Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Baking is something like an integral part of my life these days. Its like no day passes by without me cranking up the oven. Mostly its something for breakfast or to refill our cookie jar. And then there are potlucks and friends coming over. Coming to the breakfast part, I generally make banana breads when there are over-ripe bananas in the basket or some kind of yeasted breads with whole wheat flour. But this time we wanted a change and this baked banana oatmeal was what I made. Reheated the next day morning, dunked it into some milk, poured in some maple syrup and it was a yummy breakfast.

~*What U Need*~ Old fashioned rolled oats - 1 cup Chopped pecans - 1/4 cup Baking powder - 1/4 tsp Cinnamon - 3/4 tsp Salt - a pinch Maple syrup - 1/4 cup Milk - 1 cup Egg - 1, large Canola oil - 2 tbsp Vanilla - 1 tsp Blueberries - 1 cup, fresh/frozen How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease 8x8 cake pan. Spread half of the berries in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle the dry oat mixture over the fruit in an even layer. In a medium bowl, mix the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the syrup, milk, egg, oil, and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients evenly over the oats. Sprinkle the nuts and remaining berries over the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the top is browned and the oats have set. Let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Serve warm!!!

So thats it Folks...
With Love,

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Whole Wheat Cinnamon Sugar Banana Bread

If you have been following my blog, then you now know that I love banana breads. They are a handy way to use those heavily speckled bananas without throwing them in the bin. Last week saw the men in the house down with severe cold attacks. Fruits too a backseat and there were no takers for the bananas. The bananas got spots, the spots turned brown and finally I left them undisturbed from another two days. And then they were perfect, perfect to make banana breads. I went a step ahead this time and topped it with a cinnamon sugar and sliced almonds.

Adapted from here Mashed Bananas - 1 cup EVOO - 1/3 cup Maple syrup - 1/4 cup Brown sugar - 1/4 cup Eggs - 2 Salt - a pinch Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp Whole wheat flour - 1 3/4 cup Baking soda - 1/2 tsp Hot Milk - 1/4 cup + 1 tsp vinegar Sliced almonds - 2 tbsp 1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 1 tbsp sugar How I Made it: Preheat oven to 325 F and grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, beat oil and maple syrup and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in bananas and vanilla, then stir in the salt and cinnamon. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda. Whisk the flour into the wet ingredients and mix till combined. Add the milk and mix into batter until it is evenly distributed. Spread batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and sliced almonds. Bake for 50-60 mins. Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with tea or coffee!!!

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Banana Peanut Butter Granola

I like having oats for breakfast. Be it in the form of oatmeal or upma or dumplings, I like it anyways. It keeps me full on the tummy and makes me skip my mid-morning snack. Ever since I made my first successful batch of granola, I have been obsessed with it. One reason is that it is cheap when compared to the store bought ones, secondly you can flavor it the way you want and of everything you know what exactly is going into making it ~ whether it is high fructose corn syrup or pure maple syrup. The single over-ripe banana that was lying around made me try this variation. I added in some peanut butter since the huss is a fan of anything PB and what I got was granola with mild, very mild flavors of banana and peanut butter.

~*What U Need*~ Rolled oats - 2 cups Banana - 1, mashed Maple syrup - 2 tbsp Peanut butter - 4 tbsps Canola oil - 2 tbsp Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp(optional) Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp Chopped nuts - 1/2 cup How I Made it: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt the peanut butter, maple syrup and oil in medium heat. Add in the mashed banana, vanilla, cinnamon and mix together. Cool slightly and add the oats, nuts and mix well till evenly coated. Spread the oats out in a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring it once every 10 mins. Bake till evenly browned, remove from the oven and let them cool. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Serve with almond or coconut milk!!!

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Triple Chocolate Granola

We have very little options for breakfast atleast that is how it works for us. When I was a kid I still remember that my mornings started with a tall glass of milk or homemade health drink followed by two idlis, just and always with some chutney or sambar. Even after marriage it was the same, till I was with my in-laws. After moving out life seemed way more easier with cereal and bread and cereal again. And that is how its been for four years.

Lately I have been wanting different breakfast options. Not something heavy but something fancy, something that I would love to eat, something that I would look forward to on my breakfast table. I had always wanted to try granola but back in India they were pretty costly and the serving size that you get for that many bucks is very meager. The pack would hardly last you a week. I have tried my share at home with the quick cooking oats variety but they never seemed to excel in texture.

So when I came to the U.S I started experimenting with the rolled oats and lately we have been enjoying a variety of homemade granola for breakfast. And it makes a great breakfast option too. So now its cereal and homemade bread and granola and cereal again. See an added breakfast option. Anything with chocolate can never go wrong and when it is chocolate for breakfast it is definitely my kinda breakfast and when it three different types of chocolate, then it is just... "OH MY".

Prep time: 5 mins; Cooking time: 30 mins; Serves - 2 Adapted from here ~*What U Need*~ Old fashioned oats - 1 1/2 cup Canola oil - 2 tbsp Cocoa powder - 1/4 cup Dark brown sugar - 2 tbsp Maple syrup - 2 tbsp + 2 tsp Salt - 1/4 tsp Semi-sweet chocolate chips - 1/4 cup Chocolate covered raisins - 1/2 cup How I Made it: Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix oil, cocoa powder and sugar and whisk till combined. Add the maple syrup and mix well. Add the oats and fold till evenly mixed. Bake for 25-30 mins, stirring every 10 mins. Remove from oven and add the chocolate chips when still warm. Once cooled, add in the raisins and mix well. Store in an air tight container.

Serve with milk or top on yogurt.

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Apple Walnut Salad with Peanut Butter dressing

Falling in row with the cucumber coriander salad, here is the next one of the lot. Sliced honey crisp apples with a generous dose of chopped walnuts and peanut butter dressing.

Salads are my go to food when I want to detox my body. A bowl of salad, an exercise regime and gallons of water ~ I would call it a day. But since the onset of winter, my exercise routine has never been the same. I do aerobics but I have never been regular. So I make it a point to stick to the salad regimen atleast. This week is one such week where I am cleansing my body with kale smoothies and spinach salads. I felt like having something sweet and hence took a break from the regular salads and made this apple walnut salad.

Okay, so I thought that I could give you a glance of the pie that is the reason behind all this hooplah. *drum rolls* Here is the Caramel Pecan Silk Supreme which was gifted to me by the huss for Valentines day. I could best describe it as *heaven on a plate*. Look at that layers, how sinful does that look.

~*What U Need*~ Honey Crisp apples - 2 Walnuts - 1/2 cup Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp Peanut butter - 2 tbsp Maple syrup - 1 tsp Chia seeds - 1 tbsp(optional) How I Made it: Mix peanut butter, maple syrup and chia seeds. Set aside. Slice the apples and coat with lime juice. In a serving bowl, place the apples and top with walnuts. Drizzle the dressing.

Serve!!!

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