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