DAISY COOKIES/BISKUT DAHLIA

These cookies made their appearance during festive seasons but they are now available all year round during Chinese New Year, Idul Fitri, Diwali and Christmas.

They are basically butter cookies that are light, crumbly and literally melt in your mouth. Daisy Cookies are just so pretty laid on a plate. There are few variations of Daisy Cookies, what make it different is the combination of ingredients used, some use condensed milk, dry milk or custard powder  but my recipe below does not use those.

This lovely shape was obtained using a special mold but if unavailable, a  cookie press will be the best option.

Special care is required for lifting the cookies from the baking sheet since it was extremely delicate.

*SABUDANA VADA/SAGO CUTLET*

This crispy savory snack recipe is made with soaked sago pearls and mashed potato. Sabudana Vada is one of  popular Indian food served during fasting. There are various combination to prepare it. In this case, mine was  prepared without peanut but using semolina instead.

After combining all the ingredients, it was shaped into small  round cutlet. It can be shallow or deep fried but I prefer shallow frying since it uses least oil.

FRYING TIPS
Choose a healthy oil with higher smoke point such as canola, safflower or peanut oil.

Make sure the oil was fully heated before adding any food. To check whether it is ready, drop a small piece of  bread, it should be golden brown in 60 seconds.

Do not crowd the pan. Work in small batches. The temperature of the oil decreases as soon as you add food to it.

Heavy bottomed  cookware is best for frying. It allows to keep the temperature of the oil steady. A thicker bottom guarantees the heat will slowly warm up the oil.

Discard  your used oil if it smells rancid, strong  discoloration or excessive foaming around the frying food. Be sure to cool your used oil completely before disposing

*EGG FREE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES*

The easiest brownies ever. Makes up in a 7 x 11 in tin. Egg Free Chocolate  Brownies are soft like a cake with crunchy almond. These are wonderful and exactly what I was trying to create, in my opinion they have  the perfect texture and  used much lesser sugar than regular brownies.

There are many ways you can enjoy this favorite by replacing almond with cashew, pecan or walnut, Omit the nuts to include dried cranberries, apricot or cherries. You can even add white chocolate or dark chocolate pieces in the batter.

*DRY FRUIT SCONES*

Dry Fruit Scones are far from plain, they are lightly sweetened,  thick but soft and delicious.  Made with plain flour, butter, milk  with baking powder as a leavening agent, it is pretty quick to prepare.

Had dry fruit mix in my pantry so I  incorporated them in this recipe. These tender, buttery scones are nicely moist. It is almost the same method as preparing the pie crust. You can add pretty much anything to this basic recipe. Savory, sweet, fruity or rich, you name it, it would probably work in scones.

The key to a perfect scone is to make sure you don't overwork the dough, otherwise the result will be a hard doughy scone. They're good enough to eat on their own!

BANANA OAT CHOCOLATE SMOOTHIE

Banana Oat Chocolate Smoothies is fabulous when you want something sweet and chocolaty but very healthy too. A homemade smoothies is a great breakfast or as afternoon snack. It is full of vitamins and nutrients.

They are fast and easy to prepare. Smoothies are endlessly versatile and much cheaper than store bought, letting you use whatever fruit is in season or on offer.

I had used banana, oat and chocolate milk this time but if you're ellergic to milk, substitute it with fruit juice or non dairy milk.

Try this filling and guilt free treat to start the day!

HEALTHY FOOTBALL PARTY RECIPES

Having a super bowl party or get together this weekend? I have lined up for you a  healthier and non complicated collection for you to serve your guest and free you from  tying up in the kitchen all day and away from your guest..

These recipes are great to make ahead of time and don't take a lot of effort or expense. So try a few of these tasty snacks and party on! Click each title for full recipe.

1. SOUR CREAM PIZZA

This is just a basic recipe but add your own twist to it and let your guest enjoy your creation.

2. BAKED BANANA DOUGHNUTS

3.SESAME OAT BARS

4. EGGLESS CUSTARD BUNS

5. BRAIDED TUNA BREAD

6. EGGLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE DIARY FREE

7.BAKED YOGURT & TURMERIC CHICKEN

 8.  DIARY FREE OATMEAL BANANA SQUARES

9. SAVORY HAND PIES

10,CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE COOKIES

11. MINI SAMOSA

12. OAT CRUNCH COOKIES EGGLESS

If you're not into football, these are great food to serve for any occasion and I'm sure there will be an idea or two you'll be bookmarking.



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CABBAGE FRITTERS GLUTEN FREE

If you're looking for  simple and delicious gluten free  fritters, you should try this recipe makes with only a few ingredients. The star ingredient for this fritter is cabbage. Along with chickpeas (garbanzo)  flour, onion, green chili and other ingredients, they are well combined to form into a thick batter before dropping them into hot oil.

Cabbage Fritters is a great example of how to enjoy delicate flavor of cabbage in your favorite appetizer/snack. Cabbage also contains Vitamin K, Vitamin C, fiber, folate and magnesium.

Keeping cabbage cold will keep it fresh and help it retain its vitamin C content. Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator.

EGGLESS APPLE CAKE

Take a bite of this Eggless Apple Cake that was loaded with cubed apple. It is also low in fat when compared with other recipes found on the net.

This is just too easy to make. Great for when you want something without  too much effort. You can dress it up by adding walnut, raisin or whatever you like but it tastes better without those additions. Feel free to use royal gala, red delicious, granny smith or a mixture of different varieties of apple but this cake is always good.

SESAME OAT BARS

This quick and easy bar slice is a snack favorite in our household.  These are egg free and freeze well also. They are great for those who want to embrace good health without costly expense.

It can be gobbled up immediately or stored in an airtight container up to 3 days. Their texture are great because they hold together perfectly to slice, yet are tender and tasty.

CARAMELIZED ONION FLATBREAD

My son is not a fan of dinner rolls of flatbread but crazy about stuffed or filled bread with sweet filling. So I decided to whip up this  Caramelized Onion Flatbread with caramelized onion for myself.

Don't look down on this flatbread. They are amazing! The caramelized onion does wonder to this simple  bread, The caramelized  onion produces a sweetness and unique flavor you'll definitely enjoy eating.

For great looking bread, when sauteing the onion, remove from heat when they are about to turn brown. The onion will continue to brown while baking.

DATE & GINGER COOKIES

Cookies are a great accompaniment to your coffee or tea. They come in various flavors and shapes. I whipped up these this afternoon using chopped dates.

These Date & Ginger Cookies proved popular with my guest and family. Loved this recipe, so quick and easy also very low in fat too. It was a definite winner with spicy flavor from ground ginger.

They are wonderful just as it is but you can dress them up with colored sugar or sprinkles if you want.

CAULIFLOWER STIR FRY

Stir fry is an easy way to bring out the flavor of the vegetables and it is a healthy way to eat them. I realized that you can stir fry pretty much any vegetable, carrot, spinach, potato, french bean, long bean and many more with the same method with fantastic result.

This time I have used cauliflower to go along with rice or flatbread.   Cauliflower Stir Fry  is most requested by my kids. 

DATE BUNDT CAKE (EGGLESS)

This is the best Date Bundt Cake Eggless I've ever baked. My family was super impressed.  It  really has a great consistency and smells wonderful while baking..

This cake slices nicely and looks so appetizing served on pretty plate.   Date Bundt Cake Eggless would make a great dessert for dinner party or picnic.

STUFFED BREAD

The idea for Stuffed Bread was inspired by the bread we had at the nearby bakeries. A little stuffed bread is exactly what I want as a snack in the afternoon.

I love to re-create a bread recipe with different toppings or add on. Bread baking is a satisfying and challenging project I truly enjoy.

For this Stuffed Bread recipe, the filling is sandwiched  in between the dough.   The filling will be different everyday, based on what's in season and its availability in our pantry. The possibilities  are endless. You can even make half the bread savory and the other half sweet.

OAT CRUNCH COOKIES EGGLESS

 Treat your family with this classic favorite that are easy and whole grain seekers will appreciate, the rolled oats. This is the most requested oat cookies I've ever made. Using rolled oat and breakfast cereal (cornflakes, shredded wheat, cheerios, etc)  or only rolled oat, these are great to work with. They hold their shape well while baking, not much spreading at all. You can  lightly crush the  oat/cereal if they are tough or s too big.

They are wonderful. These cookies came out just crisp enough to be absolutely delicious. Not too soft, not too crisp. Will be keeping this recipe for my future cravings of crunchy cookies!

FOODBUZZ TOP 9 - BRAIDED APPLE BREAD

Today's Top 9: April 05, 2012
The best of 7,144 posts from the Foodbuzz Community, as chosen by our editors and users. Browse all 9 »

Hi everyone,

My post  Braided Apple Bread  made it to the Foodbuzz Top 9 on  April 5, 2012.

Thanks so much for buzzing and voting my post,  without your support this will never happen.

Have a wonderful break!

Cheers

BRAIDED APPLE BREAD

This  Braided  Apple Bread looks insanely good yet  really easy to make.  You can use any sweet dough  or dinner rolls recipe for making this braided bread.  It can be shaped according to your preference but most common shape is simply an oblong loaf.  They can also be knotted or twisted into complex shapes.

The dough used in braided breads vary. Some are rich with eggs or butter and they may be brushed with egg for a glossy finish.  They can also be mixed with raisin, nuts, dried fruit or spices for added flavor.

Feel free to choose your own  filling by substituting with your favorite jam or preserves. The stuffing can be made  either sweet or savory too. Before adding more brown sugar to the apples, have a bite to see whether you need extra dose of sweetness, it all depend on apple you'd use.

HEALTHY BREAKFAST BARS

Chewy  and wholesome, this Healthy Breakfast Bars make a super satisfying snack. They bake up in a snap without leaving home.

These bars were delicious and not too sweet. If you desire, you can add some brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit They were  perfect to my liking so it really didn't need to be any sweeter. It is  great for those  with food allergies since there is no wheat, butter  and egg  in the recipe.

Healthy Breakfast Bars tasted great and  you can't stop at one piece!

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MOONG DAL RICE

A fantastic  dish  that offers almost a complete meal using moong dal and rice. There are various ways to cook them. some added ground pepper or other spices as well.

This recipe was perfect. My family raved about how good it was. Perfect blend of seasonings comprise of mustard seeds, whole cumin, ginger and chili powder makes this rice so appetizing that you can eat them without any gravy. I honestly didn't expect them to like it so it was a great surprise! Even the color made it fun for them to eat.

GARLIC NAAN

A  staple in most West, Central and South East Asian countries . Naan has also become popular in other parts of the world  especially in Arab states, Europe and North America. This  leavened flat bread  is cooked in tandoor by most North Indian restaurant around the globe.

Since tandoor is unavailable in most homes, the best alternative is  to bake them  in an  ordinary oven or stove top.  Naan comes in different flavors, by varying the toppings.

The recipe below uses only 3 cloves of garlic but you can add more if desired and  I have  cooked  this Garlic Naan  over the stove top without any topping.  If  topped with  one of the following, cilantro, sesame seeds, nigella seeds, chopped onion or minced garlic, it certainly  improve. the flavor. Below are a few tips for perfect naan:

1. Roll out each naan about 1/4 in thick and not very thick. It will expand during cooking.

2. Cook each naan on preheated cast iron skillet or heavy bottom  pan  using medium heat.

3. Rotating the naan using your hand or with the help of folded dish towel ensuring even cooking.

4. Flip the naan more than once to obtain nice golden color.

Chewy, tender and absolutely delicious paired with spicy gravy.  My son gulped all 4 pieces at one sitting!