In(dian)spired: Broc ?n Sour Cheeze

Here’s my best rendition of the above woman:

(I already know I have problems.)

The truth is, I don’t sleep very much in the Summer.  As soon as the Sun is up at 6 or 7 AM, so am I.  (Now, if I had such luxurious twin beds to sink into, things might be different.  But I don’t.) The good thing about waking up early–if you’re a morning person like me–is that you occasionally experiences bouts of incredible productivity.  It was thus on one early June morning, freshly immersed in one such productive-morning-highs, that I decided to tackle one of the things I’d always been meaning to tackle–Middle-Eastern fare.

(Source)

Now, as much as I love Middle-Eastern dishes, it is sometimes difficult  for me to understand what is Indian food.  What comes to my poor, uneducated mind is generally a lot of exotic spices…and curry.  (No, I don’t know better.)

But having enjoyed a number of Gena‘s middle-eastern kicks from last year, and appreciating the simplicity of Ameena‘s guest post on Jessie‘s blog, I decided to try my hand at re-creating an American classic with an In(dian)spired twist: “Broc ‘n Sour Cheeze”. (Fine, so I’ve deviated a little from the classic Broc ‘n Cheese.  Sour Cheeze = ‘cheese’ meets ‘sour cream‘.  I’m still Aletheia, after all–read: stupendously-creative and recipe-rebellious.)

Broc ‘n In(dian)spired Sour Cheeze

2 heads of broccoli, washed and cut into florets
2/3 cup of ground sesame seeds
3 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional, for ?cheeziness?)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp raw Manuka honey
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground pepper
¼ cup of water (or as much as needed to make the consistency creamy)
2 tbsp raisins (If I could control you in the kitchen, I’d enforce: NOT OPTIONAL)

The method in pictures and occasional words:

1. Wash some Broc.

2.  Make In(dian)spired Sour Cheeze by fork.

3.  Generously spoon Sour Cheeze over Broc and mix well.

4. Top with (NON-OPTIONAL) Raisins for a sweet finishing touch!

Mmm.  Tangy (apple cider vinegar) meets Sweet (raisins + agave/honey) meets Zesty (lemon juice) meets Body (nutritional yeast) meets Crunchy (broccoli) meets Indian (spices) = Love =

So, so good.  And of course, versatility is key–I’ve enjoyed this zesty Indian sour cheeze on fresh kale salads…

…with Brussels sprouts or simple crudites….

…and on some brown rice crackers (topped with roasted garbanzo beans, drizzled with raw Manuka honey)…

Ultimately, with “Sour Cheeze”, I guess I’ve created something that’s neither natively American nor natively Indian.  Ah, well.  Inspiration is inspiration, right?

Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to more playtime with Indian spices in the coming weeks. I’m not really sure why I’m doing this in the thick of Summer, but does enjoying Middle-Eastern food have to have a season? No, no it doesn’t.  Feel free to suggest any good Indian recipes to me.  Recently, I’ve been thinking about curry and falafel…

Aletheia

P.S.  Don’t forget to enter the Silver Hills sprouted bread giveaway–the contest has been extended to June 30 2010 to accommodate our fellow Americans.