Baked Courgettes Recipe and India pics

It has been so long since I posted a recipe,
in fact I believe this is the first recipe of 2011.
Round courgettes which are lightly steamed
then stuffed with a filling of quinoa, peas, corn,
onions, peppers, garlic, herbs and spices - and then
baked in the oven till ready......
Vegan, gluten free, healthy and easy to put together too!!

I'm out of blogging practice and my words feel rusted,
somehow they are not flowing so well for now.....
I definitely need to begin writing and blogging more often :-)

Baked Courgettes (Zucchini)

4 round shape courgettes
2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup red peppers, finely chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/4 cup cooked green peas
1/4 cup cooked corn
salt to taste
sprinkling of chilli flakes
1 teaspoon of mixed spices
1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Cut the tops off and scoop out the center,
leaving it hollow for the filling.
Steam the courgettes for about 10 minutes,
till they are softened a little but still firm.

Keep aside.

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, then saute the onions,
peppers, garlic, peas and corn for 5 minutes.
Add the quinoa, the salt, spices and herbs,
continue to saute all of it for another few minutes,
mixing it all together.
Let it cool down a little, then spoon this quinoa
filling into the hollowed courgettes.
Cover the courgettes with the cut off tops and place
them in a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake them for around 15 minutes and then serve them
for lunch or dinner - my daughter also liked them cold
for breakfast the next day - a gluten free, alkaline
and vegan breakfast :-)

 

 

I've been in India for more than 3 months this year,
and shall be returning there in three weeks again.
I spent most of my time in a small town called
Coonoor, situated in the Nilgiris mountains,
South of India - lush green tea estates, eucalyptus
groves,and warm smiling faces.......



 Here are a few pictures of the incredible Nilgiris :-)

Best of 2010 - Healthy Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Dairy Free Foods

Green Lentil Falafal Wrap  

Vegan Soda Bread for Yummy Sandwiches 

 Chocolate Cookies and Mini Muffuns

Steamed Zucchini and Brown Rice Muthia 

Raw Treats - Mango Cheesecake and Avocado Lime Pie 

 Papillote of Salmon in Green Coconut Curry

 Pesto and Nut Butters

Zucchini and Banana Walnut Bread

Socca with Caramalized Onions, Zucchini and Thyme

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year - filled with Healthy Delicious

Wholesome Nourishing Foods, may this year bring you all that 

your heart desires and all that your soul needs :-)

Gluten Free - Zucchini & Banana Walnut Bread

I've always been a Bread Lover. Most of my food memories
revolve around sliced white bread or sweet buns, milk slices,
eggy toast, bread bhaji, pav maska (bun & butter), toast and
jam, and sandwiches of all kinds in my school lunch box!
Oh la, I could go on and on and on......

In the beginning, giving up Gluten meant I had to give up all
breads too - and that might be a good thing to do, from a
health and wellness point of view - but oh it made me so sad!

I don't need to eat Bread too often, but once in a while, nothing
beats a slice of warm buttered bread melting in your mouth,
soothing, comforting and spreading joy inside and out.....

Gluten free breads are not easy even when you follow a twice
made recipe. Somehow they are usually hit or miss, beyond your
control. Creating and cooking gluten free foods has truly
taught me to trust my instincts and cook from my heart......

I still give in and eat Gluten time to time, if I stop after once or
or twice, I can usually get away with it - but we crave most what
suits our bodies the least - and eating gluten, specially bread,
becomes dangerous ground for me!!

I make gluten free Irish Soda breads and scones, gluten free
crackers, rotis, tortillas and biscuits, cakes and cookies too.
This cake like bread made with zucchini and walnuts with a
banana mashed in for subtle sweetness and flavor is one of my
all time favorites.
I hope this will be a hit and not a miss for you, do try and enjoy!

Zucchini & Banana Walnut Bread

2 cups chopped zucchini
3 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1 mashed banana

1 cup sorghum flour (jowar ka atta)
1/2 cup amaranth flour (rajgiri ka atta)
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp xantham gum (or 2 tsp arrowroot)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
a big handful of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 180 C and line a loaf tin with baking paper.

Add the wet ingredients in a food processor and process
till smooth and batter like.
Combine all the dry ingredients except the walnuts and
add to the batter. Process till smooth and fluffy.
Fold in the chopped walnuts.

Pour the batter in the loaf tin and bake for 35 minutes or
till a knife comes out dry and clean.
Let it cool and slice.

I cut into slices and freeze for later too.Then warm or toast
a slice to accompany my salad, soups or sometimes just spread
coconut butter and raw honey for a treat :-)

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.

Socca with Caramalised Onions, Zucchini and Thyme

 I love Socca. I admit I love anything that has chickpeas or chickpea flour.
But Socca has a special place in my heart, with memories of special times
with special people, spent in the South of France.

Socca is a specialty of South East France, mostly in and around
the city of Nice. Across the border in Italy it is called Farinata.
Traditionally there are no toppings, it is made with chickpea flour, salt and
olive oil. And this is what I've had in France - simple plain delicious Socca.

But I had lots of zucchini in my fridge and I thought it would make a perfect
topping for my Socca and I'm so glad because it really did :-)

You can play around with variations - different toppings, or additions.

 Ingredients:

2 cups Chickpea flour ( also called gram flour or garbanzo flour)
2 and 1/4 cups Water
4 tbsp Olive Oil
Fine round slices of zucchini
Half a red onion lightly caramelized in olive oil (optional)
1 tbsp of Herbes de provence (or mixed dried herbs)
sea salt to taste
Fresh thyme (optional)
Lots of Black pepper

 This makes two trays of Socca. You can half the ingredients and make
just one, but use 1 tbsp of oil in the batter, and 1 and a 1/2 on the tray.

Add water little by little to the flour and whisk till well combined
and there are no granules left. The batter should be totally smooth.
You might need to add a little more water.
Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt and the herbs. Mix then leave it to rest
for around 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200 C and warm a baking tray or cast iron oven pan
for a few minutes.
Pour 1 and a 1/2 tbsp of Oil on to the tray and move the tray to spread
the oil all over. Pour the batter on the oil till you get around 1/4" thickness
or even slightly less.
Spread the onions over it then lay down the zucchini slices.
Crush fresh thyme over it and sprinkle some salt and pepper.

Bake it for 15 to 20 minutes till it is set and a knife comes out clean.

Drizzle some olive oil over and eat it warm.

We ate these slices of Socca for lunch with a big bowl of greens
and a yummy ginger and garlic roasted broccoli

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.

Pesto and Nut Butters

Pesto:

This is a simple and delicious pesto with a grainy nutty crunch
and the cheesy taste from the nutritional yeast.

2 cups fresh basil
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup almonds
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Process all the ingredients in a food processor till well combined.

Almond Vanilla Butter:

2 cups of almonds
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 tbsp oil (I used sunolive, which is a combo we get here)
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
a pinch of sea salt

Process the almonds in a food processor for 10 to 12 minutes,
pausing to scrape the sides. The nuts will first become powder,
then they will clump together like a dough, then split and become
smoother and smoother and you will see the fats/oil
ooze out and glisten. Then add the salt, vanilla and the tbsp of oil
cinnamon and process for another minute.
Scrape the sides and spoon the butter into jars.
I got a jar and a half with this quantity of almonds.

You can make instant almond milk by using a tbsp of butter
and a glass of chilled water, adding a mild sweetener or
blueberries and viola - you have a lovely
almond milk drink :-)
I use almond butter with rice crackers or even better, slices of apple
for a healthy snack or in cookies and cakes too.....
Just be careful as this is so yummy, you could get carried away,
so measure out a serving and stick to your quota for the day ;-)


 Cashew Brazil nut Butter:

1 cup cashews
1 cup brazil nuts (high in selenium)
or you can use 2 cups of cashews.
1 tbsp oil
a pinch of sea salt


Use the same process as for the almond butter, adding the oil
towards the end.
I don't add anything else to cashew butter at this stage, leaving it
simple and basic.

I use the cashew butter in the following ways:

- adding a little water, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt and
lemon juice will give you a cheesy sauce to go over your
pasta or veggies.Thin it out with more water and you get
a dressing for a salad. Add any herbs, spices or flavors to this
sauce or dressing, yummy!!!
- make instant cashew milk (like the almond milk above) for
your smoothies and shakes.
- blend a couple of tbsp with mangoes or blueberries, add
a sweetener of choice and some nutritional yeast, a little lemon
juice and you have a filling for a raw fruit and cheesecake pie

See my earlier post of recipes for raw mango cheesecake pie and
raw avocado lime pie :-)

Papillote of Salmon in Green Coconut Masala

Green coconut masala is my all time favorite Indian taste.
I simply love love love its texture and flavor.
It lends itself to just about anything you make, from fish,
chicken and veggies, to peas, pulses, samosas and patties!
By adjusting the herbs and spices, you can change the taste
and play around with many variations.
I need to have Green coconut masala in some way or another
at least once a week :-)
Hope you make and enjoy this recipe.


Salmon in Green Coconut Masala

Green paste:

3 packed cups of fresh coriander
1 packed cup of fresh mint
1/4 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut
1/4 cup coconut milk
1" piece of ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamon
1 tsp garam masala
lemon juice - 1/2 lemon
sea salt / pink himalayan salt to taste

Throw all the above ingredients in a food processor and process till you get this
a well homogenized thick Green Paste, looking something like this:

Papillotes of Salmon with Zucchini

Spread out a large sheet of silver foil.
Place the Salmon in the center and cover it on the top and sides
with a thick layer of the Green Paste.
Add some more Green Paste around the Salmon.
Add finely sliced Zucchini rounds, a slice of lemon, a sprig of mint
Sprinkle some salt over it and a drizzle of coconut oil.

Then bring together the silver foil and seal it to make a packet.
Like this:

Place this packet (papillote) on a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 180 C
350 F for 15 minutes.

When it's done, let it rest for 5 minutes, then open and Oh la la la, it smells divine ;-)

You can also cook the Salmon in a pan.
Heat the pan, grease with a tablespoon of Coconut oil, the add the Salmon pieces
and pour the Green paste over on the top and sides.
Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Turn the Salmon and cook for another
10 minutes stirring the sauce, be careful it doesn't stick, add a little water
to make a thinner sauce to pour over the brown rice.
Sprinkle sea salt and pepper, as well as some more lemon juice, and enjoy......
I served the pan cooked Salmon with brown rice, broccoli and green beans.

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.

Raw Treats - Mango cheesecake and Avocado Lime Pie

Saatchi came back yesterday after three weeks of doing
voluntary eco work in the forests and farms of Northern Holland.
She had a ball and met other youngsters from all over the world,
and even cooked an Indian dinner for them one night!
I made these treats to celebrate today, I'm thrilled to have her back
home and very proud of her too :-)

There are many variations on Raw Tarts and Pies, I've experimented
with different ingredients for the crusts and fillings, changing
the sweeteners, the nut powders and fats. I love the rice cracker crust
as it is lighter than those made with grounded nuts. Unfortunately
I ran out of them today so had to use ground almonds.
I use Stevia and Brown Rice Syrup as a sweetener but you can
use Honey or Agave or Maple syrup if desired, taste and adjust the
quantity accordingly

Crust:

1 cup ground almonds or any other nut of choice

1 cup finely dessicated coconut

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp brown rice syrup (or other sweetener of choice)

1 tsp raw cacao or carob (optional) 

stevia

pinch of sea salt

OR

You could use roughly powdered brown rice crackers

along with the coconut, reduce the nut intake if desired.

Put all the above ingredients in a large bowl and mix

with your hands till very well combined. The texture will

become slightly sticky clumpy sand which will hold together

if you make a ball of it.

Use mini pie shells and press the mixture into the base and

the sides. Refrigerate to set for 15 to 20 minutes.

You could also use a ring/cookie cutter and press the mixture

within to form only a base

I got 6 mini pie crusts from this quantity of ingredients.

Raw Mango Pie Filling:

2 cups peeled sliced chopped Mango
1/4 cup Cashew Nut Butter (here's the recipe)
a pinch of cardamon
a pinch of sea salt
a squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional, for a cheesecake taste)

This was sweet enough for us, you can add a sweetener of choice
if desired.

Process or blend all the above ingredients till very smooth.
(I used my Vitamix)
Then spoon the filling into the cold crust shells and freeze to set
for at least 20 minutes.
Garnish with fresh mint or dust with coconut and enjoy.....

I made a very thin crust for this pie, just the base using a ring cutter.
I got enough filling to make 3 mini pies as well as fill a jar to freeze
for another day - a tbsp in smoothie/shake, or spread over crackers for
a treat, or better yet, gifted to neighbors to make them happy :-)

Raw Avocado Lime Pie Filling:

2 good sized avocados or 3 small ones
2 tbsp of cashew nut butter (here's the recipe)
OR
2 tbsp of coconut oil
juice of 3 limes
pinch of sea salt
stevia
brown rice syrup or other sweetener of choice
(add quantity desired)

Process all the above ingredients till very smooth.
Spoon into mini crust shells and freeze for at least 20 minutes.
Garnish with lime zest or coconut and serve.

I got 3 mini pies as well as a jar full of filling to freeze,
for another day :-)

Keep it Simple. Be Creative.

Taste and Play. Find your Own Way.