Garlic Bread Sticks - Vegan, Sugar free

Bread sticks / grissini / grissini sticks are long and thin size stick prepared from bread dough. The size can be varied from pencil thin shape to baguettes. These are originated in Italy which can be easily rolled in hands. The typical ingredients of bread stick include flour, water, salt, oil or fat and a rising agent. Also these days there are a lot of variation in the dough of the bread sticks. The dough simply roll out into flat, then cut into thin strips and finally shaped into bread sticks of cylindrical shapes. After that those are topped with any flavors like garlic, herbs, seeds or even with caramelized onions and lastly baked.

Today I have prepared some bread sticks flavored with garlic and oregano. Also to keep the healthy factor in the bread sticks, I have used whole wheat flour. One can surely use all purpose flour also instead of wheat flour. Nothing is tricky in this preparation. One can surely make this with very easy as well quickly. These bread sticks are sugar free too as the sweet factor here comes from honey.

Use of olive oil also makes these sticks completely Vegan. Just along with some hot soup, these are matched perfect options. Even one can serve these crunchy sticks along with some tossed salad, spaghetti etc. Instead of buying the ready made ones from the supermarkets, one can make the bread sticks at home in a large batch and store in an air tight container, but i will recommend to finish up within a week. Otherwise the crunchiness slightly decreases over than that. These are always a hit for kids crunchy snack, breakfast with some soup etc. So do try !

Recipe Card for 'Poha Chivda / Mixture' :

Vegan, Sugar free, honey, snack, olive oil, wheat flour, healthy snack

Vegan, Sugar free, bread stick, snack, Italian snack

Italian

Author: sasmita

Garlic Bread Sticks - Vegan, Sugar free

garlic and oregano flavored long and thin size stick prepared from bread dough which goes perfect with some hot soup or with some tossed salad, spaghetti

prep time: 20 MResting time: 2 Hrscook time: 15 Mtotal time: 35 M

ingredients:

• Wheat flour 1 cup
• Yeast (instant) 1.5 tsp
• Luke warm water 1/2 cup
• Honey 1.5 tsp
• Salt 3/4 tsp
• Olive oil 1 tbsp + more
• Garlic clove 8-10 no.
• Oregano as needed

instructions:

How to cook Garlic Bread Sticks - Vegan, Sugar free

1. In a small bowl take warm water, sugar and yeast and mix everything.
2. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 10 minutes.
3. Also crushed 4-5 garlic cloves finely in a mortar pestle and keep aside.
4. After 10 minutes, the whole mixture'll turn frothy.
5. Next in another mixing bowl take flour, salt, oil, crushed garlic, 1 tsp oregano and the yeast mixture.
6. Mix everything gently and make a smooth and soft dough.
7. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 1-2 hours or till double in size.
8. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 200 deg C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
9. Again knead the well risen dough a bit over a floured surface.
10. Make 2 inch balls from the dough.
11. Take one ball and over a floured surface roll into 10-11 inch long cylindrical stick shape.
12. Place over the baking tray and similarly prepare bread sticks from rest dough.
13. In a small bowl mix 1 tbsp olive oil, 4-5 finely crushed garlic cloves and 1 tsp oregano.
14. Brush this mixture gently on top of each bread stick and then bake for 14-15 minutes till becomes light brown in color.
15. Transfer to a wire rack to cool down and store in an air tight container to serve as it is or with some hot cup of soup !

NOTES:

Baking time can be increased a little more to get more crisp bread sticks. Oregano is optional but gives a nice flavor along with garlic.

This post is for the current month's Food Bloggers Recipe Swap and I was paired with Namradha who is a lovely blogger at Nams Corner. I just picked this Garlic Bread Stick recipe, prepared with some modification and contributed for theme.

If you tried my recipe and enjoyed fully, then please share some pictures of your creation with me. Also kindly rate the recipe below, give your valuable feedback either in the comment box below or tag me as @firsttimercook on Instagram.

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Mango Salad (Vegan & Gluten free)

 

Summer is on with a bang. As the scorching heat is here, so I always crave for some light and fresh meal option which takes a very less time or even no cooking method is required for those kinds. And Salad is one of that kind. I have already shared a salad recipe using Green Chickpeas recently in one of my previous post. Do check here. 

Today again I have come up with another salad recipe using the king of fruit, Mango. Summer season means Mango dishes are on pick category to be loved by any age group. Then how about some salad !!! This mango salad is such a refreshing one and perfectly fit to satisfy our soul in these hot weather. Completely vegan and gluten free too this mango salad. Use of some crushed roasted peanuts gives a nice crunch in the salad. Just chop, mix and serve !! it's that much simple and quick. It can be served as it is or even along with some nachos, fryums etc.

Recipe Card for 'Mango Salad' :

Salad, Mango, Vegan, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Summer dish,

Salad, Mango, Vegan, Gluten free

Author: sasmita

Mango Salad

a refreshing salad using the king of fruit, mango

prep time: 10 Mcook time: total time: 10 M

ingredients:

• Mango (ripe) 1 no.
• Onion (finely chopped) 1 no.
• Tomato (finely chopped) 1 no.
• Cucumber (finely chopped) 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped) 1/4 cup
• Mint leaves (finely chopped) few
• Green chili (finely chopped) 1-2 no.
• Peanut (roasted) 1 tbsp
• Tamari sauce 1/4 tsp
• Lemon juice 1 tsp
• Brown sugar 1/2 tsp
• Black salt as needed

instructions:

How to cook Mango Salad

1. In a mortar and pestle first roughly crushed all the roasted peanuts and keep aside.
2. Then take a mixing bowl and put all the ingredients.
3. Using a spoon mix everything well and keep aside for 10 minutes.
4. After 10 minutes, serve as it is or along with some nachos / fryums !

NOTES:

Spiciness can be adjusted. Both fully as well as slightly ripe mangoes one can use here. If tamari sauce is not available then do use soy sauce but then the salad will not fall in gluten free category.

If you tried my recipe and enjoyed fully, then please share some pictures of your creation with me. Also kindly rate the recipe below, give your valuable feedback either in the comment box below or tag me as @firsttimercook on Instagram.
You may also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and can subscribe for free to get new recipes directly into your inbox 😊

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Well, this month for the 'Recipe Swap Challenge', I have paired up with Preethi di from 'Preethi's Cuisine'. While browsing through her blog, I simply loved the recipe of Ripe Mango Salad as here the summer is on full swing. So I picked that one and contributed for theme.

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Achari Vegetable Pulao

Rice is a staple diet for most of India. One of the most versatile ingredient, it can be cooked as an entree, mains or a dessert. Interestingly, rice is the most important food crop of India too. Rice is one ingredient which can proudly claim to belong to every cuisine, isn't it ? yes, true it is 😊

As the summer is here, so no-one feel free to spend much time in kitchen area of the house particularly. And during those time, the one-pot meal comes to an rescue and also love by all age group. So much flavorful and so quickly one can prepare these kind of dishes. Well, achari vegetable pulao is a such kind of one pot meal option. 

Basically this is a pulao with any desired vegetables, but the flavoring factor here is the main interesting one. The masala which plays the vital role in Indian pickle preparation is used here in the pulao. I always prefer to make this type of pickle masala powder fresh, but one can surely make in a big batch and store in air tight container for later use. Completely Vegan & Gluten free dish is this. It tastes bit spicy which can be adjustable as desired but much delicious. One can surely enjoy this one-pot meal along with some raita or any curry or simply as it is. So do try !

Recipe Card for 'Achari Vegetable Pulao' :

Pickle, achar, pulao, pilaf, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, brunch option,

Pilaf, one pot meal, vegan, gluten free, Pickle

Indian

Author: sasmita

Achari Vegetable Pulao

a delicious vegetarian pilaf flavored with pickle spice powder

prep time: 30 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 55 M

ingredients:

Achari Masala Powder

• Mustard seed 1 tsp
• Coriander seed 2 tbsp
• Cumin seed 1 tsp
• Fenugreek seed 1 tsp
• Nigella seed (kalonji) 1 tsp
• Fennel seed 1 tsp
• Whole red chili 3-4 no.

Pulao

• Basmati rice 1 cup
• Carrot (chopped) 1/2 cup
• Green peas 1/2 cup
• Sweet corn 1/2 cup
• Onion (thinly sliced) 1 no.
• Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seed 1 tsp
• Bay leaf 1 no.
• Green cardamom 2 no.
• Star anise 1 no.
• Lemon juice 1/2 tbsp
• Oil 2 tbsp
• Salt as needed
• Water as needed

instructions:

How to cook Achari Vegetable Pulao

1. Wash the rice well and then soak in water for 30 minutes.
2. Then in a pan take all the ingredients and dry roast.
3. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool down.
4. In a grinder jar, put all those dry roasted ingredients and grind to a fine powder.
5. Keep aside.
6. Now heat oil in a kadhai / wok.
7. Add cumin seed, bay leaf, green cardamom, star anise and allow to crackle and fragrant.
8. Then add thinly sliced onion and saute till transparent.
9. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until raw smell goes off.
10. Add turmeric powder, garam masala powder, red chili powder, the grounded masala, salt along with all the vegetables.
11. Mix everything well and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
12. Then add soaked rice and mix well.
13. Pour 2 cup water and gently give a stir.
14. Cover and allow to cook till rice is well done.
15. Turn off heat.
16. Add lemon juice and gently mix.
17. Serve hot as it is or with some raita !

NOTES:

Any other vegetables can be added, I have just restricted here with sweet corn, green peas and carrot.

If you tried my recipe and enjoyed fully, then please share some pictures of your creation with me. Also kindly rate the recipe below, give your valuable feedback either in the comment box below or tag me as @firsttimercook on Instagram.

You may also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and can subscribe for free to get new recipes directly into your inbox 😊

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This 'Achari Vegetable Pulao' is contributed for 68th Healthy Wellthy Cuisines where the theme is 'Rice Khazana at HW'.  Here are more similar recipes shared by our Healthy Wealthy Group members as Mumbai street style Tawa Pulao by Geetanjali, Lemon Rice by Swaty, Tripal Schezwan Fried Rice by Ruchi, Red and Yellow Bell Pepper Pilaf by Jayashree, Puliyodharai by VanithaBabycorn Pulao by Poonam.

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Sugar free Ragi cookies | Finger Millet cookies

Finger millet / Ragi / Mandia / Nachni is a wonderful ingredient that was lost as compared to the popularity of wheat and rice has grown. One of the forgotten ancient millets, ragi is slowly attracting as the latest desi super food. The grain is a rich source of calcium, protein, iron and more. Ragi grain is very small so that it cannot be polished all that much, which means it basically retains all the good stuff. Ragi has thirty times as much calcium as rice, more then ten times as much fiber and its nutrients are easily absorb-able. It is gluten free, cheap and easily accessible as well. India is the world's largest producer of ragi. Using this natural wonder either in grain or powder form, one can make a no of dishes starting from breads to bakes to pilaf or even beverages. I have already shared 2 beverages using the ragi as Salty Ragi Malt and Ragi Malt using Date & Almond which is the sweet version.

Today's post is a cookie recipe using this wonderful finger millet / ragi as Sugar free Ragi cookies. One can use the powder form of this millet. Just roast a bit the ragi and then make a powder in blender jar. Else use the store bought ragi flour and in that case before using in the cookie recipe, just dry roast the flour for 2-3 minutes or till the color gets a wee bit darker then use. 

Well the process here is quite easy and the end result is very healthy and tastes very delicious too. Completely sugar free these cookies are, as I have used jaggery in powder form. Along with ragi flour some wheat flour is also used. Instead of butter olive oil is used to keep the cookies as Vegan, but it is optional. If desired, the 1/2 cup butter can be replaced with olive oil. To get some crunch some chopped dryfruits are also added to the cookies. These cookies are perfect for evening snacks, kids tiffin box without any guilt feelings. So do try these calcium rich cookies loaded with the goodness of ragi and 
jaggery.

Recipe Card for 'Sugar free Ragi cookies | Finger Millet cookies' :

Vegan baking, Cookies, Ragi, Finger millet, Jaggery, No sugar cookie, Olive oil, Dry fruits, wheat flour

Cookies, Baking, Vegan, Finger millet, Ragi, Jaggery

Indian

Author: sasmita

Sugar free Ragi cookies / Finger Millet cookies

calcium rich vegan cookies loaded with the goodness of ragi and jaggery

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 35 M

ingredients:

• Ragi flour (finger millet flour) 2/3 cup
• Wheat flour 1/3 cup
• Jaggery powder 1/2 cup
• Dry fruits (finely chopped) 3 tbsp
• Olive oil 1/4 cup
• Baking powder 3/4 tsp
• Cardamom powder 1/2 tsp
• Water 2-3 tbsp

instructions:

How to cook Sugar free Ragi cookies / Finger Millet cookies

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees C.
2. In a pan roast the ragi flour for 2-3 minutes or till the color gets a wee bit darker.
3. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool down properly.
4. Mix together all the dry ingredients as wheat flour, ragi flour, baking powder and jaggery powder in a mixing bowl. Keep aside.
5. Next add vanilla essence, olive oil and mix well to get a dough structure.
6. Then add all the chopped dry fruits and gently mix till well incorporated in the dough.
7. Scoop up 2 tbsp of the mixture and shape into ball.
8. Flatten slightly and place over a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
9. Similarly make balls from rest dough and arrange on the baking tray keeping some space in between.
10. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
11. Take out the baking tray from oven and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.
12. Next transfer the cookies onto a wire rack and allow to cool down completely.
13. Store in an airtight container and serve when desired !

NOTES:

I have used olive oil, any other vegetable oil can be preferred. Any other essence one can add here instead of cardamom also.

If you tried my recipe and enjoyed fully, then please share some pictures of your creation with me. Also kindly rate the recipe below, give your valuable feedback either in the comment box below or tag me as @firsttimercook on Instagram.

You may also follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and can subscribe for free to get new recipes directly into your inbox 😊

This Sugar free Ragi cookies / Finger Millet cookies is contributed for 199th theme of the Foodie Monday Blog Hop foodie group which is decided as 'Ragi Tales' and suggested by 'Poonam' who blogs at Annapurna. 

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