Why & How To Make Baking Ingredients From Scratch (Healthy Recipes Collection)

Well, we continue to harp on the fact that a wholesome balanced diet is a way to stay healthy. This includes whole grains, millets, legumes, and pseudocereals (such as quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, water chestnut).

Depending on one grain or cereal does not deliver the same dietary benefits, especially as our diets are drained of nutrition. So why not include different types of cereals and pseudocereals in our diet to make the most of each ingredient. What's more, even those with gluten intolerance can enjoy their meals, snacks, and tea time like never before. We have all types of flours available these days. 

But there is a lack of trust factor. 

Why?

The increasing amount of adulteration of food (including contamination) leaves us with doubts as to whether we are actually eating healthy in the name of health. I suggest avoiding marketing gimmicks and tall claims of food businesses that try to sell nutritionally deficient goods under the garb of such terms that sell - oats cookies (tons of such cookies that sell on the market are hardly 8-10% oats and 60-80% maida). 

Can you believe this? It's just one example.

I remember my school lessons where we read about food adulteration - during those days, dad would tell that Haldi (turmeric) is adulterated, pulses are adulterated...there were a handful of products that we could pick and dub as impure. But the story is different today.

Commercialization of all things has added to the adulteration burden on our health. Pick one product that you can happily claim to be 100% pure.  Can you think of one?

Then imagine the health impact of adulterated food!!! Food for thought!

True, when someone sells at a commercial level, they are bound to use some ingredients that we call unhealthy, including preservatives, additives, and flavoring agents. Your very own vanilla essence is nothing but a chemical. So when you use it in your Healthy bakes, you spoil the game. Instead opt for a pure form of vanilla - powdered vanilla, vanilla bean, or vanilla extract.

I can go on and on and on. Because I love to make everything from scratch. Because I want to eat as healthy as possible (call me a health maniac). Because I do not trust brands. So I try to create my own ingredients (of course, that I can create at home).

Making your own ingredients is a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. Then once it's ready, preservation is another issue that you must be aware of because homemade is healthy and undulterated and preservative-free, so you ought to find a way to keep your homemade products safe from spoilage. 

To me, refrigeration is the best way to keep everything safe.

Food Adulteration is REAL

 Food adulteration is more than adding artificial colors and additives. When we were kids, our science lessons taught us of some kind of adulteration in food, and dad would specifically mention the addition of stones in pulses, papaya seeds in black peppercorns, and brick powder in red chili powder.. But there is much more to food adulteration than this. By consuming adulterated food products on a regular basis, we are risking our life and health. This brings us to the topic of discussion - why make your own ingredients from scratch at home?

According to a startling report shared by the Food Safety Standards Association of India (FSSAI) in 2018-2019, 28% of the samples were adulterated. 

We hear a lot about the adulteration of food in India. Recently, honey samples from top brands were collected and tested for safety and purity. Unfortunately, 75% of the samples proved fake or adulterated with sugar syrup.

You CONSIDER honey a healthier alternative to sugar, right? You tend to replace sugar with honey, considering it full of vitamins and minerals that will boost your immunity. But what do you get in return?

Food for thought! 

what can we do to keep a check on food adulteration? Well, while we cannot stop the adulteration of food, we can take a few steps to ensure our families eat healthy and right.

So why not make our own food at home from scratch?

Of course, you have a big excuse that you do not have time to do so. Well, I agree you are a working woman with kids and hardly find time to manage everything together. Putting the burden of making your own food at home is like asking for too much.

But I do that too. I am a working professional as well. What keeps me going is dissatisfaction, disbelief, and loss of trust. Remember, everyone is trying to make a business and increase their ROI.  Adulteration is one of the easiest ways to make money from a handful of products. 

For example, you go to the market to buy a packet of millet flour. But are you 100% sure that what you are buying is 100% millet atta? Are there no chances of adulteration? 

I make my own millet flour at home, which has more fiber, more protein, and health written all over it. Can your store-bought millet atta give you that confidence and returns?

Think!

You might be surprised to learn that there is a significant difference between the taste of packaged ragi atta and the homemade finger millet flour. 

Food Adulteration then 'n Now

That's the reason our parents would take the pain to mill their own grains and make flour. I have seen my hardworking parents, who were both government employees, take up this project to make their hygienic, whole grain atta at home. It was a kind of celebration for us - watching out parents carrying the huge loads of whole wheat on their shoulders, washing the grain tens of times, and then spreading every single grain on piles of sheets for sun-soaking for days. They had to protect their project from pigeons, crows, sparrows, and others birds, who would love to party on the sunbathing whole wheat.

In the evenings, they would bring their sun-soaked grain inside the rooms and shift them back to the open at dusk and repeat the process until the grains were fully dried. Then we would wait for the next weekend for dad to take the pile of whole wheat to a mill and get it milled. Those were the days!

Think of adulteration then and compare it today. 

Even Soil Contamination (Adulteration)

Do you love drinking water from an earthen pot? Back in childhood, when owning a refrigerator was luxury, these earthen pots served as natural  freezers. It was fun taking water from a ghada (pot). Sadly, then we used to compare a pot with a fridge and associate a ghada with poverty. When someone would buy a refrigerator, it was a huge day in their lives and party for everyone around . Then everyone forgot about ghadas and the markets were flooded with refrigerators. Yes, every home invested in a fridge - for that thanda thanda cool cool effect!!! Now, we are going back to these earthen pots and when you fill these with water, the aroma of earth bewitches your senses. My mouth starts to water every time I drink from this cute little table pot that gives me company all day long and quenches my thirst . I drink water even when I am not thirsty. Picture is for reference. I do keep it covered with a cute little lid. Sadly, these days when everything is adulterated, even the sand, clay, and soil are impure and contaminated. Presently staying in a village in Odisha, we have a Potter colony in the neighborhood. Luckily, we know where the source of the soil is. PS: If you do plan to buy a mitti ka ghada, avoid investing in one with a plastic tap. Go for one like this. Small ghadas are also easy to carry in your bag. LOL. I keep one on my table and enjoy mitti ka pani..... chalo thoda minerals yahan se bhi le liya jayee 🙂 (but only if you are sure the mitti is pure and not adulterated)

Let's keep this post to liquids and fats. I Will post more homemade ingredient ideas in the next post.

Healthy Recipes

Aquafaba

Step-by-step Aquafaba recipe An excellent alernative to egg in a baked goody, aquafaba is a dream  substitute that lends a whiff of air to cookies and cakes. I am yet to experiment further with aquafaba, but it's not for nothing that the world is raving about chickpea brine. I did try out a baked chickpea ladoo (oil free) with aquafaba and it tastes yum,

Homemade coconut butter recipe (one ingredient)

How to make coconut butter with 1 ingredient alone This dairy-free butter melts like real butter. Can be used in cookies, cakes, stir fries, curries, chocolates, and what not by vegans. It can be applied topically as well to get a glowing skin!

Homemade flax gel for aquafaba

Wondeirng how to make flax gel at home? Homemade flaxmeal gel recipe is easy. Looking for the instant recipe of flax gel? Here is one simple recipe to make flax gel for skin. The instant flax gel for hair works effectively and has immense benefits for your hair health. Flax seeds are rich in omega 3 and 6 fatty acids that are essential for your overall health.  You can use this edible gel on your hair and skin. Of course, since it is edible, you can use it as a thickener for curries. You will find that the more it is heated, the thicker it will become.

Besides, another surprising use of flax gel is in the making of flax meringue. I have not yet tried it, but it is very possible since flax gel or flax egg is quite gooey and would make a perfect base for meringue.  Okay, so let's come back to the instant flax gel recipe. 

Homemade peanut butter (1-ingredient)

Homemade ghee

Homemade butter without machine

Almond butter

Have you tried homemade almond butter? wondering how to make almond butter cookies raw and without oil?I f you are yet to try, then go for this super easy, single ingredient homemade almond butter recipe. What's more, the almond butter recipe is only almonds and nothing else goes in making this creamy butter from almonds.

Butterscotch recipe

Golden syrup with jaggery

Wondering how to make golden syrup with jaggery without sugar as a honey substitute in baking, especially as a lockdown recipe? Have you tried making golden syrup for Mooncake at home or jaggery syrup? If you are wondering how to make jaggery syrup the right way, then I bring to you my SECRET recipe. Perhaps this is the easiest way to make homemade golden syrup with jaggery. If you have been wondering whether a homemade golden syrup recipe is possible without refined sugar, then do not forget to check the recipe to make golden syrup at home.

Sunflower seed butter

Pistachio butter recipe

How to make healthy mayonnaise recipe without dairy

Are you looking for a healthy mayonnaise recipe?what's in a mayo that you are looking for a healthy vegan mayonnaise alternative without egg, oil (requested recipe)? well, you don't want kids to eat Store bought junk because it is laden with trans fat, fillers, colors, additives, and all the bad stuff that force you to seek a healthy mayo substitute. this vegan mayonnaise is still rich in fat from cashews but this alternative is still healthier than the packaged stuff. 

Homemade tomato sauce without heating (lacto-fermented ketchup recipe) Vitamin B12 rich

ever tried making probiotics-rich lacto fermented ketchup or tomato sauce? if you are yet to try out lacto fermentation, then this healthy recipes channel can help. I have started a series on natural ferments that you may want to try out as foods for gut health. 

Rich in b vitamins, the vegan tomato ketchup is an appetizer, digestive aid and yummylicious spread. Lacto-fermented tomato sauce stays good for at least 3 months in the fridge and has a longer shelf life in the freezer. However, I advise making a small batch and enjoying it fresh, though the flavors would continue to develop as the sauce ferments at a slow pace in the refrigerator. Call it a lacto fermented tomato hot sauce or probiotic-rich gut-friendly ketchup, the recipe for Indian homes is perfect where storebought junk is often indulged in.

Homemade Schezwan sauce recipe (easy and quick method)

Schezwan sauce is hot, spicy, sweet chutney with a hint of tang. the popular Chinese sauce recipe without soy sauce is my innovation to cut down on the cooking job and effort on your part and make it easier for you to make homemade healthy Schezwan sauce at home in airfryer. I loved it for its sweet and tang notes but it's spicy and I am far from too hot stuff. Please adjust ingredients as per your taste preferences.

Nutella with sunflower seed butter, dates (vegan)

Looking for a healthy nutella recipe with dates and cocoa powder and without nuts, which is dairy free, nut free and gluten-free? You may call it a dates chocolate spread . 

Perhpas here you have the best recipe of homemade nutella or healthy chocolate spread recipe without nuts here, which is also sugar-free. yummy and healthy, the seed Nutella stays good for 3-4 days or little longer in fridge. The homemade  Nutella with cocoa powder appeals to kids and elders alike. 

Cashew butter recipe

There is a right and wrong way to make cashew butter at home with one ingredient in airfryer. this airfryer indian recipe shows the right way to butter cashew and make rich, creamy and delicious cashew spread that can be relished as a toast or you can add cashew butter to make rich, sumptuous cashew treat. Nut butter is a healthier choice to clarified butter. 

It makes a perfect vegan butter for those looking for healthy vegan choices. It is ideal for those with lactose intolerance and sensitivity to dairy products. Alternatively, nut butter makes a healthier option to butter, desi ghee, and cream or for that matter, mayonnaise, cream toppings, and what not! But when it comes to picking the healthiest of nut butter, which one would you pick?

Coconut butter

Oil-free Vegan cheese spread

here's presenting a gut friendly vegan cheese spread in india, which seconds as lacto fermented hummus too. I love this Oil free dairy free cheese spread to toast on sourdough bread, enjoy with sourdough pita bread or sourdough crackers. I even enjoy the probiotic rich hummus with rice.

Homemade whey and hung curd recipe

Homemade khoya or condensed milk without sugar

How to set curd (thick, sweet curd with almonds)

How to make apple cider vinegar at home

How to make probiotic-rich hummus in India

Oil-free hummus and pita bread are a match made in haven. but lacto Fermentation takes this combination to another level. I see fermentation as a magical journey in which flavors transform into addiction. Fermentation is a magical way to preserve foods that you are able to otherwise. The depth of flavor is to die for.  The end result is a deeply flavor-forward ferment, packed with beneficial bacteria. #lactofermentationinindia #probioticsinindia #probioticfoodsinindia

How to make lemon squash/syrup with jaggery

looking for a lemon juice with jaggery recipe? lHow to make lemon syrup for jaggery lemonade for a Year? Since the health bug has bitten me badly, I try to rewrite and recreate recipes to make them healthier and this  nimbu pani with jaggery recipe is a dotting example. In fact, all of the healthy recipes on the channel reflect what I preach. I practice what I preach. Here's presenting my favorite lemon sharbat recipe with jaggery. the recipe is inspired by Anita Chahal aunty's nimbu ka squash recipe. Homemade lemon squash/syrup with jaggery, no heating

Homemade Tahini recipe

Hello everyone! Let's make "soaked sesame seeds recipe of tahini" today. No, I am not kidding! Perhaps you are here after reading the title to find how to make tahini in India? Sesame seeds are a staple in the Mediterranean, and they have mastered the art of making tahini at home. Perhaps, the sesame seeds paste finds a place in their cuisine and recipes, which of course, are healthy. Of course,  the Mediterranean diet is known as the healthiest diet in the world. No doubt about it.

Homemade Cream cheese with probiotics (lacto fermented)

Strengthen your body's immunity with indian fermented food recipes in the form of cream cheese recipe in Indian climatic conditions. Probiotic rich food ferments are immunity builders. What makes a healthy spread recipe, which is probiotic rich food ferment? Boosting immunity is on our priority list and fermented cream cheese recipe can come in handy. Here is one recipe to improve your gut health. Yes, this is good for gut health. Let's make probiotic-rich fermented cream cheese today.

How to make chia seeds egg for baking

If you are unsure how to make chia seeds egg for weight loss, here's the easiest way to do so. Just 1 tbsp of chia seeds everyday is needed for a metabolism boost and weight loss. Chia seeds egg tastes yum and is overloaded with nutritional benefits. you ought to include these omega 3 fatty acids in your diet for a dietary fiber punch.