced almonds on top.
5) Cut into rectangular bars
6) Bake at 350 F for 15 mins. Turn off the oven. Take the pan out.Let them cool for 10 mins.Cut again on the lines.Put the pan back in the oven (which is turned OFF) .The slight heat of the cooling oven will help them crisp a little. Keep them in for 10 mins. Take out the pan.Cut on the lines and remove the bars gently.

( I did have a couple bars break a little....but the crumbs were delicious too :))

You will love these nutty,chocolaty but still nutritious bars any time of the day!!!

Red Quinoa Tikkis

It was the first time I had bought this 'Red' variety of Quinoa and wanted to try something with it...that the kids would enjoy too. Lately, they have been fans of  'Sabudana Tikkis' and I have to keep a frozen pack handy, as the demand strikes almost anytime:)
So...I thought...May be if I make Red quinoa tikkis with crushed peanuts, cumin etc ..similar to Sabudana tikkis...they would probably eat it...And THEY DID!!

Ingredients:
1 Cup Red Quinoa
2 Cups water
1/2 Cup Crushed roasted peanuts
1-2 green chilies finely chopped
1tbsp Chopped cilantro
1/2tsp Cumin
Salt
some sugar
Oil to shallow fry

Method:
1) Wash the Quinoa and pressure cook it with water and little salt.Let it cool down.

2) Add the Crushed peanuts, green chilies, chopped cilantro, salt,cumin, sugar and knead.
3) Form into tikkis.
4) Shallow fry on a nonstick pan with little oil.
5) Serve with Ketchup/ Chutney/Yogurt.

Larabar like "Healthy Chocolate bars"

I love the 'simplicity' of the larabars.No long list of artificial ingredients....just a few ingredients making a nutritious and delicious snack.They are still high in calories.....but nutrition packed calories..not the 'empty' kinds.
The base is almost 'Mejdool dates' every time....and then you can flavor them by adding different ingredients.The result is a 'chewy' delicious bar! There are a zillion varieties like...Cashew cookie, banana bread etc etc

I had read this recipe to make homemade larabars on:
http://mywholefoodlife.com/2013/02/09/homemade-chocolate-larabars/
So simple and easy to make...it was done in minutes!

Ingredients: Just 3!!

6 Mejdool dates de seeded
3/4 cup Almonds
1/3 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Method:
Just Pulse everything together in a mixer till it starts to come together....press into bars...cut...DONE!
I store mine in the refrigerator.

"Whole Wheat" Almond and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I agree to Lisa Leake, from "100 Days of Real Food" : There is "Traditional Junk Food" Versus "Artificial Factory made Junk Food". At home, even if you bake with things like butter, all purpose flour, sugar...which most don't consider 'healthy'....you still are doing much better than eating a cookie from a store with 20 ingredients/ additives/ chemicals...you can't spell and don't know what they do to your body.

 And then there is that 'concept' that processed foods have built into us. For eg: a store bought bread...is extra fluffy ..soft ...looks 'picture perfect'. But a bread baked at home...may not come out as "picture perfect' and fluffy and soft. Well...at the factory they added all those conditioners and other chemical additives to make your bread that way. At home...you are eating "pure"....a bread..like bread should be!! But in our minds..the texture and 'look' of bread is "like the store bought"...

So....Spring break started and we needed some 'activity' to keep the Lil' ones busy!

We managed to bake a 'Healthier Version" of  Chocolate Chip Cookies!!!

Ingredients:(Makes 24 cookies)
 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 Cup Almond powder
1/2 cup All purpose flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Stick unsalted butter (slightly cold)
2eggs
1/3 cup Chocolate chips
1/3 cup Peanut butter chips(optional- you can double the chocolate chips and leave out peanut butter chips)
1/2tsp Baking soda
1/2tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp salt

Method:
1)  Sieve together whole wheat flour,all purpose flour, salt and baking soda.
2) Beat the butter with electric beater for 3-4 mins until creamy.This is important!!Add sugar and eggs and beat for another minute or so.Add the vanilla extract and mix.
3) Add the sieved flours,almond powder and beat till blended.
4) Add the chocolate and peanut chips and mix

5) Chill the batter in refrigerator for 15-20 mins. Pre- heat the oven to 375F.
6) Place spoonfuls of batter onto a ungreased cookie sheet. For 'better looking' cookie..make the batter into rounds and press.I just leaved the batter as is.

7) Bake for 8-10 mins till golden. Do not let them burn on bottom.Let them cool.

 The cookies will puff up, are crisp on the bottom, little soft in center and delicioussss ....as cookies should be:))

Homemade 'Oats and Nuts' Granola/ Cereal

So when my favorite cereal (Quaker Life), which I thought wasn't too 'Sugary' and was 'Multigrain', got a 'C' rating on Fooducate (a cool App to scan groceries and know what's really in them), because  of being 'highly processed', has 'low fiber' and has the additive- Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)...I decided to make my own blend of Granola/Cereal...with all the goodness..free of additives...low in fat and sugar... to 'Start the day with the Right Bite"!!

What I added...And Why???

Oats: 100% Whole Grain
Puffed Rice: For crunch(has low calories per serving)
Almonds: Mono unsaturated fats, protein
Pistachio: Oleic acid, vitamins and minerals, lowest fat nut
Wheat bran: Fiber
Flax meal:Antioxidants, minerals, fiber
Chia seeds:Omega 3 fatty acids
Olive oil- unsaturated fats, crisp up the cereal
Light brown Sugar and honey- Sweetness
Cinnamon: highest anti oxidant strength,helps lower 'bad' cholesterol
Dried cranberries: Sweet-tart flavor, Vitamin C

Ingredients:
This granola won't be as 'Crunchy' as the store bought one....well.....because it isn't loaded on sugars and fats!!

3 Cups Quick cooking oats/ you can use whole oats too (any 100% whole grain oats)
1Cup Puffed Rice (puffed brown rice would be great!!)
1/2 Cup chopped Almonds
1/2 cup chopped Pistachio
1/2 cup Light brown sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2tbsp Unprocessed Wheat bran
2tbsp Flax meal
1tbsp Honey
2tsp Chia seeds
2tsp olive oil
1tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp salt
Canola oil Cooking spray

Method:
Preheat oven to 300F
1) Mix the oil, sugar,salt, cinnamon and honey.
2) Add rest of the ingredients except the cranberries
3) Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.Spread the cereal mix on the sheet and spray it with cooking spray.
4) Bake the cereal for 60-70 mins until toasted, mixing and turning it every 15 mins. The nuts should turn slightly toasted.DO NOT LET IT BURN!!
5) After cooling, mix the dried cranberries and store in a container.

Start your day with a spoon full of "Goodness"!!