Why do I make my own granola?

Because.......if I were to box my homemade granola, the ingredient label would read: Organic old fashioned oats, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract, canola oil, cranberries, dates, apricots.

Any similar factory produced granola would have the following ingredients: Oats, sugar, blueberries, almonds, xanthum gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, guar gum, dextrose, alpha tocopherol acetate, niacinamide, Vitamin A palmitate, natural and artificial flavors, caramel color, BHT.

Period.

Crunchy Homemade Granola:

Makes about 6-7 cups

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

2 cups combined nuts and seeds of choice*

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

1 TBS vanilla extract

1 cup mixed dried fruit**

Pinch of salt

Method:

Mix the oats, nuts, seeds, brown sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the oil, honey and vanilla extract in another bowl. Pour over the oat mixture and combine with dry hands to coat thoroughly.

Bake at 325 deg F for 30-40 minutes. Toss a couple of times during the baking process to ensure even browning.

Cool completely and then add the dried fruits. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 -2 months.

Serving:

Serve about 1/2 cup of granola with milk or yogurt. Top with fruits and/or berries.

Notes:

*I used a combination of 3/4 cup chopped almonds, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup chopped pistachios, 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds.

**I used 1/2 cup sweetened cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped apricots, 1/4 cup chopped pitted dates.

Date & Almond Cornmeal Biscotti

My exposure to biscotti had been limited to a large jar that we picked at our bulk food stores during the holiday season. I loved them as they were individually wrapped and I could choose from a variety of flavors. I never thought about them beyond buying that jar every year and gobbling down a few with my weekend coffee.

Then one day, I ate an almond biscotti at some Italian coffee shop. Flawless biscotti! It was divine! The taste was pure and the crunch was supreme sounding. Soon I found myself digging for the ultimate biscotti recipes. I tried several recipes but could not get close to the accuracy I had in mind.

Finally I landed upon this date and almond cornmeal biscotti in a Martha Stewart book. The recipe gave me the perfection I wanted and the ease I am always looking for while baking! The taste is subtle, the almonds give it the perfect crunch and the dates add to the sweetness. Also, I found the batch size more manageable in home ovens.

Date & Almond Cornmeal Biscotti

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Yields about 16 to 18 biscotti

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 TBS all purpose flour

1/2 cup plus 2 TBS yellow cornmeal

1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

3 TBS unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 TBS vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped almond

Method:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 deg F.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a bowl, mix with a whisk or fork and set aside.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat again.

Now add the flour mixture all at once, and beat on a low speed until just combined.

Add the dates and almond and mix in with a spatula or fork.

Transfer the dough on to the prepared baking sheet and with wet hands pat the dough to form a log shape of about 13-14 by 3-4 inch size. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the log is lightly browned, firm to touch and slightly cracked on top.

Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 15-20 minutes. Transfer the log to the cutting board leaving parchment on the sheet. Cut the log crosswise using a serrated knife in to 1/2 inch thick pieces. Place cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake for about 15-16 minutes until just beginning to brown rotating sheet halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.

Store the cooled biscotti in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Serving:

Perfect for dunking in your coffee, tea or even wine!

Note:

Recipe can be easily doubled.

Try with a combination of macadamia nuts and apricots, cranberries & pistachios, white & dark chocolate, cashews and raisins!

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Bread

I am not a big fan of store bought baked goods. Most of the times, the ingredients in them sound more like some factory chemicals than anything edible. But because both Pratik and I are baked food junkies, not buying such ready-made cakes and desserts simply means creating them in our own kitchen. This is no doubt the best way to know exactly what goes in to the food that we eat!

Moreover, now that Myra has started demanding a piece of everything she sees on our plates, I knew it was time to start making healthier food with whole-grains and low-fat ingredients. While I found it relatively easy to incorporate nutritive options for her lunch and dinner, making baked snacks was where it was a little more challenging. While I am sure there are plenty of healthful options and recipes out there, my first option is always to tweak my tried and tested recipes in order to cut down the sugar and the butter, replace the regular non-nutritious flour with a higher food value alternative.

This whole wheat banana walnut bread is a result of one such tweaking experiment. The bread baked perfectly to give the desired texture and moistness. The walnuts provided a nice crunch in the background. But what really gives a kick is the sweet aroma from the bananas that fills the house while the bread is being baked. It teases you right from when those bananas ripen perfectly to be used in the bread, to watching the baked bread cool in the pan. But I can assure you, the end result if absolutely worth the wait!

Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Bread
Makes 1 loaf (about 10 slices)

Ingredients:

4 tbs unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 extra large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups of banana, mashed (approximately 3 large bananas)
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted & roughly chopped (pecans can be substituted for walnuts)
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Dip a pastry brush in the melted butter and grease a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan & flour it.

Sift the flours, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Add the sugar, apple sauce and vanilla extract to the melted butter and whisk until well mixed. Add the egg and whisk until well combined. Now add the bananas, flour mixture and walnuts one by one and mix just until all the ingredients are incorporated. It is important at this stage to not over mix the batter as this will result in a rubbery end product.

Pour the batter in the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover the loaf pan with a foil tent if the top starts to turn dark before the bread has completed baking.

Let the bread cool in the pan before cutting. Remove on a cutting board and cut slices of desired thickness.

This bread tastes even better the next day with the aroma of the banana completely infusing the bread and giving it the desired body and moistness.

Serving:

Serve as a healthy light afternoon snack or have a slice with your hot coffee for breakfast. Munch on this at a picnic or neatly wrap a slice in a plastic wrap and eat your snack on the go!

Storing:

Cover in plastic wrap or air tight containers at room temperature for about 2 days or in the refrigerator for about 4-5 days.

Blueberry & Banana Parfait

Breakfast is undoubtedly my favorite meal of the day. You would be surprised at how a big balanced breakfast can fuel your body to sustain the pressures of your daily routine. No matter how much you travel or how stressful your job is, a healthy breakfast is your password to a bright, energetic and happy day. In today's fast paced life, I believe it is the need of every family to watch what they eat for breakfast although they may not be able to make this meal their family meal.

Lately, we have been skipping breakfasts for one reason or the other, starting our day with a heavy dose of caffeine and eating heavy in the evenings. As a result, we get grumpy during the day, overeat in the evenings & feel fatigued and bloated the following morning.

This blueberry and banana parfait did a marvellous job of breaking this vicious cycle. It gave us something incredibly delicious to indulge in as we started our day. This balanced whole meal has the capacity to keep your body fueled for a busy morning. You get your carbs, calcium & protein as well as your berries & fruit in a single delightful bowl. This was our ultimate solution to ensuring that we ate our 'breakfast like a king'.

Blueberry & Banana Parfait

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large banana, thinly sliced
6 oz packet of blueberries, washed
1 cup granola of choice (I used 7 grain granola)
2 cups plain yogurt
4 TBS sugar

Method:

Mix the sugar and yogurt in a bowl. Take two glass cups or parfait bowls. Arrange the granola, fruit, yogurt & berries in alternate layers. You can create as many or as little layers as you like depending on the size of your parfait bowls.

Serving:

Serve immediately at room temperature or chill for 15 -20 minutes before serving. Cover & store in the fridge if preparing in advance. This can be prepared a day in advance.

Notes:

1. Replace the fruits & berries with what you have at hand.
2. You can substitute the plain yogurt with some flavored yogurt or try Greek yogurt for some extra thickness.
3. Add any nuts of your choice for some added crunch.
4. Use maple syrup or agave nectar as a natural sweetener in place of sugar.

Enjoy!

Cranberry & Pistachio Bran Muffins with Orange Zest

I know, I know...Christmas is still a long way away....you folks are probably wondering what these bright red and green colors are doing here at this time of the year? Here's what... I had stumbled upon some high quality pistachios and dried cranberries while grocery shopping one weekend in February. I had to buy them, but first I had to think of a recipe I would use them in. That wasn't difficult at all and the result was these moist, delicious and nutty muffins. I shared them with some of my friends, some of whom actually made them at home. I got rave reviews and all of them told me how delighted they were to bake them. I was ecstatic!

With that verdict I set off with my whisk and those rich quality ingredients to try a newer, healthier version of the original muffins. This time by substituting some of the all purpose flour with bran. Yeah! And it was a success! The bran gave a wonderful, nutty texture to these muffins which complimented the sweetness of the cranberries. Pistachios, which are my all time favorite, provide the perfect crunch along with some rich buttery goodness.

I will still be playing around with this recipe to incorporate more whole grain flour, reducing the butter, changing the baking temperature to get an appealing golden brown crust. But for now here is the recipe to these gorgeous healthier muffins.

Cranberry & Pistachio Bran Muffins with Orange Zest

Makes 12 standard sized muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients-
1 cup all purpose flour, sifted
3/4 cup wheat bran
1 tbs baking powder
3/4 cup cranberries, sweetened
1/3 cup pistachios, unsalted & unroasted
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients-
2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), melted
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tbs orange zest

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Line a standard muffin tin with muffin cups.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a 2 cup measuring bowl and whisk until well combined (Mixing in a measuring bowl just makes it easy to pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients. You can mix the wet ingredients in any bowl).

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula fold the ingredients using minimal strokes. Do not over mix.

Fill each muffin cup with 1/4 cup batter.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then transfer to the cooling racks.

Serving:

Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee for breakfast or as a snack.

Cranberry & Pistachio Muffins with Orange zest

Boy, did I ever think it would be so much fun to play with kids? Not until this past Sunday! Myra had her first play date at home with some of our friends' kids that day. It wasn't anything formally arranged. A few of us friends had got together at a community function. As it ended and everyone was waving their final good byes, I just happened to ask if the kids wanted to come home to play with Myra. With approval from their respective parents, the kids, ranging in age from three to ten, headed home with us.

And the next thing we knew, Myra was having the time of her life. Our eight month old was laughing her heart out watching a seven year old do cart wheels. The kids enjoyed crawling in and out from the see through tunnel, playing peek a boo with Myra (absolutely her favorite!), reading her favorite stories and singing some classic rhymes for her. The added fun factor was that they were allowed to hold Myra, pick her up, sit her on their laps and drive her in her mini car. And while Myra took her afternoon nap, all the kids enjoyed making sugar cookies and watching their favorite movie. We did not want the fun to end.

We went to bed happy and dreamed of all the fun things we did during the evening. We woke up the next morning to these scrumptious cranberry pistachio muffins and coffee. The sweetness of the cranberries and the nuttiness from the pistachios go along very well. The orange zest gives the perfect tang in every bite of this muffin. Additionally they are easy to make and can be put together in no time.

Cranberry & Pistachio Muffins with Orange Zest

Makes 12 standard sized muffins

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients-
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs baking powder
3/4 cup cranberries, sweetened
1/3 cup pistachios, unsalted & unroasted
Pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients-
2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup), melted
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 tbs orange zest

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Line a standard muffin tin with muffin cups.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix all the wet ingredients in a 2 cup measuring bowl and whisk until well combined (Mixing in a measuring bowl just makes it easy to pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients. You can mix the wet ingredients in any bowl).

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Using a rubber spatula fold the ingredients using minimal strokes. Do not over mix.

Using an ice cream scoop fill the muffin cups about 1/2 to 3/4 way up leaving room for the muffins to rise as they bake.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Allow them to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes and then transfer to the cooling racks.

Serving:

Enjoy with a cup of hot coffee for breakfast or as a snack.

Spiced Fruit and Nut Topped Pancakes

I love American breakfasts. Pratik and I used to be regulars at The Waffle Shop in State College, PA when we lived there. It is a great local breakfast place which offers good ambience and delicious food! Of course, there are others that I like, especially Cracker Barrel and The Blue Moon Coffeehouse. And these places are not just about their food; their most attractive features are the elegantly kept petite bottles of syrup, little packets of jam and those miniature cream and sugar bowls! And to top that comes a bubbly waitress with a full pot of hot hazelnut roast coffee in one hand and decaf in the other. Seriously, I think I can sit and eat there forever! I generally eat small portions but I really don't know what gets into me when I am at these breakfast places. I can easily finish my entire portion, steal about half of Pratik's and yet have room for a few cups of coffee! When its all said and done, I walk out craving for some more!!

Well, eating breakfast outside on any day would always be welcome (if we had the pennies!). Nevertheless, I usually like to whip up something appetizing at home. I came up with these pancakes topped with spiced pears, oranges and nuts for breakfast on Sunday. Check them out! They are too good to resist!

Ingredients:

1/2 pouch pancake mix ( I used Betty Crocker's Buttermilk Complete Pancake Mix)

For the fruit and nut topping:
1 pear, sliced
1 orange, peeled, and cut into pieces
½ tsp cinnamon
4 cardamoms
1 tbs honey
2 tbs maple syrup
4 tbs water
Toasted almonds or other nuts that you may like (coarsely chopped)

Method:

1. Prepare the pan cakes as per the instructions on the package.
2. For the fruit and nut topping, heat 4 tbs of water in a sauce pan.
3. Add the spices, honey & maple syrup. Heat until it starts to bubble.
4. Add the pears and oranges and heat for another 2 minutes on a low flame. The topping should then be ready.
5. Toast some chopped almonds in the oven at 325 F.

Serving:

Place 2 pan cakes on a plate. Pour the spiced fruit topping over them. Top with the toasted almonds.

Who said good fruit topped pancakes are available only at restaurants?