Cholay II (Spiced Chickpeas)

What You'll Need:

1 lb Dried chickpeas
3 tsp Cumin powder (slightly heaping)
1/4 tsp Black pepper
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Ginger powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Salt (for water to cook chickpeas)
1/2 tsp Black salt
1/2 tsp red pepper (or less for mild heat)
1/2 Green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 Medium sized white onion, chopped
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
3/4 c. Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs Lemon juice
3/4 c. Imlee (Tamarind Chutney)

What to do:

Cook dried chickpeas (without pre-soaking) in pressure cooker with 8 cups water and 1/4 tsp salt. Pressure cook (med-high pressure) for 45 mins; remove from heat and allow pressure cooker to cook and release pressure on its own. Once pressure has been released, drain chickpeas and rinse with cool water; place in large bowl.

Mix in all spices, vegetables and imlee. Garnish with fresh cilantro; serve chilled or warm.

 

Tips:
* If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can follow the directions on the package to cook the beans
*Imlee can be found at most Indian grocery stores; I'll be posting a recipe soon!

Dark Chocolate Chip Coconut Oat Bran Muffins

Yield: 17 Muffins

What You'll Need:
1/4 c. egg whites (or egg substitute equivalent to one egg)
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
3/4 c. turbinado sugar
1/2 c. non-fat milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 c. dark chocolate chips
1 Haas avocado (about 1/2c avocado meat), mashed
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 c. toasted oat bran


What To Do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together: egg whites, applesauce, sugar, milk, coconut and avocado in med/large sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oat bran, baking powder, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to egg/applesauce/etc. mixture; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake in foil or foil-lined cupcake liners for 20 minutes.