Eggless fruit and nut cake/Plum cake/Christmas cake

What is Christmas without some Plum cake. And what is better if it is homemade. Made this eggless, moist, rich plum cake for this Christmas.
Here is the recipe

Recipe Adapted from: RaksKitchen.

Ingredients	Quantity	Notes/Comments
All Purpose Flour/Maida	1 + 1/4 cups
Brown Sugar	3/4 cup	I used demerara sugar
Curd	3 tbsp
Orange Juice	3/4 cup	I used freshly squeezed
Butter	1/2 cup	I used Amul butter
Dried fruits and nuts	1 1/4 cup	I used 1/4 cup each of chopped almonds, cashews and raisins and 1/2 cup tutti fruiti
Baking Soda	1/4 tsp
Baking Powder	1/2 tsp
Ground Cinnamon	1/2 tsp
Ground Clove	1/4 tsp
Dry ginger powder	1/4 tsp
Nutmeg powder	1/8 tsp
Salt	1/8 tsp

Procedure

1. Soak the dried fruits and nuts in 3/4 cup orange juice, overnight.
2. The next day, remove the excess orange juice from fruits and nuts and keep aside. (it would be around 3 tbsp)
3. Add 1/4 cup of maida to the fruit and nut mixer and mix well until evenly coated.
5. In a bowl, add 1 cup maida, all the powders and salt and mix well and keep aside.
6. In another bowl, add butter and beat well. Then add the sugar and beat. Then add curd and 3 tbsp orange juice and mix well.
7. Ad the maida mixture to wet mixture in 2 batches and mix well.
8. Then add the dry fruits and nuts and mix well.
9. Pre heat the oven to 180 degree C.
10. Bake for 45 minutes in a cake pan covered with parchment/butter paper or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
11. Allow the cake to cool and serve.

Eggless whole wheat cinnamon rolls

Made these cinnamon rolls for my son's short break at school. These are eggless and 100% whole wheat. If good quality yeast is used, the results would be just amazing.
Here is the recipe

Recipe Adapted from: divyascookbook.
Ingredients to make around 16 rolls

Ingredients	Quantity	Notes/Comments
Wheat Flour	1 3/4 + 1/4 cups	I used aashirvad aata
Gluten	2 tbsp	Optional but highly recommended as it gives softness to whole wheat bread.
Milk	1 cup	Soy milk for vegan option
Instant Yeast	1 tsp	I used gloripan yeast
Oil	1/4 cup	I used sunflower oil
Sugar	1/4 cup
Baking Soda	1/4 tsp
Baking Powder	1/4 tsp
Salt	1/4 tsp
Ground Cinnamon	1/2 tsp
Brown Sugar	1/3 cup	I used demerara sugar
Tutti fruiti	1/3 cup

Procedure

1.In a saucepan mix together milk,sugar and oil.Bring to boil and then switch off the flame.Let cool down to lukewarm.
2. In another bowl, mix 1 3/4 cup of wheat flour and gluten.
3. Once the milk is lukewarm, add yeast and wheat flour mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon. 4. Cover with a lid and allow it to rise for an hour till it doubles in size. (Since we are using wheat flour, it might not double. If the weather is cold, then it might take more time for the dough to rise)
5. Once the dough has risen, add baking soda, baking powder, salt and remaining 1/4 cup wheat flour and mix well till the dough is smooth. If required, little bit milk can be added. The dough should not be very sticky.
6. If using later, refrigerate the dough. Else, roll the dough into rectangular shape.
7. Apply some oil on the rolled dough.
8. Mix cinnamon and brown sugar and spread over the rolled dough.
9. Then spread the tutti fruiti. Choco chips can be used instead of tutti fruiti.
10.Start from the opposite end of the dough, roll the dough neatly in a line towards you. Roll as tightly as possible.
11. Cut the rolled dough into 16 equal rolls and place it in a baking pan.
12. Allow it to rise for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.
13. Around 5 minutes before the final rise, pre heat the oven to 180 degree C and bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes.
14. Allow the rolls to cool and serve.

If refrigerated, the rolls would stay for up to 5 days or a week. If refrigerating, microwave for 30 to 45 seconds before serving.

100% Whole wheat Vegan buns

After a long break, here I am with a recipe for 100% whole wheat bread. I generally bake them on Sundays and pack for my son's breakfast, the next 3 days. With creamy onion and tomato spread and carrot toppings, these soft and fluffy buns are very filling and healthy as well.. Though they don't taste exactly like white bread, we have got used to the taste of wheat in baked goods and I no longer use all purpose flour/maida.
Here is the recipe

Recipe Adapted from: vegrecipesofindia.
Ingredients to make around 9 medium sized buns

Ingredients	Quantity	Notes/Comments
Wheat Flour	2 3/4 cups	I used aashirvad aata
Gluten	2 tbsp	Optional but highly recommended as it gives softness to whole wheat bread.
Water	1 1/4 cups	Might need extra 1 or tbsps
Instant Yeast	1/2 tbsp	I used gloripan yeast
Oil	2 tbsp	I used sunflower oil
Sugar	1 tbsp	-
Salt	1 tsp	I used sunflower refined oil

Procedure

1. Heat 1 1/4 cups of water. If its too hot, wait till it comes to lukewarm. (If the water it hot, yeast wouldn't work as expected.)
2. Dissolve sugar in water, then add yeast to it. (If using instant yeast, it can be added directly to flour, but I followed this procedure)
3. While the yeast is proofing, in a large bowl, mix flour, gluten and salt. The add oil and mix.
4. Add the yeast mixture to flour and start kneading. If the dough is too stiff, add 1 or 2 tbsp more water.
5. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes till the dough becomes smooth and soft.
6. Grease the dough with oil and transfer to a large bowl. Cover loosely with kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (I generally place the bowl inside the oven, of course without switching it on)
7. With wheat flour, the dough does not doubles up, but raises to some extent.
8. After 1 1/2 hours, deflate the dough by punching it and divide into 9 equal sized balls.
9. Shape the dough to desired shape(round, rectangular etc) and arrange them in the baking tray.
10. Allow them to raise again for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Apply oil lightly on the top of the buns.
11. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C and bake the buns for 25 minutes.
12. Allow them to cool a bit before slicing.

Enjoy with jam or any savory spread.

Potato and sweet corn sandwich(no cheese/butter)

This potato-sweet corn sandwich is very easy to put together if the chutneys are made before hand. On the day of making the sandwich, prepare the potato-sweet corn filling, assemble everything and toast. You get a tangy and spicy sandwich perfect for breakfast and picnics.

The quantity of chilli added in green chutney gives us that extra heat. But if you like spicy food, you may have to add more chillies.

Recipe Source: Got the recipe for potato sweet corn filling from my cousin's space.
Ingredients to make 8 sandwiches (using 16 bread slices)

Ingredients	Quantity	Notes/Comments
Bread slice	16	I used whole wheat bread
Green chutney	1 tbsp	-
Onion and Tomato chutney	3 tbsp	-
Potato	3	medium sized
Sweet corn	1	-
Oil	1 tsp	I used sunflower refined oil
Cumin Seeds	1 tsp	-
Salt	To taste	around 1/2 a tsp
Aamchur/Dry mango Powder	1 tsp	Optional, for extra tang
Red chilli powder	1/2 tsp	-
lemon juice	1 tsp	-

Procedure
For the potato sweet corn filling
1. Pressure cook potato and sweet corn for 3 whistles
2. Peel the potato and mash. Remove kernels from the corn.
3. In a pan/kadai, add a tsp of oil. Add cumin seeds, chilli powder, aamchur powder and salt. Add corn kernels and mix well
4. Add mashed potato and lemon juice and mix well. Switch off the flame.
5. Transfer to a bowl.
For the sandwich
1. Spread onion chutney on a bread slice.
2. Apply green chutney on another slice. Spread the filling on the same slice.

 3. Place one slice over the other. 4. Toast in a toaster until browned.
 5. Server as it is or with tomato ketchup. As you can see, the sandwich is almost oil less and there is  no butter or cheese. The best part is you won't even miss them.

Take a slice of this sandwich and you would know the meaning of "bursting with flavour". :-)

Still not clear???? Scroll down for step wise pictures...

Onion and tomato chutney/spread for idli/dosa/sandwich

I made this chutney to use as spread for potato and sweet corn sandwich.(recipe for the sandwich in the next post) This spread is so versatile that with few changes here and there, it can be used as a side for idli/dosa or even pasta sauce.

In this post, you can find the recipe for chutney and spread. The ingredients are the same for both, only the method at the final step varies.

Here is the recipe to make around 1/2 cup of onion-tomato chutney/spread

Recipe Source: My mother
Ingredients to make around 1/2 cup

Ingredients	Quantity	Notes/Comments
Onion	1 large	-
Tomato	1 large	-
Red chilly	1 medium sized	-
Vegetable Oil	1 1/2 tsp	I used sunflower oil
Urad dal	1 tsp	-
Channa dal	1 tsp	-
Salt	to taste	around 1/4th tsp

Procedure
1. Wash onion and tomato. Peel onion. Cut onion and tomato into medium sized pieces.
2. In a kadai/pan, add a tsp of oil. Add urad dal and channa dal.
3. When dal is slightly browned, add red chilly and onion.
4. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes and add the tomatoes.
5. Saute for another 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
5. Let the mixture cool. This mixture is the base for chutney and spread.
To make spread for sandwich,
7. Coarsely grind the mixture, add salt mix well and the chutney is ready.
To make spread for sandwich,
8. Grind the mixture to a smooth paste.
9. In the same kadai, add 1/2 tsp of oil, add the ground mixture and fry for 4 to minutes, till the mixture comes to a semi solid, spreadable consistency.
10. Add salt and mix well.

A nice variation to the spread would be to add some italian seasoning. In that case omit step 2 and at step 10, add italian dried herbs like basil, rosemarry and oregano along with salt and mix well. A few more modifications to the mixture, you get pasta sauce...Will post the recipe for pasta sauce soon.

Still not clear???? Scroll down for step wise pictures...