Cooking Class | Iskcon

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Cooking Classes will resume soon…stay tuned for upcoming information

If you attended the classes from February to June and would like to receive the recipes, please send us your request at info@radhakrishnaphoenix.org Please make sure to include the class you attended. Thank you!

Recipes from class on January 24, 2015

Pesto

1 cup fresh basil leaves1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup hazelnuts (or almonds or walnuts or pine nuts)

3-4 tablespoons parmesan without rennet or paneer

1/4 teaspoon asofetida

1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt and a dash of freshly ground black pepper

1. Process nuts in a blender until they turn into dust.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until you get the

desired consistency. You may have to add a little water if you

want more liquid sauce.

3. Serve with pasta, bread or your favorite appetizer. Pesto

stores well in the fridge for up to five days.

Zucchini Risotto

serves 3-4

1 cup arborio rice

2.5-3 cups homemade vegetable stock

1/4 teaspoon asofetida

1/2 teaspoon ghee or grape seed oil

1 zucchini, chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

4 tablespoons parmesan

4 tablespoons mild vinegar or lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

salt, pepper

1. Warm up the stock in a pot and keep at low heat.

2. In a deep non-stick pan warm up the ghee or oil over medium

high heat. Add asofetida and cook for 30 seconds to release

the aroma. Add the rice and stir well. Add 3 tablespoons of

vinegar or lemon juice and stir well. As soon as the liquid

evaporates add a 1/3 cup of warm stock and stir, as soon as it

evaporates add another one and stir. Continue doing it until all

the liquid is evaporated.

3.Meanwhile, put a frying pan on the stove. Warm up some oil or

ghee and add zucchini, spreading them out in a thin layer.

Season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat for

about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they turn golden

brown.

4. Once all the liquid is used up, add the last spoon of vinegar or

lemon juice and stir well. Add the cooked zucchini, butter and

parmesan. Stir well and turn off the heat. Let sit for a minute

and add parsley. Serve.

Zucchini Risotto

Lemon-Almond Biscotti (Makes 12-13 pieces)

Dry ingredients

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

grated zest of 1 lemon

1/3 cup whole almonds

a dash of salt

optional 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder

Wet ingredients

1 tablespoon flax seed meal thickened in 3 tablespoons warm water for 5 minutes

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in lemon zest and

almonds.

2. In a separate bowl mix thickened flax seed, sugar, lemon juice

and oil using an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and

well-incorporated.

3. Stir in wet ingredients into the dry ones. Mix well. Shape a log

on a silicone sheet or parchment paper, put on a baking rack

and slide into the oven warmed up to 350F.

4. Bake 30-35 minutes. Take out and cool on a cooling rack for

10-15 minutes. Cut in pieces using serrated knife while it is still

warm, as it will crumble if you cut it cold. You can dry them

10-15 minutes on each side inside the over, but I personally

prefer them slightly softer on the inside, so I skip this step.

Recipes from class on December 20, 2014

Tom Kha (Coconut soup)

Serves 3-4 you can serve it as a starter by itself or with basmati or jasmine rice as the main dish

4 cups vegetable stock

1 14oz can coconut milk

1 lemongrass stalk, cracked

1 inch piece of galangal (or ginger), with small incisions all over

2 kafir lime leaves or 2 bay leaves and a piece of lime zest

2 whole chili peppers, cut in the middle or 1 teaspoon crushed chili

1/2 teaspoon asofetida

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon liquid aminos or low salt soy sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind pulp (or 1 teaspoon tamarind water or 1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste)

2 carrots cut

vegetables of your choice, such as broccoli, bok choy, baby corn, snap peas etc.

optional you can add fried tofu

a pinch of salt and black pepper

1/2 teaspoon lime juice

cilantro for garnish

1. Place galangal, chili, kafir lime leaves and lemongrass in a pot full of cold stock. Bring to boil over medium high heat, cover, lower the heat and boil for 15-20 minutes. If you are using tamarind pulp, soak it in a cup covered with hot water for 15 mins. After soaking squeeze it through a fine strainer to separate the pulp.

2. Add asofetida, tamarind, liquid aminos, sugar, salt and black pepper. Add carrots and bring back to boil. Cook for 5 minutes and follow with the rest of the vegetables, cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the vegetables appear cooked. If you are using faster cooking vegetables such as snap peas and bok choy add them after carrots have been cooking for 10 minutes.

3. Add coconut milk, lime juice and tofu if using. Warm up but do not bring to boil and take off the heat. Serve garnished with cilantro.

Vegetarian Pad Thai

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1/3 of 14 oz pack of rice stick noodles

1 carrot julienned

1/3 cup hard tofu drained and cubed

1/4 cup snap peas

1/3 cup chopped bok choy or 1/3 cup zucchini or 1/3 cup broccoli cut in long strips

1/3 cup bean sprouts washed and drained

1 tablespoon liquid aminos or low salt soy sauce

1,5 tablespoon tamarind pulp (or 1 tablespoon tamarind water or 1 tsp tamarind paste)

1/2 teaspoon asofetida

1/2 teaspoon crushed chili pepper

a dash of black pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

grapeseed oil or ghee for frying

cilantro, crushed peanuts and lime to serve

1. Warm up water in a deep pot until it is hot. Take it off the heat and put noodles inside. You can put extra noodles in if you are cooking more. Let sit for 15-20 minutes until they soften. Once they get soft drain them well.

2. If you are using tamarind pulp, soak it in a cup covered in hot water for 15 mins. After soaking squeeze it through a fine strainer to get tamarind water.

3. Warm up the pan or wok over medium high heat and add oil to cover the bottom. Fry tofu until it gets golden. Take tofu off the pan and place it on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Add a little more oil to the pan and let it warm up. When the oil gets hot (sizzling when you drop a drop of water in) add chili, following with asofetida and black pepper. Let them cook for a 30 seconds. Add carrots and cook stirring for two-three minutes.

3. Add bok choy and stir, cook for three minutes stirring well and add snap peas. Cook for two more minutes stirring frequently.

4. Add the noodles to the pan, pour liquid aminos or soy sauce, add sugar and tamarind and stir well. Follow with cooked tofu. Cook for 2 more minutes stirring well. You may find it easier to use thongs to stir noodles. Add sprouts and cook for another minute stirring. You can add sprouts at the end if you like them crunchy or cook for a minute if you like them softer.

5. Take pad thai off the heat, sprinkle crushed peanuts on top and add cilantro. Serve with a piece of lime on the side and squeeze it on right before eating.

Summer Rolls

2 medium carrots julienned

a pinch of salt

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 large avocado

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup cooked sushi rice

rice paper

1. Toss the carrots with a pinch of salt in a bowl. Let them sit for 5 minutes.

2. Cut the avocado in long strips and sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent darkening if not serving the rolls right away.

3. Squeeze the water out of carrots and mix them with rice vinegar. Let sit for a couple of minutes and pickled carrots are ready.

4. Pour warm water in a wide deep dish. The water should not burn your hands when you touch it. Place a sheet of rice paper in the water and soak for 5 -10 seconds. It will get soft and easy to handle. Take it out and spread out. Place some rice, carrot, and avocado on top. The ingredients should be placed vertically on the left. Bend the left side and cover them, follow with top and bottom, and roll to the right.

Other great additions to the rolls are mint, Thai basil, cucumbers (plain or pickled using the method above), sesame seeds, fried tofu, rice noodles and even canned pineapple.

Sushi rice

1 cup sushi rice

1 and 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Wash rice under running water. Drain well, place in the pan with water and cover. Turn the heat to medium high and bring to light boil, without lifting the cover (you will hear the boil), turn the heat down to low and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn off the heat and let sit for another 20 minutes. Do not lift cover until the end of the process. You can also use a rice cooker.

2. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar by stirring really well for a few minutes. If your rice vinegar says “seasoned” use half of the amount of sugar and salt.

3. Stir the vinegar into the rice using a wooden spoon. Your rice will get sticky and will be ready to be used in sushi and summer rolls once cooled. It also refrigerates well for up to three days.

Per your request I figured out a great peanut sauce recipe to dip summer rolls in.

Dipping sauce

1/3 cup roasted peanuts (or sunflower seeds)

1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger

2 teaspoons liquid aminos or low salt soy sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon crushed chili

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons of a neutral oil like grapeseed

1/3 teaspoon asofetida

a pinch of black pepper

some water

1. Puree ginger with liquid aminos in a blender until they form a paste.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the water and process for a few minutes. Add water a few tablespoons at a time and process after until you get a desired sauce consistency.

Recipe from our class on November 15

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1 grapefruit

1 tablespoon olive oil

a dash of salt

Peel and take grapefruit flesh out separating it from membranes. Cut in medium size pieces. Peel and cut avocado, add to grapefruit flesh. Sprinkle with salt, pour lemon juice and olive oil on top. Stir and serve right away.