Steamed Ragi Sweet, my guest post on Tongue Ticklers.

Want to know what that is and how to make it? Check out my guest post on Tongue Ticklers (that website has unfortunately disappeared now).

Tongue Ticklers is a vegan blog run by Harini. It's filled with beautiful food photography, interesting recipes and lots of handy tips on vegan and gluten free cooking and baking. I'm super happy to have a guest post featured on it. :)

Vegan Tofu Scramble Salad Rice Paper Wraps.

I disliked eggs (aka hen periods) even during my pre vegan days. I only ate them when they were hidden in cakes and mousses and such desserts. If by mistake I put anything with the slightest eggy smell into my mouth, I immediately gagged and discarded it. So it's no surprise that after I turned vegan, I never really went out of my way to try out savory vegan egg-style dishes. The only time I had one was the Tofu Akuri made by Dr.Nandita Shah of SHARAN at the Reversing Diabetes with Dr.Neal Barnard seminar a few years ago. I liked it but not enough to inspire me try making it myself.

But last month, my friend Heather of Worceatsveg wrote a post about Vegan Eggless Salad and it got me curious enough to attempt a version of my own. I decided to turn it into rice paper rolls along with a few fresh veggies and the result was simply delicious!!



For the tofu filling:

2 200gm packs Tofu (rinsed, drained and patted dry)
1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
1 Medium Tomato (finely chopped)
3 T Nutritional Yeast
Turmeric (a pinch)
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Pepper Powder
1 T Lemon Juice
1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Agave (small splash)
Salt (Black Salt works best but I didn't have any so I used regular salt)

In a large bowl, crumble the tofu.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.



To proceed:

Sliced Vegetables - carrot, capsicum, cucumber.
Tapioca Sheets

Dip a tapioca sheet in warm water and place it carefully on a flat surface.
Place some tofu mixture in the middle of the sheet.
Top with sliced veggies.
Carefully roll up the tapioca sheet by folding the bottom half over the filling, then the sides and then the top half.

Enjoy immediately!

Vegan Hazelnut Kahlua Dark Chocolate Truffles

There's this story my paternal grandma used to tell us when we were kids. It's the Mysore Pak story. My granny is super adorable and she made all these sounds and expressions when she recited it. It was an absolute delight for a child to watch! :)

One day, a man says to his wife, "Darling, I have a hankering for Mysore Pak. Please make some for me".
The wife replies, "I don't know how to make it sweetheart but I'll ask the auntie next door to teach me".
And so she asked the neighbor who very sweetly agreed to teach her.

The wife asked her husband to buy all the ingredients from the market and the following day she went to the neighbor's house for a cooking lesson. She learnt how to toast the flour and add the sugar and the oil (yes, I'm veganizing it!!) and how to spread the mixture into a tray and slice it after it's cooled. As a thank you for teaching her, she gave the neighbor auntie half the Mysore Paks and brought the rest back home.

The Mysore Paks looked and smelt amazing!! The wife bit into one and her eyes went wide. "Mmmmmmm", she said, "my hubby's going to looooove these!!" She couldn't wait for him to come home from work that evening and taste them.

After sometime, she thought to herself, "I have got to eat another, they are so very tasty!" And so she did. A little while later, she couldn't resist having another one.

As the evening neared, she started pacing up and down on the front porch, waiting for her hubby. The excitement was too much! She kept going up to the table where she's placed the Mysore Paks to check on them and each time she checked, she couldn't help but pop one into her mouth. One, then another, then another one.

In this way time passed by and finally the evening arrived. She saw her hubby walking in through the gate. She ran up to him and excitedly told him all about the delicious Mysore Paks she'd made just for him!! She took him lovingly by the hand and led him to the table.

On the table, he saw one lonely Mysore Pak sitting in a tray with a few crumbs here and there.

"Is this all??" asked the hubby with shock.
"There were more", she replied sheepishly, "but I couldn't stop myself from eating them".
"But, but, HOW did you eat them all?" he asked, and regretted it the very next moment because his wife hypnotically reached out to the Mysore Pak, picked it up and said, "Like this!" and as a he gaped in amazement, the Mysore Pak disappeared into her mouth forever.

The End. :oP

Now why did I tell you this story? Because that is EXACTLY what has been happening to these Vegan Hazelnut Kahlua Dark Chocolate Truffles. Need I say more? :D



1/2 C Hazelnuts (toasted)
1 Bar 100% Bitter Dark Chocolate
1/2 Bar Semi-Sweet Dark Chocolate
1/4 C Brown Sugar + Agave for more sweetening as required
Kahlua (and/or Dark Rum)
2-3 T Soymilk

Keep half the toasted hazelnuts aside and crush the other half into a medium fine powder (I used a mortar and pestle but you could use a grinder if you like).

Melt the chocolate using the double boiler method. Basically one kettle/pan/vessel at the bottom and another, slightly larger one on top, covering it. Water in the bottom one and broken chocolate in the top one. Place on medium-low flame (water should get hot but not start boiling) and stir chocolate till half of it is melted. Then switch off the stove and continue stirring until it's completely melted.

Add sugar and mix well and keep stirring for a while longer.

Take the chocolate vessel off the water vessel and let it sit until it comes down to room temperature. VERY IMPORTANT!

Add the kahlua and/or rum and the soymilk and mix well. As soon as the alcohol hits, the texture changes slightly but that's absolutely okay.

Let the mixture sit in the fridge for a couple of hours.

With your palms, shape the chocolate into balls and press a whole hazlenut into the center of each ball as you form it.

Chill for another hour in the fridge.

Start popping them into your mouth and be transported to heaven.

The End. :oP

Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Pumpkin Tofu Stew

January 15th was a festival day here. It's called Sankranthi/Pongal and it's the festival of harvest. You can read more about it in an older post I've written about the festival, its meaning and the traditional foods we make on this day.

During Sankranthi, there is an abundance of sweet potatoes, pumpkins and sugarcane in people's houses. On the festival day my mom makes this amazing Sambar with peanuts, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and avarekai (the most delicious kind of bean in existence). Along with this Sambar, she sent me some pumpkin, sweet potato and sugarcane. The sugarcane was quickly chopped by hubby so we could chew and slurp on the sweet sweet juice. Ahhh the simple pleasures of life! With the other two I decided to make this stew.

It started off as a soup but then the previous night's dinner of Korean stew at Shiro must've had a subconscious influence because before I knew it, I was stewing chunks of tofu in the soup. Either ways, it was a delicious, hearty meal.

I used just one small sweet potato because that's all I had at home but I tweaked the recipe because this'll taste far more scrumptious when the flavor of the sweet potato is stronger.



1 Small Pumpkin
3 Sweet Potatoes
1 Medium Red Onion
1 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp All Spice Powder
1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/2 tsp Pepper Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 200gm packs Tofu
1 200ml pack Thick Coconut Mylk
Salt

Wash the pumpkin and de-seed it. Scrub the sweet potato and clean it well. Make large cubes of both vegetables with their peels intact.

In a large pot, heat the oil and stir fry the vegetables. Add the spices and salt and stir fry again.

Add 4-5 Cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook on a medium flame for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables have become soft. Stir once in a while in between.

Meanwhile, chop the onion into big chunks and spread them out on a baking sheet by separating the layers with your hands. Grill/broil them in an oven until they are crispy and almost burnt (or cook in the microwave on high for 5-6 minutes). These onion 'chips' take on a sweet flavor and are yummy to eat plain!

Also cube the tofu and keep aside.

Once the vegetables are cooked, let them cool for a few minutes. Then add the burnt onions and puree everything together (I find a hand blender to be very convenient for this purpose. They are inexpensive and handy).

Add the coconut mylk and more water if required and blend some more. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Place the pot back on the stove and add the chunks of tofu. Simmer covered, on a low flame, for 10-15 minutes.



Serve hot over plain rice or straight by itself in a big bowl.

Enjoy! :)

Baked Bread Bonda

Bondas are balls of spiced mashed potatoes dipped in a gram flour batter and deep fried. Bread Bondas are essentially the same thing, except, the potato mixture is wrapped in moistened bread instead and deep fried. Main theme? Potato. Deep fried.

I made a baked version of the Bread Bondas instead. It's not that I'm overly health conscious and scoff at deep friend deliciousness. It's simply because deep frying can be quite a tedious process and what with the boiling, mashing, spicing and wrapping involved, I just felt like skipping the deep frying part. Lining them up on a baking sheet and popping them into an oven was soooo much easier.

So how did I keep them crispy? Just when I began to wonder if brushing oil onto the outer layer would be the next move, my oh so sprightly mind came up with a fairly healthy solution... Coconut Mylk!

Heck, I wasn't gonna deep fry anyways, so might as well keep the oil at bay right?

Read on...



BAKED BREAD BONDA

8-10 slices Vegan Whole Wheat Bread (crusts removed)
1/4 C thick Coconut Mylk
5-6 medium sized Potatoes (steamed/boiled in salted water, peeled and mashed)
1 Carrot (finely chopped and nuked/steamed for a few minutes)
Small handful Green Peas (nuked/steamed for a few minutes)
1 tsp Coconut Oil + a few drops for greasing
1 Green Chilli (very finely chopped)
6-10 cloves of Garlic (crushed)
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
1/4 tsp Pav Bhaji Masala Powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala Powder
1/8 tsp Asafoetida Powder
1/8 tsp Turmeric Powder
Curry Leaves (finely chopped)
Salt

Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the garlic, ginger, curry leaves and chillies.

Stir on medium flame for half a minute.

Add the carrot and peas and stir fry for another half a minute.

Add the rest of the spices and salt and mix for a few seconds.

Add the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Turn off flame and keep aside.

Once the mixture has cooled a bit, shape into elongated balls.

Lightly grease a baking tray.

Preheat the oven to 250 C (475 F)

Pour the coconut mylk into a wide, flat pan and dilute with 1/8 C of water.

Quickly dip a slice of bread into the coconut mylk to moisten it completely, very gently squeeze between your palms to remove any excess coconut mylk and place it on a flat surface.

Place a ball of the potato mixture in the middle and fold the bread over it.

If the bread tends to break, don't worry, just take the whole thing in your palms and gently squeeze the bread onto the potato filling till it's covered on all sides. With a little bit of practice, you'll get the hang of this.

Place the prepared Bondas on the baking tray 1 inch apart.

Once the tray is full pop into the oven and grill for 10 minutes.

Carefully turn the Bondas over and continue grilling for another 10 minutes (until the bread is all toasty and golden brown).

Serve hot but be careful when you bite into it because the inside will be piping hot.

I like mine with ketchup but Tabasco would work too if you like it to be spicier than it is.

Enjoy! :)

Vegan Jackfruit Coconut Mylk Ice Cream

It all began on Sunday, the first day of the new year, when we were on the way back from buying jackfruits from our regular vendor. My sis had an inspired thought, she said, "hey ka, you should make some awesome dessert with jackfruit... like jackfruit ice cream!" I laughed at first but then I got to thinking for a moment and I was like, "you know what chinni, I think I could!"

My little sis is craaaaazy about jackfruit! In fact, I think it is her favorite fruit in the whole wide world. If she were left on a deserted island with nothing but jackfruit trees, she'd happily survive.

Every time she arrives at the cart, the vendor has a huge, welcoming smile on his face. Maybe it's because he knows he's getting big business or perhaps it heartens him to see someone express so much joy while they eat the fruits of his labor.

Jackfruits are very commonly sold by street vendors here in South India. These men and women open shop in the morning and spend all day cutting open the large fruits, oiling their palms and separating the juicy jackfruit pods from the body of the fruit and selling them. It's a slow, sticky, not so easy procedure but the vendors are pros at it and thanks to them we get to relish the sweet, delicious flavor of these heavenly tropical fruits.

We add jackfruit to a variety of South Indian dishes (we even save the seeds and make some yummy stews and curries with them) but as far as I know, jackfruit ice cream has not been done before. I can proudly say that I invented this whole recipe from scratch. And this means I did keep a note of the measurements, well mostly. :op



10 Jackfruit pods - deseeded and sliced
1/3 C Brown Sugar
1 very small drop Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 C Cashews
2 200ml packs of Coconut Mylk (I use the Dabur Hommade brand)
3/4 C Vegan Whipping Cream Liquid (I use Merry Whip but Rich's can be substituted too)
2 T Agave Nectar
Pinch of Salt

Place the jackfruit slices in a heavy bottomed pan, add the brown sugar and the tiny drop of apple cider vinegar on top and cook them together on low heat while stirring continuously to allow the brown sugar to caramelize and the jackfruits to cook and become soft. You should reach a halwa/jam like consistency (5-10 mins). Keep aside and let it cool down to room temperature. Warning: This jam/halwa is highly yummy by itself so you'll have to overcome the temptation to finish it off straight.

In a blender, turn the cashews into a fine powder. To this add the coconut mylk and blend again. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the caramelized jackfruit, and blend some more. Taste and add more agave nectar if required.

Chill everything in the fridge for 8 hours or more.

If you have an ice cream maker, follow the instructions and freeze into ice cream. If you don't, then pour the ice cream liquid into a freezable container and freeze for half an hour, then whip and freeze again for another half an hour and then whip again and so on for 2-3 hours until you get the consistency you desire.

Enjoy! :)



This thing turned out absolutely amazing!! My dad who recently turned vegan, but still has some misgivings about the superiority of vegan desserts over the non vegan ones, was totally blown away by the Jackfruit Ice Cream. He was like, "Wow! This doesn't taste vegan!" Well, I am now on a mission to teach him that the *best* tasting desserts are the vegan ones. :)

Stuffed Potatoes.

One of the first things I looked at in my inbox this morning was the VegNewsletter. The Holiday Recipes edition! I eagerly scrolled down to the list of recipes and the first one that struck me was Super Stuffed Potato Skins!

I love stuffed veggies but I've never made stuffed potatoes before for some reason. This simple recipe inspired me so much that I had to take action immediately! Upon entering my kitchen for the day, the first thing I did was to grab the two potatoes in the basket and began working.

As always, I modified the recipe to make it my own. While watering my plants in the morning, I noticed a bunch of rainforest sized mustard leaves so I was very tempted to harvest and incorporate them into the recipe. I also continued my trend of throwing in some sesame seeds to increase the calcium content of the dish

It's one of those easily changeable recipes, so if you don't have or like any of the ingredients, don't feel shy to switch things around. :)



2 Potatoes - scrubbed clean and de-eyed.
10-12 large Mustard Leaves
1 tsp Sesame Seeds
2 T Nutritional Yeast
Big splosh of plain Tabasco Sauce
Small dash of Tomato Ketchup
Large pinch of Rock Salt
Daiya Mozzarella Shreds
Sunflower Seeds (the roasted, unsalted kind)
Tomato - chopped

Poke holes all over the potato and nuke it int he microwave for 5 minutes.

Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out about 3/4 of the insides.

Arrange, scooped side up, on a microwave safe baking dish.

Place a few shreds of daiya into the center of each potato half and top with a few sunflower seeds each.

Pop the scooped out potato insides with the mustard leaves, sesame seeds, nutritional yeast, tabasco, ketchup and rock salt into a grinder jar and process into a thick, mostly creamy mixture (using a tiny bit of water if required).

Stuff the potatoes with this mixture and top with a few shreds of daiya.

Bake in a preheated microwave using the convection option at 250 C (or you can use a regular oven too) for 6-7 minutes. Then use the grill option and grill the potatoes for another 4-5 minutes (the daiya will slightly browned).

Let them cool for a few minutes, top with the chopped tomatoes and serve.

Enjoy! :)



To the leftover stuffing, I mixed chopped onions, carrots and tomatoes, wrapped them in cabbage and baked and grilled them in a similar way. Those were pretty yummy too!

Raw, Vegan 'Rasmalai'

When I saw this link for Raw, Vegan 'Rasmalai' on my friend P's facebook profile yesterday, I was consumed by the desire to immediately attempt it. One just can't have the words VEGAN and RASMALAI jumping out from the same sentence and resist its pull. Any plans I'd had to laze around after lunch went right out the window. I prepared and gobbled up the chapati and tofu/capsicum curry in a big, fat hurry and lunged for my mixie, all the while showering a thousand blessings upon the heads of Rohit and Rishi of Roshi's who came up with this ingenious, raw concoction.

I tweaked the original recipe a wee bit. Here's the version I followed.



Cardamom and Saffron Flavored Cashew Mylk Base:

1/2 C Cashews
2-3 T Agave Nectar
4 Green Cardamom Seeds (crushed)
1 generous pinch Saffron Strands
1 3/4 C Water

Add all ingredients, except water, into a grinder jar and powder well. Add water a little at a time and make a smooth paste. Add the rest of the water and blend well to form a creamy vegan mylk. Keep aside.

Rasgulla Balls:

1 C Cashews
1 C Almonds
1/2 tsp Sesame Seeds (optional ingredient for added calcium)
5 Soft Dates (chopped)

In a dry jar, grind 1/2 C cashews and 1/2 C almonds into a fine powder. Separately grind the rest of the cashews and almonds along with the sesame seeds into small granules.

In a large bowl, mix everything with dates by hand until evenly distributed. Add 2 tablespoons of the cashew mylk and knead. Shape into 1 inch balls and lightly flatten them into saucers.

Place in a wide bowl and pour the prepared cashew mylk over them. Sprinkle sliced pistachios and a small pinch of saffron on top. Cover and keep aside for 7-8 hours for the balls to soak up the mylk and soften (this is the hardest part!!).

Tastes best when served cold.



Note: This is a rich, healthy and extremely delicious dessert but it didn't turn out exactly like normal Rasmalai. The mylk did taste like the kind used in Rasmalai but the texture of the balls was not soft and creamy like Rasgulla should be. They were more like a rich, dry fruits barfi/ball soaked in decadent saffron mylk.

I will be redoing this recipe again and next time I will eliminate the dates and also lightly mix and shape the 'dough' rather than kneading.

But in the end, even if it doesn't turn out like Rasmalai, I don't really care because it tastes absolutely heavenly!! Plus it's easy to make, raw and healthy (not a single bad ingredient in there!). I even guiltlessly ate it for breakfast just now. :D

I have a feeling that this will be a staple dessert at our home. :)

Eating Without Heating Raw Food Demo with Lisa Pitman and SHARAN India

Last Friday I had the pleasure of attending a demo and dinner event by certified Vegan Raw Chef Lisa Pitman, better known in the blogging and social networking circles as Veganlisa. Toronto based Lisa turned vegan at the age of 6. And now at the age of 33 (which you could *never* guess by looking at her) she not only continues to be vegan but also follows a mostly raw diet. One can clearly see the benefits of a completely plant based diet just by looking at her youthfulness, vivacity and glowing skin.



The 3 1/2 hour long session was organised by SHARAN India at In The Pink Organic Restaurant and Bazaar. The introductory part of the program had Lisa speaking about The Healing Power of Plants where she shared her personal story about the magnificent benefits of Veganism in her life and the life of her loved ones. This was followed by the Eating Without Heating 'uncooking' demo where she showed us how to prepare a delicious, completely raw meal without ever turning on the stove.



As Lisa churned out dish after dish with the help of a good, strong blender...



Dr. Nandita Shah and Millie Mitra of SHARAN were in the background assisting her in any way she required.



We could clearly see the passion Lisa has for raw food preparation and it was easy for us to get carried away by it.









Whenever Lisa was about to switch on the blender she asked us to sing a song in our heads to pass the seconds. For some reason, I hummed Alouetta to myself. :oP

During the demo, we got to glug down large glassfuls of delicious smoothies - Green Fruit Smoothie and Immuno Blast Smoothie.

After the demo, we got to indulge in a sumptuous spread of all the things she had taught us to make - Broccoli Salad with Cashew Dressing, Zucchini Rolls with Fermented Cashew Cheeze and Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce, Date Squares and Coconut Lime Cheezecake.















It was a sublime and highly satisfying meal. And though I ate till I was bursting, I was feeling active and joyful, unlike I feel after most heavy meals.

The workshops in Bangalore are over but there are more in Gokarna, Mumbai and New Delhi. If you'd like to attend them then you can find the details on the SHARAN India events page.

You can get delicious raw food recipes and see beautiful photographs of the food and Lisa's current tour on her blog.

Vegan Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

This Sunday was supposed to have been my very first vegan bake sale at a local fair called the Sunday Soul Sante. I kept putting off the registering because of sheer laziness and procrastination but then a fellow vegan who makes delicious cheezes out of nuts and tofu very kindly offered to split her stall with me. It was just the push I needed. But yesterday when I called her to confirm, she said that the Sante had been postponed because of the rains. The new date hasn't been fixed yet and it might be a couple of weeks at least before I know.

But in a way it's a good thing that it's not this weekend because now I can relax and prepare. Try a few new recipes, buy ingredients in bulk and get the packaging details organized. I know that cakes and cookies wrapped in cellophane with a little ribbon look adorable but I'm really looking for a more environmentally friendly option.

Since I was all agog with the idea of baking this week, I decided to go ahead and make something special yesterday. So I broke out my copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World.



I bought this book over a year ago and have truly enjoyed reading it over and over again. The writing style is so amusing and the cupcake photos are TDF! However, I hadn't gotten around to baking anything from it because my older 12 cup nonstick pan doesn't fit into my current oven. But a few weeks ago I treated myself to a 9 cup pan (shiny aluminum, as recommended in the book) and had been really looking forward to taking it for a spin. And finally yesterday it happened. :) I decided to make the Simple Vanilla and Agave Nectar Cupcakes from page 44 of VCTOTW.

This is my first time baking cupcakes with a proper cupcake recipe. In the past I've just used plain yellow cake and brownie batter to make cupcakes. I must say that when using a proper cupcake recipe, the difference in texture is stark!! I was simply blown away by the sponginess and perfect crumb. I *finally* understand what the big deal is with cupcakes as compared to a slice of regular cake. LOL

Needless to say, my baking is going to involve only cupcakes for a while.



I frosted these cupcakes with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting from page 142. Thanks to a very generous friend of mine, I had some delicious vegan margarine from Australia in my fridge and I also had some non hydrogenated Earth Balance shortening remaining from last year's stock. So I used them and modified the recipe slightly by replacing the soymilk/creamer with cold espresso.

I sprinkled the frosting with dark chocolate shavings, instant coffee granules and drizzled on some liquified chocolate rum ganache. Finally I topped each cupcake with a dark chocolate chunk.

My very first cupcake decorating attempt and it was so much fun! :)

Something crazy happened too. I'd left the cupcake on the window sill and had stepped away for a moment but when I returned, the cupcake had disappeared. I checked the hidden camera and my jaw dropped as I watched the hijack!

Sambar for Idli - Vegan MoFo Post 19

A bonus post. I guess this is my way of holding on to Vegan MoFo and prolonging the last day. :oP

My first recipe for Vegan MoFo 2011 was for Idlis. I thought it would be apt to end the month with a recipe for Sambar which is commonly served with Idlis.

There are a few different authentic South Indian recipes for homemade Sambar and I enjoy the taste of most of them. The one I'm about to share with you is a quick and simple one.



2 C Mixed Vegetables - Carrots, Beans, Potatoes, Chow Chow (Chayote), Peas, Radish etc...
1 Large Diced Onion or 15-20 Peeled Sambar Onions (Shallots) - this is optional
2-3 Diced Tomatoes
1/2 C Toor Dal
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
2-3 tsp Sambar Powder (this spice mix tastes best when home made but it is also commercially available in the masalas section of Indian grocery stores)
1-2 tsp Tamarind Paste
1 tsp Jaggery
Salt
For the seasoning: Coconut Oil, Mustard Seeds, Curry Leaves, Dry Red Chillies (broken into halves), Hing (Asafotedia)

Wash and dice the vegetables. Wash the toor dal thoroughly. Bring 3-4 C of water with the turmeric to boil in a pressure cooker. Add the toor dal, vegetables and a small pinch of salt and pressure cook for 5-10 minutes (depending on your pressure cooker). Let it cool completely before opening the lid.

Meanwhile heat 1-2 tsp of the coconut oil in a deep pan. Add mustard seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds. Add the remaining seasoning ingredients. Add the onions/shallots and stir fry until they are tender. Add the sambar powder, tamarind paste, jaggery and salt and mix well. Add the tomatoes and turn off the heat. Cover and keep aside.

Once the vegetables and dal have cooled, add the tomato mixture and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the flame and simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and adjust.

Serve hot ladled over Idlis or cooked rice.

Enjoy! :)

Special Vegan Bengaluru Buffet Lunch - Vegan MoFo Post 18

Ack! I can't believe that we're already on the last day of Vegan MoFo! :( I'm feeling sad that the fun is ending and even more sad that I wasn't able to post every single day like I had intended to. I suppose 18 posts in 31 days isn't all that bad for a first time MoFo-er so I'll try not to feel too disappointed in myself.

Next year I'll be better prepared and have many more posts scheduled in advance so that throughout the month of Vegan MoFo I'll be able to just blog hop and chit chat. I'm thrilled with all the awesome new vegan bloggers I have discovered this month and am looking forward to continued interaction with these cool people. :)

Now on to today's post...



So as I told you in an earlier post, on Saturday we had a special vegan buffet lunch arranged at In The Pink Organic Restaurant. All of last month Mr.Vegantastic, Mil Mil and I have been running around trying to get this event organized. We planned the menu, tasted and approved the offerings and promoted the event. It was lunch followed by the screening of a very interesting documentary about food choices, nutrition and health.

More than 35 people turned up and everyone loved the food. The menu was:

Herbed Potato Salad
Mixed Greens Salad
Cucumber Salad with Peanuts and Coconut (Dr. Nandita's Recipe)
Tabbouleh

Hummus
Falafel
Super Spicy Chilli Bajjis
Pizza



Pumpkin and Tofu Ravioli
Herbed Rice
Arrabbiata Sauce
Peanut Curd Rice

Fresh Cut Fruits - Banana, Guava, Sapota
Strawberry Lemongrass Pudding
Chocolate Soymilk Ice Cream

I originally planned to go there early and take pics of the individual buffet items but wasn't able to manage that. So I settled for taking pics of my platter for you. :)



All in all the event was a success and many of the members of Vegan Bengaluru have asked that we do a lunch buffet instead of the monthly potluck at least 3-4 times a year.

Gulab Jamuns and Gratitude - Vegan MoFo Post 17

I've had a pretty physically and mentally exhausting two weeks. It's so not like me to say these words because I normally manage to lead a comfortably slow paced life. But sometimes unexpected stuff happens and all we can do is drop everything else and deal with the unwanted stuff in the best way we can. Anyways, I like keeping things cheerful around here so enough about this topic. I only told you all this because I just wanted to explain my lack of MoFo activity.

I normally have a tendency to focus on the positive (and there is always plenty to be thankful for when we open our eyes and look around us), so today I'll focus on some foodalicious things I've been enjoying with gratitude since my last Vegan MoFo post.

For Diwali every year, the hubs and I have been making Baadushas for the past few years. But this time I decided to attempt Vegan Gulab Jamuns (yet again) and they turned out closer to the regular kind than they have been in a long time. I am very grateful to Richa of Hobby and More for this awesome recipe. I followed it to a T and these beauties were the result. :)



I definitely have a bit of a way to go before I perfect the precise Jamun texture, but the almonds and oats that Richa has brilliantly included in the recipe make them so delicious that the texture almost didn't matter!

The next thing that I'm *extremely* thankful for is good friends!! At times like these, there's nothing like hanging out with a few buddies to lighten things up.

A few days ago I had lunch with two of my very close friends from high school. It was so wonderful to meet up with them after a long time. We had lunch at Infinitea (a tea room close to my heart) and yakked away to our hearts' content. We were celebrating M's birthday. She had come with her very sweet hubby. We later dropped into their hotel room to play with her super cute 6 month old munchkin. I love little babies! They bring so much joy!! :)

This is the tea I had at Infinitea. Rose Hip and Hibiscus. What a gorgeous colour!!



For many years now, it's been a Diwali tradition for me and my little sis to hang out with our cousins on the terrace at our parents' apartment. We watch the fireworks in the sky all around us and talk and laugh until the wee hours of the morning. This year everything's change and we weren't able to do our yearly ritual. :( But I am thankful for all the sweet memories from years past that I can fondly look back on and I hope that some day we can all be together again.

Diwali has always been about home and family but this year on the night of the main day of Diwali, hubs and I did something different. We went out for dinner with our dear vegan friends to Little Italy, Indiranagar. While the people of Bengaluru were bursting loud crackers outside, our cozy little group was sitting indoors and sharing a delicious vegan meal. We were celebrating World Go Vegan Week. I'm so thankful to have these awesome, cool, compassionate souls in my life.

Out of everything I ate, my favorite was the Zorba Pizza with added capers. Ooh lala! It was a slice of garlicalicious heaven.



All of us shared all the dishes so I got only one slice of this baby but I think I'll be getting myself a whole Zorba pizza the next time I'm at Little Italy.

Tomorrow's our monthly Vegan Bengaluru meeting. The lunch buffet that I was telling you about last week. I already know that this is going to be something that my tummy will be grateful for. Needless to say, my camera's coming along. :)

So here's hoping that life goes back to being simple and peaceful once again so that I can give you all a visual treat of the special vegan lunch buffet very soon.

Khara Avalakki Dosa - Vegan MoFo Post 16

Due to a family emergency (all good now, thankfully) I skipped doing a MoFo post yesterday. But today I'm back in action with a yummy recipe for you. :)

Dosas are a South India staple dish. Dosa batter is made of lentils or grains (most commonly rice) or a combination of both. There are innumerable varieties of traditional dosas which range from crispy thin crèpes to soft and fluffy pancakes. Avalakki dosa belongs to the latter category.

This batter can be used plain or turned into Khara Avalakki Dosa by adding chopped and grated veggies, green chillies, herbs etc... It can also be poured into Paddu/Paniyaram moulds and turned into a different dish altogether.



For the plain Avalakki Dosa:

1 C Uncooked Rice
1 C Thick Beaten Rice Flakes (Avalakki/Poha)
1 T Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
Salt (Rock or Sea)
Thick Peanut or Soy Yogurt (optional)

Soak the rice, beaten rice and fenugreek seeds overnight in water or vegan yogurt or a combination of both in a wide vessel. There should be enough liquid to cover everything.

In the morning, grind them well into a smooth, thick batter gradually adding all of the soaking liquid plus more water if required.

Transfer to a large, airtight container (the batter should fill it only halfway through to give it space to expand), add salt and mix well with your hand.

Cover and let it sit in a warm place for 8-16 hours.

The batter will ferment and grow.

Heat a Dosa pan (Tava) or a flat frying pan.

Pour a ladleful of Avalakki Dosa batter onto the centre of the pan and drizzle with oil.

Cover and cook for about half a minute on a medium-high flame.

When uncovered, there should be bubbles and holes in the Dosa and the top should be cooked well.

You can optionally flip the Dosa over and cook on the other side too for a few seconds.

Remove the Dosa with a metal spatula and serve hot with chutney or pickle or curry.


For Khara Avalakki Dosa, stir in the following into the batter and proceed to cook on the same way as above:

Chopped Onions
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Grated Carrots and/or Beets
Crushed Green Chillies
Asafoetida Powder (a pinch)
Soaked Channa Dal
Chopped Curry Leaves
Finely Chopped Coconut Pieces

You can also optionally top the batter with sliced tomatoes and then cook it.

All the above ingredients make for a delicious Khara Avalakki Dosa but you can choose to eliminate some of them or add your own stuff. Get creative. :) This is a very versatile batter.

What do you think you'd add to the batter?

Vegan Bengaluru Event on 29th October 2011 - Vegan MoFo Post 15

As I told you all in my first Vegan Mofo post, every month our local Vegan Bengaluru group holds a meet-up event. Usually it's a potluck but this time we're doing something different. On 29th October we've organized a special vegan buffet at In The Pink Organic Restaurant and Bazaar.

We've been in touch with the owners, Aparna and Paneesh and also Chef Joydeb to come up with a delicious menu. It's important to us that the spread be something special. There will be four salads, a couple of starters, a handful of main dishes and even a few desserts.

The buffet will cost Rs.250 per head and I can say that it's shaping into something that is well worth every paise!

On Friday Mr. Vegantastic, Mil Mil and I went to In The Pink for a tasting session. They had prepped four things for us out of which we picked three.

Here's a little sneak peek for you:

Since In The Pink is also participating in our World Go Vegan Week event next week, a vegan pizza was anyway going to be a default part of 29th's menu. Daiya or other vegan cheezes are not commercially available here in India but this pizza goes to show that you don't even need direct replacements. The delicious Grilled Vegetable and Basil topping was yummy in its own right!



Yeah that wasn't my best food photo shot but it was past sunset by the time we got to eat the pizza and I had to make do with indoor lighting *shudders*. Considering that, it isn't such a bad picture. :oP

This next one is Chef Joydeb's own concoction. Strawberry and Lemongrass based dessert. A very new and interesting taste. It's definitely going to add variety to the menu.



And finally the pièce de résistance... Pumpkin Whole Wheat Ravioli in a Spinach Béchamel Sauce. One word - GLORIOUS! I know it's usually the dessert which is worthy of such praise but OMG this ravioli was goooood!! I'm proud of myself for suggesting the recipe and giving pointers to Chef Joydeb on how to make it vegan. He himself was totally impressed by how awesome the vegan version turned out. LOL

Needless to say, this is the main thing I'll be stuffing my face with on the buffet day. :D



Earlier I said that we'd tasted four things and picked only three of them. The fourth was a pasta dish, Penne in a Creamy Basil Sauce. And the only reason we ditched it was because we figured since we had ravioli already, another pasta would be repetitive. But that doesn't mean that this dish was not super delicious. I already feel bad that it had to be left behind. The least I can do is make it famous on my blog. ;)



And because I'm addicted to claymation now, I'm ending even today's post with a romantic veganosaurus video featuring Cerlt The Evil and Witchy Poo.

Enjoy! :oP

Week 2 Flashback and a Video - Vegan Mofo Post 14

So last week was super duper busy and as we got closer to the weekend, things got busier. I'm a stay at home kind of girl so busy for me = going out anywhere. And if I go out three days in a row, even if it is to have fun, that takes a toll on my homebody self. So come Friday, when I had to go out again in the late afternoon (for something nice but more on that in tomorrow's post) and returned home only by 9pm after which dinner was made and eaten only past 11pm (yeah, super late for eating, I know!) I just didn't have it in me to do a Vegan MoFo post. So I gave in and figured I'd take a day or two off.

However, two days of staying away from the fun is enough. I'm back now, and equipped for the week to come I might add. And because I took off for the two days, I thought I'd share something extra special with you all for today's post... My first Veganosaurus monster video! :)

But before that, let's take a quick look at last week's entries on my blog:

Day 8 - Round up of Vegan MoFo week 1's activities followed by a huge bunch of random photos of vegan food made by me.

Day 9 - Another photo blog post filled with images from my first professional photography session at In The Pink.

Day 10 - A focus on two of my favorite simple and tasty festival foods - a sweet and a snack.

Day 11 - A quickie organic salad that I make often.

Day 12 - One glorious vegan burrito!

Day 13 - This delicious potato baked dish that I concocted in a jiffy.

Day 14 and 15, I rested.

And now for the star of today's show.

This one's a quickie 2 second claymation video but there are plenty more, perhaps longer ones to come because I had so much fun making this one and playing it over and over again. :oP

Back story:

Someone had been surreptitiously taking big bites off my vegan chocolate chip cookies and DH claimed he was innocent. A hidden camera caught this shot of the little burglar.



Finish those vegan cookies while you can because this little guy has the ability to teleport into your cookie jar.

Have a great week ahead! :)

Cheezy Potato Rosemary Casserole - Vegan MoFo post 13

Sometimes the foods you put together in a hurry can have an unmatchable taste. This Cheezy Vegan Potato Rosemary Casserole was definitely one of them.

I was so hungry on Monday night and I hadn't even begun to think of what to make for dinner. Suddenly I remembered this delicious potato casserole thingy which we used to enjoy at Casa Piccola during our pre vegan days (yeah, apparently extreme hunger causes long forgotten favorite dishes to pop up in ones head). So I did a quick google search for vegan potato casserole and a whole bunch of recipes came up. I skimmed through a few of them and absorbed ideas. Then I walked into my kitchen and commenced slicing the large, organic potatoes I'd gotten from In The Pink last week.

Since I baked this at night, I wasn't able to get a good picture of the whole thing in the casserole dish. If you think the potatoes look good in this picture, you should have seen them fresh out of the oven. Yum!



Preheat oven to 215C/420F

For the potatoes:

3 Large Potatoes (scrubbed clean under running water and thinly sliced)
3 T Olive Oil
3 Cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 T Fresh or Dry Rosemary (gently crushed)
Nutritional Yeast
Black Pepper (freshly crushed)
Salt

Put everything together in an oven safe dish, cover and toss well and keep aside.

For the creamy, cheezy béschamel sauce:

3 T C All Purpose Flour
3 T Daiya Vegan Mozzarella Cheeze
1 C Water

Lightly toast the all purpose flour in a dry pan on a medium-low flame.
Add the daiya, mix well and reduce the flame to low.
Slowly add water and keep stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and becomes creamy (there might be a few small lumps left but that's okay).

How to proceed:

Pour the sauce over the potatoes and mix well.
Cover the baking dish.
Place in the preheated oven.
Bake covered for half and hour.
Then uncover and bake for another twenty minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the casserole inside for another ten minutes.
Serve hot drizzled with Tabasco sauce and freshly crushed pepper.

Enjoy! :)

Super Loaded Burritos - Vegan MoFo post 12

So earlier this evening my internet suddenly went off and didn't come back on even after three modem reboots. My first thought was, "Egad! There's no Vegan MoFo post!!"

Thankfully, after about an hour it came back on. *Phew*

I'm seriously reconsidering the post scheduling thing once again. It's been nice to update the blog everyday with a new post, something special to look forward to each day. :) But if I line up a few posts, I think it'll give me more peace of mind.

To schedule or not to schedule, that is the question. Hmm.

Anyways, since today's post involves a long back story and even longer recipe (which is TOTALLY worth the hard work), let me get on with the Burrito talk.



On Sunday a couple of my vegan friends were planning to come over to our house and the plan was for all of us to make Burritos together. Each of us were assigned certain parts of the dish and whatever could be pre-made at their houses, they would prepare that and bring it here.

Mr. Vegantastic is the Burritomeister of our gang. He's been making Burritos for a while now and has this specific set of recipes which he follows. He is very particular about the exact ingredients which go into each thing so he took the trouble to create little document files for each dish and e-mailed them to the rest of us.

My portion of the work involved tortillas and beans. As I've mentioned before, I normally prefer to do a quick soak for beans, but Mr. Vegantastic control freak (and I say that term with love because I am one too when it comes to cooking) was particular that the beans be soaked overnight. So on Saturday night I soaked the beans.

Then on Sunday morning Ms. Pepa's flu took a turn for the worse, poor thing. So she had to drop out. The rest of us thought it over and decided to just throw the plan out the window entirely. But then, I was already in the mood for Burritos so I just decided to take whatever ingredients I had at home and adapt the recipes to my tastes and just make those Burritos anyways.

Cooking alone was less fun, but... on the up side, I could add as many chillies as I liked and there'd be no spice-wusses around to cry about it. :oP

Besides, you know me, I am incapable of cooking by following exact instructions. Intuitive cooks can be like that. ;) So I started with a couple of the basic recipes that Mr. Vegantastic sent, turned them into something else and added a bunch of other ingredients. The end result was amazing! So much so that I over ate and suffered big time. hehe

Thanks for the inspiration Mr. Vegantastic! :)



Wheat and Corn Tortillas:

1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C Corn (Maize) Flour
2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Salt

Mix everything together with warm water and form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for an hour or so.
Pinch off golf ball sized pieces of dough, dip in flour and roll into large tortillas on a flat surface (I am most comfortable using my cleaned kitchen counter top).
Toast on a hot pan on both sides.

Herbed Rice (I've commonly seen basil rice inside burritos but I made this with chives instead):

1 C Rice (Red or Black or Brown)
2 C Water
1 tsp Dried Chives
1/8 tsp Salt

Wash the rice.
Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
Add rice, cover the pot and reduce flame to lowest setting.
Let it cook for half an hour.
Check once and see if the rice is fully cooked and the water has been absorbed. If not cook for another 5-15 mins (cooking time varies by type of rice).
Mix in the salt and chives.

Chilli Beans Spread:

1 C Kidney Beans (Rajma) - not the red ones but the other kind, creamy colored with the dark pink blotches.
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
1/4 C Olive Oil
Rock Salt (to taste)

Wash and soak beans overnight and drain the water in the morning.
Bring fresh water to boil in a pressure cooker.
Add the soaked beans with the oil, chilli powder, cumin powder and a pinch of salt.
Pressure cook until the beans are very well cooked and soft (time and number of whistles will vary according to your cooker).
Alternately, you can boil it in a large pot too but this will take a lot more time.
Add the remaining salt and cook on a low flame while mashing and stirring.
Most of the beans should be mashed with some chunks left.

Spicy Salsa:

2 Large Tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 Onion (chopped)
5 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1/8 tsp Cumin Powder
1 T Olive Oil
Tabasco Sauce
Ketchup

Heat the oil on a medium-low flame.
Add the garlic and onion and saute briefly until softened but not browned.
Mix in the cumin and stir gently until well incorporated.
Increase heat to medium and add the tomatoes.
Stir and simmer gently for a minute or so.
Turn off the flame, add the sauces and mix well.
Cover and keep aside.

Avocado Pico De Gallo:

1 Large Avocado
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 Onion (chopped finely)
2 Green Chillies
1 Clove of Garlic
Fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)
Lime/Lemon Juice
Salt

In a mortar and pestle, crush together the green chilli, garlic and salt.
In an airtight container, mash the avacado with your fingers.
Add in all the ingredients and mix well.
Cover tightly and store in fridge.

Roasted Yellow Bell Pepper Salad:

3 Yellow Bell Peppers
1/2 Onion
1 Tomato

Grill the whole bell peppers directly on a flame.
Cover in an airtight container and keep aside for a few minutes.
Slice the onions, tomatoes and bell peppers and mix together.
Keep aside in a closed container to let the flavors of the veggies blend in.

Cashew Sour Cream:

1 C Cashews
2 T Lemon/Lime Juice
2 T Vinegar
1/8 tsp Salt

Soak the cashews for an hour.
Drain the water and rinse.
Put the cashews along with the salt, vinegar and lemon/lime juice in a blender jar.
Process into a smooth, fluffy paste, adding a little bit of water as desired.
Transfer to airtight container and store in the fridge.

Putting the burrito together:

Place a tortilla on a plate.
Spread some beans in the center.
Put some guacamole over it.
Add some rice on top.
Spoon salsa over.
Top with salad.
Drizzle generously with sour cream.
Roll up and prepare yourself to bite into a delectable chunk of heaven.

Enjoy! :)

Nice Big Salad - Vegan MoFo post 11

So I spent the last hour editing pictures for the burritos I made on Sunday so I could make today's post all about them. But... I woke up early this morning (9am gaaah!) to meet up with a few of my dear Reiki friends (I wouldn't start off my days so early for just anyone, so you can appreciate how important these people are to me) and therefore I am extremely sleepy right now.

How shameful is that? It isn't even midnight yet! *Tsk Tsk*

Anyways, long story short, if you've been following my blog to get recipes for your daily cooking, today you won't be eating burritos. Here's a healthy and super delicious salad instead.



Organic lettuce, organic cherry tomatoes, organic cucumber, pecans, apricots all tossed in olive oil, lemon juice, black salt and chilli powder. Optionally Tamari, Balsamic Vinegar and Nooch can be added too.

Done.

This must be my shortest Vegan Mofo post eva!

Sundal and Payasam - Vegan Mofo Post 10

Last week we had a series of festivals called Dussera (also known as Navarathri). Traditionally we have ten days of celebration and this means lots of sweets and snacks. The most important of these festivals for us is Ayudha Pooja. It's a special occasion reserved to give thanks to all the tools, machines and vehicles we are blessed with.

On the day of Ayudha Pooja this year, hubby and I made a simple sweet and snack combination for Naiveidhyam (offering to the Gods and Goddesses). Something quick and delicious which we could eat and share.

Whatever is cooked with the intention of being placed at the altar as a food offering should only be eaten by us after the ritual is over. So while we prepare the food, we don't have the luxury of tasting and adjusting. But for some reason, every time we make Naiveidhyam food, it turns out perfect! This always reminds me that the taste of a dish is largely dependent on the energy and intention of love that goes into preparing it. Positive vibrations always yield beautiful results. :)

Sundal is a savory dish made of Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas. We can use any kind of chick peas to make these but this time we had Kabuli Channa (the larger ones) on hand so we used them. I normally follow the quick soak method to soak pulses but this time I soaked them overnight.



1 C Dry Chickpeas
2 Chopped Green Chillies
2 tsp Coconut Oil
Mustard Seeds
Curry Leaves
Asafoetida Powder (a pinch)
Dessicated Coconut
Chopped Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt

Wash and soak the chickpeas over night (about 8 hours). Throw out the water, add fresh water and steam for 45 minutes or pressure cook for about 15 minutes until the chickpeas are soft.

In a wide, heavy bottomed pan heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Add the chopped green chillies, asafoetida powder and curry leaves and stir for a half a minute.

Now add the cooked chickpeas and salt and a wee bit of the cooking liquid and cook on medium high heat while stir frying continuously. After about 5 mintues of this, once the water has evaporated, add the dessicated coconut and toss well and turn off the heat.

Mix in the lime juice and garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve hot.

--

Payasam is a liquidy dessert which is best eaten hot. It is served at the beginning of traditional South Indian meals.

Payasam can be made with many things - Rice, Dals, Tapioca, Semiya (fine semolina noodles), Broken Wheat etc... This time we made Channa Dal (Split Bengal Gram) Payasam.



1 C Channa Dal
1/4 C Dessicated Coconut
1/4 C Grated Jaggery
6 tsp Sugar
1 T Chopped Cashews
1 t Raisins
2 Cardamom Pods (crushed well with a stone/hammer/mortar and pestle)

Soak the channa dal for an hour. Add dessicated coconut and steam (in the soaking water) for half an hour.

Meanwhile, dry roast the cashews to a golden color, add the raisins and stir for a few seconds, until they brown slightly. Keep aside.

Once the channa is ready, add jaggery and sugar and mix well. Bring to a simmer on medium heat and stir till the sugar and jaggery have dissolved. Add the crushed cardamom, lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes.

Turn off the heat and serve hot.