Edamame Avocado Toast

Did I just hear somebody say plant-based foods are boring and have no exciting flavors? Sorry! You are absolutely wrong. Whole Food plant-based foods are full of flavors, textures, and colors. Above all, they are very nutritious, healthy,  and sustainable. People often ask me if I only eat plants and fruits and the answer is NO. One can incorporate whole grains, seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables, fruits, and tofu. I know the list is long but very flavorful. 

Avocado on board
Avocado on board” by Kjokkenutstyr.net is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

I also love to travel to different parts of the world with my family. Food takes you back to your travel destination.  When I travel I make sure I visit the local grocery store or farmers market. I believe food is a medium to connect with each other.

We can find so much about our cultures and traditions through food. Food brings the communities together. I had never tried hummus while growing up in India. We were very focused to eat only Indian food. When I came to the US I tried hummus and totally fell in love with this delicious dip. Then I thought to be creative and make some changes to traditional hummus and made it whole food plant based without oil.

11/07/09 - Edamame Hummus
11/07/09 – Edamame Hummus” by trpnblies7 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Let’s give some twists to a typical hummus toast.  First, let me explain a little about hummus. Hummus is originally from the Middle East. Hummus is eaten as a spread on sandwiches or a dressing on salads or with crackers and pita bread. Hummus tastes great with vegetables. It’s my all-time favorite way to eat. My kids enjoy dipping vegetables in hummus and enjoy veggies any time. It’s a great way to incorporate vegetables into your diet. Traditionally hummus is made with chickpeas, tahini, and olive oil. Tahini is a sesame paste. Store-bought hummus is loaded with preservatives, oils, and very high salt content.

Sprouted Whole Grain Bread Ezekiel 4:19
Sprouted Whole Grain Bread Ezekiel 4:19” by artizone is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

In this new twist, I have added edamame, garlic, avocado, tahini, chickpeas, and fresh lemon juice. There is no need to add anything which is processed. Without adding olive oil, hummus tastes great. Any type of oil is not good for the human body. It impairs the arteries. Avocado and tahini have natural fats,  then why jam out arteries with extra fat or bad fat in our diets? Nature has blessed us with a great selection of fruits and vegetables. So let’s nourish yourself with these great options around us. Chickpeas, tahini, and avocados are good sources of plant proteins. The best part is hummus is very convenient and easy to make at home and stored in the refrigerator for a longer period. Many variations are possible with hummus recipes. If you like you can add beets, jalapenos, bell peppers, fresh herbs, spices, etc. One just needs to be creative because possibilities are endless. In this hummus, I explored different flavors with avocado and edamame. Guess it turned out very creamy and rich in texture and flavor without adding olive oil. Let me share my hummus recipe with a twist. If you like it spicy you can sprinkle cayenne pepper or paprika for some extra kick.

Ingredients

1 cup shelled edamame; thawed
1 avocado; pitted 
1 can chickpeas; no salt
2 tbsp tahini
Sea salt; adjust to taste
Lemon juice; 2 tablespoon
Ground black pepper: adjust to taste
1 tbsp beets; shredded (optional)
1 tbsp carrots: shredded (optional)
2 slices of bread; whole wheat or sprouted

Method

  1. Drain a can of chickpeas. Transfer the chickpeas to a small mixing bowl.
  2. Carefully cut the avocado. Remove the pit. Scoop the flesh with a spoon and add to the chickpea bowl.
  3. Add shelled and thawed edamame to the chickpea bowl.
  4. Transfer all the ingredients from the mixing bowl to the blender jar.
  5. In the blender jar add tahini, sea salt, lemon juice, and ground black pepper,
  6.  Close the lid of the blender jar and turn on the blender to make a smooth paste.
  7. Once the hummus is ready, transfer it to a storage container.
  8. Take two slices of bread and put them in a bread toaster or bread oven. Adjust the toaster setting according to the given instruction. You can brown and crisp the bread according to your own preference. 
  9. Once the toast is ready with the help of a spoon, spread the hummus on the toast.
  10. Garnish with shredded beets or radish or your preferred vegetable.
  11. This recipe is so versatile that it can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner
  12. Another great way to enjoy it is with crackers and vegetables.
Edamame Avocado Hummus Toast © 2022 by Nidhi Bansal is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

Polenta Upma

Upma is one of the most common breakfast preferences in the Indian kitchen. It is dearly loved and made with multiple variations across India. One problem that it is commonly made with Suji or Semolina which is highly processed.

I have earlier tried to make Upma with Bulgar and Cracked Wheat which came out as a great option to satisfy the craving for Upma. In this version, I am using Polenta or Cornmeal as my base and this is so close or exact to how traditional Upma tastes like without adding Semolina.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup polenta
  • 8-10 curry leaves
  • 2 dry whole red chilies; broken halves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/3 cup unsalted peanuts
  • 1 medium white onion; finely chopped
  • 1 small tomato; finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas; thawed
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp red chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup cilantro; finely chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper; chopped (optional)

Preparation

1. Take a medium saucepan and place it on medium heat. Dry roast polenta for 5-6 minutes with continuous stirring. The polenta is done once the color darkens to golden yellow. Once done, keep aside.
2. Take another medium saucepan and place it on medium heat.
3. Dry roast curry leaves, mustard seeds, peanuts, and the split whole red chili peppers. Stir regularly and roast for 3-5 mins.
4. Add onions to the mix and stir. Add tbsp water if onions are sticking to the pan. Saute for at least 5 mins or when onions turn translucent.
5. Add peas to the mix and stir well. Saute for another 3 mins.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Mix well. Saute the mix until the tomatoes soften. This normally takes 6-8 mins.
7. Add the dry roasted polenta and combine all the ingredients well.
8. Add 3 1/2 cups of water and lemon juice to the mix. Mix well.
9. Keep stirring the mix until the polenta absorbs the water. You may observe boil in the polenta mix. Lower the heat and keep stirring to semi-soft consistency.
10. Garnish with chopped green chilis and cilantro.

Lavash Samosa Roll

We all love Samosas. I prepared and posted earlier on how to prepare traditional samosas. I wish we all had the time to prepare samosas to enjoy this scrumptious appetizer. I recently came across and prepared these awesome Avacado Rolls from the forksoverknives.com website and thought to try and prepare the samosa mix and bake them.

Ingredients

– 1 medium white onion; finely chopped
– 2/3 Cups Frozen Peas; thawed
– 5 medium potatoes; boiled, cooled, and crushed
– 1 Sereno pepper (optional); finely chopped
– 1/4 Cup Cilantro; finely chopped
– 1 tbsp grated ginger
– 1/4 tsp Asafoetida
– 1/4 tsp Red chili powder
– 1/4 tsp Garam masala
– 1/2 tsp sea salt (adjust to taste)
– 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
– 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
– 2 tbsp Coriander Powder
– 1 tsp Amchur (Dried Mango Powder)

Preparation

1. Take a medium sauce pan and place on medium heat. Dry roast the cumin seeds with asafoetida for 2 mins.
2. Add the onions to the saucepan. If onions stick to the pan, add one tbsp water. Sauté onions and stir until translucent and soft.
3. Add thawed peas to the mix. Sauté for 2 mins.
4. Add boiled/crushed potatoes.
5. Add turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, amchur, and salt. Mix well.
6. Add ginger, cilantro, sereno pepper(optional)
7. Keep stirring the mix for 2 mins.
8. Switch off the heat and let the mix cool down.
9. When you are ready to prepare the rolls, preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
10. On chopping board or on flat surface lay lavash bread. Take a spoon full of potato mix, start spreading the mix with a spoon or tool of your choice on the lavash bread to create a thin layer of the mix(you may need to take 4-5 times potato mix to cover lavash bread).
11. With both hands start rolling lavash bread, with the mix inside, as tight of a roll as possible.
12. Take a sharp knife or a bread knife, and cut the big lavash roll into 1″-1.5″ small rolls.
13. On a baking tray, lay parchment paper and place the cut lavash samosa rolls flat.
14. Once the oven is ready, keep the baking tray inside the oven.
15. Flip the samosa rolls after 15 mins (or browning/crisping of edges) to bake from the other side.
16. Enjoy samosa rolls with Green Chutney .

Cauliflower Rice Poha/Pulav

Eat to live and not live to eat. The Indian kitchen has some comfort recipes and one of them is Poha aka. flattened rice with vegetables. A lot of diabetic friends would be scared of eating traditional Poha due to flattened white rice as the main ingredient. The other day, I came across Cauliflower Rice at my local grocery store and immediately I went into my adventure. I wanted to cook the most common rice recipes and serve to my family.

So, my first adventure was conquerring the traditional Poha and replace the rice with Cauliflower Rice. To my surprise, my family could not figure out difference. I want to share this reciepe to all my friends who maybe missing on this dish due to rice and now we have an option.

Ingredients
2 cups of cauliflower rice (follow the instructions on the packet)
1 potato; peeled and chopped
1 medium size onion; thinly sliced
1 cup peas; thawed
1 carrot; peeled and chopped
2-3 dried whole red pepper
5-6 Curry leaves
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam Masala
1/2 tsp sea salt (adjust according to taste)
1 tsp lemon juice

Garnish
2-3 tbsp cilantro leaves; washed and chopped
1 Serrano pepper;finely chopped

Preparation
1. Prepare the cauliflower rice according to the instructions on the packet. If steaming let the rice cool down.
2. Take a medium-size saucepan and place it on medium heat.
3. Once the pan is heated add mustard seeds, Curry leaves and dried whole pepper. Stir for 2-3 mins.
4. Add onions to the saucepan and stir onions until they turn light brown in color. Add 2-3 tbsp of water if onions are sticking to the saucepan.
5. Add potatoes, carrots, peas, and salt to the onions with 1/3 cup of water to cook vegetables. Cover the saucepan with the lid to cook vegetables.
6. Transfer the cauliflower rice in a mixing bowl and add turmeric powder, garam Masala,red chili powder.
7. Once the vegetables are cooked add the cauliflower rice in the saucepan. Mix vegetables and cauliflower rice together.
8. Add lemon juice and mix together.
9. Cover the saucepan with the lid for 5-7 minutes.Stir occasionally so the cauliflower rice doesn’t stick.
10. Garnish with cilantro and Serrano pepper.

error

Enjoy this blog? Please spread the word :)

Follow by Email
YouTube
YouTube
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Instagram