Making Ghee From Scratch

Tags

ayurveda, cooking, Food, ghee, gluten-free, health, healthy, nutrition, receipe, recipe, vegetarian

Seive through a strainer. Hubby helped with this

Frying is generally bad for you – example: frying unsaturated oils leads to the production of trans-fats which can contribute to cardiovascular disease, frying carbohydrates leads to the production of acrylamides & glycidamides which are carcinogenic, and frying proteins causes the production of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which can contribute to cancer and are one of the reasons processed meats are considered a contributor to cancer by the WHO.

So why do I suggest frying spices might be a good idea? When spices are slowly cooked in a tempering oil, the aromatic compounds, which are better drawn out by oil as they fat soluble, are released into the oil. When cooking, these aromatic compounds suspended in oil are better able to permeate the dish so that we taste and smell cumin, garlic, ginger, mustard seeds, and curry leaves leading to the sensory experience that is characteristic of Indian food.

Why ghee? Ghee has been used in Ayurveda for millenia as a food, a vehicle for herbs (it is a fat so it helps absorption of fat soluble medicinal compounds), and for home remedies. When I was growing up and no one was supposed to eat any fat, everyone stopped putting ghee in their food. I tell my family, friends and patients who are South Asian to continue to cook their spices in ghee and flavor their foods with it. Why? Because I would rather they enjoy half a teaspoon of ghee and to flavor their foods and cut the huge amounts of white rice, white flour, and sugar that South Asians tend to indulge in. Also, ghee is a stable oil with a higher smoke point, and cooking olive oil to high temperatures necessary to cook Indian spices for tempering may not be as safe as unsaturated fats can become harmful when they oxidize, and even become harmful trans fatty acids. The nutritional community has decided for sure that trans-fats are certainly worse than saturated fat. And yes, ghee has saturated fat, but if you plan to put as little as 1 tablespoon of ghee in a large portion of cooked vegetable, then you might as well do things the traditional way, especially if theoretically you are creating harmful trans fats by frying unsaturated olive oil.

Ghee is easily available in Indian grocery stores and online nowadays. I am particularly fond of a couple of different brands. Pure brand is a good one, and I recently discovered Eat Good Fat brand ghee. Both are grassfed and organic, and taste really fresh. I tend to trust organic valley and they have started making ghee as well, but I have not tried their ghee. So why make ghee? Because no matter how good the brand you buy, fresh ghee tastes the best. It is also MUCH cheaper to make the ghee than to buy all of the above brands I quoted to you and it lasts a really long time.

Below are step by step instructions on how to make ghee with pictures. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

3 sticks of butter – I use grassfed butter, preferrably from a farm.

Recipe

1. Turn the stove to medium, put 3 sticks of butter in a pot and place on the stove. Wait for the butter to melt and then boil. The boiling goes through 2 stages. The first time it boils, you end up with a white precipitate.
2. With the second boiling point, you start to see a film of proteins build up on the top and then the ghee boils again. As soon as the precipitate starts to turn brown, turn off the stove and take the ghee off the stove.
3. When the ghee stops boiling, you will see brown precipitate at the bottom. This is very much edible, but NOT healthy for you – my husband’s family mixes a spoon of sugar with it. It tastes amazingly deliciously unhealthy.
4. Sieve the ghee through a cheese cloth, and its done! I have pictures below for each step. Enjoy!

Boiling point number 1

Precipitate number 1

Boiling point number 2 with the film developing at the top

Precipitate number 2. This is the point at which you turn off the stove

When you stop the stove and the boiling stops, this is what you see!

Seive through a strainer. Hubby helped with this

Deliciously unhealthy part – look at the spoon

 

 

 

Healthy Vegetarian & Gluten-Free Stuffed Peppers

Tags

cooking, crockpot, Food, gluten-free, healthy cooking, recipe, stuffed peppers, vegetarian

Stuffed peppers are a healthy and versatile dish because you can choose to put a variety of ingredients as the “stuffing”. Traditional stuffing is made usually with ground meat, cheese and some veggies but I like to make my own version that is both vegetarian and gluten-free. Another great thing about this stuffed pepper dish is that you can make it either on the stove or in a crockpot. 

Ingredients: (serving size=6)

• 6 bell peppers
• 8 oz of organic frozen spinach (preferably whole leaf)
• 6 oz of organic cottage cheese
• 2 cups of cooked brown rice
• 2 eggs
• 4 mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup of corn
• 1 cup of carrots, diced
• 1/4 cup of onions, diced
• parsley, chopped
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of pepper flakes
• Options: parmesan cheese, grated

Crockpot Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice either in a rice cooker or on the stove top. Do this few hours early or the night before (you can refrigerate the rice).
2. Cut the tops off the bell pepper and removed all the seeds and ribs.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions and carrots. Cook until the onions become translucent.
4. Add the mushrooms, spinach and corn. Cover the skillet and let it cook in low-medium heat until the frozen spinach is melted (~3 min).
5. Add the cooked rice and season with pepper flakes and salt
6. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix the 2 eggs, then add the mix into the rest of the stuffing.
7. Add chopped parsley, cottage cheese. Blend and season the mix with pepper.
8. Place the stuffed peppers (with the opening facing up) into the crock pot.
9. Using a spoon fill each of the peppers with the “stuffing”.
10. Add the vegetable stock to the base of the crockpot. Avoid adding any liquid to the inside of the pepper.
11. Option: top each of the stuffed peppers with grated parmesean.
12. Cook the stuffed peppers on high heat for 3 hours.
13. Serve warm and enjoy!

Stop Top Directions:

1. Cook the brown rice either in a rice cooker or on the stove top. Do this few hours early or the night before (you can refrigerate the rice).
2. Cut the tops off the bell pepper and removed all the seeds and ribs. The split the peppers into half vertically.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the onions and carrots. Cook until the onion becomes translucent.
4. Add the mushrooms, spinach and corn. Cover the skillet and let it cook in low-medium heat until the frozen spinach is melted. (~3 min)
5. Add the cooked rice and season with pepper flakes and salt
6. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix the 2 eggs, then add the mix into the rest of the stuffing.
7. Add chopped parsley, cottage cheese. Blend and season the mix with pepper.
8. In a separate skillet, add ~1 tbsp of olive oil and place the stuffed peppers the skillet. Let it cook in medium heat ~3 mins.
9. Turn off the stove, and using a spoon fill each of the peppers with the “stuffing”.
10. Add the vegetable stock to the base of the pan. Avoid adding any liquid to the inside of the pepper.
11. Option: top each of the stuffed peppers with grated parmesean.
12. Put a lid over the skillet and cook the stuffed peppers on low heat for  ~30 minutes or until the liquids are gone.
13. Serve warm and enjoy!

-NZ

Fall Root-Vegetable Bean-Burger

Tags

anti-inflammatory foods, Beans, chilli, gluten-free, vegan

Lately, I have had an insatiable craving for vegan black-bean burgers. I have no idea why, but the crispy crunchy outside with the soft inside, combined with the savory flavors of the vegan mayo and/or sriracha on top..mmm… the symphony of flavors was begging for a replay.

..So I had one, and then another, and then I just started to look for recipes for vegan black-bean burgers online. It’s funny, I know how hunger works, and it is not satiated if you look at 20 pictures of just delectable looking vegan black-bean burgers on the internet. Of course, make delicious vegan black-bean burger patties is what I did. When my husband who has the most discerning palate of anyone I know said they were tasty, I knew I had to share with the world. Especially because bean-recipes are one of my favorites to share with the world.

I was super excited about this recipe because I literally did zero shopping for it – everything I used was already in my pantry.

Ingredients:

• One can of black beans, drained, and one can of chickpeas, with the juice.
• 2 packets of trader-joes organic oats and flax oatmeal
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 4 serrano chillis chopped fine (I like my burgers spicy! You can de-seed and use jalapenos, or sub bell-peppers if you like)
• 1 cup of Frozen root vegetables (or frozen beets or steamed or canned beets)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup frozen or canned corn
• 2 tbsp of coconut oil

Pic of a raw frozen patty. Batter should be mashed up but still chunky. Pink color is from the beets

Instructions:

• Mash up the beans and chickpeas. You should still be able to see half fragments of beans – so don’t mash up too much!
• Add chopped jalapenos and serranos, salt, coconut oil and soy-sauce
• Grind oatmeal in a coffee grinder to a fine powder and add to the mixture
• Grind frozen root vegetables in a blender into a powder. Use the dry blades that make powders for this. You can also grate fresh beets/root veggies, or coarsely blend steamed (preferrably lightly steamed) or canned beets. Shredded or grated carrots are a good addition here as well.
• Add frozen spinach
• Mix everything together so the ingredients are distributed evenly
• Spoon onto a cast iron skillet coated with oil and heat for 15 minutes on each side. The cooked patty is brown and has a crust on the top and bottom.

Check out some of my inspirations for this recipe on our pinterest vegan burger board

The topping for the burger is a local jalapeno pesto from the farmers market – Baby Clydesdales Small Batch Hot Sauce

– DS

This post was shared in the following link-ups:

Gluten-Free Vegan Corn and Kale Porridge

Tags

breakfast, cooking, fall, gluten-free, healthy, kale, paleo, porridge, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

For me, nothing says comfort better than a bowl of warm porridge. I’ve recently discovered using corn as a grain-substitute for porridge. It is really fast & easy to prepare, so it’s a great meal for when you are short on time. To take advantage of all the fall vegetables, I’ve been making this savory grain-free corn and kale porridge. You can easily substitute the kale for other vegetables, like chard or spinach.

Note: be sure to purchase organic corn to avoid eating genetically modified corns.

Ingredients:

• 1 ear of organic corn
• 1 teaspoon of olive oil
• 1/4 of yellow onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of almond/soy milk
• 1 cup of kale, chopped
• 1/2 cup of water
• A dash of red pepper flakes
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Use a knife, grate the corn kernels into a bowl
2. In a large pot, sautee the onion in oil on medium-low heat until they become translucent.
3. Add the corn, kale and water to the pot and cook x5 minutes. Then add your choice of soy/almond milk and sea salt. Let the pot simmer for 10-15 minutes until the mixture thickens.
4. Serve hot with red pepper flakes and ground pepper.

-NZ

this recipe is linked up at Real Food Fridays

Healthy and Simple Thai-Inspired Asian Eggplant Dish

Tags

anthocyanins, anti-inflammatory foods, asian eggplant, basil, cooking, eggplant, gluten-free, phytonutrients, recipe, summer dish, thai, vegan, vegetable dish

Asian eggplants look and taste quite different from regular eggplants. They are thinner and have a bright purple hue. They are also more tender and sweeter while still retaining that slight smokey flavor. The best part-they are easier to cook and you can eat the skin, which is where the phytonutrient-anthocyanins are stored. Eggplant also contains a lot of fiber and is a great source of vitamin B complex, which is important for brain function.

Asian eggplant by itself is a great summer vegetarian dish (as it is in season now). They are filling and can absorb a lot of different flavors. It is very versatile and can be added with many other vegetables and spices. Below is a fast and easy recipe I want to share with you on how to prepare a Thai-style Asian eggplant dish. The dish is vegan and gluten-free!

Ingredients:

Thai style asian eggplant

2 eggplants
2 cups of arugula
1/2 whole ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Spicy chili pepper, cup into thin rings (optional)
3 peppercorn
5 basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp of coconut oil
gluten-free soy sauce (preferably tamari)
1 tbsp of sugar
2 tbsp of water

Directions:

1. Wash the eggplants and remove the stem. Use your hand to pull off the eggplant into a cube size. Using your hand rather than a knife helps to eliminate the hardness of the skin, making it easier to eat.
2. Heat the wok with oil in medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and chili pepper into the wok and stir fry until it starts to turn brown. If you don’t have a wok, use a large sautee pan. 
3. Add the eggplant with peppercorn. Then add the soy sauce, and cover the wok for 1 minute.
4. Once the eggplant starts to simmer, add the peppercorn, basil and sugar. Sautee for another minute. Add water if the wok gets too dry.
5. Finally add the arugula and mix it for another 30 seconds before plating.

Serve hot!

-NZ

Cool Gluten-Free Summer Gazpacho Soup

Tags

antioxidant, bell pepper, cold, cucumber, dish, gazpacho, gluten-free, honeydew, lycopene, soup, summer, tomato, yellow tomato

Tomatoes are in season during the summer, and I see them everywhere at the farmers market. There are many different varieties of tomatoes all with slight different taste and texture.

Tomatoes have lots of great nutritional benefits. It is rich in antioxidants (including lycopene, zea-xanthin) that is important for your body to fight against cancer. Lycopene in particular is important for your skin and is known to have protective effect against UV rays, which can help to decrease your risk of getting skin cancer. It is a great source of vitamin C (see my previous post on vitamin C rich foods), potassium and vitamin b-complex.

I love using yellow tomatoes for gazpacho because it is less tangy and lighter in flavor. If you prefer sweet, go for cherry tomatoes, which have higher sugar content. Generally, I like to do a mix of both. This recipe can be a great either as a stand-alone dish, or as an amuse bouche. Here is my Summer Gazpacho recipe:

Ingredients: (serves 2 bowls)

• 12 yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 large yellow heirloom tomato, cubed
• 1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup of honeydew
• 1 clove of garlic (minced)
• 2 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of oregano, chopped
• 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
• kosher salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

1. Add tomatoes, cucumber, garlic, honeydew and olive oil into the blender. Pulse until there are no more big chunks in the mixture.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. (I use a Vitamix so it takes about 15 seconds on high)
3. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl, place and cover it in the refrigerator x2 hours or overnight.
4. When the gazpacho is ready to be served, add salt and pepper after plating.

-NZ

Best Healthy Peanut Butter Jar

Tags

Food, gluten-free, Justin's, natural, natural peanut butter, nut spread, nuts, peanut, peanut butter, sandwich, vegan

If you are like me, it’s really the little things in life that make you smile. I’ve been fretting about a lack of healthy and yummy food options near my office, so my work space is usually loaded up with snacks and such to keep me going throughout the day. I keep bread and peanut butter in my office, so when I am hungry I just make a easy PB sandwich. My favorite PB brand is called Justin’s.

They are all natural, vegan and gluten-free. Unlike many natural peanut butters, Justin’s doesn’t have to be refrigerated and is already mixed, so you don’t have to get messy trying to mix the peanut and oil together. THANK GOODNESS! Thats why this jar is perfect for on-the-go snacks, without compromising on your health.

As for what’s in the jar? Justin’s just use two ingredients: peanut butter and palm oil. That’s it! So simple, yet so amazing! I also love Justin’s almond butter spread.

What kind of food/ingredients do you keep with you at work? Please share!

-NZ

Gluten-Free Pumpkin-Almond Bread!

Tags

almond, almond flour, bread, celiac disease, gluten-free, pumpkin, pumpkin almond bread, recipe

More and more people are embracing a gluten-free diet these days as celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and gluten allergies are on the rise. Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed with wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. It can also be found in products such as vitamins, pills, and lip balm. For more information check out this Huffington Post interview with medical experts that breaks it down. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sz-berg/celiac-disease_b_1770781.html

As someone who has suffered from eczema on and off throughout my life, reducing gluten and dairy products has proven very beneficial in managing flare ups, especially during the dry winter months.  I also notice less bloating, more energy, and better digestion the days I do without gluten. Whether you embrace a gluten-free diet or are just curious, this gluten-free baked goodness makes for a great snack or breakfast and can be enjoyed year round.

Tip: Makes 1 large loaf (serves 12) and tastes especially yummy with your favorite nut butter spread on top. My favorite is Almond! Some alternatives to pumpkin puree I’ve tried are cranberries, blueberries, and apples. Find what works for you!

Ingredients:

4 cups almond flour

3/4 cup natural cane sugar

1 tbsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup grape seed oil

1 cup organic pumpkin puree (or fruit of choice)

1/2 cup chopped pecans

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. ground cardamom

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 300 degrees and spray loaf pan

2. Combine almond flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, add eggs, pumpkin or fruit, oil, nuts, and spices. Add wet ingredients to dry, and mix well.

3. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 60 min. Top should feel firm. Cool completely and enjoy! I have had best results when storing in refrigerator.