orange and chocolate chip muffins

Well you know about my love for muffins.. See here !!!

The best thing about baking muffins is that it requires minimal time and efforts.....seriously these muffins were ready to eat in 30 minutes!!!This refreshing orange muffin was on my to-do-list for quite sometime but my love for oranges could hardly spare one or two  for this recipe :P :P....so this time I managed to save a few for these muffins ... added a  few chocolate chips too...which complimented really well!!!

 Talking about oranges here are some interesting facts :

• After chocolate and vanilla, orange is the world's favorite flavor.
• You will have to eat 7 cups of cornflakes to get the same amount to fiber you would get from one medium orange!
• If you plant a single seed from an orange you will probably get more than one plant growing from it.

So why not include oranges in our daily diet....here's one way to enjoy it !!!

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups  All purpose Flour
1 Orange (quartered and seeds removed)
1/2 cup Orange juice
1tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Butter
1 Egg
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp chocolate chips

Picture taken at Barcelona in 2011

Method

• Preheat oven to 200C.
• Put orange quarters in food processor (or blender) along with orange juice and process or blend until pureed.
• Add egg and butter to food processor and combine,pour into large bowl.
• Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture.
• Fill muffin cups and Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes; remove from oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before removing muffins.
  
  So go ahead and try these  refreshing,delicate,soft and moist muffins !!!

Sending it to Kid 's Delight -Fruits by Srivalli hosted by Nupur 

I love Baking by Tickling Palates 

Bake Fest by Zesty Palate hosted by Sumee's Culinary Bites

chicken with roast potatoes and asparagus !!

There s a famous saying which goes "You eat with your eyes"

Plating and food presentation play a huge role in how we experience food. The presentation of your dish  takes it to a new level...So this Easter I tried to incorporate my learnings from the episode series of MasterChef Australia to our meal ... and cooked up this  traditional dinner of Roast,Potatoes and Veggies!!!

So here's how you can make this simple yet exquisite dinner for your loved ones !!!

 

Chicken Roast 

Ingredients
2 Chicken Breast Fillets

1/4 cup Yoghurt
1 Spring onion chopped
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 tsp cumin pwd
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp tandoori masala
1/4 tsp coriander pwd
Salt to taste

 Method
For the marinade blend all the above ingredients in a blender.Marinate the fillets for about 2 hours . Take out the fillets from the marinade and brush with oil .Now roast in the oven for about 40 minutes at 180C.



Roast Potatoes

Ingredients

2 Large potatoes
2 tbsp oil
Salt,pepper  and chilli flakes

Method
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and just cover with cold water. Bring to the boil then boil, uncovered, for 7-8 minutes.Meanwhile, switch the oven to 220C and place the oil  in a large roasting tin towards the top of the oven to heat thoroughly.Drain the potatoes thoroughly . Return them to the pan in batches and shake vigorously to soften the edges, or you can scratch them with a fork.Take the tin from the oven and add the potatoes. Turn them quickly in the oil then cook at the top of the oven for 50-60 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking until crisp and golden on the outside and soft in the centre. Drain and sprinkle with salt,pepper and chilli flakes. Serve immediately.

Asparagus 
Ingredients

 4 Asparagus
 1/2 tsp Olive oil
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Lemon juice

Method
Trim the edges of asparagus and brush it with oil .Bake it in the oven for 15 minutes at 180C.Take it out and season it with salt and a drizzle of lemon juice.

For rice go to my previous post (The only change is turmeric instead of soya sauce ).

Plate up rice on the plate.Place the chicken fillet on top.Place roast potatoes and asparagus as sides.
Enjoy the pleasure of fine dining at your own home ...:)  :)

lunchbox special :corn and bean sandwich

Sometimes some of the most unplanned and quick experiments in kitchen turn out great!!!

The other day I made rajma and kept aside some boiled beans for snacking.

Next morning I cooked up this easy and quick corn and bean sandwich for hubby..an hour later I got an SMS  from hubby that the sandwich was yummm!!!

Wow!!!My experiment was a success again !!!

Ingredients

 2 Bread slices
 1 tbsp Kidney beans (boiled)
1 tsp Corn kernels (cooked or frozen)
1 tsp Cheese
1 Tomato(finely chopped)
1/4 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp Basil
Salt and pepper  to taste
Pinch of Red chilli
Butter and Oil for cooking

Method

Take olive oil in a pan.Add garlic and cook till it releases flavour.Add chopped tomatoes and cook adding little water.Add salt,basil,oregano,black pepper and red chilli .When the tomatoes are cooked add boiled kidney beans and corn  and mix.Now take bread slice.Top it with this mixture.Sprinkle some grated cheese.Cover it with the second slice and toast it on a pan applying butter on both sides.Cut into two and serve.

These sandwiches are great for breakfast and  perfect for lunchbox and picnics !!!

Notes :

You can even used left over rajma .First cook till the gravy dries and mix with corn and herbs.

Cheese is optional but it does adds taste 

You can  even add other veggies like mushrooms or paneer.

Sending it to the following Blog events


Love Lock Series -Legumes by Zesty Palette 

Lunchbox Ideas by Cuisine Delights 

Lets make sandwiches by Simply food 

Divya's Showcase

SUPER HEALTHY BROCCOLI SOUP

Before I could start enjoying the onset of spring,temperature dropped again...and yes it rained too!!!So it gave me a reason to try out this Broccoli soup which was the best version of broccoli I had so far.Wow..finally I can enjoy broccoli without forcing it on !!!

Broccoli is called the miracle food coz of its innumerable health benefits and nutrition properties... So try this  wonderful soup and say YES to  broccoli !!

Ingredients

1 small Onion
1 small potato
1 Broccoli(225gms)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp sugar 
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups Water

Method

Chop the potato and onion and fry gently in the oil.Add garlic powder.Trim the broccoli and cut the stems into 1/2 inch slices. Add the stems to the onion and potato mixture. Fry for 5 minutes and season.

Reserve half the broccoli florets and add the remainder into the potato mixture, adding the water. Simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft.Add the remaining broccoli florets and the sugar, cook for one minute.Let it cool down and blend.Add water if needed to reach the desired consistency.Now pour the soup into a pan.Sprinkle on the grated cheddar, stirring and turning with a ladle until the cheese is melted .

Go ahead  and cook  up this deliciously healthy  soup perfect for lunch or evenings !!!

chocolate almond cookies

I LUV CHOCOLATES !!!

There are very few people who are not fond of this highly addictive thing called CHOCOLATE!!!No matter how hard you try to avoid you just can't!!Rarely does it happen that we have some chocolate lying ignored in our food cupboard.But I had some variety of chocolates lying in my cupboard for long so I thought of making some cookies ...and these are not just some cookies...these are meant for all you chocolate lovers...chocolaty,nutty,good enough to drive you crazy...!!!If you don't believe me just go ahead and try these !!!

LEFT OVER CHOCOLATES

Ingredients

200 gm chocolate( I used left over chocolates you can use cooking dark chocolates for better results )
150 gm plain flour
30 gm cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
125gm butter
120 gm brown sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped almonds

 Method 

Place the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl and mix well.

Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or microwave 

In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the melted chocolate and stir well.Beat in the vanilla extract and crack in the egg, then mix in the dry ingredients. Finally stir in the chopped almonds.Scoop out 12 equal portions of the mixture onto a lined baking sheet.Transfer to the oven and bake for 18 minutes, then test with a skewer - it should come out semi-clean and not wet with batter. Leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to harden as they cool.

Till me meet next HAPPY BAKING !!!

Rush in your entries to my ongoing event "TEATIME"