Category: Snack

by Veggie Sutra

A Super Nutritious Snack for Super Bowl – Spinach Kale Bites

Every year V settles down to watch Super Bowl, with me at his side cheering on enthusiastically….. for the ads and the half-time show!  It bothered V to no end that I did not follow the game itself.  This year though, I was prepared!   I knew the rules of the game, I knew the teams playing, I was even rooting for one of them (the one that won of course)!   V, I think, was suitably impressed.

 

 

On the food front, there is an interesting tradition we follow every year on Super Bowl day.   We always cook a vegetable rice dish (which could be Thai fried rice or Chinese fried rice or Indian biryani or pulao) and eat it with kettle-fried potato chips with salt & pepper, and buttermilk.  I am not sure how this tradition came about but we follow it quite religiously. This year, as Amma is visiting us, we made biryani rice with green beans, carrots, red and green bell pepper and peas, seasoned with cardamom, cinnamon and cloves.  Yummy as always, when watching Super Bowl!

For a healthy snack before the meal, I decided to make a egg-free version of the Spinach & Kale Bites from Trader Joes as amma does not eat eggs.  I was surprised how easy it is to make this yummy finger food.

To replace the egg, I used a trick that I had read in a vegan cookbook a while back.  I had to look up the recipe again online.  To replace 1 egg, mix 1 Tbsp of powdered flax seed with 2.5 Tbsp of water and set aside for 10 mins to thicken.  Use for baking as you would use an egg.  I have not tried making muffins or cookies with this technique but do intend to give it a try soon.
Recipe for Spinach & Kale Bites
Inspired by the Trader Joes frozen snack
[Printable Recipe]Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch curly kale, stemmed and chopped (came to around 10 oz chopped)
  • 10 oz fresh spinach
  • 2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed up
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese or Gruyere cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
  • 3 Tbsp powdered flax seed
  • Salt & pepper to taste

 

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 375C
  • Process the chopped kale in a food processor and add to a large bowl
  • Steam the spinach for 5 mins with about a tablespoon of water until wilted.  Cool.  Then process in a food processor and add to the bowl with the kale
  • Mix in the mashed potato, grated cheese and 1 cup of bread crumbs.  (Save the remaining bread crumbs to coat)
  • Mix the powdered flax seed with about 8 Tbsp of water.  Set aside for 10 mins to thicken.  Then add to the bowl.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste and mix all the ingredients in the bowl well.
  • Line 2 cookie sheets with foil or wax paper
  • Form small ping pong ball-sized balls with the mixture and roll well in the remaining panko bread crumbs to coat.  Flatten in to hockey puck shapes and place on the cookie sheet
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown on both sides turning them over once in the middle
This recipe makes around 20 balls, enough for a party of around 6 people.  Serve warm and crisp with a hot sauce or ketchup.

The experiment to make an egg-free version of this super-nutritious snack for super bowl was quite successful.  Again, V, I think, was suitably impressed!Update: I made this recipe again the following weekend to take with us for a potluck.  I made some variations such as adding potatoes and omitting the onions.  I also flattened the balls out in to hockey pucks and turned them over once in the middle of baking.  It tasted much better than the first time!  So I have updated the recipe accordingly and included one picture I shot indoors in the dark.

by Veggie Sutra

Our favorite hiking snack – A spicy, crunchy mix of puffed rice and nuts

Road trip!!  We left hot and dry Northern California over the July 4th weekend only to end up in hot and dry Central Oregon!  Seeing the effects of drought spread over such a vast geographical area is actually scary.   Despite the drought, we saw some beautiful waterfalls nestled deep inside gorgeous albeit dry forests. (On the plus side, hiking to them was a lot easier due to the low water levels in the rivers).

View of Mt. Hood, Oregon along US-26

V and I love taking road trips and I can’t wait for the day when electric charging stations are ubiquitous around our country so that I don’t have to feel so guilty about it.   We usually pack enough food to last us for a few meals.   Our favorite lunch/dinner is pita pocket sandwiches – we carry hummus and sliced vegetables like bell pepper in the icebox, and whole wheat pita bread and marinated tofu slices.  They are easy to assemble on the go and makes for a very filling meal.

Crunch hiking snack with puffed rice and nuts

And of course, snacking is de riguer on car trips!  One of our food bags is packed with snacks such as chips, cookies (don’t judge!), nuts, cherry tomatoes, fruits, etc.  This bag and a bottle of water is kept within reach of the person sitting in the passenger seat whose job is to attend to every whim of the driver (including providing sparkling conversation on those sleepy stretches)!

A staple of ours in the snack department is a crunchy homemade mix made with puffed rice and nuts. This snack is also very satisfying for long hikes when the body craves something salty!

A crunchy snack made of puffed rice and nuts ideal for hiking and road trips

So, here is the recipe for the crunchy puffed rice snack with nuts that will leave you craving for more and more!

Recipe for a crunchy hiking snack mix with puffed rice and nuts
[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup puffed rice (for eg. Quaker Cereal Essential Puffed Rice Cereal. If you are sensitive to gluten, make sure it is certified gluten-free)
  • 1 cup flattened or beaten rice (for eg. Organic Beaten Rice (Poha – White) (If you cannot find this, substitute with another cup of puffed rice)
    • Note that both can be bought in an ethnic Indian grocery store as well as on amazon.com
  • 1 cup chopped nuts like almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans or any other nut you like
  • 2 Tbsp organic peanut oil or any oil of your choice
  • 1 inch piece ginger grated
  • 4-5 thai green chilies split in to two (optional if you can handle the heat)
  • A few sprigs of curry leaves, washed and patted dry (optional only if you can find it in an ethnic Indian grocery store)
  • 1 tsp rock salt or Himalayan Pink Salt (You can find Himalayan Pink Salt in natural foods stores also)
  • 1 tsp black pepper or paprika or a pinch of both
Ingredients for making a delicious crunchy snack
Method:
  • Preheat the oven to 325F
  • Combine the nuts on one tray and put it on the bottom shelf of the oven
  • Combine the puffed and flattened rice on one tray and place it on the top shelf of the oven
  • Bake for 10 mins and check once in the middle to make sure nothing is burnt.  The rice should be golden brown but not burnt.
  • Turn over the contents on each tray with a spatula
  • Bake for 5 more mins if needed.  Set both trays aside to cool
  • Heat the oil in a wok and add the grated ginger and green chilies
  • When the moisture is cooked out of the ginger and chilies in about 2-3 minutes, add the curry leaves and cook for about 2 mins
  • Add the baked contents from the two trays (puffed and flattened rice, and nuts) to the wok and mix and switch off the heat
  • Season with salt and pepper (add more or less per your taste) and mix thoroughly
  • Store in airtight containers or in little baggies to carry on your road trip!
A crunchy snack made with puffed rice and nuts ideal for hiking and road trips
What are your favorite vegetarian road trip snacks?  Do let us know as we are always looking for new ideas!
A crunchy snack made with puffed rice and nuts ideal for hiking and road trips
by Veggie Sutra

A Simple Homemade Granola Recipe

We recently received our copy of The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People by Dan Buettner.   For those who haven’t heard of The Blue Zones, these are the areas in the world with the longest lived people.   V and I have been following this fascinating research for a while now in articles in the National Geographic and fought over the book as soon as we got it.   (I got dibs as I was planning to adapt a recipe from the book for Veggie Sutra.)

Homemade Granola with Oats, Nuts and Dried Fruits

It might surprise a lot of people to learn that among the five regions identified as the longest lived in the world, there is one in the US.  And, it is right here in beautiful, health-conscious California.

Loma Linda, located in Southern California, is a unique vegetarian oasis in the area.  The Seventh Day Adventists, who live in the area, follow a well-balanced, plant-based diet which includes fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, and is low in salt, sugar and refined grains.  Of course this is in addition to other healthy habits like not smoking, not drinking sodas, having close social interactions, and regular exercise.

Curiously, even though we have traveled up and down the state, V and I have yet to make our way to Loma Linda. We have been to several of the surrounding areas (such as Palm Springs and Los Angeles), and done hikes in the nearby Joshua Tree National Park.  Well, Loma Linda is in our travel plans now!

So, after a marathon session with more than 10 recipes in the fermentation series, we have decided to make a healthy jump to a recipe from The Blue Zones Solution.

Homemade Granola with Oats, Nuts and Dried Fruits

The book has several great recipes from the five different regions, but as soon as I saw the recipe for the Homemade Granola, I knew it was the one!   Not only is it a California recipe, but V has been pestering me to make granola for a while now, so it was kind of fortuitous.

Recipe for Homemade Granola
Adapted from The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner

[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups rolled oats (If you are sensitive to gluten, make sure you buy Gluten Free Organic Rolled Oats.  I got mine from the bins at Whole Foods Market)
  • 1 1/2 cups raw, chopped nuts (I used a combination of walnuts and almonds, but feel free to use anything you like)
  • 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup if you are vegan.  Also use more if you like it sweeter)
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil (you can also use walnut or almond oil or plain canola oil or vegetable oil)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dried berries or raisins or other fruits (dried blueberries are yummy but I couldn’t find them so I used currants and raisins)
Homemade Granola with Oats, Nuts and Dried Fruits
Method:
  • Heat the oven to 350F
  • Combine the oats, nuts, honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a large bowl.  (If needed very gently warm up the coconut oil and honey to melt them a bit)
  • Spread evenly on two cookie sheets (~15″ trays)
  • Bake for 10 minutes and then use a spatula to turn over the granola
  • Bake for another 6 to 10 more minutes keeping an eye on it so that it does not burn
  • Sprinkle on the dried berries or fruits
  • Let it cool and store in an airtight container
  • Enjoy for breakfast over plain yogurt or with milk (or with almond milk if you are vegan)
Store homemade granola in an airtight container
In the The Blue Zones Solution, Dan Buettner lists a set of guidelines on “How to eat to 100” and the top guideline is to have a “Plant Slant”, i.e. to follow a predominantly vegetarian diet.  V and I are passionate about vegetarianism and hope the menus and recipes here help people towards that goal.

Veggie Sutra may languish a bit for the next couple of weeks as I will be in India.  As much as I will try to keep posting from there, family will take priority.  I will however think of Veggie Sutra as I am enjoying all the delicious, healthy vegetarian food over there, and may be I will bring back a recipe or two!  Any requests?

by Veggie Sutra

A healthy snack for tea time (Variation on Chivda with puffed and flattened rice)

V gets cravings for fried snacks more than I do.  He feels this craving is a direct result of having plenty of fried Indian munchies at home growing up, primarily serving as after-school snacks.  Well, that does not explain my craving for sweets as I remember desserts and sweets being an occasional treat when growing up.

A Variation on Chivda with Puffed and Flattened Rice

Of the two, I do firmly believe that sugar is the bigger evil and I am glad V does not have as much of a sweet tooth as me; still I would like him to eat a lot less fried stuff.  So, occasionally I like to indulge his munchie cravings with some delicious baked snacks.  Thus was born this snack inspired by “chivda“, a popular Gujarati snack (which has a fascinating explanation on Wikipedia)!

I recently made it on a rainy weekend to go with our afternoon tea.  So, here goes the recipe.

A yummy healthy snack for a rainy day – Chivda with Puffed and Flattened Rice

Variation on Chivda with Flattened and Puffed Rice
[Printable Recipe]


Ingredients:
  • 2 cups flattened rice (thin variety) (poha in Hindi and aval in Tamil)
  • 2 cups puffed rice (murmura in Hindi and pori in Tamil)
  • 1/2 cup pecans/walnuts halfed
  • 1/2 cup almonds sliced
  • 1 cup peanuts
  • 1 cup “wild rice sticks” from the trail mix bar at Whole Foods (optional)
  • 3-4 Tbsp peanut oil
  • 8 – 10 green chilies slit in to 2 halves
  • 1 inch piece ginger grated 
  • 2-3 sprigs of curry leaves
  • 2-4 tsp whole black pepper coarsely crushed with mortar and pestle
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds (sonph in Hindi, sombu in Tamil)
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp sugar

    Mixing up a batch of “chivda”

    Method:
    • Preheat oven to 300F 
    • The next step consists of baking the ingredients (nuts, flattened rice, puffed rice, and rice sticks if you are using it) one at a time.  Layer thinly on a baking sheet and roast them one at a time for approximately 10 minutes each
      • Pecans burn easily so keep them far from the coils
      • Keep an eye when the ingredients are roasting and shake the baking sheet every now and then to avoid spot burning
      • Allow each ingredient to cool before dumping it in a bowl. (It may be easier to rotate between two baking trays in this step)
    • Heat the oil in a wok on the burner and add the fennel seeds and black pepper.  After a couple of minutes, add the green chilies, curry leaves and ginger and cook well until there is no moisture
    • Add the roasted ingredients, salt, chili powder and sugar and mix well

      Chivda – a great hiking snack too!

      This snack has a decent shelf life, and you can keep it in an airtight container for 2-3 weeks.  You can also add finely chopped red onions, squeeze a bit of lime juice and garnish with chopped cilantro just before serving.  Keep the ingredient list flexible and play with it!

      Do let me know in the comments what else you would add to this mix to make it interesting!

      by Veggie Sutra

      Vegetarian Mezze recipes – Baked Pita Bread, Baba Ghanoush, Za’atar Dip and Beetroot with Yogurt

      As promised, here are the recipes for the vegetarian mezze items from the Vegetarian Middle Eastern dinner party that V & I hosted last weekend for two of my cousins and their families.  The leftover Baba Ghanoush kept pretty well in the refrigerator for a few days and so did the Za’atar Dip.  We did not have any of the Beetroot Dip left over.   Of course it was pretty easy to bake some more pita bread quickly in the oven to enjoy the leftover dips with.

      As I mentioned in my previous post, mezze consists of several small dishes that serve as appetizers or tasters before the main meal.  My mezze table is pretty modest compared to what we have seen in our travels in Egypt.  Here is what my mezze table consisted of; recipes below:

      • Baked Pita Chips
      • Baba Ghanoush
      • Beetroot Dip with Yogurt
      • Za’atar Dip
      • Stuffed Olives (store bought)
      Mezze for a vegetarian middle-eastern party

      Baked Pita Chips (Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa)
      [Printable Recipe]

      Ingredients:
      Whole Wheat Pita Bread
      Generous amount of extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil
      Salt
      Black Pepper
      Za’atar (optional)

      1. Brush both sides of the pita bread with olive oil
      2. Sprinkle salt, pepper and za’atar to taste on one side evenly
      3. Cut the pita bread in to 8 wedges
      4. Bake for 10 mins at 350 deg F turning it over once
      Baked Pita Chips & Baba Ghanoush
      Baba Ghanoush (Recipe adapted from various food blogs)

      [Printable Recipe]

      Ingredients:
      2 large eggplants (~3 lbs)
      1/3 cup tahini
      3 garlic cloves (optional)
      2 Tbsp lemon juice 
      1/2 tsp cumin
      1/2 tsp salt
      Pinch chili powder
      2 Tbsp parsley chopped fine
      Extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil for drizzle
      1. Prepare the eggplant:
        1. Brush the eggplant with olive oil and place it on a baking tray lined with Aluminum foil
        2. Set the oven to Broil on High and place the tray directly under the coils (you do not need to pierce the eggplant as I was advised by one blogger)
        3. Check every 15 mins and turn the eggplant once or twice.
        4. It will take not more than 45 mins for the skin to split and the eggplant to become nice and gooey inside so that a knife slides in all the way super easily 
        5. Let the eggplant cool, peel off the skin and scoop the insides in to a food processor
      2. Prepare the Garlic:
        1. Wrap the garlic with skin tightly in Aluminum foil and place it in the baking tray with the eggplant 
        2. Remove after 30 mins and let it cool 
        3. Peel and throw in to food processor
      3. Combine tahini, lemon juice, cumin powder, salt and chili powder in the food processor and pulse until smooth
      4. Garnish with chopped parsley
      5. Drizzle olive oil on top of the eggplant before serving
      Beetroot Dip with Yogurt
      Beetroot Dip with Yogurt (Recipe adapted from various food blogs)

      [Printable Recipe]

      Ingredients:
      2 medium-sized beet root
      1 cup yogurt
      salt to taste
      paprika to taste
      1 clove minced garlic (optional)
      ground black pepper to taste
      chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

      1. Pressure cook the beetroot after slicing in to two or whole.  Alternately boil until soft.  Remove skin
      2. Coarsely grate the beetroot
      3. Whip yogurt in a bowl with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic
      4. Add the grated beetroot and mix
      5. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve
      Mezze table: Pita Chips, Stuffed Olives, Baba Ghanoush, Beetroot dip with Yogurt and Za’atar
      Za’atar Dip (Recipe adapted from saveur.com)
      [Printable Recipe]

      Ingredients:
      For the Za’atar:
      4 Tbsp dried thyme
      1 Tbsp roasted sesame seeds
      1/2 tsp cumin seeds
      1 tsp black pepper whole
      2 tsp sumac
      1/2 tsp salt
      For the dip:
      3 Tbsp Za’atar
      1/2 cup olive oil
      6 cloves garlic minced (optional)
      1 bunch cilantro
      1/2 tsp salt or to taste
      1. Za’atar:
        1. Toast in a skillet (or in an oven if you prefer) the sesame seeds, cumin seeds and black pepper until fragrant
        2. Grind to a fine powder all the ingredients
      2. Dip:
        1. Stem the cilantro taking out most of the hardy stems
        2. In a food processor, pulse together all the ingredients until smooth
      Mezze table: Pita Chips, Stuffed Olives, Baba Ghanoush, Beetroot Dip with Yogurt, Za’atar Dip
      Would love to go back to this theme again for a dinner party someday and extend my mezze repertoire to include more items, especially Muhammara.  Any other suggestions to enhance my vegetarian mezze table?