Mung Bean Quinoa Wraps!

Sometime last month of the last year I posted Lettuce Wraps with Quinoa, Green Mung Bean Sprouts and Guacamole and back then I promised that I will be posting Mung Bean Quinoa chillas that you can use instead of lettuce leaves to wrap things in. So here it goes!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup of sprouted whole green mung beans
• 1/2 cup of red or white quinoa soaked in water for 4 hours minimum
• 3 tbsp white rice flour (Just to add some crispiness, but you can totally skip it if you want.)
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 1 small green chilly
• Salt to taste.

INSTRUCTIONS

• Drain all the water from quinoa and grind all the ingredients in a blender. Make sure you add just a little bit of water. The batter should be of a spreadable consistency, not too thick not to runny. Check and add more if needed.
• On a heated pan, start pouring a spoonful of batter and start spreading around to make a round. about 3 minutes on each side and it should have a nice golden red color.

They are also great with my Minty Guacamole Edemame Hummus or Beet Yogurt Dip or Simple Guacamole!

Oats Almond Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Back to back second sweet post! Hmm.....After all, it's the holiday season we are talking about..:) This is a wonderful idea for an edible holiday gift for your friends and family! Make sure you double or even triple the batch, if you are gifting them because you might gobble them even before packing them as a gift...:)

These chewy gooey cookies are super simple to make and you almost can't resist eating them when they are warm and just right out of the oven. They are filled with goodness, right from the flavor to the nutrition. The oat and the almond flour provides you the protein and the chocolate chips does their part of providing antioxidants without sacrificing the taste..:) If you keep the sugar part to minimum, (which I always do) eating a cookie in the morning in your breakfast, is not at all a bad idea.

These cookies make a great portable edible holiday gift...!



Of course I can't take credit for this delicious recipe. It goes to Richa of VeganRicha.

Ingredients-:
Makes 16-18 about 2 inch cookies.

• 1/2 cup raw almond flour
• 1/4 cup almond milk( add few tbsp more if you feel that the dough is dry and doesn't come together.)
• 1 cup oat flour
• 2-3 tbsp of lightly packed brown sugar
• 3/4 th tsp baking powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp virgin coconut oil.( optional if you want chewier cookies)
• Chocolate chips- as many as you want (I used vegan chocolate chips from Whole Foods.)
• Cinnamon powder- 2 tsp ( Any spice of your choice , ginger powder would also be great in this cold weather.)

Method-:

• In a bowl, mix almond flour, oat flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and the spices of your choice. Mix well.
• Add almond milk and coconut oil to the mixture and mix everything together for about couple of minutes until the mixture gets all wet and forms a slightly sticky dough. The mixture should also be sticky at the same time.
• Chill the dough for 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator.
• After 20 minutes, remove from the fridge and If the dough looks dry and doesn't come together, add a tsp of almond milk.roll the dough into balls, shape them like a cookie and then place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for about 17-19 minutes depending how big you have shaped your cookies. 
• Cool ( if you can wait that long..:))and enjoy!!

These kiddos are going to Eggless Bakes and Treat event and to Let's cook edible gifts for Christmas event

Pumpkin Puris (Bhoplyache gharge)

Chillier days and darker evenings, nice red, golden leaves, pumpkins everywhere, the ghosts and witches and spiders and bats peeking from every house! Oh..I love it. The fall is here..:)

Pumpkin has to be in your grocery list around this time of the year. It's that time of the year!!
These puris go very well with my Green Tomato Chutney, Matar Kurma or Scrambled tofu cauliflower. If you are looking for some rice to go with it, you can try Masalebhat- spiced rice. These sweet puris and Masalebhat really go very well together in one meal.

These puris are headed to Cuisine Delights Monthly Event- Festive Food and Kid's Delight potluck party

Here is what you will need for these gorgeous puris-:

• 1 cup pumpkin puree either canned or fresh, I made my first batch with fresh and the next one with canned puree. The pictured puris are made from canned puree.
• 1/2 cup jaggery/Gul grated
• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp Semolina/ rawa/sooji
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
• 1/2 tbsp Fennel Seeds/ Badishop
• Oil to deep fry the puris- Canola oil/ peanut oil is an excellent choice.

_In a pan mix pumpkin puree and grated Jaggery and turn on the flame.Keep it low and keep stirring the    

  mixture.

_Keeps the mixture stirring until jaggery melts down properly and add nutmeg powder.

_Allow the mixture to cool down.

_After the mixture cools down, add 1/2 a cup of wheat flour and start kneading the dough.

_Add Semolina, fennel seeds and mix everything well.

_Keep adding the rest of the dough until it becomes not to soft and not to stiff. About moderately soft 

  consistency.

_Cover the dough and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

_Divide the dough after 15 minutes into tennis ball size rounds.

_Roll each ball into flat round and deep fry them in hot oil.

_After they cool down, store into air-tight container.

_These puris have a very good shelf life, can be easily stored for about8-10 days. Which means they are 

  great if you are travelling.

Enjoy the colorful fall you all!

Banana Oat Cranberry Bars

This was my second attempt at making these cereal bars! And I promised myself that I will never buy them from the store ever again. The fun with any kind of homemade food is that you can completely alter it to your taste and this is exactly the reason that I keep attempting , sometimes getting better, sometimes not so much! I totally enjoy the whole process and the results is not what I look forward to anymore.

First time I made them for our Bay Area trip and this time was for the Vancouver weekend get-away!
They are easy to carry as a snack anytime you travel. They have a good shelf life. I think they should last for 2-3 days even in the bright sun. My kid loved it, and munched on it at least twice both the days of our trip..:)

Here is what you will need-:

• 1/4th cup Almond milk or soy milk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1tbsp flax seed
• 1/4th cup coconut oil
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 medium ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup of cranberries/ pumpkin seeds etc.
• 2 tbsp of Chia seeds soaked overnight into 2 tbsp of almond milk/ soy milk
• 1.5 cups of regular oats
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/4th cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Method-:

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
• Combine sugar, flax seed, almond milk , coconut oil, vanilla extract and whisk together.Keep aside.
• Mash bananas with a fork and stir into wet mixture. Also add cranberries, pumpkin seeds, soaked Chia seeds.
• In other bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.(Oats, wheat flour, shredded coconut, flax seed, cinnamon powder, baking powder and salt)

My little helper- mixing the cranberries and eating half of them while mixing..:)

• Add the wet mixture to dry mixture and mix.
• Line a baking sheet with a parchment paper and spray lightly with a canola oil spray.
• Scoop out on to the pan and press firmly making it even.

Serious work is in progress, no jokes please...!

Before jumping into oven!

• Bake at 350F for 35- 40 minutes.

After popping out of the oven!

• Let it cool and slice into bars. It will make about 10 bars depending on how thick you spread the mixture. The first time I made them, they came out to be 10. This time I think I spread them a little thinner and they came out 12 with more crunch to them because of the thinness.

Recipe source-: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/12/24/healthy-banana-cranberry-oat-bars/

Homemade Granola

Nothing like crunchy granola in your cereal or as a yogurt topping or just as a snack on the go.Super easy and super fun to make your own granola! Once in a while I do buy from the store but most of the times I prefer to make my own. You can totally customize it to your taste. Considering my son's allergies, I find it easy to make my own instead of reading labels on the back of the granola pack. That way I have the whole control over what's going in and I also get to modify it the next time if I don't like what I added this time. Super flexible isn't it?

Here is what you will need-:

•  3 cups of rolled oats
• 3/4th cup agave
• 4 tbsp water
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract/ almond extract
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup of mixed dry fruit- I used dried blueberries and golden raisins
• 1/4 cup of sliced almonds

Feel free to add anything else you like. Chopped walnuts or pecans is a great substitute for almonds. You can add dried papaya or any other dry fruit you may like.

Method-:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread the oats on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes. Remember to stir twice in between.
• Mix agave, water, vanilla extract or whichever extract you are using in a bowl. Add toasted oats, sesame seeds, and dry fruits and almonds.
• Mix well and spread over the baking sheet and bake for 15 more minutes, stirring twice in between.
• Let it cool and munch on some while still kind of hot...:)

Just few more captures that I enjoyed clicking..:)

Let them spill a bit!!

Dind- Steamed Wheat Wrap with Split Chana Dal Stuffing

A classic Maharashtrian ( A state of India where I grew up) recipe which is made on the occasion of Nag Panchami. For me, I don't wait for any occasion to celebrate great food! I usually make these for breakfast on any relax weekends. The recipe is not too hard but it takes some time to prepare the filling that goes inside the wheat dough.

Ingredients-:

1. 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2. 1/2  cup jaggery, crushed or shredded
3. 1/2  cup split chana dal
4. 1 tbsp oil
5. pinch of salt
6. 1/4th tsp Cardamom powder
7. Earth Balance butter 
8. A few strand of saffron to garnish.

Procedure-:

For the Stuffing-:

1. Pressure cook the chana dal with 1:3 ratio. For 1/2 cup of chana dal add 1 and half cups of water. After the dal gets cooked strain it through the strainer and remove all the water from it.
2. In a pan mix in the dal and the jaggery and start cooking the mixture on a medium heat.
3. Keep stirring continuously as it can stick to the bottom easily. Mix it until the mixture becomes thick. Add cardamom powder. Mix and turn off the stove.

For the Dough-:

1. Add salt to the wheat flour. Heat the oil  and add very hot oil into the dough. You should see the flour getting frothy after you add the hot oil. Add water and make a little harder dough than you usually make for roti.

Putting things together-:

1. Divide the dough into nice round balls.
2. Roll into thin round shape.
3. Put about 1 tbsp of filling onto the rolled out dough.

    4.  Fold 2 sides of on to top of the filling.

    5.  Fold remaining 2 sides over the previous fold. Please see the picture below.

6.  I used electric steamer to steam the Dind, but you don't need to have steamer. You can simple put a big pan with some water in it. When the water comes to boil put a colander or any stainless steel pot  and line it with a thin cloth. Place the dind into the pan and cover and steam for about 15 minutes .

7.  Make sure that you don't put them on top of each other. Traditionally the ghee is used to top it off. It melts over the hot dind. But I tried pouring some earth balance butter since I was trying to find the vegan substitute and it tasted nice. Finally top it off with couple of strands of saffron to add some color...:)

Variation for the filling-:

1. You can add some chopped nuts into the filling . I like to add sliced almonds. They give a nice bite to the filling.
2. You can also try and add some shredded coconut. Lightly dry toast the coconut and then add it to the filling.

Have a great week ahead!

Overnight Oats

Got addicted to this delicious breakfast, that you almost don't need any preparation for. It's very healthy, and very satiating. Just recently came across this recipe on Angela's blog(one of my favorite blogger)- Oh She Glows. I substituted some ingredients as per my taste.
All you have to do is mix some ingredients a night before keep the bowl in the refrigerator and mix the remaining the next morning and that's it.!!
Ingredients-
For a night before-:

• Quick cooking oats/ rolled oats( I have tried both, works well)
• Soy milk(I used vanilla)
• Chia seeds(My most favorite ingredient of this recipe)
• Mashed banana

Mashed banana, oats and chia seeds!

Ready to go in the refrigerator.

The morning ingredients-:

• Almond butter/ peanut butter (I love both)
• A dash of organic maple syrup
• Dried Cranberries

Right out of the fridge!

The peanut butter, dried cranberries and maple syrup.

Method-:

• Very Simple
• Just add the night before ingredients in to a bowl and keep covered in the refrigerator overnight.
• In the morning pull the bowl out and add the morning ingredients, mix and grab a spoon.

It tastes out of this world. The sweetness of banana just kicks off my day with full of energy. The Chia seeds puff up overnight and gel well with the rest of the ingredients giving the dish a thicker consistency.

The weather is warming up here in Seattle. What better breakfast can I find to cool me down than these  overnight oats with Chia seeds.

Benefits-:

I have been eating this for my breakfast at least 3 days a week, just because it's so easy to put together and the results are astonishing. My skin feels so soft to touch like never before. My suspect is the chia seeds. According to Ayurveda, chia supports deep hydration. More benefits of chia seeds here.

Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie

Greet the day with this Smiley Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie!
I love this amazing breakfast smoothie with sweetness of banana, nice heaping tablespoon of peanut butter, goodness of soy milk and few drops of maple syrup for fun..:)
Oh.. and don't forget to add a few ice cubes to the blender for making your morning a little chillier..:)


Method-:

• Cut banana in half and along with soy milk, peanut butter, ice cubes and maple syrup, toss it in a blender.
• Blend well and pour into a glass.
• Enjoy!

The Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie is headed to Chilled Delights event by Tickling Palates.

Blueberry Smoothie

Holidays are in the air. Everyone is talking about cookies and cakes, pies and puddings, roasted turkey and roasted veggies!

Let me share with you my recent favorite dessert, which you might prefer this holiday, if you are on a weight loss spree like me.

Less ingredients, less calories,  and super easy to make. It takes less than 10 minutes. It's a great choice to include in your breakfast.

All you need is-:

• Frozen whole blueberries - 1/2 cup
• 1% milk/ soy milk - about 2 cups
• Non-fat yogurt- 1/4 cup
• honey - to taste

Mix all above in a grinder and beat to a smooth consistency. That's it. Pour in to the glasses and enjoy!!

oh.... and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Instant Rava Dhokla

This one I wanted to make for a really long time. Loooooooooooong back I have had rava dhokla made by my mother's friend back in India.That was like 4-5  years back. I liked it very much then, and decided to make on my own, but somehow it took me 5 years to make one. 

I still can't believe I waited soooooooooooo looooooooong for such a simple and healthy dish. It was just a matter of 30 minutes, with just 3 main ingredients. It was that simple.....:)Dhokla is one of the favourite item when it comes to Indian snacking, especially Maharashtrian, and Gujrathi. I am not a huge fan of traditional dhokla which is made up of gram flour/ basan/chickpea flour.  This one is a nice little twist making it milder and much more appreciable. Made up of rava (Sooji), which is a healthier option to gram flour, with very little oil, and steamed to perfection.

It starts with 3 basic ingredients-:

1. 1/2 cup of fine rava (sooji)
2. 1/4 cup of yogurt
3. 1/2  cup of water

With other secondary ingredients like:-

1. 1/2 teaspoon oil
2. 1 teaspoon eno (or you can use soda)
3. salt as per taste
4. pinch of chilly powder
5. pinch of black pepper powder.

For garnishing:-

1. Coriander chopped (Cilantro)
2. Tadka ( heat Some oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when they splutter, add a pinch of turmeric powder and a pinch of asafoetida, add kadipatta if you want)

Mix basic ingredients in a bowl, keep it aside for about 15 minutes.

Grease an 1/2 inch  steel pan and keep ready to pour the mixture in to it. Boil water in a steamer or  a deep pan.

After 15 minutes, add oil, eno and salt in to the mixture of basic ingredients. stir well. Pour the mixture in to the greased pan and sprinkle chilly powder and black pepper powder on to the

 batter.

Keep the pan in to the steamer/ the deep pot. Cover the pot with the lid. If you are using deep pot and don't have a tight lid, just take a small towel cover the pot with it and then cover with

 the lid. Keep it on a medium for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes take the lid off and insert the fork or a knife in to the pan and check if it comes out without sticking anything to it, then that's an indication of a perfect dhokla. If not, keep it for another 2-3 minutes and it should be done. But as per my experience it should be done in 15 minutes.

Take out the pan and let it cool for about 1/2 an hour.  Garnish with tadka, and chopped coriander. After that you can take out of the pan and cut in to squares. Enjoy with chutney, or just as it is.

I still can't believe I took 5 long years to make such a simple dish. I am sure I will be the one making this again and again at least for next 50 years....:) 

Corn Patties

There are two reasons for this post.

1. I wanted a breakfast item, which I can partially prepare a day before. Ever since we are on a healthy mode, me and my husband A usually have cereals for our breakfast,. But I love to start a day with a healthy yet yummy snack which does not distract me from loosing weight as well as help me break my everyday cereal ritual.
2. There is an event due today called Sunday snack on the Taste of India and I wanted to participate.

So let me talk a little bit about this event-:


This event is hosted by Hima of SnackORama. The theme for this month's Sunday snack is Bake it.
So here it goes-: Corn Patties

All goes in one bowl-

• 1 cup Yellow corn kernels ( I used fresh kernels, you can also use frozen)
  
• 1 boiled smashed potato.
• 1/2 inch ginger grated (about 1 tsp)
• 2 cloves of grated garlic
• 1 chopped green chili.
• 1 tsp chaat masala ( you can find one in any Indian grocery store)
• Half a lemon/ lime juice
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1tsp of cumin seeds
• half a palmful of coriander finely chopped
• olive oil. about 2 tsp
• salt to taste
• One last thing is breadcrumbs or a good substitute for breadcrumbs is sooji (rava).

I prefer breadcrumbs over rava, simply because I always want a nice brown crust from outside, and breadcrumbs does that just perfect. Wait until you see my pictures...:)

Toss all ingredients above in one bowl except breadcrumbs, and oil. Mix everything together.

I was using fresh corn, so it was very soft and sweet naturally, but if you use frozen, thaw them and microwave them for about 5-6 minutes. When you are using fresh, if you feel that the corns need to be more soft , cook them a little bit.

Make small round balls of the mixture, and press them a bit to give them patties shape.
Spread the breadcrumbs on a plate. I used Italian style breadcrumbs. I love them because they are already seasoned with parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, different spices, and my favorite Pecorino Romano cheese....:) But you can use anything of your choice. I also happened to like Japanese style breadcrumbs called panko.

When all your patties are ready, place them on a baking sheet, which is sprayed with non- stick cooking spray. Toss a little bit of olive oil on the top of the patties. Just enough to give them a golden brown crust.
Turn on your oven on 350° and slide your baking sheet inside for about 12-15 minutes on one side, then turn the patties and 10 more minutes on the other side.
You should get a nice crust on both sides, if you feel you can keep them inside for a couple more minutes, but make sure you check on them.

You can also, shallow fry them in the pan/ tava. But this oven version is a figure friendly option to cut down oil to just 2 tsp. And olive oil is always better for you right? An oil which has a good cholesterol which keeps your heart in good condition. And guess what you don't have to sacrifice the taste. It gives me a satisfaction of doing good karma to my body....:) feels great.

This is how they look when they come out.



Scrumptious ..........Isn't it? I just love them. Try them out, I am sure you won't miss the fried version.

ohh.. and they are great with mint chutney, or a ketchup.

Just like that!!! Yummoooo!!!!

Mung bean Pancakes ( Hirvya mugachi dhirdi)

A healthy spicy adventure- Mung pancakes.

Yes, I said pancakes and that too spicy. So let the adventure begin.

Mung beans are rich in protein. Usually all different kinds of beans are used to prepare dal in Indian cooking, but this is the kind of variety which is sometimes ignored from our diet.
When I was a kid [that includes all the years until my wedding...:)...] my mom used to soak these great little kids overnight in the water and then in the morning, we used to eat them along with little salt and lemon squeezed on them. I used to love that morning snack. I wasn't aware of the enormous health benefits that these guys offer though. But now that I know, my cravings for eating healthy gets fulfilled whenever I indulge myself in these pancakes.

Those who are strictly vegetarian usually experience lack of protein in their diet since they exclude meat completely, this recipe is a good substitute for them.


Recipe goes something like this-:
1 cup of green whole mung beans( hirave mug)
Soak them overnight in water.

Next morning, strain them through the colander, and blend them with little amount of water. Blend the mixture until a smooth paste is made. Keep it aside.

2-3 Green chillies ( Now watch for the spiciness of chillies, for the Indian readers this should be fine, but for my American friends, cut the quantity to 1-2 counts.)


1/2 an inch of ginger

1-2 cloves of garlic
A handful of Cilantro (Coriander)

Put everything in to a separate blender and grind it, along with a pinch of salt. Salt will help the mixture to blend nicely.

Add this paste to the mung beans mixture. Mix well. According to your taste add more salt to it.
Add about half a cup of rice flour to the mixture for the crispiness.

And don't forget to add water to make it in to a batter in such a way that you can pour it on to a griddle, or a fry pan. Just to give you an idea, it should be little thicker than dosa batter and thinner than uttappa batter.

Spray your hot griddle or tava with cooking oil spray. Spread the mixture on tava to make round pancakes, cover each for 2-3 minutes and just flip them on the other side until they get nice golden color. Keep in mind that they will still look green, retaining their original color.

This is a perfect recipe to enjoy as a breakfast or include in the lunch.

Enjoy them while they are hot along with yogurt or a mint chutney.



Ohh...and the bowl with the yogurt in the picture is a gift to me from my friend, Sunny from Peru...:)

Thanks for the gift Sunny.


Coming Up: An Indo-Chinese treat!!
Vegetable Manchurian and Jeera rice.