Sunday, July 31, 2016

Jammy Peanut Butter Scones

Hi Readers !!

Sorry I've been away for so long. A lot of things kept me from writing here. Yoga, Travel and Baking to name a few.. Also I have been planning to move this blog to WordPress, work for which is under progress ! :) This post will probably be my last on the Blogger platform. All the old recipe posts will be present on the new blog. Will keep you updated on the same ! :)

I have started a Vegan Home Bakery venture "HomeMade Beku" which kept me baking and trying new recipes for the last few weeks. We also did two bake sales in community near my apartment which went pretty well for a start :). Please go and check out my facebook page - HomeMade Beku.



Today's recipe is Peanut Butter Scones with a Jammy filling. I was trying various recipes with Peanut butter cupcakes but as a result landed with this one which actually worked well and tasted better than cupcake version.













If the peanut butter is sweet this recipe doesn't call for much sugar. Its best to check the sweetness of the batter to be sure. I used Sundrop Crunchy peanut butter which was not too sweet. You can also play around with the ratio of peanut batter and Jam filling to get the result you desire. Oats give a nice crunch to the scones but can be skipped as per taste.

Result is a crumbly peanut butter scone :). If you love peanut butter you will love this !
















Makes 9-10 Scones

Ingredients

1 Flax Egg (1 Tbsp Flax Powder + 2.5 tbsp water)
1/4 cup Sugar (adjust depending on sweetness of peanut butter)
1/4 cup Oil
1/4 cup Peanut Butter
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/3 cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Maida
1/4 cup water
Pinch Salt (skip if using salted Peanut butter)
10 tsp Fruity Jam (any flavor you like)

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 200 C and grease the cupcake moulds.
2. To make Flax Egg, add 2.5 tablespoon water in 1 tablespoon Flax powder and set aside.
3. Whisk the oil and Sugar together till sugar almost combines. To this add Peanut Butter and combine well. Mix in the Flax egg.
4. Sieve together dry ingredients Maida, Baking Soda and salt.
5. Add dry ingredients and water to the peanut butter mixture part by part and combine to make a sticky batter.
6. To the above mixture add the oats and combine.
7. Fill Cupcake molds to half with this batter. Drop a tsp or more of jam in the center.
8. Bake at 180 C for 25 minutes. (**Read Note)
9. Completely Cool and run down a knife on the sides before removing from the mould.

Notes :-
If your oven has a top and bottom heating element, turn on both the heating elements for the last ten minutes of bake. Alternatively you can crank the oven to 200 C for last 5 minutes.






Sunday, June 12, 2016

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Attractive colorful vegetables always catch my eye :). Was flipping through a very old recipe book when I came across this lovely dish called Dolmeh Kalam. It is a Persian dish which is usually a non vegetarian dish. I was so inspired by the idea of stuffing something inside cabbage leaves which led me to create this recipe. Grains, lentils and Veges is a wholesome combination we consume daily in our Indian cooking. This is a completely different twist to the same concept. So many fun ways to get your nutrition, why stick to the same old ways of cooking ;). Pro this recipe and you can impress yourself, your family and friends with a creative way of cooking.


This is probably just one of the many possible ways to make a Vegan Dolmeh kalam (should it be called that? :P). And this was the first time I made food stuffed in cabbage leaves. Its going to happen again and again :). I can only imagine so many wonderful ways you can use this concept to create creative fillings in this recipe. The various combinations you can try.. So the kitchen experiments in this case will continue :). I can keep going on and on.. Let me shut up here and you can follow the recipe below :). Hope you try the recipe and enjoy it as much as I do. Although it did make me sweat a bit in the kitchen, while eating it I felt like I have been served something royal :).



Ingredients

1 Cup Cooked Rajma (Red kidney beans)
1/2 cup Nutrela Soya Granules
2 thinly Chopped Onions
1 cup cooked Rice
10-12 Cabbage Leaves
1/2 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Haldi powder
1/2 tsp Chilli powder
2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
4 Tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 teaspoon minced garlic
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup freshly chopped Herbs (cilantro / basil / parsley / coriander)
Salt and Pepper to taste


Steps

1. Pressure cook Rajma or kidney beans which have been soaking in water overnight. Pressure cook in salted water till the rajma is well cooked and is mash-able easily. Use one cup of cooked kidney beans for this recipe. Mash it into a paste.

2. Gently separate Leaves from a cabbage without tearing them apart. Go for the smaller and tender leaves found in middle of the bulb. Wash the leaves. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add a tablespoon of salt.

3. Blanch cabbage leaves in boiling water for 10 minutes till they are limp. Don't overcook. Drain and allow to cool. With a knife peel out the hard portion of the rib/stem of the cabbage at its back. This is to make the back of the leaves flatter and fold-able.

4. Cook soy granules in mildly salted boiling water. Drain and squeeze out the water.

5. Saute 1 chopped onion in 2 tsp oil till transparent. To this add the mashed Rajma and cooked soy granules and mix well. Add the dry spices and cook till the raw smell of spices goes away.

6. Combine the above mixture with cooked rice and chopped herbs in a bowl. Use hands to mix well. Check salt and add more if needed.

7. In a flat pan saute 1 sliced onion in 2 tbs oil till transparent. Add tomato puree and cook till the raw smell goes. Season this sauce with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer.

8. Meanwhile place a scoop of the kidney bean mixture in the center of each cabbage leaf (the inside of the leaf facing up). Fold the sides of the leaf and make a tight wrap.



9. Arrange closely the stuffed cabbage leaves with the fold down, next to one another in the pan. Cover and cook on medium low for 5 to ten minutes till most of the liquid has dried.

10. Dress with lemon juice and fresh herbs before serving. :)



 








Saturday, May 14, 2016

Busbousa - Middle Eastern Semolina Cake

Hello Readers!

I had been wanting to bake with semolina since a long time when I came across this dessert on a TV show and I knew I wanted to delay no further. :) Hope this leads to a lot more baking with Semolina, more often called Suji or Rava in India. Its a pretty simple and easy dessert flavored mildly with rose water. :) Yes that's what excited me in the first place. Its amazing how different cultures across the world use everyday simple things in different ways to come up with beautiful dishes. When I sit here and eat this dish I quietly close my eyes and feel I am probably in Egypt or turkey :D. But nothing beats the homeliness of a dish when it comes out of an oven at your house.


This is a middle eastern dessert which is easily veganized. I have used soy curd, other than that coconut cream will also do great in this dish. How to make soy curd ? I am planning to write blog posts on vegan essentials like non dairy milk and curds.. will keep you posted and link them into this blog. Self raising flour is pretty easily available but in case you cant find it you can replace it with 1/2 cup Maida plus 1/4 tsp baking powder. I dint have any rose water so I used gulkand (Rose and sugar
paste) which is easily available. Dilute a tsp of gulkand in 2 tsp of water and you are good to go. This cake doesn't really rise like normal cakes. It rises just a bit and stays dense. The texture remains much like the milk cake Indian sweet. Its a lovely sweet dish. Hope you too try it and love it :)


Ingredients

1 1/4 cup Coarse Semolina (suji)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Self Raising flour (or 1/2 cup Maida + 1/4 tsp baking pwd)
1/2 cup Soy Curd / coconut cream (or any other non diary curd)
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
1 tsp Vanilla extract
10-15 Blanched Almonds
Rose Syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbs rose water

Steps

1. In a large bowl mix together semolina, desiccated coconut, sugar, flour, curd, vanilla extract and vegetable oil with a spoon.
2. Once the solids and liquids have combined well get your hands dirty and mix well into a pasty course mixture.
3. In a mildly greased baking vessel put this mixture and press down into an even layer. Let it sit for around 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile preheat your Oven to 180 C.
5. Prepare the rose sugar syrup. Place the sugar and water in a bowl and bring it to a boil, stirring only till sugar dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add lemon juice and rose water into the syrup and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely.
7. Cut the set Busbousa mixture into squares or diamonds with a knife. Decorate with almonds.



8. Bake this mixture for 25-30 minutes at 180 or until the top is slightly golden.
9. Pour cool syrup on top of hot Busbousa. Let it seep in.. :)
10. Enjoy this fragrant dessert hot or cold :).

Monday, May 2, 2016

Broccoli Sweet Corn in Sunflower seed sauce

Hi Readers!

April has been a very busy month with travelling, shooting and family celebrations. There has been a lot of cooking going on but somehow I was not fully content with the things I made :(. I realized that whenever I plan my cook it doesn't go as well as my impromptu cooking :).. And this is how I landed with this yummy dish with absolutely no planning !  (very unlike me :P)


Broccoli and sweet corn, both yummy vegetables. Broccoli brings a lovely flavor and aroma to your food AND gives you a good dose of protein as well. I love the natural sweetness corn brings about. This is the first time I used sunflower seeds in this manner and the result was yummy creaminess. This gravy pairs well with rice or chapatis/breads. We devoured it with brown rice and not a grain was left.





Ingredients

2 cups Broccoli florets
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (I used roasted ones)
1 medium Onion - sliced thin
1 Tomato - Boiled and pureed
1 Green chilli
1/2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 clove, 1/2 inch cinnamon
1/2 tsp Turmeric pwd
1/4 tsp Cumin pwd
1/4 tsp Coriander pwd
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbs Sunflower Oil
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
Salt to taste

Cooking steps

1. Boil the sunflower seeds in half cup water for 10-15 minutes to soften them.
2. Soak broccoli florets in boiled salted water to get rid of any dirt.
3. Puree the boiled tomato with green chilli and keep aside. Grind the sunflower seeds after step 1 into a paste.
4. Steam / boil broccoli and corn (Optional). Helps to reduce the cooking time.
5. Take a pan and saute onions in 2 tablespoon oil until they turn transparent. Add clove and cinnamon along with the onion.
6. Add tomato chilli puree and ginger garlic paste. Saute till the raw smell goes. 
7. Now mix in the powdered spices turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook for a minute or two.
8. Add the broccoli, corn and 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. 
9. Add salt to taste.
10. Add sunflower seed paste and mix to coat the veges. Add 1/2-1 cup more water to get the desired consistency. Bring to a simmer before switching off the heat.
11. Sprinkle fresh coriander and a pinch of nutmeg for aroma.
12. Enjoy this flavorsome curry with rice/roti :).







Sunday, April 10, 2016

Cheesie Macaroni Pasta in White Sauce

Hello All ! :) Its been a while I posted a savory dish here. This recipe was requested by a friend on Facebook. Here is a Cheesie Macaroni Pasta made in vegan white sauce made from Cauliflower.



Dumping dairy has opened my eyes to how many vegetables can be used to replicate flavor and consistency of dairy products. This was one of my very first Vegan Pastas! :) Super light on your tummy, delicate and creamy as hell, this pasta is a great vegan alternative. The cauliflower sauce has a very mild flavor and all vegetables and herbs complement it well. I like to keep it simple and pair it with one or two veges.



Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
2-3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup macaroni pasta
1 Tbs Cashew nuts
salt
pepper
8 garlic cloves
Red bell peppers
handful Basil leaves

Steps
1. Cook the Cauliflower Florets in sufficient boiling water with a teaspoon of salt. Remove off heat once florets are cooked through. Drain and keep aside to cool.
2. Soak cashew nuts in hot water.
3. Following instruction on pack cook macaroni in hot water with salt and a tablespoon of oil. Once cooked drain away the water into another bowl and wash pasta with cold water. (drained water can be used in preparing white sauce of pasta)
4. Grind the cooled cauliflower florets in a blender with some water into a smooth paste. Add little water to thin down the cream as needed. Season with salt and pepper as per taste.
5. In a saucepan take a tablespoon of oil and saute minced/thinly sliced garlic cloves.
6. Chop red peppers into thin slices and optionally steam them. Add these to the saucepan and slightly saute them.
7. Add the cauliflower sauce to the saucepan. Thin down the cream if needed by adding water and bring it to heat.
8. Add cooked macaroni and mix to coat evenly with the sauce. Add basil leaves.
9. Enjoy a flavorful , super light Macaroni in white sauce :).

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Pumpkin Pistachio Macaroons





Been busy busy busy shifting and settling up my new home and finishing a Yoga teacher certification course. Which is why I've been away from my blog since few weeks. Now my new kitchen is ready for me to cook :) and I am excited to get started.

Coconut macaroons is my recently discovered favorite thing to munch :). Its quick to make & needs minimal ingredients. Just simple coconut macaroons taste lovely by themselves. I just got curious and wanted to mix up a few flavors :). Crisp on the outside and coconut-ty inside. A lovely snack along with your evening chai! Pretty simple and flavorful. Hope you like it!


For me these Macaroons taste best crisp and fresh out of oven. However if you make a big batch and store, then just warm them a bit in a preheated oven and they are crisp again!

Makes - 15 small macaroons

Ingredients
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 tsp cinnamon pwd
3 Tbs Jaggery syrup
2 Tbs Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Tbs crushed pistachio
1 Tbs choco chips - For topping

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Prepare pumpkin puree with steamed pumpkin.
4. Mix 2 tbs crushed Jaggery with 3 tbs warm water to make jaggery syrup.
5. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to get a coarse sticky dough. If the dough feels too soft and cant hold shape add more coconut to firm it up.
6. Use a scoop tablespoon and fill it completely with the mixture. Press down the mixture firmly into the scoop and remove extra. Use a thin device to slide the shaped dough out of the scoop mould.
7. Line the baking sheet with macaroons and decorate on top with chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes till edges are slightly golden brown.
9. Cool for sometime before transferring to cooling rack.
10. Scrape from parchment paper and serve. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Chai... Tea... Kappi :)

TEA... something many of us cannot live without :).. That sip of hot tea/coffee is all you need to kick start your day. This lovely addiction was my biggest hurdle in going vegan. Sometimes you get so attached to it that your day feels empty and drowsy until you have a shot of your caffeine. (It is definitely more in the mind than what your body actually needs) This was my state in the beginning and now I am happy I have managed to overcome my attachment by replacing it with vegan alternatives. These days I can go without any tea/coffee most of my days. First, I tried to switch to soy milk tea.. which can taste very good if made well. But I wasn't very satisfied with my soy tea so I've been looking at other interesting options ever since. Of course Black tea is also a very good alternative. This post here is about the alternatives I have tried and they have helped me forget my 'milk' tea :).. Hope this can help those making the transition.

Here are some vegan options for your daily cuppa of tea / coffee :). I usually switch and alternate between these.

Golden Milk (Turmeric tea)

Turmeric is an awesome herb with multiple therapeutic properties. It has proven anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. I think in current time it is an important herb to be added to your diet. Make sure you source pure turmeric for consumption. It is beneficial to have this tea before going to bed. I used coconut milk to make this tea. The two flavors work well together as a hot beverage. Freshly made coconut milk is a better choice. Avoid boiling your coconut milk as it breaks very easily. Instead apply gentle heat or sometimes I warm it up by keeping my (metal)cup of coconut milk inside another filled with piping hot water.


Ingredients (for 1 cup)

1 tsp turmeric pwd
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
Spices - cinnamon,clove,pepper (1/2 inch stick, small pieces)
1 tsp sugar/jaggery (optional)

Steps

1. Keep water to boil along with the dry spices. Let them boil for 2-3 minutes to infuse the spices.
2. Add turmeric powder and continue to boil for a few minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add your coconut milk and sweetener of choice. Don't boil this concoction too much.
4. Sieve and sip. You are drinking something good for your body :).


Ginger Lime Tea

Something very simple and effective. I feel ginger spice gives a good kick in morning. Lemon is known for its benefits. A good combination for sore throat,cough and beneficial specially during seasonal allergies.


Ingredients

1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 cup water
Half a small size lemon
1 tsp sugar/jaggery (optional)

Steps

1. Grate ginger. You can use a teaspoon or more depending on your taste.
2. Boil a cup of water to piping hot. Switch off the heat, add grated ginger and cover for a minute or two.
3. Sieve into a cup. Squeeze in the lemon. Add sweetener as per taste.
4. Enjoy :)


Coconut milk Coffee

Oh what would I do without a coconut. No wonder it has become so dear to me. So glad to be living in a place with abundance of coconut :).

This isn't something new as many people use coconut mylk in their coffee. But I am going to try to make it interesting and Frothy :). Again, watch your coconut milk and avoid heating it too much.You can infuse this with spices to make it more interesting. I used homemade coconut milk which was medium in creaminess.


Ingredients

1 tbs coffee powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs water

Steps

1. In your coffee cup, add the coffee powder, sugar and 1 tbs water and whip the mixture with a spoon.
2. Whip Whip Whip... :) This is going to need some arm strength and fifteen minutes of your time. Whip till mixture turns from dark color to light golden color. As you whip you are incorporating air in your mixture which makes the coffee frothy.


3. Boil your water. Lower the flame and add coconut milk and heat.
4. Pour this liquid into your cup. Stir and enjoy a Light Frothy Coffee :).

These are few ways I've been replacing my milk tea with interesting options :).. I am sure there are many varieties of tea out there... I am going to keep searching :D. Meanwhile I hope this can be useful for people looking for Vegan Tea options.

Note - How to make Coconut Milk at home - http://wellnessmama.com/2447/homemade-coconut-milk/

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Choco Mint Ice Cream

Bangalore is getting very hot these days especially in the afternoons. One such hot day I was at the bus station and saw this Ice cream cart and got tempted to make some Ice cream :). (Looking forward to the day one can buy Vegan Ice Cream off a cart!) I had been planning to make one since sometime and had stocked up on coconut milk in my fridge. There was chocolate and fresh mint sitting in my fridge and here I am with this recipe :).



I have used Kara coconut milk for this recipe as I find it has more coconut cream. The creamier the milk the better for your ice cream. Store your coconut milk cartons/cans in the fridge for a few days before attempting this recipe. Keeping them in fridge allows the solids or the more creamy part to separate from the liquid. We are going to make coconut condensed milk and decant coconut solids from the cartons to make this ice cream. This is my most successful effort so far in Vegan Ice-Creams and if the recipe is followed the result is like store bought ice cream :) texture and taste wise.


Needs - Hand Immersion Blender with whisk attachment
Yields - 3-4 scoops

Ingredients
3 200ML Coconut milk cartons (chilled)
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (depending on taste)
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup Vegan chocolate chunks/chips
1 tbs Vanilla essence (optional)

Step 1 - Prepare Coconut condensed milk
1. In a pan on medium flame heat 200ml coconut milk with sugar.
2. Once the coconut milk mixture starts bubbling add mint leaves. With a spatula crush the mint leaves to release the flavors.
3. Keep the milk on simmer for around 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Over these 30 minutes the milk color changes from white to transparent to slightly creamish which is normal. The end result is a thick condensed coconut milk flavored with mint.
4. Take the pan off heat and allow the mixture to cool.
5. Pick or sieve out mint leaves from the mixture. Don't bother if a few are left behind.
6. Keep in fridge to chill completely.

Step 2 - Make coconut whipped cream
Take the other 2 coconut milk cartons which should have been sitting in fridge for a couple of days. Keeping them in fridge allows the solids or the more creamy part to separate from the liquid. Turn around the carton bottom up. This allows the more creamy solids to stay in the bottom. Now (quickly) open the carton and drain the watery portion into a vessel. We use the left over creamy part to make a coconut whipped cream :). Whipping the cream incorporates air into the mixture which makes your ice cream smooth and light in texture. Follow the steps below and refer to the images.


7. Whip the coconut cream from both cartons with a hand blender till you get soft peaks and an airy mixture. This can be done manually but could take more time.
8. Pour in your chilled coconut condensed milk and blend some more to combine and incorporate air. If the condensed milk has hardened too much loosen it by whipping with a spoon before adding.
9. Fold in you chocolate chunks with a spatula very gently without meddling too much with the cream.
10. Pour into a container with a lid and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. Before scooping allow the ice cream to sit outside for a few minutes.

Enjoy !! :)
Tip - Chill the vessel before whipping your ice cream.

References -
http://minimalistbaker.com/creamy-vegan-mint-brownie-ice-cream/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvclbHE-ZI8

Monday, February 1, 2016

Oatmeal Choco-Raisin Cookies


Cookies are the best quick bites to have at home especially when they are home made! There is a huge demand at my home for these. So I try to bake some new variety each time which then gets over within no time! Something about home baked fresh cookies makes your mouth water.. :) doesn't it ?

Oatmeal Choco Raisin Cookies

This is a No Maida recipe. I had a bar of Vegan Dark Chocolate which led me to make this recipe. If you are using a chocolate bar just chop the chocolate into small bite-able chunks for this recipe. Instead you could also use vegan chocolate chips. Coconut oil is very good for cooking with its health benefits and its higher smoke point. It leaves a mild coconut-y tinge to this cookie which works well with the other ingredients. :)

Cookies ready to be baked

Here is a recipe for sumptuous Oatmeal Choco Raisin cookies.

Ingredients

1.5 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1 tbs flax seed powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks (vegan)
5 tbs water
3 tbsp date syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C.
2. Mix flax seed powder with 2.5 tbs water and set aside for few minutes.
3. Whisk together wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. In a bowl mix together coconut oil & brown sugar until combined.
5. Add date syrup, vanilla essence and flax seed mix to the wet ingredients and combine.
6. Mix oats with the other dry contents. To this add the wet ingredients and combine with a spatula.
7. Fold in the raisins and chocolate chunks into the mixture.
8. Add a little water and use your hands to bring the ingredients together, shape them into small disks and place on a baking sheet.
9. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes. Leave inside oven to cool for five minutes.
10. Take out the cookies and allow them to cool completely.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Expresso Panna Cotta

Coffee and coconut milk is becoming my recent favorite combo. Thought this might be an innovative way to express it in an 'Expresso Pannacotta' :). This is a subtle and delicate dessert. Crunchy roasted almonds take it to another level. "Who doesn't like roasted nuts anyway?" I would eat them with anything :).


























A simple recipe with just five ingredients. Very quick and easy to make and will surely impress your guests.
























Ingredients
200 ml full fat coconut milk (I used KARA)
Agar-Agar 2x2cm
2-3 Tbs Sugar (as per taste)
2 Tsp Instant coffee powder
3/4 cup water
Roasted Almond bits

I've used  Agar Agar sheet found in most retail stores. It looks like this.












Steps
1. Boil Agar Agar in 3/4 cup water until it dissolves.
2. In a heavy bottomed sauce pan heat coconut milk until you see the first few bubbles.
3. Add dissolved agar agar liquid into the coconut milk and keep stirring.
4. Add sugar and coffee powder into the above mixture and stir to dissolve.
5. Keep Stirring until the mixture thickens a bit for about 4-5 minutes.
6. Switch off the heat and put the mixture into moulds and keep aside to cool.
7. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving with a dash of roasted almonds :).


Note- To de-mould gently run a butter knife along the sides of the mould. Overturn and tap the mould.


Friday, January 15, 2016

Roasted Vegetable Salad

I love vegetables of all different colors. Something that works well for me being a vegan. Aiming at adding more raw plant based food to my diet, I was keen on trying roasting my veges first. My childhood memory is of eating roasted sweet potatoes cooked in a man-made sigree in our garden. Roasted sweet potato chaat was heavenly in winters. :)

Its lovely how roasting vegetables brings out their natural sweetness. Entire house smells aromatic without any spices or herbs being used. Moreover the nutritive value of some vegetables is higher when they are cooked by roasting. Here is my Colorful Roasted Vegetable Salad :)




Few things to note while roasting vegetables in a convection oven are -

1. Coat them with a generous amount of olive oil before roasting. With less oil on them veges can dehydrate while roasting.
2. Different vegetables take different amount of time to get cooked while roasting. I've mentioned timings for different vegetables below.
3. Dice the vegetables into equal sized pieces for uniform roasting.
4. Well roasted veges become tender inside and slightly brown on the outside.

Oven Pre Heated to 220C
Vegetable         Time(minutes)

Potato/Sweet Potato 20-25
ButterNut Squash      20
Carrots         15-20
Onion / Tomato 10-15
Red/Yellow Bell Peppers 10-15
Broccoli                 10


The roasting time can vary based on the size of vegetable pieces and also depending on the oven. Use the above chart as a reference and check your veges 5 Minutes before mentioned time. I put the vegetables in one single stretch on the same tray after gaps of 5-10 minutes as required. This is an overall quick method but adds an additional 5-10 minutes to your cooking because of opening of oven multiple times.

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced potato
1/2 cup diced sweet potato
1/2 cup diced butternut squash
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup chopped red & yellow pepper
1 small Onion chopped in chunks
1 medium Tomato chopped
1 medium carrot cut in length
2 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Tahini (optional)
Salad Dressing (optional)

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 200C.
2. Dice and cut your vegetables as mentioned.
3. Grease your baking tray with few drops of oil.
4. Rub the vegetable with generous amount of olive oil. They should look shiny.
5. Spread the veges flat on a tray and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
6. Start with Potato and sweet Potatoes in a preheated oven, after five minutes add Butternut squash and carrots. After ten minutes add Onion, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli and garlic. Each time you open the oven turn around the existing vegetables a bit for uniform roasting.
7. Whisk together your salad dressing with 2 Tablespoons Olive oil, 1 Tbs Tahini, juice of a lemon and anything else you may want to spike your salad with.
8. Coat your veges with the dressing, sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve warm :).


Note:- Add fresh herbs / baby spinach to make this salad more crunchy and RAWwww :)




Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Sticky Date and Ginger Pudding with salted Caramel Sauce

Christmas called for a Festive Warm Dessert.. I celebrated mine with Sticky Date Ginger Pudding :-)


















I came across this dish on Masterchef Australia and was very eager to make a Vegan version. :-) Two trials gave me a recipe I would love to make again. I heard about PETA Dessert competition and I have entered the competition with this vegan dessert recipe. Fingers Crossed !! :-)

To all you Lovely People out there have a Great 2016 and carry the festive spirit to the rest of your year. May the coming year be full of Positive Energy everywhere around you.

Orange segments add a freshness to this otherwise sticky sweet pudding. Guess my Palette is getting wiser ;-). I cant believe myself when I say such things :-P. Here's the recipe for this Warm Comforting Dessert. Do try and let me know how you like it :)


Ingredients

12 Dates pitted and chopped
3/4 cup Maida / Refined Flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 Ripe Banana
1/3 cup Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence
3/4 cup Water
10g Crystallized Ginger (chopped)
Pinch of Cinnamon & Nutmeg powder (optional)
Orange segments for garnish

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180 C and grease your ramekins / baking vessel.
2. Add the water and dates into a pot and bring it to a boil. Once water starts boiling switch off the stove.
3. Add baking soda to the above mixture and give a little whisk. Set aside to cool.
4. In a bowl mash well a ripe banana.
5. Add half cup sugar and vanilla essence into the mashed banana and whisk well.
6. Pour in the date mixture and add the crystallized ginger. Mix well.
7. In a separate bowl sift together flour, nutmeg and cinnamon.
8. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients few spoonfuls at a time and combine well.
9. Bake for 25 - 30 Mins or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
10. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from Mould and serving.

Ingredients for Caramel Sauce

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt

Steps

1. In a heavy Bottomed Pan mix together Sugar and salt. Stir over medium heat until it resembles a toffee color. If the mixture turns clumpy reduce the heat and keep mixing. (Avoid stirring rapidly)
2. Switch off the heat and add coconut milk cream slowly part by part. Keep mixing.
3. Switch on the heat and mix over medium heat until you get a smooth consistency.

Serve your Sticky Date Ginger pudding topped with warm sauce and orange segments :).

Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year !!