Vegan Chocolate cake

This is a recipe that I generally use for birthday cakes. Simple wholewheat vegan chocolate cake. When I did this I had just enough gems to make a smiley...and K thought this was my original plan! V was happy to just pick them up one by one and pop it in her mouth. This was so delicious and so healthy (if you can just manage to forget the cocoa  & the sugar for a minute)...with the flaxseed powder giving you all the omega 3 boost!

Ingredients: 

For the cake

Wholewheat (atta) - 175 gm (original recipe is with maida)

Demerara sugar (powdered)  - 100 gm (50 gm < than original recipe)

Sunflower oil - 100 ml (50 ml < than orig. recipe)

Cocoa powder - 3 tbsp

Cold water  - 100 ml (depending on the cake batter)

Baking powder - 2.5 tsp

Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Pureed banana - 1

Flaxseed powder (egg substitute.) - blend 2 tbsp with 6 tbsp water

For the chocolate glaze

Cocoa powder: 3 tbsp

White or Demerara sugar: 3 – 4 tbsp

Cold water

Method: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 170degC

2. Mix dry ingredients separately & wet ingredients separately 

3. Add wet to dry and mix well 

4. Add cashews & raisins if desired 

5. Add more water if mix is a bit dry 

6. Empty mix into an oven proof greased tin (I used 9 inch cake tin)

7. Keep in oven at 170 deg C for 40 min

8. Check if it is done using a knife

9. For the chocolate glaze, blend the ingredients and when the cake has cooled down pour the glaze on top

10. Use the spatula to make it tidier

Vegan Amaranth and potato curry

This particular recipe was born of a need to use up the loads of 'Mulai keerai' (Amaranth leaves) in my fridge and make up something tasty and vegan out of it. I checked out a recipe from 'Best ever vegetarian cook book' which was basically a chunky soup recipe and adapted it to what I had in my pantry and hubby's dietary needs.

Ingredients

2 medium potatoes peeled and cut into cubes

1 medium onion cut into small pieces

4 cloves of garlic cut into small pieces

A handful of Amaranth (Mulai/Arai keerai) leaves*

8 to 10 Almonds (to make 1/2 cup of almond milk)

1/2 tsp Coriander powder (Dhania)

1/2 tsp Cumin powder(Jeera)

1/2 tsp Cumin

1/2 tsp Channa masala/Garam masala

1/2 to 1 tsp of Olive oil

1/2 tsp corn flour

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Steam the potato cubes in a steam basket in the microwave or the pressure cooker

2. In a pan, saute the onion,cumin and garlic with some olive oil, until it browns a bit

3. Grind almonds with water and filter it to get almond milk (or get store bought almond milk)

4. Mix some corn flour in the almond milk till there are no lumps

5. Add cumin & coriander powder to the sauteed onion & garlic and mix

6. Add the almond milk and turmeric powder and mix well till the gravy thickens**

7. Now add the steamed potato cubes and washed amaranth leaves

8. Let the gravy coat the potato & amaranth nicely

9. Add pepper and salt and stir for 5 min

The subzi came out beautifully and tasted really good. It was really quick to make and it would be even more easier if you had made a batch of almond milk earlier or got it from the store. You could also add soaked and boiled channa, instead of potato or add it along with them (but not too much as it might make it very heavy)

* The original recipe used Spinach leaves (Palak). You could use any keerai you have.

** The original recipe used cream in the place of almond milk & corn flour mixture.