Showing posts with label Raw Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raw Food. Show all posts

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Melon Mustard Gazpacho - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 10


Melon Mustard Gazpacho

This cold soup was the first recipe I created for this year's Vegan MoFo when I found out about it in August. But I hadn't found the right time to post it until now.

Since I kicked off MoFo with a tutorial on making Almond Mylk, I ended up posting various recipes related to that throughout the first week. Then early in the second week, there was a Creamy Tomato Basil Soup recipe which was a guest post on my blog by Manasa and I didn't want another soup recipe here very soon after that.

Today finally seems to be the right time for me to be sharing this. Since it's a weekend, I don't want to spend too much time online. So there are no HowDos and no stop-motion videos. Just a simple and refreshing recipe for you to quickly whip up and enjoy. :)

Melon Mustard Gazpacho

I grow my own organic mustard leaves by planting mustard seeds in a pot. These are very good for health and have a really delicious flavour. I recommend that you grow your own organic mustard leaves too if you have a garden or a well lit balcony where you can place potted plants. They grow very quickly and easily.

If you can't get your hands on mustard leaves, you can always use other greens. I suggest that you use something with a hint of spiciness to it, like arugula or radish greens.

Melon Mustard Gazpacho

1 Musk Melon
2 Tomatoes
1 C Mustard Leaves
1/2 Lime
1/8 tsp Salt

* De-seed, peel and cube the musk melon
* Cube the tomatoes
* Add the musk melon, tomatoes and mustard leaves into a blender jar
* Squeeze lime juice over them and add the salt
* Blend well (it's okay if a few small chunks are left)
* Serve fresh and raw
* Enjoy! :)

Melon Mustard Gazpacho

By the way, Rando is back. Yay! :)

For those of you who don't know, RandoMoFo is a randomiser for Vegan MoFo. Every time you visit RandoMoFo.com, a totally random Vegan MoFo participant's blog is loaded. And since I love surprises, this is my absolute favourite way to blog hop during MoFo and drool over all the delicious food posts.

Give it a go, you'll see why I like it so much. But let me warn you, Rando is a highly addictive fella. So if you're a Vegan MoFo blogger, first finish writing up your blog post for the day before you get on the Rando ride. ;)

Friday, September 13, 2013

Raw Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Date Almond Sauce - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 9


Raw Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Date Almond Sauce

I thought I'd save this recipe for tomorrow, but then I realised that we're almost half way through Vegan MoFo and I've only shared one measly dessert recipe with you so far! *gasp* That is just not an acceptable way for me to treat my precious blog readers.

Raw Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Date Almond Sauce

There's another reason why I felt like doing a dessert post today. Spirits are at an all time high at Veganosaurus Headquarters. And here's why...


Yes, we got a brand spanking new power adapter for the laptop today. Woohoo!!! :D :D :D

When you look at the way everyone's partying now, you would never believe the kind of drama that happened here just one week ago.

This kind of mood definitely calls for dessert, don't you think? :) Here you go...


Raw Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Date Almond Sauce

Raw Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Date Almond Sauce

2 Apples - chopped into small pieces
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
Pinch of Salt

* Toss everything together in glass dish
* Cover with a glass lid
* Keep in a sunny spot for sun baking for 3-4 hours

6 Seedless Dates

* Soak them in fresh, clean water for 3-4 hours

1/2 C Almonds
2 T Sesame Seeds

* Grind coarsely in a dry jar

How to proceed:

* To 1/4th of the almond-sesame powder, add the dates and their soaking water and grind to a smooth paste
* Add a few spoons of water and blend into a sauce
* Toss the apples with the remaining 3/4th of the almond-sesame powder to form the apple crumble, and place into individual serving bowls
* Spoon the sauce over the apple crumble
* Serve at room temperature or after chilling for a while
* Enjoy! :)

Raw Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Date Almond Sauce

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Raw Zucchini Fettuccine and Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cashew Sour Cream Sauce - Vegan MoFo Day 8


Wow, that name was quite a mouthful, wasn't it? Even by my usual standards. I promise that this dish is worth every syllable though!

Raw Zucchini Fettuccine and Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cashew Sour Cream Sauce

When it comes to raw food, there's nothing like zucchini/courgette to replace regular pastas; be it zucchini lasagna, flat zucchini noodles, or if you have a fancy spiralizer tool (which is so on my I-want-this list), zucchini spaghetti! It's the one vegetable, which when combined with a creamy raw sauce, has that perfect al-dente pasta texture. It's something that you just have to taste to believe!

Since it is of utmost importance that the zucchini pasta is super thin, I use a vegetable peeler to quickly scrape it into flat, fettuccine-like noodles. This whole dish takes five minutes to put together but tastes like a laborious work of art! :D

Raw Zucchini Fettuccine and Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cashew Sour Cream Sauce

In the summer I make real sun dried tomatoes. But since we've barely had any sunlight in this monsoon season, I made the batch used in this recipe by dehydrating cherry tomato halves in the oven at 70°C. If you don't want to make your own, you can buy them locally in Bangalore at Food Hall and a few other grocery stores that carry speciality goods.

If you like, you can substitute fresh cherry tomatoes for the sun dried ones in this recipe. But sun dried tomatoes have a significantly richer flavour and better texture, so if you are able to get your hands on them, you should definitely use them.

The nutritional yeast makes the sauce mind-blowingly flavourful. In India, you can currently order it online from i2cook. I know there are a few more sources of these precious, golden flakes coming up here soon and I'll keep you updated about them. :)

Here's a step-by-step HowDo guide (oh, how I enjoy making these HowDos) for this recipe, followed by a typed out, text version.


Raw Zucchini/Courgette Fettuccine and Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cashew Sour Cream Sauce

1 small Zucchini
1/2 C Sun Dried Tomatoes
1/4 C Cashews
2 cloves of Garlic
1 T Nutritional Yeast
5 Raisins
Juice of 1/2 Lime
Salt

* Wash the zucchini well and using a vegetable peeler, scrape it into flat, fettuccine noodles (including the peel) and keep them aside
* When you reach the soft, seed portion at the heart of the zucchini, chop it up roughly and pop it into a mixie jar
* Add the cashews, garlic, raisins and salt give the grinder a quick whirr
* Squeeze in the lime juice and add a splash of clean, filtered water
* Blend into a smooth, creamy sauce, adding more water as required
* Place the zucchini noodles in a serving dish and add the sun dried tomatoes
* Pour the cashew sour cream sauce over everything and mix well
* Enjoy! :)

Raw Zucchini Fettuccine and Sun Dried Tomatoes in Cashew Sour Cream Sauce

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup - guest post by Manasa of Cure yourself with Food - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 7


Today, I have a special guest post from Manasa Rajan of Cure yourself with Food. Manasa is a Nutrition Coach who lives here in Bangalore, India. I met her for the first time at one of our Vegan Bengaluru monthly potlucks and was very impressed to hear about the healthy, high raw diet that she and her family, including her young daughter, follow.

When I decided to include a few guest posts for MoFo this time, I knew one of her recipes would be perfect to share here. I was very happy when she agreed to create a raw recipe for my blog. And what a delicious, refreshing recipe it is!

Manasa's Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Apart from her blog, Manasa can also be found on Facebook and Google Plus. Thank you for guest posting on Veganosaurus today, Manasa! :)

Now on to her post...

--

When Susmitha asked me to do a guest post on one of my raw vegan recipes, I was a bit tempted to do a raw dessert with nuts and fruits. But lately I have been craving more savoury and spicy foods; my lunch seems to comprise of some kind of raw soup everyday. So, I decided to share one of my favourite raw soup recipes, which is making its presence on a loop in my kitchen. Creamy tomato basil soup!!!

Manasa's Tomatoes

The potted tomato plants on my balcony are offering little plump red beauties, which I cannot get myself to put on the stove to 'cook', I want to preserve and enjoy them in their natural, whole (and organic) lusciousness.

Manasa's Chilli PlantManasa's Tomato Plant

So, here's to raw vegan (really) fast food!!!

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw cashews (soaked for 4-5 hours)
5-6 medium sized tomatoes
1 1/2 cups hot water
1 ghost pepper (or a regular green chilly)
3-4 black pepper corns
1-2 tsp dried basil
1 clove of garlic
sea salt to taste
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Manasa's CashewsManasa's Soup ingredients in blender jar

Process

Rinse and drain the cashews. Put all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend. The motion of the high powered blender like a Vitamix will heat up the soup, but if you are using a regular blender, you might need to run it a bit longer and be really careful with the steam being generated in the jar. Warm the soup a bit (do not boil), if you prefer. You can taste the soup and add more seasoning if required.

Manasa's Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 6


Last Thursday, we had a little freak out session at Veganosaurus Headquarters, but by the end of the day things had calmed down. After successfully posting a raw, vegan recipe for the fifth day of Vegan MoFo all of us went to bed with peaceful smiles on our faces, blissfully unaware of what was in store for us the following day. *insert ominous music here*

On Friday afternoon, our Internet's phone line went dead! *Gaaahhhhhh* I was left to depend on the data plan on my phone to have access to the Internet for the long weekend. Yes, I did freak out for a while but soon I decided to go with the flow, and calmed down.

How did I keep up the morale around here, you ask? Well, I just did not bother to mention anything about the phone line to Veganosaurus, Kip and the other monsters. Thankfully, they were too busy stuffing their faces with Gowri and Ganesha festival food to wonder why I wasn't Vegan MoFo-ing. And so, all was peaceful in these parts through the weekend. And before they could figure out what had happened, we got our precious Internet connection back! *sigh of relief*


Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto

Today I'm back with a very special recipe I put together, Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto. This recipe could work with any kind of Chilli Peppers, but I decided to use these because they are very easily available locally (they're commonly used to make deep fried snacks called Bajjis), are the perfect size for stuffing and can be enjoyed raw because they are not overly spicy.

Before I move on to the recipe, I just have to make an appeal. My fellow Vegan MoFo-ers, if you have Captcha Text/Word Verification for commenting on your blogs, please, please, please disable it! At least during MoFo. It's such a slow, painful, annoying process to go through when someone wants to leave nice comments on your blog posts. If you're wondering why you have so few comments on your posts, it's very likely because of that darned Word Verification. Try disabling it for a while and see what a huge difference it will make. And if you're worried about those pesky spammers, just put your comments on moderation like most of us have. That way, you can publish the genuine comments and report the spam ones.


Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto

And now, Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto. Since this is a recipe I totally invented, I thought it would be good to have a step-by-step video tutorial plus a text version of the recipe for it. Here you go...


 
 
Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto

For the filling:
1 C Moong Sprouts (Mung Bean Sprouts)
2 small Carrots - grated
Lots of Lemon Juice
Salt

* Mix, cover and keep aside for half an hour for the flavours to blend.

For the peppers:
4 Bajji Menasinakayis (Banana Peppers)

* Make long, lengthwise slits in the peppers and carefully scoop out the seeds using a spoon.
* Save the seeds for the pesto and keep the peppers aside.

For the pesto:
1/2 C Walnuts
1/2 C Cilantro
1 T Raisins
1 fat clove of Garlic
Seeds from the de-seeded Bajji Menasinakayis
Salt

* Grind everything together.
* Add a little water and blend well into a creamy paste.

How to proceed:
* Stuff the hollowed out chillies with the sprout mixture.
* Place them on a plate and pour oodles of pesto over them.
* Enjoy! :) 

 
Stuffed Bajji Menasinakayi with Walnut Cilantro Pesto

Thursday, September 05, 2013

Raw Almond Pulp Vadai/Cracker Sandwich - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 5


Raw Almond Pulp Vadai (Cracker) Sandwiches

Day 5. Wondering why I'm posting so late in the day? We had an incident at Veganosaurus headquarters last night. I was happily blog hopping, when suddenly, the laptop charger stopped working! It would be bad in any other situation, but during Vegan MoFo...it's a freaking disaster!!! And to top it off, the Apple store I went to this afternoon didn't have the appropriate one in stock. They told me it would take them a whole week to get it for me. Aaaarrrrrrrghhhhhh!!!

*deep breath* *deep breath*

Okay okay, I know I'm being melodramatic here. But if I'm this way, imagine what our mascot was like. The stress really built up from last night and by this evening, when it became unbearable, someone exploded into a screaming fit!



After being all screamed out, Veganosaurus just dropped down and gave up on this cruel, cruel world. That's when Kip hopped by to see what the ruckus was all about. He just said a quick hello and was hopping away, when Veganosaurus, who couldn't bear to see his cheerfulness decided to drag himself to Kip to share the depressing news.

It was at this point that I had to pull myself together and interfere before a damper was put on everyone's mood around here. After all, Veganosaurus headquarters runs on joy and cheer. Without those two ingredients, we're doomed.

We did a healing, gratitude meditation where we focused on the many other gadgets around our home which *do* work fine. In the end, everyone was calm and feeling thankful that we have other ways of getting today's blog post done. So finally, here we are! :)

Raw Almond Pulp Vadai/Cracker Sandwich

Remember on the first day of MoFo, in my Almond Mylk tutorial, I spoke about saving the pulp after extracting the mylk? Today I'm going to share one of the things I like making with the pulp. This is a recipe for my Raw Almond Pulp Vadai/Cracker type thingies. They just involve mixing a few things into the almond pulp, shaping them into vadais and sun drying them. Simple to mix up but they take a long time to dry, especially in the kind of cloudy weather we've been having here. They are worth the patience though. Especially if you're on a completely raw diet and would like to have something snacky.

Raw Almond Pulp Vadais (Crackers)

Raw Almond Pulp Vadai (Cracker) Sandwiches

For the Vadais:
1 batch Almond Mylk Pulp (approximately 1 1/2 C)
1 Carrot
5 Green Chillies
3 Cloves of Garlic
3 T Sesame Seed Powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Salt

* Grate the carrots
* Crush the green chillies, garlic and salt together

* Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them well with your hands
* Taste and adjust the flavours and spices to your liking

* Shape the dough into rounds and flatten them in between your palms
* Place them on a plate that's been lined with wax paper

* Dry them under a hot sun for a few days, flipping them every other day, until they are completely dry
* In case of dull weather, you can place the vadais in your oven at 70°C and dehydrate them by leaving the door of the oven slightly open

* Do this for a few hours each day, over a period of 4-5 days, until they are dry
* Whether you're sun drying or oven drying, in the nights, keep the plate in your fridge, uncovered, because it helps to dry them out more

* You can eat these vadais plain but they tend to have a dry mouthfeel and not too easy to swallow. So it is best to enjoy them with a creamy dip or turn them into pretty tomato sandwiches.

For each Sandwich:
1 Vadai
2 slices of Naati Tomatoes (or other juicy variety)
Tulsi (Indian Basil) Leaves
Crushed Black Pepper

* Place the vadai in between the tomato slices
* Top the sandwich with chiffonaded tulsi leaves and some crushed pepper
* Bite into them and taste the delicious textures and flavours
* Enjoy! :)

Raw Almond Pulp Vadai (Cracker) Sandwiches

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Making Sprouts, 21 Day Kickstart India and a yummy Chutney Video by Dr. Nandita - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 4


Wow, it's already Day 4 of the Vegan Month of Food, the global vegan blogging marathon where hundreds of blogs write about vegan food, every single day (or at least weekday) of the month.

I just sat down to start typing out today's post when I read a comment by Mel on yesterday's post, where she very sweetly gave me kudos because she thought I'm going completely raw during MoFo. Haha

Though Kannada is my language, the exclamation that sprung to my mind was a Hindi one, "mujhe paagal kutte ne kaata kya?!" I won't translate it word for word because it just sounds funnier in Hindi, but what it basically means is that, I would have to be bitten-by-a-rabid-dog-bonkers to put myself through the sheer torture of going raw during Vegan MoFo. :oP

My theme for this month is Raw Vegan Foods but I'm not following a completely raw regime during this time. My intention is to just include *more* raw foods into our daily meals. At the end of the month, I'm hoping to have compiled a nice collection of raw recipes that will at some point inspire myself, and others, to try out at least one week of a completely raw diet at some point. :)
 
Moong Sprouts
 
Today I have a couple of different things to share with you.

* First, there's a little video about making bean sprouts. I've shown you how to sprout Whole Green Moong aka Mung Beans because they sprout the quickest. But you could use the same process to sprout other beans too. Some of them might take longer, you just mix them once every 6-8 hours during the sprouting process. If you've never made sprouts at home from scratch before, I'd like to say that they are totally worth it. The time and effort are well rewarded. :)
 


* Then Zeeshan Ali of PCRM talks about 21 Day Kickstart India. If you haven't signed up for this program yet, I highly recommend that you do. You will get all kinds of delicious recipes and support to help you try out a healthy, vegan diet. The recipes are designed keeping in mind the people who live in India, so all ingredients will be easily accessible here. But you could try out these recipes (with a few replacements perhaps) regardless of what part of the world you live in. 21 Day Kickstart India started on 1st September, but it's never too late to sign up and give it a go. :)

21 Day Kickstart India Banner

U.S. Doctors, Bollywood Stars Guide 21-Day Health Challenge on Sept. 1

An Indian version of the popular 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program that has helped more than 250,000 global participants lose weight and improve their health will start Sept. 1 with the support of Bollywood stars, including Jackie Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, Amala Akkineni, Celina Jaitley, and Mallika Sherawat.

The free online program, available at www.21DayKickstartIndia.org, is created by the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. It will offer Indians in India and around the world a research-based roadmap to jumpstart weight-loss and reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems.

The Kickstart program is based on National Institutes of Health-funded clinical research by PCRM president Neal Barnard, M.D., that shows a low-fat, plant-based, dairy-free diet can help people lose weight, reverse diabetes, and implement long-term changes in eating habits and health.

“India faces a health crisis like never before,” Dr. Barnard says. “Traditional plant-based diets are being swamped by meat and processed foods, dairy product consumption is rising, and these unhealthy foods are driving obesity and diabetes rates through the roof. Our research shows the best way to lose weight and reverse disease is to jump into a completely dairy-free, plant-based diet for three weeks.”

The 21-Day Kickstart Program will be available online starting Sept. 1, and participants can sign up for free access to three weeks of recipes, nutrition information, and cooking tips, including cooking demos. Hollywood stars, including actress Alicia Silverstone, will also offer their favorite vegan recipes and tips to stay on track with the program.


* Finally, here's a recipe that Dr. Nandita Shah of SHARAN India has created for PCRM. I've mentioned here before that I am highly inspired by Dr. Nandita and all that she does to help people heal themselves by switching to a healthy, vegan diet. My parents went vegan after attending one of her Reversing Diabetes seminars and that means a lot to me. So when Zeeshan offered me a recipe from their 21 Day Kickstart website, I just had to choose one by her. It's a simple but yummy chutney. And yes, it's raw. :)


SHARAN India Banner

Green Cilantro-Mint Chutney

Makes about 1 cup (4 to 8 servings)

A green mint and cilantro chutney is a great complement to any meal and can be used as a sandwich spread. Mint adds freshness to the chutney while lemon or lime juice enhances the flavors of the mint and coriander and prevents discoloration of the greens. The chutney can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

3 cups (50 grams) chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup (20 grams) chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) lemon or lime juice
1-4 green chilies, seeded and chopped
3 tablespoons (15 grams) grated coconut (optional)
1/4 teaspoon (0.75 gram) ground cumin (optional)
sea salt, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and grind to a smooth paste using very little water. Refrigerate and use as needed.

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Fruit Sweetened Almond Mylk Ice Cream - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 3


Into the third day of Vegan MoFo. For the past two days, I've been suspended in a state of perpetual hunger. Oh how the grumbling in my tummy competed with the rumbling in the skies! Yeah, the weather we've had here for the past two evenings has been matching the exact parallel I wanted to draw for you to describe my tummy sounds. :oP

For the first two days I made the terrible mistake of visiting fellow MoFo bloggers' spaces first thing in the morning, before breakfast. Today I've become smarter. My blog hopping has begun right after a heavy, filling brunch. And I've additionally equipped myself with cherry tomatoes and bourbon biscuits to pop into my mouth at the very first signs of any cravings.

So phooo, you evil Buffalo Tempeh Wraps and Sourdough Gingerbread, you don't have any power over me! Ain't no Vegan Mac and Cheese or Apple and Blackberry Pie gonna give me the munchies. Humph!

*Pops a tomato into mouth* *munch* *munch* *munch*

Fruit Sweetened Almond Mylk Ice Cream

Today I have my *first* raw dessert recipe for the month. Yes, of course there will be more desserts! Whose blog do you think you're visiting? :D

This is an ice cream made with a base of thick almond mylk and soaked dry fruits. Raw ice creams tend to be lighter and therefore a tiny bit on the icy side rather than smooth and creamy like their cooked counterparts. But they are super delicious, not to mention easy to make and bursting with all the nutrients of the nuts and fruits. So you can have the whole batch of ice cream in one sitting with absolutely no guilt. :)

To make thick almond mylk, follow the steps in this Almond Mylk tutorial. Except, start with 1 C of dry almonds and after they've been soaked and rinsed, blend them with only 3 cups of clean, filtered water (usually the almond to water ratio is 1:6 to make regular almond mylk).

Fruit Sweetened Almond Mylk Ice Cream

4 C Thick Almond Mylk
25-30 Seedless Dates
1/4 C Raisins
Pinch of Salt

* Soak the dates and raisins in clean, filtered water overnight.
* Blend the soaked dates and raisins with their soaking water.
* Pour in the thick almond mylk, add a pinch of salt and blend well.
* Cover and chill in the fridge for a day.

* If you have an ice cream maker, follow the instructions provided in the manual and freeze the chilled almond mixture in it.
* Then pour into an airtight jar and freeze for two more hours before serving.

* If you don't have an ice cream maker, then freeze the chilled almond mixture in an airtight jar for an hour.
* Transfer to a blender and blend well.
* Freeze for another hour.
* Blend once again.
* Follow this freeze-blend-freeze procedure four to five times.
* After the final blend, freeze for two hours and serve.

* You can drizzle agave nectar or jaggery syrup (not raw but soooo yummy) over the ice cream if you like.
* Enjoy! :)

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By the way, Happy First Annual International Day of Kale! If I had access to Kale, I'd have definitely created a recipe with it for today but since I don't (yet), here's a photo of the first baby kale plant that's sprouted in my kitchen garden right now. Isn't she a cutie pie? :) I can't wait to have fresh, organic kale leaves to harvest soon!

Kale Seedling

Have a wonderful day! :) I'm off to visit more Vegan MoFo blogs now.

Monday, September 02, 2013

Healthy Green Smoothie - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 2


Here we are on day two of the Vegan Month of Food. Yesterday I shared a HowDo about making Raw Almond Mylk because it's delicious, healthy and an ingredient that is often used in the preparation of raw food dishes.

I'm going to be featuring raw vegan recipes here throughout September. If you'd like to be notified about my blog posts, subscribe to my blog by submitting your email address in the "Follow by Email" box in the right hand column, just under the Vegan MoFo icon.

I'd also love to connect with you on my Veganosaurus Facebook Page, Instagram and Twitter.

I'd like to thank everyone who has been watching my HowDo videos and encouraging me to make more of them. They're definitely going to be incorporated into many of my Vegan MoFo posts this month to make the recipes more interesting, fun and easy to follow.

In some cases I'll have a HowDo video as well as a text version of the recipe. But for easy, simple recipes where it's more about the method and not the recipe itself, I feel typing out the recipe isn't necessary. In those cases I'll just embed the HowDo clip here and save myself some time and effort. ;)

Raw Green Smoothie

Today I have a basic Healthy Green Smoothie recipe to share. Pretty much everyone makes smoothies these days, so a smoothie recipe is nothing novel. But a month of raw food recipes just doesn't seem complete without at least one or two smoothies in there. :)

The recipe below features my favourite components that go into most of my smoothies. Of course, you can switch around the ingredients and tweak the quantities to your liking because it's a very, very adaptable recipe. If you can get your hands on Cooking Camphor aka Pachha Karpura, I highly recommend you adding a tiny pinch of it into all your smoothies. Takes things to a whole new level of yum!

Once again, the recipe is in the form of a step-by-step HowDo micro guide. Enjoy! :)



Sunday, September 01, 2013

Raw Almond Mylk - Vegan MoFo 2013 Day 1


Almonds

Happy MoFo to you
Happy MoFo to yooooou
Happy MoFo, happy MoFo
HaPPy MooooFoooo toooooo yoooooooooou

Welcome to the Vegan Month of Food 2013 everyone! If you didn't already guess, the Happy MoFo song is sung to the tune of the Happy Birthday song. :D

Throughout the month of September, I'll be sharing recipes for Raw Vegan Foods here on my blog. It's been a good challenge for me, pushing myself to create completely raw recipes. I have put together a bunch of dishes over the past couple of weeks and I'm really happy and excited to be sharing them with you over the coming days. I still need to create many more recipes so that I can do at least twenty and possibly thirty blog posts this month.

So far, all the recipes I've concocted are 100% raw and I'm very proud of that. Down the line, there's a chance I might cheat a bit here and there and use one or two non-raw ingredients. But I will ensure that even those recipes are at least 80% raw.

I'm going to focus on using primarily local ingredients in my recipes so that people in India can attempt raw, vegan foods with what is easily accessible to them. I will occasionally indulge in speciality raw food products that might not be available in India. When I do, I'll share links so you can order them online and import them if you wish to do so.

Now that the intro is over, let's go to my first recipe offering for Vegan Mofo 2013! :)

Vegan MoFo 2013 Banner

I thought I'd cover the basics first. Since I'll be using Almond Mylk, in a couple of recipes later, I figured I'd start off by sharing a simple, step-by-step micro tutorial on making Raw Almond Mylk.

Enjoy! :)



See you back here tomorrow. I'm off to blog hop now and check out all the amazing recipes that everyone else has posted on Day 1 of Vegan MoFo 2013. :)

Friday, October 05, 2012

Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème Vegan MoFo day 5


Yay first week of Vegan MoFo successfully completed! :) This week's theme was Desserts and the mystery sub-theme was Mostly Raw. I hadn't initially planned on focusing on raw desserts, but after my first two Vegan MoFo recipes, Avocado Orange Chocolate Mousse and Fig and Cinnamon Ice Cream turned out to be mostly raw, I decided to keep going with the rawsomeness.

'Restricting' myself to making the desserts as raw as possible with the ingredients I already had in my pantry was a challenge and it pushed me to use my imagination and come up with creative ideas. The response to them has been great so it has been totally worth the effort. After four days of sharing mostly raw recipes, today I present a completely raw dessert.

This recipe came together in a very unplanned, organic method. I started out by putting the bananas, vanilla and a pinch of salt into the blender, thinking I could attempt a raw custard of sorts, but as the blending process continued, the other ingredients asked to be included and I couldn't help but oblige. The end result was a creamy, versatile fruit dip of sorts. A very grown up kind of dessert. The cinnamon and vanilla begged for a fancy name, hence Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème. :oP

Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème

I've served it with guava but I think it'll go very well with a variety of fruits like apples, pears, green grapes, moosambi or perhaps even pineapple. It can also be used as a fruit salad dressing, in a parfait, as a topping on pie or cheezecake...there are so many possibilities! And the best one of course is to just chill it and eat it by the spoonfuls. :)

A quick note to my fellow Mofo-ers before I move on to the recipe - if you have word verification/CAPTCHA text enabled for comments, please do consider disabling it. Those CAPTCHAs are very discouraging to visitors who are potential commenters. Especially during Vegan MoFo when people blog hop like crazy, the easier you make it for them to leave comments, the more comments you will get. If you're worried about those darned spammers, just put your comments on moderation. That way, you can just publish the genuine comments and report the spam ones.

Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème

Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème

2 large Bananas (pachbalé hannu)
2 inch Vanilla Pod
1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder
8-10 Walnut Halves (handful)
2 Pitted Dates
Pinch of Salt

Blend everything together, adding up to 1/4 C water, until you get a creamy mixture.
Pour into glass bowl and place in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Whip vigorously with a wire whisk.
Serve over fruit.
Enjoy! :)

Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Green Guava Grainee and Vegan MoFo Preparations


Though this is a technically a smoothie, I'd like to call it a "grainee" because the guava seeds get ground to a fine, grainy texture. It's a nice way to enjoy a smoothie, with a wee bit of crunchiness in every mouthful. :)

Makes for a delicious, nutritious, filling breakfast. Consume it as soon as it's made, to get the maximum benefits of the fruits and the spinach.

Guava Smoothie

1 large Guava - cubed
3 Yelakki Bananas (small) - cut into chunks
1 1/2 C Spinach
8 Dates - seeds removed
1/2 C Cashews
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
3 Black Pepper Corns
A pinch of Salt
Lemon Juice

Blend everything together along with some water into a creamy smoothie.
Serve into large mugs.
Start slurping immediately.
Enjoy! :)

Green Guava Grainee

While you're slurping, let me tell you about what I've been up to and what's about to happen on my blog in October.

Shhhh, listen...can you hear that low rumbling sound? It's the chorus of thousands of tummies growling in anticipation. And soon you'll be hearing buckets drool dripping onto keyboards all over the world too because, it's that time of the year again...Vegan MoFo time!! :D

Vegan MoFo Banner

For those who are new to this, Vegan MoFo aka Vegan Month of Food, is a global blogging event. Hundreds of bloggers from all over the world take part each year and all month long blogs are flooded with talk about about vegan food, vegan food and more vegan food.

Last October was my first time participating in MoFo and it was a mad, last minute scramble. I did a lot of huffing and puffing and just barely reached my quota of posts for the month. This year however, I've turned into a super smart cookie (pun intended) and have started to cook and capture and choreograph.

I'd like to have at least half the blog posts ready and scheduled over the next week so that during MoFo I can chill and hoppity hop hop through all the awesome participating blogs.

I've even got a theme going this time - Super Scrumptious Four Course Meal. Each week, I will feature recipes for one course of a meal.

Week One - Desserts (well of course I have to start with desserts!)
Week Two - Soups and Salads
Week Three - Appetizers and Snacks
Week Four - Main Courses

There may or may not be sub-themes within each week. We'll just have to wait and watch. :oP

If you would like a taste of what's to come, here's my Vegan MoFo 2012 Sneak Peek album. It's going to keep getting filled up all week long and through October as the recipes start rolling out.

Until then, here are a few recipes from my last year's Vegan MoFo collection for you to try out:

Super Loaded Burritos

Vegan Burritos

Idlis

South Indian Idly

Maize Bread

South Indian Idly

And of course, the MOST popular post of them all...Vegan Ice Cream Basics :D

Vegan Cashew Mocha Rum Ice Cream

If you're taking part in Vegan MoFo this year, do leave a comment and let me know so I can visit you often through October. Enjoy making magic in the kitchen and have a wonderful weekend! :)

Friday, July 13, 2012

Pale Green Smoothie


Green smoothies are an amazingly nutritious and energy boosting breakfast option. All it takes is greens and fruit to make a basic smoothie. Wash, blend, drink. But sometimes I like to make my breakfast drink a bit special with additional ingredients for extra nutrients and taste. This one that I made today turned out super delicious (so much so that the empty mug got invaded by ants a few minutes after it was put down)! And the pale green colour was so pretty that I just had to grab some pics.

Dates are very rich in iron so I like using them to sweeten foods which are healthy to begin with. Sesame seeds are an excellent source of calcium. Lemon juice helps the nutrients get absorbed better. Turmeric has anti bacterial properties so a small pinch helps to make the raw food more safe.

light green smoothie

1 Handful Spinach
1 Large Banana
8-10 Cashews
5 Pitted Dates
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
Pinch Turmeric
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
Large Splash Lemon Juice

Blend everything together with as much or little water as you like.
Pour into a pretty mug.
Slurp away!

Enjoy. :)

light green smoothie

What kind of stuff do you like adding into your green smoothie?

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Raw Mango Vegan Sour Cream Salad Dressing Dip


It's mango season right now and I'm a huge fan of sour, raw mangos. I relish them even more than the ripe, sweet fruits. So it was came as no surprise that when I decided to make vegan sour cream, the idea to add a green mango into the mix suddenly popped into my head.

Commonly, vegan sour creams are made of a cashew or tofu base and a tangy component like vinegar or lemon juice. They are extremely adaptable and taste rich and delicious whether they are flavoured with just plain salt or with a complex set of ingredients.

Broccoli dipped in Vegan Mango Sour Cream

This is a very versatile sour cream. It can be used as a spread inside sandwiches and wraps, a dip for raw veggies and tortilla chips, as a creamy salad dressing... so many ways to enjoy it.

Tomato and Vegan Mango Sour Cream

Yesterday, I made it as a thick sauce for my dish for the Vegan Bengaluru monthly potluck at Jaaga. I poured it over plain, raw veggies - broccoli florets, sliced baby corn, grated carrot, chopped capsicum and diced naati tomatoes. The broccoli florets did an especially good job of sopping up the cream. It was quite a hit. My friend Arun said that the dish didn't taste like what someone new to it would imagine raw food to be like.

Raw Mango Sour Cream Broccoli Baby corn Salad

1 Sour Raw Mango
1/4 C Cashew
1/4 C Almonds
1 T Sesame Seeds
2 Dry Dates
2 Dry Figs
1/4 C Fresh Mint
2 Thin Slices Fresh Ginger
6 Cloves of Garlic
3 Spicy Green Chillies
1 T White Wine Vinegar (even regular white vinegar is fine)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 T Nutritional Yeast (optional)
Black Salt (you could use common salt but I prefer this)

Grind together the nuts, seeds and dry fruits into a fine powder.
Add everything else, except Vinegar, and grind well.
Add a little water at a time and blend into a smooth, creamy paste, with breaks in between to ensure that the grinder jar doesn't get heated up.
Chill for 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
Add the vinegar and whip for a few minutes, until slightly fluffy and airy.
Transfer to an airtight glass jar and chill for half an hour.

Enjoy! :)

Mango Sour Cream Salad

I've added this recipe to the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

Friday, April 13, 2012

A Sun Dried Tomato Adventure


It's been a bloody hot summer this year!! And this coming from a girl who normally basks in comfortably toasty tropical weather. Through the worst days in March, I held onto the hope that April showers would bring with them some soothing temperatures, but alas, we are yet to have any April showers at all. *sigh*

But every cloud has a silver lining, or in this case, the lack of clouds. :oP My spotting of the said lining occurred when I saw a cool (or should I say 'hot'?) photo album demonstrating the process of sun drying tomatoes by SaffronTrail. Boy was I inspired!

I got down to it right away. I also created a Sun Dried Tomatoes album on my Veganosaurus Facebook page and documented the process as it happened.

I decided to use our local Nati Tomatoes for this one. Even though they have a high juice content and would take longer than others to get done, I feel that their flavor is unmatched. I quartered them, placed them on a plate and sprinkled on salt, red chill powder and dried oregano.

Here they are, just about to begin their journey...

Sun Dried Tomatoes Start of Day 1

At the end of Day 2, a very small amount of drying can be noticed.

Sun Dried Tomatoes End of Day 2

On the evening of Day 3, the drying is more apparent. The juices have reduced considerably. I've been putting them in the sun all day and popping them in the fridge at night.

Sun Dried Tomatoes End of Day 3

No photos for days 4 and 5 because I was busy with the weekend and by the time I was able to get to them on both evenings the sun had set. And I surely wasn't about to click pictures in poor lighting!

On the night of Day 5, the tomatoes seem to be about 70% dry. Just the parts around the seeds seem moist now. So instead of putting them into the fridge I decide to leave them out all night, covered with a cheesecloth. I believe that the little bit of salt I'd originally sprinkled on top would keep them safe.

I am wrong! The salt content is nowhere near enough to protect.

On the morning of Day 6, I hit a roadblock. Some of the tomatoes have developed a layer of fungus/mold on top. :( Look how beautifully they were drying, if it hadn't been for the mold, they'd be perfect!!

Moldy Sun Dried Tomatoes on Day 6

Thankfully, I am able to salvage most of the tomatoes. I remove the seed portion which contains the maximum amount of the remaining moisture and carefully wash them. Then I toss them in salt and turmeric (plus some chill powder and oregano because the original stuff is now washed away) and place them in the sun again to dry all day. They go straight into the fridge at sunset. Taking no chances this time!

Salvaged Sun Dried Tomatoes on Day 6

7 days and 7 nights of drying and finally here they are all bottled up and ready on the morning of Day 8. :)

Final Sun Dried Tomatoes

Aren't they just beautiful? I am totally proud of them and of myself for taking full advantage of this hot, sunny summer. You know what they say... "make sun dried tomatoes while the sun shines". :oP (I bet I'm not the first person to have cracked that lame joke. Hehe).

And now, on to vegan curd chillies. A South Indian speciality. I've just started off the soaking process and the sun drying begins tomorrow. Once they are ready I'll share a recipe with you all. Until then, keep an eye on my Facebook page for continuous updates and pictures.

Now go make your own Sun Dried Tomatoes. They are totally worth the effort! :)