Saturday, March 26, 2016

Pumpkin Pistachio Macaroons





Been busy busy busy shifting and settling up my new home and finishing a Yoga teacher certification course. Which is why I've been away from my blog since few weeks. Now my new kitchen is ready for me to cook :) and I am excited to get started.

Coconut macaroons is my recently discovered favorite thing to munch :). Its quick to make & needs minimal ingredients. Just simple coconut macaroons taste lovely by themselves. I just got curious and wanted to mix up a few flavors :). Crisp on the outside and coconut-ty inside. A lovely snack along with your evening chai! Pretty simple and flavorful. Hope you like it!


For me these Macaroons taste best crisp and fresh out of oven. However if you make a big batch and store, then just warm them a bit in a preheated oven and they are crisp again!

Makes - 15 small macaroons

Ingredients
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/2 tsp cinnamon pwd
3 Tbs Jaggery syrup
2 Tbs Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 Tbs crushed pistachio
1 Tbs choco chips - For topping

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
3. Prepare pumpkin puree with steamed pumpkin.
4. Mix 2 tbs crushed Jaggery with 3 tbs warm water to make jaggery syrup.
5. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl to get a coarse sticky dough. If the dough feels too soft and cant hold shape add more coconut to firm it up.
6. Use a scoop tablespoon and fill it completely with the mixture. Press down the mixture firmly into the scoop and remove extra. Use a thin device to slide the shaped dough out of the scoop mould.
7. Line the baking sheet with macaroons and decorate on top with chocolate chips.
8. Bake for 10-15 minutes till edges are slightly golden brown.
9. Cool for sometime before transferring to cooling rack.
10. Scrape from parchment paper and serve. 

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Chai... Tea... Kappi :)

TEA... something many of us cannot live without :).. That sip of hot tea/coffee is all you need to kick start your day. This lovely addiction was my biggest hurdle in going vegan. Sometimes you get so attached to it that your day feels empty and drowsy until you have a shot of your caffeine. (It is definitely more in the mind than what your body actually needs) This was my state in the beginning and now I am happy I have managed to overcome my attachment by replacing it with vegan alternatives. These days I can go without any tea/coffee most of my days. First, I tried to switch to soy milk tea.. which can taste very good if made well. But I wasn't very satisfied with my soy tea so I've been looking at other interesting options ever since. Of course Black tea is also a very good alternative. This post here is about the alternatives I have tried and they have helped me forget my 'milk' tea :).. Hope this can help those making the transition.

Here are some vegan options for your daily cuppa of tea / coffee :). I usually switch and alternate between these.

Golden Milk (Turmeric tea)

Turmeric is an awesome herb with multiple therapeutic properties. It has proven anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. I think in current time it is an important herb to be added to your diet. Make sure you source pure turmeric for consumption. It is beneficial to have this tea before going to bed. I used coconut milk to make this tea. The two flavors work well together as a hot beverage. Freshly made coconut milk is a better choice. Avoid boiling your coconut milk as it breaks very easily. Instead apply gentle heat or sometimes I warm it up by keeping my (metal)cup of coconut milk inside another filled with piping hot water.


Ingredients (for 1 cup)

1 tsp turmeric pwd
1 cup water
1/2 cup coconut milk
Spices - cinnamon,clove,pepper (1/2 inch stick, small pieces)
1 tsp sugar/jaggery (optional)

Steps

1. Keep water to boil along with the dry spices. Let them boil for 2-3 minutes to infuse the spices.
2. Add turmeric powder and continue to boil for a few minutes.
3. Lower the heat and add your coconut milk and sweetener of choice. Don't boil this concoction too much.
4. Sieve and sip. You are drinking something good for your body :).


Ginger Lime Tea

Something very simple and effective. I feel ginger spice gives a good kick in morning. Lemon is known for its benefits. A good combination for sore throat,cough and beneficial specially during seasonal allergies.


Ingredients

1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 cup water
Half a small size lemon
1 tsp sugar/jaggery (optional)

Steps

1. Grate ginger. You can use a teaspoon or more depending on your taste.
2. Boil a cup of water to piping hot. Switch off the heat, add grated ginger and cover for a minute or two.
3. Sieve into a cup. Squeeze in the lemon. Add sweetener as per taste.
4. Enjoy :)


Coconut milk Coffee

Oh what would I do without a coconut. No wonder it has become so dear to me. So glad to be living in a place with abundance of coconut :).

This isn't something new as many people use coconut mylk in their coffee. But I am going to try to make it interesting and Frothy :). Again, watch your coconut milk and avoid heating it too much.You can infuse this with spices to make it more interesting. I used homemade coconut milk which was medium in creaminess.


Ingredients

1 tbs coffee powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbs sugar
1 tbs water

Steps

1. In your coffee cup, add the coffee powder, sugar and 1 tbs water and whip the mixture with a spoon.
2. Whip Whip Whip... :) This is going to need some arm strength and fifteen minutes of your time. Whip till mixture turns from dark color to light golden color. As you whip you are incorporating air in your mixture which makes the coffee frothy.


3. Boil your water. Lower the flame and add coconut milk and heat.
4. Pour this liquid into your cup. Stir and enjoy a Light Frothy Coffee :).

These are few ways I've been replacing my milk tea with interesting options :).. I am sure there are many varieties of tea out there... I am going to keep searching :D. Meanwhile I hope this can be useful for people looking for Vegan Tea options.

Note - How to make Coconut Milk at home - http://wellnessmama.com/2447/homemade-coconut-milk/