Simple Couscous

Light couscous with a delightful smoked paprika flavor, which I made as part of our lunch today. This has to be one of the quickest grain dishes to cook ever! Great served with a dhal and salad.
Serves 4 as part of a larger meal.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup couscous
3 cups water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
1 tsp ghee or oil of choice

Combine everything in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Cover and cook over a medium low flame for 12 minutes or til water has evaporated and couscous is doubled in size and fluffy. Remove from heat and allow to steam itself for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork before serving.

Home-made Marzipan Squares

Yummy layered homemade marzipan treats which I made for lunch today! :-)

Spanokopita a la Gopi

Hey folks!

I had another fun afternoon experimenting in the kitchen today! :-) Came up with another version of my gridle breads which reminds me of the delicious spanokopita which I had in a friends home in Bosnia many years back. Hence, Spanokopita a la Gopi! ;-)

Dhanvantari said these were soooo good and more than passed the yum test! With him being a very selective eater, thats high praise! But hey, how can you go wrong if there's cheese in it, hehe?! :-D

Generously serves 5 hungry folks! :-)

Ingredients:
Pastry:
Approx 3 1/2 cups sprouted wheat flour (Arrowhead Mills)
2 TBSP non-gmo corn starch
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP ghee
Warm water as needed

Mix dry ingredients evenly. Add ghee and warm water. Knead til smooth and elastic. Set aside.

Filling:
1 pkg chopped spinach, steamed til thawed
Approx an equal amount of chunky sliced cheese ( I used a cheese which tasted like salty creamy mozzarella - but have no idea what it was called bec a friend gave it to me in a ziplock bag!)
1/2 cup stuffed green olives, rinsed off and sliced in halves
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp blk pepper
3/4 tsp sea salt

Mix everything together evenly and set aside.

Break off pieces of the dough and roll into balls approx 1 inch in diameter. Flatten in your palm and roll out on a flat smooth surface, into circles approx 2 inches wide, 2 mm thick. Sprinkle rolling surface with flour to prevent sticking.

Place a 1 1/2 heaped TBSP's of spinach cheese filling into the center of the circle.

Pull the sides of the filled circle together like a drawstring purse and pinch closed. It should look abit like a dried fig! :-) Turn it over pinched side face down on your palm and gently press it flat.

 Carefully roll into approx a 3/4 inch thick circle on a lightly floured surface. You need to do it with a light touch because you want to keep the pastry intact so the filling doesn't burst through.

Heat a cast iron griddle on medium low heat. Add a tsp of ghee and when melted place a flat bread on the griddle. I put the side which was pinched closed face down first because it needs more time to cook. Allow to fry for approx 3 minutes or til dappled dark and golden brown. Smooth a dab of ghee over the uncooked surface and turn.

Place another dab of ghee on the cooked surface and ease the spatula over it, gently pressing with the flat back of the spatula. It should cause the pastry to puff up a little.

Remove from heat after approx 3 minutes or when dappled golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove any excess ghee. Voila! That's it. Offer with love, and enjoy your homemade stuffed griddle bread with a side of fancy salad! (see below for recipe) :-)

Fancy Feta Salad
Here's a lovely salad to serve with your spanokopita gridle breads! :-) Dhanvantari ate almost all of it by himself! :-D

 Ingredients:
3 handfuls of green spring mix
1 big ripe avocado, washed, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup halved cherry tomato's
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/4 cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 TBSP extra virgin organic olive oil
A dash of maple syrup
A sprinkle of blk pepper

Mix all ingredients together evenly and serve asap! :-)

Raspberry Chocolate Oat Slices

Dessert time! :-D

Here's my latest experimental invention from the "science lab" kitchen! Delicious decadent raspberry chocolate oat slices made with the best of ingredients! Actually, I was stumped what to make for dessert today, so I just used whatever ingredients we had available at home to create this dish - as they say - necessity is the mother of invention. Can easily be vegan-ized.


Serves 8 slices.

Ingredients:
Please bear in mind I just created this on the spur of the moment using my hands to measure, so measurements are approximate.
Pie base:
Approx 2 cups rolled oat-flakes
3/4 cup walnut pieces
Approx 1/2 cup pure organic cane sugar (brown)
A pinch of sea salt
Approx 1-2 TBSP cold butter or organic extra virgin coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp organic vanilla essence

Blend the oats and walnuts into a coarse meal. Cream together with the rest of the pie base ingredients and press evenly into a glass pie dish. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 380 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown - approx 20 mins. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Filling:
10 dried organic figs, rinsed and chopped small
1 tsp organic vanilla essence
Approx 1 1/2 - 2 TBSP organic extra virgin coconut oil - soft (but not melted)
Approx 1/2 cup organic drinking chocolate powder (or cocoa or carob powder)
Approx 3 TBSP organic maple syrup or to taste
1/2 cup almond meal (optional)

Blend all the filling ingredients together into a thick paste. Gently pat evenly into the cooled baked pie shell.

Topping:
1 cup fresh whole raspberries washed and drained
1 bar 75% dark chocolate melted in double boiler

Sprinkle fresh raspberries over the filled pie. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the raspberries.

Place in freezer for 10 minutes to firm up the melted chocolate. Remove from freezer and serve as a memorable dessert! :-)

Stuffed Chocolate Figs

Yay! :-) Here's is my latest creative invention - stuffed chocolate figs smothered in dark chocolate! These are a fun, pop in your mouth dessert, with a delicious creamy filling! :-) They would be a great finger food for a party or special event.

Serves 10-20

Ingredients: 
20 dried organic figs
1 big bar of 70% dark organic chocolate

Filling:
Approx 1 1/2 - 2 TBSP organic extra virgin coconut oil
3 TBSP honey
1 cup finely shredded dried coconut
3/4 cup almond meal
3 TBSP sifted carob powder
1 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Melt chocolate in a double boiler over a saucepan of boiling water.

Mix together all the filling ingredients evenly. Shape into 20 balls.

Choose figs that are fairly soft - rather than tough skinned ones. Split the underside of the figs open - into half or thirds about 3/4 way up, and from inside the fig push out the creases with your fingers so there is more space inside. Make sure the top and stem remain intact. Fill each fig with a sweet ball and close the fig back over it.

Holding by the stem, dip each fig in the melted chocolate, coating it evenly. Place on a tray covered in waxed paper. When all are complete place in freezer for approx 10 mins to set the chocolate.

Offer with love and serve this delightful dessert! :-) Yummy!!!

Gopi's Stuffed Griddle Bread

Hey folks,

So I did some more creative experimenting in the kitchen today and came up with another recipe which is essentially a cross between Indian paratha's and quesadilla's! :-) The texture of the pastry is soft and bready. They are great served with ketchup and a salad, and also make good lunch box snacks.

I used a smokey bean paste as the main filling, but you can use your imagination e.g. I also made some filled with vegetarian shredded mozzarella, sliced black and green olives, basil and seasoning (blk pepper, paprika, asafoetida, salt) - which are great eaten hot off the griddle with a dash of ketchup on top! :-)

Makes approx 8-10 flat breads.

Ingredients for pastry:
1 cup sprouted grain pancake and waffle mix (Arrowhead Mills)
2 cups sprouted wheat flour (Arrowhead Mills)
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 TBSP ghee (clarified butter)
Enough warm water to make a medium firm dough - approx 1 1/2 cup
Extra flour for sprinkling on rolling surface

Mix all dry ingredients. Add in warm water mixing as you pour to gauge how much you need. Make a firm non sticky dough. Knead for a good 5 minutes to bring out the elasticity and set aside for 20 mins or so.


Filling ingredients:
Approx 4 cups cooked black beans
1 cup crushed tomato's
1 TBSP liquid smoke
2-3 TBSP maple syrup
1/2 TBSP curry powder
1/2 TBSP Old Bay Spice
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp Hungarian hot paprika
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 TBSP ghee
Mozzarella cheese (optional)

Heat ghee in saute pan over medium heat, and add all spices. Stir fry for a few seconds and add in the beans and rest of the ingredients. Add salt last towards the end. Cook beans til liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat and mash into a thick paste - does not have to be smooth, its nice to retain some bean shape for the texture. Use a potato masher or whatever works. When paste has cooled to room temperature its ready for use. It should be more dry than wet.

Break off pieces of the dough and roll into balls approx 1 inch in diameter. Flatten in your palm and roll out on a flat smooth surface, into circles approx 2 inches wide, 2 mm thick.

Place a 1 1/2 heaped TBSP's of bean paste (or cheese, olives and seasoning as seen in pic above) into the center of the circle. You can now add mozzarella on top of the bean paste (optional).

Pull the sides of the filled circle together like a drawstring purse and pinch closed. It should look abit like a dried fig! :-) Turn it over pinched side face down on your palm and gently press it flat. Carefully roll into approx a 3/4 inch thick circle on a lightly floured surface. You need to do it with a light touch because you want to keep the pastry intact so the filling doesn't burst through.

Heat a cast iron griddle on medium low heat. Add a tsp of ghee and when melted place a flat bread on the griddle. I put the side which was pinched closed face down first because it needs more time to cook. Allow to fry for approx 3 minutes or til dappled dark and golden brown. Smooth a dab of ghee over the uncooked surface and turn.

Place another dab of ghee on the cooked surface and ease the spatula over it, gently pressing with the flat back of the spatula. It should cause the pastry to puff up a little.

Remove from heat after approx 1-2 minutes or dabbled golden brown. Place on a paper towel to remove any excess ghee. Voila! That's it. Offer with love, and enjoy your homemade stuffed smokey griddle bread with some pickle or ketchup! :-)

Raspberry Chocolate Buttons

Looking for a quick dessert?! 

Krishna blessed me with creative inspiration and here's something I whipped up in a few minutes for lunch yesterday. 

For the marzipan lover's out there, these delightful little pop in your mouth buttons are delicious and decadent. The marzipan pairs well with dark chocolate and the juicy fresh raspberry in the middle is a lovely surprise! :-)

Makes approx 12 pieces.

Ingredients:
12 fresh raspberries
1/2 bar dark chocolate (low sugar)
Approx 1 1/2 cup ground almonds
Approx 2 TBSP honey with a light flavor
Approx 1 tsp vanilla essence or powder
2 TBSP carob powder/cocoa to dust


Melt chocolate in a double boiler over hot water.


Mix ground almonds, honey and vanilla essence into a medium firm fondant. Shape into small balls and press lightly between palms to make into a thick button shape. Roll in cocoa or carob powder. Press an indent into middle and wedge a fresh raspberry into it.


Place of waxed paper and spoon melted chocolate on top. Allow to cool and harden. I put it into the freezer for 10 minutes or so to speed up the process. 


Serve once chocolate coating has hardened. I could say this serves 4 people, but you may be in danger of eating them all yourself, so better double the recipe! ;-)