Category: Snack

Granola

Behold, breakfast made better! A few years back, this was my typical breakfast on all the weekdays. By then, I didn’t own an oven; you don’t need one to make this actually. I used to dry roast them every Sunday evening and store for the next 5 days. I’ll say with no qualm, this still makes my mornings healthy and totally delicious. But best of all, it’s easy to make!

I’ve made a lot of changes to this recipe over these years, the one thing that I always love is the crunchy clusters; spiced with a lavish amount of cinnamon and a handful of nuts & dried fruits. For a loose consistency, toss them every 10-15 minutes while baking. If you’re not a great fan of nuts and dried fruits, tailor it with whatever you prefer, like flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, adjust the sweetness, and the flavors are endless as long as you have the ratios same — be your own boss!

—Ingredients—

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup mixed nuts
3/4 cup mixed dried fruits
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
salt as needed

—Process—

1. Preheat the oven to 150 deg C. Line a baking tray with parchment and keep aside.
2. In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together except the dried fruits.
3. In another bowl mix all the wet ingredients and pour it on top of the dry ingredients.
4. Combine them well and spread on a baking tray. Bake until golden by tossing occasionally, approximately 35 – 40 minutes.
5. Let them cool completely, stir in the dried fruits and store in an air tight container.

If you don’t have an oven, mix all the ingredients except dried fruits and dry roast them in a low flame until golden. Let them cool and add in the dried fruits. Transfer it to an air tight container and store up to a week.

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Energy Bars

No cooking and no baking! Sunday is a day of rest isn’t it? These bars are perfect for a Sunday evening snack, pour in a handful of berries, dry fruits and nuts in a blender, give it a blend and they’re ready in no time! The best part is there is no added sugar!

Almonds, dates, walnuts and cranberries are my favorite. You can play around with your favorite dry fruits and nuts, even some poppy seeds, cocoa powder, cinnamon powder and desiccated coconut as add-ins. You know the options are plenty out there but, make sure the ratio is 1 part dates : 1 part nuts : 1 part dry fruits.

I’ve used roasted nuts, you can also use raw ones to have more of a chewy texture. These bars stay fresh in the freezer for a month. You could also shape them into balls. Refrigerate until it becomes firm, then wrap with a cling film for a longer storage.

––Ingredients––

1/3 cup roasted almonds
1/3 cup roasted cashews
1/3 cup roasted walnuts
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon poppy seeds (optional)

––Process––

1. Pulse all the ingredients together for 30 seconds. If they’re still chunky, pulse them for another 20 seconds.
2. Scrape the sides and pulse them for another minute or until they clump together.
3. Form a square with the ground mixture, about 1/2 inch thickness. Cover it with a cling film or foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Cut them into your desired shape and serve. Tastes best straight from the fridge!

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Breadsticks

A classic and crunchy breadsticks are perfect snack for a fine rainy evening.

Homemade breadsticks are always special for me, I remember my brother and I fighting to pick the longer sticks, playing sword fights, conducting symphony, lightsaber fights and pronouncing wingardium leviosa to petrificus totalus — a beautiful childhood memory…

My mom adds carom seeds to enhance the taste and the flavor, you won’t need any dip to accompany. You can also try adding cumin seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, fresh thyme and rosemary. It tastes best straight from the oven. I’m sure it will never see the next day, regardless of the quantity you make.

Finally, never try to make them perfect. The longer and wonkier they are, the better they taste!

—Ingredients—

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup warm water
2 tablespoons melted butter in room temperature
4 tablespoons olive oil or any flavorless oil of your choice
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons carom seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt

—Process—

1. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup warm water and sugar. Mix well until the sugar dissolves and add the yeast. Keep it aside and let it bloom, approximately 10-12 minutes.
2. In another bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour in the yeast and gently knead the dough.
3. Cover the dough with cling film, aluminium foil or just a plate for 30 minutes or until the dough is doubled in size.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Divide the dough into 15 equal sized balls and roll them into 1/2 – 1 cm thick sticks. If you would like the sticks to be shorter, divide them into tiny balls.
5. Place the sticks in a baking tray, brush them with oil and bake them for 15-20 minutes. Turn them around in a half way to get them evenly baked.

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Cheese Straw

Flaky, cheesy and crispy is all I can say about this snack! The lock-down had made me to cook in a full swing and it has been a while I baked. So I’m rebooting the baking saga with this simple party snack.

This savory and rich snack requires only a handful of ingredients. Loaded with ample amount of cheddar and some smoky pepper, this is definitely a sheer indulgence. The best part is I’ve used a home made puff pastry. I’ve tried a few puff pastry recipes over a couple of years and brought you the perfect and easy one. I always prefer making the puff pastry when the weather is cloudy or dry. If you’re making it on a sunny day, it’s better to work under a fan or in an air conditioned room to have the butter under control.

—Ingredients—

Puff pastry
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Cheese Straw
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2-3 tablespoons of paprika or cayenne pepper or red chilli powder
1 egg

—Process—

Puff pastry
1. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, pour in the lemon juice and cold butter cubes, tossing to coat. Add in the cold water spoon by spoon until it forms a thick dough.
3. Gather the dough and flatten it into a rectangle shaped slab. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for an hour.
4. Dust the surface with flour and roll the dough maintaining the rectangle shape. Fold in the dough in thirds, like a letter. Rotate it to 90 degrees, roll and fold again.
5. Repeat the rolling and folding for about 2 to 3 times, wrap the dough in a plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours (chilling it over night will give the best result).

Cheese Straw
1. Preheat the oven at 200 degree Celsius.
2. Thaw the puff pastry in room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Roll out the sheet until it is 1/4 inch thick.
3. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the grated cheese and 1 tablespoon pepper powder and fold it into half, like a book. Roll out the sheet until it is 1/8 inch thick.
4. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and pepper and fold it into half. Roll it again into 1/8 inch thick.
5. Cut into 1/2 inch wide strips and line them in a baking sheet with at least 1/2 inch space between each. Hold one end of the strip and twist the other in an opposite direction – this is completely optional.
6. Beat the egg and brush the twisted straws with the egg. Refrigerate it for 10-15 minutes.
7. Bake them for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown and dry to the touch. Baking time varies from oven to oven, so it’s better to eyeball periodically.
8. Transfer it to a cooling rack and let it cool for a few minutes. It is best served warm and on the same day they are made.

—Tips—

Sprinkle a tablespoon of grated cheese before they go into the oven.
You can also sprinkle your favorite herb like dried thyme or rosemary for additional flavor.

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

I’ve lined up a few cookie recipes to share with you this month and this no-bake peanut butter cookies is going to be the first one. This is a simple recipe with just 4 ingredients, and if you’re the one thinking, I’ve no time to bake cookies, then this is exclusively for you. It takes only 15 minutes on the whole. Try it and let me know your comments.

Ingredients
50 grams peanut butter
4-5 table spoons coconut flour
2 table spoons maple syrup
Dark chocolate to coat

Preparation
1. In a bowl add peanut butter, coconut flour and maple syrup together and combine well to form a dough.
2. Form balls out of the dough and press them to a cookie like shape, approximately one and half inches width. Refrigerate them to become firm.
3. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a microwave or bain-marie. By now, the cookies should be firm, dip them one by one in the melted chocolates and coat them well using two forks and refrigerate them again for a few mins.
4. Now, decorate them as you like and serve chill.

Tips
You can use any chocolate of your desire.
Coconut flour can be replaced with desiccated coconut or freshly grated coconut but, this stays only one day.
Honey is a very good replacement for maple syrup. If you find the dough so hard, add a few tea spoons of milk.

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