Hi everybody, Looking through the window truly gloomed, weather wet and the sky making you feel to tuck yourself under the duvet and do nothing.  But, Go out into the streets and the shopping complexes you will feel the festive spirit every where, makes you feel happy and doesn't depress you any more.  That is Christmas, looking around you even though I don't have Christmas I enjoy it so much.
Buying gifts, writing cards to friends is such an enjoying thing, My kids especially my second one enjoys it so much, she has bought gifts for her friends and packed with such care., I really enjoy seeing her excitement.  This post had to be up yesterday, suddenly things happened so had to post pone it for today.  Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen asked us to Bake one of the three different cakes two suggested by Suja of Kitchen Corner try it and the other one by Archana of Tangy minds.
I chose this Chocolate Brazil nut cake immediately after I got to read the doc sent by swathi, do you know why, because for one I love nuts and Brazil nuts too..., kids love chocolate.., what else can you ask for...
Long back, when I came here my Husband used to get me so many things which I wouldn't have seen tasted or seen in India.  One of them was these Brazil nuts, I did not like them at all when he bought, after few months one day when I was sitting with my friend she was having some nuts to eat and and offered me few of them I started eating one of it, and it tasted really nice, that was when I asked which nut was this and she said it was Brazil nuts, I was surprised that it tasted so nice and then my thoughts went to my H and felt sad that I had not even bothered to taste it but said I didn't like it 🙁 .
These Brazil nuts have  very buttery taste and delicious to eat, I started eating them often and one day I read that they are high in calories but cholesterol free.., any-ways I thought whatever I am eating I will eat it in limited quantities.  Sometimes you won't realize this when you like  something very much right ?.
Ok, let's get back to this recipe..,
This cake recipe was from Faye Levy , Chocolate Sensations, HP Books Inc, USA, 1986, p 22-23. for the original recipe.  as I tweaked it a bit for making it eggless.
I Changed the quantity of the flour as this basic recipe calls for 6 eggs, replacing 6 eggs is not easy, the volume of the cake and sponginess of the cake is because of the eggs, the quantity of the flour used in the recipe is just 1/4 cup with lots of butter, If I am to keep the quantity of butter I need to change the quantity of flour by increasing it to get the cake consistency. so I made some changes I increased the flour, lessened the butter because Brazil nuts have their own oil content in it.  Let me stop this here and  tell you how I made this cake....

EGGLESS CHOCOLATE - BRAZIL NUT CAKE

Do not look at my photos nor my frosting :).., still trying out sort out my photo problems..

Eggless Chocolate Brazil Nut Cake

INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE CAKE
1 & 1/2 Cup (7 oz / 198 grms ) Brazil nuts
6 oz (170 grms ) Semi Sweet Chocolate Chopped ( I used Hershey's Chocolate)
1 Cup soft Brown Sugar
1 & 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Baking soda
100 grms Butter
233 grms Apple ( peeled skin & seeds discarded)
1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp cream of Tartar

or substitute Apple sauce instead of apples and vinegar

CHOCOLATE HONEY FROSTING
1/2 cup Whipping Cream
6 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate very finely chopped
6 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp Honey
1/4 cup Brazil nuts chopped to Garnish ( I omitted)
I used few cherries for Garnishing

METHOD
Line a 9'' cake tin with parchment paper, and butter the sides and flour them and set aside until needed.
Toast Brazil Nuts in oven for 10 minutes and rub against each other to remove skin as much as possible.
Using 2 tbsp of sugar grind Brazil nuts to powder in intervals, if you continuously grind it, the oil in it makes it very greasy.
Now to this powdered nuts add All purpose flour mix them well together and with the help of a sieve,  running your hands or spoon in it get a good perfect powder and keep aside the larger nuts which doesn't go through the filter.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 / 180 degrees...
To this powder add Baking powder, Baking soda & cream of tartar and set aside.
Meanwhile peel the skin and core of 3 Apples chop them into fine pieces, grind them into a smooth batter with 1/4 cup of milk and set aside. Do not keep it for too long as it turns dark in colour.
In a double boiler melt chocolate, in a simmering bowl of hot water, to this add butter and mix well until you get a smooth consistency and to this batter, add the apple smoothie to it and cook for few minutes. ( 2 to 3 minutes) , switch off the stove, allow it to cool,  to this add apple cider vinegar.
In a large bowl take the dry Ingredients and Sugar, mix well together,  make a well add the liquid batter and fold it in until well incorporated.
Pour this batter into the prepared tin and bake until well done, a skewer inserted should come out clean
I baked this cake in Gas Mark 3 as my oven temperature becomes too hot at Gas Mark 4 so check out your oven for suitable baking temperatures. I baked my cake for 50 minutes.
REMEMBER : Check out temperature and timing to bake your cake according to your oven, as ovens vary..
Take it out of the oven on to a cooling rack after 10 minutes remove it from the tin
WL
FOR FROSTING:
In a bowl bring cream to boil, remove it from the stove and immediately add  the chocolate pieces let it melt and until smooth, to this add butter, Honey and beat it until it forms peaks.  Apply this frosting to the completely cooled down cake.
I did not garnish it with Brazil nuts but just topped it with cherries..,

You will have to wait for the tasting sensation..., I am waiting for my kids to tell me how it tasted..., tune in tomorrow check out this space for an other piece of information., I thought it tasted too much of nuts, when I pulled out a little piece from it.., will eat a bigger piece and tell you how it tasted.... ok... until then c you soon with an other recipe tomorrow...
take care....

I am sending this Kalyani's event Monthly Mingle Chocolate and fruits..

The post Eggless Chocolate - Brazil nut Cake appeared first on My Veg Fare.

EGGLESS FINGER MILLET AND OATS SQUARE TRAY BAKE





INGREDIENTS:
100 gms Finger Millet flour (Ragi)
100 gms oat flour * (see notes)
25 gms Rice flour
60 gms chopped skinned Almonds
100 gms Dates (without seeds)
1 tbsp Powdered Ginger
3/4 th Cup Dark Brown soft sugar
225 gms Banana (skinned, I used around 3 small bananas)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Oi1
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1/4 cup of Cocoa powder
2 (180 gms ) Medium Apples*(peeled and cored)
2 - 3 tbsp water
1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 and 1/4 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 cup Hot water

 


METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees/350 deg F/Gas Mark 4 for 15 minutes
First of all mix Finger Millet flour, Oat flour, Rice flour, Powdered Ginger, Baking powder, Baking Soda and salt together.
Sieve everything at least 3 to 4 times until they are well combined.
soak Dates (without seeds) in hot water, just until everything is ready (5 to 10 minutes)
Skin the Bananas and puree them.
I pureed the Dates in the same mixie.
chop the Almonds into bits
Do this in the end - Peel and Core the Apples slice them into bits add 2 to 3 tbsp of water and cook them in Micro wave for 3 to 4 minutes (or according to your MW) until it is cooked soft.
Puree the cooked Apples to this add 1 tbsp of Apple cider vinegar
Take all the wet ingredients together Pureed Bananas, pureed dates, Pureed Apples and oil.
Mix all of them well together to this add 3/4th cup sugar and combine them well with chopped Almonds
Take all the sieved dry ingredients in a large bowl and a hole in the center pour in the liquid ingredients in parts so that all of them all very well combined.
Pour this in a tray and spread them evenly and bake them in the center of the oven for 25 minutes, then check in the center if it is baked, then bake it another 5 to 10 minutes according to your oven with a slight increase in the oven temperature.
Bake it until the tester/ wooden skewer comes out clean.
Remove it from the oven on to a wire rack, leave it for 5 minutes then later on remove it from the tray and leave it on the rack directly to cool down completely
Then cut them into squares and enjoy them....

My Notes: 
I have used Oats flour, you might get oats flour but what I do is I use normal porridge oats grind it in my Indian mixie into a nice powder, I do sieve to get fine powder, I just use it as it is finely ground.
I don't use Apple sauce, you can substitute apple sauce instead of the 2 apples I have used. I always substitute this way when ever I have to use apple sauce, I make this puree at the end of my bake so that the apple does not change the colour of the end product of the bake.

For vegan version use Carob Powder

These square bakes go to

Monthly Mingle #2 ''Almond and Ginger '' of  Kalyani's

Valentine fest - ''served with love'' by Kalyani
Healthy eating event - HITS by Sangee
priya's easy n tasty recipes kid's delight
Chocolate Mela by srivalli
Vardhini's sweet luv - anything sweet
Radhika's let's cook # 12 - sweet somethings
Sumee's Bon Vivant moments
Anzz's Valentine's Day special
love lock with sweets by vidya
Pari of Foodelicious - ''Only Oats'' event  

The post Finger Millet & Oats Eggless Square Tray Bake appeared first on My Veg Fare.

BANANA OAT BARS

Hi everybody, hope you are all doing well, It's time for an SRC again :), I love this, don't you all too.., because that's what we do as Food bloggers, browsing through recipes.., and you get to browse through recipes in one particular blog for one whole month!, and then start  Book Marking recipes, then the next step is pondering what shall I execute, then get confused with which one is the best... and yet again I prefer the Healthiest one, I simply can't resist making something much healthier for my kids than for blogging purposes.  Totally mum in me wins in the end :(...., My kids don't appreciate.. this attitude.... at all..., well they have no other choice.

As you all know about The Secret Recipe Club which we bake or cook from each others blog, which we are secretly assigned to. This month I was paired with Sweet and Savoury Tooth of Heather's, was I happy - yes immensely, I loved her blog, she has beautiful recipes and absolutely delicious pick me up from the screen pictures..
As I said I have book marked a few of her recipes, which I would love to try out, she has made lots of cookies, cakes and bars.., The best thing I found was I could easily adapt them to make eggless one. I enjoyed her writing too.., Her baby and her hubby are so supportive and enjoy blogging with her. The cute post of her little girl dresses as a duck for Haloween was the best one :), and she rumbling through her sweet reminded me of my kids when they were small ( not too small as hers they were in their 5th form when I came here first 🙂 ).
Coming back to this recipe.., Like Heather, I had loads of Banana at home, I have been very busy from past two months on the home front, as always blogging is the last thing I would like to do, I am on the move, changing houses is such a scary thing.., Hopefully by mid of December I will settle myself in my new abode :), as I said earlier my bananas needed to be taken care off, I don't freeze them, Heather says she freezes them, which I didn't know, that's something I learnt, I try using them up or my H will eat them or I end up baking something, When I saw this recipe I was really interested as I always I think about my eldest daughter who doesn't like eating anything in the morning, If you ask her she says she feels sick, tired, no time, and gives me hundreds of reasons, I get so tired, irritated listening to all this..., So now and then I make these bars which she likes to munch on going to school with a glass of milk. I loved this recipe because of Bananas. I thought she would have eaten a fruit too, I know you would think silly woman 2 bananas for the entire week, well actually no as we four are gobbling those little beauties.., It's just a simple satisfaction - as goes the saying - something is better than nothing :).
Let me come back to the topic, Yes - The bars I made them Eggless and made it more healthy too.., I get carried away when I am baking don't you ?, Lots of things go in my mind first I want to make it eggless then how can I make it much more healthier so my kids benefit from my fit for baking... so here goes the recipe with my changes to it....

BANANA OAT SQUARES/BARS - HEALTHY AND EGGLESS



Recipe adapted from Sweet and Savoury Tooth 
Please do check out her blog for the original recipe and of course the photos, they look gorgeous than mine.
INGREDIENTS:
7 3/4th cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 Cup Wheat Germ
80 grams Butter
1/2 Cup Applesauce
200 gms Soft unrefined brown cane sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 (weighing 120 gms without skin) Mashed Bananas
260 gms Dry fruits (Raisins, Amonds, hazelnuts, Dates, Mango, Papaya, Walnuts, Pineapple )
1/4 cup Sweetened coconut
1/4 Cup Choco Chips

METHOD:
First of all  I chopped all the nuts and Dried Fruits I was going to use. Then mixed both oats and Wheat Germ thoroughly and kept aside.
Then turn on the oven to 350 degree F/Gas mark 3
Then peel the skin of Bananas chop them and the apple sauce blend it the mixie and to make it  into a nice smooth paste.
To this add Brown sugar and beat it well ( I just used my spatula - a hard one)

.

In a pan I had melted the Required quantity of butter to this I added my dry fruits and sauteed for a minute as the Dates I used were soft If you have dry dates you don't have to do this step, so the dates came apart and mixed well with the other dry fruits.
Then I poured this onto the the bowl, to this I added the oats mixture stir in well until everything is well incorporated.
Spread on to a Greased pan or use a butter paper for lining the pan and Bake it for almost an hour, cool it and cut it into bars.

NOTES:
I changed the original Recipe by not using an Egg and not just walnuts but I used lot of dried nuts and fruits, reduced the quantity of choco chips and my extra Ingredient was adding Wheat Germ. and added sweetened coconut, I made this in Large quantity as I have a family of five to feed :).

MY VERDICT:
Don't keep licking into the mixture now and then, try not to eat it before baking, the mixture before adding the Dried fruits reminded me of the Rasayana we make for the festival Prashadam, after licking a little promise very tiny bit I couldn't resist adding coconut then after adding the dry fruits it was heavenly.  Mmmm.., it was so gorgeous the smell of banana was superb.
So Do you think I need to tell how it turned out..., Guess what ... ?, my daughter picked up 4 pieces to take it school :), I think I have to bake them again..., this rate it will not last for a week..
The only thing I felt bad was all my baking utensils had been transfered to my other house and I was left with only my Pizza tray so I had to bake in it ending up making thin slices than a bit thick ones...
You could reduce the sugar and omit coconut for a more healthier version.
Reduce the quntity to 40 grams of butter and in place use more apple sauce instead....
You can even use Eggs, I would say you can use 2 Eggs for this recipe as the quantity is large...
Totally this is a winner of a recipe and you can make it much more healthier.., look no further if you want to eat healthy bars than shop bought ones...
Heather thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.., I enjoyed Baking it and eating it and my family too..., I am a very satisfied mom today....
Thanks Angie I love you..., for assigning me to this blog... and Amanda for this wonderful club and all the hosts who are making it a success. Looking forward to the next one..., If you like to join SRC, check out our website...

The post Banana Oat squares / Bars - Healthy and Eggless appeared first on My Veg Fare.