When I was looking for some healthy and eggless cake recipe,I saw this recipe in Anjum Anand show in BBC. But I slightly altered that recipe to my taste buds. This semolina cake is very simple to make with household ingredients, just combine all the veggies, spices, semolina and yogurt in a bowl, transfer it to a baking pan and finally bake it in an oven. Addition of yogurt makes the cake moist and tasty. On every bite, sesame seeds gives a nice crunchy taste. You can have this cake either for sunday breakfast or as evening snack with tea or coffee. This cake is super moist on inside and crusty on outside. Try this eggless no butter cake in your home. Even diabetic people can enjoy this snack cake.

    Ingredients

        1 Cup of Rava (Semolina )
        1 Cup of Thick Curd (Yogurt)
        2 Tbsp of Water
        1 Medium Size Carrot, Grated
        5 Green Beans, Finely Chopped
        3 Tbsp of Green Peas
        1 Inch of Ginger, Grated
        2 Green Chilies, Finely Chopped
        1/2 Tsp of Turmeric Powder
        1/2 Tsp of Red Chilly Powder
        1/2 Tsp of Baking Soda
        1-2 Tsp of Sesame Seeds
        1 Tsp of Mustard Seeds
        1/2 Tsp of Whole Cumin
        1 Sprig of Curry Leaves
        3 Tbsp of Oil (Vegetable or Canola Oil)
        Salt to taste
             

       Yield : 1 Loaf

    Method

• Wash and chop the beans and green chilly into fine pieces, grate the carrot and ginger. Keep this aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add semolina, carrot, beans,green peas, green chilly, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, grated ginger, water and thick curd(yogurt), mix well with a spoon. Now the batter should be thick.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degree F(180 degree C)
• Heat a pan with oil, when it is hot, add  mustard seeds and cumin, after it splutters, add curry leaves. Transfer the tempering to a batter, give a quick stir. Finally add baking soda to the batter and mix it.
• Grease the loaf pan with oil and pour the batter to the baking pan, sprinkle the sesame seeds on the top and bake it for 30-35 mins. Insert the tooth prick/skewer in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
• Remove the baking pan from the oven, let it cool down for 5 mins and then slice it and serve hot with tomato ketchup.

   Tips

• You can also make this cake in a pressure cooker by having sand at the bottom.
• You can add chopped onion to the batter, if you want.
• Here I used roasted rava (sooji/semolina) to make this cake.
• You can use any vegetables like capsicum, beetroot or cabbage.
• Always add baking soda at the end, that is before pouring the batter to the baking pan. It helps the cake to rise.
• Topping with sesame seeds gives a nice taste and also gives beauty to the cake.
• Always use fresh curd which makes the cake tasty and moist.

    Health Benefits of Semolina/ Rava

• Good source of protein and vitamin B and E
• Semolina is made from durum wheat, so it is digested slowly. This helps you feel full longer and prevents you from overeating.
• Semolina improves kidney function, thanks to its potassium content.
• Adding vegetables to savory semolina cake and make a power-packed nutrients, as well as delicious meal.

        

       Dosa is a savory crepe and it’s getting popular throughout the world because of its taste and crispy texture. This is my own recipe. After seeing some leftover bread in my pantry, I tried it by mixing some flours with bread powder and the outcome of dosa tastes really awesome. This instant uthappam does not needs any fermentation and very quick to make dish. All you need is leftover bread to make this dosa and some flours and spices. Here I have used rava, maida and rice flour which gives crispy texture to the dosa. Addition of curd not only gives a mild tangy taste but also gives softness. For topping, I added some veggies to make the dosa more colorful, tasty and healthier. Try this instant leftover bread dosa with tomato ketchup and stay healthy.

        Ingredients

          2 Whole Wheat Bread, makes 1 Cup of Bread Powder
          1/4 Cup of Rava(Semolina)
          3 Tbsp of Rice Flour
          2 Tbsp of Maida(All Purpose Flour)
          2 Tbsp of Thick Curd(Yogurt)
          1 Carrot, Grated
          2 Green Chillies, Chopped
          1 Spring Onion, Chopped
          1 Big Red Onion, Finely Chopped
          1 Tsp of Whole Cumin
          1 Tsp of Whole Black Pepper
          1 Inch Ginger, Grated
          Few Curry Leaves, Chopped
          3/4 Cup of Water
          Salt to taste

    Servings : 3 Uthappam

    Method

• Heat a pan, dry roast the rava for 2 mins, transfer it to a bowl.
• In a spice grinder/mixie, grind the bread slices to a powder. Transfer it to the same bowl to that add rice flour, maida, curd, salt, grated ginger, cumin, black pepper, curry leaves and 3/4 cup of water, mix well with a fork/spoon, you should get a dosa batter consistency.  Let the batter sit for 15 mins.
• Now heat a non stick pan / cast iron pan, grease the tawa with oil, when it is hot, pour a ladle full of batter and spread it like thick uthappam. Sprinkle some chopped onion, green chillies, chopped spring onion and grated carrot, apply oil over the edges, cover it with a lid and cook it on a medium flame. Turn dosa to other side and cook until it turns crisp.
• Serve it hot with idly podi or garlic pickle or tomato ketchup or coconut chutney.

    Tips

• You can use whole wheat bread or white bread.
• Add green chilly paste or red chilly paste instead of adding chopped green chillies.
• You can add grated beetroot, cabbage or capsicum for topping.
• Adding curd gives a nice taste to dosa
• If your uthappam sticks to the pan, try to add 2 tbsp of rice flour to the batter.
• You can also make thin crispy dosa without topping.
• Adding ghee to dosa for a great taste.
• Always mix the dosa batter, before you pour dosa batter to the pan, otherwise rava will settle at the bottom.
• Always cook dosa in a medium flame.

     
    Health Benefits of Whole Wheat

• Rich in fiber, helps in proper functioning of digestive tract and lowers the cholesterol and metabolic syndromes.
• Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Reversing the weight gain process.
• Lowers the risk of diabetes.
• Excellent laxative properties.
• It has powerful antioxidant, which is vitamin E, good for skins.

    Making bread is not only fun but also gives great satisfaction. I always prefer whole wheat bread than white bread , as whole wheat bread is rich in fiber and other healthy nutrients. I love brownberry wheat bread which they sell in nearby grocery stores. Most of the day I start my breakfast with sandwiches or toast. My favourite is almond/peanut butter-jelly sandwich. You can also see lot of sandwich recipes in my recipe index. When I was searching for whole wheat bread recipe in google, I saw lot of recipes which has all purpose flour in it in addition to whole wheat flour. At last, I got this recipe from King Arthur flour company website which uses 100% whole wheat . I tried making bread 3-4 times, and it always turns out good with this recipe and the aroma of hot bread  being baked fresh which I dearly love is enchanting . In this recipe, I added milk and oil, which makes the dough soft and smooth and the addition of honey gives a rich  taste to the bread. You can make 1 loaf of bread from this recipe.

        Ingredients

              3.5 Cups of Whole Wheat Flour
              1 and 1/4 Cups of Lukewarm Water (110 Degree F)
              2 Tbsp of Honey
              2 Tbsp of Brown Sugar
              1/4 Cup of Vegetable Oil
              2 1/2 Tsp of Instant Yeast / 1 Packet Active Dry yeast dissolved in 3 Tbsp of Lukewarm Water(105 Degree F)
              1/4 Cup of  Baker’s Special Dry Milk/ Non-Fat Dry Milk / 2% Cow’s Milk
              1 Tsp of Salt
              1 Cup of Flour for dusting
              Thermometer

   Method

• In a microwave bowl, heat 3 tbsp of water for 15 secs, test the temperature, if it’s around 105-110 degree F(if the temperature is higher than 130degree F, yeast will die), now add a pinch of sugar and active dry yeast, mix well, you can see foam at the top. It’s a sign that yeast got activated.This process is called proofing. Allowing the yeast to metabolize the sugar and propagate. Foam indicates yeast are healthy and working.
• In another bowl, boil the water in microwave for a min, temperature should be around 110 Degree F.

 
     Mixing : 
        

• Now in a wide bowl, combine all the ingredients, stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl.

     Kneading:

• Transfer the dough to the counter top, dust the surface with some flour and knead it for 10 mins, it is accomplished by folding the dough over and push down with the heel of the hand, curving your fingers over the dough, until you get soft and smooth dough. (You may also knead the flour in food processor).  

 
     Rising:

• Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover it with a towel and place the dough in a warm place for 2 hrs.
• To provide a warm place for the dough to rise, place the dough on the top rack of a cold oven.  Dough should be double in size, depending on the warmth of the kitchen.
• Ready to shape, lightly press two fingertips quickly 1/2 inch into dough and if indentation remains.

     Punch:

            Punch down the dough by pushing your fist into the center of the dough. Again, knead it for 10 mins on a lightly floured surface.

     Shaping:

• Shaping a loaf of bread starts with placing the dough on a floured surface.
• Then, roll the dough into a rectangle shape. Roll up tightly, starting with the one end. Seal with the finger tips as you roll. 
• After rolling, seal the edges by pressing down on each ends. Now place it in a greased baking pan, folded ends down and cover the pan with a towel, allow the bread to rise for another 1 to 2 hrs. 
• Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. 

  

    
    Baking

• Bake the bread for 30 -35 mins at 350 degree F.

    Test

• Test the baked bread for doneness by tapping the top crust with your finger. If there is a hollow sound, the bread is thoroughly baked. Remove the bread from pan at once; cool on a wire rack.
• If desired, rub the crust with a stick of butter, this will yield a soft, flavorful crust. Cool completely before slicing.

    Storage

• Storing the bread properly necessary to keep them fresh tasting. Wrap the bread in foil or clear plastic wrap, or place in a plastic bag. Then, store in a cool, dry place. Do not refrigerate baked breads.

     Tips

• You can also add 1/4 cup of honey instead of adding sugar.
• If you have instant yeast, add it directly to the flour. It does not need activation.
• If you use active dry yeast, you need to activate. For that, you have to dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Water temperature should be around 105 degree to 110 degree Fahrenheit. If the water is cold, yeast will not work. If the water is hot(130-140 °F), the yeast will die. So make sure to maintain the favorable temperature.
• Adding sugar,not only for flavor, but it provides food for the yeast to grow.
• Adding salt, controls the growth of the yeast and also contributes the flavor to bread.
• Kneading the dough for a longer time, is an important step in bread making.
• To avoid over browning of bread, lightly cover the bread with aluminium foil after 20 mins of baking.

    Health Benefits of Whole Wheat Bread

• Rich in fiber, helps in proper functioning of digestive tract and lowers the cholesterol and metabolic syndromes.
• Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Reversing the weight gain process.
• Lowers the risk of diabetes.
• Excellent laxative properties.
• It has powerful antioxidant, which is vitamin E, good for skins.