Herbed Cucumber and Orange Juice--Cool and Healthy

Well, I thought my Eggless Orange and Cranberry Cake would be the last post on my blog before embarking on my India trip but after experimenting with this insanely simple mocktail, I could not stop myself from sharing it with my blog friends. It is cool, it is refreshing, and it is super healthy. It can be considered as a cross between a dessert and a salad and perfectly manages to quench your sweet cravings after any meal. 

Ingredients

1 big cucumber

3/4 cup fresh/canned orange juice (I used no sugar canned juice and added a little less than 1 cup as per my taste)

1 tsp honey (or as per your taste)

1 tsp dried oregano

You can add crushed mint leaves for added flavor (I did not have at hand)

A pinch of salt

Direction

Wash and cut the ends of the cucumber and scrub the open edges with them. Peel and cut the cucumber horizontally and remove the seeds. Cut the cucumber into smaller chunks and put them in a food processor or juicer. Add the orange juice and all other ingredients and pulse till smooth. You can seive the juice if you wish or directly pour it into glasses. Seiving might result in missing out on the fibrous nutrition of the juice. Cover and chill in the refrigerator till serving time. 

Eggless Orange and Cranberry Cake with Cinnamon Sugar Crust

It was my Father-in-law's birthday last weekend and, though he stays miles away from us, I thought of baking a simple eggless cake to remember him on this day. We are going for a 2-week long India trip this week and so while the excitement of meeting family and friends is building up, the anxiety of last minute packing is also settling in. Nonetheless, I will really miss blogging and will surely try and post some recipes in between of the local food out there. I hope all of you have a blessed Durga Puja!!

Ingredients

11/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup brown sugar (regular sugar is also fine)

3/4 cup yogurt.

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp of orange/lemon zest

1/3 cup dried cranberries rolled in 1 tbsp flour to avoid sinking

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon 

Direction

Preheat oven to 180 degree celsius. 

Take a round/bundt cake pan and grease well. Keep aside. 

Sift the flour and baking powder and keep aside.Take a separate bowl and beat oil and sugar till light and fluffy. Take yogurt in a bowl and whip it till creamy and smooth. Now add the baking soda and mix. Let it stand for 3-5 minutes till foamy and frothy. 

Add the orange/lemon zest, orange juice, and vanilla to the sugar and oil mixture and whip. Now fold in the flour and the cranberries and beat till smooth and no lumps remain. The batter will be quite thick at this point. Now gently fold in the foamy and frothy yogurt and mix in one direction till everything is well combined. Do not overmix as the trapped air might escape and you may get a flat cake. Mix the 2 tbsp brown sugar and cinnamon and keep aside. 

Pour the cake batter into the cake pan. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top evenly at all places and bake at 180C degrees / 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes.Test it in the center to check if cake is done by inserting a toothpick.

Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing.

This cake tastes even better the next day after refrigeration and slices well.

Gluten Free Crunchy Quinoa Thin Crust Pizza Base

Pizza is ideally considered as a junk food considering the ingredients that go into its making. However, modern day homemakers know exactly how to work around the ingredients and still enjoy this Italian hot favorite without compromising on the taste or the crunch. Today's pizza base is a good news for all who crave for a pizza but are either too lazy to knead the dough (like me) or too concsious about the calories (again like me). I am head-over-heels in love with Quinoa and today I got a little more crazy about this wonder grain. It is the simplest pizza base you would have ever made!! Trust me!

Ingredients

3/4 cup quinoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley (you can use any spice mix as per your taste)

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste (be careful while adding salt as the pizza sauce will also have some in it)

Direction

Wash and rinse the quinoa thoroughly 3-4 times. This is important to have a bitterless base as quinoa can sometimes turn quite bitter. Now soak the quinoa in sufficient water either overnight or at least for 5-6 hours. I soaked it in the morning for preparing in the night. 

Now again wash and rinse the soaked quinoa 3-4 times and drain the water. Transfer the quinoa into a grinder and add all other ingredients. Grind to a smooth paste and add water only as required to get it smooth. Excess water might prove difficult to get a crunchy base. 

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree celsius on toast mode (both rods). Line a pizza pan with parchment paper and gently spray cooking oil or grease it with your hands. Now pour the batter into the prepared plate and spread out evenly to cover the entire plate. The more thinly you spread the thinner base you will get and more crunchier. However take care not to leave any gaps in between. The batter consistency will be the same as South Indian Vada batter. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes till crunchy and golden on top. Remove from oven. You should be able to see that it is starting to curl up from the sides. Now carefully flip it without breaking and bake for another 5-10 minutes on the other side. If you feel that the base is still quite soft at the time of flipping, bake for another 5 minutes till firm and then flip. Also, adjust the temperature of the oven if you see quick browning. 

Once you pizza base is ready and baked on both the sides, spread your favorite pizza sauce and toppings as desired and bake in the oven for another 5-10 minutes till the cheese starts melting or toppings are done. Enjoy your yummy healthy pizza!