SPICY Split yellow pea Daal, cheese spreads, stuffed veggies

The weather is taking a turn back to winter from mid summer temps that we have had of late..we are expecting a cold storm bringing rains and snow to local mountains by Friday..just as well I am preparing a truly  International Menu for tomorrow's delivery.

Dishes from India, Iran, Portugal, USA, The Middle East, UK, and Scandinavia!

I have made a wonderful daal soup..usually the heat comes from chilies, this time I have added black mustard seeds and fresh ginger root.
Makes the heat "grab the back of your throat"!, also added lots of fresh vegetables.
The secret here is to soak the split yellow peas overnight, drain and rinse well, bring to boil in clean water, drain and rinse well again.
Then cook for a few hours on high simmer with vegetables and spices.
The black mustard seeds have to be cooked in hot oil to make them pop before adding to the soup.
Then finished with coconut milk and chopped fresh cilantro

A Caldo Verde for Portugal, but instead of chickpeas I used small Lima beans, and added barley, vegetables and red potatoes with Tuscan kale.
This is a "Meal in a bowl" soup.


A zucchini and Cheddar cheese spread that is going to be toasted at the client's home on my own made sprouted rye bread..a very simple, yet tasty spread.
Just grate the zucchini, and add salt, let stand in a sieve for 30 mins.
Drain well then add chopped scallion, soy sauce and a beaten egg. Grated Cheddar cheese
Top the bread and broil until golden..great idea to get folks to eat more veggies.

From 'Old time Persia"...baked eggplants stuffed with potatoes and vegetables cooked with lime leaves & ground turmeric. Finished with coconut milk and cilantro. To be baked at client's home in a cinnamon-tomato sauce. This is a wonderful lemony dish that is filling yet light.
and is Vegan at it's best.


A fresh beet, crumbled cheese, and  sprouted almond salad with red cabbage slaw, with pita breads

Sage and fenugreek latkes with chickpea hommus and red cabbage slaw...herbed potato pancakes with a garlicy lemon-nutty sauce and slaw..delicious!



Cinnamon rolls..buttery, Cinnaful too

Bread and butter pudding with marmalade and Scotch whisky ( HRH Prince Charles's Fav. pudding)

Own grown sprouts with fenugreek seed

Spiralinalak..non diary brewed pro-biotic with spiralina  added

the progress so far:

The vegetables washed and air drying

The base for the eggplants with lime leaves

Daal

Caldo Verde

The base for the eggplant, waiting for the steamed flesh from the eggplants to be added

The scored eggplants with salt draining off excess moisture and any bitterness

The daal packed

The completed filling for the eggplants

Previous 2 the zucchini-Cheese spread

The packed daal

Baked eggplant skins to be filled then surrounded by a tomato-cinnamon sauce and baked at client's home