Chana Masala

Hey everyone, sorry for not posting as promised yesterday... my friends surprised me with an impromptu trip to LaRonde! We has been talking about going since May and had never gotten around to it and since this weekend was the last weekend it is open for this season they decided we were going. It was fun but VERY cold. As such I was unable to post yesterday which I am so sorry for! As for Suki in the Fido Casting Contest as of right now she is in place 781 which is good but not great so please continue voting everyday at http://www.fidocastingcall.ca/dogs/16125 and tell others to as well!!!! We have until November 16th to get her to #1!!!!!


So now onto the recipe...

Chana Masala

For those of you who don't know what it is wikipedia describes Chana masala as "a popular vegetable dish in Pakistani cuisine & Indian cuisine.^[1] The main ingredient is chickpeas. It is fairly dry and spicy with a sour citrus note. The dish is found throughout South Asia, and is particularly popular in northern India and Pakistan."

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons channa masala spice mix
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups water
2 (15.5 ounce) cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
salt to taste

Directions

1) Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. 

2) Stir in the garlic, onion, and ginger, and cook until browned. 

3) Stir in the chili powder and channa masala spice, tomato, water, and garbanzos; season to taste with salt. 

4) Bring to a simmer, the reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until garbanzos are very soft, about 20 minutes.

NOTE: Chana masala spice can be replaced with equal parts cumin, tumeric, paprika, coriander, ginger and cinnamon.

Everyone have a wonderful and productive day and please vote! 

Pumpkin Brownie

Hi everyone! sorry for the later post today. So once again (I will continue asking you guys to do this until the contest is over on November 17th) PLEASE click here and go VOTE for SUKI!!!!

Please Vote everyday!!!

http://www.fidocastingcall.ca/dogs/16125

as of right now she is in 1085th place.... lets try to break into the hundreds today!!!!

now on to this amazing fall recipe!

Pumpkin Brownie

Trust me this is AMAZING!

Ingredients

Brownie Layer:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin 

• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp sugar 

• 1/4 cup margarine, softened 

• 3/4 cup white flour

• 1.5 tsp pure vanilla extract 

• 1 tbsp cornstarch  

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 

• 1/2 tsp salt 

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Pumpkin Pie Layer:

• 1 cup canned pumpkin 

• 2 tbsp cornstarch 

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

• 1/3 cup sugar 

• 3 tbsp almond milk 

• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg)

Pecan Fudge Topping:

• 1/4 cup margarine 

• 1/2 cup brown sugar 

• 1/3 cup flour 

• 3/4 cups chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a pie pan.

2. For brownie layer: In a stand mixer or by hand, mix together the coconut oil, pumpkin, vanilla, and sugar until blended well. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking, soda, sea salt and mix until incorporated. Take the entire mixture and place in pie pan. Wet spatula and spread around evenly so it is smooth.

3. For pumpkin layer: In a large bowl mix together the pumpkin, vanilla, and milk. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well until all clumps are gone. Now add on top of brownie mixture. Garnish with grated chocolate (I used a lemon zester to grate the chocolate).

4. For Pecan topping: Mix all ingredients until well combined and sprinkle on top of the pie.

5. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350F. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes and then move to the fridge to chill for 1.5 hours.

6. Serves approx 8-12 slices.

I know it looks like a long and complicated recipe but its not that bad and the end result is worth the effort! I hope everyone has a great day and please don't forget to vote (it takes less then 30 seconds!) and tell others to do so to! See you tomorrow with my recipe for Chana Masala!

Vegan Carrot Cake!

Okay so first things first.... GO VOTE FOR SUKI!!!! So far she's moved to 2114th place so seeing as how she was at around 6000th place yesterday morning we are doing well! VOTE at http://www.fidocastingcall.ca/dogs/16125 


Seriously, who could resist this face?

Now onto the main reason you are here:

Vegan Carrot Cake

Photo Credit to Sarah Scheffer

http://www.flickr.com/photos/veganbananas/6259128199/

I have always gotten rave reviews for this recipe from both vegans and non-vegans alike! Just recently I was asked to make it for a friends wedding so trust me it is a must try recipe!!!!

Ingredients

CAKE:

1½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon 

2 tsp allspice
¼ tsp salt
1 whole carrot, shredded (the larger the carrot the more carroty the cake is)
1½ cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract

ICING:

1 cup icing sugar

3 Tbsp maple syrup 

2 tsp cinnamon 

Directions

CAKE:

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. 

2) Grease a 9x9 inch cake pan. 

3) In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt, allspice & cinnamon in a medium bowl.

4) In a large bowl, mix applesauce, vanilla and carrots.

5) Add dry mix to wet mix in 3-4 batches. Stir until just combined. 

6) Fill pan and bake 20-30 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean.

ICING:

1) combine icing sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon and mix until the consistency you like (add more maple syrup to make it more liquid or more icing sugar to make it more stiff, add cinnamon to taste)

ENJOY!!! Tomorrow I will be posting an update on how Suki is doing (and yes you can vote for her once everyday so go back and do it!) and my recipe for a mouth-watering pumpkin brownie!

Have a great day and GO VOTE!!!!

Please?

Delicious Sweet Indian Lentil Bake

Hi everyone! So before I post this delicious and super easy recipe that I know all of you are going to LOVE! I want to ask you guys a favour...


So I finally caved and entered Suki in the Fido Casting Call competition and she needs all the votes she can get! You can vote for her once a day until the contest is over so Please! PLEASE! go to http://www.fidocastingcall.ca/dogs/16125 and VOTE!!!!!

Lets see how much Social Media Technology can move the little gal towards first place!


Okay so now onto this AMAZING and highly recommended recipe! I adapted it from a recipe tweeted to me from Wholefoods which can be found here: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/3077 

Sweet Indian Lentil Bake

serves 8

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Coconut Oil 
1 yellow onion, chopped 
1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric 

1 teaspoon curry powder 

1 teaspoon Chana Masala seasoning
2 1/4 cups Lentils
1 cup pitted dates, chopped 
2 teaspoons tamari/soy sauce 1/2 cup shredded carrot 

Directions

1) In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. 
2) Stir in shredded carrot, ginger, turmeric, curry, and chana masala and cook 1 minute. 
3) Add 6 cups water, lentils and dates and bring to a boil. 
4) Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes. 
5) Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir in tamari and transfer lentils to a 2-quart baking dish or casserole. bake 30 minutes, top with seasoning and serve.


Enjoy! and please don't forget to vote for Suki!!!! See you tomorrow with my Vegan Carrot Cake recipe!

I'm Back! and I bring you Vegan Sweet and Sour 'chicken'balls!!!!!

Hi everyone! So the majority of my midterms are over which means I can get back to blogging and sharing some AMAZING recipes that I highly recommend you try! 


Things to look forward to this week:
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Delicious sweet indian lentil bake (super easy and budget friendly!)
- Chana Masala
- Mouth-watering pumpkin brownie!
- and ratatouille!


Now for today: Vegan Chinese-takeout Sweet and Sour "Chicken"balls

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste
• 1/2 cup white vinegar, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup maraschino cherry juice
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 2 tablespoons Ketchup
• 
  

Breading:

• 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 'egg' (I used powdered egg replacer and followed their instructions for 1 egg, which you can find at any grocery store. You could also make a flax egg.)
• 1 1/2 cups water

"Chicken":

You can use any type of vegan protein as a replacer for chicken (ex. Tofu, Seitan, or the mock 'chicken'-strips found in most organic aisles in grocery stores or at your local health food store)
I used:
1 block of tofu, cut up into bite sized pieces and marinated in vegetable broth, with spices (I used rosemary, thyme, sage, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, and onion powder to taste) 


Directions:
Sauce:

1. Mix the sugar, vinegar, maraschino cherry juice, ketchup and pineapple juice in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
2. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl, and stir the water into it to make a smooth paste. Stir the cornstarch paste into the juice mixture, and bring to a simmer. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 1 minute.

"Chicken"balls:

1. Marinade Tofu overnight.
2. Combine flour, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, salt, white pepper, and 'egg'. Add 1 1/2 cups water gradually to make a thick batter. Stir to blend thoroughly. Add 'chicken' pieces, and stir until 'chicken' is well coated.
3. Heat oil in skillet or wok to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C). Fry chicken pieces in hot oil 10 minutes, or until golden. Remove chicken, and drain on paper towels. OR for a lower fat version, bread 'chicken', place on non-stick baking sheet and bake in oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Finally, spoon sauce over your 'chicken'balls and serve :)

So Good!!! 

Question: My next blog post will be tomorrow so, which recipe do you want me to post next? Vegan Carrot Cake, Delicious sweet indian lentil bake (super easy and budget friendly!), Chana Masala, Mouth-watering pumpkin brownie, or ratatouille?

Catching up

Hey everyone! Sorry I have been so absent recently. I know this is not a big excuse but for those at University you already know... we have entered MIDTERM season. (After this coming week I am pretty much free to blog to my hearts content :)... until December exams which trust me my exam schedule is DREADFUL)

So what to blog about first? The sweet and sour 'chicken'ball recipe promised last week? An amazing thanksgiving dessert (hint: chocolate and pumpkin and brown sugar fudge all in one!) or my Chana Masala recipe? or all in one blog? let me know in the comments below!

also I am making a vegan carrot cake for one of my summer co-worker's wedding this weekend! I promise that will be posted soon as well.

See you all in a week with an actual post containing recipes and updates on life :)