Soft eggless Cupcakes

After going through a lot of different recipes for an eggless cupcake and trying them all, I came across this one and was amazed to see how easy the recipe was and how beautiful was the end result. This recipe is a must try for everyone who is looking for an eggless version of muffins/ cupcakes. 


Ingredients

• Self raising flour - 180 gms
• Sugar - 90 gms
• Baking Powder - 1 tea spoon
• Baking Soda - 1/2 tea spoon
• Vanilla essence - 2 tea spoonfuls
• Salt - 1/2 tea spoon
• Milk - 1/2 cup
• Vinegar - 3 tea spoons
• Oil - 1/4 cup

Recipe

• Add vinegar to the milk mix and keep aside for a while. 
• Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. 
• Add oil to the mix of vinegar and milk and whisk for 15-20 seconds. Add powdered sugar, vanilla essence and whisk for 20 seconds more.
• Now, fold the dry mix to this wet mix together and whisk for a while. Do not over do it.
• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
• Meanwhile, divide this mixture into the cupcake cases/ liners and arrange them in baking tray.
• Keep these cupcake cases in the middle of the preheated oven.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes and they should be ready by then. (Baking time may differ slightly for different makes and different types of oven)

Once done take them out and put them on cooling racks to cool down. Once these are done you may frost them the way you like.

I found that these are very soft and moist cupcakes and the ingredients are readily available in most kitchens.

If you want you may use 1/2 cup yoghurt instead of milk and vinegar.

Red lentils carrot and broccoli soup

Ingredients 

• Carrots - 2
• Broccoli - cut into 1 inch  (4-5 pieces)
• lentils - 1/2 cup 
• Garlic - 1-2 cloves
• milk - 3-4 tablespoons
• Butter - 1 teaspoon
• salt and pepper - to taste
• lemon juice - 1 teaspoon

Recipe 

• Soak this lentil for at least 3 -4 hours before you are planning to cook and it will take a lot lesser time to get done. 
• Boil carrots, broccoli and lentils together till they are soft and done.
• Finely chop garlic cloves.
• Put the pan on medium heat and let the butter melt and get hot. Add finely chopped garlic in it.
• Add the boiled mix of lentils, carrot and broccoli to it. Bring it to boil and then simmer.
• Give it a blend with your stick blender and let the contents  blend well.
• Add milk and let it boil for some more time. 
• Finally add lemon juice to it and salt and pepper to taste

Now you may garnish it with coriander leaves and serve while its hot. You may also take it to work in your lunch box and heat in a microwave.

This is a very healthy, nutritious and fiber rich soup to have. I have used the brown version of lentil to cook this time as has the higher fiber content in it. The same way can be done with the red/ pink version too.

Beanie vegetable Patty

Ingredients

• Boiled potatoes - 2 large sized
• Red kidney beans - 1/2 cup
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Corn - 1/2 cup
• Coriander leaves - a few
• Salt to taste
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon full
• Corn flour - 2 spoonful
• Bread crumbs - 1 cup
• Oil - 2 spoon full to fry

 

 

Recipe

 

• Take a bowl, peel boiled potatoes and mash them.

• In a chopper add beans, peas, corn and,coriander leaves and turn it on.

• Add this mix to the boiled potatoes. Add salt to taste and 1/2 cup bread crumbs to it and mix well.

• Start giving them shapes into pattys.

•  In a bowl, separately make a diluted mix of corn flour and water.

• Now dip the patties into the corn flour mix and coat them with bread crumbs. 

• Put the pan on medium heat, put 1 spoonful of oil and start shallow frying the patties in it.

• Keep turning their sides to make sure they are evenly done and adjust the flame accordingly.

 

Kids love it so the adults too. Serve them with some ketchup/ chutney and salad.

 

 

Note :  you may add chillies to the recipes if you like them hot. I mostly do not put them keeping kids in mind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jelly with fruit chunks

Ingredients :

• Weikfield jelly powder (I have taken strawberry and pineapple)
• fruits - apple / strawberry (which you have readily available)
• Water

Recipe - Its quite easy, as below.

• Cut the fruits in small chunks and keep aside.
•  Boil approx 500 ml water in a kettle.
• In a bowl empty the whole pack and pour the boiled water over it.
• keep stirring till it gets completely dissolves.
• Divide the fruits into your jelly molds/ small containers.
• Then pour the warm jelly mix over it and put in in the fridge to cool down.

Variation

If you want it to have a it different and colorful  fill it a little more than half with one flavor and when its set fill the rest with another colour/ flavour. Then put it in the fridge for 1 hour more.

                                                                                                In sealed boxes as a part of lunch

Its a yummy, colorful and fruity version of jelly can be given to kids as a treat !!

Aloo tikki/ potato patty

Ingredients for 4 people as snack portion

• potatoes - 4 big sized
• ginger garlic paste - 1 tea spoon
• fresh Coriander leaves
• Salt to taste
• Oil - 2 tablespoons
• Cornflour - 1 spoonful

Recipe 

• Boil and peel potatoes.
• Take a bowl mash the potatoes in it. Add the cornflour and mix.
• Add ginger garlic paste, finely shopped fresh coriander leaves and salt to taste to it.
• Mix well.
• Shape them like small-medium sized patties.
• Now, on medium flame heat a pan. Put one tablespoon of oil and start frying patties. You may would like to adjust the flame and keep turning sides as you wouldn't want them to burn. 

Chlli chinese Idli fry

This weekend, I had some Idlis left over and I was thinking how to get something yummy out of it. Had a look in the fridge and in kitchen cupboards, so here we go -

Ingredients

• Idlis - 6
• Onion - 1 Medium
• Green Capsicum(pepper) - 1/2
• Red Pepper - 1/2
• Soy Sauce 
• Garlic cloves - 2
• Ginger - 1/2 inch 
• Green chilli - optional
• Oil - 1 Tablespoon
• Tomato Ketchup - 1 tablespoon
• Salt

Recipe 
Finely chop the garlic cloves, and ginger. Green chill should be slit into half (that's how I like them to be.)
Cut each Idli into 4 pieces.
Cut the onions, green and red pepper into chunky pieces.
Heat the oil in a pan, add garlic, ginger to it. stir for about 20-30 seconds. Add onions fry for 30 seconds more. Then add green and red pepper and fry for a minute more.
Finally add idli pieces to it. Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup and salt to this. Keep mixing and stirring for a while. 

Serve hot when done !!!!

P.S - If you dont have any idli leftovers and you want some really quick just refer to idli on my blog for instant idlis in cupcake maker.

Poha with peanuts and vegetables

This is a traditional breakfast usually made with poha/chivda with various combinations of vegetables like green peas, capsicum, potatoes, carrots etc. I am making it with carrots, beans, potato and peanuts here.

Ingredients

• Carrots -2
• Green beans -10-12
• Potato-1 medium sized
• Red Peanuts - 
• Poha - washed and drained
• Mustard seeds. - 1 spoonful
• Vegetable oil - 1 table spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt - to taste
• Green chillies - 1
• Sugar - 1 teaspoon
• Curry leaves - a few
• Lemon juice - 1 tea spoon

Preparations : Wash poha in a strainer, so the water drains out and let it get soaked (but not lumpy). 

Chop the carrots and beans finely. (I use chopper, my favorite appliance for now  :-D).

Cut potatoes into thin slices.

Recipe

In a pan heat oil, fry peanuts lightly take them out and keep aside. To this oil, add finely chopped green chilies  mustard seeds and curry leaves. As they start crackling add the potato slices fry for about 30 seconds then add the chopped vegetables (Carrots+beans) to it. Cover this with a lid for a while then open and see if its done.

Add salt, turmeric powder and stir it once. Add the soaked, softened poha to it. Keep them turning  and mixing till everything is mixed evenly and has a nice even flavour.

At the end add sugar and lemon juice and mix it well. Now its ready to serve nice and hot with a cup of tea. 

Vegetarian cheesy beans quesadilla

Here, I have something which can be a real quicky and is sure to be delicious. The ingredients are simple and readily available in mostly in our kitchen, so you can please your kids without much a do this time.




Ingredients 

• Tortillas/ chapatis (thin rolled homemade chapati or ready to eat)
• Red capsicum - 1/4
• Green Capsicum - 1/4
• Boiled red kidney beans - 1/2 cup
• Grated Cheddar and mozzarella cheese - 1 cup
• Salt - a pinch
• Optional - Pasta sauce - 2 table spoon

Recipe 

Finely chop the red and green capsicum. 

In a bowl, mix grated cheese, capsicum, beans, pasta sauce together. Add salt to taste to this mixture.

Take a tortilla/ chapati top it up generously with the mixture prepared above. Cover this with another tortilla on the top.

Take a flat pan, grease its surface and put it on the low flame. Transfer the quesadilla to it and carefully keep checking for the cheese to start melting. Make sure to turn the side as the tortilla becomes nice, little crisp and colorful (not burnt). .

Tip : If you want cheese to start melt quickly cover it with a lid like above, your quesadillas will be done much quicker and yummier.

With this recipe kids wouldn't miss guacamole this time, as we have added a flavour of pasta sauce already in it. But very soon I will be adding a quick n easy guacamole recipe to go with it or you may would like to grab some from store. 

Sweet and savory Pretzels

To this series of treats, this one being the 2nd one, let me make a confession - I couldn't stop eating one after another knowing inside that its almost like committing a sin .....

So here I am with the recipe for all of you -

For the pretzel dough -

• Self raising flour - 3 cups
• Self raising wholemeal flour - 1 cup
• Active Yeast - 1 tablespoon
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Salt - 1 spoonful
• Vegetable oil - 1 Tablespoon
• Warm water - 1 1/2 cup

For Baking Soda Mix -

• Hot Water - 1 1/2 cups
• Baking Soda 1/2 cup

For real professional flavours

• Butter - 1 cup melted
• Salt - crusher mill (for salted ones)

First, In water add a spoonful of sugar and then add active dried yeast in the warm water and leave it aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix self raising flour, wholemeal flour, vegetable oil, sugar and salt together. Now start kneading the dough with the warm water mixture prepared. Keep kneading till 5-6 minutes and then cover it with a lid or plastic film and leave it to raise double for an hour.

Now, divide the dough in equal parts,  dust the surface with flour . Start rolling them like a rope and give the rope a shape like above.

The most important part -  Prepare the baking soda mix by mixing the baking soda and hot water together. Take a much larger bowl as baking soda rises with a fizz when you mix it with hot water first.

 These pretzels have to be dipped in the baking soda mixture before putting into the baking tray.

Preheat the oven at 230 degrees and oil the surface of the baking tray.

For the salted pretzels -  while you dip them in baking soda mix. Keep in the baking tray and sprinkle the Kosher salt (I used my salt mill and that worked just fine)

Put them on the baking try for 7-8 minutes or till they turn golden brown in colour (not too brown though).

As you start taking them out, give a dip in the melted butter and now you can enjoy the salted ones.

Variation - 2

For vanilla sugar pretzels

Granulated sugar - 1 cup
Vanilla essence - 1 tea spoon

Mix sugar and vanilla essence together well, may be give them a little grind (please do not powder them).

Now, its time for the unsalted baked buttery pretzels to take a bath in this mixture while they are hot. Enjoy these for a heavenly taste as a treat for family and friends.

(Easy variations to the flavours mentioned here are the cheesy salted pretzels, cinnamon sugar pretzels, sesame seeded salted pretzels etc.)

Lastly, would like to tell you that the next to put here on my list is - Donuts... yummmmmmm

Vegetable Paneer Roll

Every morning when we are ever so busy getting ready to reach in time to school or work. While we are looking at the time ticking away we are struggling find what to put in the lunchboxes. Sandwiches !!! quick and easy but have you looked at the faces... then..

So here we have something very quick and easy and which can have variations according to the adults and kids taste and health.

Ingredients - 

• Green Capsicum 1/4
• Red Capsicum1/4
• Spinach leaves a few
• Paneer chunks (Indian Cottage Cheese)
• Grated Mozarella
• Tortilla wrap

 Flavour -

•  Chat Masala
•  Ketchup
•  Green Chilly - 1 finely chopped (not necessary)
•  Oil to fry - 1 spoonful

Recipe - Finely chop all the vegetables (i.e capsicum and spinach). Dice paneer also in small chunks which are easier to get mixed and fill up.

In a pan take some oil, add vegetables to it. Fry for 1 minute then add paneer cubes to it.

Add 1/2 tea spoon of chat masala, chilles and keep frying for another minute.

Now, take the tortilla wrap, put this mixture in the middle. Top it up with grated mozzarella and ketchup to it.

Now the tricky bit, wrap it up or fold it, nice and tight.

Put this wrap in the grill for about 1 minute (mine does it in that time but if you are doing it for the first time please keep checking). We want it to come out nice and stripy - we love stripes, don't we ;-)