Cheesie Macaroni Pasta in White Sauce

Hello All ! :) Its been a while I posted a savory dish here. This recipe was requested by a friend on Facebook. Here is a Cheesie Macaroni Pasta made in vegan white sauce made from Cauliflower.

Dumping dairy has opened my eyes to how many vegetables can be used to replicate flavor and consistency of dairy products. This was one of my very first Vegan Pastas! :) Super light on your tummy, delicate and creamy as hell, this pasta is a great vegan alternative. The cauliflower sauce has a very mild flavor and all vegetables and herbs complement it well. I like to keep it simple and pair it with one or two veges.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients
2-3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup macaroni pasta
1 Tbs Cashew nuts
salt
pepper
8 garlic cloves
Red bell peppers
handful Basil leaves

Steps
1. Cook the Cauliflower Florets in sufficient boiling water with a teaspoon of salt. Remove off heat once florets are cooked through. Drain and keep aside to cool.
2. Soak cashew nuts in hot water.
3. Following instruction on pack cook macaroni in hot water with salt and a tablespoon of oil. Once cooked drain away the water into another bowl and wash pasta with cold water. (drained water can be used in preparing white sauce of pasta)
4. Grind the cooled cauliflower florets in a blender with some water into a smooth paste. Add little water to thin down the cream as needed. Season with salt and pepper as per taste.
5. In a saucepan take a tablespoon of oil and saute minced/thinly sliced garlic cloves.
6. Chop red peppers into thin slices and optionally steam them. Add these to the saucepan and slightly saute them.
7. Add the cauliflower sauce to the saucepan. Thin down the cream if needed by adding water and bring it to heat.
8. Add cooked macaroni and mix to coat evenly with the sauce. Add basil leaves.
9. Enjoy a flavorful , super light Macaroni in white sauce :).

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. 

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/

Choco Mint Ice Cream

Bangalore is getting very hot these days especially in the afternoons. One such hot day I was at the bus station and saw this Ice cream cart and got tempted to make some Ice cream :). (Looking forward to the day one can buy Vegan Ice Cream off a cart!) I had been planning to make one since sometime and had stocked up on coconut milk in my fridge. There was chocolate and fresh mint sitting in my fridge and here I am with this recipe :).

I have used Kara coconut milk for this recipe as I find it has more coconut cream. The creamier the milk the better for your ice cream. Store your coconut milk cartons/cans in the fridge for a few days before attempting this recipe. Keeping them in fridge allows the solids or the more creamy part to separate from the liquid. We are going to make coconut condensed milk and decant coconut solids from the cartons to make this ice cream. This is my most successful effort so far in Vegan Ice-Creams and if the recipe is followed the result is like store bought ice cream :) texture and taste wise.

Needs - Hand Immersion Blender with whisk attachment
Yields - 3-4 scoops

Ingredients
3 200ML Coconut milk cartons (chilled)
1/3-1/2 cup sugar (depending on taste)
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup Vegan chocolate chunks/chips
1 tbs Vanilla essence (optional)

Step 1 - Prepare Coconut condensed milk
1. In a pan on medium flame heat 200ml coconut milk with sugar.
2. Once the coconut milk mixture starts bubbling add mint leaves. With a spatula crush the mint leaves to release the flavors.
3. Keep the milk on simmer for around 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Over these 30 minutes the milk color changes from white to transparent to slightly creamish which is normal. The end result is a thick condensed coconut milk flavored with mint.
4. Take the pan off heat and allow the mixture to cool.
5. Pick or sieve out mint leaves from the mixture. Don't bother if a few are left behind.
6. Keep in fridge to chill completely.

Step 2 - Make coconut whipped cream
Take the other 2 coconut milk cartons which should have been sitting in fridge for a couple of days. Keeping them in fridge allows the solids or the more creamy part to separate from the liquid. Turn around the carton bottom up. This allows the more creamy solids to stay in the bottom. Now (quickly) open the carton and drain the watery portion into a vessel. We use the left over creamy part to make a coconut whipped cream :). Whipping the cream incorporates air into the mixture which makes your ice cream smooth and light in texture. Follow the steps below and refer to the images.

7. Whip the coconut cream from both cartons with a hand blender till you get soft peaks and an airy mixture. This can be done manually but could take more time.
8. Pour in your chilled coconut condensed milk and blend some more to combine and incorporate air. If the condensed milk has hardened too much loosen it by whipping with a spoon before adding.
9. Fold in you chocolate chunks with a spatula very gently without meddling too much with the cream.
10. Pour into a container with a lid and freeze for 4 hours or overnight. Before scooping allow the ice cream to sit outside for a few minutes.

Enjoy !! :)
Tip - Chill the vessel before whipping your ice cream.

References -
http://minimalistbaker.com/creamy-vegan-mint-brownie-ice-cream/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvclbHE-ZI8

Oatmeal Choco-Raisin Cookies

Cookies are the best quick bites to have at home especially when they are home made! There is a huge demand at my home for these. So I try to bake some new variety each time which then gets over within no time! Something about home baked fresh cookies makes your mouth water.. :) doesn't it ?

This is a No Maida recipe. I had a bar of Vegan Dark Chocolate which led me to make this recipe. If you are using a chocolate bar just chop the chocolate into small bite-able chunks for this recipe. Instead you could also use vegan chocolate chips. Coconut oil is very good for cooking with its health benefits and its higher smoke point. It leaves a mild coconut-y tinge to this cookie which works well with the other ingredients. :)

Cookies ready to be baked

Here is a recipe for sumptuous Oatmeal Choco Raisin cookies.

Ingredients

1.5 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oats
1 tbs flax seed powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dark chocolate chunks (vegan)
5 tbs water
3 tbsp date syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C.
2. Mix flax seed powder with 2.5 tbs water and set aside for few minutes.
3. Whisk together wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. In a bowl mix together coconut oil & brown sugar until combined.
5. Add date syrup, vanilla essence and flax seed mix to the wet ingredients and combine.
6. Mix oats with the other dry contents. To this add the wet ingredients and combine with a spatula.
7. Fold in the raisins and chocolate chunks into the mixture.
8. Add a little water and use your hands to bring the ingredients together, shape them into small disks and place on a baking sheet.
9. Bake the cookies for 10-15 minutes. Leave inside oven to cool for five minutes.
10. Take out the cookies and allow them to cool completely.