CRUNCH DROPS

Do you have friends or family coming to visit? Treat them to some delicious and relatively healthy Crunch Drops  Cookies for dessert. These cookies are made with rolled oat and breakfast cereal (cornflakes). This recipe is very simple and not time consuming to whip up.

These are healthy, fiber packed, indulgent and delicious! Another tip, you must let them sit about 3 minutes in a pan after baking since they tend to break and still very soft before transferring them onto rack to cool. They are crunchy outside but chewy inside, great for morning tea or afternoon snack too.

ALMOND CHOCOLATE COOKIES

These Almond Chocolate Cookies are deliciously simple to make yet are elegant and tasty dessert.

The dough of these cookies can be prepared in advance, keep refrigerated for use the next day. Substitute your choice of nuts for the almonds if needed.

As we grow older, we tend to be more health conscious and avoid taking overly sweet desserts. This is the reason why I resort to make my own rather than buying the ready made cookies that are way too sweet.

BUBUR SUJI / SEMOLINA KHEER

One of the most popular desserts during Ramadan is this Bubur Suji that was made with semolina, milk and sugar.

It is fairly simple to make  but care should be taken once you've added the semolina to the hot milk. You need to stir constantly to avoid lumps and sticking to the bottom of the pot.

If you're not keen to use the ghee. just dry roast the semolina  until  you get nice aroma also you can bake  the almond  instead of frying.

Bubur Suji is individually served in a small bowl/cup and garnish with raisin and nuts.

It tends to thicken up  as it cools down. No worries, just add some milk or hot water to get the pouring consistency again.

Bubur Suji  can be served either hot or cold.

3 INGREDIENTS OATMEAL COOKIES

Am looking for something healthier for my breakfast/snack  and bumped into various recipes using oatmeal.   That's where this  3  Ingredients Oatmeal Cookies can be a wonderful treat not only for me but for the whole family.

This is darn easy and the last ingredient  is variable according to your preference. The suggested add in are:
raisin/dried fruit, coconut, peanut butter chips or chopped nuts.

I love my cookies to be super cute so have shaped them into 1/2 in  tiny balls but this entirely up to you.

Banana adds sufficient sweetness and moistness to this healthy cookies so we can avoid those fat and sugar from our diet.

3 INGREDIENTS OATMEAL COOKIES
Yield :    18 cookies

1 cup rolled oat
1/2 cup mashed banana (2 banana)
3-4 tablespoon chocolate  rice (sprinkles)

METHOD

1.   Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease your cookie sheet.

2.  Combine oat and mashed banana in a bowl.

3.   Add in chocolate rice (sprinkles), mix to combine.

4.   Pinch mixture into small balls, flatten slightly.

5.  Place cookies onto baking sheet.

6.  Bake until  firm  for 15 minutes.

7.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

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EGGLESS SEMOLINA CAKE

A fantastic recipe and my family favorite that you can make anytime of the year.  This Eggless Semolina Cake  is a different version of semolina cake that was low in  fat and egg free.

Eggless Semolina Cake  has  a lovely texture that is distinctly different than cakes made with flour. Although it wasn't super soft as a normal cake but it was moist due to the addition of mashed banana.  I will make this again for sure only next time and  will  double this recipe.  I hope others find it delicious too!

Had used canola oil instead of melted butter. If you're allergic to dairy products, soy milk, almond milk or rice milk is a great substitute.

CHOCOLATE SWIRL BREAD

This Chocolate Swirl Bread surprised my family and friends, it tastes so good. Don't be intimidated by the process of making the yeast bread, it's surprisingly  easy if you follow the basic steps.

If you have to choose a perfect time of the day to eat Chocolate Swirl Bread, it's probably snack time -  time when you come home from school or work and your  mom/wife   prepares  something warm and sweet to revive your fatigued  day.

For smoother spreadable filling, I strongly  suggested that you use icing sugar but this time had used castor sugar  since that was available in my pantry.  If you're pressed for time, opt for ready made chocolate spread for the filling.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

These  Peanut Butter Cookies are perfect dessert that can be prepared ahead of time and kept on hand for surprise guests.

Everyone's favorite cookies gets a double hit of peanut butter. Peanut butter is added to the dough and the balls of cookies are sprinkled with peanut before they are flattened.

Have used only 1/4 cup of brown sugar since I prefer a not so sweet cookies but add more if you want it sweeter.

You  can also omit the cherries by shaping the balls of dough then flatten them using a fork in a crisscross pattern.

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
Makes  20 cookies

1/4 cup butter/margarine
1/4-1/2 cup brown  sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup peanut roughly chopped
red  cherries for decoration

METHOD

Cream butter, peanut butter  and sugar until creamy.

Sift plain flour and baking powder together.  Preheat oven @ 160 C.

Combine dry ingredients and butter mixture.

Shape into small  ball , lightly press a few  peanuts on each cookies.  Place them on baking sheet and dot each cookies with red cherries..

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

Stand on baking sheet for 5 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

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BANANA HONEY CAKE

I've been looking at these poor bananas getting more and more ripe every day for the last week.  Obviously baking banana bread came to my mind. Hmm.. this comforting Banana Honey Cake was the answer to what to do with those  banana.

I have used melted butter but it  can be substituted with vegetable  oil for healthier option. If you're allergic to milk,  soy milk, almond milk or rice milk  can all be     easily  replaced   for dairy  in  most recipes.

Am not keen on dressing up my bakes with frosting but you can go ahead to use your favorite frosting if desired.

In case you have overly ripe banana,  peel  the skin then  wrap in plastic individually, again keep them sealed in a zip lock bag before putting them in a freezer.  If you want to use,  thaw them in your refrigerator overnight.



BANANA HONEY CAKE
Serves :  12

230 g self raising flour
30 g corn flour
1/2  cup  brown sugar
3 medium banana mashed
1/4  tsp salt
1/2 cup oil/melted butter
3/4 cup milk or non dairy milk
2 tablespoon  honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease 7 in cake pan.

Sift together self raising flour and corn flour.

Combine mashed banana, sugar, salt, oil, honey and milk.. Whisk until well combined.

Add in banana mixture to the dry ingredients, add in vanilla extract, stir until well incorporated.

Spoon mixture  into prepared pan, bake for  30-40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the pan 5 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

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KUIH BAKAR KENTANG (BAKED POTATO CAKE)

It is baking  time again in my kitchen. We had this traditional kuih called  Kuih Bakar Kentang (Baked Potato Cake)  a long time ago. This is a simple dessert using coconut milk and mashed potato.

Am using milk but it would be  much tastier if you're using coconut milk.  For smoother and well mixed batter, a blender/food processor  is highly recommended..

Normally Kuih Bakar Kentang (Baked Potato Cake)  uses egg but my version is totally egg free.  You can bake the with or without sesame seeds but  I love the contrast of color it gives.

Make sure to grease the pan generously  to avoid sticking  since there isn't any fat in the recipe. Over all, they are awesome for breakfast or tea time snack.

CARROT APPLE MUFFINS

Kick start the day with a hearty muffin and fill the kitchen with the enticing aroma of freshly baked muffins. The options are endless, use it to create your own by adding different fruits, nuts, vegetables, flavorings or various grains.

The key to making great muffin is mixing the batter just enough to combine all the wet and dry ingredients but without over mixing it.

These baked muffins are low in fat. super moist packed with fresh fruit, fiber and good for us fats. I added grated apple, mashed  banana and carrot also using coconut palm sugar but this is entirely up to you. You can use white or brown sugar, either one you  still get perfect result. For extra nutritional boost, replace half cup of the flour with whole wheat flour.

EGGLESS COFFEE BROWNIES

Another brownies for you all. I just can't get enough of them at the moment. Not only because I happen to have a pantry full of their ingredients but also they are so easy to make and taste so delicious. This Eggless Coffee Brownies certainly take the cake.

There are so many brownies recipes out there and everyone has a favorite. I'm sure you have one that suits your taste. All these brownies have enough chocolate flavor but varying the amount of chocolate, butter, sugar and flour, the texture of each brownies is quite different.

I did minor changes to regular brownies recipe by adding  strong coffee. The contrast of flavor of this Eggless Coffee Brownies is extremely good.

POTATO PANCAKE

A fried flat cake of grated potato with onion and freshly ground black pepper. Treat yourselves to a delicious and  easy breakfast that was less spiced and much reduced fat.

After peeling the potato, soak then in water to avoid discoloration. Had  used my hand grater but food processor works fine.

This is an egg free version. The most important factor for perfect Potato Pancake was controlling the heat, high heat will make them browned so quickly but the center was uncooked. Mine done using medium heat.

These were surprisingly perfect.  Potato Pancake  are best served  hot and fresh immediately after you  have fried them.

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DAIRY FREE AND EGG FREE ORANGE CAKE

When I bake a cake, I make sure to incorporate fruits into the batter, in this case I had used orange juice.  This Orange Cake is a dairy  free and egg free recipe.

It's amazing how this Dairy Free and Egg Free Orange Cake looks 'normal'. The texture is perfectly moist. There is a hint of orange that adds a mild   tanginess  to  the cake. I love how the orange juice perfectly compliments  the  flavor of cake.

The Dairy Free and Egg Free Orange Cake is  darn easy to make, you  don't need a mixer at all, simply combining the wet and dry ingredients to form into  thick but pouring  batter.

Make sure to preheat the oven prior to baking and  lightly grease  the cake pan.  Fill  only up to half  to give room for the batter to rise.

PUMPKIN GALETTE

A galette is a free  form pie, baked on cookie sheet instead of pie pan.  It is so versatile, you could actually filled with any seasonal fruit  or make it savory,  the  possibilities are endless.

Pumpkin Galette is made by rolling out pastry dough into large round. The filling is placed in the center of the pastry. The dough is pulled up around the filling and folded over to create a rustic looking tart.

My crust was hand made but it could also be made using a food processor. Another thing, if you are pressed for time, you can always buy ready made crust from your supermarket.

A really good tasting galette  -  the pastry must be light and the filling must not be too overly sweet. Try this Pumpkin Galette and you will see that sometimes simple is indeed the best.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE SLICE

Who can resist Chocolate Fudge Slice? This recipe was foolproof and pretty darn simple - just basic ingredients and egg free. It's better than any fudge I've ever tried.

I used 11 x 7 in rectangle pan, lightly buttered. The Chocolate Fudge Slice was easy to cut and remove from the pan. It's chocolatey and sweet enough to satisfy my cravings.

Meanwhile, a lot of vegetarian cookery books rely heavily  on eggs, especially for cakes, pastries and pudding. These recipes can be replaced  and the following should provide some ideas.

Eggs are used to bind a dish, when whipped, may  also incorporate air  making a cake very light. Many recipes can be adapted using one of the suggestions below.

Instead of one egg, you can use::

1 medium  mashed banana
1/4 cup apple sauce or pureed fruit  (avocado, pumpkin, squash)
1 tablespoon ground  flax seed + 3 tablespoon of warm water. Let stand 5 minute before using
1/4 cup pureed tofu

COCONUT CAKE

In the weekend, I set aside some personal time and baked this Coconut Cake. It is egg free recipe and truly fabulous. It is moist and smells so good loaded with shredded coconut.

In case  you  have self rising flour in hand, you can use it but omit the baking soda and baking powder also you can add an egg, lightly beaten  if you're not a fan of banana.

My sons took a bite and declared this Coconut Cake as  our delightful  new favorite.

There is no reason why you're not baking this cake. It is super easy, all you need was to throw the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix well then  fold  in mashed banana, milk and vanilla extract. Stir to combine and  pour into prepared pan and it is ready to be baked in a preheated  oven for 20-25 minutes.

SPICED COOKIES

For most of my friends, cookies were served  during festivals  (Eid,  Lunar New Year or Christmas) but not in my household. We are serving them regularly as our tea time treat.

I  recently bake these Spiced Cookies  and my family raved about them because they are unusual and delicious.  However this cookies is my to go. Simple, easy and loaded with warm spices.

Would  definitely prefer to bake in a smaller portion to maintain freshness but you can easily double up the quantity if needed.  I also make use of orange colored sugar  instead of white one.

To speed up the process, you can leave the butter on your counter  for few hours prior to baking or else use your microwave oven to soften it a little.

Another combination of spices could be added to the dough are nutmeg, cinnamon or mixed spices.

GLUTEN FREE BANANA BITES

                                    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is my first ever post of 2014.  Although none in my family has issue with gluten but I always love to venture into something new. This time trying out Gluten Free Banana Bites.

A gluten free diet strictly excludes gluten in all of its obvious and disguised forms. Gluten is a protein found naturally in wheat, rye, barley and spelt.

As usual I had chosen a recipe that  uses less sugar and   egg free.   If you need to clear your blackened banana, this recipe fits that purpose too. This  gluten free and wheat free bites use corn flour and white rice flour with option to use either whole milk or coconut milk.

Gluten Free Banana Bites  was wonderfully tasty with  moistness from  mashed banana  and sliced beautifully when it was completely cool.  Above all  it is really quick and no fuss to prepare.

CHOCOLATE SESAME COOKIES

Create perfect cookies to grace your holiday table with this recipe. You can experiment with fruits, nuts, seeds for unique cookies flavors.

Am sharing with you my Chocolate Sesame Cookies that use sesame seeds in the dough  also as a topping.   Sesame seeds add extra nuttiness and compliment the cookies perfectly.

You can get around 35-40 cookies if  you roll them  into  1/2 in ball.  Use vegan margarine if you prefer to make them dairy free and suitable for vegans.

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HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN CALZONE

If you ask me what would be my favorite and easy to go meal, it  always be  calzone.  For those of you unfamiliar with calzone, they  are  actually stuffed pizza.

While you can certainly make your own dough, most people I know want something a little easier. The easiest solution was to use frozen pizza dough or  refrigerated biscuit dough that comes in a tube.

Using   my best pizza dough   recipe and stuffed with chicken, bell pepper, onion, tomato and spices, these turned out soft and chewy at the same time. These freeze well  so it is a great idea to make a large batch for another night.

Although this recipe calls for chicken,  you can  stuff with a variety of fillings.  For vegetarian, you can substitute chicken with more veggies with cheese.