POPPED AMARANTH PORRIDGE

Glutenfree

Ingredients

  • 2 cups popped amaranth
  • 1/4 cup almond or cashew nuts
  • date paste to taste
  • sunflower seeds

Method

  1. Soak the nuts for 2-4 hours. Grind them into a paste.
  2. Blend the popped amaranth with a little bit of water.
  3. Once mixed stir in the nut paste and dates paste as per taste.
  4. Add more water if needed to achieve the porridge consistency.
  5. Sprinkle sunflower seeds on top. Serve warm or cold.


Serves 4

COLOURFUL MILLET UPMA

Glutenfree

Ingredients

  • ½ cup barnyard millet
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • ½ cup grated beetroot
  • ½ cup finely grated coconut
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • Handful of broken peanuts
  • Salt, red chilli powder and lemon juice to taste

Method

  1. Roast the millet for 6-7 minutes ( it can be roasted in large quantities and stored). Roasting ensures that the millets don’t stick together once cooked.
  2. Boil it in a large amount of water for 5/6 minutes.
  3. Once done, drain the remaining water.
  4. This water can be used for soups or other cooking. Keep aside to cool.
  5. Dry roast the mustard seeds, peanuts and curry leaves in a wok.
  6. Once the millet has cooled down, mix it with the carrots, beetroot and coconut, salt chilli powder and lemon juice.
  7. Serve with Chutney.

INDIAN STYLE TOFU BHURJEE

Ingredients

  • 1 slab firm tofu
  • 1 spring onion
  • ¼  cup chopped onion
  • ½ cup chopped capsicum and peppers
  • Green chillies finely chopped to taste
  • ¼ cup cashew cream
  • Rock salt to taste
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • (Optional) 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast
  • 4 Whole Wheat or Gluten Free Chapatis
  • Coconut milk (for brushing)

Method

  1. Dry roast onion.
  2. When translucent add the peppers, green chilly, spring onion turmeric and salt.
  3. Crumble the tofu and mix it well with cashew cream.
  4. Add it to the onion. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Serve hot.
  5. This can also be done as a salad when done without cooking.
  6. Place the tofu scramble in the centre of the chapati and roll it into a wrap. Now brush the chapati with coconut milk and crisp it on a hot tawa.

Serve with green chutney

Serves 4

Watch the video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS5XidpiicU

VEGAN OMLETTE

Well.. ok. This is not really an omlette. But it can be had as a replacement for an omlette, because it is high in protein and so totally delicious and easy to make. It can also be made into a wrap and carried in your tiffin.

Glutenfree/ Nutfree

Ingredients

  • Sprouted moong beans – 1 cup
  • ½ tsp ginger paste
  • Salt and chilly to taste
  • Carrot and beetroot – grated (can also add grated raw papaya or very finely chopped red peppers and french beans)
  • A potato for rubbing the skillet

Method

  1. Blend the beans along with ginger paste, salt and chilly with a little water till it is smooth and has a batter like consistency.
  2. Heat up a skillet. Rub a potato ( cut ) on the skillet to make it non sticky. Spread the batter and make soft fluffy crepes. Cook on both sides.
  3. Remove from the skillet. Spread chutney on them, place the grated carrot and beetroot on them and make them into a wrap. Enjoy!

Watch the video here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fb6nYlpCZuA&t=13s

TANGY MALVANI CURRY

Glutenfree

Have you ever tried cooking raw jackfruit? Its texture is so meaty, its unbelievable. Works perfectly as a chicken replacement. Go ahead try this spicy, tangy curry and let me know how your family liked it.

Ingredients

  • 150 gm raw jackfruit chopped into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 small steamed potatoes ( with peel)
  • 2 tbsp peanut oil 10-12 curry leaves
  • 5 kashmiri red chillies ( whole)
  • 1 tsp shahi Zeera
  • 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
  • 2 pureed onions
  • ½ tsp garam masala
  • Lemon juice and chopped coriander
  • Salt, pepper and to taste

Method

  1. Sauté the onion puree in oil till brown. Add ginger garlic paste and let it cook. In another wok dry roast curry leaves, kashmiri chillies and shahi zeera. Add these to the roasted onions.
  2. Coat the jackfruit pieces with salt and garam masala and steam them for 10 minutes. Add them to the gravy and let them cook for 5 min. Add water if needed.
  3. Add the potatoes and lemon juice. Mix well. Garnish with whole coriander.

NO OIL KADHI PAKODI

Glutenfree

Ingredients

  • ½ tsp Mustard seeds
  • A pinch of Aesofoetida
  • ¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds
  • Kashmiri Red chilli whole
  • ½ green chilli finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp Besan
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup dairy free curd
  • Tamarind pulp or lemon juice to taste

For pakodi

  • 2 Onions chopped
  • ½ cup besan
  • 1 tsp carom seeds
  • ½  tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • Chopped spinach (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Dry roast the mustard seeds, aesofotida, methi seeds, Kashmiri Red chilli and green chilli
  2. Mix besan in ½ a cup of water. Pour it on the pan and cook for a few minutes.
  3. Add more water if required, ensuring it does not become lumpy.
  4. Add turmeric, salt and curd. Mix well. Add more water as per requirement.
  5. Add tamarind pulp or lemon juice as per taste. Garnish with coriander leaves.


For pakodi

  1. Mix some salt in the onions till they soften.
  2. Mix in the remaining ingredients along with a bit of water to make a thick batter.
  3. Preheat the oven at 180.
  4. Place the batter in small blobs on the baking tray and bake for approx.10 minutes, till lightly browned.
  5. Remove these from the tray. Dunk them in the kadhi or enjoy them with chutney.

Serves 2 – 3

CREAMY LAUKI

Ingredients

  • 1 cup ½ inch pieces bottle gourd (doodhi) steam for 5-6 minutes

Tempering

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp chana dal
  • 1 tsp urad dal
  • 1/ 2 tsp methi seeds
  • 1 dried red chilli
  • 1 green chilli
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • Rock salt to taste
  • 1 onion, finely chopped

Method

  1. Steam bottle gourd with sufficient water in a deep pan for 5-6 minutes.
  2. For tempering, heat a pan, roast mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal, methi seeds, dried red chilli, green chilli, asafoetida till fragrant.
  3. Add turmeric powder and salt. Mix well.
  4. Set aside onion adding salt till it starts to leave water, add this to another hot pan and roast till it starts to change the colour.
  5. Mix cashew butter with some water and set aside.
  6. Add tempering and cashew mixture and cook for 2 minutes.


Serves 4

VEGAN DAL MAKHANI

Glutenfree

Here’s my mom’s version of Makhani Dal. Wholesome, delicious and low in fat. Try it out to believe it. Who says you need to load up on fats to make something taste good?

Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • ½ cup black urad dal whole (soaked overnight)
  • Handful of small red kidney beans (soaked overnight)
  • 1 -2 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
  • 2 -3 ripe red tomatoes
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ big cardamom
  • 1 clove
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2-3 whole black pepper
  • ½ inch cinnamon stick
  • 1tsp turmeric
  • Rock salt to taste
  • 1/3 cup cashew cream

Method

  1. Drain the dal and kidney beans, and place in a pressure cooker. Add 4 cups of water. Add the ginger garlic paste, cumin seeds, cardamom, cloves, pepper, cinnamon stick, turmeric and salt. Pressure cook for about 30 minutes.
  2. In the mean while blend the tomatoes in a dry grinder.
  3. Once the dal is cooked, add the tomato puree to the it and boil for another half an hour or so on low flame. Add water if required.
  4. Once the dal is done, let it cool a bit. Add 2-3 spoonfuls of the cashew cream to the dal to make it creamy. Use the remaining to garnish.

KASMIRI DUM ALOO

Glutenfree/ Nutfree

As a child, I loved the Dum Aloo my grand mom used to make. So this recipe is my attempt to get as close in taste as possible to my grandma’s version, while also keeping health in mind. This version is without oil, heavy masalas or dairy. Try it and let me know how you liked it.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 Small size potatoes steamed and peeled.
  • 2 onion coarsely ground (or grated)
  • 1 tomato blended along with ½  inch ginger root and 4 garlic pods.
  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tsp water melon seeds
  • (both soaked over night and blended together coarsely)
  • ¼ tsp Roasted cumin powder
  • ¼ tsp garam masala coarsely ground
  • ¼  tsp raw mango powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp red chilli
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. In a wok, dry roast the onion (sprinkle some salt) on a low flame till it is golden brown. You will need to sprinkle a bit of water from time to time.
  2. Once golden brown add the poppy seeds, water melon seed mixture and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato blend and cook another 2 minutes. Add all the masalas and potatoes. Cover the wok and let it cook for 5 min.
  3. Garnish with fresh coriander. If you like it to be creamier, add ¼ cup coconut milk at the end.

NUT/SEED BUTTER

Glutenfree

One can use different nuts such as peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, hazel nuts or seeds such as sunflower seeds, sesame and pumpkin seeds .

Ingredients:

  • 200 gm nuts OR
  • 100 gm seeds

Method:

Lightly roast the nuts/seeds on flame or in the oven along with skin. Once cooled, grind them until they turn into butter.

Some nuts such as cashews and almonds can also be ground into butter without roasting.

Variations – the butter can be flavoured with salt, dates, cinnamon etc.

Storage and shelf life – Nut/Seed butters do not need to be refrigerated. They can be stored in a glass container and last for 1-2 months.