Vegan Hobnobs Style Biscuits

My first attempt at homemade Hobnobs. They turned out reaaaaally yummy and crunchy, though not exactly like the packaged ones.

I did quite a bit of research online to find a recipe to work off of. Among them all, the one from Wendy Finn was the most appealing to me because she's simplified it beautifully.

I modified that recipe considerably to incorporate ingredients that are more accessible in India. I also switched the measurements from weight to volume because I know a lot of casual bakers here don't own food weighing equipment. And of course, in my usual lazy style, I had to make it even easier to make and clean up after. Haha

Commercial Hobnobs are often vegan too, but these are slightly healthier. Only because they don’t contain unpronounceable/numbered/chemically ingredients. There’s plenty of sugar and oil in there though. 😛

I fully intend to develop a much healthier version of these biscuits at some point. But for now, here’s the recipe if you’d like to try your hand at them.

Dry Ingredients
1 C Rolled Oats (I used the gluten free rolled oats from Jus'Amazin*)
1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour (use the slightly rough kind)
1/2 C Maida
Little more than 1/2 C Powdered Sugar (brown and white mixed)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients
Little more than 1/2 C Coconut Oil
1 T Maple Syrup
1 T Plant Based Mylk (a little more if needed)

Preheat oven to 180C/350F

• Whisk together dry ingredients 
• Add coconut oil and rub it in until the mixture is crumbly
• Mix in the maple syrup and mylk and form into a soft dough 
• Shape into balls, lightly flatten and place in a baking tray 
• Leave a decent amount of gap because these babies expand big time 
• Bake for 15-18 mins until golden 
• Cool completely and enjoy {crunch} 😁
  

*Use my code “VEGANOSAURUS10” during checkout on Jus’Amazin if you plan to order the rolled oats from them. They have many other absolutely delicious products too. When you use my code, you get 10% off on every order you place. This is above the already discounted prices on the website. And they offer free pan India shipping.

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Bite Sized Okara Patties – What's Okara, and how to use it?

"What do you do with your Okara?"
“Wait, did you mean Okra?”
“No, no. I meant Okara only.”
“What’s that now?” 🤨

When you make plant mylks, some of them need straining right? The leftover paste is Okara. It refers to soy pulp, but the term can loosely be used for other mylk pulps too.

When I make peanut curds, I don’t strain the mylk. I feel the pulp gives the curd a more thick and creamy texture. Plus the fibre is a good prebiotic. (Also I’m too lazy to strain it).

But the designated peanut curd maker in our house is way too particular about the texture. He claims that the pulp makes the curd pasty and insists on straining the mylk every single time. 🙄 And since peanut curd is made at home at least once a month (curd rice is a staple at our monthly Bengaluru Vegans Potluck), there's a constant supply of Okara at home.

A bit of the pulp can be mixed into chapathi/bread dough, gravies, sambar, etc. But there’s always more pulp than can be used this way. So more often than not, it sits in the fridge getting old and then we have to compost it.

Dry and tasteless as it is, Okara's still full of healthy fibre and easily digestible proteins. I always feel guilty about wasting it.

In my pursuit of using it up creatively, I made Okara Choco Chip Cookies last year. The recipe was a combination of this one from The Okara Project, and my signature Chocolate Chip/Chunk Cookies. They were daaaammmmmnnn yum! 🤤

But my tummy flab quavers in dread at the thought of cookies appearing every time we have Okara at home. 😂

So lately I’ve been making savoury snacks with it instead – patties, cutlets, neat balls…

You mix a bunch of stuff into the paste, shape and bake. Once you get the hang of it, it’s quite flexible to experiment with.

The three key things to keep in mind are – textures, flavours and binding.

🌺 Since Okara is bland (all the tasty stuff goes into the mylk), it needs super strong flavouring. Be verrrry generous with the spices and seasonings you put in!

🌺 Good binders are important to counter the moisture. I’ve tried random combinations of corn starch, arrowroot powder, psyllium husk, flaxseed powder, Banamin's gota/vada mix*, etc.

🌺 The Okara by itself doesn’t have an enjoyable mouthfeel, so mix in some crunchy/chewy ingredients for texture. I’ve done chopped mushrooms, seeds/nuts, crumbled tofu, leafy greens…

Then it’s just a matter of shaping and baking. I usually do 200-220°C for 15 mins, gently flip them and then bake for another 15 mins. The temperature and baking time depends on the size of the patties/balls, and how wet your mixture is. So adjust accordingly.

Here's a recipe for you. Use it as a guideline and do your own thing. There's plenty of potential for variety. :)

Creamy Broccoli Hazelnut Soup

 

Have you ever tried soup with boondi sprinkled on it? Here's how that stroke of genius came about today...

I'd finished licking up my big serving of soup and was congratulating myself on a particularly healthy, nutritious lunch. ☺️ Soooo much broccoli in my tummy!

I rinsed the bowl and was just about to walk out of the kitchen, when I spied the khara boondi pack on the counter looking at me with its smug little face. 😏

Its voice in my head sounded like a bunch of tiny squeaky imps in chorus, "healthy lunch, you say? Muhuhahaha." 😈

I'd like to claim that my willpower was strong, but traitor that it is, it went, "the lunch was healthy, so what harm could a bit of boondi do, really?"

I succumbed. 🤷🏻‍♀️

As I was guiltily munching on the boondi, I was struck by a thought... "boondi on soup". Wait, what?! I had to try it right away.

I was too full, so I only tasted a spoonful of soup with some boondi sprinkled on. What an awesome combination it was! The creaminess and crunch complimented each other perfectly.

Soup's a rare event in our house. I don't know why, because it's such a healthy, deeply satisfying meal. But I have a feeling that the next time I buy boondi (which is also rare), I'm totally going to be making soup to have with it.

Aha! Take that evil boondi! You're only going to inspire more healthy choices in me.😛

Anyway, on to the recipe. As always, feel free to switch flavours around to suit your tastebuds and ingredient availability.

Creamy Broccoli Hazelnut Soup

To blend:
500 gms Broccoli (florets and stems)
3 T Hazelnuts
1 T Nutritional Yeast (optional)
3 small cloves of Garlic
1/4 tsp Jaggery
Salt (I used a mix of regular and pink)
Water

To stir in later:
Freshly crushed Black Pepper
Dried Orange Peel Powder
Lemon Juice

• Steam the broccoli for 20-25 mins and allow to cool slightly
• Grind hazelnuts, nooch, garlic, and salt into a powder*
• Add the steamed broccoli and a bit of water and blend into a creamy paste
• Pour in more water as required and blend into desired thickness of soup
• Transfer to a vessel, crush pepper on top and sprinkle dried orange peel powder
  
• Warm up the soup for a few minutes on medium heat while stirring
• Take it off the heat and stir lemon juice into it
• Serve warm (possibly with boondi sprinkled on top hehe) and enjoy! :)
  

*This powder makes for a damn yum Parmesan alternative!

Note: All khara boondis are not created equal. The one I had today happened to be from Adukale (very tasty), but Maiyas and MTR boondis are super delicious too. Only thing, make sure to check the ingredients every single time! Stupid ghee gets added to boondi sometimes. Grr. 😡