Black Lentil Crackers ~. Gliuten Free

Black Lentil Crackers  ~  Gluten Free

These crackers are gluten free.  The dough made without wheat flour is super crisp and full of texture.  Chia seeds and their gel producing quality produce the dough.  To make them studier for dipping, rice flour is added.  The flavor as is tastes great but, za'tar, cumin, oregano, or smoked paprika can be added.

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1/2 cup black lentils, soaked overnight and drained

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons EVOO

Boiling water

Directions:

In a medium bowl mix the rice flour and the chickpea flour, black lentils, sunflower seeds,  chia seeds, salt, fresh rosemary, and EVOO.  

Pour 1 cup of boiling water over mixture and stir to thoroughly mix.  Allow to stand for 10 minutes.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven at 350*F with rack set in lower 3rd of oven.  

Scoop the dough onto a standard sheet of parchment paper, 12" x 17".  Place another sheet 12" x 17" on top and roll out the dough.  If the dough comes out of the sheets, pinch it off and place it back in where needed.

Peel off the top layer of parchment paper and transfer the dough still on the bottom sheet of parchment paper to a cookie sheet with sides.  Bake on the lower third rack of the oven until it feels dry to the touch and lightly browns, about 1 hour.

Remove from oven and turn over on baking sheet: peel the paper.  Return it to the oven to brown the other side, about 15 minutes.  Remove to a cooling rack and let cool.  It should crisp up as it cools.

Break it up in large pieces and serve immediately or store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

NOTE:  I made the chickpea flour and the rice flour in my Vita Mix.   The garbanzo flour was about a 2 to 1 when ground.  The rice was about 1 1/4 to 1  When ground fine, strain through a fine sieve and place in a sealed container until ready to use.

 

Spinach Lentil Dal

Spinach Lentil Dal Recipe

Spinach Lentil Dal - an Indian lentil recipe with a flavorful spinach sauce that is full of flavor and nutrients and can be made in 30 minutes. Serve with Basmati Rice, and naan bread!

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons ghee (or coconut oil, but ghee will elevate)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeno, finely chopped (or 1 serrano) this is mildly spicy, add more if you like.
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 lb Baby spinach (fresh or frozen)
15–20 fresh mint leaves
1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
2 tablespoons water (if using fresh spinach)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup plain yogurt (or vegan yogurt)
3 – 4 cups cooked black lentils (or aka caviar lentils, beluga lentils or French green lentils)
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste!

Directions
If cooking black lentils and basmati rice, start them first (see notes)

Make the Spinach Sauce:Sautee the onion in ghee, in a large pan, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, then add garlic, ginger and chilies. Saute until fragrant and golden. Add the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and garam masala and stir two minutes. Lower heat to low. Add the fresh spinach, mint, fenugreek and water. Cover pan, 2-3 minutes, letting spinach wilt. Give a few stirs. Don’t overcook!

Blend Spinach Sauce: Place the wilted spinach mixture in a blender and add the 3/4 cups water. Pulse and few times (hold lid down tight). If you want a smooth sauce, blend until smooth. I left a little texture here. Pour it back into the pan, set on low heat. Don’t overheat or you will lose the pretty color.

Combine: Stir in the yogurt, lentils and salt. Taste. Adjust salt to your liking, adding more if necessary! You want this slightly more salty because you are serving over rice which will mellow it out a lot. For more heat add a pinch of cayenne or chili flakes. To “up” the flavor even more, add a bit more garam masala spice to taste. If you want a little acidity a tiny squeeze of lemon is nice.

Serve with the basmati rice and naan bread!
Emerald Dal will keep up to 4 days in the fridge.

Notes
Cook black lentils according to package or try the pasta cooking method: simply boil 1 1/4 cups dry lentils in 6 cups of salted water until just tender, strain. The size of lentil will determine cooking time. Little black lentils take 20-30 minutes. Feel free to sub other whole lentils for the black lentils.

SPINACH: If using fresh spinach, be sure to use baby spinach, as mature spinach and their stems can be bitter.

Yes, you can sub coconut oil or butter for the ghee– but in my opinion, the ghee really elevates and adds so much flavor.

Feel free to bump up the spices and heat (add more chilies and spices).