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 22, 2010

Goodness, my week got away from me, and I'm just getting this posted. If you've been patiently, I thank you.

First, I want to invite you all to Yoga Phoenix next Tuesday the 27th at 7pm for a cooking class. The cost is $20, and it we will go over some basic knife skills, saute, and blanching veggies. The menu is a Roasted Tomato Salsa, The Carrot Beet Salad from last week's recipe and for dinner we will have A Veggie Stir Fry w/Pressed Tofu in a Coconut Curry Cream Sauce Served with Brown Rice/Lentils.

This week's recipe is:

Spaghetti Squash with Sauteed Zucchini, Mushrooms, Onions and Fresh Herbs, Served with a Tomato Sauce
(Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free)

Ingredients:
1 each-spaghetti squash
2 cups-zucchini, diced
2 cups-mushrooms, sliced
1 each-medium red onion, diced
1Tbl-garlic, chopped
1 quart jar of your favorite pasta sauce. (the recipe I have would be a blog post)
Salt and Pepper
fresh herbs of your choice
olive oil

Directions:
-Very, very carefully, cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, and take out the seeds. Pour olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan, and place the squash flesh down on the pan, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes. Time varies on the size of the squash, so start with 30 minutes. What you're looking for is the peel to seperate from the flesh. You can tap on it with your fingernail to determine when it is done, or turn it over and test the flesh with a fork. You want the squash to be just barely done. Set squash aside to cool.
-When squash is cool enough to handle, take off the peel and seperate the flesh into the spaghetti like strands. A fork works well, or jsut use your hands.
-Prep and cut the mushroom, zucchini, onion, garlic, and herbs. In a saute pan, add 2 tbl olive oil to heat. When oil is hot add garlic first, for just a few seconds, then onions, for a few more, and then add remaining veggies, season with salt and pepper to taste. When the mushrooms and zucchini are about half way done, add the squash to the mix. Add the herbs at the very end of the saute process, and set aside.
-Heat up pasta sauce in a sauce pan.

To serve:
-Whether you're using it as the vegetable portion of a meal, or as the meal itself, you add the tomato sauce on top of the squash.

Tips and Comments about this recipe:

-Be careful when cutting the raw squash!!!
-If you're not vegan, you can reduce 1 cup of cream by about half, in a sauce and spoon it right in the middle of the tomato sauce. It adds a great color contrast to the plate.
-You can also serve the squash mixture cold, and the tomato sauce hot.

I try to make my recipes simple and approachable, at the same time, unique, delicious and fun. As always, your comments, concerns, and questions are much appreciated. You can reach me directly at raisingh108@gmail.com for anything related to this blog.

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

See you next week,
Rai Singh

Rai Singh’s “No Bones About It” Recipe for the Week, July 15, 2010

Sat Nam, Hope you all had a great week. This week I’m bringing you a ttreat that I’ve made at the Level 1 Teacher Training retreats the last two years. And on Tuesday, July 27th, I will be doing a special cooking event at Yoga Phoenix and this will be one of the recipes I make. The cost for the event is $20, and you can register on-line at www.yogaphoenix.com and follow the link to special events.

Carrot, Beet Salad with Balsamic Vinegar, Caramelized Onions, Dried Cranberries and Fresh Thyme
(Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free)

I know, I know. BEETS, YUCK!! THEY TASTE LIKE DIRT!!! Yes, they do, yummy earthy, grounding goodness. And believe me, those students needed lead boots to keep their feet on the ground.

Here you go:
1# Peeled and diced carrots, 1/2” cubes
1# Peeled and diced beets, 1/2” cubes
3/4cup Dried cranberries
1Tbl Fresh thyme
1ea Red onion, julienne
4Tbl Olive oil
2Tbl Brown sugar
2Tbl Balsamic vinegar
Salt and Pepper

-Blanche carrots and beets, separately, (http://www.ehow.com/how_13887_blanch-vegetables.html is a good link to explain blanching). Blanching is simply putting the veggies in boiling water long enough to just barely cook them, and immediately putting them in iced water to stop the cooking process. After the carrots and beets are blanched and cooled, drain them and let them sit to dry.
-In a heated sauté pan add 2Tbl olive oil and the julienned red onion. Saute onion until dark brown, add brown sugar, and sauté another 2-3 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
-In a large bowl add the cooled beets, carrots, onions, cranberries, thyme and mix together. At this point you will simply mix, (mix with a fork is fine) the remaining 2Tbl olive oil and the 2Tbl balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Add this dressing to the mixture, salt and pepper to taste, making sure to mix well.

Tips and comments about this recipe:

-Beets are a little tricky to chop, so be careful
-You can substitute any herb, or you can add goat cheese, feta, or any other cheese. The white cheeses give a good color contrast.

Once again, your comments, suggestions, and concerns, are much appreciated. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me directly at raisingh108@gmail.com.

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

Rai Singh

Rai Singh's "No Bones About It" Recipe for the Week, July 8, 2010

Sat Nam everyone. I hope you all had a great 4th. This week's recipe is another cool treat for these hot Phoenix summers.

Cold Cantaloupe Soup with Sweet Basil (Raw, Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free)

1- Cantaloupe, peeled and seeded

1/2- Medium Carrot

1/2- Celery Stalk

1/2- English Cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

1/4- Yellow Onion

1/2- Baby Bok Choy, (if you can't find baby, you can use one big hearty leaf of regular) You can also use green cabbage

1-2Tbl- Basil

1/2cup-2cups- Water, depends on the consistency you want and the ripeness of the melon and cucumber.

Salt and Pepper to taste

This is another recipe where I use my Vitamix, but you can use whatever blender you have. Dice all of the ingredients into medium sized chunks, (basically small enough to be managable in the blender.) Put everything except for the basil in the blender and turn on to low. At this point, you add water, but give it a few seconds to see how much you will need. It takes a bit for the melon and cucumber to liquefy. ***Note:If you are going to serve the soup right away, you will substitute ice for water. This will keep the soup from getting warm.*** Blend the soup until it is almost smooth, add basil and season with salt and pepper. Smooth out and either serve right away, or refrigerate and serve.

Tips and Comments about this recipe:

-If this is your first time with blended soups, add the water in stages. The melon and cucumber can add quite a bit of liquid and the soup can end up too watery if you're not careful. It's better to blend it thicker and then add a little extra water to finish the consistency. Make it ahead of time, if you can, to make sure it cools completely.

-If you're experimenting with the ingredients, (and please experiment!!) the carrot, cabbage, and cucumber are what give this soup its body.

-When seasoning a cold dish, it usually requires more salt than expected. And remember, it's a soup and not a juice, you want to taste the salt and pepper.

-Watermelon is a great substitution for this recipe. Use mint instead of basil and garnish with goat cheese.

-Cantaloupe, cucumber and the bok choy are high in Vitamin C, so this "soup" is extremely nutritious as well as yummy and refreshing.

One thing you won't find here is exact measurements, especially salt and pepper. I'm not withholding information. Fresh ingredients vary too much, and salt and pepper is based on personal preferences. Also, making your own food is all about exploration and discovery, and that is where you'll find the beauty. So as always, it is my pleasure to answer any questions or concerns you have about this or any recipe, so please don't hesitate to ask. You can contact me at raisingh108@gmail.com

Sat Nam and enjoy your food. It tastes better when you make it yourself.

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