Yummy Lemon cookies (whole wheat)

I love citrus flavors in my cakes and cookies. I had tried lemon cookies a couple of times, but today after 3 tries, I have made this successful batch of lemon cookies. They are light and very yummy J

These are so easy to make that my 3 year old helped me bake these ones from scratch. By the way, these are eggless cookies made with homemade ghee and whole wheat flour. After reading all this, I am sure you want to try these ones immediately.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 lemon (2 tablespoons of lemon juice)

½ tsp lemon zest

¼ cup cooked oat

¼ cup homemade organic pear sauce (no sugar)

½ cup organic honey

¼ tsp cardamom powder

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons clarified butter

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ cup organic low fat (2%) milk

Take all the dry ingredients in a bowl and keep aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the clarified butter or ghee and honey together. As it turns light add the pear sauce, cooked oat , lemon juice, zest and milk. Whisk everything together and then add the dry ingredients. Mix well in to a soft dough. If batter is runny, you might want to fridge for about 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F .

Now, place the cookies with a spoon on greased cookie sheets and bake them for 15 minutes. 

Low fat, sugar free, Buckwheat and oat cookies:

Buckwheat is a whole grain and has been linked to a lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I have used it with wheat flour and oat flour while making these delicious cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

½ cup buckwheat flour

¼ cup oat flour

½ cup organic honey

¼ tsp cinnamon

1 pinch salt

2 tablespoons clarified butter

½ tsp baking soda

½ cup organic low fat (2%) milk

In a bowl whisk clarified butter and honey together. Add in the flours (buckwheat, wheat, and oat flour) and then add cinnamon powder, baking soda, salt, and milk and whisk together.

In a pre-heated oven (350 F) place the cookies with a spoon on greased cookie sheets and bake the cookies for 15 minutes.  

Healthy Dabheli on homemade wheat pav

I know I am talking about fast food/street food and yet I am trying to call it healthy. I can say that because I have made it with homemade wheat pav and used just 1 tsp of oil and NO butter nor any fried sev .

You can check out my wheat pav recipe and make them before you start with dabheli. Dabheli is pretty famous in Maharashtra and is sold on food stalls almost everywhere.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat home made pav

2 boiled potatoes

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Juice of half lemon

½ tsp sugar

2 tsp dabheli masala (I used Laxmi brand)

To garnish

Finely chopped cilantro

½ cup of pomegranate seeds

6 finely chopped black grapes

Finely chopped onions

¼ cup Grated/dessicated fresh coconut

½ cup Roasted peanuts

Red chili and garlic chutney

Tamarind and date chutney

Start with a teaspoon of oil in a pot and put the chopped onions and then add tomatoes once the onions are cooked. Add the dabheli masala, sugar, salt and lemon juice and let everything cook till onions nad tomatoes are soft. Now, peel and mash the potatoes and add in the cooked onion tomato mixture and turn off the heat. Mix everything together. Pour this in a serving bowl.

Now, the first layer is the tomato, onion and potato mixture. Start layering the serving bowl with the second layer of grated coconut. Then, the third one will be the chopped cilantro and then, pomegranate and grapes. Lastly, add the peanuts just before serving.

Now heat the pav and apply the chutneys on both sides. Add the layered filling taking it carefully making sure you get all layers in the spoon  and garnish with chopped onions. Serve hot.

Baked Kachoris

As a child, I remember eating kachoris filled with chopped onions and tamarind and mint chutney and sev as a tea time snack on weekends. I have tried the baked version of the usually fried version today. They were equally yummy and healthy too. Made with whole wheat flour, and yellow moong dal, my weekend snack can be savoured without guilt.

Ingredients:

For the outer cover:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tablespoon Ajwain seeds

Salt to taste

For the filling:

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp jeera(cumin) seeds

½ cup yellow moong dal ground coarsely

½ tsp garam masala

Salt as per taste

¼ tsp red chili powder

For the outer cover, you will mix all he ingredients together and make a stiff dough using water as needed. Keep the dough covered.

For the filling, start by grinding the moong dal in a chopper and then take a small pan and in 1 tsp oil, add the cumin seeds and wait till they splutter. Then, add the coarsely ground moong dal, fennel seeds, garam masala, salt, and red chili powder and roast it properly. Keep it aside to cool.

Now, once the filling is cool, make small balls from the dough. You should be able to make at least 12 out of the given dough. Press each dough ball with your palm and flatten it. Now fill in the moong dal filling ( about ½ spoon) in each flattened disc and roll it up again. Seal all the sides properly. After filling the mixture in all the balls, put them on a baking sheet and bake them for 10/12 minutes in a pre-heated oven (350 F).

Store them in a tight jar and later in the refrigerator to last long. While serving, add chopped onion, mint and tamarind chutney and serve.

Beet and black bean patty sandwich

Making healthy sandwiches was a challenge for me. Trying to avoid store bought patty and burger was not an option. So, what kind of patty could I make was the question? Since I had lots of fresh farmer’s market bought organic beet lying in my fridge, I decided to make some beet patty. Beets are included in my weekly vegetable list as they are high in immune-boosting vitamin C, fiber, and essential minerals like potassium.

The ingredients for this patty are very few. You will need :

1 large beet

 ½ cup of oat flour (I made mine by grinding steel cut organic oats into flour)

1 cup boiled black beans (I tend to avoid canned ones since they have a lot of preservative and sodium in it)

1 or 2 green chilis

 ½ tsp of cumin coriander powder

Salt to taste

All you do is grate the beet and boil the black beans and mash them with your hand of coarsely grind them in a chopper/blender. Add the oat flour with finely chopped chili, coriander cumin powder and salt to taste. Bind the patty well with your hand and bake them in the pre-heated oven at 400 F for about 7-8 minutes and flip them as they change color. You don't want to keep them in the oven for too long as they will be dry from inside. 

Use them in a multigrain bread sandwich with artichoke spread and veggies of your choice.