Rai Singh's "No Bones About It" Recipe for the week, July 29th, 2010

Sat Nam everyone. I hope you've all had a great week. If you didn't make it to my cooking class at YP on Tuesday, which was a blast, I'm doing another one on August 24th.

This week's recipe is, and it's a fun one!!

"Southwest" Spring Rolls filled with Cabbage, Onions, and Sprouted Quinoa, with a Tomatillo Avocado Dipping Sauce
(Vegan, Almost Raw, Gluten Free, Nut Free)


I'm going to utilize another one of my weekly recipes. If you look back at my first post for July 1st, the Tomatillo Avocado Salsa. This week we are going to use that as our "sauce" for our Spring Rolls. That will be used as a "marinade" for the filling and as a dipping sauce.


Ingredients:
1/2 head green cabbage
1 medium red onion
2 ears of corn
1 bunch of cilantro
2 each serrano chiles
1 English cucumber
2 cups sprouted quinoa, (need to do about 24 hours prior to use)
1 package rice paper wraps
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
-Sprouting quinoa you say? EASY. Quinoa is a very small grain, so it sprouts very quickly. First, you put 2 cups of dry quinoa into a large enough bowl to fully immerse them. Run cold water over the quinoa for about 3-4 minutes, stirring to make sure none of them are sticking together. Heard someone say that if they float, they're witches, so pour those off with the water as your drain them. Then you strain the quinoa, shake off excess water, put in a glass jar with, and cover it with a cloth. (Needs to breathe) About 8-10 hours later, you repeat the rinsing, straining and jarring process. Again, at the 8-10 hour mark, your quinoa should be sprouted, slightly crunchy, and good, good, good. If not repeat once more. Rinse, strain well, and store them in a container, in the fridge, with a damp cloth in the bottom to help keep them moist, but not wet.
-About an hour before you are going to serve the spring rolls, julienne, (thin strips,) the onions, cucumber, and green cabbage, chop the cilantro, cut the corn off of the ear, dice the chiles into small pieces, and put into a bowl. Add about 1/2 cup of the tomatillo salsa, salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Put in the fridge to keep cool.
-When you're ready to serve, get a plate/bowl/pie pan that is large enough to dip the rice paper into with water. Dip one wrap at a time into the water for a few seconds, and place about 1/2 cup of the cabbage mixture into the middle of the wrap. The paper is a little stiff still, so be firmly gentle, fold the sides towards the middle and over the mix, roll into the burrito shape we, as Arizonans know and love. It may take a few practice rolls, but it is pretty straight forward.
-Serve chilled the Tomatillo Avocado Salsa as the dipping sauce.

Tips and Comments about this recipe:
-These are very fun to make, especially if you're having friends over and you make it an interactive experience.
-You can substitute cooked black beans for the quinoa.
-Sprouting is EASY. Check out youtube, or google for tips and techniques for other grains. You won't understand why you've never done it before.
-You can literally choose anything to fill the wraps with.
-Almost raw because I'm not sure about how the spring roll paper is made. I'm assuming it's cooked to some extent.

That's it. Pretty simple. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this post, please contact me at raisingh108@gmail.com. Any requests?? Send those as well.

Until next week, Sat Nam, and remember nurture your creativity and your belly by making your own food.

Rai Singh

Rai Singh's "No Bones About It" Recipe for the week, July 1st, 2010

This is my first installment of my "No Bones About It" Recipe of the Week. I encourage everyone to experiment, taste your food along the way, and for goodness sakes HAVE FUN.

This is one of my favorites and it is a simple, tasty recipe that goes well with just about anything from chips to grilled veggies.

Tomatillo Salsa w/Avocado
(Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free)

12-15ea Medium Tomatillos, husked and cleaned
1/2 Yellow Onion, cut into chunks
1 bunch Cilantro, rinsed
1-3ea Serrano Chiles, cut into 1/2, depending on how spicy you like it,
1ea Avocado, peeled and seeded
1-2cups Water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Makes about 2 quarts.

Start by removing the husk from the tomatillos and rinsing them well. (They have a sticky coating on them that you want to get off.) Next, rinse the cilantro in cold water and shake off the excess water, then find the point on the cilantro bunch where the majority of the leaves start and cut off the stems. In a blender, I use a Vitamix*, add all the ingredients and start with about 1-cup of water. You may need to add the other cup of water and sometimes more, depending on how ripe the tomatillos are. You are looking for a smooth salsa consistency. At this point, you can add more serranos if you like, and season it with salt and pepper. It will require more salt than you think because of the avocado and the tomatillos.

Tips and Comments about this recipe:

-I like to make it extra spicy, because the avocado will provide a counter-balance to the spiceyness.

-If you have the opportunity to make this a day ahead, DO IT. It will get amazingly better and hotter, so be careful.

-Vitamix is the bomb!! I use mine all the time. Whether it's for pureed soups, salsas, juices, or ice-cream. http://www.vitamix.com/ or call Costco and find out when the next demo is coming to town. They can tell you which store and when if you call any of them. It is a little expensive, but worth the money.

-You can omit the avocado and use this recipe as a marinade for tofu or veggies, use it as a sauce for green chile tofu tacos or burritos.

-Don't be afraid to adjust the seasonings if you feel they need it. Tomatillos and chiles can be a little inconsistent throughout the year, so let your tongue to guide you.

Lastly, please, please, please, don't hesitate to post a comment or concern, refer your friends here, link this page or email me directly, raisingh108@gmail.com for anything related to food or to this posting.

Sat Nam and enjoy your food, it always tastes better when you make it yourself.
Rai Singh

Rai Singh's "No Bones About It" Recipe for the week.

I'm happy to announce that I, Rai Singh, will start posting a new recipe each week starting in July 2010. These tasty treats will always be vegetarian, most times vegan and gluten free, and many times raw. I encourage you all to check back each week for a new installment of my yummy, healthy, and practical recipes that will surely liven things up.

Week one--
Raw Tomatillo Salsa with Avocado
This is the BOMB at parties or home on the couch.

See you in July!!

Sat Nam!!
Rai Singh