Whole Wheat Naan

I wanted naan to go with the Dal Indian Stew/Black Lentil Stew I was making. Since I am on a whole food plant based diet, I wanted a recipe that didn't use white flour or refined sugar. I found this recipe from www.cheekykitchen.com. They turned out fantastic, and really pretty thanks to the griddle pan that I have. I have decided that naan is to be a regular staple in my diet. A double batch should be sufficient for one batch of the stew.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 tsp of yeast (yeast does not need to be doubled if the recipe is doubled)
• 1.5 cups warm water
• 1.5-2 tbs maple syrup (I used about 2 tbs in a double batch)
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

Directions:
Mix the first three ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add the salt and the flour. Stir until combined. Add more flour if necessary and lightly knead until a ball forms. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (30 minutes to an hour). Once the dough has risen, deflate and form the dough into dough the size of one or two golf balls (I used larger size dough balls to fit my larger griddle pan). Flour your surface if necessary and roll the balls with a rolling pin until about 1/4 of an inch thick- mine looked like rectangles with rounded edges. If you can get them thinner than that, I think that would be good too. The naan I have had in Indian restaurants is usually pretty thin. Heat a non-stick pan to medium or medium high heat and place the sheet of dough on the pan. The dough will begin to bubble. Flip over with a spatula or tongs after about a minute and cook for a minute more (I had a better time with the spatula, mine wanted to tear with the tongs). There should be some nice grill marks if you used a griddle pan or some dark spots if you used a regular pan. Do not squish the bread while it is cooking. Serve with Indian food or hummus. I thought about using these to make naan pizza or paninis as well.

Dal Stew/Black Lentil Stew

I was at an international market the other day and saw a bean I have never seen before. It was only $1.69 for a 2 pound bag, so I decided I would buy it and if they weren't good it's not like it would be a huge loss. They were matpe beans, aka black lentils. They look like super mini black beans and are packed with protein, calcium, fiber and several other good things. Since I am currently on a whole food plant based diet, they looked to be nutrient dense winners to me. When I got home I Googled "matpe bean recipes" and only a few Indian stew recipes came up. There was this Lentil Stew recipe from Cookstr and this Punjabi Dal Makhani from food.com. Both were similar and different at the same time. I couldn't decide on which one to make, so I came up with my own combination of things. The end result was super delicious and I served it with brown rice and homemade whole wheat naan.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup dried matpe beans, soaked overnight
• 1/2 cup dried kidney beans, soaked overnight
• 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garam masala (I made my own, but I do not have the spice combo readily available)
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 6 tsp ground fresh ginger root
• 32- 40 ounces water/broth
• 1 15 ounce can coconut milk (not coconut drink)
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except for coconut milk and cilantro in a crock pot or pan. Cook for about 8 hours or until the beans are tender and the stew has thickened in a crock pot. Add coconut milk at about hour 7 and add the cilantro right before serving. If cooking on a stove, bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat until the beans are tender. This may take 2-3 hours, and additional liquid may need to be added during cooking. Add the coconut milk about 30 minutes to an hour before it is ready and the cilantro right before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with brown rice or naan or both.