Eggless Carrot-Orange Muffins

Hello All!!

Finally I feel energized and good spirited. It’s been a few days that it is just the two of us at home since S is out of the country. We are spending a lot of time with each other talking, watching TV and movies, going to mall and cooking.. I’m into one pot meals which are wholesome, nutritious and saves my time too..

Since it’s holiday time, the kid is more hungry than usual, I guess free times makes you feel like nibbling something every now and then. But this is where being a mom I need to monitor and keep a control as my kid is naturally inclined towards junk, he is more than happy eating wafers, namkeen mixture and more..But, the control freak mother that I’m, everything is given in small portions and then to add to his pampering I’m indulging more into baking.

It’s a recipe that I’ve come up with and I was very skeptical about the outcome but since it turned out super moist, it has already been made two times in this week.  This is such a hassle free muffin and is ready in 30mins flat with all the preparation and cooking time. And the best part is it’s loaded with carrots which are a good source of Vitamin A, that’s very important for healthy eyes and has the flavor of orange too to make it more delicious. To add a bite and crunch I’ve added the nuts and since orange and chocolate gel well, I’ve topped the muffins with some Choco chips, making these muffins more desirable any day.. The muffins turn out very light, I’ve reiterated many times that Cake made with oil is always very light( Check out the Vegan Choco Banana Cake too)..light on the tummy and weight too!

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Continental Cooking hosted by Raksha’s Kitchen.

Eggless Carrot-Orange Muffin

Preparation Time: 15mins

Baking Time: 15-20mins

Makes: 6-7Muffins

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

1cup APF

1/4  fortune rice bran oil

3/4cup milk

a pinch of cinnamon pwd

1/4 cup sugar

2tsp brown sugar

1/2cup grated carrot

1/2tsp vanilla essence

1tbsp desiccated coconut

1tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

zest of one orange

1tbsp chopped almonds/walnuts

1tbsp Choco chips

Method

Mix all the dry ingredients together (APF, Sugars, cinnamon powder, baking powder and baking soda).

Mix all the wet ingredients together (oil, milk and vanilla essence).

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry by cut and fold method. Do not over mix else the muffins will not rise and turn dense.

Add the carrots and nuts and give a final mix.

Pour the batter into greased muffin molds ( I used silicon cups). Place a few Choco chips into each cup.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 15-20mins or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Unmold and cool on cooling rack.

This post is a part of Healthy & Tasty Recipe Contest with Fortune Rice Bran Health Oil & BlogAdda.com .

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Savory Scallion-Mushroom-Cilantro Scone

I got introduced to the word scone only after I started blogging and I had an instant liking for it. I have been planning to make them for quite some time but I had my own apprehensions. I finally got over them and attempted making my ‘First One’s’.

Before I start explaining what I made, let’s get introduced with this term properly. I did read a lot of blogs and surfed the net to understand them and the best explanation was given by joy of baking and jugalbandi  and  thus my final conclusions are:

There are two ways to pronounce scone; "Skon" and "Skoan".The origin of the name 'scone' is just as unclear as where it came from.  Some say the name comes from where the Kings of Scotland were crowned, the Stone (Scone) of Destiny.  Others believe the name is derived from the Dutch word "schoonbrot" meaning fine white bread or from the German word "sconbrot" meaning 'fine or beautiful bread'.  Still others say it comes from the Gaelic 'sgonn' a shapeless mass or large mouthful.

They were first made with oats, shaped into a large round, scored into four to six triangles, and cooked on a griddle either over an open fire or on top of the stove. 

This small cake is a quick bread, similar to an American biscuit, made of wheat flour (white or wholemeal), sugar, baking powder/baking soda, butter, milk (whole, half and half, light cream, heavy cream, buttermilk, yogurt, etc.), and sometimes eggs.  This produces a soft and sticky dough that has the ratio one part liquid to three parts wheat flour.   It needs to be baked in a moderate to hot oven so the dough sets quickly thereby producing a light scone with a light to golden brown floury top and bottom with white sides.  The texture of the interior of the scone should be light and soft, and white in color.  

The key to  making good tender scones lies in handling the dough. The dough has to handled gently and not over kneaded.

I made my scones low in fat and high in nutrific value. They have a nice hard crispy crust  and soft and flaky inside. One can add veggies of their choice. The ones I have added surely have a nice aroma. The scones were perfect and I won over all my apprehensions and am ready to try the sweet versions.

Ingredients for the Scones

Makes 8

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
8 oz crumbled cottage cheese/ ricotta cheese (I used home made low fat)
1tbsp+2tsp Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1/4 tsp carrom seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp red chili pwd
4 mushrooms finely chopped
4-5 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 large or 4 small scallions chopped
1 green chili chopped
egg white/milk for glazing

Method

The correct mixing of the ingredients is crucial in producing an excellent scone. One can use an electric mixer but I used my hands. Mixing by hand helps to prevent over mixing of the dough.

To begin, the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) are whisked together in a large bowl.  Initially I used only 2 1/2 cups flour and reserved the remaining.

Next the cottage cheese is cut into the flour until it looks like coarse crumbs.  When it is worked into the flour mixture it becomes small, flour- coated crumbs, not a smooth dough.  This method is similar to how a pie dough is made and gives the scone a wonderful delicate and flaky texture. 

This is the point add in the chopped veggies, spices,  and other flavorings are added. 

Mix milk and egg together.The wet ingredients so mixed together separately and then added to the flour mixture.  Only mix the dough until it comes together.  This dough should not be overworked and that a light hand is needed.  The test will be in the results.  If you end up with a hard and doughy scone, you will know to mix the dough less the next time you make them. 

If you find your dough sticky, add the reserved flour and mix.

When the dough is mixed, gather it up in your hands and place on a lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough a few times to make it a cohesive mass and then roll or pat it into a 7 inch (18 cm) round that is about 1 inch (2.54 cm) high.

Cut it like a pizza, first through the middle, then into quarters, and then into eight wedges. Use a very sharp knife (preferably serrated) for this. Clean cuts enable the scones to rise better. ( I used a pizza cutter dipped in flour)

  Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and brush with an egg /milk wash, if desired.  Using an egg wash gives the scone a nice appearance and helps with browning. 

Bake the scones in a preheated oven at 400 F.

Scones that are placed close together, that is almost touching, will have soft sides and their crusts will be less crispy.  If you place them further apart the scones will be crusty all over.  The scones are done when they are nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the scone comes out clean.

Cool on a wire rack.  If you want crusty scones, cool them uncovered.  If a softer crust is desired, then wrap the hot scones in a clean dish towel.  Scones are best served warm. Serve them with butter or cream cheese.

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Leek and Potato Soup with Bread Knots….getting friendly with the ‘Yeast’ ghost

These days I am in a mood of eating light at night and the easiest and healthiest option remains the soup. The name leek and potato soup, I  heard it for the first time from my SIL G. G used to have soups and salads for her lunch in her office in UK, she had in particular mentioned about this soup that it tastes really good. Till then I had always seen a Leek in a vegetable shop but was never tempted to buy it. After her mentioning about it, in my next shopping round of the veggies the Leek was introduced to the family.

 

 

      I surfed the net in search of the recipe and found a few which I twisted and modified. I do not know how G’s soup was made but true to G’s word the soup turned out really tasty. I must confess here I was really skeptical about how it will turn as I had never tasted a Leek earlier, and in my first experiment I jumped on to a soup! Ever since I made it the first time, the family has loved having it. This recipe calls for minimum ingredients but yields maximum satisfaction of sipping a delectable soup. Just have it piping hot.

 

 

 

      I have loved reading in the  English books where the lady of the house serves hot bread and cookies straight from the oven along with hot tea or soup. I used to dream some day even I will do that…This time when I made the soup I wanted to serve fresh home made bread. Like I mentioned, I always fancied making a bread at home but always feared  how it will turn out, how well I could handle the yeast (the yeast ghost).

 

 

    I googled through various websites trying to understand the intricacy and planning involved in baking a bread. Whatever I read gave me a little confidence that I might be able to handle the yeast. So this daring baker(which I am not yet) dared with some simple bread knots to start with. I was really inspired by a swiss bread posted by Chef in you. The knots came out perfect, though a little dense as I had replaced a part of the recipe with whole wheat flour. I must try it again with a little extra yeast next time, or you all can suggest what else I could do. I could not take a click of a cut slice as the bread got finished very fast, that makes me believe it was good and worth all the effort.

 

 

Ingredients for the Leek & Potato soup

Serves 6

 

1 Leek chopped

2 medium Potatoes finely chopped

1-2 tsp white pepper powder

1 1/2 cups double toned milk

2 tbsp butter

4 cups water

salt to taste

1-2 vegetable stock cubes/ fresh vegetable stock

 

Method

 

Heat butter in a pan and throw in the chopped leek and potatoes, mix and add salt(add less if veg stock cubes are used), this releases water and helps in cooking. Saute for a few minutes.

 

Add pepper, veg stock cubes. Mix and add milk and water and bring it to a boil.

Once the potatoes are soft, run a hand blender in the soup.This thickens & brings in a consistency to the soup .

Serve hot with some cream on top (I did not put) and bread.

Ingredients for Bread Knots

 

3 3/4 cups bread flour ( I replaced 1 cup with wheat flour)

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tbsp active yeast

1 tsp honey

1 cup luke warm milk

4 tbsp melted butter

 

 

Method

 

In the luke warm milk add honey, butter and instant yeast and let it stand for 15 mins.

Mix the flours and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour the egg and the milk mixture. Mix well and knead a dough.
Cover with a cling film and let it rise to a double volume(first rise). It took 1 hour for me as the temperature is soaring here.

Punch the dough and deflate. Make lemon sized balls and make 9 inch ropes and make the knots.

Let them rise for 30-40 mins ( second rise) and then apply egg white on the top surface for glazing. Bake in a pre heated oven for 30-40 mins at 375 F.

 

Serve with some butter.

The bread knots are my entry to Sunday snacks- Snacks with bread at Priya’s easyntastyrecipes and is the brain child of  Hima of SnackORama .

The soup is my entry to an event Soup N Juice Soup hosted by Sireesha  of  MomsRecipies

 

 

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