Banana Chocolate chip Pancakes (Eggless, Whole wheat & Vegan option included)

Category:  Breakfast
Preparation Time: 10 mins 
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Servings: 4 servings

Pancakes are always the favourite breakfast not only for the kids but for the entire family.  I have already posted few pancake recipes in my blog and all those were made from whole grain flour only, strictly no to the refined white flour. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

You can check those here:

• Whole Wheat Eggless Pancakes
• Whole Wheat Pancake Mini Muffins
• Pancake Doughnuts with Peanut butter chips

Nowadays, whenever I have got over ripen bananas, either I prepare these banana muffins or banana bread or pancakes.

Banana chocolate chip pancakes - These are eggless pancakes and made with whole wheat flour. Since banana and milk are not compatible foods together, I have used coconut milk here instead of regular milk. We can use unsweetened coconut or almond milk; if we are not having any of these, we can just grind some coconut and extract milk and use it. We can also use plain water but the taste will differ.

            

Dairy-free & Vegan option: This can easily be adapted to a vegan recipe by replacing the chocolate chips with vegan/dairy free chocolate chips or even chopped nuts and we can use coconut oil for toasting instead of butter.

                       

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat flour/ Atta - 1 3/4 cup
• Baking powder - 2 tsp
• Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - a pinch

Quinoa salad with Black beans & Sweet corn

Category: Quinoa recipes / Salads
Preparation Time: 10 mins  
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Servings: 2 -3 servings

 Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is an excellent complete protein source for vegetarians. 

It is not only healthy but also very easy and quick to cook. 

Quinoa salad with Black beans & Sweet corn

We love the combination of black beans and sweet corn in pastas, quesadillas and also as a side dish for Chapathi. 

                                           

This quinoa salad is a quick fix lunch option if we have the cooked quinoa, black beans and sweet corn in hand. Quinoa can be cooked in stovetop or pressure cooker. Nowadays am using my Instant pot for cooking the quinoa.

Please refer my detailed post on how to cook quinoa in instant pot and stovetop here: How to cook Quinoa in Instant pot & Stovetop?

                                   

Ingredients: 

• Quinoa, cooked - 1 1/2 cup (1/2 cup uncooked)
• Black beans, cooked - 1/3 cup
• Sweet corn, cooked - 1/3 cup
• Tomato, finely chopped - 1 small
• Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/4 cup
• Green chilly, finely chopped - 1-2 no's (can be avoided if making for kids)

How to cook Quinoa in Instant pot & stovetop?

Category: Kitchen Basics
Preparation Time: 5 mins  
Cooking Time: 15 mins

What is Quinoa?
Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is one of the world’s most popular health foods.

                                             

Quinoa is gluten-free, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that contain sufficient amounts of all nine essential amino acids. It is also high in fiber, magnesium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin E and various beneficial antioxidants. 

Surprisingly, there are over 120 different varieties of quinoa as defined by the Whole Grains Council. Though the grain itself can manifest in a wide variety of colors (including purple!), the most common quinoa colors found across American grocers are white (also considered ivory or yellow quinoa), red, and black.

Interestingly enough, all three of these quinoa types cook and taste differently. While white quinoa has a fluffy post-cook texture, red and black quinoa are known to keep more of their shape and color after cooking. Red quinoa also has a heartier taste and chewier texture than the muted, bitter taste of white quinoa, while black quinoa tastes somewhat crunchy and slightly sweeter than either red or white.

Why to rinse Quinoa before cooking?

Quinoa is a healthy grain that we can incorporate into a variety of different dishes. There is a coating on quinoa seeds that can give it a bitter and nutty taste. By using a fine mesh strainer or a sieve, we can avoid this bitter taste by thoroughly rinsing your quinoa first. Many pre-packed quinoa are pre-washed but it's better to rinse it again.

Cooking Quinoa in Stovetop:

Ingredients:

• Quinoa, washed -1 cup
• Water -  2 cups
• Salt - a pinch (optional)

Eggless Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins (No white sugar)

Category: Baking
Preparation Time: 12 mins  
Cooking Time: 18 mins
Servings: 6 muffins

Its very hard to resist a good muffin! Kids will love muffins for school snacks, breakfast and sometimes even for dinner:). 

                                  

But the store bought muffins are loaded with many unwanted ingredients and preservatives. As Moms, we always looking for healthy snacks for our kids. And also we can do anything to make them eat healthy:) 

                                  

I already had few muffin recipes in my blog and this one adds to my list. This is my always go-to recipe whenever I have ripe bananas.

                                 

In my cooking, I am not using refined, bleached white flour and now am trying to limit refined sugar and oil too. So here comes the healthy muffin loaded with all goodness of yummy bananas, whole grain flour, Organic unrefined virgin coconut oil, Organic coconut sugar and walnuts. This is also an eggless muffin.

                                          

 

Ingredients: 

Dry Ingredients:

• Whole Wheat flour/Atta - 3/4 cup (I used white whole wheat flour)
• Baking soda -1/2 tsp
• Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
• Cinnamon powder- 1/8 tsp
• Salt - a pinch
• Walnuts, chopped- 2-3 Tbsp