The coconut is such a versatile fruit and can be incorporated in a myriad of recipes. Instead of using coconut for its meat i decided to use coconut flour and create some wonderfully delicious pancakes. Coconut flour is fast gaining popularity as a great health food. It is low in carbohydrate content and high in fiber and it helps with weight loss.I've also made coconut syrup to go with this vegan coconut pancakes. Followed by a glass of tender coconut water, it makes a very healthy and tasty breakfast which at the same time is packed with protein and fiber and a great deal of nutrients and antioxidant from coconut water.
Add the coconut milk and combine. Keep stirring as you add the milk and whisk to form smooth batter.
Heat a griddle on medium heat.
Pour 1/3 cup batter in the center of the heated griddle and gently spread to about 5 inches diameter.
Drizzle with about 1 tsp of coconut oil.
Flip the pancake over after about a minute. It should be golden brown in color. Let the other side cook for about half a minute and then remove it from the griddle.
Make the other pancakes in this manner
for Cocunut Syrup
Take water in a vessel and let it come to a boil.
Add jaggery and turn heat to medium. Heat until the jaggery dissolves fully and starts forming a syrupy texture.
Add the coconut and let it cook for about 3 minutes.
Add the cardmom powder and remove from heat.
Putting it all together
We will form a stack of four pancakes. So take one pancake. Drizzle some syrup on it making sure u get enough coconut on the pancake. Continue stacking 4 pancakes in this manner. Drizzle the rest of the syrup on the topmost pancake and top with some freeze dried or fresh fruits of your choice. Enjoy!. The pancakes are tasty enough without the syrup too so the health conscious can enjoy the low-carb high fiber pancakes without the extra carbs from the syrup. What a guilt free and sumptuous breakfast!
Black Eyed Bean is also known as Lobia or Chawli This is a basic recipe, quick & easy, healthy and nutritious recipe to make, very delicious and protein-rich.
In a small bowl, mix the ginger, green chili, coriander powder, turmeric, and 3 tablespoons of water to make a paste.
Heat the oil in pressure cooker on medium heat. Test the heat by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if seed cracks right away oil is ready. Add the cumin seeds as they crack add asafetida, add the spice paste and stir for a minute until spices start leaving the oil.
Add Black Eyed Beans, salt and water close the pressure cooker as pressure cooker starts steaming turn the heat down to medium and cook for 6-7 minutes.
Turn off the heat and wait until the steam has stopped before opening the pressure cooker. Black-eyed beans should be soft and tender.
Add mango powder, garam masala, and tomatoes, and cover the cooker for a few minutes. That will give tomatoes a chance to get semi-cooked with steam.
Garnish this with lemon wedge.
Notes
TipsMaking a paste with the spices will prevent the spices from burning.
Mastering the Art of Black-eyed beans are a type of legume that are also known as black-eyed peas. They are a variety of cowpea and are commonly used in cooking around the world. Black-eyed beans are a popular ingredient in many cuisines due to their versatility and nutritional value. They are a good source of plant-based protein, making them a great option for vegan and vegetarian diets.
Additionally, they are naturally gluten-free, making them suitable for those with gluten sensitivities or celiac disease. Black-eyed beans can be used to make a variety of dishes, including salads, soups, stews, and curries. They are often used in combination with other ingredients such as vegetables, spices, and grains to create flavorful and nutritious meals.
How To Make The Best Black Eyed Beans Recipe
Rinse the beans: Give your black-eyed beans a good wash under running water.
Soak the beans (optional): Soaking the beans for at least 1 hour (or even overnight) will make them softer and easier to digest. You can skip this step if you’re short on time, but the beans may take longer to cook.
Make a spice mix: Combine ginger, green chili, coriander powder, turmeric, and a little water to create a flavorful paste.
Heat oil and spices: Add oil to your pressure cooker and heat it up. Then, add cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle. This tells you the oil is hot enough. Once hot, toss in a pinch of asafetida (optional) followed by the spice paste. Let the spices cook for a minute or so until they smell fragrant.
Cook the beans: Add the rinsed (and possibly soaked) beans along with water and salt to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and let it come up to pressure. Once it starts steaming, reduce heat and cook for 6-7 minutes.
Release pressure and add flavor: Once done cooking, turn off the heat and let the pressure release naturally for a while. Then, carefully open the cooker. Now, add some mango powder, garam masala, and chopped tomatoes. Close the lid again for a few minutes to let the tomatoes soften with the steam.
Serve and enjoy! Finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon juice for a fresh touch. Your delicious black-eyed beans are ready to be devoured!
Tips for Cooking the Best Black-Eyed Beans
Use Fresh Beans: Whenever possible, use fresh, high-quality black-eyed beans for the best results. Fresh beans will cook more evenly and have better texture compared to older beans.
Don’t Salt Too Early: Avoid adding salt to the cooking water until the beans are almost fully cooked. Adding salt too early can toughen the beans and prolong the cooking time.
Customize the Flavor: Experiment with different seasonings and aromatics to customize the flavor of the beans to your taste preferences. Don’t be afraid to get creative and try new combinations of herbs and spices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the health benefits of black eyed beans?
Black eyed beans are a nutritional powerhouse! They are a good source of protein, fiber, folate, iron, and magnesium. These contribute to a healthy heart, blood sugar control, and overall well-being.
Do I need to soak black eyed beans before cooking?
Soaking is not strictly necessary, but it helps reduce cooking time and can make the beans easier to digest. Soaking for at least 6 hours is recommended, or you can use a quick soak method.
How long does it take to cook black eyed beans?
Cooking time depends on whether you soaked them beforehand. Soaked beans will take about an hour to cook on the stovetop, while unsoaked beans can take up to two hours.
How can I use black eyed beans in recipes?
Black eyed beans are incredibly versatile! They are a delicious addition to soups, stews, salads, dips, and even burgers. You can find them used in cuisines worldwide, from Southern Hoppin’ John to Brazilian Feijoada.
Are black eyed peas the same as black eyed beans?
Yes, black eyed beans and black eyed peas are the same thing!
Where can I buy black eyed beans?
Black eyed beans are widely available in most grocery stores. You can find them dried in bulk bins or bags, or canned and pre-cooked for convenience.
How should I store black eyed beans?
Dried black eyed beans can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to a year. Cooked black eyed beans should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or frozen for longer storage.
It was good to see a lot of entries for this contest. I had a tough time deciding on the winners, but here are the my top five entries and two top winners from those:
The contest for this month (August) is to create any original recipe using coconut as one of the ingredients. You can submit any type of food (appetizer, desert, main dish, etc).
As usual, you will be judged on creativity, and presentation (in addition to the recipe as a whole). I will be selecting the top five best entries and two winners from those.
Below is my checklist:
Send the name of the recipe along with photo to contest@manjulaskitchen.com.
Be creative with the recipe!
You must send an original picture(s) of the recipe – do not simply grab a photo from the web. Otherwise your recipe will not be considered for entry.
The deadline is August 25th.
The winner will be featured on the homepage with the new recipe and a link to their website (if available).
1st Prize: $100 gift certificate from Amazon.com 2nd Prize: $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com
While reading the viewer’s entries for Mother’s day, I felt that I also wanted to share a little about my mother. It has been 15 years since she passed away, yet I constantly feel her presence around me, guiding me and mostly, putting a smile on my face.
I am a mom of two and a grandmother of four. But while my mom was alive, I felt very much like a kid around her. She would every now and then, remind me to “grow up” and I miss that very much. Some would say that as you age, your mom becomes more of a friend. But for me, I wanted her to be my mother, always! No matter how much I aged, I cherished and loved the feeling of being a child in her company.
She was an amazing mother; very loving, caring and giving. She had an air of magic in her as she spoke. Her greatest talent was that she would make you feel really good about your own self. One touch or look from her, and you felt something very special inside. I try very hard to be like my mom, but it’s a tough act to follow.
Summer is the best time for frozen treats and there is nothing better than ice cold Popsicle. These Popsicles are made with fresh fruits. This is a kid’s friendly recipe. This recipe is for two different fruit flavored Popsicles, orange and strawberry.
This drink is inspired by my absolute favorite drink at KAFE, a hip and healthy restaurant in the beautiful Ubud, Bali. A refreshing combination of mangoes, raspberries, and coconut, this drink rejuvenates and re-hydrates from the inside.I have chosen coconut milk for 2 reasons: 1) it is cooling and calming (and hence decreases Pitta!), and 2) it doesn't violate any of the Ayurvedic food combination rules. If you prefer less viscous smoothies, simply substitute the coconut milk for coconut water.Enjoy this drink on an empty stomach and at least a half hour before a snack or meal.
Combine cucumber, honeydew and lime juice and salt.
Blend most of the blueberries (reserve a handful) with ½ cup of water.
Strain the blueberry purée into an ice cube tray, filling up half of the molds. In each of the other molds, place 3-5 whole blueberries (from the reserved handful) and fill with water. Put in freezer to set for about two hours.
To serve, arrange the blueberry ices in a glass alternately and top with juice. Garnish with sprig of mint. If desired, sugar or other sweetener can be added. Enjoy!
1 Melon (Gala for light sweet/Honey Dew for more sweet)
4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
2 teaspoon ginger juice
Salt and Pepper to Taste
2 teaspoon sugar (Optional, depending on taste)
1/2 Cup water
For Cheese Crackers:
3-4 Savory Crackers of your choice
3-4 thick cut feta cheese cubes
2 tablespoons of Green, Red and Yellow Bell Peppers
few Coriander leaves
4-6 Black Olives
Salt and Pepper for Seasoning
For garnish:
1 Tablespoon feta cheese to sprinkle
2-4 Olives
1 inch cube of melon cut into 4 small parts
Coriander leaves to decorate
1 Tablespoon of mixed bell Peppers cubes
4 Toothpicks
Instructions
Method
Cut the Melon (leave a 1 inch cube aside for decoration later) into medium pieces and marinate with the lemon juice, ginger juice, chilli flakes, salt and pepper in the refrigerator for half an hour. It is good to marinate the melon slices in the spices to assimilate all the flavors well, but if you don't have time to marinade you can make the soup instantly as well.
Blend the marinated melon in a mixer with about half cup water.
Pour the Soup into Serving Cups and Garnish with crumbled cheese, coriander and olives.
In a small bowl make a mixture of small cubes of bell peppers, olives and melon and season with salt and pepper. Take a toothpick, skew the small pieces onto it. Decorate on the glass.
Take 3-4 savory crackers, Gently keep the cube of feta cheese on top and garnish with olives, peppers and season. Serve beside the soup as a teaser.
Relish as a snack drink or a refreshing starter.
Notes
Variations:
This soup can be made with any melon variety of your liking. You may also add mint for freshness.
As a serving suggestion, this soup can also be served in half cut scooped out shells of the melon.
soak almonds and cashew nuts both in a small cup of water for 20 minutes and then remove the skin of almonds and keep aside
remove seeds in dates and soak them in water for 20 minutes and keep aside
now blend soy milk, watermelon pieces, strawberries, banana, apple, vanilla essence, soaked almonds, cashew nuts and dates. (number of dates can be adjusted according to taste)
add crushed ice and blend again and pour in tall glass.
now add watermelon cubes into glass and stir it with spoon once.
This is a great recipe to satisfy your and your kid’s sweet tooth. Your family and guests will appreciate a dessert tray filled with chocolate brownies. These brownies are very moist and have a deep chocolate flavor its a sweet snack loved by all.
Preheat the oven to 350 degree F/180c. Grease the 8×8-baking pan.
Mix the tofu until it is smooth.
Mix flour, salt and baking soda, set aside.
In a mixing bowl stir together the oil, cocoa powder and sugar until its well blended. Then stir in the mixed tofu and vanilla.
Add the flour mix and once its well-mixed, then fold-in walnuts.
Pour the mixture into a greased baking pan evenly and bake it for 25 to 30 minutes. Place the pan on the middle oven tray.
Once the brownies are baked, let them cool to room temperature before cutting the brownies into squares. Cutting too early will make the brownies to crumble.
This is a delicious pasta dish with fresh spinach and rich white sauce. It is my version of fettuccini alfredo. Creamy spinach pasta looks and tastes great. Its a nice vegetarianappetizer.
6 ozchopped spinach, just the leaves, about 2 cups
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt and oil. After water boils add the pasta.Cook the pasta until it is tender this will take about 10 minutes. Drain the water and set pasta aside.
Heat the oil over medium heat and add all-purpose flour, then stir for a minute. Add basil, Italian herb mix, black pepper, and chili flakes, and stir for another minute.
While stirring slowly add cream making sure there are no lumps. After it comes to a boil, add milk then bring it to a boil again.
Add spinach, mix it well and let it cook for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously, then turn off the heat. Add Mozzarella cheese and stir.
It was great to see all the recipes submitted last month. I know it can be challenging to take something simple like a drink or smoothie recipe and make it stand out from the rest. I’ve selected the top 5 best recipe submissions and chose two winners below.
The winners are:
1st Place:Laura Bregman (Cucumber-Honeydew Cooler with Blueberry Ice)
2nd Place:Rashmi Krishnappa (Watermelon Blueberry Mint Spicy Lassi)
Congratulations to both of you!
I would like to very much thank the other participants this month:
Teej is around the corner. As a child, I enjoyed Teej festival very much and have lots of fond memories of it. The Indian calendar is filled with many wonderful holidays that celebrate the Gods, the family or the welcoming of a new season. My mom loved celebrating festivals, as it was more of a joyous social occasion for her, rather than religious. I really liked how she chose to celebrate these special occasions.
Teej is a unique festival for women, which includes fasts and followed with delicious feasts. Typically this is a day for women and young girls to dress up and decorate their palms with mehndi (henna). I can remember the house courtyard being decorated and had installed rope swings for this occasion. The women would be swinging and singing Teej folk songs that were unique to the festival.
Once I moved to the U.S. in late sixties, most of the festivals were left behind. While my two sons were growing up, I would dream of the day I could celebrate Teej with my daughter-in-laws. Both of my sons got married. After my eldest son was married, we purchased a swing set for our backyard. I was overjoyed to use the swing set for Teej celebrations! Then as my younger son married, my dream of celebrating Teej with my two daughter-in-laws was finally fulfilled. This year Teej will be on August 2nd and I hope you will enjoy this holiday as I do.
