Cilantro Chimichurri by Radha

 
1 bunch cilantro, 2 garlic claves, 1/2 c EVOO, 2 tsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp cumin pwd, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, salt. 
Put all ingredient in food processor. Serve with Gluten, veggie chicken, or tofu.

Pad Thai by Krsnamayi

First of all I would like to stress that this is a very authentic Pad Thai recipe that I developed after a lot of trial and error (and eating Pad Thai at numerous veggie restaurants in Bangkok). If you do not have the proper Thai ingredients....it will NOT turn out the same....so head yourself down to an Asian grocer!

Pad Thai:

7 oz (1/2) pack Pad Thai rice noodles cooked in water until Al Denté (these are a little thicker than regular rice noodles)

1-2 blocks extra firm tofu cut into match stick pieces

250 g bean sprouts

2 cups misc. veg (beans, bok choi etc)

2 green peppers cut into thin long slices. (if they are massive, then perhaps one would do, if they are smaller Indian ones then you would need at least 3)

3-4 Tablespoons minced cabbage fried in a littl ghee/oil plus a pinch of hing (to mimic onion)

1 teaspoon Hing

3 Tablespoons salted Thai radish (this is a type of preserved white radish...and is different then the Chinese or Japanese pickled ones.)

1 teaspoon Chilli powder

4 Tablespoons palm sugar (if you don't have this, then turbinado or brown will do)

4-5 Tablespoons soy sauce

4 Tablespoons tamarind water (sour tamarind)

1/4 cup water (as needed- I rarely use it)

1/2 cup ground roasted peanuts

oil for frying

lemon wedges for serving.

place 2-3 Tablespoons of oil in the wok and pan fry the tofu. Set aside. Add a little more oil if wok is dry, add the HIng and chilli powder. Stir fry all the vegetables (except the bean sprouts) lightly (so they are still crisp). Add the Radish, palm sugar, tamarind water  and then the noodles, tofu, fried cabbage and bean sprouts. toss so every thing is coated nicely. If this seems too dry add the 1/4 water (as needed). serve with Lemon to squeeze on top (it doesn't taste right without it) and ground peanuts on the top.

Regular street Pad thai always contains eggs or meat, and they use fish sauce rather than soy sauce....but this is the veggie "Jae" version

Serve with Thai Som Tam (green papaya salad)....

Tian of Courgettes&Tomatoes by Dharma

A Tian is very easy to do just got to peel 500g of Courgettes (zucchini) and slice the Tomatoes like i put in the plate with some Olive oil then you put the Courgettes & Tomatoes in the plate sprinkle Garlic if you don't like Garlic don't put then put 5 big spoons of olive oil then sprinkle Salt & Pepper and sprinkle 2 biscottes that you smashed up then sprinkle some Thyme and in the oven for around 1hour th4 .This smell too good! :) This's la Cuisine de La Provence!lol

Sunflower Seed Dressing by Rohini

Sunflower Seed Dressing

1/2 c sunflower seeds (easier if you soak them a little first, but not absolutely necessary; also, I think I ended up adding a bit more because I made it right before serving so it didn't have a chance to thicken)
1 c water
juice of 1 lemon
2 T apple cider vinegar
salt to taste
1 T honey
1 T dried parsley
1 t dried oregano
1 t dried dill

Blend in a blender. That's it. I like it with extra sour for tanginess, you may reduce or skip the vinegar if you like.

Lentil Moussaka by Jayada Radhika

This particular moussaka is adapted from Margret Fulton's Book of Vegetarian Cooking.

Lentil Moussaka

2/3 cup oil (I used olive oil for the lentils and instead of oil I used butter for the eggplant.)
few pinches hing
1 cup finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup red and green peppers 
4 celery sticks
1x400g can tomatoes
1 1/4 cups green lentils
2 tbsp soya sauce (I used Braggs)
1/4 tsp pepper
salt
4 cups water
500g eggplant 

Topping

2/3 cup yoghurt
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 1 tbsp oil in pot, add hing and cabbage. Cook 'til cabbage has just softened then add peppers and cook another min or two. Add celery, tomatoes with their juice, lentils, soya sauce, water and salt and pepper to taste. Break tomatoes up a bit with a wooden spoon. Cover and simmer for 50 mins, until cooked.

Meanwhile, slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and leave in a colander for 1 hour. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper (I used a tea towel).

Heat some of the remaing oil in a frying pan, add the eggplant in batches and cook on both sides 'til golden; adding more oil as required. Drain on kitchen paper.

Cover the baseof a shallow oven proof dish (I greased it first) with some of the lentil mixture and arrange a layer of eggplant slices on top. Repeat the layers, finishing with the eggplant.

Mix the yoghurt with salt and pepper to taste, and pour over the eggplant in an even layer. Top with the cheese and bake in a preheated moderate oven, 350F (180C), for 30-40 mins, until golden.

Offer and Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out!

Blueberry Upside-Down Cake by Jayada Radhika

Ok, this recipe is really too good to keep to myself, so here it is. This is adapted from Fabulous Desserts by Johna Blinn

Blueberry Upside-Down Cake

1 quart fresh blueberries (I only had frozen and it worked fine)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp egg replacer
1 1/2 cups plain four
dash salt
1 1/2 tsp baking pwd
3/4 cup milk

Wash and drain blueberries; place in a bowl.
Squeeze lemon juice over top; sprinkle with 3/4 cup sugar. Mix gently and set aside.
Cream together butter and remaining sugar.
Sift together flour, salt, baking pwd and egg replacer; add to butter mixture. Add milk and beat 'til smooth.
Place sweetened blueberries in well-greased 8-inch square pan (I used round as my square pan was full of Moussaka!), arrange berries in even layer; smooth cake dough over berries.
Bake in preheated 350F (180C) oven 30 mins.
When cake is done, invert on platter (be care of the juice!); cut in squares (or slices if using round tin) and serve warm (good cold too!). Can also serve with plain cream or whipped cream.

This is REALLY yummy!

Lasagna Pictures by Very Merry Veggies

The group went a little Lasagna/Baked Pasta crazy the last few weeks.  Here are pictures of some of the lasagnas and bakes pastas that were shared:

Baked Ziti by Michele

 

Lasagna by Purusottama

Lasagna with Fried Eggplant and Sweet Peppers by Gaurangi

Spinach Lasagna by Rasa Rasini

Three Cheese, Spinach, Corn, 'Mince', Spicy Italian 'Sausage', Whole Wheat Lasagna
by Michael

Lasagna by Alaksya

""Lasagna" made with shells instead. With spinach, peppers, eggplant, fried tofu, tomato sauce and ricotta cheese, mozz on top, and lots of oregano by Gaurangi

Flaky Layered Biscuits by Alaksya

I made flaky layered biscuits tonight. They tasted very good and were fun to pull apart.

Flaky Layered Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter
2/3 cup cold milk
extra flour for dusting

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients.
Using a pastry blender cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour in the milk and stir just until the dough holds together. The less mixing the better.
On a floured surface roll the dough out until it is about 1/4” thick. 
Lightly flour the dough as needed while you are rolling and folding the layers.
Here's the trick for the layers, fold the dough as if you were folding a letter: fold the bottom 1/3 of the dough up and the top 1/3 down over the part you just folded. 
Roll the dough out until it is 1/4” thick again and then fold the dough in the same way but perpendicular to the last folds.
Roll the dough out until it is 1/2” thick and cut biscuits with a sharp biscuit cutter. Make sure that you do not twist while cutting as it will make the layers stick together and you won't get nice fluffy biscuits.
Bake on an un-greased baking sheet at 450 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

Buckwheat Fritters by Cori

In anticipation for my hubby's lunch tomorrow on Ekadasi: Buckwheat fritters, yogurt, peanuts and freeze-dried Jackfruit chips.


These were pretty spontaneous but....half a mashed banana (because you need something to hold buckwheat together as it's not gluey...) 2 T of yogurt, about a 1 1/2-2 cups buckwheat flour, salt, powdered coriander, powdered chili, and powdered ginger, a heaping teaspoon of soda bicarb., chopped fresh coriander, chopped tomato, and threw in some roasted peanuts. Then I added a little water to make a thick sticky batter. I shallow fried them making sure to push them down and spread them out a little when I flipped them over so they were not too thick and would be cooked in the center.

Ekadasi Cheese Puffs by Radha

Ekadasi cheese puffs for tomorrow. So easy to make. 

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 c milk

1 tsp salt

1 1/2c tapioca flour

1/2 c cheese

Put all ingredients into blender. Pour into mini muffin tins and bake at 400* for 15-20 min.

Fluffy White Cupcakes by Neela

Very, very simple and quick! Yet very delish! Fluffy white cupcakes! :)

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup buttermilk (ie. juice one lemon and mix with milk, set for 10 min)
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Butter the sugar, then mix in rest of wet ingredients, separately mix dry ingredients. Then mix the dry into the wet. Bake at 350 degree F for about 15 min or whenever your fork/toothpick comes out "clean".

And you're good to go, they surprisingly have a lot of moisture! :) Enjoy

Barley Soup by Cintamani

 Barley Soup- today's lunch and dinner.

Ok- kochana- you take handful of barley put into the 3 l. of water with few bay lives and allspice and spoon of butter and let it cook for 15-20 minuts. Peal 2 carrots and 2 parsley roots, grate it and fry on 1 spoon of butter on your frying pan for 5-10minut. Add to the boiling barley with 4 potatos (cat them in cubes) cook till potatos and barley are soft. add tons of chopped parsley and galons of cream. Do not forget about salt. Smacznego!

Biscuits by Ashley

Biscuits for breakfast. Biscuits are a big deal in my family, it's been going on for generations. One of my mother's most prized possessions is the bowl that her Grandmother made biscuits in. This is a vegan version that tastes just as good IMO. Flaky and yummy!

2 cups all purpose flour

1-2 TBS baking powder (I don't really measure this, I don't think it matters much if you are very exact or not)

salt (don't measure this either), 

approx. a 1/4 cup (or just a really big scoop) of vegetable shortening, which is vegan, or unsalted butter and 3/4 1 cup of liquid (You can use buttermilk as is or milk, soymilk or water mixed with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar or even plain yogurt mixed with water)

Cocada by Chandra

This is a Brazilian desert called Cocada, it's made from condensed milk, coconut flakes, granulated sugar, and lemon. Warning: this is extremely delicious and unhealthy! Try at your own risk!

‎1 can condensed milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup coconut flakes, 2tsp lemon, has to be soaked at low heat and mixed the whole time, like polenta.

Gerbaud Cake by Rohini

Gerbaud cake for Easter.

500 g flour
200 g butter
2 T sour cream
100 g sugar
1 T baking powder

Enough milk to make a medium dough. Make three balls of the dough and roll them thin.

The pastry is a little bit like a sweet biscuit, you roll it very thin, and smear it with apricot jam (homemade is best, or else add a little water to store bought and boil it once), sprinkle a walnut filling (ground walnuts, sugar, lemon rind, hot milk), next pastry, jam, walnut filling, pastry. Poke it all over with a fork, bake at 350 till done, cover with cocolate. Slice, offer, eat and bless heavens.

As I am very much against wasting even a drop of chocolate, I just pop it (!) on top of cakes, cookies, whatever I want to cover while they are still hot, and smear it around once it is melted. It is a very good trick. 

Split Pea Vadas by Rohini

These are so easy and yummy!

Soak 2 c of split peas for 8 hours or more

Strain them in a strainer, make sure they are very dry. Grind them very very fine in a food processor. You will have to stop periodically and scrape the sides off, but when you are done, you should be able to make a ball out of it.

Make two batches, because mixing it with the salt etc will make it too soggy. So for one cup (before grinding, ie. half quantity) of the split peas you add 1 t baking powder, 1/4 t soda, 3/4 t cumin seeds, red and green pepper to taste (you can add quite a bit without making it too hot), grated ginger, and lastly salt. Make ping pong ball sized balls, flatten them and poke a hole in the middle. Carefully lower them into the ghee. Fry them monitoring that they cook neither too fast or too slow (not hard, you know what I mean, like pakoras, make sure they cook through before the outside is burned). I noticed that they should be turned over as soon as you can, as soon as they are firm enough to turn, if you want them to be the prettiest.

Anzac Biscuits by Emma

We just made Anzac cookies because it is ANZAC Day here...Anzac Biscuits

1 cup rolled oats (1/2 reg & 1/2 wholegrain is nice)
1 cup plain flour
1 cup sugar (I reduce this to 3/4C)
1 cup coconut (sometimes I use coconut thread)
125g butter
2 tablespoon golden syrup
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda

Mix dry ingredients, melt butter & syrup together, dissolve soda in boiling water, then mix altogether.
Place balls of mixture onto a lined tray, flatten slightly and bake at 160C for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Lest we forget...

Seven Grain Bread by Tracey

Here's the recipe, it's for a bread machine. Ingredients are added to bread pan in order:

1 2/3 cup water; 3 tbs powdered milk; 2 tbs honey; 2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour; 2 1/2 cup white flour; 3/4 cup 7 grain cereal

1 1/4 tsp yeast

I used the 'dough' setting, greased a bread pan and baked it in the oven @ 350 degrees, for approximately 25 minutes, but I watched it to see how brown it got. It was so big I think I would make two smaller loaves next time.

Whole Wheat Bread with Sun-Dried Tomato Swirl by Nitai Sundara

Whole wheat bread with home-grown sun-dried tomato swirl. Spread with homemade raw fromage blanc with herbs. Other than the wheat berries, honey, salt, and hing, everything here came from our land :)

3.5-4c flour
1 packet (2 1/4t) instant yeast
2t salt
1c milk (I usually use buttermilk or yogurt)
1/3c water
3T butter (I used ghee) plus extra for brushing
3T honey

Heat liquids to 110F or below, mix up a nice dough. Start with 3.5c flour and add the half as needed during kneading. If kneading by hand, like I was, you really want to do it for 15minutes minimum. 20-25 is even better.

Rub with oil, cover in a bowl and let rise 1-2 hours depending on temp. Punch down and rise again or shape into loaf.

To shape loaf: Roll out a long rectangle with the shorter side a little shorter than the width of the pan. Spray with water. If doing a swirl, spread filling evenly with 1inch border on all sides. If it is a dry swirl like cinnamon sugar, spray again with water on top. Starting at the short end, roll tightly. Pinch seems and tuck the side seems underneath. Place in oiled pan, brush dough with oil. Rise in a warm place 45-75 min or until a light knuckle poke springs back.

Brush with butter, spray with water, and bake at 350 for 45-60 mins. I do two 10"x5" loaves for 60 mins or a little more. Normally they would have risen noticably more.

Kale Salad by Rukmini

Hare Krshna !

Ok Im a salad queen in the warmer months, heres one of my favorites I make, a ❤ opener because of the green leafys!

Rukminis Kale Salad:

1. Organic kale,finely chopped

2. In a separate frying pan heat up Olive oil or Coconut oil for a few seconds(dont burn oil) , add in Raw Organic sunflower seeds, when they start popping add low sodium soy sauce & immediately turn off heat.

3. Add the above over the Kale, just add fresh lime & fresh black pepper
Tah Dahhhhhhh!

4. Offer to Krshna..wait..then...

5. ENJOY!

❤Rukmini

Custard Pie by Radha-Prema

Custard (made with neroli essence) pie.

Pastry:
(makes enough for pie every day for a week)

6 c flour
1 lb. cold butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
enough COLD water to form a dough (around 2-3 c if I remember correctly -- I always eyeball so I have a hard time sharing recipes)

Mix dry ingredients in cold bowl with cold pastry cutter. Cut in butter and mix well (keeping ingredients as cold as possible). Add cold water adn form loose dough. Knead only enough to stick it together. Pack in hand sized lumps in plastic wrap and put in fridge for minimum 30 mins before using. Will keep in fridge for up to a week. Can also be stored in freezer and taken out and thawed in fridge when needed.

To make pie shell, roll out and bake for approx 20 mins (or till golden brown -- another thing I don't do is time things out, I go by smell-- if I can smell it in another room, it is probably five minutes from being done) at 400 F.


Custard:
(makes enough for 4 pies -- these amounts are really out of hand because they are my grandmother and mother's recipes and I am from a family of 12 kids -- I also don't do math so didn't bother making them into more normal amounts. Who needs normal anyway?)

9 c milk
1 c corn starch
1 1/4 c sugar
2 tbsp butter
(1 c coconut)
2 tsp vanilla (or other essence you desire -- for this incarnation I used orange blossom essence which adds a really lovely, refreshing flavour -- other ideas include orange zest, lemon zest, almond essence, or anything else that strikes your fancy)

Mix 1 c of milk in bottom of pot with corn starch and whisk until smooth. Add rest of milk and stir well. Bring heat to medium and stir continuously until becomes thick and boils. Let boil for one minute before removing from heat. Once removed from the heat add butter, sugar, and (coconut) and essence.

Pour into cooled pie shells and let set in fridge. It can later be topped with whipped cream (and toasted coconut, fresh mint, fresh strawberries, whatever is pretty and you think Krsna would really love to eat with His milky pie).

Offer with love and devotion and honour with great relish. :D

Hazelnutty Dark and White Chocolate Truffles by Keli

Hi dear merry veggies :) Made some hazelnutty dark and white chocolate truffles.. they are in great balance, creamy, smooth, and goooooood!

For chocolate truffles:
225g bittersweet chocolate, finaly chopped (I use high quality Green&Blacks)
3/4 cups double cream
2tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup toasted and finely ground hazelnut
cocoa powder

For white chocolate truffles:
225g white chocolate (I use high quality Green& Blacks with real vanilla in it)
1/3 cup double cream
1tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup toasted and finely ground hazelnut
cocoa powder

Bring cream and butter to boil (probably less than a minute), pour over chopped chocolate and cover for 5-10 minutes (I use glass bowl at this stage, because if chocolate didn't get fully melted then I put it back to temper over water on very low heat). When completely melted mix in ground hazelnut, put in fridge for few hours (the white chocolate truffles may need more time or even overnight) then shape as you like and roll in cocoa powder.

Golden Vanilla Cake by Subhadra (made by Alaksya)

This is a GREAT egg-free cake. It is very moist and not the least bit crumbly.

1 cup milk

1 tsp vinegar

1 1/4 cup flour

2 tbs cornstarch

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

3/4 cup sugar

2 t vanilla

Mix the milk and vinegar together and let sit for 5 minutes.

Sift together the flour, corn starch, baking power, baking soda, and salt.

In large bowl whisk together the oil, sugar, vanilla and milk mixture.

Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet.

Pour into a greased and floured 9" cake pan.

Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minute.

Cinnamon Rolls by Alaksya

Ingredients:

1-1/2 packages (about 3-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/2 cup shortening

1/3 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

1 egg-replacer

4 to 5 cups sifted flour

melted butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

raisins (optional)

Vanilla Frosting:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

milk or cream (2 to 4 tablespoons)

*If you want cream cheese frosting you can add 1 package of softened cream cheese

Directions:

1.Add the warm water to the yeast and soak 10 minutes.

2.Scald milk; pour over the shortening. Add sugar and salt and cool to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and egg-replacer. Add 4 cups flour adding one at a time beating after each addition.

3.Dough should be soft yet firm enough to handle. Knead on floured board until elastic and smooth. Avoid too much flour. Turn dough into well oiled bowl. Let rise for 1-1/2 hours.

4.Press dough down and divide into workable size. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover with melted butter. Layer with a generous thick layer of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon as desired. If you like raisins, layer on a layer of raisins. Roll up jellyroll fashion.

5.Using a scissors or a piece of string, cut off slices about 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Place slices in an 8 or 9 inch round greased cake pan. Place one slice in the middle and other slices around it. Press rolls down to even out and fill pan. Let rise until rolls fill the pan generously...about another hour.

6.Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 15 - 20 minutes. If rolls get too brown, cover with a piece of tine foil until the end of baking. Do not over bake rolls.

7.Remove immediately from pan by inverting onto a plate and then tip over onto another plate to right the rolls.

8.For the Frosting:

In a medium bowl, place sugar, butter and vanilla. Then stir in enough milk or cream to reach a thick, hardly-able to stir consistency.

9.Spread over warm rolls as soon as they are placed on a plate to let the frosting melt and run into the rolls.

King Cake by Alaksya

King Cake is a traditional New Orleans cake served at Mardi Gras parties.

Pastry:

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/4 cup white sugar

1 egg-replacer

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Frosting:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons water

Colored Sugar:

Purple, Green & Gold

Directions:

Scald milk in microwave for 2 minutes then add butter and let cool until lukewarm.

In mixing bowl combine warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until bubbly. Add lukewarm milk mixture, the egg replacer, salt, nutmeg and remaining sugar to yeast mixture.

Add the flour 1 cup at a time to the wet ingredients.

Once combined kneed with mixer or by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is very elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled (approx. 1 hour).

Make the filling by combining the cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and pecans.

Roll the dough into a rectangle measuring approx. 14x20".

Spread the filling mixture on the dough to within about 1/4" of the sides.

Roll the dough up length-wise and pinch the seam to seal.

Pinch the ends of the roll together to create an oval.

Place the oval on a backing sheet that is greased or lined with parchment paper, cover and let rise in a warm place for approx. 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Bake for 30 mintues.

Forst while the cake is still warm and sprinkle with alternating stripes of purple, green and gold colored sugar.

Borscht by Rohini

Borscht

1 1/2 c potatoes
1 c beets
4 c water
1-2 T butter
1 t caraway seeds
hing
salt
1 stalk celery
1 medium carrot, diced
3-4 cup cabbage, cut not too small
grated black pepper
2 T(ish) apple cider vinegar
2 T (ish) brown sugar
1 t dried dill
1 c tomato puree

Cook potatoes and beets separately. Melt butter, add hing and caraway seeds, add celery, carrot, cabbage and 2 c water. Cook till done, add potatoes and beets, tomato puree and spices and herb. Serve with sour creme and extra dill.

Borscht by Bhumi

Peel and grate some beets. Place them in a pot with a nice amount of water along with a bay leaf, salt, pepper and some hing and boil for just a few minutes. Add some corn kernels either fresh or frozen. Chop some fresh... dill and add. In a separate pot, melt a stick of butter and add some flour like you are going to make a bechemel sauce. Mix a tub of sour cream with some water and add to the flour mixture and then add to the soup and whisk it until all the lumps are smoothed out.  

You want the soup to have some body but not be thick.

I also like to add some "garnish" beets that are made by boiling a whole beet till soft and then cutting into tiny cubes and adding.

Muhammara (Syrian Roasted Pepper & Walnut Dip) by Keli

Made 'Muhammara' the Syrian roasted pepper and walnut dip.. it has a Mediterranean feel so I baked Italian rosemary bread to go with it. For extra dipping and drizzling had (my favorite) Italian lemon olive oil which is unique because its not just infusion but fresh lemons and olives are crashed together in the process of making the oil :D

There are many ways to make muhammara, according to taste.. here is my version:

4-5 largish size red bell or sweet pepper
1/2 cup toasted walnut
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (I used it instead of breadcrumb)
1/4 cup olive oil
juice of half lemon
a small fresh chili or chili powder
ground cumin
asafoatida
salt

Roast pepper and peel off skin, mix everything together (spice according to taste) in food processor.

Stuffed Oven Baked Butternut Squash by Keli

Stuffed oven baked butternut squash and tomato avocado rocket salad with halloumi chunks for today :D The pumpkin is filled with quinoa, lightly roasted yellow pepper, finely ground cashews, lemon zest, thyme, sour cream... it is very delicious for any days..

The filling:
1 cup quinoa (cook with a bit of turmeric, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt)
1 yellow pepper (cut small and lightly pan roast)
about 1/2 cup finely ground cashews
about 2-3 tbsp sour cream
1 small lemon's zest
(when quinoa cooked mix all together)

I precook squash with olive oil, then fill it with mix, cover with sour cream, then put back for another 15 minutes for the sour cream to set a bit.

Masala Bhindi Sabji by Bhumi

Rinse the okra pods and pat them dry. Slice in 1/4 inch rounds. 

Prepare a chaunce of : Mustard seeds, urad dahl, a little cumin seeds, chilli, curry leaves, hing and turmeric and immediately toss in some dessicated coconut and your okra. Add some salt and some ground corriander and cook till they look like this, which does not take very long.... just a few minutes. 

Top with daniya leaves ....

Goat Cheese Pasta Bake by Cynthia

Serves 2: 

1 1/2 bowls worth of brown short pasta (fusilli, penne, farfalle - use your imagination!)
1 x onion, pepper, aubergine
9 cherry tomatoes
200g ish goats cheese
3 tablespoons tomato purée
1 tablespoon green pesto
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 180c, put water on to boil
Chop/slice all veggies, heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat, then add aubergines for about 2-3 mins ensuring they don't burn or stick (add a tiny bit of water)
Add the onion and rest of chopped veggies with tomato purée, pesto and chopped basil - bit of salt and pepper - cook till tender (but not soggy..!)
Pour veggies into an oven proof dish, drain and stir in pasta with half of the cheese - other half of the cheese on top of the pasta
Oven bake for roughly 20 mins - first 10 mins covered with foil

Then lettuce/watercress/rocket with daintily sliced radish slices, toasted sunflower seeds and drizzle over salad dressing of choice - or just salt, black pepper and olive oil :)

Doesn't look amazing, but tasted SO good!

Simple Digestive Biscuits by Cori

Preheat oven to 375F/190C

3/4 up whole wheat flour

1/4 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 Tablespoon oats

4 Tablespoon (50 g) soft butter

4 Tablespoons sugar

4 Tablespoons milk or soy milk

Sift Flours and baking powder. Add oats, Rub in butter, add sugar and milk to form dough. Roll out on floured surface 1/8 inch thick. Cut into circles, place on greased baking sheet, and prick rounds with a fork. Bake for 15-20 min or until pale golden.

Note: While in India I regularly made these with all chapati flour, and they were very nice!

Poppy Seed Pie by Keli Cancala

 

I know that poppy seed is not something everyone likes but I think its glory can't be truly appreciated until you try a very good creation of it! It is an incredibly tasty ingredient.. I made some Hungarian poppy seed pie for a friend of mine who is in hospital and also for my husband/Madhu...he is English so he grew up on other falvours yet when it comes to this particular pie, he actually dances around the room :))) 

 
If you want to try making this pie then you kind of need a poppy seed grinder, because that can squeeze the seeds in a special way, so your filling will be smooth and pasty.. if someone is interested I found a guy who sells it internationally (his site looks a bit dodgy but he is a nice guy and I bought something from him before) ;) http://www.hungariandeli.com/Cookware.htm

Poppy seed pie recipe.
Pastry: 
300g pastry flour
150g butter (unsalted)
80g soft light brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 Tbsp yoghurt

Filling:
200g ground poppy seeds
130g honey
30g butter (unsalted)
120 ml milk
zest of 1 lemon
apricot jam ( I use sugar free)

For pastry mix everything with hand or food processor and put in fridge for 20 minutes.
For filling (without the jam) put everything in a pot and on very low heat mix them together for 5 minutes.
When all is ready then divide pastry into 2 and on floured surface roll out to rectangle (to the size of your baking dish which should be mid-small size, mine is 20cm x 25cm). When you roll, the edges of pastry might tear apart but you can just shape it back and keep rolling as it is a very workable dough! On baking paper and in 170 C preheated oven, bake the bottom half for 5 min. Cool for few minutes, then gently spread jam on pastry (not too thin or thick), then spread poppy seed filling and then cover it with the other half of the dough. bake for 20-25 minutes, when completely cooled hint with icing sugar and cut to squares.

Vegan Chocolate Coconut Torte by Audrey

Recipe (guys, this is so simple it should be criminal):

filling: 
-1 can coconut milk
-1/4 cup coconut oil
-3/4 cup raw cacao powder (or plain ol' cocoa powder if that's what you have)
-1/2 cup liquid sweetener of your choice (honey, agave, maple syrup...)

(to taste:)
-almond extract
-saffron
-sea salt

crust: 
-1 cup almond flour (I toasted half of it a tiny bit)
-pinch of sea salt
-leeetle bit honey


So... melt the coconut oil and a pinch of saffron on low until the oil is all liquid. Let it hang out for just a few minutes on LOW low low, so the saffron can soak in. Remove from heat and add JUST THE FAT (the thick white part on top) from a can of coconut milk. Save the clearish liquid stuff for dal stock or smoothies or something. Add a little bit of salt and a splash of almond extract (more, or less, or omit, as per your preference). Then whisk in the cocoa powder and sweetener until there are no chunks. The consistency should be similar to pancake batter, without the lumps (thanks for the visual, Binne). Set aside for a minute.

Mix all of the almond flour and a pinch of salt together and then slowly add a little honey (like, a tsp at a time... one Tbsp might be enough), while mixing well with your fingers, until the almond flour will stick together when pressed, but isn't gooey at all. Press this evenly (like a cookie crumb crust) into the bottom of a pan (i used a small pie pan, but you could use a spring-form or a cake round, really anything that has a width of about 8-9 inches) and then pour your chocolate batter on top. 

Sprinkle some chopped toasted almonds on top, put in the fridge, and let chill for 3 hours or so. The consistency will be like truffle filling, maybe a tiny bit softer. Definitely slice-and-plate-able. I bet a dollop of un-or-lightly-sweetened whip cream would be delicious with it. Oo! Could you make saffron whip cream? If you soaked the saffron in the cream overnight or something? Woah, dude. woah. 

OK, let us know if you do it! SO easy! SO good!

Chocolate Cookies by Alaksya

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 dollops sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and sour cream mix until combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll into 1 1/4" balls.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes.

Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wild Alaskan Blueberry Buckle by Alaksya

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine in a small bowl with a fork until crumbly.

Cake:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 dollop sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen

Mix dry ingredients.
Beat together sour cream, sugar and butter. Add milk and vanilla.
Mix dry ingredients into sugar mixture.
Pour into a greased and floured 9" square pan.
Sprinkle top of batter with blueberries, and then with topping.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Ooey Gooey Pineapple Upside Down Cake by Alaksya

I was going through my old blog posts looking to see what I haven't made in a while, and I think I am going to make this again very soon.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
20-ounce can of pineapple slices or crushed pineapple, drained, reserving 5 tablespoons juice
3 dollops sour cream
1 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
maraschino cherries
Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch round cake pan. Add the brown sugar and pecans; stir well to thoroughly combine. Arrange 8 pineapple slices (or spread the crushed pineapple) in a single layer over the brown sugar mixture. Set the pan aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl; set aside.

Mix the sour cream and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the sour cream mixture, and stir in the reserved pineapple juice.

Pour or spoon the batter evenly over the pineapple.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes. Place a cookie sheet on the rack below the cake in the oven. The cake has a tendency to bubble out of the pan.

Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes, not any longer or it will stick. Use a knife around the cake to make sure it is loose from the pan, then invert it onto a serving plate. Place a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple ring (or in a circle around the top).

Fuity Oatmeal Cups by Dharma

I found this recipe funny cause it said express preparation done in 10min if you don't have the time to cook. So did it and it was very yummy! :) Here's the recipe: Boil 30cl of Milk add 4 soup spoons of Quaker Oats and let it heat up for a min then take it of the flame and let it cold down.Found a little trick for it cold down faster.I put the pot with the Quaker Oats in a bigger pot with cold water under like that i could do this recipe faster.Then mix up in a big bowl 300g of White cheese"Fromage Blanc" 1 soup spoon of grated Coconut,1 big grated Apple&4 Soup spoons of Raspberry coulis and add the Quaker Oat .Mix it all up again then pour it in 4 glasses and put slices of Apple on top.My daughter told that she thought that next time i should add another Apple in it.So i'm going to listen to her!:)

Boulettes de Pommes de Terre en Minestrone by Dharmas

So to do this recipe need:250g of Potatoes,250g of Green Peas,2 Carrots,1 branch of Celery,2 Onions,250g of Broccoli,1 Tomato,100g of Flour,4 Twigs of Basil,30g of Parmesan,3 big spoons of Olive Oil,Salt&Pepper ... Cook the Potatoes in water till cook.Put the Tomato in the boiling water of the Potatoes for around 1min then take it out and peel it.Cut it up and put it in a bowl and add 3spoons of Olive Oil,The Parmesan&Pepper and mix it up.In another big pot put the Carrots&Onions&Celery&Green Peas&Salt couver with water let it cook and then add the Broccoli.Once the Potatoes cook peel them.Cut them and put them in bowl and smash them with a fork add the Basil&Salt&Pepper and slowly add the flour.Then put flour on a table and roll small balls.Then put Potato balls in a plate with a little flour like that they don't stuck.Then boil water in a pot and put the balls in the boiling water and once they come to the top of the water take them out .Then once all the vegetables cook.Take the pot of the flame and add the Tomatoes with the Parmesan that's in the bowl.Then add the balls of Potatoes!The first time i did this recipe and it was very yummy!:)

Fritatta by Seva Priya

Today I made Fritatta for Lord Nityananda. It is simialar to quiche but without the pastry. I used tofu, cornflour and egg replacer with mustard sauce, soya parmesana cheese, coconut milk, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper in the blender, then poured over boiled potato slices and baked in the oven for 30-40 mins. You can also put cheese on the top. I served it with a salad. You can also add different veggies in the middle.

Baklava by Seva Priya

6oz finely chopped almonds
3 tbsps Sesame seeds
8oz unsalted finely chopped pistachios
...1tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
8oz filo pastry
2-3oz melted butter

For the syrup
4oz granulated sugar
4 tbsps clear honey
2 tbsps lemon juice
1tsp vanilla extract

1) Brush a 9inch shallow oven dish with melted butter.
2) Pre-heat the oven 180’C/350’F Gas Mark 4
3) In a bowl, mix together the chopped pistachio nuts, cinnamon and cloves (save a large tbsp of ground pistachio nuts for decorating)
4) Brush 4 sheets of filo pastry with butter and layer the bottom of the dish
5) Spoon half the nut mixture onto the pastry then repeat with filo then nut mixture, finishing with a layer of filo. Tuck the edges of the filo down the sides of the dish.
6) Score into diamonds, then bake in the centre of the oven for about 45 mins. Cover afer 30 mins to prevent it browning too much.
7) Make the syrup by dissolving the sugar in 140ml of water over a gentle heat. Allow to simmer for 5 mins, then remove from the heat and stir in lemon juice, vanilla extract and honey. When the Baklava comes out of the oven, carefully cover it with the warm syrup. Cover with foil and allow to cool. Sprinkle the top with the remaining pistachio nuts.