Besan Khaman-Dhokla (Chickpea Flour Microwave Savory Cake)

A close-up view of the dhokla/khaman, cooked in 5 minutes in the microwave. A steamed savory cake made from besan/chickpea flour, lightened with baking powder, baking soda, and lemon juice (not Eno). Tempering mixture included mustard seeds, dried cilantro, sugar, and water. Recipe from 2014 for Dhokla, DHOKLA in MICROWAVE, Dhokla Recipe, Instant Dhokla, Besan Dhokla, Dhokra from Dr. Shalini on YouTube. 

Besan Khaman-Dhokla (Chickpea Flour Microwave Savory Cake)

Dhokla or khaman or khaman dhokla. A steamed savory cake made from besan/chickpea flour, topped with a tempering of mustard seeds, dried cilantro, sugar, and water. Cooked in microwave in 5 minutes. Doesn't contain Eno fruit salts. Uses mixture of baking powder, baking soda, and lemon juice to lighten the savory cake. Recipe from 2014 for Dhokla, DHOKLA in MICROWAVE, Dhokla Recipe, Instant Dhokla, Besan Dhokla, Dhokra from Dr Shalini on YouTube. 

Potato Parantha with Maida Flour

Potato parantha. Made with all-purpose flour, as that's what I had, rather than ata (chapati flour). Used oil, no ghee, so dairy-free/vegan.

Flat Griddlebread (like Roti/Chapati)

Flatbread made on griddle, like Indian roti or chapati. Used all-purpose flour, rather than ata (chapati flour) which I did not have. I made 8 flatbreads, and got 4 or 5 to puff up! I was very glad, as it had been a very long time since I had made anything similar.

Vegan Pizza for Snacks

Cheese-less pizza, good for a snack. That’s what happened to the 4th piece!

Dough was most likely pizza/focaccia dough recipe from Mark Bittman ’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Sauce was from the store, and tastes similar to one of my favorite pizza places.

Mini Black Bean Croquettes (close-up)

Close-up of a Mini Black Bean Croquette, made from recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

I used some salsa and extra breadcrumbs, and otherwise recipe was about the same as the book. 

Instead of dipping the croquettes in egg before coating with breadcrumbs, I dipped them in a thin flour-and-water paste. I’ve seen this technique used in Indian-cooking videos on YouTube, and found it does make croquettes fairly crispy with a minimum amount of oil.

Mini Black Bean Croquettes

Mini Black Bean Croquettes, from recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. 

I used some salsa and extra breadcrumbs, and otherwise recipe was about the same as the book. 

Instead of dipping the croquettes in egg before coating with breadcrumbs, I dipped them in a thin flour-and-water paste. I’ve seen this technique used in Indian-cooking videos on YouTube, and found it does make croquettes fairly crispy with a minimum amount of oil.

Pizza-Harcha 

Pizza-harcha, using Moroccan harchas from recipe of JamilaCuisine on YouTube, and yogurt.

All you need is harchas, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and some dried Italian herbs. Or make it your own way.

Reminds me of the pizza muffins we used to make as kids, in the toaster oven. Those were made with English muffins.

Moroccan Harcha (2nd recipe)

Moroccan Harcha, recipe from JamilaCuisine on YouTube (with English CC). This recipe wasn’t as sweet as the harchas of CookingWithAlia, so it might be better to accompany savory dishes. However I used these the same way as I did the harchas of CookingWithAlia. I missed them when they were gone. 

Moroccan Harcha (1st recipe)

Harcha, a Moroccan bread that reminds me of English muffins, made according to the recipe of CookingWithAlia, Episode 310, on YouTube.

As I can’t eat butter, I used oil instead. Also, I wasn’t sure exactly when the harchas were “done,” so I might have overcooked them a little. No matter. They were delicious, and as versatile as Alia described in her video. I also liked them, split open, filled with scrambled egg, in an Egg-McMuffin style.

I missed them when they were gone.

Zucchini Tomato Sauce with Pita Bread 

The veggies are part of another simple yet delicious dish that my grandma used to make. It’s just chopped zucchini and chopped tomatoes, cooked together with some olive oil. If you like, you can add some onions to the oil first and fry them, before adding the other ingredients. Add some salt to taste, and that’s all. This time, I included some dried Italian herbs mix and basil. (Don’t hesitate to use canned tomatoes if that’s what you have.)

Underneath the veggies is a toovar dal cutlet (but that’s a different story, and I didn’t manage to get a picture of that) for protein. 

Accompanying these, is a half pita, toasted, that I break up into my own version of pita chips. It’s fat-free, and good for scooping up the veggies.

Stuffed Pita Pie

An open-faced pita pie, from a recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.

Basically, you make the pita dough, then use it to surround a filling, and bake it. The filling, in this case, was some leftover soup from the deli – a yellow split-pea soup that I had added some tomato paste to, and which was very thick.

One of these pies made for a very hearty meal.

"Spanish Sauce" with Tomatoes & Green Peppers (another view)

Another view of a dish my Grandma called “Spanish Sauce,” that she often made. I don’t know that the recipe is actually from Spain, though. 

It consists of some onions and olive oil, but is mostly tomatoes, green bell peppers, and tomato sauce. You can use canned tomatoes and sauce, and frozen peppers, if that’s easier. Grandma would have to make dinner for her family quickly after coming home from work, so she’d completely understand.

She served it over rice, and also with egg omelettes.

"Spanish Sauce" with Tomatoes & Green Peppers

A dish my Grandma called “Spanish Sauce,” that she often made. I don’t know that the recipe is actually from Spain, though. It consists of some onions and olive oil, but is mostly tomatoes, green bell peppers, and tomato sauce. 

You can use canned tomatoes and sauce, and frozen peppers, if that’s easier. Grandma would have to make dinner for her family quickly after coming home from work, so she’d completely understand.

She served it over rice, and also with egg omelettes.

Focaccia with Soup for a Light Lunch

A light lunch, of homemade focaccia and noodle soup, and potato chips. There’s some scrambled egg in the soup, somewhere beneath all the noodles. 

The focaccia recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and I often use it. (It's good for pizza dough, too.)

Pesarattu (South Indian Savory Griddlecakes)

These were inspired by@archanaskitchen recipe for Lauki and Whole Green Moong Dal Cheela, and @abitwholesomely photo and description of Pesarattu.

I soaked whole green mung beans (sabut moong) for several hours, then put them through a Cuisinart with a little mashed rice and some seasonings (no vegetables this time). I fried them, a couple tablespoons at a time, with a little oil, like a dosa. 

Very hearty and energy-giving.

Strawberry-Peach Sorbet

Strawberry-Peach Sorbet, according to the Sorbet recipe from Gemma’s Bigger Bolder Baking on YouTube. Very simple: just sweetened condensed milk with frozen fruit. (I add a pinch of salt.) Super delicious! Cooling and soothing after a spicy meal. She even has recipes for sweetened condensed milk, dairy and non-dairy, if you can’t find it where you live. 

Homemade Oil Biscuits

Biscuits. Recipe from Mom’s Big Book of Baking by Lauren Chattman. 

Made with corn oil rather than the butter of the original recipe, and baked at 425 F for about 18 minutes. 

Great for a snack, by itself or with jam or honey. Also good as part of a light meal.

Chana Pulao (Chickpea Pilaf)

Chana Pulao (rice pilaf with chickpeas). Recipe is from The Turmeric Trail by Raghavan Iyer . 

You can't see the chickpeas, as I put them through a Cuisinart first, before mixing them into the pulao. (I have to cuisinart all legumes like that, for health reasons.) 

The recipe made more than enough to freeze a good amount for later. Delicious, especially with a sauce or chutney (or just salsa), and some potato chips to add crunch. 

Chocolate Pudding Ice Cream

Chocolate pudding turned into light "ice cream." Recipe for the pudding was from Bhavna's Kitchen on YouTube. 

 I used an equal amount of honey instead of the butter, thinking of how Gemma Stafford used honey in her frozen yogurt recipe on YouTube. I also used an extra teaspoon of vanilla extract. After cooling the finished product to room temp and chilling in the fridge, I put it in the freezer. 

I may have to leave it on the counter for a few minutes or place in the microwave for 5 to10 seconds if it's really frozen, but otherwise, it's just a delicious light "ice cream." 

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Mandelbrot (close-up)

A closeup of those delightful chocolate chip mandelbrot pictured and described below. 

Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Mandelbrot

Chocolate Chip Mandelbrot, with lots of mini-chocolate chips as well as ground hazelnuts. (Mandelbrot is kind of like biscotti.) Recipe from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman. 

Baked in a 9x13 pan and cut into slices when cool. This seemed to work better for me than trying to shape the dough into 2 loaves. Then I baked the slices again on a baking sheet. 

Stored in an airtight container on the table, they stayed fresh for the couple of weeks it took me to eat them. 

Apple Cinnamon Cake

Layered apple cinnamon cake. Includes plenty of apples!  Recipe from A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman. Recipe made enough to freeze a loaf-size cake and keep the other for nibbling.