TOP 10 FAVORITE POST OF 2012

                                                       

Thanks to all our followers, readers and commentators for making 2012 such a great year at TREAT & TRICK. In the same year 3 of my post,  Apple Crostata,  Braided Apple Bread   and  Fruit and Nut Bread. have been voted  Food Buzz Top 9  followed by  Food Buzz Daily  Top 9  for Oatmeal Sesame Cookies . On top of that many of  my  post were featured on various blogs.

Thanks again to all of you that have made this blog what it is today. I could not have achieved all this without your support and encouragement. I learn as much from you as you do from me. My goal is not only to provide you with the healthiest and easiest cooking recipes but to get you to think more broadly about food. In my point of view, any food don't have to be fancy to be popular, in fact the simplest made it into the favorites.

                                                       
1.   EGGLESS MARBLE BANANA CAKE

2.  HEALTHY BREAKFAST BARS

3.  5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE CAKE

4.  EGG FREE BANANA CAKE

5.  SPIRAL APPLE BREAD

6.  LOW FAT BANANA CAKE, EGGLESS

7.  EGGLESS APPLE CAKE

8. SEMOLINA COOKIES / BISKUT SUJI

9. DAISY COOKIES / BISKUT DAHLIA

10. BANANA CHIP COOKIES

Well that's it. I'm looking forward to an exciting post filled with tasty and healthy ideas. Happy New Year everyone!




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EGGLESS ORANGE BANANA CAKE

I love  to add fruits or fruit juice to my cakes and bakes.  This  Eggless Orange Banana Cake  has a lovely flavor. It was so easy to whip up.

Made with freshly squeezed orange juice and  used  two medium size banana as an egg  substitution.

Sometimes all you want is a simple cake. Feel free to decorate it as your wish but I like it plain with a cup of tea. You can also sprinkle  icing sugar on top.

ROLLED OAT SLICE

This healthy slice is such a hit in my household that I end up making it often.  Made with a minimum amount of fat and  low in sugar, this is definitely a healthier choice for breakfast or after school snack.

Obviously, they're so versatile, change up the raisin, use other dried fruit instead or add seeds of your choice also  use coconut oil  instead of melted butter. If don't drink regular milk, there are a lot of non dairy alternatives to choose from. You can buy milk made from  almond, rice or soy.

Full of natural goodness of oat without no artificial color or flavor and they are super easy to prepare.

BUTTERHORN ROLLS

This is not an ordinary throw together and bake recipe but the outcome is so much better than any regular yeast rolls. It requires some rolling,  shaping and brushing with butter before  allowing  it to  rise for an hour and half.

Though many are intimidated by making yeast dough, you will find this one soft and so easy to handle. I enjoy the work of kneading my dough by hand but  a  bread machine or  stand mixer will work just fine.

Buttery and delicious, these are perfect for upcoming holidays and special occasions.

As you can see from the photo, they are a bit smaller but you will get enough to feed a small family.

BUTTERHORN ROLLS
Yield   :  16 rolls

2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon instant yeast
3/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Extra butter for brushing

METHOD

Place flour and yeast in a mixing bowl.

Combine water, milk, sugar and salt in a separate bowl, stir well.

Now add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients, forms into soft dough using a mixer or by hand.

Transfer dough onto floured surface and knead by hand until smooth for 10 minutes.

Place dough onto greased bowl and covered bowl, let rise until double for 1.5 hours.

Punch dough down. Divide into 2 equal portions.  Roll out each portion 10 in circle. Brush with butter,  cut into 8 triangles. Roll up dough starting from the wide end.

Repeat rolling and cutting for the balance of the dough. Place dough  point side down onto baking sheet spacing evenly.

Cover rolls with clean kitchen towel, let sit for 45 minutes. Towards the end of rising time, preheat oven @ 180 C.

Bake rolls until golden for 15 minutes. Transfer onto rack to cool.

Linking to  Yeastspotting-12-14-12



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CHANA/GARBANZO PULAO

Once in a while, I love to cook up a one pot meal that  does not need any elaborate side dishes yet was filling.

This Chana/Garbanzo Pulao is one of my favorite rice using garbanzo beans.  I had used  dried chickpeas  but if you are pressed for time just pick a can of garbanzo beans from your supermarket shelf.

Adding those spices make this dish  extra delicious with exotic flavor. Although one can find the recipe under the same name over the net but it varies from one household with another, so choose one that suits your palate.

EGGLESS POTATO CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

It's my routine to serve my family an easy snack or dessert that doesn't take up much time to make and importantly low in fat and healthy.

I came up with these moist  easy brownies using mashed potato.  I had my son samples the brownies before I told him the magical ingredient. He had no clue!

It was really good and a great alternative to the traditional brownies!  If you're craving for chocolaty dessert, you should try this...

EGGLESS POTATO CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
Yield     :     16 servings

3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup mashed potato
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoon oil/melted butter
1/4 cup semi sweet choc chip
silvered almonds for topping (optional)

METHOD

Preheat oven @ 180 C and grease 8 in square pan ( I used round pan).

In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil,  milk, mashed potato and  vanilla.

Sift together  flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa  and salt into a mixing bowl.

Add sugar mixture to the dry ingredient, stir until well incorporated.

Mix  in chocolate chip, spread into a greased pan. Sprinkle top with silvered almonds if desired.

Bake @ 350 F for 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, transfer onto rack to cool.

Slice to serve. Enjoy!

GREEN GRAM/CHERUPAYAR CURRY

When fresh peas are not available or when you want to try a nutritious legume, green gram (mung bean) is the perfect choice. They are available any time of the year.

Not only these are an excellent source of cholesterol lowering fiber, protein and important minerals, they can be served as dessert, pancake, porridge or beverage.

This Green Gram/Cherupayar  Curry  is prepared using dried whole green gram, soaked in water for 2-6 hours before boiling them until soft. The longer you soaked, the shorter time is needed to cook them.

This spicy curry goes well with  puttu, dosa, rice or roti.

CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE COOKIES

I had these chocolate rice (sprinkles) and they have been sitting in the cabinet waiting to be used.  The perfect use for them was  included these in baking.  So these cookies were created and they  looked like such an interesting variation of them.

As usual, I had used only a quarter cup of sugar but this is entirely up to you,  add more if you want them sweeter.

These  cookies are chewy, just the way I like them, sweet but not overly so and have the slight hint of chocolate  from the sprinkles. They never last long around our house!

LACHA PARATHA

A layered flat bread made with wheat flour. Made as per normal paratha dough, this bread requires an additional step to obtain its layering effect.

After it has been rolled out flat and thin, a small amount of oil to be applied on the surface before pleating it as you did for a fan.

This is my first attempt making them, its seems so easy and it involves a right technique and practice to get it right.

This recipe was great, my family enjoyed it very much, this will be a regular menu in our home!

BRAIDED TUNA BREAD

I bake yeast bread quite often because my family loves them.    My boy specially requested this Braided Tuna Bread for his breakfast.

It is a great bread to bring to potlucks or family gatherings.  Filled with tuna, you can also choose other stuffing of your choice.

If you have a bread machine, the process is even easier because the machine kneads the bread for you. But if don't have a BM, no worries! Good old fashioned kneading with your hand is perfect (it's a good workout).

Using a sweet dough,  this Braided Tuna Bread turned out soft and  buttery, however frozen bread dough may also be conveniently substituted by time pressed readers.

OATMEAL SESAME COOKIES & DAILY BUZZ MOMS TOP 9

I have combined 2 of my favorite ingredients to come up with this wholesome, chewy cookies to serve at snack time or even quick breakfast.

This Oatmeal Sesame Cookies recipe is deliciously  made with rolled oat and sesame seeds, as a result it's a great source of fiber. A real treat in my books.

Would recommend doubling the recipe if  you are taking them to a party since you only get around 20 cookies  using the recipe below.

BINGKA LABU/ BAKED PUMPKIN CAKE GF

Bingka Labu (Baked Pumpkin Cake GF)  is a traditional recipe, often served during breakfast or as a tea time snack.  Normally made with wheat flour and coconut milk either steamed or baked without any leaving agents.

Here is my first attempt using gluten free flour ( rice flour and cornflour) and much lower sugar but you can also  use wheat flour.  After all, it doesn't effect the taste of this bite size kuih.

When preparing the pumpkin puree, don't discard the seeds, toast them in a microwave or oven and use it as a topping..

My family thought it was delicious and I'm so pleased with the result of my experiment.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE BITES

For wheat free and gluten free lovers, these  Gluten Free Chocolate Bites are for you. I love to experiment with gluten flour although none in my family was diagnosed with celiac disease.

Made with  3 types of  flour, one can't really tell the difference, it tasted almost the same but  the texture was not as smooth compared with one using wheat flour. You can also use store bought  gluten free flour or mix your own  that works best for your needs.

Easily turned  them  into bars by using 8 x 8 in pan.   Do omit the yogurt if you're allergic  to dairy and use total 1/2 cup of oil for these Gluten Free Chocolate Bites recipe.

SOY MILK JELLY

A nutritious and refreshing  dessert made with soy milk. I had use a store bought and mildly sweetened soy milk but if you can get hold of unsweetened ones that is so much better.

Also added about a cup of  sliced canned peaches but this is optional, feel free to choose other fruit of your choice. This fruit enhance the flavor and make it prettier too.  Serve your guest with a beautiful  jelly set in a smaller jelly mould.

Soy milk can be a healthy alternative to diary milk for people who are lactose-intolerant or vegan.

ONION PANCAKE

These batter based  savory Onion Pancake are quick and convenient to make using simple ingredients commonly found in your kitchen.

This straight forward recipe  was comforting  and  can be consumed immediately after it has been prepared. I had used milk to obtain softer pancake but you can also  use water or other non dairy milk such as almond milk, rice milk. soy milk  to mix the batter.

Addition of onion makes this Onion Pancake  subtly sweet and  ideally goes well with a bowl of spicy gravy or chutney of your choice.

BANANA YEAST TARTLET

Bread baking  really makes my day. I had tried all sort of yeast bread but the most requested  was a sweet bread.

This time, making Banana Yeast Tartlet,  using  a yeast raised dough and filled with banana baked in muffin pan. Actually you can use any filling you like. Make sure to grease your muffin pan  or spray with non stick cooking spray for easy removal.

It is advisable to check after 15 minutes of baking since each  individual oven varies.  If the edges start turning golden brown, that is the right time to remove from the oven.

Banana Yeast Tartlet was  incredibly  good, addictive and  comforting! .

BANANA & COCONUT LOAF

I was on  a verge of baking a banana cake unfortunately I don't have any more milk. So the best option was to make use coconut milk found in my pantry.

Had use a pack of 200 ml coconut milk and top up with water to make up a cup. You can find coconut milk in an aisle of supermarket displaying Asian goods or else pick up a can of coconut cream.

Before adding more sugar to the batter, kindly check how sweet your banana was but for me half a cup of sugar was just right.

Really impressed that   the addition of coconut milk makes  this Banana & Coconut Loaf  deliciously tropical , super moist and beautifully sliced. Highly recommended to bake a batch this weekend!

PINEAPPLE RICE

This Pineapple Rice recipe originates from one of cookery shows aired every morning. Though there are  various method to cook this pineapple rice but this one suits a vegetarian.

You can easily adapt  this Pineapple Rice recipe to be one pot meal by adding chicken, egg or seafood. The pineapple chunks  give this dish a unique taste that everyone will love. Was pleasantly surprised how good it was!

BAKED BANANA DOUGHNUTS

It has been months we had doughnuts. As requested, I have  baked these Baked Banana Doughnuts  made with yeast and mashed banana. These baked ones are healthier option, will help you to reduce fat and calories at the same time.

Numerous times, I have added mashed bananas for making cakes and breads. this time my  bread turned out  softer and tastier. Besides sugar topping, you can make these guilt free Baked Banana Doughnuts  for the kids with variable toppings.

PEANUT COOKIES

During festive occasions my mum used to bake this peanut cookies without fail.

It is usually made with corn/canola  oil but now I tried using butter. They were fantastic nice and crunchy but not too sweet. I can't believe how easy they are to make.

To all my Muslim friends, wishing you a Happy Eid, may you be blessed with happiness and success always!

DATE TART

These little Date Tart  are one of the seasonal favorites which make their  annual appearance on festive occasions such as Hari Raya Puasa (Eid ul-Fitr)  and  Chinese New Year.

Commonly stuffed with grated pineapple but I had made slight change by filling them with pitted dates. You can also use raisin if you want.  I'm very pleased with the result also they were well liked  by my family.

The trickiest part is  getting the perfect pastry, if too stiff, it tends to crumble. Don't add too much water or the pastry will be hard, add in a tablespoon at a time.