I am frequently asked how I come up with the recipes for my blog. I don’t have a perfect answer for that, but I cook what I like to eat. Fortunately, the more I cook the more I feel inspired. Other than a few tried and true family recipes on my blog, I draw inspiration from everywhere: what’s available at the markets, what the seasons are sharing, what the blogs I follow are posting, what I’m craving, what my family wants to eat and so on. This is one of those recipes that is a combination of all. It is spring and vibrant colors flood my memory from the Holi festival.
Update March 7, 2023 – To see the recipe in action watch my video on you YouTube.
Holi, which marks the arrival of spring, is a fun filled festival of colors in India. Children and adults play, chase, and color each other with bright dry powders or colored water. It is a Hindu festival but people from other religions as well become part of it and celebrate in true harmony. My mum used to make delicious dishes and we would eat a lot of sweets while enjoying ourselves in the company of friends. Some of the specials were gujiya, puran poli, thandai, and dahi bhallas. Thandai, is a sweet, milky drink made from a mixture of almonds, fennel seeds, cardamom, rose petals and sugar. I haven’t posted this drink recipe yet, but you can find the other three on my blog.
Today’s recipe is actually a repost of an old recipe that I posted right when I started blogging. Different ideas were popping into my head seeing all the colorful Holi recipes on my fellow foodies’ blogs so I revisited this recipe of spinach mango roll and decided make it more attractive and delightful. It’s not a traditional Holi recipe but certainly inspired by the seasonal fruits and the Holi colors. The result is a fun, colorful, and healthy appetizer; not just for Holi but for any casual gathering or a fancy dinner party or even as an after school snack.
Colorful, easy and a fun appetizer recipe for parties and family gatherings.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sorghum flour
- 1/4 cup pearl millet flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 2 tbsp. almond meal
- 1 tsp xanthun gum
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp oil
- 3/4 cup of warm water (+/-)
- 2 tbsp. mango salad dressing
- 2 tbsp. cream cheese at room temperature (vegans can use vegan cream cheese or blended soft tofu)
- Few strawberries, chopped
- 1/2 mango, chopped
- Baby spinach leaves
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer (sorghum, tapioca, potato starch, millet, almond meal xanthun gum, yeast, salt, cumin and freshly ground black pepper).
- Mix together the wet ingredients and pour into the dry. Mix on low until blended.
- Beat the dough on high for 2 minutes.
- Line a 10x14" cookie pan with parchment paper. Put spoonful of mixture at different places on prepared sheet.
- Spread the dough as thinly as possible to cover the pan with moistened spatula (To do this, keep dipping the rubber spatula in to water, this helps the dough to push it out easier)
- Bake in the preheated oven for 13-15 minutes until the top and the edges are browned.
- Cool completely (at this point you can store lavash in an air tight bag wrapped in the parchment paper to eat it later for dinner or as a snack).
- Add mango salad dressing and cream cheese to a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly to combine.
- Lay lavash on cutting board. Trim the hard edge. (I did only from the end side)
- Spread mango cream cheese over the entire surface. Arrange spinach leaves, mango, again spinach and strawberries in four rows leaving two" from the beggining and 3" from the end.
- Tightly roll up lavash from one end to another.
- Once rolled up, lay seam-side down. for slicing.
- Use a serrated knife, trim excess off ends, and slice into desired thickness pinwheels.
- Transfer the pinwheel appetizers to a serving platter, seam side down.
Notes
If gluten is not the issue you can use wheat tortilla in place of lavash.
Monica
This looks bright, colorful, tasty, and fun to eat! And Holi sounds like a wonderful festival. Happy Spring!
Ansh
Wishing you a wonderful Holi! I am loving this gluten free lavash with all the fun colors. I miss the food on Holi, though I don’t miss the holi in North India :))
Balvinder
Totally get it what you mean, Ansh. Even I enjoy the food during Holi but not very enthusiastic about playing on the street with color. I was born and brought up most in Kanpur,….know how some people take undue advantage of this festival.
Shubha
Wish you a wonderful Holi dear.. Totally loved this lavash.. especially the way you presented it:)
Jolly
Loved these super yummy lavash, I can munch it anytime..Happy Holi
Alka
Happy Holi dear and love your creativity
Juliana
Wow Balvinder, these look so pretty and festive…I love the combination of fresh fruits with spinach…
Have a great week and Happy Holi 🙂
Norma Chang
I agree with Juliana your lavash pinwheels are very pretty and festive. Happy Holi.
Puneet
Love this colourful treat! It’s true the more you cook, the more you get inspired.
Happy Holi dear!
grace
what lovely colors! this is the sort of food that pleases the eye as much as it pleases the palate–well done!
Vasudha Vig
Hello Balvinder,
I loved your recipe of pinwheels and I am going to make it today for my kids
Thanks for posting such a wonderful recipe
Vasudha
Balvinder
Oh Good, let me know how you like it:)
And don’t forget to send me the picture so that I can add your name on my testimonials page.
Barbara
Love lavash! These are so pretty and sound yummy.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
This looks beautiful and I love that you’ve made your own lavash!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook
So beautiful and colorful! Have a lovely holiday Balvinder!
Blackswan
Oh yes, I love making pinwheels too which I’ve posted 2 in my blog. They make pretty party treats, don’t they? Yours are just as cute, Balvinder! xoxo
Blackswan
I love making pinwheels too & yours are so pretty, dear! xoxo
Swati
Beautiful gluten-free pinwheels!! love how you come up with gluten-free bread recipes.. One of my cousin has recently developed gluten allergies.. will ask her to check out your blog
Judee
these look so good! Interesting about how you get your inspiration for recipes. Like you, I cook what we like and that’s what I usually share.
Velva
I love your beginning paragraph of where your recipes come from for your blog. I think you summed it up quite nicely for many of us.
I am inspired by the fact you made your own lavash-wow. I enjoy lavash but never thought to make it.
Great blog post.
Velva
Swati
These pinwheels look so good .. the recipe sounds yumm perfect for spring and summer time.. will surely try this