Fried chickpea with crispy buckwheat shell

As a semi-permanent traveler I used to long intensively for a way to travel with beans that didn't involve cans or hours of cooking, to have always a relatively big stash in my bag. Little did I know you could fry chickpeas.

Fried chickpeas??? was one of the first things I thought when I entered my first general Asian food shop ever. I was 20 (yes, I know, but they just don't have these things where I come from, except for Japanese). I was wild. Fried chickpeas, fried peas, fried chickpea dough strips, and fried mix. Everything piping hot, making me sweat like a popping popcorn, steaming (try making popcorn with a glass lid and you will see what I mean). And it made me pop too.

Well, the thing is, I know what I will make before my next trip. If I'm too lazy I will just take canned hummus but it is very likely I will get my hands on the dough. I always do. Next time with something other than a freshly cooked meal, since it goes partly spoiled, since we like to try new flavours we find on the way and end up eating it for breakfast and not wanting to repeat it for lunch (we already ate the same thing before leaving too).

Fried chickpea with crispy buckwheat shell

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked/canned chickpeas (can be firm)
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp spaghetti spices
• 1 tbsp salt (if chickpeas aren't salted yet)
• 5 tbsp buckwheat flour
• Coconut oil, for deep frying

Cooking Directions

1. Drain chickpeas, making sure they are still a bit wet.
2. Let the chickpeas marinate with spices and salt for 12 hours (1 is fine too but 12 is nicer).
3. Add the flour, mix well, making sure the flour is well distributed.
4. Heat the frying oil (my stove has 6 marks, I use the 5).
5. Throw a little piece of bread or a piece of onion peel in the oil, and if it fries immediately, the temperature is good. Take off the bead/peel (so it won't burn) and add the chickpeas carefully (so you won't burn :-) ).
6. Fry until it becomes a bit golden, about 3-5 minutes.

Buckwheat and veggie yumballs

I have grown up with croquettes, especially the kind with a ham and oozy cheesy filling, enveloped by an oh-so-yummy thin layer of dough, coming in giant (snack bar) and tiny (party) sizes and every time I had a birthday party they were always snatching my attention, and the lucky ones that survived until the next day didn't escape my merciless delight. I at them at school. I ate them in my afternoons out. I ate them whenever I could.

I have made many kinds of croquettes; I started with rice croquettes to use leftovers, when I lived in the mountains and was learning to cook with a guy that teached me to like veggies. I have tried a few times, often making them very spicy for yumminess and digestibility, and today I came up with these.

The food naming police is going to say these aren't croquettes because there is no breadcrumbs involved. You can. I just felt like calling them yumballs because that is what they are. But they are also croquettes to me.

I used leftover homemade baby food (sorry An) from yesterday which was already delicious per se. It consisted from mashed potatoes, carrots and belgian endive (witloof, if you ever come across go for it, it is delicious - if you are into bitter leafy goodness like I am, at least).


I'm a disaster with frying, even more than with baking bread, but this one actually worked (yay!)

Let's get to the business:

Buckwheat and veggies yumballs

Yield: +- 25 balls
Ingredients

• 2 cups mashed veggies (I used potato, carrot, belgian endive and egg - yes it is a veggie, on this recipe :-) )
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup + extra buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp-tbsp garlic powder or finely chopped garlic if you like it sharp
• 1-2 tbsp curry powder

Cooking Directions

1. Start heating the oil; be sure to not to let it smoke! Steam is fine. My stove has 6 settings, I put it on 5 for coconut oil and lower to 4 when it reaches the right point
2. Add the egg and the salt and spices to the mashed veggies and mix well.
3. Add half of the flour, mixing well and adding extra until it forms a dough that doesn't stick to your hands when they are well dried.
4. Make sure everything is venly mixed.
5. Throw a tiny piece of dough into the oil when it starts bubbling and if it starts frying right away - like in immediately - then make balls about 1.5" or 3.5 cm diameter (can vary), throwing each one directly into the frying oil, keeping them on a single layer and frying until golden brown. Count on a few minutes.
6. Fish them with a frying ladle or a fork and put in a plate covered wth a kitchen paper towel to keep them crispy, rolling them around a bit.
7. Sprinkle with cayenne pepper if you wish.
8. Yummier when hot but still awesome the next day; it won't be crispy but it will be still full of tasty goodness.

Tantalizing leftovers recipe, or pizza rice :-)

Cheesy goodness

That was one of the only two ways my mother would get me to eat rice as a child. I was and still am a picky eater, even though my pickiness has changed through the years (I still do run away from pickled cucumbers!).

I like foods that taste real. Tasting real for me is using only ingredients that are unprocessed (veggies!) or very little processed (cheese). Things that you throw together and make you ask yourself why haven't you made that before, and why on earth people buy boxed macaroni and cheese and why do they eat it after the first bite (hunger is the best pickle, they say).

Well, food taste apart, I think everyone needs to figure out what they really love. I have been in culinary blindness for the first 17 years of my life, because all I ate was made in the same way with th same ingredients. And then I took my little backpack and went out in the world and learned what to do with veggies (about time!). I was already interested in healthy foods, and put my foot in to test the waters before I went roaming around, but it was still fairly limited, and that is one of the things that I felt like keeping from then (with my own addition, my "secret" for nearly everything that tastes good, ahem, veggies!)

This is easy like boiling an egg. You can make that with buckwheat or quinoa too, it is a great way to introduce these foods into your life if you find them odd tasting. Do not underestimate their taste power when you add tomato sauce!

Rice and veggies casserole

Ingredients

• 1 part leftover rice (I used brown)
• 1 part veggies (leftover or frozen mix)
• 1/2 part cheese in cubes
• Tomato sauce
• Herbs of your choice

Cooking Directions

1. Mix everything in a casserole pan (hopefully containing one of the leftovers already to save some dishes!).
2. Turn on the oven at 350F (180C) and bake for 25 minutes or until cheese melts.
3. Serve warm.

Well, that is it :-)

I think I start getting the hang of making food photos but there is still a long way to go. Living and learning!

Simple 5 ingredient gluten free bread

Photo by me

Elated taste buds.

It is real bread, gluten free.

While it worked to make sandwiches with waffles, there is nothing that could compare to a fresh yeast real bread, which I was able to make thanks to Solveig from Gluten Free Vegan Girl. I have tried loads of gluten free bread recipes and that is the only one that made me burst in tears of joy. It is real bread. And gluten free :-)

I only have one adjustment to suggest; start with three cups of water instead of five. I don't know what superpower psyllium she uses (maybe it is because she uses psyllium powder and I use the husks) but mine is certainly not like that. Psyllium is the thingy playing the role of the gluten, but it is actually good for you and it is even used for helping to flush the intestines.

For the original recipe, check Solveig's recipe here.

Update, May 27: I made them again, and it turned out great! I have put a squeze of fresh orange juice to improve the quality of the dough. Made with 3 cups of water. Bake until very brown on top.

5 items that will liven up a gluten free pantry

Kuttu ki puri (recipe below), pic by me - use as you wish as long as you link back

After fiddling with a gluten free life for a while, on and off, I figured out some essentials that make my life easier, especially in the past couple of months, when cravings started getting bigger. I have kept myself firm on my eating choices because I feel more and more how eating GF gives me more energy - I used to be always empty of energy and full of things that shouldn't be in me for so long.

While I am not looking forward to eat as much baked goods as before, both for health and practical reasons, I do include some ingredients for it in this list because I, too, help myself out with pastries and sandwiches sometimes, but I am convinced (from experience) that great food can be really easy.

Here are my current top 5 ingredients:

Eggs. Because instead of reaching for a bread, the quick and easy I-am-hungry solution will be those white and yellow bundles of happiness which, by the way, are pre-packed snacks by nature for those active days. Unless you are rich and can afford pre-made gluten-free bread every day, or you are handy enough to bake them yourself all the time, that is the best choice. I don't bother. And eggs are a much more nutritious fuel, by the way. Here is why they will rock your world.

Coconut flakes. It will help feeding your sweet tooth, believe me; and in quite an affordable way if you know where to source your ingredients. I'm talking about making coconut rochers (or macaroons). They are ready in a whisk (and a bake), infinitely easier to prepare and more nutritious than regular standard wheat cookies, and it is a real crowd pleaser. Recipe here.

Rice noodles. Ever present in Asian shops, and definitely more appealing than those corn gluten free pastas in my perception, they are rather affordable (again, know thy shops :-) ). I make pasta sometimes for dinner: a nice veggie tomato sauce (recipe coming up soon), rice pasta for me, wheat pasta for my husband. Quite convenient and you don't have to miss or eat just the sauce with a bit of egg (been there) on a pasta night.

Rice paper. Another great finding from Asian shops, it will give you nice, instant wraps. They are also pretty thin and light so it might be a good travel food, and a yes-yes to take if you are staying over with friends. Great for playing with leftovers and just plain, simple fun! How to wrap it here and how to choose the best rice paper here.

Buckwheat flour. Because making kuttu ki puri is an addiction, and eating it is double as much addictive! Choose the finest flour you can find, read reviews online. I had to wait a while to find a flour that gives the results I want (Doves farm if you live in Europe, I buy it on amazon.co.uk, and I usually hear good things about Bob's Red Mill in general in America). You can also mix half tapioca and half buckwheat and see if it works for you.

Which are your gluten free essentials? Which is your favorite buckwheat flour?

Kuttu ki puri (gluten free buckwheat poori)

I love Indian food. Besides being a spice junkie, I'm enticed about their ability of combining health, yumminess and variety.

I make these very often, for a nice lunch with a raw carrot, cauliflower and spring onions and mayonnaise salad (picture) and a nice green tea; and sometimes to curb my craving for chips with a much more nourishing set of ingredients at midnight while writing. I usually make dough for 2 days.

This kuttu ki puri recipe is usually made with potato to make the dough stick together. That works and it is handy, but I don't feel like cooking and chopping and mashing potato for making kuttu ki puri. So I made the buckwheat poori without potato and it worked :-) I used a very fine buckwheat flour, Doves farm. I'd say, giv it a try buckwheat flour + water and if it falls apart a bit too much add a binding ingredient (aside than potato, a spoon of psyllium husks or an egg and more flour to get the right consistency.

Kuttu ki puri (gluten free buckwheat poori)

Yield: 2 portions
Ingredients

• 1 part water or water+egg or mashed potato for coarser flours
• 2 parts buckwheat flour (depending on the flour you might need quite some more, plus extra for dusting)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 drizzle olive oil
• Ghee/coconut oil for frying

Cooking Directions

1. In a bowl, add flour, water, olive oil and mix well with a fork until it is an even dough, adding more flour if necessary. Let it rest a bit (15 minutes) and take a ball a bit bigger than a cherry tomato, repeating with th rest of the dough, add flour to a little plate and grease your hands a bit with olive oil.
2. Add the little ball to the flour plate, roll it around a bit to coat it with flour, and flatten it on your hands until thin (you can also use a rolling pin, yet it's easier to know if the dough is sticky when you use your hands). Let the ghee/coconut oil simmer in a frying pan.
3. Check the ghee/oil for the temperature (add a tiny bit of dough and see if it starts frying immediately), and add the rolled flatbreads one by one (or more if the pan is really big). Fry it until it starts going golden on the side, and turn it around. Fry a minute more, and repeat with all the flatbreads you wish to eat soon. You can keep the rest of the dough for 1 or 2 days in a glass bowl with a lid (avoid sealing it).