Banana pancakes from leftover bananas !!!

You know how crazy my hubby is about pancakes ....I have already shared with you the usual pancake recipe here...

The other day I had these bananas going overripe and I was not in a mood to bake a bread (which is my fav from ripe bananas ) I tried making pancakes with bananas and to my surprise they were better than what I had expected...the texture was fluffy and the pancakes looked great and tasted much more better than the plain ones.

So the next time you have overripe bananas don't even think twice before trying these pancakes which are so easy and ready in a jiffy.

While the weather is all cold and grey these pancakes will surely lift up your spirits...do try these and lemme know how you liked them.

Here's the recipe

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
1 ripe banana(mashed)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method 

• Combine flour,sugar,baking powder and salt.In a separate bowl mix together egg,milk,vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
• Stir the flour mixture into the banana mix and add melted butter.
• Heat lightly oiled griddle or pan and pour in the batter using a laddle. Flip it when bubbles appear and cook well on both the sides.Serve warm with maple syrup or honey .
• Enjoy these fluffy pancakes with fruits and for a guilty version you can even serve it with whipped cream. !!!

Celebrate Halloween with butter free whole wheat squash bread !!

Gone are the bright sunny days ...gone are those barbeques and picnics ...gone are those summer dresses....its fall time !!

Well the fall season heralds the winters...and brings back your jackets and sweaters out...and so I hate that.I needed some baking to uplift my spirits and what better than a seasonal squash bread with the goodness of whole wheat and flaxseed. 

This bread was a surprise winner ,one coz its guilt- free, and second its perfect for this season.

So this  halloween try this beautiful recipe and surprise your guests with this guilt free version. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup squash puree *
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup ground  flaxseed
3/4 cup muscovado sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp maple syrup(or honey)
3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180 C.
• Combine flour,salt,baking powder,baking soda and cinnamon and keep aside
• Mix water and flaxseed and keep aside for 5 minutes.
• In a bowl mix sugar,oil,eggs,squash puree and  maple syrup until blended.
• Add flour and mix till combined.Fold in the chocolate chips.
• Pour into a loaf tin and bake it for 45-50 minutes.

*For squash puree chop squash into small pieces and oven roast in a lined baking tray for 30-35 minutes at 200C. Allow it to cool and then blend into a smooth puree.

Enjoy this comforting bread with a cuppa !!!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!!

Soft and scrumptious coconut buns!!

Well you know how much I love coconut... even my first recipe on the blog was of coconut laddu. I like it in all forms-fresh coconut,dry coconut,coconut water,coconut sweets,coconut in curries almost everything!!

But I had no idea that adding coconut to buns would give such an amazing flavour until I tried these.Fresh baked breads have their own charm...the heavenly smell..the soft dough..all this just lifts up your spirits !!

We had these yummy buns for breakfast and they just got finished in minutes...soft,fluffy with a little sweetness and a touch of coconut.This is a perfect treat to welcome winters :)

This also goes to my entry for Bloggers Buzz Photography Club Assignment 1.

Ingredients

4 cup white bread flour
1 egg
2/3 cup coconut milk
2/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp milk powder
2 tbsp dessicated coconut
3 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt

Method

• Add yeast in a bowl of warm water and let it rest for 5-8 minutes till it activates.In a large bowl add milk powder,sugar,dessicated coconut,flour,beaten egg,salt,melted butter,coconut milk and yeast mixture.
• Mix well to form a dough and knead for 7-8 minutes till it forms an elastic ball.
• Cover it with cling film and rest it for about two hours until the dough has doubled in size.
• Gently press down knead a few minutes and rest for 10 minutes.Divide into small portions and shape into buns.
• Arrange in a baking pan and brush it with egg wash.Bake it in a preheated oven at 180 for about 20-25 minutes.

I promise your home will smell like heaven !!

Kick start your day with pesto tomato and mozzarella sandwich

What's a typical British meal? Sandwich!! I read somewhere that around 12 billion sandwiches are eaten every year in the UK....just imagine !!

When it comes to sandwiches I am not very fond of the cold ones we get here...I like the toasted and grilled ones better.We have been grown up eating potato and paneer sandwiches and then came the era of coleslaw sandwiches during college days.Grilled sandwiches were a specialty of some places only and I remember how I used to love these sandwiches at the mathura road branch of Haldiram's in Delhi.
The best thing  about sandwiches is that they are simple to make and you can play around with a number of options depending upon the available ingredients.Well,pesto is our favourite thesedays and so I made this sandwich for the first time on hubby's b'day and we loved it so much that since then its weekly in our menu.
I used Sacla basil pesto sauce for this recipe....I was never a fan of bottled sauces until I tried this pesto sauce...it is as fresh as homemade pesto. Try making this sandwich with seeded bread it does makes a lot of difference in taste as well as health quotient.I have used Hovis Seeds sensation which is a staple in our home thesedays.I have tried so many varieties of bread in this country but when it comes to seeded breads this one is the best .

Here comes the recipe :

Ingredients 

1/4 cup Sacla Classic Basil pesto

1/4 Red pepper(cut into long strips)

Half Tomato(cut into pieces)

1/4 cup Mozzarella 

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Pepper

4 slices of Seeded bread(I used Hovis Seed Sensation)
Butter for toasting 

Method 

In a pan roast red pepper slices til they are a bit charred.(You can even do this in oven)Take pesto and spread on the bread slices.Put tomato pieces and capsicum strips.Sprinkle salt and pepper and add crumbled cheese.Cover it with a slice of bread 

Heat butter in a pan or a griddle.Toast or grill  till it is brown on both sides and cheese is melted.Cut into two and serve hot !!!

Enjoy this scrumptious sandwich with your morning cuppa or pack it for lunch...it tastes great either ways !!!

hubby's favourite "pancakes"

Well.... I have been away from blogging for quite a longtime ...was busy shifting home which was such a gigantic task in itself....from packing to unpacking ...the sadness of leaving your first home to the excitement of moving on to a new place....drains you completely !!!!

Well this has been lying in my drafts for quite some time... so before I begin experiments in my new kitchen lemme share with you this super simple and super delicious recipe of pancakes !!!

Hubby loves pancakes.......during our courtship period we went to Mocha once and had  pancakes there....then I came to know how much he loves pancakes...at that time I had no clue how to make infact I used to think its something very difficult and out of the world ....and then fate brought me to London exposing us to all kinds of pancakes and waffles !!!

Picture taken in 2011 at Mocha ,G.K Delhi

I am a fan of Nigella shows and love all her dessert recipes...her recipes are simply no fuss and yield great results.I tried her  pancake mix which is a great way to make instant pancakes.But here's one small modification I made in making the batter which is the magic ingredient called BUTTERMILK.I used buttermilk which yields such velvety melt in mouth pancakes !!!

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar

For batter

For every 1 cup of pancake mix

1 egg
1/4 tsp vanila extract
1 cup buttermilk 


For blueberry syrup

1/2 cup blueberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp water

Method


Mix all the dry ingredients and store it an airtight container .Whenever you feel like having pancakes just take one cup of mix add 1 beaten egg,vanilla extract and buttermilk.If its too thick then add some milk.

Heat a  pan,add butter and spoon drops of 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons of batter onto the pan and when bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake flip it over to make them golden brown on both sides. A minute or so a side should do it.

For the syrup combine all ingredients and let it simmer till it thickens.Serve with pancakes.Leftovers can also be used as jam on bread!!!!

Enjoy these velvety pancakes!!!!!!!

orange and chocolate chip muffins

Well you know about my love for muffins.. See here !!!

The best thing about baking muffins is that it requires minimal time and efforts.....seriously these muffins were ready to eat in 30 minutes!!!This refreshing orange muffin was on my to-do-list for quite sometime but my love for oranges could hardly spare one or two  for this recipe :P :P....so this time I managed to save a few for these muffins ... added a  few chocolate chips too...which complimented really well!!!

 Talking about oranges here are some interesting facts :

• After chocolate and vanilla, orange is the world's favorite flavor.
• You will have to eat 7 cups of cornflakes to get the same amount to fiber you would get from one medium orange!
• If you plant a single seed from an orange you will probably get more than one plant growing from it.

So why not include oranges in our daily diet....here's one way to enjoy it !!!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups  All purpose Flour
1 Orange (quartered and seeds removed)
1/2 cup Orange juice
1tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Butter
1 Egg
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp chocolate chips

Picture taken at Barcelona in 2011

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
• Add egg and butter to food processor and combine,pour into large bowl.
• Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture.
• Fill muffin cups and Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before removing muffins.
  
  So go ahead and try these  refreshing,delicate,soft and moist muffins !!!

Sending it to Kid 's Delight -Fruits by Srivalli hosted by Nupur 

I love Baking by Tickling Palates 

Bake Fest by Zesty Palate hosted by Sumee's Culinary Bites

lunchbox special :corn and bean sandwich

Sometimes some of the most unplanned and quick experiments in kitchen turn out great!!!

The other day I made rajma and kept aside some boiled beans for snacking.

Next morning I cooked up this easy and quick corn and bean sandwich for hubby..an hour later I got an SMS  from hubby that the sandwich was yummm!!!

Wow!!!My experiment was a success again !!!

Ingredients

 2 Bread slices
 1 tbsp Kidney beans (boiled)
1 tsp Corn kernels (cooked or frozen)
1 tsp Cheese
1 Tomato(finely chopped)
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Basil
Salt and pepper  to taste
Pinch of Red chilli
Butter and Oil for cooking

Method

Take olive oil in a pan.Add garlic and cook till it releases flavour.Add chopped tomatoes and cook adding little water.Add salt,basil,oregano,black pepper and red chilli .When the tomatoes are cooked add boiled kidney beans and corn  and mix.Now take bread slice.Top it with this mixture.Sprinkle some grated cheese.Cover it with the second slice and toast it on a pan applying butter on both sides.Cut into two and serve.

These sandwiches are great for breakfast and  perfect for lunchbox and picnics !!!

Notes :

You can even used left over rajma .First cook till the gravy dries and mix with corn and herbs.

Cheese is optional but it does adds taste 

You can  even add other veggies like mushrooms or paneer.

Sending it to the following Blog events


Love Lock Series -Legumes by Zesty Palette 

Lunchbox Ideas by Cuisine Delights 

Lets make sandwiches by Simply food 

Divya's Showcase

coriander onion and cheese focaccia

Working with yeast is quite tricky...sometimes it blooms and sometimes it doesn't ...it takes a bit of  time and patience to understand this difficult but magical ingredient!So after a series of sweet and sour experiences with yeast now I have started enjoying working with it..as the universal rules applies here too"Practice makes perfect"!!

The first time I tried focaccia it was heartbreaking... seriously baking has the power to make you spring with joy watching your rising cake or heavenly bread or make you upset and behave like a distraught kid  in case of a sinking  cake or a rubbery bread !!!

Recently I tried stuffed buns which turned out great...so I mustered up  the courage to try focaccia again.

And yes it turned out fab this time and brought a big smile on my face !!!
Focaccia is an oven baked Italian bread  seasoned with olive oil ,herbs and topped with onion,cheese etc.You can flavour it depending your choice and availability of ingredients.I used coriander,onion and cheese which turned out good and tasted quite similar to the masala bread I used to get in a bakery near my place in Delhi.I still remember that bakery..It was called Angel's basket and had the most amazing and delicious bakery products from pastries to breads,muffins, cakes...!!!Someday ,sometime I will go there for sure !!!
As of now let us talk about Focaccia !!!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup All purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped coriander

Half onion chopped and roasted

2 tsp active dried yeast

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp grated cheese(cheddar)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 green chilli(chopped)

1/4 cup warm water 

Salt to taste

Method

 Mix yeast in warm water and leave it till to activate.In the meantime mix together the flour, salt,  garlic powder,chillies and  half of coriander leaves  in a mixing bowl.Once the yeast has frothed, add it to the flour mix and knead till the dough becomes soft.Lightly grease a bowl, place the dough in it, cover with a wet cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise.After about 2 hours, the dough would have doubled in size, so punch it down, knead for about 2 to 3 minutes and place it in a  baking pan.Dimple it at intervals with your finger.Top with the remaining coriander leaves ,roasted onions and cheese and keep aside for an hour or so to proof again.Once the dough has risen again  place in an oven preheated at 180C.Bake for 17 to 20 minutes or till golden brown.

 YAY!!!ITS READY AND IT SMELLS HEAVEN !!!

Sending it to

 My event Teatime

EP Series-Herbs & Spices(Cilantro & Cumin) 

Lunchbox Ideas by Cuisine Delights