Last Minute Diwali Sweet Treat : Chocolate Burfi

This post brings you a Diwali (Deepavali) special recipe for my readers from my mom's kitchen, something that's ready in 30 minutes with easily available ingredients. So if you are like me, a totally last minute person, who is sometimes completely unprepared for the festivals that suddenly come up, this is the perfect recipe for you. 

In my usual style, last evening, I kept the pan on the flame and then called my mom, "How do you make your chocolate cake?". In my family, prior to my generation, the only cakes that were made at home were these kinda 'cakes' - or in culinary terms they would be better called 'squares' or 'fudge'. How soft or hard you want the burfi depends on how much time you allow this to be on heat. My recipe gives you an in between consistency, so it cuts into neat squares. If you want it more soft set, try to remove it from flame onto the baking sheet 5 minutes earlier. These burfis are pretty much trial and error, and are a little trickier than baking cakes, but they are fun experience with a fair bit of arm workout, which we all could do with, given how much we end up gorging on during the festive season. 

If you don't have cocoa powder or if you don't prefer chocolate flavour, [wondering if there are such people in the universe;)] you can avoid the cocoa and add powdered cardamom or a few saffron strands towards the end to get plain milk burfi.

So this special recipe from my mom's kitchen, especially for you! Your last minute, go-to Diwali treat recipe :) Happy Diwali from the Saffron Trail Kitchen to you and your loved ones.

For latest updates from my kitchen and to know about the workshops lined up from the Saffron Trail Kitchen, LIKE my facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/saffrontrail

Recipe for Chocolate Burfi (cake)
30 minutes
Makes 16-20 pieces, depending on the size

Ingredients
500 ml milk (3% cow's milk)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp rava (semolina, fine is better)
2 tbsp cocoa powder + 3-4 tbsp warm milk

Directions

1. Line a deep dish or a baking tray with a parchment paper or grease with a few drops of ghee and keep aside. A size of 8x4" will do, but if you have a bigger thaali / dish, make sure you don't spread over the entire surface or the burfis will be very thin and fragile.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, place the milk, sugar, ghee and rava. Bring to boil on a high flame with constant monitoring and stirring. Once it comes to a boil, reduce flame and allow to simmer with reasonably constant stirring to make sure the milk does not burn or catch at the bottom of the pan, or doesn't boil over.
3. After stirring and simmering for around 20 minutes, the milk will turn much thicker, roughly the consistency of dosa / pancake batter. Whisk the cocoa powder in warm milk and pour into the thickening milk with constant stirring.
4. In another 5-8 minutes (continue stirring), the mixture will turn much thicker leaving the sides of the pan. At this point switch off flame, because it will continue to thicken in the residual heat.
5. Pour / transfer the mixture over the greased parchment, taking care to spread over a smaller area if you want thicker burfis.
6. Let this cool for 15 minutes after which you can cut into squares / rectangular bars with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
7. Store in airtight container and consume in 3-4 days. Keeping them in the fridge makes them too hard and I personally don't like them cold.

They make excellent homemade gifts on Diwali on any other festival. You could easily double the recipe, using 1 litre of milk. That will take around 45 mins-1 hour to thicken and prepare into burfis.

More Diwali treats from the archives:

Okkarai
Teratti Paal - Milk fudge
Dudhi Halva - bottle gourd fudge
Baked Karanji
5 minute microwaved besan laddoo
Eggless mawa cake
Khaja

Last Minute Diwali Sweet Treat : Chocolate Burfi

Posted by admin

This post brings you a Diwali (Deepavali) special recipe for my readers from my mom's kitchen, something that's ready in 30 minutes with easily available ingredients. So if you are like me, a totally last minute person, who is sometimes completely unprepared for the festivals that suddenly come up, this is the perfect recipe for you. 

In my usual style, last evening, I kept the pan on the flame and then called my mom, "How do you make your chocolate cake?". In my family, prior to my generation, the only cakes that were made at home were these kinda 'cakes' - or in culinary terms they would be better called 'squares' or 'fudge'. How soft or hard you want the burfi depends on how much time you allow this to be on heat. My recipe gives you an in between consistency, so it cuts into neat squares. If you want it more soft set, try to remove it from flame onto the baking sheet 5 minutes earlier. These burfis are pretty much trial and error, and are a little trickier than baking cakes, but they are fun experience with a fair bit of arm workout, which we all could do with, given how much we end up gorging on during the festive season. 

If you don't have cocoa powder or if you don't prefer chocolate flavour, [wondering if there are such people in the universe;)] you can avoid the cocoa and add powdered cardamom or a few saffron strands towards the end to get plain milk burfi.

So this special recipe from my mom's kitchen, especially for you! Your last minute, go-to Diwali treat recipe :) Happy Diwali from the Saffron Trail Kitchen to you and your loved ones.

For latest updates from my kitchen and to know about the workshops lined up from the Saffron Trail Kitchen, LIKE my facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/saffrontrail

Recipe for Chocolate Burfi (cake)
30 minutes
Makes 16-20 pieces, depending on the size

Ingredients
500 ml milk (3% cow's milk)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
1 tbsp rava (semolina, fine is better)
2 tbsp cocoa powder + 3-4 tbsp warm milk

Directions

1. Line a deep dish or a baking tray with a parchment paper or grease with a few drops of ghee and keep aside. A size of 8x4" will do, but if you have a bigger thaali / dish, make sure you don't spread over the entire surface or the burfis will be very thin and fragile.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, place the milk, sugar, ghee and rava. Bring to boil on a high flame with constant monitoring and stirring. Once it comes to a boil, reduce flame and allow to simmer with reasonably constant stirring to make sure the milk does not burn or catch at the bottom of the pan, or doesn't boil over.
3. After stirring and simmering for around 20 minutes, the milk will turn much thicker, roughly the consistency of dosa / pancake batter. Whisk the cocoa powder in warm milk and pour into the thickening milk with constant stirring.
4. In another 5-8 minutes (continue stirring), the mixture will turn much thicker leaving the sides of the pan. At this point switch off flame, because it will continue to thicken in the residual heat.
5. Pour / transfer the mixture over the greased parchment, taking care to spread over a smaller area if you want thicker burfis.
6. Let this cool for 15 minutes after which you can cut into squares / rectangular bars with a sharp knife or a pizza cutter.
7. Store in airtight container and consume in 3-4 days. Keeping them in the fridge makes them too hard and I personally don't like them cold.

They make excellent homemade gifts on Diwali on any other festival. You could easily double the recipe, using 1 litre of milk. That will take around 45 mins-1 hour to thicken and prepare into burfis.

More Diwali treats from the archives:

Okkarai
Teratti Paal - Milk fudge
Dudhi Halva - bottle gourd fudge
Baked Karanji
5 minute microwaved besan laddoo
Eggless mawa cake
Khaja

Honey Caramel Apples

I can't wait to post today's recipe! It's a perfect no-sugar Halloween (or Fall) treat! Truly delicious and I'm craving one right now. Happy Halloween!

Honey Caramel Apples

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 crisp apples (I like golden delicious)

1 Cup raw honey

1 Cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sprinkles, cookie crumbs, chopped nuts, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

First put the apples in the fridge to chill while you are making the caramel. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, heavy cream and salt. While it is heating, whisk together the mixture until combined and then bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat until the mixture reaches a simmer (it is still bubbling but not splattering all over). Stir and scrape sides of pot down occasionally. Keep heating until the temperature on a thermometer inserted in the sauce reaches 260 degrees (this may take about 30-45 minutes). 

While caramel is cooking, prepare apples by washing and drying them completely. Then skewer them with a popsicle stick and place them back in the fridge to continue chilling until caramel is ready. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (wax paper doesn't work too well as the hot caramel melts to it).

When caramel has reached 260 degrees, remove from heat, add vanilla extract and stir to combine. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened slightly, but is still a workable consistency, stirring occasionally. 

Remove apples from fridge and dry thoroughly again (they need to be completely dry for the caramel to stick to them). Dip apples in caramel, rolling and twirling, so it gets well coated. Let excess drip off and then place on prepared parchment paper. If, during this process, caramel in pan gets too hard to coat the apples just heat it until it's thin again. 

Sprinkle with sprinkles, cookie crumbs, or chopped nuts, if desired. Cool apples in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes to set the caramel and then enjoy!

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Our best bites

Honey Caramel Apples

Posted by admin

I can't wait to post today's recipe! It's a perfect no-sugar Halloween (or Fall) treat! Truly delicious and I'm craving one right now. Happy Halloween!

Honey Caramel Apples

Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 crisp apples (I like golden delicious)

1 Cup raw honey

1 Cup heavy cream

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Sprinkles, cookie crumbs, chopped nuts, etc.

DIRECTIONS:

First put the apples in the fridge to chill while you are making the caramel. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, heavy cream and salt. While it is heating, whisk together the mixture until combined and then bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat until the mixture reaches a simmer (it is still bubbling but not splattering all over). Stir and scrape sides of pot down occasionally. Keep heating until the temperature on a thermometer inserted in the sauce reaches 260 degrees (this may take about 30-45 minutes). 

While caramel is cooking, prepare apples by washing and drying them completely. Then skewer them with a popsicle stick and place them back in the fridge to continue chilling until caramel is ready. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside (wax paper doesn't work too well as the hot caramel melts to it).

When caramel has reached 260 degrees, remove from heat, add vanilla extract and stir to combine. Let this mixture sit for about 5 minutes or until it has thickened slightly, but is still a workable consistency, stirring occasionally. 

Remove apples from fridge and dry thoroughly again (they need to be completely dry for the caramel to stick to them). Dip apples in caramel, rolling and twirling, so it gets well coated. Let excess drip off and then place on prepared parchment paper. If, during this process, caramel in pan gets too hard to coat the apples just heat it until it's thin again. 

Sprinkle with sprinkles, cookie crumbs, or chopped nuts, if desired. Cool apples in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes to set the caramel and then enjoy!

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Our best bites

Apple Cider & Pomegranate Popsicles {and a Give Away}

These naturally sweetened popsicles are a perfect early fall treat. We are loving the cooler weather here in The Valley of the Sun (by cooler I mean in the 90's) and sitting out on the back patio with one of these popsicles is a special after school treat for the boys. Little miss thinks that "Popsicles are the World's greatest of all foods ever!" I'll have to agree with her on this one.

With the overload of sweets and candy that seem to be everywhere in late October I am especially happy to give these to my kiddos for a special treat. Apple cider and pomegranate have lots of vitamins and antioxidants to fuel the bod.

I really loved the combination of sweet, spiced apple cider and 

mouth puckering tart pomegranate in these.

Zoko sent me one of their pop makers to trial and I gotta say, I'm very impressed! Not only can you pour just about any combination of flavors and ingredients in the Zoku including yogurts, fresh fruit and nuts and have a cold, sweet treat in less than 10 minutes but they don't come out freezer burned and rock hard like the popsicles I've made in the past. Totally cool.... get it....cool?  O.K. fine 80's humor aside these popsicles rock! ;}

Love the cute, modern design! What color would you choose?

Next on my list? Chocolate pops! Thanks goodness these freeze super fast for those last minute chocolate emergencies!

photo source: Kid Crave

You Will Need

1 cup vanilla almond milk (helps the pops to not be like an ice cube in texture)
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (not the artificially flavored kind)
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup pomegranate juice

Pour the pomegranate into the Zoku maker and let sit 5-6 minutes
Blend the remaining ingredients in a blender till combined.
Using a small funnel, pour the apple mixture into the Zoku, on top of the now frozen pomegranate juice.
Wait another 5-6 minutes and watch as they freeze in front of your eyes on your countertop!

Give Away is for 1 triple Zoku pop maker (they also come in single and duo) in the color of your choice, a $49.95 value.
Winners must live in USA or Canada





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Apple Cider & Pomegranate Popsicles {and a Give Away}

Posted by admin

These naturally sweetened popsicles are a perfect early fall treat. We are loving the cooler weather here in The Valley of the Sun (by cooler I mean in the 90's) and sitting out on the back patio with one of these popsicles is a special after school treat for the boys. Little miss thinks that "Popsicles are the World's greatest of all foods ever!" I'll have to agree with her on this one.

With the overload of sweets and candy that seem to be everywhere in late October I am especially happy to give these to my kiddos for a special treat. Apple cider and pomegranate have lots of vitamins and antioxidants to fuel the bod.

I really loved the combination of sweet, spiced apple cider and 

mouth puckering tart pomegranate in these.

Zoko sent me one of their pop makers to trial and I gotta say, I'm very impressed! Not only can you pour just about any combination of flavors and ingredients in the Zoku including yogurts, fresh fruit and nuts and have a cold, sweet treat in less than 10 minutes but they don't come out freezer burned and rock hard like the popsicles I've made in the past. Totally cool.... get it....cool?  O.K. fine 80's humor aside these popsicles rock! ;}

Love the cute, modern design! What color would you choose?

Next on my list? Chocolate pops! Thanks goodness these freeze super fast for those last minute chocolate emergencies!

photo source: Kid Crave

You Will Need

1 cup vanilla almond milk (helps the pops to not be like an ice cube in texture)
1 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (not the artificially flavored kind)
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup pomegranate juice

Pour the pomegranate into the Zoku maker and let sit 5-6 minutes
Blend the remaining ingredients in a blender till combined.
Using a small funnel, pour the apple mixture into the Zoku, on top of the now frozen pomegranate juice.
Wait another 5-6 minutes and watch as they freeze in front of your eyes on your countertop!

Give Away is for 1 triple Zoku pop maker (they also come in single and duo) in the color of your choice, a $49.95 value.
Winners must live in USA or Canada





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ginger-Pear Popsicles

Have you ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder 'SAD'? According to the Mayo Clinic it is described as a very real condition which is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. Usually symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Usually people who are affected with this live in a part of the Country or World where there is less light during the day such as in Washington State or the East Coast here in the States. This being said, my husband is convinced he has SAD. He's not the type of guy to complain or even mention that he not feeling well and has 'jokingly' said he must have SAD when I ask him why he is so sullen lately. The fact that we live in Phoenix, Az., the Valley of the Sun makes it harder to wrap my head around the possibility that a native Zonie can have a condition that is primarily caused by a lack of light. (light therapy usually helps treat this condition).  Maybe a vacation to the Bahamas is in order! I've been feeling a bit moody or as I like to say "hormonally unstable" lately as well. Then again, I'm used to it. ;)

Maybe a V-K isn't possible right now but I'm pretty sure popsicles cheer up most everyone, right?

Who says popsicle season is over? IMHO it's the perfect time for a cold sweet treat especially when all of my favorite flavors are in season like pears, pumpkin and apples. Apple Pie popsicle anyone? Check back on Thursday for the recipe and a chance to win my new favorite toy, the Zoku Pop Maker. This cute little gadget is cord free and can freeze popsicles in about 5 minutes! Shazaaam!

Ginger Pear Popsicles

Simple ingredients: Fresh pears, ginger root, vanilla almond milk and honey.

Did you know that ginger is excellent for calming a sick tummy? If you or your kiddos have an upset tummy give them one of these popsicles, it will help with nausea. I wish I had thought of these

when I had morning sickness for months on end!

My favorite pear to snack on are Bosc's although they are slightly grainy and next time I won't use them in popsicles. As my 8 year old put it "It tastes like you put sand in these."

These are my other favorites:

Bartlett's  are the juiciest pears when eaten raw and, consequently, lose their shape when cooked, turning to pear-sauce quite easily with the briefest exposure to heat. They are perfect for making Pear Butter or any other recipe where you want the pears to fall apart when you cook them.

Anjou  pears have a mild flavor and a firm texture, while still being sweet and juicy.

Bosc  pears are crisp when raw and hold their shape beautifully when cooked. They have the best example of the soft, grainy texture associated with pears. They are easy to recognize by their brownish russet skin, classic pear shape, and heady pear aroma. Use them to make savaory dishes like Pork With Pears and Chiles and Bourbon-Glazed Pears, or in desserts like Upside-Down Pear Cake and Sparkling Pear Sorbet.

Asian  pears are super crunchy - more like crisp apples than other pears. They are great for eating raw, especially when sliced or diced into salads. They are so good raw, in fact, that people rarely cook Asian pears. If you have a glut of them, though, they work wonderfully in tarts and crisps, like this Asian Pear Crisp. 

Ingredients 

3 fresh pears (any kind should work)1 small piece of fresh ginger root (about the size of your thumb)1 cup vanilla almond milk1tablespoon local Organic honey1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, NO ice! I used my Vitamix so I even included the seeds and skins on the pears. Pour the mixture into the Zoku Pop Maker. Set timer for 7 minutes and watch while your kids peer over the top and watch the Popsicles freeze before their eyes!

The Results?

Jack ~ 8 1/2 years old "They taste kind of like nothing"  He's my cynic  

Nolan ~ 7 years old   "They're delicious! They kind of taste like chocolate but not really. Next time can we have chocolate popsicles?" He's my little sweet tooth.  

Mona ~  4 years old   "Mmmmmmm, these are sooooooo goooooooood! They taste just like a popsicle!"  She's my baby. ;}

Bottom line? I loved them! They were very refreshing with just a hint of zing from the ginger and a touch of sweetness from the honey.  Next time I might add a bit more honey to appease the kids. Perfect for sitting out on the back patio during the fall months with a cool breeze. 

Don't forget to stop by on Thursday for my Apple Pie popsicle recipe and a chance to win a Zoku Pop Maker!

happy snacking!

Ginger-Pear Popsicles

Posted by admin

Have you ever heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder 'SAD'? According to the Mayo Clinic it is described as a very real condition which is a type of depression that occurs at the same time every year. Usually symptoms start in the fall and may continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.

Usually people who are affected with this live in a part of the Country or World where there is less light during the day such as in Washington State or the East Coast here in the States. This being said, my husband is convinced he has SAD. He's not the type of guy to complain or even mention that he not feeling well and has 'jokingly' said he must have SAD when I ask him why he is so sullen lately. The fact that we live in Phoenix, Az., the Valley of the Sun makes it harder to wrap my head around the possibility that a native Zonie can have a condition that is primarily caused by a lack of light. (light therapy usually helps treat this condition).  Maybe a vacation to the Bahamas is in order! I've been feeling a bit moody or as I like to say "hormonally unstable" lately as well. Then again, I'm used to it. ;)

Maybe a V-K isn't possible right now but I'm pretty sure popsicles cheer up most everyone, right?

Who says popsicle season is over? IMHO it's the perfect time for a cold sweet treat especially when all of my favorite flavors are in season like pears, pumpkin and apples. Apple Pie popsicle anyone? Check back on Thursday for the recipe and a chance to win my new favorite toy, the Zoku Pop Maker. This cute little gadget is cord free and can freeze popsicles in about 5 minutes! Shazaaam!

Ginger Pear Popsicles

Simple ingredients: Fresh pears, ginger root, vanilla almond milk and honey.

Did you know that ginger is excellent for calming a sick tummy? If you or your kiddos have an upset tummy give them one of these popsicles, it will help with nausea. I wish I had thought of these

when I had morning sickness for months on end!

My favorite pear to snack on are Bosc's although they are slightly grainy and next time I won't use them in popsicles. As my 8 year old put it "It tastes like you put sand in these."

These are my other favorites:

Bartlett's  are the juiciest pears when eaten raw and, consequently, lose their shape when cooked, turning to pear-sauce quite easily with the briefest exposure to heat. They are perfect for making Pear Butter or any other recipe where you want the pears to fall apart when you cook them.

Anjou  pears have a mild flavor and a firm texture, while still being sweet and juicy.

Bosc  pears are crisp when raw and hold their shape beautifully when cooked. They have the best example of the soft, grainy texture associated with pears. They are easy to recognize by their brownish russet skin, classic pear shape, and heady pear aroma. Use them to make savaory dishes like Pork With Pears and Chiles and Bourbon-Glazed Pears, or in desserts like Upside-Down Pear Cake and Sparkling Pear Sorbet.

Asian  pears are super crunchy - more like crisp apples than other pears. They are great for eating raw, especially when sliced or diced into salads. They are so good raw, in fact, that people rarely cook Asian pears. If you have a glut of them, though, they work wonderfully in tarts and crisps, like this Asian Pear Crisp. 

Ingredients 

3 fresh pears (any kind should work)1 small piece of fresh ginger root (about the size of your thumb)1 cup vanilla almond milk1tablespoon local Organic honey1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1/4 teaspoon nutmeg1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth, NO ice! I used my Vitamix so I even included the seeds and skins on the pears. Pour the mixture into the Zoku Pop Maker. Set timer for 7 minutes and watch while your kids peer over the top and watch the Popsicles freeze before their eyes!

The Results?

Jack ~ 8 1/2 years old "They taste kind of like nothing"  He's my cynic  

Nolan ~ 7 years old   "They're delicious! They kind of taste like chocolate but not really. Next time can we have chocolate popsicles?" He's my little sweet tooth.  

Mona ~  4 years old   "Mmmmmmm, these are sooooooo goooooooood! They taste just like a popsicle!"  She's my baby. ;}

Bottom line? I loved them! They were very refreshing with just a hint of zing from the ginger and a touch of sweetness from the honey.  Next time I might add a bit more honey to appease the kids. Perfect for sitting out on the back patio during the fall months with a cool breeze. 

Don't forget to stop by on Thursday for my Apple Pie popsicle recipe and a chance to win a Zoku Pop Maker!

happy snacking!

Strawberry Lemonade Pops (Sugar Free)

It's getting hot! And a cold, sweet treat tastes so yummy. I've been experimenting with different sugar free options and these strawberry slushies are still one of our favorites. I discovered that if you freeze the slushies into Popsicle molds you get the most wonderful strawberry lemonade Popsicle you've ever tasted. Or if you don't have Popsicle molds (and are on a budget), small cups with Popsicle sticks works just as good. I love to keep a bunch on hand in my freezer for a quick, cool summer treat. Enjoy!

These strawberries were picked fresh from our garden! Aren't they beautiful?

Strawberry Lemonade Pops (Sugar Free)
Printable Recipe

*Makes 8-12 Pops

INGREDIENTS
Recipe fresh or frozen Strawberry slushies 
8-12 Popsicle Molds or 4 oz. plastic cups & Popsicle sticks

DIRECTIONS
Pour strawberry slushie mix into Popsicle molds or plastic cups. Place Popsicle mold lids on or place a Popsicle stick in the center of each cup. Freeze until firm, about 4-8 hours.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com



Sugar free is not so hard when you have cool, sweet treats like this around.

Strawberry Lemonade Pops (Sugar Free)

Posted by admin

It's getting hot! And a cold, sweet treat tastes so yummy. I've been experimenting with different sugar free options and these strawberry slushies are still one of our favorites. I discovered that if you freeze the slushies into Popsicle molds you get the most wonderful strawberry lemonade Popsicle you've ever tasted. Or if you don't have Popsicle molds (and are on a budget), small cups with Popsicle sticks works just as good. I love to keep a bunch on hand in my freezer for a quick, cool summer treat. Enjoy!

These strawberries were picked fresh from our garden! Aren't they beautiful?

Strawberry Lemonade Pops (Sugar Free)
Printable Recipe

*Makes 8-12 Pops

INGREDIENTS
Recipe fresh or frozen Strawberry slushies 
8-12 Popsicle Molds or 4 oz. plastic cups & Popsicle sticks

DIRECTIONS
Pour strawberry slushie mix into Popsicle molds or plastic cups. Place Popsicle mold lids on or place a Popsicle stick in the center of each cup. Freeze until firm, about 4-8 hours.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com



Sugar free is not so hard when you have cool, sweet treats like this around.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Sugar Free)

I'm happy to say that I've completed almost five months of sugar-free six days a week. It's going great. I love finding more recipes to add to my sugar-free repertoire. These sugar free peanut butter oatmeal cookies use honey or xagave as the sweetener and are tasty as can be. I've adapted the recipe from one by Weelicious to make them not only sugar free but also to use 100% whole grain flour. Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Printable Recipe

*Makes 30 cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup honey or xagave
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Cup peanut butter
1-1/2 Cup whole grain flour (my choice would be oat flour or wonder flour)
1 Cup rolled or quick oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. In a stand mixer, combine the butter and honey (or xagave) and mix for about one minute. Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and beat for another minute or until smooth. In a separate bowl combine together the dry ingredients and mix. Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet and mix to incorporate. Scoop dough into two tablespoon amounts and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Using a fork, press gently down on each ball of dough to make a checkerboard pattern. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown.

*Recipe Source: Adapted from Weelicious

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies (Sugar Free)

Posted by admin

I'm happy to say that I've completed almost five months of sugar-free six days a week. It's going great. I love finding more recipes to add to my sugar-free repertoire. These sugar free peanut butter oatmeal cookies use honey or xagave as the sweetener and are tasty as can be. I've adapted the recipe from one by Weelicious to make them not only sugar free but also to use 100% whole grain flour. Enjoy.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

Printable Recipe

*Makes 30 cookies

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup honey or xagave
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Cup peanut butter
1-1/2 Cup whole grain flour (my choice would be oat flour or wonder flour)
1 Cup rolled or quick oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. In a stand mixer, combine the butter and honey (or xagave) and mix for about one minute. Add the egg, vanilla and peanut butter and beat for another minute or until smooth. In a separate bowl combine together the dry ingredients and mix. Slowly add the dry ingredients to wet and mix to incorporate. Scoop dough into two tablespoon amounts and drop onto ungreased cookie sheet. Using a fork, press gently down on each ball of dough to make a checkerboard pattern. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until slightly brown.

*Recipe Source: Adapted from Weelicious

Strawberry Slushie

It's strawberry season here and oh my! I am loving it! They are one of my favorite foods to eat - and I can hardly wait until our garden strawberries are ready. I found a rock bottom deal on strawberries a few weeks ago (62.5 cents a pound) and bought a lot. I mean A LOT! Last year I showed you how to freeze strawberries or make strawberry jam. And I still had a few bags in the freezer from last year so I found myself looking for a way to use them. I kind of stumbled upon creating this recipe in a round about way. We loved it and I've made it several times since (in the name of perfecting it, right??). It's been so enjoyable, let me just tell you. We've missed ice cream since going sugar free and while this isn't exactly ice cream, it's a REALLY easy cold dessert that satisfies that "ice cream" part of the sweet tooth.

Fresh Strawberry Slushie

I'm going to show you two ways to make this dessert - you can either use fresh strawberries or frozen. There is a little bit of a difference with the two, but both are yummy. With the fresh strawberries, the texture is a bit icier like a slushy you would find at 7-11. I think I may slightly prefer making this with fresh strawberries just because of that. But both are yummy and both are easy to make.

Fresh Strawberry Slushie
Printable Recipe

*Makes about 4 1-Cup servings

INGREDIENTS:
juice of 1 lemon (fresh lemon juice is best)
1/4 Cup honey or xagave (or more to taste)
about 3-4 Cups fresh whole strawberries, washed with stems removed (between 1 and 2 lbs.)
about 2 Cups ice

DIRECTIONS:
Add lemon juice, honey or xagave and fresh strawberries to the blender and blend until strawberries are pureed. Then add the ice and blend until mixture reaches a "slushie" consistency. Add more ice or strawberries if needed to reach desired consistency. Then taste and add more sweetener if needed. Serve immediately.

*Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Frozen Strawberry Slushie

Frozen Strawberry Slushie
Printable Recipe

*Makes about 4 1-Cup servings

INGREDIENTS:
juice of 1 lemon (fresh lemon juice is best)
1/4 Cup honey or xagave (or more to taste)
1 to 1-1/2 Cups water
about 3-4 Cups whole frozen strawberries

DIRECTIONS:
Add lemon juice, honey or xagave and water to the blender and blend until mixed together. Then add frozen strawberries and blend until mixture reaches a "slushie" consistency. Add more water or strawberries if needed to reach desired consistency. Then taste and add more sweetener if needed. Serve immediately.

*Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

I love these friendly fruits :)

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Strawberry Slushie

Posted by admin

It's strawberry season here and oh my! I am loving it! They are one of my favorite foods to eat - and I can hardly wait until our garden strawberries are ready. I found a rock bottom deal on strawberries a few weeks ago (62.5 cents a pound) and bought a lot. I mean A LOT! Last year I showed you how to freeze strawberries or make strawberry jam. And I still had a few bags in the freezer from last year so I found myself looking for a way to use them. I kind of stumbled upon creating this recipe in a round about way. We loved it and I've made it several times since (in the name of perfecting it, right??). It's been so enjoyable, let me just tell you. We've missed ice cream since going sugar free and while this isn't exactly ice cream, it's a REALLY easy cold dessert that satisfies that "ice cream" part of the sweet tooth.

Fresh Strawberry Slushie

I'm going to show you two ways to make this dessert - you can either use fresh strawberries or frozen. There is a little bit of a difference with the two, but both are yummy. With the fresh strawberries, the texture is a bit icier like a slushy you would find at 7-11. I think I may slightly prefer making this with fresh strawberries just because of that. But both are yummy and both are easy to make.

Fresh Strawberry Slushie
Printable Recipe

*Makes about 4 1-Cup servings

INGREDIENTS:
juice of 1 lemon (fresh lemon juice is best)
1/4 Cup honey or xagave (or more to taste)
about 3-4 Cups fresh whole strawberries, washed with stems removed (between 1 and 2 lbs.)
about 2 Cups ice

DIRECTIONS:
Add lemon juice, honey or xagave and fresh strawberries to the blender and blend until strawberries are pureed. Then add the ice and blend until mixture reaches a "slushie" consistency. Add more ice or strawberries if needed to reach desired consistency. Then taste and add more sweetener if needed. Serve immediately.

*Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Frozen Strawberry Slushie

Frozen Strawberry Slushie
Printable Recipe

*Makes about 4 1-Cup servings

INGREDIENTS:
juice of 1 lemon (fresh lemon juice is best)
1/4 Cup honey or xagave (or more to taste)
1 to 1-1/2 Cups water
about 3-4 Cups whole frozen strawberries

DIRECTIONS:
Add lemon juice, honey or xagave and water to the blender and blend until mixed together. Then add frozen strawberries and blend until mixture reaches a "slushie" consistency. Add more water or strawberries if needed to reach desired consistency. Then taste and add more sweetener if needed. Serve immediately.

*Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

I love these friendly fruits :)

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Healthy Almond-Coconut Chocolate Thumbprint cookies ~ gluten free

Some days things just don't pan out the way I planned them to. Actually, that seems to be the norm rather than the exception lately. And by lately I mean since I had my first child 18 years ago. Holy crap! I have an 18 year old?!!  Anyway, this weekend I had to work on Saturday and was supposed to be off at 3p.m. and then planned on doing a little shopping at my favorite adds and ends Home store for kitchen props, plates, bowls, napkins etc. then go to Sprouts and then go home make a yummy dinner and possibly get some decent shots to put on the blog. 

At 2:35 p.m. however we get a call that we need to do an emergency tracheotomy on a patient. How rude. What's more, the Dr. didn't have an assistant so I got to double as a first assist and it was a difficult case, couldn't get the trach tube in because the patient had a mushy trachea. So now I'm tired and a bit cranky and it's 4:45p.m. So much for my nice afternoon. So much for making dinner. Pei Wei saves the day!

Fast forward to Sunday...... I was excited to try and recreate one of my favorite childhood breakfasts, cottage cheese pancakes. If you've never had them, don't wrinkle your nose till you've tried them. They are so good! The cottage cheese actually adds a bit of sweet creaminess to the pancakes, almost like a cream cheese crepe. I wanted to try to make them healthier by omitting the flour and tried using almond meal instead. Epic fail! The first batch crashed and burned, literally. The second batch was oily and burned.

Back to the drawing boards. 

Enter these cookies. Every problem or catastrophe can be solve with a good cookie and these are even fairly healthy! Bonus!

PREP TIME    15 MINUTES     BAKE    15 MINUTES     YIELDS   18-20 SMALL COOKIES

Ingredients: 

2 cups almond meal (almond flour w the skins un-removed) 

1 tablespoon flax meal (ground flax seed) 

1/4 cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup local honey  

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (chips or bar)

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium bowl mix together the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and almond extract. 

Gradually stir in the almond flour, flax meal and sea salt, and mix well until a uniform dough is formed. 

Scoop the dough by tablespoons and use your hands to roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in the coconut flakes to coat. Place the balls onto the lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and use your thumb to press into the center of each cookie, creating a well for the chocolate. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from oven, let cool. 

Meanwhile, in a small ceramic or microwave safe bowl add chocolate chips or chopped up bar. Microwave on medium power for 90 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 90 seconds or until melted.

Spoon chocolate into the center of the cookies and let cool. 

These cookies are also wonderful with a bit of fruit preserves in the middle, my favorite is apricot!

I am submitting this post to Tasty Tuesday's

Healthy Almond-Coconut Chocolate Thumbprint cookies ~ gluten free

Posted by admin

Some days things just don't pan out the way I planned them to. Actually, that seems to be the norm rather than the exception lately. And by lately I mean since I had my first child 18 years ago. Holy crap! I have an 18 year old?!!  Anyway, this weekend I had to work on Saturday and was supposed to be off at 3p.m. and then planned on doing a little shopping at my favorite adds and ends Home store for kitchen props, plates, bowls, napkins etc. then go to Sprouts and then go home make a yummy dinner and possibly get some decent shots to put on the blog. 

At 2:35 p.m. however we get a call that we need to do an emergency tracheotomy on a patient. How rude. What's more, the Dr. didn't have an assistant so I got to double as a first assist and it was a difficult case, couldn't get the trach tube in because the patient had a mushy trachea. So now I'm tired and a bit cranky and it's 4:45p.m. So much for my nice afternoon. So much for making dinner. Pei Wei saves the day!

Fast forward to Sunday...... I was excited to try and recreate one of my favorite childhood breakfasts, cottage cheese pancakes. If you've never had them, don't wrinkle your nose till you've tried them. They are so good! The cottage cheese actually adds a bit of sweet creaminess to the pancakes, almost like a cream cheese crepe. I wanted to try to make them healthier by omitting the flour and tried using almond meal instead. Epic fail! The first batch crashed and burned, literally. The second batch was oily and burned.

Back to the drawing boards. 

Enter these cookies. Every problem or catastrophe can be solve with a good cookie and these are even fairly healthy! Bonus!

PREP TIME    15 MINUTES     BAKE    15 MINUTES     YIELDS   18-20 SMALL COOKIES

Ingredients: 

2 cups almond meal (almond flour w the skins un-removed) 

1 tablespoon flax meal (ground flax seed) 

1/4 cup coconut oil 

1/4 cup local honey  

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 

8 oz. bittersweet chocolate (chips or bar)

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a medium bowl mix together the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and almond extract. 

Gradually stir in the almond flour, flax meal and sea salt, and mix well until a uniform dough is formed. 

Scoop the dough by tablespoons and use your hands to roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in the coconut flakes to coat. Place the balls onto the lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and use your thumb to press into the center of each cookie, creating a well for the chocolate. 

Bake for 10-12 minutes till lightly browned. Remove from oven, let cool. 

Meanwhile, in a small ceramic or microwave safe bowl add chocolate chips or chopped up bar. Microwave on medium power for 90 seconds. Stir. Microwave another 90 seconds or until melted.

Spoon chocolate into the center of the cookies and let cool. 

These cookies are also wonderful with a bit of fruit preserves in the middle, my favorite is apricot!

I am submitting this post to Tasty Tuesday's

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Yep! Sugar Free

These cookies are my dream come true. Seriously. The fact that I can still have cookies and not sacrifice my health over it makes me so happy. :) I was at a friend's house and she had made these. She knew I was sugar free and let me try one. I'll be honest and tell you that on the first bite my taste buds were taken a little off guard. The flavor is quite different than my taste buds were used to in a cookie and it might be for you too. I mean honestly, whose taste buds wouldn't choose a sugar-y chocolate chip cookie over a sugar free one, right? But by the middle of the cookie, those taste buds had forgotten their initial reaction and started rejoicing over the deliciousness of this very decadent (and healthy) cookie.

Well, I begged my friend for the recipe, and she was nice enough to share. I made them as a surprise for the kid's as an after school snack. What was their reaction? Actually my kids didn't like them at first (I think it was because of that first bite thing...and they never got past the first bite...), but I was secretly glad because it meant that I could have more...Since then I've made them again and my husband and I have ranted and raved about how good they are. My youngest gave them another try and loved them even after just the first bite. The oldest still hasn't been brave enough to get past the first bite...but he will. I'm certain. But I'm in no hurry to encourage him....cause that would mean less for me.

Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies (Whole-grain and sugar free)
Printable Recipe

*Makes 3 to 4 dozen depending on how big you make them

INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup coconut oil
¾ Cup honey
½ Cup molasses
2 eggs
3 Cups whole grain flour (I use wonder flour; my friend uses whole-wheat)
1-½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) dark chocolate chips (I use these homemade sugar-free chocolate pieces) *See Note

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, beat the oil, honey and molasses. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips (if you are using homemade sugar-free chocolate pieces *See Note below). Because of the honey, this cookie dough is very sticky. Wet your hands thoroughly to keep the dough from sticking and roll into 1-in. balls (the original recipe said this makes 7-1/2 dozen...well I didn't get anywhere near that many, but maybe it was just me...). Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm (maybe a minute or two longer if yours are a little bigger like mine...). Remove to wire racks to cool. Or if you're like me, gobble them up before they have even started to cool...

*Note: If you use dark chocolate chips, they do actually have some sugar in them. There are chocolate chips that you can buy that are sweetened with more natural sugars (grain sweetened I think they're called), but they are quite expensive and hard to find. That's why I used the homemade sugar-free chocolate pieces. As I mentioned in the post about them, you will have to kind of fold these into the recipe because they are so soft. Here's what I did. Instead of adding the chocolate chips to the entire batch of dough, I took a ball of cookie dough with my wet hands and folded in a 3 or 4 of the homemade chocolate pieces into each individual ball of dough and then reformed it into a ball. It worked good and shall I mention just once more that the cookies turned out amazing?

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from a recipe shared with me by my friend Cherylyn



This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Yep! Sugar Free

Posted by admin

These cookies are my dream come true. Seriously. The fact that I can still have cookies and not sacrifice my health over it makes me so happy. :) I was at a friend's house and she had made these. She knew I was sugar free and let me try one. I'll be honest and tell you that on the first bite my taste buds were taken a little off guard. The flavor is quite different than my taste buds were used to in a cookie and it might be for you too. I mean honestly, whose taste buds wouldn't choose a sugar-y chocolate chip cookie over a sugar free one, right? But by the middle of the cookie, those taste buds had forgotten their initial reaction and started rejoicing over the deliciousness of this very decadent (and healthy) cookie.

Well, I begged my friend for the recipe, and she was nice enough to share. I made them as a surprise for the kid's as an after school snack. What was their reaction? Actually my kids didn't like them at first (I think it was because of that first bite thing...and they never got past the first bite...), but I was secretly glad because it meant that I could have more...Since then I've made them again and my husband and I have ranted and raved about how good they are. My youngest gave them another try and loved them even after just the first bite. The oldest still hasn't been brave enough to get past the first bite...but he will. I'm certain. But I'm in no hurry to encourage him....cause that would mean less for me.

Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies (Whole-grain and sugar free)
Printable Recipe

*Makes 3 to 4 dozen depending on how big you make them

INGREDIENTS:
½ Cup coconut oil
¾ Cup honey
½ Cup molasses
2 eggs
3 Cups whole grain flour (I use wonder flour; my friend uses whole-wheat)
1-½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups (12 ounces) dark chocolate chips (I use these homemade sugar-free chocolate pieces) *See Note

DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl, beat the oil, honey and molasses. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips (if you are using homemade sugar-free chocolate pieces *See Note below). Because of the honey, this cookie dough is very sticky. Wet your hands thoroughly to keep the dough from sticking and roll into 1-in. balls (the original recipe said this makes 7-1/2 dozen...well I didn't get anywhere near that many, but maybe it was just me...). Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm (maybe a minute or two longer if yours are a little bigger like mine...). Remove to wire racks to cool. Or if you're like me, gobble them up before they have even started to cool...

*Note: If you use dark chocolate chips, they do actually have some sugar in them. There are chocolate chips that you can buy that are sweetened with more natural sugars (grain sweetened I think they're called), but they are quite expensive and hard to find. That's why I used the homemade sugar-free chocolate pieces. As I mentioned in the post about them, you will have to kind of fold these into the recipe because they are so soft. Here's what I did. Instead of adding the chocolate chips to the entire batch of dough, I took a ball of cookie dough with my wet hands and folded in a 3 or 4 of the homemade chocolate pieces into each individual ball of dough and then reformed it into a ball. It worked good and shall I mention just once more that the cookies turned out amazing?

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from a recipe shared with me by my friend Cherylyn



This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Sugar Free Chocolate Pieces a.k.a Homemade Chocolate Chips

Today I'm sharing another great sugar free recipe with you. This is a recipe that I just discovered this week that I found over at Domestic Diva and it truly will change the course of my sugar free existence. That sounds a little dramatic, but I'm really not joking here. This recipe is amazing. Throw a few of these guys in a batch of sugar free cookies (and yes....I am planning on sharing my favorite recipe with you real soon...) and you honestly feel like you've died and gone to sugar free heaven. Enjoy.

Sugar Free Chocolate Pieces (Homemade Chocolate Chips)

Printable Recipe

*Makes quite a few...

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup butter or coconut oil

3/4 Cup honey

1 Cup cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter or coconut oil and honey in small saucepan. Stir in cocoa powder and vanilla extract until smooth and remove from heat. Line a 9 x 13 pan with wax paper. Pour chocolate in tray and freeze for 1-2 hours or until set. Chocolate may still be somewhat soft and pliable. Cut into small pieces. Use immediately in any recipe calling for chocolate chips or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container to use later.

*Note: Fold these homemade chocolate chips carefully when you use them in a recipe so that they stay together. Don't mix or over-stir or they'll just crumble apart. The result will still taste good, but I like to get a big bite of chocolate once and a while, don't you?

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from domesticdiva.ca

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Sugar Free Chocolate Pieces a.k.a Homemade Chocolate Chips

Posted by admin

Today I'm sharing another great sugar free recipe with you. This is a recipe that I just discovered this week that I found over at Domestic Diva and it truly will change the course of my sugar free existence. That sounds a little dramatic, but I'm really not joking here. This recipe is amazing. Throw a few of these guys in a batch of sugar free cookies (and yes....I am planning on sharing my favorite recipe with you real soon...) and you honestly feel like you've died and gone to sugar free heaven. Enjoy.

Sugar Free Chocolate Pieces (Homemade Chocolate Chips)

Printable Recipe

*Makes quite a few...

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup butter or coconut oil

3/4 Cup honey

1 Cup cocoa powder

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter or coconut oil and honey in small saucepan. Stir in cocoa powder and vanilla extract until smooth and remove from heat. Line a 9 x 13 pan with wax paper. Pour chocolate in tray and freeze for 1-2 hours or until set. Chocolate may still be somewhat soft and pliable. Cut into small pieces. Use immediately in any recipe calling for chocolate chips or store in the refrigerator in an airtight container to use later.

*Note: Fold these homemade chocolate chips carefully when you use them in a recipe so that they stay together. Don't mix or over-stir or they'll just crumble apart. The result will still taste good, but I like to get a big bite of chocolate once and a while, don't you?

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from domesticdiva.ca

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Best Banana Bread

Isn't it so true that "necessity is the mother of invention"? That's been the case with me as I've started to change my diet to become sugar free six days a week. I've literally been on a rampage to convert a lot of the recipes that I love to eat to be sugar free so that I can still enjoy them. It's been a lot of fun. Today I'm sharing with you a recipe that I've made and loved for a long time, and just recently converted to be sugar free.

This recipe comes from a good friend and roommate of mine in college. She made this ALL the time and every time I make it, it reminds me of that happy time and how good it tasted to us. She called it "Best Banana Bread" and it really is. I've been making it whole grain for several years now, and really, why not? The whole grains found in it make it so delicious and flavorful, not to mention making it healthier. I love it. And I hope you enjoy it too.

Best Banana Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 Loaves

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/4 Cups Whole Grain Flour (I use Wonder Flour)
1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda 
1/8 tsp. salt 
½ Cup butter 
1-1/4 Cups sugar (I use 3/4 Cup honey)

¾ Cup sour milk (3/4 Cup milk with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar) 
2 beaten eggs 
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In another medium bowl, blend the butter, sugar (or honey) and milk, until creamy. Add the beaten eggs and banana pulp and stir until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the combined dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Dollop the batter into 2 greased and floured bread loaf pans. Bake in the center of the oven 45-50 min. Do not overcook. The bread is done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Cool before slicing. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe given to me by my friend Lavinia

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Best Banana Bread

Posted by admin

Isn't it so true that "necessity is the mother of invention"? That's been the case with me as I've started to change my diet to become sugar free six days a week. I've literally been on a rampage to convert a lot of the recipes that I love to eat to be sugar free so that I can still enjoy them. It's been a lot of fun. Today I'm sharing with you a recipe that I've made and loved for a long time, and just recently converted to be sugar free.

This recipe comes from a good friend and roommate of mine in college. She made this ALL the time and every time I make it, it reminds me of that happy time and how good it tasted to us. She called it "Best Banana Bread" and it really is. I've been making it whole grain for several years now, and really, why not? The whole grains found in it make it so delicious and flavorful, not to mention making it healthier. I love it. And I hope you enjoy it too.

Best Banana Bread
Printable Recipe

*Makes 2 Loaves

INGREDIENTS:
2-1/4 Cups Whole Grain Flour (I use Wonder Flour)
1 tsp. baking powder 

1 tsp. baking soda 
1/8 tsp. salt 
½ Cup butter 
1-1/4 Cups sugar (I use 3/4 Cup honey)

¾ Cup sour milk (3/4 Cup milk with 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar) 
2 beaten eggs 
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. In medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. In another medium bowl, blend the butter, sugar (or honey) and milk, until creamy. Add the beaten eggs and banana pulp and stir until thoroughly mixed in. Then add the combined dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Dollop the batter into 2 greased and floured bread loaf pans. Bake in the center of the oven 45-50 min. Do not overcook. The bread is done when a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Cool before slicing. 

Recipe Source: Adapted from a recipe given to me by my friend Lavinia

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls (Whole Grain & Sugar Free)

I set a goal at the beginning of the year to not eat sugar six days a week. How's it working? Great. But one problem I've run into is that treats are comfort food, especially for kids. I like to make a little snack for them after school and sometimes it is fun to have a sweet treat. But when sugar is in the house, I eat it too...and too much of it.

Here's a recipe that I've created that helps solve this problem. These honey oat cinnamon rolls are comfort food at it's finest, but they contain no sugar. So now I can make a healthy, sweet after school snack for the kids and if I sneak a little taste (which I always do...), I'm still sugar free... :)

I know there are some of you out there trying to control your sugar levels this year as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have.

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls
Printable Recipe


*Makes 12-15 rolls

*Note: I realize that most of you probably don't have a 1/6 cup measuring cup lying around (I don't). I just use a 1/3 cup and measure about half. It doesn't matter if it's not exact, it will be close enough. Oh and if you measure the oil first, you can use the same measuring cup for the honey and it will slide right out. Slick, eh? :)

INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough:
1-1/2 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2 min or until quite warm ( >110° F)
1/6 Cup canola oil
1/6 Cup honey
1/2 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
2+ Cups freshly ground oat flour (I ground oat groats, but you can also use oatmeal ground in a blender for a few minutes)
2 Tbsp. rolled oats or quick oats
3/4 Cups gluten flour*
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. yeast on top of flour

For the Filling:
¼ Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup honey
Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the dough ingredients in stand mixer with dough hook (I use a Bosch) and mix. Add more oat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. 

Immediately after mixing bread dough, roll out dough into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup softened butter around dough to coat evenly. Add 1/2 cup honey and spread until it covers the dough evenly. Then sprinkle the top with a fair amount of cinnamon, but not too much (I usually use about 1-2 tsp.).




Starting on one end, roll the dough. Dip your fingers in water and rub down the dough to seal the layers as you roll. Seal the end. Use a piece of floss or string to cut the cinnamon rolls out. Place the string under dough roll about 1” from the end of the long roll. Cross the ends of the string over the dough and pull the string so that the string cuts the dough into a 1” thick roll.

Place rolls on a greased 9x13" pan leaving a small space between so that the rolls can rise. Cover rolls with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until dough has doubled. Bake rolls in preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*NOTE on the gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use a little bit in each batch so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread, that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Linked to: Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Hearth & Soul Blog Hop, Keep it Real Thursday

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls (Whole Grain & Sugar Free)

Posted by admin

I set a goal at the beginning of the year to not eat sugar six days a week. How's it working? Great. But one problem I've run into is that treats are comfort food, especially for kids. I like to make a little snack for them after school and sometimes it is fun to have a sweet treat. But when sugar is in the house, I eat it too...and too much of it.

Here's a recipe that I've created that helps solve this problem. These honey oat cinnamon rolls are comfort food at it's finest, but they contain no sugar. So now I can make a healthy, sweet after school snack for the kids and if I sneak a little taste (which I always do...), I'm still sugar free... :)

I know there are some of you out there trying to control your sugar levels this year as well. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we have.

Honey Oat Cinnamon Rolls
Printable Recipe


*Makes 12-15 rolls

*Note: I realize that most of you probably don't have a 1/6 cup measuring cup lying around (I don't). I just use a 1/3 cup and measure about half. It doesn't matter if it's not exact, it will be close enough. Oh and if you measure the oil first, you can use the same measuring cup for the honey and it will slide right out. Slick, eh? :)

INGREDIENTS:
For the Dough:
1-1/2 Cups hot water, microwave on high 2 min or until quite warm ( >110° F)
1/6 Cup canola oil
1/6 Cup honey
1/2 Tbsp. salt (put in first before adding yeast)
2+ Cups freshly ground oat flour (I ground oat groats, but you can also use oatmeal ground in a blender for a few minutes)
2 Tbsp. rolled oats or quick oats
3/4 Cups gluten flour*
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 Tbsp. yeast on top of flour

For the Filling:
¼ Cup butter, softened
1/2 Cup honey
Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:
Combine the dough ingredients in stand mixer with dough hook (I use a Bosch) and mix. Add more oat flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then mix for an additional six minutes. 

Immediately after mixing bread dough, roll out dough into a 12”x15” rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup softened butter around dough to coat evenly. Add 1/2 cup honey and spread until it covers the dough evenly. Then sprinkle the top with a fair amount of cinnamon, but not too much (I usually use about 1-2 tsp.).




Starting on one end, roll the dough. Dip your fingers in water and rub down the dough to seal the layers as you roll. Seal the end. Use a piece of floss or string to cut the cinnamon rolls out. Place the string under dough roll about 1” from the end of the long roll. Cross the ends of the string over the dough and pull the string so that the string cuts the dough into a 1” thick roll.

Place rolls on a greased 9x13" pan leaving a small space between so that the rolls can rise. Cover rolls with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place for 30-60 minutes or until dough has doubled. Bake rolls in preheated oven 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

*NOTE on the gluten flour: I use Bob's Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten Flour that I buy at WinCo foods in their bulk bins - or you can get a 25 lb. bag of it there if you order it. I think you can also get it at Walmart in smaller quantities - like 22 oz. pkgs. You only use a little bit in each batch so it lasts a long time. It allows you to make the bread with whole-grain flour and still have it light and fluffy and stick together. This really is not an optional ingredient - you can try to leave it out, but you will end up with denser bread, that is crumbly, doesn't have as long of a shelf life and really is not as enjoyable to eat. Another option (if you're looking for one) is to use a good quality, high gluten white flour instead of some of the whole-wheat flour (experiment with how much - maybe 2 cups or more to get it to a good stick-together consistency). I'd rather spend a little more for the gluten flour because you can use less of it (which means more whole-grain flour which is better for you) and still have a great textured, tasty bread.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Linked to: Real Food Wednesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Hearth & Soul Blog Hop, Keep it Real Thursday

Oreo Brownies - It doesn't get more sinful than this

I'm not a fan of Oreo cookies at all. I once even tweeted that they taste like sweetened cardboard and I found a lot of people agreeing with my sentiment. For me, the best cream biscuit will always be Britannia Bourbon. It was my favourite treat as a kid, we waited for someone to get it home as it was never a frequent buy. Now, I have all the freedom to eat Bourbon biscuits with tea every afternoon, but my diet consciousness prevents me from doing so. 

But yes, once in a while, I love to indulge in the joy of eating my favourite biscuit. OOPS, I nearly forgot that this post is about Oreo Brownies. These brownies actually redeem the Oreo cookie for me. The catchy ad line in Hindi "Twist Karo, Lick karo, Dunk Karo" has suitably appealed to my 4 year old, who thinks of Oreo has a great treat (thankfully, treat only). So I decided to bake these for his birthday party, both for the parents and kids. I baked them a couple of days in advance and put them in the out of reach refrigerator so it wouldn't get raided well before the party :) And they were MUCH loved by everybody.

The Oreo patterns on top of the brownie not only make them look stunning, different, but also add a great texture when you bite into them. Let me tell you a secret, the cookies are both inside and on top of the brownie. Inside they become soft and chewy and on the top they turn crisp. 

Try them with your favourite chocolate cream biscuits - Dark Fantasy or Bourbon for the same effect. These are not 'healthy' brownies. Insanely rich, wicked, FULL of chocolate, very little flour - these are meant to be shared with a crowd. The recipe says 16 pieces, but feel free to cut each square further into half. It's *that* decadent. If you are home alone on a weekend, feeling blue in the mood and you bake a whole tray of this - you are not going to stop at one, and then you'll blame 'that Saffron Trail blogger' for busting your weighing scales. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Recipe for Oreo Brownies

Makes 16 x 2"square pieces

Recipe source 

Printable version of recipe

You'll need:

8" square baking pan

165 grams unsalted butter

200 grams dark chocolate (chopped finely)

4 eggs

16 Oreo cookies, cut into quarters

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

How to make:

1. Line a 8x8 square pan with parchment paper, coming up to the sides, for easy removal once baked. Grease with butter, keep aside.
2. Preheat oven at 180 Celsius. 
3. In a heavy bottomed pan, melt butter on a low heat. Once nearly melted, remove from flame. It will melt fully in the residual heat. Add the finely chopped chocolate to this and stir till the chocolate fully melts in the heat of the melted butter. Keep aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs with a balloon whisk or electric whisk until nearly tripled in volume.
5. Add half the sugar along the sides so as not to knock out the air from the eggs. Whisk gently until incorporated. Repeat the same with remaining sugar until the sugar no longer feels grainy to touch in the egg mixture.
6. Add the chocolate-butter mixture to this. Whisk gently to combine well.
7. Add 1/3rd of the quartered Oreos to the batter.
8. In a small bowl, mix with a fork- the flour, cocoa and salt and add this to the above mixture. Whisk well to combine everything together.
9. Pour this into the greased parchment.
10. Top this with the remaining Oreos arranged in a single layer all over.
11. Bake in the middle of a 180 C oven for 40 minutes, until a tester poked into the center comes out nearly clean.
12. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes. Pull out with the parchment intact and cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours or overnight. Cut into 2" squares (16 pieces) and peel off parchment. Refrigerate for a few hours for a great texture.

Note to self : Dear Nandita, Ditch the diet plans. Make these with Bourbon biscuits for your birthday!

Feedback from those who tried this recipe:

Oreo brownies just out of the oven. Thanks for the inspiration and the recipe @saffrontrail twitter.com/livetimefe/sta…
— 5x7 (@livetimefe) December 24, 2012

The sinfully delicious Oreo Brownies. Thanks @saffrontrail for the recipe :) twitpic.com/cr37zn
— ParavaMunima (@Muneema) May 17, 2013

Oreo Brownies - It doesn't get more sinful than this

Posted by admin

I'm not a fan of Oreo cookies at all. I once even tweeted that they taste like sweetened cardboard and I found a lot of people agreeing with my sentiment. For me, the best cream biscuit will always be Britannia Bourbon. It was my favourite treat as a kid, we waited for someone to get it home as it was never a frequent buy. Now, I have all the freedom to eat Bourbon biscuits with tea every afternoon, but my diet consciousness prevents me from doing so. 

But yes, once in a while, I love to indulge in the joy of eating my favourite biscuit. OOPS, I nearly forgot that this post is about Oreo Brownies. These brownies actually redeem the Oreo cookie for me. The catchy ad line in Hindi "Twist Karo, Lick karo, Dunk Karo" has suitably appealed to my 4 year old, who thinks of Oreo has a great treat (thankfully, treat only). So I decided to bake these for his birthday party, both for the parents and kids. I baked them a couple of days in advance and put them in the out of reach refrigerator so it wouldn't get raided well before the party :) And they were MUCH loved by everybody.

The Oreo patterns on top of the brownie not only make them look stunning, different, but also add a great texture when you bite into them. Let me tell you a secret, the cookies are both inside and on top of the brownie. Inside they become soft and chewy and on the top they turn crisp. 

Try them with your favourite chocolate cream biscuits - Dark Fantasy or Bourbon for the same effect. These are not 'healthy' brownies. Insanely rich, wicked, FULL of chocolate, very little flour - these are meant to be shared with a crowd. The recipe says 16 pieces, but feel free to cut each square further into half. It's *that* decadent. If you are home alone on a weekend, feeling blue in the mood and you bake a whole tray of this - you are not going to stop at one, and then you'll blame 'that Saffron Trail blogger' for busting your weighing scales. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Recipe for Oreo Brownies

Makes 16 x 2"square pieces

Recipe source 

Printable version of recipe

You'll need:

8" square baking pan

165 grams unsalted butter

200 grams dark chocolate (chopped finely)

4 eggs

16 Oreo cookies, cut into quarters

3/4 cup light brown sugar

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

Pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

How to make:

1. Line a 8x8 square pan with parchment paper, coming up to the sides, for easy removal once baked. Grease with butter, keep aside.
2. Preheat oven at 180 Celsius. 
3. In a heavy bottomed pan, melt butter on a low heat. Once nearly melted, remove from flame. It will melt fully in the residual heat. Add the finely chopped chocolate to this and stir till the chocolate fully melts in the heat of the melted butter. Keep aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs with a balloon whisk or electric whisk until nearly tripled in volume.
5. Add half the sugar along the sides so as not to knock out the air from the eggs. Whisk gently until incorporated. Repeat the same with remaining sugar until the sugar no longer feels grainy to touch in the egg mixture.
6. Add the chocolate-butter mixture to this. Whisk gently to combine well.
7. Add 1/3rd of the quartered Oreos to the batter.
8. In a small bowl, mix with a fork- the flour, cocoa and salt and add this to the above mixture. Whisk well to combine everything together.
9. Pour this into the greased parchment.
10. Top this with the remaining Oreos arranged in a single layer all over.
11. Bake in the middle of a 180 C oven for 40 minutes, until a tester poked into the center comes out nearly clean.
12. Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes. Pull out with the parchment intact and cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours or overnight. Cut into 2" squares (16 pieces) and peel off parchment. Refrigerate for a few hours for a great texture.

Note to self : Dear Nandita, Ditch the diet plans. Make these with Bourbon biscuits for your birthday!

Feedback from those who tried this recipe:

Oreo brownies just out of the oven. Thanks for the inspiration and the recipe @saffrontrail twitter.com/livetimefe/sta…
— 5x7 (@livetimefe) December 24, 2012

The sinfully delicious Oreo Brownies. Thanks @saffrontrail for the recipe :) twitpic.com/cr37zn
— ParavaMunima (@Muneema) May 17, 2013