Vegan Broccoli Cheese

Oh this looks little messy........ but this was the best I could take.....

Ingredients
1 broccoli head cut into florets (I do not discard the stem , I use them as well)
1 cup soya milk (I used sweetened)
1 tbsp plain flour
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper powder
1 tbsp soya spread
190g (1 packet )of Redwood mozzarella cheese / any non dairy cheese (you can experiment with cheddar style) grated

Method
Cook the broccoli in microwave for 10 mins / till they are tender. Meanwhile make white sauce by melting soya spread in a saucepan . Add plain flour and then slowly add milk little by little and keep stirring . Make sure to blend the little milk you add with the plain flour to make a smooth paste and then add little more milk. Repeat this till all the milk is added and the suace is ready without lumps. If any lumps, do not panic, you can blend it into smooth sauce . Add salt and pepper to the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cooked broccoli and top it with grated cheese.
Bake it in the oven for 20-25 mins or till the cheese melts and starts turning golden brown.

Wholewheat Penne with mushroom and tomato sauce

Ingredients
300 gms wholewheat penne
1 carrot cut into strips
1 large onions chopped into strips
2 large tomatoes chunked
3 tbsp tomato puree
3 garlic pods finely chopped
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
10 -15 mushrooms chopped
1 tbsp oil, preferably olive oil
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper powder

Method
Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the packet ( cook the pasta in 1 litre of water , drain and wash under cold water to remove extra starch and also it helps separate the pastas from each other ).

Heat oil in a large pan . Saute onion and when they start turning brown , add garlic and saute till the garlic starts browning. Add carrots and cook for 5 mins.Now add mushroom and coo till they sweat , add water if the mushrooms starts sticking to the pan. Now add tomatoes and tomato puree dissolved in 1 cup water. Add salt and pepper powder. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are tender and mushy. This could take about 10 mins. Add dried herbs and the pasta. Mix them and let the pasta heat for 5 mins . Keep stirring to avoid any sticking to the pan. Add water if the sauce is too dry to coat all the pasta. Serve with vegan parmesan (optional), I have not added.

Tips
You can add as many vegetables and as much as you like (peppers , baby corn, zucchini , sweetcorn , aubergine , sun dried tomatoes)
You can even add vegan sausages , seiatin . (I added Redwood's Ham style vegan Cheatin cut into thin strips while serving).

Vegan Baby Broad Bean Pate / Hummus

My husband just hates broad beans, but I quiet like it. Now I had to invent a dish using baby broad beans. One day I was watching a food show on TV and they were making a dish using humus, and then the thought occurred to me "Why not use baby broad beans instead of chickpeas?" and thus , this recipe came into existence. My husband quiet liked it, he did not realize he was eating baby broad beans till i told him.

Ingredients

1 cup frozen / fresh baby broad beans
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of salt
a pinch of turmeric
a pinch of black pepper
1/2 lime /small lemon juice
1/4 tsp paprika powder (optional)

Method

Defrost frozen beans , remove the skin (if using fresh ones , then cook them in microwave for 10 mins or till they are tender and the skin can be removed easily). Put all the ingredients along with de-skined beans into a blender with 1 - 2 tbsp water and whiz. Water is to aid the mixture to blend , if the mixture can be blended without water then do not use water. Care should be taken that the blended mixture is of humus consistency and not very liquidy. Pate / Broad beans humus is ready . At this point you can taste and add more spices or salt if required and then garnish with a pinch of sesame seeds and red chilli flakes.

Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients
1 cauliflower chopped (do not discard the thick stem , chop them and use for the soup)
3-4 garlic pods coarsely chopped
1 large onion coarsely chopped
750ml vegetable stock
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp oil

Method
Heat oil in a saucepan , add chopped onions and garlic . Saute them for 1 min or till they start turning golden. Now add chopped cauliflower , salt. Cover and cook till they are tender. Now add stock. Bring to boil and simmer and cook for 5 mins. Aloow it to cool for atleast 1/2 hour and then blend it to a smooth puree. Again boil the soup and sprinkle black pepper powder while serving.

Red Kidney Beans and Yam Curry

Ingredients

1 can of cooked red kidney beans
100g yam chopped and cooked or 1 can of cooked yam
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
6-7 garlic pods crushed
2 cups water

For masala

3 tbsp grated coconut

3 dry red chillies

1 tsp tamarind juice

Method

For masala
Grind all the masala ingredients with lttle water to a smooth paste.

For curry
Mix masala, kidney beans, yam, salt and water in a saucepan and bring to boil. Simmer and cook for 10 mins. Meanwhile heat oil in a small pan and add garlic and saute them till they carmelise. Add this garlic to the curry . Serve this with steaming hot white rice.

Savoury Lentil Bean Pie

Ingredients

For filling
1/2 cup mixed dry beans (black beans, adzuki beans and black or brow lentils)
1 onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp corrainder powder
3 garlic pods finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp oil

For pastry
1 cup plain flour
a pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Method

For pastry
Mix all the pastry ingredients and knead into a dough. If the dough is too dry, add little water or if the dough is watery or sticky, add little flour. Divide the dough into 2/3rd and 1/3rd part. Flatten them and place the 2/3rd part into a greased baking tin.

For filling
Soak all the beans without the lentils overnight. Next morning cook them with lentils with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 45 mins . Heat oil, add cumin ,onion and garlic, saute it for 1 min or two or till they turn golden brown. Now add cumin and corainder powder. Saute for a minute or two . Now add all the cooked beans with the cooked water. Add salt and chilli powder. Allow it to cook for 5 -10 mins . Then cool for 30 mins atleast and pour this filling into the tin and cover the pie with flattened 1/3rd part of the dough. Prick it with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Brush this with milk . Cook them in a oven at gas mark 6 for 30 mins till the top is golden brown.

Sprouted moong beans curry for rotis/ tortillas

Bean sprouts are rich in proteins and are commonly used in Chinese and Japanese cuisines. They are also added in stir fries to boost the protein. Bean sprouts are also used in Indian cuisines. It is used to make curries and side dish for rotis. But the sprouts used in India are just 1 - 2 days sprouts unlike Chinese who use largely sprouted beans.

Ingredients

1 cup moong beans sprouted and cooked
1 large tomato finely chopped
1 large onion finely chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp sambhar powder / curry powder
1 sprig curry leaves
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
4 garlic cloves finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp turmeric

Method

Heat oil in a sauce pan , add mustard seeds. After they splutter , add cumin seeds, curry leaves, onions and garlic. Saute it for 5 mins or till the onions start turning brown. Add tomato and cook till they are mushy. Now add turmeric, salt, curry / sambhar powder and chilli powder. Add 1/4 cup water if required. Cover and cook for 10 - 15mins . Serve this on a bed of rice or with tortillas or naans.

Vegan mushroom soup

Mushrooms are rich in folic acid and this becomes essential part of diet for an expecting mother. This is also a good meat substitute for vegetarians and vegans. This can also be stir-fried with cabbage , carrots , baby corns, bamboo shoots , spring onions with minced garlic and ginger with a dash of soy sauce and sprinkling of sesame seeds. I have prepared a hearty thick soup .

Ingredients
20 - 25 button mushrooms halved
1 large onion coarsely chopped
3 pods of garlic coarsely chopped
750 ml vegetable stock
a pinch of salt
1 tsp black pepper powder
1 tsp oil

Method
Heat oil in large pan and add onions and garlic. Saute this for a minute or 2 or till they start turning brown. Now add chopped mushrooms and pinch of salt. When they start sweating , add stock and pepper . Bring to boil and cover it. Simmer and allow to cook for 15 - 20 mins. Now the soup should be cooled for atleast 30 mins before it is blended smooth. This can be served with a hot crusty wholemeal bread.

Baked sweet-corn pakoras / fritters

Pakoras are the most commonly served Indian appetizer. Usually they are made of onions only but then to add variety , many people add carrots, cabbage, green peas... About 4-5 years ago my mum had prepared this sweetcorn pakoras and we liked them a lot , but that was the first and last time she made them. About a week ago , I had a desire to eat sweetcorn pakoras and when I asked my mum for the recipe, she had forgot......

Now It was time for an experiment. i had prepared cabbage pakoras quiet a few times and so i had to just replace cabbage with sweetcorn..... This was easy. But I was also worried of all those extra fat that we would consume if I deep fry it. It then occurred to me of baking . This process will definitely take longer time but its safer and easy and you don't have to stand near the hob and wait for them to cook unlike deep frying.

The entire preparation for this recipe just took about 15 mins and while it was baking in the oven , i was happily relaxing watching TV. For people who love sweetcorn, this is really a treat.....


Ingredients

1 cup sweetcorn (I used frozen sweetcorns)
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tsp corrainder seeds crushed (preferably freshly crushed, do not powder it)
1/4 tsp salt
1 green chilli finely minced (optional), I did not use it because we do not like the chilli bits while eating.
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 - 2tbsp chickpea flour/ gram flour (the amount may vary depending on the quantity of water left after defrosting. I had about 1 tbsp water left after defrosting the corns.)

Method

Defrost the sweetcorns and do not discard the little water obtained after defrosting them. To this add chopped onions , salt, green chilli , red chilli powder and gram flour. Mix them thoroughly . The consistency should be crumbly mixture but when made a ball it should bind together. Grease a baking tray and spoon this mixture into lumps of 1 spoon each. Spray the top of these lumps with little oil and bake it for 30 - 40 mins or until golden brown and crisp at gas mark 6. this can served with coconut chutney or ketchup or just eaten without any dips. This recipe will make about 6 - 8 pakoras but varies depending on the size of your spoon.

Homemade Apple Pie

I am a health freak so I try to avoid sugar, butter and too much of salt. I also substitute butter with vegetable il where ever possible. In this recipe I have not used sugar at all and substituted butter with oil. You coudl even use wholemeal flour instead of plain flour but I have used plain flour .
My husband has a sweet tooth and he relishes anything thats sweet and so he loves fruits more than veggies. Lately, he has been exercising to put down his weight and so I thought of treating him for this. I had some gala apples and had to finish them , this was an easy and quick way of finishing them.

Ingredients
3 apples (I have also used fuji apples. you can experiment with any apples) peeled , cored and sliced
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp rose essence
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

For dough
1 cup plain flour
a pinch of salt
1 tsp oil to brush
1/4 cup water

Method
Heat a pan and throw in all the sliced apples , sugar and rose essence. Cover it and cook it till the apples become mushy. Sugar will help it breakdown quickly. Allow it to cool.

Meanwhile make the pastry. mix all the dough ingredients and make a dough. Roll it and brush with oil. Fold it and again roll it and again brush with oil. Repeat this for 5 times. Then divide the dough into 1/3 rd and 2/3 rd parts. Roll the 2/3rds to fit into the baking tin . Brush the tin with oil and roll this pastry into the tin. Pour the apple sauce into the pastry. Now roll the other 1/3 rd part and use this to cover the pie. Prick the cover with fork to let the steam escape during baking. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon powder. Bake this in a preheated oven at gas mark 6 for about 20 - 30 minutes or till the pie is golden brown.