INDIAN FOOD

     I didn't wake up this morning expecting to make a huge Indian feast.  In fact I didn't even know it was going to happen until I started.  I absolutely love paneer in any Indian dish, so decided to make some.  I will remember next time to wait until I have LOTS of milk in the fridge, because by the time you strain off all the whey, you aren't left with much cheese.  Anyway, there was just enough to make a small batch to use in a lovely dish that was made with whatever chard was left in our garden, along with some kale.  

     The ultimate kicker in this feast was the Puris I made, otherwise known as FRIED bread.  That's right, pretty much like dipping donuts in your curry.  But oh so good and worth the hassle of deep frying and the oily drippiness of it all.  I can remember eating lots and lots of puris in my favorite Indian restaurant when I lived in Ontario, where it was served with a bowl of delicious curried chick peas.

PANEER

A punjabi homemade cheese resembling ricotta.  It can also be pressed to make a harder curd much like tofu.  For the recipe I made tonight, I kept it soft and crumbly.

1 litre organic whole milk

juice of 1 organic lemon

Method:  Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy bottomed saucepan.  When it boils, it will rise to the top of the pan.  Turn off the heat and immediately add the lemon juice.  Stir with a wooden spoon and watch the curds separate from the whey.  Strain with a cheesecloth in a colander.  

METHI CHAAMAN (Chard with Fenugreek and Indian Cheese)

 1 1/2 (675 g) pounds organic chard

2 cloves organic garlic

4 Tbsp organic yogurt

1 Tbsp fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp ghee or oil

8 oz crumbly paneer

sea salt

2 Tbsp fenugreek leaves, dried (methi)

1/2 Tbsp dried organic coriander powder

1/2 tsp organic cumin powder

pinch organic cardamom powder

pinch organic clove powder

Method:  Rinse the chard well, drain and coarsely chop.  Boil it in some water for 10 minutes, drain.  Put the spices, a couple of tablespoons of the cooked chard, garlic, yogurt, and coriander in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.

     Heat the ghee or oil in a large saucepan or skillet and stir fry the paste for 6-8 minutes, adding water to prevent sticking.  Add the remainder of the chard and stir fry until it is well mixed and heated through.  Add the cheese and salt to taste.  You can add more water to make it runnier.  Serve hot.

MASOOR DAL (Red Lentil Curry)

1 cup organic red lentils (masoor dal)

5 cups water

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp each organic turmeric, coriander and cumin powders

1 Tbsp freshly grated gingeroot

1 Tbsp organic oil

1/2 tsp organic black mustard seeds

1 organic onion, chopped

2 dried hot red chiles broken in half and seeds removed (optional)

pinch of hing

Method:  Wash the lentils and drain; set aside.  Boil the water and add the lentils, turning down the heat and cover, cooking for about 15 minutes.  Next add the salt, spices, and ginger.  Cook for another ten minutes, reducing to low while you prepare the next step.

     Heat the oil in a small saucepan.  Add the mustard seeds.  When they finish popping, add the onion and saute until translucent.  Stir in the hing and broken chile.  Pour this into the pot of dal.  Continue to cook until the dal becomes thicker, about 15-20 minutes.  Serve with basmati, garnished with fresh cilantro.

PURIS

1 cup organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached white flour

2 1/2 Tbsp organic ghee or palm oil

a little over 1/2 cup warm water

organic ghee or vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:  Add ghee solids or palm oil to flour and mix with your hands until flour is the consistency of coarse meal.  Add water and keep mixing.  Knead dough about 10-15 minutes.  Cover and let sit for half an hour.  

For rolling, lightly flour your surface and pinch of bits of dough and roll into round flat circles.  Place puri in hot oil, push it to the bottom and bathe it in oil.  It will rise and puff up like a balloon.  Turn over quickly and remove with tongs.

RAW GRANOLA

     My recent attendance at a sprouting workshop has inspired me to include even more raw foods into my diet.  The constant whirring of the dehydrator is proof that I've gotten my raw mojo back!  I love it when I make something raw that I REALLY love to eat.  Today, it's raw granola that's got me so excited.  Do yourself a favour and make this granola......

RAW GRANOLA

(adapted from "I am Grateful" by Teres Engelhart)

1 1/2 cups organic almonds, soaked overnight

1/2 cup organic sunflower seeds, soaked overnight

1/2 cup organic buckwheat, soaked overnight

1/2 cup organic hulled hemp seed

5 organic apples, grated

1/2 cup pureed organic dates

1/2 cup organic coconut flakes

scant 1/2 cup local honey

1 tsp organic pure vanilla

2 tsp organic cinnamon

1/3 tsp sea salt

Method:  Rinse and drain the seeds and grains.  Chop the almonds and add them, along with all the other seeds and grains to a large bowl.  In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the "S" blade, puree the dates along with some apple to make it moist.  Now add the apple, dates and remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well.

     Prepare 2 dehydrator trays with both the grid and Teflex sheets.  Spread out the granola with your hands and dehydrate at 145* for one hour, and then reduce temperature to 115* and dehydrate until dry.

CUCUMBER, APPLE, KALE, AND FENNEL JUICE

Fall is the time to get your veg on!  All the crops are being harvested and so there is no better time to eat lots of raw veggies and fruits.  This week at the market I stocked up on cucumbers, beets, fennel, carrots, apples, and lots of other fresh produce so I could make delicious fresh juices.  This morning I decided to pour the juice into a wine glass thinking it would make my husband more likely to drink it if it reminded him of his favorite beverage.  It took a little encouragement, but he drank it.  

CUCUMBER, APPLE, KALE AND FENNEL JUICE

2 organic apples, seeded

2 small organic pickling cucumbers or 1/2 of an english cucumber

3 leaves organic kale (great way to use up the kale in the garden that the slugs have been munching on)

1/4 -1/2 small organic fennel bulb

Method:  Juice all the vegetables and drink up!

PASTA FRITTATA

If you end up having leftover pasta from last night's meal, you can always make a pasta frittata.

PASTA FRITTATA

2 organic eggs, whisked

1 cup leftover garlicky angel hair pasta with kale and mizuna (or any leftover boiled pasta)

1 Tbsp organic salted butter

sea salt and peppper

romano cheese

Method:  Heat a small cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Set your oven to broil and warm it up.  Melt the butter in the pan and the add the pasta, stirring to warm it through.  Whisk the eggs with some salt and pepper and then add to pan, tilting it to distribute evenly.  Grate some of the romano cheese on top.  Broil about 3-4 minutes in oven until the egg is set.  Serve.

CRISPY BBQ TOFU

I was a vegetarian for many, many years and this was my all time favorite comfort food recipe.  I think it's because it reminded me of all those yummy, greasy, sparerib and chicken wingy type foods I ate growing up.  For the ultimate meal, serve this with mashed potatoes and frozen corn!  We were halfway there tonight, minus the corn.  We didn't really have enough potatoes, so I added a turnip into the pot which was a great addition that boosted our vegetable intake.  That lovely salad you see in the photo is one of my cabbage and kale jobbies I've already posted, so take your pick from the recipe index, and enjoy!

CRISPY BBQ TOFU 

1 lb organic extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4" slices

2 Tbsp organic flour

2 Tbsp organic cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp organic poultry seasoning

2 tsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh organic black pepper

2 Tbsp organic dijon mustard

4 Tbsp organic vegetable oil for frying

Sauce: 1/2 cup organic ketchup

1/3 cup coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup

2 Tbsp organic lime juice

2 cloves organic garlic, minced

1 organic onion, minced

4 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp hot pepper sauce

Method:  Make your sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes.

     On a plate mix flour, cornmeal, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, sea salt and pepper.  Brush tofu with the mustard and then roll in the cornmeal mix.  Set aside.

     Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, place 4 slices of tofu in the skillet and fry until golden brown.  Keep warm in an oven on low heat.  Repeat.  Serve with sauce and enjoy.

NORBERT'S NOODLES

My favorite farmer in the whole world is making pasta and it is good.  Norbert from Selwood Green has awakened a latent talent for noodle making and I am glad.  Although this means he isn't spending as much time growing phenomenal organic vegetables.  But at least he is doing good things no matter what he does.  And lucky for us it always involves food.

     We eat Norbert's Kamut Pasta with all kinds of sauces, but tonight we delved into our frozen green curry paste stash and whipped up this little yummy.

KAMUT NOODLES in a Peanut Coconut Sauce

1 pack of Norbert's Organic Kamut Noodles (equal to about 1/2 pound dry pasta I think)

1 pound organic local firm tofu, cut into cubes

1/2 cup arame seaweed, soaked in water for 5 minutes

1 organic onion, chopped

2 cups organic cabbage, cut into small pieces

3 organic carrots, chopped

1/2 cup organic peanut butter

1/2 can organic coconut milk

6 Tbsp organic tamari

4 Tbsp spicy thai chili dipping sauce

big pinch sea salt

2 Tbsp organic raw sesame oil

1 heaping Tbsp green curry paste

1/4 cup water

1/2 bunch organic cilantro, chopped

1/2 organic lemon

Method:  Bring a pot of water to boil and when ready cook noodles for about 5 minutes.  Preheat oven to 450*.  Marinate the tofu in 2 Tbsp of the tamari sauce and 1 Tbsp of the sesame oil.  Broil in the oven in a cast iron skillet for about 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Set aside.

     Heat a cast iron wok over medium high heat.  Add the rest of the oil and stir fry the onion, carrot, cabbage, arame and a pinch of sea salt for about 8 minutes.  Then stir in the tofu, coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, chili sauce, water and remaining tamari.  Cook stirring for about 5 minutes, then add the drained noodles and chopped cilantro.    Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and chopsticks.

Indian Dal and Mango Chutney Coleslaw

Dal is a very easy Indian dish to make, and in fact the first Indian meal I mastered.  I usually serve it with white basmati (shh don't tell the fibre police) because I love it so much, but tonight I thought I'd be all healthy and go with quinoa.  The Mango Chutney salad was an impromptu creation using up a virtually empty jar of organic mango chutney I found in the fridge.  I normally buy Patak's Mango Chutney, until one day I found an organic version at Planet Organic.  It is very different from Patak's, a much runnier chutney, but tasty nonetheless.  I added some apple cider vinegar and sesame oil to the jar, shook it up, and presto!  instant mango dressing for our salad.

INDIAN DAL

For last night's dinner I added some chopped kale to this near the end of cooking just to add some more vegetables to our life, but I usually don't.

1 1/2 cups organic yellow split peas, rinsed

1 tsp organic turmeric powder

1 large clove organic garlic, smashed and chopped

2 Tbsp organic butter

2 tsp organic coriander powder

2 tsp organic cumin seed powder

1 organic onion, chopped

1/4 tsp hing (asofetida) powder

1-3 tsp sea salt

2 tsp organic black mustard seeds

Method:  In a medium saucepan, combine the peas and enough water to amply cover them and the turmeric.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour or until the peas are soft and mushy.

     Meanwhile, in a cast iron skillet melt the butter over medium heat and then fry the onion until soft.  Then add the spices and garlic and cook another minute.  Stir into the peas when they are 3/4 of the way cooked.  When the peas are cooked, season with salt to taste.

MANGO CHUTNEY COLESLAW

2 cups, thinly sliced and chopped organic cabbage

1 large organic carrot, shredded

1/4 cup chopped organic cilantro

handful organic cashews

1/4 organic red onion, chopped

1/4 organic red pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp organic mango chutney

1 Tbsp organic apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 Tbsp organic raw sesame oil

Method:  Toss all ingredients together and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Pizza Night

Seeing as last night's pizza plans got sidetracked, I decided to make this afternoon all about pizza. This morning's trip to the Halifax Farmer's Market resulted in some great ingredients for project pizza.  The first thing I spied when I arrived at the market were some HUGE wild caught shrimp from Mike's Fish Shop.  I picked up six and headed over to Norbert's where I bought some lovely chard and peppers.  Last week I had purchased some organic pepperoni from Angelhoeve Farm and was excited to finally put it to the test on our pizzas.  I am in the midst of a bacon craze and so picked up some more of that as well.  Four different pizzas, four taste adventures.

WHOLE WHEAT PIZZA DOUGH

2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp instant yeast

1 Tbsp local honey

4 cups organic whole wheat flour

1-2 cups organic unbleached white flour

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

4 Tbsp olive oil

Method:  Combine the honey and warm water in a large bowl.  Dissolve yeast in warm water.  When frothy, stir in salt and oil.  Gradually add in each cup of flour, stirring.  When it becomes hard to stir with a spoon, start to knead with your hands.  Then bring it out onto a floured countertop and knead for about 5 minutes.  Keep adding flour until the dough kneads without sticking to the counter.  Place into a greased bowl covered with a plate or saran wrap and let rise about 1 hour.  Punch down and divide into 4-5 ball of dough.

     Grease 4-5 cookie sheets and/or cast iron skillets and sprinkle with about a tablespoon per pan of organic cornmeal.  Spread each ball into a thin pizza crust.

BACON PESTO PIZZA with Wilted Chard and Onion

4 strips organic or pasture raised bacon, fried lightly and chopped into bite sized pieces

2 Tbsp basil pesto

3 leaves of chard, chopped

1 onion, sliced into thin wedges

1-2 cups organic mozzarella

Method:  Saute the onion in some olive oil until they begin to soften.  Then add the chard and saute until wilted.  Set aside.

Assembly:  Spread a crust with the pesto, followed by the some cheese, the chard/onion mix and then the bacon.  Top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for about 10-15 mins.

SHRIMP PIZZA with Wilted Chard, Onion, Rose Sauce and Capers

6 large wild caught shrimp, cut in half lengthwise

1/2 cup organic rose tomato sauce

some of the wilted chard and onion from previous recipe

1 Tbsp capers

organic mozzarella cheese

Method:  Spread a crust with the sauce, some cheese, the chard/onion, the shrimp and capers and end with the remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 mins.

PEPPERONI PIZZA with Mushrooms and Olives

1 organic pepperoni stick, sliced thinly

1 cup organic mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/4 green and black olives

1/2 cup organic tomato sauce

organic mozzarella cheese

Method:  Spread crust with the sauce and some cheese, followed by the pepperoni, mushrooms, olives and remainin cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes.

VEGETABLE PIZZA with Zucchini, Peppers, Mushroom and Olives

1/2 organic red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 organic green pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup organic mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 cup black and green olives 

organic mozzarella cheese

organic tomato or rose tomato sauce

Method:  Spread sauce on a crust, followed by some of the cheese, veggies and end with remaining cheese.  Bake at 450* for 10-15 minutes.

Chinese

I had a bag of fermented black beans in my cupboard for about three years before I finally figured out what to do with them.  Great stir fry at home!

TOFU AND VEGETABLES IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE

1 lb organic firm tofu

1 Tbsp organic tamari

2 tsp rice wine or sake

1/2 tsp toasted organic sesame oil

Method:  Cube the tofu and let it marinate in the above ingredients for 15 mins.

1 Tbsp organic sesame oil

1/4 cup sliced organic green onions

1 Tbsp finely chopped organic garlic

1 Tbsp salted, fermented black beans, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 Tbsp finely chopped organic fresh ginger

1/2 organic green pepper

1/2 organic red pepper

1 crown organic broccoli, cut into florettes

1 organic carrot, thinly sliced

2 tsp organic tamari

1 Tbsp rice wine or sake

1 tsp local honey

1/4 cup stock or water

1/2 tsp toasted organic sesame oil

2 tsp organic cornstarch

1/4 cup raw organic cashews

Method:  Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat until almost smoking.  Add the tofu and cook until lightly browned.  Remove.  Add more oil if needed and stir fry the broccoli, carrot and peppers until beginning to soften slightly.  Add the scallions, garlic, black beans and ginger.  Stir-fry for 10 seconds, add the soy sauce, rice wine, honey, stock, sesame oil and cornstarch.  Add the tofu and cashews, toss lightly to coat.  Serve with steamed rice.

Soup Season has Begun

When I was speaking to my mother this morning she was in the process of making this soup which inspired me to copy her.  A hearty Greek dish that reminds me of my childhood meals that mom always lovingly prepared for us.

FASOLADA (fasolatha)

2 cups  dried organic navy beans 

water

2 tbsp olive oli

1 onion, chopped

3 large tomatoes diced or 1 1/2 Tbsp organic tomato paste

2 stalk celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped

6 cups stock or water

1/4 cup parsley

about 1 tsp salt and black pepper

Method: Soak beans in water overnight or for at least 6 hours.  Drain the water and either precook in a pressure cooker until soft or boil in a pot for a couple of hours until soft.  Drain the beans and reserve.  

In a large soup pot saute the onions, carrots, and celery in the olive oil.  Add the garlic, beans, stock or water, tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a light simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until the soup thickens and the beans are nice and soft.  Add parsley in the last 5 minutes, reserving some for garnish.  Serve with feta cheese and a hunk of really good bread.

Prep Time: once the beans are soaked it takes 10 mins to pressure cook the beans.  Otherwise the actual soup takes about 10 minutes prep time.