Keto Bread

A low carb, gluten free bread? It never did sound appetizing to me. But then Hubby darling went Keto, and our entire carb approach was tossed into the can. Adapting existing recipes to fit Keto was not as tricky as most fear. Infact as Keto became norm, exciting new twists were born of old classics. 

And though he loved his rice and parathas, hubby didn't quite miss them as much as he had expected. It really was a win win for him.

There was one thing he did miss. While never a fan of regular sliced bread, he had started to crave toast. Who wouldn't when your breakfast is bacon and eggs sunny side up. After all, you need something to mop up all that gooey goodness! Thus was born the need to experiment with a keto friendly bread.

Now the most popular keto breads are almond flour based. Though delicious, almonds aren't quite budget friendly. Every keto forum had people moaning about increased dents in the pocket. So I figured let's do a keto bread that won't break the bank.

I scoured the net for dozens of recipes and finally found my inspiration here. I tweaked it a little so i wouldn't have to make a store run. A few easy steps and surprisingly I got gorgeous golden bread!

Ingredients:

Eggs                                             6

Dessicated Coconut Powder        3/4 cup

Flax Seed (Powdered)                   3/4 cup

Salt                                               1 tsp

Baking Powder                             1 tsp

Psyllium Husk                              4 tablespoons

Baking Soda                                  1/2 tsp

Warm Water                                   1/2 cup

Apple Cider Vinegar                      1 tablespoon

Oregano (optional)                         1 tsp

Method:

Whisk together all the dry ingredients, except oregano. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Put it in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease a rectangular baking pan. I used a 13x6. Bring out the batter. Give it a good mix and pour into the dish. Top with crushed oregano. Bake for 40 minutes on a low rack. Cool and slice into 14 squares. It stays happily refrigerated for upto two weeks. Bring out a slice or two. Grill them, toast them, pan fry  them or simply slather cold with some cream cheese and fix that bread craving!

Date and Nut Balls

My parents are not traditional. This is a shocker in a country like India. As a result I grew up quite oblivious to the varied customs, rituals and festivities that colour the Hindu calendar. The only exception was Diwali. Every year the house would be lit up with pretty fairly lights and traditional clay diyas would make also make an appearance. The highlight undoubtedly were the array of goodies mum would conjure. A week prior to Diwali she would painstakingly spend hours making sweets and savouries. These included mathri, chakli, namkeen paras, gujiyas and gulab jamuns. She would then decorate a plate with these goodies, add a pretty diya or candle and gift one to each of our neighbours.
When I got married, this was the only tradition I brought with me. Though store bought sweets and attractive edible hampers are now the norm, I still prefer making atleast one sweet and savoury at home. They may not be the traditional ones, but they are made with just as much love.
This year though, I wanted to combine the traditional and the healthy. With a little munchkin added to our crazy bunch, I had to ensure the sweets were not just delicious but also healthy. No more empty calories! When I came across Sonal Chowdhury's Bliss Ball in Good Housekeeping, I knew I had found just the thing. I have tweaked and adapted the recipe a little but these are still nutritious nuggets from heaven! Utterly blissful!!

Ingredients:

Dates                                1 cup

Broken Cashews              1 cup

Almond powder               2 tablespoons

Dessicated Coconut         1/2 cup

Method:

Soak the dates in hot water for 15 minutes. Run the cashews in the mixie for a coarse powder. De-seed the dates and drain the water. Mix the cashews and dates and run them in the mixie together till they form a sticky paste. Turn into a bowl and mix in the almond powder. With wet palms, form into small balls. Roll the balls in dessicated coconut. Store in the refrigerator and serve with a joyous cheer of Happy Diwali!!

Note: The original recipe called for 2 tbsp of cocoa powder but i substituted that with almonds for a kid friendly treat. However, you may choose the chocolate for a twist on taste!

Coconut Burfee

I admit i have a major sweet tooth! And one of my favorite childhood memories was sneakin Coconut Burfee while the clan took it's afternoon siesta :D
To put it simply, coconut burfee is a kind of fudge-like square of coconut heaven! It is easy to make and lasts days at room temp (well, that is if you resist temptation!!!). Iam biased here and like only my granny's recipe. The rest just don't match up. The measures are approximates rather than standards as is the norm with most old recipes. I have tried to simplify the guesstimates as far as possible. And for the very first time, sharing this family heirloom, you will need:

Ingredients:
1 portion (ie 1 cup/glass/mixing bowl/ any constant measuring device)  grated fresh coconut
3/4th portion sugar (if you want to get really perfectionist, then it is 7/8th of a portion!!!)
Just enough milk to cover the sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence or green cardamom powder

Method: Heat the milk and sugar on medium flame, till the sugar melts. Take care to avoid crystallization, and keep stirring. When the syrup reaches a thick  dropping consistency, (beyond one-string), add the coconut. Let it cook awhile till it begins to bubble and thicken. Stir occasionally. When the mixture starts to dry slightly and sticks to the sides, turn off the gas. Add the essence and let it stand for a minute. Before it cools, quickly pour onto a well greased plate. Cut into squares once slightly cooler but not completely cold.
Pig out whenever you need a quick sugar fix ;D