Avocado Brownies ~ Egg Free

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Ever since the first time I used avocados in this roti (Indian flat bread)  I have been enamored with the the fantastic texture and softness that avocados impart to bread and it's always been at the back of my mind that I need to try avocados in some kinds of baked breads too. After experimenting with avocados in everything from chutneys, some more flat breads and even ice cream (that did not make it into this space) I finally decided to try avocados in brownies .



Brownies are the kind of decadent treats that I very rarely make at home. Mostly because I know that if I make it I would find it very difficult to resist and would probably end up eating more than I should, and then feel guilty that I did :) But there are times when a little indulgence is good and if one can manage to sneak in a few healthy ingredients into the "indulgence" to make it a tad bit healthier than it's even better.

And that is just what I did with this brownie, between using whole wheat flour and avocados this brownie is definitely a tad bit healthier, and the best thing is you would never guess that this brownie has even one healthy ingredient. These brownies turned out soft, moist and decadent. No one if my family guessed it had avocados in them and were really surprised when I told them that the brownies had avocado. So what are you waiting for, you know you deserve to indulge a little, go ahead and give this treat a try and tell me what you think about it :)



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Ingredients and Method to make Avocado Brownies
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp butter melted
1 large avocado peeled and de- seeded
4 tbsp water
1 cup whole wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu) (can be substituted with all purpose flour/ maida)
1/2 cup fine sugar (see notes) 
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 tbsp milk

a few drops of oil/ or a little butter to grease the baking dish. 

Pre heat oven to 350 deg F (approx 180 deg C)

Grease a 9X9 inch pan with a little oil/ butter and keep aside.

In a microwave safe dish melt chocolate chips + butter in 30 sec increments until the chocolate chips are fully melted. It took me about 1 to 1 and 1/2 mins in my microwave for the chocolate to melt.

Add melted butter to the melted chocolate chips and mix well.

Cut avocado in half, remove the seed, peel the skin and puree avocado with 4 tbsp of water until it is smooth. This yielded 1 cup of puree. Add puree to the melted choco chips + butter and mix well.  Add sugar to this mixture and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and mix well. Add this flour mixture to the choco + avocado mixture and mix gently. Add vanilla essence and milk and mix again.
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Pour this batter into pre greased pan, level it a little with a knife or the back of a spoon and bake for 20 to 22 minutes or until a tooth pick/ cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool a little, cut into squares and enjoy :)

Notes:
With this quantity of sugar this brownie has mild sweetness which is the way we all like it at home. If you like a more pronounced sweetness in your brownies, you could increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.

If you use a different sized pan, the baking times could vary, a smaller pan would take longer and a larger pan would take lesser time. Also a smaller pan would give you thicker brownies and a larger pan would give you a thinner brownies.

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Avocado Flax Roti (Indian Flatbread)

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It has been a long while since I posted any kind of roti in this space. In fact I just checked and was surprised to see that the last roti post in this space was in august of last year. Wow, how time flies !! Of course this doesn't mean that I haven't been making rotis for the last six months, only that I haven't been making many new types of rotis, just the ones that have already been posted here :)

 My most favorite way to include avocados in our diet is usually in rotis. I had posted two versions of avocado roti on this site earlier, you can find the posts here and here. This time I combined avocado with methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and also added a good bit of flax seed meal for added nutrition. Loved how this roti turned out, its taste reminded me a little of this methi thepla probably because of the methi and the spices used in this roti. The addition of avocado always makes rotis really soft without any additional fat or oil which is a big plus in my book :) So if you are looking for a way to sneak in some avocados and flax in your diet, this roti may be something you would like, give it a try and let me know what you think :)

 

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Ingredients and Method to make Avocado Flax Roti
2 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (atta/godumai maavu)
1/4 cup flax seed meal (powdered flax seeds/ alsi/ ali virai)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste) (can be substituted with cayenne powder)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 heaped tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi) (soaked in a few spoons of hot water for 10 to 15 mins)
1 ripe avocado (deseed, remove skin and mash) (yielded approx 3/4 mashed avocado)
a little extra flour for dusting
a few drops of oil or clarified butter(ghee/nei) (optional)

Soak dried fenugreek leaves in hot water for 10 to 15 mins.
In a large bowl assemble all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the fenugreek leaves along with the water it was soaked in and mix into the flour.

Add mashed avocado and mix into the flour. Add water as required and knead to make a soft and non sticky dough. Keep the dough covered and let sit for at least 30 mins.
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Divide the dough into equal lemon sized balls. Using a little flour for dusting, roll the dough into an even circle of desired thickness.
Place a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on heat. Place rolled out dough on the flat pan and cook until the lower side gets small brown spots. Flip over and cook the other side until it has small brown spots on it.

If you plan to use oil smear a little oil on the top side of the roti while the lower side cooks and flip over and cook the other side. I did not use any oil at all because the avocado makes the roti pretty soft on its own and I don't feel that it needs any additional oil for softness.
Proceed with the rest of the dough in the same manner. Serve hot with any curry of choice.

Refrigerate the balance of the dough if any and use within a few days for freshest taste.
Yielded approximately 12 to 14 rotis (yield will depend on size and thickness of each roti)

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Avocado Roti with Ajwain (Indian flatbread with avocado and carom seeds) and some simple home remedies

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Using carom seeds as a digestive aid has always been common wisdom around our home. My mother in law  makes this cumin carom flavored water regularly, especially after a heavy restaurant meal or when we return home from a trip because she believes that it helps in maintaining a healthy digestion. A couple of years back when I visited India I found an article about carom seeds in a magazine that had a few more home remedies using carom seeds. I jotted down the most important ones so that I could share it with my readers.

The first, a tip to make a tea with carom seeds as a cure for indigestion and other digestive problems. Boil 2 cups of water and add a tsp of carom seeds / ajwain to it.Allow to boil until the water is reduced to 1 cup, cool strain and drink the water. This reminds me of the cumin carom water I mentioned above, although I am yet to try this strong carom tea version :-) Carom seeds/ ajwain in buttermilk is said to be good for respiratory disorders. The third tip, crush carom seeds and bundle them in a light cloth and inhale, this helps to rid a headache or to clear nasal passages when you have a cold.  And lastly including carom in our diet is said to help improve kidney function by strengthening the urinary tract as well.

I like to use carom seeds not just because of its health benefits but also because of its unique flavor and its taste. Ever since the first time I used avocados in roti and loved it, I make variations of avocado roti at home frequently. This time I made a version with carom seeds in it along with other spices. This roti like all the other ones with avocado is super soft and does not require even one drop of oil in either the dough or while cooking it making it super healthy too :-)



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Ingredients and Method to make Ajwainy avocado roti
2 cups whole wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu)
salt to taste
3/4 tsp carom seeds (ajwain/omam)
2 tbsp flax seed meal (powdered flax seeds/ alsi/ ali virai) (optional)
1 avocado ( pitted, peeled and mashed completely)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
pinch of asafoetida (hing/ perungayam) (optional)
water as needed 
a little extra flour to help roll out the dough

In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients and mix well. Add mashed avocado and mix into the flour.

Add water as needed and knead into a soft, non sticky dough. Cover and allow to "rest" for 30 minutes or so.

Divide dough into equal lemon sized balls. With the help of a little flour roll out into an even circle of desired thickness.

Heat a tawa/ griddle/ flat pan and place rolled out dough on it. Cook the roti gets small bubbles on the side facing upwards, flip over and cook the other side until it gets small golden/ brown spots. When both sides are evenly cooked, remove from heat.

Proceed with the rest of the dough in the same manner. Balance of the dough can be refrigerated and used within a couple of days.
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Serve rotis hot with dhal, any type curry of choice or even some pickle and raita.

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Avocado Coconut Chutney

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Ever since I tried this avocado roti (Indian flat bread) for the first time, avocados have a special place in my kitchen.  Now that I have begun to include avocados regularly in our diet, my next challenge has been to try and find more uses for it. My cousin S mentioned that she makes a north Indian style of chutney with avocado to go with parathas. I have yet to try this chutney that she mentioned, but I am sure that before long, I will both try and post that recipe here :-)

In the meanwhile the idea of making a chutney with avocado got stuck in my head. When I wanted to make a chutney to go with this rava dosai (semolina and flax crepe), I decided to try and see how avocado would taste in a south Indian style chutney. The verdict..............it was a huge success. The avocado added a wonderful creamy texture to the chutney. The taste of the avocado did not stand out, instead it blended very well with the other ingredients. If you have tasted the traditional south Indian coconut chutney, then this does not taste very different from it, it tastes like a creamier version with a slight hint of cilantro in it.  If you are in the mood to try something different with avocados, maybe you could give this chutney a try....




Here is a closer look at the chutney......



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Ingredients and Method to make Avocado Coconut chutney
1 1/2 tbsp split yellow chick pea lentil (chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
1 1/2 tbsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal/ ulatham parappu)
1 ripe avocado pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (yielded 1 cup of cut avocado)
5 Thai or Indian variety green chilies (or to taste)
1 cup grated fresh or frozen coconut (if frozen thaw to room temperature)
one generous handful of cilantro (coriander leaves/hara dhania/kothamalli)
salt to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)

Optional seasoning
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai/ kadagu)
a pinch of asafoetida powder

Dry roast chick pea lentil and black gram separately on low to medium low heat until reddish and aromatic. Soak them both together in sufficient water for at least an hour.

Grind the coconut, green chilies, avocado along with the soaked and drained lentils in a blender/grinder until it forms a smooth paste. Add salt to taste and lemon juice and give it another turn in the blender to mix well.

If you plan to season this chutney, then heat oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds, when the seeds begin to splutter add asafoetida powder and give it a quick stir. Pour this entire seasoning on the chutney, mix well.
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Serve chutney with dosai/ idli/ vadai or as a side dish to any south Indian themed meal, or use as a dip to serve along with veggies.

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Spinach Avocado Roti ~ Indian Flat Bread ~ Palak Roti

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Grocery shopping can be a chore at times, but it feels a hundred times worse, when we have to read every single label to ensure that the food we are buying does not contain any harmful additives. As things stand, most of the processed foods we buy these days, seems to contain a long list of additives. Most of these additives add no nutrition and some of them are actually detrimental to health.

I always keep some types of dried fruits and nuts in my pantry, they are great snacks and a good way to incorporate a little more fruit and some nuts in our diet. Dried raisins, cranberries, walnuts and peanuts are usually the type of things I keep on hand. On one of my recent visits to wholesale store, I decided to buy dried blueberries, it was just an impulse purchase and I never thought of reading the label, because I assumed that like dried raisins that I buy regularly, dried blueberries would not have any additives too.Unfortunately, I was wrong :-(......

I discovered that these dried blueberries have added High Fructose Corn Syrup in them.I have read conflicting reports about high fructose corn syrup, some articles claiming that it is harmless in moderation and some that say that it is detrimental to health. Personally I try and avoid buying products that contain high fructose corn syrup.For more details on this commonly used ingredient, you can check out this article.

This experience, along with my previous experience with peanuts has made me realize that I need to do much more label reading in the future... sigh !

Moving on, avocado rotis feature regularly in my dinner menu these days. Last week when I planned to make it, I thought it would be a good idea to add some spinach and cilantro along with the avocado. I adapted my earlier recipe quite a bit and these rotis turned out very soft and tasty. This is a great way to add a little more green to our diet :-)



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Ingredients and Method to make Spinach Avocado Roti (Indian flat bread)

2 cups whole wheat flour (Atta)
salt to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder (optional) (or to taste)

Puree together
2 cups packed spinach leaves (palak/ keerai)
1 large avocado (peeled and pitted)
2 dry red chilies (lal mirch)
handful cilantro (coriander leaves/ hara dhania)
1/4 cup water

Additional 1/4 cup water (if required) (see notes)

In a large bowl, add the first four ingredients and mix well. Keep aside.

In a blender, puree together spinach leaves, dry red chilies, avocado, cilantro and 1/4 cup of water into a smooth paste.

Pour this puree on the dry ingredients and slowly knead into dough. If more water is required, you can add a few tbsp at a time and continue kneading until the dough is soft and non sticky. ( I needed about 1/4 cup more)

Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
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Heat a flat pan, griddle/ tawa on medium to medium high heat

Divide the dough into equal lemon sized balls. With the help of a little dough roll out dough into a thin or thick circle (the way you like it)

When the flat pan/ tawa/ griddle is hot, place the rolled out dough on the tawa. When the lower side begins to get small brownish spots, flip over and cook the other side.  When the other side gets brownish spots too, remove and serve hot with curry of choice

This roti does not need any oil or ghee, the avocados give it enough softness on its own.

Notes
If you need some more water, you can pour it into the blender once, give it a quick pulse and pour the water along with any residual avocado- spinach puree on the dough.

The amount of water you will need will depend on the size of avocado, mine was a large one and these proportions worked out perfectly.

In case you end up with a little sticky dough, add a little more whole wheat flour and knead some more.

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Avocado Roti (Indian flat bread)

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Avocados, as you may already be knowing are extremely healthy, they contain oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that helps in reducing cholesterol and also contain potassium, a mineral known to regulate blood pressure.

The best way to select a ready to eat avocado is one that is slightly soft but should not have any dark sunken spots or cracks.A firm avocado will ripen in a paper bag or fruit basket at room temperature within a few days. 

I have always wanted to use more of these healthy fruits but never seemed to get them into my regular day to day cooking. Recently my friend V had invited us over for dinner. She had made an awesome three course meal, and one of the items on her menu was avocado roti. I loved the roti and could not wait to try it myself.

The very next week, avocado went on top of my grocery list and I made rotis with it. Since then these soft flaky rotis appear regularly in my kitchen. The avocados really add a wonderful texture and softness to the rotis, so much so that any additional oil/ ghee, as is usually used for rotis, becomes unnecessary.  



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Ingredients and method to make Avocado Roti
2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 Indian or Thai variety green chilies slit lengthwise and cut fine (optional)
1 large avocado peeled, deseeded and mashed well. (yielded approximately 3/4 cup mashed)
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
water as required (approximately 3/4 cup)

In a large bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder , green chilies, finely chopped cilantro and keep aside.

Peel an avocado, cut in half , remove the seed and mash the avocado into a pulp.

Mix the mashed avocado into the flour, add water as required and knead to form a soft and non sticky dough. It took me almost 3/4 of a cup of water, but you may need a little less or more depending on the size of your avocado and the type of flour you use.

Cover the dough and let sit for at least 30 minutes or so.

Divide dough into equal lemon sized balls.

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With the help of flour roll out the dough into a circle of desired thickness ( I make mine pretty thin but even a thicker roti would taste just as good)

Heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on medium heat. Place the rolled out dough on the tawa and cook on one side. When small light bubbles appear on surface and the lower side starts to get light pinkish/ brownish spots turn over and cook the other side.

When the other side begins to get light brown spots, remove from heat and serve hot with curry or dhal of choice.

This quantity of dough yielded me about 12 to 14 fairly large rotis. Yield will depend on the thickness and size of each roti.

Notes
This avocado roti is so soft as it is, that there is no need to use any oil/ ghee on it at all.

This Avocado Roti is off to the Healing Foods Avocado event  being hosted by Siri

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