Lettuce Salad with feta cheese

When I first moved to the US and when it was confirmed that it was Wisconsin, the first thing that got me hooked to the place was the cheese. Well it was a tough battle between the weather and the cheese. The cheese dragged me to the place and the weather kinda wanted me to get shooed away. So the cheese, Wisconsin specializes in Cheese and the cheesecurds here are the best. Ever since I came here, I have been eating cheese to my hearts content and I have been happy with the local cheese. So my salads and pastas have always got an extra helping of cheese and that is how I love them these days.

After all that eating and bingeing all through the holidays and there after, which is clearly visible in my blog, I have decided to go salads and green smoothies and here is a very simple salad for a start.

~*What U Need*~ Iceberg lettuce - 1 head, rinsed and dried Tomato - 1, deseeded and cubed Onions - 1/2 sliced Olives - 1/4 cup, chopped Feta cheese - 2oz, crumbled For the dressing Lemon juice - 1 tbsp White wine vinegar - 1/2 tsp Olive oil - 2-3 tbsp Salt, pepper - to taste Honey - 1 tsp {Mix everything and whisk well} How I Made it: Chop the lettuce into chunks. Mix lettuce, tomato, onions, olives in a salad bowl. Top with feta cheese. When serving drizzle the dressing, toss well. Serve with a healthy grating of parmesan cheese.

Serve with some wine!!!
So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

ABC Cake | Apple Banana Carrot Cake | Breakfast Cake

Well if you are looking for a bake which incorporates fruits, veggies, nuts and very little fat, then look no more, for I have a very simple breakfast cake for you today. Its filled with carrots, apple, banana and uses only quarter cup of sugar. Slice them up, toast 'em with some butter and serve it with some freshly squeezed orange juice or freshly brewed coffee and you have a delicious, kid-friendly breakfast to serve. So lets move on to the recipe.

~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 1 cup All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Brown sugar - 1/4 cup, packed Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Baking powder - 1/2 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Cinnamon - 1 tsp Canola oil - 2 tbsp Egg - 1 Honey - 2 tbsp Sour cream - 2 tbsp Whole milk - 1/4 cup Vanilla - 1 tsp Carrots - 1 cup, shredded Apple - 1, shredded Bananas - 2, mashed Walnuts - 1/2 cup Cranberries - 1/4 cup, dried How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, combine carrot, apple, sour cream, oil, egg, milk and vanilla; stir well. Add the mashed bananas and mix gently. Add honey and mix well. In a large bowl, combine all purpose and whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir well with a whisk. Add the cranberries and walnuts and mix. Fold wet ingredients with the dry ingredients. Spoon batter into a bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for about 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely on a wire rack.

Slice and serve!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Eggless Skinny Banana blueberry muffins

As much as I love baking cakes and cupcakes, I always love to add a touch of health factor to my bakes like making it whole wheat or butter-free or adding fruits and vegetables. It would be either some ultra-ripe bananas or some chopped apples or some shredded carrots or when zucchini are in season some shredded zucchini but when blueberries or in that case any berries are in season it has to be berry muffins for my pappu. A warm muffin with a dollop of melty melty butter is his favorite breakfast. Here is my go to recipe for muffins when I have some ripe bananas and blueberries on hand.

~*What U Need*~ Whole wheat flour - 3/4 cup All purpose flour - 1/2 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Salt - a pinch Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp Honey - 2 tbsp Light brown sugar - 1/4 cup Ripe banana - 1/2 cup, mashed Vanilla yogurt - 4 tbsp Milk - 6 tbsp Blueberries - 3/4 cup How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325F degrees. Spray muffin pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, set aside. In another bowl, mix the honey and brown sugar together. Add the mashed banana and yogurt. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the milk slowly and continue to fold. Dust the blueberries with some flour. Gently fold in the blueberries. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Fill all the way to the top. Bake for 17-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely.

Serve with milk!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Honey Lime Sweet Potato Tacos

I love tacos because it is easy to assemble and makes for a delicious dinner. Well its only me when it comes to world cuisine, the huss has never been a big fan. The thing he never enjoys when I try new dishes at home but for that reason he never detests what that is served for him. He eats the dinner whole heartedly, but he would always prefer a plate of biryani. I love trying new taco recipes and I came across this honey lime sweet potato tacos from Cooking Classy when I was browsing Pinterest and it immediately caught my attention. The flavor pairing was so good and even pappu loved the filling. He loved picking the beans, the corn and the sweet potatoes and calling out names everytime he popped one into his mouth.

~*What U Need*~ Sweet potatoes - 3/4 lb, peeled and diced Olive oil - 1 tbsp Cumin - 1/2 tsp Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp Ground coriander - 1/8 tsp Onion - 1/2, chopped Garlic - 1 clove, minced Black beans - 1 can, rinsed & drained Frozen Corn - 1/2 cup, thawed and drained Honey - 2 tbsp Lemon juice - 2 tbsp Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped Corn tortillas - to serve Lettuce - chopped Cheese - to serve How I Made it: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 1/2 tbsp olive oil, cumin, chilli powder, ground coriander, salt and pepper. Spread this on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 mins. In a large skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat, add onion and saute until golden brown. Add minced garlic and saute well. Reduce heat to medium-low, add in black beans, corn, honey and lime juice. Heat until warm. Toss in roasted sweet potatoes and cilantro. Serve over warm tortillas with desired toppings.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Honey Oat Bread

So I bake our daily bread. So I am addicted to freshly baked bread. So I eat an extra slice of bread when I make them at home. Cos I know what exactly made their way into the bread. While it is mostly whole wheat with add-ins like nuts and dried fruits, I occasionally make the white variety too. That usually happens when I crave for something soft, fluffy and light like this honey oats bread. The mild sweetness from the honey makes this bread perfect for sandwiches with pestos or nutella, pestos being the current favorite.

Prep time: 10+10 mins; Cooking time: 50 mins; Makes 1 9×5-inch loaf Adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ All purpose flour - 3 cups Old fashioned oats - 3/4 cup Instant yeast - 2 1/4 tsp Salt - 1 1/2 tsp Milk - 1 cup Water - 1/4 cup Unsalted butter - 2 tbsp Honey - 1/4 cup Warm Honey and oats for topping How I Made it: In the bowl of a standing mixer, combine the flour, oats, yeast, and salt. In a saucepan, warm the milk with the butter to 115F. Once the butter is melted, stir water and honey. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture, mixing with a dough hook until it just comes together to form a dough. Knead in the mixer for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is still very wet and sticky after 5 minutes of kneading, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is barely tacky. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1/2 to 1 hour. Once doubled, place the dough on a clean, dry work surface. With your fingers, flatten the dough into a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Tightly roll the dough, tucking the ends as needed, into a loaf. Place the shaped dough into a 9×5-inch loaf pan, cover with a clean dry towel, and allow to rise until doubled, about 1/2 to 1 hour.Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Place an empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven and bring 2 cups of water to a boil. When the loaf is doubled again, brush the top with the warmed honey and sprinkle with the oats. Place the bread in the oven and pour the boiling water into the empty loaf pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool completely before serving.

Serve spread with butter and honey or a generous amount of cookie butter like me!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

4th of July Granita | Berry & Yogurt Granitas

I had never thought of making a 4th of July dessert. But all the desserts out there had always got me hooked to the screen. So when the people from Raise.com asked me to write a blog on fourth of July desserts, I got into thinking. I wanted to make it colorful but healthy at the same time. The berries of the season came to the rescue. Raspberries and blueberries made the colors of the flag and a simple yogurt granita or Indian lassi inspired granita made for the white layer.

Raise is a new platform where you can buy gift cards to your favorite brands at a discounted price and sell your unused gift cards for cash! From Wal-Mart to Kroger, they have gift cards to meet all of your party needs. They have created a holiday inspired blog post called, “4th of July Fun,” featuring some favorite festive 4th of July recipes!

~*What U Need*~ For the raspberry granita: Raspberries - 1 cup Water - 2-3 tbsp Honey - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Clean and pat dry the raspberries. In a blender, blend raspberries, water and honey until smooth. Pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Pour into an aluminium loaf pan or a plastic airtight box. Freeze for 1 hour. Scrape with a fork, you will get flakes of ice. Return to freezer. Repeat the process every 30 mins. When there is no remaining blocks of ice, u are good to go. For the blueberry granita: Blueberries - 1 cup Water - 2-3 tbsp Honey - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Clean and pat dry the blueberries. In a blender, blend blueberries, water and honey until smooth. Pass through a sieve. Pour into an aluminium loaf pan or a plastic airtight box. Freeze for 1 hour. Scrape with a fork, you will get flakes of ice. Return to freezer. Repeat the process every 30 mins. When there is no remaining blocks of ice, u are good to go. For the yogurt granita: Greek Yogurt - 1 cup Water - 2-3 tbsp Honey - 2 tbsp How I Made it: In a blender, blend yogurt, water and honey until smooth. Pour into an aluminium loaf pan or a plastic airtight box. Freeze for 1 hour. Scrape with a fork, you will get flakes of ice. Return to freezer. Repeat the process every 30 mins. When there is no remaining blocks of ice, u are good to go.

To serve layer the granita in shot glasses as shown in pic and serve immediately. Healthy granitas are ready.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Honey Wheat Oatmeal Bread

I am obsessed, well that happens most of the times~ lets talk about that later. Today its breads. I am totally obsessed with home baked breads. I know that its not a good season for baking but who cares when you get a good loaf of bread after all that sweat. I mostly like to include whole wheat flour in our daily breads but this time there is an additional health factor in the form of oats. The honey, the oats and the whole wheat flour gives a unique taste to this bread which makes it great for sandwiches. BTW, don't fret if you donot have quick cooking oats on hand. Give the rolled oats a quick pulse in the blender and there you have the quick cooking version.

~*What U Need*~ Instant yeast- 1 1/2 tsp Honey - 1/4 cup Olive oil - 2 tbsp Warm water - 1 1/8 cups Salt - 1/2 tbsp Unbleached all purpose flour - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Whole wheat flour - 2 cups Quick cooking oats - 1/2 cup Vital wheat gluten - 2 1/2 tbsp Egg - half of an egg How I Made it: Add the yeast to the warm water and mix. Set aside till frothy for 10 mins. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the olive oil, honey and the yeast water. Add the 2 cups wheat flour, gluten and oats and salt to this mixture and mix well in low speed. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the egg and one cup of all purpose flour. Blend on low until the egg is incorporated then beat on medium for 2 more minutes. Add flour by 1 tbsp and mix until it's smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover and allow to rise for 1 hour or until double in size. Punch the dough down and turn onto a floured surface. Shape into a loaf. Place in greased 9x5 inch loaf pan covered with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for another hour. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on rack for 5 minutes before removing from pan. Remove bread from pan and brush with melted butter, allow to completely cool on cooling rack.

Serve toasted with butter/jam!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Whole Wheat Bread | 50-50 Wheat Bread

Breads are a staple at any house and ours is no exception. I make bread twice a week and I mostly prefer wholewheat. Occasionally I make the white sandwich bread but that happens only when the huss wants french toast which is once in a blue moon. Since I am a novice when it comes to bread baking I just don't too much risks and by risk I mean subbing the entire amount of all purpose flour in a recipe for whole wheat flour. As of now I have started with half of the amount and it works. It is not so dense, it is fluffy and it holds the shape brilliantly. The recipe that I have given makes one loaf but you could easily double it. The 6 tbsp will become 3/4 cup when you double it.

Prep time: 15 mins; Cook time: 30-40 mins; Makes: one 9x5 loaf ~*What U Need*~ Instant yeast - 3/4 tsp Warm water - 1/2 cup Whole milk - 1/2 cup Honey - 2 tbsp Canola oil - 1 tbsp Unbleached all purpose flour - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Whole wheat flour - 1 cup + 6 tbsp Salt - 1/2 tbsp Vital gluten - 2 tbsp How I Made it: Pour the water into the bowl of a standing mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top. Allow to stand for 10 mins till frothy. Stir in the milk, honey, and oil. Add the flours and stir to combine. Add in the salt and vital wheat gluten and stir to form a dough. Allow this stand for 20 minutes to give the flour time to absorb the liquid. Using the dough hook attachment on a standing mixer, knead the dough for 8-9 minutes. If the dough is sticky add flour by the tablespoon till no longer sticky. Place this in a bowl that has been oiled well and allow to double for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Once doubled, knock down the dough and knead for 15 seconds. Shape into a loaf and place in a 9x5 loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Allow to rise for another 30-45 mins. Heat the oven to 425°F. Reduce temperature to 375F and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and let cool completely before slicing.

Serve with jam or butter!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hope every one had a fun filled Christmas. It has been snowing here non-stop and we have been enjoying the view with cups of hot cocoa. And then we grabbed a largish bowl of snow from our balcony and built our first indoor snowman. Pappu totally loved it and so did we. I had lots of baking plans for the holidays but everything went down the drain when the Christmas Rum cake that I baked few days back came fully gummed to the pan. The taste was spot-on but I couldn't save even one piece that could be photographed to be posted here. The cake disaster set my mood back and I couldn't bring myself together to bake another cake.

I baked these cookies for pappu's day. He loves chocolate and the huss loves peanut butter. So these cookies were enjoyed by both of them with their evening milk. If you are a soft, chewy, melt-in-the-mouth kinda cookie lover like me then this cookie is meant for you. As for the cake, I will be trying it sometime soon. As of now am planning to bake it sometime in May cos that is when amma and appa are going to come visit us. Appa has been asking for a rich homemade rum and fruit cake for a long time and so it is gonna happen when he comes here.

~*What U Need*~ Adapted from Yourcupofcake Prep time: 15 mins; Baking time: 20 mins; Makes: 18 cookies/ 1 1/2 dozen All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups Unsalted butter - 1/4 cup, softened Peanut butter - 1/4 cup, smooth Brown sugar - 1/2 cup, packed Regular sugar - 1/4 cup Eggs - 1, room temperature Vanilla extract - 1/2 tbsp Honey - 1 tbsp Water - 1 tbsp Baking soda - 1/2 + 1/8 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup M&M's - 1/4 cup How I Made it: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a stand mixer, beat butter, peanut butter, brown sugar and sugar together until creamy, about 3 mins, scraping it down as needed. On low, beat in the egg. Add vanilla, honey and water and mix only until combined. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and salt together. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix only until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Place 1 tbsp dough balls on to cookie sheets leaving space to spread and bake for 8-11 mins depending on how crisp you want your cookies to be. Once done, allow to cool in the sheet for 3 mins and then remove to cooling racks.

Enjoy with a big glass of cold milk.

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...

Watermelon Spinach Salad

There are days when I hate waking up in the morning to prepare lunch for the huss and then there are days when I hate making an elaborate lunch for the both of the us. On such days, the huss is asked to have lunch at office and I make do with a bowl of cereal and a glass of orange juice. And then I have an apple for snack. But then there are days when you have a bunch of fresh baby spinach and a huss who is unwilling to have anything with spinach for his lunch. Those days he is again asked to have lunch at office and I make a fresh spinach walnut salad with a simple honey olive oil dressing.

Last week I bought a whole watermelon because it was on a sale and since then we have been having glasses of fresh watermelon juice on our evenings. And when that lazy feeling struck again, I knew what I was going to make for my lunch. A whole plate of this refreshing salad with that slightly sweet and sour dressing and the crunchy almonds made a light and filling lunch.

Serves - 1; Cooking time - nil; Prep time - 15 mins ~*What U Need*~ Watermelon cubes - 1 cup, deseeded Baby spinach - 1 cup, washed and patted dry Salted almonds - few For the dressing Extra virgin olive oil - 1/2 tbsp Honey - 1/2 tbsp Lemon juice - 1 tsp Pepper - 1/4 tsp How I Made it: Mix all the ingredients mentioned under dressing. Place watermelon cubes, spinach in a salad bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle the almonds.

Serve immediately!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

Signs off!!!

Interested!!! Click to read more...