Veggie Platter: December 2015

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Vegan Roasted Banana - Coconut Muffins

My love for coconut and the over ripened bananas which as usual ended up on the fruit hanger whether I prefer them or not led to try this recipe from Mireille. Besides, the addition of roasted bananas in a muffin recipe sounded interesting. The source of inspiration for this recipe supposedly comes from Honduras. The bananas are roasted before adding to the batter in this case, which definitely increases the flavor factor. I converted the original recipe into a vegan version. Also I added some raisins since my kids love dry fruits / nuts in their muffins.

Ingredients: (Yield 9 medium sized muffins)
2 bananas
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. oil
4 - 5 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 - 3 tbsp. raisins (optional)
1/3 cup sweetened, dessicated grated coconut

Method:
* Grease or line the muffin tray.
* Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Place the unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil / parchment paper/ silicon mat. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes, until the bananas are black and starting to seep.
* Remove the bananas and let cool for a while. Peel the bananas and mash the pulp when cool. Leave the oven on in the meantime.
* Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into a bowl.
* Whisk oil, brown sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and the banana pulp together in another medium sized mixing bowl. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients' bowl and mix until just combined. Fold in the raisins if using.
* Spoon the batter into muffin cups, filling up to 3/4ths. Sprinkle coconut on top and gently press into the batter.
* Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the muffins turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

This goes to Blogging marathon #59 under the theme 'BM Pair'. Check the link to see what other marathoners are cooking.

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Friday, December 25, 2015

Whole Wheat Milk Bread

This yeast based bread was suggested by Mireille for one of the blogging marathon events last year. I had baked it then but couldn't post it somehow and this was lying in my drafts for more than a year now. The recipe is a simple and straight forward one and yields a bread good for toast / sandwich.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp. honey
2 & 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1&1/4 to 1&1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I had to use 1.5 cups + few extra tbsp. flour)
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp melted butter

Method:
* Heat milk, butter and honey in a sauce pan just until butter melts. (If using not pasteurized milk, you can use boiled and cooled milk or can bring the mixture to a boil.) Bring the mixture to luke warm temperature. Add yeast, stir and set aside for about 10 minutes, until the mixture turns frothy.

* Combine flours, salt and yeast mixture in a mixing bowl. Knead into a smooth elastic dough, about 10 minutes. If the mixture is sticky, grease your palms while kneading.

* Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place until the dough doubles in size, about an hour or more.
* Grease a 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
* Transfer the dough onto the work surface and lightly punch it down and divide into 2 halves. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a 10"x7" rectangle.

* Starting from the narrow end, roll the dough into a tight log. Place the log seam side down in the prepared loaf pan.

* Repeat the step with the the other half of the dough and place the log next to the first one in the loaf pan.

* Cover the pan loosely with a greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Let the dough rise until it crests 1" over the rim of the loaf pan, about 40 - 60 minutes.

* Preheat the oven to 350F.
* Bake the bread for 30~40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Brush melted butter on top for a softer crust.

* Let the bread cool in the pan for 4~5 minutes. Then remove onto a wire rack and let the bread cool completely before slicing.

This goes to Blogging marathon #59 under the theme 'BM Pair'. Check the link to see what other marathoners are cooking.

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Herb Oat Scones

This recipe comes from Chef Mireille, with whom I have been paired for this week's blogging Marathon. Mireille who blogs at 'The Schizo Chef' focuses on global cuisine and since she regularly participates in BM, I already had bookmarked recipes from her blog. I decided to settle with the theme of baked breakfasts for this week from her blog. The first one is going to be these herb oat scones, which turned out to be a hit in my home. I converted the original version into an eggless one and used curry leaves instead of rosemary leaves. To make it more Indianised and spicier, add chillies if preferred. They turned crispier on the outside and little softer in the inside. They make a great breakfast / brunch item or a teatime snack.

Source: Here
Ingredients:
1/4 cup lukewarm milk + 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 cup oats
3/4 cup all purpose flour or a combo of wheat and all purpose flours
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 - 4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup butter milk + extra for brushing
1 stalk of finely chopped curry leaves
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro leaves
1 tsp. finely chopped green chillies (optional)

Method:
* Combine milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and leave it aside for five minutes.
* Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray.
* Combine oats, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
* Grate the cold butter directly into the flour bowl. Or cut the butter into flours using a pastry blender until it is crumbly.
* Add the herbs, milk - apple cider mixture, chillies if using and buttermilk to the bowl and mix until the mixture comes together.
* Transfer the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Grease your hands and pat the dough into a disc of about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Slice the disc into 6 or 8 wedges. Brush the top with buttermilk.
(Or pat it into 1/2 inch thick disc and cut into rounds using a cookie cutter.)
* Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.