Easy Peasy Granola Bars

It really has been a long time since I last posted anything in this blog. I've been thinking about getting back to writing for a long time, but writer's block got in the way. I don't think it's been lifted, so please bear with me if something you read doesn't make any sense whatsoever!

Lately, I've been "suffering" from I-can-make-that-myself syndrome. What? You already don't know what I'm talking about?? Well, let me explain. It's when you go to the grocery store, look at a pre-made package of a food item and think, "hmmm, I can whip this up at home!"

Maybe this was due to the fact that when you read the ingredients in the packaged foods, you can recognize the first couple that are listed, and then it starts to get cryptic. Azodicarbonamide? Why is that in my bread??

I will also admit this syndrome was fueled by my addiction to food blogs. There are hundreds, if not thousands of food bloggers out there, who venture into amazing food adventures everyday, and succeed! Instant inspiration!

It used to be that the time to make that something at home never came! Or maybe I just lacked the enthusiasm when I got home from the grocery store. Let's go with the first reason. It sounds better. There is a long list of things that I would like to make at home. But, recently, I've started with a few that I try to regularly make at home. Bread and granola (cereal and bars) are two of the things that I've made more than once. And I think I am hooked! The smell of bread baking in the oven - heavenly! Especially since it's getting a bit nippy a bit too soon.

Today's post though, is about granola bars! These are super-simple to make and super-simple to love! What's not to love about oats, almonds, honey and peanuts? And everything on the list, I can pronounce! And so can my kids! You can change up the nuts from almonds to something else that your heart fancies. And you can add dried fruits and/or chocolate chips. So on to the recipe!

Almond and Peanut Butter Granola Bars (recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Vegetable cooking spray
1 egg white
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter (I use smooth)
1/4 cup brown sugar (original recipe calls for 1/3)
1/4 cup honey
1/8 cup (2 tbsp) unsalted melted butter (original recipe calls for 1 stick or 1/2 cup, but it is totally unnecessary to use that much!)
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds (spread on a plate and toasted in the microwave for 1 min at 30 second intervals)
2 tbsp miniature chocolate chips (original recipe calls for 1/3 cup)

Preaheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray (or coat lightly with butter/oil).
Line the pan with parchment paper and coat the paper with cooking spray/oil)
In a medium bowl, whisk the eggwhite until frothy.
Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar and honey.
Add melted butter.
Add oats and almonds.
Stir to combine the ingredients.
Add chocolate chips, if using.
Spread the mixture on the prepared pan in a 1/4 inch thick layer.
Bake until the edges begin to brown. This took me about 20 minutes. The original recipe calls for 15 minutes, but mine seemed soft so I baked a bit longer.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Cut in to squares or long rectangles.

These store well in an air-tight container for about a week. They never really last that long in my house. Hope you get around to making these. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and the baking time. Thanks for reading! Bread post is next!

A tribute to girlfriends and a sweet treat

A girl NEEDS her girlfriends - no doubt in my mind. No matter how tightly attached you are to your man, there is no substitute for having girlfriends. They are there throughout life. Without them, there is a very little chance of survival. Female bonding, I believe, begins at a very early age. I see how I am with my girlfriends and I see it in my daughter who is six years old. Our friendships evolve from playdates to girls' nights out. The common theme remains - we thrive from the time spent with our friends. The women in my life were not randomly placed but were specifically chosen to help assist me in my life to get through the good, the bad and the down right ugly. They were custom made with me in mind. They are an extension of me.

Some of these friends I see almost on a daily basis. Some, I'm not that lucky with, but when we do get the time together, we make the most of it. We let go of our inhibitions (ok a few glasses of wine helps this along), laugh talk and have a grand time. It gives us a chance to put the crazy schedules in the back of our minds, even if it is just for a few hours. It really rejuvenates the soul.

I made carrot, cashew and cardamom cupcakes with cashew cream cheese frosting for one of the recent gatherings. It was a perfect ending to an Indian meal. The cupcakes have an Indian dessert incorporated into them - Carrot Halva. Carrot Halva is one of the most popular of Indian desserts. Here is the recipe:

Cupcakes - Makes about two dozen

For the halva:
2 tbsp clarified butter (ghee)
1 pound carrots (preferably organic) - peeled and grated
1/2 cup water
1 cup milk
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 cup sugar

For the cake:
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup roasted cashews, chopped

1. Heat clarified butter in a non-stick pot. Add grated carrots.
2. Saute till most of the water from the carrots has evaporated and the carrots turn a bit reddish. Make sure to keep stirring the carrots. It took me about 5 minutes.
3. Add water, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and stir to cook off any remaining water.
5. Add the milk and cardamom. Simmer for 15 minutes stirring frequently.
6. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Simmer for a few more minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.

The halva is ready. You can eat it on its own with some vanilla ice cream. Or, if you can control yourself, proceed to make the cake.

7. Cool the halva completely to room temperature.
8. In a large bowl, mix together the cooled, cooked carrot mixture, eggs, vanilla, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, vegetable oil and milk.
9. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom.
10. Stir the flour mixture into carrot mixture until everything is combined.
11. Add the chopped cashews and stir to combine.
12. Scoop out the batter into cupcake liners about 2/3s full.
13 Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean.

Cashew cream cheese frosting
1 cup roasted
2 to 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese or mascarpone cheese
3-4 cups powdered sugar

1. Grind the cashews in a food processor to break them up.
2. Add two tbsp of oil and continue to process until it gets creamy. Add more oil, 1 tsp at a time until you get a creamy consistency like chunky peanut butter
3. Beat the butter and cream cheese until creamy. Add the cashew butter and beat to combine. Scrape the bowl.
4. Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into the bowl. Beat to combine.
5. Add more sugar until you get the consistency and sweetness you like.
6. Frost the cooled cucpakes.

Verdict: The cupcakes were a huge hit. I would call these grown-up cupcakes. The kids I served these to, were not too thrilled. Not sure if it was the nuts in the frosting. Oh well, more for us ;) I was unfortunate to have some leftover frosting. Unfortunate for my waistline - not my tastebuds - because I was eating spoonfuls of its delicious goodness for days after. Hope you can bake a batch of these for your next girls' gathering to share the sweetness and of course the pounds! ;)

Can't believe it's been almost a year!

Yep! It's been almost a year since my last post. Gosh, I need to get crackin'! I have so many pictures and recipes to blog about, but just no time. Well, either that, or I need to manage my time a lot better. Hopefully soon, I will figure out what the exact reason is.

What I do know, though, is that this year I have decided to play, I mean cook, with ingredients that I haven't used before. One of those ingredients is the butternut squash! I've seen many recipes using this beautiful orange fruit - yes it is a fruit, not a vegetable-, but have always felt intimidated by how it looks. The mature butternut squash has an hour-glass figure and weighs more than a pound. The fruit gains sweetness and a deeper color as it ages. It is high in antioxidants and contains high levels of vitamin C as well as other minerals. It is an excellent substitute for potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Now that we know that little tid-bit of information, on to the recipe:

Rigatoni with Butternut Squash Sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 big cloves of garlic - peeled and chopped

1 pound of butternut squash - peeled (see note) and cut into about 1 inch cubes

1 cup vegetable stock

Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

1/2 cup of whole milk

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Parmesan cheese to serve

1 box of rigatoni - cooked al dente according to package directions

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a wide pan.

2. Add chopped garlic and saute for a few seconds.

3. Add the cubed squash, salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste and cook for about five minutes.

4. Add the vegetable stock and cook until the squash is completely cooked, about 7 minutes.

5. Let cool for 5 minutes.

6. Puree the squash mixture in the blender or food processor until smooth.

7. Add the sauce back to the pan. Add milk and stir until combined.

8. Add cooked pasta and mix. Adjust seasoning if needed.

9. Serve topped with chopped basil and shredded parmesan cheese.

Verdict:

I thought the dish looked divine, but my daughter was not impressed with yellow-sauce pasta. That is until she tasted it. She had seconds. And asked for the leftovers for lunch the next day. Now, that for me, is a big compliment :)

Note:

Butternut squash is a hard fruit to peel. A dear friend of mine suggested I poke some holes in it and microwave for a few minutes. This makes it easier to peel. I will definitely use this trick the next time. Should've asked her before I almost peeled my fingers off!! And, make sure you use a good and sharp potato peeler. Hope you enjoy!

The story of Puff

The power of memories never fails to amaze me. We store in our memories a lifetime of experiences. I have no idea how they might be catalogued, but they return to us at odd times triggered by current experiences which start the wheels turning, and a stored memory pops into the mind’s DVD.

Most of these memories are triggered by one of the five senses. I realize that most of these sense-related memories for me are all due to one sense and one sense only - TASTE!

Every time I eat a cake from one of my favorite bakeries in Florida, I am reminded of a very kind gesture by my friend Ukachi. The particular cake that I like is sort of doused with rum. Of course, it's not enough to get you tipsy, but it certainly adds to the taste. This is what I craved when I was pregant with my son. Not a good choice when you carrying precious cargo in your belly! So, my dear friend, ordered this cake (special-order minus the rum) and brought it to the hospital day after I delivered the precious cargo. I always think about this happy little memory when I eat this particular cake.

I have countless such memories. One other that always pops up in my head is the story of Puff! It happened when I was about 8 or 9 years old. We were in India at the time. My parents had some really nice friends in the neighborhood. It was like a little family. We lived in the suburbs. One of my dad's friends worked in the city. One time he mentioned of a new invention in food - the puff! My parents got real excited and asked him to bring some for us. I still remember the way it smelled, oh and the taste! It was heavenly! Flaky pastry wrapped around gooey filling of potato and peas. The flavors burst open in your mouth with every bite. In India, it's not easy finding "raw" pastry dough to work with, so we always asked the uncle to bring them for us. Imagine my mother's delight when she found the puff pastry sheets in the U.S.! My family's love affair with the puff continues. It's still our favorite and the love has been passed on to the next generation. Here is the recipe:

Veggie Puffs

3 medium potatoes - cooked, peeled and coarsely mashed
1/2 cup peas - frozen or fresh
2 cloves garlic - minced
1" piece of ginger - minced
Serrano chillies (optional) - chopped
Spices - Turmeric (1/2 tsp), garam masala (1 tsp), red chilli powder (to taste), cumin-coriander powder (1 tsp
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp oil of choice
1 tsp whole cumin
1 box of frozen puff pastry sheets - thawed for about an hour

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the cumin.
2. When the cumin pops, add the chillies (if using), garlic and ginger. Saute for a minute.
3. Add peas and mix. Add the potato, spices, salt, lime juice and coriander
4. Mix well and let the mixture cool.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 350.
6. The Pepperdige Farms sheets that I buy are folded in three layers. Cut the sheets at the fold and cut each fold into 3. The whole box makes about 9 little squares. Put two tablespoon of filling in the center of each square and fold into a triangle. Press the edges tightly with your fingers.
7. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook the prepared puffs in the oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. If you feel the bottoms are getting too brown, you can turn the puffs halfway during cooking.
8. Cool slightly and serve with a condiment of your choice. We usually eat them with either ketchup, coriander chutney or tamarind chutney.

Verdict:
I usually get to see the happy dance from my family when I make this. It's the combination of the flaky pastry with the spicy filling that creates such a joyous reaction in almost everyone I know. You can play around with different sorts of filling for this recipe. I've tried spinach/paneer (feta) and it was received with just as much fanfare. With a box of puff pastry sheets, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy!

Separation and Spring-rolls

Life is so ironic or maybe it’s that we are never satisfied with what we have. I am always complaining about the chores at home – cooking, cleaning and a gazillion other things. Then, it’s that I never have time for myself. It’s divided into chores and kids and when I am working, work. The only time I have for myself is at night when everything and everyone is sleeping. By this time, I’m usually too tired to do anything. So, in this hectic world of mine, I always dream of some “me” time that never seemed to come. Until now!

This week I’m away from home for work. This has never happened. I am away for more than one night for the first time since my daughter was born (almost 5 yrs)! This is something I wanted to try for a while. Just to get some “me” time to recharge. But, now that I am here, I want to go home! I did say it was ironic. To say I miss my babies is the understatement of the century! They are on my mind at all times, especially the time I am away from work. At least day time is occupied by work. In the evening, I want to run home and see the smiles on their faces and be showered by hugs and kisses. They are handling their time away from mommy amazingly well. And here I was last week mulling over how they will be without me, when I should’ve been worrying about how I am going to be! Kids are so much more resilient than we (I) give them credit for.

In my preparation to be away from home, I cooked and froze some things for the rest of the family to eat. I made spring rolls and samosas to freeze. Below is my recipe for spring rolls:

Ingredients:

½ a head of green cabbage – shredded or cut into julienne
2 medium carrots – peeled and shredded
2 cloves of garlic – chopped
½ inch piece of ginger – peeled and chopped fine
½ tsp oil
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tsp of sambal oelek (optional)
2 tsp chopped cilantro
1 package of spring roll wrappers (I used the Kawan brand)

1. Heat oil on high heat.
2. Add the garlic and ginger. Saute lightly – make sure to not burn.
3. Add the cabbage and carrots. Mix well.
4. Add soy sauce and sambal oelek if using.
5. Mix until the cabbage is cooked – not fully cooked, should still have a bite.
6. Mix in cilantro. Turn off heat and keep aside to cool

Take a wrapper and put a tbsp or so of filling at the bottom corner of the wrapper:



Fold the bottom corner over the filling and fold once more.
Bring in the two sides and roll-up tightly.



You can either seal the edges water or just put it seam side down until ready to fry.
Deep fry when all spring rolls are wrapped.
Serve with either a sambal oelek or duck sauce. You can also make a sauce by mixing soy sauce, duck sauce and sambal oelek.



Verdict: Spring rolls are a favorite appetizer, or even a quick lunch. My kids love eating them wrapped in lettuce leaves – just like my brother does. You can make small ones by cutting the wrapper in half diagonally, then fill and roll as above. Enjoy!

What's for snack mommmmm?!

Most kids I know are very picky eaters in their toddler-preschool years. I know both of mine were/are. Having picky eaters can drive a mother insane. It's frustrating to see them starve themselves. I remember when my son was going through that stage. I would search for kid-friendly recipes and actually spend a lot of time preparing them. Then, spend countless hours trying to get some food into him. I used to worry sick. I read every single article on the web about picky eaters and how to get them to eat but nothing helped. Most advice offered usually says, they are not going to starve themselves. They will eat when hungry, but as a mother, it's just something you cannot accept. Another popular bit of advice is that they'll grow out of it. At that time, it seemed like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, I'm happy to report, my boy has totally grown out of this stage. In fact, I have to stop him from eating at times. He is always hungry! It helps that he turned out to be a foodie like me and loves to eat and try different types of foods. He'll try any food at least once. While it's great to not have to worry about him starving himself, another challenge comes along. To make sure they always have healthy foods to eat. I find myself reading the labels for fat and caloric contents of the foods I buy. I limit my purchases of pre-packaged and processed foods, but the dairy products I buy, I make sure to get the reduced-fat kind.

I admit having pre-packaged snacks is a huge convenience. So, to have healthy AND filling snacks on hand is very important when a hungry 8 year old comes from school. The first thing that comes out of his mouth is "What's for snack today mom?". On most days, I serve a filling snack, with fruits and milk. Eggs are great for a healthy and filling snack. I prepare them scrambled, wrapped, hard-boiled - whatever they are in the mood for. The following recipe is one I tried recently and it was a big success in my house:

Edamame and Potatoes:

1 tsp of olive oil
1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
1 clove of garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp of dried garlic powder
1 cup of frozen Edamame
1 medium potato - boiled, skinned and cut into cubes
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp of fresh lime juice

- Heat oil and add cumin seeds.
- When they crackle, add the garlic.
- Add Edamame and mix.
- After they are soft, add the cubed potatoes, salt, lime juice.
- Let the flavors mingle for two minutes on medium heat.
- Serve with fruit of choice and milk.



As you may know, edamame is a fancy name of shelled, boiled soybeans. We all know the nutrition of soy. Just half a cup of edamame punches up the fiber, protein and vitamin/mineral content in your diet. Below are some nutrition facts for edamame:

* 120 calories
* 9 grams fiber
* 2.5 grams fat
* 1.5 grams polyunsaturated fat (0.3 grams plant omega-3 fatty acids)
* 0.5 gram monounsaturated fat
* 11 grams protein
* 13 grams carbohydrate
* 15 mg sodium
* 10% of the Daily Value for vitamin C
* 10% Daily Value for iron
* 8% Daily Value for vitamin A
* 4% Daily Value for calcium


As you can see, it offers 9 grams of fiber, about the same amount you'll find in 4 slices of whole-wheat bread or 4 cups of steamed zucchini. It has almost as much protein as it does carbohydrate. And for a plant food, it's quite high in iron - a perfect after-school snack if you ask me.

Verdict: The first time I made it, my little boy thought they were lima beans. He still tried it and loved it. He cleaned out the plate and so did my still-picky 5-yr old. Not only did they not complain, but this held them up till dinner time.

Green is in!

Everyone is talking about "going green" these days! It's everywhere, even in the Economic Stimulus package being pushed by our newly elected president. Billions of dollars are to be allocated to research and implementation of green energy. Finally, a government that makes it a priority to spend some money on much needed research in this subject. Whether or not it belongs in the stimulus package, is a whole another topic of discussion. So, back to the real topic.

The average eco footprint of a person living in the US is 9.7 hectares. The eco footprint measures the area of oceans and land required to support your lifestyle. You can measure your footprint at http://www.myfootprint.org.

My shameful result stated that if everyone lived like me, we would need 3.2 planets!! Now, I consider myself to be pretty conservative when it comes to consumption of food and energy. There are some things, though, that are hard to give up or nearly impossible. Below are a few things that I try to incorporate in my life.

Reduce, reuse and recycle:

We are just so used to certain things that they become second nature to us and we hardly give it a thought. Take grocery bags for example. Plastic grocery bags are the most ubiquitous consumer item on Earth, numbering in the trillions. Only 1 percent of plastic bags are recycled. Every year, Americans throw away about a 100 billion plastic bags after they've been used. Since these bags are made from petroleum and natural gases, that's equivalent to dumping nearly 12 million barrels of oil! So, invest (a few dollars at most) in reusable totes. Supermarkets sell these for about a buck - not much compared to the price of a barrel of oil these days. I find them to be more user friendly than the plastic bags.

Another example of such waste is paper products. We are so used to reaching for that roll of paper towel to clean up that we don't stop and think how they will end up in a landfill somewhere. Tissue paper manufacturers like Kimberly-Clark, use only 19% of recycled materials to make toilet tissues, paper napkins, towels. Due to this, about half a million acres of forests are destroyed every year in Canada alone. This action has a lot of other consequences attached to it, such as destruction of animal habitat. Consider using re-usable rags to clean up that spill before reaching for a paper towel. Micro-fiber cloths are great for cleaning around the house. They can be used with just water. This will eliminate extra chemicals from household cleaners as well! I like the Scotch-Brite cloths. I have one for cleaning glass as well. Does an excellent job with just water or a mixture of 50-50 water-vinegar solution.
These cloths can be used to replace those Swiffer cloths too. Use either dry or with a spray solution of vinegar-water to clean hard-wood floors.

Go Vegetarian:

I must admit that I was quite surprised when I came across this as a step to go green. Believe it or not, the farm animals raised for food consumption, contribute about 18% of the greenhouse gases. A cow can produce hundreds of liters of methane each day. Now I'm not going to spell it out and say how exactly that happens. Use your imagination! Methane is 23 times as powerful a global warming gas as carbon dioxide. A vegetarian lifestyle has other purposes as well as religious ones. If you can't go vegetarian, reduce the consumption of meat.

Also, the following little things help in a big way:

- Turn off that faucet. Water consumption is fast becoming an issue as big as carbon. Also, replacing leak faucets, installing low-flow shower-heads helps. Low-flow faucets reduce water consumption and the cost of heating water by as much as 50 percent; using a low-flow toilet can save Americans 2.1 trillion gallons of water and $11.3 million nationwide every day.
- Turn down the thermostat by just one degree.
- Unplug small appliances when not in use. Even when turned off, items like your television, computer, and cellphone charger still sip power.
- Install compact fluorescent bulbs in all your home light fixtures, but remember, compact fluorescents contain mercury, so look for low-mercury models and be sure to dispose of old bulbs safely through your local hazardous waste program.
- Dry your clothes outside when possible. I also have a line in my basement to dry clothes.

There are a lot of things out there, some too radical for my taste, to live a greener life. The things I listed above are the everyday things that I go through and try to consciously follow. I hope these tips help you go green!