No Bake Oatmeal Raisin Bars

I had this recipe bookmarked a couple of days ago because of it's simplicity and I got to try it yesterday evening as I had all the needed ingredients in my pantry. I also wanted to see if there was even a slight possibility of my girl approving these nutritious and yummy bars. My teenager loves to snack on mostly dry fruits and nuts after school but combining them together in some other snack form other than a trail mix usually won't do. She is not a cereal person and she would not touch store bought granola bars with a barge pole. I figured probably she would like these if she sees with her own eyes what went in there and therefore involved her in making these bars. 

She decided not to mind the grain factor considering that all the other remaining ingredients are her favorites and decided to give them a try without a nudge from me. She in fact loved them since it tasted like chocolate to her. Don't ask me how but I didn't want to argue with her when she was eating without complaining and the bars are filled with all the goodies. 

These granola bars can be set by placing them in the refrigerator / freezer for about an hour or overnight. Wrap them individually in parchment paper or plastic or foil wraps for easy transportation. Store the individually wrapped bars in a freezer-safe bag and freeze them if they are not going to be consumed immediately. The quantity of raisins used here provide sufficient sweetness to the bars but at the same time contribute to their soft texture. I think even decreasing their quantity by a small amount wouldn't effect the recipe.

Recipe Source: Here
Ingredients: (Makes 16 bars)
2 and 1/2 cup raisins
1 and 1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded / desiccated coconut
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (I used honey roasted sunflower kernels.)

Directions:
* Line a 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
* Add everything except sunflower seeds to a food processor and pulse just until the mixture starts to clump together.
* Add sunflower seeds finally and just mix together.
* Transfer the mixture into the pan and press firmly. Refrigerate / freeze the mixture until it firms up, about an hour or overnight.
* Remove from the pan and slice into bars using a sharp knife.

Note:
1. The mixture can be shaped into balls instead of bars.
2. Other dry fruits, nuts and seeds can be substituted instead of the ones used here for a variation.

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No Bake Brownies

I came across this no bake brownie recipe when looking for ways to finish off the left over graham cracker cookies and condensed milk I had. This fuss-free preparation yields a really delicious treat that tasted more like fudge to my kids. I had halved the original recipe only to regret later when the whole thing was gone in one sitting. 

Source: Here
Recipe level: Easy
Ingredients:
1 can of 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 to 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
 
Method:
* For graham cracker crumbs, either pulse graham cracker cookies to fine crumbs in a food processor or put the cookies into a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.
* Spray or brush a 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and keep aside.
* Heat the condensed milk and chocolate together in a medium sized sauce pan on medium - low heat, until the chocolate melts and the mixture thickens slightly, about 10 minutes.
* Turn off the stove and remove the pan from heat. Add the cookie crumbs and half of the walnuts to the pan and mix well to combine. 
* Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread with the back of a greased spatula. Sprinkle the remaining nuts uniformly over the top. Chill it until firm.

This post goes to Blogging marathon #78 under the theme "No Baking Desserts for Lazy Days". Check out the page to read what other marathoners are cooking.
 
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4 Ingredient Recipes ~ Date & Walnut Laddu

Less ingredients and less fuss. This is what going to be the theme of my posts this week and they are all going to be based on four  ingredients. Cooking with few ingredients automatically implies that less time and less work are involved in the process. These delicious date and nut based laddus here are a fine example for it.

Ingredients:
1 cup soft, pitted dates
1/2 cup walnuts or almonds
1/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Method:
* Process walnuts / almonds into coarse crumbs and keep them aside.
* Finely chop the dates and also run them through food processor. There is no need to make them mush. Now add the coconut flakes, nut crumbs and cinnamon and pulse them a few times until the mixture comes together. 
Alternately, the coconut flakes can be left out while pulsing the mixture and later the laddus can be rolled in the coconut flakes instead.
* Transfer the mixture onto a plate and shape them into lime sized balls. 
 
These laddus are going to be a part of the Blogging marathon #69. Check the link to find out what the other marathoners are cooking.

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Cashew - Walnut Laddu

 Happy Birthday, Srivalli.

Any one who follows my blog might have noticed that I participate in a monthly event called blogging marathon without a miss. Srivalli, a dear blogger buddy who blogs at 'Cooking 4 all Seasons' and 'Spice your Life' is the brain behind that inspiring event. She is a remarkable woman considering that she is a wife & a mother of three, has a full time job, writes two blogs besides being a motivation / sounding board behind the marathon event, that has been successfully running for over five years. She is celebrating her birthday today and some of us who are regular participants of the marathon have thought to surprise her virtually by cooking something from her blog today. Wish you a very happy birthday, Valli and many many happy returns of the day. God bless you and may all your wishes come true.

Some how I have come to associate chocolate bakes, rotis and dals with her blogs even though she really has a good collection of recipes. I spent a good hour going through her recipes but finally decided to go with something sweet to celebrate. It turned out that the preparation and clicking of the dish took a fraction of time that I spent browsing through her blogs. I prepared these easy breezy laddus based on her cashew and almond laddu which took about 5 minutes from start to finish as I used pre-roasted nuts. Even my husband who stays away from sweet dishes tasted one without any prompting and loved it. The laddus were yum but I thought the milk powder flavor is dominant in the dish. If one prefers to change it, the quantity of the nuts in the dish can be increased and sugar quantity needs to be adjusted accordingly.

Ingredients: (Yield 6 laddus)
1/4 cup cashews
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup milk powder
3 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cardamom powder
2 tbsp. ghee

Method:
* Toast cashews and walnuts individually, until they start to change their color. If using toasted nuts, skip the step. Let the nuts cool before proceeding.
* Add all the ingredients to a food processor / blender and grind finely or slight coarsely.
* Transfer the contents onto a plate. Fist about a lime sized portion and shape it into a ball. Repeat the step with the remaining ground mixture.


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Eggless Banana Bread

When I have a tried, tested and family approved recipe for a dish, I usually don't go looking for an alternative. I have already a banana bread recipe that I have been using for quite sometime now. It is a hit even among our guests and so I was contemplating whether I need another recipe when I came across this quick bread. However the tag 'Best Ever' attached to it caught my attention and I decided to try it since the banana bread is always in demand in my home. I tweaked the recipe to make it an eggless version and using overripe bananas as egg substitute also helped to cut down the sugar quantity by half. The resulting bread was a moist and fluffy one and I was glad to try it. It is a great way to utilize those bananas on the hanger, begging to be used. 

  Ingredients:
1 & 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup sugar
4 bananas, mashed (about 1 &1/2 cups)
1/2 cup canola oil
6 tbsp. buttermilk *
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
* I added some water to fat-free yogurt and blended it.  

 Method:
* Preheat oven to 325 deg F / 165 deg C. Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.
* Sift flour, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
* In another bowl combine sugar, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. 
* Now add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the nuts.
* Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the preheated oven. Bake for about 60 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. (Mine was done in an hour.)
* Remove and cool on a wire rack. Cut into slices and serve. Leftovers can be refrigerated / frozen.

Check here to see what other marathoners are cooking during Blogging Marathon #61.
  

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Tueseday 'Treats' ~ Banana - Date - Walnut Cupcakes

These cupcakes even without any frosting are really a treat. They come out soft and moist every time. I have tried them a few times before, coming up with slight modifications each time and have enjoyed them all. These eggless, butterless cupcakes can be easily converted into vegan ones by substituting the milk by soy / almond milk and subbing the sugar with a vegan version. The dates added here can be omitted in case if you don't have them on hand but I highly recommend them for the little bursts of sweetness they add, while biting into these cupcakes.
 

Recipe adapted from Cook's Hideout
Ingredients: (yield 12 medium sized ones)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup milk (Soy / Almond milk for vegan version.)
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed bananas (I used over-ripened 2 medium sized bananas)
10 roughly chopped soft dates
1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Method:
* Preheat oven to 350 deg F / 175 deg C. Line the muffin pan with paper cups. (I use paper liners even for my silicone muffin tray since it is easy to serve.)
* Sift together flours, salt, baking soda and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Add sugar to the same bowl and keep it aside.
* Add milk, oil, vanilla and mashed bananas to another bowl and mix well.
* Now add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl and gently combine until mixed. Finally add dates and walnuts and give a stir.
* Fill each muffin cup up to 2/3rd and place the pan in the oven.
* Reduce the oven temperature to 325 deg F / 160 deg C and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Walnut - Prune Yogurt

While hunting for Russian recipes during "Around the World" marathon, I came across a quick and easy dessert from the region. It had some walnut stuffed prunes served in smetana. Smetana is the central and eastern European version of sour cream and in absence of it, can be substituted with yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche. Walnuts are stuffed into dry prunes and a sweetened sour cream is poured over them. Then they are refrigerated overnight or until the sour cream solidifies.
I goofed up somehow while noting the recipe and got fresh prunes instead and kept wondering how to stuff them with walnuts. I couldn't do it obviously and so chopped the fruit and added it to lightly sweetened yogurt along with some chopped walnuts. I refrigerated it overnight and it made a yummy breakfast next day. I am not posting the original recipe as it just involves the steps I mentioned above. The recipe requires only four ingredients - sour cream / yogurt, some icing sugar to sweeten the sour cream, dried prunes and walnuts.

This goes to Blogging Marathon #49, under the theme of "Weekend Brunch".
 
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H for Hungary ~ Vaníliás Kifli

 
Event: BM #44    
Choice of country: Hungary  / Magyarország
Capital City: Budapest
Official Language: Hungarian

For "H" nation, I am hopping back to Europe and presenting these delicious and "melt in your mouth" textured Hungarian walnut cookies. One common thing I have noticed among the nations I have tried cooking from this month is that they were all invaded and ruled by foreign nations at one or other point of time in history. I know it's not a staggering fact considering that most of the nations in the world have gone through the same plight. Hungary is no exception but what is remarkable is that this nation had lost 71% of it's territory, 58% of it's population and 32% of ethnic Hungarians after World War 1. It further suffered significant damages and causalities in World War 2. 
I was in no mood for any extra history lessons after learning that and straight away jumped into the food section. Hungarian cuisine is mainly influenced by it's primary ethnic group, the Maygars and so is also known as Maygar cuisine. The nomadic lifestyle of that group and the importance of livestock has influenced the Hungarian cooking style. Traditional dishes are primarily based on meats, seasonal vegetables / fruits, fresh bread, dairy products and cheese. The mixing of different varieties of meats is a traditional feature of Hungarian cuisine. Other characteristics of Hungarian cuisine are the soups, desserts, pastries and stuffed crepes. Two remarkable elements of Hungarian cooking which attract foreigners are cold fruit soups and vegetable stews. Paprika, lard, yellow onions and sour cream are commonly used ingredients in cooking. (Source:Wiki)
 
I assert not to go by the simple looks of these cookies. They are dangerously addictive and extremely delicious. These deceptively simple and "plain Jane" looking cookies are called "Vaníliás Kifli". The word "vaníliás" refers to the vanilla flavor used while the world "kifli" stands for the crescent shape of the cookies. These cookies are said to have been created in the shape of the Turkish crescent moon symbolizing the celebration of the Hungarian victory over Turkish army in one of the wars. These crescents are commonly made during Christmas and are very well known in other European nations such as Austria, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia as well. These are similar to Russian tea cakes or the Mexican wedding cookies in texture and taste.
 
These are made primarily with walnuts in Hungary while almond substitution is more common outside Hungary. The cookie dough is somewhat fragile to shape and the baked cookies are rolled in icing sugar once they come out of the oven. The cookies are somewhat bland without the sugar coating. Originally lard was used in preparation but the modern versions have replaced it with butter. And there is another version of kifli which are a crescent shaped pastry and not to be confused with these.

Ingredients: (Makes 18 kifli or more if you make them smaller and thinner.)
1 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp ground walnut
1/3 cup softened butter
1/3 cup icing sugar (or finely ground sugar) + extra for dusting
1/2 tsp vanilla

Note: According to the original recipe, if you are using almond meal instead of ground walnut, add 2 tbsp more butter and 2 tbsp extra almond meal to the above ingredients.
Method:
* Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and just mix enough to
 form a dough using your hands.
 
* Cover and let it rest in a cool place (not the fridge) for about 30 minutes. (I think I kept in refrigerator for about 10 minutes and left it on the counter for the remaining time since it was a hot day.)
* Grease two baking sheets or line them with baking paper. Preheat oven to 180 deg C / 355 deg F. 
* Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape them into logs of about 1 inch diameter. Cut the log into 2 inches sized pieces and shape each piece into a crescent.
 
 * Bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly golden.
* Remove them from the oven and dust them with icing sugar.

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An InLinkz Link-up

Dates and Nut Laddu

Now these dates and nut laddus are my kind of dish. Simple, quick and easy to put together on a festival day like Diwali or Raksha bandhan. They can be prepared in less than 15 minutes. Dates add a sweet base and there is no need for other sweeteners in this dish. Use soft, pitted variety dates and add any variety of nuts you have on hand. All nuts are delicious anyway and healthy when eaten in moderation. Feel free to add or omit any of the nuts from the below given list to customize. If you are feeling lazier, omit the dates frying step as well and directly grind the dates.

Ingredients: (Makes around 10 laddus)

1 cup mixed nuts  (I used a handful of each - walnuts, almonds, pistachios and cashews.)
1 cup pitted, soft dates (about 2 dozen)
1 tsp ghee

Method:
* Toast each variety of the nuts individually in a pan until they turn crisp. Let them cool and grind coarsely.
* Finely chop the dates.
* Heat ghee in a pan and add the chopped dates. Saute them for 2 - 3 minutes, pressing down the date pieces with the back of the spoon so that the dates turn into a pulp. Add the ground nuts to the pan, mix well and turn off the stove.
* Transfer the mixture onto a plate and when it is warm, make laddus of desired size. If the mixture is sticky and hard to shape the laddus, grease your palms and try.
* For a variation, the laddus can be rolled in dessicated coconut or sesame seeds as well.

These go to BM #43 under "Festival Special Theme". Check here to learn what other dishes are being cooked during this marathon.

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Banana - Coconut - Chocolate Muffins

Event: Blogging Marathon #41
Theme: Breakfast dishes

A few bananas that had gone beyond the "over-ripe" stage and a teenager at home who had plenty of free time on her hands because of her summer vacation resulted in these muffins. My daughter wanted to bake something over the weekend and as usual her ideas were revolving around something "chocolate". Finally, we decided to try this recipe as finishing the leftover bananas was our primary goal. And my girl decided to add chocolate chips in the recipe as a compensation for not baking her favorite chocolate chip cookies. I gave her the ingredients and the instructions and she had the batter ready for baking. These muffins were real yummy with coconut flavor and I recommend the addition of chocolate chips to these muffins which add a sweet touch.

Ingredients: (Makes 7 - 8 muffins)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup coconut flakes

2 bananas

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup coconut milk 

2 tbsp + 2 tsp coconut oil 

1 tsp vanilla essence

1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Substitutes:

1. Milk / any nondairy milk for coconut milk

2. Butter / oil for coconut oil

3. Pecans / almonds for walnuts

Method:
* Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Lightly spray the muffin cups or use the liners.
* Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.
* Mash the bananas in another bowl. Add sugar, oil, coconut milk and vanilla to it. Stir them together until combined well. Now add the flour mixture and stir lightly.
* Finally stir in the coconut, chocolate chips and nuts. 
* Spoon the batter to 3/4th level of muffin cups. Sprinkle some nuts, chocolate chips and coconut if desired.
* Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until they turn golden brown.

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Eggless Chocolatey Cucumber - Walnut Cupcakes

Each month, Kalyani keeps throwing an interesting combination of two ingredients for Magic Mingle, which seem to not at all work together in any recipe. I guess that's what makes this event more challenging. I don't wrack my brain over our personal issues as much as I do for blogging events, my husband notes amused. A salad was out of question as I had already posted it. This time as usual when I was going bonkers over cucumber - walnut combination, my husband decided to put me out of my misery and suggested to core the cucumber and fill it with walnut stuffing. I wasn't sure whether he was serious or joking. I therefore decided to leave it for another time. :)

I took the hint of walnuts and decided to settle with a baking recipe since I like the crunch, the nut offers. And also I wanted it to be chocolatey to mask the flavor of cucumber, if any present. I  prepared these cupcakes inspired by these zucchini ones from here.

I didn't cream the sugar and butter since I was using a smaller proportion of ingredients. I just combined all the ingredients as in case of muffins. I used the chocolate frosting and sprinkled with walnuts. The resulting cupcakes had a perfect fluffy, moist texture with current amount of sweetness. Even the kids couldn't guess the presence of cucumber.

Ingredients: (yield 7 cupcakes)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
6 Tbsp sugar
3/4 baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup peeled and shredded cucumber without seeds
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts (Save 2 Tbsp for sprinkling on the tops.)

Method:
1. Add vinegar to milk in a cup and leave aside for five minutes for the mixture to curdle.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Line the muffin cups with paper liners or grease them.
3. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
4. Add the curdled milk mixture, butter, sugar, vanilla, cucumber and walnuts to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5. Fill the muffin cups up to about 2/3rds with the batter and bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Mine were done in 16 minutes.
6. Cool them on a wire rack. Remove them from the muffin tin and frost them when they are completely cool. Frost and sprinkle the remaining walnuts.

Note:
If not frosting, increase the sugar quantity in the recipe by 2 -3 Tbsp. They will be bland otherwise.

 

This goes to BM#24 under the theme of "Cooking with Appliances". Check here to find out what others are cooking during the marathon.

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Eggless Nutella Brownies with Four Ingredients

When I decided to go with "Kids' Desserts" theme for the final week of blogging marathon, I went to the experts, my kids to see what would they prefer if given a choice. Actually I should admit that there were no prizes for guessing considering my daughter's love for chocolate. Her list went something like this - chocolate pudding, fudge, brownie, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies. :)

For the first day, I decided to go with this easy, quick nutella brownie recipe adapted from here. They are delicious and have a soft cake like texture. I have converted the recipe into an eggless one. If you don't mind using the egg, replace the flax meal in the following recipe with it.

Ingredients: (Make 6 brownies or 12 bite sized ones)
1/2 cup nutella (cocoa-hazelnut spread)
5 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts / walnuts
1 Tbsp flax meal

Method:
* Add 3 Tbsp warm water and flax meal in a bowl. Whisk well and leave aside for 5 minutes.
* Heat the oven to 350 deg F. Line a muffin pan with paper cups.
* Add nutella to the flax meal bowl and whisk well. Next slowly add the flour and again whisk to incorporate the flour into the mixture.
* Spoon the batter equally, up to 3/4th level of each of the muffin cup. Sprinkle the nuts on top of each of the muffin cups equally.
* Bake for about 10 - 12 minutes or until they set.
* Cool on a wire rack and enjoy. They can be refrigerated or can be stored at room temperature for 3 days.

Check what other marathoners of BM#23 are cooking, here.

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Eggless Carrot Nut Bread

I had another recipe in mind for today's "Carrot" based post but couldn't resist when I came across this bread, here. I converted this into an eggless one and it turned out really delicious. I was very happy with the result and so this carrot - nut bread makes it appearance here during BM#23.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)
1.5 cups shredded carrot
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter / oil
1/2 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp flax meal

Method:
* Mix flax meal and 3 Tbsp warm water in a bowl and keep aside for about 5 minutes.
* Heat oven to 350 deg F. Grease a loaf pan 9X5X3 inches and keep aside.
* Mix carrots, sugar, butter, yogurt and flax meal solution in a  bowl. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.
* Bake for 50 -60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool, remove the loaf from pan and slice.

Check what other marathoners are cooking, here.

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Oatmeal - Peanut Butter Bars

These easy peasy oatmeal-peanut butter bars can be made in a jiffy and are great for snacking. I followed this recipe for these yummy bars and all good, healthy things can be sneaked in these bars.

Ingredients: (yield 4 bars)
1.5 cup oats
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 Tbsp semi sweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp each - sweetened coconut flakes and chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method:
* Place peanut butter, chocolate chips, brown sugar and vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave the mixture until it melts.
* Remove and add the oats, coconut and walnuts. The resulting mixture should be fairly dry.
* Mix well and pat the mixture into a greased, square pan.
* Freeze or refrigerate until firm and then cut into pieces.

Check here to know what my fellow marathoners are cooking during BM#16.

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Oatmeal - Raisin Cookies

I really love oatmeal cookies and was looking for a good recipe. I stumbled upon this recipe accidentally and found that this one is a keeper. The cookies turn out so good that they disappear in no time. :)

Ingredients: (Yield 30 cookies)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp warm water
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 & 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup raisins

Preparation:
* Add flax meal to warm water and mix well until blended. Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
* Beat the butter and sugars in a bowl until light and fluffy. Next add oil, vanilla and flax meal mixture and beat until well blended. On low speed, beat in flour, salt and baking soda until combined. Stir in oats, raisins and nuts.
* Preheat oven at 375 deg F. Grease the cookie sheets and keep them aside.

Baking:
* Drop dough by rounded Tbsp, 2 inches apart onto cookie sheet. Slightly press them with your fingers.
* Bake until edges are slightly brown or about 10 minutes. Cool and then remove from cookie sheets.

Check here to know what my fellow marathoners are cooking during BM#16.

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