Creamy Tabbouleh Salad Lettuce Wraps

These Creamy Tabbouleh Salad Lettuce Wraps are herb rich and full of flavour. They make for a nutritious and refreshing lunch on a sultry afternoon.

I have developed a whole new level of love for salads. And here's why...

There's a new healthy vegan restaurant in town, Carrots. I spoke about it in an earlier blog post. Since it's the first of its kind in Bangalore, it's a matter of great excitement in the local vegan community. And vegans from other Indian cities have been telling us how very jealous they are. Hehe

In India, it's extremely easy to be vegetarian. Ours is a largely vegetarian culture. More than half our restaurants are vegetarian. Even people who consume meat don't usually do so every single day, and definitely not three times a day. Eggs aren't considered vegetarian and they won't be found in any vegetarian restaurant.

When you go to a grocery store, each and every product has a symbol to indicate whether it is vegetarian or not. All vegetarian products are marked with a green dot and all non vegetarian products, including those with eggs, are marked with a red dot.

For vegans here, the big pain in the ass is dairy! Animal milk (usually from cows and buffaloes) and its derivatives are put into all kinds of foods. A non vegan person who isn't in the habit of reading labels would be surprised to hear about the innumerable ways dairy sneaks into their system.

So you can imagine what it means for us to finally have a place in town where we can order any item from the menu without the need to explain and shoot off a long list of taboo dairy products to the waiter. :)

Just before the launch of Carrots, hubby and I were invited there for a few tasting sessions by Krishna, the owner of the restaurant. Since the chef isn't vegan, he felt a need for inputs about his vegan cooking and pointers on making desserts. For a non vegan, Chef Anantha makes really delicious vegan food! He is a master of soups, salads and starters. His main dishes are really tasty and he's been making an extremely good effort at vegan desserts.

Among all the things we ate, hubby and I would say that the Greek Salad was hands down our favourite dish!!! Bursting with colourful veggies and pumped with flavourful, lemon soaked tofu, every bite of the salad was mind blowing!

Ever since we ate that Greek Salad at Carrots, hubby and I have been craving big salads like that one. And I've been ordering lettuce from Towness more regularly than I used to.

Thanks to the amazing Greek Salad at Carrots, we'll be eating a lot more salad at home this summer. :)

Creamy Tabbouleh Salad Lettuce Wraps



1/2 C Broken Wheat
10 large Romaine Lettuce Leaves
2 baby Apples (crunchy Mishri variety) - chopped
3 medium Plum Tomatoes - diced
1 C Fresh Mint - roughly chopped
1 C Fresh Parsley - roughly chopped
1 C Fresh Cilantro - roughly chopped
1/2 C Cashews
1/4 C Lime Juice
1 inch Ginger - grated
Black Salt
Black Pepper - freshly crushed

Soak the broken wheat in water for about 15-20 minutes and drain.

Blend together cashews and lime juice using a little water to get a sour cream.

Add the herbs and pulse a few times (but don't blend them completely).

Toss together all ingredients, except lettuce, cover and keep aside. You have your creamy tabbouleh.

Separate the lettuce leaves and clean them.

Spread a leaf on a flat surface and spoon some of the tabbouleh mixture in the centre of the leaf. Wrap and place seam side down on a plate.

Continue doing the same with the remaining lettuce leaves.

These nutritious, flavourful salad wraps are great for lunch, especially now since it's gotten so hot here.

Enjoy! :)

Tofu Shiitake Spinach in Balsamic Tomato Sauce

After my super long blog post earlier this week, I didn't think I'd be posting again so soon, but this stew that I made for dinner last night turned out soooo delicious that I had to share a recipe here.

I put it together with a bunch of random ingredients from my fridge and served it with phulkas. This morning, before having more for breakfast, I managed to grab a quick photo on my phone and shared it right away on Instagram. Here's the recipe with the pic.



Tofu Shiitake Spinach in Balsamic Tomato Sauce

8 small or 5 large Naati (local) Tomatoes
500 gms Tofu
100 gms Spinach
6 Dry Shiitake Mushrooms
10 cloves of Garlic
2 T Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Jaggery
1/2 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
1/4 tsp Chilli Powder
3 T Olive Oil
Omum (Carom) seeds
1 T Corn Starch
Salt

Tabasco Habenero Sauce (optional)
Black Pepper (optional)

Soak the dry shiitakes in 3/4 C warm water for 10-15 minutes.
Drain and slice the mushrooms.
***Save the soaking water, it's full of flavor!!!***

Drain the tofu and gently squeeze out as much water as possible.
Make large cubes.

Wash and roughly chop the spinach.

Blend the tomatoes with 2-3 cloves of garlic, balsamic vinegar, jaggery, salt and chilli powder.
Add the tofu to the tomato puree and keep aside.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add a pinch of omum seeds.
Chop and add the remaining garlic and stir.
Add the shiitakes to the pan and stir fry for a few seconds.
Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon powder and mix well, stirring for a minute.
Add the chopped spinach and stir fry for a few seconds.

Pour the tomato-tofu sauce into the pan and mix well.
Allow to simmer on low heat for a few minutes, until the raw tomato smell is gone.

Use the shiitake soaking water and make a liquidy paste out of the corn starch.
You need to place the starch in a bowl and add a little water at a time and stir.

Pour this corn starch liquid into the pan and mix well.
Keep stirring and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
The sauce will thicken just a little bit.

Turn off the heat and serve hot with freshly crushed pepper and a few drops of tabasco habanero sauce drizzled over it.

Enjoy! :)

Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Cake and oh so many updates!

I made this deliciously hazelnutty chocolate dessert for my dad's birthday. Thought it would be a great come back recipe to share here after a long hiatus from blogging.



Before the recipe though, I thought I'd give you a few updates about what's happening with me.

It's been nearly a month since my last blog post and longer than that since my last recipe post. I feel bad to have ignored my blog all these weeks, however, the reason for this is that there are so many interesting things happening in my *real* life that I haven't had much time to be online. :)

VGF

The last I wrote here, I was talking about the VGF event that hubby and I were in the process of organising (with help from my parents and sis) for 24th February 2013. The vegan fair was overwhelmingly successful! :) The response was just wonderfully heartening! People, vegans and non vegans alike, turned up in droves even before we were ready to begin the event.

I had made double dark chocolate chunk walnut orange cookies, cinnamon rolls, pizzas with a chunky herbed tomato sauce and foxtail millet puliyogare to sell at my table. VGF started at 12 noon and by 2:15 pm, my stall had been cleaned out. Haha

It worked out perfectly too because I was scheduled to do a demo on extracting mylk out of peanuts and turning it into curds at 2 pm, so as soon as I ran out of food to sell, I was able to rush to the demo area without having to worry about my stall.

By 4 pm, most tables had sold out their goodies. Even though we'd scheduled the event to be from noon to 7 pm, by 5:30, we'd all started to pack up. :)

It was nice to see have so much support and interest from everyone. Many people even hung around for a few hours just eating and chatting, without being in any rush to leave.

Our friend Sharath captured some beautiful photographs at the event.









You can view the whole VGF album on his Facebook page Sharath Ramanna Photography.

The whole VGF experience was so encouraging that we've decided to make it a regular vegan event. Something to have 3-4 times a year. We're also full of ideas to make the next event even *more* interesting and fun for everyone.

Vegan cooking demo

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by a person about doing a vegan cooking demo at a local restaurant. I've been in talks with the people involved and planning out the menu and recipes. We're going to have a tasting session later this week and then I'll announce all the details of the event here. :)

More on the Vegan front

Apart from VGF and this demo, I have been busy with one more project that is going to take veganism in Bangalore to a whole new level. Something awesome is going to happen within the next few weeks. I'm not going to give anything away since things are still at the planning stage right now, but I will say that I'm *really* excited about this! You'll just have to wait and see what the big deal is all about. :D

Stuffing my face

Other than being busy hatching plots to turn the world vegan, I've also been getting plump eating at the very first all vegan restaurant that has opened up here in Bangalore. WOOHOO!

Carrots launched a little over a month ago. Even before they were officially open for business, Krishna (whose baby Carrots is), invited us over for a series of food tasting sessions. The chef, Anantha, isn't vegan but he does cook some really delicious plant based fare. It was nice to be involved with the menu creation process, give inputs and share vegan recipes and tips with him.

Now every time I want to eat out with friends, the first place that comes to mind is Carrots. Ah the joys of being spoilt for choice!

I'll do a full feature on the restaurant here on my blog at some point in the near future, but until then, I wanted to mention the place here so I could tell those of you who live in and around Bangalore to definitely visit and enjoy a meal at Carrots. And those who aren't close by, Carrots is a great reason to plan your next holiday at Bangalore. :)

Here are a few pics I clicked of the dishes at Carrots to entice you.







My virtual life

Even though I haven't been updating my blog as regularly as I used to, I have been sharing food related posts via two of my favourite phone apps - Instagram and HowDo.

If you're on Instagram, you can find me @veganosaurus. If you're not, or you're getting over your Instagram app addition, you can still view all my photos on your computer's browser at my online Instagram profile page - Veganosaurus without any need to login.

I'm really enjoying clicking photos on my phone and applying the filters on the app to them. I also regularly share my Instagram pics with my related Facebook pages. The food photos go onto Veganosaurus and the jewellery photos go on to Art by Susmitha.

I have been addicted to HowDo for a while now but ever since they enabled the feature to embed HowDo clips onto websites and blogs, my obsession with the app has reached a whole new level! It's not easy clicking step by step pictures during the process of cooking/baking. For one thing the phone can get quite messy, what with being handled with ingredient covered hands. Regardless, these days, I often have the phone next to me on the kitchen counter so that I can grab pics as I prepare food.

Once the food is ready and I have the final pic, I sit down and record the voice clips (often with additional sounds like the blender running or microwave beeping) and put the HowDo together. I then upload my HowDo tutorial and watch it at least two times with deep satisfaction. I really seem to like the sound of my own voice. Narcissistic much? :P

I recently created a dedicated HowDo section on my blog where you can see all my tutorials in one place. I'm hoping I will update it with more discipline than I do my blog's recipe index. :D

Vegan Hazelnut Chocolate Cake

Now that I've made you read all my updates, I'll finally get to today's recipe. I've created a HowDo tutorial for it. It's a lot more fun to click pics and record instructions by talking rather than typing it all out. I'm sure you'll have more fun watching the clip than reading the recipe.

I'll list out the ingredients for your benefit though.

For the cake:
150 gms hazelnuts
3/4 C cocoa powder
1 C whole wheat flour
3/4 C brown sugar
2 T flax seed powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 C water

For the cream:
100 gms hazelnuts
1 T cocoa powder
2-3 T sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 C water

Procedure:

Enjoy! :)

VGF is Great Fun - Vegan Event in Bangalore

Hubby and I have been super busy over the last week making preparations for a vegan fair that we're organising in Bangalore. It's the first of its kind and all very exciting. :) There will be a bunch of vendors selling all kinds of delicious vegan foods. We'll also have a few vegan non-food goodies for sale. And some free demos.



Details:

Date: Sunday, 24th Feb, 2013
Time: 12 noon to 7 p.m.
Venue: #28, 3rd Floor, 'Citi Centre' (same building as G.K.Vale), Church Street, Bangalore - 560001
Google Map for Directions: http://goo.gl/maps/m0BXN
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/369646956475934/

List of the vendors and a few of the delicious dishes they will be offering for sale:

Millie's Gourmet Cashew Cheeses - Plain, Garlic, Herbed

Arun (full proceeds from this table will be donated to Samabhava) - Peanut Curd Rice, Chocolate Kaju Katlis

Sudha (my mommie) - Khara Paddus and Kothmiri Thokku (Cilantro Pickle)

Krishna and Chef Anantha of Carrots Vegan Restaurant - Carrot & Raisin Salad with choice of dressing (Date Syrup Dressing or Vinegar Dressing), Vegetable Paella, Mixed Nuts Burfi, Chocolate Truffles

Sharmila - Plain Chocolate, Crackle Chocolate, Sugar Caramel Chocolate, Dry Fruit Chocolate

Chaitali at Taantraa's Innovative, Healthy, Multi-Grain Cupcakes - Aromatic Orange Almond (gluten free), Earthy Moong Dal, Best Friends Banana Walnut, Rabbity Carrot, Exotic Coffee Chocolate

Sowmya of Paradigm Shift Vegan Café - Red Velvet Cupcakes, Ferrero Rocher Cake, Butterscotch Cake, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, Tofu Scramble Sandwiches, Stir Fried Tofu

Vinay - Cashew Mylk Beverage

Milesh (hubbs) - Lime Juice

Kavya - Coconess Virgin Coconut Butter

Susmitha (that's me :p) - Cinnamon Buns and a few more things I need to decide on, one of which could possibly be ice cream.

Additional things - Packaged Quinoa sourced from Peru, Vegan Jewellery, Soaps, Kitchen Art.

Pepita Oatmeal Raisin Raisin Cookie Bars - guest post by Somer of Vedgedout

This month's guest post is from my friend Somer of Vedgedout. She has shared the recipe for a delicious Valentine's themed treat. It looks super yummy and easy to make so I'll be giving this recipe a try very soon.



We had a vegan food swap recently and a few days ago, I received a package filled with all kinds of delicious vegan goodies from Somer. So the timing for this post is perfect because I wanted to share a photo of my stash with all of you.



There's Chia Peanut Butter (I'm saving this so haven't opened the jar yet), Hazelnut Chocolate Butter (orgasmic!), Probiotic 'Cheesy' Almonds (yummers!), Textured Soy Protein Curls (nom!), Wild Orange Essential Oil (*deep, content sigh*), a bar of Handmade Soap (smells amazing!), the Winter 2012-13 issue of Vegan Health and Fitness Magazine...

...and the best one of all, Cocoa Grounds which can be *brewed* like coffee!!! :O

Thanks to Somer, hubby and I have been starting our mornings with this awesomeness!



Thank you so so so much Somer for spoiling me with all these goodies. *Super Hugs* You are awesome and I'm going to rig all future vegan swaps to have you as my partner. :oP

Before we move on to Somer's post today, you should read her remarkable Vegan Journey. I also urge you to check out the fantastic Green Smoothie Challenge which she has designed after putting in a lot of time and effort. Even if you don't follow the challenge completely, all the delicious recipes in it will surely inspire you to eat at least a few super healthy meals.

And now, without further ado, on to Somer's post. :)

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Sweets for the Sweet

Hey, I'm Somer from Vedged Out. I'm totally excited to be guest posting here at Veganosaurus. Especially so close to Valentines Day! Thanks Susmitha for inviting me! :)

My husband isn't really into desserts, cookies or cakes. So I don't bake as often as I'd like because I'm usually the one who ends up polishing off the goods or trying to pawn them on some poor unsuspecting neighbor. Like any of us though, he does have a few weaknesses in his very slight sweet tooth AND since it's a special holiday, I thought I'd make a treat that he does actually love. I'm sure you'll love it too.

Pepita Oatmeal Raisin Raisin Cookie Bars

• 2 C. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 C. rolled oats
• 1 C. organic sugar
• 1 C. raisins
• 1 C. pepita seeds (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 t. salt
• 1 t. baking powder
• 2 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 T. flax seed powder
• 1/2 C. plant milk of choice
• 1/3 C. melted coconut oil
• 2 t. Mexican vanilla
• 3 T. water

Method: Preheat oven to 350°, In a large mixing bowl combine the first 9 ingredients (all the dry stuff). Then stir in the last 4 ingredients (the wet stuff). Press dough into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Cook for 30-35 minutes on a lower rack in the oven so that the top doesn't get overly browned. Let cool for a few minutes before slicing into bars and serving.

If your Valentine prefers dark chocolate chips and chopped pecans to raisins and pepita seeds, go ahead and swap em out. I won't tell. ;)
xoxo & Happy Valentines,
Love, Somer

Potatoes Stuffed with Shiitake Foxtail Millet

I met an old friend from school a few weeks ago. Apart from reminiscing about the good old days and discussing our shared passion for creating art, we also got around to talking about food. I spoke about vegan baking and she shared some of her veggie recipes. She told me about a delicious coconut based curry with Shiitake mushrooms in it and asked if I had any recipes of my own using them. Not having cooked with them before, I was intrigued, so my next Towness order arrived with a pack of dried Shiitake mushrooms, along with the usual veggies and fruits. :)

When I looked up dried Shiitakes online, I found that a good way to use them was to rehydrate in warm water for a few minutes and proceed as one would with other kinds of mushrooms. One person in a forum had empathetically mentioned that the soaking water should be saved and used as a broth because it is full of flavour. I am so glad I took that advice!

These stuffed potatoes were the first dish I used the Shiitake and their soaking water in and ever since then, I've been using them in my cooking a LOT. :)

I use a microwave to cook the pierced, whole potatoes in 5 minutes. But you could use a regular oven or boil or steam the potatoes. No matter what, don't remove the peel because it really adds to the taste.

Potatoes Stuffed with Shiitake Foxtail Millet



1/2 C Foxtail Millet/Navane
4 Potatoes
5 Dry Shiitake Mushrooms
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1 Leek
8-10 Garlic cloves
2 tsp Jaggery or Sugar
2 T Olive Oil
Pinch of Caraway/Omum Seeds
Pinch of Turmeric Powder
Black Salt
Freshly Crushed Black Pepper
Tabasco
Almonds

Warm 1 C of water and soak the dry shiitake mushrooms in it for 5-10 minutes, until they are soft.
Pick out the mushrooms and gently squeeze them over the soaking cup.
Keep aside on a cutting board.

Wash the foxtail millet and keep aside.
In a pan, heat all the shiitake soaking liquid with 1/4 C of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.
Add the millet to the boiling water, reduce the heat to the lowest setting on your stove, cover partially with a plate and allow to cook.
The millet will take about 10-15 minutes to be cooked, keep a close eye on it to ensure that it doesn't overflow from the pan.
When all the water has evaporated, the millet is ready.
Fluff with a fork and keep aside.

Meanwhile, scrub and wash the potatoes well.
Pierce them all over with a fork.
Place in a microwave and nuke for 4-5 minutes, on high.
Remove to a plate and let them cool for a few minutes.
Cut each potato in half and scoop out 1/2 to 3/4 of the potato with a spoon, place in a bowl and mash.
Keep the scooped out potato 'cups' aside.

Finely chop the garlic and slice the leek into thin roundels.
Roughly chop the mushrooms and bell peppers.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan or wok.
Add the caraway seeds, they will crackle.
Add the garlic and leeks and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add the mushrooms and red bell peppers and stir fry for a few more minutes.
Add jaggery and stir to allow it to mix and caramelize the vegetables a bit.
Add the mashed potato and stir well.
Add the black salt, turmeric powder and crushed black pepper, mix well and turn off the heat.

Mix the cooked millet to the stir fried veggies.
Add chopped almonds and a big splash of tabasco and mix.
Form this mixture into into 8 balls.
Press a ball into the middle of each scooped out potato cup.

Preheat oven to 250 C.
Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking tray and place the tray in the centre rack of the oven.
Grill for 10 minutes.

Serve hot.
Enjoy! :)

The Kelvis Sandwich - Guest Post by Ann of An Unrefined Vegan

Today's guest post is by Annie of An Unrefined Vegan. I first discovered Ann's blog while browsing through the Virtual Vegan Potluck last May. Every participating blog had mentioned Ann as the brainchild behind the brilliant VVP idea. :)

When I visited her blog, I found these super yummy Sage & Rosemary Dinner Rolls with Roasted Garlic Coconut Butter and I decided that I would definitely be participating in the next VVP.

For the second VVP, the one for which I made the Hot Spiced Chai with Sesame-Cashew Mylk, Ann had this fantastic dessert on her blog - Maple Creme & Mocha Spice Cake Trifle with Fresh Blueberries. Just the name sounds sooooooo good, doesn't it? You should check out the pictures on her post!

Ann is also an active member of our Vegan Temptivists group and we've been visiting each other on the blogosphere often.

Today, Ann shares a delicious, hearty sandwich recipe with drool worthy pictures here on my blog. Thank you so much for guest blogging on Veganosaurus, Ann. :)

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Kel + Elvis = The Kelvis

Born from Kel's frugal nature, this sandwich also takes some inspiration from the overindulgent appetite of The King himself, Elvis Presley, and his love of fried PB & banana sandwiches. You see, I was attempting to make a kind of bean-based bacon which consisted of white beans and various spices that I processed until smooth. After spreading the paste onto a baking sheet and baking for about 20 minutes I ended up with...a very hot bean paste. It didn't slice the way it was supposed to, but it did taste good. I let it sit abandoned in the pan for a few hours - fully intending to toss the whole mess into the garbage can. Instead, Kel squirreled it away in the refrigerator and the next morning I caught him crumbling the bean "bacon" onto his morning toast along with almond butter. He declared it a winner and when I reluctantly tasted it, I agreed. Thusly, the Kelvis was born.

Instead of the paste-like bean bacon, I went with my sure-fire tempeh bacon recipe and for bread - I wanted something special - so I whipped up a batch of maple whole wheat waffles. (Feel free to use a good, hearty bread instead.) A cherry compote sounded more interesting to me than The King's preferred fruit. This is one decadent, filling sandwich and would be perfect for Sunday brunch.

Thank you, Susmitha, for giving me the opportunity to share a recipe on Veganosaurus!

Maple Waffle, Almond Butter, Tempeh Bacon & Cherry Compote Sandwiches
Makes enough to satisfy The King

Maple Whole Wheat Waffles
Makes 7

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup hazelnut flour (or your favorite nut meal)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 1/4 cups almond milk (or other nut milk), warmed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp. maple extract, optional
1 tbsp. maple syrup, optional

Tempeh Bacon
Makes ~14 strips

1 8 oz. package tempeh, cut into 1/4" strips
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup water or vegetable broth
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. Liquid Smoke
lots of ground black pepper

Cherry-Cranberry-Fig Compote
Makes ~3 cups

1 1/2 cups pomegranate-cherry juice (or just cherry juice)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup dried, tart cherries
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1 tbsp. crystallized ginger, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 10 oz. jar fruit juice-sweetened or sugar-free cherry jam
1 tbsp. flaxseed meal, optional

Almond butter (quantity is up to you)

Make the waffles:
Get the waffle iron heating.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder and baking soda. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Combine with the flour mixture and stir to break down any lumps. Allow to sit for about 15 minutes.

Lightly spray waffle iron with oil and ladle on some of the waffle batter. Cook 4-5 minutes (or per your waffle iron's quirks) and gently remove the waffle. Proceed with remaining batter.

If assembling the Kelvises right away, keep the waffles warm in a 200F oven while you bake the rest of the batter. Otherwise, place the waffles on a cooling rack.

Make the tempeh bacon:
Preheat oven to 425F. Combine the tamari through black pepper in a 9"x9" baking dish (I use glass for ease of cleaning). Lay in the tempeh strips and turn once to coat.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway through. You're aiming for a dark brown, slightly shiny exterior on the strips, with nearly all of the marinade baked off. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Make the cherry compote:
In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients through the allspice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cherry jam and cook for an additional minute or two to allow the jam to melt into the compote. Remove from the heat and stir in the flaxseed meal, if using. Set aside. Keep the compote in the refrigerator until ready to use - warm gently before serving with the Kelvis.

Assemble the Kelvis:
Slather almond butter on one half of a waffle; lay on some tempeh bacon strips and top with cherry compote. Top with the remaining waffle half, if desired.

Kel Suggests:
Sprinkle The Kelvis with toasted, chopped pecans for extra crunch.

A few slices of banana couldn't hurt. It's what The King would do.

If reheating the waffles, toast them so they retain their crunch, but serve as an open-faced sandwich so that the roof of your mouth isn't shredded by the crispy waffle.

Farfalle with Crunchy Okra and Red Bell Peppers

Once in a while, a few of us Bangalore vegan girls meet up to have a pigging out session. Everyone brings one main dish and one dessert and we all eat until we're unable to move. Even though there are monthly Vegan Bengaluru potlucks, we still like to have these separate sessions occasionally because they're quality time spent with a few good friends, it's a small group so we tend to put effort into making extra special things which aren't easy to make in large quantities and most importantly, no boys are allowed! :D

It was to one of these mini potlucks that my friend Bynz brought a delicious pasta dish, Farfalle with Aubergines. It was absolutely amazing so I asked her to send me the recipe, thinking I'd try it sometime when hubby wasn't home because he doesn't like Egg Plants. She sent me a snap of the recipe to my phone and I filed the recipe away in an album and totally forgot about it.

Then last week, on one of the afternoons, I wandered into my kitchen wondering what I could quickly make for lunch, when I spied the Okra that I'd left to dry on a towel. Something clicked at the back of my brain and I suddenly wanted to make Bynz's pasta dish with the Okra in place of the Egg Plants/Brinjal. I just knew they would make for an excellent replacement!

I also decided to add in some Red Capsicum that I had in the crisper and boy was that an awesome move! The dish turned out super delicious and it even tasted good after sitting in the fridge overnight and the Okra had turned soft. This is definitely something I'll be making more often.

Farfalle with Crunchy Okra and Red Bell Peppers

2 C Dry Farfalle Pasta

2 T Coconut Oil
250 gms Okra/Ladies Finger

2 T Olive Oil
2 T Garlic - roughly chopped
1/2 Red Onion - finely chopped
1 T Celery Leaves - finely chopped
1/2 Red Capsicum/Bell Pepper - chopped
2 t Sugar
1/2 t Red Chilli Powder
Black Salt
Black Pepper - freshly crushed
4 small Tomatoes (preferably the juicy, naati/local variety) - chopped

Wash the okra and wipe properly well with a kitchen towel.
Spread on a fresh towel and allow to dry completely.
Cut off the tops and ends and keep aside.

In a large pot, bring water to a rolling boil and add 1/2 tsp black salt.
Add the pasta and stir.
Cook on medium for 10-12 minutes.
Drain and rinse with cool, running water.
Keep aside.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy bottomed wok and pour in the coconut oil.
When the oil is hot, add the dry okra and stir.
Fry until slightly browned.
Add a dash of black salt and stir well until crispy.
Remove with a slotted spoon onto a tissue paper.
Discard any remaining oil from the bottom of the wok.
Let the wok cool for a few minutes and wipe well with a tissue paper to remove oil residue.

Heat the wok again and add the olive oil.
Add the chopped garlic and stir fry for half a minute.
Add the chopped onion and celery and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add the red bell pepper and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add the spices, sugar and a dash of black salt and mix well.
Allow the sugar to caramelize for a minute.
Add the tomatoes and stir.
Reduce the heat, cover and cook for a few minutes.
Taste and adjust the salt and spices.
Turn off the heat.

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and mix thoroughly.
Add the crispy fried okra and give it a quick toss.
Serve immediately with crushed pepper on top.
Enjoy! :)

Trains, Tea Factories, Prizes, New Years Eve Recipes

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm back with a long post for the new year with all of December's news squeezed in. :)

December was a nice month. DH and I had planned to spend our year end holidays in the way we always want to - relax at home, be couch potatoes, indulge in junk food, watch movies, play video games... We did do a fair amount of all that but we also ended up making a short impromptu trip to Ooty along with hubby's brother's family. My main motivation to go on the trip was getting to spend time with my adorable nephew and niece.

Ooty aka Udagamandalam, is a town situated on top of a mountain. It's touristy and nippy but it's also full of gorgeous, green tea plantations, calm water bodies and beautiful, old eucalyptus trees.

Pic Credit: Hubby

We spent half our time at quiet, off-the-grid places but we did do a few touristy things too. My favourite activity was the train ride up the hill from Conoor to Ooty and the subsequent time spent hanging out at the fairly empty railway station. On the ride, my nephew and I blew soap bubbles out the train window and a bunch of kids at the back of our compartment leaned out their windows to catch the bubbles. It was loads of fun playing with strange kids and laughing so much! The Ooty railway station connects to Conoor and nowhere else. There's just one train making the rounds. So between each visit of the train, the tracks are empty for hours together. The platform is low and there are no gates to stop people from hopping onto the tracks. It's the one railway station I've been to where it's absolutely safe to walk on them. So hubby and I did. :D

Pic Credit: Top Left=Hubby, Bottom=Brother-in-Law

The other very interesting part of our trip was going to a tea factory. I've been to tea factories before but I still enjoyed my visit there because I'm a big fan of tea. All those freshly harvested tea leaves being dried and rolled and roasted...the place smelled niiiice! *deep sniffff*

When we came back home after our trip, hubby and I were welcomed by this delightful 24 Letter Mantra gift basket filled with all kinds of organic goodies!

It was sent to me by the people of The Alternative. In November, I had submitted my Hazelnut Mocha Cheezecake recipe into their Green Foodie Recipe Challenge and early in December, it was announced that my recipe won the Editor's Pick title. The 24 Letter Mantra organic goodie basket is my prize. :) I am especially proud that my vegan dessert was chosen in a contest that wasn't all vegan.

The Alternative also sent me this handmade paper, elephant photo frame. Isn't he cute? :)

On December 1st, I also participated in The Alternative's Nature on My Plate event at BioFach India 2012. Hubby and I were a part of their Food Tasting section. We made Seasoned Vegan Curd Rice with Peanut Yogurt and gave samples to lots and lots of people. Everyone found the idea of making mylk and curds out of peanuts highly intriguing.

Pic Credit: Makepeace Sitlhou

We spoke to each person about being vegan and distributed all the vegan information material in our possession. We had informative leaflets/booklets from Kranti and Samabhava/FIAPO and we also wrote out our own Veganosaurus url along with that of SHARAN-India, mentioning that they could be used as references for vegan recipes. It was great to have hubby there by my side. He did a lot of the talking and explaining. There was a large crowd and in about an hour's time, every last grain of our Peanut Mylk Curd Rice had been devoured.

We also got to taste some delicious vegan goodies by other participants: Chaitali - Taantraa's cupcakes, Mahalakshmi Lakshminarayan's peanut flax seed laddoos and Aparna Ramachandran's podi idli bites. Sadly, we missed Chinmayie's chocolate brownies because by the time she arrived we had started to wander around the various organic counters at BioFach. I did get to listen to her very interesting talk about switching to organic on the previous evening though, so that made up for it. :)

I posted regular updates about my participation at Nature on My Plate on my Facebook Page during the event but I'd been waiting to receive my prize before posting about it here on my blog. This post wouldn't have been complete without a photo of my gift basket.

Talking about prizes, I received another one in my mail in the early part of December. An awesome Virtual Vegan Potluck T-Shirt. If you remember, I participated in VVP on November 1st. There was a vote held over the next couple of weeks and one recipe was chosen as a winner in each course of the potluck. My Hot Spiced Cashew-Sesame Mylk Chai won under the Beverages category. :)

With a super fun trip and some awesome prizes, I couldn't help but end 2012 with a huge smile on my face and a feeling of hope and excitement about all the wonderful gifts 2013 will bring.

On New Year's Eve, when it was time to make dinner, I had to make something special (though I hadn't planned to). I'll leave you with the two recipes I concocted that night. I had to click quickie Instagram pics with my phone before we polished off the meal. :oP

Zucchini/Carrot 'Noodles' with Tofu in a Tomato Based Spicy-Sweet-Sour Sauce

Note: Zucchini makes for excellent gluten free noodles. Fantastic texture!

1/2 Zucchini
2 Carrots
250 gms Tofu
2 Tomatoes
1/4 Onion
5-6 cloves of Garlic
1 Chilli (I used this bomb of a spicy red chilli called Cherry Pepper)
Soy Sauce
White Wine Vinegar
Palm Sugar

Thinly slice the zucchini and carrots with a vegetable peeler to form flat noodles out of them.
Added cubed tofu.
Blend the remaining ingredients into a smooth sauce using upto 1/4 C of water.
Taste and adjust the flavours.
Toss the veggie noodles and tofu in the sauce and transfer to a glass baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes at 230 C and another 15 minutes at 200 C.
Serve hot.
Enjoy! :)


Foxtail Millet Tabbouleh

No quantities for this one. Just cooked Foxtail Millet/Navane and cool it to room temperature. Add finely chopped Tomato, Onion, Mint, Cilantro, Crushed Green Chilli, Black Salt and LOTS of Lime Juice. Mix. Enjoy! :)


Wish you all a wonderfully vegan 2013! *hugs*

Homemade Vegan Xmas Goodies - guest post for The Alternative

Want to know how to make the three delectable goodies in the picture below? The Alternative, an online social change publication, asked me to do a kitchen experiment piece for them with recipes, pictures and a comparison between homemade vs. store-bought. Visit my article on their website to read about why I think it's a great idea to make vegan treats at home instead of buying them off the shelves this festive season. And learn to make Vegan Gingerbread Cookies, Vegan Chocolate Brandy Balls and Vegan Spiced Fig and Persimmon Chutney.

Click on the picture below.

Vegan Boursin Style Cheeze

Boursin is a soft herbed cheese that originates from France. It is extremely easy to make a vegan version at home that's equally rich and creamy but absolutely guilt-free. Vegan cheezes just don't have the kind of bad fats that animal secretion cheeses do. Add to that the zero cholesterol factor and you have something that you can keep on eating and feel really good about. :)

There are vegan Boursins which take a few days of time and patience so the cultures can develop. There are also those which require the cashews to be soaked overnight. My friend Isabel of India Outside My Window had made Boursin like that a few months ago and it was sooooooo delicious! But today I'm sharing a super-quick recipe with you. It doesn't contain the beneficial lactobacilli that fermented nut cheezes have but it sure hits the spot. Takes just ten minutes to put together. That's including the several tasting breaks while blending where you can't help but keep licking your fingers. And of course you have to wash them thoroughly before getting back to blending again and then you lick once more and wash and lick and wash and lick and wash... So that bit basically takes five minutes of the ten. :oP

Boursin cheeze is filled with herbs which make it amazingly flavourful. I used the herbs I had at home and you too can use what you have on hand. The consistency of Boursin is usually like a spread but I've made mine slightly more runny. It wasn't intentional, I added a bit more water than I should've but that didn't make it any less delicious. Also, I clicked the pics immediately after blending so the cheeze hasn't set yet. After a couple of hours in the fridge, now when I spread it on bread, it actually stays in place instead of dribbling down the side so temptingly. haha

The quantity of the tofu and cashew can be adjusted to your liking. Some people make Boursin completely with cashews (or other nuts) with no tofu in it. I need to replenish my stock of sesame seeds but if I had any at home, I'd definitely have put a handful into the mix for an added calcium boost. Also, I haven't mentioned quantities for any of the herbs and flavours because again, those can be added according to your taste.

Vegan Boursin Cheeze

1 C Cashews
250 gms Tofu (1 block from Towness)
Nutritional Yeast
Lime Juice
Whit Wine Vinegar (Apple Cider or Synthetic Vinegar are fine too)
Onion (small piece)
Garlic
Black Salt (regular salt is fine too)
Pinch of Black Pepper Powder
Herbs - Celery (just leaves, no stalk), Thyme, Mint, Cilantro

Grind the cashews into a fine powder in a dry blender jar.
Add everything, except the herbs, into the jar and blend into a smooth, creamy paste using a little water if required.
Taste and adjust the quantity of the salt and lime juice.
Roughly chop the herbs and add them into the blender jar.
Pulse 2 or 3 times.
The herbs should get incorporated but not blended completely.
Place in a glass bowl, cover and keep in the fridge for at least one to two hours.
Slather onto slices of good artisan bread and serve.
Enjoy! :)

This keeps in the fridge for a week to ten days.

This is what I had for lunch today - Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread (I made that yesterday) with Vegan Boursin and Arugula Salad on the side. It was a great, filling and satisfying meal which my tummy with a soothed feeling. :)

Whole Wheat Buttermylk Biscuits and Tofu Gravy

For a long time I'd only heard about Biscuits and Gravy, the American comfort food from my friends in the US. I finally got to taste them in 2010 as a part of the all you can eat Sunday brunch plate at the Sugar Plum Vegan Café in Sacremento. It was everything I'd expected it to be and more.

This evening, while I was going through an old baking book looking for a Sourdough Bread recipe, I chanced upon a recipe for biscuits and the memory of that breakfast came flooding back. I was overcome by a craving for Biscuits and Gravy and I decided right at that moment that I'd be having it for dinner, no matter how long it took me to prepare it.

As it turned out, it took me barely 30-35 minutes to make this from start to finish. It's hard to believe that deeply satisfying, hit-the-spot kind of food like this is so simple to whip up.

Biscuits

Biscuits are commonly made with all purpose flour but I made mine with whole wheat and they turned out deliciously flakey and crunchy on the outside. A perfect combination with thick, creamy gravy. This also made them healthier than traditional biscuits.

Healthier but not completely healthy. There's an insane amount of baking soda and baking powder used in biscuit recipes. And a lot of fat/oil too. This leaves one with a bloated tummy effect that raising agents usually cause. Nothing that a small swig of Oman Water can't fix, but now I do understand why this is traditionally a breakfast dish and not a dinner dish. haha

I am going to figure out a way to drastically reduce or eliminate the baking powder and soda the next time I make it though. But for now, the biscuit recipe below is totally worth trying! So yum!!!

1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
2-3 T Thick Coconut Oil (or vegan margarine)
1/4 C Cashew Mylk (or other vegan mylk)
1 tsp Vinegar
1/2 C Peanut Mylk Curds (or other vegan yogurt)*

Preheat oven to 220 C / 425 F
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Sieve together the dry ingredients.
Add the coconut oil and rub well to form crumbs.
Whisk the vinegar into the cashew mylk.
Pour the cashew mylk into the dry ingredients and mix.
Slowly add enough of the peanut mylk yogurt to form a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Make a ball and place on a floured surface.
With a floured rolling pin, roll it out into a 1/2 inch thick sheet.
Cut out rounds using a cookie cutter or the edge of a cup/tumbler.
Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

*If you don't have any vegan yogurt at home then just whisk the vinegar into 3/4 C of vegan mylk instead of 1/4 C and use that.

Gravy

I looked up gravy recipes and realized that a gravy consists of three main elements. A creamy sauce that's been thickened with the use of a roux. Chunks of something soft/chewy for texture. And interesting spices/flavours. As long as these three are in place, the gravy can be made of any combination of things. So I just used what I had at home and concocted my own version of gravy. I wasn't sure how it would taste but it turned out so delicious that I had to immediately record the recipe so I wouldn't forget it.

2-3 T Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic - roughly chopped
1/2 tsp Celery (leaves, not stalk) - finely chopped
2 Cherry Peppers (or any other spicy chillies) - chopped
Pinch of Freshly Crushed Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1 small block Tofu - cubed
1 1/2 C + 1/4 C Cashew Mylk (or other plant based mylk)
1 T Soy Sauce
1 tsp Sugar
1 T Corn Starch
1/4 tsp Tamarind Paste (or something else to add a wee bit of tang)
Salt (if required)

Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan/wok.
Add the chopped garlic, celery and chillies and stir fry for a minute on low heat.
Add the crushed black pepper and cinnamon and mix.
Add the tofu cubes and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Pour in 1 1/2 C cashew mylk, soy sauce and sugar, mix well and allow to simmer.
Meanwhile, whisk together the corn starch and the remaining 1/4 C cashew mylk.
Pour into the sauce slowly and stir continuously until the mixture thickens.
Turn off the heat.
Add tamarind paste and mix well.
Taste and add a bit of salt if required.

Slice biscuits in half and ladle the gravy over them.
Enjoy hot! :)

Creamy Coconut Pumpkin Vegetable Stew

Coconut Mylk Vegetable Stew is a hearty dish that hails from the state of Kerala, in South India. It is usually served as a combination with Appam Dosa, a kind of pancake made in a special, concave pan. The batter is poured into the hot pan, swirled around, drizzled with oil, covered and roasted for half a minute. This results in a soft, fluffy center and crispy sides. A piece of Appam, dipped in stew does all kinds of yummy things inside your mouth before melting away. :)

My mom usually makes Appam batter and gives it to me, so when I make the batter myself I'll share the recipe here on my blog. For now, here's a coconut mylk based veggie stew with an interesting twist and an added boost of health.

The veggies that are usually stewed in the coconut mylk are carrot, beans, peas and potatoes. But this time when I made the stew, I wanted to use up some week-old vegetables - a large slice of sweet pumpkin, a couple of half-dried radishes, one partially wilted chow chow (chayote) and a sweet potato that was in perfectly good condition. I diced the sweet potato with the carrots, beans and potatoes but the chow chow, radish and pumpkin, I decided to put into the sauce. It ended up making the stew extra creamy and absolutely delicious!

I liked it so much that from now on, whenever I make Coconut Mylk Stew for Appams, I'll be blending some cooked pumpkin into the sauce and maybe some radish too. :D

If you don't use a microwave, the vegetables can be steamed or boiled instead. It'll take a little longer and the texture will be slightly different, but other than that, I'm sure it'll taste just as yummy. :)

2 Carrots
10 Beans
1 Potato
1 Sweet Potato
1/2 C Frozen Peas
1 large slice Red Pumpkin (500 gms)
2 Radishes
1 Chow Chow
1/2 C Thick Coconut Cream/Mylk
2 tsp Coconut Oil
2 Green Chillies
1 inch Cinnamon
4 Cloves
Salt

Scrub and wash all the vegetables well (do not peel them).
Cut the pumpkin, radish and chow chow into chunks and place them in a microwave safe dish.
Sprinkle some salt over them, add half a cup of water and nuke for about 10 minutes (until tender).
Transfer to a wide bowl or plate and keep aside to cool.

Meanwhile, slice the carrots, beans, potato and sweet potato into 1 inch pieces and place them in the micro dish, along with the frozen peas.
Sprinkle salt and water over them and nuke for 5-7 minutes (they should be cooked but crunchy).

Now blend the cooled pumpkin, chow chow and radish into a creamy sauce, adding the coconut cream/mylk and about a cup of water (a little at a time).

Heat the coconut oil in a heavy bottomed pan or wok.
Add the cinnamon, cloves and sliced green chillies and stir fry.
Add the vegetables and stir fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the prepared pumpkin-coconut sauce and mix well.
Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes (to save time, I usually start making the Appams at this point, while the sauce is simmering).

Serve hot with Appams or Stemed Rice or Toasted Bread.

Enjoy! :)

Hot Spiced Chai with Cashew Sesame Mylk for Virtual Vegan Potluck Nov2012

Welcome VVP visitors! I am delighted to have you here. :)

When I signed up under 'Beverages' for the Virtual Vegan Potluck, I had intended to make a decadent, icy, chocolatey vegan shake of sorts. But since I've been over indulging over the past few days and because of the cold, rainy weather we've been having today, I decided to make a hot and comforting beverage instead.

For many years, I've relished the ritual of drinking hot tea every evening. After going vegan (over 9 years ago), I switched to soy for my daily dose of chai. Earlier this year, I discovered the magical taste of chai that's brewed with cashew mylk. It melds with the flavours of the added spices and is super smooth going down the throat. Simply amazing!

Recently, I've started to add a handful of sesame seeds with the cashews while grinding them to make the mylk to boost the healthy, calcium content. It also serves to enhance the taste of the mylk and subsequently, the tea made from it.

The spices in this Masala Chai help digestion and soothe the throat. So sip on some after you've enjoyed all the gastronomical delights that my fellow VVP bloggers have brought to the potluck today to help settle your tummy. ;)

Hot Spiced Chai with Cashew Sesame Mylk

For the raw sesame-cashew mylk:

1/2 C Cashew
1/4 C Sesame Seeds
2 C Filtered Water

Grind the cashews and sesame seeds to a fine powder.
Add 1/4 C water and blend to a smooth cream.
Add remaining 1 3/4 C water and blend well to get mylk.
Pour into a pitcher, cover and store in the fridge for up to a week.

For the tea (serves one person):

1/2 C Water

1 inch Ginger
4 Cloves
1 inch Cinnamon
4 Pepper Corns
1 Cardamom Pod

1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Tea Powder

1/2 C Sesame-Cashew Mylk.

Heat water in a small pan.
Crush the whole spices and add to the water.
Boil for a few minutes to infuse the water with flavours of the spices.
Add sugar and boil for half a minute to dissolve the sugar.
Add tea powder and stir well.
Pour in the sesame-cashew mylk and stir.
Boil for another minute or two on medium heat, until the tea gets frothy.
Turn off the heat.
Strain the tea into a cup/mug through a metal tea strainer.
Press down into the strainer with a spoon to squeeze every last drop of tea into the mug.
Enjoy your piping hot cup of Vegan Masala Chai! :)
*slurp*

Virtual Vegan Potluck, the brainchild of Ann of An Unrefined Vegan, is a twice yearly global blogging event. This time, a hundred and four bloggers will be 'bringing' a vegan dish to the virtual potluck by posting a recipe. The blogs are arranged in order of the courses of a meal. We have Appetizers (18), Beverages (5), Breads (5), Salads (5), Side Dishes (9), Soups (10), Main Dishes (23) and Desserts (29).

Each blog post is linked to the blog before it and after it on the list so it's easy for visitors to jump from one recipe to the next in the order of the courses. My Hot Spiced Chai with Cashew Sesame Mylk is the 22nd recipe on the list. You can start at the beginning of the list by visiting the host site Vegan Bloggers Unite or move to the previous or next blog by clicking on the links below.



Thanks for dropping by. :)