Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Stuffed Dates

Hi guys, it’s Day 4 of our 10 Days, 10 Posts event.

I am sharing another recipe with all of you- Chocolate Covered Dates, stuffed with Peanut Butter.

Trust me, it sounds fancy, tastes amazing and yet is extremely simple to make. Infact, it is so simple, that I debated whether to share this recipe on the blog or not, because it is hardly any work at all. I finally decided to share it because they tasted so delicious! My husband who is my biggest critic, was quite surprised when he ate these dates and said they taste like some exotic chocolate!

Also, it doesn’t require any great skill in cooking/baking and everybody can make it!

The best part about these is that the dates add natural sweetness and you don’t really need to add white sugar. The only sugar which will be present is from the chocolate you use. You can use a darker and semi-sweet chocolate. If you are vegan like me, you can use a vegan chocolate bar or vegan chocolate chips.

Thus, this is a very uncomplicated, nutritious, mouthwatering and easy to prepare snack/dessert, perfect for those post lunch afternoons or as a quick bite with your cup of tea/coffee. It caters to all your hunger pangs & cravings!

So let’s go ahead and have a look at the recipe!

Ingredients:

1. 10-12 pitted dates
2. 2-4 tsps peanut butter
3. Melted chocolate 1 cup
4. Cocoa powder 1/2 tsp (optional)
5. Coconut flakes for topping (optional)
6. Granola or chopped almonds for topping (optional)

Procedure:

1. Take the pitted dates & make sure their slit is open
2. With a spoon fill the dates with peanut butter. Make sure not to overfill, else, the chocolate will not stick to the dates.
3. Take chocolate-chips or any plain chocolate bar and melt the chocolate in a microwave bowl. You can use 1-2 chocolate bars depending on their size. I used 3-4 tbsps of chocolate chips. I didn’t really measure, I just melted enough chocolate chips to fill 1 cup / small bowl.
4. To enhance the chocolate flavour even more, you can add the cocoa powder, if you wish to. It’s a completely optional step.
5. Dip the dates in the melted chocolate. Make sure they are covered from all sides with chocolate.
6. Remove the chocolate covered dates immediately after dipping and coating & place them on another plate.
7. Sprinkle them with any toppings of your choice like chopped almonds/ granola/coconut flakes. I used dried coconut & grated it into flakes and topped them. I also added some bits of granola from my breakfast cereal.
8. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours and serve.

That’s it! You are done!

Variation: You can even replace the peanut butter and place cashews or almonds inside the dates and then cover it with chocolate.

Do give these a try and let me know!

Catch you all in the next post.

Till then,

Dream, Imagine, Be Crazy, Be You.

Restaurant Style- Easy Paneer Tikka Masala (Vegan) & Garlic Naan Recipe

Hi guys! I hope you all read my previous post regarding managing anxiety in current times of COVID_19.

Keeping in mind the situation that we all are facing, it is very essential for all of us to keep ourselves busy at home. Hence, I am coming up with interesting content for all of you.

From today, I am starting a 10 days 10 posts event on my blog where I will be posting a new article everyday on different topics.

In today’s post I share 2 recipes. Tomorrow’s post will be on a different topic. Since the main niches of this blog are Food & Recipes. Health & Wellness, Travel and Poetry & Musings, I shall be sharing on topics related to these niches.

Anyway, coming back to today’s topic- Food & Recipes; Now cooking can be quite therapeutic and can be fun, especially if one decides to try out new recipes and prepare a variety of dishes. At times, it can get tedious too and I feel bored to cook at times, nevertheless, I try to keep it fun so that I feel motivated to cook. Cooking it is an essential lifeskill, especially in current times where we are restricted to our homes. Also, nothing beats the satisfaction and comfort of a well-cooked meal.

In today’s blog post, I will be sharing 2 recipes.

1. Vegan Paneer Tikka Masala
2. Garlic Naan

If you want to know why I quit dairy in my diet- Read here.

These recipes that I have shared in this post are simple and easy to prepare and yet give you a restaurant style taste and that is why I am sharing them. It will require a just a tiny bit of preparation but it is quite hassle-free.

RECIPE FOR VEGAN PANEER TIKKA MASALA

This is not the elaborate North Indian recipe where one grills the tikkis first. It is a quicker version of the same recipe and results are almost similar and the taste is very restaurant like and extremely delicious!

Ingredients:

1. 2 blocks Tofu. (diced) (Substitute with Paneer if not vegan)
2. 1 packet Suhana Paneer Tikka Masala (Recommended. Read Procedure for recipe without this masala)
3. 4 pods cardamom
4. 2 tsps saunf (fennel seeds)
5. 1 tsp mustard seeds
6. 1 tsp jeera seeds (cumin seeds)
7. 3 green chillies
8. 1 tsp turmeric powder
9. 1/2 tsp dhania powder (coriander powder)
10. 1/2 tsp jeera powder
11. 4 medium sized tomatoes (chopped)
12. 1 big sized onion (finely chopped)
13. 3 tbsp oil or more if needed. (I used olive oil, you can use any oil you wish to use)
14. Salt according to taste

Procedure:

1. In a heated pan, add 2 tbsps oil and add the diced tofu cubes. Pan fry them, add salt and pepper. Once they turn golden-brown and a little crisp, switch off gas and keep them aside. The tofu cubes should not be too golden brown or hard else they will not absorb the flavours. A medium golden-brown colour is sufficient.
2. In a wok or kadhai, heat oil. Once oil has heated enough, add the mustard seeds & chopped green chillies. As soon as the popping sounds reduce, add the jeera (cumin seeds). Add finely chopped onion and let it caramelize and change colour.
3. Once the onions turn soft & caramelize, add the turmeric powder, dhania & jeera powder and the cardamom seeds and sauf. Saute for a minute or so.
4. After a minute add the chopped tomatoes. Saute till the tomatoes are mushy and the water in the tomatoes starts evaporating and they start thickening and become gravy like.
5. Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add 1 whole packet of Suhana Paneer Tikka Masala.
6. **If you do not have Suhana Masala, add yoghurt/ cashew paste/ milk/fresh cream in this recipe, along with 1 tsp chopped garlic. Also add 1/2 tsp red chilli powder & 1 tsp garam masala as well. (For the cashew paste, just soak 10-12 cashews in water for 1 hour, drain water & grind cashews to a paste in the grinder)**
7. Add salt as per taste.
8. Add the tofu cubes that you had kept separately and mix them into the gravy.
9. Let the gravy simmer on low flame for a bit and once the gravy is thick enough and not runny, switch off the gas.
10. Let the gravy sit for atleast 15 min before serving as the tofu cubes will absorb all the flavour.

That’s it! Your Vegan Paneer Tikka, resturant style is ready. Garnish and serve with rotis, naan or phulkas.

I served it with garlic naan and it tasted amazing .

RECIPE FOR GARLIC NAAN

This Garlic Naan is mouthwatering and tastes amazing. Also, this is a healthier version of the naan where I have substituted half part of the flour with whole wheat flour. So don’t feel guilty about eating this naan!

Ingredients:

1. 1 and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1 and 1’2 cup plain white flour
3. 1 tsp sugar
4. 1 & 1/2 tsps salt or according to taste
5. 1 cup water
6. 2 tbsp oil
7. 1 packet of dry active yeast.
8. 3 cloves minced garlic
9. 2-3 tsps kalonji (nigella) seeds (optional)

Procedure:

1. In a bowl, combine the yeast, sugar, and water and let sit until very foamy. Warm water works best for activating yeast. The water should not be hot or it will kill the yeast. If you are not sure about the temperature, just add normal room tempabout 10 minutes. Meanwhile,in a large bowl add the both the types of flour & whisk them together. Create a well in the center.
2. After the yeast has activated & become frothy, add it to the well inside the flour, add oil as well and mix. After you have mixed it a bit, add salt. ( Never add salt directly to yeast as it will kill the yeast and not let it activate.)
3. Knead the mixture till it forms a dough. Dough should be pliable and it can get a bit stretchy.
4. Knead until the dough is formed, then turn out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Transfer the dough to a large, lightly oiled bowl and cover loosely with a damp kitchen towel. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
6. After 1 hour, knead the dough briefly and shape the dough into dough balls.
7. This recipe will make approximately 11-12 dough balls depending on what size you make them into.
8. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Roll each dough ball out until it is about 1/4 inch thick.
9. On one side, add sprinkle the minced garlic and kalonji seeds and roll over that side again so that they stick to the naan while cooking.
10. Place the naan carefully onto the hot skillet with the other side (which doesn’t have the garlic & seeds) down on the pan.
11. Cook until large bubbles form on the surface, about 2 minutes. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden, about 1-2 more minutes.
12. Sprinkle oil as and when needed, while cooking the naan,
13. Stack the cooked naan on a plate and cover with a towel to keep warm as you cook the remaining pieces.

Naan in the making 🙂

That’s it your naan is ready. You can use butter in place of oil while making the naan.

You can garnish with coriander/cilantro as well. I didn’t because I did not have them in my kitchen.

Serve with your favourite sabzi or gravy. (Goes best with the Tikka Recipe above :D)

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Do try out these recipes whenever you feel like eating restaurant style food. You will not be disappointed.

Keep a watch for my blog post tomorrow.

10 days, 10 posts..

See you all tomorrow!

Till then,

Dream. Imagine. Be Crazy. Be You!

Dairy-free Vegan Coffee with Coconut Milk

Hi everyone! If you have read my last post on Why I quit dairy in my diet, you know how much I love my Chai and Coffee and struggled to find an alternative to it once I went dairy-free.

Today I want to share with you a very simple recipe which is my go-to recipe whenever I make coffee. (Which would be every day, hah!)

Making coffee without milk (If you like black coffee,that’s another preference altogether) but if you love milk in your cappucinos or latte or your daily cup of coffee, I would strongly suggest you try my coconut milk coffee recipe.

Not only is it delicious to drink, but it’s also quite addictive and will keep you wanting for more!

So if you want to go dairy-free but are looking for an alternative to replace milk or you just want to experiment with your beverage and try something new, go make this recipe!

Also, if you are on a keto diet and want to do a fat-first coffee in the morning, this recipe is for you as well!

Coconut milk has good fat, which is good for your body and keeps you going throughout the day. Even then I would suggest moderate use, not excessive use of it.

Ingredients.

1. Coconut Milk (Full fat or reduced fat. I use Ayam Brand Trim Coconut milk-45% reduced fat. It’s the best available brand in Singapore. Any full fat brand should work as well. Just use in moderation. )
2. Instant Coffee of your choice. (Nescafe, Bru or any other brand you love)
3. Boiled water
4. Sugar to taste

Coffee Ingredients

Procedure.

1. Boil water.
2. In your coffee cup, add sugar as per your taste and coffee.
3. Add only 1/4th amount of water in the cup.
4. Now add the coconut milk. Keep stirring as you add. You can stop adding the coconut milk when you see the colour of the coffee change and become milky. Add to desired milkiness. I prefer it not too milky, just moderate. You can experiment and see how the taste varies
5. Now pour in the remaining boiled water in your cup as per the quantity you usually like.

Coffee Procedure

Enjoy!!

That’s it, your coconut milk coffee is ready!!

Deliciously creamy and so addictive!!

Hope you liked my recipe and if you do try it, let me know.

Chocolate Walnut Cake- Pressure Cooker Cake

Hello everyone! I’m back with a recipe after long! This is probably going to be the last recipe for 2019, though of course not the last blog post for the year.

So, let’s get to it. Now, baking a cake (or a muffin) in the oven, is the traditional and of course a convenient way of baking.

But what do you do if you do not have an oven?? In many countries, especially in India, the use of an oven is less common and the pressure cooker is used for making a wide variety of dishes.

So, sharing this awesome and easy recipe of making a cake using a pressure cooker.

Also, unlike most pressure cooker cake recipes out there, this recipe does NOT use sand or salt at all. Sounds simple? It is!

This cake is chocolatety, healthy because it has the goodness of walnuts, rich to taste and not extremely sweet as well. Just perfect to have with a cup of tea or post your lunch or dinner.

Go ahead and give it a try! 🙂

Ingredients

1. 2 cups maida (White/ Refined Flour)
2. 1 Cup powdered oats
3. 1 & half cup sugar and more if reqd
4. 1 cup walnuts (you can add raisins as well. I have added dried cranberries since I had got them to India from Singapore. You can skip, its completely optional)
5. 3 tbsp cocoa powder
6. 2 tbsp baking soda
7. 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil (any odourless oil will do. Olive oil should also do )
8. 3- 4 cups soy milk (sub soy milk with normal dairy milk if you want. )

Procedure:

Mix the dry ingredients first- the flour, powdered oats, sugar, walnuts and cocoa powder.

Then add the oil and then the soy milk. Keep stirring to avoid any lumps. The batter should be thick (thicker than a batter you make for an oven cake) but not dry or lumpy. The thickness should be felt when you stir the batter.

Now take the cake tin/vessel which you would be placing in your pressure cooker. Grease that vessel completely with oil, so that the batter does not stick and the cake comes off easily once it is done.

Now place your pressure cooker on the gas. Add 2 cups of water. Remove the whistle of the cooker, but do not remove the gasket. On a low flame, let the cooker heat for sometime. This gives a pre-heat like enviroment for the cake.

Now before you pour your batter in the greased vessel, add 1-2 tsps of baking soda. Stir the batter, strictly in one direction only so that the effect of the baking soda does not go away.

Now pour the batter in the greased vessel and place that greased vessel inside your warm cooker. Close the lid. Keep the gas on a medium to low flame. It will take approximately 45 mins to 1 hour for the cake to get ready. After 20-30 mins, open the lid of the cooker to check whether the cake is getting ready and also to check whether the water inside the cooker hasn’t fully evaporated, else the cooker and cake will burn. Add water inside the cooker (not inside the cake vessel, be careful) as and when reqd.

Your cake should be completely ready after 45 mins. You can check whether your cake is ready or not, with a toothpick.

Once the cake is done, remove the cake vessel and place it upside down on a plate. Allow the cake vessel to cool. (will take approx half an hour atleast) Once the cake vessel is cooled, you can gently tap the vessel so that the cake will drop into your plate. Once the cake drops you can place it on another plate to keep the ‘good side’ of the cake up.

That’s it, your cooker cake is ready!!

You can enjoy your chocolate-walnut cake as it is, or add some toppings after you refrigerate it for some time.

Delicious vegan pressure cooker Chocolate Walnut Cake.

I have just added a simple chocolate sauce (Mapro), some chocolate shavings and some chopped walnuts.

That’s it, your yummilicious chocolate-walnut cake is ready to be served or eaten immediately.

Plum Cake Recipe – Vegan, Gluten-Free & Healthy

The more I bake new things, the more I realize how much of an art it is. Baking requires absolute patience and of course, passion to stay dedicated.

I have a major interest in healthy baking and making healthy desserts, since the subject intrigues me and I am constantly looking for ways to live more consciously and be aware of the food choices I make.

That way we can eat all the yummy dessert 😀 without feeling guilty about our choices.

Hence, today I am presenting to you a recipe of mine which is a “healthy” cake.

This cake is gluten free and vegan. (you can substitute vegan milk with dairy milk if you are a vegetarian)

It has the goodness of plums. I decided to make the plums since I had a couple of fresh plums at hand and also because I remembered the plum cakes I used to love as a child 😀

The only sugar the cake has, is the one which I have sprinkled on top of the cake for aesthetic purposes and it’s not mandatory for you to do the same.

Other than that, this cake is quite a healthy dessert, with lots of goodness in it.

So what are you waiting for, go ahead, read the recipe and let us know when you try it!

Ingredients

1. 2 cups oat flour (Powder and grind rolled oats or any other type of oats you have)
2. 4 Fresh plums
3. jaggery 2 tablespoons (You can use maple syrup or agave if you don’t have jaggery or haven’t used it)
4. Vanilla essence 2 teaspoons
5. Baking soda 1-2 teaspoons
6. Vinegar 2 teaspoons
7. Soya milk (Or any other milk of your choice) half cup
8. Water 1/4 cup.
9. Vegan butter/ normal butter depending on whether you are vegan or vegetarian 1 and half to 2 tbsps
10. 3 tablespoons coconut oil.
11. Optional but will enhance flavor- Orange zest/ Lemon zest. (2 tablespoons)

You can use powdered sugar 1 tablespoon, to sprinkle on top like I have.

Procedure:

1. Mix the oat flour, milk, vanilla essence, and water together. The batter should not be very thick. It should be runny but not very watery. Adjust quantity of milk if required, to get the right consistency.
2. Add the butter and oil, both. Melt and add butter if butter is too hard after you remove it from the refrigerator.
3. Add the jaggery to it. You can either chop the jaggery or grind it finely or melt it.
4. Chop the plums into whatever shape and size you want. I wanted big pieces so didn’t chop them too fine.
5. Add the plums to the batter and mix the batter well.
6. Lastly, add the baking soda and vinegar. Mix the batter in one direction only now.
7. Let the batter sit for sometime till you see bubbles forming.
8. Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F)
9. In the meantime, pour your batter into a greased cake pan of your choice.
10. Don’t forget to grease your cake pan with either oil or butter. You can use greased foil/ paper as well to not let your cake stick to your pan.
11. Once the oven has been preheated, place your cake pan in the oven.
12. Bake the cake for 35 to 40 mins at 180°C (356°F).
13. After 30 mins pass by, keep checking your cake. Use a toothpick to test whether your cake is done or not.
14. Once the cake is done, it will not stick to your toothpick.
15. Maximum time it should take is 45 mins, but it depends on what type of oven you have, since every oven is different and baking time may slightly vary. So keep a watch.

That’s it, your fresh plum cake is ready!!

Remove your cake from the pan and allow it to cool. Place it on a plate or cooling rack. Once your cake has cooled, you can refrigerate it.

You can top your cake with powdered sugar once it is done, just to add a little bit of effect of a nice plum cake. Do it only when it has cooled completely, since the sugar will melt if you immediately put it on top of the cake.

That’s it!! Your healthy, yummy, gluten-free cake is ready to be served and eaten. As you can see, there is hardly any added sweetness to this cake, except for the sugar we topped it with.

Hence, it makes for a healthy, guilt free dessert or meal and can be easily made any time, to satisfy your sweet tooth.

It’s a win win recipe for health freaks and dessert lovers.

Do try this recipe and let us know if you like it.

Until the next post,

Dream, Imagine, Be Crazy, Be You.