Vegan Black-Eyed Bean Salad | Lobia Salad

a healthy, delicious & refreshing salad using boiled black-eyed peas (lobia) and some vegetables.

Black-Eyed Peas !!!

The black-eyed pea is also called black-eyed bean or cow-pea or lobia (in hindi). It gets its name from the appearance as it is cream in color with a little black spot at the center curve area which overall resembles an eye. Black-eyed peas are actually not peas at all although the word PEA is there in its name, but rather a variety of bean related to the cow-pea and categorized as legumes, having both edible seeds and pods. These beans have a nutty, earthy and buttery flavors. 

Did you know ?

Southern states of the U.S.A tradition holds that the first food to be eaten on New Year's Day should be black-eyed peas for luck and prosperity, specifically one pea for each day of the year. So if someone is planning to celebrate the New Year in that part of the world, it is most likely that he / she will be offered black-eyed peas in some form, either just after midnight or on New Year's Day.

Nutritional Value of these beans :

The black-eyed peas are low in fat, contain no cholesterol and are low in sodium. These are high in potassium, iron and fiber too. Also it

• Helps to reduce cholesterol
• An excellent substitute for animal meat protein
• Helps in maintaining water balance
• Controls blood pressure
• Manage to loss weight etc. 

Culinary usage of Black-Eyed beans :

Black eyed beans need to be soaked for a period of 3-4 hours before they can be cooked. Although soaking is not mandatory for these beans, still it quickens overall cooking time as well as removes anti-nutritional compounds and enriches flavor. So without soaking, in pressure cooker it takes around 15-20 minutes and with soaking it takes simply around 8-10 minutes. One thing has to keep in mind that these beans get cooked quickly, so do not overcook the beans. Else there will be a complete mushy texture. Black-eyed peas can be used simply in soups, salads, cooked as snacks like patties, Indian sabji (side dish). Raw and sprouted black-eyed beans are much common. Today I have come up with a super simple salad recipe using these beans as Black-Eyed Beans Salad / Black-Eyed Peas Salad / Lobia Salad.

Ingredients needed for this salad :

1. Black eyed pea - This is the star ingredient here in the salad. Some slightly boiled black-eyed peas aka lobia are used.
2. Vegetable - I have picked some cube shaped cucumbers, onions, tomatoes here. One can choose as per choice like corn, shredded cabbage, green peas, carrots, spinach etc.
3. Green chili - Few finely chopped green chilies are added to get some spiciness in the salad. For serving to kids, this can be completely omitted.
4. Coriander leaf - I have added only coriander leaves here. Few mint leaves also can add a nice flavor to the salad here.
5. Lemon juice - It adds a slight tangy-ness to the salad.
6. Salt - Add to adjust the taste of the salad overall.

Preparation method of this salad :

Preparation method here is super simple. In a mixing bowl, all the ingredients are tossed first using a spoon. And then the chopped coriander leaves are sprinkled and served immediately !

Dietary Notes :

✔  Completely VEGAN & GLUTEN FREE
✔  Super simple and quick
✔  Loaded with high protein
✔  Best to have when freshly made

Serving suggestion :

With all the ingredients added, the salad looks more appealing and healthier. This is a proteinicious refreshing salad. For a perfect mid-day meal or evening snack this salad fits well. Also in breakfast menu this stays as a good healthy and nutritious option. One can make this salad using some sprouted black-eyed peas too. Hardly within 10 minutes the dish is ready to serve. Even when there is a hurry, still want to prepare a dish which fills the tummy for a long time, do make this salad using Black-Eyed Peas aka Lobia.

HOPE YOU WILL LIKE THIS SALAD 😊! WHY NOT TRY some more salad RECIPES 👇 AS WELL :

• Pasta Salad with Italian dressing    
• Mango Salad (Vegan & Gluten free)    
• Green Chickpea Salad in Mustard Vinaigrette  
• Turnip-Beetroot-Radish Coleslaw   
• Kachumbar Salad Cup    
• Pineapple Burger  
• Chickpea Slaw  
• Udupi Kosambari / Lentil Cucumber Salad (Vegan & Gluten free)    

Event related to this post :

Well, the june month challenge in 'Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge' group was 'Summer Salad '. The theme was suggested by kalyani, she has a varieties of salad recipe at her space, I like her recent addition Warm Barley Summer Salad with Kiwi and Roasted Peppers. For the current theme, my partner was Sujitha (blogs at sujitha easy cooking) who gave me 2 secret ingredients as Lemon & Onion and I gave her as Milk & Sugar. And as usual, using mine two ingredients I had to prepare a summer salad. So here is the Vegan Black-Eyed Bean Salad / Lobia Salad for theme contribution.

: Recipe Card :

Vegan Black-Eyed Bean Salad | Lobia Salad

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Author: sasmita

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 10 MTotal time: 20 M

A healthy, delicious and refreshing salad using boiled black-eyed peas (lobia) and some vegetables.

Ingredients:

• Black-eyed bean (boiled) 2 cup
• Cucumber (cubed) 1/2 cup
• Onion (cubed) 1/2 cup
• Tomato (cubed) 1/2 cup
• Green chili (finely chopped) 1-2 no.
• Coriander leaves (finely chopped) 2-3 tbsp
• Lemon juice 1/2 tbsp
• Salt as needed

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients except chopped coriander leaves.
2. Using a spoon, gently toss everything.
3. Finally sprinkle chopped coriander leaves, toss again and serve !

Notes:

Add the veggies as per choice like corn, cabbage, carrot, spinach etc. For serving to kids, simply omit green chili.

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2020/07/vegan-black-eyed-bean-salad-lobia-salad.html

Vegetarian, Healthy salad, Black-eyed beans, lobia salad, onion, tomato, cucumber, lemon, coriander leaves, Easy and quick

Salad, Black-eyed peas, Lobia, Vegan, Gluten free

International

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Rava Toast | Semolina Toast | Sooji Toast with VIDEO details

a crispy toasted bread with a tasty toppings of few vegetables and semolina mixture

Any dish using bread are always liked by all of us. 2-3 years back, I had come across this Rava Toast in a cookery TV show. And since then this rava toast is a common affair for me. I prepare this dish as per my convenience and always love to add few veggies. This rava toast is completely vegetarian and comes under open toast category. I had recently shared another semolina based recipe as Savory Bundt Cake, do check that and if preparing for kids, simply omit the green chilies.

What are the ingredients here ?

1. Bread slice - Any kind of breads like white, brown, whole wheat, multigrain pair well here. I have used white one as that was in my kitchen pantry.
2. Sooji - I have picked the fine variety sooji / semolina / rava. If you do not have fine variety then simply grind a bit the regular semolina in a grinder jar. 
3. Vegetables - I have picked onions, tomatoes, carrot, bell pepper here. Any other vegetables like cabbage, beetroot, spinach, cucumber etc can be added. But all these should be in finely chopped or grated form, so that these can be easily cooked.
4. Coriander leaf - This is optional but adds a nice flavor.
5. Green chili - Few finely chopped green chilies can be used as per the spiciness desired. I have skipped here.
6. Yogurt - Always prefer to pick the fresh curd / yogurt (do check how to make curd easily at home). Else there will be a sour tatse in the toast. This helps to bind all the ingredients easily.
7. Salt - add as per the taste. 
8. Oil - I have picked oil here to toast the bread slices. Butter or even ghee can be opted.
9. Water - This is optional. Add very little if mixing everything results into a thick paste.

Making procedure of this rava toast :

First in a mixing bowl take semolina (sooji), curd, finely chopped onion, finely chopped bell pepper, finely chopped tomatoes, finely chopped coriander leaves, grated carrot and salt. Using a spoon everything is mixed to get a paste type texture. If the mixture looks too thick then 1-2 tbsp of water can be added. Everything is again mixed and the bowl is kept aside with a cover for 5-6 minutes. 
After that around 1 tbsp of this semolina mixture is spread over one side of a bread slice evenly using a spoon or butter knife. 
Meanwhile a tawa / griddle is heated and greased with oil. The bread slice is then placed on the tawa with the topping side down. Over low-medium heat it is allowed to cook till the toppings look slightly light brown in color. 
Then the bread slice is flipped and the other side is allowed to toasted till nicely crisp. The toasted rava toast is then transfer to a plate. 
Similarly with remaining sooji mixture and bread slices some more rava toasts are prepared. Depending upon the size of tawa and bread slice, 2-3 bread slices can be cooked at a time.

💡FEW TIPS TO MAKE PERFECT CRISPY RAVA TOAST :

• Do not keep the topping on bread slices for longer time before toasting. Put the semolina mixture on the bread slice and immediately toast it, else the bread will get soggy.
• Always keep the heat on low-medium, else the slices will burn instead of well toasted.
• Do not spread the semolina mixture too thick. Otherwise the toast will not turn crispy and also remain uncooked from the middle.
• Keep all the vegetables finely chopped so that these will stick to the bread slices easily.

Dietary note :

✔  Vegetarian

✔  Easy and quick

✔  Can be Vegan if prefer to use vegan yogurt

✔  Kids friendly

Serving suggestion :

The whole preocess is quite simple, easy and quick to make. These rava toasts are perfect to serve in the morning breakfast / evening tea time snack option. Using some ketchup / any chutneys like coriander chuteny / mint-coariander chutney these pair well. If some leftover breads are there, then this recipe is a nice choice to use those left over bread slices. 

For kids tiffin box, this fits really perfect. But do keep in mind to first cool the rava toasts and after that only pack in the tiffin box. If it is packed in the box in hot / warm stage, then it may turn soggy. This recipe is quite common at my place and we love to have this in the breakfast menu most time. When there is a hurry, then this surely comes as a rescue. Just mix everything, top the bread slices and toast over a tawa / griddle, Voila ! The delightful dish is ready to go 😉So do make this easy peasy semolina toast / rave toast / sooji toast and give a new addition in the breakfast / snack menu !

The event related to this post :

Monday is here again and the Foodie Monday Blog Hop team has decided the 252th theme as 'Munchkin Meal' which is suggested by Narmadha this time. Her blog is loaded with many veg and non-veg Indian recipes as well as others from around the globe, do check her healthy Veggie Whole Wheat Pizza. Well for the theme she suggested to make any healthy dish which we could feed the kids easily particularly fussy eaters and that may be any kind of meal. So here I have come up with this Rava Toast using semolina / rava / sooji, some vegetables and contributed for the theme.

Now let’s go through how to make "Rava Toast" at home 👇

Video procedure of this "Rava Toast / Semolina Toast" :

: Recipe Card :

Rava Toast | Semolina Toast | Sooji Toast

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Author: sasmita

Prep time: 10 MCook time: 15 MTotal time: 25 M

a crispy toasted bread with a tasty toppings of few vegetables and semolina mixture

Ingredients:

• Bread slice 5-6 no.
• Sooji (semolina) 1/2 cup
• Onion (finely chopped) 1/4 cup
• Tomato (finely chopped) 1/4 cup
• Carrot (grated) 1/4 cup
• Bell pepper (capsicum) (finely chopped) 1/4 cup
• Coriander leaf (finely chopped) 1-2 tbsp
• Yogurt 1/2 cup
• Salt as needed
• Oil as needed
• Water as needed

Instructions:

1. In a mixing bowl take semolina (sooji), curd, finely chopped onion, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes, coriander leaves and salt.
2. Mix everything to get a paste type texture.
3. Add little water (1-2 tbsp) if the mixture looks too thick and mix again.
4. Cover the bowl and keep aside for 10-12 minutes.
5. Now take a bread slice and put 1 tbsp of sooji mixture on one side.
6. Spread evenly using a spoon or butter knife.
7. Heat a tawa / griddle and grease with oil.
8. Place the bread slice on the tawa with the topping side down.
9. Allow to cook over low-medium heat till the toppings look slightly light brown in color.
10. Flip the bread slice and cook the other side till nicely crisp and toasted well.
11. Transfer to a plate.
12. Similarly make with remaining sooji mixture and bread slices.
13. Depending upon the size of tawa and bread slice, 2-3 bread slices can be cooked at a time.
14. Serve immediately as it is or cut into half with some ketchup / any other desired chutney !

Notes:

Some finely chopped green chilies can be added. For serving kids, simply skip this addition. Instead of oil, butter can used to make these toasts. Any kind of breads like white, brown, whole wheat, multigrain pair well here. Always keep the heat on low-medium, else the slices will burn. Ginger can be added in grated form. I forgot to add while preparing. Do not keep the topping on bread slices for longer time before toasting. Put the semolina mixture on the bread slice and immediately toast it, else the bread will get soggy. Do not spread the semolina mixture too thick. Otherwise the toast will not turn crispy and also remain uncooked from the middle. 1-2 pinch of red chili powder can be added, skip if serving to kids. I have not added. Keep all the vegetables finely chopped so that these will stick to the bread slices easily.

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2020/06/rava-toast-semolina-toast-sooji-toast.html

Sooji, rava, curd, yogurt, onion, carrot, bell pepper, tomato, bread, easy snack, vegetarian breakfast, kids recipe, Open toast

Snack, Breakfast, Rava toast, semolina Toast, Vegetarian,

Indian

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Lychee Kheer | Lychee Payasam with VIDEO

an Indian pudding, Kheer with the flavor of the queen of fruit, Lychee 

The perfect blend of sweet and tart, lychee is the tropical summer fruit one need to try when summer time is ON. Like the rambutan and dragon fruit, lychee has a bumpy skin which covers a translucent white flesh that is a good source of Vitamin B, Vitamin C and potassium. Peeling the outer part and enjoying this fruit is a perfect refreshing summer treat. It has a sweet, aromatic taste to it. I can describe it like a grape with a hint of rose. Beside summer, one can enjoy these as the super markets are loaded with canned lychee these days.

What can be prepared using this Lychee ?

The delicate flavor of lychee can be lost when cooked, so it is best to eat these raw. These are great additions to fruit salads, ice cream ( check this Lychee Coconut Ice-cream (Vegan & no-Churn) ), drinks like smoothies, mojitos (check this Virgin Lychee Mojito) etc. Well, today I have come up with a kheer recipe using this queen of fruit, Lychee and hence the name of the dish is Lychee Kheer / Lychee Payasam.

Now let’s go through how to make "Lychee Kheer | Lychee Payasam" at home 👇

Video procedure of this "Lychee Kheer | Lychee Payasam" :

 

: Recipe Card :

Lychee Kheer | Lychee Payasam

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Author: sasmita

Prep time: 20 MCook time: 30 MTotal time: 50 M

an Indian pudding, Kheer with the flavor of the queen of fruit, Lychee

Ingredients:

• Lychee (chopped) 1/2 cup
• Milk 1/2 lt
• Rice (basmati) 1 tbsp
• Sugar 1/4 cup
• Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp
• Saffron 1/4 tsp
• Salt 1 pinch

Instructions:

1. In a pan, start boiling milk.
2. Meanwhile, wash and drain the rice and grind to a coarse texture. Keep aside.
3. When milk comes to boil, lower the heat and add the coarse mixture of rice.
4. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes.
5. Then allow to cook the rice completely, stirring in between.
6. When rice seems soft, add sugar and mix well.
7. Soon the whole mixture'll look like a slightly thinner consistency as the sugar starts to melt.
8. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
9. Add cardamom powder and saffron, mix well.
10. By the addition of saffron the kheer color'll start to change.
11. Finally add chopped lychee, mix and simmer for 1-2 minutes (not more than that).
12. Turn off heat and allow to cool down.
13. Serve either warm / chilled !

Notes:

I have first removes the skin and seeds of lychee. Then simply cut the lychee pulp lengthwise 5-6 pieces. I love this kind of lychee pieces while having the kheer. If you want you may chop further more into small size. Adjust sweetness as desired by adding less / more sugar. I always recommend to add salt in the kheer if rice is used. 1 drop of rose water can be added here, but it is optional. Add some chopped dry fruits if desired. I have picked fresh lychee as the summer is here and the fruits is easily available at my areas. But if you are using canned lychee then adjust the amount of sugar as the canned lychees are already dunked in sugar syrup. For 500 ml milk, 1 tbsp of rice I am using to get neither thick nor thin consistency of the kheer. If you like slightly thick consistency then use 1.5-2 tbsp rice. Don't cook for long time after adding the lychee, else the fruit will loss its aroma.

https://www.firsttimercook.com/2020/06/lychee-kheer-lychee-payasam.html

Summer delight, Sweet, Kheer, Payasam, Lychee Kheer, Lychee Payasam, Cardamom powder

Dessert, Indian Pudding, vegetarian, Gluten free, Lychee

Indian

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