Tag: Robot-Compatible

Butternut Coconut Red Lentil Dal

I cheated. The picture above is the nicest picture I think I’ve taken of dal/lentil soup. It’s actually not the dal for the recipe, but… it’s lentils and squash, you get the idea. It’ll look similar. Dal is really hard to photograph nicely, so this is what you get, at least for now.

This recipe makes about 3 to 3.5 quarts of dal. I usually store it in quart mason jars, and put two in the freezer right away. Cut the recipe in half or a third if you don’t want a lot of leftovers. As written, it uses the whole squash, though.

Bits

  • 1 large sweet winter squash, such as butternut or kabocha, about 4.4 lbs or 2 kg
  • 3 cups dry red lentils
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp salt, more to taste
  • Coconut oil for pan-frying, optional
  • 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
  • 20 to 25 curry leaves – You can get these on Amazon in big bags, but they freeze really well in air-tight jars, and if you have some frozen, you can add them to recipes straight from the freezer. Dried curry leaves have so little flavor compared to fresh or frozen, I don’t think they’re worth it.
  • 2 serrano peppers, if you want a little spice; omit if not!
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 ½ – 2 Tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp Berbere spice mix, if you want some more spice, or a little spice and don’t have serrano peppers. If you don’t have Berbere spice, use chile powder to taste
  • ½ can lite coconut milk (or if tolerated, use regular coconut milk and use the whole can)

Algorithm

  • Roast the squash – This can be done up to a few days ahead. If you roasted your squash and it’s been a few days and you’re still not ready to make dal, just put the squash in an airtight container in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.
    • Preheat the oven to 425
    • Cut the top stem and any bottom knob off the squash, and then slice in half from top to bottom
    • Scoop out the seeds and strings from the middle and discard them
    • Place each half of the squash open side down in a large baking dish (such as a 9×13” glass dish)
    • Add about an inch of water to the dish.
    • Place the dish in the oven and let bake about 30 minutes, until the squash is baked all the way through, and there is almost no resistance when you push on the top with your finger or a spoon
    • Dump out the water, turn the squash halves over in the dish so the flesh is facing up, and let sit until cool enough to handle.
    • When cool, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. You should have between 3 and 4 cups.
    • If you’re using a kabocha squash, the skin is edible and delicious. Discard any of the skin that has hard bits / “scars” but the rest is good to eat. Optionally, you could slice it up into small squares and add to your dal when it’s finished.
  • Clean the lentils. If you don’t wash them, your dal may taste gross!
    • Add the lentils to a deep bowl.
    • While filling the bowl with cold water, swish the lentils with your fingers to help clean them faster. When the bowl is full, skim off the bubbles/froth. Then use a strainer to drain the water. Repeat until the water in the bowl is clear and there is minimal froth.
  • Cook the lentils
    • Add the cleaned lentils to a large stock pot
    • Add 9 cups of water to the stock pot, and bring to a simmer
    • When the lentils start simmering, they’ll generate some foam; scoop out as much of the foam as you can, but don’t worry about getting it all.
    • Add the turmeric and salt, and let the lentils simmer while you do the next steps
  • Pan-frying
    • If you’re using it, add about a teaspoon of coconut oil to a small frying pan over medium heat. Otherwise, just put a small frying pan over medium heat.
    • Add the mustard seeds to the frying pan
    • After a few minutes when the mustard seeds start to pop, put a lid on the pan and take it off the heat.
    • Once the mustard seeds stop popping, add them to the stockpot with the lentils
    • If you’re using it, add more oil to the frying pan and add the curry leaves and serranos (if you’re using them).
    • Stir fry the curry leaves and serranos a few minutes until they become fragrant. Then add them to the stock pot with the lentils as well.
  • Finish the dal
    • After about 10 minutes of simmering, the lentils should start to fall apart. When they’re just starting to fall apart, add the roasted squash flesh and the coconut milk.
    • Once all the ingredients have been added to the stock pot, let everything simmer together for about 15 more minutes. Be sure to keep the heat low, and stir every few minutes, to prevent the dal from burning on the bottom. Have a lid ready to partially cover the pot if the dal starts to sputter (that’s probably a sign it needs a good stir, too). Add more water if it’s starting to look too thick, and sputtering a lot.
  • Serve and enjoy! Some totally optional things I sometimes like to top my dal with are:

Chickpea Flour Roasted Red Pepper Loaf

This is a fully grain-free, low-fat, robot-friendly loaf, that is still nice and sliceable and portable. Perfect for a picnic, or (my favorite) topped with a thick slice of tomato and an over-medium egg for breakfast in the morning.

Bits:

  • Dry
    • 1+ Tbsp mustard seeds (and optionally a little oil for frying)
    • 200 g chickpea flour
    • 2 Tbsp corn flour (it’s finer than corn meal, but coarser than corn starch)
    • 1 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp baking powder
    • 2 tsp salt
    • 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
    • 1/2 tsp berbere spice mix (optional, but recommended if you can find it. I put it in everything.)
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
    • 1/2 tsp zatar
    • ~1 Tbsp black and white sesame seeds
  • Wet
    • 5 roasted red peppers (from a jar. I think this is about 200 g)
    • 175 g carrots
    • 1/4 cup / 70 g roasted mashed yam/winter squash/pumpkin
    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used nonfat)
    • 1-2 Tbsp date syrup (about 20-40 g)
    • 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Algorithm:

  1. Heat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and lay roasted red peppers flat on the parchment. Optionally, blot them dry with a paper towel. Put the tray in the oven to dry out the peppers while you prep the other ingredients, about 20 minutes.
  2. Line a 9”x5” standard size loaf pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease paper with butter.
  3. Peel and grate the carrots. Set aside.
  4. Add about ¼ tsp – ½ tsp oil to a small frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping, put a lid or plate over the top and move the pan off the heat.
  5. Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl (sift chickpea flour as it tends to clump!).
  6. Add wet ingredients except the roasted red peppers and carrots to a small mixing bowl and stir until pretty much smooth.
  7. Take roasted red peppers out of the oven. Chop into roughly ¾” square bits. Set aside. Turn the oven heat up to 350F.
  8. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients except the carrots and roasted red peppers.. Fold with rubber spatula until almost combined.
  9. Gently stir the carrots and roasted red peppers into the mixture until just combined.
  10. The mixture will be thick, more like a rough cookie dough, than a runny batter. Smooth the mixture into the prepared bread pan and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
  11. Bake 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out *almost* clean. Check after 20 minutes and put a foil hat over the top when it starts to look darker on top.
  12. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Wrap any leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to a week.

Cauliflower Tofu Curry with Sugar Snap Peas

Bits:

  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Seeds from about 6 cardamom pods (or 1 – 1 1/2 tsp whole cardamom seeds if your using the kind that come already de-podded in a spice bottle and had a “best by” date from about a year ago so they’ve lost some of their flavor… I won’t judge you if you don’t judge me)
  • 1 large yellow/white/sweet onion, halved and sliced
  • 1-2 serrano peppers or 1/2 tsp chili powder or 1 tsp Berbere seasoning (my preference)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced (or garlic scapes if you can get them, which are low FODMAP!)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 2 1/2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp ras al hanout spice mix (I use Frontier Co-op, but use your favorite if you have one)
  • 1 head of cauliflower (about 2 lbs with stalk and leaves, about 1.75 lbs without)
  • 21-28 oz firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into ~1″ cubes, depending on how much tofu you like.
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 1/2 cups total of lite coconut milk and/or milk alternative (e.g. soy milk)
  • 2 med-large zucchinis (I’ve also used green bell peppers here, which I can recommend as a substitute if you prefer)
  • 1 lb. sugar snap peas (use frozen peas to make up for however many fresh peas you don’t have)
  • To serve: cubed roasted potatoes (or rice, chapati, naan, or grain of choice)
  • Optional garnish: Greek yogurt (non-fat works great), Dal Mix

Algorithm

  1. Put a large frying / sauté pan or wide stock pot on medium heat.
  2. Add the cumin and cardamom seeds a couple of minutes until the cumin seeds get a shade darker and they start to smell fragrant. Add the chopped onion and sauté until golden, 5-10 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic, peppers if you’re using them, and spices to the pan. Stir and let cook about 1 minute until they just start to smell fragrant.
  4. Add the cauliflower and tofu to the pan, and stir to mix with the onion and spices. Add the 1/2 cup water and the coconut milk; stir to combine. Put the lid on the pan and let simmer for 5 minutes, until the cauliflower has softened slightly.
  5. Meanwhile bring a small sauce pot of water to a boil. Add any frozen peas you’re using, let them come back to a boil and boil for about a minute. Add sugar snap peas, let them come back to a boil, and boil for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and strain from the water. Set aside
  6. Add in the zucchini (and/or green bell peppers) and stir. Let simmer for a couple minutes until the cauliflower is softened and cooked to your liking (shouldn’t take too long).
  7. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the peas.
  8. Serve with grain or starch of choice. Optionally, pass around Greek yogurt and Dal Mix to top each dish.

Savory Tomato Chickpea Flour Pancakes with Tomato Ginger Chutney

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Grain-free    &&    Low-fat    &&    Vegan

I can’t even try to pretend; I’m a bit obsessed with pancakes. These savory pancakes are the perfect excuse to have pancakes for lunch or dinner without feeling too weird about it (honestly, I wouldn’t judge either way). Like my breakfast pancakes, these are made with only chickpea flour, and are also secretly packed with shredded carrots. So there’s your protein and your vegetable, check and check! You can also change it up by using shredded zucchini, hearty greens, onions, or whatever you fancy, instead of, or in addition to, the carrots.

Instead of syrup, these are topped with a bright, flavorful tomato ginger chutney. If you’re not vegan, I’d also suggest adding a dollop of yogurt and/or an over-easy egg to these to really round out the meal.

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Savory Tomato Chickpea Flour Pancakes with Tomato Ginger Chutney

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s Vegetarian India

Bits:

For the tomato ginger chutney:

  • 3-4 large (24 oz total) tomatoes, finely diced
  • 4 tsp peeled and minced (or grated) fresh ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (such as cayenne)
  • 1 tsp whole yellow mustard seeds
  • 6-8 fresh curry leaves, finely chopped

For the pancakes:

  • 150 g chickpea flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp rasam powder spice mix (substitute curry powder if you don’t have rasam)
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing)
  • 1 1/4 cups water
  • 1 large tomato, finely diced (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 jalapeño, finely diced (ribs and seeds discarded for milder heat)
  • Butter, ghee, or oil for greasing the pan

Algorithm:

  • Start by making the chutney:
    • Put a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves.
    • When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the remaining ingredients to the pan, and bring to a low simmer. Stir every minute or so for about 10 minutes, until some of the juices have evaporated off and the chutney has thickened slightly. Keep over low heat, stirring occasionally when needed, to keep warm.
  • Make the pancakes:
    • Preheat a large frying pan on the stove over medium heat.
    • Sift the chickpea flour into a bowl. Add the salt and spices through asafoetida, and stir to combine. Slowly add the water, mixing with a fork continuously to maintain a smooth consistency, until you have a thin, smooth batter.
    • Add the tomato, onion, and jalapeño to the batter and stir to mix.
    • When your frying pan is hot, add the minimal amount of low-fat butter to coat the bottom of the pan (or more if you can tolerate it in your diet). Use a 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into separate blops in the frying pan to make the pancakes. Cook until the edges look dry and bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes before flipping the with a spatula; cook for two to three minutes on the other side. When done, remove the pancakes to a plate and set aside. Repeat with remaining batter
  • Top pancakes with the tomato ginger chutney. (If you’re not vegan, the pancakes and chutney are extra tasty with an added dollop of yogurt or topped with an egg!)

Everyday Red Lentil Dal

Everyday Red Lentil Dal with pickled carrots and peppers and a boiled egg. YUM.

Vegan && Very Low Fat && Oil-Free && Grain-Free

I called this “Everyday” dal not because it’s mundane; actually the opposite, I love it so much I am excited to eat it almost every day. Like most dals I’ve ever met, it’s filling, satisfying, and (perhaps strangely?) soothing. It feels almost like a cheat to call it a recipe and make a post about it because it’s so simple and essential, it feels a little like making a recipe post about corn flakes in milk.

One thing I love about this recipe is that it’s extremely adaptable. It’s hard to make it taste bad if you are just adding ingredients you like, or omitting ones you don’t. This is the combination of my favorites, but I also frequently change things depending on what spices strike my fancy at the time, or what green vegetables have been sitting neglected in my fridge longest.

This recipe also has the benefit that the cooking part has enough hands-off downtime between adding ingredients, that you can prep while you cook, which I think saves time and energy. Making a big batch, as written, usually takes me 30 minutes or less from start to finish (including cleaning up my mess while it finishes simmering on the stove), so I feel like that’s pretty time and energy efficient, especially for so many servings.

The other great part about this dal (there are so many great parts!) is all the options for toppings. I try to make and keep a jar of picked carrots and hot peppers handy at all times to eat with my dal (I’ll make a separate recipe post for that; they are good on lots of other dishes too)! I also love adding a soft/medium boiled egg. Depending on the day, I may add a handful of cubed roasted potato or sweet potato. And DO NOT get me started on Dal Mix from Indianlife, that stuff is crack. It’s pretty low-ish fat, and grain free (yay!), so I enjoy small portions on *many* dishes, most especially this dal.

Dal is really hard to photograph. Also I am not a food stylist. But, trust me, this dal tastes way more amazing than any photo could convey.

Everyday Red Lentil Dal

Makes about 13-14 cups (about 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 quarts) — *freezes and reheats very well*

Depending how hungry you are and what else you’re eating at the time, one serving is one to two cups.

Hardware:

  • Deep bowl or mixing bowl that’s easy to pour from
  • Sieve for straining water from the lentils
  • Stock pot with at least 5.5 quarts capacity
  • Wooden spoon

Bits:

  • 3 1/4 cups red lentils
  • 1 (human) thumb of fresh ginger
  • 2 serrano peppers
  • 2-3 tsp salt (start with 2 tsp and add salt at the end to taste)
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • optional: 1/2 tsp ground fenugreek seeds
  • optional: 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves, chopped into small bits
  • optional: 1/2 tsp Berbere Ethiopian spice mix (for added spice)
  • 4-5 large roma tomatoes
  • 1-2 bunches of lacinato kale (or collard greens)

To serve: pickled carrots and peppers, pickled okra, boiled egg, hot sauce, cubed roasted sweet potato, Indianlife Dal Mix

Algorithm:

  1. Wash the lentils (do not skip this step or your dal will taste gross!): Measure out the lentils into a mixing bowl that’s easy to pour from. Fill the bowl with cold water, swishing the lentils around with a spoon or your clean fingers. Skim the foam off the top, and then pour into a large sieve to drain the water. Dump the lentils back into the bowl and repeat until the water running through the sieve is clear, usually after 4 or 5 changes of water. This method is more effective and wastes less water than just putting the lentils in a sieve and running tap water over them.
  2. Put the lentils in a large stock pot. Add 10 cups water and turn the heat onto high. When the water gets near a boil, skim off the foam that bubble up; don’t worry about getting it all, but try to get most of it. Once water comes fully to a boil, reduce heat to medium, enough to maintain a gentle simmer.
  3. While you’re waiting for the water to come to foam and boil, mince the fresh ginger and serranos. If you’re using them, chop up the curry leaves.
  4. After the water boils, add minced ginger, serranos, salt, spices, and chopped fresh/frozen curry leaves if you’re using them. Give everything a good couple of stirs.
  5. Dice the tomatoes. When they are all diced, add them to the pot. Stir again to make sure the lentils are cooking evenly and nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  6. Slice the kale leaves off the stems, and chop into 1- to 2-inch squares/strips. When they are all chopped, add them to the pot. Stir to incorporate the kale, and again make sure the lentils aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
  7. Leave the dal to simmer uncovered for at least 5 minutes, until the kale is cooked and soft. Add water if the dal to achieve your desired consistency. Optionally, let the dal simmer up to 10 minutes more to let the flavors meld further, stirring occasionally. (This is a good time to clean up any mess remaining in the kitchen).
  8. Take off the dal off the burner. Optionally, add more salt to taste.
  9. Enjoy as is, or garnished with pickled veggies, egg, Dal Mix, or any toppings you like!

Parsnip Date Hazelnut Chickpea Flour Loaf

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Grain-free    &&    Very low fat    &&    Slightly and naturally sweetened

This quick loaf coffee cake is perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. But, parsnips in a coffee cake you may ask? To which I’d reply, sure, it’s no stranger than putting carrots in a cake, which many would argue is much more delicious than strange. Parsnips are just another root vegetable, and they’re even carrot shaped, if that helps to put you more at ease. While maybe not be quite as sweet as carrots, they have a little more of an earthy, and almost creamy, flavor that’s hard to describe; well worth a try. Parsnips really have their heyday in fall when everyone starts to get excited about root vegetables, but like carrots, they seem to be available and delicious year round.

Made with 100% chickpea flour, it’s totally grain-free, and the only fat comes from the chickpea flour. It’s also sweetened only with a little bit of date syrup, making it pretty guilt-free for breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, or dessert… you might even be able to pass it off as a dinner item; after all, chickpea flour is high in protein and parsnips are a vegetable. I say go for it!

For this loaf I recommend using a store-bought date syrup like The Date Lady‘s, which seems to be have a somewhat greater concentration of sweetness than the home-made stuff I’ve posted about (see my recipe for 110010 Birthday Cake for how to make your own date syrup. As the store-bought kind seems to be darker and a little sweeter, I have my suspicion that after blending the dates and water to make syrup, it’s probably cooked down a little to concentrate it; I need to do an experiment to check my hypothesis, and will be sure to  report back when I do. But unless you have time to do the experiment yourself, try to go with store-bought.)

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Parsnip Date Hazelnut Chickpea Flour Loaf

30 minutes prep time, 45-55 minutes bake time

Makes 1 9″x5″ standard-sized loaf

Bits:

    Dry:

  • 150 g chickpea flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp ground fenugreek seed

    Wet:

  • 200 g grated parsnips (start with about 300 g / 2 large parsnips, then peel and grate to get 200 g)
  • ¼ cup (70g) roasted mashed garnet yam (or butternut squash)
  • 3 Tbsp (50 g) egg whites
  • ½ cup (125 g) nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp nonfat milk
  • 2 Tbsp (40 g) date syrup
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp hazelnut extract (or omit and increase vanilla extract to ½ tsp)
  • ¼ tsp almond extract

Algorithm:

  • Line a 9”x5” standard size loaf pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Combine dry ingredients in medium mixing bowl (sift chickpea flour as it tends to clump).
  • Grate parsnips, if not already grated, and measure out 200 g. Set aside.
  • Add wet ingredients except the parsnips in small mixing bowl and stir until pretty much smooth.
  • Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold with rubber spatula until almost combined.
  • Add the parsnips to the batter and fold until combined.
  • Bake 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out *almost* clean. Check after 20 minutes and put a foil hat over the top to prevent dark spots.
  • Be a boring grown-up and clean up your mess while the loaf bakes.
  • Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan, unstick the parchment, and let cool completely on a wire rack (best if you can leave it for at least 45 minutes to an hour, if not longer) before wrapping it up and putting it away).

Keeps for 2 weeks tightly wrapped in plastic in the fridge. Also freezes fairly well, but texture may suffer a little.

Surati Toor Dal with Broccoli and Roast Potatoes

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Vegan    &&    Very low fat    &&    Grain-free

I think I could eat some form of dal for at least one meal every day. Actually, I probably do. I’ve even been known to eat it for breakfast. (Really, why *not* eat it for breakfast?) Even now that the weather is starting to warm up here, there’s still nothing (well, almost nothing) more comforting and appealing to me food-wise than having a hot bowl of dal with some roasted potatoes and green veggies scattered on top. (Especially broccoli. Why am I obsessed with broccoli??) There are so many variations of dal and lentil soup recipes, and any simple roasted or boiled veggie makes a great topping, so it’s easy to change things up and keep these kinds of recipes interesting. I’m sure I’ll be posting more like this in the future.

This is a complete meal in a bowl that is vegan, filling, healthy, and above all tastes amazing. I had this for dinner last night, and actually opted for seconds instead of dessert (dessert for cyborgs is greek yogurt with seasonal fresh fruit on top… hard to beat, even if ice cream weren’t off limits.)

I think I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, my absolute favorite place to get dal and other Indian groceries is Indian Sweets & Spices in Shoreline, Washington, just about a 20 minute drive north of Seattle. They have a great selection of organic dals, organic besan (chickpea) flour, organic spices, and plenty of non-organic everything else (including the best fresh curry leaves I’ve been able to find in the greater Seattle area, including the International District). You can also get organic dals and ingredients from Amazon of course, but I find everything costs at least twice as much on Amazon (even with free shipping) as it does at Indian Sweets & Spices, or any local international grocery store I’ve been to. So, particularly in this case, it really helps your community AND helps you to save a bunch money if you can shop local, wherever that may be.

(NOTE: This post is not sponsored, nor is any other post sponsored; all of the opinions expressed are solely mine. I feel strongly about what I like, and want to encourage people to use good quality ingredients and support their local economies whenever possible.)

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Surati Toor Dal with Broccoli and Roast Potatoes

About 45 minutes start to finish

Serves 4 as a complete meal

Bits:

For the dal:

  • 1 ¾ cups toor dal + ½ cup mung dal (or use all toor dal, or all red lentils, depending on what you have)
  • 3 ½ cups vegetable broth (I use Imagine Vegetarian No-Chicken Broth)
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 large or 3 medium roasted red peppers from a jar
  • 1 jalapeño (or other preferred chili)
  • 1″ finger of fresh ginger (~ 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp after mincing)
  • 20 fresh or frozen curry leaves
  • 2 Tbsp peanut butter powder, reconstituted with 3 Tbsp water (Anthony’s is my favorite)
  • 1 tsp jaggery (a.k.a. gur) (or 1 tsp honey or maple syrup)
  • 1 ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp asafoetida (a.k.a. hing) **See note below.
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp dried red chili flakes, depending on desired spiciness

For the veggies:

  • 3 to 4 medium potatoes (I use yukon gold or red potatoes, as they’re less mealy than russets), cut into ¾-inch cubes
  • ~ 1 tsp olive oil (optional, use a good drizzle more if you’re not fat-intolerant)
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 2 heads of broccoli

Algorithm:

  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Start the dal:
    • Put the dal into a medium-sized deep mixing bowl and fill the bowl with water to the top. Skim off / pour out the foam and then strain the dal into a fine-mesh sieve. Repeat 3 or 4 more times until the rinsing water is just about clear.
    • Tip the dal into a large sauce-pan or stock pot. Add the vegetable broth and 3 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil. Skim off as much froth as you can, then add the turmeric powder.
    • Turn the heat down to a vigorous simmer, cover partially, and leave to simmer. Set the timer for 30 minutes.
  • Make the potatoes:
    • Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, add the cubed potatoes, and boil for 1 minute.
    • Drain the water from the pan, and spread the potatoes on the parchment-lined baking sheet (rinse out the pan and set aside for now. Sprinkle the olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle over the salt. Toss it all together to coat the potatoes as evenly as possible, and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
  • Add ingredients to the dal:
    • Cut the roasted red peppers into small dice, and stir into the dal.
    • Mince the jalapeño and fresh ginger and stir into the dal.
    • Roughly chop the fresh curry leaves and stir into the dal.
    • Stir in the reconstituted peanut butter powder and jaggery (or sweetener of choice)
    • Check the dal and add more water about a ½ cup at a time if the dal hasn’t started to fully fall apart and it’s starting to look a little dry.
  • Make the broccoli:
    • Fill the pot the potatoes cooked in with water and bring to a boil. While it’s coming to a boil, cut the broccoli tops into small florets and the stems into bite-sized (about ¾”) chunks.
    • When the water is boiling, drop in the broccoli and boil for 4 minutes until easily pierced with a fork.
    • Strain out the water, and refresh in cold water to stop them cooking.
  • Finish the dal:
    • When the dal is done cooking (after about 30 minutes, when the lentils are falling apart), put the heat on low and stir in the salt and lemon juice.
    • Put a small frying pan on over medium heat and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, and dried chili flakes. When the seeds start to pop, tip them into the dal and stir through.
  • Add dal to each serving bowl and top with broccoli and potatoes. Enjoy!

Leftovers keep in the fridge for a week; dal can be frozen in an air-tight container for several months.

**Note: Asafoetida is another one of those ingredients that is helps make Indian dishes taste authentic and amazing, and it’s really tough to find a good substitute for. If you’re gluten-free, you have to watch out because it’s often mixed with wheat to help with processing it into a powder. A couple brands I’ve seen use fenugreek (and other fillers) to help with the processing, which makes it gluten-free, but you lose some of the intended flavor, and get a bunch of fenugreek instead… which is probably not bad, but I can’t imagine it’s quite as good. It can be tough to find, but pure asafoetida is naturally grain-free (and therefore gluten-free), and of course will have undiluted flavor. I’ve searched high and low for pure asafoetida powder, and Nature’n’Me is the best I’ve found so far (but sadly I’ve had to feed the monster to get it). If you really have to, you can try substituting ½ tsp garlic powder and ½ tsp onion granules instead.

 

Not Mac ‘n’ Not Cheese

Grain-free    &&    Very Low Fat    &&    Easily Veganized

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This simple mac ‘n’ cheese recipe is made without traditional macaroni and without cheese, but still tastes cheesy and satisfying like the old classic! The “mac” is replaced with pasta made from chickpea and/or lentil flour, which I’m seeing around more and more these days (such as this and this). You may have to be careful if you can’t tolerate grains though, because I’ve seen some chickpea and lentil pastas that also have rice flour in the ingredients. The cheese-free cheesy taste comes from a combination of nutritional yeast and spices, which won’t be any surprise to vegans.

The addition of fresh chopped tomatoes and some basil or arugula puts this dish over the top for me. If you can’t tolerate tomatoes in your diet for whatever reason, I feel your pain; I had to give them and other acidic foods (and coffee!!) up for about six years until after I got my gastric pacemaker a couple years ago. Fortunately, this recipe is nearly as great, in my opinion (maybe better, in your opinion) with another vegetable mixed in. My go-to substitute for tomatoes in any recipe always used to be roasted red peppers, which I think would work perfectly well here. Really you can mix in anything you want; any combination of fresh herbs, cooked broccoli florets, cubed roasted sweet potato, or roasted fennel would be quite tasty. Or don’t mix anything in, and keep it classic (and more kid-friendly)!

Finally, I make this recipe with some skim milk to keep the final recipe nearly non-fat, but if you are vegan and can handle fat, you can easily substitute the alternative milk of your choice to veganize it.

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Not Mac ‘n’ Not Cheese

Serves 3 hungry adults as a main course

Bits:

Optional veggie mix-ins (pick one, or none):

  • 1 pint halved cherry or plum tomatoes + handful roughly chopped basil leaves
  • 2 large roasted red peppers, chopped + handful arugula
  • ½ lb roasted or steamed broccoli florets
  • 1 lb roasted sliced fennel + small handful roughly chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 ¼ lb cubed roasted sweet potato or butternut squash + small handful roughly chopped fresh sage

For the pasta:

  • 8 oz box of chickpea or lentil grain-free pasta

For the sauce:

Dry:

  • ¼ cup chickpea flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • Large pinch of chipotle chili powder (more or less depending on spiciness preference)
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

Wet:

  • 1 ¼ cup milk of choice (skim cow milk to keep the dish nearly non-fat, or alternative plant-based milk to make vegan)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ tsp of Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ Tbsp tamari
  • optional if you can eat fat: 1 Tbsp olive oil

Algorithm:

  • If adding a vegetable/herb mix-in, prep that first. Roasted vegetables can be roasting while you make the pasta and sauce. If using fresh sage, either dry-fry it or fry it in a little bit of oil to crisp it up.
  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
  • Combine dry ingredients for the sauce in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
  • Combine wet ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pan, and turn the heat on medium-low. Stir continuously until almost simmering. If you let it boil, cow milk might split, so take care.
  • Remove pan from heat and slowly pour a little bit of the pan liquids into the dry ingredients, and stir to form a paste. Gradually continue to add a little more at a time of the pan liquids into the dry ingredients, stirring as continuously as you can, until the mixture in the mixing bowl is smooth and runny. Add the mixing bowl contents back into the sauce pan. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Stir continuously, until the mixture has thickened to a cheese-sauce-like consistency; this should only take a few minutes.
  • Divide pasta between serving bowls, and pour equal amounts of sauce on each. Add vegetable and herb mix-ins to each bowl, and gently stir until vegetables and herbs are distributed evenly. Devour while still warm.

Robot-Compatible Chickpea Flour Banana Bread

Grain-free    &&    Very Low Fat

Beep bop boop. Banana bread ready for ingest.

I developed this recipe to be grain-free, almost-non-fat (the only fat comes from the natural fat in the chickpea flour), and only lightly sweetened, in order to be compatible with my many dietary restrictions. The challenge, after taking grains, fat, and most of the sugar out of a baked good, is ending up with something that doesn’t taste like cardboard.

One (perhaps surprising) trick I learned through trial and error when baking with chickpea flour is that including some roasted mashed sweet potato helps keep the final product moist (though too much and it can become stodgy), while tempering the beany flavor that can sometimes come through with chickpea flour. The second trick I learned is specific to banana bread (thanks to the Banana Bread recipe on Serious Eats, which I recommend for humans with fewer dietary restrictions!): a banana’s characteristic flavor comes from a chemical compound called eugenol, which is also found in clove and nutmeg. So including those spices in banana bread actually amps up the banana flavor and the flavor of the spices themselves conveniently fade in into the background!

The result is, at least to me, a surprisingly tasty, moist and crumbly, satisfying substitute for a traditional banana bread. If you can handle it, I’m sure it’d be even better with lightly toasted pecans and/or chocolate chips mixed it. Otherwise, this is probably the healthiest banana bread you’ll actually enjoy eating!

(Helpful tip, if you don’t already know: If those bananas sitting on your kitchen counter start to get riper than you like to eat fresh, throw them straight into the freezer! They’ll keep just fine, frozen in the peel, until you’re ready to thaw them out and use them to make this banana bread!)

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Makes one 9″x5″ loaf

Prep time: 30 minutes, Bake time: 1 hour

Bits:

– Dry:

  • 1 1/4 cups (172 g) chickpea flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cinnamon)
  • 1/4 tsp cloves

– Wet

  • 12 oz (340 g) peeled VERY ripe bananas (about 4 medium; from frozen is fine)
  • 2 Tbsp (41 g) roasted mashed garnet yam
  • 2 Tbsp (30 g) egg whites
  • 1/4 cup (75 g) nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 Tbsp (20 g) date syrup (I use The Date Lady‘s)
  • 1 Tbsp (17 g) lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Algorithm:

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper.
  • Sift chickpea flour into a large mixing bowl (don’t skip the sifting, chickpea flour tends to clump!). Add remaining dry ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Measure out and mash ripe bananas in a medium mixing bowl. Mash in the yam, stir until mostly homogeneous.
  • Combine wet ingredients except the yam and banana in small mixing bowl and stir with a hand mixer or whisk until pretty much smooth. Add the mashed banana and yam and stir to combine.
  • Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Fold/stir until combined.
  • Bake ~60 minutes. A wood skewer / toothpick inserted into the bread where it splits WILL NOT come out clean; it should have some wet crumbs stuck to it. Check after 20 minutes and put a foil hat over the top of the loaf if the top is starting to develop dark spots.
  • Remove from oven and let cool fully in loaf pan. Remove and slice only when cool!