Category Archives: Snack

Food, Lunch, side dishes, Snack

Cauliflower Pizza with Asparagus, Kale and Mushrooms

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Ok…. so this is not much of a recipe but more of the art of putting it all together…but I just had to post. Such an amazing crunch and taste that it leaves you craving for more. And it is healthy, nutritious and scrumptious. If Gluten bothers you, this is GF.

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My cauliflower pizza base is Cauliflower and Corn flour from Trader Joes or Moms Organic market. On my trip to MOMs, I brought back beautiful garlic, asparagus, fresh Kale, Jalapeño, and mushrooms.  I had some Parmesan and Halloumi in the fridge so putting this together was a breeze.

Note this is not a typical pizza smothering in tomato sauce and cheese. This one showcases the beautiful vegetables so adjust if you need more of the cheeses or add some tomato sauce.

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The Kale and chopped mushrooms need to be sautéed in chopped garlic with a pinch of salt and set aside.

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Slice or chop some Asparagus, Jalapeño, Roma tomato and set aside

Slice the cheeses.

Cook the crust according to instruction until it is firm and slightly crisp. The TJ version had me cook at 450 degrees and flip the crust to cook 12 mins on each side. That was perfect

Top the crust with veggies and cheese and put under a broiler for 3-4 mins.

Douse with some good avocado or olive oil and red chili flakes.

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Enjoy

Sharing at Fiesta Friday featuring Laurena @ Life Diet Health and Alex @ Turks Who Eat as co-hosts this week.

 

Food, Snack

Rose and Saffron Ice cream

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The weather is warm, the landscape is green, lush and peppered with bursts of flowers. The month of Ramadan completed and  flowed into the festivities of Eid ul Fitr, signifying the end of Ramadan.

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This has the flavors of Eid I grew up with, saffron, cardamom and rose….mmm the essence is just so soothing.

The irony is that we did not make ice cream when growing up in Kashmir…there were no real freezers but the flavors found their way in so many sweet dishes like rice pudding and refreshing rose drinks.

I have to say that this is really easy to make…no churn, no stress, just a lot of fun whipping up the cream 🙂

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I have used organic rose water, saffron that I brought from Kashmir and regular green cardamoms. I soaked the almonds overnight and chopped them after removing the skin.

For the Cardamom, I crushed the pods with a rolling pin on the counter, removed the green skin and just kept crushing until I got the consistency I wanted.

I found a brand of organic condensed milk online that I love. Use  the one you like or make your own if you are adventurous.

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Ingredients:

  • I pint carton of whipping cream
  • 3/4 can condensed milk ( 14 oz)
  • 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp crushed saffron
  • 1 tsp rose water
  • 1/tsp crushed organic rose leaves
  • 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan salt
  • 2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Putting it together:

  • Whip the cream until you have soft peaks
  • Add sugar, cardamom, rose water and saffron and whip again until you have stiff peaks
  • Fold in the condensed milk , a pinch of salt and rose leaves
  • Line a glass loaf pan or bowl with plastic wrap. Pour in the mixture
  • Top with almonds, some rose leaves and freeze overnight
  • Serve in scoops or slices. You can serve with a drizzle of honey and nuts.DSC_4314-1

Join me at Angie’s Fiesta with Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen and Jess @ Cooking Is My Sport.

Also sharing this on  Saucy Saturday #52….my first time at this party!

Food, side dishes, Snack

Green Banana Walnut Kebabs with garlic greens

29 Comments

Raw or Green banana is just an unripe yellow banana but it is firm and not sweet. It needs to be cooked (boiled or fried) to bring out the taste. Nutritionally, the green banana is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and contains a resistance starch that may help control blood sugar.

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Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

It is pretty easy to cook and these cool kebabs and the addition of aromatic herbs and spices helps the banana stand out as the main ingredient.

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I used garlic greens since I had them harvested and was looking for  ways to use them. You can leave them out if you don’t have them.  I did not add a boiled potato as I would normally in veggie kebabs as the consistently looked perfect and I opted to leave the extra starch out.

This consistency should come out something like this:

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Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs Dough

Walnuts are my favorite tree nuts to use and always remind me of being under a walnut tree in Kashmir trying to bring down the big green raw nuts , breaking them apart and savoring the exquisite white flesh inside.  Besides the fabulous taste Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fats and contain higher amounts of antioxidants than most other foods.

 

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Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

Green Banana and Walnut Kebabs

  • Servings: 12
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 3 raw green bananasBananaKebabs-4
  • 1/2 cup rice flour
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/3 cup mint leaves
  • 1 cup garlic greens (optional)
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 cup dry walnuts
  • 1-2 inch piece of ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Avocado oil for frying ( you can use another oil you like)

Putting it together:

  1. Pressure cook the raw bananas in 1/2 cup water for about 3-4 whistles. You can also microwave the raw bananas in high for 5 minutes
  2. Add walnuts to a food processor and chop coarsely and set aside in a bowl.
  3. Add cilantro, mint, green garlic, green chili and ginger to the same food  processor and pulse until blended but still coarse. Transfer to the bowl with walnuts
  4. Pulse the cooked banana in the food processor and transfer this to the bowl with other ingredients as well. You can also mash the bananas by hand.
  5. Add salt, pepper, garam masala and cumin. Add rice flour a tablespoon at a time and mix everything together until you have a dough consistently. It should still be soft.
  6. Make balls, flatten to a patty and pan fry to a golden brown.
  7. Serve hot with cilantro mint garlic chutney .

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Taking this along with my  chutney will to  Angie’s Fiesta Friday where the co-hosts this week are Kaila @ GF Life 24/7 and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

Apppetizers, Food, salad, Snack

Avocado Banana Chaat

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Chaat is a term describing savory snacks, typically served at road-side tracks from stalls or food carts in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh- this from Wikipedia. Chaat to me is sweet, tangy and savory sensation put together to be had as an appetizer or snack. Most street versions have fried cracker bases or delicious potato centers.

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Well…Today is the day!!! My first time co-hosting  Angie’s Fiesta Friday #108 with the lovely Suzanne@apuginthekitchen .

If you don’t know it already Fiesta Friday is where to party every Friday. I joined it when I started blogging a couple of years back and it has been such a great support and platform to grow. Bring your dishes here and Link up your posts at Angie’s Fiesta and to both the co-hosts!

Do read the guidelines posted here….but the rules are really to have fun and enjoy visiting all the fabulous bloggers.

I wanted to make something quick and simple for my co-hosting responsibility ( and its been a really long week) so this quick appetizer was perfect. Now I am eager to spend all my time looking through the deliciousness everyone else brings to the party,

One of my favorite Indian fusion restaurants Rasika delighted me with a Avocado and Banana version that is a must try if you are ever in DC.

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Here is my take on serving up this amazing dish. You can never go wrong with Avocados can you? The nutrient rich bananas lightly browned bring a sweet dimension. Tamarin Chutney can me home made, I used a store bought version. A sprinkle of cumin, a dash of cayenne, a squeeze of lemon and there you have it! Ready in 10  mins.

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Avocado Banana Chaat

  • Servings: 2
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe avocadosAvocadoBananaChaat-1-6
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tsp coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon tamarind chutney
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Fresh cilantro – chopped
  • Lemon juice
  • Banana chips for garnish

 

  • Use firm almost green bananas,  brown in coconut oil and cut in 1 inch pieces. Set aside
  • Cut the avocado into chunks and squeeze the juice of half lemon over it. Toss in 2 tabsp of tamarind chutney, cumin and cayenne. Chill.
  • Using a ring mold or a hollow can, place the avocado mixture at the bottom, cover with the bananas, sprinkle with lemon juice, another dash of cayenne and cilantro. Top with some banana chips to bring in the crispiness.

 

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Bread, Food, Snack

Carrot Banana Bread with Almond Flour

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Looking for healthier versions of tea time snacks and trying to use my bananas and carrots, I found a number of recipes in my google search. I have made  almond flour banana bread numerous times but wanted to add some carrot. I adapted  some recipes but the closet original of the the paleo recipe can be found at here . I used 3 parts almond flour and 1 part buckwheat flour, still all gluten free. For the sweetness I used coconut nectar instead of dates. Dates would have been great but I was too lazy and short on time to use and wash a food processor 🙂

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Raw organic Almond Flour works great to give it the spongy texture, carrots add the vitamin c and walnut the rich nutrients. Add the bananas and eggs and its really a great breakfast food.

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I love citrus zest and use it as much as I can. Drying your own organic peels and grinding them is a great way to use zest in food, soaps and cleaners. I had fresh mandarins on hands and the freshness brought a punch to the bread.

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For tea time in my house  it was served with Matcha tea and a side of crème fresh. I found this simple article on Matcha if you want to learn more about this tea full of antioxidants.

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Carrot Banana Bread -food for the soul

  • Servings: 8
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup Almond flour
  • 1/2 cup Buckwheat flour
  • 2 tsp Baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp Sea salt
  • 1 tsp Ground Ceylon cinnamon
  • 3 mashed Bananas
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Coconut oil, melted
  • 11/2 cup Organic carrot grated
  • 1 Tbsp Orange zest ( optional)
  • 1 cup Chopped or halved walnuts

Putting it together

  • Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a loaf pan with coconut oil
  • In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
  • In another bowl, combine bananas, eggs, vinegar and oil.
  • Add wet ingredients to the  dry mixture in the large bowl and combine thoroughly.
  • Fold in carrots, orange zest and nuts.
  • Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes.

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Sharing this on  Fiesta Friday and to the co-hosts Steffi @ Ginger & Bread and Andrea @ Cooking With a Wallflower. Also linked up on Throwback Thursday

Food, Snack

Lotus Stem fries(Nadur Monji) – Kashmiri Street food

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Beautiful crunchy snack food that is a “must ” try. If you are tired of French fries, do try the high fiber content of the unique  lotus stems.  Also know and Nadur Churma and sold in the streets all over Kashmir is this mouth watering snack that is so very easy to make.

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Lotus Stem is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C.

The actual stems at my local Asian market in Virginia look like this:

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The recipe is so simple and just takes the lotus stems cut in length, salt cayenne ( Kashmiri chili pepper) and some rice flour. You could also use gram flour. I have fried these in coconut oil here.

 

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Nadur Monji

  • Servings: 6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Ingredients:

  • 1 long lotus stem scraped cleaned washed and cut into 2 inch lengths
  • 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 1 tsp black cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp thyme leaves
  • water
  • Coconut oil for frying

 

Putting it together:

  • Scrape the top dark skin of the Lotus Stems.
  • Thoroughly wash the lotus stems and cut in strips like french fries.
  • Dry with a towel
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and some chili pepper
  • Make a slurry of rice flour and water, add pounded cumin and thyme leaves and combine the strips thoroughly
  • Deep fry in oil until golden brown
  • Dry on a paper towel or newspaper to get rid of the extra oil.
  • Sprinkle some more salt and chili pepper
  • Serve hot and crisp with a coriander mint chutney.

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Perfect for the party at Fiesta Friday. Thanks to Angie and the wonderful co hosts,Elaine @ foodbod and Julie @ Hostess at Heart.

Food, Snack

Raw Caramel and Walnut Bars

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Sweet and savory dance on the senses and such beautiful raw ingredients. I made this as one of the thanksgiving deserts and it was so well received. I could say that it is healthful ( depending on how many slices you eat:) with the use of coconut nectar and honey. The dates also as a sensory sweetness and chewiness. I soaked the dates in orange zest and orange juice for a few hours to add another layer of flavor. You can omit this step if you want.

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Enough said…let’s try it

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Layer 1

  • 1/2 cup almonds (soaked overnight and skin removed)
  • 1/2 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/2 cup mehjool dates (pitted and soaked in orange zest and the juice to moisten)
  • 1/2 cup dry crushed coconut flakes
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
  • 2 tablespoons organic raw honey

 

Blend this mixture together and layer in a lined square pan. Press down until you get a flat this layer and put in the freezer for 30 mins

Layer 2 (Caramel)

  • 1 cup medjool dates (pitted and soaked in orange zest and the juice to moisten
  • 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons organic raw honey
  • 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts

 

Blend dates, coconut oil, tahini, vanilla and raw honey in the food processor. Add the walnut and pulse lightly so you still have the pieces.

 

Pour this on top of layer 1, smooth and return to freezer to set.

 

Layer 3

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup coconut nectar
  • 1/4 cup raw cacao
  • Coconut Flakes for dusting

 

Blend together the melted coconut oil, raw cacao and coconut nectar until smooth.

Add this as the third layer. Top with coconut flakes. Return to the freezer.

Slice while still frozen and serve.

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This will stay in the fridge for a couple of weeks.