DairyFree – The Secret Ingredient

Baking

Honey Dates Square – Historic Recipe | Vintage Honey Figs and Date Cake Squares Recipe with Gluten Free Flour

By anshu June 21, 2017

I have been a social science student and history has always fascinated me. I am good with dates and events which have occurred in the past. I always like to know how our society has evolved and what events have led to certain changes in it. The other day I was looking for Honey and Dates Cake recipe and by chance I stumbled on this recipe of Honey Dates Square, which said its a historic Recipe from 1940’s – the world War era when sugar was scarce and use of honey and maple syrup was the only thing used in bakes. There is a special charm to Historical Recipes. They not only make you understand the conditions and emotions of people but also invoke nostalgia. Therefore I was intrigued to try this recipe. More for the historic reason and less for the real recipe 🙂

This recipe is oil free and butter free. Now in the current scenario it has become a fashion or rather health awareness to go oil free and avoid using refined sugar.. This is a perfect tea time cake which can be made in 30 minutes. The result was spectacular with minimal efforts. Would you like to try this piece of history?

Directions:
1. Soak figs and dates in warm water for an hour and set aside till they become soft.

2. Deseed the dates and chop figs and dates into small bites.

3. Also chop a mix of nuts, I have used almonds, cashews and pistachios and set aside.

4. Lightly whisk eggs. You dont have to form stiff peaks. Look how beautiful and fresh is that yolk. I have used organic eggs from Eggee.

5. Add chopped nuts, figs, dates and honey and mix with the eggs.

5. Stir in Gluten Free flour, you can even use Whole Wheat Flour All purpose flour if you like. I have used SOS organics Gluten Free Flour which you can order at our online store, The Gourmet Shop.

6. Also add Baking Powder and Salt and mix. Do not over mix just till everything is moist.

7. Line a 9×9 baking tin with some parchment paper that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. I have crushed the parchment paper and then opened and placed it, this trick will help it sit better. Isn’t it genius 😛 You can buy Parchment Paper at our online store, The Gourmet Shop. Also preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperature and Conversion)

8. Pour the batter in the baking tin and smoothen the top with spatula.

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes till the tooth pick inserted comes out clean.

10. Remove it from the tin along with parchment paper. When the cake cools down slice it into squares.

11. Serve with your favourite Cup of Coffee or Tea.

Other recipe with some history behind it were Anzac Cookies . If you are also tuned on by history you must read this post.

Other Gluten Free Recipes you can try : Amaranth Herbed Crackers, Gluten Free Chocolate Ragi Brownies, No Bake Amaranth Granola Bars, Apple Crisp, Besan & Corn Flakes Cookies, Instant Ragi Dosa

If you are looking for other Cakes and desserts with fresh fruits you can try: Peach Upside Down Cake. Fresh Apricot and Almond Cake, Apple Crisp, Mango Vanilla Cake, Festive Orange Blueberry Pound Cake, Sorghum and Wheat Flour Persimmon Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting, Vanilla & Pomegranate Cake, Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake, Mascarpone Cherry Compote Cheesecake Glasses, Eggless Orange Cake with Candied Orange Peel Filling, Persimmon Rum Cake, Mango Tart with Vanilla Pastry Cream .

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Apples

Detox Green Smoothie | Apple Spinach Green Smoothie

By anshu April 30, 2017

Last Night was Saturday night party at my place. Along with some cocktails we had some heavy snacks! Now I wake up with a bloated tummy and a guilty conscience. To fix both these things I needed to make this Green detoxifying smoothie which will revive my stomach and clear my body of all the toxins. This smoothie doesn’t use any dairy and is free from all sort of sugars.

Its even ideal for people who are watching their weight. I like to include this smoothie in my diet at least once a week. If you are also fond of smoothies then you must check out a few other recipes of Smoothies on my page. Some links I have mentioned at the end of this post. What kind of smoothie do you like? I would like to know your opinion. Would love to hear from you.

Directions:
1. In a blender add thoroughly washed leaves of Spinach and a peeled banana.

2. Add one cored green apple.

3. Add roasted seeds of Flax.

3. Add Water to the blender.

4. Also throw in some ice cubes.

5. Pulse till everything is smooth. Pour into glasses and drink it up immediately. This is detoxifying and quite refreshing.

Other Smoothies and Beverages you can try are: Plum Smoothie, Raw Mango Drink with Mint and Roasted Cumin, Ginger Papaya Mint Smoothie, Central Himalayan Wild Bayberry Syrup, Litchi Lemonade, Mango Chamomile-Mint Tea Lemonade, Kiwi Chia Pudding, Peach Lemonade, Spiced Mango Lassi, Melon Cucumber and Mint Smoothie, Orange and Blueberry Smoothie.

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Baking

Amaranth Herbed Crackers | Gluten Free Amaranth Flour Savoury Crackers | Rajgira Namkeen Biscuit

By anshu February 26, 2017

I have been receiving numerous requests from friends, followers to post more Gluten Free Recipes on my blog. Some of them have celiac issues and some want to include gluten free flours in their diet.. Earlier I had posted recipe of Gluten Free Brownies with Ragi Flour, No Bake Amaranth Granola Bars which received great reviews from you all. If you try any of my recipes, please send me the feedback with a picture. I would love to showcase them on my facebook page. Such feedbacks keep me motivated.

This time when I had organic Amaranth Flour from SOS organics I knew I will be trying out something different with it. The Amaranth Flour has a slight nutty flavour. And then I came across this recipe which was not only Gluten Free but also Vegan and Diabetic Friendly. These Savoury Herbed Crackers are loaded with herbs and has a subtle flavour of garlic. They are so easy to put together and loved by all. You must try them at least once.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperatures and Conversions). In a bowl add the Amaranth Flour and Baking Powder.

2. Also add chopped garlic and salt to the flour.

3. Add dried or fresh herbs to the bowl and combine. You can use any herb or combination of herbs to your liking.

4. Add water and Olive oil.

5. Combine everything using your hands or you can do the same in a food processor. Mix this till everything comes together like a dough. Don’t add more water or oil. Its a gluten free flour so it will take some time for it to come together.

6. Place the dough on a sheet of Parchment Paper and roll it thin using a roller pin. It should be about 1/5th of an inch in thickness.

7. Use a cookie cutter and cut them into desired shapes. Place them on a baking sheet lined with Parchment Paper. You can use a spatula to lift the cracker dough for it is very fragile.

8. Use a fork to prick the crackers all over. Bake the crackers in preheated oven for 12-13 minutes. Keep a close eye not to over bake them. Let them crisp up a little before biting into them.

Other cookies and crackers you can try here are: Traditional Australian – New Zealand Anzac Biscuits, Subway Copycat Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Chickpea Flour & Corn Flakes Eggless Cookies, Chyawanprash Cookies, Strawberry Cookies, Gingerbread Man Cookies, Greek Traditional Christmas Cookies, Italian Almond Biscotti, Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Coconut Cookies, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Ragi & Whole Wheat Biscuits.

[whohit]AmaranthCrackers[/whohit]

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Dessert

Tapioca Coconut Milk Pudding with Strawberry Preserve | Thai Tapioca Coconut Milk Pudding | Sago Coconut Milk Pudding

By anshu April 8, 2016

TapiocaCoconutMilkPudding_Featured1

Time for Navratras, the nine days of fasting and feasting. I personally feel I end up hogging more during this week. The variety of food available is simply lip smacking, so eventually you end up eating more. I have earlier posted many recipes made from Sago, both sweet and savoury, like Sabudana Tikki, Sabudana Kheer, Sabudana Khichdi. You can also use tapioca if you don’t find Sago.

TapiocaCoconutMilkPudding_Featured3

But this time I wanted to try something out of the ordinary. I had plenty of Sabudana lying so I looked for some pudding options. I found a couple of thai recipes of Tapioca with Coconut Milk. Unfortunately that called for addition of eggs which defeats the entire purpose of Navratras. I took the challenge and proceeded to try without eggs. To my food fortune the pudding came out amazing. Never felt it needed eggs. I tried to club it up with my Strawberry Preserve I had made a week back. The combination was simply fabulous. You got to try it to believe me. My husband took three helpings and still he was asking for more. He has all the fun in Navratras without fasting. Hunh!

Directions:

1. Wash and Soak some Sago/ sabudana or Tapioca in water for an hour till the time you see it has swelled up.

2. In a saucepan add some Coconut Milk. I have used canned you can use fresh home made if you like. Bring it to a simmer. Do not boil for it will split.

3. Add sago pearls to the coconut milk and continue to cook on low flame.

4. Add Vanilla Essence and Sugar. Continue to cook till it has thickened to desired consistency, It will not take long so keep an eye for you don’t want the pudding to become like a wallpaper paste and worse stick to the bottom of the pan.

5. Spoon the serving bowl’s bottom with the home made Strawberry Preserve , you can use any flavour. I used this because I know it doesn’t have any pectine nor anything else which I cant consumer during fasting.

6. Top it up with the pudding. Make sure its not very hot. You can splurge with an additional spoon of preserve on top and garnish with a mint leaf.

Other Tapioca Recipes for Fasting you can try here are: Sabudana Tikki, Sabudana Kheer, Sabudana Khichdi.

If you are looking for other Strawberry Recipes you may try: Strawberry Preserve, Italian Focaccia Bread with Strawberries and Rosemary, Strawberry Cookies.

Other Navratri Recipes which may interest you: Swang ke Chawal ki Khichdi , Khajoor Til Ke Laddoo, Arbi Masala Curry, Gajar Ka Halwa, Makhane Ki Kheer, Rasgulla, Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Swang Ke Chawal Ki Phirni, Anaar Aloo ka Raita, Palak Dhaniya Chutney, Coriander Chutney without Onion Garlic.

TapiocaCoconutMilkPudding_Featured4 [whohit]TapiocaPuddingwithCoconutMilk[/whohit]

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Baking

Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread with Melon Seeds

By anshu April 7, 2015

Every once in a while we have dying, over ripe bananas and do not know what to do with them. The easiest is to throw them away but that would not be wise thing to do. These overripe bananas get sweeter as they age and become more nutritious. I combined them with whole wheat flour and hand husked melon seeds. It made a divine, delicious bread.

I made them two weeks back when my in laws and parents visited us in the hills. Since they are vegetarians I had to make this bread without eggs. Inspite of no eggs the bread came out super moist because it had these delicious over ripe bananas.

Directions:

1. Peel bananas and cut them into slices.

3. Add sugar and mash them using a potato masher or you can even use a fork.

4. The bananas should be well mashed leaving no chunks of bananas. It should be of pourable consistency.

5. Add oil and give it a good mix with spatula.

6. Add cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder for a little spiciness and aroma.

7. Add vanilla extract.

8. Add baking powder and baking soda and combine everything evenly.

9. Sift whole wheat flour using a wired mesh or sieve and add little by little. Combine till everything is moist.

10. Add melon seeds and fold gently using a spatula.

11. Brush a bread pan with oil or butter and dust with some flour. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius (Learn more about Oven Temperatures and Conversions).

12. Pour the batter into the pan and gently level from top.

13. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes in medium rack until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

14. Cool it completely before slicing it . Serve with your favourite cup of tea or coffee.

You can even try Apple Raisins Streusel Bread, Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread and Dominos Style Garlic Breadsticks,

[whohit]BananaBreadWithMelon[/whohit]

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