1. Cooking with Fran, Jessie & Sunanda Saturday, June 21, 2014: 4-8 p.m.

2. Program 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Cooking Demo 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Eat & Chat 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.: Video on “Vegetarianism” by John Robbins

3. (Iranian) Walnut-Pomegranate Stew Ingredients Quantity Walnut 1 cup Carrot 2 medium Dried prune ½ cup Tofu 1 cup Pomegranate sauce ½ cup Tomato paste 1 tbs Spices (turmeric, salt and pepper, sugar) Directions: 1.Add 4 cups of water to the graded walnut and leave it on the stove to simmer for half an hour. 2.Add water in the meantime if needed. Then add the graded carrot and the prune and let it to simmer and cook for another 15 minutes until the carrots are cooked and the prune is soft. 3.Add the tofu, along with pomegranate sauce, tomato paste and the spices. 4.Add a bit of water and let it simmer for 20 minutes. By the time the stew is ready, it should look creamy and the walnut oil should be on the surface. 5. Serve it on the plain rice.

4. Iranian Beans Soup Ingredients Quantity Chickpeas ½ cup or a whole can Beans ½ cup or a whole can Lentil ¾ cup Barley ¾ cup Spinach 1 bunch Parsley 2 bunch Cilantro 2 bunch Dill 2 bunch Spices (turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper) Dried Mint and sour cream or yogurt for topping (Optional). Directions: 1. Cook the chickpea and the bean together first. Then add the lentil and the barley to cook as well. 2.Chop all the herbs and add it to the cooked beans mixed and let it cook. In the meantime, add the spices. 3.The soup should look thick. You can serve the soup with two spoons of sour cream or yogurt on the top. You can also fry the dry mint in oil and serve as a toping.

5. Taiwanese Sesame Paste Noodles (for 2-3 people) Ingredients: Quantity Sesame paste 2 tablespoon Peanut butter 1.5 teaspoon Soy sauce 2 tablespoon Black vinegar 1 tablespoon Sesame oil 1 tablespoon Sugar 0.5 teaspoon or more Water 1 cup Salt a little (optional) Chilly to taste (optional) Cucumber (small) 1 or less Carrot (small) 1 or less Directions: 1. Cook noodles first; cool down the noodles.(sesame oil to break it down or water) 2. Mix sesame paste with sesame oil first in a sauce pan, then add peanut butter and water, stir well. (small frame helps to resolve the paste) 3. Add soy sauce, black vinegar, and sugar, then taste to see if salt or sugar should be added. 4. Cut cucumbers and carrots into shreds.

6. Indian Mung dal Pancake Ingredients Quantity Whole mung (green gram) 1 Cup Whole grain brown rice ½ Cup Ginger ½ inch Green chilies to taste Turmeric 1 tsp Salt to Taste Directions: 1. Soak mung dal and rice over night. 2. Grind all the above ingredients with ¼ cup water. 3. Transfer to a bowl and adjust the thickness of the batter by adding water. 4. Chop spinach / onion / cilantro for toppings. 5. Apply some oil to non stick pan. 6. Pour ladleful of batter on it and gently spread in circular motion. 7. Sprinkle toppings to your desire 8. Press and cook evenly from both sides. 9. Serve hot with coconut chutney / green chutney/ Maple syrup.

7. 5 Moong Dal Nutrition Facts Moong dal is a bean soup that comes from Indian cuisine. The main ingredient is of course moong lentils, which are also known as mung beans. If you are trying to eat healthy or lose weight, moong dal can be a good high protein, low fat alternative to meat dishes. Moong dal nutrition will depend largely on the ingredients that are used for the soup. Calories: A 100-gram serving of cooked mung beans has about 100 calories. This is more calories than vegetables contain, but less than meat items, and about equal to that of cooked rice. Number of calories per gram of cooked mung beans and moong dal is about equal. For a dish that is so filling and full of protein, this is a relatively low calorie count. Vitamins and Minerals: A 100-gram serving of boiled mung beans provides 40 percent of the recommended daily intake of folate (vitamin B9). Moong dal also provides significant amounts of thiamine (vitamin B1), as well as vitamin B5 and vitamin B6. In addition to this, it contains high levels of the minerals iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. Fat: 100-gram portion of cooked mung beans contains only 0.38 grams of fat. Fiber: A great moong dal nutrition benefit is the amount of fiber in this dish. All types of beans are high in fiber, and mung beans are no exception. A 100-gram serving contains 7.6 grams of fiber. This means that you will feel fuller after eating the dish. Fiber is of course necessary for the proper functioning of the digestive system. Eating legumes will help you avoid constipation. A diet high in fiber is also good for lowering your cholesterol. Protein: Mung beans are packed with protein. One cup of boiled beans provides 14 grams of protein. This is one of the reasons that moong dal is such a popular meal in India, where a large portion of the population is vegetarian. But even if you are not vegetarian yourself, you can still benefit by occasionally eating this dish instead of meat in order to get plenty of protein without the higher calories and fat that meat contains. Moong dal can be a great, nutritious addition to a balanced diet. It is a healthy meal that provides high levels of protein and fiber while containing relatively few calories and little fat. In addition, it is an excellent source of a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Eating moong dal instead of a meat dish a couple times a week should help you to lose a little weight.

8. (Indian) Poha (flattened rice) Upma IngredientsQuantityUnit Red Chili Dry 2Piece Cumin Seeds 1Teaspoon Mustard Seeds 1Teaspoon Peanuts 2Tablespoons Coriander Leaves 1Bunch Oil 1Tablespoon Saltas needed Turmeric pinch Green Chili to taste Onion/potato 1 Numbers, chopped small Poha 1Cup Urad Dal (optional) 1Teaspoon Curry Leaves 1Springs Directions: 1. Soak Poha in water for 3 min and strain the water and keep a side. 2. Take a pan add oil, mustard seeds, cumin, red chili, urad dal, potato, peanuts, curry leaves, cook for 5-6 min till potato is cooked. Then add turmeric, salt, onion mix well cook till onions are translucent. 3. Add poha, mix well and cook for 5min then add chopped coriander leaves. Serve with lemon juice.

9. Baklava - Vegan Desert Ingredients Quantity Thin phyllo dough500 g (1.1 lbs) Sugar450 g Walnuts chopped200 g Cinnamon powder1 tsp Vegan Butter125 g Lime Juice1 tbl Veg oil½ cup Directions: 1. Put 1.3 cups of water into a pot, bring it to boil. 2. Add sugar to the water, add lime juice. 3. Let it boil for another 5 min then turn off the heat. 4. Warm up vegan butter and oil in a pot. 5. Grease tray between every 3 layers of phyllo. 6. Sprinkle chopped walnuts at the 9 th layer. 7. Place another 6 layers of phyllo and sprinkle thin later of walnuts. 8. Finally place another 3 layers of phyllo and cut to your desired size. 9. Brush top layer with oil. 10. Bake for 30-35 min in 360 degree F until top turns to golden brown. 11. Pour the syrup after it cools down a bit.