Naan- a world of possibiities

Anyone familiar with Indian cuisine without a doubt is familiar with naan.  This tandoori grilled flat bread is made with yogurt and a hint of honey or sugar.  It's airy, slightly sweet and absolutely FABLOUS!  I could (and sometimes do) eat an entire basket when we hit the Indian restaurant here.  Unfortunately for us, albeit not for my hips, dining out is a rare occasion for us these days.  With a 6 month old who goes to bed at 6:30pm and a lack of baby-sitters, we dine at Chez Tavel pretty much nightly.  On the bright side, I've experimented quite a bit at home trying to make my favorite restaurant dishes.  Recently I went on a naan-making spree.  As a result, I've had naan coming out of my ears and have had to come up with a variety of ways to use it. 

Now for those of you in the states, I would highly recommend buying naan at the grocery.  It's now widely available in the frozen section of many large grocery chains (Whole Foods, for sure) and sometimes in the bakery section.  This is one of those foods that is actually best made authentically, and unless you've got a tandoori oven in your kitchen that's tough to do at home.  I make mine out of necessity under the broiler.  Indian food just hasn't made it big in Brazil yet.  For those of you who want to experiment making your own, I followed the instructions on Manjala's kitchen video on youtube.

Let's get down to business... What to do with all that Naan?  Obviously it goes great with almost all Indian cuisine.  I love to eat it with any curry or dal.  It's the perfect density and texture for ripping off and dipping a chunk into pretty much anything.  If you're not in the mood for eastern cuisine, try dunking some in your favorite soup, stew or chili in leu of crackers or a sandwich.  Speaking of sandwiches, try replacing your sandwich bread or wrap with a piece of naan.  One of my favorite lunches is grilled naan covered with hummus and veggies.  Today for lunch I heated a piece of naan and covered it with peanut butter and jelly.  It was nothing shy of deicious.  Perhaps a pizza sounds good?  Use a peice of naan in place of a pizza crust.  Or maybe you want something sweet... try heating a piece, slathering with a bit of butter and then sprinkling on cinnamon sugar.  I love this dessert!

As you can see, pretty much anything that you use bread for, you can substitute with naan.  It's a great way to jazz up a well used favorite recipe.  It's versitile, tasty and if you use the whole grain variety, healthy as well.  Give it a try and you'll be a beiever!

Happy, ripping, dipping and topping!

Ever made hummus?

Some of you may wonder what hummus is.  Perhaps you've heard of it or tried it, but have no clue what it actually consists of.  Hummus is a surprisingly easy, delicious and nutritious snack made from chickpeas (garbonzo beans), tahini (sesame seed paste), olive oil, and lemon juice.  Like so many recipes there are endless variations and flavors that can be added or adusted to satisfy your taste buds.  For instance, you might blend in roasted garlic or peppers, puree in some sundried tomatoes or mix in some of your favorite herbs. 

Hummus is a fabulous substitution for high fat dips (note: hummus is made with oil and tahini, both very heart healthy fats).  It makes a delicious sandwich spread.  For a main dish you can serve it with some tabouleh salad and warm pita bread.  For an appetizer set out a large bowl with some crudites, crackers or warm pita wedges.  When drizzled with olive oil and fresh parsley (or any other herb), it makes an attractive dish.
So how do you make it?  Easy... just blend the basic ingredients (see below) in a food processor until smooth. 

1 can of garbonzo beans (rinsed and drained)
1/4 c tahini
1/4 olive oil
1-2 T lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/2 t salt (more or less to taste)

Blend everything in a food processor until smooth.  If it's too thick or lumpy add some water a tablespoon at a time.

This recipe is delicious just as it is, but you might also want to experiment with some of the variations mentioned above.  Simply add the extra ingredients into the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.

I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we do. 
Happy processing!

Easy Enchiladas

Want a 5 ingredient, super easy weeknight meal?  Ever try making enchiladas?  It's another versitle, use whatever you've got on hand type of dish.  If you have extra veggies, beans, meat or cheese, these all work great as fillings.  Just today I made enchiladas from leftover refried beans, scallions and onion.  I used a canned enchilada sauce (I use very little packaged food, but every once in a while it's quite handy) and store bought whole grain tortillas.  The only cheese I had grated was mozerella.  Of course this isn't your typical mexican cheese, but on top of the enchiladas it was delicious.  You pretty much can't go wrong with melted cheese, right?
So... All I did was pour a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Then I spread a few spoonfuls of beans on top of a tortilla, sprinkled on some scallions and diced onion.  I rolled the tortilla and put seam side down in the pan.  I continued until my pan was full.  Then I poured enchilada sauce on top of the tortillas, topped with shredded cheese and popped it into a 350F degree oven.  I baked until bubbly then enjoyed with plain yogurt and chopped cilantro.  It was fabulous and sooooo easy! 
Play with your cheeses and fillings to find a combination you love. 
Happy creating!

Easy Omega 3 pancakes

When most people think of pancakes, they think light, fluffy and dessert-like weekend treat rather than a healthy and filling morning meal.  While for the most part that holds true, these hotcakes break that mold (while still being very tasty, of course).  Not only are they packed with protein, fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, but they are truly easy to make.  All ingredients are thrown right into the blender and from there go right to the griddle (or pan).  No bowls or whisks required!  Simply add the following to your blender:

1 c fat free cottage cheese
1 c oatmeal (quick cooking or original)
3 eggs (or 6 egg whites or equivalent egg substitute)
1/4 c ground flax seed (aka flax meal)
1 T sugar
1t cinnamon
1t vanilla

Now liquify until you have a consistent, runny batter.  I cook these on my non-stick griddle at a temp of  325F.  This is slightly cooler than I would use for other pancakes.  This is due to the thicker consistency.  You don't want the outside to cook too quickly as these need a longer cooking period than most pancakes.  If you take them off too soon they will remain mushy inside. That's really the only tricky part to these. 

While the pancakes are cooking (before you flip them) you can sprinkle with nuts or berries for an extra nutritional and flavorful boost.  Pecans and blueberries are my personal favorites, but as always I encourage you to experiment to see what suits your palate.