Tindora Masala Rice in Instant Pot

(From Banu's Cookbook)



Ingredients:

2 Cups of Basmati Rice - Washed and soaked for 10-15 mins.
2-3 Cups of Vertically sliced Tindora (I used Frozen Tindora 12 oz pack)
1 Cup of Green Peas (I used Frozen)
1 Large Onion Chopped lengthwise
1 Can of Coconut Milk (I used 13.5 oz can)
3-4 Tbsp of Vangibhath powder (I used MTR)
Salt to Taste
Ghee for Sauteeing
1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
1 Tbsp of Channa Daal for Seasoning
1 Tbsp of Urad Daal for Seasoning
2 tsp of Mustard seeds for Seasoning
A few curry leaves for Seasoning
Chopped Cilantro for Garnishing

Method:

1. Put the Instant pot on Saute Mode. Once it is hot, add ghee. Add mustard seeds.
2. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add channa daal, urad daal and curry leaves. Saute for a few mins until daals turn golden brown.
3. Add chopped onion and saute until onion turns pinkish brown. About 5-7 minutes.
4. Now add the Tindora and Peas, turmeric powder and saute well until the Tindora is almost cooked.  Add Vangibhath powder and mix well and saute just for minute. At this point the whole masala and vegetable will burn quickly, so keep sauteing it and do not leave it unattended.
5. Drain and add the rice to Instant pot along with coconut milk. Mix well.
6. Now add 2.5 cups of water to the mix and mix it all well. Water should be about 1 inch over the rice mixture. This way you can adjust the water.
7. Add salt and mix it all well, scraping the bottom of the instant pot. Close the lid, put the vent to sealing. Cancel Saute mode and chose rice mode. By default this should be 12 mins on low pressure.
8. Once the rice mode is done, let it release pressure naturally. Be careful when you are opening the lid as there can be water condensation there that you do not want falling on the rice.
9. Take a fork and poke and rake the rice a bit to release any steam that is still lurking. Add chopped cilantro for garnishing.
10. Serve it hot with some yogurt, raita and/or papad.

Notes:
1. Do not add too much coconut oil as the rice will become sticky and a bit gooey.
2. Do not over soak the rice as it will become mushy.
3. You can use Fresh or Frozen Tindora. I used Frozen because they are easy and I always have them handy.

Eggplant Curry

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
3 Medium Sized Long Purple Eggplants - diced into cubes (see image at the end of the post)
1 Medium Onion - Chopped
Oil for Cooking
2 Tbsp of Jaggery
Salt to Taste
1 tsp of Turmeric powder
Mustard Seeds and Jeera for Seasoning
Hing for Seasoning
Curry leaves for seasoning
Chopped Cilantro for Garnishing

For the Masala:
2 Tbsp of Coriander Seeds
2 Tbsp of Urad Daal
4-5 Red Chilies (adjust according to your spice levels)
1 Cup - Fresh or Frozen / Thawed Grated Coconut
2 tbsp of Tamarind Paste

Method:
1. Heat a pan, add some oil and add hing and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add Jeera. Then add the chopped onion and saute for 5-6 minutes until onion becomes transparent.
2. Now add the chopped Egg Plant to this and cook it covered on low to medium heat for 10 mins or so. I normally chop the eggplant when the onions are about to be done and each chopped eggplant directly into the pan. But if you are chopping them in advance, keep them in a bowl of water to prevent discoloration and add them after straining them from the water.
3. While egg plant is cooking, saute all the ingredients for the Masala except coconut and Tamarind paste. You can add a few drops of oil to help you with sauteing or do dry saute. Once the coriander seeds and urad daal become golden brown, take it off the fire and let it cool.
4. Now grind this into a smooth paste with coconut and tamarind paste.
5. Check and see if the eggplant is almost cooked. To this add the ground paste, turmeric, salt and jaggery and mix well.
6. Let it cook on low fire for 5-10 mins until all the ingredients are well blended and eggplant has had time to absorb the flavors.
7. Switch off the fire and garnish with Chopped Cilantro. Serve it hot with Chapathi or Rice.

Desperate Minestrone Soup in Instant Pot

(From Banu's Cookbook)

This recipe is exactly what the title says. Desperate Recipe when I have not done grocery shopping and I am scavenging my refrigerator and pantry. Two Fresh Ingredients that I am missing for this recipe are Spinach and Zucchini. These two add really good flavors to the soup.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 small Onions chopped fine
1 Carrot Diced
1 15 oz can of Red Kidney Beans
1 15 oz can of Great Northern Beans
1 15 oz can of cut green Italian beans
1 15 oz can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes
2 tsp of Italian seasoning
1 tsp of Basil
1 tsp of Cayenne Pepper
1 tsp of Oregano
1 tsp of Crushed Black Pepper
A bit of Pink Himalayan taste (just a little bit for flavor)
Frozen Spinach
4-5 cups of Vegetable Broth
1 cup of Shell Pasta (or any small pasta suitable for soup)
1-2 tsp of Olive Oil

Method:

1. Switch on instant pot and put it on Saute Mode. Once it shows On, add the olive oil. To this add the chopped onion and diced carrots. Saute well for 5-6 mins until the onion turns translucent.
2. Now add the seasonings and saute a bit more.
3. Add the drained and rinsed beans, Italian beans, fire roasted tomatoes, frozen spinach, pasta and the broth. Mix it well.
4. Switch off the saute mode. Put it in Manual/Pressure cook mode and cooking time is 5 mins.
5. After the cooking time is done. Do a quick release of pressure otherwise the pasta might get overcooked.
6. Mix it well and serve it hot with some grated Parmesan cheese and crushed black pepper.


 Notes:

1. I had Trader Joes Organic Vegetable Broth - 32 Fl Oz or 1 Qt - which was around 4 Cups.
2. My Frozen Spinach was from Indian store and it was in kind of cubes, so I put two cube of it.
3. I had Great Northern Beans but Cannellini beans also works very well.
4. Please have some PATIENCE as it takes time to build up pressure and release pressure as well as there is a lot of liquid in the instant pot. I did it in my 8 qt IP and it took around 3 mins to completely release the pressure.

What's in my Pantry Chilli in Instant Pot

(From Banu's Cookbook)

This is named What's in my pantry chilli, because that is exactly what this was. I did not really follow any particular recipe, I just used what was in my pantry today. So, please feel free to substitute and/or add your own ingredients.

Ingredients:
1 Medium Sized Onion - Chopped Finely
3-4 Mini Sweet Peppers - Chopped
1 Green Zucchini - Chopped
1 Carrot - Chopped
1 Small Tin of Hatch Green Chilies
1 16 oz Can of Dark Red Kidney Beans
1 16 oz Can of Sweet Corn
1 16 oz Can of Pinto Beans
1 16 oz Can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
2 tsp of Oregano
2 tsp of Cumin Powder
1 tsp of Cayenne Red Chili Pepper
2 tsp of Brown Sugar
Oil for Sauteeing
Salt for Cooking
1/2 - 1 cup of Water

For Pico De Gallo
1 Small Onion Chopped
2 Tomatoes Chopped
1/2 cup of Cilantro Chopped

Avocado for Topping

Instant Pot for Cooking

Method:
1. Heat the Instant pot in Saute mode. Put some oil. Put the chopped Onion, Sweet Peppers and Hatch Chille and saute for a few minutes (5-6) minutes or until the onions turn soft.
2. Now add the Zucchini, Carrot and all the seasoning and mix well. Cook for a few more minutes.
3. Now add all the canned ingredients, salt and some water. Basically the water should be about 1/2 inch over all the ingredients or even less.
4. Mix it all well and close the Instant pot lid. Turn the Steam Valve to sealing position. Switch off the Saute mode and chose the Bean/Chilli Mode. Mine was set to some 50 mins, but since I was using canned and not dry or pre soaked beans, I reduced the time to 25 mins.
5. Once the cook time is done, I did a natural pressure release, which means, I just waited for the pressure to release naturally. Chilli was done well and not over cooked or mushy.
6. Ladle the Chilli into a bowl, top it with Avocado and Pico De Gallo and Enjoy.


Notes:
1. You can of course do this in a regular pressure cooker or stove top. I happen to use Instant pot because it is easy to saute and cook all in one pot.
2. You can add any different kind of canned beans and some fresh tomatoes as well.
3. You can serve it with a bit of sour cream or greek yogurt too.
4. You can skip the Brown sugar, but I feel like it tempers all the sourness that is there in tomatoes etc.

Red Radish and Spinach Curry

(From Banu's Cookbook)

I had couple of bunches of Red Radish and I wanted to try something else other than my traditional sambhar recipe with this vegetable. So, here is my experimentation of Red Radish and Spinach curry.

Ingredients:

3-4 bunches of Red Radish - Cleaned and sliced into half rounds.
2-3 cups of Spinach - Washed and Chopped
1 Large Red Onion - chopped finely
3-4 Garlic Cloves - Chopped Finely
Turmeric - 1/2 Tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1-2 Tsp (based on taste)
Cumin (Jeera) Powder - 2 tsp
Coriander (Dhaniya) Powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 Tbsp
Salt to Taste
Oil for cooking
Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds and Hing (Asafoetida) for seasoning.

Method:
1. Wash, clean and slice the red radish in half rounds. Keep it aside.
2. In a pan, heat some oil. Add Mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the jeera and hing.
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute until the onion browns a bit. Do not overcook the onions. Just a little browning is good enough.
4. Now add the cut radish and saute for a few minutes. I covered the pan with a lid and cooked it for about 4-5 minutes until the radish was half done.
5. Add the masala powders at this point and mix well and saute for a few more minutes.
6. Add the chopped spinach and mix it all well. Add salt and Jaggery at this point.
7. Saute/cook for about 4-5 minutes until the spinach is done and at this point the radish will be cooked too.
8. Serve it hot with chapathi or rice.

Notes:
1. You can use the radish leaves that come with the radish as well. I felt it was too bitter, so I skipped it.
2. The radish itself will have a bite or sharpness to it, so add red chilli powder per taste.
3. You can skip jaggery. I added it because of the Radish sharpness and I thought it will temper the dish a bit.

Peas and Paneer Curry

(From Banu's Cookbook)

There are many versions of Peas Paneer aka Matter Paneer Curry out there. So I am sure mine is influenced by many of them. But here is a version that is the result of my experimentation.

Ingredients:

Paneer - 400 gms (I use Nanak Malai Paneer from Indian Stores)
Frozen Peas - 3/4 cup (you can increase or decrease this based on your taste)
2 Small Red Onions - Chopped Roughly
4-5 Garlic Cloves
1 inch piece of Ginger
4-5 Tomatoes (I used Roma Tomatoes, but any work)
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 tsp Dhaniya Jeera Powder
Jeera for Seasoning
1/2 inch Cinnamon Stick, 1 small star anise, 1-2 Cardamon, 1-2 Bay leaves for Seasoning
1 can of Coconut Milk (13-14 oz can) (I get the full fat one)
Salt to Taste
Butter or Ghee for cooking
Finely Chopped Cilantro for Garnishing
1/2 tsp of Dry Kasoori Methi for Garnishing

Method:

1. In a pan, heat a bit of butter, add the chopped onion, ginger and garlic and saute on medium heat until the onions are done (they become translucent) and also it becomes a bit brown. Let this mixture cool and then grind it into a smooth paste with little or NO water.
2. Cut the paneer into the bite size that you want and soak it for 10-12 mins in Warm water, so that it softens.
3. Cook the peas, drain the water and add ice cubes to retain the green color of the peas.
4. Boil the tomatoes, peel the skin and grind it into a paste.
5. In a pan, heat some butter, add all the seasoning items - Jeera, Star Anise, Cinnamon etc and fry for a few mins. To this, add the ground onion mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes. If the mixture is splattering (as mine does sometimes), cover it with a lid, but keep the lid open, so that steam/water does not build up.
6. Once this mixture is well cooked, add the dry masalas - Dhaniya Jeera powder, Turmeric, Red Chilli Powder and mix well.
7. Add the Tomatoe paste/puree and mix well and let it cook until you can see oil separating at the edges.
8. Now add the Paneer pieces, peas, coconut milk, salt and mix well and let the whole mixture boil for a few minutes on medium or medium-low fire.
9. Turn off the heat and garnish it with Chopped Corriander Leaves and a bit of Kasoori Methi Powder (I take the dry kasoori methi leaves, crush it in between my hands and add it).

Serve it hot with Chapathi, Poori or Rice

Notes:

1. You can use home made paneer or any other Paneer. I am just giving you the brand that I like to use. You do not have to soften the paneer, but it tastes better and absorbs the masala better if it is soft.
2. You can use canned tomato puree or paste, but the fresh made one tastes better.
3. I have tried using the low fat coconut milk, the taste is way different and the curry is more watery. So, full fat coconut milk works better for this recipe.

Peppery Tofu

(Adapted from Archana Pidathala's recipe)

Ingredients:
5-6 Oz of Tofu - Pressed, drained and cut into thin pieces
1 tsp of Olive Oil
Salt to taste

Spices for Seasoning
1/4 tsp of Whole Black Peppercorns
1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp of Fennel Seeds
1/2 tsp of Coriander Seeds

Method:
1. Dry roast all the spices for seasoning until they turn slightly brown. Be careful not to burn them.
2. Let the roasted spices cool and then grind them into a coarse powder.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and add the cut tofu pieces and saute them on a medium heat until they are nicely browned on both sides. You can cook them a bit longer if you like crispy tofu.
4. Put the spices - you do not have to add all of it, you can add as much as you like. Add salt. Mix it well.
6. Cook the tofu with spices for a few more minutes and then serve it hot with a side of vegetables. In this case I served it with some sauteed cabbage and cucumbers.

Notes:
1. You can make this spice mixture ahead of time and store it in an airtight container.
2. You can modify the spices by adding paprika instead of peppercorns or red chilies etc.
3. The spice measurements were a bit extra for my 6 oz of tofu, so I ended up using only 3/4 of the mixture, but you can adjust it according to your taste.

Dry Okra Curry

(From Banu's Cookbook)



Ingredients:
4 cups of Chopped Okra
2 tsp of Olive Oil
Cumin seeds for Seasoning
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 - 3 tsp Cumin Powder
1-2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Lemon Juice - about 2-3 Tbsp

Method:
1. Heat a heavy bottomed wide wok. Add the olive oil and cumin seeds.
2. Once the cumin seeds turn brownish, add the chopped okra and immediately add the lemon juice.
3. Mix well once. Reduce the flame to medium low.
4. Cook the okra until it starts to brown. Do not cover the pan. Cook it open.
5. Do not stir too many times otherwise the okra will get gooey. Just stir it one or two times.
6. Once the okra has started to turn brown, add the salt, turmeric, cumin and red chill powder.
7. Mix well and continue to cook on medium heat until it is well done. If you do not like it well done, you can switch off the heat earlier.

Notes:
1. You do not need too much oil for this curry as you are adding lemon juice. You can add bit more lemon juice than I mention if you like your curry tangy.
2. I just wipe the Okra and then chop it. I do not really wash it in a lot of water etc. This also helps in not making the curry very gooey.
3. You can add other powders per your taste like Garam masala etc. I like this combination and keeps it tasty and simple. 

My Version of Good Girl Moonshine

(From Banu's Cookbook)

I have always been a fan of Apple Cider Vinegar. I have used it in Salad Dressings or even just tossed with cucumbers and black pepper. I had heard of this Good Girl Moon Shine drink from several friends of mine but had never tried it. I read a lot of blogs and came up with my own version.

You can drink Natural Organic ACV with the Mother plain with some water or with some cinnamon or add it to any herbal tea. I use Bragg Organic Version. "Mother" is the most important part of the ACV that has all the good healing properties etc. But ACV is highly acidic so I would not recommend drinking it straight as it will damage tooth enamel and also your throat. You always mix it with water and drink it or do these different version of GGMS (Good Girl Moon Shine) recipes.

At the bottom of the post, I have given links to the Original GGMS and other blogs that I found helpful. You can use any tea that you like, my recipe uses the Mango tea bags as I like that flavor a lot, but as you can see from the different blog links, most any tea works good.

You might be wondering why even drink this - the benefits of ACV are numerous and ginger is just an amazing produce for your health. So combining these two and plus getting all your water intake for the day!! Win Win.

Ingredients:
4 bags of Mango Flavored Tea (I use Trader Joes brand)
3 bags pf Pukka Three Ginger Tea (Here is a link for it)
4 Tbsp of Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother
3-4 Tbsp of Splenda depending on how sweet you like it.
1-2 tsp of Mango Flavor Fountain (I use Olive Nation Brand)
1/4-1/2 Tsp of Orange Extract (Olive Nation Brand Here)

Method:
1. Immerse the tea bags in 2 qt of cold water and leave it in the fridge overnight. This is what I call cold pressing or cold brewing of tea. Overnight works the best. Although I have soaked them for couple of hours in a pinch too.
2. Remove the tea bags, add the rest of the ingredients and Sweetener to taste and your GGMS is ready. I drink my 2 quarts throughout the day.

Notes:
1. You can use Ginger powder instead of the ginger tea bags, but I personally did not like floating powder in my drink, so I use the tea bags. Some of my friends even use Ginger Essential Oil. You can even skip Ginger.
2. I use Splenda as my choice of sweetener, but you can use any and you might have to experiment a bit to see how much sweetness you need.
3. I would also recommend that you start slow, maybe 2 tbsp per quart for the first week and then increase. Since I have been consuming ACV for a long while now, I had no problem with going with my 4 tblspn.
4. The extracts I have used are all optional. I just like how they make my drink taste.
5. I have bought my Pukka Three Ginger tea from Amazon.com, but I have seen them in Whole Foods and sometimes in Sprouts too.
6. ACV with Mother is available in all major grocery stores.
7. You can add some cinnamon too if you like.

Blog List:
1. Original THM (Trim Healthy Mama) GGMS (Good Girl Moon Shine) Recipe


2.  Hawaiian Punch GGMS


3. Another Version with Honey

Lemon Madeline

(Adapted from Internet Recipe)

Disclaimer: Not my Original Recipe. Adapted from a Recipe someone posted in Ideal Protein support forum on Facebook.

Ingredients:
1 IP Pancake Mix packet
1 IP Vanilla Drink Mix packet
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Lemon Peel (Optional)
Zest of 1 Lemon
2 Tsp Milk
2 Tsp Olive Oil
1/3 C Egg White
2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice (or more - as needed to make the batter moist)

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 Deg F.
2. In a bowl mix the the two IP packets and baking powder well. This step is quite critical. Take some time to mix all of them well. I mix for about 40-50 secs with a whisk.
3. Add the Lemon Zest, peel and all the wet ingredients.
4. Mix well gently. Do not over mix it or beat it. More like fold it all in together until the batter is moist.
5. Spray a Madeline pan with Olive oil spray.
6. My Pan had 12 slots and I spread the batter evenly between all the 12 slots.
7. Bake for about 8-10 Minutes. Mine felt done around 8 minutes. So I removed it, took them out of pan and let it cool.

Dipping Sauce:
2 Tbsp Walden Farms Marshmallow Dip
2 Tbsp of Lemon Juice
A bit of lemon zest

Mix all the ingredients together well with a whisk. I added a bit of water as well as the WF marshmallow dip was bit clumpy.

Notes:
1. I did not need additional lemon juice than 2 tbsp. The batter was quite moist.
2. Fresh Lemon juice makes a big difference in this recipe.
3. I used this Madeline pan - from Amazon.com
4. I arranged the Madeline's in such a way that you could see how much dark the backside had become.
5. I used the Lemon Peel from Penzey Spices.

Curried Green Beans

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
2 cups of washed and chopped green beans
1 tsp of Olive Oil
Cumin Seeds for Seasoning
Mustard Seeds for seasoning
Curry Leaves for seasoning
IP Salt to Taste
1 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 1/2 tsp Corriander Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Tumeric Powder
1-2 tsp Lemon Juice
Chopped cilantro for Garnishing

Method:
1. Remove the ends of Green Beans, wash and chop them.
2. In a pan, heat olive oil and add Cumin and Mustard Seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and the chopped green beans and mix well.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook the green beans by covering the pan. Do not add any extra water. Green beans get cooked by the condensation that forms when you close the pan with a lid.
4. Keep stirring it in between and once the green beans are almost cooked (about 9-10 mins depending on the quality of green beans) - add all the spice powders including salt and mix well.
5. Continue cooking until the green beans is well done.
6. Add Lemon juice and chopped cilantro and serve it hot.
7. You can serve it with Tofu like I have done in the picture or with IP Potato puree

Notes:
1. You have to cook this in low fire without any water, else the green beans will become soggy.
2. The curry leaves add a nice taste to the curry, so try to add that as much as possible. 

Egg Curry in Tomato and Garlic Gravy (Sauce)

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
6 boiled Eggs cut in half
4 cups of tomatoes chopped
3-4 Garlic Cloves
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Tumeric powder
1 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
IP Salt to taste
Chopped Cilantro for Garnishing

Method:
1. Heat a pan and add 1 tsp of Olive Oil. Add chopped tomatoes and garlic and cook well on medium heat until the tomatoes are completely cooked.
2. Let this cool down and come to room temperature. Blend this mixture in a blender or food processor with just a tad bit of water.
3. Heat the same pan with 1 tsp of Olive oil and put cumin seeds and all the spice powders and fry for a few minutes.
4. Add the blended tomato mixture and cook for a few more minutes.
5. Add the halved boiled eggs and ip salt and mix well gently.
6. Reduce the heat and cook for 5-6 minutes so that eggs absorb the spices.
7. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

This recipe creates two IP Servings of 2 cups of Vegetables and 6-7 ounces of protein when you eat three eggs with half of the sauce.

You can serve this with a IP potato puree pita bread if you so desire.

Notes:
1. You can add 1-2 tsp of splenda if you feel that the tomatoes are a bit sour. I personally like the slightly sour taste of tomatoes, so I did not add any splenda.
2. You can even reduce the tomatoes and add some spinach for a slightly different taste.
3. You can use this tomato gravy and add it to other vegetables as well like bell peppers and cauliflower. Just reduce the tomato to 1 cup and and another cup of vegetables. It is better to roast these vegetables first. I will post another recipe soon.
4. You can use canned sauce, but somehow the taste is much better with fresh tomatoes.

Tomato Rasam (Soup)

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
Tomato - 2 Medium (About 1 Cup == 7 oz)
2 Tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Tsp Whole Black Pepper
A Few Curry Leaves
1 Tsp of Granular Splenda
2 Tbsp Chopped Cilantro
Salt to Taste

For Seasoning:
1 Tsp of Olive Oil or Butter flavored Olive Oil
Mustard Seeds
A pinch of Hing

Method:
1. Boil the tomatoes with just enough water to cover them until you see the skin peeling.
2. Let the tomatoes cool. Peel the skin and mash them well. Add it back to the water you boiled them in.
3. After mashing, I took out the big chunks of tomatoes that I felt were too big and blended them well.
4. Dry Roast Cumin and Whole Pepper seeds and grind them into a powder. Add this powder to the mashed tomato mixture along with salt, splenda, curry leaves and cilantro and boil the mixture for a few minutes. Do not over boil it as it spoils the taste.
5. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds and hing and add the seasoning to the Rasam (soup) as soon as Mustard seeds splutter. Serve it Hot.
6. This makes perfect meal options for cold weather. Cumin and Black Pepper are good digestive aids as well. This entire serving will count as 1 cup of Vegetable serving for Ideal Protein.

Notes:
1. You can use Jaggery or Sugar instead of Splenda. Since, I wanted this to be Ideal Protein Friendly, I used Splenda.
2. You can use Ghee for Seasoning instead of olive oil. Again to keep it Ideal Protein Friendly, I used olive oil.

Baked Tofu and Vegetables

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 pkt of Extra Firm Tofu pressed for 20-30 mins
2 Cup of Green Beans (10.6 Ounces)
11/2 Cup of Baby Bella Mushrooms (5.1 Ounces)
1/2 Cup of Bell Peppers (2.6 Ounces)
6-8 Garlic Cloves
Red Chili Flakes and Salt to Taste

For the Sauce:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tsp of Chili Paste
1 Tsp of Garlic Chili Paste
2 Pkts of Splenda
3 Tbsp of Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Method:
1. Press the tofu in a Tofu Press for at least 20-30 mins. Pat it with a paper towel and cut into 1 inch cubes.
2. Wash and cut the vegetables roughly. They need not be too fine. I did chop the big garlic cloves into a few smaller pieces.

3. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl. You can taste it at this point and add more chili paste if need be.
4. Once sauce is to taste, mix the sauce with the tofu and vegetables, add salt and crushed red pepper flakes per your taste.
5. Heat the Oven to 400 Deg F.
6. Spray a glass baking dish with Olive Oil Spray.
7.Add the tofu and vegetable mixture into the glass tray and bake in the oven for 20-25 mins.

8. Baking time varies on the oven and also on how cooked you want the vegetables to be. You might see some water in the tray, that is from the vegetables, as you cook more, the water will get evaporated.

This recipe creates two servings of Ideal Protein Meal - about 7 ounces of Protein and 2 cups of vegetable for each serving. The Tofu weighed about 14 ounces after I pressed and chopped it into cubes.

Notes:
1. For this to be 100% Ideal Protein protocol, you can omit the Toasted Sesame Seed Oil.
2. You can replace the Splenda with brown sugar or agave nectar or sugar.
3. You can add any combination of Vegetables that you want.

Crispy Baked Tofu on Cauliflower Rice

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:

Cauliflower Rice:
1/2 Head of Cauliflower - Riced in food processor about 2 cups.
3 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 inch Ginger Minced
2 Baby Bokchoy Chopped roughly
1/8 tsp of Sea Salt
2 Tbsp of Water or Low Sodium Vegetable Broth

Tofu:
1 package of Extra Firm Organic Tofu

Sauce:
1.5 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1/4 cup of Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1 tsp of Garlic chilli paste
2 Tbsp of Walden Farms Maple Syrup
1 tsp of Lemon Juice
2 tsp of Splenda Granular

Method:
1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and keep it aside.
2. Press the tofu to remove all the water using a Tofu Press. If you do not have one, you can put it in between paper towels and put some heavy weight on it like canned beans, to remove the excess water. You need to press it for at least 30 mins to remove all the water.
3. Pat the tofu dry, cut it into 1 inch pieces and then bake it in the oven at 400 deg F for about 25 mins.
3. Let the tofu cool for about 10 mins. Marinade it in the sauce for another 10 mins at least.
4. While the tofu is baking and cooling. You can rice the cauliflower.
5. In a pan add 1 tsp of Olive oil, add the minced ginger and garlic, saute for a few mins. Add the riced cauliflower and mix well. Add a 2 tbsps of water or vegetable broth and reduce the flame to medium low. Cook the pan and let the cauliflower rice steam well. It takes about 10 mins. Then increase the flame, add 2 tsp of the sauce and the chopped bok choy and stir well. Cook for a few more minutes.
6. Remove the rice into a bowl. Now, in the same pan add the marinated tofu and saute for a few minutes until browned. You do not need any oil for this. The marinade will help brown the Tofu.
7. Add the tofu on top of the fried rice, garnish with some chopped green onions and serve hot.

Notes:
1. You can add toasted sesame oil to the sauce for extra taste. I was trying to keep this Ideal protein friendly, so I did not add it.
2. You can also add Egg to the fried rice if you want. Since, I had tofu as my main protein, I did not add egg.
3. You can also add other vegetables like Bell Peppers, Spinach etc
4. It feels like this recipe requires a lot of time, but lot of this can be done before hand and then tossed together.
5. You can increase the "hot" factor of the sauce by adding more chilli paste per your taste.
6. Soy Sauce adds quite a bit of saltiness to the sauce, so I did not add extra salt to tofu.
7. You can substitute Honey or Agave Nectar instead of Walden Farms Maple Syrup.
8. You can serve the Tofu on white fried rice as well.

Basil Pesto without Cheese or nuts

(From Banu's Cookbook)

I love Pesto, but could not find any in store without cheese. So I did my own version at home.

Ingredients:
2 Cups Basil Leaves Washed
2 Cups of Baby Spinach Leaves Washed
2-3 Garlic Cloves
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
Lemon Juice from 1 Whole Lemon
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Sea Salt to Taste

Method:
1. In a food processor (with the chopper blade attached), blend the basil, spinach, garlic well.
2. Then add lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Mix well again.
3. With the food processor on, slowly add the Olive oil until it is all mixed well.
4. You can use this as sauce on Zucchini Noodles or use it on Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

Notes:
1. I added Spinach because it gives a bit more body to the pesto as we are not adding any cheese or nuts.
2. Basil normally turns dark green after pulsing. Spinach keeps it more green looking.
3. You can reduce or increase olive oil based on how liquid you want your pesto to be.

Cauliflower Pizza Base

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups of Cauliflower Rice
1/3 Cup Egg White
1/4 Tsp Onion Salt
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 Tsp of Italian Seasoning
1 Tsp of Olive Oil
Additional Sea Salt to Taste

Method:
1. Cauliflower Rice is regular cauliflower florets pulsed to rice form in a food processor or blender. I measure two cups after ricing the cauliflower in raw state.
2. Put this in a microwave cup, sprinkle some water and microwave for 5 mins. You do not need to add a lot of water as Cauliflower will leave water as it gets cooked.
3. After the Cauliflower has cooled down a bit, put it in a cheese cloth and squeeze out as much water as you can. This is a very important step to get a good crust. Since, we are not using any flour or cheese as binders, the crust will not hold well together if there is too much water.
4. After you have squeezed as much water as you can, put it in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients including egg white. Mix well.
5. I used a non stick Aluminium foil spread on a baking tray. Put the mixture on it and pat it together into a circle (or whichever shape you want). You do not want it to be too thick or thin. Mine infact was a bit too thin this time. Maybe about 1/8 inch thickness should be good.
6. Bake it at 350 deg F for about 12-15 mins, until you see the edges browning. Now Flip it gently and bake the other side for about 3-5 mins.
7. Let is rest for a bit outside and then you can use it.

Notes:
1. I wanted to keep to 2 cups of vegetable per my Ideal Protein diet, so I used 1 1/2 cups of Raw Cauliflower Rice and the other half cup was my toppings. But if you are not following that, you can increase the quantity and make more than one or more thicker crust.

Egg Salad stuffed Mini Sweet Peppers

(From Banu's Cook Book)

Ingredients:
1 cup of Mini Sweet Peppers (It came to around 5 for me - depends on the size)
1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup of Dill Relish (Recipe for my Homemade Dill Relish is here)
3 Hard boiled Eggs
WF Mayo Garlic Chilli Sauce
Cilantro for Garnishing

Method:
1. Hard Boil the eggs. Peel them and chop them fine.
2. In a bowl, combine the chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped onion and the relish. Mix well. The salt in the relish was good enough for me and I did not add any extra salt.
3. Cut the top of the mini peppers and then cut them lengthwise in half. Remove the seeds. Fill them with the Egg salad.
4. Drizzle the WF Mayo Garlic Chilli Sauce and sprinkle some cilantro.
5. The sweet crunchiness of the mini peppers are a good background for this egg salad.

WF Mayo Garlic Chilli Sauce

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp of Walden Farms Mayo
1 - 2 Tbsp of Pickle Juice (This is the water from the pickle jar)
1/4 Tsp of Garlic Chilli Sauce
A bit of Lemon Juice

Method:
Mix all the ingredients together well and the sauce is ready.

Notes:
1. Walden Farms Mayo is very sweet for my taste. So the garlic chilli and pickle juice cuts through the sweetness and makes it tastier. You can even add just regular chilli paste or hot sauce or even Red curry paste.
2. This is the brand of Garlic Chilli Paste that I used. You can get it in most grocery stores.

3. You can pulse the eggs in food processor if you like a more smooth egg salad.

Homemade Relish from Dill Pickles

(From Banu's Cookbook)

I was looking for some Relish in stores, but they all had added sugar in them. So, I decided to do my own version at home.

Ingredients:
3-4 Mini Dill Pickles (No salt added Variety)
1/4 cup of Roasted Red Peppers
1/4 tsp of Yellow Mustard (Optional)

Method:
Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until they are well blended. It will not be a smooth mixture, but a bit coarse.

This stores well in the fridge for about a week.

Notes:
1. You can roast your own red bell pepper at home, I used the bottled ones that you get in store.
2. You can skip Yellow Mustard or add Honey Mustard instead if you want a more sweeter taste.
3. The sweetness was perfect for me due to the roasted red pepper, but you can add some Splenda or sugar, if you prefer more sweet relish.
4. I have not tried freezing this.
5. If you use regular size pickles, then adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

Spinach Soup with Edamame Patties

(From Banu's Cookbook)

Sharing the recipe for my dinner and as I was writing the blog post, I realized that it was two recipes. Since they were both so easy, I am putting both of them here.

Spinach Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups of tightly packed spinach (Washed, rinsed and patted dry)
1/2 Cabbage head - Chopped roughly
1 Yellow Squash - Chopped roughly
1 Cup of Red Onion
2-3 Pinches of Nutmeg
2-3 Green Chilies
2-3 Garlic Cloves
2-3 Tsp of Olive Oil
Water to boil
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion, green chilies and Garlic and saute until Onion is translucent.
2. Add the nutmeg powder and mix well.
3. Add Cabbage, Yellow squash and Spinach. Mix well. Add about 2 cups of water just enough to cover the veggies and boil them well under medium fire. I covered the pot and cooked them well.
4. Let it cool a little bit and then puree them in the blender with salt. Make sure that the mixture is not too hot when you are pureeing it. With the measurement I have given, I was able to do it in one batch, but you might have to do it in couple of batches.
5. Return the pureed mixture back to pan and boil for a few mins. I added 1/2 tsp of olive oil when I was boiling it.
6. Serve it hot with black pepper.

Notes:
1. You can add other vegetables like Kale, Tomato etc.
2. You add some butter in the very end instead of olive oil to get a more richer taste.

Edamame Patties

Ingredients:
1 12oz bag of shelled frozen edamame
1/4 Chopped White Onion
1/4 cup of Cilantro
3-4 Garlic cloves
1 inch of Ginger
2-3 Tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
1 Egg
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Pressure cook the Edamame Beans until they are fully cooked.
2. In a food processor - add 2/3 of the cooked bean and all the ingredients and blend it until you get a smooth paste.
3. Chop the remaining edamame seeds roughly, mix it with the paste.
4. On a parchment paper, spray some oil, form small patties out of this mixture. It will not be very tight mixture as there is no binding element like bread crumbs. Just form the best shape you can.
5. Bake at 375 deg temp for about 20-25 mins, flipping them once in the middle.
6. Serve it hot with some Walden Farms Fat Free Honey Dijon Dressing. You can use salsa, ketchup or any other dressing of your choice. Or eat it dressing free :))

Notes:
1. You can add bread crumbs and make it like regular burger patties.
2. If you add breadcrumbs, you can pan fry it as well.
3. You can broil the patties at the very end to make it more crispier.
4. I made 11 patties out of this. Each had 2g of carbs, 40 Calories each and 3g of protein.