Banana Dates Oatmeal Muffins

Healthy Banana Dates Oatmeal Muffins are easy to make breakfast muffins sweetened with dates. Quick and easy to make without a use of electric mixer in jiffy. Best way to use overripe bananas in a delicious way. You can send this nutritious muffins as kids school breakfast.

I was trying different combinations to make muffins quick as well as healthy. I alter sweetner and the flour combinations to come up with a perfect one. I used brown sugar, jaggery, dates and honey as a sweetener options and wheat flour, all purpose flour and oats as flour options and tried some recipes.
Finally i am happy with the outcome and here comes the recipe!

PREP TIME

10 min

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME

30 mins

Author: Eliza Lincy

Category: Cakes & Bake
Cuisine: Continental

Makes: 10-12

• 
  
• INGREDIENTS:
• All purpose Flour- 1 cup
• Whole Wheat Flour| atta- 1/2 cup
• Oats, rolled quick cooking- 1 cup
• Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
• Baking Soda- 1/2 teaspoon
• Salt- pinch
• Dates- 3/4 cup
• Banana, well ripen- 2 large (or)3 medium
• Egg-1
• Vanilla essence- 1 teaspoon
• Oil- 1/4 cup
• Milk- 1/4- 1/2 cup

PROCEDURE:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile In a mixing bowl add all purpose flour, wheat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well with ladle or whisk to uniformly blend together.(add 1/4 cup honey| jaggery| brown sugar if you need extra sweetness)
• Deseed the dates and mash it well as a paste or blend to make a puree.

• Add the banana and mash it with fork as a puree.
• Add the egg, vanilla essence and oil and mix well.

• Now gradually add the flour mixture and fold well without any lumps.
• If the batter goes dry add the milk littly by little and mix well till you reach the right consistency. The consistency should be easily scoopable and slightly hesistate to drop from spoon.

• Line the tray with paper liners and fill them 3/4 th with the batter and bake them for 20 minutes till the inserted skewer comes out clean.

• Notes:
• Add 1/4 cup honey| jaggery| brown sugar if you need extra sweetness.
• You could replace egg with 1/4 cup of  yogurt for eggless version.
• You could use all purpose flour instead of oats and wheat flour.

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Khajur Modak| Dates and Nuts Modak

Khajur Modak| Dates and nuts modak is a modak made of dry fruits and nuts. It is an easy to make sugar free version of modak recipe. It is absolutely rich and tasty sweet, which you could make this modak with the rice flour outer shell or without. I loved the one with shell while my hubby liked the one with out the shell. It tastes really delicious with the freshly roasted nuts with a hint of the cardamom flavour.

It is a healthy and rich in nutrients. Festivals adds lots of calories in the form of sugar or jaggery. You could prepare this modak at this festive season and stay healthy.

INGREDIENTS:
Dates, de-seeded- 30 nos (1 cup with out seeds)
Nuts of choice (I had used almonds, cashews and pista)- 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder- big pinch
Ghee/ Butter- 1 tablespoon

PROCEDURE:

• Toast the nuts in half a teaspoon of ghee and allow it to cool.
• Now transfer the nuts inside a mortar and pestle or blender jar; allow it to be ground coarsely as a powder.

• Add this inside a bowl and set aside.
• Remove the seeds from the dates. Add this inside a blender jar and grind to make a paste. 
• Add the dates paste inside the bowl with crushed nuts.

• Add the cardamom powder and mix well.
• You could add some desiccated coconut or poppy seeds if you wish to add at this stage. This adds volume and balances the sweetness.
• Grease your hands and fill the moulds or shape it with hand, first make a ball and the shape it like modak.

• De mould carefully and keep on top of a greased plate.
• I have divided the dates mixture into two equal haves and one half without the rice flour shell and made the other half with the rice flour shell.

• Check the link to make the procedure for the rice flour shell i have made with half a cup of rice flour and filled with the dates and nuts filling and steamed for 10 minutes.

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Dates Pickle

Dates pickle is a Malabar delicacy generally served with Biryanis especially with Thalassery Biryani.
This is an easy to prepare pickle with limited ingredients. This is not similar to the dates chutney served with chats. It varies in taste as well texture, it has the mild spiciness, the ginger and garlic bites in between. Perfect with biryanis as well as pulao. This is a finger licking good pickle.

Dates is rich in nutrients such as iron which is good for the health. I think like the same and buy and will keep it as such. Now on wards i planned to include in my cooking and make some healthy recipes.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time:10 minutes
Cuisine: Kerala
Makes: 1 cup

INGREDIENTS: 
Dates- 1 cup (after removing the seeds)(20-25 nos)
Oil- 3 teaspoon
Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chillies-3
Curry leaves- 2 strands
Ginger, chopped- 1½ teaspoon
Garlic, chopped- 1½ teaspoon
Green chillies, chopped- 1
Jaggery, grated- 1 tablespoon
Chilli powder- 1/2 teaspoon (increase according to your spice level)
Salt- to taste
Vinegar- 2 tablespoons

PROCEDURE:

• Deseed the dates and cut or tear them into two or three pieces.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters add the dry red chillies and curry leaves.
• Add the chopped ginger and garlic and green chillies together and fry in that oil till the raw flavour leaves  and the roasted aroma arises.

• Add the chopped dates and jaggery and chilli powder and saute in that oil for ten seconds.

• Add a cup of water and a pinch of salt. Bring it to boil and allow the dates to cook and become soft.
• Add extra water if you want and allow the water to reduce while cooking and the dull colour of the dates changes to dark and bright colour. The texture changes to glassy smooth texture.

• Once it reduces in quantity the oil starts to separate on sides like halwa.
• Now add the vinegar and cook till the vinegar get absorbed by the dates mixture.

• Switch off the gas and allow the mixture to cool and transfer it on a air tight container and refrigerate.
• Use within two weeks time.

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Banana Date Cake with Walnuts (Eggless)

       Dates are the main cultivated plant in Gulf countries. In Oman 75% of cultivation area dedicated to this date palm cultivation. This fruit is traditionally served with coffee when welcoming guests or served as a dessert. Dates are rich in fibre and contains 20 essential vitamins and minerals.

       Dates does not elevate the blood sugar level due to their low glycemic index. You wont feel hungry soon after having this wonderful fruit. About this recipe i have adapted this recipe given in Y magazine. They adapted from BBC good food's recipe and I have referred both recipes and modified according to my taste and needs.

       Once i go through the recipe in magazine they have added dates paste and banana puree so i thought it must be slightly fudgy cake. So adding eggs is not essential for this cake. And bananas are the good re placer for eggs. I am planning to make this cake for my kids snack box. So i have to make the cake much tastier, healthier as much i can. So i replaced eggs with yogurt and butter with oil. After making this cake i have to say a perfect cake can be made for Christmas.

INGREDIENTS:
Yogurt-1 cup (or) Eggs- 2 if you are making with eggs.
Butter/ Oil- 1/2 cup (100 grams)
All purpose Flour- 1 cup
Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
Baking Soda- 1/2 teaspoon
Sugar, powdered- 3/4 cup
Date paste- 3 tablespoons
Cinnamon- 1 teaspoon
Dates, Chopped- 10 nos
Bananas-2 big
Walnuts- 1/4 cup

For the Date Glaze:

Butter- 2 tablespoons
Dates paste- 2 tablespoons
Honey- 2 tablespoons
Walnuts- 1/4 cup

PROCEDURE:

• Preheat the oven to 160 degrees for 10 minutes as it is a heavy cake.
• Grease the 20 cm pan or fancy cake pan like this with butter and dust with a tablespoon of flour and tap the pan to cover and stick to all over the pan; set aside.
• First we have to make dates paste for this recipe. Take 25 number of dates, deseed them and make a paste by adding little water using a blender. 

• Mash the bananas using fork and mix 3 tablespoons of the date paste prepared earlier; set aside.
• Remove the seeds and chop the dates. Roast the walnuts in a pan till crunchy by constant tossing for about 5 minutes; set aside.

• In a bowl add the yogurt and beat well using a electric mixer or whisk. Mix in oil or butter and again beat well. Now add the powdered sugar and beat well.

• Add the honey and cinnamon powder and beat well. Now add the banana dates puree and mix well till uniformly combined. 

• Sift/ sieve together all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda (to get a uniform mixture); Add half cup at a time and mix well without lumps.
• Add the chopped dates and the roughly broken half of the roasted walnuts and fold inside the batter.

• Transfer the cake batter inside the greased cake pan and level the surface.

• Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes till the skewer inserted at the centre of the cake comes out clean.
• Allow the cake to cool down for 5-10 minutes and remove from the cake pan.

For Date Glaze:

• Add butter, dates paste, honey together and bring it to boil and allow to bubble for about a minute until it thickens. Do not allow much time it turns to jam like consistency.

• Stir the walnuts with this galze and remove from heat and allow to sit for minute.
• Pour over the glaze on top of the cake.

Notes:

• You could use Self raising Flour for this cake. If you use SRF do not add baking powder and baking soda.
• You can replace yogurt with 2 number of  Eggs if you are making with eggs.

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