Vegan Pineapple Pastry

Since my very vanilla cake recipe was such a hit, I thought I'd share the pineapple pastry recipe too. When we say 'pastry' here in India, we refer to a form of extra succulent cake. The main way this decadence is obtained is by dousing the cake with flavored sugar syrup to add moistness. Another thing that makes a pastry what it is, is the inclusion of fresh or canned fruits to enhance the richness of the flavors and textures.



1 Basic Yellow Cake made by replacing the pure vanilla extract with 1/2 t of pineapple essence
1 small can of Pineapple Slices in Syrup
Vegan Whipped Cream like Rich's Non-Dairy Whip Topping or Merry Whip

After the cake has cooled completely, slice it horizontally to form two layers.
Place one layer of cake in a large container and pierce randomly with a fork.
Pour half the syrup from the pineapple can over this layer of cake.
Cover with a thin layer of vegan whipped cream.
Spread most of the pineapple pieces over this saving some for the final topping.
Cover with the second layer of cake and pierce it randomly with a fork.
Pour the remaining syrup evenly over this.
Spread vegan whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake and cover it completely.
Place the remaining pineapple slices on top of the cake in an aesthetically appealing way.

Cover the container and place the pineapple pastry in the fridge. Let it sit for at least a day to soak up the syrup and some of the whipped cream. Serve cold and enjoy! :)

Will last for a minimum of one week when stored in a tightly closed container inside the fridge.



Note: Pastries and cakes taste more delicious as the days go by. Especially chocolate flavored ones. I personally prefer them most two days after they've been made.

Vegan Very Vanilla Cake

Basic Vanilla Cake:

1 3/4 C all purpose flour
2 t arrowroot powder (optional)
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C white sugar
3 t pure vanilla extract
1 t vinegar or lemon juice
5 T oil (canola or sunflower)
1 C cold water

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.

Lightly oil a 9 inch baking pan and keep it aside.

In a large mixing bowl, sieve together the flour, arrowroot powder, baking powder and baking soda about 6-7 times (the more number of times you sieve, the fluffier the cake will be).

Mix the remaining ingredients separately and beat well to dissolve the sugar to some extent.

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk together with a few quick strokes just until no lumps remain (too much mixing is not advisable). Pour the cake batter into the baking pan and immediately pop into the preheated oven.

Bake for about 35 minutes. Test by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake and see if it comes out clean. If so, the cake is done. If not, then bake for a few more minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and keep it aside. Let the cake cool completely before you remove it from the pan.

This cake is delicious eaten as it is but it can also be enjoyed layered with vegan whipped cream.



Vanilla Cream Cake:

Prepare vegan whip topping by carefully following the directions on the package. Rich's is the most well known brand of non-dairy whip topping in India. I also like to use the Merry Whip brand which is available at the Institute of Baking, Bangalore (these guys also carry another non-dairy brand called Gold Top but stay away from that one because it tastes too artificial essence-y!)

Slice the cooled cake horizontally to form two layers. On a large plate, place the bottom layer. Cover it with some of the whipped cream. Place the top layer over this and cover the whole cake with whipped cream with the help of a spatula.

Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

The cake is best stored in a closed container in the fridge. It will last at least a week IF it hasn't been finished well before that. :)

Pecan Pesto Cabbage Patty Wraps

It's always fun to walk into the kitchen clueless as to what I'm going to cook for dinner, just grab a few ingredients and then invent a dish as I go along. As I've mentioned before, I'm a huge fan of stuffed/wrapped meals. Multiple layers and textures are a great way to make any dish interesting.

It all started with a cabbage. I first thought I'd be making stuffed cabbage rolls but because it was raining, I had a hankering for deep fried goodies. So I decided to make cabbage patties and then make them healthier (I say 'ier' because deep fried or not, veggies are healthy to begin with) by turning them into whole wheat wraps with raw veggies and a nice pesto.

Pecan Pesto Cabbage Patty Wraps



For the Cabbage Patties:

1 Small Cabbage chopped finely
1 Large Onion chopped finely
1/4 c Rice Flour
1/2 c Besan Flour (aka Gram Flour)
1 t Red Chilli Powder
1/2 t Cumin Powder
1 1/2 t Coriander Powder
Salt to taste
Pinch of Baking Soda
Sesame Oil for deep frying (Canola or Sunflower Oils are fine too)

Heat the oil in a wide pan or wok.

Place the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add a little bit of water and mix to form into a rough ball of dough. It should hold its shape (add a little more fried gram flour if required) Pinch off little bits, form them into balls and flatten them into a patty shape.

Deep fry them, a couple at a time, on medium flame until golden brown and keep aside on a plate layered with tissue paper so any oil can get absorbed.

For the Pesto:

Spinach
Baby Mustard Greens (I grow them at home in a little pot and pick them while they're tender)
Cilantro
Pecans
Salt
Green chillies
Nutritional Yeast (optional)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Blend everything, except for the olive oil, together into a smooth paste using a little bit of filtered water. After it's smooth, keep the blender running and drizzle in the olive oil so it gets incorporated well. Transfer to an airtight container and keep aside.

This pesto will keep well in the fridge for at least a week when stored properly.

Other ingredients:

Whole Wheat Chapathies (any other thin flat breads like Pita or Tortillas would work too)
Tomatoes sliced into rounds
Capsicums (Green Bell Peppers) sliced into strips
Carrots grated
Black Pepper freshly crushed

How to proceed:

Place a chapathi on a flat surface and spread the pesto on it evenly in a thin layer. In the center, place three slices of tomatoes in a vertical line. Place the cabbage patties on the tomato slices. Top with green bell pepper strips and grated carrot. Crush pepper over everything and roll up the chapati snugly to form a wrap.

Bite into it and enjoy the burst of flavors in your mouth. :)

Vegan Whole Wheat Cinnabuns

Last year I had the pleasure of tasting a gourmet cinnamon roll at Cinnaholic and I was absolutely blown away by it! Ever since then I've been craving a cinnabun as perfect in taste and texture as that particular roll. Now if it were up to me, every time I craved a cinnabun, I'd just teleport right on over to Cinnaholic and stuff my face to my heart's content. Heck, I'd even be happy to be their employee just so I could be constantly enveloped in the smell of cinnamon rolls baking. And that says a lot because if you know me, you'd know I'm not into 'work'. But let's face it, it's going to be at least another year before I perfect my teleportation powers and Berkley is too far away from Bangalore to risk it. Imagine if I apparate in some remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean where no one's heard of cinnamon rolls?? *shudders*

So my only option has been to bake and bake with the aim to arrive at the recipe for an amazing cinnabun. Something to keep my happy until the next time I'm able to experience a heavenly Cinnaholic cinnamon roll once more.

I first took a non vegan clover leaf rolls recipe and then tweaked it and tweaked it some more to not only veganize it and make it healthy with whole wheat in the mix but to also get the perfect, fluffy texture. Then when those rolls turned out great, I finally decided to take the leap and adapt that recipe into one for cinnabuns. And FINALLY, these delicious Vegan Whole Wheat Cinnabuns came into being. :)



Baking bread takes a bit of effort and a LOT of patience. But both these things pay off ten fold when your house is filled by the smell of bread baking and your mouth delighted with the amazing taste of artisan bread which you had the satisfaction of making with your own two hands.

So plan in advance, assign a day to make an event out of it and enjoy the process!

Vegan Whole Wheat Cinnabuns

1 1/4 C soymilk
1/2 C agave nectar or maple syrup or sugar syrup
4 T olive oil
2 t active dry yeast
1/4 t sugar
1 1/2 T raw flax seed powder
1 t salt
1 C All Purpose Flour
3-4 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C or more Cinnamon powder

Heat the soymilk until lukewarm (test the temperature with your knuckle). Pour into a large mixing bowl and whisk in the agave nectar, oil and yeast. Sprinkle the sugar on top. Leave for 15 minutes for the yeast to dissolve. It should be all bubbly and frothy by the end of this time.

Add the salt, 2 T of the cinnamon powder and flax seed powder and beat a little. Slowly whisk in the 1 C all purpose flour and 2 1/2 cups of the whole wheat flour a little at a time while continuing to beat it as much as possible. Once the dough gets too thick to beat, add just a little more flour and mix with your palms to obtain a rough dough.

Form this dough into a ball and transfer it onto a flat, floured surface (I use my cleaned granite counter top). Knead well for about 10 mins at least (add a little more whole wheat flour while kneading if the dough is sticky but make sure it doesn't get too dry) until it reaches a smooth, elastic consistency.

An effective way to knead is to press the dough away from you with the base of your palms, then fold the dough over towards you and then it press again.

Form the kneaded dough into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl with a little bit of oil. Place the dough ball into the bowl and twirl it around until it's coated with the oil. Cover with a clean plastic grocery bag and let it sit in a sunny spot for about 2 hours. It should rise and double in volume by the end of this time.

Punch down the dough and give it a quick knead for a few seconds. Roll it out into a large rectangle about 1 centimeter (a little less than 1/2 inch) thick and place it with the long side towards you. Lightly coat this rectangle with a very thin layer of agave nectar and sprinkle generously with cinnamon powder. starting from your side, gently roll up the dough to form a long, log shape. Cut this log into 1 inch slices and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Cover again with the plastic bag and let them sit for 1 1/2 hours to double in volume.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Bake the rolls for about 35 minutes. Enjoy the smell of cinnabuns wafting through your home.

Cool slightly on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm and be transported to another dimension.

Carrot and Radish Stuffed Chapathis

Simple enough to make but OMG are these babies deeeelicious. Serve with a splosh of ketchup and a dash of Tabasco on the side and it's pure heaven! :)



For the stuffing:

Grated Carrots
Grated Radish
Finely Chopped Onion
Crushed Green Chillies
Chopped Cilantro
Salt

Mix everything together and keep aside.

For the chapathi:

2 C whole wheat flour
2 tsp vegetable oil
salt

Mix everything together with a little water to form a ball. Knead till it reaches an elastic consistency. Pinch off equal sized balls and roll out into circles.



Place one rolled out chapathi on a flat surface and spread some of the stuffing mixture on it leaving a little bit of space around the edges. Place a second chapathi over it and seal the edges by pressing together gently.



Roast both sides of the chapathi on a pan over medium flame until golden brown.

Serve hot and enjoy! :)

Well actually, I love these at room temperate too after they've sat around for a few hours because the layers soak up the flavors and get a little soggy. So these make a great lunch box dish!