Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Fluffy and moist Lemon poppy seed muffins recipe , perfect for a summer picnic .


Ingredients

1 & 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter ( softened )
2 eggs ( separated )
1/2 cup sour cream or buttermilk or yogurt
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tblsp lemon juice
2 tblspn poppy seeds
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation ~ Preheat oven @ 35o degrees. Line 12 muffin pan with liners .
In a medium bowl stir the flour , baking powder , soda , salt , lemon zest and poppy seeds.
Beat the sugar and butter until creamy . Slowly add the egg yolks one at a time and beat well . Add the flour mixture alternating with sour cream in 2 additions. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.

In a separate bowl beat the egg white till peak forms . Gently fold the egg white to the batter . Pour into muffin pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let it cool for 5 minutes.

Verdict ~ Always use fresh squeezed lemon juice. Tried with buttermilk couple of times , but sour cream renders an excellent fluffiness.

Blanco Lavender festival

Couple of weeks back I was checking out books from our local library and happened to notice this book " The unlikely lavender queen " by Jeannie Ralston . Got really surprised to know that Jeannie and her husband were the pioneer in growing Lavender in the Texas hill country. As a true Lavender lover I got really hooked on to the book and finished it within couple of days. Later that week I came to know about the Lavender Festival in Blanco and made sure that I'm not going to miss this year's festival .

Some snaps from the festival

Hill Country Lavender farm

Red velvet cupcakes

My favorite Red velvet cupcake recipe

Ingredients:

2 eggs ( room temperature )
1 cup buttermilk ((room temperature)
1& 1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tspn Vanilla extract
1 tspn distilled white vinegar
2 Tblspn Red food color
2 & 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1& 1/2 cups sugar
1 tspn baking soda
1tspn salt
1 tspn cocoa powder

Preparation : Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift the flour , cocoa powder , baking soda and salt in a medium mixing bowl . Add sugar and mix well . set aside. With a hand mixture beat the liquid ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.Gently add the flour mixture . Mix well . Pour into cupcake liners and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool . Frost with cream cheese icing or use whipped cream.

Cream cheese frosting :

1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Gopi / Cauliflower Manchurian

Cuisine : Indo Chinese

Recipe :
Cauliflower ( cut into florets ) – 1

Marinade ~ All purpose flour 2 to 3 tblspn
Cornflour / Cornstarch 2 tblspn
White pepper Powder !/2 tspn . Salt to taste.

Sauce : Onion – 1 big, chopped
Ginger – 2 " piece chopped
Garlic – 5 to 6 cloves , sliced
Green chillies / Serrano peppers – 2 to 3
Soy sauce – 2 tblspn
Tomato ketchup – 2 tbsp
Red chilly sauce – According to taste.
White Pepper powder – 1tspn.
White Vinegar – 1tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt
Oil

Heat salted water in a big stock pot. Boil the cauliflower florets for 4 to 5 minutes and drain the water completely. Make a thick batter with the marinade ingredients. Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and deep fry into golden brown. Drain them on paper towel . Set aside.

In a wok, heat oil, add onion, ginger , garlic and , green chillies Saute till the onion becomes brown. Add all the sauces, pepper powder, vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix well and heat for another 1 min. Add the fried cauliflower pieces and mix well. Make sure that the cauliflower pieces are well coated with the sauces. Remove from flame.

Garnish with finely chopped Green onion leaves. This a dry version of the recipe. If you want more gravy. Mix 1tspn cornflour with 3/4 cup water and add along with the sauces. Let everything boil together. Then add the fried cauliflower pieces.

PS No need for Ajinomotto. Black pepper can be substituted for white pepper. Don't use tabasco for red chillie sauce.

Healthy Muffins with agave nectar

While agave (pronounced ah-GAH-vay) is best recognized as the plant from which tequila is made, it has also been used for thousands of years as an ingredient in food.The nectar made from the plant is known in Mexico as aguamiel, or "honey water." Now, due to increasing awareness of agave nectar's many beneficial properties, it is becoming the preferred sweetener of health conscious people .
Recently I bought a bottle of Central market Organics light agave nectar and tried out this recipe .
Liked the mild flavor and the subtle sweetness when combined with dried cranberries and semi sweet chocolate chips.

Ingredients :
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup organic light agave nectar
1 Organic egg
1 cup nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tspn Vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup semi sweet choco chips
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preparation :

Preheat oven to 325 degrees .. Line a 12 standard size muffin pan with muffin liners.

In a small bowl slightly beat the egg , add the yogurt , oil , agave nectar and vanilla. whisk them and set aside.
In another medium bowl add the flours , oats , baking powder ,cinnamon and salt. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until combined . DO NOT over mix. Gently fold in the dried fruits , chocolate chips and nuts . Bake until done or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean .

Tip ~ I cup organic Spelt flour can be substituted for the wheat & all purpose flour.

A Perfect breakfast muffin !

Roated red pepper sandwich with cilantro almond relish.

This sandwich can be assembled in a jiffy if you have the cilantro almond relish in hand. Vegetarians can omit the egg .

( see previous recipe for relish )

Ingredients :

8 bread slices
2 medium red bell pepper ( roasted )
3 boiled eggs (sliced )
1 cucumber sliced thinly
Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Cilantro almond relish .

Prepartion:

To Roast bell peppers ~ Roast peppers on racks of gas burners over high heat , turning with tongs until blackened for about 5 to 7 mins over medium flame or you can broil them. Transfer to a bowl and cover tightly with a wrap . let it stand for 20 mins.. When cool enough cut them into thin strips about 1 & 1/2 inches wide.

Spread Cilantro almond relish on the bread slices . Arrange sliced eggs , cucumber and roasted red pepper strips. . Add freshly ground pepper to taste . Make sandwiches . Great finger food for summer parties
Serve at room temperatue .
Serves ~ 4

Cilantro Almond Relish

I spotted this relish recipe from the " Best of gourmet 2003 " cookbook. This is my all time favorite recipe for a dip and can be used as a spread for sandwiches.

Ingredients

1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds , toasted
1 garlic clove
1& 1/2tblspn chopped fresh jalapeno chile
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp. salt

Preparation :

Pulse almonds , garlic ,and jalapeno in a food processor until finely chopped. Add cilantro , mayonnaise , lime juice , sour cream and salt . Blend to a phaste.

Serve room temperature or chilled with Pita chips. Can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

Tips ~ I use low fat mayonnaise with olive oil.

Fluffy Homemade Waffles

Frozen waffles have been a staple breakfast item in our freezer for a long time. Even though I have seen so many ads about waffle makers , I was never intimidated to buy one. A couple of months ago my cousin bought a Cuisinart classic waffle maker and invited me for breakfast. I will never forget the taste of the first bite I took...hot fluffy waffles with pure maple syrup, whipped cream, and strawberry compote. That first bite took me all the way to the store and I became a proud owner of a waffle maker. Initially I followed the basic recipe from the manual which was average. Then I received this recipe from my cousin:

Fluffy Homemade Waffles

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups -unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp. -baking powder
1/4 tsp. -salt
2 -eggs (separated)
1 3/4 cup -2% milk (or whole milk)
1/2 cup -canola oil
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Preparation:

1. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks slightly, stir in milk and oil and keep it aside.
2. In a medium bowl stir flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
3. Gently add the egg yolk mixture into the well, and stir until just moistened (should be a little lumpy)
4. In a separate (dry) bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into the flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. DO NOT OVER MIX.
5. Spoon waffle batter into the waffle iron, making sure not to overfill. (For my classic waffle maker I use about 1/2 cup of batter.)
6. Follow the manufacturers instructions for cooking the waffles and serve with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!