Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

Tag: Cooking — Healthy Options

Andy’s Papaya Shakes (Vegan and Wonderful!)
This weekend, Andy made some Papaya shakes with soy milk. They were incredibly tasty and healthy, so I asked him to email the recipe to me for madhuknitsandcooks.com. They are not too sweet and wonderfully creamy. I highly recommend you try them!

Here is the recipe, which makes 4 large servings or 8 smaller (approx. 8 oz.) servings:
- 1 ripened papaya that is skinned, pitted and cubed
- 1/2 large carton of cold vanilla soy milk (approx. 4 cups)
- 3-4 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla
- Ground cinnamon
Note: If you have a standard size blender, you will probably be able to only make two shakes at a time so just halve the ingredients for each blend cycle. These directions reflect usage of a standard size blender.

Directions:
- Place half of cubed papaya in the blender
- Cover the papaya with soy milk
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
- Blend until there are no more papaya chunks (the mixture is smooth)
- Pour into glasses
- Add some ground cinnamon as a garnish. Although you may think that cinnamon makes no sense at all in this recipe (as I did), just try it — you won’t regret it!
- Serve immediately
August 19, 2007
Don’t like Okra? You will after trying this dish: Bendakaya (Indian Style Okra)
This is one of my favorite Indian dishes — and I have to admit, the person who makes it the best is my mother. I haven't tried the recipe yet (can't find Okra yet) but I can't wait. The recipe follows the picture:

Ingredients:
- 3 cups fresh Okra
- 3 tbps. vegetable oil
- 2 dried red chili peppers (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
- 3/4 tsp. whole mustard seeds
- 1/2 tsp. whole cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp. uridahl/white dahl (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
- 1/2 tsp. channa dahl/yellow dahl (can be found in any Indian grocery store)
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- Salt
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder (optional)
- Cilantro to garnish (optional)
1. Wash the okra, either towel dry or leave out to air dry for a few hours before cooking. It is important that the okra is drier when you start, so it gets crisp and not mushy when you cook it.

2. Cut the okra into 1/3 inch segments, discard the ends.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan

4. When vegetable oil becomes hot, break the two red chili peppers and throw them into the pan. Also add the mustard seeds.

5. When the mustard seeds start popping, add the cumin, uridahl and channa dahl. Let it simmer for a minute or two.

6. Add garlic, and saute for two minutes — make sure the garlic doesn't brown.

7. Add okra, and stir while raising heat to a higher medium level. Cook the okra uncovered, and stir every two minutes.

8. After ten minutes or when the okra starts to get cooked enough that the okra pieces are not sticking to each other, add salt to taste (perhaps 3/4 of a tsp. to start). Note: Make sure you do not add the salt too early in the cooking process, it will make the okra gummy.

9. Saute another 5 minutes or so until the okra is a bit crisp. Add chili powder if desired and more salt to taste.

10. Serve with rice or any Indian breads.
April 4, 2007
Alternative to Spaghetti and Jarred Tomato Sauce: Multigrain Spaghetti with Diced Tomatoes and Asparagus

Sick of having spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner when you are tight on cash? Try this tastier alternative that is just as cheap and gets you a green vegetable:

4 servings cooked multigrain spaghetti

1 28-oz. can of seasoned diced tomatoes

2 cups of coarsely chopped asparagus (partially cooked — you can use frozen asparagus cuts as well)

4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 tablespoons of olive oil

dried red chili flakes to taste

coarsely chopped parmesan

1. Heat pan, throw in olive oil and garlic, saute until warm

2. Add partially cooked asparagus and saute for 1-2 minutes

3. Add diced tomatoes and warm until the garlic and olive oil flavors get into the mixture

4. Add red chili flakes to taste

5. Toss with the cooked pasta and parmesan.

March 11, 2007
Roasted Red Pepper and Bean Dip — A Super Healthy Snack that YLS Students Love!

So I made this Roasted Red Pepper Dip with the Quinoa Tabbouleh ( http://madhuknitsandcooks.typepad.com/madhu_knits_and_cooks/2006/09/quinoa_tabboule.html) and they worked really well together. The dip goes very well with pita bread as well (preferably warm or toasted whole-wheat pita).

The dip is low-fat and a great source of protein because it has both tofu and beans (and trust me, that is a great combination — for those who don’t like tofu, there is no way you’ll know it’s in here!). You can find the recipe at the Vegetarian Times: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/recipe_details.cfm?recipe_id=9707

September 24, 2006
Quinoa Tabbouleh — Suprisiningly Tasty, Filling, and Super-Healthy!

So as the multiple categories for this post indicate, this dish can be consumed as an appetizer, snack or main course. Quinoa, according to the box I purchased, is a super-grain that was widely consumed in the Incan empire. According to Wikipedia, "Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete foodstuff" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa). So why not make this fantastic dish AND give the gift of "a balanced set of essential amino acids" to those who are lucky enough to eat it?

I got this recipe from the Vegetarian Times, and thankfully you can find it online: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/recipe_details.cfm?recipe_id=9866.

The variations to the recipe that I made: I doubled the recipe, used a little extra garlic, and I used 1/2 the recommended fresh lemon juice. The reason I used only half the lemon juice is that I accidently spilled the juice from one of the lemons I juiced, and I only had one lemon more so I could only get a little over 1/4 cup of fresh juice. BUT I am happy that that was the case, because I think any more lemon juice would have made it a little too lemony.

I also made the quinoa in a rice cooker, which I thought was a great time-saver while I was the chopping the parsley, etc.

The next time I made it, I think I will also increase the amount of chopped parsley to the recipe to make it a little more "tabbouleh"-like, but I think that is just up to you and what you want to use the recipe for. If you use it for a main dish, I would recommend increasing the amount of parsley, but if you use it as part of a Middle Eastern platter or the like, you probably don’t need to increase the amount of parsley because there will already be a lot of flavors in the dish.

I would really recommend trying it with the Roasted Red Pepper and Bean Dip (http://madhuknitsandcooks.typepad.com/madhu_knits_and_cooks/2006/09/roasted_red_pep.html ) because the combination of the warm quinoa tabbouleh and the cool dip make it not only a fun heat contrast, but the flavors go really well together as well.

One final tip — make sure you fluff that quinoa once it is done cooking! It really makes a big difference.

September 24, 2006
Kitty Aunty’s Vegetable Biryani Recipe

Here is the simple Vegetable Biryani recipe that Kitty Aunty taught me to use. Enjoy!

For 4-5 large servings

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

½ teaspoon Shan Biryani Masala (packaged, can find at Indian stores)

½ teaspoon housemade masala

   6 cloves

   2 sticks cinnamon

   2 Indian bay leaves (can use regular bay leaves, but Indian is better)

2 inch ginger stick, skin cut off, cut in large pieces

½ bulb garlic

5 green chilies, finely chopped

½ cup yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Approx. 2 – 3 cups of day-old, separated rice (or just drier rice that can separate)

1/8 teaspoon Ajino mote (Chinese – can omit if you choose)

2 teaspoons cooking oil (Kitty Aunty used unfiltered corn oil)

1 cup fresh or frozen cut mixed vegetables (if frozen, can defrost then cook in dish still when cold, they will cook in pan)

½ teaspoon saffron

1-2 teaspoons salt

If you do polished presentation:

¼ medium onion, thinly sliced

Corn or vegetable oil

Few drops yellow food coloring

Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

To make house-made masala:

   -Dry heat in a pan the cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves

   -After it becomes fragrant, remove from heat

   -Grind the spices in a coffee bean grinder

To make biryani mix:

   -Heat oil in a large saucepan (medium heat)

   -Add Shan Biryani Masala, onion, and sauté

-Add a little water after it simmers for a bit to make sure it doesn’t get too dry. Onion should become soften, so cover the pan.

-Blend ginger, green chilies, and garlic in a food processor, until very finely chopped.

-Add garlic, ginger, and green chilies to the pan, sauté and let simmer

-Add homemade masala

-Let simmer, with some light stirring, and add water if too dry. Be liberal with adding water, it will simmer away.

-Let flavors settle in together

-Add yogurt, lemon juice, vegetables, saffron, salt, and ajino mote, stir and let flavors get into each other

Quick Finish:

   -Add rice and stir fry together

More Polished Presentation:

   -Get serving/casserole dish, put vegetable mix at bottom of pan

   -Add layer of rice

   -Add layer of French fried onions (thin slices of onion cooked in vegetable/corn oil until

   crisp)

   -Then repeat layers

-Final step: Add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make some of rice turn yellow, and then throw chopped cilantro on top

August 26, 2006
Kitty Aunty’s Mutter Paneer Recipe

Here is the recipe for the Mutter Paneer (Indian dish with cheese, tomat0-based sauce and peas) that I learned from Kitty Aunty on August 17, 2006.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

Vegetable cooking oil (Kitty Aunty used unrefined corn oil)

2-3 teaspoons homemade Garlic/Ginger paste

   -1 inch ginger

   -2 green chilies

   -1/4 bunch chopped cilantro

   -1 clove garlic

   -blend in food processotr

½ teaspoon dry fenugreek

1 medium onion chopped

1 ½ medium tomatoes, chopped and microwaved for 2-3 minutes (or use capped Pacific organic tomatoes)

1 teaspoon paprika

½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper for spice (add extra cayenne pepper or green chili for more spice)

½ – 1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin (dry roast the cumin, then blend in a coffee grinder, you can keep in a jar for long periods of time), you can lessen amount if you don’t like or omit entirely

1 teaspoon roasted ground coriander, lessen if you don’t like

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon homemade masala

½ block of store-bought paneer (or use fresh paneer, recipe found below)

½ – 1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Directions:

-Heat oil in saucepan (medium heat, depending on quality of pan)

-Add ground cardamom

-Add garlic/ginger paste, let simmer for a few minutes

-Add dried fenugreek and chopped onion

-Let simmer 5-10 minutes, or until the onions don’t smell raw

-Cut the tomatoes, and then put in microwave for 2-3 minutes

-Add paprika, cayenne, cumin, and coriander

-Add water if the ingredients are sticking to the pan

-Add cilantro

-Add chopped tomatoes, and lower the heat a bit

-Let simmer so flavors blend (few minutes)

-Then put in a food processor/chopper, until consistency is like gravy

-Put back in pan, and add salt to taste

-Add 2 tablespoons of sour cream. Turn up heat and stir vigorously until mixture bubbles

-Keep stirring after bubbling and add homemade masala

-Then add peas, stir and cover, lower heat to medium/low.

-Stir periodically and add water if looks dry. Let simmer for 10 minutes.

-Uncover and stir until smells cooked.

-Stir in paneer, cover and let simmer for 3-4 minutes for flavor to set in paneer.

August 26, 2006