Bean soup

• Prep
  15 m
• Cook
  30 m
• Ready In
  45 m

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp - Olive Oil
1 large Onion - chopped (an inch size)
2 Carrots - chopped
4 Garlic cloves
Chili powder as per taste and spice level of the chili
1 Tbsp - Ground cumin
Black pepper freshly crushed
4 Cups - vegetable broth (or water from boiled beans)
2-3 cups of mixed beans (e.g.: Black and chick peas)
1 cup - corn kernel
Kale (Spinach can be used instead)
onions chopped
2 medium sized - Tomatoes
Avocado - optional

Dried thyme - per taste

Dried oregano - per taste

Dried basil - per taste
Salt to taste

Lets start cooking:

NOTE: Soak, dry black beans or chickpeas for atleast 5-8 hours.

Normal cooktop cooking:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots and garlic for 5 minutes. Season with chili powder, cumin, and black pepper; cook for 1 minute. 
2. Add in chopped onions and kale. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Stir in vegetable broth, 2 cups of beans and corn. Bring to a boil.
4. Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, process remaining 1 cup beans and tomatoes until smooth. Stir into boiling soup mixture, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and other spices to taste.
5. Enjoy the yummy soup on a chilly day!!

Instant pot cooking:

1. Turn on instant pot on sauté mode
2. Once hot, add oil and allow to heat
3. Add chopped garlic and sauté 
4. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent 
5. Add chopped kale or spinach and sauté for 2min
6. Add chopped or circular carrots and corn kernels
7. Now add the soaked beans and/or chickpeas
8. Now add all the spices and salt
9. Turn off the sauté mode and turn on pressure cook mode for 20min
10. Once pressure is released, serve hot with sliced avocado (optional)

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Preparation Time: 15 minutes


Ingredients:
1/2 Cup - softened butter
4-1/2 Cup - confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 tea spoon - Vanilla essence
5 to 6 tablespoon - 2% milk

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Yield: About 3 cups.

Change up the flavor. Prepare the recipe as directed making the following substitutions:

Almond: Add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon almond extract instead of the vanilla. 
Chocolate: Use 4 cups confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup baking cocoa and 6-7 tablespoons milk. 
Lemon: Use 5-6 tablespoons lemon juice instead of the milk and 1 teaspoon grated peel. 
Orange: Use 5-6 tablespoons orange juice instead of the milk and add 1 teaspoon grated orange peel. 
Peanut Butter: Use 1/2 cup peanut butter instead of the butter and use 6-8 tablespoons milk.
Peppermint: Use 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract instead of the vanilla. 

Egg-less Butter-less Orange Muffins With Whole Wheat Flour and Jaggery

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minutes


Ingredients: Measurements used - 1 cup =200 ml

• 2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup orange pulp 
• 1cup powdered jaggery
• 1 cup curd
• 1/2 cup refined oil
• 2 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• Pinch of Salt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius or 350 degree Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes. Grease the cake pan with butter or oil or line them with paper cups.
2. In a bowl sieve the whole wheat flour along with baking soda, baking powder and salt twice. Add orange zest to it and set aside.
3. You can use store bought orange pulp if you wish to. I have used fresh oranges. To extract the pulp, cut 2 oranges in quarters , peel and cut the segments into small chunks. While doing do remove the seeds. Put the orange chunks into a grinder and get the puree. Do not strain the puree.
4.  In a large mixing bowl, take this orange puree and add powdered or grated jaggery to it and stir well with a wire whisk until the jaggery dissolves completely in the puree.
5. To this add curd followed by oil and stir well. Lastly add vanilla essence and give a quick stir. Our wet ingredients are ready.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and blend with a spatula. Do not over beat. Just fold in to get an even and lump free batter.
7. Spoon the batter into the cake pan until 3/4 full. Tap the cake pan and transfer it to a preheated oven (PRe-heat the oven at 180 Celsius / 350 degree Fahrenheit for 10 minutes.
8. Bake the cake at 180 degree Celsius / 350 degree Fahrenheit for 45-50 minutes or until the tester tooth pick comes out clean. Keep a watch after 20 minutes as temperature may vary from oven to oven. 
9. Let the cake cool down on a wire rack. Cut and enjoy them as it is or with a cup of tea or coffee.

Make the frosting at home:

http://houseofmasala.blogspot.com/2017/03/vanilla-buttercream-frosting.html

ALMOND BUTTER OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES.

ALMOND BUTTER OATMEAL BREAKFAST COOKIES.

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME

35 mins

 

INGREDIENTS

• Wet:
• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp milk
• ⅓ cup ground raw sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp flax seed meal
• ¼ tsp salt
•  
• Dry:
• ½ cup oat flour (ground Oats)
• ½ cup almond flour (ground almonds)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch or other starch
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 or more cup Oats

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, add the ingredients under wet. mix briskly until well combined. In a bowl, whisk in or sift the flours, baking powder and soda. Add the oats and mix.
2. Add the dry to wet and mix to combine. Add more oats if the mixture is too wet. The dough will be sticky, but will set after chilling. Chill the mixture for 15 minutes or longer.
3. Using slightly wet or greased hands, take 3 to 4 Tbsp of the dough and shape into somewhat balls, then flatten on parchment lined sheet(wet your hands to flatten if the dough is still sticky). Flatten well as the cookies will rise during baking to make fat cookies. I made medium-large cookies. Wet hands in between for easy handling.
4. Press almond slivers, seeds, or granulated sugar on top.
5. Bake at pre-heated 375 degrees F for 13-15 minutes (depending on the size of the cookies), till the edges are golden and the center is dry. Do not over bake as the cookies will get too crunchy. Let them cool completely as they will continue to cook for a few minutes once out of the oven. Store in an airtight container. 
6. Note: You can taste the dough and add more sugar to taste. The cookies get sweeter as they sit. So right out of the oven, warm might taste more nutty and less sweet.

Eggless Red velvet cookies

Eggless Red velvet cookies with Beetroot

Prep time

  10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Time to Make It

25 mins

Yield: 24 cookies                                    

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup cooked beet puree (2 beets)            
  
• ⅓ cup coconut oil, softened
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon Lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup Almond flour
• ½ Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ½ cup  chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, whisk beet puree, coconut oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and vanilla extract together, everything is mostly incorporated.
3. Stir in wheat flour, almond flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky. Make sure to completely mix in the flour.
4. Fold in the ½ cup chocolate chips.
5. Using a 1-2 Tablespoon cookie scoop (or your hands) roll dough into balls. Place 12 on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Don't bake any longer than that. Remove from oven and let cool.
7. Repeat step 6 with remaining cookie dough balls.
8. Enjoy!

For Beet Puree:

1. Cut leafy ends off of the beets and scrub
2. Peel the skin of the beets
3. Cut the raw beet and puree it in a processor or juicer. Use the pulp and the juice.

 

Aussie Bites

Homemade Aussie Bites

 

Prep time

8 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Time to Make It

20 mins

 

Yield: 24 muffins                                    

Ingredients

• 1¾ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup dried apricots
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup ground flaxseed
• ¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup cooked quinoa
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ cup canola oil
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 24 count mini-muffin pan.
2. Pour 1 cup of rolled oats into a food processor. Process for about 1 minute until oats are pulverized into oat flour.
3. Add in the remaining ¾ cup rolled oats, sugar, dried apricots, raisins, flax seed, sunflower seeds, coconut, quinoa, chia seeds, and baking soda. Pulse until apricots and raisins are in small bits.
4. Pour in honey, melted butter, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Pulse just until combined.
5. Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
7. Remove pan from oven and let cool in pan on a wire cooling rack in the pan.
8. Once completely cooled, remove from pan and store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.