Cinnamon Coconut Cake

Cinnamon Coconut Cake

There are times when you want to rustle up a quick no-fuss cake. This was one of those days where I did not have the patience nor the time to beat the egg whites and yolks separately. So I beat the eggs really well, added curd and salt and beat them even more. Next went the oil and little more beating. I was done. Then it was mixing the dry ingredients and adding it to the egg mixture. And inside the oven and voila! My cake was done. Yes, it's as simple as that. And it was yummy and super healthy. So go on, try it out. It's a superb coffee or teatime cake

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour – 1 cup

Custard powder – 2 tbsp

Dry coconut powder – 2 tbsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Baking soda – ½ tsp

Eggs – 2

Sour curds – ½ cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Coconut oil – ¼ cup

Jaggery powder – 1 cup

Coffee powder - 1 tbsp

Cinnamon powder - 1 tbsp

Method

Sieve the flour, custard powder, baking powder and soda twice

Add jaggery and mix well

Beat eggs, curd and salt well

Add oil and beat again

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture gradually and mix slowly with a spatula

Add coconut (half quantity), coffee and cinnamon powder and mix slowly

Pour into the mould

Sprinkle the remaining coconut powder on top

Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees C for about 20 mins

Check for doneness

Let it cool in the oven

Health Benefits of Cinnamon

Said to lower blood sugar

Lowers BP

Lowers cholesterol

Anti-inflammatory

Regulates menstrual cycle

Metabolism booster

Helps in fat loss

Skin health – anti-ageing and collagen booster 

Baked Nachos and Dips

Baked Nachos and Dips

What do you do when you are craving some crunchy nachos with some lip smacking dips? Then I do the obvious - make it as healthy as possible by substituting refined flour with wholewheat flour... and baking instead of frying the nachos. I have used slightly coarse maize flour to give it that authentic touch. There is a bit of whole wheat flour and just a tablespoon of maida to help roll out the dough really thin. I made one batch without the maida but they turned out to be thicker. So the next batch included maida.

Then came the dips. One had to be really low fat. But what is nachos without some cheesy dip. But here again, I substituted the maida with wholewheat flour and the result was good. So let's begin. 

Nachos

Ingredients

Maize flour (Makai ka atta) – 1 cup

Whole wheat flour – ½ cup

Maida – 1 tbsp

Carom seeds (ajwain) – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

Oil – 2 tsp 

Method

Combine the flours and salt in a deep bowl

Add oil and carom seeds

Mix well

Add water slowly and knead into soft dough

Divide the dough into 3 equal portions

Roll out each as thin as possible between two plastic sheets

Prick with a fork and cut into triangles

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees C for about 15 mins

Let it cool in the oven

It will become crisp

Repeat with the remaining portions

Cheesy Jalapeno Dip

Ingredients

Butter – 1 tbsp

Whole wheat flour – 1 tbsp

Milk – ¾ cup

Cheddar cheese – 3 tbsp

Pepper (freshly ground) – 1 tsp

Jalapeno (desseded and  sliced) – 1 (according to taste)

Salt – a pinch

Sugar – a pinch

Method

Fry the flour in butter till light browned

Add milk and whisk well

Adjust consistency to get a thick flowing sauce

Add grated cheese and mix well

Cool a bit and add pepper 

Blend well with a fork
Add jalapeno slices
Top with bit of parsley

Chill before serving

Parsley Dip

Ingredients

Hung Curd – 1 cup

Lemon juice – 1 tbsp (adjust according to taste)

Garlic (minced) – 1 clove

Parsley (chopped fine) 2 tbsp

Pepper (freshly ground) – 1 tsp (adjust according to taste)

Salt – to taste

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl

Chill before serving

Burnt Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

Tomatoes (firm variety) – 2

Onion (medium) – 1

Garlic Cloves - 4

Jalapeno pepper – 2

Salt – to taste

Lime juice (optional)

Method

Grease their outer surface and roast them directly on the fire

Remove the skin of the onion and garlic only

If you don’t want it very spicy, deseed the jalapenos after roasting

Pulse in a mixer to form a coarse paste

If you like it smooth, blend well

Serve chilled with nachos

Health Benefits of Maize Flour

Resistant starch and fibre rich - improves digestive health and helps in weight loss and weight control

Prebiotic

Gluten free

Packed with beta-carotene - improves vision and prevents eye-related problems

Rich in minerals like zinc, phosphorus, magnesium and iron - improves bone health

Contains high amounts of iron - prevents anemia

Rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and antioxidants - keeps your skin healthy and prevents signs of ageing