Roasted Garlic Hummus

Dried Chickpeas - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Salt
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Paprika - 1/4 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - of 1/2 lemon
Tahini / Sesame paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1 large head

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain and add 2 cups of water, a little salt and cook in a pressure cooker for 4 whistles after full pressure is reached. Remove and keep aside along with all the cooking liquid.

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the top of the whole garlic head by about 1/4 inch to expose a little bit of the garlic cloves. Place it on an aluminium foil. Drizzle some olive oil on top and cover the garlic head with the foil. Put it on a oven proof baking dish and roast for 30 to 60 minutes till the garlic gets soft and brown. The roasting time will depend on how fresh the garlic is.

Peel the skin and sqeeze the cloves out. Take the boiled chickpeas along with the cooking liquid and add the roasted garlic, a little salt, lemon juice, tahini, cayenne pepper and olive oil.

Blend in a blender till smooth. Remove on the serving bowl, drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle some paprika and serve with whole grain pita chips or baked corn chips.

Hummus

Dried Chickpeas - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Rock Salt
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Paprika - 1/4 tsp
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - of 1/2 lemon
Tahini / Sesame paste - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 1 clove, minced

Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain and add 2 cups of water and cook in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes on low heat after full pressure is reached. Remove and keep aside along with all the cooking liquid to cool down.

Take the boiled chickpeas along with the cooking liquid and add the minced garlic, rock salt, lemon juice, tahini, cayenne pepper and olive oil.

Blend in a blender till smooth. Remove on the serving bowl, drizzle more olive oil on top, sprinkle some paprika and serve with whole grain pita chips or corn chips.

 

 

Falafel with fresh Fava Beans

Fresh Fava Beans - 3/4 cup (around 20 pods)
Dry chickpeas - 3/4 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic Cloves - 5, grated
Cilantro and Parsley - a handful, chopped
Red Onion 1 small, chopped
Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Baking Powder - a pinch
Arrowroot Powder - 2 heaped tsp
Salt
Peanut Oil for deep frying

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Wash and leave them in a colander to drain excess moisture.

Remove the fava beans from the pod. Then using your fingers, remove the thin cover on each beans. Alternatively the beans can be immersed in boiling water for a minute and blanched to remove the skin.

Mix garlic, cilantro, parsley, red onion together in a food processor to make a paste. Add soaked chickpeas, fava beans, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt, lemon juice, baking powder, arrowroot powder and pulse to get a coarse mixture. The mixture should be coarse and not very smooth.

Shape into small balls and deep fry on medium low heat until dark brown on both sides.

Baba Ghanoush

Eggplant - 1, big
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Tahini - 2 tbsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 4 cloves, minced
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Paprika for garnishing
Wash the eggplant and dry well. Prick it allover with a fork and roast on open gas flame, rotating frequently, till soft and charred completely. The skin of the eggplant should be completely black and the center of the eggplants thoroughly cooked. This gives a wonderful smoky flavor to the eggplant.

Cool, remove the skin, mash with a fork. Add tahini, olive oil, cayenne pepper, garlic, lemon juice, roasted cumin powder, salt and blend in a blender till smooth.

Pour into a serving bowl, drizzle more olive oil on top, sprinkle paprika and serve. We had ours with chickpea flatbread / besan roti and falafel.

Sending this recipe to the following event hosted by http://cooksjoy.com/blog/2012/06/kitchen-chronicles-only-vegan-event-announcement.html started by http://www.sizzlingtastebuds.com/2011/12/updated-host-list-for-hli-mmk-some.html

Quinoa Tabbouleh

Adapted from http://www.eatingrules.com/2011/10/how-to-make-fluffy-quinoa/

Quinoa - 3/4 cup
Water / Homemade Vegetable Stock - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Red Onion - 1/4 cup, chopped
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Cucumber - 1/2, chopped
Parsley / Cilantro - a handful, chopped

Place the quinoa in a strainer and wash well under running water. Leave in the strainer for sometime so that all the water drains out.

Dry roast the quinoa in a pan on low flame for 5 minutes till it begins to smell nutty.

take a cup of water in a saucepan and bring it to boil. Add the quinoa, reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan(but leave a little opening for the steam to escape) and simmer till all the liquid is absorbed. Cool down a little and fluff with fork and keep aside.

Mix olive lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil to make a simple vinaigrette.

Mix cucumber, red onion, tomato, cilantro together. Add the cooked quinoa. Pour the vinaigrette on top and mix well. Serve as a salad.

Falafel

Adapted from http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/05/falafel-with-tahini-lemon-sauce-recipe.html

Dry chickpeas - 3/4 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic Cloves - 5, grated
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, chopped
Red Onion 1 small, chopped
Lemon juice
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cornstarch / Arrowroot Powder - 2 tsp
Salt

Peanut Oil for deep frying

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain them on kitchen towels to remove the moisture completely.

Add the chickpeas to the rest of the ingredients and grind to make a coarse paste.

Shape into small balls, add a little more cornstarch if required, press between your palms slightly and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Deep fry on medium low heat until dark brown on both sides. Serve with your favourite sauce and a side salad.

Falafel with Green Peas and Edamame

Adapted from http://www.aartipaarti.com/2009/10/28/aarti-paarti-ep-29-pea-lafel/

Frozen Peas - 1 cup
Shelled Edamame - 1 cup
Shallot - 1
Garlic - 1 clove
Green Chillies - 2
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp, powdered
Roasted Fennel Seeds Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Handful of fresh mint leaves
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt
Besan / Chickpea Flour - 1/4 cup
Flour - 1 tbsp
Olive oil for shallow frying

Greek Yoghurt - 1 cup
Salt
Sugar
Mint Leaves - a handful
Red Chilli Flakes - 1/4 tsp

Makes around 10 medium sized falafals.

Mix yogurt with finely chopped mint leaves, chilli flakes, salt and sugar. Chill.

Add peas, edamame, spices, shallot, garlic, mint, olive oil, salt into a food processor. Make a smooth paste.

Add chickpea flour and mix well.

Sprinkle some all purpose flour on a plate. Make 10 balls of the peas mixture. Take each ball, slightly press with one hand and make the shape of a small pattie and keep it on the plate. Sprinkle some flour on top of the patties and pat gently.

Heat oil over medium heat in a iron skillet. Once the oil is hot, place a few patties gently in the skillet. Fry until the bottom is dark caramel brown and then carefully flip over. Brown other side, then remove from the pan and drain on paper towel.

Serve in a whole wheat pita bread pocket with some sliced tomato and onion and a spoonful of the yogurt sauce.