Whole wheat banana, raisins, and chocolate muffins

Don't let the unassuming looks of this simple muffin put you off from trying it. This one is not just full on nutrition but is also extremely moist for something that doesn't have refined flour, eggs, or butter in it. To top it all, it's a breeze to cook up and stays soft for upto 4 days. Here we go,



Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Fresh banana puree - 2 cups (really ripe, squishy bananas)
Baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Baking soda (Soda bi carbonate) - 1/4 teaspoon
Soft brown sugar - 3/4 cup (if you don't have demerara/brown sugar in hand, use plain white, powdered)
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 heaped teaspoon
Black seedless raisins - a handful (washed well, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes, and ground coarsely)
Soy milk (optional)- 2 dessertspoons (20 ml)
Extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup
Vanilla powder or essence - 1/4 teaspoon (I used powder since I couldn't find propylene free essence)



I used 5 medium sized bananas for the 2 cups puree yield. Use a hand blender or your regular mixie jar to blend all ingredients together. Dont over whisk. Preheat oven at 200° for 10 minutes. Line a muffin tray with cases and pour in batter to half full.Bake at 150° for 20 minutes. Pierce a fork or knife to check if done, if not cook at 120° for another 10 minutes. The lovely aroma that fills your kitchen will be your best guide to the cooking time.

Baby carrot saute

It's been ages since the last post... went home to India for a few religious ceremonies associated with baby; was busy for a couple of weeks. This was followed by an unprecedented 3 month delay in processing family visas at my husband's new job outfit; and, baby and I being stuck in India. And, I seriously can't blog when I'm away from my turf...read that as my kitchen, my stove, my blogging apparatus, and other paraphernalia ;-)

Here is a quick recipe your toddler will love...your family will equally love it.



Baby carrots - 200 gms
Small onions (shallots) - 4-5 Nos
Garlic - 3-4 cloves (crushed with a large knife, pestle, or even your rolling pin)
Curry leaves - a couple of sprigs
Olive oil - 2 teaspoons (or less)
Salt - for seasoning ( I use less)
Pepper corns (optional) - 3 or 4 Nos (crushed crudely)

Wash and rinse baby carrots thoroughly. Peel the carrots (unless your toddler has her teeth in place and is adept at chewing). Split the larger ones in two.Place them in a steamer or on a steel collander placed over a vessal of water. Steam for about 5-8 minutes till tender. Do not overcook.

Mince the shallots fine and crush garlic. Tear up the curry leaves for better aroma. Warm a saute pan and then pour in olive oil, add the minced shallots and crushed garlic. Saute till golden and then add the curry leaves. Saute for a minute and add the carrots. Saute for a couple more minutes for the flavours to merge. Season with salt and the crushed pepper.



PS: Remove the curry leaves before serving. They can get stuck on the palate and make it difficult for the baby.

Black Raisins health booster

8 months and above (toddlers love it even more)

This is an easy and totally yummy way to get your little one's iron and calcium levels upto the mark; boost respiratory health; prevent constipation; and improve general physical well being.

Black raisins - 100 gms
Rock candy (rock sugar/mishri/kalkandam) - 50 gms ( I use only the unrefined variety)
Water - 1 cup

Wash the raisins really well to remove sediments. Soak in warm water for about 1/2 hour. Rinse the rock candy and remove superficial dirt. Boil water with candy in it till it dissolves. Strain. Pour into a thick bottomed skillet and add in the raisins. Simmer on gentle fire stirring once in a while to prevent burning. Keep it on till the mixture reaches a thick jam like consistency. Cool and store in an air tight glass container. Give your baby a liberal spoonful everyday as a superdelicious treat cum health tonic.

PS: I use unrefined rock candy which is traditionally attributed with a better nutritional profile.

Adjust quantity given according to baby's age. Mine started on her spoonful from her 9th month. Start by giving a smaller quantity if your baby is not used to raisins.