sweet miscellany

Kachumber

August 2, 2015 By Courtney West 4 Comments

Chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion are combined with toasted cashews, mint, and lime for a cooling summer salad. This vegan and gluten free kachumber is perfect for enjoying on hot summer days or when you need a cooling element alongside spicy foods!

During these sweltering summer days I’m all for cooling foods. In my mind, cucumbers seem to be the epitome of something cooling. Perhaps it’s because they are mostly made up of water (over 90% water to be exact). Until recently the most I ever did with cucumbers was make pickles or dip them in hummus. Even though I love a good pickle, I wanted to venture out from my comfort zone and experiment a bit more. That seems to be a big trend in my life at the moment 🙂

Since I love Indian food, I wanted to make my own version of kachumber with my homegrown cucumbers. In case you have never had it or don’t quite know what it is, kachumber is an Indian dish that is typically a mixture of chopped veggies like cucumbers and onions. It is meant to be a raw and cooling contrast to spicy curries and such. I had some pretty good kachumber at Pondicheri before they took it off the menu. When my cucumbers were ripe and ready to be picked, I set about creating an homage to this lovely dish with what I had on hand.

Kachumber

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 medium cucumber, seeds scooped out and sliced
heaped 1/2 cup of small grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 of a red onion, small dice
large handful of toasted cashews
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 tsp fresh ground cumin
1/4 tsp garam masala (optional)
sea salt to taste

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Instructions

Combine everything together in a bowl and toss well. Taste, and adjust with more salt, spices, or lime juice as needed. Chill the kachumber until you are ready to eat it.

Makes approximately 4 side servings. Enjoy!

Notes

If you are making this ahead of time, wait to salt it until right before you serve it as the salt will draw out a lot of moisture from the veggies.
This makes a great side dish for a spicy veggie curry or dal.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Category: side
Cuisine: Indian

Superfood Muesli

July 27, 2015 By Courtney West 1 Comment

Rolled oats and quinoa flakes form the base of this superfood muesli along with coconut, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and goji berries. You can enjoy this vegan and gluten free muesli hot or cold depending on your preference!

So confession time… I shot these photos at last week but haven’t shared until now because every time I went to write the post, I stared blankly at the screen. Maybe it’s because my mind has been occupied with other things, or maybe it’s the heat, but for whatever reason every time I sat down to type, my mind was blank. And to be honest, it still is but I really wanted to share this muesli with you!

I love to make a big batch of this muesli and use it as the base for my overnight oats. It’s such a simple way to enjoy a filling breakfast during the hotter months without turning the stove or oven on. I like to combine this muesli 1:1 with nut milk and let it soak overnight. I usually go for either 1/3 or 1/2 cup as a serving. Right before I eat it, I like to mix in a bit of yogurt, maple syrup or honey, and top it with seasonal fruit. I hope you enjoy it!

Superfood Muesli

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 7–8 cups 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup quinoa flakes
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
1/2 cup raw buckwheat groats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw pistachios
1/2 cup raw walnut pieces
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup dried goji berries
1–2 tbsp cinnamon (optional)

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Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and mix to combine. Store in a large glass jar or airtight container. Makes approximately 7-8 cups. Shake/mix well before using.

Serving suggestions: You can soak your muesli overnight in coconut milk (or any other milk of your choosing) or juice in the fridge if you want it closer to a porridge consistency but I find letting it soak for 10 or so minutes while I cut up fruit to top it with works just as well. You can also use it as a hot cereal and cook it as you would oatmeal. Or, just pour a bit of hot water over it if you’re short on time. To make overnight oats, combine 1/3 to 1/2 cup of this mix with an equal amount of nut milk and set it in the fridge to soak overnight.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Category: breakfast