navratras – The Secret Ingredient

ChocolateCraving

No Bake Foxnut and Puffed Amaranth Granola Bars

By anshu March 23, 2020

Ladies and Gentleman I am back and I am back with a lot to share. This Corona lock down has made me write all over again on my blog. The reason for disappearance was pure laziness (proud to be a lazy bum :P). Although I had been baking and cooking and posting on my Instagram handle. I hope you are following my feed. I bring you today my go to recipe of No Bake Foxnut and Puffed amaranth granola bars. The reason I chose this recipe is because we all are home these days. The situation is bad and scary out there. But at the end of the day precaution can save us which means staying home without cribbing,finding reasons to cook together, enjoy with your loved ones. Rather than sulking we can transform this worry into hope. Just keep your mind and body occupied constructively.

These granola bars are so easy to make. You can engage your kids to make this like a DIY project and you can supervise. It requires no baking and no major cooking. It has goodness of foxnuts or makhana , amaranth and almonds and taste nutty and chocolaty. Requires handful of ingredients and little of your time. I wont yap more and will jump directly to the recipe. Do write to me how are you dealing with lockdown and this scare. Sometime venting helps. It may not solve your problem but lightens your burden. If you wish to check out more energy bar recipes you can try Oats & Almond Energy Bars and No Bake Amaranth Granola Bars.

Directions:

1. In a wok add some oil and salt

2. Add foxnuts. Roast them on a medium heat till they become crunchy and acquire some colour. This should take less than five minutes. Keep tossing the nuts constantly. You don’t want them to burn down. Remove on a plate and set aside.

3. In a food processor add seedless dates, roasted foxnuts and puffed amaranth.

4. Also add peanut butter, cocoa powder and almonds.

5. Blitz everything till you get a sand like mixture.

6. Line a baking pan with 90 degree angles with parchment paper, so that nothing sticks. I have used 8 x 5.5 inch pan.

7. Dump the mixture into the baking pan and try to spread evenly and press with the help of a flat bowl so that everything gets settled and sticks together, If you do not use force you may come up with a crumbly bar.

8. Refrigerate for at least an hour to set properly. Flip it upside down on a chopping board and cut into desired bars with a sharp knife.

9. You can cover them individually in food wrapping paper and refrigerate. It has a good shelf life. Lasts upto two weeks or so.

Other gluten Free recipes you can try are: Foxnut Milk pudding, Persimmon Buckwheat Gluten Free Cake, Vintage Honey Figs and Date Cake Squares Recipe with Gluten Free Flour,Amaranth Herbed Crackers,Gluten Free Chocolate Ragi Brownies,Besan & Corn Flakes Cookies,No Bake Amaranth Granola Bars, Apple Crisp

No Bake Foxnut and Puffed Amaranth Granola Bar

Recipe Type: SNACK

Cuisine: CONTINENTAL

Author: Anshu Wadhwa

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 5 mins

Total time: 20 mins

Serves: 12 bars

No Bake Fox nut and Puffed Amaranth Granola Bars are healthy and delicious energy food with goodness of fox nuts, amaranth and almonds.Its a gluten free treat.

Ingredients

3 cup Pitted dates
1 cup roasted Almonds
3/4 cup fox nuts
3/4 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 cup puffed amaranth

Instructions

In a wok add some oil and salt.
Add foxnuts. Roast them on a medium heat till they become crunchy and acquire some colour.This should take less than five minutes. Keep tossing the nuts constantly. You don’t want them to burn down. Remove on a plate and set aside.
In a food processor add seedless dates, roasted foxnuts and puffed amaranth.
Also add peanut butter, cocoa powder and almonds.
Blitz everything till you get a sand like mixture.
Line a baking pan with 90 degree angles with parchment paper, so that nothing sticks. I have used 8 x 5.5 inch pan.
Dump the mixture into the baking pan and try to spread evenly and press with the help of a flat bowl so that everything gets settled and sticks together, If you do not use force you may come up with a crumbly bar.
Refrigerate for at least an hour to set properly. Flip it upside down on a chopping board and cut into desired bars with a sharp knife.
You can cover them individually in food wrapping paper and refrigerate. It has a good shelf life. Lasts upto two weeks or so.

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Breakfast

Farali Suran Ni Khichdi | Jimikand ki Khichdi for Vrat | Elephant Foot Yam Stir Fry with Peanuts Recipe

By anshu October 2, 2016

surankhichdi_featured5

There are a few vegetables which are not commonly used in all households. It might be due to difficulty in making them or purely because of their taste. When I saw elephant foot Yam which is also known as Suran or Jimikand in the farmer’s market I asked my mother why we never brought it home. The reason she gave me was that she did not like its taste but that my grandfather was very fond of it. I decided to buy it and experiment it in my kitchen. Sometimes when you make a recipe in your own style disappoints you. What you need is a fresh eye and a new recipe which makes that dish exciting. That is exactly what I did and tried a gujarati recipe which can eaten during navratri fasting.

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The recipe was quite simple and the results were amazing. The khichdi turned out delicious, filling and I found a new and interesting way to use Jimikand. I will be trying out more suran recipes in the days to come. Lets see if I can make Suran more appetizing and to my taste buds.

Directions:
1. Apply oil in your hands to avoid irritation and itchy feeling on your hands while handling Jimikand. Cut a piece of suran or jimikand and peel its skin.

2. Grate the yam and soak the grated pieces in a bowl of water till we use it for cooking. This will prevent it from getting black.

3. In a wok add some oil and when the oil is hot enough add cumin seeds and sesame seeds and wait for them to crackle for a few seconds.

4. Add chopped green chillies and pounded peanuts. toss the peanuts till they have got some colour. Do not burn it.

5. Add grated yam and salt. Mix everything and let it cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes.

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6. Add ground cinnamon and cloves and combine. Since its a gujarati Recipe you may like to add a little sugar to it. I am not fond of it so gave it a pass. Turn the flame off.

7. Add juice of lemon and mix thoroughly, this will prevent the itchy feeling when you eat it and overall makes the khichdi delicious. Garnish with fresh Coriander Leaves and grated fresh Coconut.

8. Serve hot with fresh plain curd and falahari Dhaniya Chutney. Its the most fulfilling vrat or fast recipe and can be made in no time.

Other recipes for fasting you can try are: Healthy Kachalu Aloo Chat, Tangy Mint Potatoes, Khajoor Til Ke Laddoo, Vrat Wale Dahi-Paneer Kebabs, Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Swang Ke Chawal Ki Phirni, Tapioca Coconut Milk Pudding with Strawberry Preserve, Paneer Ki Kheer, Sabudana Kheer, Kaddu Ka Halwa, Sabudana Khichdi .

surankhichdi_featured8 [whohit]Suran Khichdi[/whohit]

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Bananas

2 Ingredient Banana Ice Cream | No Added Sugar Banana Ice Cream

By anshu September 30, 2016

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When you have leftover bananas what do you make with them? Yes that is a very common question and a standard answer is to make Banana Bread with it. Even I used to make Banana Breads. Infact on my blog you can find Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread with Melon seeds and Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread recipes but then making a cake or a bread means adding sugar and butter and all those extra calories. 🙁 Therefore, salvaging the bananas always turned out to be a calorie bomb.

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Then one day I came across a recipe which said banana ice cream and when I read it, it wasn’t even a recipe . It was just a way by which a guilt free creamy banana ice cream can be made. It required no sugar, no cream, no eggs in fact just about bananas and milk and if you are feeling naughty you can add caramel sauce on top and serve it with toasted almonds slices. I had to try it to believe it if it really worked. To my utmost surprise that was the most delicious way of using the bananas and with no extra calories and effort.

Directions:

1. Peel ripe bananas and cut them into slices.

2. Place the slices in a ziploc and close the bag. Place the bag in the freezer for 6-8 hours or until the bananas freeze.

3. Place the frozen banana pieces in a blender and add a few spoons of milk just to make it easy to churn. The vegans can use coconut milk or almond milk.

4. Churn it till the bananas become creamy and smooth.

5. Take a scoop and place it in a serving bowl. Add a generous drizzle of caramel sauce or maple syrup and garnish with toasted almonds. This makes your delicious ice cream with no added sugar, no cream and without the use of ice cream maker.

Other recipes with banana you can try are : Air Fried Plantain & Potato Kebabs Recipe, Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake, Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread with Melon Seeds.

bananaicecream_featured2

[whohit]BananaIcecream[/whohit]

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Easy Recipe

Sabudana Khatti Meethi Namkeen | Farali Sabudana Namkeen for Vrat | Crispy Tapioca Pearls Mixture

By anshu September 10, 2016

sabudananamkeen_featured1
We all need something to munch and snack on in between our meals. And when you are fasting for Navratri, those hunger pangs can really lower your energy. So instead of buying Namkeens or other snacks from market you can make them at home. They are easy to put together , fresh and hygienic. These can also be enjoyed by those who are not fasting. A word of caution, this Namkeen can be very addictive. Once you start eating this you cannot stop eating it. I loaded this one with dried fruits as I am expecting some guests in the days to come. You can please your guests with such home made snacks and even make it in advance and store for the upcoming festival season.

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I always have loved its khatta meetha flavour with a hint of Kaddi Patta. I have used Nylon Sabudana for this recipe which are bigger in size than the normal tapioca pearls. They puff up on frying and have an incredible crunch. But you can always use the normal sized sabudana for this.

Directions:

1. In a wok heat some vegetable oil. Drop one pearl of sabudana in hot oil to test if its heated optimally. If it rises instantly on the surface you know your oil is ready for frying. Add Sabudana to oil and let them fry and puff up for a couple of minutes without changing colour. Remove them on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb extra oil.

2. In the similar way fry the peanuts. Be careful not to over fry them for they will taste bitter.

3. Also remove them on the plate lined with paper towel along with sabudana.

4. Now in a shallow pan add very little oil and shallow fry Cashews till golden brown. Add them to the peanut sabudana plate.

5. Then add raisins to the same pan and toss it in oil till they puff up. Remove them and them saute, washed and dried Kaddi Patta and chopped green chillies.

6. Transfer everything to a bowl add powdered sugar and salt and ground black pepper.

7. Toss everything together and transfer to an airtight container on coming to room temperature. Enjoy whenever hunger kicks in. It tastes incredible as a evening snack with your favourite cup of chai or coffee.

Other Fast recipes you can try are: Kuttu Singhara Sama Ke Atta Ki Thalipeeth, Vrat Wale Dahi-Paneer Kebabs, Sabudana Kheer, Sabudada Khichdi, Sabudana Tikki, Tapioca Coconut Milk Pudding with Strawberry Preserve, Kaddu Ka Halwa, Paneer Ki Kheer, Rasgulla, Swang Ke Chawal Ka Halwa, Swang Ke Chawal Ki Phirni, Swang ke Chawal ki Khichdi .

sabudananamkeen_featured3 [whohit]Sabudana Namkeen[/whohit]

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