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.

Crispy Oven Roasted Chickpeas

Dried Chickpeas - 2 cups
Water - 2 cups
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt
Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Cook in the pressure cooker with 2 cups of water till done. Do not overcook. The chickpeas should hold their shape well and should not be mushy.

Using a kitchen towel dry the chickpeas well.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the chickpeas in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil on top and sprinkle salt, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Roast for around 40 minutes, stirring them once in between, till the chickpeas turn light brown and become crisp.

Cool and store in an airtight container.

Coconut filled Sweet Appam

For the coconut filling :
Fresh grated coconut - 1 coconut
Dark Jaggery / Molasses - 1 cup approximately, depending on the quality of the jaggery and sweetness desired
Water - 2 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1/2 tsp



Place the jaggery in a large heavy pan with 2 tbsp. water and put it on medium flame. Once the jiggery melts, add the grated coconut.



Continue to stir once in a while. Slowly the coconut gets cooked and the mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Now stir continuously till the mixture is almost dry and leaves the sides of the pani. Add the ghee and mix well.



Remove it from heat and leave it aside to cool down a little.
For Appam :
White Rice - 1 cup
Urad Dal - 1/2 cup
Water - 5 cups


Ghee for cookin the appams


Mix rice, dal and water and soak overnight or for a few hours.


Remove from the soaked water and blend the mixture in a blender with a few tbsp. of fresh water till it becomes a smooth paste.


Cover and keep the paste overnight  to ferment.


Once it is fermented, add a little water to the rice dal paste and mix well to make a thick pancake like batter.


Heat a abelskiver / paniyaram pan and add a little bit of ghee to each of the holes. Drop a tsp of batter and then put small portions of the coconut mixture. Add some batter again to cover the filling. Now cover the pan, reduce the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes. Then turn the appams and cook on the other side till brown and crispy.


Serve hot as it is or with chilled sweet thickened milk.


Adapted from http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2016/01/jaggery-and-coconut-stuffed-sweet.html

Crispy Tahini Kale Chips

 

Lacinato Kale / Dinosaur Kale - 1 bunch
Tahini / Sesame Paste - 4 to 5 tbsp
Ground Flax Seeds - 4 tbsp
Olive Oil - 1 to 2 tbsp (as required)
Garlic Cloves - 2, minced
Rock Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Ground Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 275F
Mix tahini, flaxseeds, garlic, salt, pepper together. Add olive oil as required to make a thick paste. Keep aside.

Wash kale leaves well and dry completely. Tear the leaves into bite sized pieces and discard the middle stem.

Massage the kale leaves with the tahini paste to coat all the leaves well. Place in a single layer on a couple of foil lined baking sheets.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes till the kale is completely dry and crispy.

Maple Roasted Nuts

 

Raw Nuts - 5  cups (I used a mix of Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Pistachios, Peanuts)
Pure Maple Syrup - 1/3 cup
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Sea Salt - a sprinkle

Preheat oven to 325F. Line two baking sheets with foil or parchment paper.

Mix all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon and place them in a single layer on the baking sheets.

Bake for around 10 to 15 minutes, stir the nuts and bake again for 10 minutes. Keep a close watch on them as they can turn brown and bitter easily.

Remove from heat, cool completely and store in an airtight container.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almond Cracker with Sesame and Poppy Seeds

Blanched Almond Flour – 1¼  cups
Salt – 1/8th tsp
Olive Oil  – 1 tbsp
Egg – 1
Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp.
Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp
Coarsely crushed black pepper – ¼ tsp

Preheat oven to 300F.

Mix almond flour, salt, pepper together.

Add egg and oil to almond flour and mix well.

Roll into a dough and press the dough between two parchment papers.

Roll the dough into a thin square. Remove the top parchment paper. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto a baking sheet.

Cut the dough into 2 inch squares with a knife. Brush the top with egg white and sprinkle sesame and poppy seeds.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven immediately and allow to cool.  Do not over bake as the crackers can turn brown quickly and get bitter.

Can be serve with butter, cheese and jam.

 

Oats, Coconut, Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Old Fashioned Rolled Oats - 1 cup
Any Puffed Grains - 1/2 cup (optional, I used puffed millet here)
Shredded Coconut - 1 cup
Golden Flax seed Meal - 1/4 cup
Peanut Butter - 1 cup (softened)
Raw Honey - 1/3 cup
Dates - a handful, finely chopped
Slivered Almonds or chopped Walnuts - a handful
Dark Chocolate Chips - a handful

Toast the oats, puffed grains, shredded coconut over low heat for a few minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients and toss well.

Make small balls and store in an airtight container.

 

 

Almond Coconut Brown Rice Energy Balls

Dry Shredded Coconut - 1 cup
Slivered Almonds - 1/2 cup
Puffed Brown Rice - 1 cup
Sunflower Seeds - 1/4 cup
Mejdool Dates - 1 cup, finely chopped
Almond Butter - 1 cup
Honey - 1/3 cup

Toast the puffed rice in a skillet over low heat until crispy. Add the shredded coconut and the rest of the nuts and roast for a couple of minutes more. Remove and keep aside.

In the same skillet add the almond butter and melt over very low heat. When the butter has completely melted, add the honey and add in the dates and toasted mixture. Toss well and remove from heat.

Once it is cool enough to handle, make small balls. If they are sticky, wrap individually in cling wrap. Store in an airtight container.

 

Almond Crackers

 

Blanched Almond Flour – 1¾  cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Olive Oil – 1 tbsp
Egg – 1
Coarsely crushed black pepper – 1/2 tsp

Preheat oven to 350F, preferably on convection heat.

Mix almond flour, salt, pepper together.

In a separate bowl whisk egg and olive oil together.

Stir the egg mixture to almond flour and mix well.

Roll into a dough and press the dough between two parchment papers.

Roll the dough into a thin square. Remove the top parchment paper. Transfer the bottom piece with rolled out dough onto a baking sheet.

Cut the rolled dough into 2 inch squares with a knife. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven immediately and allow to cool. If the edges brown quickly, reduce heat to 300F, reremove the baking sheet, separate the edges and keep aside, put the sheet back in oven and continue to bake. 

Makes around 20 to 25 crackers.

Serve with cheese or fruit preserve.

 

 

 

 

 

Kucho Nimki

APF / Maida - 2 cups
Rock Salt - 1/4 tsp
Sea Salt - 1/4 tsp
Coarsely Ground Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Nigella Seeds / Koalojeera - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Water
Peanut Oil for deep frying

Mix flour, salt, black pepper and nigella seeds together. Add 2 tbsp. oil and mix with fingers till the flour resembles bread crumbs.

Add water slowly to make a stiff but pliable dough. Cover with a wet cloth for a few minutes.

Heat the oil on medium heat for deep frying. Take a golf ball size of dough and roll it into a thin roundel. Using a sharp knife, poke all over the roundel and cut into thin diamond shaped pieces. Fry in batches till golden brown.

Cool and store in an airtight container.

Spicy Black Chickpeas / Sukha Kala Chana

Black Chickpeas / Kala Chana - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder / cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur / Dried Green Mango Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Cilantro - a few sprigs, chopped

Soak the kala chana in 3 cups of water overnight.

Drain the water and add 2 cups of fresh water. Cook in a rice cooker / pressure cooker / slow cooker till it is cooked and soft.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the cooked chana along with any remaining cooking liquid. Add all the spices and salt and mix well.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes till all the liquid has evaporated. Squeeze lemon juice on top and sprinkle chopped cilantro. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Peanut Butter Choco Chips Larabar

Pitted Dates - 1 cup, preferably chopped, Mejdool dates are better but here I used Deglet dates
Unsalted Peanut Butter - 1/4 cup
Dark Chocolate Chips - a handful

Place the dates in a food processor and puree until the mixture starts to stick together. Add the peanut butter and pulse again so that the two are combined well.

Remove the mixture on a clean plate and mix the chocolate chips. Using your hands press the mixture to form an even rectangular shape.

Slice into squares and store in the refrigerator during summer months. They can be kept outside in an airtight container during winter.

Adapted from http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/07/01/recipe-homemade-larabars-4-ways-including-nut-free/

Almond Rosemary Cracker, gluten free

Blanched Almond Flour – 1¾  cup ( I used Bobs Red Mill)
Salt – ½ tsp (Preferably use Himalayan Pink Salt or Rock Salt)
Fresh rosemary – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Olive Oil / Melted Butter – 1 tbsp
Egg – 1

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix almond flour, salt and chopped rosemary together.

In a separate bowl whisk egg and butter/olive oil together.

Stir the egg mixture to almond flour and mix well to form a soft dough. If the mixture is dry, required add a little more olive oil.

Press the dough between two parchment papers and roll it into a thin square about a quarter inch quickness. Remove the top parchment paper. Transfer the bottom parchment paper with rolled out dough onto a baking sheet.

Cut the dough into 2 inch squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly golden. Remove from the oven immediately and allow to cool.  Do not overbake as the crackers can turn brown quickly and get bitter. Make around 25 to 30  crackers.

Serve with cheese and/or fruit compote.

Sesame Brittle / Tilgul

Brown Sesame Seeds - 2 cups
Raw Peanuts - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup
Water - 2 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tsp
Cardamom Powder - a pinch
Heat a heavy bottomed pan. Dry roast the sesame seeds on slow fire till they change color to golden brown and are crisp. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan, dry roast the peanuts till they begin to change color. Cool.

Grind the peanuts coarsely using a mortar and pestle and keep aside.

Add a tsp of ghee in the pan. Add the jaggery and 2 tbsp water. Cook on low flame till the jaggery melts and becomes thick and bubbly.

Jaggery should be cooked till it reaches two thread consistency. To check for this, take a cup of cold water and add a drop of hot jaggery syrup to it. If the drop doesn't melt and can be picked up between two fingers, the syrup is ready.

Add the roasted sesame seeds, cardamom powder and coarse ground peanuts. Mix well and remove from heat. Pour on a parchment paper lined tray and flatten with a spoon or with the palm of your hands..

Cut into cubes when slightly cooled.

Masala Peanuts / Spicy Fried Peanuts

Raw Peanuts - 2 cups
Chickpea Flour / Besan - 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup
Salt
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur / Dried Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch (optional)
Turmeric - a pinch
Water
Peanut Oil for deep frying


Place the peanuts in a big pot. Sprinkle salt, cayenne pepper, aamchur, cumin and coriander powder and mix well.

Add the besan. Now sprinkle water and using your fingers mix the besan with the peanuts. The water should only be so much as to coat the peanuts with the spices and besan lightly.

Deep fry the coated peanuts in batches in hot only till they are golden brown and crispy.

Cool completely and store in airtight container.

Aloo Papad / Sun Dried Potato Chips

Russet Potato - 2
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Peanut Oil for deep frying
Paprika

Scrub and wash the potatoes. Slice into thin roundels along with the skin and immediately drop in a bowl of cold water. Wash well twice and soak in water for a few minutes.

In the meantime, heat a big pot of water and bring it to boil. The water should be enough to cover all the sliced potatoes. When the water starts boiling, add half a tsp of salt and switch off the heat. Immediately add the sliced potatoes and leave them for 3 minutes.

Then transfer the potato slices to a colander to drain the water for a few minutes.

Take a parchment paper and arrange the slices in a single line on the paper. Place it under hot sun for 6 to 8 hours and the potato slices turn dry and crispy. If they are still a little moist, place them under the sun next day for a few hours more and they should be ready. They can be stored in an airtight container for a month.

To make chips, heat oil and deep fry them for a minute. Take care not to brown them as they turn bitter when browned. Remove on paper towel to soak up excess grease. Sprinkle a little salt and paprika on top and serve.

Tomato Salsa, "On the Border" Style

Roma Tomato - 3, chopped
Red Onion - 2 tbsp, chopped
Jalapeno - 1, seeds removed and chopped
Garlic Cloves - 2, chopped
Cilantro - a handful, chopped
Salt
Lime Juice - 2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Paprika - 1/2 tsp (optional, only if you want a bright red salsa)

Put all the ingredients in a blender. Blend till everything is mixed together. Leave aside in the fridge for at least half an hour for all the flavors to come together.

Serve with homemade tortilla chips.

Made from Scratch Corn Tortilla Chips

Masa Harina Corn Flour- 1 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Water - 3/4 cup to 1 cup

Peanut Oil for deep frying

Makes around 6 small tortillas

Bring the water to a boil. Mix salt with the masa harina.

Pour the boiling water into the flour and mix with a fork.

Using your hands, knead the flour well for a few minutes till the dough is soft and springy. Adjust the water or flour to make sure that the dough is not dry, cracked or sticky. Sprinkle a tsp of warm water on the dough, cover with a damp cloth and let the dough rest for at least an hour.

Heat a cast iron griddle. Knead the dough again for a couple of minutes. Divide the dough into 2 inch balls. Using a rolling pin, press each ball between 2 pieces of plastic cling wrap to make a round flat tortilla. Place the tortilla on the hot skillet and cook (by pressing all around with a clean damp kitchen towel) till the top starts to look cooked and starts getting puffy.

Flip and cook on the other side. Remove and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan on medium high. Cut the tortilla into wedges and deep fry till crispy and golden brown on both sides.Remove on paper towel to soak excess oil. Alternatively, the wedges can be sprayed with olive oil and baked in a preheated oven at 350F for around 15 minutes till they turn crispy.

Cool and store in an airtight container. Serve with fresh guacamole or salsa.