Puffed Amaranth Granolas (vegan-gluten free-low fat)

Since few days i was planning to bake granolas for breakfast but apart from oats and other grains, i wanted to bake something with Amaranth grains, as it was lying since long in my shelves. And believe me it was a big big biggg hit at my place and at my husband's work place too. Its Nutritional values are so attractive for weight watchers, so have to definitely bake it for my hubby. Its Low fat, low calorie, gluten free and sugar free Amaranth Granolas. All in one with a healthy, quick and easy meal in itself. 

I was already having puffed amaranth, but if you have unpuffed amaranth grain, than check below, popping amaranth.

Ingredients:

2 cups puffed amaranth
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup small chopped almonds
1/4 cup small chopped pistachios
1/4 cup small chopped dry figs

1/2 tsp green cardamom powder for flavor (Can also use cardamom  or vanilla essence, i personally prefer using cardamom powder)
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1 tsp salt

Recipe:

• Pre-heat oven at 180 degree Celsius.
• In a large bowl, Mix all the above listed ingredients well together.
• Grease lightly, parchment paper in baking tray and spread the Amaranth Mixture equally all over in a tray.
• Bake it for 20-25 minutes in preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius. 
• If you prefer your granola to be more crunchy, bake little more, about 40-45 minutes while keeping continuous check to avoid burning. (Baking 40-45 minutes will form bars)
• Once baked, bring the tray out and allow the granola to cool. (If baking for 20-25 minutes, Granola will be little moist, if baking more than you will get granola bar pieces. As i myself prefer having granolas rather than its bar, so i end up baking for 25 minutes).

Amaranth Granola Parfait:

Granolas
Beaten yogurt/dahi-1cup

Small Chooped in to cube- 1 Mango

Pomegranate Grain- 1 cup

Small Chopped In to cube Sugar Melon-1 cup

Method:

In a glass, firstly layer the bottom with granola, than yogurt/ dahi, than fruits above. Repeat layering all, till the rim of the glass and here you are ready with your healthy Amaranth Granola Parfait for breakfast...

Puffed Amaranth Granola Parfait

Popping Amaranth:

Heat an aluminium pan on a medium flame, and empty 1/4 cup of amaranth grain in it. (1/4 cup of dry Amaranth yields 1 cup puffed amaranth)

Take any cotton cloth and press amaranth in a pan, you will notice after few minutes it will start popping. At that point, avoid pressing further and cover the pan with a lid on and keep tossing the pan. Once all the grains are popped up, turn the flame off. (Procedure for Popping amaranth is much similar popping popcorns)
This is how Puffed Amaranth looks like :

Baked Gujarati Handvo

Handvo is a baked savory and spicy cake which is a part of Gujarati cuisine and prepared with rice and daals. This can be prepared both on stove top in a nonstick pan with little oil on low flame as well as in oven. Here i have made Handvo using oven in a lightly greased cake pan and it turned out wonderful....Big loud thanks to my mom and her handmade yummy recipes...

First Let's learn how to make Handva Batter Mixture...

For Handva Batter:
1 cup Rice
1/3 cup Chana dal (Bengal Gram)
1/3 cup Tuver dal (Pigeon Pea)
1/4 cup White Udad dal (White gram lentil)

• Wash and Soak Rice and daals in water for 4 hours.
• After 4 hours, grind coarsely all the Ingredients in a mixer grinder jar. (Make sure, handva batter should be coarse and not too thin batter)

Handvo Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cup Coarsely Grind Handva Batter
1 1/4 cup grated Dudhi (Bottle Gourd/Lauki, can also Zucchhini)
1/4 cup sour dahi / yogurt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of Eno Fruit soda
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Red Chilly Powder (Can adjust the measurements suitable to your spice level)
1 tsp dry methi powder (fenugreek powder)
2 green Chilly's paste
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste (about 3 pods of garlic)
1 tbsp jaggery powder
1/4 cup roasted split peanuts
3 tbsp vegetable oil or can use olive oil too
Salt to taste

For Tempering:
2 tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
11/2 tsp white Sesame seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp Heeng (asafoetida powder)
1 whole dry red Chilly

Method:

• In a Large bowl, Mix coarsely grind handva batter with oil, sour dahi or yogurt and baking soda.
• Mix all, Cover and allow to ferments for atleast 6-7 hours.
• Pre-heat Oven at 200 degree Celsius.
• Once the batter is fermented, add grated dudhi, Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilly Paste, Turmeric powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, red chilly powder, methi powder, jaggery powder, roasted split peanuts, salt to taste and lastly Eno fruit soda.
• Mix the batter well and pour the entire batter in to the greased cake mould.
• Once the batter is in a cake mould, its now we gonna temper it.
• In a small fry pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds, as soon it splutters, add whole dry red chilly, heeng powder, red chilly powder and lastly sesame seeds. Turn off the flame and immediately pour evenly on to the handva batter.
• Bake it in preheated oven at 200 degree Celsius for 50-60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
• And here you are ready to serve hot handva with a cup of ginger tea...

Zuchhini (Tori/Turai) Soup

Zucchini a summer squash, is healthy source of key nutrients. It has only 19 calories with no fat per cup. It provides a healthy dose of fibre, Vitamins and minerals. It is ideal for loosing weight healthily. It has a high water content in it and that is most required in summers. And so i thought to give it a try by making soup.

Serves: 2
Time: 20-22 minutes

Zuchhini (Tori/Turai) Soup

 Green Zuchhini/ Tori / Turai 

       
Ingredients:

4-5 large Zuchhini
150 ml water
3 tsp olive oil
1 medium finely chopped brown onion
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp corn starch paste
1/2 cup Fresh Corriander leaves
2 1/2 tsp  mixed herbs
1 tsp dry basil leaves
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry parsley (optional)
1 tsp dry thyme (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste  (I used about 1 1/2 tsp full)

Salt to taste.

Garnishing:
Fresh cream and Fresh Coriander leaves

Recipe:
Peel off zucchini's skin and dice it in cube shape, or no matter whatever its shape.
Boil zucchini in water and salt for 5 minutes (do not pressure cook).
Once boiled, blend Zucchini with fresh coriander leaves into fine green puree.
Now heat olive oil in a pan over medium flame, add finely chopped onion, garlic and ginger paste, cook uncovered, stirring for 2 minutes or until onions are slightly soft. Now pour the blended green puree and corn starch paste into the pan and add all dried herbs listed above in the ingredients (parsley and thyme is optional- both was available in my pantry and so have used it).
Further to this add salt and freshly grounded pepper to your taste.
Cook for 3-4 minutes or until slightly thickens and than its ready to serve.

Garnish it with fresh cream and coriander leaves.


Linking it to simplyvegetarian777 announcement and Cooking with SJ announcement for the Soups with SS event !

Cheesy-Herbed Pizza Pull Apart Bread (Eggless)

Cheesy-Herbed Pizza Pull Apart Bread (Eggless)

Ingredients:

For Dough:
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour / maida
1 tsp garlic chunks or paste (i used chunks)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
20-25 gms olive oil
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm milk
3/4 cup milk at room temperature

For Filling:
15-20 gms olive oil (for brushing rolled dough)
2 tsp mixed herbs
1 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp red chilly flakes
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

Recipe:

In a small bowl dissolve yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm milk. Keep aside for 5 minutes till it dissolves and yeast mixture bubbles up. Mean time in a large bowl, mix maida / all purpose flour with salt, olive oil, and garlic chunks or paste (I used garlic chunks). 

Once yeast mixture dissolved in 1/2 cup warm milk bubbles up, add the same into the flour mixture. Now start gathering flour and use 3/4 cup milk more to form a non-sticky, soft and elastic dough. If its sticky take extra flour but only as per the requirement. Now cover the dough with tea towel or plastic cling film. Now allow it to prove for 1 to 1 1/2 hour or until it doubles in volume. Once doubles in size, punch down.

On your working surface sprinkle some dry flour for further workout. Place dough here and start rolling in to large rectangle shape that is about 12' by 12'.

Brush rolled dough with olive oil, sprinkle mixed herb, cumin powder, red chilly flakes, oregano flakes all over. Now spread finely grated cheddar cheese on top. And roll slightly again to lightly press all the toppings.

Cut the Dough in to 6 long strips by pizza cutter or with a knife. And lift all strips and lay all over other, with topping facing upwards. 

Now start cutting those layered strips  into 7-8 square stacks unevenly and not neatly. Out of this stacks you can cut some of them diagonally in to two parts. Now grease a baking tray or any loaf pan with olive oil. And start placing and layering all stacks of the strips as shown in the picture below, in a baking tray or loaf pan that you are using. (That shouldn't be much even). Cover with a tea towel and let it rise for another 1 hour or more.

Once rises, brush the dough with little olive oil. Bake the dough in an 180 degree Celsius preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until it forms light golden brown crust on top with a hollow sound on tapping.