Fresh herb cheesy yogurt dip with crostini

 A trip to the Middle Eastern grocery store tempts me into stocking up on some lesser-used ingredients. Labne (a thick creamy yogurt similar to Greek yogurt) is one of them, I love to make my Easy Peasy Spinach Artichoke dip using it. With a lone jar of labne and the smell of fresh herbs every time I opened the fridge,  combined with the pictorial memory of the "Crostini Dip" on IG (@thechutneylife), this dip was waiting to be created. And, the ease of it is so convenient that the family got to enjoy it for a workday lunch when I managed to fix it between patients!

The versatility of this comes in handy too, leftovers will make a great spread for your breakfast bagel, or toss it with some freshly boiled pasta for a nice flavorful pasta dinner. 

Ingredients

• Labne (Or plain Greek yogurt)- 1 cup
• Cream cheese- 1/2 packet
• Serrano chillies- 2
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil- 1 tbsp
• Cherry tomatoes- 2 cups
• Fresh basil- 10-12 leaves chopped
• Fresh parsley- 3-4 tbsp
• Fresh garlic- 7-8 cloves finely chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Rye or any other small bread toasted for dipping

Method

Blend Labne, cream cheese, fresh herbs, 2 cloves of garlic, serrano chilies, and salt together in a blender. Refrigerate the dip for a couple of hours. In a pan, heat the EVOO and add the halved cherry tomatoes and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes until salt. Add salt and fresh basil and turn off the stove. Spread the tomato mixture on the dip and add cracked black pepper to it. Enjoy as a snack or an appetizer with warm toasted crostini!

Guiltless coffee cake

 Somewhere between a pudding and a cake, this dessert is one of the best tasting healthier concoction that has been whipped up in my kitchen. And this comes from my foodie 11 year old son who does not once shy away from being critical of his mom’s healthy dessert experiments! 

The choco dates drizzle topping adds the perfect flavor and texture combo taking this dessert up a notch. Inspired by Forks over Knives, this recipe has been modified to appeal to our chocolicious taste buds! I promise this won’t disappoint, the ease factor is high here. Kahan and I made it on an impulse after dinner in a jiffy on a weeknight!

Ingredients 

TOPPING

• 3 tablespoons unsweetened, unflavored plant-based milk
• 2 tablespoons date paste
• 1 teaspoon almond butter
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp natural cacao powder 

CAKE

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup unsweetened, almond milk
• 1½ teaspoons flaxseed meal
• 1½ teaspoons almond butter
• 1½ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup almond flour 
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar
• ¼ cup rolled oats
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or almond extract)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make optional Drizzle Topping: In a blender combine all the ingredients and make a smooth paste and set it aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix well with a spatula until the batter comes together. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with non stick cooking spray and pour the cake batter in it. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a tooth pick inserted in it comes out clean. Once cool, drizzle or spread the topping and enjoy! 
3. 
   

Warning- tastes even yummier the following day after refrigerating! 

Vegetable Paniyaram

I love food. Darn, that is a cliche. But I am not lying and I need variety and so does my 10 year old son!  I love South Indian food and fantasize dishes beyond the uber tasty idli, dosas and upma! So driving back from work after seeing some 20-25 patients, my mind started conjuring up meal ideas for today's dinner. And a simple yet sumptuous spread was conceived- Vegetable paniyaram (will have to be instant as I didn't have fermented rice/daal batter), Sambhar (needed to use up the leftovers in the fridge, part of the reason for this meal, shhhhh nobody needs to know this though!), Cilantro coconut peanut chutney and Lemon Rice (Instant Pot to the rescue!). 

Presenting my take on the Instant vegetable paniyaram. Appe pan- I love you just as I love some of my other kitchen gadgets!

Ingredients

Coarse sooji (Rava or semolina)- 1 cup

Rice flour- 1/2 cup

Plain yogurt- 2/3rd cup

Grated carrots- 1 cup (and change!)

Finely chopped bell peppers- 1/2 of a large pepper

Finely chopped onions- 1/2 an onion

Finely chopped green chillies- 1-2 chillies

Grated ginger- 1 tbsp

Water- about 1 cup (have to adjust per consistency)

Curry leaves- 8-10

Ghee- 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds- 1 tsp

Asafetida- 1/4 tsp

Chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder- 1 tsp

Baking soda- 1/2 tsp

Oil as needed to grease the Appe pan, can also use non-stick cooking spray instead. 

Makes about 20-24 Paniyarams

Recipe

In a mixing bowl add the Sooji, rice flour, yogurt, salt, turmeric and make a batter with slowly adding water as needed for a batter that is not too runny but slightly thick. 
Tadka- Heat up the ghee on a slow flame in a thick bottom pan with mustard seeds and curry leaves. When the seeds crackle, add a pinch of asafoetida followed by green chillies and chopped onions. Saute the onions for 3-4 minutes. Add the other veggies, grated ginger salt and mix everything well and turn off the stove. Mix the sauteed mixture into the batter. Add the baking soda and let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes. 

Heat the Appe pan on a medium heat and spray them with non-stick cooking spray or put a tsp of oil in each round. Place the batter in each round and cook on medium flame covered for 4-5 minutes on one side and flip to cook another 3 minutes or so on the other side. 

Serve hot with chutney/Sambhar of your choice. 

Batter

More photos- https://photos.app.goo.gl/XS79QguAytNFN5um8

Juwaar beet salad

One of the COVID 19 quarantine internalizations has been the desire to incorporate more miller’s into our day to day diet. Attribute the inspiration it to a few IG pages, food conversations with a friend and just a general inclination to cleaner and healthier cooking/eating. While I have played with Raagi, Juwaar flours in my cooking from time to time, I landed on whole Juwaar at the Indian store recently. And this salad was born like most of my dishes r- from ingredients in the pantry and the fridge. I was surprised at the unique texture and sweetness of this millet.

Ingredients 

Juwar- 1.5 cups 

Boiled beet cubed - 1 large

Chopped cucumber- 1/2

Chopped 🍅 tomato-1/2

Chopped kale 🥬 leaves-1 cup

Chopped Green onions -2

Finely chopped fresh mint- 2-3 tsp
Chopped green chilies- 1
Crumbled feta cheese-2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Chaat masala- 2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 a lemon 🍋 

Directions

Boil the juwaar in IP for 10 minutes with some salt in it or pressure cook. Mix the salad ingredients and toss well. Enjoy cold or at room temperature. 

Cheesy corn aloo balls

If you are like me, you love appetizers- creating and consuming both! So here’s an easy, non fried and delicious starter. Who doesn’t like potatoes, cheese and corn after all! You and your guests r in for a treat. I snuck in a lone half sweet potato 🍠 in mine as it was crying to be used!

Ingredients 
Potatoes-3-4 medium
Frozen sweet corn- 1.5 cups
Mozzarella cheese shredded- 3/4 cup
Chopped green chilies- 1
Garlic powder- 2 tsp
Dry oregano- 2 tsp
Tandoori masala- 2 tsp
Black pepper- 1-2 tsp
Aamchur powder- 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Canola oil enough to coat the Appe pan

Directions
Boil and mash the potatoes. Combine all ingredients to form the mixture. While you can deep fry these, I used my go-to Appe pan for these. Place 1/2 tsp oil in each slot of the pan on medium heat and place the mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side and flip and cook for about 2 minutes on the other side. Serve with a sauce of your choice. I combined sriracha, ketchup and ranch to make a yummy dipping sauce for mine.

Roasted Veggie Lasagna

I still remember the time I had lasagna for the first time in the US about 20 years ago. I was in awe of my husband's cousin who had made it. Multiple layers of pasta, flavorful veggies, spinach, ricotta and other cheeses- how can anyone make something as complex as this at home. Little did I know that over the years this seemingly complex dish would be broken down to a series of simple steps by my "chef brain" with several permutations/combinations of ingredients and variations!

While improvisations like using frozen spinach, crushing spinach vs not crushing it for the right texture, substituting cottage cheese for ricotta cheese to cut down on some calories and raise the nutrition bar seem trivial, the most important one came several years ago with the discovery of "no boil lasagna noodles". Gone were the days of struggling to handle the cooked sloppy with lasagna breaking apart during the process. Over the years I would realize, you don't even need to buy the "no boil noodles" in particular because ANY lasagna can be made the "no boil" way! It is the moisture from the filling layers and the sauce with the baking time in the oven that cook the noodles while infusing all the amazing flavors in them. Good bye over cooked messes!

So here's just one of my over a dozen variations of lasagna that I recently made. And like most of my meals, this requires minimal prep time (under 30 minutes total is my goal with my limited attention span, constantly multi-tasking nature and the urge to accomplish as much as I possibly can in a limited time!!)

INGREDIENTS

• ANY lasagna noodles- about 250 GM
• Good quality marinara pasta sauce- 1 jar
• Pesto- 2 tbsp
• Alfredo sauce- 1 cup (optional)
• Chopped veggies like- Red onions, summer squash, zucchini, Eggplant, carrots, sweet/bell peppers- 1 of each 
• Cooked chopped or crushed spinach- 1/2 cup
• Egg white- 1-2 (optional for binding)
• EVOO- 1 tbsp
• Garlic cloves- 3-4
• Salt, pepper and chili flakes to taste
• Low fat Cottage cheese- 2 cups
• Mozarella cheese- 1/2 cup 
• Parmesan/pecorino cheese- 1/4 cup

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a glass baking tray. Combine the sauces in a mixing bowl. Spread the chopped veggies on a large baking tray greased with olive oil and toss them with some EVOO + salt, pepper and fresh chopped garlic. Roast the veggies in the oven for a total of 20-22 minutes mixing half way and checking again at around 18 minutes mark. Mix the roasted veggies with cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese), cooked chopped spinach, salt, pepper, chili flakes and egg whites in a mixing bowl. 

Start the layering by spreading sauce at the bottom of the baking tray followed by the uncooked lasagna sheets. Spread the veggie cottage cheese mixture on top and then the sauce again. Repeat with the final layer of lasagna and sauce. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Cover the tray with Aluminum foil and bake at 375F for 35-40 minutes first. Remove the foil from the top and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, cut and serve. 

Pair with mixed greens 🥬 or a simple 🥗 salad.

Bon-apetit! 

Healthy and Tasty couscous sweet potato veggie burgers

My brain usually has an inexhaustible supply of meal ideas with repetitions of meals spread out several weeks if not months apart. This extended quarantine does challenge that track record at times. Saturday dinner was one such instance. So I asked my 10 year old foodie son, Kahan for dinner suggestions. And he looks up some ideas on "Tasty.co" and goes, "Mumma, how about we make burger patties from scratch?" And images of all the possible ingredients in the fridge started snapping in front of me. "Bingo! Those ignored honey wheat buns, that rarely ever used celery and that sweet potato begging to come out of its home would love to be finally put to good use!" I was sold on the idea and while he went through the different options about chick pea vs black bean burger, the sunflower seeds version seemed to strike my fancy! 

So Kahan and I decided to improvise the recipe based on what we had on hand and boy were we all delighted with the final outcome! So here's the simple yet flavorful and healthy veggie burger recipe. 

Ingredients

• Boiled sweet potato- 1
• Cooked cous cous- 3/4 cup
• Chopped carrot- 1 medium
• Chopped celery- 1 stalk
• Chopped scallions- 2-3
• EVOO- 2 tsp
• Seeds and nuts mix (sunflower and other seeds)- 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Chili lime seasoning- 1 tsp
• Garlic power- dash
• Tandoori masala- 1 tsp
• Paprika powder- 1 tsp
• Lettuce, Tomato, Avocado, pickles, ketchup, Sriracha ranch, buns and cheese slices to assemble

Directions

Combine all the ingredients and mix well or use a food processor pulsing a few times to make the patty batter ready. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Use half cup measure to lay out the patties on a greased baking sheet. Spread them out a little to make even thickness patties. This makes about 5-6 good size patties. Flip them after 15 minutes. 

Assemble the burgers and enjoy with your favorite condiments and salad. 

Beet paneer kofta curry

A dish is usually cooked up in the mind before being cooked in the kitchen; that's the story of a home chef! Variety is the spice of life and good food nourishes the soul. On that note, those cooked beets in the fridge needed to go in a dish besides a salad or beet raita. The blanched spinach in the freezer was doing nothing more than taking up space. Time to get them married off in a dish!
The gravy, made in the Instant pot is super easy with no saute needed there is no compromise on flavors.

Ingredients
KOFTA-

• Grated Boiled beets (I cook them in Instant pot)- 2
• Grated Boiled potato- 1
• Grated paneer- 1/2 cup
• Corn startch- 1 tbsp (can substitute with all purpose flour or skip altogether)
• Chopped green chillies and giner- 1 tbsp
• Oil to grease the Appe pan
• Salt to taste

CURRY/GRAVY-

• Tomatoes chopped- 2 large
• Green chilly- 1
• Ginger- 1 small piece
• Garlic- 2 cloves 
• Onion chopped- 1
• Butter or ghee- 1tbsp
• Cumin- 1 tsp
• Spinach (optional)- 1 cup
• Cashew pieces- 2-3 tbsp
• Spice potli- cardamom, star anise, black pepper corn, cinnamon, cloves wrapped and tied in a small cloth pouch. (Can substitute with a tsp of garam masala)
• Bay leaf- 1
• Water- 2 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar- pinch
• Sour cream, heavy cream or plain Greek yogurt 

Method

Combine all the Kofta ingredients in a mixing bowl and form a dough. Heat the appe pan with some oil in each section and place the kofta balls, cover and cook on medium flame for about 4-5 minutes on one side. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Kofta can be fried alternately. 

Place all the gravy ingredients in the Instant pot except the sour cream/heavy cream. Cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Release the pressure after 10 minutes and blend in a blender after removing 

the spice pouch and the bay leaf. Transfer to a pan on the stove top and heat. Adjust salt as needed and a pinch sugar to balance the flavors.

Place the Kofta in the gravy right before serving and garnish with sour cream/heavy cream or greek yogurt. Enjoy with Roti or Naan (or by itself if on a low carb diet!!). 

NOTE- The gravy can be made in pressure cooker or stove top as well. 

Place all 

Combine all the gravy ingr

Roasted cauliflower Thai curry

Home chefs find inspiration in everything around them. Compound that with quarantine, a refrigerator full of produce, daily exposure to Master Chef season 6 and a  newly found "getting to know Instagram" approach and the result is new dishes! So that's the story behind this curry and pretty much most of the meals being whipped in the kitchen these days.

Tired of the usual Aloo Gobi? Try this Thai take on Gobi and you are sure to please your taste buds and your families quest for variety. 

Ingredients

• 1 small head cauliflower florets
• Green beans- 5-6 cut length wise
• Bell pepper- 1 cut into squares
• Olive oil - 2 tsp
• Minced garlic- 1 tbsp
• Ginger- 2 tsp
• Brown sugar/Jaggery- 2 tsp
• Coconut milk- 1 can
• Thai green curry paste (or red curry paste)- 2tbsp
• Thai dry chili paste- 1 tsp (optional)
• Lemon juice or lime juice- 2 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Cilantro or basil to garnish
• 
  

Serves 4-6. Sub 30 minute dish.

Method

Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large sheet pan lined with aluminum foil with non stick spray, spread the vegetables evenly and drizzle with olive oil and some salt. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes or until cauliflower appears charred but not burnt. In a sauce pan mix coconut milk, brown sugar/jaggery, minced garlic, grated ginger, Thai chili paste, Thai curry paste and mix well with a hand blender if needed. Simmer on low to medium stove top for 10 minutes. Add the roasted veggies, salt, lemon juice and mix well and turn the heat off. Garnish with basil or cilantro and serve hot with brown rice.

Cauliflower Rice with stir fry veggies/tofu bowl

This “easy-peasy” sub-15 minutes meal cuts no corners in flavors and freshness of ingredients. One thing is certain- you won’t  miss the carbs in this flavor burst medley!
Ingredients
Cauliflower rice-2 cups
Green beans (fresh or frozen)- 1/2 cup
Brussels sprouts (fresh/frozen) chopped- 2/3 cup
Shredded 🥕 carrots- 1/2 cup
Broccoli 🥦 florets 2/3 cup
Mushrooms 🍄 chopped (optional)- 1/2 cup
Green onions/chives chopped- 2
Minced garlic- 1 tbsp
Extra firm tofu pieces- 1 cup
Fried egg for topping (optional)
2 tbsp canola oil
Soy sauce- 1 tbsp
Chili garlic sauce- to taste
Good vinegar (white balsamic or rice wine)-2 tsp
Everything but Bagel seasoning 🧂 (Trader Joes)- a dash to sprinkle (or add roasted sesame seeds instead)
Cilantro/parsley to garnish
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste

Method 
In a non stick pan, heat oil and add chili garlic sauce. Shallow fry the tofu pieces and set aside. In the same pan, add some more oil if needed and sauté the 🧄 garlic and add the veggies one after the other with salt and black pepper. Cook on medium to high heat. Add cauliflower rice, soy sauce, chili sauce, vinegar and stir well. The veggies will preserve their freshness and color as they are only cooked for a total of 4-5 minutes. Add the tofu pieces, adjust salt, sprinkle the sesame seeds or “Everything but bagel” seasoning and garnish with parsley or cilantro. Top with fried egg and enjoy this flavorful protein bowl.

Instant Pot Mexican Rice

Food blogging has taken a back seat this past couple of years with the newer practice taking up most of the time and energy. Instant pot happened around the same time as the practice and boy it has been a game changer in my kitchen. This Mexican rice recipe was inspired by the IP Vegetarian chili recipe. Wholesome and delicious one pot meals with minimal prep score big in a busy mom-boss's kitchen!

Ingredients

• Rice (Brown, white, long or short grained- your choice)- 1.5 cups
• Black beans- 2/3 cup soaked in water for 4-5 hours
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 jalapeno- chopped finely
• finely chopped veggies like celery, carrots, zucchini, spinach
• corn (fresh/frozen/roasted)- 1/2 cup
• Water- 2 cups
• Taco seasoning- 2 tsp
• salt to taste
• Lime juice to taste
• Chopped cilantro to garnish
• Mexican shredded cheese to garnish
• Avocado- 1 chopped to garnish
• EVOO or canola oil- 1 tsp

Directions

Turn the IP to Saute mode and put oil in the pot. Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno for 2-3 minutes. Add all the chopped veggies, beans, rice, seasoning and water, salt. Close the lid and and cook on High Pressure for 8 minutes. Vent after 10-12 minutes and add the lime juice and mix well. Serve with the garnishes. 

Roasted curried cauliflower-corn soup

When life gives you cauliflower, you tend to make Aloo Gobi, Gobi masala or Gobi paratha as a devout Indian home chef. That was me until I was fed up of the first two options and lacked the time and patience for the stuffed Gobi paratha option. And that is how this soup was conceived!

Ingredients

• Cauliflower florets (frozen or fresh)- 2-3 cups (or 1 cauliflower head)
• Frozen or fresh corn kernels (I use roasted corn)- 1/2 cup
• Onion- 1 medium chopped into large pieces
• Coconut milk reduced fat- 1/2 cup
• EVOO- 1 teaspoon or more to roast
• Vegetable broth- 1 cup
• Roasted cumin powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam masala powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
• Smoked paprika- 2 teaspoons
• Balsamic vinegar- to garnish
• Salt/pepper to taste
• Cilantro/parsley chopped to garnish
• Smoked gouda or goat cheese - per taste
• Tortilla strips to garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spread the chopped cauliflower florets and the onions on a non stick sprayed cookie sheet. Coat them in EVOO lightly and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes rotating the sheet once in-between. Blend the roasted veggies with vegetable broth and roasted corn. Heat the soup on a stove top on medium to low medium heat and add the coconut milk and the seasonings. Let it simmer on low for a few minutes. Serve the soup hot garnished with cilantro/parsley, cheese, balsamic vinegar and tortilla strips. Enjoy with sour dough bread or Avocado toast.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/LZ71fcmjarkV5XDm6

Super food energy bars

Energy bars, protein bars, granola bars are all so handy for that quick source of much needed energy after a work-out or a mid-day snack or a meal replacement on a super busy day at work. With a gazillion variety available in the stores, it's a hit or miss. Some are high in sugar, others high in calories, some have a long list of strange ingredients you can barely pronounce! 

Inspiration to try my hands at these nutrient pack delicacies came from a neighbor and I started experimenting with my own ingredients until I found a happy medium! Or did I? Well, I suggest you find out for yourself and tweak as you please as long as you can share your version as well!

Ingredients

• Almonds- 1 cup
• Cashews- 1/2 cup
• Walnuts- 1/2 cup
• Chia seeds- 1/4 cup
• Oats- 1 cup
• Dates chopped- 1.5cup
• Almond butter- 1/2 cup
• Semi sweet chocolate chips- 1/3 cup
• Dash of sea salt
• Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg 
• Almond milk- as needed for binding
• Vanilla protein powder (plant based)- 1 scoop
• Stevia (if needed for more sweetness)
• Dried unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish

Roast the nuts on a low flame. Roast the oats lightly for 3-4 minutes. Grind the nuts and oats coarsely. A food processor can be used on a "pulse mode" to bring all the ingredients together into a dough like consistency. Spread the mixture on a greased cookie sheet; sprinkle some coconut flakes and bake in a 350 F preheated oven for about 12- 15 minutes. Let it come to room temperature before freezing it for about 30 minutes. Alternately, refrigerate for an hour or so and slice. The refrigeration ensures crumble free pieces. (I learnt it the hard way!)

Spread in the cookie sheet

Store in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy as u please!

Chocolicious chia seed pudding with a hint of orange!

Chia seeds have been the talk of the town for their "super food" label in health food circles. Anything that purports health benefits and lend that crunchy, bubbly texture catches my attention. I tried the overnight chia seeds and oats pudding that my SIL recommended and enjoyed it for a nice breakfast variation at work. I had enjoyed chocolate chia pudding at a local restaurant, "Lyfe Kitchen" and had found the texture's uniqueness beyond the scope of my kitchen! Boy, was I wrong!

The ease of this recipe is just the icing on the cake: the no-dairy, no-sugar aspect and all the healthfulness of chia seeds makes it almost too good to be true! Except that it is true!

Ingredients

• Unsweetened vanilla Almond milk 1.5 cups
• Chia seeds 1/2 cup
• Raw Cacao powder (or baking cocoa powder) 1/4th cup
• Maple-Agave syrup blend (or Maple syrup)- 3 tbsp 
• Orange zest- 2 tsp
• Pinch of salt
• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp (optional if using vanilla flavored Almond milk)
• Raspberries and graham cracker crumble (or any berries) for garnishing

Makes about 5-6 small dessert cups

Mix all the ingredients except the berries and graham crackers in a mixing bowl making sure there are no lumps of the cocoa powder. Blending will make the pudding smooth for those who prefer the smoother texture. I think what makes this pudding extra special is the texture of the chia seeds so tastes great without blending. Set in the refrigerator in individual serving cups. Pudding will be ready to serve in 5-6 hours. Garnish as you like and serve cold. 

Low guilt choco-orange walnut brownies

Who doesn't like warm chocolate gooey brownies with some good old vanilla ice cream! I have experimented with many recipes/ingredients with varying degrees of deliciousness and nutrition value! I just tend to be slightly picky about what goes into the food that goes into my kids' growing bodies and brains. The more nutrition I can squeeze in while still keeping the taste, the better I feel about that dish! And this applies to desserts as well.

Kahan, my 7 year old is a foodie and takes on his mom. He is very curious on what's cooking in mumma's kitchen and if the aromas arouse his interest, he will want to pitch in some help climbing on the little step stool. And so here we were, the mommy-son duo whipping up some choco-orange goodness right before homework time! The results were mouth watering (plural because it's hard to stop at one!) minus the refined flour, sugar, oil, butter and eggless in case we want to recreate this for Nani (my mom) some day!

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3rd cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4th cup Stevia-sugar baking blend
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup roasted chopped walnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
Zest of 1 orange
1/4th cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Pinch of salt (to round out all the flavors)
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3rd cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/3rd cup coconut oil
3/4th-1 cup water (Almond milk or milk can be used as well) to bring it all together to a batter

Mix all the ingredients except water really well. Add water (or almond milk) slowly as needed to get the thick brownie consistency. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pour the batter in a greased baking pan. Bake for 25-29 minutes depending on your pan and oven; checking in between. Let it cool before slicing. Enjoy with a dollop of your favorite vanilla ice cream.

Peanut-dates energy bars

Chilly winter mornings conjure up childhood memories of a glass of warm milk and mom-made "peanut laddoos"! Here's an attempt to recreate that memory with a slight twist for my kids and to be honest, for me too! The "gingery notes" pair up perfectly with peanuts and jaggery imparting a special aroma that is sure to tantalize those refined taste buds!

Ingredients 

2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped jaggery

3-4 tbspn dried coconut flakes or pieces 

3-4 tspn dry ginger powder or fresh grated ginger 

A dash of nutmeg

1 tbsp Ghee or coconut oil

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor or a high power blender like Vitamix/Blendtec. Empty into a mixing bowl and mix some ghee/coconut oil to bring it all together to bind it. Spread it in a greased dish and let it cool before cutting into pieces. Alternately they can be rolled into laddoos or rolls. Store at room temperature in a air-right container.

A quick on-the-go snack is ready for those crazy school mornings or right before that soccer practice or dance class in the evening!