Purple potato and crunchy lentil Salad (Katchumber Salad inspired by Cookbook INDIAN-ish

indian food can be a hard sell for children, but it can also be a really fun way to introduce new an vibrant spices. I love Priya Krishna’s new Cookbook, INDIAN-ISH, because it’s excatly that! With recipes like Roti pizza the breakdown of each Indian spice, even how to cook rice, INDIAN-ish is a must! I choose to riff a bit on her Katchumber salad with mung beans and add a purple sweet potato and cook the beans to almost al-dente. The mini-chefs were a bit hesitant at first, but loved the sweetness of the potato, tangy tomatoes, and the crunchy mung beans! Served with a side of Peanut Chutney.

Purple Potato and Crunchy Lentil Salad (Katchumber salad) Salad:

Serves 4

Prep 20 including Boiling Potato

Ingredients :

• 1 medium-large purple sweet potato, peeled, boiled, and cooled

• 1 cup green lentils, rinsed under cool water, cooked with 2 cups of water for about 15, just until al-dente

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• 1 persian cucumber, chopped

• 1 cup cherry tomatos, chopped

• 1 ripe avocado, diced

• 1 tablespoon rough chopped pistachio nuts (if no allergy is present)

• juice from 1/2 of a lime

• salt to taste

• optional-chopped mint leaves (we left out for the mini chefs)

Directions

1. Break the potato into large chunks using your hards (this is a fun job for the mini-chefs) once the potato is cooled.

2. Place the cooked lentils, cucumber, tomato, avocado, potato, and cilantro in a large bowl.

3. Add lime juice, salt, and pistachio nuts, toss and serve!

Avocado Ice Cream (vegan)

Happy (belated) National Avocado Day!

The mini-chefs I worked with this week were eager to celebrate the holiday by eating a ton of creamy avocado, but they also wanted to beat the NYC summer heat with a yummy frozen dessert. We found the perfect solution with this vegan avocado-based ice cream.

To fully embrace the spirit of the holiday, we whipped up the avocado ice cream and then crafted this treat to look like it's original source. We saved the avocado shell, spooned the ice cream back into it, and created a chocolate coconut ball for the "pit." The end result was adorable and so satisfying. And, of course, these were so much fun to make! 

Avocado Ice Cream Recipe

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 10 mins 
• Freeze Time: 3 hours

Ice Cream Ingredients: 

• 2 avocados (reserve avocado skin for serving)
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice
• ½ of a can of full fat coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
• ½ teaspoon of salt

"Pit "Ingredients (Optional):

• ¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup sunbutter
• 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• Handful of mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Blend all ingredients together in a high speed blender and transfer to a loaf pan, wrapped in plastic. Freeze for an hour or up to 1 week. Let soften at room temperature 20 minutes before serving.

To make the pit: place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Scoop out with either a spoon or cookie scoop and roll into 2 inch balls.

When ice cream has set but hasn’t quite frozen spoon back into avocado skin and place the pit in the middle!

Chocolate Avocado Mouse

I had invited a group of friends over for dinner, and at the last minute a client asked me to come make a birthday cake with her children. While I was super excited to bake with the kiddos, I didn't have much time to bake a dessert for my own friends. I always have bananas in my freezer and avocados on hand, a light and creamy avo mouse would be perfect pre summer dessert. Now, I know the combo sounds strange, or maybe, it sounds like the best thing in the world and you already have your food pro plugged in. Trust me, it will evoke childhood memories of pudding packs just more sophisticated and packed with superfoods like cacao. I use rice malt syrup as my sweeter because it has the lowest glycemic index of all natural sweeteners and has no taste. That being said, I find it pair perfectly with unsweetened cacao but I would also use dates. Make sure they are chopped or soaked for ease in the food pro. 

Prep Time 10-30 mins (if chilled)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 Frozen Banana
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cacao powder
• 1/4 cup rice malt syrup or 5 dates
• 1/4 cup of non dairy milk, I used full fat coconut milk
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoons of vanilla 

Directions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. Chill until ready to serve! Serve with strawberries.