Almond cookie galore

Its cyclone Nilam today. Incessant rain, cold wind , dark clouds...consequently a chilly weather.One of those days when am thankful for not having a full time job so I can spend the day in the way that it ought to be spent. Curled up in the comforter with my favourite book, stare the garden outside and soak in nature, sip on a cup of steaming filter coffee and munch on cookies..Without any guilt , without any worry, without any work left incomplete..This is life...and this is how a rainy day ought to be celebrated..How many times in your life do you get to listen to your heart and do things the way the heart desires..not often I believe.That's why I feel thankful today to the Lord...To be able to do things the way the heart desires..surrender myself to the soul and let life take its own course...God thank you for this wonderful time, for this happiness in heart, for this beauty around.
The music of raindrops prancing on my rooftop stirs my soul and I am left mesmerised by the sights of  newly bathed greens outside..for once its difficult to focus on my favourite book too.I decide to warm my hands from the oven and spread some joy from my heart to the world. Its cookie time again.

I have to remind myself not to overindulge in this  happy state and stick to healthy stuff. (Yes worries of gestational diabetes still haunt me no matter how happy I am, especially with another blood test coming up next week). So I decide on some healthy ingredients that should satiate and delight and yet, not cause any stress.

Ingredients

Oats-1/2 cup (I used regular Quaker)
wholewheat flour- 1/2 cup
All purpose flour-1/2 cup
Sugar Powdered-3/4 cup
Almonds-3/4 cup
Baking powder-1 tsp
Salt-one generous pinch
Butter softened-1/4 cup
Oil-1/4 cup
Milk-1/4 cup

Powder the oats in the grinder and mix with wholewheat flour and AP flour.Also add the salt and baking powder to this mix and keep aside.
Whisk the sugar,butter and oil until creamy.
Toast the almonds lightly (for a wonderful aroma) and grind them.You can powder the almonds fine or if you like it chunky,keep the almonds to small bits or a coarse powder.
Sieve the flour mix into the butter and sugar mix.
Add the almond meal to this and mix gently.
Now use milk to bind this altogether to get a soft dough.

Now this where the fun begins. I have made three varieties of almond cookies from this dough and all of them have turned out a winner.

1.Standard almond cookie-Take small  balls from the prepared dough, flatten it on the greased cookie tray and bake for 15-20 min in a preheated oven at 180 centigrade. You can also decorate them with slivers of almonds if you want. These remained mostly white in colour with little specks of red brown which should be the clue that they are done and ready to be removed from the oven. Cool them on the wire rack for ten minutes to make them crunchy.

2.Choco chip Almond cookies- Press some chocolate chips on the cookies before baking-rest same as above.

3.Nutella stuffed melt in mouth almond cookies- .
Admittedly am new to Nutella. I picked it from the grocer for the first time last week and after I saw the appreciation for these heavenly gooey centred cookies, I feel I have missed a lot in life not using Nutella before.This turned out to be best and am surely going to try more with Nutella.Although it did take a little effort making these cookies but in the end it was worth it.

Make a walnut sized ball with the dough and flatten it. Scooping Nutella from the spoon was messy and difficult , so I piped some Nutella in my icing gun and from there it was a cakewalk.
For those who do not have a icing gun, make a plastic sheet cone like the ones they use for making henna decorations on the hand and fill it up with Nutella.
Put approximately 1/4 spoon Nutella in the flattened ball and enclose it. Reshape the ball and flatten it. Ensure that the filling does not ooze out.Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 centigrade.

Taste this piece of heaven and listen to your heart..Have a Happy day:)

 

My cappuccino Museli

During my long working days at the office this ,used to be my staple breakfast.Apart from that fact that its so healthy and wholesome,this really can be made in a jiffy.I never got bored of eating this for almost everyday for three years because I always tweaked the recipe with different fruits or different nuts.This, till date is my favourite breakfast item.You can make a hundred different versions of it depending on your taste.Its healthy and a child 's play recipe.Below given is the conventional recipe followed by a modern and a much quicker version:-)


Serves-1
4tsp Oats-I use Quaker
1 cup milk-
1tsp sugar
1tsp strong coffee granules
6 Almonds
10 raisins
any other nuts or seeds of your choice

Heat milk,add sugar and coffee.Bring it to a boil .
Remove from fire and stir in the oats.Leave it for ten minutes for the oats to cook in the hot milk.
Sliver six almonds and roast them for a minute in a skillet over fire.(You can always add almonds without roasting it but once you get hooked to the aroma of roasted almonds,you will never want to add it just like that.)
Add it to the milk soaked oats.
Wash the raisins and sprinkle.on the oats.
Its ready to be served:-)
*I add flax seeds and melon seeds for a more healthier meal.
You can again vary the recipe by adding Cinnamon powder or vanilla essence or anything of your choice instead of coffee granules.

The quicker version involves flavoured packaged soy milk instead of regular milk.You only need to take two moments the previous night to create the base.Pick any of you favourite flavoured soy milk and soak the oats the previous night.Add some chopped fruit like banana or apple or both and its ready to be eaten.

All time Oats

This is one of  those versatile items which I frequently serve for breakfast and also fix it for lunch when I am too lazy to cook for myself alone.I love this recipe for the fact thats its quick as a breeze and very healthy.And it would not be on my blog if it isn't yummy!:-)

serves-1

Ingredients

4 tsp Oats-I use Quaker
1 small onion
1 small tomato
half cucumber
1/2 inch ginger-chopped real fine
1/2 cup curd
2/3 cup water

Tempering
1tiny spoon of oil-I prefer mustard..you are free to use any
1 v small green chilly-you can use more if you like things hot
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
salt to taste

optional items for tempering
curry leaves
fenugreek seeds
asoefetida
cumin

Take 2/3 cup of water in a microwaveable pot and microwave for one and a half minute.
The water would come out boiling,stir in the oats in the hot water.
If you are using gas stove,heat 2/3 cup of water and stir in the oats in the boiling water.
Leave the oats aside for 10 minutes.Once the oats have cooked and cooled down stir in 1/2 cup curd.

Chop onion,tomato and cucumber  real fine.Add the chopped veggies to the oats mix.
Sprinkle salt to taste.

In a small skillet,heat oil.
Add asoefetida, fenugreek seeds and mustard seeds.Once the seeds start spluttering,switch off the gas.Add chopped deseeded green chillies and curry leaves and pour the tempering over the oats mix.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve.