Corn Tortillas

December 5, 2021
Credits

Recipe adapted from Simply Mamá Cooks

Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
175g corn flour, nixtamalized (masa harina)
15g cornstarch
3g salt
1 cup water, warm

Process
1. In a bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients
2. Add warm water, reserving a couple of tablespoons, and begin mixing/kneading the dough
3. If needed, use the remainder of the water to fully hydrate the dough and form it into a ball; cover in plastic wrap and set aside to hydrate for ~30 minutes
4. Tear off chunks of dough and form into smaller balls (or weigh out 30g portions for street taco size tortillas)
5. Preheat tuvva, comal, griddle or dry frying pan on medium high heat
6. Set dough balls between plastic and shape using tortilla press
7. Place flattened tortillas onto dry pan and cook a few minutes on each side; if they puff up, press them down with a spatula. Do not overcook
8. When done, take off heat and immediately cover in aluminum foil; stack tortillas one atop the other
Nutrition

100g (cooked) = 218 calories

Notes
- Masa Harina is a type of corn flour which uses nixtamalized corn; do not use cornmeal
- The cornstarch helps keep the tortillas soft, highly recommended
- Take a sandwich bag, cut off the zip top and slit out the sides so that you have one long plastic sheet; use this to sandiwch your tortilla between on the tortilla press.
- Steaming the tortillas in aluminum foil helps keep them warm and pliable. Do not skip this step
- If you do not have a tortilla press, you can just squash the balls of flour with a heavy pot, use a rolling pin, or even just your hands; the press just makes things easier
Accompaniments // Recipe // Specialized Equipment // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ bread ○ calories calculated ○ mexican ○ pantry ingredients ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian
Fajita Vegetables

December 5, 2021
Credits

Recipe adapted from Culinary Hill.

Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
14g oil, vegetable
2 bell peppers, small, sliced
2 red onions, medium, sliced
½ tsp salt
½ tsp oregano, Mexican, dried

Process
1. In a large skillet or wok, sauté bell peppers and onions in oil until desired consistency; cook less to keep them snappy, longer to make them soft
2. Add salt and oregano
Nutrition

100g = 71 calories

Notes
- Can sub regular oregano for Mexican oregano
Accompaniments // Recipe // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ mexican ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ stir-fry ○ vegetarian
Waffles

December 2, 2021
Credits

Recipe adapted from OneShyofaBunch on Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

Makes 4 Belgian waffles

Amount (weight) amount (volume) Ingredients
2 — eggs
240g 2 cups flour, all purpose
410g 1¾ cups milk
100g ½ cup oil, vegetable
13g 1 T sugar
15g 1 T baking powder
3g ½ t salt

Process
1. mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
2. pour batter into waffle iron in batches until all the batter is used up
Nutrition

1 waffle = 580 calories

Notes

I use this vertical waffle maker, which I bought from Costco for $35 about 5 years ago. Works fabulously and makes big waffles with deep wells. The pour spout on the top makes it easy for kids to help as well, since the risk of burns is reduced.

Although great plain, see below for serving suggestions.

Mix-ins
- chocolate chips
- blueberries
Toppings
- nutella
- maple / pancake syrup
- fresh fruit
- fresh whipped cream
- berry compotes, jams, or jellies
See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.
Mains // Specialized Equipment // Sweets

breakfast ○ calories calculated ○ freezer friendly ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ products ○ quick ○ vegetarian ○ waffle iron
Mango Milkshake

December 1, 2021
Ingredients

Makes 52 oz (1 blender full)

Amount Ingredient
250g mango, frozen
1,200g milk
27g dates, pitted

Process
1. Add all ingredients to a blender
2. Blend for 1 minute or until liquefied and homogeneous
Nutrition

100g = 63 calories

Notes
- If using fresh mango, you may want to add ice
- A high powered blender is ideal, I recommend the Vitamix
- Dried out dates do not need to be rehydrated, they can go into the mix as-is
- Different date types will have different sugar content; Medjool dates will make a thicker and sweeter shake. As written, recipe is low sugar and not too sweet
- Can add spinach or other greens to this recipe for a small health boost
- Can store extra milkshake in airtight glass jars or water bottles; it’ll keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freshness / quality may be effected; shake before enjoying.
Blender // Drinks // No Cook // Recipe

calories calculated ○ desi ○ dump and go ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ pakistani ○ quick ○ vegetarian
Rose & Cardamom Milk Tea

November 30, 2021
Credits

Recipe adapted from u/srividhya17 on Reddit.

Ingredients

Makes 1 cup

Amount Ingredient
½ cup milk
½ cup water
1 tsp tea, black, looseleaf (or 1 teabag)
2 pods cardamom, crushed
1 rosebud, dried
1½ tsp sugar

Process

Instant Pot
1. Add 1 cup of water to instant pot, place trivet inside and put pot-in-pot vessel on top.
2. Add all the ingredients to the smaller vessel and seal the lid.
```
Pressure: High
Time: 3 minutes 
Release: Quick
```
1. Strain into cup, enjoy hot.
Stovetop
1. In a small sauce pot on the stove set to medium high heat, add all the ingredients and cook until contents reach a roiling boil and threaten to spill over.
2. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Strain into cup, enjoy hot.
Nutrition

Calories: 103

Notes
- Can add fennel seeds
- Can replace sugar with honey
Drinks // Pot-in-Pot // Recipe // Stovetop

calories calculated ○ desi ○ dump and go ○ pakistani ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

Amount	Ingredients
175g	corn flour, nixtamalized (masa harina)
15g	cornstarch
3g	salt
1 cup	water, warm

Amount	Ingredients
14g	oil, vegetable
2	bell peppers, small, sliced
2	red onions, medium, sliced
½ tsp	salt
½ tsp	oregano, Mexican, dried

Amount (weight)	amount (volume)	Ingredients
2	—	eggs
240g	2 cups	flour, all purpose
410g	1¾ cups	milk
100g	½ cup	oil, vegetable
13g	1 T	sugar
15g	1 T	baking powder
3g	½ t	salt

Amount	Ingredient
250g	mango, frozen
1,200g	milk
27g	dates, pitted

Amount	Ingredient
½ cup	milk
½ cup	water
1 tsp	tea, black, looseleaf (or 1 teabag)
2 pods	cardamom, crushed
1	rosebud, dried
1½ tsp	sugar

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

November 29, 2021

Credits

Recipe modified from LittleMuffinWhore on Reddit.

Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

Amount	Ingredient
300g	banana, ripe, mashed
50g	sugar
240g	flour, all-purpose, unbleached
1 tsp	baking powder
½ tsp	baking soda
½ tsp	cinnamon
1 tsp	salt
90g	chocolate chips, semi-sweet
245g	milk
50g	oil
2 tsp	vinegar, white

Process

Preheat oven to 350°F
Mash bananas and sugar together in a shallow bowl, set aside
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients until uniform. Add chocolate chips; mix. Add banana mash + wet ingredients and mix gently until most of the flour is absorbed (some dry patches here and there are fine)
Spray muffin tray with spray oil and divide batter evenly between all 12 cavities

Bake: 25 minutes

Remove from oven and let muffins cool in tray

Nutrition

100g = 278 calories

Approximately 193 calories per muffin.

Notes

The recipe is very forgiving and will work with less banana or a little bit more
If you fall short in banana amount, you can make up the difference using some other fruit puree or applesauce (to keep the moisture ratio)
Process can be simplified by mashing bananas in the same large bowl as everything else will go in
Oven temperatures vary; start checking on the muffins at around the 20 minute mark, then every 5 minutes or so
If using frozen bananas:
- thaw in fridge overnight or in microwave if in a pinch
- squish defrosted bananas in bag to mash

Oven // Recipe // Sweets

breakfast ○ calories calculated ○ dump and go ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ vegetarian

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

November 29, 2021

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

Amount	Ingredient
3 T	butter
1 large	onion, diced
2 stalks	celery, diced
1	bell pepper, red, large, diced
1 tsp	garlic, minced
4 tsp	Better Than Bouillon no-chicken base
30oz	water
30oz	tomatoes, diced
¼ cup	basil, fresh
2½ T	tomato paste
1 tsp	salt + to taste
1 tsp	fresh ground black pepper
2 T	balsamic vinegar + to taste
½ tsp	MSG + to taste
½ cup	Parmesan cheese, fresh grated
½ cup	heavy cream

Process

Instant Pot

set Instant Pot to sauté mode, melt butter and sauté onions, celery, and bell pepper until tender
add garlic, cook 1 minute until fragrant
add the rest of the ingredients (except Parmesan and heavy cream)

Pressure: high
Time: 5 minutes
Release: quick

purée contents with immersion blender until smooth
stir in Parmesan and heavy cream, let warm through; serve hot

Stovetop

Use a heavy-bottomed pot and instead of pressure cooking in step 3, simmer until everything is tender and starts to break down.

Nutrition

Calories = 1,215 total recipe (152 per serving)

Notes

blend less for chunky soup
use (1) 28oz can or (2) 14 oz. cans for the tomatoes. 2 oz less than the full 30 called for in the recipe isn’t a big deal but the difference can be made up with fresh tomatoes so a third can isn’t opened unnecessarily
a 30oz box of stock can be used instead of the BTB base + water
a large carrot can be substituted for the red bell pepper, though the latter is tastier

See the freezing guide for tips and information on freezer-safe food storage.

Instant Pot // Recipe // Soup // Stovetop

better than takeout ○ calories calculated ○ freezer friendly ○ italian ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ vegetarian

Simple Aloo Salan

November 29, 2021

Credits

Recipe from My Heart Beets.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Amount	Ingredient
1½ lbs	potatoes, peeled, whole
2 T	oil
2 tsp	cumin seeds
½ tsp	mustard seeds
1	Serrano pepper, minced
2 cups	water
1 tsp	salt
1 tsp	turmeric
½ tsp	dried mango powder (amchur)
½ tsp	Kashmiri chili powder / paprika
¼ tsp	black pepper
¼ tsp	cayenne

Process

Dump all the ingredients except the cilantro in the instant pot

Pressure: High
Time: 10 minutes
Release: 10 minutes natural

Break up the potatoes into chunks, squishing some into the soup to thicken.
Garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 197 per serving (¼ of recipe)

Notes

If adding eggs, steam in instant pot separately

Pressure: High
Time: 6 minutes
Release: Quick

It’s possible to do the eggs at the same time as the salan by using a high trivet, but the potatoes would need to be chopped in order to account for the reduced pressure time, I haven’t perfected the timing yet so experiment at your own risk.

Instant Pot // Mains // Recipe // Soup

calories calculated ○ desi ○ dump and go ○ eggs ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

Shahi Raita

November 28, 2021
All amounts are really to-taste. The below “recipe” is just an approximation.

Ingredients

Amount Ingredients
225g yogurt
1½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 T mint, fresh, ribboned
2 T cilantro, fresh, chopped
120g cucumber, chopped
70g tomatoes, chopped
100g milk

Process
1. Combine all the ingredients except milk in a medium sized bowl.
2. Add milk to thin until desired consistency is reached
Nutrition

52 calories per 100g

Notes
- I like to keep all the liquid from the tomatoes to help thin out the final product; it might also give it a pretty, slightly pink color.
Additions & Variations
- finely diced onions
- shredded carrots
- chaat masala (makes it tangy/chatpata)
- tamarind (makes it a bit tart)
Accompaniments // No Cook // Recipe

calories calculated ○ cold ○ desi ○ dump and go ○ one pot pan or bowl ○ pakistani ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

Amount	Ingredients
225g	yogurt
1½ tsp	cumin seeds
¼ tsp	salt
¼ tsp	black pepper
2 T	mint, fresh, ribboned
2 T	cilantro, fresh, chopped
120g	cucumber, chopped
70g	tomatoes, chopped
100g	milk

Cherry Almond Scones

November 25, 2021

Credits

Recipe adapted from Everyday Gourmet with Blakely.

Ingredients

Makes 4 scones

Amount	Ingredient
120g	flour, all purpose, unbleached
25g + 6g	sugar, divided
1tsp	baking powder
⅛ tsp	salt
28g	butter, cold
1 tsp	vanilla extract
⅛ tsp	almond extract
90g	milk
½ cup	cherries, fresh, pitted, halved
15g	almonds, slivered

Process

Preheat oven (or toaster oven / airfryer) at 425° F.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
Add cold butter and work into the dry ingredients with your hands until all the butter has become little bits.
Mix in vanilla and almond extracts, milk, cherries, and almonds.
Turn dough out onto parchment paper and press into a rough square of even thickness. Wet hands with water if dough is sticking.
Cut an “X” shape into the dough to form 4 triangle pastries.
Wet the tops with water (or milk) and dust with the 6g of sugar.

Bake: 20 minutes

Nutrition

Calories: 240 per scone

Notes

If using raw almonds, cover with water and microwave for 1 minute, remove skins, then sliver
Rotate tray halfway through bake time if browning is uneven; this varies by oven.

Oven // Recipe // Sweets

baking ○ better than takeout ○ breakfast ○ calories calculated ○ pastry ○ photo ○ quick ○ vegetarian

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

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Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

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Mix-ins

Toppings

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Instant Pot

Stovetop

Nutrition

Notes

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Instant Pot

Stovetop

Nutrition

Notes

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes

Additions & Variations

Credits

Ingredients

Process

Nutrition

Notes