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Beetroot and Spinach Salad • Delicious, Healthy, Vegan and Gluten-free

Beetroot and Spinach Salad • Delicious, Healthy, Vegan and Gluten-free

Here is a recipe of spinach and beetroot salad with a delicious vegan dressing. The salad is rich in potassium, iron and protein. Great for anyone who wants to eat healthy but specially for those who have iron deficiency, high blood pressure and hormonal issues.

Leek Soup Without Potato • Oil Free • Vegan • Delicious & Buttery

Leek Soup Without Potato • Oil Free • Vegan • Delicious & Buttery

This winter season, my organic vegetable vendor had an abundance of radish. I decided to order 20kg. I did distribute most of it to those in need but I also experimented a lot and added radish in pretty much everything I ate for few days. 

Carrot, Turnips and Cauliflower Pickle • Oil Free Recipe Inspired by Traditional Recipe

Carrot, Turnips and Cauliflower Pickle • Oil Free Recipe Inspired by Traditional Recipe

Every winters, I crave for the gajar, shalgam gobhi ka achaar (a.k.a Carrot, Turnips and Cauliflower Pickle) that my grand mom use to make. It was absolutely delicious. This year I got the recipe from my aunt and decided to make it oil free and I was surprised how similar it tasted to my daadi’s pickle.

gajar gobhi shalgam ka achaar, oil free pickle

Carrot, Turnips and Cauliflower Pickle

Prep Time 30 mins
Resting Time 10 d
Course condiments, pickle
Cuisine Indian

Equipment

  • 1 clean air tight glass jar. you can wash with hot water or keep in sunlight for few hours
  • some weight like pebbles or soapstone ice cube or fermentation weights - these are optional - but very helpful to ensure the vegetables will not not float above the brine

Ingredients
  

For Brine

  • 1 liter filtered water
  • 1.5 tbsp natural rock salt or sea salt. Avoid table salt as it will have preservatives

For Pickle (Spices)

  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3" cinnamon stick
  • 2 2 dry red chilli adjust to taste, how spicy the chilli is
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp whole black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp carom seeds

For Pickle (Vegetables)

  • 125 gm cauliflower florets, 1.5" size
  • 1 large large carrot, sliced in 1cm x 2"
  • 250 gm baby turnips whole if using regular turnip, cut in 2" pcs
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2" ginger, thin slices 1.5 cm wide

Instructions
 

For Brine

  • in 1 liter water, add 1.5 tbsp rock salt or sea salt. No table salt please. Prefer to use organic salt. In summers, add just a bit more salt to slow down fermentation. Mix this well. Brine is ready.

For Pickle

  • Wash and dry all vegetable and then cut in the desired shape. I like to keep them a little large in size so the pickle stays crunchy for longer time.
  • tightly pack the vegetables in the clean jar, alternating between all three. Also keep adding the spices in between. check video for reference.
  • leave about 1" space from the top
  • fill the jar with brine but leave around 1cm space from the top.
  • cover the top with the cabbage leaf and place some weight on top - this is an optional but helps to make sure that the vegetables wont come above the brine and catch mold.
  • close the lid. this will take few days to get ready - depends on how sour and tender you like the pickle.

Next 3 days

  • For first few days, open it once a day to release the gases. After that check once in 2-3 days till it reaches the tenderness that you like.
  • Once its ready, you can leave it outside and consume in 4-12 weeks. If the weather is hot, you can refrigerate it for 2 months.
Keyword pickle, probiotic

Healthy Vegan Sharbat Inspired by Childhood Rose Milk Recipe

Healthy Vegan Sharbat Inspired by Childhood Rose Milk Recipe

As a kid, I never liked the taste of dairy milk but like any other kid, I was forced to drink it. My mom use to add different flavours to make me “like” it and one of my favourite was “Sharbat Wala Doodh” After turning 

Oil Free Black Pepper Sauce Recipe • Vegan Sauce

Oil Free Black Pepper Sauce Recipe • Vegan Sauce

Black pepper sauce recipe ingredients: Watch the video of this recipe here:

Basic Vegetable Stock Recipe for Soups and Curries

Basic Vegetable Stock Recipe for Soups and Curries

Here is a recipe to make basic veggie stock that can be used to make soups and curries. It adds a great depth to the food when you replace water with this stock.

Watch the video of this recipe

Vegetable Stock

Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 17 mins
Total Time 17 mins
Course condiments
Servings 5 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 2 L water
  • 1 onion
  • 4 celery stocks
  • 1/4 cabbage or cauliflower or cauliflower stem
  • 1 carrot

Instructions
 

  • roughly chop all the vegetables
  • bring water to a boil
  • add all vegetables and cook till they become tender
  • switch off the stove and let it cool
  • pass through a sieve
  • use immediately or store in air tight glass jar

Notes

this can be stored in air tight glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Oil Free, Probiotic Pickle Recipes: Radish and Jalapenos

Oil Free, Probiotic Pickle Recipes: Radish and Jalapenos

Lacto-Fermentation Recipes Below are a few tips and recipes to make pickles using the lacto-fermentation process. Requirements Any vegetable of your choice like cucumbers, radish, cauliflower, carrots etc. Brine: this is easy to make. You need to dissolve approximately 1.5 tbsp salt in every 1 

Vegan Salad Recipe with Cauliflower Rice, Inspired by Traditional Curd Rice

Vegan Salad Recipe with Cauliflower Rice, Inspired by Traditional Curd Rice

This salad recipe is inspired by the traditional South Indian dish – Curd Rice. In stead of dairy curd, I am using peanut curd and replacing rice with cauliflower rice to turn it into a salad. You can use any other plant-based curd recipe for 

Sprouted Peanut Butter Recipe • Healthy Alternative to Oil and Butter

Sprouted Peanut Butter Recipe • Healthy Alternative to Oil and Butter

A whole foods plant based diet is not only healthier, but also better for the environment. Since this diet does not include any dairy products and oils, we need find their alternatives. The best option is making home made “nut butters” or “seed butters”.

The process is pretty simple, roast the nuts or seeds and grind them (dry, without adding any water or oil) in a high speed blender till it turns into a butter. It will take some time and you will need to open the blender jar a few times to scrape down the edges. But don’t worry, the effort is worth it. After all this, you will have a seed/nut butter (ex: peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter etc) that will last you for months in the refrigerator or weeks outside.

As I always mention, all nuts/seeds/legumes have anti-nutrients that hamper our digestive process. To get rid of them, we can soak or soak+sprout these. Therefore, there is 5 different methods to make butters from nuts or seeds. #1 being least time consuming and also less healthy as compared to others, where #5 is the most time consuming and healthiest. But remember, #1 is still a healthier alternative to oils or store bought butter.

  1. roasting and grinding (not so healthy, but quick)
  2. soaking, shade drying, roasting and grinding
  3. soaking, shade drying, sun-drying, roasting and grinding
  4. soaking, sprouting, shade drying, roasting and grinding
  5. soaking, sprouting, shade drying, sun-drying, roasting and grinding

I usually follow #4 to make nut or seed butters. Process is the same for all nuts and seeds but their soaking and sprouting time differs.

Below I am sharing the recipe for sprouted peanut butter. In case you don’t have enough time, you can follow the recipe from step 5 and skip soaking and sprouting.

Sprouted Peanut Butter

Prep Time 1 d 22 hrs
Cook Time 15 mins

Equipment

  • High speed blender
  • Colander
  • Cheese Cloth/Muslin Cloth
  • Oven / Stove + Pan for roasting

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup peanuts
  • water as required for soaking and sprouting

Instructions
 

  • Take the peanuts, wash and soak them for 6 hours
  • Rinse well, wrap in a damp cloth and keep in a colander for 16 hours for sprouting. Do not need to sprout too much, as soon as you see a tiny sprout starts to grow, this is ready to use else they turn a bit bitter. Exact time will depend on the peanuts used and weather conditions. You can check every 2-3 hours.
  • Once they have sprouted, wash them thoroughly as they will have a slimy texture.
  • Shade dry them on a clean cloth for 24-48 hours, can keep under a fan for faster results
  • Once completely dry, roast them on a pan or in the oven until golden brown. I prefer doing this on low heat. Lower the heat, less nutrients are destroyed. Oven will give a more even result. If using an oven, you can set the temperature at 150 for about 15-20 minutes.
  • Allow these to cool down.
  • Now place the peanuts in a colander and give them a good rub to get rid of the skin (if you are using peanuts with skin). You only need to remove what comes off easily. I personally like the taste better if skin is removed and the color is lighter.
  • Transfer to a high speed blender and blend. At first, they will turn into a powder.
  • Keep blending, you may need to keep scraping the edges. It will start to turn creamier and eventually into butter.

Notes

Remove from the blender and transfer to a clean airtight glass jar. It's better to wash the jar with hot water and make sure it is completely dry, to ensure longer shelf life of the peanut butter.
I like to keep this outside the refrigerator as it stays soft. Outside the fridge, it will last a minimum of 2-3 months (longer in cold weather). In the refrigerator, will last at least 1 year.
Keyword butter, peanut butter, vegan butter