Oats and sprouts crust Pizza

Recipe inspired and adapted from
http://www.veganricha.com/2012/10/mung-bean-sprout-spinach-crust-pizza.html
I love the nutty flavour and texture of oats for making cheela (pancake) , so this twist was tempting to try. The final result was delicious given that some very fussy eaters loved it. The baking was tricky as in the first attempt the crust stuck tight to the paper. For the second attempt I greased the paper with olive oil before baking and it was easier to peel the paper, just had to wait for it to cool. Use a good quality parchment paper or a non stick baking tray (which I need to invest in shortly too ). For the toppings use any soft vegetables like peppers,onions. The tang of the sundried tomaotes and the goat's cheese complimented the base perfectly. A super healthy breakfast option


Ingredients (makes 3 pizza medium crusts)

For the crust
1 cup roasted oats
1 cup mixed sprouts
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves
1 cup water
1 tablespoon besan
Salt to taste
Chopped fresh herbs( chives/basil)

Olive oil for greasing

For the topping
Chopped bell peppers /onions
Sundried tomatoes/ fresh tomatoes
Crumbled goat's cheese/ feta

1. Grind all the ingredients of the crust into a chunky paste. It should be a thick batter (as shown)

2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
3. Spread a dollop of batter into a palm size circle, about 1/2 cm thick on a greased parchment lined sheet.

4. Bake for 10-15 minutes on the center rack till the crust dries up and feels firm, slightly brown on the edges
5. Remove from oven, add the vegetables and back again on the top rack till the base gets brown and crisp and the vegetables are cooked ( about ten minutes). Cool slightly and remove from parchment paper
6. Crumble goat's cheese/feta cheese/grated paneer. Serve warm.

Raw banana in curd and coconut gravy

I first tried this dish at a Malayali wedding and simply loved it. It was a wedding sadhya so I got to taste an authentic version with steaming hot rice (eaten with hands..the real deal!) Picked up the recipe from my favourite Kerala cook book and voila! Pure comfort food. You can use regular oil for the tempering. I prefer coconut oil for the true flavour. A very easy dish to master

Ingredients(serves 4)

To boil
4-5 raw bananas, peeled and cut into 1 cm cubes
1 tsp black pepper
2 shallots (baby sambhar onions) ,peeled
1 tsp haldi
2 cups water

Grind to a very fine paste
1 medium coconut
4-5 shallots
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon jeera powder

2 cups thick sour curd
Salt

For the tempering
1 tablespoon edible coconut oil
2-3 shallots
Few curry leaves
2-3 dry red chillies

1. Add all the ingredients to be boiled in a pan. After bringing to a boil , cover and simmer for 10 -12 minutes
2.Add the finely ground coconut paste and simmer for another 5 minutes
3. Whisk the curd and add with the salt. This should be done just before serving so the curd does not split
4. Pour into a serving bowl and temper with curry leaves,shallots and dry chillies
5. Serve hot with papaddum and rice