Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies: guest post by Harini of Tongue Ticklers

Today I have a very special guest on my blog - Harini of Tongue Ticklers. I have mentioned her beautiful vegan blog here many times before and I also guest blogged for her early last year.

I 'met' Harini on a Facebook group (way back when her blog was called Tum Yum Treats) and we became friends because of our shared passion for vegan food photography and blogging. I should thank Preethi of Krya for connecting us, otherwise I might not have seen Harini's blog when I did.

I have since then had the pleasure of meeting Harini in person. And today I am really happy to finally have her here with a recipe for delicious Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies. I am especially thrilled to have Harini's GLORIOUS photographs of the cookies here on my blog.

In the pic above, I want to have my mouth open at the end of the white slab so the cookie comes rolling right into my mouth. :oP

Harini, thank you so much for taking the time to do this blog post on Veganosaurus and for all the love and effort you have put into the photographs. :)

Now on to Harini's post...

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Susmitha and I are very well acquainted but I am not sure whether you know me. Since I believe in forging bonds over food, I won’t take up much of your time. Let’s proceed quickly over to the introduction to what I think are the best vanilla sugar cookies I have ever baked. Does that make you curious?

Calling these ‘my vanilla cookies’ is not entirely correct. I made them mine but they originally belonged to Maggie Beer. I don’t think she will be able to tell that because they have taken quite a turn from the original recipe. So much that I do not recall the original recipe anymore. I first came to know Maggie Beer through MasterChef Australia, and most of her recipes introduced in the show sounded well. You know what I mean, don’t you? I do not try recipes that do not ‘sound’ good, by which I mean that reading the recipe should make my mouth water, must look good and look technically sound. Most of Maggie Beer’s recipes are just that, except that they are not vegan. They are, however, easily adaptable.

You do not need any special or hard-to-find ingredients for making these cookies. All ingredients, save the olive oil, are usually available in any pantry.

Recipe: Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies
(Inspired and modified from a Maggie Beer recipe)
Yield: 24 cookies, about 1.5inches in diameter

Ingredients:
Refined flour – 2 cups | 288g
Soaked and ground cashewnut paste – 2 tbsp | 32g
Pink salt – 2 generous pinches | 1g
Baking powder – about ½ tsp. | 3g
Vanilla seeds from 2 vanilla sticks
Olive oil – ½ cup | 80g
Caster sugar – ½ cup | 88g
Soy milk / Water / Coconut milk – 1-2 tbsp.

Method:

Place flour, cashew paste, salt, baking powder and vanilla seeds in a blender and blend till even. Remove the blended dry flour into a mixing bowl.

Blend olive oil, caster sugar and 1 tbsp. of soy/coconut milk/water lightly and add this to the dry mixture to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Make the dough by mixing with your finger tips, gather and press with your palm. The resultant dough should be soft but break when pressed. Add more milk only if needed. Adjust consistency by sprinkling a teaspoon of flour if too soft. You should not feel the liquid on your finger tips while gathering.

Divide the dough into two thick discs. Wrap them in separate cling films and refrigerate for at least an hour, or till needed. I usually prepare the dough in the night and bake the cookies the next morning.

When ready to bake, remove the dough and let thaw till it softens slightly and you can handle it. Pre-heat oven to 160 deg. C.

Sprinkle your platform with a little flour; place the disc with the cling film on it. Open the cling film and fold it back a little loose. Dust the rolling pin with flour and roll the disc to desired thickness, preferably 3-4mm. The cling film may break as you roll but that should not be a bother. When rolled, peel away the cling film.

Using a 1.5 inch circular cookie cutter, cut several circles. Place them on a baking tray lined with foil/baking sheet. Gather the remnants into a ball, flatten into a disc, place inside the cling film and roll again. Cut and continue making cookies as before.

These do not spread much after baking; hence they can be placed close, separated by just an inch. Place the baking tray in the center rack of the pre-heated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or till the cookies start turning golden around the edges.

Remove and using a flat spatula, carefully transfer the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Store in air-tight containers till needed. If you are traveling, stack ten cookies and roll them in cling film, and again with foil. Fold the ends. They will travel well this way without breaking.

Healthy Steamed Chocolate Cake - my guest post on Shinsveganlovin

Ooooo what do we have here? It's a ridiculously healthy and incredibly tasty vegan chocolate cake. It has no oil, no white flour and here's the kicker... it's not baked, it's STEAMED! *gasp*

Wanna know what went into it and how my friend Arun (one of the awesome guys behind Samabhava) is responsible for it? Of course you do! :D

Well, you can find all the details in my guest post on my friend Bou Shin's blog - Shin's Vegan Lovin'.

You won't be able to resist trying it out. When you do, come back here and let me know how you like it. I'm sure Arun will be very happy to hear the results.

Arun got the original recipe from another of our vegan friends, Sneha. She is also a great vegan chef and comes up with all kinds of yummy concoctions while experimenting in her kitchen.



The recipe on Bou's blog is a modified version by me with ingredients I had on hand. If you'd like the original recipe that Arun sent me, here it is, directly copy/pasted:

Dry Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Flour: 1.5 cups,
Sugar: 1 cup, (I use white)
Cocoa Powder: 1/3 cup,
Baking Soda: 1 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Wet Ingredients:
Apple Sauce: 1/3 cup
Apple Cider Vinegar/Lime Juice: 3 tsp,
Vanilla Flavour/Essence: 1 tsp
Water: 0.8 cup

Put some water in a cooker and allow it to come to a boil.
Grease a container for the cake.
Mix dry and wet ingredients separately well, and then combine them and quickly transfer to the greased container.
Immerse a plate inside the boiling water in the cooker, place the container containing cake mixture inside the cooker, cover it, and allow it to get cooked like idly (don't put weight).
After 30-45 mins, check for done-ness of the cake by inserting a toothpick at the center, and checking if it comes out clean.

Notes:
- We can keep the cooker open after 30 mins or so, if we feel that the mixture is still wet. Opening the cooker will let the steam go, and can reduce the moisture of the cooking environment (but keep cooking).
- Original recipe for oven calls for 1 cup of water, but since there will be a lot of moisture inside cooker, I added less water (convection mode blows dry air; steam is wet and hot).
- Apple sauce: Peel apple (eat skin), chop into fine pieces, add 1/4 volume water, and blend it. If we are using it just for cake, we can use just this juice. If we want sauce, we need to heat the juice in low flame for 10 mins.

Vegan Gokulashtami: Uppu Seedais and Vella Seedais

While I was growing up, Gokulashtami was a small festival, with a couple of very simple dishes for naivedhyam. It was only after I married my Iyer boy that I discoverd these crunchy, delicious, deep friend snacks called Seedais.



Hubs and I are not very religious and our poojas are always very quick, but we do enjoy the cultural aspects of our traditional Hindu festivals. And of course the food! :)

On our first Gokulashtami back home in Bangalore, hubby insisted that we make Uppu Seedais and Vella Seedais together and make baby Krishna footsteps kolam too. It was so much fun that it became a yearly tradition for us. Now, as long as we're here in Bangalore during Gokulashtami, we don't miss out on celebrating it in our small way.



Now after so many years, I've become fairly good at making the Seedais and a pro at shaping the footsteps out of rice flour paste.



People often take the easy way out with the kolam by just drawing an 8 with a flattened top and quickly putting dots for the toes, but we always insist on using the more traditional, side-fist method. Takes a bit more patience but it's worth the effort. Clench palms into tight fists, dip them in rice flour paste and press them onto the floor, right fist for the right foot and left fist for the left foot, then finally dot the toes on top with the index finger. If there are real little babies at home, then their wee feet are used as the tools for making the footsteps. :oP



For those who have no clue about what I'm talking about, Gokulashtami aka Krishna Janmashtami is a festival in celebration of Krishna's birthday. The little footsteps on are drawn from the main door of the house, all the way up to the pooja chamber/altar. They represent baby Krishna running into our home happily and jumping up onto his place in the altar in front of the yummy food offerings. The idol on the altar is of an adorable baby Krishna in a little cradle.



All Hindu festivals basically involve these steps: prepare the favorite foods of the God or Goddess who is being celebrated and place said food on the pooja altar, in front of the idols/symbols/pictures which represent the deity. Light Lamps of sesame oil and incense sticks with a pleasant, calming fragrance. Chant ancient prayers (this part of the ritual could be long or short and would involve ringing a brass or silver bell and lighting a few pieces of camphor on fire to purify and cleanse the house). Next, express gratitude for our many blessings. Offer the naivedhyam food to the God or Goddess in question. And finally proceed to gleefully stuff our faces with the delicious festival goodies.

Little Krishna is known for his love of butter and curds, but we believe that if he lived on Earth today, he would definitely be vegan because he loved cows with all his heart and would never put up with the cruelties inflicted upon these gentle creatures by humans to satisfy our greedy desires. So of course all the goodies we prepare are completely vegan.

This year I made Tapioca Payasam, Vella Appam, Uppu Seedai and Vella Seedai.



For the Vella Appams, I followed the recipe from Subbu's Kitchen. Instead of deep frying them however, I shallow fried them in my Paddu/Paniyaram Pan. This helped them hold their shape well.

For the Uppu Seedais and Vella Seedais, I followed the recipes from Chefinyou, with a few modifications.

Uppu Seedais

Uppu Seedais are known to be tricky little buggers. I've heard that they often turn into little bombs while being fried and splatter oil all over the kitchen. But thankfully, my little Uppu Seedais have always been very well behaved. It's possibly because I use coconut oil instead of butter and dry coconut instead of fresh coconut, which reduces the moisture content in the balls, hence drastically reducing the risk of air pockets being formed inside. Or perhaps it's simply vegan karma at play here. :oP



1 C rice flour
2 T urad dal flour - I followed this recipe to make it and sieved through a cheesecloth to get a very fine powder
1/4 C white sesame seeds
1/4 C dry/desiccated coconut powder
2 T coconut oil
1 tsp asafoetida powder
Salt to taste
Additional coconut oil for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients together.
Add a little water at a time and form a stiff dough.
Shape the dough into small, about 10mm thick, balls.
Heat the coconut oil for a couple of minutes and drop the balls into it in batches.
Fry them on a medium flame and stir once in a while to ensure even cooking.
After a couple of minutes, the balls will turn to a light, golden colour.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on tissue paper to absorb excess oil.
Enjoy! :)

Vella Seedais



1 C rice flour
2 tsp urad dal flour - I followed this recipe to make it and sieved through a cheesecloth to get a very fine powder
1 T dry/desiccated coconut powder
1/4 C white sesame seeds
1 cup jaggery - dissolved in 1/2 C of hot water and strained
1 cardamom pod's worth of crushed seeds
Small pinch of salt
Coconut oil for deep frying

In a dry, heavy bottomed pan, roast the rice flour on a low flame for a minute or so, being careful not to burn it and set aside.
Lightly toast the sesame seeds and coconut powder.
Mix everything, except the jaggery syrup, in a large bowl.
Slowly knead in the jaggery syrup and form a stiff dough, using only as much jaggery syrup as required.
Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside for half an hour.
Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and keep aside.
Heat the coconut oil for a couple of minutes and drop the balls into it in batches.
Fry them for a few minutes on a medium flame and stir once in a while to ensure even cooking. If the balls brown too quickly, reduce the heat a little more.
They are done when they turn to a dark golden brown colour.
Remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on tissue paper to drain away any excess oil.
Enjoy! :)

Basil and Walnut Sauce with Broccoli and Baby Corn

There's nothing more inspiring to me than a crisper full of fresh vegetables! My tastiest dinners are always made on the evenings my Towness groceries come home.

Town Essentials is a gem of an online grocery store that was recommended to us early this year by our friends Amrita and Vijay of Vegan India! They told us that the quality of vegetables and fruits was very impressive and the service is great. Towness turned out to be all that and much more. The veggies are truly hand picked and so very clean and fresh. And their customer service is hands down *the best* compared to any other Bangalore store we've shopped at or ordered from. They are extremely dependable when it comes to delivering at the promised time and they take very good care to ensure that the veggies reach us in perfect condition.

All other stores seem to be lacking in service when compared to these guys. They've really spoiled our shopping experience for life! :oP

One Towness veggie that I'm most happy with is Broccoli. It isn't always easy to get good, clean Broccoli here in Bangalore. There's usually a lot of effort involved in cleaning it before it's in an acceptable condition to cook with. But Towness magically seems to get its hands on super fresh Broccoli that can be quickly washed, cut and used.

This time, apart from Broccoli, I ordered Baby Corn and Italian Basil from the 'exotic vegetables' section and the moment they hit my kitchen counter, the gears started turning in my head and I found myself whipping up a simple and delicious dinner.

I find local (Naati) Tomatoes to be most flavourful and use them in a lot of my cooking. For a less tangy sauce, use Plum (Hybrid) Tomatoes.

This is a fairly mild sauce but if you like to spice it up a bit, add a fresh Green Chilly while blending the sauce.



Handful Italian Basil Leaves
Handful Walnuts
1/4 Onion
3-4 Garlic Cloves
2 Medium Tomatoes
Turmeric (a pinch)
Pepper
Salt

Baby Corn (sliced)
Broccoli Florets
Capsicum (sliced)

Lime Juice
Freshly Crushed Pepper

Steam or nuke the veggies with a pinch of salt and keep aside.
Meanwhile, blend the first eight ingredients together into a smooth sauce, using a bit of water if required.
Pour the sauce over the veggies and cook for a few minutes (I microwaved for 3 minutes but if you prefer, you can just boil it in a pan while stirring).
Let it cool for a minute and then add lime juice and mix well.
Crush pepper on top and serve hot.

I served this Basil and Walnut Sauce over Kodo Millet but it will go very well with Rice or Bread.

Enjoy! :)

Adzuki Bean and Pumpkin Stew/Chilli

Adzuki is an East Asian bean and I've seen it being mentioned in a few vegan recipe books. But since we don't get it here, I hadn't got a chance to try it. I normally like to cook beans from scratch, using dry beans by quick soaking them and then pressure cooking with a wee bit of salt and spices. But a few days ago, I found a can of pre-cooked Adzuki Beans at Brown Tree and I couldn't resist grabbing one. Anyone who enjoys cooking will tell you that 'exotic' ingredients are hard to resist. :oP

Since they are commonly used to make sweet dishes, like Amanattō, I figured the beans would have a slightly sweet taste to them, but when I popped one into my mouth, it kind of tasted like Karamani (Black Eyed Peas) to me. A bean that looks like a small Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) and tastes like Karamani, interesting but not worth ₹139 for 400 gms (to their credit, they were organic). It is possible that the canning made it more bland in taste, so the next time I buy the Adzuki bean is when I find it locally grown in dried form.

I don't have any regrets though because this Chilli/Stew turned out a-mazing!! *slurp* It was sweet, tart, spicy, salty, umami all at once. A beautiful balance in flavours achieved by the super enthusiasm that only working with a new ingredient can inspire. :D

When you try this recipe, I recommend using a combination of beans - Pink and Red Rajma, Chickpeas, White and Red Double Beans, Butter Beans, Adzuki Beans... each spoonful will bring wholesome heavenly goodness into your mouth.



Stir Frying Ingredients:

1 Large Onion - thinly sliced
7-8 Cloves of Garlic - roughly crushed
4 Green Chillies - chopped finely
1 Carrot - chopped into small cubes
1 200gms block of Tofu (I really like the Ka Kims brand in Bangalore) - cubed
1 400gms can Adzuki Beans - drained and rinsed
2 tsp Cumin Powder
1 T Coriander Powder
Pinch of Cumin Seeds
1 T Coconut Oil

Pumpkin Sauce Ingredients:

1 medium slice of Red Pumpkin - cubed (with peel) and steamed or microwaved
1 small Banana (the Yelakki kind, because it has a very mild flavour)
4 medium sized Tomatoes (local, Naati ones)
1/4 tsp Red Chilly Powder
Pinch of Turmeric
Salt
Nutritional Yeast (optional)
Handful Italian Basil Leaves (optional)

Additional Ingredients:

1 tsp Tamarind Paste
Lime Juice
Raw Onion - chopped
Almonds - sliced
Fresh Cilantro - Chopped

Blend all the sauce ingredients together until creamy, using a bit of water as required. Keep aside.

Heat the coconut oil in a large wok or pan.
Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle for a few seconds.
Reduce flame to medium and add the garlic, onion and green chillies.
Leave them without stirring for a couple of minutes.
Once the garlic and onion has browned a bit, increase the heat and stir fry them for a minute.
Add the carrot and stir fry for a few minutes (until carrot is half cooked).
Reduce the flame to medium again, add the tofu and stir carefully without allowing it to break or stick to the bottom of the wok, until the tofu has slightly browned.
Add the adzuki beans, coriander powder, cumin powder and a tiny bit of salt and mix well.

Pour the blended sauce over everything and mix.
At this point, if you want it to be like a chilli, add one or two cups of water so it can be had in a big bowl with a spoon.
For a thicker stew that can be served over rice or bread, add only about half a cup of water, if you feel it's necessary or don't add any water at all.
Mix and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add tamarind paste, mix well and simmer for another minute.

Turn off the flame and let it cool for a few minutes.
Stir in lime juice when serving.
Optionally top with chopped onions, cilantro and sliced almonds.

Serve hot.
Enjoy! :)

Spiced Cashew Mylk Hot Chocolate

Tis the season. The season of rain. The season of cravings and the season of laziness. Not the best of combinations!

I woke up this Monday (boo) morning to beautifully slothful weather. Sighhhh. All I wanted to do was get under a blankie and soak up my Game of Thrones book. And that's exactly what I did. Except, at mid morning, a strong craving for something steamy hot hit me like a ton of bricks. Hot chocolate would be perfect! So would masala chai (especially since poor hubby had a sore throat and wanted something to soothe it).

Ideally we'd get everything. But considering *I* was the one who had to drag my butt to the kitchen and make something, the quickest, easiest thing would be the most ideal. I've said this before and I'll say it again... laziness is the mother of invention. The speed at which I concocted this Masala Hot Chocolate was incredible. Blend, heat, serve. Gotta love nut mylks. :D

Within 10 minutes (including the time taken to shoot pics), I was back in bed sipping on my awesome fusion drink with a ridiculously contented smile on my face.



1/2 C Cashews
1 inch Fresh Ginger
2 T Cocoa Powder
4 tsp Organic Jaggery
1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1 Clove
4 Black Peppercorns
1/2 Cardamom (just use the seeds and not the pod skin)

Grind everything together into a fine powder.
Add a little water at a time and grind into a smooth paste.
Add about 3 cups of water and blend well.
Pour into microwavable mugs and nuke for 2 minutes (or more).
Keep a close watch while microwaving to ensure the mylk desn't overflow.
Alternately, it can also be heated in a pan on a stove and then served once it's steaming hot.
Dust with cocoa powder.
Slurp.

Enjoy the monsoons! :)

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.



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. :)



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

Healthy Date Almond Bakery Style Biscuits

Quick to make and just as quick to be polished off, these cookies are a hundred percent healthy. That means no cane sugar, no processed oil, no white flour.

They taste a lot like the salt benne biscuits we get at small, local bakeries here. You could add pepper and spices to turn them into masala biscuits or more dry fruits to make them sweeter. They are really versatile.



1 C Almonds
1 T Sesame Seeds
1 T Flax Seed Powder
8 Pitted Dates
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 C Bajra Flour
1 T Water

Preheat oven to 250 C
Grind the almonds, sesame seeds, flax seed powder and salt together to a fine meal.
Add the pitted dates and grind again until it turns into a slightly sticky mixture.
Mix with the rest of the ingredients to form a slightly crumbly dough.
Shape into cookies by making balls and flattening between your palms.
Line on cookie sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, until browned.
Transfer to cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
Enjoy guilt free goodness! :)

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chunk Walnut Cookies

My baby sis, who is not a vegan *yet*, loooooves my chocolate chip walnut cookies. It's one of her favourite desserts ever and if she had her way, I'd be making it every week! A few weeks ago, she went out with our dad to shop for nuts at this speciality store called Manak Mewa which stocks a huge variety of high quality dry fruits and nuts and sells them at reasonable prices. Ever since my parents attended the Reversing Diabetes seminar by Dr. Nandita Shah last November and turned vegan, my dad started to munch on a few nuts and raisins with salad for his mid morning snack instead of the crappy processed biscuits and stuff that he used to eat before. It's turning out to be healthier and cheaper but it calls for a regular visit to Chickpet to shop at Manak Mewa.

But I digress. I was telling you about my sis at the store. She called me with great excitement in her voice and said in one breath, "Akka, you said your stock of walnuts was over no? There's plenty here. I'll bring some, you make me choco chip cookies." She wanted a whole batch to herself this time, as opposed to the one batch I make and share with her, so she asked me to make two batches, "one for you, one for me". I agreed to spoil the brat this time.



The vegan chocolate chips I'd brought back from the US was long over so I told her to pick up some vegan chocolate bars on her way here. Since chocolate bars are a tad overly sweet in my opinion, I halved the quantity of sugar and the cookies were perfect!

I also wanted to make the cookies slightly healthier so I tweaked the recipe around a bit. So these turned out quite different and much much more scrumptious than the already delicious basic chocolate chip cookies I have been making all these years. These have a softer crumb and a texture that's in between a chewy cookie and a cake. It's just amazing what flax seed powder and Bajra can do to baked goods!!

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chunk Walnut Cookies

Dry ingredients:
2 C All Purpose Flour (Maida)
2 C Pearl Millet Flour (Bajra)
1 1/2 T Baking Powder
2 T Cocoa Powder
Pinch of Salt

Wet ingredients:
1 C Sugar
1/2 C Olive Oil
2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
3 T Flax Seed Powder
2 1/4 C Water

Additions:
1 C Broken Walnuts
4 Bars Dark Chocolate Cut into Chunks

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil.
Sieve together dry ingredients.
Whisk together wet ingredients for a few minutes.
Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chunks.
Drop onto cookie sheets by spoonfuls.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes.
Transfer to wire rack and cool some more.
Serve warm.
Bite into the soft, gooeyness and be transformed into a state of bliss.



While the cookies were baking, a strange phenomenon occurred. I had negligently left one unbroken walnut half lying around on my kitchen counter (apparently on white paper to get the perfect lighting :oP). I heard a soft shuffling sound and when I looked, I beheld three little zombie veganosaurus monsters walking towards the walnut half with a greedy gleam in their eyes. "Brains, brains, brains", they said. But suddenly...

Mango Ginger Ice Cream - vegan, almost raw

This gingerlicious mango ice cream is not for the faint of heart. Last year, when I made mango ice cream, I thought I'd add a small piece of ginger into the concoction while grinding and loved how the flavors melded. But once I froze it, the ginger got overpowered by the mango.

So ever since this year's mango season started, I'd been really wanting to make a mango ice cream with a super strong ginger kick. When the time came to add ginger into the mixie jar, I did not hold myself back. And boy oh boy did it turn out amazing!!



I ran out of raw agave nectar so I used sugar. If it hadn't been for the sugar, this ice cream would've been categorized under "raw food".

I was feeling lazy and didn't want to wash the ice cream maker, so I decided to use the freeze/whip/freeze method to make this ice cream. I wanted it to have a slightly icy texture for an added crunch, so I didn't let it get too creamy during the freezing process.

Almost Raw, Vegan Mango Ginger Ice Cream

3 Ripe Mangoes - peeled and diced
2 inches Ginger - sliced
1 T Sesame Seeds
1/2 C Cashews
1/2 C Sugar
1 T Flax Seed Powder
A pinch of Salt
2 C Filtered Water

Grind the cashews and sesame seeds together in a dry jar until they start to release oil and begin to turn slightly buttery.

Add the ginger, sugar, salt and flax seed powder and process.

Add the mango and process till smooth and creamy.

Add the water and blend well.

Let this mixture sit in the fridge (not freezer) for a day to chill thoroughly.

Transfer to an airtight container and whip well with a whisk.

Pop in the freezer for half an hour.

Whip again.

Freeze again for an hour.

Whip again.

Let the mixture freeze for 6-8 hours.

Transfer this icy mixture into a blender jar in batches and process for a few minutes.

Transfer back into the airtight container and freeze for two hours.

To get beautiful scoops, let the container thaw inside the fridge for five minutes before you serve each time.

Scoop and serve.

Enjoy! :)

Rustic Okara Khara Veggie Bread

Okara is the soy bean pulp that's left behind after the soymilk has been extracted from it. Since I regularly make soymilk at home in my SoyaJoy, I always have some Okara sitting in my fridge. It has a very short shelf life so if it isn't used up quickly, its fate will be to end up in the compost pile.

Because it's got a lot of health benefits, I have been trying to include it in different foods that I make. The problem is that it's pretty tasteless , so I have to be careful about how much I add in each dish. A tad more and the whole dish becomes bland.

I used to mix it into Chapathi dough before but now I don't make much Chapathi to begin with and when I do, it's in Phulka form so the dough can have nothing but wheat flour, salt and water in it.

The one place where Okara benefits taste and texture is in yeast breads, when used in the right quantity.



If you don't make Okara, then just switch it with an additional half cup of vegan mylk and half cup of whole wheat flour and you're set.

Khara means spicy in Kannada (and a few other Indian languages). During my pre-vegan days, I used to really enjoy the Khara Breads sold at small, local bakeries. But now I make my own and even though I miss walking into a bakery and buying fresh buns, it's a great trade off because home made breads are so much more rich, moist and wholesome. And of course, they leave my kitchen smelling amazing! :D

Rustic Okara Khara Veggie Bread

1 C Warm Soymilk or other Vegan Mylk
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

Mix the above together in a large mixing bowl and keep aside for about 15 minutes, to let the yeast froth and bubble.

Then add:

1 C Okara
2 tsp Salt
3 T Coconut Oil or Sesame Oil
2 T Flax Seed Powder
1 T Sesame Seeds
6 Crushed Spicy Green Chillies
1/4 tsp Asafoetida Powder

Beat with a whisk. Then stir in:

2 C Grated Veggies - I used 2 Beets and 3 Carrots in this bread
2 Finely Chopped Onions
1/4 C Chopped Cilantro
1 tsp Crushed Dried Curry Leaves

Whisk together and add (a little at a time):

3 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour

Knead into a very moist and sticky dough.

Cover the mixing bowl with a plastic bag and place in a warm spot to rise for 2 hours.

Divide the dough into two portions.

Place one portion in a loaf pan lined with wax paper. Cover and let it rise for 1 - 1 1/2 hours.

Roughly shape the other half of the dough into rolls on a cookie sheet lined with aluminium foil. Cover and let it rise for 1/2 an hour. They will expand sideways, rather than upwards. So they resemble something between flatbreads and buns.

For the buns, preheat the oven to 190 C. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to sit in the turned off oven for 5-10 mins. Remove tray from the oven and allow the buns to cool in it for 10 mins. Transfer buns to wire. They taste best when slightly warm.

For the loaf, preheat the oven to 200 C (it won't take long because the oven is already hot from baking the buns). Uncover the loaf pan and bake on the middle rack for 1 hour. Allow to sit in the turned off oven for 20 mins. Remove pan from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for 20 mins. Transfer the loaf to a wire rack and let it cool completely. Peel off the wax paper.

Slice and enjoy! :)

This bread needs to be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep outside for only about half a day because of the vegetables.

Dadar Gulung Newtons with Golden Mylk: Guest post by Bou Shin of Shin's Vegan Lovin

Today I'm happy to welcome Bou Shin of Shin's Vegan Lovin' to my blog for a delicious guest post. I clearly remember the first post I ever read on Bou's blog, it was for Oatmilk Yogurt. But I soon discovered her bentos and learnt that they are the prime attraction of her blog.

These adorable bentos are Shin's forte. One can clearly see the whole lot of love, care and creativity that goes into each one. And the themes she generally chooses totally appeal to the geek in me! Can you guess who these three guys are? :D




Once you're done guessing, click on each bento image to be taken to its original post on her blog where you can learn how to make it yourself.

Today's guest post by Shin is a delicious dessert recipe. Well two recipes actually - Dadar Gulung Newtons and Golden Mylk. She has used something called Pandan extract which comes from the leaves of a specific plant which is used in East Asian cooking. This was the first time I was hearing about this ingredient and I was pretty sure it wouldn't be all that easily available to most of my blog readers. So I asked Bou if it can be replaced by something that's more globally accessible to people. She replied that it can be substituted with Vanilla extract, but it should only be half of the amount of the Pandan.

Now on to Shin's post.

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When I was a little girl my favorite cookie to eat was always a Fig Newton (actually, the whole pack...) but as I slowly became more health conscious I lost touch with these soft pillows of tasty goodness. I don't believe that either Newtons can be considered "healthy", but when I decided to take a spin on two of my favorite treats (Fig Newtons and Dadar Gulung, a pandan crepe stuffed with coconut) I was instantly happy. There are two ways to make these treats and to gobble them down with, I've provided some delicious and silky, smooth golden milk.

Dadar Gulung Newton Filling:

4 large Dates, minced (or Date Paste)

1/4 cup of Unsweetened, Toasted Coconut

1 tsp of Raw Sugar

A mix of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom and Allspice

1/2 tsp of Virgin Coconut Oil

Toast all of your dry ingredients together, let them cool partially and then add in your coconut oil. Set aside and make the dough.

Dadar Gulung Pastry Recipe:

1 cup of Oat Flour

1/2 cup of White Whole Wheat

4 tbl of All-Purpose Flour

2 tsp of Raw Sugar

1/4 tsp of Baking Powder (omit if you want them crunchy)

2 tbl of Virgin Coconut Oil (semi-solid)

About 3 tsp of Pandan Extract

Enough Coconut Cream to Mix

Mix your dry ingredients together first, then fork in your coconut oil. Dribble in your pandan extract and coconut cream, then knead your dough until it becomes a smooth ball. Refrigerate for 15 minutes and reminisce about your childhood in the meantime. Roll out to your preferred thinness, taking mind that this will puff up only slightly, and then put your coconut filling in the middle. Pinch your sides up and moisten lightly with the leftover coconut cream, then roll onto the newly formed seam and cut even pieces from your dough log (which should be a rectangle by now). Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until cooked to your liking and serve with golden milk



They look like mini-burritos, don't they? If you have any extra dough you can roll it in some chocolate chips and bake for the same amount of time, or you can make a fantastic and pretty healthy pie crust. Even better, you can use them as breakfast cereals and (un-filled) cereal straws as they don't get soggy quickly. It's all up to your imagination!

Golden Milk Recipe:

1 cup of Non-Dairy Milk

1/2 tsp of Turmeric

1 tbl of Raw Sugar or Agave Nectar

Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cardamom, Allspice and Cloves (to taste)

Warm all of your ingredients together and strain, let cool and strain if necessary.



Thanks for visiting my post and many thanks to Susmitha for hosting me! I hope that you all have enjoyed this short experience as much as I have!

Mango Mint Kokam Juice Cooler

This is one of those totally experimental recipes which I concocted on a whim. Even though the flavours seem like an unlikely combination, I'm very pleased to say it turned out pretty darned slurpable! :)

Kokam juice is a locally available health drink made of Kokam berries. It is most commonly available in a concentrated syrup/squash form which can be mixed with water to make a kind of sherbet. It has a very cooling and hydrating effect on the body and is a perfect drink for hot hot summers, like the one we're experiencing right now.

In this recipe, I've used the Kokam syrup as the sweetener. If you decide to use the Kokam juice that is available in tetra packs (instead of the syrup), just eliminate the water. I don't recommend any additional sweetening though.



2 Ripe Raspuri Mangos - peeled and diced
1 Small Yelakki Banana - peeled and chunked
Handful Mint Leaves
2T Kokam Syrup
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
Pinch of Black Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper Powder
1 C Cool Water

Blend everything together with ice.
Enjoy! :)

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.



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.



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.



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! :)



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

Creamy Pumpkin Radish Soup

In the first two weeks of May we had a lot of thunderous rain. The powerful, cooling breeze gave us respite from the terrible heat the preceding days of blazing sun had wrought. It felt amazing!

But the thing about persistently cloudy, rainy days is that they make me want to be constantly burrowing under a cozy blankie, reading Tom Robbins or Wodehouse or cuddling on the couch with hubby, watching episodes of Misfits or Modern Family.

If only I had a genie who'd appear in my kitchen and make those rainy day comfort foods - Deep Fried Bajjis and Bondas, Multi Grain Herbed Loaves, Piping Hot Soups and Stews, Hot Chocolate Brownies, Spicy Masala Chai... Mmmmmmm

Apparently hubby was thinking on the same lines, except he seemed to be under the impression that I was the genie! It was the evening of a particularly rainy day. I had just managed to steam and toast a batch of GF Flatbreads for dinner. I was feeling too lazy to make anything to go with it so my idea was that we would be having it with garlic pickle and chutney pudi mixed with vegan curds. But hubby had other ideas. One look at the bread and he was like, "oooh that would be so nice with some hot, spicy soup".

Normally I might've replied, "yeah I bet it would, but here's the garlic pickle!" But the poor guy had been sniffling all day with a cold (minor dust allergy from the cleaning we'd done around the house on the previous day), so I said, "okay baby, soup coming up soon". Then I proceeded to concoct the easiest, quickest, yet one of the most delicious soups I'd ever made. It's *laziness* that's the true mother of all invention! :D



1 large slice Red Pumpkin
2-3 large White Radishes
1/2 C Almonds
1 tsp each of Cumin Seeds and Black Pepper Corns
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1 inch Cinnamon
2 Cloves
Salt
Nutritional Yeast

De-seed and clean the pumpkin. Keep the peel intact and cube.
Toss with salt and microwave in a medium sized glass dish for five to six minutes.
Meanwhile, scrub and wash the radish and slice into roundels.
Add the radish to the pumpkin and microwave for another one minute.
Keep aside to cool to room temperature.

Combine the whole spices in a small glass dish and microwave for one to two minutes, until they emit a nice aroma.
Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Grind the almonds and the roasted spices together into a find powder.
Mix in the cooked veggies and blend into a smooth paste, using a little water at a time.
Add more water to reach desired consistency and blend well.

Pour the mixture back into the glass dish used to cook the veggies and microwave on medium heat for two to three minutes.

Ladle into large soup bowls, crush more pepper on top, sprinkle some nooch and serve hot with some toasted vegan, gluten free pearl millet flatbread.

Enjoy! :)

Simple Healthy Vegan Gluten Free Coconut Almond Bajra Cookies Biscuits

A few weeks ago, hubby and I decided to try a GF diet for a while, just to see how we'd feel. After 3 weeks of this, we didn't really see any marked differences in our health (probably because we are already pretty healthy to begin with) but since it is a healthy diet anyways we decided to switch to an as-Gluten-Free-as-possible diet. This means, we do indulge in wheat products once in a while, but mainly stick to other grains.

In this period of being GF, I've cooked and baked with a variety of local millets and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Luckily for us, we even had a Millet Mela (Fair) during this period where we could stock up on a variety of grains and flours.

Among the flours, the one that seems to be best suited for baking is the Pearl Millet flour. Pearl Millet is known as Bajra in Hindi and Sajje in Kannada (my language). It is native to regions which are prone to drought and cannot support the growth of wheat, rice or other such grains which require a high water content. I've tasted Sajje Rottis, a sort of thin, crispy flatbreads made of Pearl Millet, as a child. One of my aunts, who is from the Northern part of Karnataka (a fairly dry area), used to bring them back whenever she visited her hometown and all of us kids used to delight in eating it dipped in a spicy peanut powder and yogurt mixture.

Until I attended the Millet Mela, I didn't know that Sajje was in fact Bajra and that it could be used to make anything, other than the Sajje Rottis. haha But once I did learn this, I've bought a lot of Sajje flour and have been experimenting with it, as you can see in my GF Flatbread post from 2 weeks ago. Since the grain itself has a really nice flavor, whatever I've made with it has turned out pretty tasty. But the most delicious of all are these Healthy Coconut Almond Bajra Cookies/Biscuits.



I started with Dr.Nandita Shah's Healthy Cookie Recipe from the SHARAN India website. It's a an extremely simple, quick and very versatile recipe. I made a few changes to it based on the ingredients I had on hand and came up with this one. It really hit that cookie craving spot. :)

Plus, because it has no refined oils, white flour or baking powder, hubby and I could stuff our faces with as many as we liked. The sugar syrup is the only 'unhealthy' ingredient in my recipe because I don't like Date Syrup or Jaggery in my baked goods. I would have preferred Agave or Maple Syrup but I had run out of them.

Simple Healthy Vegan Gluten Free Coconut Almond Bajra Cookies Biscuits

1 C Dry Coconut Powder (Desiccated Coconut)
1 C Almonds - ground into a coarse powder
1/2 C Bajra Flour
1/2 C Sugar Syrup
1 Tbsp Tahini (Sesame Butter)
Salt (a small pinch)

Mix everything together in a bowl.
Lick a few fingerfuls of the yummilicious cookie dough.
Wash hands. :oP
Form half inch balls of the dough between your palms.
Flatten slightly and place on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
Bake at 250 C (480 F) for 10-15 minutes, until the edges and top have browned.
Press the top of a cookie with your fingertip to check for doneness. If it's slightly soft it's okay but it shouldn't be doughy.
Let it cool in the turned off oven for a few minutes.
Transfer to cookie racks and cool completely.
Enjoy! :)



Before I end this post, I'd like to request all of you to please visit Richa's Fundraiser for VSPCA.



VSPCA is a wonderful organisation, doing amazing work for the animals! It is an organisation that is very close to my heart and the preferred charity for my Art by Susmitha etsy store. I've donated a few of my jewelry creations to this fundraiser.







So please visit the fundraiser page and pitch in by bidding on the many, many beautiful and delicious offerings.

Chia Chow: guest post by GiGi of Veganville

Today I'm super happy to introduce the first guest blogger here at Veganosaurus...the very vitty qveen of Voppee Pies and Veganville...ladiessss and gennnntlemen, let's hear it forrrr...GiGi Anber!! *loud cheering and applause*

I met Geegers here on our Vegan Etsy team and the first thing that stuck out about her was her sense of humour. GiGi, with her videos and her stories, runs her own brand of comedy show on her blog Veganville. She has some yummy vegan recipes up there too but I have to admit that it's the hilarious back stories she gives them which take me back there time and again.

She is also the owner of the Veganville Etsy Shop where she offers some highly delicious looking baked goodies. I can't wait for my next trip to the US just so I can try some of these amazing looking Voppee Pies!



The recipe that GiGi has shared with us here is a healthy Chia Pudding. The replacement for Chia seeds in India are Sabja seeds, the kind used in Faloodas. Sabja has been used for its healing properties in Ayurveda for aeons.

While Chia hails from the Mint family, Sabja belongs to the Basil family. However, they are very similar in properties. They form the same kind of ooey gooey layer around them when soaked in water for many hours, they are very cooling and rehydrating to the body and they give a good cleanse to the intestines. Not to mention, they are both so darned yummy!

Now let's get on to GiGi's post.

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Chia Chow

Chia seeds made a comeback last year. Posts and recipes were everywhere. The vegan boards were lit up like chia seed Christmas trees. For me the light was on and nobody was home. See it took me a while to get on board the chia seed party boat. I'm not sure if it's because I lost the coolness factor or that the ubiquitous gelatinous chia is $14.95 a bag at my local Whole Foods. Anyway what the hell was I going to do with all those seeds? When I found out the seeds are actually the very same seeds that go into growing those TV chia pets they show on late night commercials, I procrastinated even more. I mean if I give into these chia seed pet seeds what would I give into next - thigh busters and JLo pendants? Still, all those chia puddings look pretty enticing, a little like tapioca only a whole lot healthier, and who doesn't like a good tapioca? Okay, my mom doesn't, that's who. My mom detests tapioca; she thinks it looks like little balls of sn_ _. I probably shouldn't say that on a food blog but what the heck, it’s true. That's what she thinks.



I gave in and bought the seeds and just when I was about to make a super duper chia pudding, crazy boy aka the husband brought home the first blueberries of the season. Since this is a guest post for Susmitha, ice cream maker to the stars. I just had to whip some cold creamy delicious blueberry and crème dessert up first. And because I am all about shameless self promotion you will have to visit my blog if you want the the recipe. Nananannana. I hope there is a translation in India for nanananana, since I intend to publish this blog in many languages.



I digress. Chia has been called the ancient food of the future. Clearly it is called this because if you make a pudding now you won’t be eating it any time soon. Chia has also been known to increase energy, prolong hydration and build muscle and tissue. This is also good since you might have to stay up all night waiting for the crazy ass pudding to set. I guess I could have slept or watched some more infomercials, but I was excited to see how much energy I would derive from the pudding. I couldn't wait to see how speedy I would get if I coupled the chia with my morning cup of Joe. Energy and speedy = good in my book.

I read about some chia recipe flops. There are a lot of hot and bothered chia blog recipe comments out there, really. Like, "Hey my stupid chia never solidified", and "this slop was supposed to be my breakfast", and "this chia looks the same now as when I went to sleep", and another one "your stupid chia recipe sucks". Still I risked it all and forged ahead.


Chia Pudding

4 C almond milk
1C maple syrup or agave
¾ C chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla non-alcoholic flavoring
Nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Mix together the almond milk, vanilla extract, and maple syrup until combined. Gently fold in the chia seeds. Pour the mixture into an 8"x11" baking dish Refrigerate over night. If you’re awake, stir.

Here is what happened at the Chia Seed unveiling the next day which happened to be my birthday. (April)



Sure, you might have to wait until your birthday for the chia to set and you might need a a new haircut but I think it would totally be worth it. The pudding is delicious with a scoop of vegan ice cream on top. Why not try of one of Susmitha’s many scrumptious ice cream recipes? Or come see me over at my blog, Veganville. Shameless, shameless I know. But I am kind of nice.




Thank you for having me, my friend. You are as delightful as your confections :)