Banana Ragi muffins

 W The last time we got bananas we went out of town on a small trip...guess what the bananas did when we were not around. They got ripe and started getting their skin all brown and sad. So...no one will touch them. Hence I had to go hunting for recipes to use up those yummy sweet ripe bananas. So I found this banana muffin recipe and I modified it just a tad bit and made it more healthy and it turned out super delicious.

Ragi which is Finger Millet is supposed to have quite a bit of health benefits. Also I like it. It has a bit of sweet after taste to it. Also this is a vegetarian recipe...no egg

Banana Ragi muffins (Banana and Finger millet muffins)

Banana ragi muffin

Ingredients

1. 2 large or 3 medium sized bananas
2. 1/3 cup sour cream or plain full fat yogurt
3. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4. 3/4 cup sugar (You can also reduce this to 2/3) or any other sweetener of your choice
5. 1 cup each of all purpose flour, ragi flour
6. 2 teaspoons baking powder
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. a pinch of salt
9. If you want you can add chocolate chips to it (1/2 cup)

Pre heat the oven to 350 degrees

Mash the peeled bananas with a potato masher into smooth pulp. Add yogurt or sour cream, sugar , vanilla extract and mix until the sugar dissolves. 

Sift the flours and baking powder and baking soda and salt and add it to the liquid ingredients and gently stir until well combined.

Add chocolate chips if using and mix to combine

Line a muffin pan with muffin liners and spray with cooking spray. 

Drop heaped tablespoon of the batter and bake for 20-23 minutes.

Let them cool for 5 minutes before serving

Avocado milk shake

Any new country you go to, there is so much to discover. It opens up your mind in ways that is just not possible by not going to a new land. You see so many new places, new people, new foods and new ways in which people live their lives. Recently we went o Saudi Arabia. It was a very different country in ways I never knew. Other than the language barrier the visit was a pleasant one.
May be I would avoid going there in the middle of summer , or in the beginning or in the end of summer but I would like to visit Saudi Arabia again.
 The variety of food from various countries really surprised me. There were so many things I wanted to try but couldn't . If I ever visit it another time, I know what I would like to try.

One of the things which was a real surprise for me...were the variety of fruits and vegetables available in Saudi. Looks like they import a whole lot of fruits and vegetables from all over the world. The biggest surprise were the variety of drinks and milkshakes...obviously to keep cool and hydrated from the desert heat.

The one thing I would never imagine was Avocado milkshake

Mango, Guava, Avocado and Strawberry milkshake

Avocado milkshake 

Avocado Milkshake

Ingredients:

1. 1 ripe hash avocado
2. 2-3 cups milk or 2 cups milk 1 cup ice
3. 1 tablespoon each of honey and sugar (adjust to taste)

Blend all ingredients together into a smooth milkshake and enjoy