Easy Homemade Granola

This homemade granola is filled with nuts and dried fruits, it's reasonably healthy and wholly addictive. You can customize your own blend by exchanging fruits and nuts at will. I even added few flax seeds and sunflower seeds for extra crunch. You'll just fall in love with the aroma of toasted oats and nuts starts to emanate from your oven. This granola is great for snacking on its own, and for layering in fresh fruit, in yogurt parfaits or by simply adding plain milk to it. This will serve as a very healthy breakfast and you'll definitely enjoy making it all by yourself. You can even double the batch if you want.


Yield: 1 pound

Easy Homemade Granola
from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup whole hazelnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cherries
plus (i added 2 tablespoons flaxseeds and 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F or 160 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, toss the oats with cinnamon and salt.

In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined.

Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola and use your hands to transfer it to an airtight container. The granola will keep for 1 week.

Paushtic Roti (100% Whole Wheat Nutritious Flat bread)

The word "paushtic" in Hindi means nutritious, healthy or life giving. This roti is a nutritious combination of a cereal and a pulse along with a green leafy vegetable, enhanced further by the addition of milk or curds. All of these contribute to make this dish rich in folic acid, iron, protein and calcium.

Have these rotis instead of the plain whole wheat chapatis we usually eat.

Recipe adapted from the book Parathas by Tarla Dalal

Makes 12 rotis.

Cooking Time : 20 mins.
Preparation Time : 15 mins.

Ingredients required..

2 cups Whole wheat flour
1/2 cup Bengal gram flour (besan)
3/4 cup boiled and grated potatoes, around 1 medium sized
1 cup Fresh Spinach leaves, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
4tbsp fresh curds or milk
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Other ingredients
Whole wheat flour for rolling
Oil for cooking

Method:
Mix all the ingredients and make a soft, smooth dough. Add a very little water, a tsp a time if required. Too much water can result in a sticky, lumpy dough as even potatoes and spinach leave some water. Leave the dough to rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll out each portion into small rotis using wheat flour for rolling.

Cook on a non stick tava (griddle) spreading a tsp of oil on both the sides till small dots of brown skin appears on the skin.

Serve hot with any of your favorite side dish or with just pickle and curd.

Paneer Paratha (Flat indian bread stuffed with Indian Cheese)

Paneer also known as cottage cheese is used in a variety of dishes world over. It forms a part of salads, main course dishes and even desserts in the form of cream cheese. Known as the Indian Cheese, paneer is one of the most versatile ingredients available for cooking.

Women in India make their own paneer by adding curds to milk thus making it curdle. This paneer can then be grated or crumbled and combined with a blend of subtle masala's making it an ideal stuffing for a paratha. Make these delicious parathas for your family or guests and watch them disappear in a jiffy.

Makes 5 parathas

You'll need the following ingredients..

For the dough
3/4 cup All purpose flour (maida)
3/4 cup Whole wheat flour
2 tsp oil(any)
3/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup + 1/8 cup Water

To be mixed into a stuffing
1 1/2 cups grated paneer (cottage cheese)
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped green chillies
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dry mango powder (amchur)
Salt to taste

Other ingredients
Whole wheat flour for dusting
Ghee or oil for cooking

Method

For the dough : Combine all the ingredients and knead well into a soft, smooth dough. Divide the dough into 5 equal portions. Keep aside.

How to proceed:
Divide the stuffing into 5 equal portions. Keep aside.

Roll out one portion of the dough into a circle of 3" diameter using whole wheat flour for rolling.

Place one portion of the stuffing in the centre of the circle. Bring together all sides in the center and seal tightly.(refer figure)


Roll out again into a square of 5" using whole wheat flour. Cook on a hot tava(griddle), using a little oil, until both sides are golden brown.

Repeat with the remaining dough and stuffing to make 4 more parathas.

Serve hot with any gravy you like. Try with Palak paneer.

French Toast

Originally a way to bring anew life to stale bread. French Toast can be made with virtually any fresh or stale bread, including quick breads and even tortillas. European dtyle loaves require a bit more soaking to soften the crust, while hearty whole grain breads make more sunstantial slices. My favourite are soft thick slices of broiche or challah, which make a truly decadent French Toast.

Ingredients
4-6 slices Challah bread
2 Eggs
2 tbsp Sugar
2 tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tbsp Curd
1/2 cup Milk
1 tbsp Butter

Method
Mix in all the ingredients excepy butter and bread.

Heat a pan and spread butter on top.

Dip the bread slices one by one in the egg mixture. Dip each side for about 10 seconds and then place it on the pan.

Fry the bread on both sides till it turns golden brown.

Sprinkle some powdered sugar and maple syrup on top and serve..

Believe me, it tastes delicious.. Enjoy!!

Masala Paratha

Aloo paratha is a flat Indian bread with spicy potato stuffing. But what i'll be showing you is a slightly different version of this paratha. Some people find it difficult when rolling a dough which is stuffed with the potato filling. The stuffing comes out of the dough when rolling them. But making the paratha which i'll be showing will rule out this problem. These parathas come out really soft, tasty and easy too.
The end result of this recipe is simply superb. Its a great breakfast and a lunch box recipe..



You'll need the following ingredients..
3 large potatos, peeled, cut into chunks and boiled in water till soft
1 Onion, Finely chopped
1 1/2 cup Whole wheat flour
1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1/4 tsp turmaric powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
1/4 tsp Amchur powder (or 1/2 tsp Lemon juice)
1/2 cup Coriander leaves, chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
Water to knead

Method..

Take 1 tbsp oil in a pan and fry chopped onion with a pinch of salt till golden brown and soft. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for another minute.

Add the boiled potatoes, turmaric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder, amchur powder, salt to taste and a tsp of sugar. Mix them well.
(Keep the salt content of the potato masala a little more because we'll be combining this masala with the flour)

Add coriander leaves and lemon juice(if you're not using the amchur powder). Fry for a minute till the mixture looks dried and mash this entire mixture using a potato masher. Keep it aside and let cool.



Now mix the potato mixture with the flour. Add a tbsp of oil. Add sufficient water and knead well to form a soft pliable dough.




Now take about a handful of this dough and make small balls using your hands.
Keep a small plate with some flour to dust the dough when rolling.

Now flatten the dough balls with both your hands and place them on the plate with the flour. Coat the dough with the flour on both the sides. Place it on a clean surface and start rolling them. Do not put too much pressure while rolling. Use extra flour if it starts sticking to the surface when rolling. Roll them into thin circles.

place the rolled dough on a hot griddle. When small bubbles start appearing on the surface, flip it and brush a tsp of oil on the surface. Flip it again and brush another tsp of oil on the other side. Fry them well on both the sides. Take it off the griddle when they turn golden brown.

Soft Aloo parathas are ready. They taste great when served with curd and pickle.



Enjoy!!

Spring onion Rotti

Rotti is a kannada term used in south India for an unleavened flat bread. This bread is made by taking a handful of the dough on a flat skillet and flattening it using your fingers(Ref fig.). This bread is usually prepared as a brekfast in south India.

Here is the recipe..

Ingredients:
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped
1/2 cup carrot, grated
1 1/2 cup rice flour
1 or 2 Green chilli, Chopped (as per your taste)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 cup Fresh coconut, grated
few springs of coriander
Salt to taste

Method:
Mix all the ingredients with water to form a very soft dough. The dough needs to be thick enough to flatten and not very thinny and watery.

Keep a cup of water beside to dip your fingers in while flattening the dough. This helps in spreading the dough evenly.



you can flatten it very thin if you want a crispy rotti and a little thick for a soft rotti. After you've flattened, make a small hole in the center with your index finger.

Now pour little oil all over the rotti, around the edges, in the center and every where. Now close a lid on top and let it cook on medium to high heat, till the base has turned golden brown.



Serve hot with Coconut chutney.

Batura

Batura is a soft deep fried Indian bread. This is a breakfast dish which is normally taken in North India and is originated from Punjab. It goes great with Channa masala(Chickpeas curry).

Ingredients:

2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup Fine Semolina
5 Tbsp Curd
1 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Water
1 tsp Ghee
Oil for deep frying
Extra flour for dusting

Method

Mix in the flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix all these ingredients well.

In another small cup, take curd and add sugar to it. Mix well and add it to the flour mixture.

Add the water and ghee and knead well to form a soft dough.

Close and rest the dough in a warm place for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile keep oil in a deep pan for heating. Take the dough and make golf sized balls and roll them into circles of about 6 to 7" in diameter.

Slide the rolled dough carefully into the hot oil and just press them lightly with a spatula so that it will swell up like a ball. This will take just few seconds. Flip the poori over and cook the other side until golden brown.

Serve hot with channa masala.

Click here for the Channa Masala recipe..

Making Chapati - Indian Bread

Chapati or roti is the traditional flat Indian bread, normally eaten with curries or cooked vegetables. It is made most often from wheat flour, cooked on a flat or slightly concave iron griddle called a tawa. It is similar to a tortilla in appearance. Like breads around the world, chapati is a staple accompaniment to other foods, may be spread with ghee (clarified butter).




Here are the ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup All purpose flour(maida) [For a 100% whole wheat chapati, substitute this with wheat wheat flour]
1 cup Water
5tsp Oil(sunflower or vegetable)
1tsp Salt
2tsp Sugar
1 cup wheat flour in a large plate for dusting the dough while rolling it out
Oil for brushing the chapathi

Method:

Mix all the above ingredients and knead it well to form a soft non sticky dough. Rest it for about 1/2 an hour.

Divide the dough into small balls. Flour the surface, using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a thin,round patty, about 4 inches in diameter.

Brush some oil over the surface and fold it into half and then fold it again into a triangle.


Dust the triangle with little whole wheat flour and roll into a large, flat triangle.

Preheat a non stick pan or a tawa over medium heat. Place the rolled dough on the palm of one hand and flip it over on to the tawa. When the color changes on the top and bubbles appear, turn it over and brush some oil over the surface. Flip it over and again brush some oil over the flipped surface. Cook lightly on both sides. When both sides are done, use kitchen tongs (chimta) to remove the chapati from the skillet.

Chapatis are usually eaten with cooked dal (lentil soup) or vegetable (Indian curry) dishes, and pieces of the chapati are used to wrap around and pick up each bite of the cooked dish.

You can have chapati with palak paneer, mixed vegetable palya or any other North Indian curries..

Tips
This chapati can be stored in air-tight containers in the freezer for upto 2 months. Just defrost and heat it up on tava before use or just microwave on high for a minute.