Tag: healthy

Wholegrain Olive Oil Crackers & 3 Dips | Roasted Bell Pepper, Garlic & Walnut + Classic Garlicky Cream + Rocket Cashew Dip

“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents”
M Chiarello

Wholegrain Olive Oil Crackers & 3 Dips…. for times like these when the game is up. Nothing unites the world better than sport and food. I think the two were meant to go hand in hand. Think world cup cricket, soccer, or then super bowl, and the first thing that comes to mind if food! OK, after the game of course! With the ICC  Cricket World Cup warming up nicely, it’s imperative to keep the food going!

Yesterday spent 20 minutes rolling out crackers … thin, crisp, delicious Wholegrain Olive Oil Crackers. Paired them off with 3 quick dips. Dips are an out and out game favourite, and I have gone with simple ones! A Roasted Bell Pepper, Garlic & Walnut Dip {earthy, smoky, finger licking good}, a Classic Garlicky Cream Dip {tangy, creamy, GARLICKY ... an all time favourite} and a seasonal Rocket & Cashew Dip {where sharp peppery leaves meet the sweetness of cashew nuts}. 

Dips are really really versatile to throw together. Make them using what you have on hand. Herbs, seasonal produce, cold pressed oils, garlic, garlic greens, onion scapes, legumes, citrus fruit, nuts, cheese, spices. Get creative and follow your taste buds. You will be surprised at how much you can create with so little! To thin them down you can add coconut milk, citrus juice, single cream, sour cream, buttermilk etc.

Once ready, which is a matter of minutes usually, you can dip into them of course, or add them to your cheese platter. There’s so much more you can do. Slather sandwiches with them, toss them through a pasta, top grilled chicken or fish with dip. If you are more adventurous, them use them in a bread like the French Fougasse. I love that you can tweak the flavours as you like, and also that dips embrace local and seasonal produce whole heartedly!

Why so many nibbles of late you might wonder? Well these are game days. Cricket, cricket and more cricket. From games you expect nothing and get the word, and from games you expect the world and hit rock bottom, the sports world is a funny place to be in. The cricket world cup down under has begun,and how! Talk sports and there is another huge thing in common …FOOD!

And that’s where we DIP! These are simple ones to rustle up. You could even do a  make ahead simple hummus that I just shared with oat & cheese crackers. On the side, you could go the healthy crudite way or whole grain crackers maybe. Else grab the bag of chips, nachos, pita chips…whatever. Dig right in. Every major gaming event, be it the super bowl, soccer or the cricket world cup, churns up an appetite for food, yummy, good, delicious food.

These dips will hit the ball out of the park … like South Africa did today! If you are deft in the kitchen, and love getting quick stuff together, then here are a few other options. The India Pakistan thriller saw us polishing off  rustic Savoury Whole Wheat Hungarian Kalács.  Do a quick version with cooked chicken tossed in the rocket cashew pesto dip and cheese! Or skip the chicken and go vegetarian. Next was the India South Africa match.

That saw a rerun of Oat & Wheat Cheese Crackers with a quick Hummus! Delicious times indeed!  If you aren’t the cooking types, but certainly the eating types, then your best option would be a quick call to Food Panda to order your favourite food. It’s an online food-ordering service that makes it easy for customers to find their favorite food conveniently from home, work or on the road and get it delivered. It is now active in 30 cities in India and has over 4000+ restaurants available and the delivery of your food is free.

Oh and don’t forget to participate in the Philips giveaway here. Just a day to go!

[print_this]Recipe: Wholegrain Olive Oil Crackers

Summary: Wholegrain Olive Oil Crackers & 3 Dips. Crisp, light addictive crackers. Top them with spices or enjoy them as is. Crackers don’t get simpler than these!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 200g wholewheat flour
  • 100g oats
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 40ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 150ml water {approximately}
  • Olive oil for brushing over
  • Zaatar and Sumac for sprinkling {optional}

Method:

  1. Place first five ingredients in bowl of food processor and blend to mix. Gradually add water to make a firm, pliable dough. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 180C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. On a lightly dusted surface, take a quarter of the dough and roll it out as thinly as you can to a rectangular shape to fit the tray. Transfer dough to the parchment paper, brush with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle over with Zaatar if desired.
  4. Take a pastry / pizza cutter and cut into desired shapes.
  5. Bake for about 15-18 minutes until light golden brown. Keep an eye on them towards the end as they can over brown pretty quick.
  6. Cool completely on racks. Store in an airtight container. Serve with dips.


Recipe: Roasted Bell Pepper, Garlic & Walnut

Summary: Earthy, smoky, finger licking good

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  •  2 red bell peppers
  • 1 whole head of garlic
  • 50g walnuts
  • 30ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Handful fresh oregano
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Method:

  1. Place the bell peppers and garlic and roast in an oven at 180C  for 30 minutes, until the bell peppers are charred. I roasted them in my AirFryer. Place in a covered bowl and allow to cool. Peel and deseed the bell peppers, squeeze the garlic out.
  2. Place walnuts in food processor with all the remaining ingredients. Pulse to desired consistency. Stand for 20 minutes for flavours to mature. {Can be made ahead. Store in refrigerator for 2-3 days}


Recipe: Classic Garlicky Cream  Dip

Summary: Creamy, garlicky and tangy, this is an all time favourite!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 400g yogurt, hung
  • 3 finely chopped cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic greens {or chives, maybe fresh coriander}
  •  finely chopped green chili
  • 1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  1. Place yogurt in a large bowl and whisk well until smooth and lump free. Whisk in the remaining ingredients. Taste and check seasoning. Add more lime or salt if required.
  2. {Can be made ahead. Store in refrigerator for 2-3 days}


Recipe: Rocket & Cashew Dip

Summary: A dip where peppery rocket meets sweet cashew nuts. Thin this one down with cream cheese or single cream if you like. You can also add some parmesan.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 50g rocket leaves
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  •  Salt to taste
  • Dash of lime juice

Method:

  1. Place cashew nuts and rocket leaves in bowl of processor and pulse until everything is chopped quite fine. Make sure not to process it to a paste. We want to feel the texture of the nuts.
  2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and blend. Season with salt and add a dash of lime juice.
  3. {Can be made ahead. Store in refrigerator for 2-3 days}

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Baking | Oat & Wheat Cheese Crackers, and a quick Hummus #comfortfood #simple #savoury

“Comfort food….food that reassures. Is different things to different people.”
David Tanis

Oat & Wheat Cheese Crackers, and a quick Hummus…for one of those days when you are tired, feeling under the weather and craving comforting food. For days like this only quick, simple and flavourful seriously works. For days like these, a food processor is your best friend. Nothing to beat a workhorse that does everything, takes the work out of the cooking or baking, pampers you unknowingly, and delivers like nothing else!

I had a bunch of chickpeas left over as I boiled extra the other day while stirring up a quick chickpea curry. I always boil extra chickpeas as having some on hand offers plenty of quick rustle up food ideas. Salads for one. I made this layered savoury chickpea parfait often. Doubles up as a healthy, filling and quite delicious tiffin too!

But I was in a mood for crackers. Just one of those strange days where I craved baking something savoury, and had an idea in my head. Working as a fit foodie makes me constantly strive for fun wholegrain alternatives to things. They got to be yum too. I used butter in these crackers, but I think you could easily use olive oil. I might throw in some ground nut meal too the next time to substitute some of the flour. Just a thought…and more ideas to work on!The hummus happened as I was inspired by a quick hummus recipe that popped into my inbox not so long ago. I recall it having sesame paste as optional and it stayed in my head. There is nothing much to a hummus or chickpea dip. Just throw a bunch of ingredients into the faithful food processor, give them a whir. Balance flavours as you so desire.

More garlic if you are like us, more lime juice too. Plenty of extra virgin olive oil, maybe fresh herbs. Skip the smoked  paprika if you don’t have some on hand, degi mirch {kashmiri mirch} or red chili flakes. I have to say though that smoked paprika adds some fine earthy, moorish flavours to the dip…

There are other dips you could try. A Quark, Garlic and Chives Dip, Baba Ghanoush or Muhamarra would be wonderful here too. Else if nothing else, some nice cheese, fruit and wine will complete your cheese board.

[print_this]Recipe: Oat & Wheat Cheese Crackers

Summary: Whole grain healthy crackers, bursting with flavours. Crisp, healthy and delicious, they’re a great cheese board option.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 150g wholewheat flour
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 30g unsalted butter, chilled, cubed
  • 30g cheddar, grated
  • 15g finely chopped garlic greens {about 1/4 cup}
  • 1tsp red chili flakes
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup cultured buttermilk
  • Wholewheat flour for dusting

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 150C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment, or lightly grease them.
  2. Place the oats, wholewheat flour, salt and baking soda in bowl of food processor and mix on low for 30 seconds.
  3. Add remaining ingredients except buttermilk and pulse to mix until you get a breadcrumb like mix.
  4. With the processor running on low speed, gradually add the buttermilk 1 tbsp at a time until the dough seems to come together. You will need about a 1/4 cup maybe less.
  5. Turn dough in a bowl and knead together very briefly till it comes together, 20-30 seconds. Divide into 2, then roll out and cut as desired.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes in a low oven until light golden brown and crisp.
  7. Cool completely and check if crisp. If not leave in a low oven or another 10-15 minutes.
  8. Cool and store in an airtight box.

Recipe: Chickpea Hummus

Summary: A simple chickpea dip, Hummus is ideal to serve with crackers. Hummus is great as a sandwich filling too.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 30g white sesame seeds , toasted
  • 200g {1cup} chickpeas, boiled
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • 4-5 stalks chives, chopped
  • 30ml extra virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1tsp roasted ground cumin
  • Water as required {2-3tbsp}
  • Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle over, paprika and chives for garnish

Method:

  1. Place the sesame seeds in bowl of food processor and grind.
  2. Add remaining ingredients except water and process until ground into a smooth paste. Gradually add a little water at a time, and continue to process until you get desired consistency
  3. Taste and adjust salt, lime juice etc.
  4. Transfer to a bowl, drizzle over with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle over smoked paprika and chopped chives.
  5. Serve with the crackers, crudites etc.

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Wholewheat & Oat Butterscotch Blondies

“There was a mood of magic and frenzy to the room. Crystalline swirls of sugar and flour still lingered in the air like kite tails. And then there was the smell-the smell of hope, the kind of smell that brought people home.”
Sarah Addison Allen

Wholewheat & Oat Butterscotch Blondies … chewy, fudgy, mildly gooey and full of buttery goodness. Once you try these you just might get cured of your dark chocolate brownie passion, for a bit of course. I’ve made blondies in the past, yet somewhere along the way the charm waned off. This one bowl recipe turned out to be a different story altogether. A wholegrain and healthier version too!

Then quite some time back I read of someone making blondies with coconut in them. I’ve harbored a grudge against coconut for long. Since we were studying down south, everything had some form of coconut in it. I’d had enough of it. As time passed, each time I reached for a chocolate in a box, you guessed it, always coconut. Bleh!

Thanks to food blogging and more exposure than I could ever dream of, I gradually overcame my dislike for it. I discovered coconut big time in cooking. Curries, smoothies, even dessert. A Coconut Buttermilk Kaffir Lime Panna Cotta recipe developed for Saffola Fit Foodie … I knew that coconut and I could be good friends.

I now liberally use dessicated coconut and always have some on hand. The husband visited the US a short while ago and thanks to Ruchira, his list for shopping included cinnamon and butterscotch chocolate chips. The cinnamon of course went to her … take a look at her Chocolate Chilli Cinnamon Chip Cookies. The butterscotch chips stayed home with me and are mean little bits, addictive to boot. And they make some really mean blondies too!

With healthier twists and wholegrain baking the war cry at home, I took a chance with these blondies … wholewheat flour, healthy good oats, brown sugar instead of white and some coconut in these. Of course a generous dose of the deeply flavoured butterscotch chocolate chips and magic was created. The son couldn’t get enough of them. YUM! Mama, these are the best ever. Trying to stretch my now dwindling supply of butterscotch chocolate chips, I am careful how often I bake with them. The batches are rationed now.

Then one day some really good quality bakeware arrived from a new line that KitchenAid India recently launched. It was time to bake another batch of the Wholewheat & Oat Butterscotch Blondies to try out the bakeware. The quality speaks out loud. Heavy weight, durable, great finish! So while I was baking the blondies, ideas began forming in my head as to what I could send in for the contest they are running. Currently thinking something chocolate, let’s see what I can come up with.

KitchenAid India is hosting a nation-wide campaign for Pro- Baker, the first ever national campaign which targets passionate home bakers from across the country. They are inviting entries through  their micro-site and we will host regional competitions at each level with a finale in New Delhi.KitchenAid has been delivering premium standards of quality, versatility, and precision to the home kitchen for almost a century now and has everything you’ll want to stock in your baking armour. Providing oodles of culinary inspiration and convenience to the passionate baker, this year KitchenAid decided to find India’s first ProBaker. This search is far and wide to 4 cities, where KitchenAid with the help of its celebrated chef jury will mentor and judge the first KitchenAid Probaker. Lots on stake; nationwide spotlight, amazing prizes at every quest, a chance to meet your favourite chef and the opportunity to be the next baking legend.

Can’t wait to be part of this epic quest? Click here to Participate and visit website to know more!

If you are a passionate home baker and are up for the challenge, you must join in too. I think it’s going to be fun, and a great learning experience as well. Culinary inspiration is always welcome. Hurry up and participate, last day for the entry is 28th Feb! There’s not a lot of time left!

Oh… and I hope you’ve participated in the Philips Rice Cooker Giveaway. Do remember to leave a comment here!

[print_this]Recipe: Wholewheat & Oat Butterscotch Blondies

Summary: Wholewheat & Oat Butterscotch Blondies … chewy, fudgy, mildly gooey and full of buttery goodness. Once you try these you just might get cured of your dark chocolate brownie passion, for a bit of course. This one bowl recipe turned out to be a different story altogether, a wholegrain and healthier version!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, whisked lightly with fork
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted
  • 2 tablespoon yogurt
  • 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
  • 1 sachet vanilla sugar {optional}

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a 8 X 8″ square tin with baking parchment.
  2. Place butter, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large heatproof bowl, and microwave for a minute on high. Whisk until slightly cool.
  3. Whisk in egg, followed by the baking powder and baking soda, then flour, oats, coconut flakes and yogurt. Fold in chips.
  4. Turn into prepared baking tray, and sprinkle over with vanilla sugar.
  5. Bake at 180C for 22-25 minutes until the top is firm to touch.
  6. Cool in tin, cut into 16 squares.

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Desserts in Glasses| Dark Chocolate Oat & Walnut Pudding {eggless} & a Cranberry Cocktail Fruit Jelly…

“I am starting to think that maybe memories are like this dessert. I eat it, and it becomes a part of me, whether I remember it later or not.”
Erica Bauermeister

Dark Chocolate Oat & Walnut Pudding {eggless} … with the festive season well underway, it’s always the more the merrier when it comes to desserts. Leave it to me, and I would pretty much try and squeeze and recreate every dessert to fit into wine glasses, or any glasses for that matter. There is something quite ethereal and fun about it. Convenient and quick too!

This is what the year is probably going to be like. Quick recipes. Fun too. Hopefully will get a handle on the techs behind the camera. The healthy, or rather healthier twist is also going to rule. Feels like a lot more chocolate through winter, and then loads of summer fruit in the hot months. So much to look forward to.I am a huge believer in individually portioned desserts, preferably in glasses. It’s fun to layer in them, fun to see the visual delight they offer and fun to see kids faces light up while holding a stem glass. That I also play around with different sizes and kinds of glasses is a personal choice. I need to break the monotony of life, of setting, of serving and of course of taking photographs.

So this is a recipe I recently did for Cosmopolitan India. The criteria was interesting … an original recipe, easy to cook, shouldn’t take longer than 20-30 minutes to put together and most importantly, it should boast ingredients with ‘beauty benefits’. Create anything you like as long as it will do the skin some good. I have been working a LOT with oats of late, especially with my association with Fit Foodie. Well oats are good for the skin too, as a scrub, as a face pack, and of course ‘in a dish to eat’!! Chocolate and honey fitted right in! Just my kind of recipe, and one that went well with the theme!

So Good for You!
Oats are big on anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that battle skin probs, and they work as a natural moisturizer. Dark chocolate repairs dry skin, shields against UV rays, erases fine lines and wrinkles, adds shine to locks, and promotes hair growth!

I did another interesting dessert in a glass for a magazine I write for. It was a Cranberry Cocktail Fruit Jelly, which appeared in Abraxas NU this December. The recipe is festive, it’s fun and it’s make ahead! See…
On another note, I was thrilled to be featured in the VOGUE India, Food & Drink Guide 2015 … doing what I like to do best! The guide showcased ‘food bloggers who are excellent photographers’. Yours truly found mention there!

Cheers to the new year. What is your favourite ‘dessert in a glass’ OR favourite way to serve dessert?

[print_this]Recipe: Dark Chocolate Oat & Walnut Pudding {eggless}

Summary: The Dark Chocolate Oat & Walnut Pudding turned out bowl scraping good. Deeply soul satisfying, smooth with beautiful texture, it’s quite delightful for an eggless chocolate pudding. Using oats meant that it ended up being gluten free too! {Recipe can be easily halved}. Serves 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes plus chilling
Ingredients:

  • Pudding
  • 400g 2% milk
  • 200ml low fat cream
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 35g oats, ground to fine meal
  • 125g 52% dark couverture chocolate, chopped
  • 75g brown sugar
  • 50g honey
  • 50g roasted walnuts, chopped
  • Topping
  • Roasted walnut halves
  • chocolate shavings

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients in a heavy bottom pan and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until it begins to thicken. Once it becomes as thick as a custard, take off heat, allow to cool, then puree with an immersion blender or blitz in a food processor.
  2. Fold the chopped walnuts through {optional}
  3. Pour into serving bowls / glasses.
  4. Cool and then chill for 4-6 hours, preferably overnight.
  5. Top with roasted walnuts, chocolate shavings, or even seasonal berries like blueberries, strawberries etc.

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No Bake |Smoothies galore … and the difference between a food processor and blender #smoothies #healthy #seasonal #freshproduce

“I have more healthy cravings than my normal eating habits, like I crave fruit and cold things like smoothies.”
Kourtney Kardashian

Smoothies … you gotta love them. As the years pass by, the head wins over the heart. You know that it’s easier to gulp down a smoothie than chew through a buncha green leaves! And you also know that however good or bad it tastes, a well balanced, seasonal smoothie is going to do you a load of good. It’s pointless waiting for the new year to come and make resolutions, so I just got the ball rolling and made them before! Post the Jaipur trip, what with all the over the top indulgence and pampering, I had but one thing on my mind, get FIT!I have begun taking tiny steps. I’m eating healthier, I’m not eating out a lot, fewer food reviews, some form of exercise … and of course smoothies. I’ve also been invited to join the Fit Foodie panel on Saffola, which just gives me more reason to work towards my goal! I’ve put together a small graphic to make things easier. Play around with these three groups {not an exhaustive list} , add some yogurt, milk, buttermilk, almond milk, fruit juice or maybe water as required. I also throw in  spoon or two of oats at times.Do you smoothie? Here’s a bunch of recipes to set you off if you want to join in. You can find some here too. I basically go through the fridge to find what I can use and pair. I made three versions yesterday, and surprisingly enough the persimmon one was the best. The spinach, cuke and tender coconut water was nice too. The banana smoothie we have everyday, so that was quite normal, but normal good. Such fun. The processor is such a magic machine!

The processor is a blessing in disguise for soups too, though the immersion blender works really well in most cases. A while ago however someone asked me what the difference was between a food processor and blender. I have both in the kitchen, and it set me thinking. Thought I’d try and answer the query here just in case you had similar questions. Hope it helps…

Food processors and blenders, what are the differences between them?

If you only have a small kitchen then you may be wondering if you really need both a blender and a food processor. The fact is that although both gadgets have blades, and a reputation for dicing and slicing, they actually have quite different uses.
If you are going to be able to do all of the jobs you need to in a kitchen the chances are you are going to want to use a blender and a food processor at some point; especially if you regularly make smoothies or soups.
When does a blender come into its own?
The shape and blades of a blender are designed to cater for soft fruit and liquids. The name really says it all; these gadgets are excellent for blending ingredients into such delights as tasty smoothies. Depending on what fittings your blender has it may be able to cope with slicing ice for use in the smoothies; this can make them into an extra special treat on a hot summer day.
These tasty additions to any menu are a great way of getting fruit into a child’s diet. You can use the pulp produced when you are juicing to create imaginative and colorful smoothies that most children will love. The shape of a blender is slender and designed to accommodate soft and liquid products, and not usually more solid produce.
What about a food processor?
If you are using liquids then it’s a good idea to stick to using your blender, but for anything more solid you should switch to a food processor. Food processors have blades that are designed for chopping and slicing.
They also have a bowl that is larger and can accommodate more solid produce. If you have vegetables that you want to reduce in to small pieces to use in a soup then a food processor is the perfect gadget to use. It can cope with all sorts of vegetables and nuts, and in no time you will have all of the ingredients you need to make as much delicious soup as you want.
Which is the best to have, a blender or a food processor?
The answer to this question is really going to depend on what you need to do most. Is it more important to you to be able to blend together liquids, making drinks and smoothies; or is it more important to you to be able to slice vegetables for soups or stews?
It may be that you need to do both. There are blenders that have blades which provide a certain amount of chopping capacity, and food processors can deal with a very small amount of liquid, but generally if you want to be able to blend and chop you are going to have to make room in your kitchen for both a blender and a food processor.

So I guess it’s time to SMOOTHIE! Come join me. Grab a bunch of fresh seasonal produce, pair it with a medium you like, throw in some nuts, seeds, herbs and get going. Once you’re done, what’s next? Soup maybe?

[print_this]Recipe: Fruit & Vegetable Smoothies

Summary: Time for SMOOTHIES! Come join me. Grab a bunch of fresh seasonal produce, pair it with a medium you like, throw in some nuts, seeds, herbs and get going. 3 recipes to get you going …

Persimmon Orange Strawberry Smoothie
Flesh of 2 fully ripe persimmons
5 strawberries {approx 50g}
Juice of 1 orange
1/2 cup water
Pinch rock salt
Place in jar of Thermomix, processor or blender. Blend until smooth. Add extra juice or water if desired.

Cucumber Spinach tender Coconut Water Smoothie
1 small English cucumber, with skin {approx 100g}
Small bunch fresh spinach leaves{approx 35g}
200ml tender coconut water
Pinch rock salt
Place in jar of Thermomix, processor or blender. Blend until smooth

Banana Chocolate Oats Smoothie
2 bananas {chopped, frozen in summer, normal in winter}
300ml low fat milk, soy milk, almond milk
1 tsp brown sugar{optional}
1 tbsp oats {or almonds}
2 heaped tbsp cocoa powder
Place in jar of Thermomix, processor or blender. Blend until smooth.

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Wholegrain Holiday Biscotti …{chocolate+cranberries+ginger+walnuts}

“Eat clean. Think straight. Work consistently. Speak positively. Motivate others. Believe in yourself.” Toni Sorenson

Wholegrain Holiday Biscotti. It’s strange that I post biscotti every so often. Each time Mr PAB travels I brace myself for the request. “Do you think you’ll have time to make me some biscotti?” Yes he is that predictable. And me? Equally unpredictable. Even if I am torn for time, I know I will definitely bake a batch. The unpredictable bit is that I cannot make the same recipe over and over again.

That the biscotti was going to be healthy and wholegrain was a given. The beginning of the holiday season means a lot of additional flavours begin to dance in the head. Crystallised ginger, dried cranberries, orange, and walnuts of course… fun fun fun! Baking the batch gave me a chance to play around with this beautiful Acacia Wooden Cutting Board from Engrave that I recently received. Chopped the walnuts, ginger and cranberries on it, flipped it over and shot some more…

Meat or mushrooms, this rugged chopping board can handle it all. Hand crafted from a single block of Acacia wood, this rustic looking board is as comfortable in the lap as it on the kitchen counter. If you find one side is worn out from months if frantic chopping, flip it around for a second stint.

Engrave have got a whole lot of fun, innovative and interesting products online. I especially love the Acacia range, but there’s plenty more in the lifestyle range. Their engraving and personalized products really stand out. There is loads of creativity on offer that includes plaques, canvas, name plates, ipad engraving …

…. back to baking and the queen of substitutions kicked in. It was going to be a chocolate base. Most whole grains work really well with chocolate, so no question of messing around there. I like that this recipe worked out well. Plenty of wholegrain – buckwheat flour, wholewheat flour and oats, it’s packed with nuts, ginger, cranberries too … all good for the winters. The recipe is a healthier take on the chocolate almond biscotti I made several years ago…. and that brings me to the Fit Foodie meter.

As you might know, I was part of the Saffola Oats campaign led by Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna last year to develop healthy and tasty recipes.Using wholegrain and healthy ingredients like oats, buckwheat flour, amaranth flour, whole sugars etc., I discovered a whole new world! There’s been no looking back…I developed  bunch of fun and interesting recipes. You can now find these on the FIT FOODIE website. There were a couple of videos shot for Food Food Channel as well. They are on the Saffola Fit Foodie site and on you tube too.This year around, I have been invited to hop on board and join their ‘Fit Foodie Panel‘.

Our panel of experts is the one that creates, carefully scrutinizes and approves every recipe that is available on the site. Headed by Michelin starred chef, Vikas Khanna, it includes die hard foodies, eminent chefs, popular food bloggers and renowned nutritionists who ensure that the scale is perfectly balanced on both health and taste. They cook, they taste and yes, they share exactly what works to spin that delightfully healthy meal on the table!

The site offers another interesting concept that’s been developed by the efficient and creative team behind brand Saffola… the Fit Foodie Meter. It works hard to improve normally used recipes and give them a healthier makeover of sorts, yet keeps the tasty factor in place.

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[print_this]Recipe: Wholegrain Holiday Biscotti {chocolate+cranberries+ginger+walnuts}

Summary: Crisp, chocolaty, and healthy, this Wholegrain Holiday Biscotti is a nice addition to the holiday cookie platter. With cranberries, walnuts, crystallised ginger and orange, it’s time to ring in the holiday season with this twice baked Italian cookie! Makes 25-30

Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes Ingredients:

  • 75g wholewheat flour
  • 40g buckwheat flour
  • 50g oats
  • 30g cocoa powder
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • pinch salt
  • 75g dark chocolate
  • 75g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped
  • 2 eggs
  • 125g brown sugar
  • 1tp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 50g walnuts, roasted, chopped
  • 15g crystallised ginger,chopped
  • 25g dried cranberries, chopped

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 170C
  2. Place wholewheat flour, buckwheat flour, oats, coco powder, baking powder, pinch salt and dark chocolate in bowl of food processor and pulse to fine mix.
  3. Add the butter and pulse at high speed again. Reserve.
  4. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, brown sugar, almond extract and orange rind till fluffy, one minute.
  5. Fold in the dry mix with the walnuts, ginger and cranberries. Form into 2 logs and bake for 30 minute
  6. Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice with a sharp knife.
  7. Lay flat on sides on the baking tray, and bake again at 150C for 30 minutes.

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