Oat Chocolate Chips Cookies !!!

                                      It's almost Granola dressed as Cookies !!!

Very fine example of our high Christmas spirit !!!

Since Aarav started going to school, all the American festival have new place in our life. For a month all we hear, see and make is the upcoming festival. And right now, It's  the most wonderful time of the year. We are so surrounded by the Christmas spirit. And now he wants to do everything he watches and hears about the Christmas from different sources(books,movies,cartoons,friends and teachers). So when we were doing our weekly grocery shopping he wanted to get some cookies for Santa(so Santa don't get tired from going to every one's place on Christmas night) and I was like, How about we make some cookies ourselves.

This is our first cookie making project (I have still not get over the baking phobia). Aarav was so exited for a week, we did all our research for cookies and made the list of the ingredients (he even walked in this weather to buy chocolate chips). This is the key to get kids exited about anything, make them wait for that. And instantly it's their most favorite thing.




We looked at many recipes, but most of them were for nice chewy and soft cookies. Since soft and chewy foods are Aarav's not-so-favorite foods, I needed to find something that can be crunchy and crispy. And most recipes called for more flour than oats. That was another big NO-NO. And while watching all the videos Aarav suggested that we add some Walnuts too, for the extra crunch. So this recipe is mostly inspired and modified version of JoyOfCooking.com.


                                                      Tips :

• The recipe we chose used eggs, We replaced them with Flax seed.
• If you are using a recipe with eggs, but going to make it egg less. It is a good Idea to choose recipe with less eggs (not more than 1 or 2 eggs).
• Bake them for 10-12 minutes for softer cookies and 12-15 minutes for crispier cookies.
• When mixing the ingredients together don't  beat them on high speed or for very long, Or the butter will start separating.
• You can refrigerate the dough for 3-4 days.
• And the most important tip ever , measure the Chocolate Chips just before adding them (or if you end up having not enough Chocolate Chips in your cookies don't blame me) !!!

Prep  Time  :    15 Minutes
Cook Time  :    12- 15 Minutes
Makes         :     20-22 Large Cookies

Ingredients  :


3/4   Cup    All Purpose Flour
3      Cups  Oats
1      Cup    Nuts (chopped)
1      Cup    Chocolate Chips
1      Cup    Unsalted Butter 
1      Cup    Brown Sugar
1      Tsp     Vanilla extract
1      Tsp     Baking Soda
1/2   Tsp     Salt
1/2   Tsp     Cinnamon
1/2   Tsp     Nutmeg

To replace 1 Large egg :  
1 Tbsp ground flax seed in 1/2 cup water (dissolve it and let it sit for 5                                                     minutes before using)

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F/  177 degrees C.

1)  In a bowl, mix all Purpose flour ,Baking soda,cinnamon,nutmeg and salt with spoon.

2)  In a separate bowl, Mix butter and Brown sugar with electric mixer for 1 minute.

It was the most fun task of whole cookie making project !!!

3)  Add Vanilla extract and flax mix in Butter and sugar mix.

4)  Add flour mix in the Butter and sugar mix, Beat it for not more than 2 minutes.
5)  Add oats,nuts and Chocolate chips ,mix them with spoon.

6)  Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminium foil.

Since we don't have Ice-cream scoop it wasn't much fun to scoop the dough.

7) With a big spoon (not preferred by Aarav) or ice-cream scoop, scoop the           dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

8) Flatten the cookies with your hands slightly.
9) Bake them for 12-15 minutes.
10) Once baked transfer them on the cooling rack.

Perfect Crunch !!!

Vegan Burger Patties !!!

                                This is the burger you want your kids to eat !!!

I didn't even like burger few years back. But when we were new in the USA Subway,Pizza and Burger seemed like only vegetarian options. And most fast food joints don't even have Vaggie Pattie. So most of the time we will go for Subway. I remember practically walking (hot and hungry)  the whole Animal Kingdom in our quest for Vegetarian food. Then in this never ending moving life we got chance to live and visit many different places. And with that came the new food experience too. We tried some very good food truck burgers. And realized fast food joints burger are far cry from fresh made patties.







As we started to going out more (one day or just an evening out) we allowed  more burger in our life. Cause they are easy to prepare and carry. But that was mostly frozen patties. Never thought of making one myself. Not even single time the idea cross my mind, until I realized that from next year I have to give Aarav a lunchbox (filled with healthy meals). Not only healthy meals will do, the meal should be kid-friendly too. And my quest for perfect healthy meals started.








 


Since we are teaching Aarav the Vegetarian concept now, he was shocked to find out that all the recipe we were looking at contains eggs. The quest for egg less recipes are not easy either. So over time I have devolved some  options to replace eggs in any recipe.Just look at the recipe and think why the eggs are there in first place and replace them with similar working things. Here the eggs are to bind all the ingredients together  like a glue,So we are using ground flax seed mixed with water.
         
                                                               





                                                     Tips :

• Add or cut any veggies you like or have on hand.
• Burger patty needs moisture to hold together. So make sure your patty mixer is not very dry.
• Another thing the patty needs to not taste like almost-cardboard-with-little-salt is lots of flavor.
• Try different flavors each time : Indian style Patty, Mediterranean style patty or Italian style patty by adding different spices or veggies. That way kids can learn about all the different cuisines too.
• Don't squeeze too hard the mixture to form a patty. All you want is a burger patty not a tennis ball.
• Too hard or too soft patty will break.

Prep Time    :    30 Minutes
Inactive        :    30 Minutes
Cook Time   :    8-10 Minutes

Ingredients


1      Cup    Oats (processed into flour)
2      TBSP  Oil
1      Cup   Cooked Beans (Red,Kidney                  or Chickpeas)
1/2   Cup    Onions ( Chopped)
1/2   Cup    Bell Papers  (Capsicum) (                    Chopped)
1/2   Cup    Carrots   (Grated)
1      Large  clove of Garlic (Minced)
1      TSP    Green Chilies (appr. 2                        green chilies)
Italian spice mix to taste
Salt to taste
To replace 1 egg  -    1 TBSP Ground Flax Seed + 1/2 Cup water (let it sit for 5 minutes)

1) Heat the Oil in a pan and saute onions and papers for 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

2) Smash the beans in a big bowl.we used Potato smasher for that but if you don't trust the gadgets
      use your hands.

3) Add all the other ingredients in the same bowl and mix it really nice.Not a single crumb should be
    left dry.
4) Form patties. Look at the pictures for our fun no mess trick.

Line the container with plastic wrap and add 3 TBSP of mix in it. Pat it gently to form a patty.

Take the wrap out from the container and wrap it around the patty.

TA DA !!!  
It can be freeze just like this.

5) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using. Or for later use freeze them.

6) Saute in a pan with little oil. Frozen Patties should not be thawed before cooking.

                                        Now assemble the burger :

Don't just throw bunch of rebellious lettuce who wants to come out with every bite. I chop my veggeis so they stay where they are suppose to be. Today we added sauteed papers and mushrooms too. 

Love your Burger,They will return the favor !!!

a little mayo

bunch of veggies

and don't forget the pickle !!!

Granola

Both me and my husband are little health conscious (not much ,we always allow ourselves a treat now and then). But we try to avoid unnecessary fats and sugars from everyday  meals and snacks. Even for kids, snacks options are always a fruit or a vegetable.So when husband asked me what he can have for snacks in the office. I said let me try to make Granola (cause anything made at home has less calories and less sugars).Aarav was not so sure what we were making that day but once he tried it he is hooked.

It is a win win snack for everyone. Kids love 
the crunch and I see all the good stuff going in their mouth.

What is Granola ?

Granola is basically toasted oats.For people who doesn't like oats old fashioned way or have time to eat a bowl of oats,this is a very tasty,crunchy and easy way to add oats to your diet. You can easily spend some good amount of money at store brought granola or you can easily make it at home with a good amount of your choice of tasty bits.

Isn't is a great help to sit quietly and talk on the phone 

There are times when your little angles wants to eat everything you offer or don't offer. Then slowly they develop their minds and senses and there comes the time they don't even want try new things or thing they liked before. And store bought,sugar loaded and shiny packaged snacks are so more inviting than homemade healthy snacks.But if the kids are involved in making them they would at least try it once. And most of the time they   will be so happy and proud to creating something they will want eat it.

How to eat it ?

 add it to any cereal

 On top of yogurt  or fruit

 

  Just like that

                                                              Tips :  

• Customize it with the Dried fruits and nuts of your choice   (specially  if you have a allergic child).
• Try different flavors. Add orange zest or different spices. 
• If you are using Old fashioned oats,Its a good idea to grind them for 2-3 pulses in the Grinder.
• Don't have oven? No problem You can make it in the pan too.
• 
  

Prep time   :  15 minutes

Cook time  :   1 hour

Ingredients :

3             cups  rolled oats

1             cup  chopped nut

1 1/2     cups  chopped dried fruits (date,apricots,raisins,cranberries etc.)

1/2       cup    Shredded sweet coconut

1/4        cup   Brown sugar

1/4        cup   honey or maple syrup

1/4     cup     oil       

  1       tbsp     cinnamon

1/2     tsp     salt

The blocks plane was observing the mission !!!

start the cooing:

Preheat the oven at 275 F / 135 C

It shouldn't be lumpy .

1) Mix everything in a big bowl.

2) Spread it in a thin layer on baking sheet. (line the sheet with eluminium foil)

3) Put the baking sheet in the oven. Stir it every 15 minutes to have a even color.

   

If you don't have oven :  Put the mix in a heavy bottom pan and roast it on midium-low heat for 20-25 minutes. For this method you have to stir the mix constantly or it will burn. 

it's a good idea to do it in small batches. That way you will have even color and less chance of burning.

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