Whole-Wheat-Carrot-Cinnamon-Muffins

Whole Wheat flour-carrot-Muffin

Muffins are denser than cakes and require less fat (Oil/Butter). Carrots/Apples/Pear and other fruits make it very healthy and nutritious along with tasty. If these muffins are made brown sugar or yet better organic unrefined jaggery then it tops the list of all muffins for its nutritional, health and taste quotient. Since I am a chocolate buff thus I divided my batter to two parts (3:1) and in one part added dark chocolate and put it in the bottom and the rest 3 parts was used for pouring above the chocolate batter, I found this experiment unique and yummy. Try if you are cocolate buff like me. Else avoid the cocolate part.

Preparation Time: 20-30 min.

Baking Time: 25-30 min. maximum

Servings 4 large muffins (100gm each muffin)

Nutritional Value of Carrot muffins: (Approximate)

Calories:  1036

Total fats: 47.17 gm

Cholesterol: 478mg.

Sodium: 627mg

Potassium: 606 mg

Carbs: 151.34gm

Dietary fibers: 40.2 gm

Sugars: 71.05 gm

Proteins: 27.12gm

Vitamins A,B,C group

Minerals calcium, Iron

Divide the above data with 4 to get approx. value /muffin.

To reduce sugar amount and increase iron and fiber contents white sugar should be replaced with organic unrefined jaggery and to reduce fat butter should be replaced with Olive oil (60% of butter amount).

Ingredients Required For Making Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins:

• 100 gm. Whole Wheat Flour
• 50 gm. Salted Butter
• 50 gm. Sugar
• 100 gm. carrots
• 2 Medium size eggs (The eggs I used weighed 50 gm each)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda/Eating Soda
• 1/2Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder
• 1 egg white for glazing muffins (Whisked separately)

Directions For making Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins:

• Wash and remove the fibrous roots from carrots. Do not peel them else many nutrients will be lost.

Carrots Cleaned not Peeled

• Grate the carrot and keep aside for later use.

Cleaned and grated carrots

• Sift flour, cinnamon powder and baking soda 3-4 times to ensure even mixing of baking soda and flour also this incorporates air in flour which helps batter to rise.
• Powder the sugar by pulsing it in grinder.
• Cut the butter to small cubes and beat with sugar powder till creamy mixture is obtained. (3-4 min. with hand mixer)

Whisked Butter and sugar 

• Add egg yolks and whisk for a minute.

Butter and egg yolk beaten to creamy texture

• Whisk the egg whites till stiff peaks are obtained.

Egg white beaten to stiff peaks

• Add flour to grated carrots and then add this mixture and whisked egg whites in butter and sugar mixture.
• Mix with light hand without whisking, just swirl and mix this will give a thick uniform batter.

Thick batter for muffins

• Pour the batter in muffin cups and brush the top lightly with whisked egg white.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or till done in a preheated oven at 180^o C.
• The top will become golden and the testing skewer should come out clean when baked.
• Cool on the rake. Remove from the molds and when muffins come at room temperature wrap them individually with cling wrap. Store and enjoy with hot cup of coffee/tea/milk.

Whole Wheat flour-carrot-Muffin

Tips:

• Do not beat while mixing the ingredients in final stage as the air trapped will get released and the muffins will not rise. Use swirl and cut method.
• Under-mixing will result in non-uniform batter so mix slowly with light hands till uniform batter is obtained.
• Eggs can be beaten together with butter without separating yolk and white. This will shorten the time required.
• Carrots and flour mixture should be added together just before adding to butter egg mixture because moisture of carrot will start the reaction of soda.
• Oven should be always pre-heated for baking else slow baking will start during heating of oven causing the baked product (Muffins in this case) to get spoiled.

Suggested Variations:

• Nuts can be roasted and added to the batter this will add crunchiness to the muffins as well as nutrition.
• Replace sugar with brown sugar/ jaggery for better nutrition.
• Replace butter with Olive oil for reducing fat content and fewer calories.
• Extra 50 gm of carrots can be added to the batter in paste form to get more carrot flavor and dietary fibers.
• I prefer my cakes and muffins nude, if you want top them with whisked cream and fruits.
• As I haqve mentioned in strating that for chocolate fans like me I included chocolate by taking 1/4 part of batter and adding melted dark chocolate 50 gm. Then this part of batter was poured at the bottom and above it pure carrot batter, then baked to get yummy muffins. Try it if you are chocolate buff like me.

Milk Toast /Bread pudding

Crisp,Juicy Milk Toasts

Milk toasts are wonderful for breakfast as well as dessert. Brown bread or multi grain bread with milk and dry fruits make it a wholesome breakfast especially for children who do not want to take milk. It is also famous by the name of Shahi toast which is not fried, so is healthier than the Shahi toast which is deep fried and then soaked in flavored sugar syrup. Crisp from outside but juicy from inner core they are delightful delicacy
.

Preparation Time: 10 min.

Cooking Time: 30 min

Servings: 16 Milk Toasts

Ingredients Required for Making Milk Toasts:

• 8 slices of brown / white/ multi grain bread

• 250 ml. Milk (Full cream or Toned milk )

• 5 Tea spoon of Sugar 

Milk and Sugar for Milk Toast

• 2 Tea spoons Honey

• 1/4Tea spoon Green Cardamom Powder

• 10-15 cashew nuts

• 10-15 Almonds

• 3-4 Almonds

• 10-15 Pistachios

• 1 Teaspoon Ghee (Clarified butter) / Olive oil / Butter

Directions For Making Milk Toast:

• In a bowl take

• Milk

• Sugar

• Honey

• Cardamom powder

• Mix till sugar dissolves and a homogenous solution is formed.

• Cut the nuts and keep them aside.

• Heat a thick bottom non-stick Tawa / pan.

• Spread 1/4Tea spoon olive oil/ Butter / Ghee on the hot tawa.

Ghee spread on hot Tawa

• Place the bread pieces on the hot tawa and lower the flame.

Bread slices kept on hot Tawa with ghee and being toasted

• Let the bread pieces become light brown and crisp from one side.

Bread slices crisped on one side

• Flip and cook the other side also to crispness.

Bread sliced toasted to crispness on both sides

• Spread the milk mixture 4-5 tea spoons on one side. The slices of bread will become soggy initially during cooking. Allow them to cook on low flame till they become brown on the side touching the tawa/pan (Approximately 3-4 min). I like caramelized taste so I allow them to cook longer.

Milk being poured on the crisped toasts

Crisped Toasts soaked in milk being allowed to cook on low flame

Toasts with m,ilk cooked on one side and being cooked on the second side

• Flip the toasts carefully and spread 3-4 teaspoon milk mixture on the other side also and allow the toast to cook to brown color on the other side also.

Milk Toasts cooked on both sides and one toast caramelized

• Take out hot crisp juicy milk toasts on a plate and top them up with nuts.

Milk Toasts

• Enjoy with a hot cup of tea / coffee / milk for break fast or after meal as desert.

Tips:

• Due to sugar the toasts tend to caramelize. If you do not like the darker color then remove them before they start caramelizing. I personally like caramelized toasts.

• After spreading milk  mixture the bread slices will become soggy. Do not flip till the toasts are of brown color on the side they are touching the tawa. 

• Toasts should be cooked always on low flame.

• Do not cut the brown edges of slices before making the toasts.

• The bread slices should not be very thin else the toasts will break.

• While flipping after adding milk on one side care should be taken so that the toast do not break.

Suggested Variations:

• White sugar can be replaced with brown sugar as it is healthier and provides nutrition along with less calories.

• Jaggery can replace sugar this will add iron to your toast.

• Pinch of cinnamon powder can be taken instead of cardamom powder.

• The old bread from in the fridge can be cooked to crispness with little butter and stored. These crisp toasts can be used to make milk toasts as and when required, this saves time and old bread is used instead of discarding.

Mooli Ka parantha /मूली पराठा (Radish stuffed Pan Fried Indian Flat Bread)

Mooli Paratha

Mooli (Radish) Paratha of the dough made of flour and Grated Radish (mooli) 

Stuffed parathas are the fast food of Northern India which are not only good to taste but provide nutrition also. Thus making these Indian fast food different than the other fast foods which provide calories and fats but very less other nutrients. Vegetable or dal stuffed parathas used to be regular feature in our school lunch box because they were easy to be packed and convenient for us to roll in a napkin and eat fast so that we Have maximum time for playing during lunch break. In my house stuffed parathas are welcome be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I consider myself very lucky because in less labor I can satiate not only the hunger but also the taste buds of my family.

Preparation Time: 30 min.

Cooking Time: 45 min

Servings: 10 parathas

Ingredients Required for Making Mooli Paratha:

• 200 g. Whole wheat Flour

• 2 Large Radishes (Mooli)

Mooli (Radish)

• 2 Green Chilies

• 3-4 Sprigs of Fresh Green Coriander

• 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder (Optional)

• 1/2Teaspoon Caraway Seeds

• Salt to taste

• Water for making dough

• Olive oil / Ghee / Any cooking oil

Direction for Making Dough for Paratha:

• Take wheat flour and 1/2Teaspoon salt in a big plate or bowl.

• Add water in little portion and keep on mixing and kneading.

• Knead the dough till soft pliable dough is obtained. (Roughly 150 ml. water will be required).

• If the dough is hard add little water and knead till soft dough is obtained.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.in/2012/12/making-dough-for-roti-and-paratha-dough.html

Directions for making Mooli Filling For Mooli Paratha:

• Remove the leaves from Radishes. (Mooli)

• Wash the mooli nicely to remove all dirt attached to it.

Mooli (Radish) scraped cleaned

• Grate washed mooli.

Grated Mooli

• Wash the sprigs of fresh coriander. Drain water from it and cut finely.

• Cut green chili finely.

• Tame 500ml. water in a big pan, Add 1 tea spoon of salt in the water.

• Boil the salt and water mixture.

• When water starts boiling add grated mooli in it.

• Cook till grated mooli becomes soft to touch and changes color.(Approximately 5 min.)

• Remove the container from the gas and drain all water from boiled grated mooli.

Boiled grated Mooli

Boiled Mooli being sieved for removing water and allowed to cool

• Let the drained boiled grated mooli cool.

• Take the grated and boiled Mooli in a cloth and squeeze maximum water from boiled grated mooli.

• In a bowl take

• Boiled grated mooli from which all water has been squeezed.

• Finely cut coriander.

• Finely cut green chilies.

• Ajwain

• Red chili powder

• Red Chili powder

• Salt

• Mix nicely to make a uniform mixture.

Spices with boiled Mooli (radish)

• Filling for mooli paratha is ready.

Mooli mix for Mooli stuffed Paratha

Direction for Making Mooli Paratha:

• Heat the tawa on high flame and when hot reduce the flame.

• Divide the dough to 5 parts.

• Make round ball form one part.

Dough ball for mooli paratha

• Sprinkle dry flour on your dough ball and rolling board.

• Roll the dough ball to 3 cm. diameter round.

Dough ball flattened and mooli mix kept for filling

• Put 3-4 teaspoons of filling in the center of the rolled dough.

Mooli mix being stuffed

• Close the edges and seal nicely by pressing them together.

Rolled dough ball  dough stuffed with mooli mix and edges sealed

• Press between your palms to flatten the sealed dough roll stuffed with the mooli filling.

Mooli mix stuffed in wheat flour dough ball and flattened

• Sprinkle dry flour on the board and the filled dough cup and roll it to 4-5 cm. diameters round.

Mooli stuffed dough ball rolled for making paratha

• Sprinkle 2-3 drops of oil on the hot tawa and spread it on the tawa.

• Place the rolled filled paratha on the hot tawa and cook on low flame till golden spots start appearing on the side touching the tawa.

Mooli stuffed Parartha being pan fried

• Flip and cook the other side also till golden spot start appearing.

• Spread 1/2Teaspoon oil / ghee on the paratha and flip it.

• Press the paratha with a spatula and cook for 30 sec.

• Apply oil / ghee on the other side also.

• Flip it, press with spatula and cook for 30 sec.

Mooli stuffed Paratha cooked on both sides

• Crisp, soft yummy mooli paratha is ready.

Mooli (Radish) stuffed Paratha

• Take it out on a serving plate and serve hot paratha with curd, pickle, chutney.

 Repeat the same with rest of the dough also.

Serve the parathas with pickles/chutney/curd

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/spicy-mixed-vegetable-pickle-less-oily.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/tangy-mango-pickle-maharashra-style.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/mango-pickle-north-indian-style.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html

Tips:

• Squeeze maximum water from boiled mooli.

• Add salt just before you want to make paratha. If you will add salt beforehand then the filling will become watery and difficult to fill and roll the paratha.

• Dough should never be hard else during rolling the filled dough ball the edges will crack and filling will come out.

• Cook the paratha on low or medium flame if cooked on high flame then it will become dark brown color or get burnt from outside and remain uncooked from inside.

Suggested Variations:

• 1 Tea spoon caraway seeds (ajwain) can be added to the flour before making the dough.

• Grated mooli can be added to dough along with the spices and the flour kneaded to dough.

• Once all juices of grated radish are soaked by flour while making the dough then add water in small portions to make soft pliable dough.

Dough with mooli

Dough with mooli mix rolled for making Mooli Paratha

• The dough can be divided to the required number and each part made to ball,rolled to a round of 10-15 cm and cooked on tawa to make a paratha.

Mooli Paratha being made from dough of flour and mooli

Mooli (Radish) Paratha of the dough made of flour and Grated Radish (mooli) 

• To make Mooli Paratha like this is easier and faster.

• Instead of whole wheat flour, 1:1:2 mixture if refined flour, suji / besan, wheat flour or mixed grain flour can be taken.