Hachapuri(Cheese bread) with Olives Green Mung Stew

Hachapuri
The Georgian cheese bread Khachapuri\Hachapuri adapted from Nigella's Feast was by far the cheesiest bread I ever baked.I usually don't cook with cheese that is not low in fat.Thankfully in this recipe all the 3 cheeses used are available in low fat\fat-free ,which is appropriate for those concerned about the high fat\high cholesterol in the Cheese.If you love cheese but are worried about its high cholesterol use low fat\fat free cheese which have relatively lower cholesterol,and Organic is even better.
The hachapuri is like the stuffed cheese pizza,only that we don't use yeast but baking soda instead.My hacahpuri seemed to have puffed more that expected,you could slightly reduced the quantity of baking soda if liked.This bread is great for dunking in a hearty stew and can easily feed 4 starving souls.
Ingredients
For Dough
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup fat free Yogurt
1 Organic egg,reserve half for the filling.
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
For filling
3/4 cup fat free ricotta cheese
3/4 cup reduced fat feta cheese,crumbled
1/2 cup partly skimmed mozzarella,grated

Method
Combine the flours ,salt and soda in a bowl.In another bowl,whisk the egg,reserve half of it for mixing in to the cheese filling and with the egg for the dough, mix in the yogurt and butter,using a fork break the butter in to the mixture.Now add this mixture in to flour and make a dough and lightly knead until smooth.Cover and let rest for about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425F.
To prepare the filling ,crumble together ricotta and feta and grate in the mozzarella.Add the reserved egg and beat the cheese mixture together.
Sprinkle some all purpose flour on the work surface.Divide the dough in to 2 equal portions.Roll one portion in to a circle about 4 inches,spread the cheese filling and leave the small border around the edges.Fold in the edges to seal the outside of the bread.Sprinkle some flour and lightly press and place the dough on the greased baking sheet.Repeat the same with the other half of the dough.

Bake the bread for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.Slice in to wedges while still hot and serve warm with soups or stews or curries.

Any leftovers can be stored for 2-3 days in a refrigerator,reheated before use.
This cheese bread is my entry for BBD-Cheese Bread,hosted by High on Hog

Olives Garlic Green Mung Stew
Bharti's quick fix Tomato and Garlic Mung Soup was the hearty accompaniment with this lofty cheese bread.I added Olives for more flavor and made it in a thicker stew's consistency.

Ingredients
1 cup Green Whole Mung Lentils
1/2 cup green and black olives,pitted and sliced.
3-4 cloves medium garlic cloves,crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
3/4 teaspoon chilly powder
3/4 teaspoon ground spices(like cardamoms,cloves ,cumin and cinnamon)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds(Zeera)
1 cup tomato sauce(I used pasta sauce for more flavor)
2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoon chopped herbs,I used Cilantro
Salt as per taste

Method
Wash and Soak the lentils for 15-20 minutes.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker(PC) or skillet with lid,add the cumin seeds,after few seconds add the chopped garlic .Don't let the garlic burn,after about a minute ,add the tomato sauce and spices.Drain all the water from the lentils and add to the mixture along with the sliced olives,add 2 cups of water and season with salt.Cover and cook until lentils are tender 12-15 minutes on medium high heat in a PC and 40-50 minutes in a skillet.Uncover and stir and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until gravy thickens,garnish with chopped herbs and serve hot with bread\roti\parathas.

Archives : January 2009

January 29Daring Bakers Challenge :Strawberry Tuiles Hearts with Strawberry Cream Cheese

January 28Sweet Potatoes Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

January 26Sweet Potatoes Blueberry Pancakes,a probe in to another Super Food

January 22Chickpeas Corn Vada - to fry or bake? Olive oil to the rescue

January 19Vegan Banana Walnut Quick Bread

January 16Stuffed Tomatoes - Juicy Red!

January 14Crunchy Oats Dates Bars and Oat's Beauty Secret

January 12Hot Chocolate Vs Hot Cocoa

January 9Lavash and Baba Ganoush :Another Healthy Chip-n-Dip

January 7Curried Black Lentil Soup(Kaali Mash Ki Dal)

January 5Whole Wheat Ginger Spice Cookies

January 4Vegetable Stuffed Mushrooms

Daring Bakers Challenge January- Tuiles Hearts with Strawberry Cream Cheese

After a very Challenging French Yule Log,this month's Crisp french cookies called Tuiles sounded like a snap to make.Not so soon daring baker, the quick molding as soon as baked was the tricky part for me ,without the tuile mold.As feared, tuiles didn't seem malleable enough to shape,I did manage to roll a few.The heart shape tuiles were simple enough without any molding required. Topped\stuffed with fresh whipped low fat strawberry cream cheese ,the tuiles made a fine dessert.

This month's challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They chose Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Rou
Following is a recipe taken from a book called “The Chocolate Book”, written by female Dutch Master chef Angélique Schmeinck.

(For shaping I made the circle and heart stencils using a card board,I topped the circular shaped tuiles with some chopped pistachios)

Recipe:
Yields: 20 small Heart\Circles.
Preparation time batter 10 minutes, waiting time 30 minutes, baking time: 5-10 minutes per batch

65 grams / ¼ cup / 2.3 ounces softened butter (not melted but soft)
60 grams / ½ cup / 2.1 ounces sifted confectioner’s sugar
2 large Organic egg whites (slightly whisked with a fork)
65 grams / 1/2 cup / 2.3 ounces sifted all purpose flour
1 table spoon cocoa powder/or food coloring of choice
Butter/spray to grease baking sheet

Oven: 180C / 350F

Using a hand whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (low speed) and cream butter, sugar and vanilla to a paste. Keep stirring while you gradually add the egg whites. Continue to add the flour in small batches and stir to achieve a homogeneous and smooth batter/paste. Be careful to not overmix.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up. (This batter will keep in the fridge for up to a week, take it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it).

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with either butter/spray and chill in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. This will help spread the batter more easily if using a stencil/cardboard template such as the butterfly\Heart\Circle. Press the stencil on the bakingsheet and use an off sided spatula to spread batter. Leave some room in between your shapes. Mix a small part of the batter with the cocoa and a few drops of warm water until evenly colored. Use this colored batter in a paper piping bag and proceed to pipe decorations on the wings and body of the butterfly.

Bake in a preheated oven (180C/350F) for about 5-10 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Immediately release from bakingsheet and proceed to shape/bend the cookies in the desired shape. These cookies have to be shaped when still warm, you might want to bake a small amount at a time or maybe put them in the oven to warm them up again. (Haven’t tried that). Or: place a bakingsheet toward the front of the warm oven, leaving the door half open. The warmth will keep the cookies malleable.

If you don’t want to do stencil shapes, you might want to transfer the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe the desired shapes and bake. Shape immediately after baking using for instance a rolling pin, a broom handle, cups, cones….




Thank you Karen and Zorra for the simple sweet challenge.Check out almost a thousand other creative Tuiles.

Sweet Potatoes Peanut Butter Cup cakes with Peanut butter Cream cheese frosting.

With the goodness of both sweet potatoes and peanut butter combined,these are not your average cupcakes.Though I could eat the super healthy
warm roasted sweet potatoes as it is ,using them in a cupcake makes its incredibly moist delightful treat.Peanut butter adds the extra nutrition.And also one can go generous with the frosting,cause the creamy Mono saturated Peanut butter is healthy replacement for the Saturated fat butter.For more on nutrition of sweet potatoes see my previous post here and Peanuts to fight diabetes here.

Ingredients
2 cups sweet potatoes,mashed or pureed(about 1 medium size sweet potato),See how to cook sweet potatoes?
2 heaping tablespoon Peanut Butter,chunky or creamy,see how to make home made peanut butter?.
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder(aluminum free)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large Organic Eggs(or replace with Ener-G egg replacer powder or 1/2 cup flax seed meal)
1 cup reduced fat Organic milk or Soy milk.
1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil or Vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dry fruits like cherries,cranberries,raisins or blueberries
1/2 cup brown sugar or 1/4 cup of natural sweeteners like Honey,maple syrup or Agave nectar

For frosting
1/4 cup Low fat cream cheese
2 tablespoon Pure Honey or Maple syrup or Date Syrup
2 tablespoon of Peanut butter,creamy
Some roasted pistachios for garnish.

Makes about 10-12 cup cakes.

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Line the muffin tray baking cups.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.In another bowl whisk eggs,mix in sugar and oil,add the sweet potatoes and peanut butter ,combine. .Now combine this wet mixture slowly in the dry mixture until completely incorporated.
Fill the baking cups 3/4 th full and bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Cool completely.

Prepare the frosting by whipping the frosting ingredients until smooth and spreadable.Slather over the cooled cupcakes using a spatula ,sprinkle with finely chopped pistachios.

These peanut rich Cupcakes along with the other peanut rich recipes Mirchi Ka salan,Nutty Chutney and Peanut bites are my entry for Let Go Nuts : Peanuts event,hosted by Aquadaze of Served With Love.
Mildly sweet and simple enough to bake for beginners,I'm also sending these to One page cookbooks ,Simple dessert event,hosted by Varsha of Will-o-wisp.And to Vandana's Baking for beginners.


Peanut rich recipes Posted:

Sweet Potatoes Blueberry pancakes,a probe into another Super food.

Don't assume this crooked vegetable is just another ordinary cousin of potato family and its sweetness is no good for diabetic diet.Quite the contrary the anti-oxidant rich sweet potatoes have been listed as one of the top healthy foods. A deeper study in to its nutrients reveals that unlike potatoes,these sweeter potatoes have low glycemic index ,release glucose slowly into the bloodstream helping avoid sudden rise in blood sugar levels ,which is important in managing diabetes.
Not just for diabetics,sweet potatoes should also become a more frequent part of our regular diet to prevent against cancers and heart disease.Also the good source of dietary fiber will help you stay regular and will keep you fuller longer.And for those of you on diet resolutions,the sweet potatoes with complex carbohydrates are a wise choice for the carb intake.
For someone like me who spends hours gazing at the computer ,its gotta be the richness in Vitamin A(beta-carotene) that made me fall for it.Vitamin A is essential for overall eye health,sweet potatoes even beat carrots in its concentration of vitamins.
I'm working on preparing a set of recipes with this wonder vegetable.Sweet potato pancakes is easy and delicious to begin with.Using baked and mashed sweet potatoes these pancakes were snap to prepare,topped with tart blueberries these were instant hit for breakfast.

How to cook the Sweet potatoes?

The roasting\baking method seemed effortless,line your baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier clean up.
To Bake
Preheat oven to 375F.Lay on a baking sheet and bake for about 40-50 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes.To check if done,use a fork and if it feels soft all the way to the center,then its time to get them out.cool for few minutes,peel and mash.
To boil
Depending on the size boil for about 30-35 minutes.
To Microwave
Wrap the sweet potato in a good quality plastic wrap,set the microwave on Bake potato setting,about 5-6 minutes for 1 medium sweet potato.

Recipe

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup Whole wheat flour
1 cup Reduced fat milk
1 cup sweet potatoes ,mashed
3/4 cup Blueberries,fresh or frozen
1 large Organic egg(or 1 1/2 teaspoon of egg replacer powder)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon of baking powder(optional,I didn't add in mine)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Makes about 15 pancakes.
Method

Baked or boil sweet potatoes just like above.Peel,mash or process in a blender until pureed.Let cool completely before making the pancake batter.
sift together the flour, baking powder,baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.In another bowl,whisk egg along with milk and pureed potatoes . Mix both wet and dry mixtures.
Heat non stick pan on medium flame. Grease it lightly with oil . Pour one ladle of batter and ,I you like the pancakes thinner like me,spread a little by lifting and slightly tilting your pan around. drop about 4-6 blueberries around the pancake,drizzle about a teaspoon of oil all over and wait for a minute before flipping and let it cook for another minute.Repeat the same for the rest of the batter.


Serve warm with drizzle of Honey ,Date Syrup or Maple Syrup.


Sweet potato blueberry pancakes are my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging started by Kalyn,now managed by Haalo of Cooking (Almost) Everything At Least Once and hosted this week by Marija of Palachinka

Chickpeas Corn Vada .Discover the liquid gold,Olive oil

Lets enlighten ourselves with a short lesson in the healthy fat we have been blessed with.

The Fat Choices
What kind of cooking oil do you commonly use? Lemme guess if you are from the Mediterranean or Middle east, most probably you'd be using the healthiest oil of all, the one and only ,the Olive oil.As for the majority of others, the vegetable oils like peanut or sunflower or corn or canola ,occasionally coconut or sesame or soy bean or Palm oil are known as the only good cooking oil or rather easily available and affordable.In my quest for the best kind of cooking oil in terms of health benefits and flavor ,the Olive oil emerges as the ultimate winner.

The Divine oil
The Olive oil has been around for thousands of years.Olive oil was sacred to Prophets Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad(peace be upon them).Its sacredness and good health benefits is mentioned several times in the Holy books.

Get the facts

A look at the nutrition facts of olive oil verses the common cooking oil,its clear what separates the Olive oil from the rest is the high content Mono saturated and Poly saturated fats,an absolute essential for heart and skin health,reducing risk of cancers ,controlling inflammatory conditions like arthritis and asthma .Other good sources of these good fats are rapeseed oil , hazelnuts and almonds.

How did I discover the liquid gold?
Born and brought in a place where Olive oil was a luxury ,used only for massaging or beautifying ,a far cry from regular cooking oil,I was blissfully naive about the wonder oil . The timely move to US and my son's diagnosis with asthma and the hunt for nature's best foods finally lead me to the marvel. And thankfully for those us living in US, even though pricier than vegetable oil ,the Olive oil is available in abundance.

Which Kind Of Olive oil to chose?
Olive oil is sold in different varieties,Extra Virgin,Virgin or light, depending how is processed.The best kind is the extra virgin olive oil aka EVOO,which is processed without any chemicals and also in higher in Vitamin E(the anti-oxidant vitamin).And beware of the cheaper brands,they could be adulterated with vegetable oil.

Make the Change
Do not alienate this nature's best food if its readily available in your stores.For starters ,who are used to cooking with mildly flavored oils,mix it with your usual vegetable oil and slowly make the transition for insuring your family's good health,more importantly for those with(or under the risk) heart disease or common inflammatory conditions like arthritis,diabetes,cancer,allergies,asthma to name a few.I personally buy both vegetable and olive oil ,use half and half in most of the recipes except for deep frying.

How much is sufficient?
If its super healthy,doesn't imply one can drink it cup-a-day to get the extra benefits.Nope even olive oil in excess in not good,consumption of about 2 tablespoon of extra virgin oil a day is sufficient for adults.

Cooking with Olive oil.
Olive oil has lower smoking point and also loses its nutrients when heated to high temperature.Hence its ideal in salads,stir fries and shallow frying.

Olive oil,the Skin nourisher
The ancient oil with richness of vitamin E is not uncommon in beauty products.
A head to toe body massage with olive oil before bath is best way to pamper your skin and hair, linked with reducing hair loss and wrinkles.

Also read this interesting post about how olives are harvested,in the own words of the Mediterranean blogger(Organically Cooked) living in the Olive haven,Crete(Greece),which happens to be the world's largest exporter of Extra Virgin Olive oil.

Recipe Chickpeas Corn Vada
OK,I'm starving ! lets get to the spicy snack of the day with wholesome chickpeas and corn.

Ingredients
1 cup corn kernels,fresh or frozen,if using frozen ,thaw
and squeeze out excess water.
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas,drain all water
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh ginger,grated
2 tablespoon coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chick pea flour(besan)
3 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive oil,little more if shallow frying

Method
Process the corn in a food processor or blender until coarsely chopped.Now add in rest of the ingredient except oil and flour and process some more until ingredients are well combined. Transfer to a mixing bowl and mix in the chick pea flour.
To Bake
Preheat Oven to 350F.
Line the baking sheet with an aluminum foil,drizzle 2 tablespoon of oil all over.The mixture is going to be sticky to work with,so lightly grease your hands with oil and take spoonful of the mixture and gently press on your palm to form a patty.Lay them in the lined baking sheet,placing them in rows about an inch apart.Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown,for a crisp topping,now turn the oven mode to broil and let cook for another minute or two for crispier vadas.
To Shallow fry
Heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in large non stick pan on medium heat.Shape the patties just like above and gently lay in the heated oil,let cook for 4-5 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 3-4 minutes until golden brown .Fry in 2-3 batches.Serve warm with your favorite beverage.

Also check out Anudivya's HealthyBaked Masala vadai ,she uses the uncooked Channa dal(Split bengal gram/lentil) instead of cooked chickpeas and corn, I'll try those crispy fritters for next time I'm in mood to bake my vadai.

The Chickpea corn vadas are in for the JFI :Chickpeas and FIC: Yellow. events.


The refreshing Lemonade award
Lovely bloggers Navita,Arundati,Varsha,Ann and Hema have presented me the Refreshing Lemonade award.Thanks dearies,I'm delighted:)

I pass this to all the zesty food bloggers who take time to visit my blog and leave the nice comments ,please accept this token of appreciation,you really refresh my day with your presence:)

Vegan Banana Walnut Quick bread

With flax meal as the replacement for eggs and the sweetness and moist texture from the ripe bananas,the Banana Walnut quick bread tops my list of Hearty banana-licious recipes.The riper the bananas the more rich its in potassium ,make sure you use nicely or overly ripen bananas.
Bananas are regular in our house,me and Mr.Health Nut usually have it for breakfast.But unfortunately just as much I can enjoy bananas my son Nabeel cannot because of his asthma.Bananas are listed among food to avoid for asthmatics because it can produce excess mucus.I especially avoid these for him during peak asthma seasons of Spring and autumn.Rest of the season he does eat them occasionally,baking them in breads or muffins instead of eating whole is less likely to cause as much mucus.

Recipe
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of whole Wheat flour
1/2 cup flax seed meal(replacement for 2 eggs)
3/4 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 ripe bananas,mashed
1/2 cup dried fruits like cherries,cranberries,raisins or apricots
1/4 cup Pure Maple syrup or date syrup or agave nectar[1/2 a cup of brown or white sugar]
3/4 cup soy milk or fruit juice
1/4 cup of vegetable oil or Olive oil

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with butter; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl sift the flours and mix in the flax seed meal along with the other ingredients until well combined.
Bake in the middle rack of the oven until the crush is lightly brown about 40-45 minutes.
Cool about 30 minutes;loosen the sides using a table knife,flip the pan on to the cutting board. Slice and serve with fresh slices of banana. Store in an airtight container in fridge for a week.

The Vegan Banana Walnut Quick bread is my entry for the Food In Colors :Yellow ,a vibrant food event, hosted by Sunshinemom.And also Sindura's Bread Mania and Baking for Beginners

Beauty tip
Another good use of ripe bananas is the soothing banana mask.Mix 1/4 of ripe mashed banana with a teaspoon of honey ,slather all over face and also keep a slice each over the eyes(helps in lightening dark circles under eyes) and lay back , relax for 10 minutes before rinsing clean.