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The USDA Dietary Guidelines report that avocados contain “good” unsaturated fats that do not raise blood cholesterol. Although the avocado is high in fat, 60% of the fat is monounsaturated, 20% is polyunsaturated, and 20% is saturated.
Nutritionally the avocado leads all other fruits in beta carotene and even exceeds the banana in potassium. While other fruits gain sugar as they ripen, the avocado’s sugar content decreases as it matures. It contains more protein, potassium, magnesium, folic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, vitamin E, and vitamin K per ounce than any other fruit.
This simple recipe changes the everyday roti to a nutrition rich, tasty dish with the use of avocado.
Ingredients
- Avocado – 2
- Whole wheat flour – 3 to 4 cups
- Onion – 1(chopped finely)
- Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
- Chili powder – ½ teaspoon
- Warm water – ¾ cup
- Oil – 1 teaspoon
Directions
1. Cut the avocados into two, deseed them and scoop out the flesh.
2. Using a fork mash avocados into fine paste.
3. Set a pan add oil, splutter cumin seeds and sauté onions.
4. Add chili powder and salt let cool.
5. Transfer the sautéed onion mixture into the bowl and add avocado pulp, whole wheat flour and salt.
6. Add water gradually and knead the dough. Cover it with a moist paper towel and let it sit for an hour.
7. Roll the dough into balls and roll them into disc using a rolling pin. Use enough flour to dust both the sides.
8. Heat a non stick griddle and cook the roti on both the sides until golden
9. Serve with a side dish of your choice.
Posted by: Uma
Filed under: Breads
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My husband had been asking me to bake something for his office tea time break. What would be more welcome than banana chocolate bread? My over ripe bananas were handy and soon I was baking this exquisite bread.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour – 1 cup
- Whole wheat flour – ¾ cup
- Cocoa powder- ¼ cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Bananas – 3 (mashed)
- Non hydrogenated margarine – ½ cup
- Flax seed (ground) – 2 tablespoons (simmered in 6 tablespoons of water)
- Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda- ¼ teaspoon
- Walnuts – ¼ cup
- Silvered almonds- 3 tablespoons (for garnishing)
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
- Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 9 inch bread pan set aside.
2. Bring all the dry ingredients together first. Mix the all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt
3. Beat margarine and sugar in an electric mixer. Stir in simmered flaxseed and beat for a couple of minutes. Stir in mashed bananas and vanilla extract and beat for a couple of minutes more.
4. Now stir in the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and mix well. Stir in chopped walnuts and mix well. Pour the batter into the greased bread pan and garnish with silvered almonds and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven once cake tester inserted comes out clean.
5. Cool in a wire rack and slice once cooled and enjoy!
This bread was very much enjoyed as a snack during tea time in my husband’s office. Try it, so will you!
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This is my all time favorite recipe for zucchini bread. I have baked this bread many times and each time it has been welcomed with the same expectations. This is low in fat as I use just 1/3 cup of oil. You must definitely try this if you have kids who don’t prefer to eat zucchini. Deceptively you can make them eat this bread.
Ingredients
- Raw zucchini – 1 ½ cups (peeled and grated)
- Whole wheat flour – 1 cup
- All purpose flour- 1 cup
- Sugar – 1 ½ cups
- Apple sauce – 2/3 cup
- Canola oil- 1/3 cup
- Flax seed (ground) – 2 tablespoons (simmered in 6 tablespoons of water)
- Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
- Baking powder – 1 ½ teaspoon
- Baking soda- ½ teaspoon
- Salt – ½ teaspoon
- Ground cinnamon- ¼ teaspoon
- Nutmeg powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Clove powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Chocolate chips – ¼ cup
Directions
1. Pre heat oven to 350° F. grease an 9 inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. In a bowl mix whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg powder, clove powder.
3. In another bowl, mix simmered flaxseed and apple sauce. Beat well. Stir in oil and vanilla extract. Beat well. Add sugar and beat to mix everything together.
4. Using a clean kitchen towel squeeze out the excess water from zucchini. Stir in zucchini and mix well. Gradually add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips and mix well.
5. Stir in the mixed cake batter into the loaf pan and bake at 350° F for 55 to 60 minutes until a cake tester inserted comes in clean.
6. Place on a wire rack to cool completely, and then remove from pan. Now slice your bread.
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Roti/ Chapati/ Phulka are unleavened bread and are had with curries or cooked vegetables. It is made from whole wheat flour using as less as fat possible. They are the staple food of India next to rice and are made in most of the Indian homes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They are best eaten as soon as they are cooked although they can be kept warm, wrapped in foil and placed in warm oven.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour – 3 cups
- Salt- 1 teaspoon
- Water – ¾ cup (warm)
- Canola oil – 1 teaspoon
- Whole wheat flour – ½ cup (for dusting)
Directions
1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and slowly add small quantities of water until you have a smooth pliable dough. (knead the dough for approximately 8 to 10 minutes) cover the dough with lid or plastic wrap and set aside for 3o minutes.
2. Divide the dough into equal sized balls.
Take a dough ball, flatten with your hands, dust it with flour on both sides and roll it into a circle using a rolling pin.
3. Heat a nonstick pan and place the chappati on the pan and cook for 35 to 40 seconds, until soft bubbles form on top.
Press the edges down gently. Flip the chappati and cook for another 30 seconds. Do not brown them. Remove from pan and keep them warm. Oil can be brushed to keep them soft.
Notes
1. Can be served with chutney, gravy, curries or veggies.
2. It can be used as a wrap for sandwiches or any filling of your choice.
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Fresh berry season begins with strawberries, the most popular of all berries. Although strawberries can be found in supermarkets almost any time of year, during late spring and early summer locally grown berries are ripe and ready to eat and enjoy in many areas across the country.
Strawberries are highly nutritious. Here is a healthy version of strawberry vegan cake.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour- 1 cup
- All purpose flour- 1 cup
- Corn flour – ¼ cup
- Non hydrogenated margarine – ½ cup
- Sugar – 1 ½ cup
- Baking powder – 2 ½ teaspoons
- Ener- G (egg replacer) – 3 tablespoons
- Strawberries (pureed) – 1 cup
- Strawberries – 5 (sliced)
- Vanilla extract- 1 teaspoon
- Salt- ¼ teaspoon
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. In a bowl mix whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, corn flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Beat margarine in an electric mixer until fluffy. Add 3 tablespoons of ener-g and stir in 4 tablespoons of warm water. Beat for 3 minutes until fluffy. Stir in sugar and beat for couple of minutes more. Stir in vanilla extract and mix well.
4. Stir in the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and run the electric mixer until ingredients are well mixed.
5. Line the baking tray with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the tray. Tap pans to release excess air. Stud the batter with sliced almonds and bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
6. Insert skewer, when it turns out clean, turn off the oven. Let the cake sit for 5 minutes. Remove from parchment when cake is still warm.
7. Let cool and slice the cake.
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I have seen that, baking gives me intense satisfaction. It not only provides me comfort and joy but something to savor at the end of the day. Like any other culinary art , this home this home art becomes perfect with practice and using right ingredients in right proportion.
Today I baked bread with sundried tomatoes which my family relished.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour- 1 ½ cups
- Bread flour – 2 ½ cups
- Sundried tomatoes – ½ cup (drained from oil and chopped into pieces)
- Maple syrup – 1 ½ teaspoons
- Active dry yeast- 1 packet (2 teaspoons)
- Ground pepper- 2 teaspoons
- Garlic – 2 pods (crushed)
- Salt – 1 ½ teaspoon
- Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
- Water – 1 ¼ cup
Directions
1. Warm water in microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, add yeast, maple syrup. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes. it would get foamy.
2. In a large bowl, mix the flours, ground pepper, chopped sun dried tomatoes, and crushed garlic, salt, olive oil and yeast mixture.
3. Flour the counter and knead the dough for 10 minutes, until the dough becomes pliable.
4. Return the dough to a bowl, cover and let rise for 1.5 hours. ( by this time, the dough would have doubled in quantity)
5. Grease a loaf pan, punch down the dough, knead a bit and shape it into a loaf. Cover with a towel and let prove for 1 hour in a warm place.( it would have almost doubled in size).
6. pre heat the oven to 375° F with a rack in the middle.
7. Bake for 30 -35 minutes until the loaf is golden .Insert a skewer in the middle to see if it comes out clean.
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
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Polenta, a dish made from boiled cornmeal, is a traditional staple food throughout much of northern Italy.
The fresh fusion of veggies polenta is a compelling recipe to make. Since the cooking of polenta can take upto 45 minutes, go for this if you are in a mood for trying out a different cuisine and have some time to spare.
Ingredients
- Corn meal – 1 cup
- Water – 3 cups
- Soy milk – ½ cup
- Red onion – 1 (cut into thin slices)
- Garlic – 2 cloves ( grated)
- Green beans – ½ cup (cut into thin strips)
- Bell pepper- 1 (chopped into strips)
- Mushrooms – 15 nos (sliced thinly)
- Fennel seeds – ½ teaspoon ( crushed)
- Pepper (ground)
- Salt to taste
Directions to Cook Polenta
1. Place corn meal, water and salt in a deep bottomed pan and whisk well using a whisker. Place the pan over medium heat and keep mixing until the mixture boils.
2. Reduce the heat when the mixture comes to boil. Add ½ cup of soy milk and keep whisking. When you notice big bubble bursts at the center of the polenta, remove pan from heat.
3. Spoon the polenta into a pie plate and set aside for 30 minutes. It could be sliced, once it is cooled.
4. Heat a skillet and toast the polenta pieces, adding few drops of oil on each side. You can cook for 4 minutes on each side for crispy polenta .
Tip:
To diminish any concerns of lumps, you can add the corn meal to cold water, stir then add it to the boiling water and stir constantly.
Directions to cook vegetables.
1. Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic in the pan. Do not stir; let them caramelize for 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful enough not to burn them.
2. Add the green beans and let them cook in the skillet, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the bell peppers and gently toss the green peppers and onions, so that bell peppers are touching the bottom of the pan. Let the bell peppers cook for 4 minutes.
3. Move the veggies to one part of the pan and line the mushrooms in the pan and let them brown. Flip the mushrooms and cook on the other side too. Now gently mix the veggies and stir fry for few more minutes. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle the crushed fennel seeds and toss the veggies gently.
Serve polenta over vegetable mixture.
Veggies in Creamy sauce
1. Reserve a part of the veggies in the pan and sprinkle a spoon of all purpose flour and stir briskly. Add half cup of soy milk. Stir continuously to avoid lumps and simmer the stove. Once the sauce is thickened check for salt and pepper and add if, necessary.
The flavor of fennel seeds is mild, yet it adds richness to the meal. You could flavor up the polenta by adding dry herbs and spices. This yummy dish goes to Vaishali’s Italian Vegan event.
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Have you ever baked your own bread? I insist that you give it a try if you want to sense the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread. You may be reluctant in following the several steps involved in baking the bread when you can get one right from your supermarket shelf. But, if you try this, I am sure you would love it not only for the experience but also for the large choices of flours and herbs you can opt in your recipe. You can get ideas for more bread recipes from here.
Ingredients
- Whole wheat flour – 1 ¾ cups
- Bread flour - ¼ cup
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Sugar - 2 tsp
- Water - 1 cup
- Dry active yeast - I packet
- Walnuts - ¼ cup
- Dried basil – ½ tsp
- Dried oregano – ½ tsp
Directions
1. Lightly spray a 9×5x3 inch pan. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine whole wheat flour and bread flour with salt. Set the bowl in warm oven. (set the oven to the lowest setting)
3. In a small bowl, mix sugar into 1/4 cup of water. Sprinkle yeast over liquid. Set it aside until yeast is dissolved and foamy, for about 15 minutes.
4. Remove warmed bowl of flour from oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Stir in walnuts, basil, oregano and thyme into the warm flour. Pour yeast mixture and remaining 3/4 cup water into the flour mix. Using a wooden spoon, mix the flour until sticky dough forms. Don’t worry if the mixture seems dry first, it will get moisture as you stir. Keep mixing it until it pulls away from sides of bowl partially.
6. Turn dough into the prepared pan. Cover pan with a slightly wet dish towel. Set it in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume (for about 15 minutes).
7. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees, and then reduce heat to 425 degrees and bake 20 minutes, until loaf sounds hollow when tapped in center of the top and bottom. Crust will be dark brown and hard. (If the loaf is very dark but still moist in center, turn off the oven and let the bread sit in oven for 5 minutes). Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
This recipe is good for three servings. If you want more, scale up the ingredients accordingly.
Lentil soup
Lentil soup is a good complement for the bread (Lentil is a good source of protein. You can opt for some other protein rich recipes such as split pea soup).
Ingredients
- Onion – 1 (chopped).
- Carrots – 2 (medium sized – chopped)
- Celery stalks – 2 (chopped)
- Spinach – 1 cup (chopped greens firmly packed)
- Tomato – 2 (finely chopped)
- Vegetable broth – 1 can
- Lentils – 1 cup ( for this recipe, I used the canned beans. If you want to use dried ones, please see note under “variation”)
- Ground coriander powder- 1 tsp
- Ground cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Dried oregano – 1 tsp
- Dried basil – 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil – 2 tsps.
Directions
1. Heat a large pan and add oil. Add garlic , onions, celery and carrot. Sauté them for 5 to 6 minutes. Add chopped spinach and fry them till they wilt.
2. Add tomatoes and cook till they become mushy. Add vegetable broth along with coriander powder, cumin powder and dried oregano and basil. Increase heat and bring it to rolling boil.
3.Stir in lentil and simmer the stove . Let it cook for 20 mts on low heat. Switch off the stove. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
Variation: If you are using dried lentils, stir in the lentils along with the vegetable broth and cook in low heat for 45 – 50 minutes or until the lentil is cooked but not mushy.
It is a perfect combo – a duo delight!!
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When I read the book “Deceptively Delicious” by Jessica Seinfeld, I found it interesting how she made her meals nutritious and children-friendly by adding various vegetable and fruit purees into otherwise common recipe. Following this idea, I modified the recipe for “applesauce muffins” to make it nutritious and vegan friendly.
Ingredients
- All purpose flour - ¾ cup.
- Whole wheat flour - ¾ cup.
- Old fashioned oats - 1 cup.
- Apple sauce - 1 cup ( I pressure cooked 3 chopped apples and pureed it).
- Carrot puree - ½ cup (I steamed chopped carrots for 12 mts and pureed it in blender).
- Brown sugar - ½ cup ( firmly packed).
- Vegetable or canola oil – ¼ cup
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” bread pan and set aside.
- Mix the apple sauce, carrot puree , soy milk and oil thoroughly.
- In a bowl, combine the wheat flour, all purpose flour , baking soda , baking powder, cinnamon powder and sieve them 2 two times to combine well. Now add the brown sugar and mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold the mixture gently. The batter will be lumpy.
- Pour the batter into greased pan and bake in 350 degrees for about 55 to 60 minutes.
- Check the cake by inserting a skewer stick and bake until done.
Store in fridge after a day.
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