Vanilla Tahini Ice Cream - Vegan MoFo 2014 Day 1

Woot!!! Vegan Month of Food 2014 has begun! :)

This is my 4th time participating in MoFo. Even though there's a lot going on in my life this time around, I couldn't help but sign up for the event yet again because I've really enjoyed it each and every year! Blogging on an almost daily basis is one part of the excitement, but also visiting the various participating blogs, drooling over the delicious foods and interacting with my fellow MoFo-ers is a truly delightful experience.

For Vegan MoFo 2013 I had chosen a Raw Foods theme. I created and shared a bunch of video tutorials using an app called HowDo and they were a big hit. Unfortunately HowDo closed. :( I'm going to miss that app terribly this year. But once the Vlogging bug has bitten, it's hard to let go. So I plan to shoot at least a few YouTube videos through MoFo this time around.

My theme for this time is ICE CREAMS!!! :D I'm expanding that to include other frozen desserts too so there's a lot more variety.

Today's recipe is a Vanilla Tahini Ice Cream. I made it at Carrots as soon as I signed up for MoFo. Everyone who tried it absolutely loved it. So now our bakery chef Kanchan makes it often. :)

This ice cream does not require an ice cream maker (but if you have one then feel free to use it). It melts quickly and has a light, soothing feel to it. The roasted sesame and pure vanilla flavours go together beautifully.

I've used Merry Whip (commercially available non-dairy whipping cream) in this ice cream. But if you'd like to avoid this, you could use whipped coconut cream in it if you like. However, it might takeaway from the flavour a bit.

I've also used whole vanilla pods as the flavouring because I can't stand the artificial vanilla essence that's available locally. Besides, we don't use any artificial colours or flavours at Carrots so I couldn't have used it in this recipe anyways.

Getting good, pure vanilla extract that's vegan isn't easy here. But if you have the patience and inclination, you could make your own extract at home by putting chopped vanilla beans into rum or vodka for about 6 months. I have tried this at home (again, not at Carrots because we're an alcohol-free restaurant) but compared to that, I am in *love* with the depth of flavour and texture that whole vanilla beans give. So I recommend using them.

Vanilla Tahini Ice Cream

40 g Cashews
20 g Toasted Sesame Seeds
150 g Commercial Vegan Whipped Cream (Rich's or Merry Whip)
1.5 pods Whole Vanilla Beans
200 g Sugar
1 litre Water

- Grind cashews, sesame seeds and broken vanilla pods into a fine powder
- Add a little water at a time and blend into a creamy paste
- Add the remaining water, sugar and whipped cream and blend well
- Freeze in an airtight box for 8-10 hours
- Re-blend this icy mixture
- Freeze again for 8-10 hours
- Scoop and enjoy! :)

Pan Baked Hazelnut Mocha Crunch Cookies aka Tava Biskut and Vegan MoFo 2014

Howdie howdie howdie! Hope all you awesome people are doing great!!! :)

I miss you all and I've been wanting to blog for a long time now. But as I've mentioned in my previous posts, I've been super duper busy ever since I became the Countess of Cuisine and Jollification at Carrots - the bestest, wonderfulest place to work ever!

I did something a few weeks ago in one moment of sheer madness...I signed up for Vegan MoFo!!! *gasp* Now as September is around the bend (tomorrow, to be precise), I'm beginning to freak out just a teeny tiny bit. I should probably be freaking out a lot more, but I think I'm still in denial. :P

What's more, I signed up for a theme. A verrrrry specific theme (thanks to hubby's bright idea *grumble grumble*)...Ice Creams! And guess how many new ice cream recipes I have ready and under my belt? Exactly ONE! *gaaaah*

So my master plan is keep making new ice creams and other frozen desserts on an almost daily basis. I'll make many of these at home yes, but also plenty at the restaurant, because that's where I have all my minions to help out. :D

Bangalore peeps, whenever you visit Carrots, remember to ask about the "special edition ice cream made by Susmitha". If you're lucky, some of the recipes you see on the blog here through September might just be available on the menu the day you visit. :)

Now on to today's recipe - Pan Baked Hazelnut Mocha Crunch Cookies, which I lovingly refer to as Tava Biskut. :D



These cookies can be baked in an oven at 200C/400F for 20 minutes, but they're special because they can be quickly made on a pan too. :)

Hazelnut Mocha Crunch Cookies

140 g / 1 C Hazelnuts
110 g / 1 C Quick Cooking Oats
5 g / 1/2 t Salt
140 g / 1/2 C Sugar
2 g / 1 t Instant Coffee Powder
10 g / 2 T Cocoa Powder
5 g / 1 T Flax Seed Powder
3 T Water

- Grind hazelnuts to a buttery consistency in a dry grinder jar and transfer to a mixing bowl
- Grind oats to a coarse meal and add to hazelnut butter
- Mix in the remaining ingredients with your hands
- Shape into flat cookies
- Cook on a pan on medium heat for a few minutes, press gently with a flat spoon
- Flip and cook the other side while gently pressing down again
- Cool on a rack
- Store in an airtight box
- Enjoy! :)

Raspberry Wasabi Tofu and how my work has taken over my life

Most of my friends are probably sick of hearing this, but I love my job, I love my team and I love, love, love the fantastic food I get to eat at my super awesome workplace. :)

Before I joined the Carrots family, I insisted that I have a flexible work schedule so that I have plenty of time to pursue my existing passions - the primary ones being my blog here and my artwork. But a week into the start of my career as Countess of Cuisine and Jollification (yes, that's my real designation) my world started to revolve around my life at Carrots. On the days I was at home, I often found myself thinking, "oh it would be so nice to be at Carrots right now." I figured that once the novelty wore off I'd get back to being myself again. Four months down the line, I've begun to accept that nothing of that sort is about to happen. :P

Of course the downside to all of this is that certain other areas of my life have begun to suffer. I barely make jewellery anymore and I haven't touched my favourite toy, polymer clay, in forever. I don't spend time experimenting in the kitchen as often as I used to and as a result there's a lack in blog-able content.

I've been feeling a little more guilty about my fairly silent blog than any of the other stuff. So you can imagine my delight when I was going through some old food photographs and found this recipe that I had created long ago but missed sharing here. Two recipes within a span of one week. Yes! :D

Raspberry Wasabi Tofu

1/2 block Silken Tofu
3 T Bread Crumbs

For the marinade:
3 T Raspberry Wine Vinegar
1/2 tsp Wasabi Paste
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Sugar or Liquid Jaggery
Salt

- Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a wide glass bowl
- Drain the tofu and slice it into large squares
- Place the tofu in the marinade and gently toss to coat
- Cover and keep in the fridge overnight (about 8-10 hours)

- Heat a pan or skillet on medium heat
- Put the bread crumbs on a plate
- Dip the tofu into the bread crumbs and coat it on all sides
- Toast the tofu on the hot pan

- Keep a close watch and flip carefully a few times during the toasting
process to ensure the bread crumbs don't stick to the pan
- Once the crumbs are browned to your liking, the tofu is ready
- Serve with your favourite hot sauce (you know it's Tabasco Chipotle for me) drizzled over the tofu
- Enjoy! :)

Pumpkin Tofu Rosemary Methi Roti Ravioli

Want to guess why this ravioli is heart shaped? Yep, I made it at the beginning of February with the full intention of posting it here on Valentine's Day. But life got crazy, time zipped by and now I suddenly find myself in April, remembering I had to share this recipe with you all.

Ah well, heart shaped food on April Fool's Day? I'll just file it under the Love Fool theme and call it a day. ;)

Now let me type the recipe while I'm still in the mood to do so. As always, adjust the flavours to suit your tastes and ingredient availability. Serve the ravioli with some freshly crushed pepper on top and it's pure heaven!



Pumpkin Tofu Rosemary Methi Roti Ravioli

For the Pasta Dough:
2 C Whole Wheat Flour
½ C Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)
½ tsp Sesame Seeds
¼ tsp Turmeric
Salt
Water

- Mix everything into a soft, elastic dough
- Cover and keep aside

For the Stuffing:
½ kg Tofu - water pressed out and crumbled
1 Small Onion - finely chopped and lightly stir fried (preferably without oil)
1 Japanese Pumpkin (small, orange kind) - de-seeded, chopped and steamed or nuked
1 C Spinach - chopped roughly
¼ tsp Dried Rosemary
Tabasco Chipotle Sauce
Salt

- Place everything in a large bowl and roughly mash together with your fingers or a fork
- Taste and adjust the flavours
- Keep aside

For the Sauce:
5-8 Tomatoes
7-10 Cloves of Garlic
1 Green Chilli
½ tsp Jaggery
Tabasco Chipotle Sauce
Salt

- Blend everything as smoothly as possible (few chunks are okay)
- Transfer to a pan and simmer for a few minutes while stirring
- Cover and keep aside

How to proceed:

- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil
- Roll out the dough into 2mm thick sheet
- Cut out hearts (or any other shape of your choice) using a cookie cutter
- Place a spoonful of stuffing between two hearts
- Gently and firmly press the sides to seal completely
- Keep aside on a plate and use the same procedure to make more ravioli hearts
- Gently drop the ravioli into the boiling water in batches for four or five
- They will rise to the top in about 3-5 minutes
- Lift them out with a slotted spoon and keep aside on a plate
- Prepare the rest of the raviolis in the same way
- Serve hot with lots of sauce ladled on
- Enjoy! :)

VGF is Great Fun! - Sunday, 23rd March

VGF is back! :)

For the past two weeks, hubby and I have been working hard on organising our favourite vegan fair once again. If you're in Bangalore this weekend, this is an event you don't want to miss. If you're vegan, aspiring to be vegan, or simply curious about a vegan lifestyle, VGF is an opportunity to taste a variety of delicious vegan foods and enjoy some vegan art and bath and body products all under one roof.

***No entry fee. All are welcome!***
Date: Sunday, 23rd March 2014
Time: 12 noon to 7 p.m.
Venue: #28, Penthouse, 3rd Floor, 'Citi Centre', Church Street, Bangalore - 560001

~~~To reduce wastage:~~~
* We will be providing a biodegradable disposable plate to each person. Please reuse the same throughout the event.
* We also encourage you to bring your own plates, spoons and cups if possible.
* We will have carton parcel boxes available but we request that you bring your own reusable containers and bags.

We'll have two vegan food demos this time around - Arun (of Samabhava) will show you how to make Coconut Mylk Coffee and at Chef Ram (our bakery chef at Carrots) and I will show you how to make Cashew Mylk and quick Chocolate Truffles. Plus, a special guest, Jeremy Occhipinti, will be there with his guitar, singing for us and uplifting the atmosphere. :)

Here is the list of items that you can grab at VGF this time:

Cakes and Cupcakes:
Edible Flower Cake - Taantraa // Organic Handbaking
Pineapple Pastry - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen
German Chocolate Cake - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen
Mango Almond Cake - Paradigm Shift
Chocolate Rum Cake - Paradigm Shift
Chocolate Truffle Cake - Paradigm Shift
Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes - Paradigm Shift

Muffins:
Crunchy Moong Dal Muffins - Taantraa // Organic Handbaking
Aromatic Orange Almond Muffins - Taantraa // Organic Handbaking
Rose Coconut Muffins - Taantraa // Organic Handbaking
Chocolate Muffins - Taantraa // Organic Handbaking
Strawberry Muffins - Taantraa // Organic Handbaking

Cookies:
Whole Wheat Cookies - Samabhava
Oat Cookies - Paradigm Shift
Coconut Cookies - Paradigm Shift
Dark Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies - Veganosaurus

Desserts:
Tiramisu Cheesecake - Peace of Cake
Cashew Chocolate Fudge - Samabhava
Chocolate Mousse Ice Cream - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen

Snacks:
Samosa - Sharmila
Peanut Dahi Puri - Sudha
Gluten Free Bread with Coconut Butter - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen
Mini Burgers - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen

Main Dishes:
Peanut Curd Rice - Veganosaurus
Special Khichdi - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen
Thai Tofu Red Curry - Paradigm Shift
Basil Fried Rice - Paradigm Shift
Thai Chilli Garlic Tofu - Paradigm Shift
Spicy Rice with Raitha - Samabhava

Salads:
Raw Papaya Salad - Paradigm Shift

Spreads and Dips:
Plain Cheese - Millie's Vegan Cheese
Herbed Cheese - Millie's Vegan Cheese
Garlic Cheese - Millie's Vegan Cheese
Peas Pâté - Millie's Vegan Cheese

Beverages:
Spicy Lemon Juice - Veganopia
Cashew Mylk Strawberry Coffee - Veganopia
Soy Buttermylk - Carrots, The Healthy Kitchen

Miscellaneous:
Lazy Bum Cake Mix - Veganosaurus
Lip Balms - Burst of Happyness
Handmade Soaps - Burst of Happyness
Kitchen Art - Scatter the Batter

Watermelon Gazpacho and Appreciating Myself

Happy New Year my dah-lings! :)

I know, I know, we're almost a month into 2014. But I've been so busy that I barely noticed January zipping by. There's been *so much* to do on various fronts, not the least of which is my job at our local vegan restaurant. I've turned into one of those people who need to make task lists and spreadsheets to keep track of things. Sheesh!

I've come to realise that there's a sore need for me to compartmentalise my time and leave chunks of breathing space, just to relax and reset. It's also extremely important that I periodically reflect on what I've accomplished and achieved. Otherwise it feels like I'm only doing, doing, doing things with a lot more to do but not taking note of and appreciating how much is getting done.

Most people who know me, especially those who follow and participate in the "I am thankful..." posts on my Art by Susmitha page on Facebook, know that I'm a huge believer in the power of Gratitude and that I make it a point to consciously give thanks for all the wonderful things in my life. From now on, I'm adding the practice of Conscious Self-Appreciation to my daily, or at least weekly, habits too.

It goes something like this:

- I rode my bicycle all the way from home to work this weekend. I'm freaking awesome!
- I created a twitter account for Carrots last weekend and live-tweeted photographs throughout the Portuguese Vegan Cooking Demo by Chef Nandan. How very cool and hip of me. :P
- I changed sheets, vacuumed, did laundry, washed vessels, scrubbed the bathroom walls and generally got a bunch of household chores out of the way this week. Freaking super woman, eh?!
- I took the lead on organising and pulling off a nice candle light dinner event at the restaurant for a really sweet, young couple. Aww I'm such a sappy, romantic. ;)
- I got a jewellery order package mailed out. Yay me!
- I took a proper, full day off from work, without even checking my email or social media pages no matter how tempted I was to do so. Brownie points for self-care.
- I'm getting this blog post done right now. Yeah! I kickass. :D

This is so much fun! By the end of this short list I'm feeling super good about myself. I invite you to try it too. It'll be quite addictive.

Go ahead, leave a comment and proudly tell me all the things you feel awesome about accomplishing recently. :)

Meanwhile, here's another thing I'm proud of - a delicious, refereshing Watermelon Gazpacho!

I created it for our Vegan Bangalore monthly potluck last weekend. The gorgeous red-pink colour makes it look like I whizzed some rubies together in my mixie. :P It's so pretty, and yummy that I had to take pictures and share the recipe with you.



Apart from all the fruit and veggie chopping work, this cold soup is super easy to prepare. Here is how you do it:

- Blend together:
1 3/4 small Watermelons
1/4 Beet
1 Red Carrot (Gajad)
4 small Tomatoes
1 Ripe Chilli (green chilli that's turned red but hasn't dried yet)
8 cloves of Garlic
2 T Lime Juice
1 tsp Raspberry Wine Vinegar (Balsamic can be used instead)
2 T Nutritional Yeast (optional)
Salt (to taste)

- Stir in:
1/4 Watermelon - chopped
10 Strawberries - sliced
1 small Red Onion - chopped finely
Thyme - lightly crushed
Rosemary - lightly crushed
Pepper - crushed well

- Taste and adjust the flavours.
- Pour into a vessel/container, cover and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Slurp and Enjoy! :)

Have a wonderful 2014, filled with an abundance of gratitude, love, laughter and joy! I love you all. *hugs* :)

VGF, Carrots, VVP - updates from my yummilicious vegan life! :)

I've been MIA from my blog for over a month now because a lot has been happening in my life. All good things. :) So thought I'd give you all a quick update with lots of pictures.

In November, hubby and I organized VGF once again. This was the second time we did VGF (the first one was in Feb). It involved a lot of planning and work but in the end, it was totally worth it! :)

This article in The Hindu Metroplus clearly explains what VGF is all about.

Here are a some photos from the event:

The Food

The Sellers

The Demo and Visitors

And here's the poster we created for VGF:

We plan to have VGF a few times a year. Follow our VGF Facebook Page for more pictures and information.

--

In other news, my Tropical Garnet Cocktail/Mocktail won the best beverage prize in the Virtual Vegan Potluck that was held in November. Yay! This is the second time my beverage has won a VVP prize, the first was my Hot Spiced Masala Chai last November. :)

Check out this cool video announcing all the winners in the various categories on the VVP website.

I'll share pics of all the prize goodies once they arrive. :)

--

Finally, I've been saving the best for last. From the beginning of December, I've started working at our local vegan restaurant, Carrots. After much thought, my hubbs came up with a designation name for me which encapsulates the various roles I've taken on at Carrots - Countess of Cuisine and Jollification. Yes, that's my official designation and will be on my business cards too. :D

I'm at the restaurant a few days a week and I'm totally loving it so far. The job, the environment, the people, the YUMMMM food! It's all awesome!!! :)

My first pet project as soon as I started at Carrots has been to work with Chefs Gurung and Ram to create a fantastic vegan buffet for New Year's Eve. I'm really proud of all the dishes we've come up with. If you're in Bangalore, this is a must-taste vegan spread! The full menu will be announced tomorrow on the Facebook Event Page.

Meanwhile, I'll leave you with photos of some of the dishes to drool over. :)

Almond Jowar Cookies

Avial

Cannelloni

Cinnamon Rolls

Grilled Tofu with Super Spicy Sweet Sauce

Hot Chocolate

Leek and Ginger Soup

Obsessive Chocolative Disorder

Cowboy Pepper Salad

Raw Orange Ginger Tarts

Garlicky Pesto Rolls

Potatoes with Jamaican Sweet Sauce

Roasted Peanut and Red Wine Vinegar Dipping Sauce

Walnut Waldorf Salad

Spaghetti Rolls

Sweet Potato Pie

Tiramisu Cupcakes

--

Wish you all a wonderful Holiday Season and a fantastic 2014! See you all here next year. :)

*Hugs*

Tropical Garnet Cocktail or Mocktail - Virtual Vegan Potluck November 2013

Aaaargh! I'm totally kicking myself right now!!! After all the effort and time Annie and the VVP gang has put into coordinating The Virtual Vegan Potluck, I totally screwed up and got my date wrong. I forgot that the post had to go live this morning at 9:31 a.m. my time and kept thinking it has to go up tomorrow. Now I see all these VVP post links being shared online and I'm feeling so guilty!

Thankfully, I have my recipe created and pictures clicked already, so even though my post is going up at the wrong time, I'm hoping it's not too terribly late since it's still early in the potluck day for most people.

This the the 3rd time I'm participating in the VVP. My first two posts were Hot Spiced Cashew-Sesame Mylk Chai and Rice Mylk Majjige. They were both beverages and this one is too. I believe beverages will be my forever VVP tradition. That is, if I don't get banned from participating in the next round. :P

Seriously, I'm really really sorry Annie. :(

Ok, without further delay, here goes my recipe for Tropical Garnet Cocktail or Mocktail

The only difference between the Cocktail and Mocktail is the booze. One has the awesomeness of Coconut Malibu in it and the other just skips it (but is awesome nonetheless).

For the Tropical Garnet Base Mix:
2 Beets - scrubbed well and washed
1 C Coconut Mylk
1 C Seltzer Water (Plain Drinking Soda)

* Cut off both the ends of the beets but don't peel them
* Chop them up roughly and grind in a blender jar until they're as fine as possible
* Add coconut mylk and blend well
* Add seltzer and pulse a few times to let the coconut and beet flavours get infused into each other
* Transfer to an airtight jar and store in the fridge

For the Cocktail/Mocktail:
Garnet Base Mix
Coconut Malibu (only for cocktail)
Seltzer Water

* Put a few spoonfuls of the garnet base mix in a glass
* Add a splash of the Coconut Malibu (if using)
* Pour seltzer water over everything
* Enjoy your fizzy cocktail/mocktail! :)

The VVP is an event where various blogs from the world participate and share a recipe at the same time. Each blog is linked to the next to form a circle, like a warm, delicious hug. :) You can find the whole list of participating blogs at the host site, Vegan Bloggers Unite.

The blog before mine shares a delicious beverage - Chocolate Protein Tonic from The Veggie Nook (do note that the honey mentioned in the recipe isn't vegan though)

The blog after mine shares a yummy bread - Garden Harvest Cornbread from Sift, Stir and Savour

Thanks for dropping by. Have a fun Virtual Vegan Potluck! :)

Madhu's Besan Laddoos, Rithika's Carrot n Coconut Date Squares and a message from Zeeshan of PCRM

Besan Laddoo, or as we say in Kannada, Besan Undé, is one of my absolute favorite sweets! I have wonderful memories of my grandma making them in my childhood days. Popping that freshly made, warm Besan Undé into my mouth as soon as she shaped it into a ball was pure bliss. Mmmm.

After I turned vegan, my gran and my aunts started to switch out the ghee with oil when they made Besan Undés for us. Those are pretty darned yum too but the texture is a bit on the softer side.

So recently, during Deepavali, when I saw a recipe for Besan Laddoo by my Facebook friend Madhulika Jajodia where she'd used cashew powder in the recipe to add firmness to the Laddoos, I just knew I had to try it out.

I made a few tweaks to the recipe to suit the ingredients I had at home and created these super delicious Besan Undés. They are so easy and quick to make that I'm afraid I'll be making them a little too often. :p

Vegan Besan Undé

1 C Besan (Chickpea) Flour
3/4 C Sugar
1/2 C Cashew Powder
1/4 C Groundnut (Peanut) Oil
Elaichi (Cardamom) Powder
Toasted Almond Pieces

*Pour the oil into a heavy bottomed pan (iron baandli) and heat.
*Add the besan flour, stir and toast on medium flame till it emits a nice aroma.
*Add sugar and cashew powder and continue to heat and stir for a few minutes.
*Finally add the elaichi powder and toasted almonds, mix well and turn off the heat.
*Let the mixture cool for a few minutes, till it is comfortable to handle.
*Grease your palms with oil and shape into tight balls.
*Eat some.
*Allow the remaining to cool completely and store in an airtight container.
*Enjoy! :)

Talking about Deepavali sweets, Zeeshan Ali of PCRM wanted to share a few words here about healthy desserts, along with a delicious recipe by my good friend Rithika Ramesh of Vegan on the Prowl and The Green Stove.

“Following the celebration of Diwali — a festival of lights, fireworks, and sweets — in India, physicians with the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) offer a healthful alternative to traditional treats that are typically made with high-fat, high-cholesterol eggs and dairy products, including milk and ghee. These ingredients aren’t just bad for your waistline, recent studies link dairy consumption to prostate cancer.

“The good news? Health-conscious families can now swap dairy products for nondairy options, such as cashew milk. Other tips, to boost nutrients and curb fat, include swapping sugar for dates and applesauce for eggs.

“According to the study published in the journal "Diabetes Care," a diet low in cholesterol, fats and sugars lowers risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

“Carrot and Coconut Date Squares is a delicious example of a healthful, cholesterol-free treat; it’s packed with a decadent combination of carrots, coconut, and dates, which provide a mega-dose of beta-carotene, vitamins, and dietary fiber. These antioxidants naturally boost your immune system and fiber will help fill you up without filling you out.

Best,
Zeeshan Ali PhD
Phone: 202-527-7302
Email: Zali@Pcrm.org"

Carrot and Coconut Date Squares (Dessert)

For the base and crumble:
3 cups oats powdered
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 medium carrot grated
1/2 cup jaggery melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond butter

For the filling:
400 grams pitted dates
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange peel

Preheat your oven to 180˚C.
Mix all the dry ingredients for the crumble and then add the wet ingredients. Make it into a thick, firm dough.
Boil the dates with 1/2 cup water for 15 minutes. Make sure it doesn't burn. Once it cools, blend it into a smooth paste and add more water if required. Add the vanilla and orange peel.
In a square or rectangular baking dish lined with parchment paper, put two thirds of the oat mixture and spread evenly. Spread the date mixture on top of it. Crumble the rest of the oat mixture on top of it.
Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Links to additional recipes:
NutritionMD.org
21daykickstartIndia.org

Celebrations and Richa Hingle's Vegan Diwali Sweets eBook Giveaway

HAPPY WORLD VEGAN DAY/MONTH, HAPPY KANNADA RAJYOTSAVA DAY, HAPPY DIWALI AND HAPPY MOVEMBER!!!

I love November! There are so many things to celebrate this month. It's World Vegan Month and 1st November is World Vegan Day. It's also Kannada Rajyotsava Day, when we celebrate the formation of our state, Karnataka. Certain awesome people are born in November. *ahem* And November is Movember, a month long celebration of mustaches. And yes, much to the chagrin of my hubby, this year too, I'm going to be sporting a mush on various profile pictures. bahahah :{D

Then, there's Deepavali (also called Diwali) coming up tomorrow and the festivities will go on for 3-4 days. Deepavali falls in the month of October or November depending on the Hindu calendar and moon cycles. I'm glad it's in November this year. It adds yet another reason to party during this month of celebrations. Yummy sweets and snacks, here I come! Wheeee!!!

In all my years of being vegan, I've found certain Indian Sweets to be quite tricky to veganise. Yeah, I'm talking about you, Jamoons and Bengali Sweets! After finally managing to get Jamoons fairly right, I wrote a long blog post about it last year. But sadly, no amount of effort led to good vegan Bengali Sweets. Over and over again, I tried to make Rasgullas, Rasmalais and even Sandesh, but all attempts only led to frustrating little rubbery balls which stubbornly refused to soak up the delicious sauces and syrups they were dunked into. Grrrrr.

So imagine my thrill when Richa of Vegan Richa started to share photographs of GORGEOUS looking Rasmalais on her Facebook Page! I was totally jealous that she's managed to get the recipe right, but I was also filled with gratitude and happiness and generally a lot of "SQUEEEEEEEES" because recipes for delicious, vegan Bengali Sweets had *finally* come into existence.

To be honest, it comes as no surprise to me that Richa was the one to crack the Rasgulla code. She is the mistress of Indian Sweets! :) It also doesn't surprise me that her first eBook is one filled with Vegan Diwali Sweets.

This book is filled with gorgeous pictures and recipes for a bunch of much loved Indian desserts. You can clearly see that Richa has put a lot of time and effort into creating it. And she's so generously giving away all the sales generated from the eBook sales to two wonderful animal charities.

You can read more about the book and buy it on her blog. You can also win a copy for yourself right here on Veganosaurus by entering the giveaway below. The giveaway will be open all weekend and a winner will be announced on Monday or Tuesday.

Do spread the word about this wonderful eBook and this giveaway. Thanks for entering! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway