Mingle it up

I love all kinds of vegetarian stuffed Parathas like aloo, gobi, paneer, mooli etc. Being Gujarati (from east India), our parathas are small & thin like our rotis or I should say smaller & thinner than the parathas made in North India. But I simply love those big & thick ones with lots of stuffing inside.
Actually in north India, Parathas are heavily (almost fried) cooked with ghee or butter which makes them extremely delicious but unhealthy too. But if you go skimpy on the fat, Parathas can be one of the very well-balanced & satisfying meal. You get goodness from whole-wheat, heavily stuffed with vegetables & some good-fat like canola oil.

I owe my stuffed paratha’s recipe to my good friend Bindu. She taught me different stuffings to put inside a paratha & they are delicious. And its so easy, you learn one recipe & it’s like you can make 5 different varieties from it.

So lets get started

General Stuffing Recipe

-1 cup finely grated vegetable

• Gobi (Cauliflower)
• Mooli
• Carrot
• Corn - grate fresh cob of corn
• Paneer
• Paneer+ finely grated cabbage - these are healthier than just paneer & taste delicious.
• Spinach - For Spinach Parathas, I use frozen chopped spinach; thawed & excess water removed after thawing.

-1/3 cup very finely chopped onions
-1 small finely chopped green chili
-1 tsp finely chopped ginger
-2 tbsp of finely chopped cilantro
-salt to taste
-1/4 tsp Chaat masala
-1/2 tsp cummin powder
-1/4 tsp chili powder (optional)
-1/4 tsp Aamchur powder (dry mango powder)

Steps

1. Make the regular Roti/Chapati Dough & rest it for 15-20 minutes.

2. Gobi/Mooli/Carrot/Paneer stuffing

Grate the vegetable, add onions & all the spices. Mix it well & adjust the seasoning as per your taste. You can add any other spice as well to suit your taste.

• But one additional step with Mooli Or Carrot stuffing is that after grating, add little salt & leave it for 5-10 minutes. This will help to ooze out excess water from the grated vegetable. Press the mixture to remove out all the water from the mixture. It will be very difficult to stuff the Parathas with this watery mixture & roll them out.
• Add onions & other spices after removing out the water.

3. Spinach Stuffing

Bruschetta is a fancy name for a simple Italian appetizer. In simple words, its French baguette topped with tomatoes, basil & olive oil.

With my twist on Bruschetta, it becomes a very well-rounded healthy snack item or a starter which is packed with great flavor. The reason I say it’s well rounded because you get -
Good Carb - I use Whole Grain French Baguette from Trader Joes so you get fibre & proteins
Good Fat - few tsp of Olive Oil
Veggies - I use red/green bell pepper, tomatoes, cilantro
Taste & Appeal - it looks & tastes great

I guess you must have figured out the ingredients by now but anyways lets go through them

½ Whole Grain Baguette (If you don’t have baguette no sweat, you can use Whole wheat bread or bagel & call it something else ;))
2 tsp of Olive Oil
½ cup finely chopped Tomatoes, Red & Green Bell Pepper, chilies (as per taste), and cilantro
Garlic Salt to taste
Pepper
Dried or fresh basil
3-4 tsp of Parmesan cheese

Yields around 10 pieces
Oven Temperature - 400 F

1. Cut the baguette at an angle about ¾ inches thick.
2. Lightly brush both sides with olive oil & put it in a pre-heated oven for 2-3 minutes. Switch sides & keep it for another 2 mins.
3. Till then cut all our veggies finely, add 1 tsp of olive oil, garlic salt, pepper & basil.
4. If you don’t have garlic salt, then lightly rub a clove of garlic on the surface of the bread after it comes out from oven. This imparts a little garlic flavor on the bread.
5. Put the veggie mixture on the warm bread & top it with a little Parmesan cheese.
6. Return this to the oven again for 3-4 more minutes.

And viola! Your good-looking bruschetta is ready to be eaten.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Coriander/Cilantro is by far the most used herb across India. There is something in it’s fragrance & taste that adds so much freshness & earthiness to any dish.

Cilantro Chutney is a great sauce to have handy at home. It can be used in several different ways:

1. Spread on bread/Parathas for a quick sandwich or frankies with veggies
2. Dip with chips
3. Salad Dressing with Olive Oil
4. Raita - Chutney + cool yogurt + finely chopped veggies (cucumbers, onions, tomatoes)

I have tried all of the above successfully. You are just limited by your creativity. Apart from it being tasty and easy to make, it is my favorite because of some fond childhood memories that I associate it with.

When I was a kid, my nani (maternal grandmother) used to make this awesome chutney that I and my cousin sister would eat with practically anything. That would be one thing that was always on the menu when we would visit her. My mom inherited that art from her & I would like to believe that some of it has rubbed on me too . My bum chum (childhood best friend) used to love this chutney that mummy would make. I remember she would come home & the first thing she would ask my mom to make would be chutney sandwich.

So let’s get started. You need the following ingredients,

1 medium sized bunch of Cilantro
4-5 Thai Chilies (As per taste)
12-15 Peanuts or 2 tbsp of Roasted Daliya (split chickpea)
1 inch of Ginger
1 clove of Garlic
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
½ Lemon Juice
Up to ½ cup of water

Most of the ingredients here are to taste. If you like the chutney to be milder, reduce the chilies. You can add more garlic if you like garlic-y flavor.

This recipe yields about 1 cup of chutney.

1. Nicely wash the cilantro in cold water. Just cut off the last few inches of stem & then give rest of the bunch a very rough chop.
2. Put all the ingredients in the blender, starting from chunky items first. It’s easier to blend.
3. Start with ¼ cup of water & add more to get the consistency you like.

Whole Wheat Orange Cranberry Muffins

Oranges or rather Clementines are huge hit at home. Clementine is a lovely little Mandarin family fruit which tastes more or less like an Orange just smaller, easier to peel & almost seedless. That’s why I will refer to them as Oranges instead of Clementine :), just used to saying Oranges.

Orange Muffins are my husband’s favorite. When I make these they go really fast. Within 4-5 days, a dozen of them are already eaten. But hey they are definitely better to snack on than cookies or a bag of chips.

Ingredients
1 Cup Whole Wheat
1/4 Cup Wheat Bran
1 Egg (I use an Egg Substitute Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1/4 Cup No-Sugar Added Apple Sauce
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
2 -3 tbsp Sugar Or Honey - Depending upon how sweet you like (I use 2 tbsp of Splenda- Sugar Substitute)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1.5 tsp Orange Zest
2-3 tbsp Fresh Orange Juice
1 Orange - roughly chop the peeled fruit into bite size pieces
2 Tbsp Dried Cranberry or Raisins (You can use more if you like them)
3 tbsp Milk

Makes 6 Medium Sized Muffins
Around 140-150 Calories per Muffin.
Oven Temperature - 350 def F
Time - 22-25 Minutes.

Exact same steps as before
1. Sift in the dry ingredients like Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg. Add Wheat Bran and Orange Zest into the flour mixture & mix well.
2. Now add Wet Ingredients + Sugar separately in a bowl. Start with blending Sugar, an Egg with Canola Oil and then add other wet ingredients.
3. Now mix the wet ingredients in dry along with roughly chopped Oranges & Raisins.
4. Don’t over mix it; just make sure everything is well incorporated.
5. Line your paper cups in Muffin pan & grease them well (Or you can choose to not use them and drop the batter directly into your Muffin pan. But make sure to grease your pan well then).
6. I generally use an Ice-Cream scoop to scoop out the batter evenly in all the cups.
7. Place the filled Muffin pan in the Preheated Oven for about 20-25 minutes.
8. Check with the tooth-pick to see if they are done. Let them cool on the Wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

Whole Wheat Apple Raisin Muffin
I just love Red Delicious Crispy Apples. They look also so vibrant & radiant. No wonder these were the first I tried in my muffins :).If you are trying Muffins for the first time please go through My Muffin Story post to read some muffin making tips.
The most important one is don’t over mix the batter. Around 10-12 strokes of folding the wet & dry ingredients should do it otherwise you will end up in tough muffins.

Here is what you will need for your Muffins
1 Cup Whole Wheat
1/4 Cup Wheat Bran
1 Egg (I use an Egg Substitute Ener-G Egg Replacer)
1/4 Cup No-Sugar Added Apple Sauce
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tsp Vanilla
2 -3 tbsp Sugar Or Honey - Depending upon how sweet you like (I use 2 tbsp of Splenda- Sugar Substitute)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 Cup grated Apple with Skin (About 1 Medium Apple)
2-3 tbsp Raisins (If you like more you can add more)
3-4 tbsp buttermilk (2 tbsp of Yogurt diluted by 2 tbsp of water)

Few Slivered Almonds for decoration on top of the muffin.

Makes 6 Medium Sized Muffins
Around 140-150 Calories per Muffin.
Oven Temperature - 375 def F
Time - 22-25 Minutes.

1. Sift in the dry ingredients like Flour, Salt, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg. Add Wheat Bran into the flour mixture & mix well.
2. Now add Wet Ingredients + Sugar separately in a bowl. Start with blending Sugar, an Egg with Canola Oil and then add other wet ingredients.
3. Now mix the wet ingredients in dry along with grated Apple & Raisins.
4. Don’t over mix it; just make sure everything is well incorporated.
5. Line your paper cups in Muffin pan & grease them well (Or you can choose to not use them and drop the batter directly into your Muffin pan. But make sure to grease your pan well then).
6. I generally use an Ice-Cream scoop to scoop out the batter evenly in all the cups. And sprinkle some slivered almonds on the muffins.
7. Place the filled Muffin pan in the Preheated Oven for about 20-25 minutes.
8. Check with the tooth-pick to see if they are done. Let them cool on the Wire rack for 5-10 minutes.

Hi Everyone,

Back again with some breakfast ideas J . I am a working woman so generally don’t get enough time in the morning to whip up some hot breakfast for me & my husband. We used to generally eat Cereals or WW toast with Peanut Butter with a cup of tea. But recently most of the times we would skip it since it was boring to have the same thing over n over again. Giving breakfast a skip would make me extremely hungry during Lunch time and would keep me unsatisfied the whole day. It was just not working. If you have read my previous blogs you might know by now how much I love Trader Joes. So one day my husband decided to try TJ Muffins for breakfast. He liked it but not so much, that’s when I decided to give it a try & make my own.

My Muffins are definitely inspired by several muffin recipes out there on the web. But I have tried to make few variations in mine to make them healthy, power-packed & surely tasty enough that you would look forward to have them every dayJ.

In my muffins you can find

-Reduced oil (I add some “No Added Sugar Applesauce” for moisture),

-Reduced sugar (prefer to keep it balanced with natural sugar of the fruits in the muffin),

-only Whole wheat flour used,

-Use little Wheat Bran in all muffins - This boosts the nutritional value (read fiber, protein) in my muffins

-Always Fruit. My breakfast muffins always contain fresh fruits like Apples, Oranges, Strawberries, Banana, Pineapple.

You can also add ground Flaxseeds in your muffins to pump up your Omega-3 Fatty acids intake. Flaxseeds can help reduce cholesterol, your blood pressure etc.

Muffin Making/Baking Tips from AllRecipes.Com

Ingredients

1 Medium Onions finely chopped
1 Medium Green Bell Pepper finely chopped
½ Medium Red Bell Pepper finely chopped
1 Medium Tomato
2 tbsp of Tomato Puree
Any vegetables you like - Zucchini, Broccoli, Corn, Carrots
½ tbsp ginger finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1 bay leaf
½ Cup Garbanzo Bean
½ Cup cooked Whole Wheat Elbow Macaroni
2 ½ - 3 Cups Fat Free low sodium Vegetable broth (I buy this from Trader Joes. I LOVE shopping from TJs).
Fresh or Dried Basil & Oregano
Red Crushed Chilies,
Paprika,
Garlic salt with parsley (Or you can use plain salt)
2-3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cooking Time - 20-25 mins

Serves - 3-4.

Heat some oil in Pan and add 1 Bay leaf.
Add Chopped Ginger, Garlic
Add Onions & sauté them for about a min & add some salt. Salt helps removing moisture from Onions.
Add the chopped bell peppers. Cook them for another 1 min.
Add any other vegetables you like depending upon their cooking time.
Add Garbanzo beans & let it cook for another min.
Add Tomato & cook till almost tender.
Add Tomato Puree & cook till you see oil starts to separate (approx for 2-3 mins)
Add all the spices like Basil, Oregano, Red Chilies, Paprika, Garlic Salt and Salt
Add Vegetable Broth & let it simmer for about 3-5 mins
Add cooked Elbow Macaroni & let it cook in the liquid for another few mins.
Put 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan Cheese in the soup to get a little creamy texture.

Serve with some grated parmesan cheese on top.

Popularity: 29% [?]

Ingredients

Oven Temperature - 375 deg F

Time - 40-45 mins

Tips: Raisins may be replaced by the same amount of chopped dates or omitted entirely. Quick breads should be mixed until well blended but not over-mixed in order to prevent the formation of tunnels in the baked loaf.

Combine eggs, oil, flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla, salt and baking powder in large mixing bowl. Stir until well blended.
Stir in nuts, raisins and apples until a rather stiff batter is formed.  Add a few tbsp of water if needed.
Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly blended, but do not over mix.
Pour into a greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 mins or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Popularity: 34% [?]

Ingredients

Oven Temperature - 350 deg F

Time - 30-35

Serves - Makes 12 Cupcakes.

Preheat oven to 350 F and line Muffin baking tray with cupcake papers
Put all the ingredients except Flour & Soda in a heating pan & bring it to boil.
Shut the heat when it comes to boil & let it cool.
Add the flour, baking soda & the above mixture.
Mix well but don’t over mix it.
Pour this mixture into a greased cupcake and bake at 350 degrees for almost 30-35 mins or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
When cupcake springs back when touched in the center you know that are done.

Popularity: 31% [?]

Ingredients

Egg and butter should be at room temperature

For glaze:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup sugar

Oven Temperature - 350 deg F

Time - 35-45

Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and almonds.
Beat butter, sugar, egg, orange zest and orange juice in a large bowl.
Add the above flour mixture to this and stir until moistened.
Pour this mixture into a greased 9″ by 5″ loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for almost 35-45 mins or until a tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove the bread from the oven and let it rest for couple of minutes.
Meanwhile mix 1/2 cup of orange juice in 1/4 cup of sugar, heat and stir until sugar dissolves.
With a spoon, glaze this orange-sugar juice over hot orange loaf.

Popularity: 31% [?]