Nankhatai – Butter Cookies

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This recipe has many variations and it’s the easiest and quickest way to add something yummy to your table. This cookie can be made with or without sugar. You can use sugar free sweeteners or make it savory, and it can also be made from a blend of different ingredients like sooji (semolina) to give it the extra protein. I sometimes make these cookies with gram flour also called besan (chickpea flour).

Ingredients

  1. All purpose flour 1 1/2 cup (or substitute up to half with Semolina or Besan or a mix of the two)
  2. Butter 1/2 cup (or non-dairy shortening)
  3. Confectioners sugar 1/2 cup
  4. Salt, a pinch
  5. Baking powder 1/2 tsp

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Your baking tray should go into the center, not top or bottom of the oven.

Melt the butter for 20 seconds in the microwave and add all ingredients together in a bowl large enough so you can knead the dough easily.

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Mix using your hand and knead into a soft but not too sticky dough. At first it may actually feel too dry to shape into cookies and will resemble bread crumbs. Add a teaspoon of milk and knead some more. Add more milk as needed so the dough forms a nice ball but doesn’t stick to your hands.

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Shape the dough into little balls about the size of a tablespoon and indent with a finger. This helps the cookie bake evenly. When I don’t indent the cookies their centers are sometimes not cooked enough.

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Bake at 350F for 15 minutes. The bottoms should be lightly browned. You can dust the cookies in confectioners sugar or leave them as is.  They can also be brushed with egg before baking and that gives them a shiny look.

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Beet Greens and Sweet Pepper Salad Sandwich

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We had leftovers from the Beet Greens and Sweet Peppers Salad I made yesterday, so Hubby made me a sandwich today and it hit the spot! I like artisan bread or a bread of substance for sandwiches but we didn’t have any at home today. He made this using sesame burger buns and they worked. The bread is the most important ingredient in a sandwich. If it gets soggy, it’ll ruin everything. He toasted this roll so it would hold up better with the salad which has released more juices overnight in the fridge.

Ingredients

  1. Sesame roll
  2. Deli mustard
  3. Slice of cheese (or vegan cheese)
  4. Onion blossom sauce (optional)

Preparation

Toast the sesame roll (or your choice of bread).

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Add mustard to one side (top) and onion blossom sauce to the other (bottom). I don’t know why Hubby does it this way but it works.

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Add a slice of cheese to the bottom (he has a good reason for that)

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Heat the leftover salad in the microwave for a minute and add to the top put the bottom over the top (so the salad doesn’t fall out) and flip sandwich over. The heated salad will melt the cheese a little but by having the cheese on the bottom it won’t get too gooey. Enjoy!!

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Beet Greens and Sweet Pepper Salad (cooked)

 

I love most vegetables and until recently had never thought of using beet greens for anything. Now I eat them raw in salads, I put them in my juicer, I also add them to smoothies. This is a cooked salad. It is a very yummy vegan dish that takes only 15 minutes total prep and cooking time. It has a lot of flavor mainly from the vegetables themselves.  I made some yesterday and served it with Tamarind Rice. I have yet to make tamarind rice from scratch but will do soon. I buy the frozen packets from the local Indian store. It does contain peanuts so anyone with nut allergies should avoid the store bought version. I will figure out a recipe minus nuts and add it to my blog soon.

Don’t throw away the beets :). I will post a recipe for them soon too.

Ingredients

  1.  Beet greens from two or three beets (minus beets and stalks) washed and sliced
  2. Sweet peppers 5 or 6, sliced
  3. Onion, medium, sliced thinly
  4. Tomato, large, chopped
  5. Balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp (or more to taste)
  6. Cilantro (dry 1 tsp or fresh 1/2 cup chopped)
  7. Garlic powder 1 tsp
  8. Canola or other oil suitable for frying, 2 or 3 tbsp
  9. Salt (I don’t add any) and cayenne pepper (I like a 1/4 tsp)

Preparation

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In a medium sized saucepan, add oil and onions and stir fry over medium high until they are brown at the edges and turning soft. Add the tomatoes and continue frying for a minute until tomatoes are soft but not dissolved.

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Add the sweet peppers and all ingredients except the greens and stir for a minute.

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Add the greens, stir everything together, cover the pot and turn off the stove. Wait ten minutes and serve!!

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