some delicious naturally enriched milkshakes for breakfast | 6 easy protein enriched milkshakes for breakfast

Children doing tantrums on breakfast table is quite common and ‘parents feeling guilty about not being able to make them drink enough milk’ is the story of every Indian home. Even as adults we feel accomplished if we have had our quota of milk for the day for breakfast. Milk with fruits, may be an egg and may be some cereal is what most people think when they plan for breakfast. 

Making a milkshake that packs some more proteins and is delicious makes sense if you want an instant option every day. Homemade from scratch and yet instant for consumption I mean, not the chemically flavoured cereals and malted drinks. 

Is that possible?

The other day my sister was telling how her 5 year old son doesn’t eat enough protein although he loves fruits and small servings of homemade snacks. Like most mothers she also thinks that the morning breakfast time milk could be a little enriched with protein so the kid gets a good start of the day. 

Another friend of mine whose adult son keeps a close watch on his diet on week days and binges on weekends was discussing how she could make something for a week so he could have a quick milkshake that is fortified with protein and yet tasty. Most of us like milk but it gets boring if it is the same plain milk every day. Fortifying the fresh milk with some protein from nuts and seeds can make a delicious healthy breakfast everyday.

The problem with young working adults is that the work schedules are erratic and breakfast takes the toll. Many of them just skip breakfast which is not as bad contrary to the belief, those who opt for packaged instant cereals or get a loaded sandwich from office canteen need to fix the breakfast a little better. It actually doesn’t take as much effort as it looks like. High time we start seeing good old milk as a staple meal just as we did some 3 decades ago.

In fact one can do all the work once a week and get a ready milk based breakfast every day. Some 30 minutes a week for a nourishing protein rich breakfast every day I mean. Isn’t that something you could do? 

Say yes.

All of us depend on milk a lot as I mentioned. I love milk too, making flavoured drinks with milk is easy even if you want to stay away from chemical flavours and colours. Please don’t use packaged rose syrups or jams to make the milkshake your family loves so much. A few real ingredients are not that difficult to process at home.

 

I like adding almonds to my milk a lot. Just soak some almonds and make a paste the next day, skin and all. No filtering not straining. Then add some real food flavourings to the paste and add to fresh milk, preferably full fat. Make different flavourings for different days, different family members and so on. Your breakfast is sorted for the week. 

To make almond protein enriched milk I use a mix of 100 gm almonds and 50 gm melon seeds for 2 L full fat fresh milk. Once the nuts and seeds are soaked with water, blended smooth with a little more water it results into about 2.5 L flavoured milk. 

Here are the ways I like flavouring my milk and actually adding value to the protein enriched milk for my breakfast. 

Vanilla Almond milkshake 

To the above protein enriched milk I add some pure Vanilla extract to make it nice vanilla almond milkshake. We love it this way the most.

I normally eat my fruits for lunch but Arvind likes having a banana or apple along with his milk in the morning. You can have anything you like with it, or have only the almond and melon seeds enriched milk for breakfast. 

Matcha almond milk is my favourite. Health benefits of Matcha are well known, the flavour feels grassy to many people but I like it chilled.

I use 2 tsp Matcha powder for 500 ml almond enriched milk, blend it nicely and refrigerate till needed. It keeps well for 4 days refrigerated. 

Dark chocolate almond milkshake 

I am not a fan of chocolate but dark chocolate in chilled milk becomes my evening snack sometimes. It definitely a great breakfast too but when you have a few bottles refrigerated already it becomes a nice snack or small meal whenever needed.  

To make dark chocolate almond milk I melt 2 heaped tbsp dark chocolate chips (Callebout) in 100 ml fresh milk, then blend the melted chocolate with 500 ml of prepared almond milk. This chocolate version refrigerates well for a week.

You can use good quality unsweetened cocoa powder instead of dark chocolate chips. 

Ragi malt almond milkshake 

The ragi malt version of the almond enriched milk is a favourite of both of us. I don't add sugar to these milkshakes but this ragi malt version is so delicious and has a nice aroma that you don't feel like adding any sweetener to it. 

To make ragi malt version just dissolve 3 tbsp powder ragi malt (available online) with 150 ml water, cook till it bubbles and blend with 500 ml of the almond milk mix. It refrigerates well for 5-6 days. 

Date Almond milkshake 

Date milk is seen as tonic and rejuvenating in ancient systems of medicine and we have been told many times how dates cooked with fresh milk become so healthy and strengthening. 

To make the dates version of the almond milk I blend 4 dates per 500 ml of the almond milk and refrigerate immediately. It keeps well for a week if refrigerated immediately after making.

Turmeric Ginger Almond milk 

Turmeric is known to be healing, rejuvenating and antioxidant. Ginger and black pepper help the actions of turmeric in the body and it makes really good flavour profile with the almond enriched milk too. Even kids have loved this version of haldi wala doodh (turmeric milk) trust me.

For 500 ml almond milk made the way mentioned above, I use 30 gm fresh turmeric root and 20 gm fresh ginger root along with 10 peppercorns. Blend them all with 2 tsp water, squeeze the juice and add to the milk. There is no need to heat as the active compound (curcumin) works really well with this combination. The leftover pulp of turmeric and ginger makes wonderful ginger chai this way.

The serving portions of all these enriched milkshakes may be different for children and adults if it is being consumed as standalone breakfast.

Now that you have a few flavour options for the milkshake breakfast, let me tell you how important it is to include milk especially for women and children. 

Dr. Sharad Pandey, an Ayurveda practitioner believes that full fat milk is essential for everyone. Even for making yogurt and other milk products the fat content should not be skimmed he says, skimmed milk reduces the chances of nutrient absorption and metabolisation by the body. Dr Pandey says good quality fresh milk should be arranged on priority for growing children as it is very critical for their growth and bones. Low fat skimmed milk can cause Vit D deficiency.

Tanya Joshi, the senior dietitian and nutritionist at Freshmen's Valley says that being a complete food, milk ranks as one of the best choices available as a part of a nutritious breakfast for the jump start of the day and remain healthy and energetic throughout.  

Milk is a rich source of calcium for building bones, muscles,teeth in growing children and vitamin D for its best absorption thus preventing bone diseases like osteoporosis in later stages.

Milk protein fulfills body’s overall growth and physiological needs. Gives feeling of fullness for long time resulting in sensible eating, preventing binge eating.

Good fats provides energy to perform daily activities. Fats are essential for the absorption of all fat soluble vitamins from milk and other foods.  

High quality vitamins, minerals and electrolytes in milk provides strength, boost immune power and maintains fluid balance.

Do you need more reasons to include milk in your breakfast everyday? Enrich it with proteins from nuts and seeds and make it a filling meal that keeps you full till lunch time.

  

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jaggery coated almonds | easy to make natural unprocessed snack

Caramel coated and chocolate coated nuts you must have eaten a lot and must have exchanged as gifts too. Jaggery coated almonds are a better way to consume sweetened nuts without the emulsifiers and preservatives in the industrially produced coated nuts.

Come winter and North India starts stocking up nuts although it is much more sensible to keep eating nuts throughout the year. But there is a tradition of making panjeeris and laddus using an assortment of nuts in all North Indian families, some spices and edible gum etc is added to prepare oneself for the colder climes that we pretend to enjoy a lot.

In fact our winters are just a respite from the dreaded sultry summer that seems to drain all energy from us. Mangoes are the only solace. And then we enjoy our winters with rich foods of all sorts.

I made these jaggery coated almonds for another reason. I added a few spices to the jaggery syrup to help my frequent headaches and I am glad it is proving good. Long back a friend of mine had suggested a panjeeri made of almonds, poppy seeds and pepper corns when she came to know about my migraine. I remember I was breastfeeding Mithi during that time and used to be hungry all the time. I just started taking a few raw almonds, a spoonful of poppy seeds and a few peppercorns and chewing them all together for a while. Making a panjeeri felt too much work but when this mix helped my migraine I started stocking up this panjeeri and religiously had a spoonful everyday with milk.

But then life kept throwing other challenges and I forgot doing all of that, so much so that I couldn't even remember this magical almond panjeeri that had helped me some 15 years ago. Recently I asked friends on my facebook wall about migraine cures and one of those suggestions was about a panjeeri. It took me back in time and brought back my old panjeeri recipe.

I add a bit of nutmeg too to the panjeeri whose recipe is simple. Raw almonds, poppy seeds, black peppercorns and nutmeg are powdered together in mixie and kept in airtight jars. I make about 200 gm at a time and keep refreshing the stock as it takes just about 5 minutes to make it. If you want the recipe of this panjeeri you can ask in comments, I will update the exact recipe here.

This time when I made these jaggery coated almonds I thought of using some of the pajeeri ingredients so this snack helps me with the bigger issue too. The good news is that it has been working fine. But this snack is for everyone and can be made without these spices too.

ingredients 
(enough to last a month for a family of 2 if they eat sensibly)

250 gm raw almonds
150 gm jaggery
50 gm poppy seeds
5 gm (2 level tsp) ginger powder, you can add more
dash or nutmeg powder
dash of clove powder
pinch of salt

procedure 

Dry roast the almonds on very low heat for about 10 minutes. Cool.
You can roast for longer if you like very crunchy roasted almonds.

Chop the jaggery using a sturdy knife. I use my cleaver for this sweet job :-)

Transfer the chopped jaggery to a deep pan (kadhai) and add just 2 tbsp water to wet the jaggery so it starts melting.

Now place the pan over stove and start stirring it once in a while. The jaggery melts and starts simmering. After about 5 minutes the jaggery mix will start bubbling and then frothing.
The syrup is ready.
To test the readiness of syrup you can drop a small droplet in chilled water and check it. The droplet should get solid immediately. Take off the stove.

Now add all the spices and poppy seeds in the jaggery and mix vigorously. Add the almonds too and stir to coat them all. Keep stirring till the mix looks dry and all almonds are coated. It takes just a couple of minutes.

You may get some loose dry jaggery mix at the bottom of the pan but that is okay. It will be like a spiced sugar you can add to your cereal.

This is an addictive snack trust me. Be warned and be prepared for people stealing it from the jar. Keep it safe if you don't want kids getting loosies after eating too much almonds and adults refusing to have dinner after handfuls of jaggery coated almonds for evening snack.

Ration it. All good things are rationed in life. Jaggery coated almonds are precious.

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panjeeri the desi granola mix | recipe of fenugreek turmeric panjeeri | Indian super foods

Every Indian home knows what Fenugreek is and how to use it to get the benefits required. There are hordes of recipes from chutneys to curries to laddus and panjeeris. Fenugreek is stored and consumed even in the plain powder form, a tsp of this bitter powder with warm milk works wonders for skeletal system and joint health.

There are many panjeeri recipes in north India and all of them are made suiting the requirement of the seasons and body. All panjeeris are basically granola mixes, some of them are made with wheat four but most of them are gluten free.

In modern times as we discover new super foods everyday it is better we brush up our own repertoire of easy everyday super foods. The exotic sounding imported super foods like Goji berries, Acai berries, Blueberries and Currants might sound attractive and there is nothing wrong in trying them once in a while but it is better to know that much cheaper Amla, Drumstick leaves, Red Cabbage, Cloves and Fenugreek seeds are much more eligible candidates for super food awards. For everyday dose of antioxidants and anti inflammatory foods I would rather depend on our home grown super foods.

This Methi ki panjeeri recipe is an age old super food made in Indian homes, the  recipe may differ in different homes and different regions but the use of Fenugreek, Turmeric and Ginger powder stays constant. The healing and nourishing methi ki panjeeri is made for new mothers to help lactation, healing, better bone health by supplementing good quality calcium and for boosting immunity.

For adults suffering from joint pains and general fatigue, this panjeeri works wonders. Trust me if you have been suffering from backaches and knee pains this panjeeri may help you heal really fast. I would suggest you strengthen your muscles by working out to be able to maintain bone and joint health as weaker muscles lead to more pressure on joints and make them wane.

And it is great to know that Fenugreek does help strengthen muscles for weight lifters too. See this article for more information. This panjeeri will strengthen muscles, bones and do more benefits by boosting immunity too. Read on the recipe.

It might feel like an acquired taste when you start eating this, but slowly you would start liking it actually. If you feel it is too bitter for your taste, add some jaggery powder to it. This recipe yields slightly bitter panjeeri.

ingredients 
(makes enough panjeeri to last a month for 2 people, 1-2 tbsp serving size)

fenugreek seeds powdered finely 150 gm
amaranth flour 100 gm
turmeric powder 50 gm
dry ginger powder 15-25 gm (depending on taste and season, you may add more in winters)
fox nuts (makhane) 150 gm
dry dates (chhuhare or khareek) 300 gm
almonds 200 gm
walnuts 100 gm
melon seeds 100 gm
ghee 100 gm
raisins chopped 50 gm or to taste

procedure 

Dry roast the amaranth flour in a thick base pan. Cool and keep aside.

Heat 15 gm ghee and dry roast the fenugreek powder in it, do it on medium flame till the powder gets aromatic. Add turmeric powder to it and roast for a couple of minutes more, add dry ginger powder, mix well and remove from the stove. Cool and pour over the already roasted amaranth flour.

Now pour the remaining ghee in the pan (kadhai) and fry or roast the fox nuts in it on low flame. Keep stirring continuously till the fox nuts get crisp. Cool and powder immediately in mixie.

Powder the melon seeds, almonds and walnuts in the same mixie. I prefer grinding them coarse but you can make a fine powder.

Now remove seeds from all the dry dates and make a powder in mixie. You may need to hammer each dry date (khajoor) to remove the seeds as these are quite hard. If the dates are not completely dry you may need to sun dry them for a day or oven dry them at 70 C for an hour or so.

I add finely chopped raisins too sometimes and like it. You may omit if you don't like. Or you can add more if you like them.

Mix all the ingredients nicely and taste, adjust sweetness if required.

I sometimes add spices like clove powder, nutmeg and cardamom powder to make the taste more complex and to enhance the healing property.

Adding some powdered jaggery will be a good idea after tasting the final mixture.

Have a heaped tablespoon or two of this panjeeri everyday with milk for healthy joints, strong bones and better immunity. I love the slightly bitter taste and have a few people who can vouch for the taste just like me.

But if you want to avoid the bitterness in the methi ki panjeeri, you can make smoothies using this mix and some milk. Here are a few ideas to make smoothies. Make room temperature smoothie with it as I don't think this mix will be suited for a chilled or cold smoothie.

1.  You can add a heaped tbsp of this mix to milk and banana for a quick smoothie. 
2. This methi ki panjeeri can also be added to almond milk to make a nice thinner smoothie.
3. Mix 1 tbsp of this methi ki panjeeri to thin oats porridge and blend. Have it like a warm smoothie in winters and see how you start loving it.

For me it becomes a snack sometimes with a cup of warm milk in the day time. I crave for chai during my work time and sometimes a hot cup of milk with this methi ki panjeeri is just the right replacement. Not the calorie count but the nutrient count of this methi ki panjeeri makes it super food for everyday.

If you want to make methi ke laddu you will need a bit more ghee to bind them in balls. The powder suits me well I say, I have made three batches of this panjeeri this year after a minor surgery last December. I even carry a small box of it when traveling and it has helped me heal better for sure.

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recipe of date and nut bars with kunafe crust | no added sugar for a scrumptious dessert

Dates are delicious little desserts manufactured and packaged very effectively by mother Nature. That dates are packed with nutrition is no new knowledge. Packed with micro nutrients and minerals, the sweetness of dates is so complex that eating just a couple of dates relishing them slowly gives you much more satisfaction than eating a whole wedge of cake.

Dates are the best example of efficient calories as I say, each calorie carries essential Vitamins and minerals to nourish the body. Read about health benefits of dates here.

I often use dates to sweeten desserts and make a laddu with dates and seeds or nuts, this time I wanted a fancier shape and decided to bake square bars of dates and nuts with a kunafe crust. I used thin vermicelli called sevaiyan instead of kunafe but it works really well as both are the same technically and using local products makes better sense.

I bake another dessert with sevaiyan which is closer to savaiyon ka muzaffar and we love that recipe too. This time we had a family get together for Raksha Bandhan and since my dad is a diabetic I wanted to make something suitable for him. He does eat small servings of such desserts as the glycemic index is lower when table sugar is not used and there are enough nuts in the recipe.

Moreover, serving such desserts to a get together is a great way to know whether everyone likes them or not. I had made 2 more desserts, one was the black sticky rice and mango pudding and the other was a traditional white rice kheer with loads of raisins and shredded coconut. So there was enough variety for everyone.

I am glad everyone just loved these date and nut bars, of course we loved them too and I feel these are tasting better after 3-4 days (stored at room temperature).

The recipe is easy but it takes a bit of time chopping the nuts and dates first (use a cleaver or a food processor) and then the other steps. But the time taken is well worth. You would need about an hour of dedicated time to bake these date and nut bars.

ingredients 
(makes 25 squares)

soft dates seeds removed and chopped 250 gm
mixed nuts (I used almonds, walnuts and cashews) chopped 250 gm
thin vermicelli (sevaiyan) 150 gm
milk powder 80 gm
ghee 15 gm+15 gm
water 60 gm (writing by weight as I weighed everything on the kitchen scale as I kept adding ingredients)
saffron a few strands
8x8 inch baking pan (non stick or lined with silpat, loose bottom works better)

procedure 

I have used raw nuts and I recommend strongly about using raw nuts for this recipe. The taste is just perfect for this kind of recipe which will be baked briefly to get the crust browned a bit.

The nuts must be chopped and 'not powdered coarsely'. Chopping lends a bite to these bars, you can use a food processor with a chopping blade attachment.

Add the 15 gm ghee and saffron to the dates, dump the chopped nuts too in the sticky mass and knead using your hands. The dates are soft enough to make a dough.

Now gather this date and nut dough and roll into a flat square the size of your baking pan. You would need a silpat sheet to roll out this date dough or use a parchment paper as you have to transfer this sheet on the baking tray later.

Now crush the vermicelli. Add the milk powder, 15 gm ghee and water (60 gm or just enough to make the vermicelli moist) and mix with your fingers well.

Spread half of this vermicelli mix on the base of the baking pan, now transfer the rolled out date and nut dough over the base and then cover it with the other half of the vermicelli mix.

Roll out the surface once again to press down the layers using a greased rolling pin.

Now bake at 170C for 20-25 minutes or till the vermicelli layer starts looking golden.

Take it out of the oven and remove the rim of the tray if it is a loose bottom tray or invert the tray over a wooden board quickly. Cut into squares and let the bars cool down.

Store in an airtight container. It stays well for 3-4 weeks at room temperature.

The taste of dates and nuts and the crunchy crust works really well for this dessert that is actually a finger snack too. Most Indian mithais are served like finger snacks and most of them are loaded with sugar. These dates and nuts bars can become one of those Indian yet healthy treats for family and friends, all the better because these can be stored just like our laddus and barfis.

Trust me these bars are filling too, just have one with a glass of full fat milk in the morning and see how full you feel. Overall quite calorie efficient for a dessert.

No I wont do the calorie count for them, but having a rough idea of the calories helps. If the calories consumed pack some nutrition it helps better.

Try these dates and nuts bars with kunafe crust, trust me you will be baking them frequently.

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101 alternative flours : gluten free cookies with a scent of Christmas | water chestnut flour cookies with ginger and cloves

Cookies baked with water chestnut flour is not a usual recipe but this is not the first cookie recipe with water chestnut flour that I have done. I have been working on gluten free recipes for a long time and have worked with many alternative flours to bake cookies, granola bars and even cakes and muffins. Although gluten is not a monster for everyone, not at all to be frightened with especially in the festive season, but one needs to restrict gluten intake at all times for very valid reasons. One of the reasons is that you get to eat many more ingredients having a wider range of nutrients for the body. So start experimenting with water chestnut flour for baking cookies now. You would be pleased with the results trust me. These cookies are very crisp and crunchy, the texture would make you forget maida (white flour) cookies forever. You would wonder why you have been eating the crap till now.

Christmas season is for warm flavours, more nuts and more small nibbles if you ask me. I always need some of the other warm drink whether it is Kahva, Ginger ale, green tea infused with lemongrass or kumquats or peaches, or the good old hot chocolate during these months. Having something to nibble with such hot or warm drinks adds to the winter comfort and what else would be better than spiced cakes or cookies. While the Ginger Honey Ragi cake is my favourite, I bake a few ginger cookies, Sesame-Ginger-Honey bars and Ginger-Jaggery Energy bars too in this season. I find these flavours so rich and satiating that you don't feel like eating a lot. Just like a good quality dark chocolate that satiates in just one small bite, such warm spiced cookies and cakes satiate in small bites and make a great accompaniment to winter drinks.

I baked these ginger and cloves flavoured cookies with water chestnut flour for gifting and wanted to make them prettier but I had very restricted time and had to bake a larger quantity so I decided to bake a sheet of cookie dough and then cut it in squares for the ease and for the purpose of time management. I think it looks alright. But you can always cut the rolled cookie dough using a cookie cutter of a desired shape and bake as you like.

I am sharing the way I bake my quick square cut cookies, patting the dough into a sheet using a trick to make it smooth, baking it till done and then cut it in squares or rectangles and then let the cookies cool down and get crisp. I am sure you would feel lazy to cut your cookies using cookie cutters after seeing this quick method. No I am not trying to make you lazy ;-)

ingredients
(48 regular sized cookies)

water chestnut flour (singhade ka atta) 450 gm
ghee 220 gm
milk 30 ml
natural brown sugar ( I used raw shakkar) 200 gm
fresh ginger root minced 2 tbsp (30 gm)
dry ginger powder 1.5 tsp
clove powder 1/4 tsp
mixed seeds ( I used melon seeds and sunflower seeds) 40 gm
chopped almonds 30 gm

procedure...

I pulsed everything (except the chopped almonds) in my food processor to mix well and make a dough that looks lumpy. Since it is winters the ghee is solid and doesn't need refrigeration before using, but if you are making this cookie is summer months you will need to get the ghee solidified by refrigerating it for an hour or so.

If not using a food processor, you can rub everything together to make a homogeneous mass that looks like a tough dough that binds well if compressed in fist.


Now line a baking tray (size 10"X 11" ) with silpat and spread this dough evenly over it. Press it down to make a smooth compressed sheet. I have never used parchment paper to like the baking sheet for such cookies but you can try doing that and peel off the parchment paper as soon as the cookie dough is half baked, invert on a large wooden chopping board and peel off careful not to break it and then bake again till done.
Preheat the oven at 250 C.

I normally hammer it down with the help of a small rectangular wooden chopping board that I have. The idea is to compress the sheet of dough to make equal thickness throughout.

See the picture below to get an idea what kind of a wooden block I use to hammer the cookie sheet.

Bake the contents of the tray at 150 C for an hour.

Take out, invert the tray on a large wooden chopping board or work surface and make suitably sized squares or rectangles of cookies or bars. Cut the squares while the baked cookie sheet is still warm as it will get hard and crumbly once cold.

Let it cool and store in airtight container. These cookies stay well for a couple of months if stored well. The cookies taste great with warm milk, spiced hot chocolate, warm ginger ale or green teas.

And I am hopeful that you wouldn't think about baking maida cookies once you taste this Water-chestnut flour cookie and the other alternative flour cookies and bars that you must try. Please let me know if you bake these.

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apple granola muffins with whole wheat flour and oats, the cover page recipe

The husband loves something sweet for breakfast and muffins and pancakes are his favourites. This is a tricky situation as it means filling up on loads of carbohydrates to start the day. Though we need carbs to wake up the system and to stay active during the work hours, the sweet kind of breakfast could lead to mid morning hunger pangs and sweet cravings later. Yes, Insulin discipline is very important.

The only good thing is that he likes his sweet eats really lightly sweetened, so much so that I always make the pancakes plain (without sugar) and drizzle honey or some fruit preserve over it and he loves it this way. But for such granola muffins, I add a little jaggery, natural unsulfured brown sugar or honey or a mix of all these to make the muffins lightly sweetened. He likes all the alternative flours that we eat every single day, actually I am yet to see a guest or friend who did not like the food cooked with alternative grains at our place. That strengthens my belief in real ingredients tasting better than reconstituted mixes and flavorings.

This granola muffin recipe was featured on Good Housekeeping India's cover page (July issue) and uses all Indian ingredients, dehydrated cranberries and rolled oats are also available now a days but you can skip adding them if you don't have. Normal oatmeal (Quaker, Saffola or Baggry's) works well in this recipe. Use raisins, dry black grapes, chopped dates, figs or candied ginger for variation in taste and texture.

Also, I must add that the same batter can be used to make pancakes too, a little easier in an Indian household where the oven is used occasionally and a griddle is on the stove almost every meal time. So if you are comfortable with your griddle just go ahead, thin the batter a little and make some pancakes with the same batter.

I used 2 types of apples for this batch as I always want the apple flavour to take center stage. One tart green apple and one sweet red apple from the hills at Dhanachuli. I have been going there for work almost every 4th week and love to bring back seasonal fruit from there.

ingredients
(makes 9 muffins)
atta (whole wheat flour) 1 cup (this time I used a mix of whole wheat and barley flours in a 3:1 ratio)
oatmeal 1/2 cup
rolled oats 1/4 cup
raw unsulfured sugar 1/4 cup (I used lesser)
honey 2 tbsp
butter 2 tbsp
egg 1 (or yogurt 1/4 cup)
milk 2-3 tbsp or as required
cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp
vanilla extract 1/4 tsp
chopped almonds 2 tbsp
chopped cranberries 2 tbsp (replace with raisins if you wish)
chopped dehydrated black grapes 2 tbsp  (you can use chopped dates too)
baking powder 1/4 tsp
baking soda 1/2 tsp
chopped apples (with skin preferably) up to 1 cup

procedure..

Mix the flours (saving 1 tbsp rolled oats for sprinkling on top of the muffins), cinnamon powder, baking powder and baking soda and keep aside.
Mix the egg (or yogurt) with butter, honey, sugar and vanilla extract and whip well.
Mix the wet mixture and dry flour mixture together and fold well.
Add the chopped nuts, dried fruits and chopped apples and fold in everything nicely. The batter will be thick and not flowing consistency. You can add a little milk to make the batter a bit loose. 
Divide the batter into nine muffin liners placed in a muffin tray.

**Whole grain or multigrain muffins respond to thick batter well I feel. In this batch I made balls of this loose batter with my hands and filled in the muffin liners, there is enough fresh fruit to keep the muffins soft and moist.

Bake the muffins at 180 C for about 20 minutes. Check by piercing with a skewer, bake a little more if required.

The muffins don't rise much as the apple pieces shrink while they cook and the batter occupies the space as it expands. The muffins are quite soft and spongy nevertheless.

I have had small kids who don't eat cakes and have loved this muffin. The taste comes from real ingredients and not refined, reconstituted and artificially flavoured stuff. I reiterate.

Apples are great by themselves, we use them to flavour the cooked food as and when required. And it does add value to these yummy granola muffins with chopped apples.

Out of the 8 recipes of mine that were published as a cover story in the July issue of Good Housekeeping India, this one was the most demanded on the blog. Many people live outside the country or in small towns of India where the magazine is not easily available and they wanted to try the cover page recipe. I hope many of you will be baking this for your family and would realise how healthy ingredients result in great taste.

Please let me know if you try these apple granola muffins. One or two muffins and a glass of milk is great for a hearty breakfast. Save some batter to make quick pancakes if you like. I would love to hear about your take on the recipe.

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mango couscous salad with mint and my contribution to the cover story in Good Housekeeping India

I have been making salads using mangoes a lot, this mango poha and mango salsa have been favourites and I try and create new versions every now and then. More because we hoard a lot of mangoes sometimes and end up rustling up a quick salad for dinner. We used to eat only mangoes for dinner sometimes and still do that occasionally as the husband just loves anything sweet for dinner.

Recently I made a new version of mango poha with coconut milk and it has already been repeated, served to friends and been loved by all. Many friends tried it when I shared the recipe on facebook and instagram.
I am on instagram @sangeetaamkhanna, please follow me to get more updates on my everyday meals and breakfasts.

This is one of those convenience meals that you would always choose over pastas and instant noodles. I bet. Try this mango and avocado salad and see if you like it. One more wholesome and filling salad with seasonal fruit.

Choosing seasonal fruits and using them for optimal taste and nourishment is a trick one must learn. All of us have individual taste and we might like things a little differently hence it is important to find out a way to create tasty meals with easily available ingredients day after day, every single day.

The purpose of this blog is to motivate everyone to cook tasty healthy meals at home and that is why I was glad to share health tips in Good Housekeeping India (July issue). I was elated when Manjira Dutta, the Editorial Director of the magazine complemented me personally to have listed so practical and easy tips to follow. I talked about those everyday habits and ways to build up health quotient every single day in my last post.

Today I am sharing one of the recipe that featured in Good Housekeeping India and that is a mango couscous salad with mint and coconut flakes.

This tropical flavored couscous is a refreshing change from the regular tabbouleh that is a part of Mediterranean meals. This kind of flavours are received well with people from anywhere in the world as the natural goodness of mangoes and coconut never fails to impress. Real natural flavours from fresh ingredients work their charm on everyone.

For this couscous recipe we prefer using sweet and tart mangoes as they provide a wider range of flavours in the dish. Fresh coconut will be great but you can use the dehydrated tender coconut chips too, they soak up moisture from the mangoes and get really sweet and meaty. Few nuts and seeds make this couscous dish quite filling and healthy.

This recipe serves 4-5

Ingredients

Couscous 1 cup

Hot water 1 cup

Butter 1 tsp

Salt ¾ tsp

Lime juice 2 tsp

Cubed mangoes (preferably sweet and tart) 2 cups

Coarsely grated fresh coconut ¾ cup

Chopped almonds 3 tbsp

Sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp

Red chili flakes 2 tsp

Finely diced red onions ½ cup

Finely chopped mint leaves 1 cup

Procedure

Mix butter, salt and lime juice to the hot water, dissolve well and pour over couscous in a wide bowl. Cover and let it soak for 10 minutes. Fluff up with a fork when it cools. Keep aside.

Mix the mango cubes, onions, mint, chili flakes and the chopped almonds and sunflower seeds together. Toss to mix well.

Mix the mango mixture with the couscous and fold in the grated coconut or the tender coconut chips. Adjust seasoning and serve on a large platter.

Sprinkle some more coconut chips and chopped mint over it to garnish.

This mango couscous and mint salad will be a favourite believe me. Just like the mango poha with onions and coriander greens and mango coconut milk poha this recipe is bursting with mango flavours and is a filling tasty wholesome meal.

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