Leftover White or Brown Rice

Back home in India, nothing ever went to waste.  Sour yogurt, limp vegetables, over ripe fruit, and 1-2 day old rice always had a purpose.  One of my favorite lunches was a traditional Gujarati meal called 'Rhusia Dhokra'.  Leftover rice is made into flavorful dumplings and slow boiled in a similarly flavorful broth.  This recipe calls for curry leaves which can be somewhat difficult to find, so just add a little more lemon juice if you omit them.

Please also keep in mind that I am not one to measure things, so once you have added the spices in this recipe, make sure you taste so that there is enough flavor. It is really important that the broth is very flavorful.  Once you put the dumplings in, they will absorb the broth and all of its flavors, so if it's bland, the whole dish will taste bland.

Ingredients:

Broth: 
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cups boiling water
1 hot green chilly, slit (or 1/2 tsp chili powder)
10 curry leaves, dried or fresh
2 tsp salt
2 cups finely chopped fresh spinach
1 tsp sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice

Dumplings:
1.5 to 2 cups of white or brown cooked rice (cold 1-2 day old rice works best)
1/2 cup chickpea flour (aka besan)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
warm water

2 tbsp lemon juice

chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Start the broth first. Make sure you have the boiling water on hand. Heat oil in a large pot on high heat. When hot, add mustard and cumin seeds.  Don't be afraid of the popping - just keep the pot lid on, and allow the seeds to violently pop away.  See my note on tempering to see why this is important.
2. Very quickly add the hot water and keep the heat on high.  Add the rest of the ingredients. Reduce the temperature of the stove to medium, allowing the water to continue at a rolling boil. Keep the lid on so you don't lose too much liquid.
3. Now we will start the dumplings. In a large bowl, add all dry ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the lemon juice then just enough warm water so the dough comes together.
5. Once your dough is ready, taste the broth and make sure it is really flavorful.  Lemony tang level should be quite high. Add more salt or sugar if necessary.  Don't overdo the sugar, it shouldn't be sweet, but it should balance the salt and lemon juice.
6. To make the dumplings, take a small handful of the dough in your hand and pat it down into a patty shape. Add it to the broth. Continue this for the rest of the dough.
7. Now cover the pot and allow the dumplings to cook for about 15 minutes.
8. To check if it is done, the dumplings should be a little firm. Take a spoon and break off a piece of dumpling and taste to see if it's cooked through.  You can also check the seasoning again at this point.
9. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Vegan Pizza

On a really cold, windy day, when there is nothing else to do but cook, I highly recommend you try this recipe.  I made up this pizza while I was unemployed a couple of years back and have not made it since, but I remember how good it was - I will have to try it again.

It is a little bit involved, which is why I recommend making this when you have some time to spare. But it is definitely worth the effort.  If you can't find fresh basil leaves, you can buy some vegan pesto from the store and throw that in.














Ingredients

1 whole wheat pizza crust
    3/4 block of extra firm tofu
    1 cup spinach leaves
    1/2 cup basil leaves
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/2 of a large eggplant, peeled and cut into 3 inch strips
    1 onion (Vidalia or Spanish work best), cut into strips
    1 red pepper, cut into strips
    2 artichokes, chopped
    5 mushrooms, chopped
    4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
    2 Tablespoons brown sugar
    2 Tablespoons tomato paste
    salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Toss eggplant, onion, red pepper and garlic with olive oil, sugar and a pinch of salt. Bake in an oven at 375F until cooked through (about 25 min)

In a food processor, puree tofu, spinach, basil, 1/4 cup olive oil, tomato paste and salt and pepper to your liking.  Add a little bit of water if this puree is too thick to process to a smooth texture.  Set aside.

Spread majority of the tofu mixture all over pizza as the sauce. Once roasted veggies are cooked, spread all over pizza, then add the artichokes and mushrooms.

Take the leftover tofu spread and dollop small amounts on top of pizza.

Bake in a 350 F over until crust is crispy on the bottom and cooked through and it's bubbly hot.

Serve and enjoy!!!

Mini Tofu Quiche

I find that individual, one or two bit finger appetizers are always more impressive and logistically easier to deal with at a party then crudites and dips. This is my go-to recipe for an impressive, easy, bite-sized appetizer.  I made these for friends on New Years Day and they were demolished.


Spring roll sheets that are lightly brushed with oil and baked create a super crispy crust.  These work best made with a mini muffin tin.  But, if you don't have one, you can also make a simple spring roll shaped appetizer with the filling inside - but that takes more work.  This recipe also works well as a vegan recipe, but you can also sprinkle a little cheese on top of each one and bake it until it's browned and crunchy.



Ingredients:
Filling:
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cups of baby spinach, finely chopped
1 package of extra firm tofu, well crumbled with your fingers
3 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp nutritional yeast (for vegan version) OR 4 tbsp fresh grated parmesan (non vegan version)
2 tbsp Italian dried herb mix (you can also use a mix of dried basil and oregano)
1 tsp chili flakes
Lots of fresh ground pepper
Salt to taste

Crust:
12 thawed spring roll sheets
oil for brushing

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat a small saucepan. Add olive oil, onions and a small sprinkle of salt.
• Saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes until onions are soft. Set aside.
• Mix together all ingredients for filling, including the sauteed onions. Set aside.
• Cut the spring roll wrappers in half on a diagonal. 
• Brush each spring roll wrapper with oil and place in mini muffin tin so that the oiled side is against the muffin tin, and it covers the bottom and most of the edges of each mini muffin cup.  You will need to tuck in the corners of the spring roll wrappers as well.  If there is a little sticking out, don't worry about it.  It looks pretty when it bakes and turns brown.
• Stuff each spring roll wrapper with the filling.  I use my hands to do this so that I can also give one a good press. 
• If you are using cheese, you can sprinkle a little on top. 
• Bake for about 25-30 mnutes - when you take one out of the quiches out of the tin, it should be a little brown.

These are best served right away, or you can re warm them in the oven before serving so that the spring roll crust is crisp! Enjoy!

A Cure for Dried up, Hard Brown Suger

Have you ever opened up a whole bag of brown sugar, only to use a few teaspoons, and rubber banded the rest up for future use?  A month later, you come back to it and it's turned into one big chunk. Lovely. Now what?  There is actually as simple solution to get your brown sugar back to its original condition.  Bread. Soft, moist, bread. Take a couple of slices, throw it in the bag and seal it up into a plastic container or a sealable bag for 2-3 days. What you will notice is the bread has become dried up and hard, and at least a portion of your sugar has sucked up its moisture. miracle!

The best thing to do when you open up a bag of brown sugar is to either throw it into a resealable bag, or even better, empty it into a Mason jar and close the lid up tight.