Fresh Vegetable Spring Rolls

Spring rolls is all forms have been on my list of recipes to try for the longest time. When my daughter was home for spring break we visited the Asian supermarket and brought home rice stick noodles and rice paper. For some reason it just sat in the pantry until she came home for summer.

Finally one evening, even though dinner had been cooked in the morning, I decided I was going to make the fresh spring rolls for a snack. I made a peanut dipping sauce to go with it.

My daughter loved the rolls so much she decided she would have them as dinner. The rolls are addictive and it is hard to stop after one. I am glad I am able to post these rolls to this space.

You will need (for 12 rolls)
12 rice paper wraps
nickel size bunch of rice stick noodles
1 carrot, shredded
a bunch of green leaves, I used kale
1/2 cup cabbage, shredded (I skipped this as I ran out)

Prep the vegetables. Boil water in a glass measuring cup or any microwave save bowl. Place the cup/bowl on the counter top. Add the rice stick noodles to the boiling water and let them cook. Stir them after every few minutes with a fork until they are tender and do not stick to each other. Pour out the hot water and rinse in a cold water bath. Drain and place in your assembly line.

Take a large plate or bowl with a flat bottom and fill it with an inch of water. Prepare a prepping area. I used my cutting board. You could use a plate. Place one of the rice papers in the plate until it is soft. Remove the paper from the water, Place for a few seconds on a paper towel to soak up the dripping water and place on your prepping area. Layer the filling and fold as in the pictures.

The roll is ready. Repeat the process for all the other rolls and serve with the dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week three, day three of BM #90 for the theme Wraps and Rolls. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#90.

Eggplant, Heirloom Tomatoes and Olive Wraps

I am excited to post this wrap today. It has ingredients I do not normally combine. The summer has been very hot so far and no one is hungry for the same old recipes. Coming up with new combinations to the same recipes is a fun way to tackle the summer woes. I had bought a shiny fresh eggplant to make eggplant chips. I decided to present these in a wrap as opposed to having them as a side. I had heirloom tomatoes and they go well with eggplant. Next I chose olives and feta cheese. Not sure why I put these together other than a feeling that they would all go well together. The wraps made for a nice weekend lunch and were very filling.

I am not a fan of eggplant. It cooks up mushy and I have problems with mushy texture. My husband and daughter love it. When they feel like eating eggplant they buy, cook and eat it. I usually have nothing to do with the whole process. The only two recipes I make with eggplant are the eggplant chips with the large eggplant and the stuffed mini eggplants (bharli vangi).

You will need
2 whole wheat poli/chapati
20 eggplant chips (a large long eggplant)
2 large heirloom tomato, sliced
10-12 olives, sliced
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Using a large shiny fresh eggplant prepare the eggplant chips. You could skip the besan in the linked eggplant chips recipe and cook it sprinkled with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Keep aside. Slice the tomatoes, use heirloom tomatoes if possible. Slice the olives. You can use green or black olives.

Assemble the wraps. Heat the fully cooked poli on a hot griddle. This makes the poli less prone to tearing. Layer the eggplant over the bread. place the tomato slices and add the olives and feta cheese. Wrap it up and secure with a toothpick.

Enjoy!

Pita Bread Wraps with Mixed Vegetables and Feta

Sometimes you put ingredients together just because you need to get a meal ready quickly and end up with something delicious. This wrap is one of those. It was not planned. I made the ultimate mixed vegetable salad for lunch and then we headed out to run errands. We got delayed and got home just before dinnertime. All I had was some leftover salad, some pita bread and some feta cheese. I put it all together in this wrap and it was all gone very quickly. Luckily I had the foresight to click pictures.

While there was no reason for this combo to taste anything but good, the flavors blended so well it was a total surprise. What started out as using up leftovers to make dinner turned into a keeper recipe.

I wanted to put the filling in the center of the unopened pita and wrap the pita around it but since the vegetables were diced into small pieces and not bound together very well I decided to cut the pita bread into quarters. This made it easy to eat. I guess any salad with a lot of blended flavors should work for this recipe.

You will need
3 pita breads
2 cups  Ultimate mixed vegetable salad 
1/4 cup feta cheese

Heat the pita bread on a griddle. Cut it into quarters. Stuff with the salad and sprinkle some feta cheese.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Feta Gozleme with Yufka dough

Gozleme is stuffed flatbread from Turkey that is rolled very thin. Is is a popular street food. Spinach and Turkish white cheese are commonly used as stuffing. I have a recipe for Gozleme with potato and cheese filling in this space. But that was made as part of a sourdough challenge and that flatbread was folded differently. This time I wanted to try the more popular folding technique. So here is another recipe for gozleme, this time with a spinach and feta filling.

I blanched the spinach before use. I used cilantro in place of parsley as I am not at all fond of parsley. I used crumbled feta with the greens and added no other spice or seasoning. It did not need anything else. Family loved it.

The dough is called Yufka and it is sold by the sheets in specialty stores. The sheets are large and very thin. When you eat the finished product all you can taste is the filling. I wanted to replicate that so I rolled the dough to the point of tearing. It made the transfer to the griddle tough but enhanced the taste. I added a little sourdough starter to the dough even though the gozleme dough is not necessarily leavened. It changes the texture of the dough as you can tell on the close up pictures and gives it a really nice flavor.

You will need
For the Yufka dough
2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
20 gm sourdough starter 100% hydration
Water as needed

For the filling
1 large handful spinach
10 springs cilantro
1/4 cup feta cheese

In a bowl mix combine the flour and salt. Now add water a little at a time until you have a very soft dough. Cover and keep aside.

Boil water in the microwave in a measuring cup or in a pan on the stove top. Add the spinach leaves and let it rest for a few minutes. Drain the water and rinse with cold water water. Drain the water and it dry out. Chop the cilantro and add it to the bowl with the feta and dried out spinach.

Heat a griddle pan. I used a cast iron pan. Divide the dough into 8 parts. Take one portion and using a rolling pin roll it out very thin into a 7-8" disc.

Place it on the heated griddle pan.

When one side is cooked flip it over.

While the second side is cooking add the filling to half the cooked side. Using a spatula fold the bread over to form a half circle.

Flip it over and ensure both sides are cooked. Remove from heat and repeat for the remaining dough.

Enjoy!

Onion Kulcha

Kulcha has been on my wishlist of recipes to try for a very long time. But for some reason I had never really made it before. My daughter was thrilled with the simplicity of the recipe and we enjoyed the Onion Kulcha a lot.

Some time back I posted recipes from a flatbread platter I recreated after being inspired at Sanaa, the restaurant in the Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World. I was very impressed with the custom wooden trays they served the flatbread in. It had holes cut out to place the different bowls of dips. I had decided to recreate the flavors and enjoy a meal of flatbreads at home. My platter had five different flatbreads that I served with roasted red pepper hummus and cucumber dip.

The breads in the picture above left to right are - garlic bread, spicy naan, plain naan, onion kulcha and aloo paratha. While I posted all the other breads I never got to posting the kulcha.

You will need
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt to taste
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. oil, I used olive oil

For the filling
1 onion, diced finely1 tsp. cumin coriander powder
1 tsp. or adjust to taste cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. ajwain or ova
1/4 tsp. onion seeds (kalonji)
a couple of mints leaves, chopped

Add all the dry ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl and combine with the wet ingredients to form a dough. Knead well, cover and keep aside to rest for about an hour.

In a separate bowl combine all the ingredients for the filling.

Heat a flat griddle on medium heat. I use cast iron. Divide the rested dough in large lemon sized portions. Flatten one portion on the palm of your hand. Add the filling.

Bring all the sides up over the filling and press together to form a ball with the filling inside.

Flatten the ball slightly in your palm and place it on a board. Using your rolling pin roll it out into a thick disc about 5-7 inches.

Place the rolled out bread on the hot griddle. Let it cook for a minutes and flip it over. Add a few drops of oil to the cooked top. After another minute flip it over again and let it sizzle with the oil. Flip over one last time for a few seconds and take it off the heat.

Enjoy!

This is my entry for week four, day two of BM #88 for the theme Bookmarked recipes.

Spinach White Bean Wrap

When healthy vegetables and beans are cooked into a delicious filling and wrapped inside a poli, chapati or tortilla you get a wrap. Wraps make great packed lunches and is one of the reason why I love them so much. The variations to the filling are endless. This one is a favorite and tastes amazing even when cold. Cooked white beans are mixed in with spinach and feta cheese. All that is needed is a little salt and pepper and maybe a little onion. The sharp taste of the beans, spinach and feta make this filling tasty even if eaten cold. That is what makes it perfect as packed lunch.

I started making a filling similar to this one when my husband traveled a lot. It was perfect to put together as a quesadilla on a weekday morning. My daughter loved it and it made for a filling packed lunch for the two of us. For some reason when my husband stopped traveling I did not make it so he never knew about it. Then one day my daughter reminded me of it. Back when I first made it my daughter was not fond of feta cheese so I used cheddar and parmesan. Over the years she developed a taste for feta. So I made the filling with feta cheese. My husband watched as I put all the ingredients in the pan wondering how the combination was going to taste and what he would do if it tasted awful. I decided to put him out of his misery and asked him to taste test it. He could not believe how such simple ingredients could be so flavorful.

You will need (for 6 wraps)
1 cup dry navy or cannelloni beans
3 cups spinach, chopped
1/2 onion (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
6 poli or chapati (you could use store bought tortilla if you wish)

Soak the dry beans overnight and pressure cook the next day. Alternately you could use canned beans. Rinse the canned beans, drain and keep aside. Make the poli or chapati as per the instructions in the link above. Keep aside until needed.

Wash, drain and chop the spinach. Separately, chop the onion. Heat oil in a pan and saute the onion until tender. Add the spinach and let it wilt for a couple of minutes. Coarsely mash the cooked beans and add them to the pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the cayenne pepper. Cook for couple more minutes and turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool.

Heat a griddle pan. Place a prepared poli/tortilla to heat one side. Flip it over and heat the other side. Transfer to a plate and place a sixth of the stuffing in the middle. Spread it around one half leaving an inch on the sides.

Fold the sides in and make a roll.

Place it on the hot griddle pan. After a half minute roll it over. When heated through take off heat. If you want the sides sealed perfectly brush a little oil over the rim. I skip the oil.

The wrap can be eaten hot or cold.

Enjoy!


This is my entry for week one, day two of BM #48 for the theme Rolls and Wraps. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#48.

Copycat Chipotle Veggie Burrito/Bowl

Chipotle is a fast food restaurant with flavors close to the Mexican cuisine. A little of this and a little of that from their lined up stations adds up to a very flavorful bowl or burrito. My daughter is a big fan of Chipotle. She never gets tired of it. Chipotle is always her choice whether it is to celebrate the beginning of school holidays, the end of the holidays, on a trip or any other time. Several years back I tried to make a copycat Chipotle meal at home. Back then I was stumped with the black bean recipe. Since then I have managed to replicate the taste of everything we like from Chipotle. I especially love the tomatillo salsa. Though my daughter would rather go to Chipotle she has to agree this is close.

The veggie burrito/bowl we like consists of the following added in this order
Lime rice, Black Beans, Pico de galo, Tomatillo Salsa, Corn Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Grated Cheese and Lettuce.

To make the veggie bowl they are added into a bowl. To make the burrito they are added into a warmed tortilla. When it comes to rolls and wraps the Chipotle burrito is King.

Here all the fixings are wrapped in a tortilla as a burrito....

Alternately served in a bowl without a tortilla.

The following proportions should give you 6 servings

Lime Rice

You will need
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 lime
a bunch cilantro, chopped

Add the rice to a pan with 4 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, lower heat and let the rice cook completely. Even after the rice has cooked there should be some water in the pan, drain this water and return the rice to the pan. This gives it the texture you see in the rice at Chipotle. Add the juice of one lime and the chopped cilantro. Mix well and keep aside.

Black Beans

You will need
2 cartons black beans (I used cartons from Whole Foods, you can use 2 cans instead)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste

Heat a pan with all the ingredients until heated through. Keep aside.

Pico de galo

You will need
2 tomatoes, diced finely
1/2 onion, diced finely
a bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
salt to taste

In a bowl combine all the ingredients and keep aside.

Tomatillo Salsa

6 tiny tomatilloes
1 medium tomato
1/4 red onion
1 roasted red chili pepper
1 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. coriander powder
1/2 tsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt and black pepper to taste

Stick a fork in a red chili pepper and roast it on the open flame of your stove. Chop and use it in the salsa to give it a lovely hot smoky flavor. Pulse everything in the food processor until the desired consistency is reached. Do not puree. If you like a lot of heat use more than one red chili pepper and add a dash of hot sauce.

Corn Salsa

You will need
8oz frozen corn (half a standard size bag)
1/2 onion, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
a bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped
salt to taste

Thaw the frozen corn, wash and drain. In a bowl combine all the ingredients and keep aside.

Guacamole

You will need
2 avocado
1/2 tomato, diced
1/4 onion, diced
salt to taste

Cut the avocado in half mindful of the seed. Peel of the skin. If the avocado is ripe the skin should peel right off. Remove the seed. Cut the avocado into small pieces. In a bowl mix all the ingredients together. Mash lightly with a masher.  Do not overdo it. You want the guacamole to remain chunky and not turn to mushy paste.

The Final Garnishes

Wash the lettuce, let it dry and tear it to shreds. Whisk the sour cream and shred some cheddar cheese.

Tortilla for the burrito
The burrito is made using tortilla. You could use store bought tortilla or make your own. I use whole wheat poli/chapati. You could modify the recipe for the poli by adding a little all purpose flour. That makes the poli a little more supple and will aid the rolling. I skip the all purpose flour.

To put together the Veggie burrito
Heat the prepared poli. It strengthens it and prevents tearing. Place the poli/tortilla on a plate. Spread a spoonful of rice on it. Next add the black beans.

Now add the pico de galo, tomatillo salsa, corn salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and lettuce.

Fold in the sides and roll into a burrito.

Alternate preparation Veggie bowl
Spread a little rice on the bottom of the bowl. Add the black beans, pico de galo, tomatillo salsa, corn salsa, sour cream, grated cheese, guacamole and lettuce.

Enjoy!