Cheese Walnut Pockets with Cranberry Chutney

Necessity is the mother of Invention :D. That became quite true for this recipe when I picked up samosa pastry sheets from market not knowing what I would do with them :P. I never meant to fry samosas at home so was struggling to come up with ideas to use them. Few experiments led to this recipe :). Basically this is pan fried samosas filled with Vegan cheese , crushed walnuts & basil with a yummy tangy Cranberry chutney on side. It makes a nice crunchy evening snack. 

After attending a Dairy Alternatives Demo at Carrots I often make my own Vegan Cheese at home. Refer this video if you want to make cheese yourself. 

http://blog.veganosaurus.com/2015/04/fermented-cheesy-dip-video.html

Fermented cheese though recommended could take a little time to be ready. So if you want something more instant for this recipe you could grind together some overnight soaked cashews(50G), crumbled Silken tofu(150G), Any herbs you love and salt & pepper to make a creamy paste which is your cheese! Ofcourse the fermentation takes the taste to another level ! Do add garlic if you are fermenting the cheese.

With the filling ready we can move on to making the pockets. There are many ways to fold a samosa sheet. I have used the following to make these pockets.

http://www.theismaili.org/nutrition/how-fold-samosas-baked-samosa-recipes

Basically make a triangular cone with the sheet using maida+water paste as a glue. Fill the cavity with your Cheese+walnut filling and close with the rest of sheet left. It is pretty easy when you get a hang of it ! :). Once your pockets are ready give them a generous oil rub before toasting in a pan.

Cheese Pockets

Serves 2

Ingredients-

Samosa sheets
Vegan Cheese
Few sprigs of Basil or any other herbs you like
Crushed walnuts (a handful)
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Steps-

1. Make your Vegan cheese by grinding together "soaked cashews(50G), crumbled Silken tofu(150G), salt and pepper to taste" into a fine paste. Refer link mentioned earlier here for fermented cheese which gives a better punchy flavor.
2. To make the filling, in a bowl mix 100G Vegan cheese with crushed walnuts and chopped basil. Check for salt and creamy consistency. 
3. Prepare your pockets and fill them with the Cheese. Rub these with oil on the exterior.
4. Rub few drops of oil on a nonstick pan surface and heat it slightly on Medium heat.
5. On medium heat toast your pockets in the pan on both sides until they get slightly roasted. Use tongs to get the edges cooked. 


Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients-

50G dried cranberries
Few clove sticks
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste

Steps-

1. In a pan cover cranberries in just enough water. Add sugar and few clove sticks. Cover and boil.
2. When the cranberries are re-hydrated the water would have almost dried. Switch off the heat.
3. Add salt to taste and let the mixture cool.
4. Remove the clove sticks and grind into a semi fine paste to make your chutney.

Note: Unlike me if you don't have Samosa sheets you could try this recipe with left over chapatis as well and make cheese rolls with them :)

Enjoy your crunchy Cheese Pockets with cranberry dipping sauce ! :)

Gajar Halwa (Carrot Pudding)

The moment I saw Red Delhi Carrots in Market I was reminded of my childhood :). In a Punjabi Household Winter season is incomplete without eating Gajar Halwa. I was reminded of Mum's yummy halwa loaded with dry fruits. It was compulsory to eat at least a bowl daily. Well of course there were no complaints eating this sugary Bliss :D ! 

This was my first effort in making Gajar Halwa and it had to be Vegan :). Cashew Milk and Mom's recipe led the way to a delicious result. 

It is a very simple recipe though it does involve a bit of love and patience :). Cashew Milk is easy to make. Soak 100 G cashew over night and grind it with little water into a uniform creamy texture. Add more water to get the desired quantity and whip it in a Mixer to get the milk. 

Ingredients

Red Carrots 1/2 KG
Sugar 1/2 cup
Cashew Milk 1 L
Vegetable Oil - 3 Tbs
Chooped Walnuts
Chopped Almonds
Cardomam powder a pinch
Raisons 1 Tbs
Dry Coconut 2 Tbs (optional)

Steps

1. Grate the half Kg Red carrots and steam it in Cooker with sugar and 1/3 cup water for 1 whistle.
2. In a heavy Bottom pan / Kadai put the cooked carrots and add 1 L Cashew Milk. 
3. Cook the mixture on medium flame until the carrots soak in the milk and mixture dries up. Stir occasionally. This step could take about 20 Minutes.
4. Add oil and cook the carrots till you see a rich red color developing. 
5. Add the desired dry fruits , cardamom powder and dry coconut and mix.
6. Switch off the gas and cover for sometime. Garnish with chopped Almonds. Enjoy your Gajar Halwa Hot or Cold :)

Zucchini Lemon Bread

Hi Fellas..!

Last week I decided the dull weather and a stuffy nose won't stop me from putting something delicious in my mouth :-D.

Here is a recipe of Zucchini and Lemon Bread. This soft, zesty and refreshing bread/cake is ideal for sucking boredom out of the day !!

I have always been fascinated by use of fruits and vegetables in desserts and this dish is again another step in that direction.

I have veganized and slightly modified this recipe to make it vegan and it turned out awesome. Tasting just like lemon and Zucchini :). Along with a coconut lemon cream the cake just gets another punch of lime which I surely loved! Another lovely option is to cover the cake with a lemon glaze. When you bite into that cake the first thing that hits you is lemon!

So try it out and let me know how you like it :)


Ingredients

1 cup White flour (Maida)
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 tbs salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup butter milk (Made from soy milk)
Zest of a lemon
1 cup grated zucchini

Coconut lime cream

1/2 cup coconut cream
4 tbs powdered sugar
2 tbs lemon juice

Lemon Glaze

1 tsp Soy milk
2 tbs lemon juice
4 tbs powdered sugar


Steps


1. Mix half cup Soy Milk with 1 tsp Vinegar and 2 tbs Lemon Juice. Set aside to curdle to make butter milk.
2. Sift together Maida, Wheat , salt , Baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl combine well the oil and sugar. Add 1 tsp lemon juice and the buttermilk and zest of a lemon. Mix well.
4. Fold in grated Zucchini until it is mixed well.
5. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and combine well.
6. Grease and dust a loaf pan. Pour in the batter into this pan.
7. Bake at 180 C for 40 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.
8. To make the lemon glaze/lime cream just whip together the ingredients mentioned.
9. Cover the warm cake with the glaze and let it cool before cutting and serving. Serve with a splash of coconut lime cream :).

Bon appetit !!!

 

 

Red Bell Pepper Risotto

Dishes with Roasted Bell peppers are increasing becoming my favorite comfort food :). This one is a killer which I will cook again and again. On roasting this vegetable gives a heavenly aroma. So I guess experimenting with roasted bell peppers will continue! :)

Risotto is an Italian dish made usually with Arboria Rice which is a short grain rice with high starch content. A good Indian replacement can be Ponni rice / idli rice which have similar properties and are easily available in stores. 

I roast the bell pepper directly on stove for this. Keep turning around the pepper to roast it evenly. Once charred take it off the stove and allow it to cool. Few cloves of garlic roasted a bit on stove and the pepper make the sauce for this dish. 

Another element used here is the coconut milk which gives the creaminess to dish. The last time I made this I dint use any other veges and it tasted just as good but with Mushrooms it had a buttery bite-y texture to the dish. 

Cooking of the Rice

• Soak the rice for 2 hours.
• This dish is best cooked slow in a covered pan on a low-medium flame.
• Stir the rice every few minutes and don't allow rice to stick to bottom.
• Add warm water time to time when it has dried. Repeat this until rice is cooked.
• Cooked Rice stays slightly chewy.

Instead of water you can use vegetable stock or if you feel like indulging use wine additionally.

Ingredients

2 red bell peppers
Mushrooms 200 gms
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup ponni rice
1 onion finally chopped
2-3 garlic cloves
Loads of basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Warm water

  
1. Roast the Red Bell Peppers on Stove. Once Uniformly charred remove and keep to cool. Deseed and roughly chop the Peppers.
2. Roast a few garlic cloves. And along with the roasted pepper grind to make a smooth sauce.
3. In a pan heat two tbs of oil and saute the onions until transperant.
4. Saute the chopped mushrooms just slightly. They continue to cook along with the sauce.
5. Put in the drained rice and saute it for a few minutes.
6. Pour in the sauce and coconut milk and allow it to heat. Put in the basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper as per taste.
7. Dilute the sauce with water if needed and allow the mixture to cook in a covered vessel.
8. Keep stirring the mixture and add more warm water when necessary. Repeat till rice is properly cooked and sauce has sufficiently dried.
9. Garnish with basil leaves and enjoy this aromatic meal :)

Peanut Butter Cranberry Cookies

So I happened to have these beautiful red cranberries sitting in my fridge and I was wondering what to do with them. The first idea that hit was cookies :).

These cookies can be made with any nut butter and in my case I tried peanut butter. You can use store bought peanut butter or make it even at home for a better result. In case you want to make your own peanut butter this link could help.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-peanut-butter-recipe.html


Prepare Flax Egg

To prepare for the dish make a flax egg. This substitutes as a good replacer for egg and helps in binding the dough for the biscuit. To make a flax egg mix a tablespoon of flax meal (ground flax seeds) with 2-2.5 tablespoon of water. Keep it aside for 5 minutes and it sets into a gooey mixture.

Some helpful instructions for the dough

• The dough prepared is quite crumbly in texture. Use a little water (2-3 spoonfuls) if you are not able bind it just as it is. 
• Shape the dough into a cylindrical shape by rolling gently with your hands. Place this cylinder of dough into a plastic cling film and wrap tightly. 
• Refrigerate for 45-60 minutes to harden the dough. Cut into cookie discs. If your cut cookies are a little crumbly you can still patch them together easily.

When you notice slight browning on the edges of cookies they are done. Once out of oven allow the cookies to cool down on a rack. 

Ingredients

½ cup Peanut Butter
½ cup powdered Sugar
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Flax Egg (1 tbsp Flaxmeal + 2 Tbsp water)
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup Dried Cranberries (thinly chopped)

* Cranberries can be replaced with Raisins


Steps

1. Prepare your flax egg.
2. Preheat Oven to 200 C.
3. Mix the wheat flour and powdered sugar into a uniform mixture.
4. Mix the peanut butter, oil and flax egg together in a bowl.
5. Stir in whole wheat flour  mix and cranberries.
5. Mix well with hands and make the dough into a shape of log with width of 2 inches.
7. Wrap the dough tightly into a plastic cling wrap and refrigerate for 45 - 60 minutes.
8. Cut the dough into discs using a sharp knife.
9. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. They will have brown edges and slightly soft center.
10. Cool the cookies on a rack. Place in a jar and enjoy it till it lasts :).


*Adapted from - http://www.veganfamilyrecipes.com/2014/11/nut-butter-cranberry-cookies.html