Chana Dal Kichdi 

(Indian Rice & Legume Porridge), 

mixed with leftover Spring Veggie Sambhar

Here the dishes are pictured with store-bought whole-milk yogurt. The Chana Dal Kichdi recipe is from Archana's Kitchen and made recently, while the Sambhar had been frozen during the summer. I don't know that this is at all any kind of traditional combination, but I wanted to add something with veggies to the Kichdi. (I enjoyed it also with potato chips, not pictured.) The end result was very creamy and nourishing. 

My version looks a bit different from the lovely photos on the Archana's Kitchen website, as I first ground up dry chana dal. I mixed this with some water, covered it, and let it sit in the counter during the afternoon. I've mentioned before, that I've been testing out this method, as otherwise, I have to soak and cook the dal twice as long, and then grind it up, in order to be able to eat it. I thought that for me, this might save some effort. The only thing is, 1 cup of dry dal seems like a lot more, once it's ground up! Also, I didn't half-cook the dal first (as in the recipe) before adding it to the rice, so the rice took a long time to get done. Next time, I think I'll cook the dal separately, before adding to the rice. All of these issues are not the fault of the recipe, but were caused by my experiments veering from the recipe.

Archana's Kitchen Website, Chana Dal Kichdi

Puli Gozzo 

(South Indian Eggplant Sauce)

This was from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. Aside from the eggplant, it also contains onions, tomatoes, and spices including mustard seeds and sambhar powder. I left out the curry leaves, coconut, and tamarind. I'd made Gozzo, a simpler sauce with mustard seeds, onions, and tomatoes, several times before, but never this variation. The pic is from last month, and has been waiting for its turn. This sauce was a nice change from the usual.

Quinoa Flakes Cheela 

(Indian Savory Pancake)

This was inspired by the Ground Oats Cheela from August 30, of The Gutless Foodie on Instagram. Instead of using ground oats, I used ground quinoa flakes (which I ground up in a coffee/spice grinder), along with mustard seeds and some spices. I was glad to find a use for the quinoa flakes (that I was advised could add some protein to my diet). It was a very delicious use, too. 

(I'm adding links here to the company that makes these quinoa flakes, in case anyone is interested.)


The Gutless Foodie Facebook

The Gutless Foodie Instagram, Ground Oats Cheela

Ancient Harvest Website, Quinoa Flakes

Ancient Harvest Website, How to Use Quinoa Flakes

Lauki Chana Dal 

(Zucchini Chana Dal Curry)

This was based on the recipe of Not Out of the Box. The original recipe calls for bottle gourd, but since I didn't have that, I substituted zucchini. It looks a bit different than her beautiful photos, as I first ground up dry chana dal, mixed that with a little water, and then let it sit for a few hours, before adding it to the veggies. (I did this to save time. Otherwise, I have to soak chana dal for twice as long as the recipe, cook it for twice as long, and then put it through a blender or food processor. If I don't, then I can't eat it.) The dish also includes fresh tomatoes. I made this last month, but just realized I hadn't yet shared the pic. Although it doesn't look exactly like the original, it was still satisfying and nourishing. 

Not Out of the Box Facebook

Not Out of the Box Instagram, Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Chana Dal Curry)

Not Out of the Box Website, Lauki Chana Dal (Bottle Gourd Chana Dal Curry)

Spaghetti, 

with Tomatoes, Peas, & Carrots 

This was just something simple for dinner. I cooked the pasta in just-enough water, stirring every so often. I had already added olive oil and salt to the water, and later added the defrosted, frozen peas-and-carrots along with some canned chopped tomatoes, just before adding the pasta. I seasoned it with some dried Italian seasoning, onion powder, ground ginger, and a little cinnamon and allspice. After cooking it until it was done, continuing to stir, the water had largely evaporated into a bit of a sauce. Not pictured here: the leftover store-bought ricotta that I mixed into my bowl of warm spaghetti. I just wanted comforting noodles, and that's what I enjoyed for dinner.

Paniyaram/Vadas (South Indian Savory Dumplings)

These were made from leftover Adai (Dal/Legumes & Rice Pancake) batter, and made in an ebelskiver (Danish pancake) pan. If you like, you can see the recent post for more details on the Adai batter. The last time I had made Adai, a very long time ago, my South Indian friend told me that her mom takes the leftover batter and deep-fries spoonfuls of it. It's better if I avoid deep-frying, so I made the dumplings (or would they be fritters?) this way, instead. This was a great way to use up the leftovers!

Adai (Indian Savory Pancakes of Legumes & Rice), 

with Oven-Roasted Potatoes 

& whole-milk yogurt

The Adai are from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. However, to save some steps, I used dal/legume flour (from putting the dry dal in a coffee/spice grinder). I mixed it with water, covered it, and left it in the fridge for several hours (although the original recipe doesn't require fermentation). These Adai reminded me how hearty they are, made from a combination of chana dal, toovar dal, and rice. I sprinkled on some Pav Bhaji Masala, to lighten it a bit. After taking the pic, I remembered that the last time I made it, I sprinkled on some brown sugar (in place of jaggery). So, I did that here, too (not pictured). The combination was the winner I remembered. 

The Oven-Roasted Potatoes were featured here recently, and are based on the simple yet amazing recipe of Spend with Pennies. (Can you tell that I really like potatoes?) I realized, hey, since I had these, they might go very well with the Adai ... and they did!

Spend with Pennies Website, Simple Herb Oven Roasted Potatoes

Blueberry Focaccia

Throwback to: Blueberry Focaccia, posted a couple of weeks ago. Here it is featured by itself, in all its glory. To quote from my previous post: "The Blueberry Focaccia is my variation of the Sweet Grape Focaccia in Lauren Chattman's Moms Big Book of Baking. I just replaced the grapes with fresh blueberries. The bread rose so nicely, that I could easily cut a slit in the middle, and fill it with the ricotta. I've also tried it with some ricotta spread over the blueberries, which is quite good. It might be nice to use for baked French toast."

Quinoa Flakes Granola, 

with Whole-Milk Yogurt

I was advised to add more protein to my diet with quinoa flakes. When I read about it, it seemed like it might be good for granola. After I bought a box, I realized that it listed its own granola recipe ... so it wasn't a totally crazy idea! I left some things out, and added tahini as well as date syrup; the recipe already included some honey. It was extremely easy to make, and is good with yogurt for breakfast. Yum! 

Ancient Harvest Website, Honey Nut Quinoa Flake Granola

Dalia 

(Indian breakfast of warm grains, milk, & sugar)

The recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. My version uses sooji/rava/farina/semolina/like cream of wheat, instead of actual dalia (a kind of cracked wheat) or the bulgar wheat the recipe calls for. So, I guess I should really call it Sooji? Here it is pictured with honey and ground cardamom. 

Toast topped with 

Date Syrup (Silan/Dibs al-Tamar) 

& Tahini

The toast on the left is with the toppings combined, and the toast on the right shows the two before being combined. I was inspired by Cooking for Fun's description a while ago on Instagram, of bread with tahini and date syrup, as similar to a Middle Eastern peanut-butter-and-jelly combination. (I hope I'm remembering that right!) I couldn't try it then, as I had no date syrup available. The tahini has a nutty taste here, and the date syrup makes it taste better, I think.

Cooking for Fun's helpful comments, on how best to enjoy this, were : 1) don't overmix, and 2) just add a little of the syrup, so you can enjoy the taste of both.

Cooking_for_Fun_Page Instagram, Tahini Paste & Date Syrup

Cooking for Fun Facebook 

Cooking for Fun YouTube

Tsik-Tsik (Summer Vegetables with Egg)

Throwback to: My post a week ago, of Tsik-Tsik (Summer Vegetables with Egg), from the recipe of Mia Kouppa. It contains fresh tomato, zucchini, and egg. (For more details, please see the original post.) This photo features the dish, all by itself in its glory. It was very yummy, and easy to make with what I had.

Mia Kouppa Website, Tsik-Tsik (Summer Vegetables with Egg)

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

These are from the recipe of Spend with Pennies. I realized that I wanted potatoes very much for dinner, and knew I had several that had been around for a while and should probably be used soon. But, how should I cook them? I decided roasting them in the oven was what I wanted. When I looked online, I found this recipe. The best part is, the cooking time and temperature recommended, worked out very well for me. 

I didn't use any herbs, and used corn oil instead of olive oil. I didn't feel like soaking the potatoes first, so I skipped that. Yet, it still turned out great! It's true, they weren't crispy, but I wasn't concerned with that. They did get nicely browned, and were creamy inside. Yummy!

Spend with Pennies Website, Simple Herb Oven Roasted Potatoes

Shakkara Pongal 

(South Indian Dal & Rice Pudding)

This recipe is from Julie Sahni's Classic Indian Vegetarian and Grain Cooking. This satisfying pudding is made from chana dal (split Bengal gram beans), long-grain rice, whole milk, sugar, and ground cardamom.

To make life easier for me, I first had ground up dry chana dal, mixed it with a little water, and let it sit, covered, in the fridge for a few hours. This way, it could later cook for its suggested time with the rice, and still be done enough for me to eat and enjoy. (Otherwise, I'd not only have to soak the dal all day beforehand, but would also have to grind it up, and then cook it twice as long.) When something is simplified like that, I'm more likely to make it (again)!

Sfiha or Lahma Bi Ajeen

This is basically a Middle Eastern mini-pizza. It's usually made with meat, but here features the leftover Veggie Keema (made from veggie crumbles), seen in my most recent post. (You can check that out if you want details on the Veggie Keema.) The dough here is from Claudia Roden in The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. When I was thinking of what to do with the rest of the Veggie Keema, I kept thinking, "Sfiha. Sfiha. Sfiha." So that's what I made! 😉 Good choice. 

Sookha Veggie "Keema" 

(made from store-bought veggie crumbles)

I made this based on Julie Sahni's recipe for ground meat Keema in Indian Regional Classics. It's basically the veggie crumbles, spices, green peas, and tomato. I realized I didn't have any tomatoes (canned or fresh), so I used leftover frozen tomato paste, instead. It worked! Here it is featured on toast.

I had been told to eat more protein, and advised to try veggie burgers from the store. I eventually decided on these crumbles, which have protein from different sources that's supposed to be "complete." I'd never made any version of Keema before, and it seemed appropriate. It's nice to have an additional protein source, that's useful for new recipes! (You could also use crumbled-up veggie burgers from the store, or crumbled-up falafel, vada, or other similar legume dishes.)

Blueberry Focaccia 

(slit open with a filling of store-bought ricotta), 

& Tsik-Tsik 

(Summer Vegetables with Egg)

The Tsik-Tsik recipe is from Mia Kouppa. I could only use a smaller amount of olive oil than the recipe suggested, and it also includes egg, fresh tomatoes, and zucchini. I had already finished up the eggplant I'd bought, and was too tired to bother with adding potatoes. However, in the story along with the recipe, it sounded like this is meant to use up excess or leftover veggies, and so it's okay to put in whatever you have. 😉 This was so good, and I think it will be nice to make again, the next time I have these veggies to use! 

The Blueberry Focaccia is my variation of the Sweet Grape Focaccia in Lauren Chattman's Mom's Big Book of Baking. I just replaced the grapes with fresh blueberries. The bread rose so nicely, that I could easily cut a slit in the middle, and fill it with the ricotta. I've also tried it with some ricotta spread over the blueberries, which is quite good. 😃It might be nice to use for baked French toast.

Mia Kouppa Facebook

MiaKouppa Instagram, Tsik Tsik

Mia Kouppa Website, Tsik-Tsik (Summer Vegetable with Egg)

Simple Burst Tomato & Ricotta Toast

This is from the recipe by Sarcastic Cooking. I'd had it in mind to try, and then one day, I realized I had all three important elements. Note that, I don't always have fresh tomatoes, and hadn't eaten ricotta in years. 😄 So that day was the day! The only slight difficulty was, that my tomatoes seemed to be a bit larger than those featured in her gorgeous photos. However, it was so yummy, I just wanted to gobble up that whole tomato!

Sarcastic Cooking Facebook

SarcasticCook Instagram, Roasted Tomato Toast

Sarcastic Cooking Website, Simple Burst Tomato & Ricotta Toast

Date-Molasses Cornbread

This was based on the Molasses Cornbread from the website Can'tStayOutoftheKitchen. I used masa harina (Latin American corn flour for tortillas, etc.) instead of cornmeal, whole-milk yogurt instead of buttermilk and sour cream, and coconut oil instead of butter. Date syrup/molasses stood in for regular molasses, as well, and just a small amount (as I'd never used it before in baking). Here the cornbread is pictured topped with honey. Outstanding recipe! And very simple to make.

CantStayOutoftheKitchen Facebook

CantStayOutoftheKitchen Website, Molasses Cornbread