Easter Bunny shaped Bread / Hokkaido Milk Bread with Tangzhong (Softest White Bread)

Rabbits soft and cuddly

Baby chickens, too.

Easter eggs for baskets

White and pink and blue.

Easter cards of greeting,

Music in the air,

Lilies just to tell us

It's Easter everywhere.

Are you a fan of the warm, extremely soft and freshly baked bread? If yes, which I would assume is the unanimous choice, then you should try this out!! 

Versatile dough

This recipe yields such soft, delicious loaves of bread or other favorite forms such as buns, Hawaiian rolls, Pav/Pao bhaji rolls, Stuffed breads, Cinnamon rolls etc.

Softest White Bread Ever!

Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen came up with Hokkaido Milk Bread for this month’s baking challenge and I am so glad I joined the guild. I can’t thank her enough for sharing this beautiful recipe. Believe me, I have made 4 batches of this bread in the past month alone but we just keep running out of it in a few days– Isn't that enough to prove how good these are? Aparna also shared tips on how to transform the dough into cutsie animal shapes like Hedgehogs and Tortoise which I think is extremely creative. But since Easter is almost round the corner, I settled on some Bunny shaped bread to please my little munchkin.

A very Happy Easter to all of you!! 

Hope you all have a great time with your family and friends.

Original Recipe from 65 Degrees Tangzhong “65C Bread Doctor” by Yvonne Chen, and adapted from Kirbie’s Cravings

Yields: One 9*5 Loaf and 5 Rolls OR 3-4 Bunny shaped Bread

Ingredients:

For The Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux)

1/3 cup - All-purpose flour

1/2 cup - Water

1/2 cup - Milk

For The Dough:

2 1/2 cups - All-purpose flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp - Salt

2 Tbsp - Powdered milk

2 Tsp - Instant dried yeast

1/2 cup - Milk (and a little more if needed)

1/8 Cup - Cream (25% fat)

1/3 Cup - Tangzhong (use HALF of the tangzhong from above)

1/4 Tsp - Salt

2 Tbsp (25gm) - Unsalted butter (cut into small pieces, softened at room temperature)

For Glaze

4 Tbsp – Cream or Milk

For Bunny Bread

Raisins or Mini chocolate chips to make eyes

Fondant to make teeth and whiskers

Directions

For Tangzhong (Flour-Water Roux):

• Whisk flour, water and milk in a saucepan until smooth and there are no lumps.
• Place the saucepan on the stove, and over medium heat, let the roux cook till it starts thickening.
• Keep whisking constantly so that no lumps form and the roux is smooth.
• If you have a thermometer, cook the roux/ tangzhong till it reaches 65C (150F) and take it off the heat. If you don’t have a thermometer, then watch the roux/ tangzhong until you start seeing “lines” forming in the roux/ tangzhong as you whisk it. Take the pan off the heat at this point.
• Let the roux/ tangzhong cool completely and rest for about 2 to 3 hours at least. It will have the consistency of a soft and creamy crème patisserie. If not using immediately, transfer the roux a air tight container and store in the fridge for about a day.
• Discard the leftover Tangzhong

For Bread Dough:

• In the food processor pulse the flour, salt, sugar, powdered milk and instant yeast a couple of times to mix.
• In another small bowl mix the milk, cream and Tangzhong till smooth
• With the food processor running pour the liquid mixture through the feeding tube
• Run on slow speed until the dough comes together.
• Now add the butter and process until you have smooth and elastic dough which is just short of sticky.
• The dough will start out sticky but kneading will make it smooth.
• If the dough feels firm and not soft to touch, add a couple of Tsps of milk till it becomes soft and elastic.
• When the dough is done, you should be able to stretch the dough without it breaking right away. When it does break, the break should be form a circle.
• Form the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl turning it so it is well coated.
• Cover with a wet towel, and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes or till almost double in volume.
• Place the dough on your working surface. You don’t need flour to work or shape this dough.
• Shape the dough into desired shape and spray some oil on it (See this video on tip on how to shape the dough) 
• Cover with a wet towel and leave the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
• Carefully brush the tops of the rolls and the loaf with milk (or cream) and bake them at 170C (325F) for about 20 to 30 minutes until they are done (if you tap them they’ll sound hollow) and beautifully browned on top.
• Let them cool in the tins for about 5 minutes and then unmold and transfer to a rack till slightly warm or cool.

Notes and Tips

• Make sure the you place the dough in a large bowl while proofing it so that it doesn’t rise and stick to the wet towel
• If you live in a cold region like me, heat the oven to 40C or 100F and switch it OFF. Switch the oven light on and place the dough for proofing in the warm oven. But please make sure you switch off the oven before you place the dough.
• Please watch this video before you make this bread as it give you a fair idea of the procedure. 
• This is very versatile dough. You can make into a plain loaf, or dinner rolls. You can fill the rolls with sweet or savory fillings. You can even shape the dough into knots, or cute little animals. This dough also makes the softest Pav/ Pao for Pav Bhaji.
• Tangzhong can be refrigerated for a day or 2.
• This is mildly sweet bread. If you want to make a savory version, with or without filling, you can cut down the sugar to 1 tbsp and add another 1/4 tsp of salt.
• The recipe below asks for a small amount of cream as an ingredient. The cream does make a slight difference in texture, but you can use all milk instead.
• To make this vegan, replace the milk with water and the butter with oil.

Pesaha / INRI Appam with Paal (Traditional Unleavened Bread for Maundy Thursday)

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter to commemorate the Maundy or Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles. It is the fifth day of the Holy Week, followed by Good Friday and is always between 19 March and 22 April (inclusive), with these dates falling on different days depending on whether the Gregorian or Julian calendar is used liturgically.

Pesaha Appam is the unleavened Passover bread made by the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala (India) to be served on Passover or Maundy Thursday night and has its origins from the ancient Jewish tradition of making unleavened Passover bread. It is made from Rice, Urad Dal and is not fermented with yeast, in its preparation. Traditionally, Pesaha Appam is served in a ceremonial manner on Passover night in Syrian Christian households where the head of the family cuts the appam, dips it in Pesaha Pal (Passover milk), and serves it to family members for supper.

Makes - One 7" round appam 1/2" thick or 5" round almost 1" thick

Ingredients

For Appam

¼ Cup - Urad Dhal

3/4 Cup - Roasted Rice flour (Refer Notes)

3/4 Cup - Coconut

½ Tsp – Jeera Powder

1 small clove - Garlic
1 - Shallot (optional)

Salt
Ghee or coconut for greasing the dish

For Paal / Kurukk

1 Can(14oz)/ 400ml - Coconut milk or Fresh thick coconut milk

3/4 Cup - Karripetti / Jaggery

2 Tbsp - Rice flour

1 pinch - Dry Ginger powder (Chukku)

1/4 Tsp – Cardamom powder

Directions

For Pesaha Appam

• Soak the Urad dal in water for 2 hours
• Add the Urad dal, coconut, shallots, garlic and jeera into a fine paste and transfer it to a bowl.
• Mix the batter with rice flour and add just enough water to bring the batter to the same consistency as Idly batter
• Pour the batter into a greased dish. (If you have fresh banana leaves, line the dish with the leaves and pour the batter over it)
• Place the Palm Cross over the appam. 
• Steam it for 15-20 minutes or until done.

For Pesaha Paal

• In a nonstick saucepan, melt Karripetti / Jaggery in 1/2 cup of water. After it melts strain it.
• Add coconut milk, rice flour, ginger powder and cardamom powder to the melted Karripetti / Jaggery
• Transfer it to heat and keep stirring until the mixture thickens.

Notes and Tips

• You can use the homemade roasted rice flour(varrutha arri podi) or commercial appam/iddiappam podi
• Adjust the amount of jaggery or karipatti in the pesaha paal to achieve the desired level of sweetness
• If you dont have jaggery or karipatti, try using brown sugar
• You can increase the amount of jeera in the appam to your taste. I personally like to keep those flavors mild so that it is not overpowering when eaten with the Pal.
• Use a very small clove of garlic 

     

Lamingtons with White Chocolate Icing

The little birds with joy will sing,

On Easter morn,

The lilies fair, their bells will ring,

On Easter morn,

Old winter's cold and snows have past,

New life, new hopes, are here at last,

On Easter morn,

Each blade of grass that upward springs,

On Easter morn,

To waiting hearts a message brings,

On Easter morn,

The life that buds in flower and tree,

Will bring new hope to you and me,

On Easter morn, on Easter morn

A couple days back I was food gawking on the web when I came across these beautiful pastel colored Lamingtons. I right away knew that these would look just perfect for an Easter spread and just had to try them out. Browsing through the recipe, I was not too keen about the glaze that was used to coat them and hence came up with a white chocolate icing instead. This turned out just perfect for my cause because now, I could color them with my favorite Easter themed shades.

Lamingtons are Australian finger cakes, which are made by coating the yellow cake with chocolate icing and then rolling them in coconut.

Yellow cake recipe mostly adapted from here

Ingredients

For Cake

2 Cups - All-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, sifted after measuring

1 ¼ Cup - Sugar

1 Tablespoon - Baking powder

1 Teaspoon - Salt

1/2 Cup - Butter, room temperature

1 Cup - Milk

1 1/2 Teaspoon - Vanilla extract

3 – Eggs

For the white chocolate icing

6 ounces (170 gm) - White chocolate (Morsels or bars)

3 Tbsp - Unsalted butter

1/2 Cup - Milk

1 1/2 cups - Powdered sugar

For coconut coating
3-4 Cup – Desiccated coconut

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350F
• Line an 8*10 inch dish with parchment paper
• Combine the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
• Beat the butter and sugar and mix well
• Stir in eggs and incorporate it into the butter mixture.
• Mix in milk and vanilla
• Add the dry ingredients 1 cup at a time
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for around 45 minute or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean
• Allow the cake to cool completely and then wrap, and chill the cake overnight.
• Use a knife to trim dark edges from cake and cut off domed top so the cake is flat.
• Turn cake over and trim off the dark bottom.
• Cut cake into squares.

Icing

• In a nonstick sauce pan add white chocolate, butter, milk and whisk until they melt
• Take it off the heat and whisk in the powder sugar
• Divide the icing into as many bowls as the no of colors you plan to use. I divided the icing into 3 bowls
• Add food color (yellow, blue, pink) and mix well

Making the Lamingtons

• Skewer each square of cake with a fork and hold over the bowl of glaze.
• Spoon warm icing over squares until they are covered completely covered.
• Gently scrape excess icing off each square and transfer to a bowl of unsweetened shredded coconut, pressing coconut onto all sides.
• Place on a wire rack and remove fork; allow these to set for 1 hour.
• Can be stored, chilled, in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot cross buns!

One ha' penny, two ha' penny,

Hot cross buns!

If you have no daughters,

Give them to your sons

One ha' penny,

Two ha' penny,

Hot Cross Buns!

Hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with raisins or currants and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday.The practice of eating special small cakes at the time of the Spring festival seems to date back at least to the ancient Greeks, but the English custom of eating spiced buns on Good Friday was perhaps institutionalized in Tudor times, when a London bylaw was introduced forbidding the sale of such buns except on Good Friday, at Christmas, and at burials.

The English word "bun" probably came from the Greek boun, which referred to a ceremonial cake of circular or crescent shape, made of flour and honey and offered to the gods. Superstitions regarding bread that was baked on Good Friday date back to a very early period. In England particularly, people believed that bread baked on this day could be hardened in the oven and kept all year to protect the house from fire. Sailors took leaves of it on their voyages to prevent shipwreck, and a Good Friday loaf was often buried in a heap of corn to protect it from rats, mice, and weevils. Finely grated and mixed with water, it was sometimes used as a medicine.

     In England nowadays, hot cross buns are served at breakfast on Good Friday morning.  The English believe that hanging a hot cross bun in the house on this day offers protection from bad luck in the coming year. It's not unusual to see Good Friday buns or cakes hanging on a rack or in a wire basket for years, gathering dust and growing black with mold.

Recipe adapted from here 

Yield: 16 buns

Ingredients

2 1/2 Tsp - Yeast 

3/4 Cup - Warm milk

3 1/4 Cups - All purpose flour (additional 1/4 cup if the dough is very sticky)

1/4 Cup - Sugar

1 1/2 Tsp - Cinnamon

1/4 Tsp - Nutmeg

1 Tsp - Salt

4 Tbsp - Butter, room temperature

2 - Eggs, room temperature 

3/4 Cup - Raisins or Currants

2 Tsp - Orange zest

Egg wash

1 - Egg

1 Tbsp - Milk

Frosting

1 Tsp - Milk

3 to 4 Tbsp - Powdered sugar

Directions

• In the food processor pulse the 3 1/4 cups flour, salt, sugar, instant yeast, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange zest and pulse a few times to incorporate the dry ingredients
• In small bowl whisk milk, eggs
• With the food processor running pour the liquid mixture through the feeding tube
• Pulse until the dough comes together.
• Now add the butter and process until you have smooth and elastic dough.
• Take the dough out of the food processor and knead in the raisins. Add more flour if the dough is very sticky.
• Form the dough into a ball and place it in a well-oiled bowl turning it so that it is well coated.
• Cover with a wet towel, and let the dough rise until double in volume.
• Divide the dough into 16 balls
• Cover with a wet towel and leave the dough to rise for about 45 minutes.
• For egg wash, whisk egg and milk together.
• Brush the tops of the rolls with the egg wash 
• Bake at 400F for 12 minutes or  until the buns are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack 
• In a bowl, whisk together the milk and powdered sugar. Place this frosting in a plastic sandwich bag. Cut off a small piece from the tip of the bag and pipe two lines of frosting across each bun to make a cross.

Notes and Tips

• Make sure the you place the dough in a large bowl while proofing it so that it doesn’t rise and stick to the wet towel
• If you live in a cold region like me, heat the oven to 40C or 100F and switch it OFF. Switch the oven light on and place the dough for proofing in the warm oven. But please make sure you switch off the oven before you place the dough.
• The buns should be cooled completely before frosting or the frosting will run

Fresh Fruit Tart with Mango Curd Filling

Every time I stop-over at my local bakery, the beautiful and intricately adorned fresh-fruit tart never fails to catch my eye. I always leave the store fantasizing about baking the tart myself but have been pushing the plan out until now. I am so glad to finally put myself to the task as the result was a well deserved treat, satisfying visually as well as to the palate.Strange as it may sound, I strongly dislike or rather distrust the store-bought pastry dough and planned to make the dessert with fresh home-made dough, knowing exactly what goes into it and giving myself the opportunity to experiment and tweak as desired. I also did not want to settle for the regular custard filling but wanted to try something fruity. I finally set myself to make a Mango Mousseline, but the amount of butter that the original recipe called for intimidated me so I transformed it into a healthier fruit curd. 

Mango Curd - Tart Filling

This weekend was pretty exciting as we went for Tetelestai (a contemporary musical portrayal of the Trial, Execution and Resurrection of Jesus) at our church. In order to get my little daughter acquainted with the whole musical concept and the story of the Passion, we had given her a rundown on how the “bad people” crucify Jesus. It was a beautiful show, very well presented and we were glad that Mia was able to follow it (at least it seemed so, as she had numerous questions). As the show progressed our little one started getting curious on when Jesus would die and why?  We also realized that she had a pretty emphatic heart when she started sobbing seeing Jesus being beaten, mocked and forced to put the crown of thorns. She was literally in tears crying out.. “Mama – I don’t want Jesus to die”. Poor thing, she was so affected by the enactment that she was lying on my shoulder sobbing while they were portraying the crucifixion. When Jesus rose from death we pointed out to Mia that Jesus was fine and that all his boo-boo's were gone :) After the show we took Mia to meet the actors and she was definitely glad when “Jesus” gave her a hug, showed that he had no more boo-boo's and that he was perfectly fine.

Tart crust recipe mostly adapted from here

Yield: 10 inch crusts

Tart Crust Recipe
Ingredients 
1 ½ Cups - All-purpose flour
1 ½ Tablespoons sugar
½ Tsp - Salt
1/2 cup (1 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1/8 cup ice water

Directions 

• In a food processor pulse and combine flour and sugar. 
• Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and add it to the food processor 
• Pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal (about 20 seconds) 
• In a bowl whisk the egg yolks and ice water 
• With food processor running, add the egg mixture through the feed tube. 
• Pulse until dough holds together. Do not process more than 30 seconds. 
• If the mixture is crumbly add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time. 
• Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic and refrigerator for least 1 hour 
• Lightly flour the work surface and roll out dough to a 14-inch round, about 1/4-inch thick. 
• Make sure there are no holes. If there are, patch them with some of the leftover pastry dough. 
• Fit flattened dough into a 10 inch round fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, pressing into edges. 
• Chill tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
• Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. (very important – don’t forget!) 
• Blind Baking steps (Bake the pastry "Blind" without filling): 
• Line the tart pan with parchment paper, leaving at least a 1-inch overhang. 
• Fill with pie weights or dried beans 
• Bake until edges are just beginning to turn golden, about 30 minutes. 
• Remove parchment paper and weights; continue baking until deep golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Cool tart shell completely on wire rack. 

Mango Curd Recipe 
Ingredients
2 Cups – Sweetened Mango puree or any fruit puree (I used tinned mango pulp)
3/4 Cups – Sugar (adjust to your taste)
1 - Egg
3 - Egg yolks
5 Tablespoon - Cornstarch
1/2 Cup – Heavy Whipping cream
1 Tsp – Orange zest
2 Tablespoons – Freshly squeezed Orange juice

Directions 

• Heat the fruit puree in a saucepan.   
• Beat sugar, egg and egg yolks until smooth, silky and pale colored. It would take about a minute. 
• Stir in cornstarch and whisk to incorporate it into the mixture. 
• Pour a hot mango puree into the egg mixture and whisk well. Slowly whisk in about ½ of the heated mango puree. 
• Now pour this mixture back into the mango puree in the saucepan and whisk until the mixture bubbles and thickens. 
• Remove from heat and let it cool. 
• Add orange zest, orange juice and whipping cream and whisk for about 5 minutes. 

Fruit Tart 
Ingredients
Fresh fruits (about 4 cups)
Tart crust
Mango curd
Glaze(optional)
4 Tbsp - Apricot Jam
1 Tsp - Water

Directions 

• Spoon mango curd into cooled tart shell and spread it evenly with a spatula. 
• Top with the fresh fruits of your choice and arrange them in any pattern you prefer 
• Whisk the apricot jam with water and brush it on the fruit - I haven't done this

Notes and Tips 

• Make ahead: 1) Tart dough can be frozen up to 1 month. 2) The fruit curd can be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 days 
• The fruit tart is best when consumed the same day they are assembled. 
• I used Kiwi, Blackberry, Blueberry and Strawberry to decorate the fruit tart but you can use any combination of fruits of your choice depending on availability. 
• You can make any fruit curd such as passion fruit, peach, strawberry. 
• Don’t skip the orange zest in the mango curd recipe else it might be eggy. 
• You can substitute lemon or lime zest with orange zest 
• Use ripe fruits for decoration. 
• Store the beans you used for blind baking in a ziplock bag after they have been cooled completely. You can reuse this set each time you bake a pie or tart crust.

Gujarati Capsicum Besan Bhaji / Green Bell Pepper with Chickpea Flour

We all appreciate an easy, healthy and delicious dish which can be prepped up in 15 minutes – right? I got this recipe from my colleague Trupti, who is an awesome cook and always brings such delicious vegetarian dishes for lunch. It is always fun to catch up with friends and to share food, recipes, ideas and of course the chit chat and gossip are all part of it. The other day, she shared this Bhaji (Vegetarian side dish) with us and it was an instant hit; of course we all took the recipe from her to try it ourselves.

Ajwain seeds and Capsicum (Bell Pepper)

Like I said, the whole process is very simple - Ajwain is tempered in oil, and Besan (Chickpea flour) flavored with Chilly, Cumin and Turmeric is toasted in that oil and then the Bell peppers are cooked in this delicious concoction. It tastes (not texture wise) very similar Capsicum Pakora (fritters) and absolutely divine with Plain Rice, Roti, Naan or Phulka.

Ingredients

2 Lb (900gms) - Capsicum / Bell Pepper

6 Tbsp - Besan flour, Chickpea flour

1/2 Tsp – Ajwain / Bishop's weed

1 1/4 Tsp - Chilly powder

1/4 Tsp - Turmeric powder (Haldi)

1/4 Tsp - Cumin powder (Jeera)

3 - Garlic, grated

Salt

Oil (about 3 - 4 Tbsp)

 

Directions

• Heat oil in a nonstick sauté pan
• Add ajwain and sauté it for a few seconds.
• Stir in besan, chilly powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder and sauté for 2 minute to make sure that the besan(chickpea flour) is toasted and is no longer raw.
• Add the chopped capsicum, salt and grated garlic and cook until the capsicum is soft and cooked.

Note and Tips

• Cook the capsicum/bell pepper uncovered so that it is not soggy
• When you add Besan to pan make sure you don’t burn it. Neither should it be uncooked else it will taste raw.
• I always add garlic to my dishes as I love the flavor it imparts to the dish. You can skip it if you wish.
• Cut the capsicum/bell pepper in uniform shape so that it cooks uniformly.

Sabudana (Sago) Khichdi / Tapioca Pearls, Potato and Peas Pilaf

I am loving this Lenten season just because I am forced to keep my brain super active, relentlessly trying to come up with some tasty lenten/vegetarian recipes that I can share with you all. Just the other weekend, my husband requested that I make the Vermicelli Upma but I had to decline his humble request just because it was already there on my blog – LOL, ridiculous right??? Well, to keep my man happy I had to come up with an interesting alternative and therefore I opted to make Sabudana Khichdi as I realized that I hadn’t blogged about it yet. The end result was a happy husband, happy daughter and in turn a happy me :)

Sabudana (Sago)

For those of who are new to this dish here is a quick synopsis. Sabudana khichadi is an Indian dish made from soaked Tapioca pearls or Sabudana (Sago). It is usually prepared in western parts of India especially in Gujarat & Maharashtra. It is a good source of carbohydrate and hence popular when observing periods of fasting , especially during Navratri.

Ingredients
1 ½ Cups – Sabudana/Sago/Tapioca Pearls
3 Tbsp - Peanuts
¼ Cup – Coconut, shredded OR Desiccated coconut
1 Tsp – Mustard Seeds
¾ Tsp – Cumin Seeds/ Jeera
1 Sprig - Curry leaf
1/8 Tsp – Asafetida / Hing
2 - Green Chilly
2 – Potato, chopped (approx. 1 ¼ cup)
¾ Cups - Green Pea
2 Tbsp - Lemon juice
Oil or Ghee (Click here for Homemade Ghee recipe)
Salt to taste
Cilantro (to garnish)

Directions 

• Wash the sabudana in water and soak them overnight. (If you are using smaller version then it will need less soaking time)Test by pressing a pearl of sabudana between your thumb and index finger and if it squishes completely then it is ready to use. 
• Drain them in a colander 
• In a wok or kadai, heat some oil/ghee and add peanuts and sauté them until golden brown. 
• Drain them out and keep it aside. 
• To the remaining oil add mustard seed and allow them to splutter 
• Add jeera followed by curry leaves, green chilly and asafetida. 
• Stir in chopped potatoes and season with salt 
• When the potatoes are cooked, add coconut and sauté for 2 minutes to slightly toast them.
• Mix in sabudana, peas, salt and cook until the sabudana turn translucent. 
• Take of the heat and drizzle lemon juice and garnish with peanuts and freshly chopped cilantro 

Notes and Tips 

• Sabudana comes in different sizes and the soaking time might vary according to the size. 
• Test by pressing a pearl of sabudana between your thumb and index finger and if it squishes completely then it is ready to use. 
• You can add more spices like chilly powder and turmeric but I like mine simple so I always stick to the basic recipe. 
• You can add some grated carrots, corn or any of your favorite veggie to this dish and make it more colorful and healthy.

Spiced Whole Wheat Raisin Bran Muffins with Apple Walnut Struesel Topping (Low Fat)

I know these might sound slightly intricate and a tad complicated but believe me these muffins are easy to make and you definitely will not burn a hole in your pocket shopping for the ingredients. You can actually use your everyday Raisin Bran cereal as the main ingredient; now doesn't that sound interesting - Eating one of the most healthy cereals in the form of a gourmet muffin?  

When I first came across this recipe I knew this was right down my alley, making for the perfect, easy and healthy "Grab'n go weekday breakfast muffin" for the busy mornings. I did modify the recipe quite a bit though, substituting yogurt for applesauce, slightly increasing the oil content as I felt the original recipe yielded a rather dry muffin; and of course added some flair, by finishing it with a Streusel topping. Believe me - I have tried and tested this recipe quite a few times now in order to attain the perfect balance between being healthy and delicious- Hope you become a fan too!! 

Partially adapted from here

Ingredients 
Muffin
1-1/2 Cup - Wheat flour 
1/2 Cup - Brown sugar 
1 1/2 Tsp - Baking powder 
1 Tsp - Baking soda 
1 1/4 Tsp - Ground cinnamon 
1 - Egg 
1 Cup - Fat-free milk 
1/3 Cup - Fat free yogurt OR Applesauce
¼ Cup - Oil 
1-1/2 Cups - Raisin Bran Cereal 
1  - Apple, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 
¼ Cup – Raisins 
1/2 Cup - Walnuts, chopped  
1 Tsp - Vanilla essence 
1/2 Tsp - Salt 
1 Tbsp - Chia seeds (optional) 

Walnut apple streusel topping 
1/4 Cup - Walnuts, chopped 
1/2  Cup - Apple, chopped 
2 Tbsp  - Butter 
2 Tbsp  - All purpose flour (Maida)
1/4 Tsp - Cinnamon 

Directions 

• Preheat oven to 425°F.  
• Mix wheat flour, sugar,salt, baking powder and cinnamon in large bowl and set aside.  
• Beat egg, milk, yogurt, vanilla and oil in small bowl with wire whisk until well blended.  
• Stir in cereal and Chia seeds and let stand 5 min.  
• Add to flour mixture and stir just until moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.)  
• Stir in apples, raisins and walnuts. 
• Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased or paper-lined medium muffin cups and top it with the Struesel mixture 
• Bake 16 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  

Notes and Tips 

• Bake muffins as directed; cool completely. Wrap individually in plastic wrap, then place in freezer-style re-sealable plastic bags. Freeze up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature before serving. 
• Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin cups. 
• I used organic apple and hence I did not peal the apples
• You can either use yogurt or applesauce in this recipe - Both will work just fine

Vegetable Vermicelli (Semiya, Sevai) Upma

We live in Northeast Ohio, a region definitely known for its extended winter season and the abundant snowfall we get each year.  This winter also has been rather predictable with several inches of snow as well as about 4 long months of cold, dreary weather.  Buckeye Chuck, Ohio's official weather-predicting ground-hog predicts an early spring this year & that’s when it struck me that we had not taken our daughter for any winter activities this year. I may have been cribbing about the bad snowfall but now I am praying for some heavy snowfall  so that we can take the little one sledding before Spring arrives J  Speaking of which – don’t take me wrong when I complain about snow – I do like winter and definitely the snow that comes with it as long as it does not impede my office commute- LOL !! I definitely prefer the frigid winter over scorching summer as long as the sun is out,  as I prefer getting dressed in beautiful winter coats and knee high boots rather than getting a sunburn.

Roasted Vermicelli

Lent season is very interesting as it challenges me to think of dishes that can satiate my family’s palate even though we have given up meat, eggs and fish. This particular dish is definitely one of those that keeps them happy. As far as my daughter is concerned, anything thin and long, be it spaghetti, noodles, angel-hair or vermicelli - she always has fun eating them and I feel really happy too as I always prep these up with ample vegetables to keep it healthy.

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 ½ Cup - Vegetables, chopped (I used carrots, broccoli, peas, spinach, corn and red pepper/capsicum)

1 ½ Cup - Vermicelli / Semiya, roasted 

3 Cups - Water

1 - Onion

1 ½ Tsp – Garlic, grated

½ Tsp – Ginger, grated

1 Tsp - Black Mustard Seeds

2 pinch – Asafetida

1 sprig – Curry Leaves

3 – Green Chilly

¼ Tsp – Turmeric powder

½ Tsp – Jeera / Cumin powder

½ Cup – Coriander leaves/ Cilantro, chopped

1/2 Tsp – Chat Masala (optional)

2 Tsp – Lemon Juice

10 - Cashew nuts, roasted (optional)

Salt

Oil or Ghee (Clarified butter)

Directions

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add mustard seed and allow them to splutter.
• Add asafetida followed by onions, curry leaves, green chilly, ginger and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent
• Mix in turmeric powder, jeera powder and chat masala
• Stir in the vegetables, roasted vermicelli and water and season with salt
• Cook until all the water has been absorbed.
• Take off the heat and add lemon juice and garnish with roasted cashew nuts and fresh chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).

Notes and Tips

• Add 2 Tsp of ghee (clarified butter) to the vegetable mixture along with the water and vermicelli. This imparts a great flavor and will avoid vermicelli from being sticky
• This is a great dish for kids who like noodles. It is healthy as it has a lot of vegetables.
• Mix the cooked vermicelli with fork.
• Make sure you use roasted vermicelli for this dish.