High Protein "No Added Sugar" Ladoos

I have been meaning to post, really, but have been busy with a zillion other things. We all are, I know. So today, after a nudge from my good friend, I am back with some more healthy recipes. I made these ladoos using almond meal, so that one can get all the natural goodness of almonds. I used soaked dates and figs to sweeten the ladoos and the end result was a ladoo that was an instant hit. For those of you who do not know what a ladoo is, let me explain. It is a rolled up, ball shaped snack that can be nutritious and filling when one gets those in-between-meals hunger pangs. Try this recipe and let me know how if you like it! By the way, you can make it gluten free if you like by substituting the semolina with millet (Ragi) flour. I have tried it and it turns out just as great.

Ingredients

1/2 cup each of Ragi/Amaranth flour, Almond meal, and Semolina (Rawa)
10 dates and 4 figs soaked in half a cup of warm water for about 1 hour
1 tsp cardamom
2-4 Tbsp of ghee

Method

Dry roast all the three flours together in a skillet with the ghee until light golden brown on medium to low heat. Add the cardamom to the roasted flour and mix well. Puree the soaked dates and figs in a food processor. Pour this puree onto the roasted flour in the skillet and turn on the heat on low. Mix thoroughly and add about a half a cup of water to bring the flour together. Continue heating until the mixture is just cooked (about a minute). Turn of the heat. Once cooled, roll into small balls. Store at room temperature. Should be consumed in five days or so.

Enjoy!

Amaranth and Date Pancakes

Pancakes and fall weather seem to go hand in hand. Out here in the SF Bay Area, fall has arrived with cooler weather, some welcome rain and farmer's markets full of persimmons and apples. So it seems like pumpkins are the flavor of the season (Halloween was just a month ago), but after eating pumpkin waffles and pumpkin muffins I was in the mood for something different. Since I have been making a conscious effort to include a variety of gluten free flours in my diet, in a recent chat with my aunt, Ameeta, she mentioned that I could try to make pancakes with amaranth flour. She gave me her recipe, I tweaked it to include dates and almonds and the result was a wholesome, gluten free, morning breakfast recipe that my toddler loved! Go ahead and try it, it will not disappoint you.

For four pancakes, you will need:

1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 ground almonds
1/2 cup amaranth flour
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
A generous amount of cinammon
Sugar or honey to taste (I used about 2 tbsp of sugar.)
2 Mejdool dates, pitted, chopped
One banana and chocolate syrup (Midnight Moo from Trader Joe's)

Beat the egg and then add the milk and sugar (or honey). Mix the dry ingredients and spoon in the dates. Add the dry ingredients to the egg-milk mixture and mix to form a smooth batter. Pour the batter into a preheated nonstick pan that has been greased with a small amount of butter. Cook the pancake covered with a lid until small holes form. Flip and cook again until the second side is done.

Serve warm with chocolate syrup and chopped bananas.

Yummy!

Oats Dosa

Eating oatmeal on busy mornings can be hard on families on the go! So here is a nice way to eat your oats - Dosas! These delicate crepes made with rice, urad dal and toasted rolled oats are full of protein and the health benefits of oats make them a staple in my kitchen for weeknight dinners.

You will need
1/2 cup of white basmati rice (non-GMO)
1/2 cup of urad dal (skinned, organic)
1/2 cup of rolled oats (I buy the toasted version, organic)
A 1/2 tsp of fenugreek powder
Salt to taste
Water
A cast iron griddle and vegetable oil (Canola/Safflower)

Rinse and soak the rice and urad dal in warm water overnight in separate bowls. Typically you want about 1 cup of water for each bowl. Grind each grain to a paste in a food processor sequentially. Just before this step, soak the rolled oats in a bowl of water for ten minutes or so. There should be enough water to cover the oats plus about two tablespoons more. I grind the soaked rice first, then I add the soaked urad dal to the grinder. Finally add the rolled oats.

Now pour this mixture of into a bowl that has sufficient empty volume above the ground grains. Add salt to taste and the fenugreek powder. Let this mixture ferment overnight at temperatures around 70 F or in the oven with the light on. Once fermented, add some water (only if required) to make the batter of a spreadable consistency and use a ladle to pour the batter on a preheated cast iron griddle that has some oil spread on it with a silicone brush. Spread the batter in a uniform, clockwise circular motion and cook. Flip the crepe and cook on the other side, spreading a few drops of oil on the uncooked surface before flipping. This batter lasts in the refrigerator for about three days! Always smell for over-fermentation, that is a sign that the batter has gone bad.

Serve hot with pumpkin seed chutney, or stuffed with cheese (toddlers love this for a meal, don't be surprised if they eat several crepes in one go!) or with a side of butternut squash sambar! 

ENJOY!

Butternut squash sambar

Sambar is a type of dal made in the southern states of India to accompany rice, rice cakes (idlis) or crepes (dosa). It can be made with an endless combination of vegetables. This version, made with butternut squash, is one of my favorites. The gently cooked squash cubes perfectly complement the dal. They just melt in your mouth. You can substitute the squash with small red radish pieces. Needless to say, this sambar packs an impressive amount of nutrients including protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, manganese and omega 3 fatty acids and calcium.

Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal (pigeon peas).
1 small red onion, finely chopped.
3 small tomatoes, chopped.
1 packet of butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes (I use the one from my local Trader Joe's).
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds.
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds.
A few curry leaves.
A pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric.
1 teaspoon Sambar masala.
1 teaspoon of tamarind paste (available at any Indian grocery store, alternatively, try 1 teaspoon of lemon juice)
Salt to taste.
A pinch of brown sugar.

Pressure cook the toor dal separately.

Cook the squash cubes until just tender in a pot by putting them in a pot of water with some turmeric and getting the water to a rolling boil. Once almost cooked, turn of the heat and drain the water away.

In a large sauce pan, take about 1 table spoon of canola oil and add the mustard seeds once the oil is heated. The seeds should crackle as soon as they hit the oil. Then, add the fenugreek seed, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves. Saute briskly for about 20 seconds.

Now, add the finely chopped onion to the oil and spice mix. Saute the onion until it becomes translucent. At this point add the tomatoes and let them sweat. One this stage is reached, add the cooked squash cubes and cooked toor dal and stir to mix. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup of water to the saucepan and bring the contents to a slow boil. Finally, add the salt, tamarind paste and sugar and mix thoroughly.

Serve hot with rice.

Baked Sweet Potato with Black Beans and Greek Yogurt

Here I am back to blogging about some new recipes again. It has been a long time since I posted a recipe, but then, I have been spending a lot of time making up stories about elephants and spiders, going to the park and mentoring summer students. Recently, I whipped up this dish with black beans and sweet potato that was a happy combination of some of my favorite ingredients. Toddlers will really enjoy this one!

You can make your own variations with the base of black beans, I kept it simple.

Olive oil to saute.
A small red onion, finely chopped.
Frozen black beans, about half a packet; approximately 8 ounces.
Cumin, paprika and chopped garlic to taste.
Salt.
A quarter cup chopped fresh cilantro.
Shredded string cheese (mozzarella).
Plain Greek Yogurt.
One baked sweet potato.
Water to cook the beans.

To make the base with the black beans, saute the chopped onions in olive oil. When they turn translucent, add the garlic, cumin and paprika. Saute for another minute and add the frozen black beans. Mix thoroughly,cover and cook on medium heat until the water from the frozen beans melts and the beans begin to cook. Now add some more water and salt to taste, cover and cook until the beans are fully cooked. Note that you do not want a lot of water in this bean dish, just enough to cook them. When the beans are thoroughly cooked, sprinkle the chopped cilantro leave and cover and allow to cool.

To serve, when the beans are just warm, heap about a half cup of the cooked beans on to half a baked sweet potato. To finish, serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and sprinkle with the shredded cheese.

You can also use some oregano while cooking the beans or add some Chipotle peppers to the beans for a little more punch!

Happy eating.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Just to continue with my theme on soups and stews to pacify a cold, here is another recipe that combines the sweetness of butternut squash and the slight tartness of gala apples. Again, this recipe is a hit with little children and I tend to show my toddler all the ingredients that go into the soup, especially the apples. Yum, yum. Need I add that butternut squash, is an all time favorite with most little children? I use frozen butternut squash on most occasions, given that I have a ton of things to do around the house. I also am extremely loyal to a specific brand of frozen butternut squash, which was introduced to me by a friend and is produced by Stahlbush Island Farms. It is by far, the best frozen butternut squash that I have found in the grocery store.

For the soup, you will need:
A quarter large red onion, diced.
One bag of butternut squash.
Two small gala apples, cut, cooked.
1 tbsp butter.
Salt and black pepper to taste.
A handful of cilantro.
Two cups of water.

I normally cut the apples and cook them in very little water. I place the cut apples in a saucepan and cover them with enough water so that the apple pieces are just below the level of water.

Heat the butter in a large saucepan to just melt it. Now add the diced onions and saute them until they turn pink and translucent. Now add some black pepper, stir, and add the frozen butternut squash cubes. Mix the squash and the onions thoroughly. Pour about two cups of water into the saucepan and bring it to a boil. Simmer, cover the saucepan, and cook until the squash begins to melt into the water. Remove the lid and add the apples, cooking for another two minutes or so. Finally add the salt and chopped cilantro. Let the soup cool. Blend it and transfer it to the saucepan again. Heat it before serving. Enjoy this refreshing soup with some toasted whole wheat bread!

Cauliflower-Onion Stew

Its flu season and everyone I know seems to have the sniffles! Being down with a bad bug is just awful and nothing makes me feel better than a hot bowl of soup or stew. Since I rarely eat chicken, I wanted to make a stew with vegetables that was full of the goodness of garlic and slightly on the spicier side to clear up the sinuses. So here is what I came up with, a simple stew made with cauliflower florets and onions. My little toddler ate it to, and asked for more. Here is the recipe and its super easy to make.

You will need:

One cauliflower chopped into florets.
Half a large onion, sliced.
Four cloves of garlic, crushed, sliced.
Sweet curry powder and bay leaves from Penzeys.
Salt and black pepper to taste.
Butter and olive oil to saute the onion slices.
One tbsp of brown rice flour mixed in a quarter cup of water.
Water to provide a base for the stew.

Use a large saucepan to saute the onions in about 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter. First, add the olive oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter melts, add two bay leaves and the sliced onions. The onions should sizzle if the oil and butter are hot enough. Now saute the onions until they are transparent. Add the garlic and saute until the garlic and onion turn a nice golden  At this point, add the cauliflower florets, stir them to coat them with the onions and garlic and add about 4 cups of water to the pan. Bring it to a boil, simmer and cover the pan to cook the cauliflower florets until they are just tender. This is when you add the curry powder to your stew. I normally add about 1/2-1 tsp but I leave this to you, vary the proportion to suit your spice level. Also add salt and black pepper to taste. Finally, add the rice flour and water paste to the pan, stirring constantly so that no lumps form in the broth. Cover, cook until the stew thickens and serve hot with rustic pita bread.

A Hearty Vegetable Pasta Sauce

Are you always trying to get your toddler to eat vegetables? This vegetable pasta sauce is sure to get not only the little ones, but even grown-ups all excited about dinner. To make the sauce, you will need:

One yellow bell pepper chopped.
Two tomatoes, seeds removed, chopped.
Half of a large yellow onion, chopped.
One carrot, chopped.
One tbsp garlic powder.
One tsp fresh, ground pepper.
Two tbsp tomato ketchup.
One tsp of dried basil and oregano each.
Salt to taste and a pinch of sugar.
Two tbsp of olive oil/canola oil to saute.

Cook about two cups of whole wheat pasta and set aside. Reserve the water in which the pasta was cooked to add to the sauce. I normally add a dash of salt and olive oil to the water when I cook the pasta.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the chopped onions. Once the onions turn translucent or are golden-brown, add the garlic powder and black pepper. Saute for about 30 seconds, then add the chopped carrot and the bell pepper. Let the vegetables cook in the oil for about two minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, stir, cover and cook for another two minutes. The tomatoes should begin to cook. Lift the cover, add the basil and oregano. Stir thoroughly and add the ketchup. At this point you also want to add about 1/2 cup of the water in which you cooked the pasta. Cover and cook until the vegetables are cooked. Now add the salt and sugar. Cool, blend the sauce and transfer it again to the saucepan. Warm up this sauce and add the cooked pasta. Stir, serve hot!

You can add shredded cheese on top as an option. I prefer this pasta without cheese! A salad on the side and you have a meal. Scale up the ingredients for more servings. This recipe should suffice for a family of three, two grown-ups and a toddler if you have a side dish.

Enjoy.