Masoor Dal soup

This is a soup I've been seeking out around the slope as things get chillier here. It can be found in various incarnations at Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants, from our favorite Indian take out place(where they make it spicy and serve it with a lemon wedge dropped in) to the falafel joints where it's a dependably mild and nourishing staple. 

Here's my best effort at a mild Indian version, for Ike's not so spicy palate.

masoor dal

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or ghee
2 cups chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups water
1 cup dried masoor(red) lentils
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
1/2 tsp garam masala

Heat 1tbsp oil or ghee in a soup pot over low heat. Add half the onions and saute for a few minutes.  Add half the garlic, and half the spices and continue to saute for a few more minutes until spices release their aromas. Add lentils and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. 

While the lentils boil, heat 1tbsp oil in medium skillet over medium low heat. Add remaining  onion and garlic and sauté, add spices as onions begin to become translucent. Continue to sauté until onions are tender and golden brown.  About 10 minutes.

When lentils are soft and cooked through, add sauteed onions and spices to lentils. Using a hand blender, purée until soup is as smooth as you'd like. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Add salt to taste. Serve as soup or over aromatic basmati rice. Top with chopped cilantro. Scrumptious!

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Wonder Brownies.

1/4 Cup butter 

1/4 cup coconut oil

3/4 Cup xylitol or more to taste

1 Tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 almond flour

1/2 Cup cocoa

1/4 Tsp baking powder

1/4 Tsp salt

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 inch square pan. 

Stir coconut oil, butter and xylitol together in small saucepan on low heat until xylitol dissolves.

Beat eggs in a large bowl, add vanilla and butter mixture. Beat until well blended using a spoon. Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture. Add nuts if desired. Spread into a greased 9 inch square pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until brownie pulls away from the edge of the pan.  Serve with milk. Scrumptious!

Almond spice muffins.

These are delicious, highly adaptable and ok to eat when on a strict candida diet.  I dropped a few blueberries into some of them for Ike.

Makes 12 smallish muffins.

Set oven to 350 and grease or prepare muffin tins with liners

In a saucepan, combine:

1/2 cup coconut oil (you can use butter, 6 Tablespoons, a little less than a stick)

1/3 cup sugar (or xylitol) to oil/butter.

Heat on low until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved.

Combine in a large bowl with a large spoon:

3/4 cups almond flour

1/3 cup flax meal

1 tsp cinammon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Make a well in the center and add:

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Scramble together eggs without mixing into the dry ingredients.
Add oil/butter mixture and mix with eggs, still without mixing into the dry ingredients

Finally, gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet until just mixed.

Spoon into muffin tins.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 350, serve with a pat of butter.

Make them chocolate!

Same as above but pull the spices and add 1/4 cup cocoa powder.

Scrumptious.

Millet mash

This is as close to mashed potatoes as it gets without the potatoes!

Cook one cup of millet according to instructions.

In a large pot, saute just till tender:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 small onion diced(optional)

1 tsp salt

Add:

One head of cauliflower florets

1 cup cream, milk, or stock

Cover and simmer 20 minutes or till cauliflower is tender

Add millet and mash or puree with hand blender. Salt to taste.

Serve with butter! Scrumptious!

Almond butter cookies

These are an adaptation of good old peanut butter cookies:

3/4 cup butter

1 16 oz jar of almond butter

3/4 cup sweetner

2 eggs

1 cup flour, I used:1/3 cup almond flour, 1/3 cup brown rice flour, 1/3 cup rice bran 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

Sift dry ingredients

Cream butter and sweetener, add eggs.  Add almond butter. Gently mix in dry ingredients.  Roll into balls, set on cookie sheet and press with fork.  Bake for about 12 minutes or till edges start to get a little color. Serve with milk! Scrumptious!

Ike's Tamales.

I made tamales for Ike's birthday(again).  This year they were vegan!  We had a lot of left over mess the day after, but no left over tamales!

Soak your cornhusks in the sink or or a large bowl, overnight if you can. Otherwise you can pour boiling water over them and let them soak and they'll be pliable enough in an hour or so.

I made 6 sauces for all the heat preferences this year, 5 red and 1 green.

Smoky red sauce:

In a pot, cover with water, bring to boil and soak for an hour:

8 Dried Poblano(or other) Chiles

Deseed and slice chiles.

Saute on medium heat in a sauce pot:

2 Tblspoons Olive or veg oil

1 small diced onion(optional)

2 tsp fresh ground cumin

6 cloves minced garlic

When fragrant, add chiles and

1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes.  (I prefer to use the whole peeled tomatoes and dice them myself)

stir and simmer for at least 5 minutes to marry flavors. Salt to taste.

Blend with immersion blender.  You can use this as a base to make milder sauces by simply adding more tomatoes.

Green sauce:

4 cups tomatillos, diced

1 small diced onion(optional)

6 cloves minced garlic

Saute on medium heat in a sauce pot:

2 Tblspoons Olive or veg oil

1 small diced onion(optional)

6 cloves minced garlic

When fragrant, add tomatillos and enough water just to cover. When tomatillos are soft, blend with immersion blender if desired and add

1/2 cup chopped cilantro or culantro leaf if available.

Salt to taste.

Fillings:

This year we made butternut squash and vegetarian pork.  But the possibilities are endless!

For the butternut squash:

Halve lengthwise, scoop seeds, oil, salt and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until just tender

1 butternut squash

allow squash to cool enough to handle and remove skin and dice.

Add to a skillet on medium low heat: 

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic minced

1 bunch scallions sliced

1 teaspoon of freshly ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

saute just till aromatic and add squash

mix and cook gently to warm and marry flavors.  Set aside.

Vegetarian Pork:

2-3 cups veggie pork product--shredded or bbq style is best

Add to a skillet on medium heat: 

4 Tbsp olive oil

2 large onions diced

when onions are translucent, add:

8 cloves garlic minced

4 teaspoons of freshly ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

saute till fragrant and add the veggie pork, and a little stock or chili water if too dry.

mix and cook gently to warm and marry flavors.  Set aside.

Tamale dough or masa:

6 cups cornmeal (maseca in the brown bag)

11/2 Tablespoons salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon fresh ground cumin

1 Cup shortening

6 cups liquid (stock and 1-2 cups chili soaking water, you can also use water boiled with tomatillo husks(husks removed))

Beat shortening with paddle in stand mixer at medium speed(4 or 6 on kitchen aid) till very fluffy.  This will take no less than 10 minutes.  Beat in half of baking powder.

Mix all remaining dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 

Mixing with clean hands, gently incorporate 3 to 4 cups of the liquid.

Add this mix to the shortening in 3 or 4 parts quickly and at a low mixing speed.

Add the remaining liquid and beat rapidly for 1 minute.

Now, assemble the tamales!

Take a husk in your left palm, pointy end toward you, smoother side of the husk up.  Take about 2 Tablespoons of masa with your hand or a spatula and spread it from the upper right corner of the husk toward the bottom left, making a thin square smear of masa.  Add 1 Tablespoon filling in the middle and a little sauce if you like and fold the right side in and the left side around, the bottom edge up, and tie it together with a little strip of husk.  Repeat till the masa is gone!

Arrange tamales upright in a large pot with a steamer basket or raised plate. Cover with a damp cloth and lid and steam for about 30 minutes. Tamales are ready when the husks can easily be pulled away from the masa.  Serve hot!

Refrigerate and resteam for 10 or 15 minutes.  Freeze and resteam for 20-25 minutes.

Scrumptious!

Spaghetti squash with spiced garlic butter.

Set oven to 375.

Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast cut side down for 25 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork:

One good sized spaghetti squash(I had two small ones).

Mince

4-6 cloves of garlic

Sauté over medium low heat in

1/2 stick of butter (or a little more)

Add

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt

Sauté just till garlic begins to brown.

When squash is done, scoop out of shells and gently toss with butter mixture. Top with freshly chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro. Scrumptious!

Coconut macaroons

I've been trying to go sugar free for awhile now. And now that fall is here I am definitely staring to miss baking. So today I tried my hand at some sugar free macaroons. They have just a little Stevia for sweetener.

Set oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper *not wax paper.

Beat just until stiff peaks form:

2 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/2-1tsp stevia

Fold in:

1cup unsweetened, dried shredded coconut.

Drop onto cookie sheets by spoonful.

Bake on top rack for 15 minutes until golden brown on edges.

Scrumptious!

Warm Quinoa Salad with Mini Roast Vegetables.

This salad is super adaptable. As long as you have a grain and veggies to turn into golden goodness, you're in business.

Here I used red quinoa, which seems to have more bite as well as color. Warm spices, fresh herbs, and flavorful add ins like red onion, olives and cherry tomatoes make it an irresistible and healthy meal.

Set your oven to 450 and

Cut into 1/2 cubes:

2 small eggplants or one large one
3 small zucchini

Toss each veg w 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tsp salt

Spread on baking sheets with plenty of space and using the topmost and bottom most racks in the oven, roast at 450 degrees for about 20 mins rotating the racks and turning the veggies halfway through.

While the veggies roast, cook:

2 cups rinsed quinoa

in

4 cups broth or water for 15-20 minutes till just tender

Mince:

1 clove of garlic

add it to a large bowl with

The juice of one lemon and
One red onion frenched, halved and rinsed

Add the quinoa and mix in:

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2. tsp chili powder

1 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Mix in the roasted veggies.

At his point you could add: halved cherry tomatoes, olives, pine nuts, scallions, mint, or anything else you can think of.  Add salt and olive oil taste. Scrumptious!

Madras lentils

We had some ready made madras lentils from tastybite that were so tasty that I decided to try and replicate them.

2 large onions diced long

2 tablespoons veg oil

2 tablespoons cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric(optional)

2 cups lentils

2 28oz cans tomatoes crushed

2 cups water

1 can red beans

4 tbsps butter to finish

Cook onions in oil over medium heat until just beginning to color. Add spices and allow to saturate oil.
Add lentils and tomatoes. Add water, beans and salt. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower temp to a simmer and cook for an hour. Stir periodically and add water and salt if necessary. When lentils are tender, stir in butter. Serve over brown basmati rice or your favorite starch. Scrumptious!

Peaches and coconut cream rice.

Ike cooked up some trendy bendyz this morning while I cooked up breakfast. It was a quick remix of leftover coconut red rice. Add soymilk and peaches and presto! Super yum!
2 cups leftover coconut rice
2 cups soymilk
1 peach
Heat rice and soymilk over low heat to a simmer.  Serve with sliced peaches. Scrumptious!

Wintermelon soup.

This is a soup I grew up eating. My dad always made it with beef or
pork and a meat broth. The spirit of the soup is simple and light yet
earthy with cooling subtle flavors.

I decided to try a veggie broth version.
I made a fresh stock using onion, celery and cilantro.

Remove rind and seeds from enough wintermelon to make 3 cups.
Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Add:

3 cups of chopped wintermelon to
4 cups stock

Simmer until melon turns translucent. Salt to taste. You can garnish
with cilantro, buy usually I prefer the simple clear broth and melon
without additions. Scrumptious!

Veggie Soup and Stock

Simple vegetable soup. Simply strain and squeeze out veggies for a

nourishing broth. Cures what ails you!

Dice:

4 medium onions

2 cups carrots

2 cups celery with leaves

2 cups potatoes

Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large soup pot and over medium heat:
Sautee onions till color begins to change.

Add carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes.

Add potatoes and water till it covers veggies by almost 2 inches.

Add an herb bouquet that might contain:

A bunch of parsley

2 bay leaves

Several sprigs of thyme

A few leaves of sage

Also add:

1 tsp black pepper or peppercorns

2 cloves

1/2 tsp fennel seed

A small piece of ginger

A squeeze or slice of lemon

Bring to a boil then turn down to simmer for 20 minutes.

Salt to taste. Scrumptious!

Quinoa Arugula Salad with Hazelnuts

I hesitate to call this a salad because salads are thought of as more
of a side dish and this could more than pull it's own as a main
course. And yet with the arugula you're getting your green leafy veg
too! Score!


1 cup quinoa rinsed and cooked in 2 cups water (I used half red quinoa and half regular)

You can gently toast the quinoa before cooking. Add water and bring
to boil then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till grains are cooked
through, bit still have a little bite to them.

Meanwhile, toast:

1/2 cup hazelnuts (you could use almonds or another nut)

slice and sautee till carmalized:

2-3 shallots or 1 medium onion.

When quinoa is cooled a bit transfer to large bowl and add:

Juice and zest of a lemon
The onions
2 cups arugula
1/2 cup broken toasted hazelnuts
1 tsp salt or so to taste

Mix it up! Scrumptious!