No Bake Vegan Almond And Dates Bar

This recipe is done a part of a challenge by group in facebook named Muslim Food Bloggers followed by some great blogger friends,this is a monthly challenge and this is the first month and this month its the challenge to try out a dish from Sawsan's blog Chef In Disguise.She is such a great blogger with a blog of lot of middle eastern recipes and beautiful photos tooo...
I have selected a no bake vegan bar because I'm very fond of such healthy bars and I loved making it too...
I know my bars are not so perfect as her because i didnt get enough time to refrigerate it.My kids were back of me to cut and give it soon...All enjoyed the bars...our family is a dates loving family so this is perfect for all...

Now to the recipe:

Ingredients:

For The Crust:

1c almonds 
1 c Oats 
1/4 tsp Salt
8 Dates, pitted and roughly chopped 
2tbsp Dried cranberries
2 tbsp coconut oil
2tbsp Honey

Date Filling:

100 grms Dates pureed
1/4 tsp mix of powder(cardamom,cinnamon and cloves)
1tsp Coconut Oil

Method:

For The Crust:

1.In a grinder grind the oats and almonds to a course powder.
2.Now gring the dates and cranberries.
3.Mix the dates mix to the oats mixture.
4.Now add salt,coconut oil and honey to this mixture and mix well.
5.Set aside.

Date Filling:

1.Puree the date along with spice mix and oil.

Assembling:

1.Line a square cake tin with parchment paper.
2.Now spread half of the oats mix to the pan and press well.
3.Now spread the date mixture on top of the oat mixture.
4.Now spread the other half of oats mixture on top of date mixture and press well.
5,Refrigerate this for few hours or overnight.(I say to refrigerate overnight for more neat cuts)

Check out what other bloggers have prepared from Sawsan's blog for this challenge:

An InLinkz Link-up

Honey Cake Or Russian Medovik

This is a cake I was waiting to make for a long time....I made this for my hubby's bday...all loved this...This a little time consuming cake but its worth..Its a 8 layer cake with 2 types of icing...The batter for this can made it two ways some make it as a batter some make it in a dough form...I'm posting the dough form recipe here.....It is always better to make this cake a day before to get the base soft and to infuse the sweetness of the creams into the base....I really enjoyed making this cake...
I too love the taste of this cake...I watched a lot of videos and read many recipes before trying this and I got a very good result....

Now to the recipe how I made this:

Ingredients:

For the Base:

1c Sugar
1/3c Honey
4tbsp Butter
1/2tsp Baking soda
1/2tsp Vinegar
1/4tsp Salt
3 Large Eggs
3 1/2 c of All purpose flour

For Filling:

Cream 1:

1tin Condensed milk 
1c Butter

Cream 2:

2 sachets Dreamwhip powder
1pckt Philadelphia cream cheese
1/2c Cold milk
1tsp Vanilla essence

For Garnishing:

Cut of baked edges of base
1/4c Almonds

Method:

Preparing The Base:

1.In a bowl beat the eggs slightly and keep aside.
2.In another bowl put the sugar,honey,butter,salt,and vinegar and double boil this.
3.Slowly add the beaten egg and mix well till it becomes pale in color.
4.Remove from heat.
5.Seive the flour and baking soda and add this to the egg mixture and knead it to a soft dough,
6,First you will find it difficult to knead as it will be sticky.
7.Sprinkle few flour and knead and you will get a soft dough.
8.Now divide this into 8 equally sized balls.

 9. Now 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
10.Roll of the balls into not very thin 9 inch circles.
11.Palce a 8 inch plate over the rolled disc and just run a knife around to get a perfect round.
12.Dont remove the edges as after baking we need those to grind and garnish the cake.
13.Preheat the oven at 200 degree C for 10 mins.
14.Bake the rolled base at 180 degree C for 6 to 8 mins or till light brown.
15.I baked 4 bases at a time.
16.Peel it out from the baking paper and reserve the edges.
17.Cool it completely.

For Filling:

Cream 1:

1.We have to make the dulce de leche with the condensed milk.
2.Boil the tin with con.milk for 2 hrs or u can do it with pressure cooker method too.
3.Do this a day before because we need cooled dulce de leche(DDL).
4.Now beat the DDL and butter together to a smooth cream and keep in fridge.
5.This will not be a stiff cream.

Cream 2:

1.Beat the dream whip powder with cold milk and vanilla essence till stiff peaks.
2.Now add the cream cheese and beat well.
3.Keep this in fridge.

Assembling The Cake:

1.Once the bases are cooled complete spread the creams alternatively on each layer.
2.On top of 1st base spread cream 1 top it with next base spread cream 2 over this and complete it like this.
3.Spread the DDL cream all over the cake.
4.Now grind the cut out baked edges and almonds to corse powder.
5.Cover the cake evenly all over with this powder.
6.Refrigerate it for 4 to 5 hrs or overnight.
7.Slice and enjoy the honey cake.... 

Coffee Macarons

Another macaron post....baking macarons are really a crazy thing for me....once start I will just stop after 5 or 6 batches of different flavours...Love to bake these lil cookies....I'm so excited to bake these cuties any time of the day especially midnight after all are slept....hehehe

Today posting coffee macarons...with 2 type filling dark chocolate ganache and white chocolate ganache...both tastes tooo good.

Now to the recipe..

Ingredients:

For Shells:

70 grms Egg white Room temp
70 grms Almond powder
3grms Instant coffee powder
135grms Icing sugar
40grms Granulated sugar

For Filling:

50 grms Dark Chocolate
50 grms White Chocolate
75 grms Cream




Method:

For Shells:

1.Weigh the egg whites in a bowl  and keep it covered with a cling film at counter top for 24 hrs or in fridge for 4 to 5 days.
2.Before beating egg whites bring it to room temp.
3.Now weigh the almond powder,coffee powder  and icing sugar.
4.Grind this and sieve and keep aside.
5.Now in a stand mixer beat the egg whites along with granulated sugar till we get stiff peaks.
6.Now add the almond coffee and icing sugar powder to the egg whites.
7.Fold in carefully till we get a ribbon like texture.
8.This is very important not to under mix or over mix the macronage(macaron batter).
9.Line up a baking tray with baking paper.(ou can put a template paper down the baking paper and pipe the macs for perfect shape.After piping remove the template paper)
10.Now fill the macronage in a piping bag with a simple round tip.
11.Now pipe out small rounds on this tray.
12.Tap the tray on the counter few time to knock out the air bubbles.
13.If few big bubbles remain you can even poke it with toothpick carefully.
14.Now keep this for drying,it takes 30 mins to 1 hr according to the climate.
15.Once the shells are dry and not sticky you can bake it.
16.Preheat the oven at 150 degree C for 20 mins.
17.Bake this trays for 10 to 15 min or till done.
18.While touching the shells should be firm.
19.Off the oven and keep the tray at room temp for sometimes,then peel out the shells from the tray.

For Filling:

1.Now double boil or microwave the white chocolate and half of the cream in one bowl and dark chocolate and half of the cream in another bowl.
2.Keep in fridge for sometime.
3.Now pair the shells with same size.
4.Sandwich 2 shells with the filling .
5.Can be kept these in containers in fridge for using later.
6.Enjoy the coffee macs....

Avocado Brownies

 This is a easy and almost healthy version of brownies...without butter and all purpose flour...Avocado acts like butter in this recipe....found many recipes for this...I made like this..

No one will say this is a brownie without butter...so moist so tasty it is...

Ingredients:

1large Avocado
3large Eggs
1/2c Granulated sugar
1/2c Brown sugar
1c Mix of Oats,Dessicated coconut and Almond powder
3tbsp Cocoa powder
1/2tsp Baking powder
1tsp Vanilla essence
A pinch of salt
1/2c Chocolate chips

Method:

1.Grind the oats ,dessicated coconut and almond powder together.
2.In a bowl beat eggs and sugars together sugar dissolves.
3.Mash the avocado and add to the egg mixture.
4.Add the mix of powder,cocoa powder,baking powder and salt to this batter.
5.Foldin well.

6.Grease a square cake tin.
7.Pour the batter to the tin and top with chocolate chips,
8.Preheat the oven at 200 deg C for 10 mins.
9.Bake at 180 deg C for 30 to 35 mins or till done.
10.Cool it completely before cutting.

11.Slice and enjoy the brownies...

Choco Flan Or Impossible Cake

Today I'm posting a flan cake....this is a real treat for dessert lovers...This is a cake with two layers a flan and a cake layer....Pouring 2 batters together in a pan and after baking we get a dessert with 2 layers.Checked many recipes and saw many videos to get away the confusion of baking this cake and end up with this recipe.....

We can make the cake batter with store bought cake mix...but I like to make my own batter...then only it will be said made from scratch....Baking such dishes really feels like cooking is a real science....love baking such desserts...

Thinking to bake different variations of this cake with vanilla cake or redvelvet cake...cant wait to try..

Now to the recipe...

Ingredients:

For Cake:

1 1/2C All purpose flour
1/2C Cocoa Powder
2 Large Eggs
1C Oil
1 1/2C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4C Milk if needed
1tsp Vanilla essence
A pinch of salt

For Flan:

1tin Evaporated milk
1tin Condensed milk
4 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla essence

For Caramel:

1C Sugar

Method:

For Cake:

1.Grease a cake pan or bundt pan .
2.Caramalize the sugar and pour this in the pan.
3.Now prepare the cake batter.
4.Beat the eggs and sugar well.
5.Add vanilla essence.
6.Add the oil to this and beat well.
7.Seive the dry ingredients and mix to the egg sugar mixture.
8.Pour the prepared cake batter to the cake tin.

For Flan:

1.In a blender blend all the ingredients for flan.
2.Pour this over the cake batter evenly.

Baking:

1.Preheat the oven at 200 deg C for 15 mins.
2.Cover the pan with foil.
3.Keep this tin in a large baking tray.
4.Pour boiling water to the large pan.(Braine Marie Method)
5.Bake this at 180 deg C for 1hr or till done.(it took 1 hr and 20 mins for me).

6.Once the cake is done cool it compeletly to room temp.
7.Keep if refrigerated for few hrs or overnight before tilting.
8.This cake is always good the next day of baking.
9.Once cool slice and serve,
10.Enjoy the choco flan....

Gulab Jamun CheeseCake 200th Post !!!!

This is my 200th post...so happy to write this post, actually when I started my blog I never thought I will be able to reach atleast 100 posts....but day after day this blog and blogging became a part of my life and improved my cooking a lot....Got many friends through blogging....Thanks a lot to my family and friends who supported me a lot to keep on blogging....

Today I'm posting Gulab Jamun cheesecake which I was waiting to try for a long time....

Ingredients:

For Gulab Jamun:

2C Milk Powder
1/2 C All purpose flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3tbsp Ghee
A pinch salt
Milk for kneading
Oil
1C Sugar 
1C Water
2tsp Rose water
1/2tsp Cardamom powder

For CheeseCake:

200g Cream cheese
1 sachet Dreamwhip powder
1/2C Cold milk
1tin Puck Cream
3/4 tin Condensed milk
3tsp Gelatine
4tbsp Water
1pckt Digestive biscuit
50g Melted Butter
Crushed pisthachios for garnishing

Method:

Gulab Jamun:

1.In a bowl add the milk powder,all purpose flour,baking soda,salt and ghee.
2.Add milk little by little and knead the well.
3.Cover and let it sit for 15 to 20 mins.
4.Meanwhile prepare the sugar syrup.Boil the sugar and water till thickens.
5.Add the rose water and cardamom powder to this.
6.Now heat oil in a kadai to fry the jamuns.
7.Heat of the oil should be very low as the jamuns get cooked well inside.
8.Now make balls out of the dough.
9.Slowly put few balls in the hot oil and fry till these are cooked and golden brown.
10.Drain the excess oil and drop this balls into warm sugar syrup. 
11.Let it absorb the syrup.

For CheeseCake:

1.Grind the digestive biscuits and melted butter.
2.In a spring form pan press this biscuit mixture as a base for cheesecake.Keep it in fridge.
3.Soak the gelatine in water for sometime.
4.In a bowl beat the dreamwhip powder with cold milk ans vanilla essence till stiff peaks.
5.Add the cream cheese and cream and beat well.
6.Add the con.milk and mix well.
7.Now double boil and melt the gelatine and add to the creamcheese mixture and mix well.

Assembling The CheeseCake:

1.Slightly squeeze the jamuns and cut into two pieces.
2.Arrange this cut jamuns on top of the biscuit base.I just drizzled some sugar syrup on top of the biscuit base.
3.Pour the cheesecake mixture over this.
4.Keep this in fridge for 4 to 5 or till set.
5.Garnish with crushed pistachios.
6.Cut and serve...Enjoy the taste of cheesecake and gulab jamuns...

Pistha Macaron

Hi all....August was a busy month ....went for a small vaccation for 15 days...came back and all the cleaning done and got tired a lot,then again to routine days....now waiting for next holidays for Eid....
Now thinking to blog very regularly missing blogging a lot these days....Today I'm posting a macaron again...Macarons are a real madness if once started....I took around 200 filled macarons to kerala this time to share with my family and friends.....all loved it a lot...Carried it all the way in hand and reached very safe there......Once reached it is the first bag i opened to check whether it is not broken.....

As all know its a very difficult task to get a perfect macaron....now as I practiced it a lot and now Masha allah I'm confident of making these cuties....
Have to be very careful in each step of making these....From measuring till baking...

Now to the recipe of Pistha macs...

Ingredients:

For Shells:

70 grms Egg Whites (Room Temp)
35 grms Almond Powder
35 Grms Pistachios without shells
135 grms Icing sugar
35 grms Granulated sugar
Few drops of green color

For Filling:

100 grms White cooking chocolate
50 grms Cream
1tsp Powdered pistachios

Method:

For Shells:

1.Weigh the egg whites in a bowl  and keep it covered with a cling film at counter top for 24 hrs or in fridge for 4 to 5 days.
2.Before beating egg whites bring it to room temp.
3,Now weigh the almond powder,pistachios  and icing sugar.
4.Grind this and sieve and keep aside.
5.Now in a stand mixer beat the egg whites along with granulated sugar till we get stiff peaks.
6.Now carefully add few drops of green color and beat well.
7.Now add the almond pistha and icing sugar powder to the egg whites.
8.Fold in carefully till we get a ribbon like texture.
9.This is very important not to under mix or over mix the macronage(macaron batter).
10.Line up a baking tray with baking paper.
11.Now fill the macronage in a piping bag with a simple round tip.
12.Now pipe out small rounds on this tray.
13.Tap the tray on the counter few time to knock out the air bubbles.
14.If few big bubbles remain you can even poke it with toothpick carefully.
15.Now keep this for drying,it takes 30 mins to 1 hr according to the climate.
16.Once the shells are dry and not sticky you can bake it.
17.Preheat the oven at 150 degree C for 20 mins.
18.Bake this trays for 10 to 15 min or till done.
19.While touching the shells should be firm.
20 Off the oven and keep the tray at room temp for sometimes,then peel out the shells from the tray.

For Filling:

1.Now double boil or microwave the white chocolate and cream.
2.Once melted add the pistachio powder and mix well.
3,Keep in fridge for sometime..
4.Now pair the shells with same size.
5.Sandwich 2 shells with the filling .
6.Can be kept these in containers in fridge for using later.
7.Enjoy the pistha macs..

Kalthappam

This is a famous malabar snack....this snack is made with raw rice and jaggery....very tasty snack with hot hot tea!!! This is made for iftars...I know I'm late to post this recipe..still u can make this for evening tea...many make this in cooker...I made this in a non stick vessel..

Now to the recipe...

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 C Raw rice
1/2 C Grated coconut
1/4 C Cooked rice
1tsp Baking powder
2block Jaggery or more as per taste
1/4tsp Salt
1/4tsp Cardamom powder
Few cashewnuts and Raisins
4 Shallots
2tsp Ghee
1/4C Water

Method:

1.Soak the rice for 1 hour.
2.Melt the jaggery along with water and keep aside
3.Drain the rice and grind it in a mixer along with coconut, cooked rice and 1/2 c water.
4.The batter should not be too much runny or too much thick.
5.Now pour this batter into a bowl.
6.Strain the melted jaggery and mix with the batter.
7.Mix salt,cardamom powder and baking powder to the batter and mix well.
8.Now heat a pan and add ghee to it fry the shallot chopped, cashewnuts and raisins and keep aside.
9.Now in the rest of the ghee in the pan pour the batter and cook covered,
10.Keep it on high flame for 5 mins and then on low flame .
11.You can even keep a lid below the pan to avoid direct flame.
12.After 10 mins open the lid and spread the fried shallots cashewnut and raisins over this.

13.Close the lid again and  cook for 15 more mins or till done.
14.Off the flame and let it sit for 10 mins.
15.After that trasfer to another plate and cut into slices.
16.Enjoy kalthappam with hot tea...

Yoghurt Chickpea Salad

Almost we are in the end of Ramadan.....Alhamdulillah had very good days ...all are ready to welcome Eid al Fitr......
Today I'm posting a very healthy salad for iftar.

Ingredients:

1 tin Chickpeas cooked
1 tin Kidney beans cooked
1/2 c Sweet corn cooked
1 Cucumber
1 Onion
Salt
Pepper powder
5tbsp Yoghurt
1 small Kubus (pita bread)
Coriander leaves

Method:

1.In a bowl put chickpes,kidney beans,sweet corn,chopped onion,chopped cucumber.
2.Add salt,pepper powder and yoghurt and mix well.
3.Garnish with coriander leaves.
4.At serving time mix the pcs of kubus.
5.Enjoy this healthy salad.

Kerala Chicken Curry Guest Post For Yummy Food

Hi all..Ramadan is in its last 10 and Alhamdulillah had very fine ramadan this year so far......feeling very good..........Hope the same with u all too.........as said had fried free days till now....

This is a guest post done for Yummy Food....I'm doing guest post for the 4th yr for the event Joy From Fasting To Feasting IX....Thank u Lubna for giving me the opportunity again to do a guest post for u...She have a wonderful blog with sooo beautiful pictures of very yummy food.....

This is a kerala chicken curry which goes very well with any rotis or even with rice.....

For the whole recipe and method do drop into Lubna's blog....

Baked Chicken Pasta And 6th Blog Anniversary!!!!

Hi friends....My blog is 6 years today...got many friends here...thank you for ur support for me to reach here...Thanking my family,relatives and all my friends for all the encouragement all gave me these years which kept me try new recipes and improve my cooking as well.....

The holy month of Ramadan is here and all will be busy with prayers....And again time for many yummy dishes for iftar.....This time we are thinking of a non fried iftar table...again when kids are fasting they need something fried and desserts too...1st day of iftar was completed without fried snacks..will see how will be the whole month....Insha allah will try the best for  healthy iftars....Ramadan Kareem To All....

Today I'm posting a baked dish which can be made for iftar also....this is a full meal...

Ingredients:

For Pasta:

2c Pasta
Water
Salt
Oil

For Marinating Chicken:

2big pc Chicken Breast
3tsp Steak spices
Oil

For Red Sauce:

1Big Tomato
2tbsp Tomato paste
2tbsp Tomato Ketchup
2cloves Garlic
Salt
1tspSugar
1tspVinegar
Oil

For White Sauce:

2tbsp Butter
2tbsp All purpose flour
1c Milk
1/2c Cooking cream
1/2tsp Oregano
1/4tsp Parsley
1/4tsp Basil
Salt

For Topping:

Mozarella cheese
Bread crumbs

Method:

1.Cook pasta with salt and drain the excess water and keep aside.

For Chicken:

1.Marinate the chicken with steak spices and keep for sometimes.
2.In a pan heat little oil and shallow fry the chicken pcs till done.
3.Now cut the pc into cubes and keep aside.

For Red Sauce:

1.Heat oil in a pan add the chopped garlic and saute.
2.Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till it is soft.
3.Add the tomato paste and tomato ketchup.
4.Add little water and boil.
5.Add salt,sugar and vinegar.
6.Keep aside.

For White Sauce:

1.Melt the butter in a pan and add the chopped garlic.
2.Saute it and add the flour to the butter and saute till the raw smell goes off.
3.Now add the milk and cream to this and mix well till it reaches a creamy texture.
4.Add the spices and salt.
5.Mix well and set aside.

Baking:

1.In a baking tray spread half of the white sauce.
2.Now mix the pasta and red sauce together and layer it over the white sauce.
3.Now layer the prepared chicken over the pasta.
4.Now spread the rest white sauce over the chicken.
5.Now put mozarella cheese over the sauce.
6.Now put some bread crumbs over the cheese.
7.Preheat the oven at 200 degree C for 10 mins.
8.Bake the pasta at 180 degree  C for 10 to 15 mins or till the top portion is brown.
9.Enjoy the chicken pasta...

Peanut Butter Cups

Hi friends ...back after a small break...was very busy with many things...really missed blogging...

I will try to post regularly now....

Today posting Peanut butter cups....An easy chocolate for kids with very few ingredients...after having resses peanut butter cups I thought of making it....saw many recipes on net tooo...This is how I made.... 

 Ingredients:

150 gms Cooking chocolate

1c Peanut Butter

1/4c Brown Sugar

2tbsp Butter

Method:

1.Melt the cooking chocolate and butter using double boiling method.

2. Brush the melted chocolate in paper liners or in silicone moulds.

3.Refrigerate for 15 mins.

5.Beat the peanut butter and brown sugar.

6.Now fill the set cups with peanut butter filling.

7.Now pour the rest melted chocolate on top of the filling.

8.Keep it in fridge for 1 hr.

9.Keep  10 mins in room temp before serving.

10.Enjoy the cups...

Besan Laddoo

Hi Friends...Happy New Year To All..wishing u all a happy year ahead,,,This is my first post of this year..hope i can post more recipes than last year,,Thanks a lot to all for the support for all these years...

I'm posting a laddoo today as i thought will start with a sweet recipe...

Now to the recipe..

Ingredients:

1C Besan (Gram flour)
1C Powdered Sugar
1/2 tsp Cardamom powder
3tbsp Ghee
2tbsp Chopped or Coarsely grinded pistachios

Method:

1.Heat a kadai dry roast or roast the besn with a1tsp of ghee.
2.Roast it till the raw smell goes and a light brown color appears.
3.When it reaches this stage add the powdered sugar and mix well.
4.This may slightly get melted.
5,Now off the flame and add cardamom powder and mix well.

6.Now when it is still warm and if can be handled make into balls.
7.Now just dip slightly in the ghee and dip in the crushed pistachios.
8.Let it cool completely.
9,Enjoy the laddoosss...