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Ingredients

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Ingredients

Besan
Besan or gram flour (not graham) is ground chickpea flour. It is commonly used in Indian dishes, but because it's a legume instead of wheat, it makes an ideal alternative for thickening and savory pancakes in a diabetic diet. Overall, it is higher in protein and thus makes for a healthier finished product. Besan can be purchased in indian or some asian markets or online. A couple of fun and easy recipes are Zucchini pancakes and

Flavored Oils
Flavored oils are easy to prepare and make great condiments. They should be used fresh and made with high quality olive oil. If you don't like the flavor of extra virgin olive oil, taste a few alternatives.
    Basil Oil
    Place 1 cup of oil and 1 cup of fresh basil leaves into a food processor. Process until smooth. Place into a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl. When all oil has drained into the bowl either discard the solids or use in sauce.

    Sun Dried Tomato Oil Sun dried tomatoes come in two forms; dry or packed in oil. I always use dry, but if you purchase those packed in oil, just save and use the oil from the jar :) For dry, rehydrate in hot tap water. When softened, add 1/2 cup tomatoes and 1 cup oil to food processor. Process until smooth. Press through a fine strainer into a bowl. Discard solids.
Store flavored oils in the refrigerator and remove to come to room temperature before serving. Use to garnish soups or in salad dressings or over pasta, etc.

Padrone Peppers
A wonderful spanish pepper that is found on many tapas menus throughout Galicia, Spain. They are absolutely delicious and although mostly sweet, frequently in a platter served, one or two will be hot! It's always a competition around here to get the hot one. In Spain, they are prepared this way. Yumm!

Rose Flower water
Very common in middle eastern dishes, this fragrant water is added as we would add vanilla or almond extract to many sweets. In addition to the famous Baklava, it is also in Basboosa cake and rice pudding. Western palates are unfamiliar with most floral aromas and flavors, but if you enjoy herbs, you may find you really like rose flower water.

Saffron
Saffron is irreplaceable as a spice. It is technically the stamen of a specific type of crocus. The flavor is incredibly complex. It is also a very strong spice so a little goes a long way. Perhaps second in cost only to truffles (the fungus type), it is worth investing in a small quantity to experiment with. Use a solid recipe such as Paella, Chicken Soup or Risotto so you can judge the flavor, complexity and strength.

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