Kadhai Gobi, shimla mirch, Tempeh(Tempeh, cauliflower, bell pepper in spicy tomato gravy) Vegan, glutenfree and holiday ideas!

Kadhai /Karahi is an indian wok, usually made with cast iron or steel and used for shallow or deep frying or high heat dishes.

Kadhai paneer(cottage cheese) or Kadhai Chicken/other meat is another one of the main course curries found on most Indian restaurants. So another one for me to veganize. Kadhai paneer or Paneer Tikka Masala was also one of the dishes served on special occasions or get togethers at our home in india while growing up. I am from North India after all, with a good consumption of Paneer dishes. I dont know why most indian restaurants serve only north indian inspired, meaty, and creamy curries, when there are several cuisines of each of the states, most of them unique in their own way and vegetarian. 

A few pictures today, we usually eat the curries up before I can click! This is a tangy and spicy curry and goes well with vegetables as well. I usually add cauliflower, green and red bell peppers, onion slices, carrots and other veggies to it. The pictured recipe has tempeh, cauliflower and bell peppers. I made it when my parents were visiting in October to give them a taste of tempeh. Tempeh is fermented soybean patty. It can be substituted with tofu or any lentil loaf. I forgot to add that I am so proud of my parents for adjusting so well to our dietary preferences, and trying out the substitutes. They are the sweetest and now are trying to implement some of the things back home in India!

For more Indian curries, check out the curries round up here.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 8 oz tempeh package or about 2 cups small cubes tempeh.

1 medium green bell pepper (shimla mirch, capsicum)

1 cup cauliflower florets( big ones chopped)

1/2 medium onion chopped or sliced

1 Tablespoon oil

4 medium tomatoes

1/2 inch piece of ginger

5 cloves of garlic

1 green chili

1/2 teaspoon cumin seed (jeera)

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (haldi)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala (Punjabi garam masala works best)

3/4 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste

1/4 teaspoon raw sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

a cup or so of water

Method:

In a large kadhai or any deep pan, add oil and heat medium-high heat.

Add in the chopped tempeh and cook for a minute, stir and cook for another minute or 2 until some of the sides turn golden. Remove tempeh and keep aside.

Add in the bell pepper and cauliflower and cook stirring so some of the edges get golden. Remove and keep aside(you can skip this step and add them later to the curry directly as well)

Add in the cumin seeds and onions to the same oil and cook for 5-7 minutes until translucent.

Add in the spices and mix well, cook for a minute.

Blend the tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chili to make a puree.

Add puree to the the onions and mix well.

Add in the tempeh and salt, sugar, mix and cook on low-medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the tomato gravy thickens enough and sticks to the tempeh.

Add in water(depending on how dry or wet you want the final dish), lemon juice, bell peppers and cauliflower. mix well, adjust salt and spice to taste.

Cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes until cauliflower is tender.

Serve hot topped with chopped cilantro, with flat bread(Naan, roti) or Rice!.

Heres a video for a dry version of kadhai paneer. The only difference in cooking paneer vs tempeh is that tempeh takes longer to absorb the flavors, so cook it with the gravy.

Lots of things to do this holiday season.. bake up a storm.. meet up with friends! Join me in doing some of the following too!

Sponsor dogs, cats or animals in sanctuaries. We usually sponsor some at our local senior dog sanctuary(Old dog haven) and some in India(Animal aid India, and Help animals India). Check out Savannah's collection of Shop to help animals international charities list here. If sending gift cards, find some rescues and charities offering gift cards and calendars with all or most of the profit going to the rescue.

Check out VeganEtsy!! and Vegtastic's finds for some vegan finds on etsy(the list of vegan sellers here. and some cruelty free shoes at Veganchic!

Find local artists offering one of a kinds gifts and support small businesses!

Send out happy prayers , thoughts, ecards, give a hug, a smile, head out to your local shelter to play with the pups who dont have a home yet, deliver meals and gifts to families who cant afford it this year.. lots to do.. !

Thank you all for the support! If you are in Seattle, drop by to say hi and grab some goodies.. We are in belltown, 4 blocks from the needle! Happy holidays!

This curry is headed to Ricki's Wellness weekend,Hearth and soul blog hop, Slightly indulgent Tuesdays and MLLA november at simona , started by Susan

Flan, Caramel custard/pudding Vegan, glutenfree

Fresh cranberrrieeess in season now.. and I served some along this beautiful caramel flan! Also made some cran-blue berry upside down cake..all a part of our thanksgiving spread. The entire spread pictures and Roasted delicata squash recipe here.

I was looking to veganize the eggy flan for a while. Flan or creme caramel or custard pudding with soft caramel is one of the desserts which have sweet childhood memories associated with it. My maasi(mom's sister) would make us some caramel custard for special occassions, and it was perfect, with the perfect sweetness, the perfect burnt sugar, and better than any flan I've had in restaurants. I cant beat her perfection, but this flan comes quite close! I found some references to Cafe con leche flan in Viva vegan and another version somewhere online used tofu. I decided to cut out the soy and here is my recipe!

More caramel and silkier flan!

makes two 3.5 inch ramekins

Caramel:

5 Tbsps raw sugar, brown sugar or sucanat

1 Tbps water

Pudding: 1.75 cups + 2 Tbsps So delicious vanilla coconut milk

2 Tbsps raw sugar or other sweetener to taste

1/2 teaspoon agar powder

1 Tbsp cornstarch

vanilla extract if using regular coconut milk

Directions:

1. Caramel: In a pan, add in the sugar and water for the caramel and mix on medium heat. Let it come to a boil, reduce heat to low and keep stirring occasionally till it gets dark and thick. Pour the caramel in the ramekins and spread around while still hot. reserve the pan.I like my caramel dark and burnt and bitter.
2. Pudding: In a bowl whisk the agar powder into the coconut milk and add it to the pan in which you made caramel, on low heat.
3. Keep stirring frequently and let it come to a boil.
4. Add the cornstarch to a couple of tablespoon of cool coconut milk and mix well.
5. Add this cornstarch mixture and the sugar to the boiling milk and keep boiling for 7-10 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached.
6. Pour this boiling mixture in the caramel covered ramekins.
7. If your caramel is a nice thick layer, then bake the ramekins for 3-4 minutes in 375 degrees F, so the caramel melts and the mixture just begins to bubble on the edges, and the caramel mixes well with the bottom.(I like this version better.)
8. Let it cool for 10 minutes then refrigerate for atleast 2 hours.
9. You can also use soy/almond milk or creamer with vanilla extract to make the pudding and add half cup blended silken tofu just before almost done, bring to a boil and take off heat. Mix well and pour immediately into ramekins covered in caramel.
10. I made another batch with 1/2 cup coconut creamer, 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1/4 cup tofu and that was so creamy!
11. To serve, run knife gently along the sides to loosen the flan and invert it on the serving plate. If the flan doesnt slide out easily, then dip the bottoms of the ramekin in hot water for a minute and invert. Serve as is, or with fresh fruits.

What favorite desserts do you plan to make this holiday season?

Agar powder is a gelatinous substance derived from algae and a great substitute for gelatin. You can find it whole foods or health stores, though it is much cheaper if bought online from iherb, swanson or amazon!

This flan is headed to Hearth and soul blog hop, Slightly indulgent Tuesdays, Ricki's wellness weekend, and Amee's Fit and Fabulous Fridays

Roasted Garam masala chickpeas. Vegan glutenfree

A very addictive protein filled savory snack anyone!

I made a batch with garam masala, another batch with my home made Chana masala spice blend. And a batch with cinnamon and maple. crrrunnccchh! You can find garam masala or chole masala in any indian store. Put them in pretty pouches and add to your holiday gift box, for a crunchy savory option!

Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas are an amazing source of a good number of minerals and protein. They have a good amount of fiber to help your digestive tract, unique supply of anti-oxidants, help with better regulation of blood sugar and increased chances of satiety and hence weight control. What more could you want from a bean and it is one versatile bean easily incorporated in so many cuisines.

Inspired by Fajita Chickpeas from Natural noshing

Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas in a colander. Or cook the overnight soaked chickpeas in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles until tender.

Drain them well, shaking excess water let air dry or pat dry with towel.

In a bowl, add chickpeas, 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste, 1 teaspoon oil, 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala or Chana masala spice blend/chole masala, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and toss to coat the chickpeas well.

Spread the chickpeas onto parchment lined baking sheet/pan in a single layer and bake for 35-50 minutes (time depends on the amount of chickpeas and your oven) until crispy, shaking pan twice or so in the middle of cooking. I baked at 325 degrees F. Check in between for crispness. You want them just about done, not hard like a stone. They will continue to harden a bit once out of the oven too. Serve warm or let cool and enjoy! Store in airtight container.

For maple cinnamon chickpeas, add some cinnamon powder, oil and maple syrup, mix well to coat and bake!

Wanna make them more fun, coat them in melted chocolate!:))

On another note, I updated the recipe index by label with some pictures. The tab Recipe Index by Label on top, links to this page http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/p/recipe-index-by-label.html

To Search for posts by multiple labels, use the feed on a browser that supports rss. For eg. For all posts with Breakfast label which are also vegan http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/vegan/breakfast

or for all indian main course dishes which are glutenfree (labels main course:India and gluten free)

http://hobbyandmore.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default/-/main%20course:India/gluten%20free

These simple crunchy snacks are headed to Hearth and soul blog hop,Slightly indulgent Tuesdays, Serve it baked-savory by Krithi, and Denny, Vardhini's bake fest and MLLA november at simona , started by Susan

Roasted Delicata squash with Rosemary and olive oil. Vegan, glutenfree

Hope you all had an amazing thanksgiving! Below was our casual indian mixed Thanksgiving spread.. all Vegan and mostly Glutenfree.

Rosemary, olive oil, roasted Delicata squash,

Kale, romaine, balsamic salad,

Leek, carrot, potato, celery, squash soup,

Sprouted Black chickpea curry,

Rice with cumin seeds,

Caramel Flan /pudding with cranberries and blueberries.:)

Cranberry-blueberry upside down cake in the oven..not pictured for later in the evening. ( which we ate up, so i have to make another one for some pictures:)

All recipes coming up in the next few days..

We got our first delivery from Full circle farm with all the gorgeous and fresh greens, squashes, apples, pears, carrots, kale, celery and more. These local and organic veggies taste so much better and the in season fruits and veggies make me come up with ways to use them. Else I normally get stuck with the usual veggies available all year round in the superstores.

Starting up the recipes with this simple Delicata squash. roasted or cooked on stove top.

Slit the squash in the middle. Remove seeds. Slice it up.

You can either roast it in the oven or on stove top.

Toss the slices with some olive oil or organic canola oil, salt, black pepper and fresh or dried rosemary in a bowl or directly on a baking sheet/pan. Level the squash to be in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes at 375 degrees F or until soft and slightly golden. Serve warm.

Or Add oil to a pan on stove top and spread to cover. Drop in the squash slices. sprinkle salt, pepper and rosemary. Cover and cook on low-medium for 10 minutes. Turn the slices and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve!

This squash is heading to Ricki's wellness Weekend, Food Corner food of the month- christmas , Serve it baked-savory by Krithi, and Denny, Vardhini's bake fest ,Cybele pascal's allergy friendly friday , Simple and in Season Oct-Nov , and Squashlove blog hop, and Dailybites GF holiday

Sprouted Wheat Strawberry Bread Vegan. A guest post on Tongue Ticklers

Its been a while since I posted a bread.. If you look through last 2 years, you will know what I mean. I bake breads at home pretty much every week,.. experiment with grains, fruits and herbs and knead and bake and knead and bake. I've been baking some repeat simple multigrain ones lately. I made whole wheat pizza dough when mom was visiting and now she has started eating home made pizza back in India, minus the cheese:)

Some time back, Harini has asked me for a guest post on her wonderful blog Tongue Ticklers, and I sent her one of my breads. Harini blogs tried and tested, authentic, Veganized and some glutenfree recipes. She loves to innovate with textures, ingredients and flavours to find a balance in taste and health. She also takes you on a beautiful journey with each post with her exquisite photography.

I was thinking of what to use in this bread for the guest post, and I wasn’t sure if grains like quinoa were available in India. So I decided to stick to the most used grain. Wheat. This bread has sprouted Wheat, whole wheat flour, high gluten bread flour, and some strawberries too. The fruit adds a fun dimension to the bread and hides some of the wheaty taste, which sometimes can be strong enough to distract some people from liking a whole grain bread.

Sprouted Wheat:

Dough:

Ready to be baked.

Sprouted Wheat Strawberry Bread.

Soy, nut free.

2 mini loafs (pan 6x3 inch)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup wheat sprouted( took me 2 days for a nice sprout at 70s degrees F). It might take less time in warmer climate
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cups bread flour
• 1 teaspoon vital wheat gluten (optional)
• 3 Tablespoons raw sugar or equivalent jaggery/agave/maple syrup or other sweetener.
• 1.5 teaspoons active yeast
• 1/2-3/4 cup water
• 7-8 strawberries
• 2 Tablespoons Organic olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Add the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar to 2 Tablespoons warm water and mix well. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
2. In a blender, puree the strawberries and sprouted wheat with the remaining sugar. You can add some of the sprouted wheat as is. I like my breads without the whole grain popping up while eating a soft slice, so I puree all the wheat.
3. In a bowl add 1 cup bread flour, 1/3 cup wheat flour, wheat gluten and salt and mix.
4. Add in the yeast mixture, oil and fruit+wheat puree, 1/2 cup water and mix. Let dough sit for 5 minutes covered.
5. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes, by hand or in stand mixer, Scraping sides every 2-3 minutes if using a stand mixer. add more flour or water in little quantities if needed. As with any fresh fruit/vegetable bread, the fruit gives out a extra moisture than a normal bread, while the dough sits for the rising time. So keep the dough soft and not too sticky. For a good gluten development, you can punch the dough, pull and fold, throw it on the counter and have fun with it during the kneading!
6. Spritz the top of dough with some oil spray. Place dough in a covered container in a warm place for 1.5 hours to rise until atleast doubled in size.
7. Punch it lightly. For mini loaf pans, divide dough into 2 parts. Knead and shape into a loaf by pulling on all sides, or by rolling it out into a rectangle and rolling the rectangle from one side and tucking the other edge under like a jelly roll. Or you can make just one loaf for the regular bread loaf pan.
8. Place loaf in greased mini bread pans. Spritz the top with water and then spritz a little oil spray, and cover with kitchen towel.
9. Place it in a warm place or warm oven for 45 minutes.
10. Remove towel, spritz top with some water and bake at preheated 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow. (35 minutes if baking one bigger loaf)
11. Remove bread from pan and let cool for an hour.
12. I usually put the bread in the fridge to cool even more for atleast another hour before slicing. The slices then come out perfect. The breads are usually soft and can easily gets squished while slicing.
13. Slice and enjoy as is! or topped with some fresh fruit compote, chutneys, creamy herbed berry topping(vegan cream cheese mixed with mashed berries and herbs), or marmalade, or nut butters, or topped with a tofu scramble!
14. Store bread in refrigerator for a 7-8 days, because it has fruit in it. you can store a regular fruit less bread at room temperature.

Check out Recipe on Tongue Ticklers here.

Sprouted grains have more micronutrients and food enzymes than non sprouted ones.. Some other sprouted grain breads I posted earlier. Sprouted quinoa Tomato flat bread and Mung Bean sprouts Wheat Loaf.

Hope you all are having a great Holiday weekend! This bread is headed to Ricki's wellness weekend., Susan's Weekly Yeastspotting and Vardhini's bake fest.

Some of my recent fave breads for a quick round up. Mango Strawberry molasses, Multifruit Multigrain, Chocolate multigrain, Beet Blueberry :)

Carrot almond Cake, Muffins and Carrot halwa. vegan

2 in 1 post! Carrot almond cake and muffins and Carrot halwa (Fudgy Indian sweet) which is glutenfree! The cake and muffins are not glutenfree.

Carrot Halwa is one of the ubiquitous indian sweets at most festivals or even on regular days when carrots are in season. Back home, mom would get loads of carrots, sit and grate them and then put them for roasting with some ghee, milk and sugar.. and it would slow roast the whole day to a dark red brown and rich and shiny dense fudgy sweet. I make mine with coconut oil and almond meal instead of almond milk! Comes out super fine!

Pictured below are the baby cakes.

I made 2 baby cakes and 3 dozen muffins recently. The carrots are cooked a bit to resemble a partially done halwa and then made into cake/muffins. The carrot taste is more cooked, sweeter, and buttery. I should probably call these Carrot Halwa muffins!

Why did I make them this way.. coz I am lazy about grating the carrot by hand or using my bulky food processor.. and believe you me.. you will like these fudgy cakes even better!

For the cakes(2, 4 inch ramekins) I used,

1/2 cup self rising flour

2 Tbsps whole wheat pastry flour

2 Tbsps almonds

2 Tbsp oats

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 Tbsp coconut oil

1 Tbsp vegan butter

10 baby carrots

1/2 cup water

7 Tbsps raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder (substitute with fave spice if you dont like cardamom)

1/4 teaspoon pumpkin spice

pinch of nutmeg

For the 3 dozen mini muffins

1.75 cups self rising flour

1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup oats

1/3 cup almonds

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

2 Tablespoons Organic canola oil

2 cups baby carrots or chopped carrots.

about 1 cup water (1/2 + 1/2)

1 cup raw sugar

1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1.5 teaspoon vinegar

raisins and cranberries

Directions:

1. Grind the almonds and keep aside or use almond flour. Grind oats with baking powder and salt and keep aside.
2. Blend the carrots into a coarse puree with a little water(depends on your blender. I used about half a cup for 2 cups carrots). or grate then into thin fine strips. I pureed the carrots for both cake and muffins.
3. In a pan, heat the coconut oil, melt and spread to cover the pan.
4. Add in carrot puree, spices, Almond meal and sugar and mix well. Add in the raisins to the mixture at this point( I added 1/2 cup raisins for the muffins)
5. Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the puree thicken a bit(depends in the quantity of the puree and water content).
6. Take mixture off heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
7. Add in vinegar, about 1/3 cup cold water for the cakes and 1/2 cup for the muffins, and canola oil and mix well. The mixture should be a runny sauce. (Add double the water if you grated the carrots and you cooked carrots are almost dry)
8. Add in the flours and ground Oats and mix until just about combined. Drop mixture in mini muffin liners in muffin pan Or greased cake pan. Smooth the top and top the muffins with cranberries(pictured), raisins or jam.
9. Bake at preheated 360 degrees F for 18-20 minutes for the mini muffins and 35-40 minutes for the cake pans or until the toothpick in the middle comes out clean.

Carrot Halwa: (glutenfree)

1. For Carrot Halwa: Follow steps 1-4 from the cake directions above, with half the amount of sugar. (2 cups carrots, 1/3 cup freshly ground almond meal, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, 2 Tbsps coconut oil and 1/2 cup raw sugar.)
2. Keep cooking the carrot mixture on low heat stirring occasionally till it starts to leave the edges. About 45 minutes if using grated carrots, and an hour if carrots were pureed.
3. Add some raisins and cashew pieces after 15 minutes of cooking and continue.
4. Serve warm or cold or any way:). We usually serve it warm as dessert right after a meal.

The halwa comes out better with grated/shredded carrots. and cardamom is the spice of choice for this indian sweet.

These muffies are headed to Slightly indulgent Tuesdays, Hearth and soul blog hop.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Stop by my earlier post Green beans-2 ways for a list of my favorite vegan thanksgiving recipes and Menu ideas from around the web and a list from my archives.

Daily dose of mr fluff's expressions... "I am comfortably sleeping in the comforter here.. do u mind?.. gaah.. no privacy in this house.."

Green beans and potatoes (Barbati Aloo subzi). Mom's recipe. and TG ideas. Vegan, glutenfree

Isnt it totally obvious that mom made this dish! Look at those evenly cut beans and potatoes. everything is almost the same size and symmetrical and so pretty.

Have you seen my green beans and potatoes.. the beans get cut in random sized parts. same thing happens to potatoes and they get cooked on medium heat because I am usually in a hurry to eat.. and the beans get slightly golden or brown because of the high heat cooking.. no such thing in mom's version. all evenly cut and evenly cooked on a low simmer with occasional stirring and taken off heat on time. Serve these beans with your favorite Daal(Indian lentil soup), some flat bread and pickle!

We dont really celebrate a by the book thanksgiving. Most years, it is just a get together with friends and lots of indian food. Thank you all for the warm wishes on the Oatmeal cookie post.. I am thankful for everyone, family and friends, gradually doing better and am blabbing about some of it on my personal blog here .

Need some Vegan Thanksgiving Ideas!.. check out

NY Times Vegetarian and vegan collection

OneGreenPlanet's Vegan thanksgiving recipes

Kathy's Thanksgiving complete Menu Ideas!

If you all are interested in an Indian menu, I can put up a sample Indian spread in the next post!. Have a safe and happy holiday season. Here are some of my recipes which might fit in well with the holiday cooking!

Maple Glazed Tempeh over baby greens Salad.

Fluffy White Dinner rolls.

The evergreen Tiramisu Pancakes.

Tempeh Kebabs, which can be made into a Loaf.

Mango Chutney. Add cranberries to it.

Pigeon Pea soup with Opo Squash!.

This is a simple indian subzi(dry veggie preparation). Play around to make it your own.

Directions:

In a pan, add a teaspoon of oil, and heat on medium heat for a minute till hot.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds and let them sputter.

Add in a teaspoon or 2 of minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes and mix well.

Add in a cup of cubed potatoes and mix well to coat.

Add in about 2 cups of chopped green beans, mix, cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir, add salt to taste( 3/4 or 1 teaspoon), mix well and cover and cook for another 20-30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until potatoes are tender. Simple and yumm!

Another way I make my green beans/french beans (no picture) ..

In a pan, heat oil on medium heat.

Add mustard seeds, and let them start to sputter.

Add in chili flakes and a teaspoon of split urad daal(black gram) or split mung daal(green gram) and mix for a few seconds.

Add in a few curry leaves, mix and add in the green beans. Mix well to coat.

cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add salt to taste, mix and cook covered until beans are tender and brown on some sides. Serve as is, or garnish with fresh grated coconut.

These simple Subzis are heading to Hearth and soul blog hop, Melt in your mouth monday, Simply sugar and gf Slightly indulgent Tuesdays, Mouthwatering monday- TG edition. and Ricki's Wellness weekend and Lisa's Lunchbox love., Simple and in Season Oct-Nov

Chilla /Puda (chickpea flour omelette/pancake) and savory french toasts. vegan, glutenfree

The theme for this month is definitely more focused on breakfast.. in part because I got a bit bored of pancakes, breads, toasts, oatmeal and other mostly sweet oriented options. So when mom was visiting, I made it a point to take a few pictures, ended up with a very few actually. :). of the savory options. Only moms can make perect chilla/puda. perfectly round, perfectly done.:) Chilla or Puda as we call it is another one of the staple breakfasts at home.. made with chickpea flour(besan), sometimes in combination with wheat or rice flour or semolina, with added veggies of choice.

Chilla if made with only chickpea flour is glutenfree. Pictured with the chilla above is the Diwali oil lamp. This year we celebrated Diwali with ma n pa after 11 years!

A fluffier more Veggie Omelette version on the new post here

The chilla we make, is like a thick soft crepe (more like a Dosa). You can tweak the consistency to make a thicker batter for a more pancakey and soft chilla or a thin crisp crepe.

For some recent savory breakfast options check out Upma-Cream of wheat or Rice or other grains cooked with veggies and nuts here. with gf options.

Directions: Makes 3-4

Take 2/3 cup chickpea flour and add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp rock salt(kala namak), 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste, 1/8 teaspoon asofetida(hing, optional), 1 teaspoon oil and about 1/2-2/3 cup water and mix well to get a lump free batter. (add cumin powder or coriander powder for variations).

Add in 1/4 cup chopped red onion, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 green chili finely chopped or to taste and a couple of tablespoons of finely chopped cilantro.

Heat a thick bottom pan on medium high heat until hot, spread a little oil on the pan.

Drop a ladleful of the batter and spread it around either by using the ladle in circular motion like a crepe, or just moving the pan to make 5-7 inch diameter. Put half a teaspoon of oil on the edges.

Cook chilla on medium heat for 5-7 minutes until golden. Flip and cook for another few minutes till brown spots appear.

Serve hot with ketchup, sriracha, cilantro chutney or other sauces.

When short on time, I blend the veggies, ginger and all the ingredients to make a blended batter and use it:) No chopping needed!

Other veggies that we add.. grated carrot, finely chopped tomato, scallions, shallots, grated cauliflower, zucchini, potato, mushrooms, spinach, chard and more. Add a few Tablespoons of rice flour for crispy chilla. You can watch a Video on how to make a chilla with zucchini here.

I also use this same batter to make Savory french toasts (Bread pakora). Coat the breads in the batter and pan fry them on non stick pans with little oil, on medium hot, about 3-5 minutes on each side depending on size. Serve hot topped with daiya or as is with ketchup or chutneys! Use gf bread for a gf french toasts.

Have a great balanced breakfast everyday. This chilla and savory toasts are headed to Ricki's wellness weekend, allergyfree Lunchbox love, Slightly indulgent tuesdays and Cybele pascals Allergy friendly friday.

And this is my new iphone cover.. cheeezzyy.. but i love it!

Oatmeal Chocolate chip glutenfree Cookies. with a secret ingredient. vegan

First, Thank you all for all the support! I crossed 700 likes on my facebook page! yay. thank you for all the love to the Tiramisu pancakes.. which came about out of the happy memories of some happy events, celebrated with decadent Tiramisu in my prevegan days. I could make the whole dessert vegan too, but this came about as a quicker, and healthier idea! yay for some special breakfast!

I had to start experimenting with gluten free desert baking some day.. I made a gf quick bread, which was decent.. with breads and cakes you have to get a hang of the ratios, the new types of flours, xanthan or guar gum and such. Cookies are a bit simpler, they do not necessarily need binding gum.

These cookies came out fabulous! and dont taste much different than the regular oatmeal and wheat flour cookies! I added some puffed rice/rice krispies to the cookies to make them a bit more porous and crunchy. Brilliant idea... dont u think. You can tweak the recipe to make your own! and I hope you all like it.

Ingredients: makes 8-10 cookies

• 2/3 cup old fashioned oats ground.
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1/2 tsp guar gum (optional. I've made these without the gum and they comes out fine)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup puffed rice (murmura in hindi. cheap at an indian store)
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon organic canola oil
• 2 tablespoons agave
• 3 Tablespoons raw sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon flaxmeal
• 4 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or other spices of choice

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix the flaxmeal in 2 Tablespoons hot water and keep for 2 minutes.
2. Add in 2 tablespoons hot water, coconut oil and canola oil and mix so the coconut oil melts a bit. (or melt the coconut oil separately and add)
3. Add in the sugar, agave, spices, salt and lemon juice and mix well for 2 minutes using hand or electric mixer( I dont use the electric one, since the mixture doesnt need much fluffing up)
4. Grind the 2/3 cup oats along with baking powder and guar gum, or use 1/2 cup oat flour and mix in the baking powder and guar gum powder. Add to wet mix.
5. Coarsely grind the puffed rice/rice krispies, with just a few pulses to break the rice into smaller pieces. Add this to wet mix as well.
6. Add the whole oats and chocolate chips and mix well to combine.
7. Drop spoonfulls on parchment lined baking sheet. press down with oiled hand or spoon and shape a bit.
8. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven for 12-14 minutes. Cool on rack and enjoy!

These cookie are headed to Hearth and soul blog hop and Simply sugar and gluten free's Slightly indulgent tuesdays. and Ricki's wellness weekend, and gf edible holiday gifts

On another note, please do send a prayer our way.. this week has been a taxing one with young and fit near and dear ones falling under the c word.. now on their long road to recovery.

Tikki. Potato, chickpea, breadcrumbs patties. Vegan, glutenfree option

Vegan Mofo is not really over! There is a Iron chef challenge every second week of the month now and this week's challenge is breadcrumbs!

I made these cute little baked potato tikkis/cutlets with leftover Chana masala, boiled potato, Breadcrumbs and spices!. You can add any veggie leftovers like beans, sweet potatoes, risotto, cooked quinoa, thick soup etc.

Just when you think things have settled, the amazing team at Mofo shakes it up! kudos to them for the whole october event and then keeping it going! These tikkis can be served as snack or breakfast or a light meal accompanied with the mini buns to make sliders and such!

Some fun patties posted before, Beet Oat and chickpea sliders, which were such cute and flavorful patties. These potato tikkis are similar but crunchy because of the breadcrumbs and cute little things!

And in case you missed the now famous Tiramisu Pancakes with cashew mascarpone posted 2 days back.. here is the link! and a teaser picture again! :D

Ingredients: makes 12-14 small cutlets

• 2 medium potatoes
• 2/3 cup leftover Chana masala/chole or other not too wet veggie leftovers
• 2 slices whole wheat bread made into crumbs or use glutenfree bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup oats ground coarsely
• 1 inch ginger finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic finely chopped or minced
• 1 chili pepper chopped
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
• 1 teaspoon garam masala or other fave herbs or spice blend mix
• 1/2 teaspoon carom seeds (Ajwain, optional)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon or more rock salt (kala namak) or anardana powder(pomegranate seed)
• 1 Tablespoon oil

Directions:

1. Mash the potatoes and leftovers to get a well mashed mix.
2. Add in all the other ingredients and mix well to get a non wet mix which can come together. Add more breadcrumbs or oats if needed.
3. Taste the mix and adjust salt and spice.
4. Form in to patties and place on parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 15-25 minutes depending on size and wetness of the patty. till the outside is dry and golden. You can also shallow fry the patties.
6. Serve hot with fave sauces, sriracha, or cilantro chutney, some side salad and a coffee or juice. You can also put these between mini buns and top with lettuce and some ketchup or miso mayo!

These cuties are headed to Ricki's wellness weekend., melt in your mondays and hearth and soul blog hop.

Tiramisu Pancakes! Vegan

Holiday theme continues! So what part of the day do you think you will serve these pancakes.. early morning, or late evening with a good helping of liqueur... or all day, bottomless, on demand :)

If you let these soak in the maple, coffee and liquor combination and chill for half an hour, these can pretty much be almost the real boozy dessert!

I think I can eat these for dinner!.. They are multigrain, you got your nut protein, some cocoa, and coffee to keep you awake and going for the late night partay! To make these glutenfree, use your fave glutenfree pancake mix!

If using only regular flour instead of pancake mix, then add 1 flax egg(1 scant Tbsp flax meal mixed in 2 Tbsp warm water) and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder per half cup flour)

Cashews are a great source of minerals and heart healthy fat. Cashews have a lower fat content than most other nuts, approximately 75% of their fat is unsaturated fatty acids, plus about 75% of this unsaturated fatty acid content is oleic acid, the same heart-healthy monounsaturated fat found in olive oil. Studies show that oleic acid promotes good cardiovascular health, even in individuals with diabetes.

Ingredients: makes 3 or 4 pancakes

• 7 Tablespoons Bob's red mill organic 7 grain pancake mix (already has flax) or See Note below for pancake mix)
• 2 Tablespoons self rising flour or all purpose flour( optional, the grains can get too dense sometimes.)
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cocoa powder (more or less per preference)
• 1 scant teaspoon instant coffee ( or equivalent brewed)(change it around per preference, depends on how strong a coffee taste you like and how awake you want to be)
• 1 Tablepoon oil( virgin coconut or organic canola)
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3+ cup warm water
• a teaspoon of vanilla(optional)
• oil or vegan butter to cook

Mascarpone:

• 1/2 cup cashews soaked for atleast half an hour or overnight or nuke them a bit before creaming
• few Tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar or 1 teaspoon lemon juice for the tang (Vinegar is better)
• 1 Tablespoon maple or raw sugar( use sugar for whiter cream)

Drizzle: Mix Maple syrup and coffee liqueur, or rum or other liqueur to preference.

Directions:

1. Mix the wet ingredients and cocoa powder and coffee well. Add the rest pancake ingredients (9 Tbspns total dry ingredients is a little more than 1/2 cup dry). Add more water if needed to get a thick pancake batter. dont over mix. Too thin and watery batter also will not rise well. Let batter sit(for 2 minutes) till you prepare the cashew mascarpone.
2. Blend the cashews with water and vinegar till creamy. Add sugar or maple and blend again. Taste for tang and sweetness, adjust and keep. you can make thicker or thinner or more cream as needed.
3. Cook the pancakes on well heated and greased thick bottom pan. 5-7 minutes per side depending on size. Since the multigrain batter is a bit thick, you might have to spread it with a spatula into shape.
4. Mix some liqueur in the maple syrup for drizzling if serving with liqueur, or keep separate.
5. To assemble, brush pancake with maple syrup or maple liqueur mix.(Or use rum extract mixed with maple). Top with cashew mascarpone, place another pancake and repeat.
6. Dust some cocoa powder or Chocolate shavings on top. you can also saturate the bottom pancake with a bit more liqueur or maple and coffee per taste. Dig in!!

Note: Pancake Mix: whisk 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Mix 2 teaspoons flaxmeal with scant 1/2 cup water or non dairy milk nd let sit for 2 minutes. Add a Tablespoon raw sugar, 2 teaspoons oil, 1/2 tsp vinegar, spices of choice. Add flours, mix and make pancakes.

These pancakes are headed to Ricki's wellness weekend!, Allergy friendly lunchbox and Cook it allergy free's Week 2 of Glutenfree Thanksgiving.