NOTICE: In preparation for the UnDiet Recipes book this site will no longer have new recipes added to it . But don't despair - if you place yourself on the UnDiet Update list you'll recipe new recipes each month, many of which will not even be in the recipe book!

Two Eastern Indian Meals

This page features a Protein meal, a Starch meal and several snacks and beverages. Many of the dishes are interchangeable (they can be prepared as either a Protein or Starch), and if you prepare double batches of some of the dishes you can use them to create an entirely different meal the next day. I've structured these recipes to use ingredients and spices that you'll be able to find in your neighborhood grocery store and I've modified the techniques to be much less time consuming than a traditional Indian recipe would normally be, although you'll find little difference in taste or structure.

Spicy Cream Sauce Neutral

I first discovered this sauce when looking for something to drench my Curry Meatloaf in but I also love it poured over turkey burgers or baked Paneer, a dressing in a falafel sandwich, over rice, or over a lightly steamed medley of vegetables (cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini, potato, winter squash, bell pepper, raw tomato are all good choices). You may even choose to stir in some cooked chick peas, cashews or almonds. You'll find lots of ways to let it spice up your life!

Make the Starch substitutions (shown in italics) only if you don't have soy flour on hand.

Saute:

1 cup onion, chopped
3-4 green chilies, minced

in 1 tablespoon olive, nut, or sesame oil until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add:

2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons soy flour(you may use whole wheat or chick pea flour but it will change this to a Starch dish)

Saute for 1 minute.

Stir in and heat through:

1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup sour cream, or pureed tofu with a little fresh lemon or lime juice, or soy yogurt
salt to taste

Meatloaf with Savory Stuffing

I also have developed, discovered and will continue to gather an infinite variety of meatloaf and sausage recipes. Since I started the No Diet Diet after over two decades of vegetarianism it's been a little difficult for me to get meat into my diet. For some reason spiced ground meats are easier for me to enjoy and so I enjoy them with gusto. No wimpy storebought meatloaves and sausages for me thank you.

Ground meats with little fat content tend to make very dry loaves, hence the addition of oil in these recipes. If you substitute a ground meat with a higher fat content you may reduce the oil accordingly.

Meatloaf:

Protein

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix, working just enough to blend, or meatloaf will turn out heavy:

1cup ground pork rinds
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, cashews or almonds.If all you have are the salted variety reduce the salt to 1 teaspoon.
1/2 cup tomato juice, broth or ice water
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each ground coriander and ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice and black pepper
2 pounds ground meat(lamb, turkey or beef)

Sprinkle a large sheet of wax paper, saran wrap or aluminum foil with water. With wet hands, pat out meatloaf mixture into a 9x13-inch rectangle.

Savory Stuffing

You may double this recipe and use it later to prepare Savory Stuffed Bread.

Saute until translucent:

1-1/4 cups onions, diced
2 tablespoons butter

Add:

3/4 cup spinach, chopped (you may substitute bell pepper) and cook for 3-4 minutes (if using frozen spinach squeeze well to get rid of most of the water)
1 1/2 cups cauliflower or zucchini, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch of ground cloves
salt to taste

Cook on low heat until the vegetables are al dente. (Add:

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped)

Pat 1 cup of the stuffing mixture evenly over the surface of the meatloaf, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges. Using wax paper, foil or saran wrap to help lift, roll the meatloaf up into a cylinder and gently press seam closed. Pick up roulade in wax paper, foil or saran wrap and roll off  into prepared loaf pan.

Using a knife cut 5-7 1/4-inch slashes in the bottom of an aluminum loaf pan. Place the meatloaf mixture in the pan. Place the pan inside a larger loaf pan or casserole dish so that there is some space between the bottom of the two pans. This procedure allows the juice and fat to drain off, which would otherwise form a jelly-like substance around the meatloaf.

Bake 50 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in center of loaf reads 160 degrees, or juices run clear when you cut a deep slit in center of loaf. Let stand 10-15 minutes. Pour off juices and fat, if you didn't use the 2 pan method described above.

Pour  the Spicy Sour Cream Sauce onto a plate and top with a slice of the stuffed meatloaf, and a few slices of Baked Paneer or lightly steamed cauliflower, bell peppers, zucchini or tomatoes.

Maple Paneer Neutral

Marinate tofu, cut into cubes or slices, in pure maple syrup for at least a day, then dredge in soy flour and saute in oil.

Spiced Tea Neutral

4-1/2 cups water
1 ~ 3-inch cinnamon stick
1-inch piece fresh ginger root, cut into 4 slices
10 cardamom pods or 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds (not ground)
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds

Bring all of the above ingredients to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add:

3 bags decaffeinated black tea
1/2 cup cream

and simmer for an additional 3 or 4 minutes. Remove the teabags, sweetening with

finely ground, date or maple sugar to taste

serve, pouring the tea through a strainer to catch any floating spices. This tea gets stronger the longer it sits, so if you want a stronger spice flavor, let it sit for a while and then reheat. Taste before reheating and add more teabags if you desire a stronger black tea taste.

Egyptian Twice Cooked Eggs Protein

This is a great side dish for a Protein meal, but I love it for brunch with a couple of slices of ham or turkey bacon.

Mix in a pie tin or on a plate:

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted and ground
2 tablespoons soy flour
salt and pepper to taste

Add enough

liquid egg substitute or egg white, approximately 1/4 cup substitute or 2 egg whites to make a thick batter.

Melt in a large saucepan

1/4 cup butter

Using a fork carefully place

6 hardcooked eggs, sliced lengthwise in quarters in batter.

Using the same fork spoon batter over top of egg. Using fork, place egg slice in hot, melted butter so that batter side is down. Repeat process with all egg slices. Cook until batter is golden brown. Before turning slices over, spoon batter on top. Cook until batter is golden brown. Transfer egg slices to plate.

Mix:

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 cup sour cream or Spicy Sour Cream Sauce, (if you're using Spicy Sour Cream, omit spices).

Heat in same pan you cooked egg slices in. Don't worry about the browned butter still in the pan, it adds its own unique flavor. Spoon sauce over egg slices.


Savory Stuffed Bread Starch

The traditional way to make this dish is with the dough recipe below, although if you're pressed for time you could use frozen filo dough instead.

Dough:

Dissolve

1 teaspoon dry yeast (about 1/2 a package) in
3/4 cup warm water and set aside for about 10 minutes or until the mixture starts to foam.

Combine the yeast mixture and

1 tablespoon melted butter or oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, mixing well. Stir in enough extra flour (up to 1/2 cup) to form a workable dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary. The dough should end up smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and turn over so that all sides are oiled. Cover bowl with a cloth and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk, about 40 to 50 minutes.

While the dough is rising, check the Savory Filling to make sure it's not watery. If it is drain as much as possible, then place on several paper or cloth towels and roll up to absorb the extra moisture. Or you could use a salad spinner.

When the dough has doubled, punch it down, turn it out onto a floured work surface, and knead for 1 minute. Cut into six equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball between your palms.

On a floured work surface, with a floured rolling pin roll each ball of dough into a 5-inch round. Place 1/6 of the filling in the center of the round. Stretch the edges of the dough up and over the filling. Pat the dough down gently with your hand and then carefully roll it out again to form a 5-inch circle. It's fine if bits of the filling poke through the dough, but it should be mostly enclosed.

If you're using filo dough you'll end up with a slightly different dish. Following the basic instructions on the package for working with the dough, take one sheet from under the damp cloth. Slice the sheet in half, then slice each half in half so that you end up with four long rectangles. Place three of the rectangles back under the cloth. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling at 2 inches from end of rectangle.

Place the stuffed breads on an oiled baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and set aside for 10 minutes to give the filling time to moisten the bread.

Bake the breads in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes. They should be firm to the touch and sound hollow when tapped with the fingertips. If you used filo though, the loaves won't sound hollow.

Green Curry Neutral (if using potatoes then this is a Starch dish)

This curry is very hot. If it's too hot for your taste you can serve it over the rice pilau and pour the raita over the top. That way each bite will be diluted by the rice and raita.

Boil 1 pound cauliflower or potatoes, sliced thickly (quarter potatoes before slicing) and 1 pound green beans or bell peppers, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces in salted water for 5 minutes, then drain.

Boil 3/4 pound zucchini, sliced thickly in salted water for 3 minutes then drain.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot.

Saute until the onions begin to color, 5-10 minutes

1-1/2 lb. onions, halved and thickly sliced
10 garlic cloves, minced

Add

1 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir for several minutes, then add the boiled vegetables and:

1 lb. spinach, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
4 tablespoons green chilies, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup water

Simmer, stirring frequently, until most of the water has evaporated and the vegetables are al dente.

Pilau Starch

Brown over low heat for 5 minutes

2 cups brown rice in
4 tablespoons butter,

Add, stir and brown for 1 to 2 minutes:

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cardamom

Add

3/4 cup almonds, slivered
4 cups hot water
1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Bring the water to a boil, lower heat, cover. Cook for 20 minutes, then add

1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, until the rice is tender.

Tofu Cucumber Raita Neutral

A raita is a yogurt based salad which is used as a cooling accompaniment to the spicy dishes it's served with. It's served in bowls on the table and can be spooned over almost any dish, eaten alone or scooped up with bread or crackers.

I've substituted nondairy yogurt or soft tofu for the yogurt and while it does make it a slightly different dish, I think it works well. If however, you don't like this raita next time make it with dairy based yogurt and use it with a Neutral or Protein dish.

Slice both ends off 1 large cucumber before peeling. It's important to slice the ends off before grating to prevent the cucumber from tasting bitter. If the cucumber has been waxed then peel the skin off before seeding and coarsely grating. Stir 2 cups nondairy yogurt or tofu. Combine with 2-3 tablespoons onions, finely chopped.

Heat

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin for 1 minute in a small pan. Remove from heat and stir in a little of the tofu mixture. Stir into the remaining tofu mixture. Stir in
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
salt to taste
chopped cilantro, to taste

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Eggplant Raita Neutral

I couldn't resist giving you this eggplant raita recipe. You don't need to serve two raitas for an authentic or satisfying Indian meal, but if you're already a fan of Indian food you might consider a cucumber raita standard fare, so I wanted to give you something unexpected to add to your meal.

Prick the eggplant in several places and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven about 1 hour until it is soft and collapsed. Cool until you can handle it, then split it open and scoop out the pulp. Drain off any liquid and coarsely chop the pulp.

1 large eggplant

Saute the onion in small amount of oil until they are translucent, about 5-10 minutes.

1/3 cup onion, chopped

Add and stir over low heat for 2 minutes:

1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 teaspoon each cumin and coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Add and stir until soft, then remove from heat

1 small tomato, coarsely chopped

Stir in eggplant pulp and

1 teaspoon salt
2 cups  nondairy yogurt or tofu, mashed
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Taste and add salt if necessary. Serve chilled or room temperature.


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last revised January 24, 2004
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