Oatmeal Chia Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Today I am posting a recipe with a combination of flavors mixed into a small ball. Rolled oats and chia seeds combined with peanut butter, coconut flakes and honey make a delicious snack. This recipe is quick to put together and is the perfect mid morning snack. Just one of these energy balls and you are good to go for a couple of hours. Energy balls have been on my list of recipes for the blog for a long time. I am glad I was finally able to post it. 

When my daughter came home for winter break she brought home leftover jars of honey and peanut butter. The raw unfiltered honey had turned to a soft solid mass as the temperature had dropped. And unlike the processed peanut butter with loads of additives, the organic peanut butter she had was just peanut paste with very little salt. I had the rest of the ingredients on hand. The oatmeal chia peanut butter energy balls were ready in no time.

You will need (for 16 balls)
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup dry coconut flakes
2-3 tbsp. chia seeds
3 tbsp. maple syrup
3 tbsp. organic peanut butter
1 tsp salt (optional)

Lightly roast the oats and coconut until warmed. Run through a food processor to break down into small pieces. Do not blend to a powder.

Combine with all the ingredients in a bowl. Adjust honey and peanut butter if needed. Take about a small lime size ball of the mixture and using your palm form into a ball. Repeat for the rest of the mixture. You can store it for a week or two in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Millet, Chickpea and Buckwheat Flour Crackers

I buy whole millets, buck wheat groats, oats and anything else that catches my eye in the Whole Foods bulk bins. I lightly roast, cool and grind each one to a fine powder in my Vitamix dry grinder. I combine all the flours and use as needed mostly for crepes/dhirdi. Lately I have used it to make crackers. When I started experimenting with different flours for crackers this mixed flour seemed like a good candidate. Last month I posted the recipe for Besan or Bengal gram flour crackers and Semolina crackers. This post was supposed to be the third of that series but for some reason I forgot to schedule it to post. So I am posting it today.

I blog with a group of fellow bloggers for a monthly event called Blogging Marathon. Posts are based on themes and one of the themes I picked this month is Elevenses. A quick google search says Elevenses is a meal from the Lord of the Rings. I have read all the books but I could not remember Elevenses. Luckily for me I now have the books on Kindle and there is a search option. The only reference was to the 'expected party' but even that was so vague I wondered why the series show up in a google search for Elevenses. Then I found it has to do with the movies and not the books. As I am a fan of the books let us leave it at that.

So what is Elevenses? Is it food eaten at eleven? The answer is yes and no. If you lived and followed the meal pattern of the country in which Elevenses originated then food you ate at eleven would be Elevenses. This would include a very light snack with a drink like tea or coffee. So would it be okay to have this meal at ten? Of course! Elevenses is really a light mid morning snack. A snack that keeps you going till lunch but is light enough to not ruin your appetite for lunch. This week I will post some light snacks.

You will need (45 crackers)
1 cup flour (I used combination of millets, buckwheat and oats)
1 cup sourdough starter 100%
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp. dried basil or any combination of dried herbs
2 tbsp. oil (I used olive oil)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a ball of dough. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. On a piece of parchment paper roll out the dough into a think sheet. Using a pizza cutter or a specialized roller cut into the desired size. I cut the dough into rectangles.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

Spicy Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate is a very popular recipe with a lot of variations. I don't make hot chocolate often but I wanted to try that chili pepper with hot chocolate and hence this recipe. I made two cups, one for my daughter and one for me. To my cup I also added a pinch of cinnamon. It was the perfect drink for a cold winter afternoon.

Before posting this recipe I checked what I already had on the blog. My first Hot Chocolate post has an intro about snuggling with a blanket, book and cat, except my cat would never cooperate. That year was 2014 and we had a new 3 year old rescue Buttercup who refused to sit on our lap for more than a few seconds. Interestingly four years with us has changed her completely. She is now a lap cat who calls me to sit on the couch so she can nap on my lap. Now on a cold or rainy day I can say I snuggle under a blanket with this hot chocolate, a book and my cat.

I added chocolate chips as well as cocoa powder to enhance the flavor because I happened to have both at home.

You will need (for 2 cups)
2 tbsp. mini chocolate chips
2 tbsp. sparingly filled cocoa powder
2 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. paprika (adjust based on your heat tolerance)
1 1/2 cups soymilk
1 pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a pan. Heat the pan on medium heat whisking to ensure the chocolate and milk are thoroughly combined and do not burn. When the milk is heated through but not boiling turn off the heat.

Enjoy!

Creamy Tomato Soup

When the mercury drops soup and bisque make their way to the dinner table. With the winter storm keeping temperatures in the 30s for the last few days, I decided we needed thick creamy Tomato Bisque, the old family favorite. This soup never fails to provide comfort on a cold or rainy day. We all love the strong garlic flavor in the soup. Serve it with a savory scone or bread.

I was surprised to find that I did not have a tomato soup in the blog especially as this is one of our favorites. This soup has a rich creamy texture and a lovely orange color. I used to make it with canned plum tomatoes for their delicious citrus flavor until I found organic tomatoes that provide the same taste. The regular grocery store tomatoes taste very bland.

I used almond milk in my recipe. You can skip the milk and the soup will taste just as delicious.

You will need
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 pods garlic, minced
3 large Plum Tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tbsp. almond milk

Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Saute for a few minutes until they are cooked. Add the minced garlic and saute for a few minutes. In the meantime chop the tomatoes and them to the pan. Add the sugar, salt and paprika. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and thickened. Take off heat and blend to a puree. Return to the pan and simmer for about 3-4 minutes. Turn down the heat and add the cream. Turn off the heat after another minute. Optionally garnish with cream.

Serve hot with bread or savory scones. Enjoy!

Blueberry and Brie Scones

This is my first post of the new year so let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2019. The year here has started with a winter storm. While we got none of the sleet and snow, the temperatures have plummeted into the low to mid 30s (F). This is the time when everyone wants hot drinks and piping hot food to keep warm. Scones are one such recipe. They are great all year around but are especially nice in winter when eaten hot out of the oven. I have a couple of scone recipes on this space but today I have a unique combination of flavors.

Our home is always stocked with fruit. Some blueberries were really ripe and needed to be used up. I decided to make blueberry scones. But then I also had some left over Brie in the refrigerator and so figured I could use that too. On a whim I decided to google if anyone had been adventurous enough to try the two together and I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of people have tried this combination. This recipe caught my eye. Instead of using brie as a filling after baking the scones, it used the brie in the dough. If you have used brie before you will know that it melts well and does not have a savory or sweet taste. This makes it ideal for all kinds of recipes. This is my experiment with  blueberries and brie in scones. I just added these ingredients to my original scone recipe and the results were awesome! This is a keeper.

1/2 cup whole wheat bread (I used King Arthur white whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup milk
1 small egg or 1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 cup blueberries, chopped
2 oz. brie (I did not use the rind, you could use it if you like)

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Chop the berries and cut up the brie. Keep aside. On a flat work surface add the flours, salt and baking powder. Add the cold hard butter. Using a pastry cutter or knife cut the butter and combine it with the flours without melting it. The mixture will be crumbly and have small blobs of butter.

In a bowl combine the egg and milk. If using yogurt combine the milk with the yogurt. Make a well in the flour and add mixture to it. Slowly combine the mixture with the flours without kneading the dough. Add the blueberries and brie and pull the dough together. You should get a dough that just about holds together.

Place the dough on a floured surface and cut into wedges. Flatten the scones and place them on a balking sheet. I used parchment paper on my sheet before placing the scones on it. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until they change color. Serve hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

Enjoy!

Apple, Caramelized Onion and Brie Focaccia

My daughter is home for the winter break. I took the last week and a half off from work and made plans to bake a lot of classic recipes from my bookmarked list. Things didn't go the way I had planned. First my daughter wanted to bake/cook some tried and tested dishes she had been craving. Then I pulled a muscle in my back and had to take it easy. At the end of the day I am glad I got to spend time with her and plan to make the most of the next few days before she heads back to school.

I baked this Focaccia as the last baked recipe of the year. The idea for this recipe started with some Brie I had left over from a party. I wanted to use it up and started brainstorming ideas. A few years back I made sandwiches with the classic combination of apple, caramelized onions and Brie. We loved the flavors. We always have apples in the fruit basket so this seemed the perfect way to use the cheese. But then I thought I should try something different. A few years back I had made these mini Brie en Croute. I figured I could add the apple and onions in place of the fruit preserve. I had some dough made with my sourdough starter intended for dinner rolls or pav for Vada pav that my daughter was craving. I was planning to use some of the dough for this recipe. The percentages of ingredients in that would were better suited for a Focaccia than the Brie en croute and so in the end I went with this Focaccia. Everyone enjoyed the flavors of apple, caramelized onion and Brie with the sourdough base.

You will need
Dough for the base
200 gm Whole wheat/All purpose flour combination
70% water
40% sourdough starter
10 gm salt

For the topping
1/4 large onion preferably white/yellow
Half an apple sliced thin
some slices gouda cheese (I ran out but would have like to add some)
an inch wide wedge of Brie

Herb oil
1 tbsp. oil (I used olive)
dried herbs of your choice (I used basil and oregano)

Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a bowl, cover and let it rest. After 15 minutes fold the dough over itself in the bowl. Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Repeat the stretch and fold 8 times. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Repeat the process 3 more times. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours.

When you are ready to bake prepare the herb oil by whisking all the ingredients in a bowl. Keep aside until needed. Next caramelize the onions. Slice the onion into thin slices. Cook the onion on low heat until it sweats and starts turning color. When it is a deep brown, turn off the heat and let it cool. It should be sweet.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll it into an oval shape. Cover and let it rest on the counter top for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and brush with the oil. Using your fingertips make dimples all over the dough. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes.

Prep the rest of the ingredients. Remove the partially baked bread from the oven and add the Brie, gouda if using and the apple slices. Return the bread to the oven for about 8 minutes. Sprinkle the onions over the top and bake for 5 minutes more.

Enjoy!

Apple Raisin Muffins

My daughter is home from school for winter break and all she wants are my tried and tested recipes. Between cooking those and work there is no time to try anything new. I am posting a recipe today that I made a while back. It was in my drafts and we like it a lot. I have a list of things to try while she is home. Hopefully I will get to it soon.

These muffins are made with whole wheat and have no added sugar. The apples and the raisins provide the sweet flavor. If you like muffins really sweet then you could add some sugar.

You will need
1 Fuji apple
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened toasted coconut flakes
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup All purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease muffin molds with olive oil on a muffin pan.
In a bowl mix the flour, cinnamon and baking soda. Whisk the eggs with the oil and vanilla extract in a separate bowl and add it to the dry ingredients. Mix them together. Peel and dice the apple. Add the diced apple, raisins and coconut to the flour mixture. Mix it well but do not knead. The resultant batter is very thick.

Scoop the batter into the greased muffin molds. You should get 12 muffins. Bake for about 20 minutes. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely before storing.

Enjoy!

Edible Lattice Bread Basket

I few years back I baked two woven bread baskets. I have since found this edible spring basket referenced in a few easter articles. Both of my earlier versions of baskets used ropes and the weave was tight. I was very happy with those baskets but I wanted to try something different. I wanted a make a basket with open holes that looked like it was part of the weave. This is what I came up with.

This basket was not made with ropes. Instead I made the lattice using flat strips of dough. I used a different technique with the weave. Instead of weaving it on the mold I wove it on a flat surface and then transferred it to the mold. This caused the holes to form in between the strips something I was looking for. In the end I was very happy with the result.

This basket is a lot easier to make than the two I made before. It is much smaller and uses a small amount of dough. The weaving technique is simpler too. I used my sourdough starter for this recipe but you could use commercial yeast if you wanted to. If you use commercial yeast refer to this basic dough recipe to prepare your dough.

Roll out a large rectangle from the dough. Using a small custard or similar bowl to ensure you have coverage cut a portion of the rectangle as the base (portion on left below). Cut this rectangle into wide strips being careful not to cut all the way through. Cut the remaining dough into wide strips cutting all the way through. These strips are to be used for weaving.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. On the base fold back alternating strips. Place a strip horizontally such that it covers end to end. Unfold the folded strips. Now fold back the other set of alternating strips and place a weaving strip horizontally.

Continue working the weave until you get to the end. Cover the outside of the bowl with foil. Place the woven lattice over the bowl taking care to see it does not unravel. Cut off the access.

Trim the edges to get a smooth edge around the edge of the bowl.

Using the discarded dough roll out a strip long enough to circle the edge of the bowl with a little overlap. Trim the strip to get neat edges and place it around the bowl. Seal the ends together by pressing the overlapping ends over one another.

Place the bowl on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes. The bowl should begin to brown slightly. Allow it to cool on a rack for a few minutes. Unfold the foil over the bowl and remove the bowl carefully. Now carefully peel off the foil from the bread.

Enjoy!

Savory Besan/Chickpea Flour Crackers

My post today is another version of crackers. I have few versions on this space already. Crackers are make a perfect snack with a cup of tea or coffee. After baking crackers with wheat flour I decided to try others flour combinations. Two days back I baked semolina crackers. Next I tried crackers with besan or chickpea flour. These were harder to perfect. I first tried with uncooked flour and realized the flour does not cook completely in the oven. The next time I used oil to roast the flour but that did not work either. Finally I tried ghee and it worked out. The crackers are crunchy and delicious.

Everyone at home loved the flavor but I think they have had too many versions of my baked crackers. I think I will have to finish these myself. Need to give these cracker experiments a break for a while. But now I have four perfect cracker recipes.

You will need (~50 crackers)
1 1/2 tbsp. ghee, melted

1/3 cup chickpea flour
1/3 cup unfed sourdough starter (100%)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ajwain or carom seeds

Heat the ghee in a pan. Add chickpea flour and on low heat roast the flour until cooked. You could do the same in a microwave checking and mixing the mixture every 30 seconds until the flour is cooked. Let it cool. Combine with all the remaining ingredients. Place it in a bowl, cover and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it on a parchment paper to about an eighth of an inch. Using a knife or roller cut into 1x1 inch pieces. Pierce with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Check often as these burn quickly.

When done transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Baked Semolina Crackers

I usually take a small afternoon snack with me to work. Whole wheat crackers are my favorite. About 10 1x1 inch crackers usually suffice. I would bake the crackers over the weekend. They would make a filling snack.

After a few weeks I began to crave variety. So last month I began experimenting with different flours. Some experiments were failures and some were successful. One Saturday my husband decided to make upama for an evening snack. When I saw the fine semolina I realized it was a good candidate for my experiment. Unfortunately the experiment failed. The flavor was really good but you could taste the gritty semolina as an after taste. I realized I had to roast the semolina before I made the dough. The next attempt was a roaring success.

You will need (~50 crackers)
1/3 cup fine semolina 
1/3 cup unfed sourdough starter (100%)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. onion seeds (kalonji)

Place the semolina in a pan and roast it on low flame until it begins to change color. Turn off the heat and let it cool. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to form a ball. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Take the ball of dough from the refrigerator and place it on a sheet of parchment paper. Roll it to an eighth of an inch. Using a pizza cutter, a knife or a decorative roller cut the dough into 1"x1" squares or diamonds. Pierce each cracker with a fork.

Place the parchment in a baking sheet. Place the sheet in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. The crackers will be soft when taken out of the oven. The will harden and turn crispy as they cool.

Perfect as a snack or with a cup of tea.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower and Tomatillo-Red Bell Pepper Chutney Stuffed Sourdough rolls

Stuffed bread rolls are perfect for weekend brunch. Most of the prep work happens the night before. The day you want to bake these all you have to do is heat the oven and pop them in. This is the reason they are my favorite when my daughter is visiting. I can prep everything ahead of time and let the refrigerator and then the oven do all the work.

I like to make something new and different when my daughter visits from college. I have made stuffed rolls before but changing the stuffing makes for a completely new recipe. This time I used tomatillo and red bell pepper chutney mixed in with some cauliflower. You can take any chutney/sauce you have on hand, mix it with minced vegetables, saute until almost dry and use it as stuffing for these rolls.

The sourdough rolls are my recipe made with whole wheat flour. The end result is wholesome, filling and flavorful.

You will need (for 6 buns)
For the bun
100 gm 100% sourdough starter
190 gm water
20 gm sugar
30 gm olive oil
330 gm white whole wheat flour
8 gm salt

For the stuffing
1 head cauliflower, cut into tiny florets or minced
1 cup chutney, I used tomatillo and red bell pepper chutney
1 tbsp. oil (vegetable or olive oil)

For the chutney
1 large tomatillo
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp. oil (vegetable or olive)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp channa dal
1 tsp white sesame seeds
3-4 curry leaves
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
salt and red chilli pepper powder to taste

The night before combine all the ingredients for the buns in a mixing bowl and form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes. Uncover, reach down to the bottom of the far side, pick up the dough and fold it over the top towards you. Turn the bowl 90 degree and repeat. Continue until you have gone around twice. Cover and keep aside. Repeat this stretch and fold procedure two more times every half hour. Finally cover and keep aside for at least 4-5 hours. Alternately, keep refrigerated overnight.

Before you are ready to stuff and shape the rolls prepare the stuffing. For the chutney chop the peppers. Peel and chop the tomatillos. Heat oil in pan. Add the mustard seeds, sesame seeds and channa dal. When the mustard seeds sizzle add the curry leaves and peanuts.

When they change color add the chopped vegetables. Saute until cooked.

Turn off the heat and let it cool. Run it through a blender to desired consistency and keep aside.

Heat a 1/4 cup of water in a pan. Finely chop the cauliflower, you could mince it if you like. Add it to the heated water and let it cook on medium/high heat until done but not mushy.

Lower the heat a little to medium/low. Add the chutney and adjust seasoning. Remember the bread does not add much flavor so the stuffing has to compensate for that. Saute until it is dry with very little moisture. Cool.

Take the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into equal parts of about 70-80 gm each. Begin working each piece of dough into a bread roll like in my original sourdough buns recipe. When you have a smooth surface flatten the dough and stuff it with the stuffing. Bring all the sides together and continue shaping.

Place each roll in a baking sheet. Cover and place the sheet in the refrigerator and let it rise overnight. When you are ready to bake preheat the oven to 375 F. Place the baking sheet, uncovered, in the oven and bake for 30-33 minutes.

Cool on a baking rack and enjoy!