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.

--

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 :)