Bhelpuri - Indian snack! (BioSnackySprouts Challenge - Mung Beans!)

It is day 5 of the A.Vogel BioSnacky Original Sprouter challenge!!  Thirty Canadian Bloggers selected by A.Vogel to try out their new fun and innovative BioSnackySprouter. Right now all are sprouting away in their homes and documenting it on their blogs!  

I'm feeling so lucky to be one of them, and also at the same time wondering how the heck have I been managing without this sprouter in my life!  Watering it is so much fun, I look forward to every 12 hours when I simply pour a full large mason jar of water into the top tier and watch it trickle down perfectly watering each sprouts crop. 

Today we're talking mung beans, they're one of my favourite sprouts and since they started on thursday (the 20th) they seem to have fully sprouted in 4-5 days. 

The recipe I'm incorporating them into is like a party in your mouth, it's an Indian snack street food called Bhelpuri, by no means am I claiming this to be a "traditional" recipe because I'm not an expert, I simply put together this version using all the flavours I love. 

I think this is a perfect summer recipe, it's spicy and fresh and a nice change! Makes a fabulous appetizer too for a backyard BBQ or get together. Try serving them in small rolled up newspaper cones for more of that "Street food" flare. 

This morning bright and early I set out to the local Chinese and Caribbean market to pick up a coconut, red onion and chilis to add to the rest of the vibrant flavours which were already stocked in my pantry and fridge like fresh ginger, cilantro, cucumbers, tomatoes ...

This recipe is in 2 parts, the fresh salsa and then the dry snack and you only mix it together when you're about to serve otherwise it'll go soggy if left sitting.

For the fresh "Salsa" part:

- 1/2 english cucumber, finely diced
- 1 large firm tomato (use the outter part removing the seeds and core) dice finely.
- 1/4 large red onion - finely diced

- 1 piece of ginger (small thumb size piece) peeled and finely diced 

- 2 chilies - finely diced (or adjust to your taste)
- 1/2 fresh coconut flesh, cut into strips/shavings

- 1 1/2 tbsp mung beans - sprouted 4 days in advange in the A.Vogel biosnackysprouts sprouter 

- Cilantro, chopped finely (a couple of sprigs)  

- Lemon or lime for squeezing 

- Sea salt

Lightly toss all of the above together except for the lemon juice and salt


For the dry mix: 

Store bought assorted Indian snack.  About 1 1/2 cups from the package. 

At my grocery store or local Indian market there are SEVERAL varieties of snacks and mixes, many include spiced fried noodles made of a dough that comes from ground chickpeas. Added to that are puffed rices, lentils, chickpeas, all kinds of very interesting and tasty ingredients.

Before serving:
When ready to serve mix the dry and wet together and add a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt to your taste, tossing lightly with fingertips salad spoons and immediately serve in individual portions with a small spoon.

Variations: Add finely diced mango to the mix, or create drizzling sauces made from tamarind and other vibrant flavours to awaken the senses!

Feel free to adjust the amounts too, add more of something you like and less of another!

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it as much as I did!

Olive That! Tasting Bar - Whitby, Ontario

If you haven't been to an olive oil tasting bar (read: THIS olive oil tasting bar!) then it's about time! As a foodie I thought I knew everything there was to know about EVOO but what I sampled, smelled and learned today has forever changed the way I think about olive oil! 

Val & Tony Vagopoulos , the lovely owners of Olive That, in Whitby Ontario were so gracious in welcoming me to their beautiful Artisinal shop today.  To my surprise Val had also laid out a tasting tray for us, think of it as a mini crash course of a few of her extensive varieties of delicious fresh, fragrant, and fruity olive oils as well as a couple of balsamic vinegars. As I warmed the little cups of oil between my palms, sipped and slurped just as she instructed I listened attentively to her speak passionately about her love of olive oil. 

Olive That is a tasting bar, that means you can taste everything on site, just grab a cup from the stacks of mini cups found at an arm's reach throughout the store, or maybe a little cube of fresh bread in the beautiful jars then help yourself to a tasting of fresh olive juice from the stainless steel vessels in which each oil is carefully stored in protecting it from the elements.

This afternoon as I made my way around the store tasting many of the different varieties of olive oils as well as infused olive oils, one of the things I took note of was that regardless of pungency or infused notes of flavour they all share a similar attribute of being surprisingly "light" and by that I mean very delicate in the mouth, contrary to the "other" stuff labeled as (Extra Virgin Olive oil) which is heavy, greasy and all you're left with is this viscous mouthful. I'm told this is how olive oil (or olive juice!) should very much be like.

I've been fortunate to have learned over the last couple of weeks and also reminded of today how olive oil is a delicate juice that does indeed have a shelf life,  which as I'm told is between 6-8 months. Only through having access to vital information like the crush date will you be able to estimate the freshness of your olive oil and enjoy it in the best possible form. This really make you rethink the freshness of supermarket olive oils or those bottles sitting around forever in dusty gourmet shops.

Along with the sensory test through sampling the wonderful olive oils and allowing the mouth to detect those fruity and herbaceous notes ending in that peppery finish at the back of the throat the owners of Olive That pride themselves in providing detailed scientific information about every batch of olive oil in their store, you'll see the little laminated cards on the front of each stainless steel vessel and the staff are always more than happy to explain what the numbers mean. 

We're so fortunate to have Olive That in the heart of Durham (as well as a second location in downtown Unionville) for all of us to enjoy from the general Toronto, and surrounding areas!

Oh and while you're there don't forget to check out the divine assortment of balsamic vinegars! I couldn't resist walking away without the 18 year old traditional, aged espresso, and aged maple balsamic ..  next time I'm going for the white!

And for my readers who know me so well by now, you guessed it!!  .. There will be recipes to follow, very soon! 

A.Vogel BioSnacky Original Sprouter

Dear readers, allow me to introduce you to my buddy "BioSnacky Original" sprouter by A.Vogel

I'm feeling so fortunate to be part of the thirty blogger participants selected to be a part of this 10 day sprouting challenge using this interesting triple decker sprouter. 

Recently I've been incorporating more healthy posts into my blog, as you've probably all noticed and even though I hardly posted (I think) anything about sprouts I'm actually a big sprouts fan and started sprouting in my mid teens. 

I'm that person who hangs out at the health and wellness trade shows looking for what's new and innovative in the sprouting world. Somewhere around here I've got quite the collection of sprouters but that's all for another day because today (and for the next 9 days) we're going to be using this sprouter and I'll guide you through how to use it and let you know my thoughts about it as well as updates on how the sprouts are doing.  I've got you covered recipe wise too.

Earlier I began by putting the kettle on (a cup of tea is always a good idea!)  Honey and ginseng it was.

Next I took out all the pieces and rinsed them. Following the guidelines I measured out 1 1/2 tablespoon of each seed (it was coincidental that they all had the same measurements in the instructions book and I chose to sprout the mung bean, little radish and alfalfa leaving the fitness mix for the next round)

Taking turns rinsing each seed variety and sprinkling in it's own tray, I then stacked them putting the alfalfa at the bottom (sprouting time is a couple of days longer) and mung bean in the middle with radish at the top.   The red drainage valves are staggered so when you look from above you see all 3 distinctly in a triangle design.

I pour half a litre (about 2 1/4 cups ) of  filtered brita slightly cooler than room temp water (our tap water isn't so good so figured better to be safe). Pouring it into the top tray it slowly trickles down into the next level (its like floors in an apartment building, very cool to watch!)

It moves on to the third level before ultimately collecting in the bottom most vessel, and at this point the instructions mentioned discarding it or using it to water house plants.

I put the lid on top and it's all ready to go until it's next rinse. Luckily again all the seeds need the same similar rinsing times, twice a day, so I'm assuming every 12 hours I will pour half a liter of water into the top again and allow it to filter down nourishing and watering each tier.

If you're interested in purchasing the sprouter you can find it on the A.Vogel site here 
Feel free to follow and join the conversation on twitter under the hashtag #biosnackysprouts

Stay tuned for more!

Ginger Garlic Lamb Shoulder Stew

Ginger Garlic Lamb Stew

Ingredients:

- 1.162 kg boneless lamb shoulder  (about 2.5 lbs)  

 Excess fat removed and cut into 2 inch cubes

- 2 tbsp butter

- 1 tsp good olive oil

- 5 large cloves garlic, minced

- 1 piece of ginger, about the size of a man's thumb - minced

- Salt & black pepper (it will cook down so do not over salt!) You could always adjust later

- 2 tbsp Tomato paste - I used half a jar of San Marzano Passata 

- Juice of 1/4 of a lemon (or some kind of acid like a balsamic vinegar)

Directions: 

Heat a heavy bottomed wide pot on high heat, add the butter and brown the lamb pieces on all sides. Turn the heat down and add the minced garlic and ginger then when fragrant add salt, black pepper, tomato and lemon juice/vinegar.  

Add enough water to cover the lamb, drizzle the olive oil and simmer on low under lamb is tender (keep topping it up with water if needed)  It takes about 3 hours. 

In the last hour and when it's tender continue cooking to remove most of the liquid until it's a nice thick flavorful stew. Check for salt and adjust seasoning if needed. 

Enjoy with couscous, rice, pasta or as you see here some Freeka!