Jalebi

To continue the Indian kick is a nice Indian dessert: Jalebi.
(although in some parts of the country it is eaten with breakfast)
I actually had only ever had this at one Indian restaurant, and only occasionally at their buffet (the rest of the time they had Galub Jamun. I would watch bitterly while who ever I dragged there that day would eat them in ecstasy. I've never had them, but I will try to make them soon enough). Anyways, I would stuff them in my face but never found out what they were called. Finally some dedicated interwebz searchin not only yielded their name, but A VIDEO on how to make them. I used Manjula's recipe.

After frying:


After soaking:


The ones I had were bright orange, but then again these ARE homemade, not full of dyes. And damn, they are tasty (especially if they sit for a few minutes.. if you can hold out!!).

STORY
I haven't had dinner yet and I these are almost gone. I just hope it doesn't end the same way as when I was in my single-digits and I was helping my Grammie make rosettes (read=pretty elephant ears) and I ate so many covered with so much powdered sugar, that I still not only have a food adversion to it ump-teen years later, but the smell also makes me sick. (holy crap that was one sentence) These are pretty similar, if they were covered in powder rather than syrup I would have been ill.


Note: I didn't have gram flour, so I used bran instead. The consistancy was very runny, so I added a little flour at a time until it was the thickness she had. I also feel half a pinch of saffron would have been better. I have a little bit of syrup left too.

Indian Curry

Since the turn of the millennium, there has been an epic battle.
Which do I like better, Indian or Mexican?
In the motherland, I could make my own Mexican food if I had a craving.
But Indian food is a bit trickier with its wonderful blended spices. The more often I ate Indian, the more my cravings drove me mad until I could get my next fix. I suspect much like nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

I had a nice vegetable curry the other day and decided to do something where the base was pureed veggies to give it the nice "thick and creamy" texture.

Boil:
potatoes
onion
broccoli stems
carrots

When potatoes are nearly ready, ladle half of the veg and broth into a blender with part of a tomato. Blend! (I also added a can of drained white beans for a thickener. Good, but I think I'll leave it out next time and just up the potato ratio).
In the meantime add broccoli and cauliflower florets to cook. Throw in any other veg you want. (I also threw in some tofu burgers for kicks, to be like paneer?)
Stir in a couple spoonfulls of Curry paste, along with the blended goodness. Mix until everything is heated through.

I served it with saffron rice and some cashews on top just to be kinky.

Mac and Sheese

Ahhh, comfort food!
Mama Ronin's macaroni and cheese could not be beat. I think I've got it down after years of toil!
For the best Mac and Cheez, start with a roux.

Finely chop some onion.
Lightly sautee in butter or oil (a little more than you need for the onions)
Add some flour and stir until all mixed.

Still on med-low to med heat:
Add non-dairy milk and stir.
Add block vegan cheez (I used mild cheddar Sheese)
Stir until as melted as possible.

Season with a squirt of yellow mustard (secret ingredient), a shake of salt, and a shake of paprika (as you like it).

Mix in pasta and add fresh pepper!!




I was never into baked Mac and Cheese, but I guess you could do that if you want.

With the leftover sauce, it will mostly solidify. Heat backup with some more 'milk'. You may need some more seasonings because of this.

Vegan Desserts!

Eat your heart out vegan haters!

Aww, the simple desserts!

Banana Split


Bananas! Vanilla Rice Cream! Vegan Hot Fudge! Frozen raspberries! Almond slices! Soyatoo whipped cream!! BOO YAH!

Root Beer Float


Bulldog Root Beer and Vanilla Rice Cream! I know the whipped cream wasn't necessary, but it was too good not to add some =D

BBQ PIZZA

Before:


CRUST
Ok, first the no yeast herb crust from HOW IT ALL VEGAN is like, the best thing ever. I use it all the time (but I use nutritional yeast instead of vegan parmesan, add extra herbs and extra garlic powder!). I would recommend baking it 5 minutes before piling on stuff.

SAUCE
I made an alfredo sauce. Get some tofu (soft or silken if possible, but if not, no biggie), cube it and boil it for 5 minutes to get rid of the beany flavor. I add some boullion and add like 3/4 cup of water slowly while blending it all. If I need some more herbs or salt, I throw it in. (This can be used as an alfredo pasta sauce too!)

THE GOODS
Fresh spinach
chunked portabella
chopped fire roasted peppers
chopped onion
Cubed Riblets (set out to thaw for about 10 min)
Cheddar Sheese (I used a fancy hard-cheese hand held grater thingy that you turn and it spits it out- like shaved ice!)


After:


Holy crap I think my mom is more in love with this than I am!!
Like I said, the Sheese doesn't melt so much as get soft, but that's fine!

**I usually pan fry Chikn Strips with BBQ sauce for this, but the riblets were handy and still totally good!**

Portabella burger

This monster is stacked high!! You need:
Portabella cap
Fire roasted peppers and their marinade (or fresh bell pepper slices and a good dressing/marinade).
Eggplant slices
Spinach
Sheese
Toasted bread

Marinade the portabella, peppers, and eggplant in a big baking dish. I used the marinade that the peppers were packed in, but any good marinade will do. Let soak for a MINIMUM of 10 minutes each side.
Cover dish (with lid or foil) and bake 375 for 10ish minutes. Take cover off and cook another 5 (or under mushroom is nice and soft. It will have shrunk a little.)

Assemble to your likings and grab a napkin!
This is one of those sandwiches that you have to hold on to and eat the entire thing because if you put it down you can never pick it all up again!

Super delicious.


*TIP: If you buy portabellas by the pound at stores, pull off their stem before you buy them! Ditchin` that weight saves you some cash!!

Enchiladas!

MMMMMMM!
I sauteed onion and orange peppers with the Chikn Strip Starters.
While that was sizzling, I rinsed a can of black beans and seasoned it with lime juice and parsley (if I had cilantro I would have used that).
I added chunks of the amazing Medium Cheddar Sheese, wrapped it in tortillas, placed in a baking dish and added enchilada sauce around them, with a drizzle on top with a little Sheese. Bake 350 for 15 min (or when sauce is bubbling).



*Note that Sheese doesn't really melt, it just gets really soft. It's still the best cheese substitute out there though!

Chik patty sandwich

Chik Patties how I've missed thee!!




On toasted grain bread with fresh spinach and Veganaise.
On the side is artichoke hearts and edamame and homemade apple sauce.

I never ate edamame (soy beans) and frankly it looked scary. Now, I love it.
Get yourself some edamame still in it's pod.
They will probably be frozen so boil it on low heat it for about 15 minutes. Drain and toss with salt. I usually eat them cold, but slightly warm is nice too! Just squeeze them out of the pod into your mouth! The slight salty tatse on the pod to your lips is divine!