Baked Cheesezee Broccoli

This bake goes to my Hubby who is on High Fat Low Calorie (HFLC) / Paleo diet where,  sugar (in any form), grains, cereals, legumes, refined / hydrogenated  oil, and all high calorie / high in glycemic index foods are not allowed.  Time to time, I try to post few HFLC / Paleo recipes.

I tried this as a trial, but it turns out to be a really good bake. Chewy halloumi cheese with broccoli in a spicy, tangy sauce kind of mix is a divine dinner. Usually Halloumi is used to be grilled or fried but, I used it here to bake as I do not have enough stock of mozzarella, which is the ideal cheese for bake. 

Ingredients :     One  med-size broccoli (cut into florets, stems peeled and sliced or diced)       ;        1/4 cup of Schezwan paste      ;       1 tbsp of chopped garlic (fried in 2 tbsp of butter)          ;          1 tsp of soya sauce       ;      salt to taste      ;        250 grams of full fat halloumi cheese.

Ingredients for Schezwan paste :    15 no’s of Kashmir red chilies      ;      ½  Capsicum        ;           7 – 10 gloves Garlic (finely chopped)          ;      small piece of ginger  stem (finely chopped)          ;         ¼ tsp of  soy sauce           ;          ¼ tsp of vinegar        ;       1 tsp of tomato sauce      ;     1 ½ tbsp. of  coconut oil  ;      salt to taste

Procedure for Schezwan paste :  Remove the stems from red chilies, and soak them in hot water for about 30 mins and transfer it to a mixer grinder along with  chopped capsicum and grind into a fine paste and set aside.  (If require add some water)

In oil, stir fry the finely chopped garlic and ginger for about 2 -3 mins Add into the mixer along with chili paste and grind further to a fine paste and set aside. In a pan add oil, red chili paste allow to boil in low flame till the oil starts separating. Add soya sauce, vinegar, tomato sauce, and salt and cook further about 5min in low flame.   (note : Schezwan paste can be used in pasta and noodles preparation and can be stored in a air tight container in the fridge for month)  

Procedure for Cheesezee Broccoli :  After washing the broccoli allow it to dry and toss the broccoli florets with the schezwan paste, salt, soya sauce and butter fried garlic and spread them on a baking pan.

Sprinkle the halloumi cheese chunks all over the broccoli and transfer into  180°C Preheat oven and bake (without stirring) about 30 – 35 mins or until the edges are crispy.  (As halloumi has got very high melting point, it may not melt thoroughly) Serve it hot.

Chocolate Bread

As you may know, I’m found of doing fusion with basic bread recipes. Since, this month’s we knead to bake 35 challenge was “bread of y(our)  choice” so, I thought to bake a bread with my all-time favorite ingredient “Chocolate”. 

In fact, I tried one with my own recipe but, it turned out pretty close to a cake like taste. So, I go with   Mr.David, (French Chef, whom I regularly follow and read) recipe. I must say this will satisfy both the Chocolate lovers as well the bread.

Ingredient  –   ¾ cup of full fat milk      ;      2 tsp of instant yeast      ;     6 tbsp of sugar     ;     55 gms of Butter     ;      85 gms of bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped        ;         1 ½ tsp of instant coffee powder        ;         1 egg         ;         1/2 tsp of vanilla essence       ;       ¾ tsp salt       ;       2 cups bread Flour       ;       ¼ cup of coco powder        ;            90 gms of chocolate chips          ;        1/2 cup of chopped almond & walnuts

In a bowl add yeast, milk and sugar and kept aside for about 10 – 15 min to activate the yeast.

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and butter to get smooth mixture.

Add the instant coffee, the egg, vanilla, sea salt to the Yeast mixture.

Stir the flour and cocoa powder, then add the butter-chocolate mixture and stir well until well-incorporated. Add the yeast mixture and mix vigorously with a flexible spatula until the dough should be quite moist and like sticky brownie batter. Cover the bowl with damp cloth and leave it for about 2hrs to rise.

Meanwhile, mix the chocolate chips and nuts and keep aside.

After 2 hrs, deflate the dough and add the nuts – choco-chips mixture, using the spatula, fold the dough well and transfer the dough into 9’’ (23 cm) greased loaf pan and cover again with damp cloth for about 1 hour.

After the second rise of the dough, transfer the loaf pan into 180ºC pre heated oven for about 30 – 40 min or until sounds hollow when it tapped. 

Chocolate cup cake with butterfly topper

 

After making the mixed chocolate tray, I left with some tempered chocolate. Want to try some shape like flower or pattern design. While experimenting, the butterfly shape turns out good (I feel so……you may differ!) 

 

Instead of just serving the butterfly chocolate alone, thought to decorate the cake. So, quickly baked a chocolate cup cake and placed those Choco-butterflies on top to enhancement the cup cakes. After all it’s a festive season.

Ingredient –  1⅛ cup of all purpose flour        ;       1 ½ tsp coco powder        ;           1 tsp baking powder    ;      ½ tsp baking soda     ;     salt a pinch     ;    1⅛ cup of sugar        ;       100gms butter melted     ;      2 eggs      ;     1 cup of milk     ;      chocolate chip     ;    1 tsp of vanilla  essence

Frosting – 2 cup heavy cream cup      ;      2 ½ tsp of icing sugar     ;      Tempered chocolate for butterflies

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together into a large bowl and keep aside. With a hand mixer (@low speed) beat in sugar and eggs well and add vanilla, flour, butter and little milk and beat again. Add milk little by little and beat well until all combine to get a batter consistency.

Prepare your muffin pan with liners and pour the batter into muffin cups 3 ∕4 full and sprinkle the chocolate chip on top.

Transfer the muffin tray into 180°c preheat the oven and bake about 17 – 20 to minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. 

For Frosting : In large bowl beat heavy cream with icing sugar until it until it becomes light and fluffy.  Using the piping bag frost the cupcake. (make sure cupcakes are completely cooled before piping the frosting) As the final touch place those chocolate carved butterflies on top.

Palak Bread or Spinach Bread

I posted many bread varieties here. But, this one is very unique just not only by its (green) colour also by its ingredient. 

I am sure, most of the mums like this bread because of palak added into this bread (which is enriched with vitamin and minerals) but, kids can’t event feel it. My son calls it as “Popeye” bread". 

Ingredient – Palak (spinach) bunch (cleaned and blanched)       ;       hand full of  mint and coriander leaves       ;        1 tsp of salt        ;        1 tsp of sugar        ;        1 tsp of yeast         ;       50 gms of butter         ;          3 /4 cup of warm water        ;        2 cloves chopped garlic    ;       1 ½ cup whole wheat flour          ;          1 cup of all purpose flour

 Procedure : Rinse the palak (spinach) leaves very well in running water and remove the stringy stems (if any) add the leaves into  (3 cups)  hot water (about 60 - 70°C) with  ¼ tsp salt and close with a lid and leave it for  2- 3 min.

Strain the palak leaves quickly and add about 3 cups of ice cold water  (to preserve the green color of the spinach) allow it for a minute  and strain the water and add the spinach leaves and chopped mint and coriander leaves in a grinder jar and make smooth puree (do not add any water) and keep it aside.

In a mixing bowl add lukewarm water, sugar, yeast, butter mix well. Add palak (spinach) puree, garlic and mix well. Add 1 ½ cup of whole wheat flour mix in to the yeast - spinach mixture and start kneading the dough. 

Add the all purpose flour little by little and knead until it become smooth and elastic dough but, not sticky. Shape it into a ball and place it in an oiled bowl and cover with damp cloth for about 1 1/2  -  2 hours or till it become double in volume. 

 

Gently deflate the dough and shape the dough into a greased loaf tin and cover the loaf with damp cloth for about an hour or it raise almost at the edges of your loaf tin.

Bake at 180°C pre-heated oven for about  40 to 50 minutes or till the bread is nice brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped.