This morning I had an urge to eat something sweet. I wanted to keep it quick, healthy and ofcourse “YUMMY”  to satisfy my cravings.First thought that popped in my mind was kheer. Since calorie amount can be a bit scary in rice kheer, I decided to use suji instead of rice and 1% milk instead of whole milk.If you are not familiar with Suji (semolina), it is a nutritious Indian wheat granulated but not pulverized. It has a lot of health benefits but the one I remember is that my mother used to give me suji halwa with warm milk to cure sore throat and cold. Also, in India it is very commonly prepared for toddlers and little children as it is very nutritious and easy to digest.  Here is a quick recipe.

You need:

½ tsp  ghee
1 tbsp spoon suji (semolina)
1 cup milk
1 tbsp  brown sugar (or to taste)

Directions:

1. Heat a frying  pan on low heat
2. Put ghee in it and wait till it spreads around
3. Add Suji and roast it for a few minutes or until it changes colour
4. Next add milk and boil it for 2 minutes
5. Add sugar and stir well
6. Garnish with almonds, cashews, raisins and walnuts
7. Serve hot or cold.

Suji Kheer is a post from: Chef

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

I am not sure if I should categorize these as cookies or not. Contrary to most
cookies recipes, these do not contain any added sugar, flour, eggs or even
butter or oil. The only most indulgent ingredient I added is ‘white chocolate
chips’. Although the powerhouse Banana – Oatmeal – Raisin combination make
perfect breakfast, I know I will not feel guilty if I had one for dessert!

You need:

3 ripe bananas (mine were sort of overripe)
2 cups fast cooking Oatmeal (I used Quaker’s 1 minute oats)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Craisins (Cranberry Raisins)
1/3 cup Shredded coconut (I used sweetened)
1/3 cup White Chocolate Chips / or chopped Walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Mash the bananas with a fork and add Vanilla

Banana Oatmeal Cookies-Prepare Batter

3. Add oats and rest of the ingredients

Banana Oatmeal Cookies-shape

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Mine came out soft and perfectly sweet. Bake a little longer if you prefer
slightly crunchy. Enjoy warm cookies with a cup of coffee!

I will make them again next week for my father-in-law. This time I plan to
replace the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts – make them more healthier!

Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Eggless) is a post from: Chef

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding

You need:

1 Strawberry Cake (Eggless)
2 cans Evaporated Milk
1 banana
10-12 fresh Strawberries
1/2 cup whipped cream topping (or more as desired)
4-5 tbsp Nesquik Strawberry Milk Flavor/Strawberry flavor Carnation Instant breakfast
1 package instant Vanilla pudding (I used Jello)

Directions:
1. Prepare Cake as per directions. Let it cool (Or use a store bought cake, try to get one with little less sugar)
2. Prepare Vanilla pudding as per directions
3. Slice the cake and set first layer in a large white dish.

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding-Cake Layer

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding-Evaporated milk

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding-Add fresh strawberries and banana

I did not want to use too much whipped cream topping. So I just added few small dollops. This way I could cut extra calories as well. Although I do think, it would have been great if I had spread one full layer of the whipped cream topping. May be next time!

Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before serving.

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding

Strawberry Milk Cake Pudding (Eggless) is a post from: Chef

Eggless Strawberry Cake

Here is a very simple and light cake I baked for the Father’s day using fresh Strawberry puree. The cake was not overly sweet (I try not to use cake mixes whenever possible as I find them very sweet for my liking) and was bursting with Strawberry flavor. I also added some red food color to the batter to make the cake look pale pink. Serve it hot as is or cool it and frost it with frosting of your choice. I served with whipped cream topping and fresh Strawberries on top.

You need:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup melted butter (unsalted)
1 cup fresh Strawberries puree

Strawberries Puree

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan or bundt pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, Nesquik Strawberry . Make a well in the center and pour in the sweetened condensed milk, orange juice, Strawberries puree, vanilla, food color and melted butter.

Strawberry Cake-Pour Batter

Eggless Strawberry Cake with Whipped Cream and Fresh Strawberries

Strawberry Cake (Eggless) is a post from: Chef

Steamed Date and Sago (Tapioca) Pudding

Ingredients:
½ cup sago (tapioca)
1 cup dates – chopped and destined
1 cup raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tablespoon butter

1. Place the sago in the milk, and allow to stand for 1 – 1 ½ hours. Add a little more milk, if required (if the sago has lapped up all the milk, and is still partially cloudy / white). The sago is ready when it is completely see-through and jelly-like in consistency.

2. Put a large pot of water on the stove and bring to the boil.
3. Mix all the ingredients well.
4. Place in a well greased tin or pudding bowl (heat resistant)
5. Place in the pot of boiling water. The water should come to nearly the level of the pudding in the bowl.
Simmer the pudding for 2 hours. Top up the water from boiling water in your kettle as needed.

6.Remove the pudding from the tin, and serve hot with whipped cream or ice-cream.

Note: It does not matter if the sago stands for a bit too long. It does however matter if the sago does not sit long enough. So rather get the sago into the milk early, than be racing for time and taking it out too soon.

Steamed Date and Sago Pudding (Eggless) is a post from: Chef

Eggless Custard

Ingredients:
4 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar (or to taste)
2-3 tablespoons corn flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

In a heavy bottomed pan, bring 3 cups of milk to the boil. Add the butter. In a small dish, mix the remaining cup of milk with the sugar and the corn flour thoroughly. Once the milk is boiling, add the corn flour mixture, and stir well. Simmer over medium heat for a few minutes to thicken. Add the vanilla essence in the last minute of cooking. Remove from heat and serve hot or cold.

Eggless Custard is a post from: Chef

Chocolate Coconut Fudge Bunny

You need:

2 cups white chocolate baking chips (I used Nestle Tollhouse White Morsels)
1 cup chocolate baking chips ( Nestle Tollhouse Morsels)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk – I used Eagle brand
1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
sprinkles/colored sugar to decorate

1. Line a 9*13 or 8″ square baking dish with aluminum foil, and grease the foil.

Melt chocolate with condensed milk

3. Stir in 1.5 cups of coconut flakes.

4. Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread a layer of coconut flakes on top and press gently.

Spread coconut on top

5. Spread sprinkles and press gently. If you plan to decorate individual pieces differently then you can wait for this step until you have cut the pieces. Chill for 2-3 hours, then cut into pieces of desired shape.

I will post the pictures of cut fudge pieces tomorrow.

Happy Easter!

Chocolate Cocunut Fudge-Eggs

Easy Coconut Chocolate Fudge is a post from: Chef

Pears with Carmel Sauce

Ingredients:

4-5 large, fresh pears
½ cup sugar – adapt to the tartness or sweetness of the pears
Juice of 1 lemon

Caramel sauce
1 cup sugar
3 ½ oz butter
2 pints milk
½ cup cornflour
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions:

Peel the pears, and remove the core. Cut into thick slices. Place the pears, the sugar, the lemon juice and a little water in a large saucepan, and gently simmer in a little water for 30 minutes or until the pears are firm but cooked through. The time needed will depend on the type of pears you are using. Cool slightly.
The pears, prepared like this can easily be canned or frozen for later use, if you have a surplus that you want to prepare.

Caramel sauce:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, over medium heat. Add the sugar, and melt the sugar in the butter, stirring continually over low heat. Be careful not to burn the sugar. Once the sugar has become a lovely light to medium caramel colour, remove from heat. Pour the milk (keep back 1 cup) in slowly, stirring well. (It helps to warm the milk to luke-warm before adding to the caramelised sugar, to prevent lumping of the sugar. Although, do not fret if the sugar forms crystallised lumps during this mixing. It will melt again in the next step. Just be extra careful over lower heat if this has happened.)

Place back on medium high heat, and bring to just before boiling. Stir continually to prevent burning. Mix the corn flour with the remaining cup of milk, and add to the caramelised milk. Simmer for a few minutes, until thickened. Add the vanilla essence, stir well, and remove from heat.

Allow the pears and the caramel sauce to cool completely before serving.

Pears with caramel sauce is a post from: Chef

Baked Bananas with Cinnamon Sugar

Ingredients:
1 Banana for each person
Sugar or Cinnamon Sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon or orange juice
2 tablespoons butter.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel the bananas, and slice them in half, lengthwise.
Place the bananas in a heatproof, greased dish.
Sprinkle liberally with sugar or cinnamon sugar.
Sprinkle with the lemon or orange juice.
Dot with butter.
Bake for 15 – 20 minutes.
Serve hot with ice-cream.

Variation 1: Instead of baking the bananas, you could fry them in a little oil in a small pan. This is a little less healthy, but much quicker.

Variation 2: We have baked apples in exactly the same way. Do not peel the apple. Remove the core carefully, being careful to not cut through the bottom – It helps to use a small paring knife and a teaspoon. Place the butter and the cinnamon sugar inside the hollow apple.

Variation 3: Instead of baking in the oven, microwave on high for 2 – 3 minutes for the bananas, or 4-5 minutes for the apples.

(Cinnamon Sugar: Mix 1 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Use on many fruit dishes, on pancakes, and of course on the baked bananas. I always mix up a batch, and keep it handy. You never know when it might give just the zing to a sweet dish you need.)

Baked Bananas with Cinnamon Sugar is a post from: Chef

Dates and Raisins Cake

You need:

1/2 lb chopped dates (Khajoor)
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oil, I used Canola
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup Raisins
1/4 cup Craisins (dried cranberries)

1.Sift flour and baking soda. Preheat the oven at 350F.

2. Microwave dates and milk for couple of minutes and let it soak for half about 10 minutes. Add sugar to the dates and milk mixture and blend them using a blender (I used my Magic Bullet). Add oil to the mixture and continue blending for few seconds.

3. Slowly add the flour to the dates mixture and mix with a wire whisk. Fold in the raisins and Craisins.

4. The recipe is perfect for a small 8 inch cake pan. Add the cake mixture to the prepared pan (greased and dusted) and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.

Dates and Raisins Cake

Chopped Dates

Dates and Raisins Cake (Eggless) is a post from: Chef