Mostly Raw Beet and Carrot Salad Wrap

An all vegan, mostly raw concoction of freshly grated veggies in a tangy marinade and creamy dressing wrapped in tapioca/rice paper. The juicy veggies, sharp marinade and sweet dressing compliment each other perfectly!

Tapioca/Rice paper can be found easily at local Asian Stores. And even if you don't have any, the salad is scrumptious enough to be enjoyed on its own. :)

There are no specific quantities to most of the marinade or dressing ingredients. Just go with your taste buds and adjust.

Mostly Raw Beet and Carrot Salad Wrap

1 Beet
2 Carrots
A few Basil Leaves (freshly plucked ones taste best so grow your own in a little planter on the kitchen window)

Marinade:

Balasmic Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar
Tamari (I have the Wheat Free version)
Parma! (vegan parmesan)
Nutritional Yeast
Agave Nectar (very small squirt)
Green Chilli Paste (fresh green chillies ground into a paste with a little bit of asafoetida and sea salt)
Black Salt or Sea Salt

Sweet Creamy Dressing:

Almonds
Pistachios
Raisins
Saffron (a few strands)
Whole Black Pepper
Garlic (1 small clove)
Ginger
Nutritional Yeast (a dash)
Black Salt or Sea Salt (a pinch)

The Salad:

Soak all the dressing ingredients (except nutritional yeast and salt) in 1 cup of water. Keep aside for 15 minutes (more if time permits). Meanwhile...

Grate the beet and carrots and mix together. Chiffonade the basil and sprinkle on top. Add all the marinade ingredients and toss well. Taste and adjust. Cover and keep aside for about 30 minutes (an hour if you have the time).

Strain the dressing ingredients and keep the liquid aside. Blend into a creamy paste using the soaking liquid a little at a time. Keep blending and adding until all the liquid is used. Add the nutritional yeast and salt and blend again. Taste and adjust.

Pour over salad and mix well.

The Wrap:

Keep a large bowl of warm water and a large plate ready. You need to work quickly with the rice paper or it will either tear or stick to the plate.

Take a single sheet of the rice paper and dip completely into the water and spread it on the plate.

Place a couple of spoons of the salad mixture in the center of the paper and fold the bottom portion of the sheet over the veggies. Then fold the sides and finally roll everything upwards.

The wraps should be served and eaten soon after they are made.



Enjoy! :)

Vegan Fusion Wrap

Chapaathi is an Indian whole wheat flatbread similar to Tortilla. Hummus is a Mediterranean dish made of Chickpeas. The Herbs used in the Brown Rice were an Italian mix. The Green Bell Peppers (Capsicum) were stir fried with Onion, Garlic and crushed Black Pepper East Asian style. The wrap itself is layered like a Burrito, Mexican style. And finally the splash of Ketchup adds a dash of America ;)

Why the seemingly unnecessary details? Just to show that when someone says Fusion Food, this is the kind of stuff they're referring to :)

Anyone can create delicious Fusion Food. As long as the flavors and textures involved compliment each other well. Take a bunch of traditional dishes from any cuisine, feel free to add your own twists ( when it comes to fusion, no one's looking for authentic anyways), put all of them together... et voila! You have perfectly nom nom Fusion Food.



Here's what my wrap contains...

Chapathi

2 C whole wheat flour
1 C okara (the remaining bean paste after soymilk has been made)
3 t coconut oil
salt

Put everything in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
Add a little water if required and knead into a soft, elastic dough.
Make little balls.
Roll with a rolling pin as flat as you can (dip in a plate of flour a few times in between rolling to avoid the dough from sticking to the rolling pin of board).
Cook on a pan on both sides.

Hummus - with a few twists

1 C dry chickpeas and red kidney beans
2 dry red chillies
2 t sesame oil
2 t coriander powder
3 cloves garlic
salt
freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime

Wash and soak the beans using the quick soak method*.
Drain the water completely, wash and add some more water.
Pressure cook with a teeny pinch of salt for 7-8 whistles and drain again.
Lightly toast the dry red chillies.
Add everything (except lime) in a blender.
Blend well into a smooth paste using as much water as required (be careful not to make it liquidy).
Squeeze lime juice and blend once more.

Stir Fried Capsicum

2 capsicums sliced
1 large onion sliced
3-4 cloves garlic minced
2 T coconut oil
freshly crushed whole black pepper
salt

Heat oil, add garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add the onion and stir fry on a high flame till translucent. Toss in the green bell pepper (sprinkle a pinch of sugar) and continue stir frying for a few minutes till soft. Add salt, stir once and switch off the flame. Cover and let it sit for a few minutes. Crush pepper over everything with a pepper mill and mix well.

Herbed Brown Rice

1 C brown rice
2 t coconut oil
1 T Italian dried herb mix (parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil)
salt

Wash rice well, place in a large pot with 3 cups of water and the rest of the ingredients.
Cook according to instruction on package.

Mix in the Stir Fried Capsicum with the Herbed Brown Rice.

THE WRAP

Place one Chapaathi on a plate.
Spoon Hummus over it and spread lightly in the center of the Chapathi.
Scoop some of the Brown Rice Capsicum mixture onto the Hummus.
Add a small splash of Ketchup.
Wrap.
Enjoy! :)

(I also put in a few small pieces of my Pickled Orange Peels in some of the wraps for added tang).

If you try your own Vegan Fusion Wraps I'd love it if you left me a comment here on how they turn out. Feel free to share your recipes too :)

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.

Mostly Raw Hazelnut Mocha Mini Cheezecakes Vegan MoFo day 3

Day 3 of Vegan MoFo already. I've been having a blast hopping through other MoFo-ers blogs and the Newsify app has been a real blessing to help me do this efficiently. I've been gawking at so much amazingly delicious food that it's driving my drool glands on overdrive!! :oP Here, see for yourself on the Vegan MoFo 2012 Blogroll, a the list of 600+ participating blogs from all over the globe .

Continuing on my Desserts theme this week, I present to you Mostly Raw Hazelnut Mocha Mini Cheezecakes. This turned out to be the most popular photograph yet in my Vegan MoFo Sneak Peek album, with many people asking for the recipe. And I'm very happy to be sharing it today! :)

These blissful desserts are little bites of heavenly goodness!! Mine are only 'mostly raw' because I used regular coconut oil since I didn't have virgin coconut oil on hand. Also, I've used some sugar for additional sweetening and I have no idea where to get raw instant coffee or raw cacao powders from.

I'm happy with 80-90% raw desserts because it means using ingredients which are usually readily available in my kitchen. But if you are particular about making these cheezecakes completely raw, then use agave nectar, virgin coconut oil, raw cacao powder and cold pressed espresso.

The coconut and walnuts make it really heavy so it's advisable to have only one small piece at a time. Even though the main flavors are supposed to be hazelnut and mocha, the coconut flavor tends to shine through. So this is a dessert for coconut fans.

Mostly Raw Hazelnut Mocha Mini Cheezecakes

For the crust:

1/2 C Walnuts
1/2 C Almonds
1/2 C Pitted Dates (tightly packed)
1/4 tsp Salt
1 inch Vanilla Pod

Grind the nuts, salt and vanilla pod to a coarse powder.
Add the dates and grind until you get a sticky, crumbly mixture.
Line the insides of mini tart pans with cling wrap.
Make 1 inch balls of the crust mixture and press into the bottom and the sides of the tart pans to form shells.
If you run out of patience after lining and pressing the crust mixture into about 6 or 7 tart pans (I did!), just line a plate (the kind with walls) with wax paper and press the remaining crust mixture into it.
Keep all crusts in the fridge to chill.

Meanwhile...

For the cheeze filling:

1 C Hazelnuts - soaked for two hours, drained and rinsed
1/2 C Raisins - soaked in 3/4 C filtered water
3/4 C Almond or Cashew Mylk
1 T Instant Coffee Powder (I use Bru Gold)
2 T Cocoa Powder
2 T Sugar
A pinch of Salt
1/2 C Coconut Oil (at room temperature)
1/8 tsp Soy Lecithin Granules (optional emulsifier)

Blend together the drained hazelnuts, raisins (along with the soaking water), cocoa powder, coffee powder, sugar and salt.
Add a little almond/cashew mylk at a time and process till you get a smooth, creamy mixture.
Add the coconut oil and soy lecithin (if using) and blend well until the oil has been incorporated into the mixture.

How to proceed...

Pour the cheezecake filling into the prepared shells and freeze for half an hour (just to speed up the setting process) or chill for 2 hours in the fridge.
Remove the mini cheezecakes from the tart pans by gently lifting out the cling wrap.
Peel off the cling wrap and place the mini cheezecakes on a plate and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
The mini cheezecakes can be served as individual dessert pieces and the larger one in the plate can be sliced carefully and served.

These cheezecakes taste *best* after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days because the coconut flavour mellows and melds with the other flavours well.

Enjoy! :)

This recipe has also been submitted to 'The Green Foodie Recipe Challenge' conducted by The Alternative, an online publication on sustainable living, for Nature On My Plate, connecting consumers to organic food at BioFach India 2012.

Vegetarian House - organic vegan cuisine.

As you drive up Santa Clara (downtown San Jose) you will spot Vegetarian House bang on the right side in between 11th and 12th streets. It looks like a, quaint single floored house with colorful stained glass windows which cannot be missed. There's little restaurant parking lot beside the building.

From the extremely large variety in the menu to the cozy atmosphere this place has really impressed me! The food is simply delicious and the staff very friendly and polite. During my stay here in San Jose, I've visited this place on so many occasions that I wouldn't be surprised if these lovely people are tired of me by now. But I don't think I'd ever get tried of going to Vegetarian House! :)

I've taken so many of my friends (vegan and omnivore) there so far and everybody has loved the delicious fare! And of course, I've taken pictures of (almost) everyone's food so I can share them with my dear blog readers. :) So here we go...

Raw Fettuccine



Healthy Brown Rice



Joyful Sweet and Sour



Szechuan Tofu



Tofu Club Sandwich



Tofu Rolls Deluxe - filling and sauce



Rice Paper to wrap Tofu Rolls Deluxe - They bring you everything with a big bowl of warm water. You submerge the rice paper into the water for a few seconds to soften it. Then you spread it on your plate, place the fillings into it and quickly wrap it up before it sticks to the plate! LOL It was adventurous me who was convinced to order this dish. Everyone ended up having fun trying it out though! Mighty yummy too. Enough for me to go to the Asian store and pick up a pack of rice paper to try out (quite successfully I might add) my own, mostly raw version of the Rice Paper Rolls. :)



Dancing Asparagus



Summer Rolls with Sweet and Sour Sauce



Lasagne - with a generous amount of delicious Vegan Cheese sprinkled on top. DELISH!



Mu Shu Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce (OMG I could just lick up liters of this sauce!!)



Spaghetti and Sauce (served as a side for the Lasagne along with a yummy, vegan buttery Bread Roll)



Chocolate Cake



"Cheese"cake



Chocolate Brownie with Ice Cream



And finally, the cherry on top....

Caramel Flan



Drooling yet? :) If you're anywhere near San Jose, be sure to visit Vegetarian House.

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. :)

Super Loaded Burritos - Vegan MoFo post 12

So earlier this evening my internet suddenly went off and didn't come back on even after three modem reboots. My first thought was, "Egad! There's no Vegan MoFo post!!"

Thankfully, after about an hour it came back on. *Phew*

I'm seriously reconsidering the post scheduling thing once again. It's been nice to update the blog everyday with a new post, something special to look forward to each day. :) But if I line up a few posts, I think it'll give me more peace of mind.

To schedule or not to schedule, that is the question. Hmm.

Anyways, since today's post involves a long back story and even longer recipe (which is TOTALLY worth the hard work), let me get on with the Burrito talk.



On Sunday a couple of my vegan friends were planning to come over to our house and the plan was for all of us to make Burritos together. Each of us were assigned certain parts of the dish and whatever could be pre-made at their houses, they would prepare that and bring it here.

Mr. Vegantastic is the Burritomeister of our gang. He's been making Burritos for a while now and has this specific set of recipes which he follows. He is very particular about the exact ingredients which go into each thing so he took the trouble to create little document files for each dish and e-mailed them to the rest of us.

My portion of the work involved tortillas and beans. As I've mentioned before, I normally prefer to do a quick soak for beans, but Mr. Vegantastic control freak (and I say that term with love because I am one too when it comes to cooking) was particular that the beans be soaked overnight. So on Saturday night I soaked the beans.

Then on Sunday morning Ms. Pepa's flu took a turn for the worse, poor thing. So she had to drop out. The rest of us thought it over and decided to just throw the plan out the window entirely. But then, I was already in the mood for Burritos so I just decided to take whatever ingredients I had at home and adapt the recipes to my tastes and just make those Burritos anyways.

Cooking alone was less fun, but... on the up side, I could add as many chillies as I liked and there'd be no spice-wusses around to cry about it. :oP

Besides, you know me, I am incapable of cooking by following exact instructions. Intuitive cooks can be like that. ;) So I started with a couple of the basic recipes that Mr. Vegantastic sent, turned them into something else and added a bunch of other ingredients. The end result was amazing! So much so that I over ate and suffered big time. hehe

Thanks for the inspiration Mr. Vegantastic! :)



Wheat and Corn Tortillas:

1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1 C Corn (Maize) Flour
2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Salt

Mix everything together with warm water and form a soft dough. Cover and keep aside for an hour or so.
Pinch off golf ball sized pieces of dough, dip in flour and roll into large tortillas on a flat surface (I am most comfortable using my cleaned kitchen counter top).
Toast on a hot pan on both sides.

Herbed Rice (I've commonly seen basil rice inside burritos but I made this with chives instead):

1 C Rice (Red or Black or Brown)
2 C Water
1 tsp Dried Chives
1/8 tsp Salt

Wash the rice.
Bring water to a rolling boil in a large pot.
Add rice, cover the pot and reduce flame to lowest setting.
Let it cook for half an hour.
Check once and see if the rice is fully cooked and the water has been absorbed. If not cook for another 5-15 mins (cooking time varies by type of rice).
Mix in the salt and chives.

Chilli Beans Spread:

1 C Kidney Beans (Rajma) - not the red ones but the other kind, creamy colored with the dark pink blotches.
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Cumin Powder
1/4 C Olive Oil
Rock Salt (to taste)

Wash and soak beans overnight and drain the water in the morning.
Bring fresh water to boil in a pressure cooker.
Add the soaked beans with the oil, chilli powder, cumin powder and a pinch of salt.
Pressure cook until the beans are very well cooked and soft (time and number of whistles will vary according to your cooker).
Alternately, you can boil it in a large pot too but this will take a lot more time.
Add the remaining salt and cook on a low flame while mashing and stirring.
Most of the beans should be mashed with some chunks left.

Spicy Salsa:

2 Large Tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 Onion (chopped)
5 Cloves of Garlic (chopped)
1/8 tsp Cumin Powder
1 T Olive Oil
Tabasco Sauce
Ketchup

Heat the oil on a medium-low flame.
Add the garlic and onion and saute briefly until softened but not browned.
Mix in the cumin and stir gently until well incorporated.
Increase heat to medium and add the tomatoes.
Stir and simmer gently for a minute or so.
Turn off the flame, add the sauces and mix well.
Cover and keep aside.

Avocado Pico De Gallo:

1 Large Avocado
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 Onion (chopped finely)
2 Green Chillies
1 Clove of Garlic
Fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)
Lime/Lemon Juice
Salt

In a mortar and pestle, crush together the green chilli, garlic and salt.
In an airtight container, mash the avacado with your fingers.
Add in all the ingredients and mix well.
Cover tightly and store in fridge.

Roasted Yellow Bell Pepper Salad:

3 Yellow Bell Peppers
1/2 Onion
1 Tomato

Grill the whole bell peppers directly on a flame.
Cover in an airtight container and keep aside for a few minutes.
Slice the onions, tomatoes and bell peppers and mix together.
Keep aside in a closed container to let the flavors of the veggies blend in.

Cashew Sour Cream:

1 C Cashews
2 T Lemon/Lime Juice
2 T Vinegar
1/8 tsp Salt

Soak the cashews for an hour.
Drain the water and rinse.
Put the cashews along with the salt, vinegar and lemon/lime juice in a blender jar.
Process into a smooth, fluffy paste, adding a little bit of water as desired.
Transfer to airtight container and store in the fridge.

Putting the burrito together:

Place a tortilla on a plate.
Spread some beans in the center.
Put some guacamole over it.
Add some rice on top.
Spoon salsa over.
Top with salad.
Drizzle generously with sour cream.
Roll up and prepare yourself to bite into a delectable chunk of heaven.

Enjoy! :)

Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies: guest post by Harini of Tongue Ticklers

Today I have a very special guest on my blog - Harini of Tongue Ticklers. I have mentioned her beautiful vegan blog here many times before and I also guest blogged for her early last year.

I 'met' Harini on a Facebook group (way back when her blog was called Tum Yum Treats) and we became friends because of our shared passion for vegan food photography and blogging. I should thank Preethi of Krya for connecting us, otherwise I might not have seen Harini's blog when I did.

I have since then had the pleasure of meeting Harini in person. And today I am really happy to finally have her here with a recipe for delicious Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies. I am especially thrilled to have Harini's GLORIOUS photographs of the cookies here on my blog.

In the pic above, I want to have my mouth open at the end of the white slab so the cookie comes rolling right into my mouth. :oP

Harini, thank you so much for taking the time to do this blog post on Veganosaurus and for all the love and effort you have put into the photographs. :)

Now on to Harini's post...

--

Susmitha and I are very well acquainted but I am not sure whether you know me. Since I believe in forging bonds over food, I won’t take up much of your time. Let’s proceed quickly over to the introduction to what I think are the best vanilla sugar cookies I have ever baked. Does that make you curious?

Calling these ‘my vanilla cookies’ is not entirely correct. I made them mine but they originally belonged to Maggie Beer. I don’t think she will be able to tell that because they have taken quite a turn from the original recipe. So much that I do not recall the original recipe anymore. I first came to know Maggie Beer through MasterChef Australia, and most of her recipes introduced in the show sounded well. You know what I mean, don’t you? I do not try recipes that do not ‘sound’ good, by which I mean that reading the recipe should make my mouth water, must look good and look technically sound. Most of Maggie Beer’s recipes are just that, except that they are not vegan. They are, however, easily adaptable.

You do not need any special or hard-to-find ingredients for making these cookies. All ingredients, save the olive oil, are usually available in any pantry.

Recipe: Vegan Vanilla Sugar Cookies
(Inspired and modified from a Maggie Beer recipe)
Yield: 24 cookies, about 1.5inches in diameter

Ingredients:
Refined flour – 2 cups | 288g
Soaked and ground cashewnut paste – 2 tbsp | 32g
Pink salt – 2 generous pinches | 1g
Baking powder – about ½ tsp. | 3g
Vanilla seeds from 2 vanilla sticks
Olive oil – ½ cup | 80g
Caster sugar – ½ cup | 88g
Soy milk / Water / Coconut milk – 1-2 tbsp.

Method:

Place flour, cashew paste, salt, baking powder and vanilla seeds in a blender and blend till even. Remove the blended dry flour into a mixing bowl.

Blend olive oil, caster sugar and 1 tbsp. of soy/coconut milk/water lightly and add this to the dry mixture to form a soft dough. Do not knead. Make the dough by mixing with your finger tips, gather and press with your palm. The resultant dough should be soft but break when pressed. Add more milk only if needed. Adjust consistency by sprinkling a teaspoon of flour if too soft. You should not feel the liquid on your finger tips while gathering.

Divide the dough into two thick discs. Wrap them in separate cling films and refrigerate for at least an hour, or till needed. I usually prepare the dough in the night and bake the cookies the next morning.

When ready to bake, remove the dough and let thaw till it softens slightly and you can handle it. Pre-heat oven to 160 deg. C.

Sprinkle your platform with a little flour; place the disc with the cling film on it. Open the cling film and fold it back a little loose. Dust the rolling pin with flour and roll the disc to desired thickness, preferably 3-4mm. The cling film may break as you roll but that should not be a bother. When rolled, peel away the cling film.

Using a 1.5 inch circular cookie cutter, cut several circles. Place them on a baking tray lined with foil/baking sheet. Gather the remnants into a ball, flatten into a disc, place inside the cling film and roll again. Cut and continue making cookies as before.

These do not spread much after baking; hence they can be placed close, separated by just an inch. Place the baking tray in the center rack of the pre-heated oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or till the cookies start turning golden around the edges.

Remove and using a flat spatula, carefully transfer the cookies onto a wire rack and cool completely.

Store in air-tight containers till needed. If you are traveling, stack ten cookies and roll them in cling film, and again with foil. Fold the ends. They will travel well this way without breaking.

Roasted Garlic and Cilantro Hummus

I just concocted this hummus a short while ago and it turned out so perfect that I just had to note the recipe down before I forgot the ingredients. Yeah, it's happened before. So many delicious, made up recipes lost forever simply because I was too negligent to write them down immediately. Well, ain't gonna happen this time! :)

As usual, the quantities of the ingredients were my usual "splash of this dash of that", but I've tried to put down proper measurements for your benefit. So make sure you taste and adjust as required.

Hummus tastes best after sitting for a day. But if you must serve it on the same day, make sure you give it at least an hour in the fridge before serving.



1 C Quick Soaked and Cooked Chickpeas (throw out the soaking water and use fresh water to cook)
1/4 C Chopped Cilantro
2-3 bulbs Oven Roasted Garlic
1 medium Oven Roasted Onion
1/2 t Sesame Seeds
1/4 t Tamarind Paste
3/4 t Red Chilli Powder
1/2 t Amchoor Powder
1 T Nutritional Yeast
1/8 t Cumin Powder
1/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt

To roast the onion and garlic, rub them with olive oil and salt. Place them in a baking tray lined with aluminum foil. Cover them tightly with foil. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Bake for about an hour. Let them cool. Peel the onion and cut it into large cubes. Separate the garlic cloves and peel them.

For the hummus, cool and drain the chickpeas and keep the cooking liquid aside. Place all the ingredients, except olive oil, in a blender jar. Grind to a smooth paste by adding as much of the chickpeas cooking liquid as required, a little at a time. Taste and adjust seasonings. When it's a fluffy, liquidy paste, keep the grinder running and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the jar. This will emulsify the oil and give the hummus a creamier consistency.

Transfer to an airtight container and chill in the fridge to let the flavors get incorporated. Tastes great in the traditional falafel and pita wrap, but besides that the serving options are endless! Serve as a dip for vegetables, a spread or topping for breads (I've served it over home made corn bread in the picture) or eat straight out of a bowl. Enjoy! :)

Creamy Tabbouleh Salad Lettuce Wraps

These Creamy Tabbouleh Salad Lettuce Wraps are herb rich and full of flavour. They make for a nutritious and refreshing lunch on a sultry afternoon.

I have developed a whole new level of love for salads. And here's why...

There's a new healthy vegan restaurant in town, Carrots. I spoke about it in an earlier blog post. Since it's the first of its kind in Bangalore, it's a matter of great excitement in the local vegan community. And vegans from other Indian cities have been telling us how very jealous they are. Hehe

In India, it's extremely easy to be vegetarian. Ours is a largely vegetarian culture. More than half our restaurants are vegetarian. Even people who consume meat don't usually do so every single day, and definitely not three times a day. Eggs aren't considered vegetarian and they won't be found in any vegetarian restaurant.

When you go to a grocery store, each and every product has a symbol to indicate whether it is vegetarian or not. All vegetarian products are marked with a green dot and all non vegetarian products, including those with eggs, are marked with a red dot.

For vegans here, the big pain in the ass is dairy! Animal milk (usually from cows and buffaloes) and its derivatives are put into all kinds of foods. A non vegan person who isn't in the habit of reading labels would be surprised to hear about the innumerable ways dairy sneaks into their system.

So you can imagine what it means for us to finally have a place in town where we can order any item from the menu without the need to explain and shoot off a long list of taboo dairy products to the waiter. :)

Just before the launch of Carrots, hubby and I were invited there for a few tasting sessions by Krishna, the owner of the restaurant. Since the chef isn't vegan, he felt a need for inputs about his vegan cooking and pointers on making desserts. For a non vegan, Chef Anantha makes really delicious vegan food! He is a master of soups, salads and starters. His main dishes are really tasty and he's been making an extremely good effort at vegan desserts.

Among all the things we ate, hubby and I would say that the Greek Salad was hands down our favourite dish!!! Bursting with colourful veggies and pumped with flavourful, lemon soaked tofu, every bite of the salad was mind blowing!

Ever since we ate that Greek Salad at Carrots, hubby and I have been craving big salads like that one. And I've been ordering lettuce from Towness more regularly than I used to.

Thanks to the amazing Greek Salad at Carrots, we'll be eating a lot more salad at home this summer. :)

Creamy Tabbouleh Salad Lettuce Wraps



1/2 C Broken Wheat
10 large Romaine Lettuce Leaves
2 baby Apples (crunchy Mishri variety) - chopped
3 medium Plum Tomatoes - diced
1 C Fresh Mint - roughly chopped
1 C Fresh Parsley - roughly chopped
1 C Fresh Cilantro - roughly chopped
1/2 C Cashews
1/4 C Lime Juice
1 inch Ginger - grated
Black Salt
Black Pepper - freshly crushed

Soak the broken wheat in water for about 15-20 minutes and drain.

Blend together cashews and lime juice using a little water to get a sour cream.

Add the herbs and pulse a few times (but don't blend them completely).

Toss together all ingredients, except lettuce, cover and keep aside. You have your creamy tabbouleh.

Separate the lettuce leaves and clean them.

Spread a leaf on a flat surface and spoon some of the tabbouleh mixture in the centre of the leaf. Wrap and place seam side down on a plate.

Continue doing the same with the remaining lettuce leaves.

These nutritious, flavourful salad wraps are great for lunch, especially now since it's gotten so hot here.

Enjoy! :)

Vegan Craft Samples - Earth Day 2010

My friend from the Vegan Etsy and Etsy Veg teams Heather Snogles started up Vegan Craft Samples a while ago and it's been a huge success ever since! Each year has about 4 Vegan Craft Samples Bags getting released to which various artists and crafters contribute their wonderful creations. When you purchase a bag, not only do you get a mix of beautiful stuff made by various talented people, you also help out an animal charity to which all profits from the bags go.

While there are many sample bags of this sort being run, Heather is the only one who runs an all Vegan bag and also donates 100% of the profits to an animal sanctuary.

The next bag is the one for Earth Day 2010 and they go on sale on the 4th of April 2010 (only a few days away!!). The chosen animal charity for this time is Carolina Pet Rescue.

The bags will be available in 3 sizes - small (8-10 items), regular (17-20 items) and large (22+ items). They will be up for sale at the Vegan Craft Samples Website and Etsy Store.

Once these babies come out, they sell like hotcakes so make sure you grab them quickly! :)

Currently, the Etsy Store also has a yearly subscription for all 2010 bags up for sale. If you buy this, you'll receive all the 3 remaining bags for 2010 without having to worry about remembering to grab them in time.

About 2 weeks ago, I sent in my goodies for the bags from both my stores - Art by Susmitha and Veganosaurus. This morning, I logged in to find an e-mail from Heather, saying that my box has reached. :)

While I had been making my creations to send in, I had been hunting for a fun packaging idea, particularly for the monsters. I really wanted it to be whimsical yet different. Then one day, while I was doing my normal chores and basically feeling thoughtless, the idea just hit me... Comic Strips! :)

So I spent a couple of days, snipping comics from the daily newspaper and used them to wrap the monsters and a few of the other goodies. It took a bit of effort but it was totally worth it!

Keep an eye out for the Veganosaurus Monsters or the Art by Susmitha Jewelry and Wire Book Marks in your Vegan Samples Bag. And if you find one, I'd love to hear from you about it! Please drop a comment right here to let me know what you think. :)