Home made granola

 Oats are versatile and can come in different forms. You can make overnight-oats, oatmeal, oats dosa, etc.

Today I am making granola, a crunch snack with rolled oats and nuts.

Whole oats: They are the old fashioned oats, that are also called rolled oats. They are steamed and then flattened into large flakes.

Steel oats: These oats maintain the original form and need to be cooked longer to attain the creamy texture. They have been cut with steel blades.

Quick oats: These oats are similar to rolled oats , they are steamed and flattened into more thinner flakes for quick cooking.

All oats are loaded with fibre and make a perfect ingredient for healthy cooking.

I love preparing home made granola using rolled oats and bunch of nuts, coconut flakes and dry fruits, combined with some sweet ingredient like honey, maple syrup,  olive oil. This can be made in big quantity and stored to enjoy as a healthy snack or used to top over plain yogurt, oatmeal, etc.

The steps are very simple and the result is satisfying.

Home made granola 

Add and mix all ingredients in a bowl

Maple syrup, rolled oats and olive oil

Bake the granola

Ingredients

Serves 8 

2 cups organic old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup walnuts bits or chopped 

1/4 cup pecans (optional) 

1/4 cup coconut flakes

2 tsp pepitas seeds (pumpkin seeds)

2 tsp sweetened dried cranberries

pinch of salt

1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp cardamon powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Method:

1. Using a medium sized bowl , add oats, walnuts, pecans, coconut flakes, pepitas seeds, salt, cinnamon powder, cardamon powder and stir these dry ingredients.

2. To this add in maple syrup and olive oil and stir well.

3. Line parchment paper onto a baking sheet and heat oven to 350 F. Add to bake for approx. 15 mins. Take out and mix again, bake for another 10 to 12 minutes and or till  granola appears light golden brown. Close and add dried sweetened cranberries or any other dried fruits of your choice. Let it cool to room temperature before serving.

Granola can be stored in an air tight container for more than 10 days. Enjoy, by adding a tablespoon of prepared granola along with yogurt, and berries, or just by itself.

Enjoy :) and do let me know if you make it any other way. Would love to know from you.

Healthy Breakfast and Lite snacks

Breakfast and lite snacks ideas .....

As we all know eggs contain 6 gm of high quality protein, they are very versatile, as you can prepare many forms of egg dishes , also rich source of other vitamins like A, E and vit B12, so its  a great source of energy. 

Eggs are desirable, making it a healthy option too. I like to add veggies like, green bell peppers, tomatoes, spinach to the omelet, adding low fat milk ,shredded cheese can be a good source of calcium.

If you are in a hurry during breakfast time, especially on week days, you can just scramble eggs, or prepare 6 to 7 boiled eggs before hand and store in the refrigerator.

As a vegetarian, the options to get protein and fiber can be obtained by making:

1.Oatmeal smoothie with chia seeds, using low fat yogurt.

2.Granola bars , prepared using dried fruits, nuts and  rolled oats are a great energy source. Peanut butter can be added, for protein. 

3.Greek yogurt parfait prepared at home ,are a good source of calcium and protein. 

4.Kale and avocado smoothie is another great morning starter high protein drink. Also beet juice , carrot juice and apple juice , combined together is a power house of energy and healthy too.

  Today, I will be making a healthy chevda, that can be enjoyed as a snack , its good for all, because of the healthy ingredients . This chevda uses very little oil. It is a mixture made  by using nuts, cornflakes,rice krispies cereal,sunflower seeds, flax seeds, healthy snacking without the guilt.

Ingredients
1 cup ready store bought cornflakes
1 cup rice Krispies (cereal)
1 cup kurmura ( puffed rice, available in Indian grocery)
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped almonds, cashews, peanuts each (all unsalted) 
1/4 cup raisins 
3 to 4 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds 
2 tsp white sesame seeds
2 tsp sunflower seeds or flax seeds 
salt to taste
1 tsp chaat powder (available in Indian store)
2 dried red chilies

Diet / healthy  Chevda 

Method:
1.Heat  2 tsp oil ,add  mustard seeds, allow to sputter , next add in  cashews, almonds and peanuts, saute` for a minute or two.
 2.Add in dried red chilies, curry leaves,salt, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chaat powder.
3.Add in cornflakes, continue stirring on low heat, next add rice crisps,kurmura (rice puffs) mix all together,on low heat, stir for another 8 to 10 minutes and close burner.
On cooling,store prepared chevda (Diet mixture) in an air tight container , and enjoy as a healthy snack.


Downward facing Dog pose#4
A yoga pose  that resembles an inverted  V letter ,very beneficial pose, elongates the spine, and gives strength and body circulation.
Stand tall with feet hip distance apart. Shoulders relaxed.
1.Breathe in ,raise your arms up ,stretching your hand up above your shoulders.
2. Breathing out , lower the arm, and bend forward,with knees slightly bend, place palms on the ground,  spread  palms to help distribute the body weight.
3. Lift your hips up and head down, looking at the feet and body into an inverted V shape. keep this pose for a minute or two, and then bend knees to the floor, exhale and relax.
. Do not exert or push yourself, through the pose.

Goodness of Oats

Oats are type of  grains that have lot of nutritional value and are eaten as porridge, also one can use oats to make cereal bars , or even make oatmeal cookies. I like to have a warm cup of freshly made oatmeal with brown sugar, and nuts. It is the ultimate comforting food in the morning.Oats have number of good benefits , they are high in fibre, also they help lower the cholesterol levels, and maintain good health.

Basic recipe below  to prepare Oats and start your morning with a cup of warm oats :) with nuts or fresh berries... perfect beginning to the day. You can also make the oats ahead to save time. Enjoy a cup of oats with fresh fruits, nuts, honey. Also some people eat them the savoury way, like prepare oats initially cooking it with water , after they are cooked add in your choice of savoury ingredients, like cheddar, and spices.

Adding brown sugar and nuts to cooked oats

Ingredients
 2 cups old fashioned  rolled oats
1 cup water
1 cup 1 % milk
2 tspn brown sugar
1/4 cup mixed nuts
1 tspn fresh berries (optional)

1. Prepare the oats using 1 cup water ,cook together in medium sauce pan for about  10 minutes covered with a lid, on medium heat. Check to see if  oats have cooked and softened.
2. Add in 1 cup milk, stir in brown sugar and after adding nuts cover the lid again for another 5 minutes to allow the nuts to cook in the steam.
Ready to serve, put into a bowl and enjoy with fresh berries or extra nuts, or adding little more milk, which ever way you like it .

French crepes

When we think of France it just captures our imagination and makes  us imagine of petite beautiful things, well crepes is also among those things. They not only are great to look at but are great tasting and a treat for our taste buds!!
The other day we got this treat from our sweetie pie daughter who made them at home and what a pretty display that I just couldn't resist sharing this  recipe and pictures of these crepes and its perfect for a holiday morning breakfast or brunch, also as a desert.
Crepes are like very thin pancakes and made from flour batter, that has flour, milk, eggs and we like to add vanilla essence . Crepes are eaten sweet or savoury.
This recipe are sweet crepes. 

Ingredients 

1 cup Flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4  tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn sugar
1/4 tspn salt
1 tbsp white butter melted
1 cup blueberries
1 cup strawberries or raspberries
1/2 cup jelly of your choice
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup store bought whipped cream

Method

1.In  a medium bowl milk together, flour, with salt, gradually add in the eggs and  milk.
Next add sugar ,salt and vanilla essence,continue to mix to form a smooth batter.
Finally add in  melted butter and stir together.
2.Heat a flat 8 inch non stick griddle over medium heat. Pour 1/4 th of batter into the pan tilting to  to cover the base of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes and flip once until it turns golden.Repeat with remaining batter till all crepes are ready.
For filling , you can fill with ingredients of your choice, like some like nutella spread onto  warm crepes and some like jelly spread Add berries and whipped cream. Enjoy the smoothness of crepes and the goodness of fruits to make it the perfect sweet treat.

                                                                           

                                                                     

                                                                                

Batter

Making Individual crepes  

 Crepes 

French Crepes