Crunchy Granola with Almonds, Coconut, and Pepitas

Today I am sharing another granola recipe that I prepare at home. This is a recipe in which the granola has a higher quantity of nuts and seeds than is usually found in granola. It is one of my favorite breakfast foods. This granola is delicious and crunchy and can be enjoyed with warm or cold milk. It is also delicious with Greek yogurt and fresh fruits!

Chocolate and Nuts Biscuit Cake | No Bake Dessert Recipe

Now-a-days I am making a lot of no bake desserts. In this past week, I have been experimenting with multiple versions of Chocolate Biscuit Cake. At the beginning of the week I made a divine one with biscuits and cinnamon crackers, then shortly after that one with biscuits and candy, and today I made one with graham crackers and toasted almonds!!

Badam Nariyal aur Rava ki Barfi | Melt in the Mouth Almond Coconut Fudge

Barfi is the one classic Indian Sweet that graces festivals, birthdays, and all joyous occasions. Its also a wonderful tea time treat and a dessert that can be enjoyed on any day. I had planned to originally prepare this Barfi for the Navratris, but ended up making Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi | Almond and Coconut Fudge!! This morning, as I was sifting through various ingredients in my pantry, I found two packs of dry coconut - one dessicated and the other shredded. I tend to use the shredded coconut to make chutneys and the dessicated is saved for cakes and cookies.

Almond, Dates, and Oats Laddoo | Healthy Festival Sweets

Navratri is here and its time to get cooking!! I have a long list of delicious treats that I want to make and this list only gets longer each year:) Hey, what's a festival without delicious sweets and savories to tickle the taste buds. If you are looking for Fasting Recipes | Vrat ka Khana, you are at the right spot too as I have a great archive of some delicious Fasting Foods.

Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi | Almond and Coconut Fudge

I made Almond and Coconut Fudge | Badam aur Nariyal ki Barfi for Ganesh Chaturthi this year . This is a very simple and quick recipe to prepare. Needless to say it tastes really yummy too. This barfi tastes best when you let it sit overnight. Though it might be difficult to do that once you have tasted it!!

Maple Pecan Granola | Breakfast Foods

Its so cold here that I feel we are living in the Arctic!! Every week, we see a fresh batch of snow, followed by ice rain, and then temperature drops. The ice rain freezes everything and the temperature which can be as low as -20F with wind chills of -35F keep everything beautifully frozen. This has got to be the bitterest winter I have encountered here. The upside of all this cold is that the kitchen is warm and its easier to dish out yummy recipes. I have been baking a lot and we are eating a lot of pies, gratins, macaroni bakes, and cookies. All essential to keeping up the energy and temperament while essentially being stuck indoors!! A warm kitchen does make for a warm home:)

Microwave Saeb aur Badam Kalakand | Apple Almond Fudge

Kalakand is a decadently delicious milk fudge found in many Indian homes during festivals and other celebrations like birthdays and marriages. It is generally a pure milk fudge and is indescribably creamy. One bite and you will be hooked. Its also one of our favourite Indian desserts and I love that can make it at the drop of a hat. I generally make a microwave version of Kalakand though I occasionally made the Khoya based Kalakand too. The latter tends to be time consuming as I like to make the khoya at home too.

Crunchy Maple Cinnamon Coconut Granola | Breakfast Foods

I have always loved granola and Swiss style muesli - they are the go to breakfast or even snack for me. Until some years back I would always have a box both in my pantry. Then I started making oats for breakfast and I came to love porridge with warmed milk, honey, and fruit. Cooked oats are especially great on cold winter mornings - hearty, filling, and so tasty.

Masala Matar | Green Peas Masala

Regardless of season I always keep green peas in my refrigerator or freezer. They are perfect for adding to pretty much any curry or dal and also make great stuffing for parathas, pooris, and kachoris!! Fresh peas tend to be so sweet and delicious that I generally make very simple recipes with peas. They taste best when they are just a little undercooked and not over seasoned. But once in a while I like to indulge and make curry rich dishes that include peas. My brothers visit last weekend was one such occasion and I wanted to make loads of special food to spoil him.

Daring Bakers January 2013: Gevulde Speculaas (Eggless)

What a way to begin the year!! It was such fun to learn about Gevelde Speculaas and the history of spices in the Netherlands from our hostess Francijin. Though I have made Speculaas at home in the past (I have a recipe from a really ancient cook book), and bought them from local bakeries, I had not yet tried the stuffed version.

Badam ki Kheer | Almond Milk Pudding

Diwali Greetings to all my readers!! I have been wondering for some time what sweet I should make to mark this festival and I realized that it has been some time since I made Kheer!! Badam Kheer or Almond Milk Pudding is one of my favourite Kheer recipes. The Kheer has a deliciously soft grainy texture, is fragrant with cardamom and saffron, and if you pay close attention gives a hint of heady almond towards the end.  Here is the delicious milk pudding recipe.

Really Smooth Fruit and Nut Chocolate Caramel Bark

Now who doesn't like chocolate!! Its a love we all share, sometimes secretly and at other times with a passion. Yes, even adults behave like little children at its mere mention! As a child, I loved Amul chocolates, the long lost Double Decker (one of the most delicious chocolates ever, it was rarely available even in my childhood, but I heard so much about it from my parents and their siblings), Five Star Bar, Fruit and Nut Bar, and Cadbury Nutties!! Now my favourite chocolates are those made from dark chocolate, the darker the better!!

Sooji Halwa / Rava Halwa / Sheera | Semolina Pudding

Sooji Halwa is a delicious, melt in the mouth sweet prepared across the country. It is often made on religious occasions, as a Prasad (offering to God). Its also a great quick fix dessert and can be made in a cinch with just a few ingredients from the pantry.

Chocolate Caramel Almond Bark

Things were so hectic over the holidays that I never really got round to making many of the treats I had planned. But with winter still around - half a foot of snow and freezing temperatures -it seems about right to go ahead and treat ourselves and our friends with some great goodies. I have been making something special every week (though rarely having the time to blog about it!!) - and this week it was the turn of chocolate bark.

Badam Burfi | Home-Made Almond Fudge

Saturday, 17th October was Diwali, the festival of lights!! We were lucky this year not only to lay our lands on diyas - earthenware lamps, but also on some sparklers. The latter are usually hard to come by here, and I have found that they were not even sold at Asian stores. This year, however, my local Indian grocer was truly well stocked!! He even had Murtis of Ganesha and Lakshmi for puja - delightful!!

Chewy Muesli Bars

Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. And yet how many of us just pop out of the house in the morning thinking - 'I'll have more time tomorrow', 'I'll buy it on the way', 'I'm not really hungry', or the worst excuse of all 'I'm not a breakfast person'!! Supermarkets offer all kinds of breakfast options, and while the best breakfast might actually be oat or wheat porridge, its nice occasionally to jazz it up. These Muesli Bars do the trick!!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup oat bran
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark raisins
1/3 cup almonds
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup grated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 320F.
2. Place the butter in the microwave for 11/2 minutes or until completely melted.
3. Remove and add the sugar. Mix well until it is well blended.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients to the the butter-sugar mix, and blend well. It mixture well just about bind together.
5. Spoon this mixture onto a greased cookie sheet, spread, and the press down with a large flat spoon. You can do this with your fingers too, but beware, the mix might be too hot.
6. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Cool on the sheet. Slice or cut into squares. (Note: at this stage the baked mix might be quite firm. Take care when cutting).

These Muesli Bars are yummy on their own, with a glass of cold milk, or your morning cuppa ( tea for me)!! Packed with whole grain goodness, I find that the coconut, almond, and pecans all add to my energy levels and keep many cravings at bay till lunch. I always make a fresh batch of these bars on Sunday. These bars also make a great snack especially during long-distance travel. They are really easy to carry and very satisfying after a nice long hike or bicycle ride. Try them once, I promise you will not look back!!!!


These wholesome whole grain bars go out to Suganya at Tasty Palettes who is hosting JFI - Whole Grains this month. And as these grains make a great breakfast, these bars go to Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen. She is hosting Weekend Breakfast Blogging, the theme for which is Grains in My Breakfast.

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