VEGAN LENTIL CAKES

Both kids in school and I finally find time to post more! There was a new dilemma with kids in school - needing on the go breakfast that is healthy, nutritious, and kid approved of course. I modified my grandma's savory lentil cake and added veggies to it. High in protein, fiber, and deliciousness. Will keep the kids energized until lunch too. I love to eat these lentil cakes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Perfect for packing a picnic too. Most of the ingredients are easily available at any ethnic store or even your local grocery stores, so don't be intimidated to try. You will have to plan ahead to make this with all the soaking and fermenting that is required. It is well worth all the effort I promise.

INGREDIENTS
1 Cup Rice
1/4 Cup Yellow split pea (Chana Dal)
1/4 Cup Yellow mung beans (Yellow Mung Dal, split)
1/4 Cup Pigeon peas/Yellow lentils (Toor Dal)
1/4 Cup Skinned black lentils (White Urad)
1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Tsp Cumin Powder
1 Tbsp ginger paste
1 Green chili, minced
1/2 Cup Yogurt
1 Cup Yellow Squash, shredded
1/2 Cup Cabbage, shredded
1/2 Cup Carrot, shredded
1 Tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 Tsp mustard seeds
2-3 Curry Leaves
Organic cooking spray
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tsp Baking Soda

PROCESS
1. Wash the rice and all the lentils thoroughly. Leave it to soak in just enough water for 4-8 hours is preferable.
2. Strain the water and grind the rice and lentil mix into a paste. Add very little water if needed. The consistency should remain as thick as possible.
3. Add turmeric, cayenne pepper, cumin, yogurt, and salt. Blend well.
4. Pour into a mixing bowl and let it ferment for 10 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 400 F.
6. Stir well. Add all the shredded veggies, ginger paste, lemon juice, and green chilli, and stir one more time.
7. In a small pan, heat the oil and mustard seeds when hot. Let them start spluttering and add curry leaves, 1/4 tsp sesame seeds to it, and turn off the heat.
8. Add the above to the batter and stir well.
9. Add baking soda and mix well.
10. Spray some cooking spray on a muffin pan and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds at the bottom as evenly as possible.
11. Scoop the batter into each muffin slot only 3/4 way to leave some room for it to rise when when it bakes.
12. Bake for  20-30 minutes or until the lentil cake begins to brown and gets to desired crispiness. Enjoy!

TIP
Ethnic stores carry a lentil flour mix for an easy short cut if you want to save time on soaking lentils and grinding them to a paste. It goes by handva/handvo flour. If you get this flour mix, just add the rice flour and the spices and ferment. Follow the rest of the recipe as is.

MUNG BEAN SPROUT SANDWICH

I can live off of sandwiches and burgers all my life, as you can tell if you go through my blog. At least I try to make them as healthy as possible and I hope you have been enjoying this journey too. The latest sandwich the family and I have been enjoying, mung bean sprout sandwich. Best way to get your Vit A, Vit K, Vit C, Iron, Folate and fiber. Mung bean sprouts when eaten raw may carry bacteria. The benefit of this recipe? We cook them and flavor them with yummy goodness. Do try this at home.

INGREDIENTS
2 Tomato, sliced
3 Cups Onion, finely diced
2-8 Slices Bread of choice
1.5 Cups Green Mung Beans
1 Tsp Tumeric, powdered
1/4 Tsp Garam Masala
1/4 Tsp Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp Cup Lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. Put the mung beans in a container and cover with water. Let stand for 4-5 hours. This is the sprouting process.
2. In another bowl add salt and 1 Tbsp lemon juice to 1 cup diced onion. Let it sit for an hour.
3. After 4-5 hours the mung beans will have absorbed all the water and increased in size. You may see little shoots. If you do not see shoots that is okay too. Your mung bean has been through the sprouting process.
4. In a pan add the olive oil. Add 2 cups of onions to it and shallow fry on medium heat.
5. To this add the tumeric, 2 tbsp lemon juice, salt, brown sugar, and garam masala. Stir.
6. Add the sprouted mung beans along with any remaining water. Stir.
7. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let simmer on low heat.
8. The mung bean will be really soft when it is done cooking.
9. Toast the bread slices.
10.  Add a layer of the cooked mung beans, marinated onion, and tomato slice to the bread. Top it off with the other bread slice and dig in.

BOMBAY SANDWICH

One of the yummiest sandwiches that I can never get bored of. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water. I could live off this sandwich if I could. My grandpa used to bribe me to get errands done for him with a couple of these sandwiches. These sandwiches were sold as street food in some parts of Mumbai (a.k.a Bombay). Flavorful buttery yummy goodness mmm mmm mmm. It just might turn you into a vegetarian. I have got my whole family hooked.

INGREDIENTS

SANDWICH
Sliced Bread
2 Tomatoes, sliced
1 Cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 Potato, baked and sliced
1/2 Onion, slivered
1/2 Cup Organic Tomato Ketchup
1 Tbsp Organic Salted Butter

PESTO
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 Tbsp Ginger, slivered
1/2 Lemon, juiced
1/4 Tsp Sugar
4 Green Chillies (Substitute Jalapeno)
Salt to taste

MASALA
1/4Cup Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Cinnamon, powdered
1 Tbsp  Cloves
1 Tbsp Black Pepper
2 Tbsp Fennel Seeds
1 Tbsp Rock Salt



PROCESS
FOR THE PESTO
1. Combine all of the above ingredients for pesto in a blender.
2. Add water as needed. The pesto should be on the pastier side and not too thin.

FOR THE MASALA
1. Roast the cumin seeds on a pan, no oil.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until it is fine.

FOR THE SANDWICH
1. Spread the pesto liberally on one slice.
2. Layer with the tomato, cucucmber, onion, and potato.
3. Sprinkle the sandwich masala
4. Spread the tomato ketchup on the other slice to top it off
5. Spread butter liberally on both sides and put it on a panini grill. You can always do this on a pan if you do not have a panini grill.


TIP
1. You can make the pesto and put it in a ice cube tray to use as needed. Preserves the freshness. Defrost outside before use. Do not microwave.
2.  You can make a bigger quantity of the masala and store it in an air tight container.
3. If you do not have access to all the ingredients for the masala, you can always buy the Spicezza Sandwich Masala from an ethnic store to use.

SWEET POTATO BURGER

How was Thanksgiving for everyone? Ours was delicious. We had more side dishes than we bargained for. They were all so good! This also means we had a lot of leftovers. I usually end up making my sweet potato burger from the leftover sweet potato side. I add yams to it if we have those leftover too. These taste good if you make them from scratch too, no leftover sides required. We enjoy thanksgiving flavors for one more day. Good thing I had made a lot of my Chilli Peanut dip for veggies. It made the perfect condiment to go with this burger.

INGREDIENTS
Burger Buns
Greens
Vegan Mayo

FOR THE PATTIE
3-4 Sweet Potato, mashed
1 Cup Onion, diced
2 Green Chillies, Diced
1/4 Cup Peanuts, Raw
1/4 Cup Raisins
1 Clove Garlic, Minced
1/2 Cup Wheat Flour (Substitute Cornmeal for gluten free)
1/4 Tsp Turmeric

CONDIMENT
1-2 Red Chillies, Dry
1 Cup Peanuts, Raw (no shell)
1/4 Tsp Tamarind Paste
1-2 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Onion, Sauteed
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. In a pan saute the onion until it is almost translucent.
2. Add the green chilli and peanut and saute for one more minute.
3. In a bowl combine the sauteed ingredients with the mashed sweet potato/sweet potato side.
4. Add Raisins, Turmeric, and Wheat Flour. Mix in gently.
5. Form even sized patties. Add some more flour and mix if your pattie does not form easily or keeps falling apart.
6. Place the patties 2 inches apart on a lined baking try and place it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
7. While you are waiting for the patties, follow this link to put the Chilli Peanut sauce together.
8. After the 30 mins in the freezer are up, lightly brush the patties with oil and place under broiler.
9. When it just begins to brown, flip them half way through and broil the other side too. Watch carefully or the raisins and peanuts may char quickly.
10. Assemble on burger buns with the mayo and greens, and top it off with the Chilli Peanut sauce. Enjoy.

CHILLI PEANUT DIP

Red Chillies, or any chillies can light your mouth and throat on fire but that same chilli can help ease your pain too. The capsaicin found in chillies is naturally anti-inflammatory. The hotter the chilli, the more potent the capsaicin. I guess that is a bonus since chilli can enhance flavor of any food. In other words, I eat it for the flavor yum! Adding the red chillies to my peanut sauce makes it perfect for dipping veggies or nuggets or whatever you want to dip. It makes snacking on veggies a delicious experience.

INGREDIENTS
1-2 Red Chillies, Dry
1 Cup Peanuts, Raw (no shell)
1-2 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Onion, Sauteed
1/4 Tsp Tamarind Paste
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. Roast the peanuts in a pan. Keep stirring constantly to avoid burning them. No oil needed.
2. When they begin to brown slightly, take them off the heat and let them cool.
3. Peel the shell/skin off of the peanuts after they cool and throw in food processor.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and let the food processor do its magic. 
5. Serve in a bowl with your favorite veggies for dipping.

TIP
You can always add 1 red chilli and go from there on how potent you want the dip to be.
Experiment with other varieties of chilli peppers and see how it changes the flavor.

TOFU WALNUT BURGER

I am always trying to add more protein sources to my family's diet. If I don't make it attractive and delectable, my kids will refuse to touch it. If I call it burger, they line up to eat it before I can finish saying 'burger'. This way they eat their protein and veggies and have their junk food fix (in the form of healthy food of course). I add some oven baked sweet potato fries along with it. Adults love it too. Try it out.

INGREDIENTS

2 Cups Arugula/Mixed Greens
Burger Buns

BURGER PATTIE

2-3 Cups Tofu, scrambled/shredded (Substitute Paneer)

6 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour (Substitute Rice Flour for a gluten free version)

1/2 Onion, minced

1/2 Lemon, juice

1/2 Cup Walnut, coarsly chopped

2 Green Chilli, finely chopped (optional)

2 Tbsp Cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp Garam Masala (Substitute Curry Powder)

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

AIOLI

1 Cup Mayo

1/2 Lemon, juice

2 Tbsp Cilantro, minced

Pepper to taste

PROCESS
1. Drain all the water from the tofu and strain it with a muslin cloth. Need the tofu to be as dry as possible. Then scramble it.
2. Combine the rest of the ingredients of the pattie together with the tofu.
3. Add more flour if the pattie does not form easily. Make even sized patties.
4. Line a cookie sheet with silpat or spray some cooking spray.
5. Brush the patties lightly with oil and place on cookie sheet and under the broiler on Med/Hi
6. Keep a close eye on it. Once the patties begin to brown, flip them over and let them cook till the other side browns too.
7. If you don't want to broil it, you can always shallow fry them in a pan.
8. Combine all the aioli ingredients together.
9. Assemble the burger on the buns with some arugula topped with the pattie and the aioli. So delicious and healthy.

VEGAN STIR FRIED RICE

This is so easy and quick to make. It gets eaten up as quickly too. You can make it with fresh rice or leftover rice, whichever works for you. Brown rice makes it more healthier to eat if you happen to like it. Make this any night, always a hit!

INGREDIENTS
1.5 Cups Uncooked Rice
1 Cup Carrots, diced
1/2 Cup Green Peas
1/2 Cup Green Beans, cut
1 Cup Cabbage, shredded
1/2 Cup Onion, diced
1-2 Cloves Garlic, minced
4-5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Vinegar
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

PROCESS
1. Wash rice thoroughly under water. This removes the excess starch from the grains and they don't stick together once cooked.
2. Add the rice with 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, salt to taste (soy sauce already has salt in it so be careful how much you add), and water in a rice cooker and let cook. If you don't have a rice cooker you can cook rice over your stove too.
3. In a Wok/Frying Pan add the oil. Keep on High heat. Once hot add the garlic and onion.
4. When the onion begins to look translucent, add the remaining veggies.
5. Once the veggies are par cooked, add the soy sauce and vinegar and the cooked rice.
6. Mix thoroughly and enjoy

TIP
1. You can add tofu to it for some variation
2. You can also add scrambled egg to it if you like
3. Watch the amount of salt you add since Soy Sauce already has a lot of sodium