Homemade Hemp Milk!

Ever heard of Hemp Seeds??

If you are looking for a quick dairy-free milk alternative, you are in a right place! I am always on a lookout for a dairy free milk options and I make almond milk almost every week. Unlike almond milk, hemp seeds doesn't need soaking before blending, making it a very convenient last minute snack option. Hemp milk is delicious smooth, rich, creamy and it tastes amazing in smoothies. It it an excellent alternative for people suffering with nut and dairy allergies.

Hemp seeds are excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, proteins and all the 10 essential amino acids along with potassium, calcium,phosphorous, magnesium, vitamin A and magnesium. Have I already sold it enough for you? 

Wait.. there is more!

Hemp seeds have anti-inflammatory properties which helps to repair tissues especially after exercise. So carry a nice big jar of homemade hemp milk when you hit the gym or go for a run next time!

Hemp seeds are highly digestible by the body and they are known as immune booster.

Here is what you will need-:

• 1 cup raw shelled hemp seeds
• 3 cup of water
• 2-3 tbsp of maple syrup
• 3-4 strands of saffron
• 1tsp of alcohol free vanilla extract

This is a very basic recipe. You can alter this recipe any which way you like. After you try it for a couple of times, you will know what things you like mixing in it and what others you want to replace to make it to your own taste.

1. Place the seeds and the water into the blender. Start blending at low speed and quickly move up to high speed for about a minute.
2. Strain using a nut-milk bag which can be found at any health food store or online.
3. Add your choice of sweetener. You can also add dates or honey instead of maple syrup. If adding dates you need to soak the pitted dates for 10 minutes and then add them while blending the milk in step 1. For maple syrup you can just mix it up after blending. Also add saffron and the vanilla extract.
4. The milk can be stored in a glass jar for about 2-3 days.

Some variations-:

• You can flavor your milk with cinnamon, cacao or a pinch of turmeric for flavor as well as beautiful color and some turmeric goodness.
• To make the milk more creamier, add 1-2 tbsp of coconut butter to it while blending. It tastes even more delicious that way!
• Try adding sunflower seed butter or almond butter while blending to make it more nuttier if you like. Personally I think hemp seeds have nutty taste and doesn't need any other strong flavors.

Try Peanut butter banana smoothie by replacing soy milk with homemade hemp milk or Blueberry smoothie.

 How about overnight oats mixed with homemade hemp milk for breakfast tomorrow?

Green Mung Bean Chilla with Carrots and Radish Ribbons and Peas Tossed with Simple Lemon Dressing.

How colorful is your meal today?

While I was going through my pictures, I found this long pending picture of bright colors. I enjoyed preparing this meal as much as I enjoyed eating. The Green Mung Bean Chilla is my all time favorite. I always add different vegetables to the chilla batter like spinach, fenugreek leaves(methi), carrots, shredded cabbage, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, thinly sliced green beans and such. In this preparation I tried to balance the colors of the dish by mixing spinach in the batter and bright white and orange salad on the side.

Nutritional Benefits-:

Green Mung Beans- 

• They are also know as green gram. They are famous for the protein that they have in them, but apart from that, green mung beans are also awesome source of iron. 
• They are also high in folate, which is water soluble vitamin-B necessary in production of new cells, DNA and RNA. 
• It's even better to sprout and then use them, as vitamin C which is found in sprouts is missing in the beans.

Carrots-

• This crunchy and deliciously sweet root vegetable has ample amounts of  beta-carotene, vitamin -A, Vitamin K, minerals and anti- oxidants.
• Carrots have tons of nutritional value attached to it. Vision health, anti- cancer benefits, cardiovascular benefits to name a few.

Radish-:

• Another root vegetable high in Vitamin C.
• Radish is excellent for digestion as it stimulates digestive juices.
• They are beneficial for symptoms of flu, cold, cough, respiratory problem.
• Radishes can dissolve phlegm, reinforce energy as well as clear a stuffy nose.
• White radishes (the root and the leaves) work as natural antibiotics against some bacteria.
• Radish is a good mouth and breath freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation.

There is an old saying about radishes - "When radishes come to market, nobody will go to pharmacies."

Chilla is traditionally made up of besan (gram flour) and spices. In this recipe, I haven't added besan at all. The batter is made up of sprouted green mung daal and soaked rice ground together with some chopped spinach thrown in it.

I have also added some ginger and garlic paste along with cumin and coriander powder. 

Soaking time-:Overnight/ 5-6 hours at least

Sprouting time-8-10 hours, depending on the weather.

Preparation time-:15 minutes.

Cooking time-:15 minutes

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients-:

For chilla-

1. Soaked sprouted green mung daal-1 cup
2. Soaked rice- 1/2 cup or more if you want your chilla to be crispy.
3. Ginger- 1/2 inch piece
4. Garlic-1/2 inch piece
5. Chilies-1small
6. Chopped spinach-3/4th cup
7. Cumin and coriander powder-1/2 tbsp each
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for spraying 

For the salad-:

1. Carrots- 1 medium
2. White Radish-1 medium
3. Peas- a handful
4. Lemon juice-juice of half a lemon
5. Salt and black pepper to taste.

Procedure-:

• Add the soaked rice and sprouted mung beans to the blender. Add ginger, garlic, salt, chilies and blend everything well.
• Pour in to a pot and add cumin and coriander powder, chopped spinach to the batter and mix well.
• Heat a griddle / tawa over medium heat and once it is hot, with the help of a ladle start spreading a the batter on the tawa.
• Let it cook on one side for about 3 minutes and then flip and cook the other side.

Putting the salad together-:

• Peel the carrots and radish from all sides and make the ribbons out of them.
• Toss them together along with peas
• Mix some lemon juice with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Pour it on top of mixed radish, carrots and peas.

This is a perfect meal to eat with your eyes first!!!

The eye pleasing meal is headed to 2 events.

1. Dish it out- Lentils/legumes and vegetables
   
2. Breakfast recipes- from My Culinary Creations.

Nutritional Benefits Source-:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_Benefits_of_white_radish
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=21

Raw Mango with Chana Dal / Kairichi Dal

Raw mango is definitely not in season, but I found a really nice green raw mango at whole foods last week and couldn't resist myself from buying. On my way home I was thinking about delicious Kairichi dal( Raw mango with chana dal) that my mom used to make in summer. I am a big fan of raw mango, not the one we get here but the one that I used to eat back in India. Really tangy and tarty! Yum!!!
Without thinking twice, I came home and soaked chana dal and waited  for four hours to get started.:)

Ingredients-:

• 1 cup of chana dal soaked minimum 4 hours.
• 1/2 cup of shredded raw mango
• 1 green chilli- chopped
• 1 dried red chili
• 3 tbsp of shredded fresh coconut
• Few springs of cilantro
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar

For tadka/ tempering

• Oil-1/4th cup
• Mustard seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
• Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
• A generous pinch of asafoetida
• 5-6 curry leaves

Method-:

• Drain the soaked chana dal and pat it with a paper towel to get rid of most of the moisture.
• In a blender, add the chana dal, green chilli, salt sugar and blend well.
• Add the shredded raw mango to the chana dal mixture and keep aside.
• Tadka/ tempering- In a kadai add oil, when heated add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric and curry leaves and dried red chilli. Turn off the heat.
• Pour the tadaka over the chana dal mixture and mix well.
• Sprinkle the chopped cilantro and shredded fresh coconut over the dal and serve.

Note:

• Since the dal is raw make sure you add a generous pinch of asafoetida to make the dish easy on your stomach. Also make sure to keep the portion right (light)..:)
• Also I have noticed that the raw mangoes you get here are not much sour in taste. So if you think, that you need the dal to be more on the sour side, please increase the quantity of raw mango.

Re-posting for the event hosted by Simply Food's Taste of Tropics- Mango and Chef Mirelle's Global Creation.