Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies Recipe

I totally love cookies all year round, especially the home made ones because they have a different crunch to them, as well as a pleasant aroma. As long as I have my cookies jar filled with some, I keep popping a cookie or two every time I pass by it. Seconds later I regret as it goes straight to my hips, no joke!

Hence I am always looking for cookie recipes that require lesser amount of sugar and butter, because, lets face it, if you see the recipe for most cookies, butter and sugar is the majority content. Every bite we savour has so much of those ingredients that make you whine later, worse still if you love baking and eating them all year round!

I have made oatmeal cookies in the past, but nothing so butter-less or gluten free. While surfing the internet on ways to use the 2 jars of unfinished peanut butter I had lying at home, I came across this wonderful recipe on Sally's Baking Addiction.

Peanut butter - check! Flourless - check! No butter - check! Brown sugar - check! Oatmeal - check check!!!

However I only had an accumulated of half cup peanut butter with me. And reluctantly I went ahead with the rest of self-devised portions, crossing fingers and toes that it works. And what did I get?

Chrunchy, chewy, totally aromatic yummy oatmeal cookies! And you don't even feel the absence of butter or flour. The peanut butter and egg have come together to hold the batter together giving you the regular cookie feeling.

And the icing on the cake (or rather cookie) is that it is whole lot healthier with the rolled oats and coconut oil content. I'm thinking some flaxeed or even sunflower seeds would go awesome in these cookies... saving this light bulb moment for the next time!

Ok so now back to the point of this post. The recipe, yeah... so here is!

Dry ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats, half tsp baking powder, half tsp cinnamon powder, some salt

Wet ingredients:
1 egg, half cup of peanut butter, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tbsp virgin coconut oil, half tsp vanilla essence

Beat the wet ingredients till it comes together. Fold the dry ingredients in with a spatula. Chill for 30 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180C. Use your fingers to pick up small balls of batter and flatten it onto a baking tray (lined with baking sheet). Don't worry about the distance between cookies as it does not expand much.
Bake for 20 mins till it is brown and calls out to you!

Happy baking, happy popping 'em into your mouth, with less guilt, more nutrition!

Boys boys boys!

Recently I came across this article on Facebook Boys will be boys. Reading it was almost an out of body experience, such a deja-vu feeling like I have been there, seen that and done that. And you know I am not dramatizing is. It is so real! It is almost like the writer was writing the story of our lives, the parents of Sanju and Jeev.

Feels like just yesterday I posted my Bringing Up Boys experience. And some time back, I had even shared some experiences in my own Boys Will Be Boys back in 2013. How creepy is that?!

And now seeing the article recently, I am compelled to do it again...!

You are never too old or too big to sit or ride on anything

Chocolate mess is cute mess until mommy sees it and gets all momzilla

Two brothers, one attire

A boy can never have enough stickers or enough space to stick 'em 

Superheroes need an off day too, 'roti canai satu!'

Optimal bliss is making you little brother scream

Post bake clean-up

While the other hangs the laundry

Just a tricycle? It's a multi carrier

Never ever let go of your helium balloons, poor BoBoiboy

We've messed the house, and turned side table over to ride around *high 5*

Whoa mommy got us a playmat... let's play with it

Toy Story: You can never have enough

Fun activity painting the town red

Double trouble - 'nuff said

All geared-up to save the world

A thumbs-up is the best recognition for a home-chef

Ever had those days they refuse to eat? I hand them a ladle each to make each other finish their food. And it works!

The return of Sanju-on. I posted this before, but I had to just do it AGAIN.

Yea yeah, so Bollywood right, you ain't seen anything yet!

Happy kids!

Fries vampire, don't you dare!

'National emergency? Incredi-boy to the rescue!'

Cauliflower Quiche Recipe

Lately I have been into this pleasant new routine of making breakfast on Saturdays. Usually I am not such a breakfast person, believe me. My favourite ginger tea and a piece of bread is sufficient for me on most days. 

My hubby is the type of person who wakes up on a non-working day and the first thing he asks 'What's for breakfast?'. And frankly, I have kind of got tired of answering 'bread and chai' because I always see this disppointed child-like reply 'oh ok'. 

I find Saturdays a nice chance to make something at home as hubby is recovering from a busy week, and kids are relaxing with morning TV, and we usually eat out for lunch anyway. It also saves me from answering my hubby's inevitable question, before he says anything I go 'breakfast is ready!'

I don't go all fancy-schmancy for breakfast, but I work around the key ingredients such as bread, eggs and bacon. And throw in some vegetables to trick the kids (and hubby). 

Last weekend it was bacon quiche that he woke up to. And some baked meatballs. Although he was somehow trying to answer his calls, he did enjoy the mini-spread. And thats how we come to the recipe in this post - Cauliflower quiche!

Surely you did not think I made cauliflower quiche for him, he would probably pick the veggies out, and eat the egg, if you know what I mean. For him bacon is the only way. However, I had some leftover custard from the weekend, and hence I decided to make some cauliflower quiche for myself!

For the custard, I mixed 1 cup milk with 2 eggs. Season with salt and pepper. 

Next I spread florets of cauliflower in the baking dish. Put in some chopped red pepper, garlic and onion. And sprinkle some spring onion. 

Pour in the custard mix. Top it up with cheese.

And bake at 180 for 30-40mins.

Easy peasy one dish healthy meal for you!

And if you are not inspired yet, let me tell you can totally do fried bacon, other veggies or even salmon/chicken into this quiche. Bon apetit!

Gobi Manchurian Recipe

Gobi (or cauliflower) has got to be the most loved vegetable of North Indian cuisine, and although I grew up eating it, I never quite knew there was this Oriental version. From the name Gobi Manchurian, and also the ingredients containing soy sauce and deep fried cauliflowers, I can guess someone was trying to recreate a vegetarian version of sweet and sour meat dish, and came up with this!

I've been meaning to post this recipe after a few requests but it just escaped my mind many many times and here it is before it escape again!

You Need: 

Cauliflower cut into florets
onion, garlic and ginger, chopped
some green pepper, chopped
some soy sauce
some tomato sauce
2tsp corn flour
cooking oil 

For the batter:
4tbsp of flour
2tbsp corn flour
some cumin/coriander powder
salt/pepper
some water 

Method: 

1) Mix the batter ingredients together and ensure a medium thick batter. Put the florets of cauliflower in and coat ir well.
2) Deep/shallow fry in oil.
3) Keep the fried cauliflower aside. Remove some of the oil and leave just sufficient for some sautee.
4) Sautee the onion, garlic and ginger.
5) Add some water and 2 splashes of soy sauce and some tomato sauce.
6) Once it boils, add some corn flour mixed with water to thicken the sauce.
7) Once it is thickened and simmering,  add the fried cauliflowers into it and coat well. Turn off the heat almost immediately.

You can garnish it with some spring onion, or even coriander leaves. It is best served warm, or rather hot with hot rice! However once you have had a bite of it, you would continue digging and finishing it on its own. Happy cooking!