Whole Wheat Veggie Pizza

I made pizza at home from scratch for the first time ever! I vowed never to make something I can easily take out from a pizzeria. Having become more of a health and fitness freak of late, home made pizza seemed like a much healthier alternative to the oil dripping kind with unknown fat content. I followed the whole wheat pizza crust recipe below with some variations.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/amazing-whole-wheat-pizza-crust/Detail.aspx

I also went all out and made a basil tomato pesto sauce (recipe below), and topped it off with low fat mozzarella cheese and plenty of fresh veggies. The result was yummy and well worth the effort in my book.

My variations from the pizza crust recipe:

**3 cups of organic stone ground whole wheat flour (Red Mill brand), with more for dusting (no white flour).
**1 tsp each of dried basil, oregano and Italian herb seasonng
**1 tblsp honey in lieu of the sugar
**Garlic and red chilli infused olive oil (recipe below)
**Bake crust for 5 minutes on 475 degrees; reduce heat to 425; add the cheese and veggies; bake for maximum 10 more minutes
**Toss veggies with a tblsp of the flavored olive oil and put in the oven for a few minutes before topping off the crust (I used broccoli, red pepper and red onion cut into small pieces)

Garlic-red chilli olive oil:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tblsp chopped garlic
4 dried red chillies, torn into pieces (with seeds)

Heat oil in a small pan. Add the chopped garlic; when it is turning light brown, add the chillies and remove from heat. Let the spices soak in the oil for an hour or two. Filter the oil into another containe or bottle.

Basil-Tomato pesto sauce:

2 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 big bunch basil leaves, washed and drained
1/2 - 1 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tblsp olive oil

Place all ingredients in a blender container and blend to a paste adding water sparingly. Simmer for a few minutes in a saucepan, until it reaches thick sauce consistency.

Brown Rice & Lentil Patties

This recipe is a new twist on the traditional "tavalai adai", with the goodness of brown rice, spinach and carrots. It is also a good substitute for a "veggie burger" patty on a bun or sandwich bread, topped with a favorite chutney or sauce. I have to issue fair warning that it is a bit involved, and not something you can whip up in a hurry - it is delicious and healthy treat though!

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Grind together into a medium coarse paste:

1/2 cup each toor dal & channa dal, soaked for an hour
(Variation: substitute one of the dals with whole moong)
A small piece of ginger
1 green chilli
1 dried red chilli
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp hing (asafetida)
2 tsp salt
A handful of mint and/or coriander leaves
Optional: 1/4 - 1/3 cup of grated coconut (fresh or dry)

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3/4 cup cream of brown rice (if it is too coarse, run it through a spice mill for a finer farina)
1/2 cup cream of wheat
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 tblsp oil

1/2 cup of grated carrots
1-1/2 cups of finely chopped spinach

1. Dilute the ground lentil paste with 2 cups water.

2. Heat the oil in a wide saucepan. Add the mustard seeds; when they splutter, pour the lentil mixture carefully to avoid splattering.

3. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer for a minute or two.

4. Add the cream of brown rice/wheat and vegetables. Stir frequently on low heat, breaking up any lumps.

5. When the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan to form a mass in the middle, remove from stove and let it cool. (It should be a consistency suitable for shaping into patties).

6. Smear some oil on your hands.Shape cooled dough into round patties (the size of a veggie burger) and place on a greased plate.

7. Coat a griddle with a little oil and preheat on medium heat. Place three to four patties on the griddle, drizzle some oil all around the sides and on top. Press down gently with a spatula.

8. Cook on both sides till evenly browned. Serve hot with your favorite chutney.

Spice Powder for Vegetable Dishes

This spice mixture adds extra flavor to all kinds of vegetable dishes (both stiry fried and sauce based). Use as little or as much as you want to enhance the taste. It keeps well for quite a few weeks, so I make a bigger batch, with the proportions below. If you use it just occasionally, store it in the refrigerator for flavor retention.

1/3 cup urad dal
1/3 cup channa dal
1/3 cup coriander seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup dried red chillies
1 tblp black peppercorns
1 tblsp poppy seeds
2 tblsp cumin seeds
1 tblsp black mustard seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1/3 cup dry shredded coconut (not fresh or sweetened)

1. Coat a skillet with 1 tsp of oil, and heat it over low flame. Add all ingredients, except the dry coconut.

2. Roast on low heat, stirring constantly until the dals turn golden brown and the spices lose their raw flavor.

3. Add the coconut, continually stirring until it turns reddish brown. Remove from flame and cool.

4. Powder in a spice mill or dry grinder (in batches) to a coarse powder.

Chilli-Garlic Noodles with Vegetables

1 - 2 packages of oriental noodles, cooked according to package directions
(The cooked noodles should be "al dente"/ firm; toss with some oil to prevent sticking)

4 cups of assorted julienned vegetables (snow peas or green beans, cabbage or bok choy, and carrots)

A few stalks of green onions  / scallions, sliced

2 tblsp chopped garlic

2 tblsp shredded ginger

4 - 6 dried red chillies, torn into small pieces, with the seeds
(You can substiture oriental style red chilli sauce or crushed red pepper; use this ingedient sparingly if you have less spice tolerance)

2 tsp coriander-cumin powder

1 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Sesame oil for stir frying vegetables

1. Heat sesame oil in a skillet or wok, and brown the garlic; when garlic is almost brown, add the dried red chllies and fry for few seconds until they turn darker. (If using chilli sauce/ paste, skip this step, and add while vegetables are being cooked).

2. Add vegetables, salt, ginger and the spice powders. Cook till vegetables are crisp-tender. Add cooked noodles and stir fry for a few more minutes, tossing with some soy sauce if desired.