Roasted Tomato Salsa Sauce - Vegan & Gluten Free

This chunky, smoky,  quite spicy salsa tastes amazing, use this as a dip, with tortilla chips, for wraps, salad or to make burrito's.

Makes  1½ Cup 

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
A Handful of chopped Basil leaves
3 Large Tomatoes - Roasted
2 Small Tomatoes - finely chopped
1 Medium Onion - finely  chopped
1 Medium Green or Red bell pepper - finely chopped
3 Big Cloves Garlic  - finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Ginger - finely chopped
3 Green chillies - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Tomato puree - I used tetra pack
1 Tablespoons Kashmiri Red Chilly paste or Kashmiri red chilly powder as per your taste -  I used paste

Salt to taste

Method

Roast the tomatoes on the gas flame till charred.  Peel the skin and wash them clean.  Then blend them, keep aside

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chilly to a fine paste.

In a pan, heat oil, add chopped onion,  ginger garlic- and green chilly paste.  Saute for a minute or two now add   or green bell pepper and  blended tomatoes, kashmiri red chilly paste, finely chopped tomatoes and blended roasted tomato puree, mix well and let it cook till it become a thick sauce.  Turn off the flame add lemon juice  and chopped  basil. 

Mix well and the Roasted Tomato Salsa Sauce is ready to use.

This is a spicy and a deliciously vibrant, earthy, and smoky-tasting salsa sauce you will definitely enjoy.

Labels : Salsa Sauce, Roasted Tomato, Spicy, Mexican, Basil, Homemade, Vegan, Gluten free

Vegan & Gluten Free Barnyard Millet Pulao / Kuthiraivali Vegetable Pulao

This is a simple pulao which is made using barnyard / kuthiraivali, a gluten free millet. It's very healthy, easy to make as well, made it in a pressure cooker.

Serves : 2
Ingredients 
½ Cup Heaped Barnyard Millet / Kuthiraivali – See Notes
1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Small Onion – chopped
1 Green Chilly – finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Level Ginger Garlic Paste
¼ Cup Mint Leaves
Coriander Leaves – 1/4 cup chopped finely
½ Cup Mixed Vegetable - I used frozen
1 Tablespoon Capsicum - chopped
Salt to taste
1¼ Cup Hot Water
Whole Spices
1 Bay Leaf
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1 Small Stick Cinnamon
1 Cardamom
2 Cloves
6 -8 Black Peppercorns

Method

Clean the millet, to remove any fine stones or dirt. 

Wash millet really well and soak it for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add in all the whole spices and let them sizzle. 

Add in onions, chillies and 

fry  till onion is golden.  Add in ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. 

Add in the mixed vegetables, capsicum and saute for a minute.

Add in the drained millet and toss well  

give it a good stir.  

Add in the hot water, salt and mint leaves, mix well. Cover  with the lid and take 2 whistles on high flame .  Turn off the flame and let the steam go all by itself. 

Open the cooker and fluff it with a fork.

Serve hot. 

Enjoy this with Vegan Cashew Yogurt.My Notes

Barnyard Millet / Kuthiraivali has fine stones, so please clean the millet and wash it well. If you do not clean  this well, be  sure,  that you are not going to enjoy this pulao.

Labels :  Barnyard Millet, Gluten free, Healthy, Kuthiraivali, Main course, Mixed Vegetable, Rice, Vegan 

Vegan Homemade Cashew Yogurt

How to make unsweetened yogurt (curd/dahi) with cashewnuts.

Ingredients
1 Cup Cashewnuts
12 Chilly Crowns
Warm Water as required
Method

Soak the cashewnuts in warm water overnight. 

Wash the chillies and pat them dry completely before separating the crowns.

 Do not wash the crowns again after separating them from the chillies. 

Next morning drain, rinse the cashewnuts in fresh water. Then blend with a cup of plain warm water till very smooth. 

Take half of  this thick cashew milk in a bowl and topped with the crowns of fresh chilly crowns. Do do worry this will not make the yogurt spicy.  The remaining cashew milk, store it in a airtight container in the refrigerator (just before you want to set yogurt, microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds, the cashew milk should be just luke warm).

By evening the curds will be perfectly set .. cashew yogurt is ready. This batch which is the starter culture will have a very faint aroma of chillies that will not affect the taste. 

Remove / discard the crowns from this and add in the remaining cashew milk and mix it well. Pour this into two bowls and leave it to set.

The second batch made with this culture will not have any chilly aroma. It tasted exactly like the one made of dairy milk! You would not have made out the difference, believe me! Only it's too heavy to finish a full small bowl. 

Reserve 2 tablespoons in the refrigerator before serving so that you have a starter every time you want to set vegan yogurt. 

Labels : Vegan, Homemade, Cashewnuts, Yogurt, Gluten free, Delicious, Chilly Crowns

A Side Dish With Baby Potatoes- No Onion No Garlic

An Easy Side Dish With Baby Potatoes , so tasty and delicious. This has no onion no garlic and no red chilly powder, prefect Vrat Ka Khanna.   The masala paste coated on the fried potatoes taste awesome. 

Ingredients

½ kg Baby Potatoes - boiled
3 Tablespoons Butter or Ghee
3 Tablespoons Oil
1 Teaspoon Fennel seeds
½ Teaspoon Cumin powder
1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon Level Black pepper powder
1 Teaspoon Ginger paste
125 Grams Yogurt - whisked
½ Teaspoon Garam Masala / All Spice Powder
2 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander leaves
2–3 Green chilies - finely chopped

Salt to taste

Method

Boil ½ kg potatoes and skin them then prick using toothpick.
Heat oil and butter or ghee in a wok, add in boiled potatoes and fry till golden brown.

Now remove the potatoes and keep aside. In the same pan add the fennel seeds saute till it releases an aroma, add the green chilly,  ginger paste, cumin powder, coriander powder, black pepper and turmeric  powder, mix well . Fry for 2 minutes on medium low flame, now add the fried potatoes , saute well  till it coated with the spices.  

Now add the whisked yogurt, salt to taste . Mix well, stirring continuously till the potatoes are coated with the yogurt.  Simmer on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes or till the moisture/ gravy dries.  Add the garam masala powder and give it a stir.

 Take it  out,  on to a serving dish , sprinkle with dash of garam masala powder, fried green chilly and chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot...

Labels:  Vegetarian, Vegetables, No Onion No Garlic, Baby Potatoes, Vrat, Side Dish, Main course

Vegan Strawberry Dream Cake - No Bake

This is one dessert that is so easy to make. I have used virgin coconut oil to make this dream cake and this is an excellent choice of fat for vegans.

Made this for my vegan daughter and her vegan friends. This is delicious cake, made it twice the second time I made a small one for two. 

The first time I made,  it, was hot summer here and  did not refrigerate it overnight.  So after some time the top layer started to melt, so un mould it again refrigerate it till you are ready to serve. Do not remove it early and keep it on the dining table like I did it. 

This dream cake, you must freeze for 3 hours then refrigerate it overnight then only serve it.
Serves 5 - 6
Ingredients
For the Crust
1 Cup Almonds - coarsely minced
200 Grams Medjool Dates or any good quality dates
¼ Teaspoon Sea Salt

For the Filling 

1½ Cups Cashewnuts
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
Few Drops of Strawberry essence
1/3 Cup Virgin Coconut oil
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Chopped Strawberries + 1 Tablespoon Sugar

Method

In a saucepan heat boil 2 to 3 cups of water. When the water comes to a boil, add the cashewnuts and take one boil, take off flame let is sit in this water for 5 minutes, Then drain the cashewnuts and rinse them in fresh water well. Soak them fresh warm water overnight or for 5 - 6 hours at least.

For The Crust

Place almonds and dates in a a blender with sea salt and pulse to chop until they are finely grounds. Take a tablespoon of the prepared date mixture for the crust and roll it in your hands. If it holds together, the crust is perfect. Take out crust mixture in a 6 to 7” spring-form pan and press firmly, making sure that the edges are well packed and that the base is relatively even throughout. Rinse the blender well.

In the same blender, add the cashewnuts, coconut oil, sugar,lemon juice. Blend to make smooth paste. Add the essence and pulse it twice.

Pour about 2/3 ( I eyeballed it) of the mixture out onto the crust and smooth with a spatula, cling wrap the pan. Place in freezer until solid or for 15 to 20 minutes. 

In the remaining paste add the strawberries and the tablespoon of sugar, 

blend until smooth. 

Pour onto the chilled layer. Again cling wrap it and place in freezer until solid.

To Serve

Run a smooth, sharp knife under hot water and un mould it, cut into slices and again refrigerate till ready to serve. Serve with fresh strawberries. 

This is a rich dessert and delicious.

This one piece that remained for me which I kept overnight in the refrigerator.  See how well it is set.

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Labels : No Bake Desserts, Strawberry, Cashewnuts, Almond, Dates, Coconut Oil, Vegan, Sweets & Desserts, Healthy