Oats and Nuts Granola Bar

Now, who would not like to munch on something that is incredibly delicious, ridiculously easy to make and also truly healthy snack?! Well, I am always on the look out for such recipes. Being a nursing mum to a one-yr-old, I am always hungry! I need a snack at any hour of the day. And of course it has got to be healthy.

When I bumped into this recipe by Vikas Khanna in a cook book for kids, I simply had to try it out! It seemed to fit the description of an ideal baked snack! Granola bars are just an answer for such hunger pangs! Guilt-free, wholesome and absolutely yum!

I am fond of granola bars and have been meaning to bake my own batch for quite a while now. I am so glad I chose to bake this as my first as it is simply very easy to make. Very few ingredients and quick to put together. I was delighted at the soft yet firm, chewy texture of these bars. So satisfying and oh-so-yummy! :)

So this granola bar is a basic one with just a few add-ons like almonds, raisins and chocochips. You can get creative with your add-ons and put in anything that you fancy... toasted sesame, cranberries, pumpkin seeds... anything at all! 

Am sure you will love this recipe... go ahead, get baking! :)

Sweet Potato Baked Fries

 

'Variety is the spice of life!' isnt it? :) I love tasting new vegetables and cooking up interesting dishes with them. For me life gets boring eating the same food everyday and cooking the same dishes everyday.

 

But this need for variety is totally a personal want. All the recipes I post here, are outcome of my passion to cook something different in my little kitchen and not really to please the man of the house. No, thankfully.... that is a super easy task!! He loves simple food. Serve him Idly Sambar and loads of chutney along with a cup of hot coffee, daily and he will relish it with equal passion every single time :) But serve him these varieties and he enjoys them as well. Yes, he really is a no-fuss child :D Lucky me, right? :)

 

 



So sweet potatoes is today's star ingredient. I have tasted it once before... or maybe twice. But never cooked with it. Owing to its health benefits, sweet potatoes are said to be healthier than white potatoes. You can read more about this power-packed vegetable here.

 

My family is a huge fan of potatoes and I was only too eager to include its cousin into our regular diet. I decided to recreate my Baked Potato Fries using these sweet potatoes that I had with me. I was sure this would be a winner and it was!! :)

 

The mild sweetness in sweet potaotes gave the fries a very interesting flavour and the fries tasted very different from the regular white potaotes fries. Play around with the seasoning and make your baked fries as per your liking.

Oven Roasted Baby Potatoes | Baked French Fries

Now who doesn't like french fries!? No doubt it is one of the favourite snackies much loved by young and old alike. Given me a plate of fries, and I can just munch it all up in no time, cant you?! Well, it has a charm of its own.  Sigh, the deep frying that goes in to make french fries piles up the calorie content in it, which is the only thing that makes me put on my breaks while munching on these goodies. How I wished there was an alternative!

Voila... there is an alternative... and here it is! :) Here is a baked version of the good old french fries. It uses much less oil and it is as yummy as its deep fried counterpart :) The best part here is, you can customize your potato crispies exactly the way you like it. Add in the spices you like, make it spicey or bland, cheesey or cheese-less  ... well, just go creative :) I have used baby potatoes here just cos I found the little rounds cute :) you could go traditional and use big potatoes and cut them into long potato fingers to get the exact feel of the potato fries. 

So, go on... indulge in this guilt-free snackey :)