Oatmeal Cookies

Eggless oatmeal cookies in Marathi

Time: 45 minutes
Yield: approx 15 cookies

Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 + 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
Egg Replacer powder for 2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned)
1 cups chocolate chips or chunks

Method:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C)
2) In a medium bowl, sieve flour + baking powder and baking soda.
3) In a large bowl, add butter and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add necessary amount of water to egg replacer and mix well. Add vanilla and egg replacer to sugar-butter mixture. Beat until mixed. Add all purpose flour and mix well.
4) Now introduce oats to the bowl and mix until well incorporated. Add chocolate chips and mix nicely.
5) Scoop the mixture onto greased baking tray or baking sheet (you can line it with parchment paper to avoid sticking). Press with hand to flatten into disc. Put the trey into preheated oven and bake the cookies for 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown (Tip).
Let the cookies cool on baking sheet completely before removing.

Tips:
1) You can add raisins or dried cranberries to the mixture.
2) Baking time may vary according to oven's heating power and size of the cookies.
3) You can add eggs instead of egg replacer.

Dalia Idli

Daliya idli in Marathi

Time: Prep time-20 minutes (excludes soaking time)| Cooking time- 35 to 40 minutes
Serves: 13 to 15 medium idlis.

Ingredients:
1 cup Daliya
2 cups hot water
For Tempering: 1 tbsp Oil, 2 pinches mustard seeds, 2 pinches Hing,
2 green chilies and 4 to 5 curry leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Urad dal, 1/2 tsp Chana dal
1 tsp Ginger, grated
1/2 cup plain Yogurt, (preferably sour tasted)
Salt to taste
1 tsp Eno fruit Salt
Idli stand
Idil Cooker or normal pressure cooker

Method:
1) Soak daliya in hot water for about 4 hours. After 4 hours, drain and save the excessive water (Tip 1). No need to squeeze out the water. Grind soaked dailya to a semi-fine paste.
2) Heat oil in a small pan. Add chana dal and urad dal. Saute until color changes to pink. Then add mustard seeds, hing, chopped green chilies and curry leaves. Pour this Tadka to ground daliya.
3) Add yogurt, ginger and salt to taste. Mix well. The consistency should be same like Rice Idli batter. If the batter is too thick, add little saved water to adjust the consistency.
4) Add water in cooker upto 2 and 1/2 inches from the bottom. Put the pressure cooker on high flame. Grease the Idli stand with little oil
5) Divide the batter into 2 equal portions (tip 6). Add 1/2 tsp Eno fruit salt in one portion. Mix with a spoon and start filling Idli molds with batter.
6) Once water in pressure cooker starts boiling, put the Idli stand inside. Close with the lid. Remove the weight, if using normal pressure cooker.
7) Steam cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 7 to 8 minutes.
8) Then remove the Idlis with sharp edged spoon (Tip 2). Again add water in the pressure cooker and make second batch of Idli as per the above method.

Tips:
1) Use this water to make sambar. It does not affect the taste.
2) These idlis are made of daliya (unpolished cracked wheat). Hence, they don't become very spongy and light like normal rice idlis. Remove the Idli stand 10 minutes after turning the gas off. Let it sit outside for few minutes. Then remove idlis with a spoon.
3) These idlis are little grainy. Therefore, make some sambar alongwith chutney.
4) Its a good breakfast alternative for diabetes patients who want to avoid Rice in there diet.
5) Add some vegetables like carrot, peas to the idli batter to make it more tasty and healthy.
6) My Idli stand has only 9 compartments. Therefore, I had to divide the batter into 2 equal portions. If your Idli stand has 12 or 16 compartments, then you can make the idlis in one batch.