Protein Ladoos / Date and Coconut Bliss balls

It is our family ritual to go to the library and borrow books every alternate Saturday. I recently realized that it has been an amazingly long time since I have bought any books for myself. The library in my suburb is also very well stocked. You get each and every book you need and can also place a request for ones you can't find. In case you are wondering why I am writing about a library in this post. The recipe I am going to share today is from one such book that I borrowed. This now is a regular feature in my kitchen. We use it not just for school lunch but also to satiate the mid-morning sugar craving when it kicks in. 

 Ingredients:

- Pitted Mejdool Dates - 1 cup

- Desiccated coconut - 1 cup

- Chia seeds - 1/2 cup

- Sunflower seeds - 1/2 cup

- Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup

- Pumpkin seeds - 1/2 cup

- Vanilla Extract - 1/2 tsp

- Honey (Optional) - 1/4 cup

- Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp

Method:

- Place all ingredients in the food processor bowl.

- Whisk until smooth and dates are very finely chopped.

- Divide into equal portions.

- Roll each portion into a ball.

- Roll over extra coconut (optional).

- Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Blueberry Chia seeds coconut cake

How about a healthy cake recipe? According to me all homemade cakes are healthy! Having these in the pantry helps when the 3pm snack timer goes off in your brain. Its better to have this than having a few store bought cookies or fried snacks.

Ingredients:

- Self Raising Flour - 1 cup

- Oil (Veg/Canola/Olive) I used vegetable oil, but its up to your choice and pantry - 1/2 cup

- Sugar - 1/2 cup

- Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

- Chia seeds - 2 tbsp 

- Blueberries - 100 gm

- Coconut flakes - 1/4 cup

- Eggs - 2

- Milk - 3 tsp

 Method:

- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

- Line a cake tin with butter paper and keep it ready.

- Crack 2 eggs in a big mixing bowl.

- Add sugar and beat with a spoon until there are no granules and sugar is mixed well with the eggs.

- Add oil and mix well until everything is mixed and forms a batter.

- To this add half the flour and fold it in.

- Add the next half and fold it in too.  

- Add in and mix vanilla essence and milk at this time to get the right consistency.

- Mix in blueberries, coconut flakes and chia seeds. Keep some aside to sprinkle on top

- Pour this mixture into the cake tin evenly. Sprinkle the extras from top, the ones we kept aside in the previous step.

- Once the oven is preheated, put the cake on the middle rack and bake for 30 min.

- Do the toothpick test, if not completely baked, bake for another 5 mins. Baking time will vary based on the strength and design of your oven.

- Once baked, take out of the oven and let it cool.

- Cut and serve. 

Coconut Choc Chip Cake

Coconut is the flavour of the season for me! I am from a tropical country and coconut finds its place a lot in Bengali cuisine. Be it curries, desserts or snacks coconut always finds a place in my kitchen.

Ingredients:

- Self Raising Flour - 1 cup

- Oil (Veg/Canola/Olive) I used vegetable oil, but its up to your choice and pantry - 1/2 cup

- Sugar - 1/2 cup

- Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

- Chocolate chips - 2 tbsp

- Coconut flakes - 4 tbsp and extra for sprinkling on top

- Eggs - 2

- Milk - 3 tsp

 Method:

- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

- Line a cake tin with butter paper and keep it ready.

- Crack 2 eggs in a big mixing bowl.

- Add sugar and beat with a spoon until there are no granules and sugar is mixed well with the eggs.

- Add oil and mix well until everything is mixed and forms a batter.

- To this add half the flour and fold it in.

- Add the next half and fold it in too.  

- Add in and mix vanilla essence and milk at this time to get the right consistency.

- Mix in coconut flakes and chocolate chips. Keep some aside to sprinkle on top

- Pour this mixture into the cake tin evenly. Sprinkle the extras from top, the ones we kept aside in the previous step.

- Once the oven is preheated, put the cake on the middle rack and bake for 30 min.

- Do the toothpick test, if not completely baked, bake for another 5 mins. Baking time will vary based on the strength and design of your oven.

- Once baked, take out of the oven and let it cool.

- Cut and serve. 

Blueberry Choco chip and Coconut Cake

Our family loves cake as afternoon snack and lunch box treat. The daughter does not like blueberries, she eats them only if they are in a dessert or in cake. We have also been watching Is it Cake? on Netflix these days so this snack fits in perfectly for this work week. 

Ingredients:

- Self Raising Flour - 1 cup

- Oil (Veg/Canola/Olive) I used vegetable oil, but its up to your choice and pantry - 1/2 cup

- Sugar - 1/2 cup

- Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp

- Chocolate chips - 2 tbsp 

- Coconut flakes - 4 tbsp and extra for sprinkling on top

- Eggs - 2

- Milk - 3 tsp

- Fresh Blueberries- 100gm

Method:

- Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

- Line a cake tin with butter paper and keep it ready.

- Crack 2 eggs in a big mixing bowl.

- Add sugar and beat with a spoon until there are no granules and sugar is mixed well with the eggs.

- Add oil and mix well until everything is mixed and forms a batter.

- To this add half the flour and fold it in.

- Add the next half and fold it in too.  

- Add in and mix vanilla essence and milk at this time to get the right consistency.

- Mix in coconut flakes, blueberries and chocolate chips. Keep some aside to sprinkle on top

- Pour this mixture into the cake tin evenly. Sprinkle the extras from top, the ones we kept aside in the previous step.

- Once the oven is preheated, put the cake on the middle rack and bake for 30 min.

- Do the toothpick test, if not completely baked, bake for another 5 mins. Baking time will vary based on the strength and design of your oven.

- Once baked, take out of the oven and let it cool.

- Cut and serve. 

 

Healthy Chana Chaat / Black Chickpea chaat

 

One of the healthiest snacks that you can treat your tastebuds to. Great for lunch or evening snack or even as a side dish. This was prepared by my daughter for all of us for evening snack.

Ingredients:

- Black chickpeas - 2 tbsp

- Green moong Dal - 2 tbsp

- Onion chopped - 2 tbsp

- Tomato - 2 tbsp

- Lemon - 1 wedge for the juice

- Salt - 1 tsp

- Pepper - 1 tsp

Method:

- Soak chickpeas and green moong dal in water overnight or at least for over 3 hours.

- Drain the water and wash the legumes.

- Mix all the ingredients. 

- Sprinkle lemon juice on top and add chilli if you like spice. 

- Serve cold.

Note:

You can also add finely chopped cucumber and coriander if you like.

Malpua

How many of you have eaten this sweet snack during your childhood? Generally made at my place during Holi or Diwali, this finds a special place in my heart always. My Nani (grandmother) introduced me to this when I was a kid. My daughter likes this too. I made this recently for her and she liked it. This snack is sweet and she has a sweet tooth. You want her to like any food, the trick is to add sugar 😜.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup all purpose flour

- 2 tablespoon khoya

- 1 teaspoon powdered green cardamom

- 2 tablespoon chopped pistachios

- saffron as required (Optional)

- 1 tablespoon semolina

- Sugar (1 tbsp)

- water as required

- 1 1/2 cup refined oil

- 10 gm readymade rabri (Optional)

- 1 1/2 cup sugar syrup (Optional)

Method:

- Take a bowl and mix together khoya, all purpose flour, sugar and sooji or semolina. 

- Next, add cardamom powder and mix well once again. Gradually add water to prepare the Malpua batter. Ensure that the mixture has a pourable consistency and is not too thick. 

- Once the batter is ready, keep it aside for few minutes. 

- Take a small bowl and soak saffron in water to make saffron water.

- Now, heat oil in a pan over a low flame. 

- When the oil is hot enough, pour a ladleful of the mixture and spread evenly. Keep the flame low and cook until the malpua is golden from both sides.

- Remove the cooked malpua and drain the excess oil. 

- Drop the malpua in sugar syrup and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. 

- Repeat the same with the remaining batter. Drain the malpuas from the syrup, garnish with pistachios, saffron water and rabri. Serve immediately.

Poha / Chirer Polao (Rice Flakes Pulao)

Poha known as Chirer Polao in West Bengal is an acquired taste. I have never liked it as a kid and same goes for my daughter.

I do like it for breakfast now. This used to find place in the breakfast table and evening snack pretty often during my childhood.  I have tried it a few times at my breakfast table but this is not a regular.

Ingredients:

- Flattened rice - 1 cup

- Water - 2 cups

- Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp

- Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

- Peanuts - 1 tbsp

- Vegetable oil - 1 tsp

- Ghee - 1 tbsp

- Salt and sugar - acc to taste

- Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

- Veggies of your choice (cut into small pieces) - 1 cup (I have used beans, carrots, potatoes)

- Ginger paste or chopped - 1 tsp

- Coriander leaves chopped- 1 tbsp

- Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

- Pomegranate - 1 tbsp

Method

- Wash flattened rice and drain all the water. Let the rice sit in a bowl for 30 mins. Start the next steps when the rice is soaked well and has puffed up.

- Heat oil in a wok.

- Add peanuts and fry till brown.

- Add mustard seeds, fennel seeds and ginger. Fry for 1 min.

- Add all the veggies and fry till they are cooked.

- Add turmeric and mix well. Once turmeric is cooked add flatenned rice / chire, salt, sugar and mix well.

- When everything is mixed, add ghee and give it another stir.

- Garnish with coriander leaves and pomegranate. Add lemon if you like, I do add it. Serve hot for breakfast or evening snack.