Raw Gluten-Free Vegan Rum Balls

I have been enjoying snacking on a variety of 'smoosh' balls lately. If you have't gotten on the bandwagon, you really need to. They are delicious and are so good for you. I mean they've got to be, right? They are raw, vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar...the list goes on. Now let's add the magic of smoosh balls with the magic of rum balls - it's a no brainer, you guys!  

Rum balls are a staple around christmas time but you won't have to wait till christmas for these babies. Four ingredients, no baking, 15 minutes and you have yourself a merry little snack.

Yield - 20 snack balls

Time - 15 Minutes

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Gluten - Free, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Mixed Vegetable Korma - Vegan and Gluten Free

Here at the Taste Chronicles headquarters (AKA my home!) we’re going through a few changes – logistical and dietary.  After living in apartments/ townhomes my whole life, I have finally bit the bullet and moved to a house in the ‘burbs. They tell me this is what it means to grow up.  The jury is still out on this adult-ing thing so I will let you know how it goes later. However, after 13 years of electric/ ceramic cooktops, I finally have a gas stove! I love love love it! I had forgotten how nice it was to cook on good old-fashioned fire.

On the diet front, we have moved to a low gluten/ gluten free and dairy free diet for the most part, which has been an eye opening experience. This has meant a drastic clamp down on processed foods. We were never big on the processed stuff, but now we’ve had to cut it out almost entirely. I am on a bit of a learning curve with this, so if you have any recipes and ideas please share them in the comments. 

This mixed vegetable korma recipe is delicious, vegan and gluten free and more importantly, doesn’t let you feel like you’re going without anything.

Yield - Serves 3 - 4

Time - 1 Hour

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Gluten - Free, Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Dal Fry

My mom makes the best dal. No really. I know that everyone says their moms make the best something or the other but I am not being sentimental here. I am simply stating a mere fact. My mom makes the best dal. I spent the first 2 years of grad school trying to figure out how she does it (I took classes, read a lot of papers, passed my comps and tried to come with a research project too - but mostly, I perfected cooking dal). I love dal. When I was a kid, I'd come home from school and often sit with a large bowl of dal and down it. To me, it is home plain and simple - true comfort food.

I can see my dad rolling his eyes if he's reading this. He does not think that dal deserves an honorable mention in any food related discussion. Dal simply exists as side in every single Indian meal. Always. Even my dad can't roll his eyes on this dal fry recipe because it is something that he used to whip up using leftover dal (cooked by my mom of course). It was delicious and deserves its own blog post! 

It is a fantastic source of protein and I would recommend it as an essential part of a vegetarian diet. I generally cook more dal than I need for a meal and freeze the rest for future use.

Yield - Seves 4

Time - 1 Hour

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Baked Samosas

My favorite of all Indian festivals - Diwali - is just around the corner. Yay!  Diwali is a time for family, friends, hope and new beginnings. Every year, when we were kids, we had a massive Diwali party a couple of nights before the actual day of Diwali. We put on some good shows that we still laugh about - dances, skits, parodies, musicals - the list is endless. We wore some horrifying outfits (the joys of growing up in India in the 90's) that still keep coming back to haunt us on Facebook. We put on our first saris, wore our first high heels, giggled and blushed at our first crushes. We roamed carefree around the neighborhood with sounds of fireworks all around us. Diwali is also a time for 'taash' (poker) and food! The night of the big party was my dad's annual taash event - it was an all night poker event - no kids allowed! 

Food coma was an essential part of Diwali. No matter whose house we visited, the "aunties" there stuffed our faces with sweet and savory treats that they had prepared tirelessly for days on end. I hope to continue this beautiful tradition. Though I don't know how to  make some of the traditional Diwali treats, I am determined to learn. 

I haven't made samosas before but I have eaten more than my share of them. I know exactly how I like them - not too spicy with the potato pieces intact, i.e not boiled and mashed. A bit of experimentation resulted in a pretty delicious, guilt free treat that was no too difficult to make after all.

Yield - Makes 10 Samosas

Time - 2 Hours

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2 comments LABELS: Appetizers, Indian, Snack, Vegan, Vegetarian

Not quite Bharli Vangi

Looking at all my blog posts lately, I can see why you would think that I am a die hard carnivore. Believe me, I eat veggies most weeknights. It's just that the Indian staple of Bhaat (rice) + Dal (lentils)+ Bhaji (Veggies) is often less than glamorous, so I end up not blogging about them! 

Bharli Vangi is a Maharashtrian recipe. It is made by stuffing eggplants with a nutty spicy filling and cooking it in a delicious sauce. Quick geography lesson - Maharashtra is a state in the western part of India. Bombay, where I grew up, is in Maharashtra. The recipe I am sharing with you today is not quite Bharli Vangi, and hence the title of the post. "Bharli" means stuffed and "Vangi" means "eggplants" in Marathi. I am using the basic elements of this classic dish but I am not going to actually stuff the eggplants.

Yield - Serves 2

Time - 40 Minutes

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6 comments LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Cuban Black Beans On Rice

Don't be fooled by its humble name, beans are some of the most satisfying meals to put together for a weeknight. They are easy, healthy and hearty enough for the most die hard carnivores to not miss meat. A fantastic source of protein, beans are a vegetarian staple and true comfort food.

Though cans of beans are really easy to use, cooking beans from scratch is not nearly as labour intensive as commonly believed. I usually soak the beans overnight but there are many that skip this step, swearing by the flavor of un-soaked beans. 

This recipe is adapted from Nydia's Kichen, which incidentally has several really good tutorials on Cuban recipes. 

Yield - Serves 3

Prep Time - 10 Minutes and Overnight Soak

Cook Time - 30 Minutes

Cuban Black Beans on Rice

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Cuban, Latin, Vegan, Vegetarian, Weeknight Lifesavers

Achari Mushrooms

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you've had a fantastic holiday with family, friends and food! I have just come back after the most amazing trip in India, rejuvenated, inspired and ready to post some more stories and recipes. 

Restaurant food in India is entirely different from the food you get in Indian restaurants in western countries. It is so much more flavorful and not at all like the sweet creamy fare we've gotten used to because we just don't know any better. Well, I say no more of that! 

First up - Achari Mushrooms - a restaurant favorite in India and often served as an appetizer. Mushroom caps are sautéed with Indian pickling spices in mustard oil - easy peasy!

Yield - Serves 2

Total Time - 20 Minutes

Achari Mushrooms - Mushrooms in pickling spices

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

How to make Guacamole - like a boss!

Avocados are becoming plentiful again here in New Zealand and you know what that means? Guacermoles!

That's right, I like guacamole so much I have a nick name for it. It is not a very good nick name and I am aware of that but it is always spoken with much love. Guacamole has previously featured on this blog pretending to be a salad and hanging out in the background in my picadillo and lechon asado posts and I expect it will keep coming back over and over again greeting us like an old friend. 

Now this is not a historical or cultural lesson so I will not explain why I have guacamole as a side with Cuban food when it is very clearly Mexican. It just works, okay?

Serve it as a side, as a topping on tacos, as a dip or just grab a spoon and eat it plain! This guacamole recipe is really that good.

How to make Guacamole

Ingredients

3-4 Avocados
2-3 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Red Onion (Small)
1 Lemon
A few sprigs of Cilantro (Coriander)
1 Jalapeno Pepper (or any other fresh green chili pepper)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method

Dice the onions, mince the garlic, chop the cilantro and the green chili pepper. You can use less onion if you find it too strong. I usually add some of the cilantro stocks in as well. The stocks have a lot of flavor, it is a shame to waste it.

Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit.

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5 comments LABELS: Dips and Spreads, Latin, Vegan, Vegetarian

Amaranth Greens with Black Eyed Peas Recipe

Beans beans, they're good for your heart! 

The more you eat it the more you *ahem*

This recipe is nutrition packed and very hearty. I used dried black eyed peas, soaked them overnight and cooked them in a pressure cooker to reduce the above mentioned problem. Fresh Amaranth greens add another dimension to the awesome-ness!

Ingredients

1.5 Cups Black Eyed Peas 

1 Bunch Amaranth Greens

½ Onion, chopped

1 Tomato, diced or crushed

½ inch ginger, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 cups of water plus more for soaking and cooking the beans

Spices/ Seasonings

1.5 Teaspoon Coriander Powder

1 Teaspoon Kashmiri Red chili Powder

1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 teaspoon Amchur Powder

Salt (to taste)

Tempering 

1 Tablespoon Oil

1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 Dried red chili

¼ inch cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon asafetida (hing)

Method

Soak the black eyed peas overnight in plenty of water. Drain the soaking water and add fresh water to the beans. Cook the beans in a pressure cooker. Drain the cooking liquid.

Clean and sort the Amaranth greens.

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bhindi Masala/ Spicy Okra

Bhindi a.k.a Okra is one of my favorite vegetables but I haven't been able to find them in any of the produce stores in this little town. On a recent trip to Auckland, I got some fresh kinda-sorta fresh okra from an Indian grocery store. But hey, beggars can't be choosers. The bhindi masala turned out great though, and we really enjoyed it after ages.

Bhindi Masala served with Rice and Dal

Ingredients

1 Lb Okra

3 Tbsp Besan (chickpea flour)

Spices/ Seasonings

1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

¼ tsp Cumin Powder

½ Teaspoon Amchur Powder

Salt (to taste)

Tempering

1 tsp Cumin seeds

¼ Teaspoon Carom seeds (Ajwain)
½ Teaspoon Fennel seeds

1 Teaspoon Asafetida (Hing)

1 Tablespoon Oil

Method

·    Clean the okra and pat dry with paper towels. Take the heads off and slit them lengthwise in halves. If the okra are large then quarter them

·    Add all the spices and seasonings to the chickpea flour.

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Weeknight Baingan Bharta

Smoky roasted eggplants cooked with an earthy blend of spices makes this dish an easy favorite.

Parts of this dish can be cooked ahead and refrigerated for easy weeknight cooking.

Ingredients

2 Medium to Large Eggplants
3-4 large (or 5-6 Medium) Tomatoes, diced
1 Medium Onion, chopped
5-6 cloves Garlic, minced or chopped fine
1 green chili
Few sprigs Fresh Cilantro
Olive oil sprayer (Misto)

Spices/ Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
Half Teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
Salt (to taste)

Tempering

1 Tablespoon Oil
1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds

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2 comments LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ma's Homecooking: Bandhakopi'r torkari/ Cabbage cooked bengali style

Before my short course in bengali home cooking from my mom this past winter (summer?!), I used to be guilty of adding garam masala powder or any equivalent of it in every single thing I cooked. As a result whether I made fish or chicken or cabbage, it would all end up tasting just about the same- not very good. My mom uses garam masala very sparingly; mostly she uses it in meat or chicken dishes but very rarely, if ever, in anything vegetarian. Here is a recipe for cabbage cooked the Bengali style- Bandhakopi'r torkari from my mom's kitchen.

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35-40 minutes

Bengali Style Cabbage

Ingredients

1 Bag Shredded Cabbage (or 1/4 of a large head sliced)

1 Potato; Large dice

1 cup Green Peas

2 Tomatoes; chopped or crushed

1” piece Ginger; grated

Seasoning

1 tsp Turmeric Powder

½ tsp Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (optional)

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Sugar

For Tempering 

1 tsp Asafetida 

½” Piece Cinnamon Stick

3-4 Cloves

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tsp Fennel seeds

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 Dried Red Chili

2 Bay Leaves

2 Table spoons Oil

Method

·    Heat the oil in a big pot and add all the tempering ingredients. 

·    When they start sputtering, add the potatoes and give it a stir. 

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1 comment LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ma's homecooking: Chorchori

Chorchori is a medley of veggies cooked bengali style that has found its way to my regular recipe rotation. I make it using whatever root vegetables I can get my hands on, pumpkin and loads of spinach with some staple pantry items. You can add other veggies to this mix (eggplants are a common ingredient which I tend to skip). I also skip on the potatoes because I usually eat it with a side of rice and I don't care for that much starch in one meal.

Yield - 4 servings 

Prep time - 15 minutes (for the cleaning and chopping of veggies)

Cook time- 30 minutes (not active cooking)

Ingredients

Spinach - 1 large bag or more (I like lots of it because it does cook down to a small quantity)

Sweet Potatoes- 3 to 4 large, Cut in large chunks

Pumpkin-  1-2 lbs, Cut in large chunks

Radish- 1 large (or a bunch of the little red ones)

Lentil dumplings called vadi/ bori*(see note) - A cup full

Turmeric Powder

Salt

Sugar

For the tempering

Oil- 2 Tablespoons

Kalonji/ Nigella seeds- 1 teaspoon

Bay leaves -2
Dried red chili (I use one but you can use more)
Cumin seeds- half teaspoon

Fennel seeds - half teaspoon

Note: The lentil dumplings give this dish that extra oomph. They can be tricky to track down sometimes, but if I found it here in NZ, I think you can find it anywhere if you try. An Indian grocery store would be a good place to start (d-uh). Then ask for "mung vadi". The one I am currently using says in the back that it is made with urad dal and it is freaking awesome but the mung is just as good if it hasn't gone stale. Also, you DO NOT want to use soy vadi, that is not a good substitute at all! Infact it is best to go without vadi than to add the soy. Try roasted crushed papad instead. Phew! That was a pretty long note! 

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1 comment LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Bulgur Salad with Chickpeas, Garden vegetables and fresh herbs

This salad will save your life on a hot summer's day. It will. Trust me!

Especially if you live in Florida and it is July or August. (I am in New Zealand now and it is neither July nor August, but I still remember good ol' too-hot-to-be-anywhere-near-the-kitchen Tallahassee in the summer)

How you ask?

1) No stove. (On a hot day this is reason enough)

2) Refreshing minty goodness.

Do I have your attention now?

Here goes!

Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Refrigeration: 30 minutes or longer

Bulgur Salad with Chickpeas, Garden Vegetables and Fresh Herbs

Ingredients

Bulgur- 1 cup
Carrots- 3 (shredded)
Chickpeas- 1 can (drained and rinsed)
Red Bell Pepper - 1 (diced)
Parsley - 1/2 cup (chopped)
Mint- 1/2 cup (chopped)
Hot Water - 1.5 to 2 cups**
Lemon- 1 to 2
Olive oil- 2 tablespoons (Optional if you are cutting down on fat, but I love the flavor)
Salt and pepper to taste


This salad is extremely versatile, I like this combination of vegetables and herbs most to my taste.  You can add tomatoes and cucumbers too. You can also add more or less of any ingredient depending on what you have!

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Mediterranean, Salads, Vegan, Vegetarian

Ma's Home Cooking- Alu Phoolkopir torkari

This blog seems to have suffered a premature demise. The reason for that is that I have been visiting family and having too good a time to sit still and update. So here is an attempt at trying to revive this blog! While I was home, my mom gave me a crash course on bengali home cooking- the good, tasty and nutritional stuff I grew up on. I don't have good pictures, I only got one when it was done before we all inhaled all of it! So here goes!

Alu Phoolkopi'r Torkari/ Aloo gobhi/ Potatoes and Cauliflower 'curry'

Ingredients

Cauliflower - 1 whole head, floret separated

Potatoes      - 2 Medium/ Large, cut in wedges

Tomatoes    - 2-3, diced 

Ginger        - 1.5 inch piece minced

Canola oil + mustard oil - 2 TBSP
Water       - 1.5 cups

Spice Group-1

Bay leaves  - 2 to 3

Dried red chilles - 2

Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Asafetida - 0.5 tsp

Spice group-2

Turmeric -1 tsp

Salt         - 1 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp heaped

Kashmiri Red chili powder ** - 1 tsp

Raw sugar - 1 tsp

Method

1. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil. Add in all the spices from Spice Group-1 so they crackle. You don't want to burn them, but brown them lightly.

2. Add the cauliflower and cook it for a few minutes. Add the potatoes and continue to cook this mixture for about 5 minutes.

3. Add all the ingredients from Spice group 2. Cook this down for another 5 minutes. Add a little bit of water if the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pot.

4. Add the tomatoes and ginger. Cook till the tomatoes start softening a bit.

5. Add the water and put the lid on. Cook this till the cooker lets off the pressure once (1 whistle) and turn it off. Done!

** Note: I always use Kashmiri red chili powder in my indian cooking. It is very mild and has beautiful deep color and I can add more for flavor. If you are using hot chili powder then use much less than the given quantity unless you have a preference for hot curries!

Leave a Comment | LABELS: Indian, Vegan, Vegetarian

Super Easy Hummus Recipe

Hummus is such a convenient thing to have in the refrigerator for those evenings when you want to come home and snack on something healthy, spread it on sandwiches or dip some veggies or whole wheat pita bread and you have a guilt free snack in under a minute. It is also incredibly easy to make. This is just a very basic recipe for hummus, you can make your own substitutions, additions or omissions based on flavor preferences. 

Homemade Hummus

Ingredients

1 can (small) Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), drained

1 Lemon (Juiced)

Splash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped (Optional)

2 Tablespoon Tahini (Get it here)

Water ( as needed)

Salt to taste

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Leave a Comment | LABELS: Dips and Spreads, Mediterranean, Vegan, Vegetarian