~< Black bean quinoa burger >~

Ingredients

15 ounce can black bean
1 cup cooked quinoa
1/3 cup Bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
3 green chilies finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Red chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil
Salt

Directions :
1. Preheat oven at 375 F.
2. Wash and drain black beans. Remove as much moisture as possible. Place these beans in a large bowl and mash them well with a potato masher.
3. Mix in all the other ingredients until well combined. Let this mixture sit for 15-20 minutes. This allows the bread crumbs to soak in the extra moisture.
4. Grease your hand and form four patties.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the patties and then bake for another 15-20 minutes.

Build a burger with your favorite toppings and buns.

~< Mango Fudge >~

I made mango semolina cake last weekend which was a big hit. Finished the whole cake in 2 days (no not by ourselves, we shared it with friends). Had some left over mango puree so thought of trying out this recipe. I had made mango Kalakand  a couple of years ago and it turned out real good. However I swore to never make it the conventional way again because it was quite labour intensive. Drying out all the liquid ingredients on stove took more than an hour and that too with constant stirring. So I came up with this shortcut microwave recipe recipe. Took just about 25-30 minutes in the microwave and no constant stirring - not bad at all.

Ingredients :

2 cups ricotta cheese
3 cups whole milk powder
2 cups mango pulp
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cardamom powder (optional)

For garnishing
2-3 tbsp chopped almonds and pistachios
A few strands of saffron

Directions :

1. Mix all the ingredients in a big microwave safe bowl.
2. Microwave it for 4 minutes for about 4 times, stirring the batter in between.
3. Once the batter has gotten thicker microwave for 3 minutes twice. Stir in between.
4. By now the mixture should have thickened. Microwave for 1 minute 2-3 times until you are able to make a small ball out of the mixture.
5. Transfer the batter to a greased setting tray. Garnish with nuts and saffron. Let it cool for 2-3 hors and then cut into squares.

Note :
1. If using home made mango puree add more at least 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Adjust according to the sweetness of mangoes. I used canned mango puree, it already has a lot of sugar in it.
2. Use whole milk powder to get rich texture. I used Nido brand.

~< Mango Semolina cake >~

A very humble recipe which can be made by one and all, no expertise in baking required for this. If you like mangoes you are going to relish this cake.

Ingredients:
1 cup fine semolina
1 cup mango puree
1/2 cup sugar (powdered)
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp Sliced almonds  (optional)
2 tbsp Sliced pistachios (optional)
A few saffron strands  (optional)

Directions :
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a loaf pan with wax paper.
2.  Mix all the dry ingredients - semolina, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cardamom powder.
3. Pour mango puree and oil to the dry mixture. Mix until well combined.
4. Let the cake batter sit for 15-20 minutes. Add baking powder & baking soda. Give it a mix after.
5. Immediately pour the cake batter into the loaf pan and decorate with chopped nuts and saffron.
6. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack and cut after cooling.

Note :
I have used canned mango pulp, if you are using home made pulp you may want to add 3/4 cup of sugar. Canned mango pulp is quite sweet. 

~< Banana Walnut Blender Muffin >~

This is a no flour, sugar-free, oil-free recipe. Perhaps it is as healthy as a tasty muffin could get.

Ingredients :

2 cups rolled oats
2 large ripe bananas (3 medium)
2 eggs
1/2 cup Walnut roughly chopped
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Greek Yoghurt
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Chocolate chips
1/2 cup Golden raisins (optional)

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the 9 muffin cups with paper liners or just grease them.
2. Blend the oats in the blender into a powder like flour. Add baking soda, baking powder and salt to the oat-flour and mix it well.
3. Add bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, maple syrup and greek yoghurt. Blend until all the ingredients are well combined.
4. Stir in walnuts , raisins and chocolate chips with a spoon. Keep a few chocolate chips aside to sprinkle them on top of the muffins.
5. Gently pour the muffin batter to the muffin cups directly from the blender jar.
6. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
7. Bake for 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes and then they are ready to be dug into :D.