Banana Bread

Banana bread recipe is easy to make and moist soft bread. It is loaded with goodness of ripe bananas and walnuts. This is the best way to use up ripe bananas.

Ingredients :

• Ripe bananas - 3 large
• Unsalted butter - 100gm(8tbsp)
• Powdered sugar - 3/4 cup
• Eggs - 2
• All purpose flour - 1 cup
• Whole wheat flour - 1/2 cup
• Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Vanilla extract - 1/2 tsp
• Walnuts chopped - 3/4 cup

Method : 

• Butter and egg should be in room temperature. If using salted butter omit adding extra salt. You can completely use wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.
• Grease and dust a bread loaf pan. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Mash the bananas with a fork.

• In a bowl sieve all purpose flour and wheat flour. To this add baking soda, salt and mix well.

• In a mixing bowl whisk softened butter and powdered sugar until creamy.

• Add the eggs and whisk until combined. Add mashed bananas and whisk to combine.

• Add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix well. Mix in vanilla extract and walnuts.

• Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 50 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean.

• Rest the banana bread for 10 mins and then remove onto a wire rack to cool. 
• Moist banana bread is ready to be savour.

Nutty Butter Cookies with Airfryer

This is a nutty butter cookie having a crispy, crumbling texture with amazing flavors of almonds, cashew nuts topped over the cookie. This is delicious cookie with very few ingredients and is a great tea time snack.

Ingredients:

• Butter - 100 gms (1/2 cup)
• All Purpose Flour(Maida) - 150 gms (1 1/2 cup)
• Icing sugar - 50 gms ( 1/2 cup)
• Sliced Nuts (Almonds, Cashewnuts) - 2 tbsp

Method :

• Bring the butter to room temperature. 

• Take the butter in a bowl and cream it well.

• Add in icing sugar or powdered sugar and cream it together.

• Add flour and mix well to get a crumbling texture.

• Mix and gather entire mixture together to a dough. (Sprinkle water if it is too dry) Dont knead the dough.
• With the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough and give a proper shape with a flat spatula by pressing the sides. Sprinkle nuts over the dough and roll once.

• Cut them into squares or desired shape.

• Preheat philips air fryer at 180 degrees C for 30 minutes. ( Refer tips for cooking in oven)
• Arrange the cookies in the basket and air fry at 180 degrees C for 7-8 mins.

• Remove, cool and serve. Store them in air tight container.

Tips and Variation :

• Baking in Oven : Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Place the cookies in a baking tray. Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees c/ 356 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or more till the cookies are light golden 

Veg Pizza

Veg Pizza - the all time favorite snack/ appetizer. Here is a simple pizza recipe made with store bought pizza base topped with easy homemade pizza sauce, your favorite toppings available at home and shredded mozzarella cheese. You can bake it in a microwave oven, conventional oven or simply on a pan/ tawa with lid.

Ingredients :

• Pizza Base - 4 small
• Onion - 1
• Tomato - 1
• Capsicum - 1
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese as needed
• For the sauce :
• Tomato - 3 medium-sized
• Garlic - 5 cloves
• Capsicum - 1/2
• Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Chili Powder/ Chili Flakes - 1/4 tsp
• Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
• Salt to taste
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Dried Oregano - 1/2 tsp
• Dried Basil Leaves - 1/2 tsp

Method :

To prepare the sauce :

• Blanch the tomatoes : Wash the tomatoes and make cuts on them. Put them in boiling water and let them stay in for a minute. Remove the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and put them in cold water. Once it cools down, remove its skin.
• Finely chop 1 tomato and make a puree of other two. Finely chop garlic and capsicum.
• In a pan heat olive oil. Fry chopped garlic. Add chopped capsicum and fry for a minute.
• Add in chopped tomatoes and saute till they are soft.
• Add tomato puree and cook well. 
• Add the herbs, spices, salt, sugar and mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
• Set aside to let it cool down.

Assembling the pizza :

• Wash and chop onion and capsicum into 1/2" cubes. Remove the seeds from tomato and chop into 1/2" cubes.
• Take a pizza base. Brush olive oil on the pizza base.
• Spread prepared pizza sauce uniformly, make sure to leave the sides of the base free from sauce.
• Top with the veggies and drizzle little olive oil.
• Spread grated cheese.
• Bake the pizza in microwave oven on medium power for 5 minutes or till the cheese melts.

• Slice them with a pizza cutter or knife and serve hot.

Tips & Variation :

• Pizza base I used here is small in size. If you are making pizza using a bigger pizza base, accordingly increase the ingredients used for making sauce.
• You can use mushrooms, paneer, baby corn, olives, red/yellow/orange bell peppers for veg pizza. Cut the veggies in any desired shape or even finely shred them. Optionally you can saute them lightly in olive oil.
• Use chicken chunks sauteed in olive oil with pepper and salt till cooked or cooked mutton chunks for non-veg pizza.
• You can use cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese or combination.
• Sprinkle pepper powder,chili flakes, herbs and little salt on toppings and cheese for more spice and flavor.
• Cooking in oven : Preheat the oven at 180 degree C for 15 minutes. Bake the pizza at 180 degree C for 12-15 minutes or till cheese melts.
• Cooking in pan : Heat the pan/ tawa on medium low heat for a minute. Place the pizza and cook it with lid till cheese melts. Keep the toppings thinly sliced or saute them.

Eggless Dates and Walnut Cake

Eggless Dates and Walnut Cake is easy, quick and healthy dessert with richness of dates and crunch of walnuts. Condensed milk replaces sugar which gives a extra punch and flavor to the cake.

Ingredients :

• All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups
• Dates - approx 20 nos. 
• Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 tin (395 g)
• Unsalted Butter - 1 stick (100 g)
• Walnuts - 1/4 cup chopped
• Baking Soda - 1 1/2 tsp
• Baking Powder - 1 tsp

Method :

• Soak dates in warm water for 30 mins or till it softens. Grind to a smooth paste using as little water as possible.
• Bring the butter to room temperature or microwave it for 15-20 secs till it soft.
• Spray/ Grease a baking pan and keep it ready.
• Take a bowl. Sift all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda to avoid any lumps. Mix it well.
• To the dry ingredients add dates paste, softened butter, condensed milk and mix well till all the ingredients gets combined.
• Add in walnuts and mix well.
• Pour the batter into greased baking tray. Optionally sprinkle some chopped walnuts over.
• Baking in Oven : Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F) for 40 minutes in the center of the oven.
• Baking in Microwave : Divide the mixture into two portions or take in two baking tray. Microwave it on full power for 5-7 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Time depends on the power of the microwave. So set the time for 4 mins, check and set for 1 minutes or more.
• Once done take the cake out and allow it to stand fr 5 minutes or till it cools down before taking out from the pan. 
• Loosen the edges and flip the cake onto a plate/cooling rack.
• Serve warm or cold.