Sweet Corn and Spring Onion Eggless Muffins

A cup of steaming tea and a favourite book, is how several of us would like to unwind over the weekend. Add to this some warm fragrant home bakes, and the picture is complete. Ask anyone who bakes even sporadically, and their answer would be that baking is a delicious stress buster!  The heavenly aroma that wafts through the house when baking some warm bread or muffins at home is incentive enough, not to mention the other benefits of enjoying fresh bakes whenever the whim takes you. The ability to choose good quality ingredients (whole meal vs refined flour or organic to name a few choices) and omit a multitude of preservatives that are found in commercial bakes are another positive.
Having tried out several sweet bakes over the years, I’ve always looked out for chances to bake something savoury. The availability of sweet corn at this time of the year, coupled with the contest at IFBM co-hosted by Freedom Tree swung the balance in it’s favour. Everyone I know would love to own some of the vibrantly coloured Freedom Tree bakeware. So here is my attempt at winning some of them! This recipe is an entry to the IFBM and Freedom Tree Baking Contest.
These muffins are as much at home with your hot cuppa as in the kids’ snack box. Make extra over the weekend, store covered in the fridge and pack some for the kids too.

Here is how I baked my afternoon’s quota of bliss.
Allergy Information

• Contains wheat, corn, dairy. NOT suitable for people with gluten intolerance.
• Suitable for people with lactose intolerance as milk is not used.
• Does NOT contain nuts.

Preparation Time – 20 minutes, Cooking Time – 30 minutes, Makes – 8 medium muffins.
Ingredients

1. Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cups
2. Sweet corn kernels – 1/2 cup
3. Spring onions – 1/2 cup chopped
4. Green chilli – 2-4
5. Vegetable oil – 1/4 cup+1 tbsp
6. Thick curd / yoghurt – 3/4 cup
7. Baking powder – 1 tsp
8. Baking soda – 1 tsp
9. Salt – 1/4 tsp
10. Oregano – few pinches to sprinkle
11. Mozzarella cheese  - 50 gm out of a block

Method

1. Blanch the fresh sweet corn kernels for 2 minutes in boiling water. Or zip in microwave at high power for a minute. Run the corn along with green chilli in the mixer to a coarse paste. A few kernels can remain whole.
2. Clean the spring onions and chop real fine. Measure 1/4 cup packed well. Set aside.
3. Dice the mozzarella cheese into 1 cm cubes, you will need 16 such cubes. Set aside.
4. Whisk the curd /yoghurt along with measured oil in a mixer until homogenous (a few pulses in mixer will do)
5. Preheat oven to 180 C.
6. In a large bowl, measure out the whole wheat flour, add in the baking powder, baking soda and combine well with a dry whisk. Tip in the chopped spring onions and corn mash. Add salt, whisked yoghurt+oil, and use wire whisk to mix all ingredients through.
7. Line an 8 muffin pan with well greased paper liners. If you have a 6 muffin pan, you can bake in 2 batches too. Keep the batter waiting in the fridge for it’s turn.
8. Fill 1/3 of each cavity with batter. Gently place in 2 cubes cheese per muffin. Cover with more batter, sprinkle oregano on top.  
9. Bake at 180 C for 20 minutes, add or reduce baking time as required. Watch out for the last 3 minutes of baking. The muffin is done when the top is golden brown and  a tooth pick inserted through the sides (not centre –it has cheese, remember?) of the muffin come clean.
10. Enjoy warm as is, or with a dab of sour cream.

Sweet Corn and Pomegranate Salad

Ingredients for a salad are never fixed at my home. Assembling a salad is a flexible exercise, often involving the bringing together of whatever is available in the fridge, and finishing it off with a dressing, which is most often a citrus-y one. This salad too was created similarly with foods present at hand. Sweet corn kernels and juicy pomegranate do a pretty tango here, with some worthy add-ons such as red onion and grated carrot thrown in to merrily add to the colour riot. I’ve noticed quite often that my kids need no coaxing to try a salad that is as vibrant in colour as this one.
Apart from being loaded with Beta Carotene from the vegetables and anti oxidants from the fruit, salads help to increase the dietary fibre of our daily meal.
As per the recommendations of the National Institute of Nutrition, an adult person must have 40 gm. of fibre in a day, which includes soluble and insoluble fibre. Dietary fibre is needed for

1. Proper bowel function,
2. To prevent Haemorrhoids
3. To prevent Coronary heart disease
4. To control diabetes and obesity
5. To reduce plasma cholesterol
6. To protect against colon cancer.

Salads are the tastiest way to consume fibre in a meal. In addition, they provide colour, texture and variety resulting in a satisfying meal experience.
Go ahead and make this salad for yourself and share it with me too!
You Need

1. Sweet corn kernels – 1/2 cup
2. Pomegranate pearls – 1/2 cup
3. Carrot grated – 1/4 cup
4. Roma tomato, diced fine – 1 medium tomato

 For the dressing

1. Salt – 1/4 tsp
2. Pinch of sugar
3. Juice of 1 medium lemon
4. Crushed black pepper – 1/4 tsp OR Green chilli – 1 minced fine
5. Red onion, diced fine – 2 level tbsp

To Assemble

1. Steam the sweet corn kernels for 2 minutes in the microwave at high power. Set aside.
2. Remove the pomegranate pearls from the fruit, keep aside.
3. Combine all ingredients for dressing, mix well with a fork.
4. Bring all ingredients for salad together, toss well with the dressing.
5. Chill for half an hour in the fridge in a covered bowl.
6. Serve along with warm pulkas or freshly grilled garlic bread or as a side with tadka dal and steamed rice.

Corn dalia upma

 

A few months ago, I was browsing the aisles of my usual supermarket and found a new product. Always one up for trying anything new, I picked it up right away. Toying with several recipe ideas using the product, I finally decided to play safe and use it to make upma. Clicked pictures as usual and then put up a teaser on my facebook page inviting guesses on the ingredient used and the dish made. There were several close guesses. The first person to get the guess totally right was Lubna Karim who blogs at http://www.kitchenflavours.net. She was so happy to guess the correct ingredient with only the picture on the facebook page for a clue. I was awed by her guessing skills.

In honour, I am dedicating this blog post to Lubna Karim.

Lubna is a multi talented person, and so modest about it to boot. Loving wife, caring mom, super cook, amazing photographer, the list goes on…Lubna recently completed five years of food blogging - hearty congrats to you dear! Do head over to her blog for amazing recipes and pictures that entice you to try out each dish right away!

So the ‘new ingredient’ is Corn daliya – or Broken Corn Kernels similar to Broken Wheat. Also called corn grits in several parts of the world, it is either used to make polenta or cooked into a porridge. Here is how I used the corn frits to make upma that day. This quantity serves 5 - 6 people. Halve the measures to serve 2 – 3.

What’s good about Corn dalia?

Corn dalia, is a low cholesterol, low sodium cereal. Being gluten free, this dalia can replace wheat dalia in upma, khichdi, porridge or any dish – a boon for gluten intolerance disorders, such as Celiac diease, or even Malabsorption Syndrome.

Corn is a fair source of Calcium, Phosphorus and Iron too. The cereal has a better contribution to vitamin A and dietary fibre when compared to rice, wheat or oats.

You Need

1. Corn Dalia – 2 cups
2. Fresh drinking water – 6 cups
3. Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
4. Red onion – 1/2 cup, chopped
5. Tomato – 1 cup, chopped
6. Carrot – 1 cup, grated
7. Green chilli – 3 - 4 finely chopped
8. Ginger – chopped, 1 tbsp
9. Curry leaves – 8 -10, torn roughly
10. Mustard seeds – 1 heaped tsp
11. Urad dal – 2 heaped tsp
12. Salt – 2 level tsp

To Assemble

1. Clean, and prepare vegetables as mentioned in ingredients list.
2. Measure out 6 cups of water and set to boil.
3. Heat oil in a broad kadai / heavy bottomed pan.
4. Add mustard seeds and urad dal.
5. When mustard crackles, add green chilli, ginger, curry leaves, saute for a minute.
6. Add onions tomatoes and the carrot. Stir fry for a minute on high flame.
7. Pour the boiling water into the kadai, add salt.
8. When the water reaches a rolling boil, pour the measured corn dalia in a steady stream into the pan. Keep stirring steadily to avoid any lumps.
9. After all the dalia is incorporated into the water, simmer and cover the pan with a fitting lid. Let cook on the lowest flame for 12 – 14 minutes.
10. Fluff up and serve with onion raita or chutney of choice.

Notes

• Corn Dalia cooks for longer than wheat dalia, so the same upma can be assembled in a pressure cooker also.
• Other interesting uses could be in recipes like khichdi, bisi bele bhath, corn bread, porridge, soups.

Palak and sweet corn sandwiches

Mummy, please make Cafe Coffee Day sandwiches for us! This was the refrain from my kids for the past few months!This was the result of the trial.While the outcome was not exactly like the famous cafe chain,(that version had a more pronounced garlicky flavour),try this version and give me your comments.

You need

1. Palak leaves-chopped, 4 cups (frozen palak can also be used)
2. American sweet corn-2 cups
3. Salt-1/2 tsp or to taste
4. White pepper powder-1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp
5. Crushed garlic-1 tsp (optional)
6. Bread-1 loaf (can be any variety, whole wheat is good)
7. Melted butter- 2 tbsp, for brushing

For white sauce

1. Skim milk-200ml
2. Whole wheat flour-1/4 cup (50gms)
3. Unsalted butter-15 gms
4. Cheddar cheese-100 gms cube (can add more if you wish)

To assemble

1. Remove thick stalks from palak leaves, wash well, and chop roughly.Measure 4 cups after chopping.
2. Cook in its own juices in an open pot over stove top for 8-10 minutes or cook in a  micowave for 4 minutes  (800W).If using frozen palak, thaw and then cook.
3. Rinse if using frozen corn, boil in microwave until just tender (4-5 mins).
4. For the white sauce, melt butter in a thick bottomed pan, add crushed garlic, if using, and then add whole wheat flour, fry stirring rapidly to avoid burning.
5. After the raw smell of flour subsides, switch off stove, add the milk, stir briskly to remove lumps (you could use a whisk too).
6. Return to fire and simmer.
7. Grate the cheese you are using and add to the simmering sauce, mix well and allow to melt well into the sauce.
8. The sauce is done when it coats the back of ladle, add salt and white pepper powder now, and stir.
9. Add the cooked palak and corn, mix well.
10. Simmer for a minute or two until the filling turns into a moist homogenous mass.
11. To make the sandwiches, brush one side of each slice of bread very lightly with melted butter.
12. Place one slice buttered side down on a sandwich maker, spoon some prepared filling onto the slice evenly.
13. Cover with another bread slice, buttered side up and close the sandwich maker.
14. Sandwich should be ready in a minute or so.
15. Switch off the sandwich maker and remove gently, rest for a minute and then serve.
16. Repeat until your bread and filling is used up.

Notes

• You could add boiled peas instead of corn or in addition to corn.
• You could add more of cheddar cheese or add half measure each of cheddar and mozzarella cheese.
• Add more garlic as per taste.

Now for the nutri notes

• Spinach is only a moderate source of iron.However what makes it a great green is that it comes packed with 51 micro gms of folic acid per 100gm spinach, as well as comes loaded with beta carotene (5580 micro gms)  and vitamin C (28mg/100gm).It thus packs a super healthy punch. Given this ideal combination-of folate and vitamin C necessary  for optimum iron absorption in the body,it is a must have veggie on a weekly basis.
• Corn is a low fat, fibre laden, cereal.It is not a signifiacnt source of calcium or iron.However it's low sodium (40mg/100gm) and fair potassium content (151mg/100gm) makes it a good bet for hypertensive patients.
• Cheese loads the dish with calcium and of course plenty of sodium and saturated fats too.Reason enough to use sparingly.While this recipe is a treat for kids, adults can tweak the recipe to add fresh homemade paneer made from skim milk-this obviously ensures calcium without the sin!
• Milk alongwith cheese ensures that your kids' daily dairy protein needs are met in a fun way!
• Using whole wheat bread for the sandwiches gives you carbs of a low glycemic index.
• A dish that has it all- good carbs, dairy protein, bursting -with -good -health -veggies,plenty of fibre and super yummy to boot,Wow.

Here are the visuals

cooking palak

Add flour to butter for white sauce

Add milk and cheese

Add cooked palak and corn to the white sauce

Sandwiches with filling ready!