Category: Breakfast

Skinny Banana Blueberry Oats Muffins

Skinny Banana Blueberry Oats Muffins1
In the past week, I was just rummaging around and found out that the blog has only ONE muffin recipe posted(a great recipe but with REALLY hideous photos)! Whatt??!! How did THAT even happen? I was shocked and needed to change that pronto! Okay, I did post few skinny muffins recipes on my Facebook page before I started this blog but I haven’t been able to post them here. Of course, that is not an excuse. But you can check them out here, here and here!
I was delighted when I chanced upon these muffins on my favorite baking blog. They are skinny and totally healthy, right up my ally! Of course, they don’t taste healthy or skinny… In fact they are quite soft, moist and so dang fluffy!
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This recipe is a total bomb! It does not contain any oil or butter! Say what?!! YES… Mashed bananas and yogurt will do all the work here! Trust me, breakfast can not get better! I made quite a big batch for our small family of 2 and froze the extras and re-heated them in micro whenever the sugar cravings hit! They still tasted absolutely perfect. Instant gratification! 🙂
The recipe includes simple ingredients. Nothing fancy-schmancy! Plus, no mixer required! Takes just about 30 minutes start to finish! Such a phenomenal recipe I tell ya! The only change I made was throwing some oats for a bit of bite and texture. And of course, to make it healthier!
The batter will be quite thick so be gentle and do not over-mix, just until the flour pockets are gone. Over-mixing will result in hard and rubbery texture. Also, use super-ripe bananas for unbelievably sweet, moist and flavorful muffins. I could go on and on about them, but I’ll spare you now! Make them and see for yourself! 😉
Happy weekend you all!
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Serve warm with a knob of butter… Totally dee-vine!! 🙂
Skinny Banana Blueberry Oats Muffins
Yields: 15 muffins | Prep time: 15 minutes | Baking time: about 20 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 2 and 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (or mix of whole wheat and all-purpose)
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe banana (2 large bananas)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup non fat yogurt
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 and 1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions:
  1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF. Spray 15 muffin tins with nonstick spray*. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Toss in oats. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix honey and brown sugar together into a thick paste. Stir in the mashed banana, yogurt, and beaten egg.
  4. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently fold it together. It will be thick. Add the milk slowly and continue to gently mix the ingredients together. Gently fold in the blueberries. Do not overmix the batter or you will get tough, dry muffins.
  5. Divide the batter equally between 15 muffin tins. Fill all the way to the top. Bake for 17-19 minutes until very lightly browned on edges or a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Allow muffin to cool completely before demoulding. Muffins stay fresh stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Muffins freeze well, up to 3 months.
*Do not use cupcake-liners as muffins will stick to the liners.
Recipe source: Sallys Baking Addiction
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Inside-Out Double Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies ~ Whole Wheat & Eggfree!

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Hope the new year started on a wonderful note for you all! I am still trying to recover from the indulgent last week we had. But don’t worry, I am not here to talk about my new year resolutions or boring stuff like that 😉 I love how each new year allows us to have a clean, fresh slate giving us time to reflect upon the past and visualize the future.

I simply don’t believe in dieting. Too much of good things can’t ever be bad now, can it! Plus, I always feel that being fit is certainly not about following a restrictive diet but making a lifestyle choice. And I certainly believe in eating healthy which goes without saying as my blog-post titles almost always include healthy, skinny or light, more than you would like to see may be!

So this year is going to be all about being happy! (You can track my progress on my Instagram) Taking each day as it comes. You all know I am not much of a planner so this is all I am looking forward to this year. Umm, may be a bit more of travelling! 😉

 

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These cookies were developed in 2013 and I never got a chance to share them at that time. I knooow it’s a crime and hence I don’t want to keep this fabulous recipe from you anymore. So I am choosing to showcase these unbelievably soft and chewy chocolate cookies laced with chocolate chips and M&Ms as a first recipe post of 2014! They are perfectly thick and so puffy. With a pop of color too!

I have kept those of you in mind who are resolute to eat healthy this year. These cookies use whole wheat flour, brown sugar and date syrup. Of course, without compromising on taste. Oh, they are eggfree too! To make them vegan, you may replace butter with olive oil and replace regular milk with soy/almond milk. Best of all world indeed! You may use any or combination of your favorite chocolate chips. I would love to use white chocolate chips the next time around because of the brilliant visual effect it will create!

 

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Inside-Out Double Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies ~ Whole Wheat & Eggfree

Yields: Around 30 cookies | Prep time: 15 minutes | Chill time: 30-60 minutes | Bake time: 13 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tbsp flax seed powder + 4 Tbsp water + 5 Tbsp milk
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup date syrup
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3 Tbsp milk
  • 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • lots n lots of M&Ms

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mix together flax seed powder, water and milk. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, with the help of your electric mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy on a medium speed for about 1-2 minute. Beat in date syrup, vanilla extract and flax seed mixture.
  4. Fold in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Add 3 Tbsp of milk to form the dough. Fold in chocolate chips. Chill the dough in refrigerator for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  5. Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Take about 2 Tbsp of dough, form it into a ball between your palms and flatten them. The cookies won’t spread much while baking so flatten how much ever thickness you like. Press M&Ms on the cookie dough. Bake them for 13 minutes. Let them cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them on cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will stay fresh for 1 week at room temperature in an airtight container.

*For vegan version : Replace butter with olive oil and replace regular milk with soy/almond milk.

Inside-Out Double Chocolate Chip M&M Cookies4

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Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Doughnuts2
This is my last recipe post for the year and I can not help but write about doughnuts! Yes! Another baked doughnut recipe for you all. I was able to scratch one more thing off my list before bidding adieu to 2013. No, I am not talking about buying a doughnut pan. I am talking about making pumpkin puree from scratch! It was added to the list simply because we don’t get canned pumpkin puree here. Of course the final result was immensely satisfying and rewarding. Pioneer Woman created this easy tutorial light years ago which I followed. Now I have freezer-full of pumpkin puree and no, I am not whining about it! 🙂
These doughnuts are my 2nd favorite after these. Do not close your browser window thinking this recipe is not good enough. These are equally soft, fluffy and gorgeous as my favorite ones. It is just that chocolate always tops my list and cinnamon follows hence the second place. If you want best of both worlds then fold in some dark chocolate chips to the batter. Totally sinful and acceptable! Just saying! 😉
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These lovelies are so pillowy, you may want to sleep on them! They are perfectly cakey plus each bite is wrapped in cinnamon. Your house will smell dee-vine! The batter comes together easily in one bowl, without using any mixer. If you don’t own a doughnut pan, here is a good news, you may easily bake them in a muffin-pan!
I am not going to ask you to make them first thing in 2014 ‘IF’ your new-year resolution is to eat healthy as they are not completely low-fat but do indulge in them on your cheat-day as I can guarantee that you’ll absolutely LOVE them without regret!
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Baked Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Cake Doughnuts
Makes: 12 doughnuts | Prep time: 10 minutes | Bake time: 13 minutes | Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 4 Tbsp yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
For coating:
  • 3 Tbsp vanilla sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven at 180ºC/350ºF. Grease the doughnut pan with oil and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg and sugar. Beat in oil, pumpkin puree, yogurt and vanilla extract one by one. Slowly fold in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Do not overmix the batter. Mix just until no flour pockets remain.
  4. Carefully spoon the batter to the doughnut pan, filling not more than 3/4th. Bake for 13 minutes. Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then invert on the cooling rack.
  5. In a zip-lock bag, combine vanilla sugar and ground cinnamon. One at a time, put the still-quite-hot doughnuts in a bag and shake lightly to cover. Remove from bag and serve! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
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Good Morning with Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls

Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls1

 

Heya!

Hope you all had an amazing Christmas & got to spend time with family, friends and your loved ones! I had a fantastic day which started with a breakfast of these delicious Blueberry Pancakes. I used this recipe with the addition of frozen blueberries in the batter. Nibbled on some cheese, chocolate and Fruit Cake which had time to age for more than 3 weeks. Took a walk with hubby. And spent the rest of the day watching Miracle on 34th street & It’s a wonderful life, cozying up in a blanket. It was indeed a wonderful day!

Today I have got you a perfect holiday entertaining recipe. Ring the morning of 2014 with these juicy, sticky and sweet strawberry rolls. They are tender and puffy, utterly soft and buttery. Totally melt-in-your-mouth-experience! Plenty festive too!

 

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This happened to be a big win for me before the end of 2013. I finally concurred my fear of handling yeast and got these rolls right at first attempt! Woohooo!! They are that easy people! Just read the recipe carefully before starting the prep and follow all the steps, you are halfway there! The wait time of 4 hours is a bit tedious but if you do not have that kind of time at a stretch then you can do all the work at night. After the 1st rise in a warm place, let the rolls rise overnight at room temperature to bake in the morning. That way you don’t have to wait till noon to eat them! Convenient, isn’t it?! 😉

 

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Double this recipe if you’re serving a larger crowd. You can freeze the extra rolls sans the glaze and reheat them in micro when sweet roll cravings hit. Also, I do not have pictures with the glaze but it is absolutely necessary to top these with glaze. Okay, it is up to you to decide (Nope, glaze is MUST!). Not that I am pushy but the glaze makes them sweeter and better!

Happy Holidays!!!
Enjoy!!

Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls

Recipe & preparation minimally adapted from Food & Wine

Servings: Makes 9 rolls | Prep time: 30 minutes | Bake time: 25 minutes | Total time: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

DOUGH

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
  • 3/4 Tbsp instant dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 and 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting/rolling

FILLING

  • 3/4 cup frozen strawberries, sliced thick (NOT thawed)
  • 1 tsp grated lemon zest
  • 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch

GLAZE

  • 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 Tbsp cream/milk

Directions:

  1. MAKE THE DOUGH: In a small saucepan, warm the milk over low heat until warm (No need of using thermometer but about 95ºF). Pour the warm milk into the bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and manually stir in the sugar and yeast. Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Add the softened butter, egg, zest and salt. Scrape down the sides and manually stir as needed. Gradually add flour and beat at medium speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until the dough is soft and supple, about 10 minutes longer. *If you do not have a stand-mixer with a hook attachment, knead the dough by hand in this step.Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it with your hands for about 2 minutes. *You may add little more flour if the dough is still too sticky to handle at this point. Form the dough into a ball and transfer it to a lightly greased bowl. Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.

    Line the bottom of a 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper,leaving room on the sides. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll into a 10×14 inch rectangle. I used a ruler for accuracy. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick, even at the corners.

  2. MAKE THE FILLING: In a medium bowl, toss the frozen strawberries slices with the lemon zest, sugar and cornstarch. Spread the cold sugared strawberries evenly over the dough. Tightly roll up the dough to form a 14-inch-long log. Cut into 9 even rolls (about 1.5 inches in width each). Arrange them in the prepared baking pan, cut sides up. Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until they are puffy, about 2 hours. The berries will release their juice at the bottom of the pan – this is OK.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF degrees. Cover the rolls with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes covered and 5 minutes uncovered, until they are golden and the berries are bubbling. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes.
  4. MAKE THE GLAZE: In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar and cream/milk until smooth. Add more sugar or cream, depending how thick you want the glaze. Pour glaze over the rolls and serve warm.

*Make Ahead: During the second rise, cover the sliced rolls and let sit overnight at room temperature before baking. Baked rolls sans glaze can be frozen up to 2 months and warmed up to enjoy at a later date. Glaze right before serving.

Strawberry Swirl Sweet Rolls4

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Honey-Cinnamon Whole-Wheat & Flax-seed Pancakes with Maple-Strawberry Compote

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Last 10 days were spent visiting family and hibernating during pleasant, cozy North-Indian winter. It was so relaxing. Generous hot mugs of ginger tea and coffee were gulped while the endless conversation flowed. Bowls of warm red carrot halwa, Gulab Jamuns, Sarson ka saag & Makke ki Roti (corn flat-bread) were devoured. Insane amount of homemade white butter was consumed with everything! Happiness!! Such wonderful days! I stayed away from the blog for the duration and I am back just in time 🙂

I know this is very last minute and most of you have already planned the menus for tomorrow (In that case, make these the next day!). Last minute planners, I am here at your rescue! Try this super-quick, super-simple yet ultra-delicious breakfast option for a total fuss-free Christmas morning. Oh, they are healthy of course! The pancakes are unbelievably soft and fluffy, that too without addition of any oil/butter. They require very few ingredients which I’m sure you will already have at your disposal! This way you can kick-start your morning on a right note 🙂
Wishing all of you MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
Merry, happy & lotsa love!!   

 

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Honey-Cinnamon Whole-Wheat & Flax-seed Pancakes with Maple-Strawberry Compote

Yields: 12 pancakes | Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20-25 minutes | Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Pancakes

  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 4 Tbsp ground flax seed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 Tbsp honey

Maple-Strawberry Compote

  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 7-8 oz. fresh strawberries, cut into thick slices
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Sift together flour, flax seed, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, vanilla extract and honey.
  3. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients & stir to combine.
  4. Heat a medium non-stick skillet to medium heat. Spoon a ladleful of batter into the center of the skillet and form a nice round pancake. Let cook till the bubbles start forming on the top surface and the bottom will be golden brown. Flip and cook for an additional minute or so until browned and cooked through. Handle them carefully while flipping as they are quite soft and delicate. Transfer each pancake to a plate until all batter is used up.
  5. Compote: In a small saucepan, heat the maple syrup and strawberries on a low heat. Let the mixture cook and come to a boil, stirring in between, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla extract. Top the pancakes with the compote.

* You may serve these pancakes coated with peanut butter or with fresh fruit preserve.
* If you don’t have buttermilk, feel free to use plain or vanilla yogurt instead.
*The pancake recipe is an oldie from my Archives and was posted on my Facebook page (on 10/04/’13) just before I started blogging here.

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