Roasted Amaranth & Banana Pancakes - Oil Free recipe

I've been on a gluten-free binge for a while now, avoiding wheat and gluten as much as I can. There are hundreds of replacements available in local grocery stores here in Bombay. You can use Jowar (Sorghum), Bajra (Pearl Millet), Ragi (Finger Millet), Foxtail Millet, Thinai (Italian Millet), Varagu, Singada (Waterchestnut flour), Arrowroot Starch, Rajgira (Amaranth Flour) and so many more that I don't even know of. Amongst all of them my most favourite flour to use is Amaranth also known as Rajgira here in India.

Samskara was kind enough to send me SOS Organic's Roasted Himalayan Amaranth Flour. I don't think the ones available in the market are roasted because the nutty flavour of this particular flour was stronger than usual. I loved the smell of it as soon as I opened the packet. The flour is slighlty more coarse since it is stone-ground. I store Amaranth flour in particular int he fridge because I noticed that this flour usually reacts to the weather. The easiest thing to do is make pancakes with gluten-free flours and that is exactly how I went about using some of this flour.

You need:
1 cup SOS Organic's Roasted Amaranth Flour
1/4 cup Arrowroot Flour
1 tsp Orgran Egg Replacer (Or any egg substitute for 1 egg)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/4 tsp Nutmeg Powder
A handful of Pecans, chopped (Or walnuts)
2 ripe bananas
1 tsp Jaggery Powder (optional)
A pinch of Salt
Water

To serve:
Jaggery Syrup or Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup or Any Jam

Mix the amaranth flour, arrowroot flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, chopped nuts, salt.

In another bowl, mix the orgran egg replacer with 2 tsp of water and whisk with a fork till it is fluffy. Add the bananas to it and mash it well. Add salt and jaggery powder if you are using it. I like the pancakes to be less sweet so I can serve it with something sweet.

Mix wet with the dry ingredients and add as much water as you like till you get a thick consistency batter. It should be easily spreadable on your pan or griddle.

I use an iron pan or tawa to make the pancakes.

Serve it hot with anything you like.

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Chikoo? Chikoo?

"Mango? Mango? Chikoo? Chikoo?"

I'll never forget those words uttered by an American immigration officer as I was walking towards my terminal at Atlanta Airport. Those were aimed at all the Indians who had just collected their bags and were trying to sneak fruits into the country. It was really funny because I really didn't expect an American to say something that is so normal for us Indians to say!

Chikoo or Sapota or Sapodilla is an earthy brown fruit that I have just come to like. They taste almost malty-sweet which is may be why I wasn't so fond of it. We were forced to drink 'milkshakes' in the evenings and chikoo was my least favourite. I never really liked the taste of cow's milk, but my parents (like your parents) were made to believe we needed milk while growing up. I have a confession to make though, I remember many times secretly pouring an entire glass of milk down the drain to make my parents believe I drank it. I feel very proud now, but always felt guilt then.

Anyway, I've been on smoothie breakfasts for quite a while now and I try to use seasonal fruits as much as I can. During the winter months I made Strawberry Smoothies every single day. Now that the strawberries have disappeared, mangoes and chikoos are in season. This recipe uses chikoos and my favourite, bananas.

Makes two glasses


You need:
3 ripe chikoos (washed well, do not peel!)
1 ripe banana
water

Blend and serve!

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Oil-Free Lime Vermicelli (Sevai)

Sevai is the quintessential Tamil breakfast. I don't know where it originated from but its probably made at least once a week in Tamil homes. It's a light noodle snack that is usually served with coconut chutney and even Sambar (a spicy squash, vegetable and lentil soup).

What's so special about the one I made? Well, it's completely devoid of refined oil. Why? For one, the word 'refined' should be a clue. Apart from the fact that it is a processed food, it is completely unnecessary in our diet. We all need essential fatty acids since our bodies don't synthesize them but we are wrong to think that we need it or get it from refined oils. We can get the same from whole nuts, seeds and leafy vegetables. Think of it this way: One teaspoon of peanut oil comes from two cups of peanuts. I'm sure I won't be able to eat two cups of peanuts, but one teaspoon of oil (and more) will easily go into any food I cook. When we refine foods, specially oils, it involves removing fiber, other essential vitamins and also heating them. Once heated, oils should ideally not be heated again because they become carcinogenic. The best oils to use are cold pressed oils but again they are devoid of much of the nutrition they are supposed to have. Also many people have successfully reversed Diabetes and Heart Disease by eliminating all animal foods and refined foods like maida, oils, fried stuff, sugar from their diet. You won't know unless you try it.

So in my daily cooking I avoid heating oils. I temper the spices on a dry pan and I cook onions and tomatoes in water. If I made it for you, you wouldn't be able to tell there wasn't any oil in it. But if you made it for yourself, you might feel that there is something lacking. It's all in the head!

This breakfast recipe is pretty much the same as any South Indian would make it, just that it is completely devoid of refined oil. I used store bought rice vermicelli but you can use brown rice or even ragi vermicelli to make it healthier.



Serves 3-4
Recipe:

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1 teaspoon roasted chana dal
2 green chillis chopped
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida (hing)
1 small pack of rice vermicelli (about 180gms), cooked as per instructions
Salt
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
Juice of 1 big lime
Salt
Water
Chopped Coriander to garnish


In a hot wok, add in the mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and stir it around till the mustard seeds splutter and the urad and chana dals being to brown. Add in the chillis and ginger and a teaspoon or two of water to prevent them from burning. Add the turmeric and asafoetida and stir. If you require more water add a teaspoon at a time. Once the turmeric is incorporated, add the cooked vermicelli and mix it well till it is an even yellow. If it dries out, add a little water. Add the salt and peanuts. Take it off the stove and then add the lemon juice and mix it well.  Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

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Banana Strawberry Smoothie

Nothing can be simpler than this.

For the past few weeks I have been on a fruit breakfast. Initially it was tough. Once you are used to eating cooked foods in the morning switching over to fruits requires some dedication. There is always the devil inside you wanting to have a bite of that warm pancake or dosa with spicy chutney. The weather being so nice, you want to put something warm into your mouth. But once you learn (as I have at THAC) that fruits are the perfect foods for your body, you will only want to do good to your body.

As the title suggests, this smoothie only contains bananas and strawberries. No sugar, no natural/ artificial sweeteners, no nuts, no seeds, no nonsense. Do it with any fruit.

You need 2 Bananas and 12 strawberries. Blend it together, pour into a glass and serve. This will give you a thick smoothie, if you'd like it thinner use 1 Banana, 6-8 strawberries and half a cup of water.

It's exceptionally sweet and delicious!

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