Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars) with jaggery

Sing pak or crushed peanut bar is my childhood favorite winter goodie that my mom prepared for us every year in winter. Mostly people either prepare this delight at home but you can easily buy it from the street side vendors or local grocery stores. Sing pak is prepared specially around the festival of Uttarayan or Makar Sankranti when Sun enters into Makar rashi (Capricorn zodiac) - moves northwards - indicating end of winter and beginning of spring season. It is also called a harvest festival and is celebrated across India. 

It is very easy and simple to prepare Sing pak (Crushed peanut bar) with just 3 ingredients - peanuts, jaggery and ghee or coconut oil. These ingredients boost immunity and help our body fight against changing season. Sing pak is protein rich and provides energy to keep up with change in the season. I have seen sometimes people add dried ginger powder or cardamom powder to it but I just love the original plain Sing pak without any add-ons. Sing pak (Crushed peanut bar) can be a healthier snacking option for kids and adults. Once you learn how to prepare the Sing pak, you can prepare the same using any type of nuts like cashews or almonds. 

What is Sing pak?

Sing pak is a winter delicacy from Gujarat, where Sing is a Gujarati word for peanuts and pak is something very close to a texture like fudge. Sing pak is completely different in texture from Sing chikki. Sing pak has texture like fudge that is hard enough to hold together peanuts and jaggery but easy to break and bite on it without much efforts. While Sing chikki has a texture like brittle or candy. 

Jaggery vs Sugar?

Sing pak can be prepared using either jaggery or sugar. However, using jaggery is not only healthier but also more nutritious and of course it tastes so much better in my opinion. Even though jaggery and sugar both have same amount of calories, jaggery is rich in iron, magnesium and potassium. To prepare Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars), you just need to learn how to obtain the correct texture for jaggery. 

Sing pak - Crushed Peanut bar

Prepare time - 10 minutes

Cook time - 5 minutes

Yields - 10 to 12 squares

Ingredients

3/4 Cup Raw Sing/Peanuts (blanched)

1/2 Cup Gol/Gur/Shaved/powdered Jaggery

2 Tbsp Ghee or Coconut oil 

Instructions

Begin with greasing a tray or a plate with high rims with some ghee. 

Now roast peanuts in a kadhai or heavy bottom pan on a medium heat. Be sure to stir peanuts frequently to evenly roast them without burning them. After 2-3 minutes, you will notice brown spots on peanuts, indicating peanuts have turned crisp and you can easily remove the skin (if using peanuts with skin). Turn off the heat and transfer the peanuts in a plate. 

Once the peanuts cool down a little, take a paper towel or cloth napkin and rub the peanuts to remove skin easily. This is just one additional step to perform if using unblanched peanuts. 

Now, add the blanched roasted peanuts in a blender and grind them in pulses. This will ensure the oil from peanuts does not separate. Transfer the crushed peanuts in a bowl. 

Next heat up the same kadhai or heavy bottom pan and add ghee. Once ghee is melted, add shaved or powdered jaggery to it. Once jaggery start melting, it will turn bubbly and mix well with ghee. Be sure to stir jaggery frequently so that it melts evenly. 

Quickly turn off the heat and add crushed peanuts to jaggery. Combine jaggery and peanuts well and transfer the mixture to greased plate. Spread and flatten the Sing pak with the help of a flat bottom bowl or spatula. Alternatively, you can place parchment or butter paper on top and spread it by rolling pin. 

Mark the lines on Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars) using knife while it is still warm. 

Allow Sing pak (Crushed peanut bars) to cool down completely before cutting into pieces. Store in airtight container and enjoy this winter goodie! 

Flourless Chocolate chip cookies

Holiday season is incomplete without some home baked delightful chocolate chip cookies. The sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies just fill up the house with the Holiday spirit. The best part of baking cookies is that you can involve kids in this activity and they will gladly do so just because its cookies. 

Since we indulge on so much of food during holidays and festive season, it is important to balance the diet with some delicious low carb and low calorie food. These chocolate chip cookies are not only flourless but also free of refined sugar. So what's inside it? The cookies are made with almond flour, bananas, maple syrup, nut butter,  cinnamon powder, chocolate chips, salt, baking powder and baking soda. The ingredients are simple and easy to find in a grocery store. These Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies are eggless, gluten free and you can easily turn them into vegan cookies by using vegan chocolate chips as all other ingredients are dairy free. 

Even though, the cookies are flourless they taste absolutely delicious. In fact, I would say these taste better than the regular cookies. They are very soft and chocolaty with all the nut butter and chocolate chips. My family enjoy these cookies so much that we just finish the entire batch of cookies in 2-3 days whenever I prepare them. 

The recipe for the Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies is actually very flexible that you can customize it and prepare your own version of cookies as long as you follow the ratio of bananas to almond flour, baking soda and baking powder. 

Important Notes

• It is ideal to use overripe bananas for this recipe but you can also use ripe bananas to prepare the cookies. Just be sure to mash the bananas properly so there are no chunks. 
• I have used store brand almond flour to prepare the cookies. You can prepare your own almond flour by grinding soaked, peeled and dried almonds. There are ton of videos available on the web to make almond flour at home. 
• For this recipe, I have used smooth almond butter. You can use any nut butter of your choice, just be sure to use smooth butter and not chunky. 
• For sweetener I have used maple syrup but honey can be used as a substitute as well. You may need to use more honey as it is little less sweeter than maple syrup. 
• Cinnamon powder is optional to use but it really helps bring out the best flavors.
• To turn this recipe vegan, just replace the chocolate chips either with the vegan chocolate chips or nuts like walnut or cashews. 
• Storage Instruction: Transfer the cookies to an airtight container using spatula. Separate them with butter/wax paper as shown in the video so they don't stick to each other. Keep the container in the refrigerator, the cookies will be good for 4-5 days. The cookies are so irresistible that they don't last longer anyways. :) 

Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Prepare time - 10 minutes

Bake time - 25 minutes

Cool time - 10 minutes

Yields - 12 Cookies

Ingredients 

2 Overripe bananas 

2 Cup Almond flour 

1 Cup Semisweet chocolate chips 

1/2 Cup Smooth almond butter

1/3 Cup + 1 Tbsp Maple syrup (adjust as desired)

1 Tsp Cinnamon powder (optional)

1/8 Tsp salt (or to taste)

1 Tsp Baking powder 

1/2 Tsp Baking soda 

           

Instructions

Start by preheating oven at 350F. In a medium mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients - almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon powder (optional) - in a bowl. 

Now in another mixing bowl, combine nut butter and maple syrup together and melt it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. 

Take a large mixing bowl, peel and mash overripe bananas. To that, first add and combine the dry ingredient mixture followed by melted nut butter mixture as shown in the video. Combine everything well. 

Now, add 3/4th cup chocolate chips to the dough and give everything a good mix. Taste the cookie dough and adjust the sweetness as necessary. Our flourless chocolate chip cookie dough is ready. 

Line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone mat. Scoop out 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of cookie dough on the baking tray. You will be able to make about 12 domes. 

Top the domes with the remaining 1/4th cup of chocolate chips. 

Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 25-27 minutes until the cookies are golden brown.

Remove them from the oven and let them cool down for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies on a cooling rack. Let the cookies cool down completely before transferring them to a container. The cookies are going to be soft and yummy. Just the way I like them :) Delicious Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookies are ready to devour. 

Happy Holidays! 

Best Homemade Muesli

Healthy and easy breakfast recipe cannot get any easier once you prepare this Muesli at home. This is by far the best and most cost effective Muesli I have had compared to any store bought brands. This recipe is gluten free, egg free, vegan and vegetarian. The best part is there is no need to add sugar to it as it contains natural sweeteners. So no matter what your diet preferences are, you can enjoy this heart healthy and nutty Muesli for breakfast on any day of the week! It will keep you full until lunch time. So no need to look for junky snacks, thereby helping you stay focused on your office and/or school work. 

I was introduced to Muesli through my Mother-in-law during one of my visits back home. I liked the flavors back then and I started looking for it after we returned. However, after looking around for a while, I realized that it is so easy to prepare Muesli at home with my preferred ingredients and without additives. 

What is Muesli?

Originated in Switzerland, Muesli is a breakfast dish that is prepared by mixing rolled oats or grains along with various nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Muesli is not the traditional chewy oatmeal nor the crunchy granola, it is actually the healthier version of both. Unlike traditional oatmeal, Muesli is loaded with nutritious nuts, seeds and dried fruits. In addition, Muesli is much more healthier than granola as it does not contain any oils or sugars that is typically used to prepare granola.

What goes in the Muesli?

You can add any assortment of nuts, seeds and dried fruits of your choice, here are some suggestions. 

Nuts - Almonds, Pistachios, Walnuts, Pecans and Cashews

Seeds - Chia seeds, Flax seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, Sesame seeds

Dried fruits - Figs, Dates, Raisins, Coconut chips, Goji berries

To make it more attractive for kids, you can also add dark or milk chocolate chunks.

Just mix and match the combinations each batch you prepare and explore your creative side! 

Serving suggestions

Muesli can be paired with your choice of dairy or plant based milk and yogurt. You can also top up the nutty Muesli with some fresh fruits, dash of ground cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger powder and finally drizzle some maple syrup or honey if you need any additional sweetener. 

Important Notes/ Tips

• I have used rolled oats for the recipe, but feel free to add any other rolled grains or corn flakes if you like to try different flavors.
• I have toasted the rolled oats and nuts in the conventional oven but you can toast it in the toaster oven or on gas stove per your preference and availability of equipment.
• I have not added any sweetener to the Muesli, however, you can add a tablespoon of maple syrup, honey or jaggery syrup at the end and mix everything well to coat evenly. If you add the sweetener than the shelf life for Muesli will reduce to a month. 

So here is the recipe for the Best Homemade Muesli that you can prepare and store until you use it up. 

Best Homemade Muesli 

Prepare time - 10 minutes

Toast time - 12 to 15 minutes

Yields - 4 Cups of Muesli

Ingredients

3 Cups Rolled Oats

1/3 Cup Silvered/chopped almonds

1/3 Cup Chopped walnuts

1/4 Cup Raisins

1/4 Cup Chopped dried figs

1/4 Cup Chia seeds

1/4 Cup pumpkin seeds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. You can skip this step if you are planning to toast the oats and nuts on the gas stove. 

In a big mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, chopped almonds, chopped walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Mix everything well with a spatula. Pour the mixture on the baking tray and spread it in a single flat layer. 

Bake the mixture in oven for 12-15 minutes while tossing it halfway through to avoid any burning of oats or nuts. When done you can smell a nice toasty aroma of oats and nuts. Let the oats mixture cool down a bit for 2 to 3 minutes and transfer it back to the mixing bowl.

Now add the chia seeds, raisins and chopped figs to the oats mixture. Combine everything well. The easy peasy and the best Homemade Muesli is ready to be stored in an airtight container. 

Begin your day with this nutritious Muesli prepared in your choice of milk or yogurt and fresh fruits!

To prepare Muesli with yogurt

In a bowl, take 1/4 Cup of Muesli and combine it with 1/3 Cup of yogurt. Mix well. Let it soak in yogurt for about 10 minutes before you consume it. The oats and the seeds need to be soaked completely to bring out the best flavor. Top it with fresh berries, some more nuts and seeds for the extra crunch and enjoy the bowl of goodness. 

To prepare Muesli with milk

In a bowl, take 1/4 Cup of Muesli and combine it with 1/2 Cup of milk. Mix well. Now, you can either soak it overnight in a jar by keeping it in the refrigerator or soak it in hot milk for at least 15-20 minutes prior to consuming it. The longer you soak the thicker the Muesli becomes. Finally, top it with freshly chopped apple and dash of cinnamon when you are ready to serve. You can also add some more nuts for the extra crunch. Enjoy the delicious warm bowl on a cool wintery morning. 

Split Green Moong Dal (Lentil) Chillas - 3 Ways

Split green moong dal (Lentil) Chilla is one of my favorite dish of all time. I have basically grown up having these protein packed chillas prepared by my mom. She prepared these Chillas in the most traditional way by grinding the dal in stone mortar and pastel, especially during the monsoon season. I have so many memories attached to this simple breakfast Chillas and also fried dal vadas (fritters) snacks! 

I have been preparing these Chillas at home for years now using mom's recipe. My toddler loves it too, especially when prepared with some delicious toppings. So, I have improvised the recipe a bit for kids by adding some tasty toppings. I have prepared these Chillas 3 ways - the basic Chilla, Tomato mozzarella Chilla and Onion Chilla - to please the taste buds of different age groups. 

These split green moong dal Chillas are not only gluten free but they are also vegan friendly. They are packed with protein, healthy carbs, fibers, Vitamin B, magnesium and many other minerals and essential amino acids that are essential for our body.

Important Notes/Tips

Be sure to soak the Split green moong dal (lentil) at least 4-6 hours and preferably overnight so that the dal (lentil) will soften up to grind into smooth batter.

I have used only 1 green chili for the recipe as I was preparing the Chillas for my toddler. But feel free to adjust the spice level per your taste.

I have prepared the batter in a food processor but you can also prepare it in a blender. You may have to blend it for a little longer to gain a smooth consistency depending on the type of blender.

To make this recipe completely vegan, just replace the dairy cheese with vegan cheese. 

Hing/asafoetida is an essential ingredient for the recipe, try not to skip it. It is easily available in any Indian grocery store or even on amazon. 

Split Green Moong Dal Chilla 

Prep time - 10 minutes

Cook time - 10 minutes

Yields - 6 to 8 Chillas

Ingredients 

1 Cup dry = 3 Cup soaked Split green moong dal/lentil (Soaked overnight or at least 6 hours) 

1 Green chili (Seeded)

1 Large piece Ginger

1/2 Tsp Hing/Asafoetida

1 Cup Cilantro (finely chopped)

1 Medium Tomato (Finely chopped)

1/2 Cup Mozzarella cheese 

1/2 Cup Red onion (Finely chopped)

Salt to taste

Water to prepare batter

Oil or Ghee to pan fry Chilla

Instructions  

Start by draining water from soaked Split green moong dal and adding it to a blender. Next add green chili, ginger, hing/asafoetida, half of the chopped cilantro and salt to moong dal. Adjust the quantity of green chilies as per your preference of spiciness. 

Now, blend everything to a smooth batter while adding water as necessary - the soaked split green moong dal already has some water content in it. So, add little water at a time. 

The batter should be thick but pouring consistency that can be spread over on a tawa/griddle. See the video for guidance. 

Now add few drops of oil and rub it over the tawa/griddle with a tissue. 

Heat up a tawa/griddle at medium high flame, it should be hot and ready to make Chillas. 

Turn heat down to medium, take ladle full of batter and pour it in the center of the tawa/griddle. Quickly spread the batter evenly in circular motion about 6 inches diameter, it should be slightly thick. See video for guidance.

From this point onwards, we can prepare the Chillas in 3 ways! 

for Basic Chillas

Drizzle some oil/ghee around the edges of Chilla, let it cook for 1-2 minutes. As the edges start leaving the sides, flip over the Chilla and cook for another minute. Fold the Chilla in half and the basic Split green moong dal (Lentil) Chillas are ready to serve.

for Tomato Mozzarella Chillas 

Sprinkle finely chopped tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and finely chopped cilantro over the Chilla. Drizzle some oil/ghee around the edges of Chilla and cover with a lid. Cook the Chilla for 2-3 minutes on medium flame until the cheese is nicely melted. We will not flip this Chilla because of the toppings in it. 

Fold the Chilla in half and delicious Tomato Mozzarella Chilla is ready to serve. 

for Onion Chillas

Sprinkle finely chopped red onions and cilantro over the Chilla. Drizzle some oil/ghee around the edges of Chilla and cover with a lid. Cook the Chilla for 1-2 minutes on medium flame. 

Fold the Chilla in half and tasty Onion Chilla is ready to serve. 

You can serve the Split green moong dal (Lentil) Chillas with green chutney or ketchup. We love these delicious protein packed Chillas for our morning breakfast or evening snack. 

Crumbled Breakfast Tofu

Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day as it gives us the energy to begin our day. So naturally the kind of breakfast we eat makes great difference for our body. 

Hence, I have tried to prepare protein rich healthy breakfast that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family - the Crumbled Breakfast Tofu. It is super easy and quick to prepare with just a few ingredients. All you need is tofu, your choice of vegetables and some basic spices. Sauté some veggies, add crumbled tofu and spices and the delicious breakfast tofu is ready to serve. You can serve this Breakfast tofu however you like it. My family enjoy eating it over some nicely toasted bread and fresh fruits or fruit juice. 

You can also prepare this simple crumbled breakfast tofu and turn it into an extravagant weekend breakfast by adding some beans, salsa and avocados to it. Serve it over a tortilla and viola you have a giant breakfast burrito ready to devour. This Tex-Mex breakfast is seriously tasty and can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or fresh juice. 

Important Tips/ Notes

Before we get started let's go over some Tofu 101  and other tips.

Silken Tofu vs Firm Tofu - There are different types of Tofu available in the store ranging from Silken Tofu to Extra Firm Tofu. For this recipe, I have used 1 block of silken tofu and 1 block of firm tofu. Silken tofu is very soft which adds creaminess to our Crumbled Breakfast Tofu. While firm tofu, as the name suggests, is firm that can be sliced or chopped according to the need of the recipe. Here I have crumbled it in my palms as we don't need it to hold any shape. Firm tofu gives the texture to this dish. Hence, I suggest to use both silken and firm tofu. However, you can still prepare this amazing breakfast if you have either one of the two types of tofu. The outcome texture will be different.

Pressing the Tofu - Usually tofu holds a lot of water/moisture that need to be drained out before cooking. I have only pressed my tofu for few minutes as we are going to cook it until water evaporates. However, you can press it overnight or for few hours if you are able to do it. The longer the pressing time, the lesser the cooking time and firmer the tofu.

Vegetables - This recipe is very flexible for the types of vegetables that you may want to add to your Crumbled Breakfast Tofu. I have only added colorful bell peppers and tomatoes for the recipe. But here are some of my favorite vegetables to add to this breakfast tofu - Spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini and squash. Feel free to add the vegetables to your liking. 

Spices - The spices used in the recipe are mostly available in pantry except black salt/ kala namak/ sanchal and nutritional yeast. You can skip black salt if you wish, however it does add some nice flavor to the dish. Nutritional yeast is another ingredient that is not commonly found in pantry. But you can easily replace it with some parmesan cheese or you can completely skip adding it. Instead you can sprinkle regular cheddar or mozzarella cheese at the end. 

Crumbled Breakfast Tofu 

Prep time - 10 minutes

Cook time - 10 minutes 

Serves 4-6 

Video recipe -

Ingredients

1 Pack Silken tofu (14 oz/ 397 gm)

1 Pk Firm/Extra firm tofu  (14 oz/ 397 gm)

1/3 Cup Colorful bell peppers chopped

1/3 Cup Cherry tomatoes halved

1 Chili finely chopped (optional)

1 Clove of garlic minced 

2 Spring onions chopped

Salt to taste

1/2 Tsp Black pepper powder

1/2 Tsp Black salt 

1/4 Tsp Turmeric powder

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast (optional)

1 Tbsp Oil

Instructions

We will begin with removing extra moisture from silken tofu and firm tofu. Open the container of silken tofu and wrap a paper towel or clean cloth around it. Turn it upside down in a plate, this will absorb the excess water out of tofu without breaking it. Also, remove firm tofu from its container and wrap a paper towel or clean cloth around it to absorb excess moisture. See video for guidance. 

After 10-15 minutes, remove the paper towel from around the silken tofu container. Roughly mash it with a fork. Do to not make a paste. After that remove the paper towel from around the firm tofu. In a plate, crumble the firm tofu in your palms. 

Next, we will heat up oil in a pan at medium flame and add minced garlic and spring onion whites. Sauté for a minute until raw smell of garlic is gone. Do not burn garlic.

Add green chili and bell peppers to the pan and sauté for another minute. 

Add mashed silken tofu and crumbled firm tofu to the pan and gently combine it with the sautéed vegetables. 

After that add salt, black pepper powder, turmeric powder, nutritional yeast and black salt to the pan and give it a good mix. 

Turn heat to low and let it simmer for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally. The excess water from tofu will evaporate slowly. You may have to simmer for longer time depending on the amount of water in tofu.

At the end, add cherry tomato halves to the pan and combine everything well before turning off the heat. Garnish with spring onion greens.

The quick and easy Crumbled Breakfast Tofu is ready to serve with your choice of bread or tortilla. This complete breakfast is healthy and a great source of fiber and protein to start your day!