Mixed Upma with Home Made Tomato Jam

I am very bad at making upma, but never gave up and every try I make to make it better Shoj is the target he heee... Now I have thought of this new recipe, so that I can hide Cracked Wheat in the basic Upma recipe which is made with Semolina. I like the creamy version of Upma but Shoj likes the dry one. But he has got no chance cos I have to make it creamy so that even Anush can eat it.

UPMA RECIPE

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Ingredients:

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1/2 Cup of Cracked Wheat

1/2 Cup of  Semolina

1 small Onion chopped

1 Tomato chopped

2 Green Chilies or 1/2 tsp Chili powder

1 cup Mixed veggies (I chose the frozen with Peas, Carrots, Beans, Corn and Lima beans)

1/4 inch ginger chopped

1 Sprig Curry leaves

1/4 Cup chopped Cilantro

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste

1 tbs Oil

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Ghee

3 Cups of Water

Method:

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1. In a pan add oil, add mustard seeds and when they sputter add curry leaves and chopped ginger.

2. Saute it for a min, add the onions and saute it until it becomes transparent

3. Now add the mixed veggies and saute it for 3 mins

4. Now add the tomatoes, salt and sugar. cover and cook for about 3 mins.

5. Now add 3 cups of water and bring it to boil.

6. Reduce the flame to low and add the semolina and cracked wheat slowly and continuously stirring.

7. Cover and cook for about 5 mins or until done.

8. Garnish with Cilantro leaves and ghee

Note: You can add lime juice and fried peanuts before serving or the Tomato Jam.

TOMATO JAM RECIPE

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Ingredients:

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1 Cup Tomatoes Chopped or blended in mixie if you don't want a chunky texture

1/4 Cup Sugar or Honey

1 pinch Salt

Method:

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1. In a sauce pan add the tomatoes, honey/sugar and salt.

2. cook it until the tomatoes are cooked well and the water is reduced.

3. Serve this Jam on a slice of bread or with any breakfast. (Anush does not eat spicy food so I had to make this to serve with Upma so that he can eat it without any fuss :-)).

No Butter Banana Mini Muffin

Yet another try to eat bananas :-) :-)

Ingredients:

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Dry Ingredients:

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1 1/2 c AP Flour
1/2 c Sugar
1/4 c Rolled Oats
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

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3 Mashed Very Ripened Bananas
1 Moderately Ripened Banana, sliced
1/2 c Milk
1 Large Egg
2 Tbsp Vegetable oil or Apple Sauce
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 c Walnuts, chopped

Method:

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1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease muffin tins (either vegetable oil or margarine). Combine flour, sugar, oat, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl, whisk gently but mix well.

2. Place mashed bananas in a large bowl. Stir in milk, egg, oil, and lemon juice. Mix in dry ingredients and walnuts. Mix until the dry ingredients are just incorporated. Avoid over mixing. 

3. Scoop batter into muffin tins evenly. Place sliced bananas 2-3 pieces on top of each muffin batter. 

4. Bake muffins until golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or about 20 minutes.

5. Yummy Banana muffins are ready to serve. This is quite a good crowd pleaser for kids.

Apple Cranberry Whole Wheat Bread

You know what, I am very bad raw fruit eater....didn't understand right!!.... 

I usually don't like to eat fruits as it is, So I try to make some recipe out of it so that I can eat them as I like. I know it's sometimes bad, but i think it's better than not eating them at all :-)...smart choice is it ;-) he he he...

Another fruit was sitting at my kitchen counter today waiting for me......that was "THE APPLE". I thought of this bread recipe, so that I can make my son also eat this and keep it healthy to be considered for breakfast. :-). 

Green Apple

Dried Cranberry

Whole Wheat Flour

The recipe had the usual AP (All-purpose) Flour, but I wanted to make this bread with Whole Wheat flour. I knew that if I follow this recipe and make this bread with Whole Wheat flour it be a disaster. So I thought of creating my own recipe. It turned our great and I was so happy. When I cut into slices after the bread cooled a bit, each slice cut was perfect. So thought of sharing this recipe with you guys too!

Ingredients:

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Wet Ingredients:

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1 cup or one big Granny Smith Apple grated with skin

1 Mott's healthy Harvest - Summer Strawberry (similar to Mott's apple sauce)

½ cup milk

1 Egg

½ stick butter (room temperature)

Dry Ingredients:

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1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 cup dried cranberries

¼ tsp cinnamon powder

1 pinch salt

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ stick butter

Method:

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1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl and keep aside.

3. In another bowl mix the dry ingredients.

4.3. Now add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until all the ingredients combine. 

Note: Don't mix too much. Just for a 1 min or 2.

5. Now in a medium Loaf pan or any baking pan you like, grease it with a non-stick cooking spray and pour the mixed bread mix and bake it for about 10 mins on 400F and now reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake it for another 20 mins or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

6. Off the Oven and leave the bread in the oven for more 5 mins and then remove it and let it stand for more 5 mins. Tilt it upside down on to a place and let it cool.

7. Now you can slice it to thin pieces or bit thick. 

8. This recipe is a wonderful healthy kids snack or breakfast for everyone.