Carrot | Oh Taste n See.....

Carrot Cereal Muffins

Jul 282011

I am not a cereal person – by this statement you shouldn’t think I don’t buy or eat cereal. I find it an extra piece of work to have cereal in the morning for breakfast. I consider(for me) it is easier to take something to-go: like a breakfast cereal bar or a muffin or a scone. It is more about timing during work days and convenience, rather than anything else. That said, I had a bag of cereal lying at home, untouched – and I was wondering if I could make the cereal into something more portable for breakfast. It was this spark that triggered a lot of googling and I landed on this recipe – which cobmines the goodenss of cereal in a muffin form. Adding veggies into breakfast in the form of carrots, is an added bonus.

I have modified the recipe by replacing half the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour and by adding some raisins and some walnuts for extra flavor and crunch. The recipe by itself is very low fat – since it uses low fat buttermilk, only egg whites, not a lot of sugar and oil, rather than butter. I feel this is not only a filling, but very healthy breakfast muffin.

Ingredients:
(Makes 12 muffins)
1/2 + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups Special K cereal – crushed to 1 cup(you may use any cereal you have)
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, plus extra for sprinkling the tops

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the crushed cereal in a bowl along with the sugar and pour the buttermilk over it. Let it sit, so that the cereal absorbs the buttermilk and softens a bit. Meanwhile, shred the carrots using a box grater. Add the carrots into the cereal mixture. Also add the whisked egg whites and the canola oil. Mix to combine. These are the wet ingredients.

In another bowl, sift together the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients into the wet. Stir to combine. Don’t overmix. Gently stir in the walnuts and raisins.

Spoon into a 12 cup muffin tin, lined with paper/foil muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with more walnuts if desired. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean and muffin appears golden brown. Serve warm or at room temp – can be stored for a week, or frozen for a month.

Verdict: Super moist, tender and melt in the mouth good muffins. I couldn’t sense the cereal in the muffins at all – not unless you know they are in there. These are not the overly sugary kind of muffins. Very mildly sweet from the carrots and the raisins – this is perfect with a cup of coffee to wake you up on a busy day.

Sending this to ‘Only Baked’, event series by Pari.
And, Veggie/Fruit of the Month: Carrots, event series by Priya Mitharwal.
Also to ‘Breakfast club’ with this month’s theme of ‘Cereal’.

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Grilled Corn n Carrot Salad in Chipotle Lime Dressing

Carrot, Corn, Phase 2, Salads, South Beach Diet

Jul 202011

We love grilled corn – and one of the must haves for summer is to buy corn and grill it. I flavor the corn several different ways – with butter, with green chutney, pesto, lime and chilly powder or just chaat masala. This is for corn on the cob. However, some times I also like to make a quick salad with the grilled corn which goes great as a side to sandwiches, burgers etc. and can easily become an alternative option for fries, chips or coleslaw. This particular salad is very very easy to make and is a great medley of very bold flavors. It has a spicy chipotle lime dressing that sits very well and hence this salad can be packed for a picnic lunch without worrying about it being spoiled.

Ingredients:
5 ears sweet corn
1 tsp oil
2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup scallions, green parts only, sliced
1/2 a red onion, diced fine
1 lime
3 chipotle chilly peppers, packed in adobo sauce

Method:
Remove the husk and silky threads from the corn and brush with the oil. Heat the grill to a medium and roast the corn until charred and cooked for about 5 -10 minutes. Remove, let cool.

When cool enough to handle, Place the corn over a bowl and run the knife down the corn, thereby removing only the kernels. Discard the cobs.

Place the corn in a bowl and toss it with the grated carrots, diced red onions and scallions.

Make the dressing by zesting the lemon, and then juicing it. Mix it with very finely minced(almost made to a paste) chipotle chilly peppers. (If you don’t know what chipotles are – they are smoked(grilled) jalapenos that are then preserved in an adobo sauce. They come canned and can be found on the canned vegetables aisle in the grocery store). Salt and pepper to taste, use any remaining oil from brushing the corn in this dressing as well. Whisk to combine. Pour this dressing over the corn carrot mixture and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning.

Serve at room temperature or chilled. This salad actually gets better as it sits as the corn and the carrots absorb the tanginess from the lime juice and taste awesome.

and to

Verdict: The smoky flavor from the grilled corn gets accentuated with the chipotle chilli peppers and I loved the spicy undertone to this salad. Also the spice is a perfect counterbalance to the sweet corn and carrots. You can alter this recipe to suit whatever you have on hand, and this makes enough for a crowd in a jiffy. Great for a barbeque party – as a side.

Sending this to the following events:
1. No Croutons Required – Hot Peppers
2. Salad Spread @ TasteJunction
3. Veggie/Fruit of the Month: Carrots, event series by Priya Mitharwal.
4. WWC – Corn for Dinner, event series by Sanjeeta and
5. ‘Serve it Grilled’ – at Krithis Kitchen , series by me and Krithi.

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Carrot Beetroot Vadai – Step by Step recipe

Appetizers/Snacks, Beetroot, Carrot

Jan 102011

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Paruppu Vadai is my absolute favorite when it comes to party appetizers. It tastes good even when cold and is liked by a lot of people. So, once again as in my old post, I was ready to make vadai for a potluck. This time I decided to enhance it with the use of carrot and beetroot. It ended up being not only tasty, but also a colorful recipe. I improvised a lot in this recipe, feel free to do the same.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups channa dal
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup cooked white rice
15 -20 red chillies ( remember, the beetroot gives the vadais a sweet taste)
3 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup chopped scallions/green onions
1 medium red onion finely minced
1 cup grated beetroot
1 cup grated carrot, or a combination of beetroot, carrot and cabbage to make 2 cups
salt to taste
oil, for deep frying

Method:
Soak the dals in warm water for an hour to two hours. Meanwhile, chop the onions, scallions, cilantro and grate the carrot and beetroot.

Start off by finely mincing the ginger, red chillies, cumin and fennel seeds. Add the cooked rice and pulse to combine. Grind the soaked dal in batches without adding water. I grind the different batches in varied consistencies, such that you get a good mixture. Meaning, one of the batches, I barely pulse. The remaining batches, one is coarse and one is fine. Mix the ground dal, the rice mixture, the chopped onions, scallions, cilantro and grated carrot and beetroot with enough salt.

Form into patties and fry in hot oil. Don’t fry it in too hot oil, then the outside will cook, but the insides will not be. Drain on to paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Verdict: Crispy, crunchy, sweet, yet spicy. This was a great hit at the potluck, and was gone in minutes. I liked the mild flavor of the scallions and the bite from the red onions. It was a great variation from the regular vadais.

Sending this to ‘Deep Fried Snacks’ at Tickling Palates and ‘My Legume Love Affair #31′, Susan’s monthly event that showcases legumes.