Indian Dosas: Equipment needed
large bowl
whisk
griddle or skillet
ladle (or large spoon)
spatula

My Ingredients

1 cup flour 
salt to taste
garlic powder to taste
a dash of onion flakes
Add liquid until it forms a really loose batter (I used about 2 1/2 cups of water)

My Method
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, slowly adding the liquid, whisking until smooth.

1. Heat a heavy, cast iron skillet over medium heat. We use a plata that we’ve had since living in Arizona, and it is nicely seasoned, so I didn’t need much oil, just a little around the edges. I found a great video clip of a woman making dosas on Wikipedia that gave me an idea of how to make these. Scroll down the bottom to see the video.
2. Ladle batter into the center of your pan in a circular motion until it is a thin, round pancake. When bubbles appear on the surface and it’s golden and slightly crisp on the bottom, flip it over and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and  gently roll the pancake into a tube. You can put some filling in just before rolling. I’m used to eating these with a mildly spicy potato filling (which is how they serve it in my family’s favorite Indian restaurant). Repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 pancakes. I used a mini ladle for this (it holds about 1/2 cup of batter) and cooked the dosas on medium high heat until they were crispy and golden brown. They still rolled up nicely, and had a nutty, chewy texture.

Moist. Spicy. Tender. Delicious. And… vegan! No, that’s not a typo. I said vegan. No butter, no eggs, no milk. Yet, still surprisingly delicious.

There’s not enough words to describe the wonder that is these vegan pumpkin muffins. I made these with some minor alterations using Isa Chandra Mosokowitz’ recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance. I brought them to a recent gathering and they were simply devoured (and not just by me).

I doubled the basic recipe, since I was baking for a crowd, substituted pumpkin pie spice (in lieu of measuring tiny bits of each spice) and made two kinds of glaze (lemon and molasses) which I dipped the baked, cooled muffins into before serving.

The recipe (my way):

Wet ingredients: whisk into a medium sized bowl

2 cups canned pumpkin (I found it in the baking aisle. If you buy one of those big cans, you’ll have some left over for some yummy pumpkin “butter”).
1 cup soy creamer (I used vanilla. You can usually find this in the grocery store these days, although it might be in a different place with other non-dairy and organic foods, like soy ice cream and organic cheese)
1 cup oil (I used canola, but you could use vegetable or olive if you like)
1/4 cup molasses (you could use more, but this seemed like the right amount)

Dry ingredients: sift into a large mixing bowl

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I guess you could substitute some with whole wheat, but I haven’t tried it yet)
2 1/2 cups sugar (This seems like a lot of sugar to me, although I didn’t think the muffins were overly sweet. I think I might decrease the amount next time and substitute some maple syrup or stevia.)
2 tablespoons baking powder (this makes it rise)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice (Go ahead and make it 2 if you want)

For the glaze:

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1-2 tablespoons water
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice or molasses (or really an combination of anything else, like vanilla extract and maple syrup)
1/8 teaspoon salt (salt really brings out the flavors in sweetly flavored baked goods, trust me)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After whisking, pour the wet ingredients into the sifted dry ingredients and mix until just combined (don’t over mix or they won’t be as fluffy). I used an average sized ice cream scoop to portion the batter into two lightly greased, 12 muffin tins (I sprayed them with an olive oil spray, but anything will do). If you’re oven is large enough, you can bake both trays at once for about 20 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). If you can’t fit both trays in at once, you might want to reduce the cooking time to about 18 minutes (or you get a crispier, darker crust to the bottom of the muffins–which is nice too).

Allow the muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes in their tins, then invert onto a wire rack and let cool completely. This will keep them from being mashed as you dump them out of the tins (vegan foods sometimes need a few extra minutes to set up) and will prevent them from getting soggy and too moist on the bottom. I found a few basting racks–typically used to elevate a turkey off the floor of a roasting pan–that I use to cool baked goods on my kitchen counter.

Once cooled, you can serve them as is, or top with anything you like. Whipped cream might make it more pumpkin pie like, but I made a glaze and dipped them in halfway so the non-vegan crowd would be more likely to try them. I might try a cream cheese frosting sometime to see how that turns out.

For the glaze, beat the ingredients together with a fork, adding the water one tablespoon at a time to get the desired consistency. I like my glaze a little thinner, so I usually add both tablespoons of water, sometimes more. This is a great, simple topping for just about anything cake-like or sweet, like cinnamon rolls, cakes, cookies, etc.

Make sure to put some wax paper, or foil down beneath your wire racks before glazing your muffins so that the excess drips down onto it for easy cleanup. You can drizzle the glaze over the top with the fork, or simple dip whatever you want into the bowl. I like the dipping method best because it saves time and ends up being slightly less messy.

Allow the glaze to set for at least 20 minutes before you try to transport them. The longer it sits, the harder the glaze will get. If you want to be extra cautious, you could give them an hour to set before packing them up. I found these muffins didn’t really need a glaze at all, but then, I’m not really partial to especially sweet treats. I popped one of these unglazed babies into the toaster oven for breakfast and the outside was delightfully crisp and toasty while the inside stayed moist. Yum, yum, yum. An excellent breakfast, or after dinner treat with coffee.

grilled flat bread with tomatoes and basil

Mmmm. I love flatbread. Warm. Toasty. Soft. Foldy. I tried the Italian flatbread recipe from Ultimate Bread and it was divine. After devouring the first round of the stuff, we ended up making a double batch and pan frying it instead of cooking it on the grill. We didn’t have any soda water for the second batch of dough, so I substituted one teaspoon of baking soda dissolved in some water for the doubled recipe. The bread was soft, fluffy, crusty, and perfect both times.

Both were yummy, chewy, smokey deliciousness that we smothered in fresh basil oil (lemon juice, garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, blender, voila!). We ate it all so precipitously that I didn’t even think to snap a picture of it before we had devoured most of them. The grilled corn, grilled chicken wings, and roasted potatoes were equally delicious. Too bad there is no evidence of those either.

I did, however, manage to get a few pics today before we wolfed down the rest for an early evening snack (pictured here). The few flatbreads that were left the second day, reheated wonderfully in the toaster oven and make amazing little pizza crusts for just about any topping.

roasted red potatoes with caramelized onion, garlic and rosemary

I ate the leftovers with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh tomatoes, a sprinkling of sea salt, and torn basil leaves. I’m sure I’ll be making another batch soon to take for lunches in the coming weeks, so check back for pictures of the bread making process.

Flatbread:

• 2 teaspoons dry yeast (you can go ahead and use one of those packets of yeast that come in the grocery store, but one is usually enough for at least double the amount of dough this recipe makes)
• 1 cup soda water OR 1 cup water plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 3 1/2 cups flour, unbleached all-purpose
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions: Mix together half of the flour and all of the liquid, reserving 1 to 1/2 cup flour for kneading. Fold in the oil and salt, add more flour until it comes away from the sides of the bowl. Dump out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead in the rest of the flour as needed. You want a moist, elastic, slightly shiny dough (this takes about ten minutes). Set in a clean, oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap for about an hour until doubled in size. If it’s really warm out, you can put it on the porch and it should only take about 45 minutes to rise.

Dump it onto a lightly floured (or oiled surface) and divide into eight equal parts. Flatten into six inch rounds, about 1/2 an inch thick. They puff up a bit when cooked, so you can make them thinner if you want. If you have a hard time getting them to stretch out, let the dough rest for a few minutes until it relaxes.

Meanwhile, heat up a grill until nice and hot, or get your griddle or fry pan on medium high heat. Oil up the bread or put some oil in the pan and then cook about 3-5 minutes per side until golden, slightly crispy, and cooked through. Brush with olive oil, or any herb scented oil (basil oil recipe follows). You can also serve this bread plain, wrap it around grilled veggies or meats, slather with hummus, or dip in tzatziki.

Basil Oil:

• 1 large bunch of fresh basil–about 6 loosely packed cups or enough to fill a blender without compressing.
• 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1-2 cups of olive oil, whatever you have on hand
• salt to taste (this means you should add salt, and then taste it to see if you want more)
  
• 1 lemon, juiced (add to taste)

Directions: Put everything except the oil into a blender and pack down the basil leaves so they are mashed into the other ingredients. Drizzle in the olive oil as you blend everything together. Pulse until emulsified (everything dissolves together and looks like a green juice). This is good on just about anything starchy–potatoes, pasta, bread–but is also yum on fish, chicken, roasted veggies, etc.

For a basic pesto sauce, add toasted pine nuts, grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (omit for a vegan version), 2-3 more cloves garlic, and double the fresh basil. You’ll want plenty of salt, and may want more lemon juice. Keeps in the freezer for several months or in the fridge for about a week.

Roasted Potatoes:

• One bag red potatoes (about 5 pounds), halved and quartered
  
• 2 red onions, halved and cut into chunks
  
• 1-2 vidalia onions, halved and cut into chunks
• olive oil to coat
• plenty of course sea salt
  
• garlic powder

Directions: Toss everything together in a large roasting pan, or scatter over two deep baking sheets. Coat with olive oil, then season with salt and garlic powder. You want a nice coating here, but not too thick. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour, checking halfway through to scrape the bottom of the pan and turn the potatoes for an even crisp. Add up to 45 minutes for additional crunch and caramelization, but be careful not to burn everything beyond repair (I like little burnt bits in my roasted potatoes, but not everyone does).

Throw in baby or chopped carrots, bell pepper, sweet potato, or other softer, seasonal veggie halfway through for more variety. Add fresh squeezed orange, lemon, or lime juice for a citrus punch. Sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs, like rosemary and grated parmigiano reggiano cheese just out of the oven for a delightful finish.