Chocolate Covered Banana Bites

Banana, chocolate and peanut butter - what more could your child want? Bite sized treats are always the most loved and these chocolate covered bananas filled with peanut butter are no exception.

My daughter has a sweet tooth and likes something small after a meal. She is not really fond of anything very sweet so this is a perfect treat for her. She can make it herself and it satisfies her need for something sweet.

I made these on a very hot day and even in my temperature controlled kitchen I had a hard time piping the peanut butter. I finally put the piping bag in the refrigerator for a few minutes along with the chocolate dipped bananas and that did the trick.

You will need
1 banana
1 handful of chocolate chips (I use Nestle semi sweet chips)
1 tbsp. milk
3 tbsp. peanut butter

Peel and cut the banana into 1-1 1/2 inch pieces. Using a spoon scoop out the center.

Place the chocolate chips in a bowl and melt them in the microwave. About 30-35 seconds stirring twice should do the trick. Add in the milk and stir the chocolate well. Swirl the banana pieces in the chocolate and place them upright on a plate. Refrigerate for an hour until the chocolate hardens. Put peanut butter in a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Pipe it into the hollowed banana letting it spill over the top. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day one of BM #43 for the theme Healthy Desserts. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#43.

Blueberry Smoothie

A few days back I froze a few blueberries for another recipe and had a few leftover. Perfect for this smoothie! Just throw in the frozen berries with a few slices of banana and unflavored yogurt.

You will need
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen) (I used fresh berries that I froze for a day)
1/4 cup chopped banana (a little less than half)
1 cup unflavored yogurt
a pinch of cinnamon powder (optional)
5-6 ice cubes (use only if using unfrozen berries)

Mix everything together in a blender jar and blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Cantaloupe Lime Smoothie

Cantaloupe and lime with a little bit of peach! The result is a refreshing and filling smoothie great for breakfast or to cool down on a hot summer afternoon.

I like to make this whenever I have a really sweet cantaloupe.

You will need
1 1/2 cups cantaloupe
1/2 peach
1 lime
handful ice cubes

Squeeze the juice from one lime in a blender jar. Add the cantaloupe, peach and ice cubes. Blend until smooth.

Enjoy!

Note:
Use the juice of a whole lemon especially if the cantaloupe is sweet.
The peach is needed to complete the flavor profile. Do not skip the peach.

Narali Bhaat / Coconut Rice for Narali Pornima

Narali purnima or the full moon during the month of Shraavan. The day when coastal Maharashtra breaks a coconut at the beach to pray for a good post monsoon fishing season. The menu for the day includes the dessert Narali bhaat or coconut rice. Fresh coconut is combined with the local staple - rice, to make this delicious dish.

The menu includes, from the top clockwise, a bowl of tomato dal, potato bhaji, bharli wangi, poli, cucumber koshimbir and in the center narali bhaat.

The recipes for tomato dal and cucumber koshimbir will be updated in the next week.

For narali bhaat you will need
1 cup brown rice
1 cup shredded fresh or frozen coconut
1 scant cup jaggery or sugar
1 clove
1 tbsp. ghee or clarified butter

For garnish
1 tbsp. ghee
a few each of cashews, almonds sliver, raisins etc.
1 pod cardamom

Thaw the coconut if using frozen. Grate the jaggery. Soak the rice for half an hour. Drain and rinse.

Melt ghee in a pan and add the clove. When fragrant in about 1-2 minutes, add the rice with 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, lower heat, cover and cook. When the rice is almost cooked, about 20-35 minutes, add the coconut and jaggery. Mix carefully without breaking the rice grain. Let it cook another 5 minutes. During this time the jaggery will melt and coat the rice as it thickens.

Shell the cardamom and pound the seeds to a powder. Heat ghee in a separate pan and roast the cashews, almond slivers and raisins.

When the rice is done turn off heat. Sprinkle the cardamom and garnish ingredients.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week 32 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme favorites.

Double Strawberry Smoothie

If you like your smoothies sweet then this smoothie is not for you. But if you really like fruits and berries then you will love it. Three ingredients and ice is all it takes.

The first time I made this smoothie I decided to make just one cup for myself. I loved the rich creamy texture and the taste of berries. The next day I made it for my breakfast but asked my daughter to take a sip. Expecting a sweet smoothie she crinkled her nose at the mildly tart taste. Without thinking I starting my mommy lecture 'the first strawberry never tastes sweet. Your tongue needs time to adjust to the tart taste. By the third strawberry you start enjoying it.' She took two more sips and the next thing I know she put down an empty cup. It is that good. Try it.

You will need
1/4 cup cranberry juice
8 oz. strawberry yogurt (any brand)
a handful of strawberries (preferably fresh but frozen will do)
a handful of ice cubes (leave them out if using frozen strawberries)

Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth. If you have a problem with strawberry seeds run the smoothie through a sieve. No honestly, there is nothing you can do about the seeds other than use a different fruit.

Enjoy!

Shewgyacha Shenga Amti / Drumstick Ambti

Drumstick or shewgyacha shenga are pods from the drumstick tree. The skin is not edible but the inner pulp and seeds are delicious. I saw fresh slender drumsticks in the Indian store a couple days ago and had to buy them.

My mother made this ambti. Ambti is dal to which a amsul or sol has been added. Ambti has a lovely tangy, sweet and spicy flavor. The drumstick enhances it.

You will need
1 1/2 cup dal
3 drumstick pods
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp. turmeric powder
3-4 amsul/sol
1 tbsp. goda masala
1 tsp. paprika
salt to taste

Wash and cut the drumstick pods to 3-4 inch pieces. Pressure cook the drumstick and dal (with 2 cups water) separately. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the curry leaves and asafeotida followed by the turmeric powder. Add the cooked dal and bring it to a boil. Add the amsul or sol. Let the dal continue to simmer for about 3-5 minutes.

Add the goda masala and paprika. Add salt to taste. Let it simmer for another 2-3 minutes then add the drumsticks.

Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat.

Enjoy with rice or poli.

Onion Rings

Onion rings are the classic side to burgers. They are crispy and usually deep fried. I made 'fried' these in the oven. They are crispy and crunchy without the oil bath.

These are approximate quantities as the level of heat and the amount of coating on the onions is a matter of personal taste

You will need
1/2 Yellow onion sliced in rings
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup breadcrumbs (I made mine with day old homemade bread)
paprika to taste
salt to taste
olive oil

Preheat oven to 425 F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the ingredients to dredge and bread the onion rings. Prepare three plates. In a bowl mix the flour with paprika and salt. Spread half the flour on the first plate and keep aside. To the remaining flour add the buttermilk and whisk until no lumps remain. Add the mixture to the second plate. You may choose to add an egg to the buttermilk if you like. In a separate bowl combine breadcrumbs with a little olive oil and salt. Mix well to get a crumby mixture and transfer to the third plate. You prep work is ready.

Pick up each onion ring and dredge through the flour. Coat with the buttermilk mixture and dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat for all the rings.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes or until brown. Flip over once half way through the baking process.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week 31 of the 2014 52 week challenge for the theme breading/dredging.

Mumbai Masala Sandwich

Fresh sandwich bread stuffed with potato filling, tomato, onions, chutney and a special spice powder. These ingredients make up the Mumbai Masala sandwich.

I worked in Mumbai for a year but never summoned the courage to try these from the large number of roadside eateries. The best I could do was wada pav from a cart outside our residence and that was because my roommate bought it for me. Recently I ate this sandwich at a friend's house and finally understood why everyone loves it so. I had to try it at home.

I  got my chance when I made this sandwich bread. My daughter loves potatoes and bread separately but did not care for the potato bread combination. My husband loved it even if he had never heard of the sandwich before. I really liked it and can see how it fits into the Mumbai street food scene.

You will need (for 4 servings as a meal)
A loaf of Sandwich bread
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, cut into rings
1 tbsp butter

For the potato filling
3 large potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 onion, chopped
1 Serrano pepper (or other green chili pepper), minced
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 inch ginger, shredded
1 tbsp. sandwich masala (recipe below)
1/3 cup frozen peas
4-5 sprigs cilantro
5-7 curry leaves
salt to taste

For the chutney see this recipe

For the spice blend powder
2 tbsp. cumin seeds
6-8 cloves
1 in cinnamon stick
1 tsp. black pepper corns
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. black salt
1/2 tbsp. aamchur

Make the chutney and keep aside. To make the spice blend powder, roast all the spices, except black salt and aamchur, and grind to a fine powder. Mix in the black salt and aamchur. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Boil and peel the potatoes. Mash roughly and keep aside, do not knead. Chop the onion and green chili pepper. In a pan heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. Next add onion and Serrano pepper. Saute till tender then add the turmeric powder, sandwich masala, ginger and frozen peas.

Saute for a few minutes until peas are cooked.

Add the potatoes and salt to taste. Add a few tablespoons water to soften the mixture if needed. Turn off heat and allow it to cool.

To prepare the sandwich cut slices of bread and apply a layer of butter followed by chutney on one side of both slices. Spread potato filling over the top of one of the slices. Add a slice or two of tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle the sandwich masala liberally, adjust according to taste. Place the second slice chutney side down over the first.

Apply a little butter to the bottom of a sandwich toaster and place the sandwich inside. Add a dab of butter to the top.

Close the contraption and brown both sides. If you do not have one of these sandwich toasters then you can toast it on a pan.

Enjoy!

With this post I have reached a mini milestone. This is my 300th post.

Sandwich Milk Bread

This is the second bread suggested for this month for the new baking event 'tame the yeast'. This bread was recommended by Mirelle. It is a simple sandwich milk bread. It has a lovely flavor and the sandwiches tasted great and were filling.

The bread has a unique shape as it is shaped by placing two rolls next to each other in the loaf pan. The bread baked to a beautiful golden brown without a wash. This is a great milk bread recipe that I will be baking again.

I switched all purpose flour for bread flour and used King Arthur white whole wheat flour. I had to add another 1/4 cup water than the original recipe called for to get a soft dough.

You will need
1 cup bread flour
1 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. instant dry yeast
1 tbsp. honey (I used sugar)
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter

In a large mixing bowl sift the flours and add salt, yeast and sugar. In a bowl heat the milk, water and butter until the butter melts. Add the liquid to the flour and form into a soft dough. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover and keep aside until it doubles in volume, about an hour.

Grease a loaf pan and keep it ready. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide into two equal portions. Roll in a ball with a smooth top.

Roll one of the portion into a large rectangle. Start at the short side. Fold in the long sides such that the rectangle is the width of the loaf pan.

Roll in a tight roll and place on one side of the loaf pan. Repeat with the other portion and place it next to the first roll.

Cover and let it rise for another 30-40 minutes until it doubles in volume. In the last 15 minutes preheat the oven to 375 F.

Bake the loaf for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow.

Cool on a cooling rack before cutting it into slices.

Enjoy!

No Knead Light Wheat Loaf

A group of friends decided to start a new baking challenge, 'tame the yeast'. I was tasked with providing a simple sandwich bread as the first challenge for the new group. Most of the sandwich bread I bake is in the form of boules using my sourdough starter. I decided to try this no knead light wheat loaf. It was the easiest bread I have ever made. It is a perfect bread to start with as no kneading is required. The long rise times ensure excellent flavor.

I made the bread with 50% all purpose flour and 50% whole wheat flour. I made the bread twice once using King Arthur whole wheat flour and a second time using the low protein/gluten chapati flour. I got denser crumb with the chapati flour as a result of using low protein flour. The crumb was more open with the stronger wheat flour. However, the end result in both cases was soft bread flavorful bread.

We loved the results and the bread was gone in a couple hours after I made these sandwiches. I think this will be my go to sandwich bread recipe. I found this recipe in an artisan baking group where Karen shared this recipe from her blog.

You will need
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. instant yeast
2 cups + 1 tbsp. ice cold water
3 tbsp. oil

You can mix the flour at night and keep it overnight if your kitchen is cool or you are baking in winter. On hot humid days it would be best to mix the dough in the morning and watch the dough every few hours. Mine was done in 6 hours on a very hot and very humid day.

Sift the flour in a large mixing bowl. Add all the other dry ingredients. Pour the water and oil.

Whisk until all the ingredients are mixed together. Do not knead. Pour a few drops of oil on your palm and spread over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and keep aside.

Lightly spread oil on a 10 x 5 loaf pan. When the dough has risen to twice its original volume you are ready for the next step.

Stir the dough together gently.

Fold it over itself a few times. You start on one side, push your hand under the dough and pull up the dough all the way to fold over the top.

Now fold the dough in half, lift it out of the mixing bowl and place it in the loaf pan seam side down.

Smooth out and even out the top with oiled hands. Using a sharp knife cut the top of the dough three times to score. Sprinkle half a tablespoon of whole wheat flour over the top. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let it sit for a couple hours until the dough rises a quarter of an inch over the side of the pan. Preheat oven to 375 F during the last 15 minutes of the rise.

Bake the loaf in the center of the oven for about 50-60 minutes. If the top browns too fast tent it with foil. Let the loaf sit in the pan on the counter for 10 minutes.

Take it out of the pan and place it out on a cooling rack.

Do not slice until it has cooled.

Enjoy!

Note:
* This is a wet dough and will be hard to handle. Moisten you hand with water to make it easier to handle.
* If you are baking on a hot day or your kitchen temperature is high, consider putting the dough in the refrigerator after an hour. Cold temperature retards yeast growth so you will be able to get the flavors from the long rise without over-proofing.
* If you are baking on a wet rainy day, reserve a couple tablespoons of water. Mix the dough and add the remaining water only if it is not too wet. Dough absorbs moisture from the air.