Besan banana cakes GF EF NF

 This was my first time using aquafaba in a recipe and I'm REALLY impressed.  I didn't even have to open a chickpea tin to get it!  I boiled some organic chickpea pasta (for a different recipe), then reduced the pasta water till there was only about 1 mug full left, let it cool and later whisked it till it became foamy on top.  I mostly use the foam for this recipe, not much of the water itself.  Other people might prefer to get their aquafaba by using the water from a can of chickpeas, or even the water from other tins of beans (such as black eyed beans), though I haven't tried that.  If you're vegan and okay with nuts, then you can use coconut oil instead of ghee as I did adapt this from a vegan recipe.

The taste and texture of this was good enough that you couldn't tell from the taste that there's no gluten or egg in it.  As I used ripe bananas on the turn, it hardly needs any sugar at all.  In fact, I think I would've got away with putting 1tsp or no added sugar at all cos I think it tastes okay plain- but dad prefers it sweeter, which was why I put a little jam in some of them.  This can be made into a loaf cake (the original recipe was of a loaf cake which I adapted).  The potential for variations of this recipe are endless.  I think some might like to add poppy seeds or grapefruit curd or lemon drizzle to the recipe- though I think it tastes fine even if it's plain as it is.

Gluten free

Egg free

Nut free

Vegetarian

9-10 tbsp gram flour (besan)

3tbsp ghee, melted

2 ripe bananas

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp sugar

Aquafaba as needed

Pinch of salt

Jam (optional)

- In a bowl, whisk the chickpea water until it gets a thick foam layer on top

- In a larger separate bowl, put in the gram flour, baking powder, sugar and salt

- mash the bananas and add them along with the ghee to the dry ingredients and stir

- Spoon 4 tbsp of the aquafaba foam into the dry ingredients bowl, then fold it in so it's just combined

- Spoon the mixture into cake cases till they are half full (or 2/3 full if you don't intend to stuff it with jam or anything in the middle).

- (Optional step): If you'd like a sweeter cake, you can add 1/3teaspoon of jam, then top with another spoonful of the mixture

- Preheat the oven to 170Celcius and bake for 20 mins

- Serve warm fresh from the oven with a cup of tea

Namkeen lassi (salty yoghurt shake) GF EF NF

 Very refreshing in the hot weather.  I used to prefer sweet lassi when I was younger but as my BP dropped dramatically during the heatwave- I not only needed this but enjoyed it.  Salt preferences can vary as I thought it tasted fine with 0.5tsp (cooking) salt per (2.5 glasses) batch but mum preferred 1tsp.

Gluten free

Egg Free

Nut Free

Ingredients:

6-8tbsp plain yoghurt (I used greek here)

2.5 tall glasses water

1 level teaspoon salt (or to taste)

- In a blender (or lassi making pot/madaani) put the yogurt, salt and half a glass of water and blend so that they're properly mixed

- Add the remaining water and blend again until it develops a foamy layer on top, then serve- perfect for a hot summer's day

Kaara (turmeric milk)

My dad found this drink helped to alleviate his back pain.  I should add that what I say should not be taken as medical advice- merely an anecdote regarding the fact that we found this remedy helpful for alleviating pain.

This is not suitable for nut allergy sufferers as we do put crushed nuts into it.  If you're vegan or lactose intolerant, then you could try this remedy using a plant based milk such as almond milk or hemp milk instead.

Ingredients:

1 mug milk

1/2 teaspoon ghee

1/3 teaspoon turmeric

1/3 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/4 teaspoon ginger

a pinch of black pepper

a pinch of cinnamon (optional)

3 strands of saffron (optional)

2 or 3 crushed nuts of your choice (I used walnuts and almonds but you can use pistachio or whatever your prefer)

Method:

- Put the ghee in a pan that's on low to medium heat, then stir all the other ingredients except the milk and honey to lightly toast them for a minute or two

- Add the honey and milk and bring it to the boil and it's ready to serve (or you can strain it before serving if you prefer)