Strawberry Banana Almond Smoothie

Frozen Strawberries - 1 cup
Ripe Banana - 1 (preferably sliced and frozen)
Almond Flour - 6 tbsp.
Water - 1 to 2 cups
Mejdool Dates - 6, deseeded


Blend everything together in a high speed blender for 30 seconds and serve immediately.

Quinoa with Mushroom, Walnut and Fried Egg

Another quick and healthy quinoa recipe. This dish has tons of protein from the quinoa, mushroom and egg. Walnuts add a nice crunch and a healthy dose of omega 3 fatty acids.  Tastes great with a side of greens.



Quinoa - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Eggs - 2
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne Pepper - a pinch
Garlic - 4 cloves
Sliced Shitake Mushrooms - 1 cup
Soya Sauce - 1/2 tsp
Red pepper Flakes - 1/4 tsp
Lightly roasted Walnuts - a handful
Any fresh herbs like chives or parsley or mint



Put the quinoa in a strainer and wash it well under cold running water.

Put it in a sauce pan with 1 cup water and a pinch of salt and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer till all the liquid gets absorbed. Fluff with fork and keep aside.



Heat a tsp of olive oil in a castiron pan. Break the egg shell and slide the egg gently on the pan without breaking the yolk. Sprinkle salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Flip and cook for a few seconds on the other side. Remove from pan and keep aside and cook the other egg similarly.



In the same pan, add the remaining olive oil. Saute garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the sliced mushroom and cook for a couple of minutes. Add soy sauce and mix well.



Now add the cooked quinoa and the walnuts. Toss everything well and saute for a minute.

Remove from heat, garnish with any fresh herb, slide the fried egg on top of quinoa and serve.

One Pot Shrimp Pulao

Shrimp - around half a pound, peeled and deveined
White Basmati Rice - 3/4 cup
Ghee / clarified butter - 1 tbsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Green cardamom - 1
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch
Cloves - 5
Whole black peppercorn - 10
White onion - 1, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Garlic - 4 cloves
Cilantro - a handful, finely chopped
Mint leaves - a handful, finely chopped
Tomato - 1, or a handful of cherry tomatoes, grated or half a tbsp of tomato paste
Paprika - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Mixed vegetables - I used finely chopped capsicum and carrot and some green peas




Heat a large heavy bottomed pan. Add the ghee and olive oil and the whole spices - cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorn.



Then add the sliced onion and cook on low heat till the onion begins to caramelise. Add ginger, garlic, cilantro and mint. Cook for a minute.



Add grated tomato, turmeric, paprika and salt. Cook till the tomato mixes well with the spices.


Now add the shrimp. Increase heat and cook for a few minutes. Add the vegetables. Toss well.



Add rice and mix everything together. Add 1.5 cups of water and bring it to boil. Then reduce heat, place a cover on the pan and cook for around 10 minutes till the rice is done.



Fluff with fork and serve hot.



Note : if you want to use brown rice, cook the rice beforehand with some whole spices and cool. Mix in the end when the spices and vegetables are cooked.

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.

Cherry Tomato Salad

Tomato - 2 cups home grown cherry tomatoes, halved
Cucumber - 1, (preferably home grown or from the farmers market), chopped
Jalapeno / Green Chili - 1, deseeded and finely chopped
Red Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Cilantro - a handful, chopped
Lemon Juice - juice of 1 lemon
Pink Salt - a sprinkle



Mix all the above together and keep in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before serving.

Oven Roasted Trout with Lemon and Garlic

Whole Trout - 1, (around 1 lb), cleaned and gutted
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper / a few chopped Green Chili
Lemon - 1, cut into thin roundels and a few cherry tomatoes
Fresh Lemon Thyme / Cilantro - a few sprigs
Garlic - 2 cloves, crushed
Bread Crumbs - 1 tsp

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil. Put a tsp of olive oil on the foil.

Wash the whole fish well and pat dry with a paper towel. Place on the baking sheet.  Apply olive oil all over and sprinkle salt and pepper and rub well everywhere including the cavity.

Arrange a few lemon slices, cherry tomatoes, thyme/cilantro leaves, green chili and crushed garlic inside the cavity. Place the remaining lemon slices under the fish.

Sprinkle bread crumbs on top. Drizzle a little olive oil and bake for around 20 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve.

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.

Tomato Quinoa

Quinoa - 3/4 cup
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green Chilies - 2, chopped
Onion - 1/2, chopped
Tomato - 2, peeled and chopped
Salt
Roasted Peanuts - a handful

Place the quinoa in a strainer and wash well for at least a couple of minutes. Add 2 cups of water and cook on medium heat till the water dries up and the quinoa is fluffy. The quinoa looks transparent when it is cooked. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and once they start crackling, add chopped green chilies, chopped onion and curry leaves. Saute till the onion gets soft.

Add chopped tomato and salt and cook on low fire till the tomato gets mushy and turns into a sauce.

Then add quinoa and roasted peanuts, mix everything well and serve.

Fish in Parchment Paper / Fish Papillote

Fish Fillet - 2, ( I used cod here)
Lemon - 1/2, cut into very thin roundels
Lemongrass - 1 stick, cut into small pieces
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, thinly sliced
Garlic - 2 cloves - thinly sliced
Green Chili / Jalapeno - 1, deseeded and chopped
Mushrooms / Scallions - a handful, (optional)
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Rock Salt
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 400F.

Pat the fish dry with paper towel. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides. Make a mixture of ginger, garlic, green chili, lemon juice.

Fold a parchment paper in half. Place half of the chopped lemon grass on the bottom. Place a fillet on top of the lemon grass. Add the ginger garlic mixture & mushrooms & scallions, if using, on top. Cover the fillet with lemon roundels. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. Fold the parchment paper and seal from all sides. Prepare the second fillet similarly.

Place the parchment packets on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for a few minutes. Cut the parchment paper from top and serve.

 

 

 

Fresh Green Peas & Potato Curry, Maharashtrian Style

Shelled fresh Green Peas - about a cup and half (from about one and a half lbs green peas with shells)
Yukon Gold Potato - 2 chopped into small pieces
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Green chili - 2 finely chopped
Fresh Cilantro leaves - about 3 tbsp. chopped for tempering + some more for garnishing
Yellow Onion - 1/2 chopped
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Coriander powder or Curry Powder - 2 tsp
Salt
Water - 2 to 3 cups


Heat a pan. Add olive oil, mustard seeds, hing, green chili and 3 tbsp. chopped cilantro (do not skip tempering with cilantro, this gives a unique taste to the curry). Add the chopped onion mix well, reduce the heat and cover the pan tightly. Cook for ten minutes, checking the onion a few times in between. Don't caramelise the onion, it should remain white but soft.


Once the onion is soft, increase heat and add the chopped potato, fresh green peas, dry spices salt and about 2 cups of water. Mix well, cover the pan, reduce the heat slightly and cook for about 20 minutes.


When the potato is done and the fresh peas are slightly soft and the gravy is thick, add some chopped cilantro. Serve hot with steamed brown rice.

Sprouted Mung Beans Dosa / Crepe with Vegetable Stuffing

Green Mung Beans - 1 cup
Rice - 1/2 cup (can use brown or white rice), soak for an hour
Salt
Turmeric - a pinch
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - half inch
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp


For stuffing:
Ghee / Clarified Butter - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry Leaves - a few leaves
Green Chili - 2, chopped
Urad Dal / Husked Black Lentils - a tbsp. (optional)
White Onion - 1/2, chopped
Carrot - 1 big, grated (and/or can use a mix of other veggies like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower)
Tomato - 1, chopped
Yukon Gold Potato - 3, boiled and lightly mashed
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Water - 1 cup
Cilantro - a handful, chopped


Soak the mung beans overnight in 2 cups of water in a mason jar. In the morning drain the water and leave the jar in a corner of the kitchen island. See to it that the soaked beans are always moist by adding some water to the mason jar and then draining it completely. Repeat this three or four times every day for the next couple of days till the beans are well sprouted.


Mix the sprouted beans, soaked rice, water, salt, turmeric, garlic and ginger and blend it in a high speed blender like vitamix to make a smooth batter. The consistency should be thinner than a pancake batter. Add the cumin seeds to the batter.


For stuffing, heat a pan. Add ghee, mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves green chili and urad dal. Cook the urad dal for a minute or so till it starts browning. Add the chopped onion and cook till onion becomes soft. Now add the grated carrot and tomato. Cook for another minute. Mix in the mashed potato, turmeric and salt and a cup of water and cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat and sprinkle cilantro on top.

Heat an iron skillet. Brush with oil and pour a ladle full of the batter. Spread with the back of the ladle. Add a few drops of oil to the edges of the dosa.
Cook till the bottom browns. Flip and cook on the other side till brown and crisp. If you want extra crispy dosa, add a little more oil and the make small size dosa.
Stuff with the vegetable mix, roll and serve hot or serve the vegetable on the side with the dosa.

Kale Berry Almond Smoothie

Kale Leaves - 1 cup
Home-made Almond Milk -1 to 2 cups or mix 6 tbsp of blanched almond powder with a cup of water
Frozen Mixed Berries - 1 cup ( I used frozen blueberries and cherries)
Mejdool Dates - 6
Honey - a drizzle
Serves 2

Blend everything together in Vitamix for 30 seconds and serve immediately.

Sprouted Green Mung Salad

Sprouted Mung Beans - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Onion - 2 tbsp., chopped
Green Chili - 1, finely chopped
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp.
Pink Salt
Cilantro - a few sprigs, chopped


Heat a skillet. Add the olive oil and the sprouts. Sprinkle some turmeric and cook the sprouts for a few minutes till they are slightly done but still crisp.


Remove and add chopped onion green chili, cilantro, lemon juice and salt. Mix well and serve.

Mason Jar Sprouts

Mung Beans - 1 cup
Water
Wide Mouth 1 Qt Mason Jar


Soak the mung beans or the lentils overnight in 2 cups of water in a large mason jar.
In the morning drain the water and leave the jar in a corner of the kitchen island, half covered.
Ensure that the soaked beans are always moist by adding some water to the mason jar and then draining it completely.
Repeat this three or four times every day for the next couple of days till the beans are well sprouted.
Can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Nalen Gur Chumchum / Fresh Cheese Balls In Palm Syrup

Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon
White Vinegar - 1/4 cup mixed with 1/4 cup water
Date Palm Syrup - 1.5 cups
Water - 3 cups


Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.



As the milk comes to a boil, add the vinegar gradually and stir the milk gently. When the curd starts separating from the whey, turn off the heat.



Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer lined with cheesecloth or cotton napkin.



Wrap the cheese in the cloth, and rinse under cold water for at least 1 minute, and squeeze well.

Once it is drained, place on a dry, clean plate and knead the cheese by dragging the palm of your hand hard for at least 5 minutes until it rolls into smooth soft dough.



Divide the dough into 12 portions and make them into smooth, slightly flat oblong/diamond shape.



Mix the syrup and 3 cups of water in a big wide pan on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Add the rasogollas and cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes.


Serve at room temperature.

Puran Poli

Chana dal - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups

All purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup
Ata / Whole Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Salt - a couple of pinches
Peanut Oil - 3 tbsp
Warm Water - 1 cup

Gur / Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Nutmeg - 2 pinch
Cardamom - a pinch

Ghee / Clarified butter

Soak the chana dal in plenty of water for a few hours or preferably overnight. Drain, add fresh water and cook the dal till done. You can cook it in a pressure cooker or in the rice cooker. Once the dal is cooked, strain any remaining water, mash the dal well and keep the cooked dal aside.

Mix flour, whole wheat flour and salt together. Add 2 tbsp of peanut oil and mix well with the flour. Now slowly add a cup of warm water and knead the dough. The dough should be loose and soft. Cover it with a damp cloth and keep aside for an hour.

Add 3/4th cup jaggery to a pan and begin to heat the pan. Once the jaggery starts to melt, add the cooked chana dal. Mix together well and continue to cook till liquid is evaporated and the mixture becomes thick and starts to leave the sides of the pan. Add nutmeg and cardamom powder. Cool the puran and pass it through a mincer to make it soft and lump free. This step of passing through mincer is optional but it results in soft puran polis.

Now take a tbsp of oil and knead the dough again. Take a small ball of dough and roll it like a small puri. take a small ball of the puran, stuff it in the rolled puri, seal the edges and squeeze out the excess dough.

Lightly dust the rolling pin with flour and roll the poli in circular direction like a roti. Roast on a medium high hot skillet on both sides till it gets golden spots. Once the puran police is almost done, quickly apply ghee on both sides and immediately remove from heat. Serve hot with a dollop of ghee over it.

Alur Dom / Potato Peas Curry

Yukon Gold Potatoes - 4 big, boiled and lightly crushed
Green Peas - a handful
Tomato - 2, grated
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Black Cardamom - 1
dried Whole Red Chili - 2
Mustard Oil - 1 tbsp.
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Raw Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - a sprinkle
Water - if required


Heat the mustard oil in a skillet. Add black cardamom dried red chili and grated tomato and ginger. Cook for a few minutes and then add turmeric, red chili powder, fennel, coriander and cumin powder. Cook till oil begins to leave the sides of the pan.


Now add the crushed potatoes green peas, salt and sugar. Mix well and cover and cook on low medium heat for around 10 minutes. In between, if required, sprinkle some water so that the spices do not burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.


Before serving, add a sprinkle of garam masala on top and serve hot with steamed rice or any flatbread.


Adapted from http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2016/01/niramish-alur-dom-no-onion-garlic.html

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Apples

Brussel Sprouts - 10
Granny Smith Apple - 1, chopped
Walnut halves - a handful
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic - 3 cloves (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut off the thick stems of the brussel sprouts and cut them into half.

Mix the brussel sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. (For more flavor, garlic infused olive oil can be used). Place the brussel sprouts on a sheet pan and roast for around 40 minutes till they are crispy and brown on the outside and tender on the inside. Turn the sprouts once or twice so that they roast evenly.

Toast the walnut halves in a skillet for a few minutes. Mix the chopped apple, roasted brussel sprouts and walnuts together and serve.

Bhindi Kadhi / Okra in Yogurt Sauce

Fresh Tender Okra - around 20 to 25 pieces, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Coriander Seeds - 1 tsp, lightly crush using a mortar and pestle
Whole Red Chilies - 2
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Yogurt - 1 cup
Besan / Chickpea Flour - 1 tbsp.
Water - 2 cups
Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp + little more to sprinkle on top
Salt


Beat  yogurt, water, besan, turmeric, red chili powder and salt. Keep aside.


Heat oil in a pan. Add coriander seeds, dried red chili and hing. Next add the chopped okra. Mix well and cook till the okra is tender and done.


Add the yogurt mix to the okra and bring it to boil. If required add little more water. Cook till the gravy thickens. Sprinkle some red chili powder on top and serve hot.


Adapted from http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2016/02/bhindi-ki-kadhi-and-small-appeal.html

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

Green Peas Paratha / Green Peas Flatbread

Frozen green peas - 1 lb
Green Chili - 2
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Oil - 2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a few pinches


Roasted ground cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Fennel Powder - 1 tsp
Salt





For the Paratha:
Whole wheat flour - 2 cups or an equal mix of APF and WWF
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt
Water

Oil / Ghee for cooking the parathas







Blend the peas with green chili and ginger in a blender. Remove and keep aside.




In a pan heat oil. Add hing and the green peas paste. Then add cumin powder, fennel powder, salt and cook stirring constantly till the water dries up and the mixture changes color and becomes a little dryish. Check for seasoning and adjust it. Cool the mixture.







Mix the oil and salt with the flour well and knead into a soft dough using sufficient water.



Make balls of the dough, fill them with the peas mixture and roll them like paratha. Cook in a hot skillet with a little oil.


Serve with plain yogurt and hot pickle.

Quinoa with French Lentils

Quinoa - 1/2 cup
French Lentils - 1/2 cup (cooked with 1 cup of water, drained of all liquid and kept aside)
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Onion - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Green Chili - 2, finely chopped
Roasted Peanuts - a handful
Roasted Cashew nuts - a handful
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp


Place the quinoa in a strainer and wash well for at least a couple of minutes. Add 1 cup of water and cook on medium heat till the water dries up and the quinoa is fluffy. The quinoa looks transparent when it is cooked. Keep aside.



Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Then add cumin seeds, chopped onion, grated ginger, chopped green chilies. Saute till the onion turns light brown.




Add the roasted nuts, quinoa and french lentils. Adjust salt and mix everything well and cook for a few minutes more.



Add a dash of lemon juice and serve with fried / poached eggs.