Lulya (Indian Pancakes Made of Lentils)

Serves: 5-6
Ingredients:
1 cup White Rice
1/2 cup Toor Daal
1/2 cup Moong Daal
1/2 cup Masoor Daal
1/2 cup Chana Daal
1/2 cup Urad Daal
Ginger, to taste
Salt, to taste
Serrano Pepper, to taste (finely chopped or shredded)

Preparation: 
1. Mix all the daals (lentils) together in a large bowl with enough water to cover them. Allow it to soak overnight.
2. In the morning, grind the daals together in a blender, adding only enough water to allow for smooth blending.
3. Add the salt, serrano pepper and ginger to taste when blending. The consistency of the lentils should be that of a pancake mixture. Allow the mixture to sit (covered) on the countertop if warm outside, or in the oven if cold outside. It should be ready for eating within a couple hours. Be sure not to let it sit out for more than a couple hours otherwise it will go into a fermentation process and rise....that makes a completely different meal!
4. Take out a large pan or iron skillet and warm on low-medium heat. Make sure you allow the pan to warm up enough. If you start cooking the lentil cake prematurely, it will stick to the pan and you'll have a hard time taking it off. Spray olive oil to coat the pan. Now you are ready to spread the lentil mixture onto the coated pan. Allow it to cook through on one side before flipping it to cook on the other side.
5. Serve with yogurt, chundo (a sweet chutney found at Indian Stores) or even alone for a snack.

Culinary Medicine Tip: Lentil's are a great source of protein! They are an essential part of every Indian Household. The lentils used in this recipe are not only high in protein, but high in fiber and low in fat. They're also packed with folate, iron, phosphorus, potassium and fiber.(http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lentils/AN01640). 

Whole Wheat Pancakes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup milk, plus more if necessary

1/4 teaspoon salt

Agave Syrup

4 tablespoons blueberries

Preparation: 

1. Sift together flour and baking powder, set aside. 
2. Mix the milk, salt and artificial sweetener in a bowl. 
3. Stir in flour until just moistened
4. Add blueberries and stir to incorporate.

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan for each pancake. Cook until bubbly, about 1 1/2 minutes on low-medium heat. Turn, and continue cooking until golden brown!


Variation: Instead of blueberries, try adding any combination of cinnamon/pumpkin spice/nutmeg/walnuts/chocolate chips/apples to the batter and the whole family will be smiling with the IHOP style variety offered in mommy's kitchen!

CPK Salad

California Pizza Kitchen is one of the ONLY chain restaurants my husband and I feel like returning to every couple months! Over time, their BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad (minus the Chicken) quickly became my favorite. Here is a quick and easy dinner, especially for these warm summer evenings. It is both satisfying and filling alone, however you could choose to add a cold sandwich or soup alongside it if you please.

Ingredients:
1 Iceberg Lettuce or Romaine Lettuce
1 1/2 cup Black Beans (made by soaking overnight, or in a pressure cooker day of)
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch Green Onions, chopped
1 Jicama - chopped
A handful of corn (I used frozen corn)
3-4 Avocados - cut into cubes
Monterey Jack Cheese - shredded
Tortilla Strips (found in the grocery store near other salad toppings)
Ranch Dressing
BBQ Dressing (optional)

Preparation:
1. Layer all the ingredients above, in the order listed. It is as simple as that, enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:

3/4 cup: Kidney beans - cooked (this can be done in a pressure cooker) 3/4 cup: Black Beans - cooked (this can be done in a pressure cooker)
Can also add any other bean of your choice 1/2 cup: Corn 1 carrot, chopped  1 medium yellow onion-chopped, 1 large jalapeno- chopped,
2 roma tomatoes, diced 3 large cloves of garlic- minced 1/2 tbsp: cumin powder 1 tbsp: oregano
1 tsp: parsley Salt, to taste 1 tbsp: Olive Oil
Preparation:
1. In a deep pot, heat the oil and add the onions, jalapenos and garlic. Saute until the onions turn translucent. 
2. Now add the diced tomatoes. 
3. Saute for a bit and now add the rest of the ingredients. 
4. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. 
5. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients + another 2 cups. Let it simmer an hour before serving. 

Serve warm with Rice or Corn Bread, Sour Cream, Cheese and Salsa!

Cauliflower Shak

Serves: 2 
Ingredients:
Cauliflower, chopped small
Cooking Oil
Asofetida (Hing)
Turmeric (Haldar)
3-4 Curry Leaves (Limbdo)
Mustard Seeds (Rye)
Fresh Green Chilis, finely chopped or shredded
Juice of lemon, to taste
Salt, to taste
1/2 bunch chopped cilantro

Preparation:
1. In an iron skillet, warm some oil (1-2tbsp).
2. Add turmeric, asafoetida and curry leaves. Now add the shredded green chilis.
3. Next add mustard seeds. When you hear the seeds sizzle, add all the cauliflower.
4. Add salt, juice of lemon and mix well. Let it cook on low heat until cauliflower is soft.
5. Garnish with chopped cilantro
6. Eat with roti, daal and rice!

Culinary Medicine Tip: The use of Iron Skillet's in cooking is returning! Recently, using non-stick cookware has been popular, however there is always the concern of scratching the Teflon which will emit toxic fumes when used at high temperatures. Another great option is an iron skillet. Inspired by my mom, I bought myself one and use it for many of my dishes. The most obvious benefit of using an Cast Iron Pot/Pan is that it adds iron to whatever you cook (many of us are iron-deficient). It also provides even heat distribution so the food cooks evenly. It is non-stick by nature so you don't have to worry about using more oil/grease than you have to, and lastly - this is an investment that you won't have to replace for a very long time! Try one out and let me know what you think!

Grill Cheese Chutney Sandwich

Ingredients:

Whole Wheat Bread (Try to buy bread with the least amount of ingredients to avoid foods with preservatives - remember, it should be as natural/fresh as possible). This bread in particular has five basic ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, honey, yeast and salt. 

Green Sandwich Chutney (Available at your local Indian Store)
Pimento Spread 

Mayonnaise (optional)

American Sliced Cheese

Sliced Cucumbers + Sliced Tomatoes

Sliced Potato (Boil in hot water to cook)

Salt, Pepper and Chat Masalo (Indian Spice)

Preparation:

1. Spread the green sandwich chutney on one slice of bread. 
2. Spread the pimento and mayonnaise on the other slice. 
3. Next layer with cucumbers, tomatoes and potatoes.  
4. Add a slice of cheese. 
5. Top it off with salt, pepper and some chat masalo. 
6. Grill the entire sandwich on the stovetop to add warmth + crunch. 
7. Serve with a little Ketchup, Ranch and/or Chalula Sauce. Enjoy!

Berry Yummy Breakfast Smoothie

My husband and I wanted to start eating healthy for breakfast. First, we stopped buying cereal, muffins, waffles, pancake mix, etc. Then we spent a couple days wondering how to replace that, and here's one of the best things we came up with! Whoever wakes up first often gets the pleasure of making 2 tall cups of this berry smoothie. We own a Vitamix (best blender ever!) and I promise, this will have you out the door quickly in the morning, and your tummy feeling very full + satisfied!

Serves 2
Ingredients:
10-12 large strawberries, washed. If you use the Vitamix, you can keep the stems on.
2 handfuls of blueberries, washed.
Agave Syrup or Honey, to taste
1/4 cup Plain Yogurt
8-10 Ice Cubes
1 cup Acai Berry Juice
Frozen, Sweetened coconut (optional)



Preparation:
1. Blend together all ingredients and enjoy!
2. I will often pour the smoothie straight into a mug that has a lid on it, and place a straw inside so that it is easy to drink while in the car on the way to work!

Neesh's Eggless Breakfast Burrito

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

1 Package of Firm Tofu

Medium Size Whole Wheat tortilla: Try to buy the whole wheat tortilla with minimal ingredients. (You can typically find these at stores such as Jimbos, Mother's Market and Whole Foods) . 

Salsa

4 cheese blend

Sour Cream

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric (Haldhar)
Chopped Garlic 

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Lemon Juice, to taste

1/2 bunch Cilantro, chopped

1 Serrano pepper, finely chopped or Jalapeno Pepper, finely chopped

Cooking Oil

Preparation:

1. Drain water from tofu package. Place tofu block between 2 towels and squeeze together to remove as much water as possible. This will allow the tofu to obtain the optimal consistency and texture. 
2. Cut the tofu into small squares
3. Warm the oil in pan and add turmeric.  P
4. Saute chopped Jalapeno & Garlic
5. Place cut tofu into hot oil and saute as well.
6. Add salt/pepper and saute until slightly browned.  Now mix in juice of lemon & some chopped cilantro. Turn off the gas. 
7. Warm a tortilla in a separate pan (on low heat!) and add cheese.  Once the cheese has melted, place the sautéed tofu on the tortilla.  Top with salsa and sour cream and more cilantro.. 
8. Wrap the tortilla into a burrito. Cook on both sides in the pan until slightly crispy. 
9. Enjoy with some more salsa, sour cream, chalula sauce or whatever you fancy! 

Culinary Medicine Tip:  In this recipe Turmeric is used.  Of course turmeric makes the tofu looks like eggs, but more than that turmeric has many health benefits.  When turmeric is added to the oil it tempers the oil and helps retain the nutrients in the food that oil may normally destroy.  It also decreases the amount of free radicals that are produced by the oil.  Turmeric can also be used to help fight viral infections, wound infections, help with acid reflux and many other medical issues.  Please see our blog post on Turmeric and its benefits. Turmeric is a staple in Indian cooking.

Hungry Toddler

Warm some cooking oil in an iron skillet, add a pinch of turmeric

1

Squeeze in some juice of lemon. Now turn of the gas!

She approves!