Quinoa Idly (Gluten-free)

A huge bag of Quinoa in my pantry prompted me to try out this Idly. I have used it in place of white rice in other recipes, but this one is by far the best. If you are used to regular idlies, then this may take some time getting used to since it has a distinct and strong earthy taste with a hint of sweetness. Some kind of chutney or Idly chilly powder to go along with it is highly recommended.
Quinoa is gluten-free, has a low glycemic index and is a good source of protein for vegetarians, thus making this a perfect healthy food.



Quinoa Idly

Ingredients:

Quinoa - 3 cups
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
Salt - To taste
Water - To grind

Method:

Wash the quinoa well, say 4 to 5 times. Soak in water for about 6 hours or overnight.
Wash Urad Dal and soak in water for 6 hours or overnight along with the fenugreek seeds. Do not close either of them.

Grind both separately using a blender or a wet grinder. I used a blender since I was experimenting and had only a small quantity to work with. Then mix both together and add salt.
Let it sit covered in a warm place and allow to ferment. It would take anywhere from 8 hours to 12 hours depending on the climate. Warmer climate ferments the batter very quickly. But in a place like mine it took 12-14 hours.

Then grease idly plates and steam in a pressure cooker for about 10 min.
Scoop out the idlies and enjoy with some chutney, sambar or some "Idly molagai podi."

Baked Idli (Rice cake) Manchurian

Me missing from the blogging scene is not even a surprise now! I love cooking and blogging, but other things take priority every now and then like it rightfully should, so this time I am not even going to the why and what of my absence. But I am happy to blog at the moment and I will relish this till I am done with this post.
Idli Manchurian is not something I ate a lot or was familiar with when I was back home. I probably have had it a couple of times, not because I did not like it but because it was way too greasy and unhealthy. It is made by frying the Idli pieces that were dipped in batter and then stir fried with vegetables and sauces. Sounds yummy right? I know!
For my version, I baked them (vs. frying) and tossed it with a bunch of crunchy vegetables and tomato sauce and called it a day! It tasted good and knowing that I am eating something good made me a very happy camper right there in my kitchen.



Baked Idli (Rice cakes) Manchurian

Ingredients:

Steamed Idli (Rice cakes) - 6-8 cut into cubes
Carrot - 1 cup shredded
Green pepper - 1 cup shredded
Cabbage - 2 cups shredded
Ginger - 2 tsp chopped
Garlic - 3 tsp chopped
Mint leaves - 1 cup chopped
Curry leaves - About 6 leaves chopped
Spring Onion - 1 cup chopped lenghtwise
Salt - To taste
Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Tomato ketchup/sauce - 2 tbsp
Corn flour - 1 cup (Chick pea flour/besan flour should also work)
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Chilly powder - Depending on your heat level
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Black pepper -1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp



Method:

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix the corn flour, rice flour, salt, 2 tbsp oil, chilly powder (about 1/2 tsp), turmeric powder with a little water to make into a paste.



Add the idli pieces and mix well. The batter should be just enough to coat the pieces.



Spread it evenly on a greased baking sheet and bake until lightly brown and the coating of batter is baked. Check after 15 minutes of placing the tray in the oven.



Meanwhile in a large wok, add the oil, when hot add the curry leaves, ginger, garlic, pepper. Then add the veggies and stir fry with some salt. Add the mint and spring onions, soy sauce and tomato sauce at last. Now, add the baked idli pieces and mix well till it absorbs all the sauce and flavors from the veggies and herbs.
Serve hot.

Fresh Blueberry Oat "Cakes on a Pan"

I think whoever discovered pancakes was a dessert fanatic like me and decided to have some indulgence with something sweet first thing in the morning. Seriously that is what my take on cakes on a pan, well pancakes are. I actually like to think that it might have been me in my previous birth, if there existed one. :)

For this recipe, use fresh blueberries if possible, I got mine specifically for this. The reason for using fresh berries is this... when the heat hits the berries on the pan, those little rounds burst open oozing out a beautiful purple juice on the pancake. And my, oh my, seeing that first thing in the morning is a sight to behold.
So, I got a "huge" box from Costco, I used like a cup of berries for this recipe, and the rest is happily stored away. If you are aware of any healthy and easy recipes for blueberries, I would love to know. I need some help using the rest of the box...
(OR)
I will have to come up with some new wacky recipe that will for sure look good on my picture, which might trick you readers into commenting the ever so famous "Lovely picture, Nice recipe" comment. *wink*

Each and every stuff that went into making my pancakes are exactly what you want to kick off a day, protein from the eggs, whole grains from the whole wheat flour and oats, dairy from the milk, nutritious blueberries, a tad bit of sugar and butter for that feel good factor, and some grease to get you going through the day. All in one long sentence and pancake.



Fresh Blueberry Oat Cakes on a Pan

Ingredients:

Fresh blueberries - 1 cup

Whole wheat pastry flour - 1 cup
Old fashioned Oats - 1/3 cup
Milk - 1-2 cups
Eggs - 2 large
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Vanilla - 1 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 3 tbsp (or more depending on your sweetness level)

Method:

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and using a hand blender whip the mixture till light and creamy.

Add 1 cup milk, vanilla, baking powder and whisk again.

Add flour and oats and whisk well to combine. Do not over mix. The batter should not be runny or too thick. Add more milk at this point if need be. It should be thick, yet in pouring consistency.

Mix the blueberries.

On a hot griddle smeared with some oil, pour the batter in small circles. Do not spread. The batter should flow by itself.
When bubbles start to form on the top surface, flip the pancake over and cook on the other side.

Some berries will break open and give a beautiful purple juice onto the pancake itself. Enjoy it hot from the griddle with some agave, fruit preserves or syrup.





These pancakes are off to Jugalbandi's Click June 2009 - Stacks and Jeanne's WTSIM Berried Treasure

Mini Churros - Baked vs Fried

Commonly referred to as "Spanish doughnuts", Churros are originally a Spanish breakfast dish which are deep fried and then coated with sugar. I was first introduced to Churros at Costco (the little eatery they have) by a friend of mine while we were shopping.
Bunch of girls, walking around a store for hours together, shopping, what else would anyone expect!
They were a $1 each and we were in love with it. I have so badly wanted to make them at home ever since but without deep frying them.

That is when I turned to my trusty puff pastry sheets that always reside in my freezer. I love making vegetable puffs or egg puffs with them, and this time we have something sweet. Please note that puff pastry sheets by themselves have butter in them, that is how the layers are formed, so remember the term "relatively" guilt-free.

I cut the pasty sheet into strips, drenched them in cinnamon sugar, twisted them and baked them till golden. Taste wise, if you have had churros before, then you will know the difference since these are baked. But if you have no clue as to what the original tastes like, then you will be pleasantly surprised. They taste awesome and with a little dulche de leche to dip... can't ask for a better relatively guilt-free dessert.
If you don't have dulche de leche, then try dipping them in caramel or nutella.
Oh! Please don't drool all over my blog! :)



Mini Churros - Baked Vs Fried

Ingredients:

Puff pastry sheets - 1
Cinnamon - 1 tsp
Sugar - 1/4 cup (They don't take up so much sugar, it is only for coating, you will have some left over)
Egg - 1/2 beaten (optional)
A.P flour - To dust

Method:

Thaw out pastry sheets according to package instructions. It should be at room temperature or slightly still cold.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl and keep them ready.

Spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

Unfold the sheet, dust a little All purpose flour if need be and roll out slightly.

Cut into thin strips of desired lengths. I did mine about 3 inches long and 1 inch thick.

Brush beaten egg on both sides roughly. Coat with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Lay them on the cookie sheet with little space in between them so that they can puff up.

Bake at 400F till slightly golden brown on top.

Serve with caramel, nutella or dulche de leche.

Eggless Savory French Toast crusted with Chickpea flour

A quick and tasty recipe for those who can't have eggs either by choice, by dietary restriction or for the sake of change, like me.

I adapted this recipe from Mahimaa's blog. I did make some little changes to the recipe, which I have listed below. The thing that caught my attention was the ease of making it, and of course the nice change it brought during breakfast time. I am a big hearty breakfast person, just can't kick off my day without it.

The one thing that was a challenge was making those onion bits stick to the bread/batter. Next time I am going to chop them really fine. Other than that it was perfect. I used my potato bread (I will post the recipe soon, turned out my best so far, yay!) as the base for this dish. But really, any kind of bread would work nicely.

The chickpea & rice flour formed a nice crust and struck a lovely balance of soft on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside.
You can find chickpea flour in almost any grocery store (not just the Indian ones).
Rice flour (if you can't find any) may be substituted by cornflour for the added crusty finish.



Eggless Savory French Toast crusted with Chickpea flour

Ingredients:

Whole wheat bread slices - 3 (or as many as you want)
(Adjust the following ingredients according to the number of bread slices you are making)
Chickpea flour/Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour - 2 tbsp
Water - Enough to make a paste with the flour
Red onions - 1/2 cup (very finely chopped)
Cilantro - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)
Red Chilly flakes/Pepper - To taste
Salt - To taste
Olive oil - Just enough to cook on both sides

Method:

Mix the chickpea flour, rice flour, chilly flakes/pepper, salt and water to make a thin paste.

Add the red onions and cilantro and mix well.

Heat a non-stick pan, drizzle a little oil on medium heat.

Dip the bread slices in the batter, the onion bits may try to fall off, try to add them on top after laying it on the pan.

Cook on both sides till lightly golden brown.

Serve hot with chutney or tomato ketchup.