Samosas

 

A samosa or samoosa is a fried or baked pastry with a savory filling, such as spiced vegetables, meat and chicken.

Preparation time:  approximately 30 minutes
Baking time: approximately 30  minutes
Makes about 7 samosas.

Ingredients for the dough: 

• 1 cup rice flour
• 1 cup garbanzo flour
• 120g melted butter
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water 
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt 

Instructions for the dough:

1. Mix the flour and salt, add the butter, water and knead the dough. It should not be either too hard or too soft and yes it will be sticky a little bit :) 
2. Cover the dough and put in the fridge to firm up.

Ingredients for the filling:

• 1 large leek
• sea salt and pepper or any other desired spice to taste
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed
• a pinch of sesame seeds (optional)
• 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil 

Instructions for the filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.  
2. Wash the leeks and cut into small thin slices (small rings). 
3. Pour a couple of spoons of oil into a frying pan, then add the leeks and garlic. Cover and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes. 

Instructions for making the samosas:

1. Prepare a flat baking sheet and grease it with oil.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge.
3. Take a small handful of dough and quickly form it into a ball.  The dough will be stickier to work with than conventional flour dough.
4. Flatten the ball of dough to a small circle 1/4-inch thick, more or less.
5. Place one full tablespoon of filling in the center of the dough.
6. Gently take one side of the though and flip it over to create the samosa form.
7. Gently seal the edges by pressing them together with the fork. 
8. Using the basting brush, moisten the samosas with melted butter or oil. 
9. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Homemade Butter

Nothing can replace the taste of real, fresh butter.

You will need a Vitamix blender or equally powerful blender.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups / 480 ml heavy whipping cream
• 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, optional 
• Add dry herbs, garlic, or honey for your favorite flavor

Instructions:

1. Place cream into the blender and secure lid. 
2. Select the lowest speed, turn machine on and quickly increase speed to the highest. 
3. Blend until mixture is thick. When you hear a change in the sound of the machine, turn it off. 
4. Scrape down the sides of the container with a spatula to bring ingredients into the center of the container. 
5. Reset machine to medium speed. Turn on and blend for about 5 seconds. Stop and scrape sides again. 
6. Repeat this process several times until you see the mixture start to flow more easily and liquid appears. 
7. Blend for a few seconds more until solid butter starts to set up in center of the container on top of the blades.
8. Place the butter in a fine strainer to drain.
9. Transfer the butter to a bowl and add salt to tase. Work butter with a spatula to remove as much liquid as possible.
10. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. 

BBOW Smoothie

Blueberry Banana Orange Wheatgrass Smoothie

You will need a powerful blender; I use and recommend using a Vitamix.

Preparation: 5 minutes
Processing: 1 minute
Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup (180 ml) water
• 1 medium orange, peeled and halved
• 1 banana, peeled, fresh or frozen (chop if frozen)
• 1/2 cup (80 g) frozen unsweetened blueberries
• 1 tablespoon of fresh or frozen wheatgrass juice 

If using fresh fruit, add 1 cup of ice and a tablespoon of honey to enrich the taste.

Instructions: 

1. Place all ingredients into the blender in the order listed and secure the lid.
2. Turn on at the lowest speed and quickly increase to the maximum.
3. Blend for 1 minute or until desired consistency is reached. 

Serve immediately and enjoy :)

Broccoli Soup

  

You will need a Vitamix blender or other food processor.

Ingredients:

• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of fresh home-made broth -- either chicken/lamb/beef (when I make it, I freeze it in a small containers for later use)
• 1/2 shallot, peeled
• 1/3 cup (40g) shredded cheddar or any other hard cheese
• 2 crowns of broccoli with the stems, steamed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper or any other spices that you like
• 1-2 table spoons of olive oil

Directions when using a Vitamix blender:

1. Steam the broccoli for about 7 minutes. 
2. Dice and fry the shallot with some olive oil.
3. Place all ingredients into the Vitamix container.  Secure the lid.
4. Turn the machine on and quickly increase speed to variable 10, then to high.
5. Blend for 5 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.

Direction when using a food processor:

1. Steam the broccoli for about 7 minutes. 
2. Dice and fry the shallot with some olive oil.
3. Mix the broccoli thoroughly in the food processor. 
4. Bring the broth to a boil in a pot on the stove.  Lower the heat to medium and add the broccoli, fried shallot, cheese and spices.
5. Cook till the cheese melts. 

Serve warm with fresh home-made croutons, soup toppings or a small broccoli floret on the top. 

Flourless Cashew Cake Base

This cake base is absolutely delicious, very easy and quick to make. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes

This recipe makes a 1-inch thick cake base in a 9-inch springform pan. You will need a mixer,  baking paper and a cooling rack.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of hot water
• 100-150g of sugar
• 150g finely ground cashews (I used a coffee grinder to make almost a flour)
• 50g of corn starch 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. 
2. Cut the baking paper into the shape of the springform and place it on the bottom --  or grease the baking form with butter, margarine or oil.
3. Using the mixer, whisk the eggs with the hot water and slowly add the sugar.
4. Add the ground cashews and corn starch and mix all ingredients thoroughly. 
5. Spread the dough evenly in the springform.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Open the springform, then very gently flip the cake base onto the cooling rack. Gently remove the baking paper from the cake and leave it to cool.

Tip:    You can substitute the cashews with almonds or hazelnuts.

Herb Souffle

             

Serves 3-4 people

Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of parsley
• 3 spring onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (black and regular, mixed)
• 14 tablespoons of olive oil
• any desired spices that you would enjoy on your souffle
• pinch of Himalayan salt 

For the garnish:

• 3-4 tomatoes, sliced
• a few stems of fresh basil
• a small bunch of fresh chives

             

Directions:

Follow the instructions below using two medium-size non-stick frying pans to make two souffles.

1. Chop the spring onions. break the eggs, shred the parsley in the food processor and add to it the sesame seeds.  Crush the garlic.
   
2. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high flame.  When hot enough, reduce the flame to medium and add the spring onions.  When soft, add the garlic and fry some more till the garlic turns slightly brown.  Be careful to not over-brown.
   
3. Thoroughly mix the parsley, eggs, spring onions with garlic and spices in a bowl. 
   
4. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the frying pan.  Heat over a medium-high flame and when hot  add half the mix with a ladle and turn the heat down to medium.  Cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. 
   
5. Using a wide spatula, lift the souffle and add 3 more tablespoons of olive oil to the frying pan. Flip the souffle over, cover with lid and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil and chopped chives.  Serve warm.

Tip:  Also delicious with either boiled, mashed, smashed or baked potatoes or with gluten-free pita bread.

Garbanzo Bean Crepes

Ingredients:

• 200g garbanzo bean flour 
• 50g potato starch 
• 1 egg
• about 500 ml of almond or flax seed milk
• a pinch of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey

Directions:

1. Mix the garbanzo bean flour with potato starch, baking powder, sugar or honey, one egg and stir.
2. Let rest for 15 minutes, the mix will swell.
3. As needed add more milk and again whisk it together. The mix needs to be much more liquid than when making American-style pancakes.
4. Pour with a ladle onto a hot non-stick frying pan in a small amount of olive oil and medium heat on both sides until golden brown.
5. While still warm, top with fruit preserves or jam to taste, roll up, and enjoy :) 

Optionally, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Grilled Cheese and Alfalfa Sprout Sandwich

This healthy and highly nutritional meal that kids love to eat is easy and quick to make.

You will need:

• Grilled cheese sandwich maker or non-stick frying pan
• Sliced bread
• Alfalfa or other sprouts
• Sliced cheese
• Variety of fresh vegetables on the side 

Need some finding where to buy all the stuff? Here are some links to make it easier for you:

• Bread mix -- our family loves this one the most of all on the today's market: http://www.amazon.com/Bobs-Red-Mill-Gluten-Free-20-Ounce/dp/B000KELHPS/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1371909525&sr=8-6&keywords=gluten+free+bread+mix
• Seed sprouter:
  http://www.amazon.com/Victorio-VKP1014-4-Tray-Kitchen-Sprouter/dp/B005FVPP04/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371909256&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=seat+sprouter
• The sprout house organic alfalfa seeds, 1 pound:
  http://www.amazon.com/The-Sprout-House-Organic-Sprouting/dp/B0052LDET6/ref=pd_sim_k_6
• Grilled cheese sandwich maker:
  http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-WM-SW2-Dual-Sandwich-Nonstick-Electric/dp/B00006F2MD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371909776&sr=8-1&keywords=grill+cheese+sandwich+maker

Herb Souffle

Recipe coming soon

Coconut Macaroons

       

Makes about 40 macaroons

• 3 egg whites
• a pinch of Himalayan salt
• 150g / 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 250g shredded coconut 
• baking paper

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Leave standing: about 4 hours

Baking time: about 20 minutes

1. Line the tray with the baking paper. Whip the egg whites with salt until they become a firm snow.  Add half the sugar and beat/mix until the mix shines. Stir in the rest of the sugar. 
   
2. Mix shredded coconut into the egg snow.  Use two teaspoons to place dollops of the macaroon mix onto the baking sheet.  Let the macaroons dry for 3-4 hours at room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the macaroons for 15-20 minutes.
4. Place the macaroons on a cooling rack.  
5. Serve at room temperature and enjoy. :)

         

Hazelnut Macaroons

         

Makes about 40 macaroons

• 3 egg whites
• a pinch of Himalayan salt
• 150g / 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 250g ground hazelnuts 
• some extra hazelnuts for decoration
• baking paper

         

Preparation time: about 20 minutes
Leave standing: about 4 hours
Baking time: about 20 minutes

1. Line the tray with the baking paper. Whip the egg whites with salt until they become a firm snow.  Add half the sugar and beat/mix until the mix shines. Stir in the rest of the sugar. 
   
2. Mix ground hazelnuts into the egg snow.  Use two teaspoons to place dollops of the macaroons mix onto the baking sheet. Place one hazelnut atop each dollop.  Let the macaroons dry for 3-4 hours at room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the macaroons for 15-20 min. Place the macaroons on a cooling rack.  
4. Serve at room temperature and enjoy. :)

         

Based on internet research I have found that hazelnuts provide the following benefits:

• cardiovascular benefits
• cancer prevention 
• muscles
• skin health
• bone and joint health
• nervous system
• digestive tract health
• high in B vitamins

Blueberry "babovka"

Recipe coming soon

Zucchini Quiche

 

You will need one medium springform pan. 

For the crust

• 120g / 1 cup rice flour 
• 100g / 3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 100g / about 3.5 oz. cold unsalted butter (I prefer European-style for its nicer flavor) 
• a pinch of himalayan salt
• 4 tablespoons of cold water 
• optional 2-3 table spoons of ground or whole flax seeds 

For the filling

• 2 yellow small zucchini 
• 2 green small zucchini 
• 470 ml / 16 oz. sour cream (for a dairy-free version substitute with Vegan Gourmet sour cream)
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper or any other desired spice to taste
• 50g / about 1/2 cup of grated cheese (or dairy-free cheese) 

Preparation time:  approximately 30 minutes
Baking time:  approximately 40 minutes

1. Mix together flour, butter, water, ground or whole flax seeds and a pinch of salt to make the dough. If needed, add more water or rice flour. Cover the dough and leave for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F.  Wash the zucchini and cut into thin slices (rings). Pour a couple of spoons of oil into a frying pan, add the zucchini, cover and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk the seasoning into the sour cream.  Taste it to check for desired flavor, then add in the eggs, zucchini and cheese. Mix all together with a whisk.
4. Grease the baking form with butter (or oil).  Place the dough in the baking form and to create the shell, spread it evenly on the bottom and about half an inch or an inch up along the sides. 
5. Pour the zucchini mix into the dough shell in the baking form. Bake for about 40 min. Serve warm with fresh salad and enjoy.  :) 
   
   

French Apple Dessert

For 6 people

Ingredients

• 4-6 green apples
• 100g / 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons of organic sugar 
• 100-150g / 3/4 to 1-1/3 cup coconut flour 
• 50g / 1/4 cup shredded coconut or any other ground nuts (not peanuts) 
• 75g / 2.6 oz. European-style butter, thin slices
• butter to grease baking form 

Prepare time: about 20 minutes

Baking time: about 25 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).  Grease the baking form.  Peel and cut the apples into thick slices.  Boil the apple slices briefly (2-3 minutes) in water with the 3-4 spoons of sugar.  Apple slices must stay hard. Drain the apple slices and place them in the baking dish.
2. For the streusel topping, mix the flour with nuts, 1/2 cup sugar and butter slices.  Mix by hand. If needed add flour or butter.
3. Sprinkle the streusel by hand evenly onto the apples.  Bake for 25-30 min. Streusel should be lightly brown.
4. Serve hot, with or without vanilla ice cream topping.  Enjoy :)

Leek Quiche

You will need one medium springform pan. 

For the crust

• 120g / 1 cup rice flour 
• 100g / 3/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 100g / about 3.5 oz. cold unsalted butter (I prefer European-style for its nicer flavor) 
• a pinch of himalayan salt
• 4 tablespoons of cold water 
• optional 2-3 tablespoons of ground or whole flax seeds 

For the filling

• 2 large leeks 
• 470ml / 16 oz. sour cream (for a dairy-free version substitute with Vegan Gourmet sour cream)
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper or any other desired spice to taste
• 50g / about 1/2 cup of grated cheese (or dairy-free cheese)
• 4 garlic cloves

Preparation time:  approximately 30 minutes
Baking time:  approximately 40 minutes

1. Mix together flour, butter, water, ground or whole flax seeds and a pinch of salt to make the dough. If needed, add more water or rice flour. Cover the dough and leave for about 30 minutes in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F.  Wash the leeks and cut into small thin slices (small rings). Pour a couple of spoons of oil into a frying pan, add the leeks, cover and fry on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Whisk the seasoning into the sour cream.  Taste it to check for desired flavor, then add in the eggs, leeks, cheese and crushed garlic. Mix all together with a whisk.
4. Grease the baking form with butter (or oil).  Place the dough in the baking form and to create the shell, spread it evenly on the bottom and about half an inch or an inch up along the sides. 
5. Pour the leek mix into the dough shell in the baking form. Bake for about 40 minutes. Serve warm with fresh salad and enjoy.  :)

TIP:  When frying the leeks, add diced bacon.