Apple Crumble

Apple crumble is one of the old time favorite pies.  It originated in England during the Second World War due to the strict rations of foods.  During those hard times ingredients were not enough to come up with a traditional apple pie.  So what the people back then did was to create a crumble, since there were not much ingredients required. The only thing needed were sugar, butter and a little flour. Someone has rightly said necessity is the mother of invention.   During the hard times, the creativeness of the English people paved the way for apple crumble to become one of the popular desserts for times to come  In the fall or autumn when apples are in plenty, apple crumble became a favorite dish.  It is a very simple dish to make and that is one of the reasons of its popularity.

Ingredients:

3 Big Apples cored and sliced, ½ cup white sugar, 1 ½  tsp white flour, ½ tsp cinnamon powder,  ¼ cup water.

For Crumbs:

½ cup cooking oats, ½ cup corn flakes, ½ cup white flour, ½  cup brown sugar, 1/8 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp baking soda, ¼ cup melted butter or canola oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F or 180 degree C.

Place the sliced apples in a  medium size pie dish.

Mix the white sugar, 1 ½  tsp flour, cinnamon powder and sprinkle over apples. 

Pour ¼ cup water evenly over this.

Combine the oats, corn flakes(crush these a little with your hand), ½ cup white flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter or canola oil.

Crumble evenly over the apples.

Bake for 45 minutes or slightly golden in color.

Mexican Bean Salad

Beans are a healthy food that  play an important role in Mexican cuisine. Beans are naturally rich in soluble fiber, iron and dietary protein. Regularly consuming beans can lower bad LDL cholesterol and reduce overall heart disease risk, according to the U.S. Beans Council.  Healthy beans common in Mexican cooking include black beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans and kidney beans.

Beans are loaded with nutrients like Vitamin B, Calcium and Potassium that our bodies need.  For example Vitamin B is necessary for healthy brain and nerve cells, for normal functioning of the skin, nerves and the digestive system.  Similarly Calcium is needed for strong bones and teeth and it helps us keep our body more alkaline rather than acidic.  Potassium helps reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

I have used black beans, soya beans, corn and black eyed beans that day as they were readily available in my kitchen pantry.  Generally I use kidney beans, chick peas, corn, green beans and navy beans for the Mexican salad.  So it depends on your choice and availability of things.  Most important thing is to use different variety of beans to add to the nutritional value and the taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups black beans, boiled and drained, 2cups kidney beans, boiled and drained, 2 cups green beans chopped, boiled and drained,  1 green bell pepper(chopped), 1 red bell pepper(chopped), 1 ½ cup corn kernels boiled and drained,  1 medium red onion chopped finely,  ½ cup olive oil,  ¼ cup red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp white sugar(powdered), 1 tbsp salt, 1 clove crushed garlic, ¼ cup cleaned and chopped fresh cilantro, ½ tbsp ground cumin, ½ tbsp ground black pepper,  1 dash of hot pepper sauce, ¼ tsp red chili powder.

Method:

In a large bowl, combine beans, bell peppers, corn, and red onion.  In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and black pepper. Season to taste with hot sauce or chili powder.  Pour this olive oil dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Keep in the refrigerator before serving.  Serve cold.

Lentil Pilaf

This is an age old recipe.  In medieval times this was called mujadarra, means a dish of the poor.  This used to be a favorite dish of misers yet everyone served it.  In medieval times when this dish was served in the Middle East, host often commented:” Excuse the food of the poor.”  To this the unanimous reply was :”Keep your food of kings and give us megadarra  (or mujadarra) everyday!”

The proportion of this lentil and rice pilaf varies with every family.  I used it equal amount of rice and lentil while many use two parts of lentil and one part of rice.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup black-brown lentil, 1 cup rice, salt to taste, cumin seeds 1 tsp, 2 onions, oil for frying onions

Method:

Wash and soak lentil for half an hour. 

Cook lentil in a big pan, add five cups of water, salt and cumin seeds.

It will take at least an hour for lentil to turn tender and cooked.

Now put the lentil through a colander but place this colander on another pan to save the water of the lentil in which it was cooked.

Wash rice well.  Cook rice in the left over water of the lentil.  If rice is one cup add two cups of lentil water.  Salt and cumin aroma of cooked lentil will come in this rice as well.

Cut the onions julienne and fry them in a very hot oil until they are dark brown and sweet, almost caramelized.

Once rice is cooked, take out the cooked rice a bowl, add a tbsp of cooked lentil and mix with the rice, now spread the rest of the lentil as a top layer on the rice.

Now garnish this lentil and rice pilaf with caramelized fried onion.

This dish can be served hot with plain yogurt.

Note : if you want to add color to the dish you may fry red and yellow peppers and garnish along with onions.