Something New

Well......WELCOME to COTTER CRUNCH!! It's bittersweet to be leaving my Husband's Blog. I loved sharing with him but his blog totally lost focus on Triathlon because A). He WAS NOT POSTING and B). I was hogging it by posting my recipes, articles, thoughts, etc. Now its up to him to post. Once his season starts (March 28th), the Cotter Chronicles might be a little more lively. haha!

Okay, so now on to my review. I love me some PAPPADUMS. So what are they??? I call them my Indian Tostados. So simple, so light, and VERSITILE. 

So what is it? Pappadums are thin lentil crackers or wafers. Typically pappadums are served as a starter or accompaniment to an Indian meal. They are made from URAD DAL flour which is a lentil. These lentil-like beans have black skins covering creamy white interiors. Whole urad dal derive their strong, earthy flavor from the black skins and are often used in curries. Split urad dal retain the skins and also have a strong flavor. Skinned and split urad dal are creamy white and somewhat bland.

So what do you do with it? Pappadums make a great snack when topped or served with chutney, pickles, dips, minted yoghurt or salad. Pappadums can be broiled, fried, flame roasted, or cooked in a microwave. I was lazy and cooked mine in the microwave because it only took 45 seconds, SWEET!!

Then I topped with some cottage cheese, black pepper, argula, and cherry tomatotes. It was a great SNACK!!

Here's a more decadent recipe from the Food Network Website. Try it, and let me know whatcha think.

Ingredients

1 package pappadums, quartered (flavored with garlic, if possible)
Peanut oil


Directions
Preheat grill. Brush each quarter with oil on both sides. Grill on each side until blistered, about 10 to 12 seconds on each side.

Spicy Lentil Dip:
3 cups cooked lentils
1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 serrano pepper, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Place lentils, onion, garlic, pepper and vinegar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil. Season with cumin, salt and pepper and pulse 3 times. Remove to a bowl and garnish with cilantro


Alright,  I am out. Sorry about the lack of blog design. I hate doing that stuff. Its a work in progress so bare with me.  Happy Hump day to all!
 
Cheers,
LC