Cauliflower Lentil salad

Fall is here and so is the cold weather. I tried this Mediterranean recipe with a twist to suit the cooler weather.

Ingredients:

Lentils                     - 1 cup
Cauliflower florets  - 1 cup
Cilantro(coriander) - 1/2 cup(chopped)
Tomato                    - 1 cup (chopped)
Green chilli             - 1 (chopped)
Lime                        - 1/2 to 1 as per taste
Salt                          - as per taste
Turmeric powder     - 1/2 tsp
Ginger powder         - 1 tsp
Oil                           - 1 tsp(optional)


Cook the lentils until soft but not mushy. I pressure cooked mine for 15-20 minutes. Break the cauliflower florets into small pieces and steam cook it with salt and turmeric powder. Take a bowl and add the cooked lentils, cauliflower,chopped tomatoes, green chilli, ginger powder, salt and oil. Add the juice from the lime and mix well.
Serve warm or cold.

Quinoa banana muffins

Dry ingredients:
Whole wheat flour                  - 1 cup
Quinoa flour                           - 1 cup
Ginger powder                       - 1/2 tsp
Salt                                         - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder                       - 2 tsps
Baking soda                           - 1/2 tsp
Wet ingredients:
Ripe Bananas                          - 3 (mashed)
Basil seeds                              - 1  tsp
Chocolate Almond Milk           - 1/2 cup
Agave                                      - 1/8 cup
Water                                       - 1/4 cup or as needed


Soak the basil seeds in 1/4 cup of water for about 10-15 minutes.It will swell up to become a gelatinous mixture Preheat oven to 400 F.
Add the dry ingredients to the processor then the mashed bananas,agave, basil seed mixture and blend well for a couple of minutes. Now add the milk and blend till you get a semi-solid consistency (not too dry or too runny).

Fill 3/4 in each hole of the muffin pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when placed in the center of the muffin.

Tips:
1.I toasted 1 cup of red quinoa and powdered it to a flour.
2.You can replace 1 banana with 1 egg or applesauce.
3.You can skip the agave if you want a the muffins to be less sweet.
4.The basil seeds can be replaced with flax seeds.

Red quinoa savory crackers

Ingredients:
Red quinoa flour       - 1 1/2 cups
Whole wheat flour     - 1/2 cup
Oil of choice              - 1/4 cup
Salt                             - 1/2 tsp
Baking powder           - 1 tsp
Paprika powder          - 1 tsp
Dry Oregano              - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder - 1 tsp
Water                          - 1/4 to 1/2 cup


Mix all the ingredients in the food processor until it forms a soft dough.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Roll the dough on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place them on the baking tray. Bake them for about 20 - 30 minutes. My five year old helped me with cutting them into shapes and placing them on the tray.

Baked crackers

Baked crackers

 Tips
1.I toasted quinoa and powdered for the quinoa flour.
2. Baking soda could be used instead of baking powder.
3. You could avoid using whole wheat flour and use only quinoa flour.

Recipe source :
http://www.cookstr.com/recipes/quinoa-salt-and-pepper-crackers-with-almond-cheese

Sun dried sago fritters(javvarisi vadaam)

This was made by my husband inspired by the three digit summer temperatures we have been having in the past few days.

Ingredients:
Sago pearl(small size) - 1/2 pound
Water as required
Salt as per taste
Green chillies - 2
ginger             - 1/2 inch


Soak the tapioca pearls in water for 2-3 hours just enough to soften the pearls with salt. Ensure that the pearls are still separate and not clumpy after they soak.
Then cook it with a little water and crushed green chillies and ginger until it gets to a porridge consistency.
Then scoop a tablespoonful on a plastic sheet and spread to desired shape of 2 mm thickness as shown in the below photo. Let it dry in the sun.

 

It took us 3 days in the Texas heat for it to dry

Once well dried, you can fry it in oil.

Fried vadam

 Tips

1.You can use any size tapioca pearls.
2. Add just enough water to avoid clumping and do not soak for more than 3 hours.
3.The cooked porridge should be thick and not clumpy.
4.The green chillies/ginger can be avoided or you could add more or less depending on the taste level.

Banana corn muffins(dairy free)

With some help from my 5 year old I made these dairy free muffins.

Dry ingredients:
Whole wheat flour                  - 1 cup
Cornmeal                                - 1 cup
Unsweetened Cocoa powder  - 2 tbsps
Salt                                         - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder                       - 2 tsps
Baking soda                           - 1/2 tsp
Wet ingredients:
Ripe Bananas                          - 2 (mashed)
Egg                                          - 1  
Fresh ginger                            - 1/2 tsp(chopped)
Rice Milk                                 - 3/4 cup
Agave                                      - 1/8 cup
Apple sauce                             - 1/4 cup (home made)

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl.Whisk the dry ingredients into  the wet ingredients without mixing too much.
Pour the batter into the regular sized muffin pan filling each 2/3 of capacity. Bake them for about 20-25 minutes or until done.I got 12 regular sized muffins.

Home made apple sauce

Cook half apple(chopped) with a tsp of water and 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder in a covered pan until it becomes soft.Once cooked mash it well.

Tips :

1. You can replace 1 egg with 1/4 cup yogurt

2 Agave can be substituted with sweeteners like honey or sugar(1/2 cup)

3. I mixed 1/4 cup of toasted cashew nuts with half of the batter(6 muffins)

4.Any other non-dairy milk or regular milk can be used instead of  rice milk.

Cashew almond plum snack balls

Ingredients

Home made cashew almond butter - 1/4 cup
Dried plums (prunes)  *                    - 3

Blend the plums and butter together in a processor.Another option is to fine chop the plums and mix it with the butter with your hands. Roll the mixture into balls. I got 8 small sized nut balls.

 *you can use dates or raisins instead of plums.

Almond-cashew Chocolate butter

Ingredients

Cashews(toasted)                 - 1 cup
Almonds(toasted)                 - 1 cup
Salt                                       - 1tsp
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 1 tbsp
Olive oil                                - 2 tsps

Pulse the cashew and almonds together in the food processor until finely chopped. Pulse into finer pieces adding the cocoa powder.

Then add the salt and pulse until a smooth paste. Finally add the oil and pulse for a few seconds.

 

 Tips:
1. You can use raw cashews and almonds to avoid using the oil.
2. I added 1/2 tsp of water in the final pulse as mine was a little dry.
3. You can add 1-2 tsps of honey or sugar if you want a sweet taste to the butter.