Easy Masala Peanuts | Spiced Peanuts | Microwave Recipe

Its that time of the year when Sunday nights are game nights. I have been following the games for several years now and always feel that excitement on Sunday afternoon when the match is about the start. With butterflies in my stomach, especially when my team is on the roster, I feel no mood or inclination to enter the kitchen. Game days inevitably call for quick and easy food that can be prepared in advance and enjoyed at leisure:)

Oats and Red Rice Idli | Oats and Rosematta Rice Idly

Of late idlis have become a staple in our diet. No, they longer belong to the weekends. The steamer is always ready in my kitchen now. The regular idlis area  combination of rice and urad dal and are the best part of any gluten free diet. However, I love to experiment with new foods and create nutritious recipes in my kitchen - trying different grains to create a yummy and healthy idli is my current fix.

Sweet Red Onion and Cilantro Quick Bread | Eggless Baking

When I first started baking bread regularly, one of my go to recipe would be Quick Bread or Cheats Bread as I like to call it. No yeast, no kneading, no shaping by hand, and most importantly no waiting!! From start to finish an average quick bread can be ready in just over an hour. Warm, soft, super delicious with globs of butter, a good quick bread can make your day. I usually make these breads for breakfast, but you can bake them at night, cool  them, wrap them in foil and save them in the refrigerator for the next day. Planning a family get together? Quick breads are perfect - bake and freeze for up to a month and you are good to go.

Dates and Walnut Cake | Eggless Baking

Date and Walnut was and continues to be one of my favorite cakes. I remember baking it as a kid in high school. We always ate it with hot custard or vanilla ice cream. This recipe is heavily tweaked from my original as it had no eggs and is made with a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat flour. The eggless version comes out really well - great crumb, it slices well, and is incredibly moist and delicious.

Honey Wheat Bread | No Knead Bread Recipe

Honey Wheat Bread is probably my favorite loaf to bake. I love the graininess of the bread crumb and the sweetness of the bread. It tastes so good toasted with lashings of butter and good home made fruit preserve. Personally, I like it with toasted to crunchy, buttered, and with lots of spreading honey!!

Edamame Ghugra | Oven Baked Low Fat Recipe

Ghugra is a classic tea time snack in India. Savory Ghugras are typically made with green peas or green beans and deep fried. Sweet versions, know in the North as Gujiya are stuffed with Khoya (milk solids), coconut, cardamon, nuts, and dried fruits. They are especially popular during Holi or the Festival of Colors celebrated every year in Spring.

Pithi | Peethi | Pitha | Lentil Filled Rice Flour Dumplings #Bihari Kitchen #Vegan

Its been ages since I made any steamed food. After our move, I had parked our steamer away in the back of my pantry. But with the coming of the festival season, we are all craving snacks! This year I decided to begin with making steamed snacks. I began with some Dhokla and the next on my list to make was Pithi | Peethi | Lentil Filled Rice Dumplings.

Jowar Chivda Ver 2 | Puffed Millet Snack with Fried Garlic and Pepitas

Jowar Chivda is one of my go to snacks. Easy to prepare, its absolutely yummy and healthy to boot. I generally make lots of namkeen (snack mixes) during the festival period, but Chivda is one snack that I tend to make year round. I make so many variations of this snack that it is a shame I have not blogged more recipes of the same. This morning I made a fresh batch and I am so glad that I managed to squeeze some time out to photograph the result and share it with you.

Jowar Chivda | Crunchy Puffed Millet Snack

Every year around Diwali, my kitchen is a whirlwind of activity. I love making delicious sweets and savouries that we enjoy over the festive month! This year I had planned to try my hand at some sweets I have never attempted at home and share them with you. But time has been moving swiftly and things are so busy for me suddenly that I barely step into the kitchen to make a meal.

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.

All text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007-2013. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Garden-Fresh Salad

My patio vegetable patch has been yielding some lovely cucumbers and plum tomatoes this week. These are great for snacking, but I occasionally toss them into a bowl for a salad. The salad here is a simple salad, but it packs a great punch when accompanied with a nice heavy desi-style lunch. Alternately pair it with Spicy Paneer-Filled Rolls or a Pilaf for a complete meal!