Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookies

These were based on The Kitchen Magpie's Thick & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. I don't tend to have peanut butter around, but I did have a large jar of tahini (sesame seed paste). I also used coconut oil instead of butter, a little less sugar, and fewer chocolate chips. (Using fewer chips sounds bad, but believe me, there was still plenty of chocolatey goodness. 😃) These were such awesome cookies! I feel certain I'll make them again sometime.

After making enough cookies to fit a baking sheet, I patted the rest into an oven-proof cereal bowl, and baked it in that. It took about the same time to bake as the individual cookies. Just cut up the result however you like. These cookies, in whichever shape, lasted a long time, as long as their container was tightly covered.

The Kitchen Magpie Website, Thick & Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ladenia 

(Greek Pizza-Like Pie, 

Topped with Tomato & Onions; 

from Milos & Kimolos, Greece, in the Cyclades)

The recipe is from Diane Kochilas. Although I couldn't get my version to look just like hers, as the dough rose quite high, it was still yummy. The onions and tomato are cooked a bit on the stovetop first, before topping the dough and finishing in the oven. I found that the leftovers reheated nicely in the toaster oven. It's a winner! 

Diane Kochilas Website, Ladenia: Vegan Pizza-Style Flatbread from the Cyclades

Tofu "Paneer" Pakora 

(Tofu Fritters in a Chickpea-Flour Batter)

I made these using the Pakora batter from My Tasty Curry's Special Paneer Pakoda Recipe. A few days ago, I baked some firm tofu before adding half of it to a noodle stir-fry (not pictured). I decided to transform the rest into Indian Pakora (fritters in a chickpea-flour batter), but wanted a recipe to guide me. This batter seemed the best candidate of those I found, and indeed, it ended up cooking nice and crispy. (I shallow-fried rather than deep-fried, but that seemed to be enough.)

The first pic is the Tofu Pakora. There was still batter left, so I fried that, too! That's the second pic. The third pic features everything together. The leftovers reheated nicely in a toaster oven, on a toaster-oven-safe tray, the next day. I just had to watch that some of the thinner pieces didn't burn. This certainly is tasty!

My Tasty Curry Website, Special Paneer Pakoda Recipe

Steamed Instant Khatta Dhokla/Rava Dhokla

(Indian Savory Semolina Cake)

The recipe is from Shweta in the Kitchen. The results were delicious! 

This is a traditional Gujarati dish from western India. Although the batter does have to sit for 10 minutes before steaming, that is still instant, compared to the traditional method: soaking legumes and rice for hours, then grinding them, and letting them ferment, before steaming.

I made it in the Instant Pot (not sponsored), using IP instructions from Instapottin' with Poonam's method for Dhokla. I don't usually use Eno fruit salts for instant leavening (as in the recipe). Instead, I used a small amount of baking soda and baking powder, and the Dhokla was fairly light.

Shweta in the Kitchen Website, Instant Khatta Dhokla - Instant Rava Dhokla -  Savory Semolina Cake

Instapottin' with Poonam Website, Dhokla

Instapottin' with Poonam YouTube, Dhokla | Gujarati Snack

Baked Instant Medu Vada 

(Indian Savory Dumplings)

This is a combination of the batter for Instant Vada from Herbivore Cucina, baked (but in a mini-bundt pan), according to the method for Baked Medhu Vada of My Kitchen Adventures [Suji's Kitchen].

The batter contains urad dal (legume) flour and rice flour, with some baking soda and seasonings. (I did add a pinch of baking powder that wasn't in the recipe, to make the batter lighter.) It's the use of these flours, rather than soaking and grinding the legumes and grain, that makes the batter "instant."

The original baking method used a doughnut pan, which I don't have. I figured a mini-bundt pan would suffice, instead. I think it worked rather well, if I may say so. 😉 The taste was yummy, and the Vadas were fairly light. Almost as good as winning the Super Bowl? 

Herbivore Cucina Website, Instant Dahi Vada 

My Kitchen Adventures [Suji's Kitchen] Website, Baked Medu Vada

Pulao (Indian Rice Pilaf), 

with store-bought 

Bombay Bhel Mix (crunchy Indian snack mix)

The Pulao includes frozen peas-and-carrots, and is fairly simple in terms of seasonings: cumin seeds, turmeric, and salt. This makes a nice light meal, with whole-milk yogurt. 

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

Cheeseless Pizza

Throwback to: Cheeseless Pizza from last October. The dough was homemade, most likely focaccia/pizza dough from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. As I can't eat much cheese, sometimes I'll make such a pizza. This is good for a light meal or snack. That's why there are only 3 pieces pictured: I ate one first!