Whole wheat double chocolate banana cake

This is a simple cake that can be baked with the ingredients easily available at home. Usually I bake chocolate cake which is a favorite for my kids at home. This time I added banana to it to add extra moist and soft cake.

How to bake:

1. Peel bananas and cut into small cubes. 

2. In a mixie jar, add sugar and cubed bananas and blend together to form a smooth batter.

3.  In a mixing bowl, add the banana-sugar mixture. To this add coconut oil, vinegar and vanilla and mix well until oil is well combined with other ingredients. 

4. In an another mixing bowl, place a sieve, add whole wheat flour, corn flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sieve it well so that no lumps are there in your dry ingredients. 

5. Mix wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them well. Don't over mix. Add water and mix them thoroughly.

6. Prepare a pan either by greasing the pan or just lining with parchment paper all sides. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan.

7. Add chocolate chips on the top.  Bake it in a preheated oven at 350F/180C for 35 min. Check out whether it is baked or not by a toothpick test. If inserted in the center comes out clean, it is done. Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

A small video clipping to bake this cake:

Here comes the full recipe:

Makes - 1 9" x 5" loaf.

Ingredients:

Blend:

Banana - 3 large (ripe well)

Turbinado raw sugar - 3/4 cup

Wet ingredients:

Banana puree 

Coconut oil - 1/2 cup

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Vinegar - 1 tsp

Dry ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 1 cup

Corn flour - 2 tbsp

Cocoa powder - 1/2 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/4 tsp

Water - 1/2 cup

Chocolate chips - 3 tbsp(for topping)

How to bake:

1. Peel bananas and cut into small cubes. In a mixie jar, add sugar and cubed bananas and blend together to form a smooth batter.

2. In a mixing bowl, add the banana-sugar mixture. To this add coconut oil, vinegar and vanilla and mix well until oil is well combined with other ingredients.

3. In an another mixing bowl, place a sieve, add whole wheat flour, corn flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sieve it well so that no lumps are there in your dry ingredients.

4. Mix wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix them well. Don't over mix.

5. Add water and mix them thoroughly.

6. Prepare a pan either by greasing the pan or just lining with parchment paper all sides.

7. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan. 

8. Add chocolate chips on the top.

9. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350F/180C for 35 min.

10. check out whether it is baked or not by a toothpick test. If inserted in the center comes out clean, it is done. 

11. Remove from the oven and cool completely before slicing.

Note:

1. You can use any flavorless oil other than coconut oil. No groundnut or sesame oil. Use sunflower oil instead.

2. I have used raw cane sugar. You can use any other sugar the same quantity.

Kongu style onion tomato curry

As a proud girl from Kongu region, I am happy to share my region's variety of recipes. I am trying to find the old age recipes which was disappeared with our grandmothers.

This recipe is one of the very easy recipes that can be prepared easily and it is very well eaten with dosa's and chapathi's mainly. This is one of our family favorites. To serve as non veg dish, we can add egg to this too. I will share how to do that too. 

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How to prepare:

1. Heat up the kadai. Add coconut oil and wait until it melts. Add mustard seeds and wait until it crackles. Add urad dhal and roast till it becomes light brown.

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2. Split red chilies into 2 and remove seeds. Add it into the oil and roast till it changes color.Add curry leaves and it splutters immediately. Meanwhile peel onions and cut into small cubes. Likewise cut tomatoes into cubes too.

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3. Add cubed onions and add 1 tsp salt so that onions leave water once salt is added and it will leave water so that it becomes translucent (i.e., cooks) quickly.

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 4. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder and sambar powder.

 5.  Add salt. Cover and cook in high flame for 5 mins. Open, mash tomatoes well using a masher. Now you can see water separates from tomatoes. 

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5. Cover and cook again for 5 mins in medium flame. Check for salt. If water reduces, you can switch off the stove. Or else cook some more minutes till water is reduced and the mixture is thickened.

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11. Now it is ready to serve.

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A small video of how to do this recipe:

Here comes the full recipe:

Serves : 4

Cuisine: Kongunadu

Ingredients:

Coconut oil - 3 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 4 

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Onion - 1 big

Tomatoes - 7

How to prepare:

1. Peel onions and cut into small cubes. Likewise, cut tomatoes into cubes too.

2. Heat up the kadai. Add coconut oil and wait until it melts.

3. Add mustard seeds and wait until it crackles.

4. Add urad dhal and roast till it becomes light brown.

5. Split red chilies into 2 and remove seeds. Add it into the oil and roast till it changes color.

6. Add curry leaves, and it splutters immediately. 

7. Add cubed onions, and add 1 tsp salt, so that onions leave water once salt is added and it will leave water so that it becomes translucent (i.e., cooks) quickly.

8. Add tomatoes, turmeric powder, sambar powder and salt. Cover and cook in high flame for 5 mins.

9. Open, mash tomatoes well using a masher. Now, you can see water separates from tomatoes. Cover and cook again for 5 mins in medium flame.

10. Check for salt. If water reduces, you can switch off the stove. Otherwise, cook for some more minutes until water is reduced, and the mixture is thickened.

11. Now, it is ready to serve and eat!

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Note:

1. Red chili variety that i am using is little bit spicy. So adjust red chilies according to your spice level. 

2. The tomatoes I have used is little tangy one.

3. In this sambar powder is freshly grounded, those will be spicy too. So adjust accordingly.

4. You can use any other oil other than coconut oil.

How to make strawberry jam at home without pectin

With just three ingredients, we can make a yummy, tasty strawberry jam at home. No pectin is used. I used lemon juice instead which acts as a preservative.

How to make:

Wash, drain, and remove hull (stems) of strawberry (if using fresh strawberries) and measure them.

In a heavy bottomed pan, add strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, and mix well.



 Strawberries leave water when they are boiled.When they are mushy enough, use a hand blender to make it a puree.



Let it simmer until it thickens. Stir in between in regular intervals so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.



To test for completion, pour a little thickened jam on a plate and tilt it. if water is there in your jam it will flow. If not, it flows like a thick mass.

Switch off the stove, and cool it completely for about 2 hrs to store in an clean air tight container.

A video to make it:
                                           



Here comes the full recipe to save:

Makes: 1475g

Ingredients:

Strawberries - 1700 g/3.8 pounds
Cane sugar - 600 g/3 cups
Lemon juice - 6 tbsp

How to make:

1. Wash, drain, and remove hull (stems) of strawberry (if using fresh strawberries) and measure them.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, add strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, and mix well.
3. Strawberries leave water when they are boiled.When they are mushy enough, use a hand blender to make it a puree.
4. Let it simmer until it thickens. Stir in between in regular intervals so that it doesn't stick to the bottom.5. To test for completion, pour a little thickened jam on a plate and tilt it. if water is there in your jam it will flow. If not, it flows like a thick mass.
6. Switch off the stove, and cool it completely for about 2 hrs.
7. I got nearly 1475 grams of jam for the above used quantity.
7. Store in an clean airtight container, and place it in your refrigerator.

Note:

• Here, I am using frozen strawberries. If you get fresh strawberries, you can clean, remove the hull (stems of strawberry), and use it.
• If you don't want those tiny seeds in the jam, make a puree with strawberry, drain the pulp, and add along with other ingredients and do rest of the process.
• Lemon juice is used as a preservative. I prefer to add natural ingredients as much as I can.
• I always use cane sugar for my home needs. You can also use white sugar or jaggery powder instead. Measure the same quantity.
• It took nearly an hour to make this jam, so please be patient to achieve this thick, flowing mass consistency and cool to store.
• There is no need to thaw frozen strawberries.
• If you don't have a hand blender, use masher to mash it well. My hand blender is a stainless steel one, so I can use it while the stove is ON and boiling.
  
  

coconut flour avocado brownies

Coconut flour is a gluten free flour obtained from dried coconut meat. If you want to make it at home, after extracting coconut milk, you have only the coconut that is soft which you can spread it on a baking tray and bake it at low temperature to dry it. Cool it to room temperature and make a powder.

Ingredients:

Coconut flour - 1/2 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Avocado - 1 large
Mashed bananas - 1/2 cup
Maple syrup - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 3
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
Chocolate chips - 1/3 cup(optional)

How to Bake:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/180 C.
2. Grease an 8"x 8" pan with a baking spray.
3. In a large bowl, combine coconut flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add eggs one at a time and mix well using a hand mixer. 
5. In a blender, add avocado, banana, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Blend to a smooth mixture.
6. Add the avocado mixture to the flour mixture and combine well. 
7.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth on top.
8. Add chocolate chips on top to garnish or you can combine into the mixture itself.
9. Bake for 25 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.
11. Slice and serve.

Note:

* If you don't have coconut flour, you can substitute almond flour too.

* For maple syrup, you can use honey.

* I use bob's red mill brand coconut flour.

Whole wheat MW mug brownies

Chocolate brownies, simply referred to as brownie, is a square or rectangular baked chocolate baked treat. Brownies can be either in the form of fudge or dense depending upon the recipe. Nuts, cream cheese, chocolate chips can be added to the recipe. If needed, it can be frosted according to your taste buds. The brownie was developed in the US in Palmers House Hotel in Chicago and was popularized in the US. It  is accompanied with milk, can be served warm with ice cream, topped with whipped cream, sprinkled with powdered sugar, or just simply as a fudge.

This recipe is a simple instant brownie that can be baked in microwave and can be quickly served for your kids. I use only healthy ingredients for my baking and here i have tried this brownie in wheat flour.

Here is to make it:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl itself with a fork or else you can mix all in a small mixing bowl and transfer to a microwave-safe bowl and bake. It can be baked in your microwave-safe coffee mug too.
In a microwave safe bowl, add whole wheat flour, cocoa.

2. To the same bowl, add cane sugar and salt. Mix well with a fork until all are well combined.

3. Now add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients we have mixed already in the bowl. Add oil, water, and vanilla extract.

4.  Mix well with the dry ingredients until they are all well combined. Remove fork, and add chocolate chips on the top to garnish for the extra chocolaty flavor or else you can omit it. Place the prepared bowl in the microwave and bake them for about 45 seconds. Open the microwave and check your bowl. If you have water floating on the top, bake again in microwave for about 30 seconds intervals. Remove the bowl from microwave when there is no water is floating on top of the baked brownie.

5. Enjoy your warm brownie.

A small video of the recipe is here:

Here comes the recipe

Makes - 1 small brownie

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 3 tbsp
Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp
Cane sugar - 3 tbsp
Pinch of salt
Water - 3 tbsp
Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
Chocolate chips - few(optional)

How to bake it:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, add whole wheat flour, cocoa, sugar and salt. Mix all the dry ingredients in the bowl itself with a fork.

2. Now add all the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add oil, water, and vanilla extract . Mix well with the dry ingredients until they are all well combined.

3. Remove fork, and add chocolate chips on the top to garnish for the extra chocolaty flavor or else you can omit it.

4. Place the prepared bowl in the microwave and bake them for about 45 seconds. Open the microwave and check your bowl. If you have water floating on the top, bake again in microwave for about 30 seconds intervals. Remove the bowl from microwave when there is no water is floating on top of the baked brownie.

5. Cool it for about 10 minutes in the bowl and serve warm with ice cream, or you can grab it as such.

Note:
1. Dont use milk. It doesnt give good results.
2. You can prepare in any MW safe mugs and bowls.
3. Use any flavorless oil of your chice. I prefer coconut oil in baking nowadays.
4. Each MW has different power settings and so timing of baking your brownie may vary.