Millet Groundnut Cake

Happy NEW YEAR Folks :)

Let's start the new year with a healthy note. For this new year I have made a millet groundnut sponge cake. The healthier part of it is that I have substituted half of the amount of maida with healthier millet flour. I have also added groundnut for extra nutrition and flavour. Hope you will try this cake and enjoy it as much as I enjoyed baking and eating it :)

Millet Groundnut Cake

Ingredients

Maida / All purpose flour  - 1 cup

Millet flour - 1 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Eggs - 4

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Groundnut toffee - 100 gms

Preparation Method

1. Break the groundnut toffee and grind it into a fine powder, keep aside

2. Sieve maida / all purpose flour, millet flour and baking powder and keep aside.

3. Preheat the oven in mode 'toast' at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

4. In a mixing bowl, add sugar, vanilla essence and eggs and whip it using an electric mixer with low speed. When the eggs are mixed well, after 2 to 3 minutes, whip again for 10 minutes in medium speed.

5. Into the above mixture, add 1 tbsp. of the maida, millet flour mix and fold into the egg mixture with a wooden spoon. Mix gently. When the flour is mixed well, add 1/2 of the flour and mix again gently. Then finally add the remaining flour and mix well, but gently. This way, the flour mixes into the egg mixture evenly without forming lumps.

6. Mix in the powdered groundnut toffee and mix well.

7. Grease a cake mould with ghee or butter.

8. Pour into it the cake batter.

9. Bake it for 30 minutes at 180 degrees in 'bake' mode.

10. It’s better to check the cake after 25 minutes, if it’s done. Time taken to bake depends on oven you are using. Take a skewer and insert into the center of the cake all the way down till the bottom. If the skewer comes clean then the cake is cooked.

Dates Wheat Cake

My twist on the regular butterless sponge cake is that I have added whole wheat flour instead of regular all purpose flour / maida and I have also added dates for more nutrition and added flavour. The cake turned out delicious and yum as I expected :)

Dates helps in weight loss, promotes heart health, relieves constipation and supports regular bowl movement, reduces blood pressure and iron deficiency.

Dates Wheat Cake

Ingredients

Wheat flour  - 2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup

Eggs - 4

Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Dates - 10 -15

Water - 1/2 cup

Preparation Method

1. Pit the dates and chop them finely. In a pan add water and dates bring to boil and turn off the stove, let it cool and soak. Grind it to a fine paste. Keep aside

2. Sieve wheat flour and baking powder and keep aside.

3. Preheat the oven in mode 'toast' at 180 degrees for 10 minutes.

4. In a mixing bowl, add sugar, vanilla essence and eggs and whip it using an electric mixer with low speed. When the eggs are mixed well, after 2 to 3 minutes, whip again for 10 minutes in medium speed.

5. Into the above mixture, add 1 tbsp. of the wheat flour and fold into the egg mixture with a wooden spoon. Mix gently. When the flour is mixed well, add 1/2 of the flour and mix again gently. Then finally add the remaining flour and mix well, but gently. This way, the flour mixes into the egg mixture evenly without forming lumps.

6. Mix in the dates puree and mix well.

7. Grease a cake mould with ghee or butter.

8. Pour into it the cake batter.

9. Bake it for 30 minutes at 180 degrees in 'bake' mode.

10. It’s better to check the cake after 25 minutes, if it’s done. Time taken to bake depends on oven you are using. Take a skewer and insert into the center of the cake all the way down till the bottom. If the skewer comes clean then the cake is cooked.

Apple Jam with Jaggery

My twist on the regular apple jam is that I have added jaggery instead of regular white sugar, jaggery is much better than the regular white sugar.

Apple Jam

No. of Serving : 10

Ingredients

Apple grated - 2 cups

Jaggery - 1 cup

Water as required

Preparation Method

1. Dissolve jaggery with little water, bring it to a boil and filter and keep aside.

2. In a pan add grated apple and 1/4 cup water and cook till the apple is done.

3. Add the filtered jaggery syrup and let it boil till it thicknes.

4. Serve with bread.

Note

No preservative is needed.

Keep refrigerated.

It keeps good for 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Wheat Tart With Paneer Custard

"Happy Christmas - Merry Christmas" to all out there from my Boni's Healthy Twists. Here I am again with a healthy tart. My twist on the tart is that I have made it with whole wheat flour instead of the traditional white flour. For the filling I have used Paneer / Cottage cheese which is healthier than the regular cream cheese.

Wheat Tart With Paneer Custard

Servings: 6 mini tarts

Ingredients

For the Tart

Wheat Flour - 200 gms

Butter - 75 gms (cold and firm to touch)

Powdered sugar - 2 tbsp

Ice cold water - as required

Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - a pinch

For the Filling

Paneer - 200 gms

Custard Powder - 4 tbsp

Milk - 400 ml

Sugar - 1 cup

Preparation Method

1. In a mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients for tart except butter and water.

2. Cut the butter into small cubes and mix it into the tart mix. With the tips of your fingers, mix it quickly but gently till the butter gets incorporated in the tart mix and the mix comes to the consistency of breadcrumbs.

3. Add required amount of ice cold water little at a time and bring the dough together. Do not knead the dough.

4. Wrap the dough in a cling-wrap and refrigerate it for 15 - 20 minutes.

5. Preheat OTG oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes in mode 'toast'.

6. Grease the cup cake moulds with butter.

7. Roll out tart dough to 1/4 of an inch. Place dough into the mould. Press it gently into the mould. Trim off the edges.

8. Bake it for 20 minutes in OTG at 180 degrees in mode 'bake'.

For the Filling

1. In a pan mix milk, sugar and custard powder, bring to a boil and simmer it till the custard thickens. Cool and keep aside.

2. Grind to smooth paste paneer and prepared custard.

Presentation

Fill each tart with the paneer custard filling and top it with cherry or any dry fruits and nuts of your choice.

Serve Warm or hot. It tasted delicious hot from the oven with a warm paneer custard filling.

Beetroot Pancake

This is my 100th post, thanks my dear friends and viewers for your like and valuable comments and for supporting me.

In this version of pancake I have added beetroot puree for more flavour and nutrition. Beetroot is high in immune boosting vitamin C, fibre. It is a good source of potassium which is good for healthy nerve and muscle function. It also contains manganese and B vitamin folate.

Beetroot Pancake

No. of Pancakes : 10

Ingredients

Maida / All purpose flour - 1 cup

Milk - 1 cup

Egg - 1

Beetroot - 1 medium

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Preparation Method

1. Peel, chop and grind beetroot into a puree.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat egg, add the other ingredients and beetroot puree and mix well.

3. Heat a dosa tawa and make pancakes.

4. Garnish with sliced almonds or any dry fruits and nuts.

Lauki Dal / Sorakkai Kootu

This is my version of the sorakkai kootu with homemade dal powder. Lauki / sorakkai has a lot of health benefits and nutrients. It helps in weight loss, treats urinary tract infections, helps digestion and treats constipation, helps in good sleep and healthy for heart and reduces the inflammation of the liver.

Lauki Dal / Sorakkai Kootu

No. of Serving : 4

Ingredients

Lauki / Sorakkai - 1 medium

Moong dal - 100 gms

Homemade dal powder -2 tsp (link of reference)

Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Ingredients for Tempering

Onion vadavam - 1 tsp

Onion - 1 medium

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation Method

1. Wash and cook moong dal and keep aside.

2. In a pan cook finely chopped lauki / sorakkai till its fully cooked.

3. Add to lauki, homemade dal powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, hing and salt.

4. Add the dal to the lauki. Mix well.

5. In a tempering pan add oil and add onion vadavam, then add curry leaves, then add finely chopped onion and try till the onions turn brown.

6. Add this to the lauki dal.

7. Serve with steamed rice and kara kozhambu or with chapathi.

Cookies

This is the regular cookie recipe. I tried it out and it turned out crispy and tasty. I egg washed them for that beautiful glaze on top.

Cookies

No. of Cookies : 12 - 15

Ingredients

Maida / All purpose flour - 2 cups

Sugar - 1 cup

Butter - 50 gms

Egg - 1

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

Almond slices - 1/4 cup (optional)

Preparation Method

1. Powder sugar and keep aside.

2. Sieve maida / all purpose flour and baking powder, keep aside.

3. Beat egg with vanilla essence and keep aside.

4. In a mixing bowl, mix together maida, powdered sugar and butter.

5. Add egg little by little and make stiff dough.

6. Roll out into balls, flatten it to 1/8 inch thickness, egg wash them and press almond slices on top.

7. Preheat oven at 180 degrees for 10 minutes in mode "toast"

8. Place the cookies in the preheated oven and bake for 10 - 15 minutes in mode "bake" at 180 degrees. Baking time will different from oven to oven, so check to see if the cookies are baked after 10 minutes.

Channa Kara Kozhambu

This is a chetinad kara kozhambu, I have added boiled channa to make it more flavourful and nutritious. Channa contains complex carbohydrate thus helpful for diabetics patients. It helps in weight loss and good for cardio and lowers cholesterol. It's a good source of iron and protein.

Channa Kara Kozhambu

No. of Servings : 5

Ingredients

Channa dry - 100 gms

Onion - 2 medium

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic cloves - 10

Tomato - 2 medium

Tamarind paste - 3 tbsp

Coconut - 3 tbsp

Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Pepper corns - 1 tsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Preparation Method

1. Soak channa overnight, pressure cook and keep aside.

2. In a kadai, heat oil and fry fennel seeds, pepper, cumin seeds, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, onion, coconut  and tomato. Cool and grind into a fine paste.

3. In a kadai, heat oil and add mustard seeds, when the seeds crackle add the ground paste, tamarind paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and water and bring to a boil.

4. Boil for 10 minutes till the oil separates on the top of the curry.

5. Now add cooked channa and cook for another 5 minutes.

6. Garnish with curry leaves.