Condensed Milk Biscuits - Yummy little treats!

I absolutely loved baking these! My little one is a very choosy when it comes to food (already!) and he likes biscuits and when we have tea he joins us for a little snack. I had baked ajwain (carom seeds) biscuits for him in the last months and he really liked them. We had recently bought some extra light condensed milk and had used only half tin in a kheer recipe. The remaining half was sitting in the fridge and I wanted to use it in some recipe. That was when I came up with this one, of course following a few recipes on the internet but replacing a few (actually - all) ingredients for a healthier version.

These were so yummy and my son liked them very much. I could feel very satisfied as I knew what went into it and I knew they were all healthy ingredients. It is so simple and easy to make and the whole recipe took just under 30 minutes.

Here is how I made them

Ingredients (this quantity made around 30 small biscuits)

Wholewheat flour - 2 cups
Condensed Milk - around 150 ml - I used Extra light Carnation Condensed Milk
Butter - 2 tbsp - I always use Utterly Butterly which is 70% less saturated fat.

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degC.
• Line the baking sheet with cookie paper or parchment paper.
• In a large bowl blend the butter and condensed milk together until they turn creamy and well incorporated.
• Add the flour and mix with a spatula.
• Once it comes together as a uniform mixture, give a good mix with your hands.
• Take a small amount in your palm, make it into a nice round ball and place it on the baking sheet.
• The size depends totally on you as to how big or small you want the biscuits. 
• Once you finish all the mixture, take a fork and press down on each cookie ball gently. 
• Bake in the oven for about 12 - 15 minutes until the edges turn golden brown.
• Cool completely before storing them.

A very yummy companion for your cuppa tea or coffee! Enjoy!

Extremely healthy Whole Moong Dal Salad

I havent been able to update my blog lately due to many personal engagements, appointments etc. But we have been enjoying this phase in life. Get-togethers, Short Outings, Shopping.... The little one is can walk now and he is keeping us entertained when we go out!

I made this salad for lunch. This one is very healthy as it has wholesome ingredients. I added cooked bulgur wheat but you could also use wholewheat couscous for the base. With simple ingredients which you can find most of the time in your fridge this one is an easy-breezy salad recipe which is also good for you!

This is a very good trick to use up left over moong dal too which I did. The liquid in the dal acts as a wonderful dressing so you dont need anything else! I just added some more healthy veggies and this was such a quick meal especially when you dont have energy to cook something from scratch!

Here is how I made this salad.

Ingredients

Left over moong dal - 2 cups (If you dont have this then cook moong dal and use it)
Cooked bulgur wheat or wholewheat couscous - 1 cup
Grated carrots - 1 cup
Diced cucumber - 1 cup
Chopped green olives - 1/2 cup
Diced tomatoes - 2 (remove the seeds and pulp before dicing)
Mixed fruits and nuts - a handful
Chopped coriander leaves - a handful

Dressing - Mix 2 tsps of your favourite pickle to 2 tbsps of low fat yogurt. Add a few dashes of fresh lemon juice and mix well. One of my favourite salad dressing.

Method

• If you are not using left over dal - cook the dal and let it cool.
• Cook bulgur wheat (takes not more than 10 minutes) or soak couscous in boiled water.
• In the meanwhile grate carrots, dice cucumbers and tomatoes and chop those olives. You can put whatever you have handy in the cupboard in this salad. It is so versatile and lets you play around with the combinations. Chopped boiled eggs could be another good ingredient.
• Take a large bowl and layer the veggies one by one as you chop/grate.
• Top it with bulgur/couscous.
• Finally add the dal and mix everything well.
• As I said earlier - if you are using leftover dal you dont need any dressing but if you arent make the salad dressing as mentioned above.
• Scoop this salad into bowls and top it with chopped coriander leaves and nut&fruit mix.

 Every spoonful of this salad presents a plethora of textures and taste for the palette. The crunch from the fruit and nut sprinkle adds a new dimension. A true pleasure of eating a good salad!

Enjoy!