Banana and cranberry Muffins : Eggless and Healthy

One of the healthiest muffins I have ever prepared and this was a real experiment as I was having some real ripe bananas and was wondering what to prepare.
Instead of Butter or oil I have used peanut butter which gives nice crunchiness to muffins.
Instead of AP Flour I have used Chickpea Flour/ Gramflour. Beleive me taste is awesome and I am going to prepare this more often.

What you need:

3 mashed  Ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Crunchy Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/2Cup Chickpea Flour
1/2 cup cooking Oats
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Dried Cranberries
1 Tbsp Sunflower seeds

Note:For the best flavour use the ripest of the bananas.

In a bowl stir together Banana and Peanut butter until well blended. Mix dark brown sugar and vanilla extract.. Add the dried cranberries and sunflower seeds.

Combine flour, Oats, baking powder and Soda and fold in banana mixture.

Line the muffin trays with paper cups. Scoop the mixture in the paper cups filling 3/4th the cups.

Bake in an pre heated oven for 20 minutes at 190c.

Ghuguni - Yellow Peas curry

Ghuguni is a famous dish prepared in Odisha and also very famous in eastern part of India. It is made of dried yellow or white peas and is enjoyed both as a snack and main course. It serves as a great side for dishes like upma, poori, vada ,Samosa(Singada) Chakuli and is also used as the base for chaat in Orissa. 

Its very easy to prepare and is a versatile dish, that can be enjoyed in different ways.

What you need:

1 cup Dried yellow or white peas (Soaked for 3-4 hours)

1 Onion
1/2 inch ginger
7-8 cloves of Garlic
1/2 tspRed chilli Powder
1 Tbsp Coriander Powder
1 Tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Kitchen King masala Powder(optional)
1 Bay leaf
1/2 Tsp Zeera/cumin seed
Salt to taste
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
2 Tbsp oil

For preparing Masala paste: Grind to paste onion , Ginger and Garlic and keep it aside.

Boil the Peas in enough water adding salt to it till it is soft but not mushy. Alternatively you can pressure cook it as well.

Heat oil in a wok add Cumin seeds and Bay leaf to it. Now add the masala paste and to it add all spice powders and mix everything and cook till oil separates and masala is cooked. If the masala paste dries sprinkle some water to it and let it cook.
Now add the boiled peas to it and let it cook for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy it with your favourite snack or hot steamed rice. 

Jhalmuri - Famous Beach food

Jhalmuri is a famous street food in Odisha and Bengal. In Odisha it is a famous beach food as well. Most of the people here in Odisha like it spicy. 

Best time to enjoy this snack is afternoon time or tea time. Snacks are enjoyed by everyone.

Jhalmuri is a healthier Snack with lots of cucumber,tomato, green chillies , coconut and boiled yellow peas.

Chop tomatoes,Onion, GreenChillies and Coconut. Put in the bowl.

Add chopped Cucumbers to it.

Add boiled yellow peas to it.

Add Puffed rice/Muri , Sev and Fried Peanuts to it.

 

Now squeeze half a lemon in it.

Add 1 Tbsp Mustard oil to it.

Now mix everything properly.

 Enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Mitha Muga Bara/ Sweet Moong Fritters

Happy Holi to all my lovely readers.Dola purnima or Holi is a popular festival of Odisha which falls on the full moon day of phalgun (march) month. It is referred to as Spring festival. This festival is celebrated for 5 days in Odisha which starts from Fagu Dasami tenth day of the month Falguna.Smearing the heads with Abira (a violet coloured powder) the people take round the idols of Madanamohana in richly decorated palanquins known as Veemana. The procession is led by village drummers, pipers and the Sankirtana Mandalis. The procession halts in front of each household and the deity is offered Bhog. The daily rounds of the deity for the four days is called Chachery. On the final day of the purnima the celebration culminates in a swing-festival for the deities. Here is a very simple desert with very less ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 Cup Soaked Yellow Moong Dal
1 cup Sugar
1 1/2 Water
Pinch of Cardamom powder
Oil for deep frying

Soak  Moong Dal for 3-4 hours. Blend Smoothly with little water.
Prepare Sugar syrup  by boiling water and Sugar.After 2-3 boils add apinch of cardamom Powder.Switch off the flame.

Fry small vadas from moong dal paste. Now put the vadas to the sugar syrup.

Sesame Beans Stir Fry

French beans are Lightly Stir fried with sesame seeds and dessicated coconut. This side dish very well goes with rice or roti. Takes very less time to cook and very delicious.

Sesame seeds are power houses of healthy fats, protein and fiber. Sesame seeds also contains minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, pottasium, zinc , copper, selenium.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped french beans

1/2 tsp Panch phoron(mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds,nigella seeds and aniseed)

1 Tsp Sesame seeds

1 tsp Dessicated coconut

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 Green Chili Chopped

1 Tbsp olive oil

Heat oil in a pan add panch phoron . when it starts to splutter add green chillies and beans to it.

Season with salt and turmeric powder. let it cook for 5-6 mins till the beans are cooked but still crunchy.

now sprinkle the sesame seeds and cook for a minute.At the end add dessicated coconut and switch off the flame.

Paneer Tikka

Paneer Tikka is healthy easy and great for starters. Marinate it and let it rest for couple of hours and then you can bake it for 15 minutes when you want to serve. For Marination I have used hung curd , readily available Tandoori masala powder and lots of garlic paste and lots of kasoori methi .
One of my favourite healthy starter and even a special kid friendly recipe as my toddler also loves it.

Ingredients:

250 gms Paneer Cubed

1 Medium Green Capsicum

1/2 cup Hung Curd/ Yoghurt

Salt to taste

Red Chilli powder to taste

2 Tbsp Garlic Paste

1 Tbsp Tandoori masala powder

1 Tbsp Kasoori methi

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Mix everything together and marinate the paneer and capsicum for 3-4 hours. You can even marinate for overnight in the refrigerator.

Bake in an pre heated oven for 15 minutes at 200c and then grill it for 2 minutes for nice golden colour.

Creamy Spring Greens

One of my favourite way to have the spring greens . The chopped Spring greens are stir fried with lots of Garlic and little green chillies and then cooked with milk and cooked rice.
I just love to have a bowl of that on its own. Most of the things you need in this recipe must be in your pantry and refrigerator already. If you have left over rice and you have bought Spring greens then this is it. Lets start preparing it.

Ingredients:
2 Cups of chopped Spring Greens
1/4 cup Left over cooked Rice
1 Cup of Milk
4-5 Cloves of garlic Chopped
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Salt to taste

In a pressure cooker heat oil , add garlic and stir fry for 30 sec and then add the spring greens and salt and stir fry for a minute. Now add the left over rice and milk to it and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
Enjoy this healthy dish for your Lunch or Dinner.