Baking Soda, Baking Powder and Self Raising Flour.

To make self raising flour, add 2 teaspoons of baking powder to one cup of plain flour.  To make equivalent baking powder from other ingredients, follow these recommendations.

1 teaspoon of baking powder= ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda + 5/8 teaspoon cream of tartar.

1 cup self-raising flour = 2 teaspoons of baking powder or 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda + 1 ¼ teaspoons cream of tartar to 1 cup of plain flour.

1 teaspoon baking powder= ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda + ¼ to ½ cup molasses, honey or golden syrup.

1 cup sour milk= 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon fresh milk+ 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice.

1 teaspoon baking powder= ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda + ½ cup buttermilk, sour milk, yoghurt or sour cream. Decrease liquid in the recipe by about ½ cup or by a 1/3 cup for a thick yoghurt or sour cream.

Source:  Perth Diet Clinic,  Nigella


In other words, in order for baking soda to function properly, you need to make sure:

• that your batter contains a liquid ingredient (such as water or milk)
• that your batter contains an acidic ingredient (such as yogurt, buttermilk or lemon juice)
• that you heat the batter to a temperature of 80°C/175°F

Source: TheToughCookie

Herbed Whole-Oat Salad

Yield

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish

Ingredients

1. • 1 cup whole oats (also called oat groats)*
   • 1/2 cup minced onion
   • 1 large shallot if desired, minced
   • 1 1/8 teaspoons ground allspice
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste
   • 2 tablespoons olive oil (preferably extra-virgin), or to taste
   • 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
   • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
   • 1 cucumber, peeled if desired, seeded, and chopped
   • 1 cup vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, quartered

Preparation

In a large saucepan of salted boiling water cook oats 25 minutes. Drain oats in a colander and rinse under cold water. Set colander over a kettle of boiling water (oats should not touch water) and steam oats, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 5 to 10 minutes (check water level in kettle occasionally, adding water if necessary).
      
While oats are cooking, in a large bowl stir together onion, shallot, allspice, and salt. Stir in hot oats and cool. Stir in lemon juice, oil, parsley, mint, and salt and pepper to taste. Add cucumber and tomatoes and toss gently. Salad may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered (herbs may discolor slightly).

Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

Source:  Epicurious

Oatmeal Tabbouleh

Unlike traditional tabbouleh, which is a really a parsley salad with a little bit of fine Bulgar, this is more of a lemony grain salad with a generous amount of parsley and other herbs. For best results, toss the soaked oats with the dressing and refrigerate overnight.

 Yield  4 servings   Time1 hour

Ingredients

• ½ cup quick-cooking steel-cut oats
• Salt to taste
• 1 cup boiling water
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 2 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 to 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped (omit if not in season)
• 1 cucumber, 2 Persian cucumbers, or 1/2 European cucumber, seeded if necessary and cut in small dice

Preparation

1. Combine the steel-cut oats and salt to taste in a bowl and pour on 1 cup of boiling water. Let sit for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain through a strainer and press the oats against the strainer with the back of your spoon to extract water. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Combine the lemon juice, salt to taste, cumin and olive oil and whisk together. Toss with the oats and let sit for at least 20 minutes or, preferably, cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, toss together and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes or longer (in the refrigerator if longer than 15 minutes) before serving.

Source:   NY Times Cooking

Avocado, Chick Pea and Green Been Salad **********

Back in my vegetarian days I used to cook a lot of Hare Krishna meals.  Kurma Das produced many western style meals based on ISKCON culinary philosophy.  One of my all time favorites and still is, is this refreshing salad.  I still prepare it for most Xmas dinners.

My original Kurma Das cook book (right) is frayed and soiled from over use, so I thought I would digitize it for prosperity.

Avocados combine well with cheese and beans. Dressed and served in lettuce leaves, this salad is substantial and tasty.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes    YIELD:  8 persons    RATED: 10/10

 Ingredients

2 teaspoons (10 ml) chopped fresh coriander leaves
¹/₂ teaspoon (1 ml) black pepper
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 large Iceberg, Cos, or Mignonette lettuce
2 large ripe avocados, peeled and cut into 1¹/₂ cm (³/₄-inch) cubes
1 cup (250 ml) cooked and chilled green beans chopped into 2¹/₂ cm (1-inch) sections
1 cup (250 ml) cooked and chilled kidney beans
1 cup (250 ml) cooked and chilled chickpeas
1 cup (250 ml) cubed cheddar cheese
¹/₂ cup (125 ml) chopped green pepper
¹/₄ cup (60 ml) chopped pimiento (baby red peppers in brine or oil)
²/₃ cup (165 ml) olive oil
²/₃ cup (165 ml) fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons (60 ml) honey
2 teaspoons (10 ml) chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Combine the avocados, beans, chickpeas, cheese, green pepper, and pimientos in a bowl.
2. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, half the parsley, coriander, black pepper, and salt.
3. Fold the dressing carefully into the bean and avocado mixture. Serve individual portions of salad on lettuce leaves and garnish with the remaining chopped parsley.

Source:  Great Vegetarian Dishes 

Variations on a theme:  Avocado and Bean Salad in Lettuce Baskets  (Kid Freindly)

Citrusy Avocado and White Bean Salad on Bread

The combination of crispy carrots and nuts with the gooey avocado and beans creates a sensational mix of textures.

With the citrus, vinegar and probiotics, this is another one of those salads which is great for alkalizing the body and thus good for inflammation issues and may be considered another "Cancer Busting" salad.  The addition of a bit of spice speeds up the metabolism for better absorption.

Enjoy as a side salad or as a main on crispy toast as I did with this batch.  These pictures reflect a doubling of the ingredients listed, making enough for 5 large pizza style toppings and enough left over for the wife's lunch the next day.

Our local shop had run out of sweet onion (salad onions) but the red onion worked out fine.  I also found that the lemons and oranges were particularly juicy, making the final mix quite moist!

Preparation Time:  20 mins.   Serves 3 toasties.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. can white beans (cannellini) - drained, rinsed
1 small avocado, diced
1/3 cup sweet onion, diced
1 small carrot, chopped
1/2 cup spinach, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp hemp or sunflower seeds
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 lemon, juiced
2 tsp white miso paste
1 Tbsp fresh tangerine or orange juice + pinch of zest
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

pinch of cayenne pepper
salt + pepper to taste

topping: harissa


toasted bread (I used rye flatbread)

note: obviously your can greatly tweak the ingredients in this recipe by trying different veggies, seeds, beans and even seasonings.

Directions:

1. Add the beans and avocado to a large mixing bowl ( I used a food processor). Mash well with a fork until thick and chunky, yet creamy like a chunky guacamole or hummus.  Beans may be fully or partially mashed depending on texture preferred.
2. Prep all your veggies and fold into the avocado mixture, again, I used a food processor to roughly chop. 
3.  Add sunflower or other seeds or nuts of your choice.  You may choose to chop these with the above.
4. Whisk or blend the nutritional yeast, white miso paste, the citrus juices vinegar and spices. Fold this liquid into the mixture and continue folding until well combined and the veggies begin to soak into the creamy and liquid.
5. Serve right away or chill in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before serving. This fresh salad is best served right away, since it slightly separates when left over night in the fridge.

Source:  Healthy Happy Life 100% Vegan

Harissa

Harissa is Tunisian in origin but is used widely in Morocco and other North African countries.  It can be used as a condiment, paste or a sauce.  Rub it dry on a roast, coat a rack with a mix of paste and yoghurt or add it to your favorite veggie dish.   Use the paste as a replacement for mustard if you like your sandwiches hot.  The Yemeni spice Zhug is made by adding cloves and cardamon to this mix.

I have split the recipe in two parts, as I like to keep the dry mix and make a paste when required. 

Ingredients:-

Makes about 1 cup (250ml) of dry mix.    Preparation Time 15mins.    Cooking Time 4mins.

Dry Mix:-

A mild chilli mix.

4 tsp Coriander Seeds
4 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp Caraway Seeds
16 Dried Chili , chopped or blended (8Tbs, 100g):  I like to mix the chillies.  Include seeds for hotter, for a milder version, use dried Red Peppers. 
1 tsp Mint Dried
4 tsp Paprika Smoked
2 tsp Salt Sea/Kosher
2 tsp Garlic Powder

Paste:-

3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Lemon, Juice of
Water for consistency

Method:-

In a small fryingpan, heat over moderate heat, the Cumin, Coriander and Caraway seeds and toast until fragrant (4min).  Let the seeds cool down and add all the ingredients to a coffee grinder and grind.  If using a mortar and pestle, grind the seeds, finely chop the chillies and then mix all the ingredients together.

Store into an air tight container in your spice rack...

To make a paste of your premix, just add the the Olive Oil and Lemon Juice and mix.  Add water to adjust consistency if required.

A good article on Harissa and its uses can be found here.