Pasta Shells with Mint Tamarind Tofu Vegan MoFo day 17

Hubby and I drastically cut down on buying packaged dry pasta a while ago. Semolina is basically white flour in a grainy form. There isn't much nutrition or fiber in it. Plus, pasta prices have been hiked up quite a bit. Rs.150 for 500 gms is the lowest price I've seen in the recent times and that seems way too much to pay for half a kilo of semolina and salt.

There are healthier whole wheat pastas and gluten-fee rice/corn varieties available in the market now, but those are double, triple, quadruple the price. I can understand that it's slightly more expensive to produce GF products but just because something is gluten-free, doesn't mean it should cost an arm and a leg.

But giving up pasta entirely is not something I'm willing to do. For starters, it is so darned yummy. On top of that, it's unbelievably easy to whip up dinner when there's a pack of dry pasta on hand! So once in a while, we indulge and buy a big pack of pasta and then use it sparingly.

Conchiglioni and Farfalle are my very favourite kinds. The sauces and flavours get into all the little nooks and crannies and make the end result extra yummy. :)

When hubby and I discovered that Bambino, an old, Indian company known for its Semiya Vermicelli and Elbow Macaroni for many years now, has started to produce Shell Macaroni, we were super happy! Being a local brand, we knew they'd price their products quite reasonably. Nevertheless, we were delightfully surprised to see that they sell nearly 1kg (950 gms) of their Shell Macaroni at Rs.60!!!

Granted that Macaroni Shells are thinner and smaller than regular Conchiglioni Shells and they don't cook to a firm, al dente finish, but the difference isn't that big of a deal really. Especially if one's not looking to make anything fancy but just have an easy and delicious weeknight meal.

I don't have any fixed recipes I follow while making pasta. I just put together things depending on my mood and what's available on hand. I made this dish of Pasta Shells with Mint Tamarind Tofu in the last week of September and wrote down the recipe so I could share it during this last week of Vegan MoFo.

For that matter, most of the Main Courses that'll be on my blog this week have been made in September, while I was preparing for MoFo. So I'm thinking it's going to be a fairly chilled out week. :)

Pasta Shells with Mint Tamarind Tofu

For marinaded mint tamarind tofu:
1 block (200 gms) Tofu
1 small Capsicum
1/2 tsp Tamarind Concentrate Paste
1/8 tsp Turmeric
15-20 fresh Mint Leaves
Tabasco Sauce
Salt

For pasta:
1 1/2 C Shell Pasta
Salt

For final baking:
5 medium Tomatoes
Tabasco Chipotle Sauce
Black Pepper
Salt

For tossing:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Vegan Parmesan* (optional)

Rinse and press tofu between tissue paper to remove as much moisture as possible.
Thinly slice capsicum.
Finely chop mint leaves.
Mix everything with the rest of the marinade ingredients and toss well.
Cover and keep aside for 1-2 hours.
Bake uncovered in a preheated oven at 250 C for 15-20 minutes or bake in the microwave using the dual Micro-Convection mode for 5 minutes.

Bring 5 cups of water to a rolling boil and add salt.
Add the pasta shells and cook for 5 minutes, while stirring once in a while.
Turn off the heat, cover and keep aside for another 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse in cool, running water.
Set aside.

Chop tomatoes into large chunks.
Add the cooked pasta and chopped tomatoes to the tofu dish.
Generously shake Tabasco Chipotle Sauce, crush black pepper and sprinkle a dash of salt over everything.
Toss well.
Cover and bake in a 250 C oven for 15-20 minutes or in the Micro-Convection mode for 5 minutes.

Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle vegan Parmesan* and toss well.
Serve hot.
Enjoy! :)

*Vegan Parmesan: I mix the pulp leftover from making almond mylk with nutritional yeast and salt and dehydrate it. Then I store the dry 'Parmesan' in an airtight container in in the fridge and sprinkle it over all my pasta dishes.

Mashed Potato Sweet Potato Bake - Vegan MoFo day 16

After a crazy, whirlwind three weeks, we have reached the final week of Vegan Mofo!! *phew* Technically, next week is the final week but that's just got three days whereas this week is the last full week of MoFo goodness. :)

I pre planned a lot in September to have many of the posts scheduled and ready in advance so that during MoFo, I could blog hop and enjoy the delicious vegan food posts all over the blogosphere. It didn't matter, things got crazy anyway, as they always tend to during MoFo month. So I am very proud to have reached 16 posts so far. And I am also quite happy to say that I have met so many awesome Vegan MoFo bloggers over the past three weeks. The Newsify google reader app on my phone is full and bursting and I'll continue to visit 2012 MoFo-ers blogs right until MoFo 2013, when I will have a fresh set of RSS feeds. :)

I've followed a theme throughout Vegan MoFo. Each week was reserved for recipes for one course of a Super Scrumptious Four Course Meal.

Week 1 was Desserts (the sub-theme being 'Mostly Raw') - Avocado Orange Chocolate Mousse, Fig and Cinnamon Ice Cream, Hazelnut Mocha Cheezecakes, Cashew Barfi Truffles and Banana Walnut Cinnamon Vanilla Crème.

Week 2 was Soups and Salads - Carrot Hesarubele Kosumbari, Nalli Kai Salad, Spinach Coconut Mylk Soup and Masala Mandakki.

Week 3 was Snacks and Starters (sub theme was 'Fairly Healthy') - Kandu Unde, Baked Akki Rotti Bites, Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Sesame Encrusted Roasted Vegetables with Pumpkin Banana Poppy Seed Dip.

Yesterday I had a Bonus Dessert Recipe for Vegan Jamoon.

And now I begin Week 4 with Main Courses.

Today's dish is filling, delicious and really simple to put together. I based the general idea of the recipe on a yummy dish called Epinard à la Crème which I used to enjoy at a local restaurant called Casa Piccola many many years ago (during my pre-vegan days).

I made my baked dish out of potatoes and sweet potatoes mashed together with basic spices. The creamy spinach and tender baby corn go beautifully with the potatoes. The bread crumbs were a last minute addition and ended up being a great, crunchy touch!

We ate this by itself but it can also be served with toasted garlic bread or a nice, leafy salad on the side.

Mashed Potato Sweet Potato Bake

5 medium Potatoes
2 Sweet Potatoes
1 C Spinach
10-12 Baby Corn
Pepper powder
Olive Oil
Salt
Tabasco Sauce
Bread Crumbs

Preheat oven to 225 C.
Boil, peel and mash potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Blanch spinach and chop roughly.
Slice baby corn into rounds.
Mix all ingredients, except Tabasco Sauce and bread crumbs.
Press into a baking dish.
Sprinkle generously with bread crumbs and press lightly.

Bake at 225 C for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 180 C and continue baking for 30 more minutes.
Let it cool in the oven for 5-10 minutes.

Serve hot with Tabasco Sauce drizzled on top and optionally a bit of ketchup on the side.
Enjoy! :)

Sweet Potato Jamoon Vegan MoFo day 15

Umm remember how I didn't do a blog post on Friday? Well, today's post is going to totally make up for it, plenty and more. It's a super awesome Vegan Jamoon recipe!!! Yeah!

Yes, yes, I do know it's not a part of this week's Main Courses theme, nor last week's Snacks and Starters theme for that matter, but who cares? It's Dessert! And *everything* moves aside for Dessert. :D

Many of you might already know about my lengthy quest for the perfect Vegan Gulab Jamoon. I even spoke about it on a video two weeks ago when GiGi interviewed me for her weekly program, Who Dat Vegan on her blog Veganville.

It started way back when hubby and I lived in Bloomington, IL. I had made a *large* quantity of Vegan Therattu Paal (Khova) out of soymilk. It's a traditional dessert made by boiling milk while stirring continuously until it turns into a thick cream, then adding jaggery (or sugar) and cardamom and cooking it to a very thick, shape-able consistency. I think I'd made it for some festival and after hubby and I had eaten plenty, the rest had been sitting in the fridge for a couple of days.

One evening, I decided to attempt making Jamoon out of it. I vaguely remembered how my grandma used to make them out of Khova when we were living in a big, happy joint family. My grandpa used to bring these pre made packages of Khova and grandma, my mom and my aunts used to mix it with maida (white flour), shape balls, deep fry them and soak them in sugar syrup.

So I mixed a random quantity of flour and a pinch of baking soda (or was it baking powder?) with the Khova and made Jamoons. I was thrilled with the results! The Jamoons seemed especially delicious since it had been over a year since I'd become vegan and I hadn't even eaten non-vegan Jamoons for a long time before that. But alas, I never wrote down the quantities or exact method I followed to make the Jamoons and to this day I regret it!

After that, my next attempt at Jamoons was only after returning to Bangalore. The result was a huge disappointment! The balls were thick skinned and rubbery and did not absorb any sugar syrup. :( This was especially painful since I'd spent over an hour in front of the stove, stirring soymilk to turn it into the Khova that went into the Jamoons. And that was only the first of my frustrating Jamoon attempts.

I unsuccessfully tried making Jamoons with a soymilk powder and tofu a few times over the years. With each attempt that was a flop, I used to get disheartened and swear I'd never bother making Jamoons again. Then again on a day I was in a particularly adventurous mode, I'd give it another go and end up feeling disappointed all over again.

Then last year during Vegan MoFo I made Jamoons again, following Richa's recipe from her blog Vegan Richa. They were made of almonds and oats and were delicious, but their texture pretty different from the Jamoons I had eaten while growing up.

My next attempt was a few months later, when I suddenly had a light bulb moment of deep frying cupcake batter and soaking that in sugar syrup. The result was yummy! Slightly more close to 'real' Jamoons. But I had made the mistake of frying the Jamoons in coconut oil, so upon refrigeration, they became hard and more like Baadushas than Jamoons. I figured I'd make them again with oil that doesn't harden upon chilling and then share the recipe here but I guess I must've finally gotten bored of trying to make Jamoons, so I never got around to doing it.

I finally remembered Jammons again last week, after all this time, when someone on our Vegan Bangalore facebook group asked for a vegan Jamoon recipe. That's when Dr.Varadarangan shared a link to his wife's fantastic Sweet Potato Jamoon recipe on their website, Prevanka. The moment I read the recipe, I just knew I had to try it out. And the next thing I knew, I was ordering sweet potatoes.

This Jamoon recipe is the closest I have ever gotten to my grandmother's Khova based Jamoons. They could be a little more soft so they absorb the sugar syrup better, but other than that, the taste and texture were really impressive. All I need to do is learn to mix the dough with a lighter touch to make the balls more fluffy and I know I'll hit the perfect Jamoons. Finally! :)

I reduced the quantities a little and added a bit of saffron for garnish, but other than that, I pretty much followed Ms.Veena Varadarangan's original recipe. I thought I'd expand on the step by step details of the method below, so that people who would be attempting Jamoons for the first time don't make the mistakes that I've made in my previous Jamoon-making experiences. A reliable recipe is the key to making good Jamoons, but the precise method of making them is just as important.

Vegan Sweet Potato Jamoons

For the Jamoon Balls:

500 gms Sweet Potatoes (3 large sized ones)
1 C All Purpose Flour (loosely packed)
1/4 tsp Baking Soda (I think I'll try Baking Powder next time)
2 tsp Sugar
Pinch of Salt
Sesame Oil for Deep Frying.

For the Sugar Syrup:

1 C Sugar
1 C Water
2 pods Cardamom
Pinch of Saffron

Steam or boil the sweet potatoes until tender.
Peel and mash them well.
Sieve together the all purpose flour and baking soda.
Add the flour to the sweet potato and mix gently, without kneading.
Do not add any water, just mix in enough flour to form a soft dough.
Cover and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
Pinch off bits of dough and very gently and quickly shape them into 1 inch balls (I got around 30-35 balls).
If the balls get pressed too much, they will become dense and not absorb the syrup, that's why it's important to get the balls as smooth as you can without pressing too hard.
Cover and let the balls sit for 5-10 minutes.

Heat the sugar and water together in a wide pan.
Stir until the sugar melts.
Crush the cardamom pods to coarsely powder the seeds and add.
Simmer on a low heat for a few minutes, until it becomes a thin, sticky syrup.
Turn off the heat and add a few strands of saffron.
Cover and keep the syrup warm.
If the syrup cools a lot before the balls are done, then warm it up again on a low flame, for a few minutes before adding the balls.

Heat sesame oil in a wok and deep fry the balls until they are golden brown.
The heat should be on medium-high so the balls cook well on the inside and outside.
If the flame is too low, the balls won't expand and if it is too high, then the outside will brown too quickly and the insides won't get cooked.
Place the balls on a tissue paper to drain out excess oil and let them cool for at least 5 minutes.
It's very important to let the balls cool before adding to the syrup, otherwise they'll collapse and become rubbery.
I just deep fry the whole batch of balls and then add them to the syrup together after a few minutes.

Cover and let them soak for at least 2 hours.
They taste best after sitting in the syrup overnight, in the fridge.
Jamoons taste equally delicious when served cold or hot (20 seconds in the microwave).

It's tempting to pop them in your mouth whole, but slice through them with a spoon and have each bite with some sugar syrup for the full experience.

Enjoy! :)

Sesame Encrusted Roasted Vegetables with Pumpkin Banana Poppy Seed Dip Vegan MoFo day 14

That title's quite a mouthful, no? Perhaps it's even long enough to let me off the hook for tomorrow's post? :oP Just kidding.

My new friend Somer of Vedgedout and I were discussing the craziness that Vegan MoFo is on our Vegan Temptivists group and there was something she said that really hit the nail on the head, "Don't know if I'm going to do it again next year, or maybe it's like childbirth and once its over you forget how painful it was". That's *exactly* what Vegan MoFo is like! LOL

Every year, right after the first 3 exciting days of the event, the stress starts to build up. We're like, "Arrrghhh too much pressure. Too. Much. Pressure!!" But the next year when Vegan MoFo is announced, it's all, "Gleee!!! Yippeeee!! This is so exciting!!"

Umm WTF happens to the memory part of our brains between November to September? NO idea! All I know is that, despite our various levels of insanity right now, next year when MoFo gets announced, we'll all be going towards it in a zombie-trance, with our arms stretched out in front of us. "Yessss master. What can we cook for you master?"

Well this is what I've cooked for you today...master. :oP

Here's a little secret. You know those veggies that have been sitting in your fridge for over a week? Those half dried up beans, or beets and carrots which have gone soft? Yep, those are what I'm talking about. Well *they* are just perfect for oven roasting!!

I don't peel my vegetables because they are just so much healthier and tastier that way. Besides, have you ever tried peeling soft carrots? Yeah, good luck with that! So just scrub your veggies clean, slice them and they're all set to be turned into crispy-on-the-outside-soft-on-the-inside goodness. Nom nom nom.

You can make these out of fresh vegetables too but these half-dry ones tend to crisp better on the outside in comparison. So next time you want to finish up an old batch of veggies, this is the way to go. I can't think of a better dish to prepare with them. :)

Also, you can roast a variety of vegetables in this manner, especially root vegetables like Yam (needs peeling), Sweet Potato, Potato. I just roasted Carrots, Beets and Beans today because that's what I had in my crisper and I wanted to finish them before my fresh batch of veggies from Towness arrived in the evening.

I roasted my vegetables in the microwave but you can do the same thing in a regular oven too. It might take a few minutes longer to get nice and crispy. Just test after 15 minutes and continue roasting if required.

Sesame Encrusted Roasted Veggies

Vegetables - beans, carrots, beets
Olive Oil
Sesame Seeds
Salt

Preheat microwave oven to 250 C.

Scrub the carrots and beets clean and cut them into thin strips.
Clean the beans and remove the ends and the fibre from the sides.

Place on a baking tray in a singe layer (I did the beets separately so their colour doesn't leech into the beans and carrots).
Drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle a bit of salt (little goes a long way).
Sprinkle sesame seeds generously over everything.
Toss or mix with fingers to coat well.

Bake in convection mode for 10 minutes.
Switch to Micro-Grill option and roast for 5 more minutes.

Serve hot with or without dip.
Enjoy! :)

Pumpkin Banana Poppy Seed Dip

1 large slice Pumpkin (500 gms) (cleaned well and seeds removed)
2 small (Yelakki) Bananas
2 T Poppy Seeds
1/4 C Cashews
1/8 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/8 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/8 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Cilantro
5-6 cloves of Garlic
Salt
Lime Juice

Cube the pumpkin (with the peel) and place in a microwavable dish.
Sprinkle with salt, turmeric powder and drizzle 1/4 C water over it.
Nuke on high for 3 minutes, mix once and nuke for another 3-5 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender (you can optionally boil or steam it if you prefer to avoid the microwave).
Let it cool completely.
Blend all the ingredients together, adding some water if required, to form a creamy dip.
Serve in a bowl with pepper crushed on top.
Enjoy! :)

This yields about 2 C of dip. After having some with the roasted veggies, I just added a lot more water to the rest, adjusted the salt and pepper and heated it up to make Pumpkin Banana Poppy Seed Soup. That was pretty yum too. *slurp* :)

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By the way, if you'd like to be a part of our Vegan Temptivists group on Facebook, *carefully* read through the group charter (you'll need to click on the 'see more' link above the members list to view the complete charter) and if you think you're a good fit for the group, do apply to join. We are a small, active bunch and will be happy to have a few more people in our gang. :)

Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce Vegan MoFo day 13

Week Three of Vegan MoFo going strong. :) I hadn't planned it this way but my Snacks and Starters theme for this week has been leaning towards healthy so far. I made Kandundes on Monday and Baked Akki Rotti Bites on Tuesday. Today is Summer Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce.

I remember the very first time I tasted Thai Rice Paper Rolls. It was at Red Bamboo, our favourite restaurant during the time we lived at NYC. It really *really* made an impression on me. Flash forward to many years later, I got to have them once again at Loving Hut in California. These guys had brilliantly named them Summer Rolls. Fresh with crispy, cool veggies...a perfect Summer snack or meal! Ever since then I refer to them as Summer Rolls because 'Thai Rice Paper Rolls' doesn't sound half as magical.

I have to say though that a large portion the magic was in the Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce that came with the Summer Rolls. Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce? It should be called Spicy Peanut *Licking* Sauce!! OMG heaven!! The ooey gooey goodness is so satisfying. *Slurp* I can just sit with a bowl full of it an and lick lick lick. No snack required. :D

Summer Rolls are very versatile and don't have any specific recipe. Just take your favourite raw vegetables, salad greens and herbs and slice them thin. Then wrap them in moistened Thai Rice Paper. You can add marinaded or baked tofu into the mix. Or crispy fruits like apples or pears. I can even picture a Summer Roll with watermelon in it! I think I'll be trying that next time.

You can toss a salad in Cashew Sour Cream and spoon that into the rolls. But remember that you must always have it with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce. Unless you're allergic to peanuts of course. In which case, just dip the rolls in Tamari and enjoy.

Here's what went into my simple Summer Rolls. They took all of 10 minutes to put together (including making the sauce). I usually add a larger variety of veggies, greens and herbs like basil and mint but this is all I had on hand today. But even with just two veggies the rolls were awesome!!

2 Thai Rice Paper Sheets (small, round ones) - I've found them in Bangalore at Nilgiris (Brigade Road), Food World Gourmet (MG Road) and Brown Tree (Church Street).
1 Carrot
1/2 head Romaine Lettuce

Slice the carrots into thin sticks and divide them into two bunches.
Wrap each bunch inside a few lettuce leaves and keep aside.
Dip a rice paper sheet in warm water and place on a plate.
Place a lettuce wrap in the middle of the rice paper.
Roll up the wrap half way, fold in the sides and continue rolling till you have a roll that's closed on all sides.
Repeat with the second rice paper sheet.
Chill in the freezer for a few minutes.
Remove and slice into bite sized pieces (I make each roll into 3 pieces).

Meanwhile prepare the Spicy Peanut Sauce. It's a sauce made of 100% processed ingredients. :oP

1 T Peanut Butter
Splash of Dark Soy Sauce (Tamari is a far superior choice but we don't get it here in India and I finished my stock from the US *sigh*)
Splash of Tabasco or Tamarind Paste
Pinch of Red Chilli Powder (add more if using Tamarind Paste instead of Tabasco)
Pinch of Sugar/Jaggery
2-3 T Warm Water

Mix everything and whisk well with fork.
Drizzle generously over the Summer Rolls.
Enjoy! :)

Update: 23rd June 2013

The ingredients for this recipe can now be purchased in India in the form of a recipe box from Global Graynz.



They have three kinds of boxes for this recipe, first with only the Rare Ingredients, second with All Packaged Ingredients and third with All Ingredients Including Fresh/Perishable Ones (pictured above).

Click on the Global Graynz button below to be taken to the Rare Ingredients recipe box.