Vegan Carrot Shake

This is another filling and nutritious shake, tastes absolutely divine and packed with the power of protein rich almond milk, almond meal and carrots. Very easy to make and you can make this even more filling by adding chia gel and hemp protein. The thicker you make, it fills you up for hours and will be a perfect breakfast, lunch or dinner replacement. One important thing in making all these smoothies and shakes is to have a good quality blender. Which will make a perfect puree of the fruits and vegetables and there is no need to strain and discard the fiber from the veggies and fruits. Try this out and let me know, how you liked it.



 Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - Nil

 Serves - 4



Ingredients



Carrots - 4

Almond Milk - 3 Cups

Water - 1/2 Cup

Strained Almond Meal - 4 Tbsp

Raw sugar - Optional and to taste

Ice cubes - few Method



 1) Wash, peel and cut carrots into small pieces.



2) Place this in a blender and add almond milk, water, almond meal and ice cubes and blend thoroughly.



3) At this point you can add hemp protein or your choice of protein powder and blend.



4) Serve immediately and enjoy. Note - I have a vitamix so all the veggies and fruits are made into a fine puree and there is no need to filter or strain the fiber. If your blender doesn't make smooth purees, add small quantity of water to finely chopped carrots and try to make a paste and then add the rest of the almond milk. You can soak 4 Tbsp of Chia in 8 Tbsp Water and leave this for an hour. Spoon out the chia gel in tall glasses and on top pour the carrot shake, enjoy!!

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Mung Bean/Moong Daal Dosai-Crepe

Mung (moong) beans are small, cylindrical beans with a bright green skin. In ayurvedic cooking, they are

used whole or, more commonly, split and hulled. Split and hulled mung beans are small and yellow and

called mung (moong) dhal. You can find Mung Bean in the Asian Indian Store or in International food

section in your grocery store. Mung beans offer 14 gms of protein per cooked cup and a good source

of dietary fiber. They also contain thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and

copper, and are a good source of folate.

This is a very easy to prepare and very nutritious breakfast dish. Good for vegetarians looking for a high

protein food, growing children, pregnant women and people looking for low glycemic diet.



Prepartion Time – 20 minutes

Cooking Time – 25 minutes

Makes – 8 Dosas



Ingredients



Mung Bean(hulled yellow one) – 1 cup

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Green chili – 2 or to taste

Asafoetida – a pinch

Salt – 1 tsp or to taste

Onion – 1 chopped to fine pieces

Water

Oil – 4 tsp



Method



1) Soak mung bean for 3-4 hours.

2) Rinse, drain and add ginger, green chili, asafoetida, salt and just enough water and

grind to a fine paste.

3) To this paste add enough water and chopped onions, this should be slightly thinner

than a pancake batter.

4) Heat a iron griddle and once it is hot go to step 5

5) Take a ladle full of batter and make a circle and pour 1/2 tsp of oil around it, you

can increase the quantity of oil if you want a greasy dosai.

6) Cook on medium heat and once it is well cooked, flip it and cook the other side.

7) Serve hot with sambhar or chutney of our choice.

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Almond Milk

Are you looking for vegan alternate for Cow's milk and stack up on cartons of Almond Milk from the food store. Try this ultra easy home made Almond Milk recipe once at home and i am sure you will not buy those card board boxes any more. The best part in making almond milk is trying to come up with creative recipes to use up the ground almond meal residue. Look for more recipes in this website to make use of this ground almond meal, instead of discarding this healthy meal.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 0

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Almonds - 1 cup

Water - 3 Cups(You use 4 cups to too, but i prefer a thicker version)



Method



1) Soak the almonds over night.



2) Rinse, drain and transfer the soaked almonds along with 3 cups of water to your blender and grind till the almond becomes a fine meal.



3) I use a vitamix, so i add all the water along with the almonds. If you don't have a vitamix and have a regular blender then add little bit of water to cover the surface of the almonds and make this into a fine paste. Now add the rest of the water and blend thoroughly.



4) Once done transfer the contents through a fine filter or a thin cloth in a colander into a bowl so that the liquid almond milk collects at the bottom and the ground residue alone is filtered and stays on the top.



5) Chill and serve or add this almond milk to milk shakes or substitute this for milk in baking. Enjoy!!

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Eggplant Curry(Katharikai Curry)

Eggplant, aubergine, brinjal there are the different names and there could be many more names for this super tasty and nutritious vegetable. Eggplant comes in different shapes, sizes and colors in purple, jade green, lavender, yellow-white and orange. No matter what name is called and what color it is this is one of my favorite vegetable . This curry is very simple to make and for any eggplant lover this recipe is a keeper.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 to 30 Minutes

Serves - 4



Ingredients



Small Purple round eggplant - 10 to 12

 Salt - 1 1/2 tsp or to taste

Tamarind - Gooseberry sized ball

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Curry powder - 1 Tbsp(as per taste and spice level of the curry powder)

Grated Coconut - 1 Tbsp

Coconut oil - 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 Tsp

Split Urad Dal - 1 Tsp

Asafoetida - pinch

Curry leaves - few



Method



1) Soak the tamarind in little bit of warm water and once well soaked using as little water as possible thoroughly extract the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind.



2) Wash, rinse and cut the eggplant into long thin pieces( half the eggplant and each half cut into 3 pieces - around 6 strips per eggplant)



 3) Heat a pan, i used a cast iron roasting pan and add oil. Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add urad dal, asafoetida and curry leaves.



4) Once the urad dal is golden brown, add the cut eggplant pieces. Now add the turmeric powder, salt and cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring in between.



5) Once the eggplant is half cooked, add the extracted tamarind pulp and cook for 10 more minutes till the eggplant is thoroughly cooked.



6) Now add the curry powder and saute for 2 minutes and if any excess water is there, this powder will absorb it. Now add the grated coconut, stir and combine and leave for a minute and then switch off the stove. Leave this in the pan for five minutes and transfer to a serving bowl.



Notes - I used the small purple eggplant, if you use the thin long purple or jade green, they get cooked much faster than the small round purple variety. Do not add tamarind pulp at the beginning as your eggplant will not get cooked that easily and always add it once the eggplant is half done. Do not leave the cooked food in a cast iron pan for a longer time, as the taste and smell of the pan will be absorbed by the cooked food. So transfer it to a serving bowl within few minutes.

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Milagu Rasam(Indian Spicy Pepper Soup)

Rasam is South Indian Dish prepared with tamarind or lemon juice, flavored with spices and made either with or without the addition of cooked Toor Dal. It is normally mixed with rice and eaten or you can relish as a soup too. To somebody who is used to the taste of this dish it is surely a comfort food, very simple to make and with an awesome taste to entice your taste buds. Do try this rasam out and let me know what you think.



Preparation Time - 10 Minutes

Cooking Time - 20 Minutes

Serves - 4 Ingredients



Tamarind - a small lemon sized ball

Water - 3 to 4 Cups

Tomato - 1/2 chopped into small pieces

Coriander Seeds - 1 Tbsp

Black Pepper - 1/2 Tsp

Salt - 1 1/2 Tsp or according to your taste

Dried Red Chili - 3 or more as per taste(this purely depends on your spice level & that of the chili

Ghee(clarified butter) - 1 Tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 Tsp



Method



1) Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water.



2) Heat a pan add 1/2 tsp of ghee and once it is warm add coriander seeds, black pepper and dried red chili and fry till they are slightly brown, switch off and let this cool.



 3) Extract the juice out of the tamarind by adding more water and squeeze out till all the pulp is extracted.



4) To this add salt and boil till the raw smell is gone.



 5) Grind the roasted mixture to a fine powder.



6) Add this mixture to the boiling tamarind water and let this boil for a minute and the whole thing will rise to the top, at this point switch off the stove.



7) Don't allow the mixture to boil for a long time after adding the pepper powder, as this will become more like a medice than a rasam.



8) Heat the rest of the ghee, add the cumin seeds and roast till golden and garnish the rasam and serve with hot rice , cooked plain quinoa or cooked polenta.

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Berry Cherry Orange Jelly

Dessert is not part of our daily meal at all. Dessert is something which we have on special occasions or when we have guest at home. Anything sweet either cookie, bars or sweets i serve in small portions during snack time and not after meals(Why to unnecessarily add up on calories). I made this dessert when my kids asked for a cold ice cream treat, it tasted good and definetly a healthier alternate to icecream. Also it is all natural without any additives, refined sugar and all the goodness of fruit. You can also try this guilt free dessert and let me know how you liked it.



 Preparation Time - 15 Minutes

Cooking Time - 15 Minutes

Serves - 8



Ingredients



 Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice - 2 Cups( I used 4 Juice Oranges)

Agar agar powder - 1 Tbsp

Strawberry, Blueberry , Cherry Pitted and chopped - 2 Cups

Strained yogurt - 1 Cup

Xylitol - 3 Tbsp or Raw Sugar (more for a sweeter version)

Vanilla extract(optional) - 1/2 tsp



 Method



1) Add agar agar powder to orange juice and keep it in medium heat in a stove and stir till the agar agar is completely dissolved.



2) In eight small cups pour the orange mixture and set it to cool, either you can put it in the refrigerator or once the mixture comes to room temperature the agar agar will automatically thicken.



3) Once this orange jelly is completely cooled layer the chopped berries and cherries on top of it.



4) For preparing strained yogurt either use a strainer or use a thin cloth and tie the yogurt inside and all the excess water in the yogurt will drain out and you will get a thick cream. To this add the xylitol, vanilla extract and combine thoroughly.



5) Spoon this yogurt mixture on top of the berry cherry mix and serve chilled.

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Kollu Sundal (Horse Gram Snack)

Sundal is a typical South Indian Snack which is made of legumes. The legumes are soaked, cooked and sauteed with spices and onions or spices and coconut. They not only taste great but are a guilt free, protein rich and very satisfying snack or meal i would say. This is good for people with diabetes, for growing children, people with celiac and for all who are looking for a high protein snack. Very simple and easy to make. Include a pressure cooker in your cooking gadgets and these kind of meals are very easy to make without any hassles
Try to include this in your daily meal to get a sense of fullness and this will also bring down your carb intake.

Preparation Time - 2 Minutes
Cooking Time - 30 Minutes
Serves - 4

Ingredients

Kollu(Horse Gram) - 1 Cup
Onion - 1
Coconut Oil - 2 Tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry powder - 1 Tsp
Salt - 1 Tsp + 1/4 tsp for onion or as per your taste
Curry leaves - 1 Tsp chopped
Asafoetida pinch(avoid this if you are sensitive to gluten)

Garnishing

Cilantro - 1 Tbsp for garnishing
Lemon juice - 1/4 Tsp or as per taste

Method

1) Soak the horse gram over night.

2) Rinse, drain add salt and enough water to cover just the surface and pressure cook for three whistles.

3) Drain the excess water, heat a pan add coconut oil, asafoetida, mustard seeds.

4) Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add the curry leaves, onions, salt and saute till the onions become translucent.

5) Now add the cooked kollu(horse gram) and saute for 5 minutes till the kollu becomes little dry and now add the curry powder saute for a minute and switch off.

6) Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro and enjoy.

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Sweet Almond Balls

Craving for sweets, but looking for a high protein and low carb, low sugar snack? Then try this out and i am sure you will include this in your list of favorite snacks. After reading about all the health benefits of xylitol, bought this and i am trying to come up with recipes using this as sugar substitute. One drawback about xylitol is it gives a cool effect to the tongue when consumed. Apart from that it pretty much tastes like sugar, looks like sugar and no bitter after taste. Do try out this recipe and let me know, how you liked it.

Preparation Time - 15 Minutes

Cooking Time - 2 Minutes

Serves - Makes around 10 to 12 balls

Ingredients

Organic Raw Almonds - 1 cup

Xylitol - 1/4 cup (more if you have sugary tongue, you can also use raw sugar instead of xylitol)

Clarified Butter(Ghee) - 1 Tbsp

Cashews - 1 Tbsp chopped

Cardamom - 2

Saffron - few strands

Method

1) Add cardamom and almonds in a blender and grind to a coarse meal.

2) Now add xylitol and blend for a second, and empty out the contents in a bowl.

3) Heat the ghee and fry the cashews till golden and now add the saffron strands and switch

off the stove.

4) Add the ghee, cashew and saffron strands to the almond powder bowl and with a spatula mix

thoroughly and using your hands make small balls and store in a air tight container.

5) Since the almonds have oil in them naturally, with just a Tbsp of ghee you can make out nice round balls.

6) Pop them in your mouth and enjoy.

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Eggless Vegan Whole Wheat & Oats Peanut Butter Criss Cross

Cooking with unrefined flours are not that difficult and also they taste great with the mix and match of these ingredients. With the added protein from the peanut butter and fiber from the whole wheat flour and Oats, they are a good after noon snack. Better than a store bought one with all the refined flours, sugars and additives.





Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 15 Minutes

Serves – Makes around 18 Cookies





Ingredients

3/4 c Whole wheat flour

3/4 c Whole Oat Flour

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Cup Organic Smooth Peanut Butter

1/2 Cup maple syrup

1 1/2 Tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Warm Water



Method

1) Combine the whole wheat flour, oat flour, salt and baking soda.

2) In a wide bowl, add warm water to the ener-g egg replacer and beat it till frothy.

3) Now add the maple syrup, peanut butter and vanilla extract to this mixture and combine to a smooth paste.

4) To this paste add the flour mixture and mix thoroughly without any lumps.

5) Preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. Line a cookie tray with parchment paper and make a small lemon sized ball out of the dough and flatten it using your palm.

6) Using a fork do a criss cross to get nice lines.

7) Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 degrees till they are thoroughly baked.

8) Remove it out of the parchment paper and cool them in a wire rack and store in an airtight container once it is completely cooled.

9) Keeps good for at least a week without refrigeration.

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Eggless Fat Free Apple Upside Down-Banana Nut Cake

How many versions of Banana Nut cake do you make? I have been baking these banana nut bread, muffin cake for the past 10 Years and each and every time i make i try out something new. I love the flavor of banana in these baked goods so much, and never get tired of them. This is a lovely banana cake recipe. Bake it in a bundt pan and make little bit of icing and of course it is a cake. This recipe doesn’t use oil or butter and the only fat comes from the nuts used. So try out, enjoy and let me know how it came out.



Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Cooking Time – 35-40 Minutes

Serves – 10



Ingredients



Bananas - 7

Whole wheat flour – 1 1/2 cup

Whole Oat flour – 1 1/2 cup

Ener g- 3 Tsp

Baking soda – 1 Tsp

Baking powder - 2 tsp

Vinegar – 2 tbsp

Raw sugar – 1 cup

Chopped Walnuts – 1 Cup

Apple sauce – 4oz(This is the fat substitute)

Salt – 1/2 Tsp

Water – 2 Tbsp

Sliced Almonds – 2 Handful



Method



1) Puree the banana in your blender and to this add, raw sugar, apple sauce and keep it aside.

2) In a wide bowl add the ener-g egg replacer and to this add the warm water and beat till frothy.

3) Preheat the baking oven to 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.

4) Grease a baking pan with baking spray.

5) To the wet ingredients add all the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly without any lumps.

6) To this mixture add the vinegar and combine.

7) Pour the cake batter into the greased pan and on top place the sliced almonds bake around 30 minutes till the cake passes the tooth pick test.

8) Cool in a wire rack and go ahead with icing if you want to add few more calories to this cake.

9) Enjoy.

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Pavakkai Curry(Bittermelon Curry)

Bitter Melon, also known as Balsam pear is a truly unique and bitter ingredient that is not yet well known in the United States. It is used widely in Indian cuisine, lot of people peel the upper portion to reduce the bitterness. But this bitterness is so good for health and recent researches have shown it stimulates the production of insulin and recommends a regular intake of this vegetable.

The following recipe is slightly bitter and i haven’t added any sugar or jaggery to reduce the bitterness. You cook a bitter vegetable and what do you expect sweet taste? So enjoy this slightly bitter dish.

Preparation Time – 5 Minutes

Cooking Time – 25 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Bitter Melon/Karela/Pavakkai – 3 big ones

Salt – 1 Tsp or to taste

Tamarind – Gooseberry sized ball

Turmeric powder – 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida powder – pinch

Water

Oil – 2 Tsp

Red chili – 1 or 2 as per your taste

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Split Urad Dal – 1 Tsp

Curry leaves – few

Grated Coconut – 2 Tbsp

Method

1) Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup of warm water

2) Wash, rinse and cut the karela into 1/2 inch circles, if the seeds are very matured remove it and then cut it otherwise if they are tender no need to discard it.

3) Add salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder to the chopped karela pieces.Squeeze out the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind. Add this tamarind water to the karela and boil it till the karela becomes tender and also all the water evaporates.

If the vegetable has become tender, and water is still left out filter out all the water and please do not discard it. May be like a medicine gulp it down to get its wonderful health benefit.

4) Make sure not to overcook the vegetable otherwise you will get a paste when sauteing.

5) Heat a pan, add a tsp of oil and then add mustard seeds. Once the seeds top spluttering add urad dal and curry leaves. After the urad dal slightly browns, add the cooked karela and saute for a few minutes and add the grated coconut and saute for a few seconds and switch off.

6) Enjoy!!

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