Easy Peasy Banana and Chocolate Chips Muffins

I think it takes half the time to make these than typing it's name ;) . Seriously it's that easy to whip up a batch of this . My kids and hubby loves them so I make these quite often . It's tastes best straight out of the oven so here goes............

INGREDIENTS

3 ripe bananas
50 gms butter melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
3-4 tbsp sugar
1 cup unbleached white flour or all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup or more if you like chocolate chips

METHOD

In a large mixing bowl , add the melted butter and the bananas and mash them .
Add the egg , vanilla and sugar and mix well
Sift all the dry ingredients together and add it to the mixture .
Mix it up but take care not to over mix it .
Stir in the chocolate chips .
Line the muffin pan with paper cases and bake in a preheated 180 c oven for about 25 min or till done .
This makes 6 large muffins .

Fruit Kebabs with Vanilla Yoghurt Dip

Now that summer is here , there are all sorts of fruits available in the market and here we all are fruit lovers and I try to make to make many things with them . This dish is pretty easy to put together and it tastes really fantastic . The dressing for this fruit kebab is quite simple , it is just lemon juice and fruit chat masala which can be store-bought . It is spicy, tangy, sweet , it is quite a burst of flavours in your mouth and the dip balances the heat from the masala . This is quite refreshing and healthy , perfect for the summer so here goes...................

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of strawberries
1 cup of melon balls
1 cup of diced green apple
1 cup of kiwi quartered
1 tbsp or more of fruit chaat masala
1/4 cup of lemon juice or orange juice

for the dip 

1 cup yoghurt skimmed or whole
1-2 tbsp honey according to your taste
1 tsp vanilla

METHOD

Put all the fruits in a big bowl
Add the lemon/orange juice and the fruit chaat masala powder and mix it all up making sure all the fruit pieces are coated with dressing .
Mix up all the ingredients for the dip .
Serve the fruits on wooden skewers and enjoy .

Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Cinnamon Butter Syrup and an Award .

I discovered pancakes when I had gone to the US about 13 years back . I got hooked on it the moment I had it and how I wish I hadn't because I simply cannot seem to resist them . The two weeks I was holidaying in the US pancakes were the only things I had for breakfast and sometimes even for dinner . I came back and then introduced them to my sister and she is hooked on it too , actually she is worse than me but being the lucky one she is , she remains thin as ever no matter how much she eats , unlike me who just have to look at food and that's it , it's on me .
So anyways moving on from the story , I learned how to make them and have been making them ever since because now my kids just love them and I try my best to not have them (I seem to have some willpower now ) . I have never found a healthy pancake recipe to my liking , I have tried several but I have given up, either have them like these or don't have them at all  . These pancakes are light , buttery and quite fluffy , to make it a little bit healthy I top them with blueberries and for the kids with chocolate chips and serve them with this warm maple cinnamon butter syrup so here goes......

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
50 gms butter melted
1/2 cup blueberries

for the syrup 

1/2 cup maple syrup
25 gms butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

METHOD

Mix all the dry ingredients together really well with  a whisk
Mix all the wet ingredients together and add it to the dry ingredients and whisk it but do not over mix it , let the batter be a bit lumpy .If the batter is too thick add a little more milk to get the desired consistency .
Now heat a non-stick pan on medium
Pour ladleful of batter in the pan .
When bubbles start appearing on top add a few blueberries on each of the pancake and turn them and brown them on the other side as well .
In a saucepan add all the ingredients for  the syrup and heat on low flame till the butter has melted.


I have been fortunate enough to receive the Stylish Blogger award from two of my blogging friends Cake whiz and dulce dough and thank you both . I don't have to introduce them to anybody but the FEW who haven't been to their blog should definitely have a look because they have a wonderful blog . I got this award from Cake whiz a while back but I didn't know what to do with it as I am still in the  learning  process of this blogging world .

Following the rules of the award I have to

1.  Thank them, make a post, and put a link back to the person/s who gave me this award.

2.  Share 7 things about myself.

3.  Pass the award to 10 recently discovered great bloggers.

4.  Contact these bloggers and personally tell them about the award.

Now for the seven things about me .

1. I love to bake.
2. I am a total T.V freak .
3. I love milk chocolate.
4. I love to collect cookbooks.
5. Food Network is my fav channel .
6. I baked and decorated my first cake when I was 14 .
7. I love romantic comedies .
 (oooh ! that was tough)

I am so glad that I started blogging and it is even a great feeling when others appreciate it so I would like to pass on this award to these other wonderful bloggers .

Thoma @http://kitchen-morph.blogspot.com/
tes @http://tesathome.com
http://oureyeseatfirst.blogspot.com/
/http://www.thepastryaffair.com/
christina @http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/
Jessica @http://www.howsweeteats.com/
http://kristygourmet.blogspot.com/
hhttp://lepetitbrioche.blogspot.com/
ttp://simplyhomemadecakes.blogspot.com/
http://www.lawyerloveslunch.com/

Rice and Semolina Pancakes

Here is yet another recipe from my mom's collection . I absolutely love this pancake and it is quite easy to make too , well not easy as the normal pancakes but the little work that you put in is worth it because it is a soft , slightly sour pancake which goes very well with spicy curries and also you can eat it with coconut milk and sugar sprinkled on it .It absolutely tastes delicious both ways. It is sort of like vellappam but in this one coconut is not used so the fat content is less, so here goes........

INGREDIENTS

2 cup basmati rice
1 tbsp urad dal or split black gram
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 cup semolina
2 cup water
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 tsp baking soda
salt to taste

METHOD

Wash and soak the rice,fenugreek seeds and urad dal  overnight.
Add 1 cup water and grind it .
Heat the remaining water in a pan and add the semolina to it and cook it till it turns into a thick paste .
Add the semolina paste into the rice and mix it up in the blender again , if necessary use more water.
Add the baking soda and salt to taste and cover and keep it in a warm place to ferment for about 4-5 hrs .
Mix in the milk to make a smooth batter , add in more milk if the batter needs it but it should not be watery.It should be a fairly thick , fluffy batter.
Now heat the pan and pour a ladle of batter into it .
When small bubbles start appearing just cover it for a min and then your pancakes are done .

healthy dessert / breakfast

This is a wonderful , delicious and a guilt-free dessert , it can also be a wonderful breakfast , a great way to have the kids eat a good breakfast and the best thing about it is that it is super easy to make ,so here goes ..

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of any kind of fruits like berries , apple , banana , mango  chopped
1 cup of low-fat yoghurt ,whipped
1/2 cup rolled or instant oats
2 tbspn honey
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
2 tbspn maple syrup

METHOD

Toast the oats and add honey to it and stir it till it becomes crisp
Blend the blueberries with the maple syrup ( if using frozen thaw them )
In a glass layer it first with the tosted oats , chopped fruits, whipped yoghurt, blueberry syrup and again the toasted oats , layer it in this order .
You can make as many layers you want , finally top it off with the toasted oats .

TIPS

If you dont have blueberries then just use blueberry jam or you can use any variety of berries .

Blueberry muffins

I just love blueberries and I absolutely love anything which has to do with blueberries , this muffin recipe is a very good recipe , it is a very moist and not overly sweet blueberry muffin and the best thing is it is super easy to make , my family just loves them and it is over as soon as I make it , so here goes ............

INGREDIENTS


1 cup or 240 ml low-fat yoghurt
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola or veg oil
1/2 tsp vanilla essence or extract
2 cups or 260 g all purpose flour
1/2 cup or 100gm granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

METHOD


Preheat oven to 375 f or 180 c .
In a large pan whisk together yoghurt ,egg , oil and vanilla .
In another pan mix all the dry ingredients . Remove 1 tbspn of the flour mix and toss it with the blueberries .
Fold the wet ingredients in the flour mix until combined .
Gently stir in the blueberries .
Spoon into a greased or paper lined muffin pan and bake 15-20 min or till u insert a toothpick and it comes out clean .


TIPS

If the mix seems a tad dry then add a couple of tsp of milk . You can also make with any kind of berries or chocolate chips .