Sweet Potato Spice Oatmeal

As most of my regular readers know by now, my mother is visiting the USA for the summer. In between enjoying her home-cooked food, I've been introducing her to some of the WFPBNO foods I eat on a regular basis, one of which is oatmeal. To be honest, she's not sold on it yet. I made this awesome Sweet Potato Spice Oatmeal this morning and it was "just okay" according to her (LOL). I enjoyed this recipe a lot and here's why (a) it has no added sugar or butter (b) its made with all whole food ingredients and (c) it is ready and on the table in less than 20 min. 

Prep Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients (Serves 4): 

1. 1/2 cups Steel-cut Oatmeal
2. 3 cups Water
3. 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, roasted previously.
4. 1/2 cup Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk (Almond, Soy, Cashew etc.)
5. 2 tbsp Slivered Almonds (or substitute with Pecans)
6. 2 tbsp Raisins
7. 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
8. 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
9. A pinch of Sea Salt
10. Maple Syrup (as needed) 3 to 4 cups water

Directions:

Mix Steel-cut Oats, water, raisins and sea salt together and pressure cook under high pressure for 5-7 minutes. If you don't have access to a pressure cooker, simmer the oats on a stove until tender (approximately 20-25 min). Once the steam dissipates, add 1 tbsp almonds, 1/3 cup almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla extract and mix well. Dish out into 4 serving bowls, garnish with more slivered almonds and a small splash of almond milk. Dust on more cinnamon, if you desire. I didn't add any sweetener to this dish, but if you like it sweeter, add maple syrup to taste. Serve warm. 

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Matar Kulcha - A Delhi Street Food!

Matar Kulcha, or Peas and Bread, is a popular street food in Northern India, especially in Old Town, Delhi. Generally, it is served on disposable plates made from the dried leaves of the Peepul tree. Street Vendors wheel their carts to the most popular selling spots. The Matar (peas) are made and served out of large brass pots and cook on coals through the night. One of my fondest memories is of my mom taking my sister and I to Old Delhi, where we would partake of this and other wonderful street foods. 

Prep Time: 15-20 min

Ingredients (Serves 6): 

1. 2 cups Dried White Peas (whole, soaked overnight)
2. 3 to 4 cups water 
3. 2 tbsp Dried White Onions
4. 1/8 tsp Asafoetida
5. 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
6. 1 tbsp Chana Masala
7. 2 tsp Chaat Masala
8. 2 tsp Taminco Tamarind Paste
9. Salt and Pepper, to taste
10. Hot Sauce, to taste
11. Fresh Cilantro, for garnish
12. Fresh Diced Tomato, for garnish
13. Fresh Diced Onion, for garnish (optional)
14. Fresh Sliced Ginger, for garnish (optional)
15. A Slice of fresh Lime/Lemon, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Add soaked peas, water and all spices to a pressure cooker and cook under high pressure for approximately 10 min. Allow the steam to dissipate naturally, open pot and mix well (peas will mostly disintegrate). Taste test for salt, mix tamarind paste in a small amount of hot water and mix in with the peas. Serve with fresh toppings, and a squeeze of lime juice, with bread, or kulchas (a leavened flat bread made without yeast). Enjoy!

If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!

Tofu (Paneer) Subzi

Every once in a while, all you need is some roti and subzi to brighten an otherwise cold and dreary day. Today, with temperatures in the negative teens, just happened to be one of those days. Of course, it helped that HOMY had already eaten spaghetti with the kids by the time I got home from my 70min drive. So, I chopped up an onion, opened a can of diced tomatoes and threw together this lovely subzi in less than 20 min. With store-bought Indian chapattis, this hit the mark!! 

Prep Time: 20 min

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. 1x 14oz Mori-Nu Extra-Firm Tofu, pressed and diced into small pieces
2. 1 Medium Red Onion, diced 
3. 1 Large Tomato, diced and 2 Jalapeños, diced (or 1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes w chillies)
4. 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
5. 1 tsp Coriander powder
6. 1 tsp Deggi Chilli Powder
7. 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
8. 4-6 fresh or fresh-frozen Curry leaves
9. Salt to taste.

Directions:

Line a pot with water or broth and sauté onions until translucent. Add spices and steam sauté for a couple of minutes before adding diced tomatoes and chillies. Allow all excess after to evaporate and once fragrant, add in diced tofu. Gently fold the tofu into the onion, tomato, and chilli mix. Cover and let rest for 10 min to allow the tofu to imbibe the flavors from the veggies. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and fresh cilantro leaves (optional). Serve with warm chapattis. Enjoy! 

BBQ Cauliflower

If you follow various food blogs and magazines on Facebook, I'm sure you've come across pictures of whole 'brain' dishes .. a whole head of cauliflower that's been roasted until tender on the inside and crispy on the top. It makes for a great presentation at a dinner table and tastes great as it is amenable to absorbing flavors from your favorite spices. After years of vacillating, I finally gave it a try today and it turned out lovely. 

Prep Time: 5 min, plus 40-45 min for baking

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1. One whole head of Cauliflower (any color).
2. 6 tbsp BBQ Sauce (I used Stubb's)
3. 2 tbsp Hot Sauce (I used Cholula)
4. Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Trim all the leaves from the bottom of a full head of Cauliflower and trim the stem so that the head sits flat. 

Lightly grease the bottom of a cast iron pan with oil (wipe off any excess). Place the cauliflower in the middle and using a kitchen brush (or your hands) cover the surface of the cauliflower with the sauce. 

If you have time, you can also marinade the cauliflower by transferring the head into a gallon ziploc bag, covering with marinade and refrigerating for about half an hour. Instead, I was lazy and just used the brush technique. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and freshly cracked black pepper on top. Place pan in the oven and set the timer to 40 min. At 15 min intervals, remove the pan from the oven and reapply a fresh coat of BBQ/Hot sauce on top. Return to the oven immediately. After all the marinade has been applied, and dried on the surface (~40 min), turn off the oven and turn on the broiler on HI for 2-4 minutes until the top of the cauliflower is crispy and brown. 

Serve over a bed of rice, or greens and slice at the dinner table for maximum presentation! This went over really well in our household!! We served it with Steamed Brown rice, more hot sauce and guacamole to cut some of the heat ... everyone loved it!! 

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving): Calories 75 (Fat Calories 0)

Total Fat 0 g; Carbohydrates 15.0 g; Fiber 4.5 g; Sugars 7.5 g; Protein 4.5 g


If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my Recipe Index for more Whole-Food, Plant-Based, No-Added-Oil recipes. You can also like Rugrat Chow! on Facebook. Thanks!