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Chia Microgreens in a Raw Pumpkin Salad. Plant-based Diet

November 10, 2016 By iladori Leave a Comment

A stunningly colourful and delicious salad using two varieties of pumpkins, carrots and beets, topped off with power-packed Chia microgreens.

Rainbow on my Plate!

Did you know that pumpkins can be eaten raw? They’re delicious, too.

In this salad, I’ve used two pumpkins which can be very commonly found in the Indian Kitchen – the Ash Gourd aka Petha or White Pumpkin (one of the most “positive-prana” foods there is), and Red Pumpkin aka Kaddu, or the familiar ones we see in pies everywhere this season! 😀

The first is a firm, but rather watery vegetable, with a bland, yet refreshing taste.

The second has a naturally mild, nutty taste and chewy texture.

The sweet taste of the main ingredients are offset by the sharp, tangy tahini dressing, and zingy, fresh mint.

The crunchy nuts, and coconut add a satiating richness.

The Chia microgreens lend freshness and more nutrients and anti-oxidants than you might believe possible in such a tiny form. (See here for how to grow your own.)

They all combine into a high-fibre, densely satisfying salad (a bit like the Som Tam salad; be prepared to work the jaw on this one)

Raw 2 Pumpkin with Chia Microgreens

A colourful and delicious salad with chia microgreens and two types of pumpkin. Simple and nutritious.

Course Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Indian, World

Keyword gluten free, plant based, pumpkin, raw, salad, vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Dressing 5 minutes

Servings 2

Author iladori

Ingredients

1/4 cup Red pumpkin very finely diced or coarsely grated
1/4 cup Ash gourd (White Pumpkin / Petha) very finely diced or coarsely grated
1/4 cup Carrot very finely diced or coarsely grated
1/4 cup Beetroot very finely diced or coarsely grated
1/4 cup Pine Nuts or, Roasted Peanuts
1/4 cup Fresh Mint leaves finely chopped.
1/4 - 1/2 cup Freshly Grated Coconut
1/4 cup Fresh Chia (or any other) Microgreens
Salt to taste
Black Pepper, dry roasted and powdered to taste

Dressing

3 Tablespoons Toasted sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice (or to taste)
3 Tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
1 Teaspoon Garlic minced (or 2 small pods)
Salt To taste
2 nos De-seeded Dates optional
1 Teaspoon Fresh Dill leaves (or herb of choice) finely chopped
Water As required for desired consistency

Instructions

Toss it all together, pile on the microgreens and drizzle the dressing on top.
Serve immediately.

Dressing

Blitz together all except the last two ingredients into a fine paste.
Add water to reach the desired consistency.
Mix in the chopped dill or herb.

Recipe Notes

For the dressing I used this tangy tahini sauce as a base (recipe given above).

While eating raw foods may not be for everybody, it is highly advisable to include at least some raw foods in our daily diet wherever possible.

(The pumpkins, carrots and beets may also be very lightly steamed, if desired.)

This salad can even be a meal in itself.

Russian Salad (Vegan)

April 30, 2016 By iladori Leave a Comment

A bowl full of goodness.

This is one salad that is hearty, filling and chock full of nutrients while being delicious (even the versions with just potatoes and hardly anything else!)

A great way to feel satiated and refreshed this summer.

Just the thing for a light, al fresco lunch in the blazing summer.

For me, this is particularly high on nostalgia because it used to be one of my favorite things to order long ago at a restaurant called Casa Piccola (now non-existent), one of the few places in Bangalore where one would find continental type of dishes, a tad homely in style, but such menu choices were few and far between, those days.

So naturally, one of the first things I wanted to use my home-made Vegan Mayonnaise (with Aquafaba) was this.

This is my version, with plenty of fruits and veggies along with my favorite potatoes.

If not ultra strict, it even works as a ‘phalahari, or fasting food.

A delicious way to get a dose of fresh nutrients!

Ingredients: (4 large servings)

Boiled (Waxy) Potatoes – 5 or 6 medium sized, peeled, cut into chunks.
Lightly-steamed/Blanched Vegetables – 4-5 cups (carrots, french beans, peas), peeled and cubed
Crunchy apple (tart or sweet) – 1 small, cut into chunks.
Pineapple – 1 cup, cut into chunks
Vegan Mayonnaise (see here for how to make) – 3/4 cup (or to taste)
Onion – 1 small, finely chopped
English Cucumber – 1 cut into chunks
Olives – 1-2 Tablespoon
Pickled gherkins – 6 small, sliced
Capers – 1 Tablespoon
Celery – 1-2 sticks finely chopped
Fresh Parsely – 1-2 Tablespoon finely chopped
Salt and freshly milled pepper – to taste

(All ingredients and quantities flexible and optional, depending on preference.)

Method:

Mix everything well together. Add the vegan Mayo dressing, and toss it all together till the pieces are nicely coated.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Serve cold (or just slightly cool, as I like it).

Piña colada Smoothie (Vegan)

March 14, 2016 By iladori Leave a Comment

When the mercury is rising, there’s nothing better than a nice drink to chill and feel better.

And what could be nicer than a tropical holiday drink that instantly conjures up an image of relaxing under the coconut palms, with the mesmerizing sounds of the waves…..

If you like coconut and pineapple, then this is just the smoothie to try.

In a healthy avatar (and vegan, to boot!) this uses freshly prepared fruit without any added ice.

A fresh and seasonal burst of energy-giving nourishment for those young minds of kids who might be slaving away for their exams, which are going on right now in my city. 😉

But if you wish, feel free to use ice or frozen fruit (frozen banana slices will make it creamier in fact!). Add before the blitz.

Replace the tender coconut water (and/or flesh) with coconut milk for an even richer version!

Ingredients (For two large servings):

Fresh, tender-coconut flesh* – 1/2 cup (I used the entire contents of one medium-sized tender coconut)

Fresh, tender-coconut water – 1 cup

Fresh Pineapple pieces – 1 cup

Fresh Banana – 1, sliced

Honey – 1 Tablespoon, or to taste (not required if the ingredients are quite sweet)

*(locally referred to as “malai” – the creamy, solid part from a medium tender coconut.)

Tender coconut water.

Method:

Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend till creamy. Serve immediately.

Note: Do not store. (The tender coconut is very perishable, flavour-wise, and of course, nutritionally speaking, as well).

Enjoy!

Zesty Millet Tabbouleh

October 17, 2015 By iladori Leave a Comment

Bursting with freshness. Healthy, gluten-free, vegan, mostly raw.

A simple, delicious herbaceous salad, combined with the goodness of fresh fruit and crunchy veggies in a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil.
The addition of toasted sesame seeds provides an interesting, nutty note.
Since Little Millet, or Sama is generally regarded as permissible food during fasting, this tabbouleh is ‘farali’ or ‘phalahari’, and can be had during fasts in most cases (like during the Navaratri days).

Little Millet (Panicum sumatrense) is a species of millet in the family Poaceae.(Hindi: Kutki; Tamil: Samai; Telugu: Sama; Kannada: Same; Malayalam: Chama)

Note: To cook any millet, rinse (and soak the grains for at least 20 minutes or longer, to improve nutrition and texture) and then boil in a pan with 2 to 3 times the water by volume (depending on softness desired), or pressure cook (like rice) two whistles. Leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff grains with a fork before using.

Ingredients:

Little Millet – 1 cup, cooked ‘al dente’ *see note above, (or use any mix/single millet of choice; else use cracked bulgur wheat, soaked for an hour)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 2 Tablespoons
Lemon Juice – 2 Tablespoons
Salt – to taste
Fresh-milled Pepper – to taste
Toasted Sesame seeds – 2 Tablespoons
Spring onions (finely chopped whites and tender greens) – 1/4 cup (I left this out)
Seedless cucumber – finely chopped – 1/4 cup
Cherry Tomatoes, halved (or two large tomatoes, finely chopped) – 1/2 cup
Fresh mint, chopped – 1/4 cup
Flat leaf Parsley, finely chopped – 1/2 cup (Optionally substitute with coriander/cilantro)
Pomegranate seeds – 1/4 cup
Orange (peeled and broken segments) – 1/4 cup

Method:

Mix everything together, toss well, and serve immediately.

A delicious, colourful mix of fresh, soft, crisp and crunchy…..

…..makes a bowl full of zing!

Methi Sprouts Kosambri (Fresh Salad with Fenugreek Sprouts and Carrots)

March 4, 2014 By iladori 1 Comment

Raw salad at it’s beautiful, delicious best!

All organic ingredients. Garnish of nasturtium flower, methi, palak leaves fresh from the garden.

Kosambari (also known as Kosumalli or Koshimbir) is a fresh raw salad, made most often with soaked mung dal and grated carrots or cucumber. It is usually served in the initial course of a full festive meal in south India. A kachumber of sorts, it makes a truly refreshing, healthy, very appetizing start!

Although typically served in small portions (a tablespoon or two; after all, one needs to leave room for the rest of the large meal to follow!), it is worthy of being enjoyed in heartier portions at non-festive occasions.

Here I’ve made it with methi sprouts (see here for how to make sprouts), which combine their mildly bitter freshness with the sweet crunch of carrots, all tossed in a fresh lemon juice dressing with just a hint of that all-important, exotic tempering.

Ingredients:

Grated carrots – half cup

Methi sprouts (see here for how to make)- quarter cup or to taste (depending on desired bitter-sweet proportion)

Fresh coriander leaves, chopped – 2 tablespoons

Fresh lemon juice – 1 tablespoon

Green Chilly – 1 slit (optional)

Grated Fresh Coconut – 2 tablespoons (optional)

Salt – to taste

Tempering:

Organic Oil – 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds – 1/4 teaspoon

Urad dal (split, husked black gram dal) – 1/8 teaspoon

Hing (Asafoetida) – very small pinch

Dried Red Chilly – 1, broken into large bits (optional)

Curry leaves – 6-7

Fragrant curry leaves are often used as a tempering ingredient many south-Indian dishes.

They are also very nutritious, but more often than not, picked out of dishes and left on the side, uneaten because of their slightly stiff texture and strong flavour.

Although the flavour will be present even if the leaves get discarded, since it is carried well by the tempering oil, I still feel it’s worth the little effort to chop it up finely so that it gets eaten!

To do this is quite easy.

Just stack the leaves and cut into very thin strips (about 1/8 or even 1/16 of an inch), which makes ribbon-like strips called a “chiffonade”.

Then turn at a right angle, and further cut the strips into miniature square bits. This would be called a “brunoise” if it was a vegetable.

Coriander can be chopped finely, too

Heat the oil, and add the tempering ingredients in, first the mustard + urad dal, followed by the pinch of hing, then lastly the red chilly and curry leaf bits.

Mix everything gently in a bowl.

And it’s ready!

Bursting with nutrients!

Aam Adrak (Mango Ginger) Relish

September 7, 2013 By iladori 8 Comments

Fresh Pickle at it’s best!

This particular relish, made with Mango Ginger, or Curcuma Amada (see here for more on types of Ginger) is interestingly made in many parts of India in almost exactly the same way.

Although it is a type of ginger, it tastes more like raw mango, hence the name. It is, in fact, more closely related to it’s other rhizome cousin, the Turmeric, and also known as “White” or “Mango” Turmeric in some Indian dialects.

Whenever there’s anything this common in all our respective households, I cannot help marking it with a mental asterisk.

Because our culinary profile at home can best be described as a gentle bifurcation of North and South Indian cuisines.

For example, on a random day, we might have Annam, Sambar, Pachadi, Koora, Perugu (Rice, Sambar, Chutney, Vegetable and Curds) for lunch, which is South Indian, and then Dal, Roti, Sabzi, Salad, Chaas (Lentils, Flatbread, Salad, Buttermilk) for dinner, which is North Indian.

Then come the permutations and combinations. (We’re not even remotely talking about combinations like Dosa with Fruit Salad here, that a certain individual once had . Not at all!) I mean the permutations like Roti with Pachadi, or Subzi with Annam – which are cross-overs of a more natural kind.

All these, besides of course, the totally new incorporations, like millets, new types of vegetables etc, which are joining an ever-increasing list of interesting, delicious and ‘healthy’ options to try and incorporate in our daily diet.

And, although there is some blending on the periphery, I, at least, am aware of the recipe source.

I’m not so sure Y1 and Y2 are. For this reason, I’ve lately started adding in a recipe source other than when I have a published reference to cite.

This is one dish that blends in seamlessly into the Annam-Pappu as well as the Dal-Roti, and for that matter, even the Thai, Chinese and what-have-you’s.

Recipe Source: Mom, Dad, MIL.

And without further ado, let’s see what makes it so special –

Wash and scrape the mango ginger.

Slice into julienne, as thick or thin as desired.

Slice or chop the green chilles (one or two). I use the chopping jar of my hand-blender. It is super efficient at the job – that below is just one single green chilly that’s been minced so fine. My hands are saved the spicy coating. If you like to bite on green chilly pieces (as I sometimes do), then chop larger pieces, or slice lengthwise, rather than mince.

Add it to the julienned mango ginger.

Slice a lemon. Or two. (The excess juice from the relish makes a great flavoured, tangy addition to gravies or as a dressing in salads! So use more if that’s needed!)