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Though enchiladas were traditionally made by folding fish in corn tortillas, now enchiladas are filled with variety of ingredients in different combinations.
I have used veggies and soya chunks for the filling. The chewy meat like texture of the soya chunks makes an excellent meat replacement. I know, many recipes use mushroom to replace meat but this soya chunks is no less.
 Soy Chunks I made use of them and was happy with the meatier texture. For the gravy I used tomato sauce. Whole wheat tortillas make this meal extra healthy.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – 2 tablespoons
- Onion (medium sized) – 1 (chopped finely)
- Garlic – 2 (minced)
- Tomato paste – 1 tablespoon
- Tomatoes – 3 (pureed)
- Chili powder – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin- 1 teaspoon
- Corn starch – 2 teaspoons
- Vegetable broth/ water – 2 cups
- Salt to taste
Directions
1. Add oil to pan and add cumin. Once it splutters add garlic and onion. Once the onions become translucent, stir in tomato paste and corn starch. Add pureed tomatoes and whisk the mixture well as not to form lumps.
2. Stir in water / vegetable broth. Add chili powder, salt. Bring it to boil. Reduce the flame and cook until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
Filling for enchiladas
Ingredients
- Whole wheat tortillas – 6
- Frozen lima beans – ¼ cup (thawed)
- Carrot – 1 (cut into big chunks)
- Green beans – 10 (cut into strips)
- Soya chunks – 10 pieces (soak it in boiling water for 5 minutes and wash it. Squeeze the excess water and cut it into 2 pieces)
- Onion – 1 (chopped)
- Chili powder – ½ teaspoon
- Cumin powder – 1 teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
Directions
1. Set a pan and add oil. Add onions and cook until it becomes translucent. Add carrot, beans and stir fry them for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in lima beans and soya chunks. Add cumin powder, chili powder and salt.
3. Sauté for 4 to 5 more minutes and switch off the heat.
Getting enchiladas ready
1. Pre heat oven to 350° F.
2. Spray 9 x 13 baking pan with non stick cooking spray.
3. Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce into the pan.
4. Spoon a tablespoon of veggie mixture and roll them tightly and place them on a single layer on the baking pan.
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5. Continue to roll the tortillas with veggie mixture and place them on the same side down.
6. Top rolled tortillas with remaining sauce and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes
I garnished it with olives and it tasted great. I am sending this post to Vaisali’s vegan world of Mexican cuisine.
Notes
You can use firm tofu instead of soya chunks. You just need to cut tofu into pieces .
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My son wanted some baked goodies for his class party. I was breaking my head for a recipe that would be perfect for the party. I went through the recipe collection I had, the more recipes I saw, the more was I confused. It was like having a mountain of clothes in front of you and not knowing what to wear. I know, this happens with ladies and I was not the last one. Back to the recipes, I settled on a plain cup cake. Of course, it was vanilla cup cake but I decided to add tutty fruity to it to make it more colorful. The cake was defect less for the event. Its party time!!!
Ingredients
- Butter/ margarine – 4 tablespoons
- Apple sauce – ¼ cup
- All purpose flour- 1 ¾ cup
- Sugar – 1 cup
- Energ – G powder – 1 ½ tablespoons
- Soy milk/ almond milk- ¾ cup
- Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
- Baking soda- ¼ tsp
- Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Directions
1. Pre heat oven to 375° F.
2. Cream margarine, apple sauce and soy milk. Add sugar and ener- G powder and beat well.
3. In a large bowl mix all purpose flour, baking soda and baking powder. Add the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in tutty fruity.
4. Line cup cake tray with cup cake holders. Spoon in batter ¾ full, giving them space to rise.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake tester inserted comes out clean.
Notes
1. The original recipe called in for ½ cup of butter/ margarine. I used ¼ cup of apple sauce and 4 tablespoons of margarine. The out come was defect less.
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If you are looking for a quick-fix meal but don’t want to compromise on the nutritional value of the meal, this sandwich is for you. Bell peppers are great source of vitamin A and vitamin C, and make a colorful meal.
Ingredients
- Yellow bell pepper small – 5 or 6
- Tomato (small) – 1 (sliced into thin layers)
- Small onion – 1(cut into layers).
- Small cucumber- 1 (cut into small circles)
- Pickle (any kind of pickle or pickle relishes)
- Garlic powder- ¼ teaspoon
- Black pepper- 1 teaspoon
- Red pepper flakes – ½ teaspoon (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Hot dog buns/ subway bread
Directions
1. In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss bell peppers with the mixture.
2. Wrap bell peppers in aluminum foil and bake it for 400 for 20 minutes or until it becomes soft and cooked (depends on the oven). Let it cool.
3. Slit the bread in the middle, but keeping one end attached.
4. To assemble the sandwich, place the bell peppers, tightly packed. Then place cucumbers, tomato and onion. Sprinkle salt and pepper.
5. Place pickles above the assembled veggies.
6. Garnish with cilantro/ coriander leaves.
Note:
You can add a twist to this sandwich by adding a layer of spread such as carrot lentil spread or hummus spread.
You can make this sandwich with baked eggplant instead of bell pepper.
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Mung beans help repair and maintain the body system, especially during recovery phase from illness. Most often used in Indian and Chinese cooking, they add taste and substance to western dishes too. Dehusked mung beans are called yellow dal or mung dal. They are soft and sweet and are easily digested.
 Mung Dal Purple Cabbage: The purple color in red cabbage comes from a class of pigment molecules called anthocyanins. Emerging evidence suggests that anthocyanins may provide cancer protection, improve brain function and promote heart health.
This recipe combines both mung dal and purple cabbage to make a delicious curry.
Ingredients
- Yellow mung dal – 3/4 cup
- Chopped purple cabbage – 1/2 cup
- Green chillies – 2 cut into length wise
- Red chilly- 1, crushed
- Small tomatoes – 2 cut into pieces
- Small onion – 1 cut into small pieces
- Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – ¾ tablespoon
- Small garlic pod – 1(crushed)
- Mustard seeds – 1/2 teaspoon (for tempering)(optional)
- Oil -3 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
Directions
1. Cook mung dal with 2 cups of water and turmeric powder for 10 to 15 minunes.
2. In a heavy pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil gets hot, add mustard Seeds.When the mustard seeds crackle, add cumin seeds , sliced onion, red chilly, green chilly and crushed garlic one by one and fry for two minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, fry for a few minutes till it loses its water and then add purple cabbage.
4. Let this cook for 10 minutes and add the cooked mung dal and salt. Cook this in a medium flame for 10 more minutes.
It goes well with chapathi and rice.
Note:
When cooking with red or purple cabbage, be aware that the compound (anthocyanin) that gives the cabbage that beautiful color will also turn it blue when it is cooked along with any alkaline substance.
Since tap water is often full of alkaline minerals such as lime, be sure to add about 1 teaspoon of acidic agent, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or wine, to the pot when using tap water. If your red cabbage begins to take on that blue tinge in any recipe, the addition of the acidic agent will usually bring back the original color.
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My kitchen has become more like a lab. I try out many new recipes from books, magazines and my collection. Sometimes, I try to modify the existing recipes and some turn out to be good and some becomes a disaster. But always have learnt lessons from disasters and have tried to perfect them in my next try. But here is one recipe which turned out to be good with the first try and was greatly appreciated by my friends.
Ingredients
- Semolina/ white rava – 2 cups
- Soy milk – 1 cup (curdled with a teaspoon of lemon juice)
- Onion – 1(chopped finely)
- Mixed veggies – 1 cup (I used frozen carrot, beans and corn)
- Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
- Green chili – 2 (slit)
- Mustard seeds – 1 (teaspoon)
- Baking soda- ¼ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil – 1 tablespoon
- Coriander leaves/ cilantro – 1 cup
Directions
1. Pre heat the oven to 350° F. grease a square cake pan.
2. Set a pan, add oil. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Let it splutter. Add onions and green chilies, once they have become translucent, switch off the stove.
3. Mix semolina, salt and baking soda. Gradually add curdled soymilk and mix well. Stir in mixed veggies, fried onions and finely chopped cilantro.
4. Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the cake tester inserted comes out clean
5. Remove from pan, cool and slice it.
6. This cake is good as a evening snack with ketchup or mint chutney.
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Methi (fresh fenugreek leaves) helps control the sugar level. Due to its medicinal ability in treating indigestion, bronchitis and rheumatic pain, it is known as wonder herb in India.
Raw methi leaves have a bitter taste, which can be confined to a minimum in cooking process. We have shared with you a recipe that uses this “wonder herb” to make a delicious meal.
Ingredients
- Methi leaves – 1 cup
- Basmati rice – 1 ¼ cups(soaked in water for 30 minutes)
- Green chilies – 2
- Ginger garlic paste – 1 ½ teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
- Mustard seeds- 1 teaspoon
- Red chilly – 2
- Onion 1 big – Cut into thin slices)
- Oil – 2 tablespoons
- Lime juice – 1 tablespoon
- Salt – to taste
Directions
1. Wash the methi leaves and cut into small pieces.
2. Fry the leaves well with 1 tablespoon oil. Once the leaves get wilted, add green chilly and cumin seeds . Turn off the stove and let it cool.
3. Once cooled, Grind them coarsely in a food processor.
4. In a pan/rice cooker, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil gets hot, add mustard seeds. When the mutard crackles, add sliced onion and red chilly and fry for two miuntes .
5. Add the ground methi and cook for 5 mintutes .
6. Now add water for rice . (For one cup of basmati rice we need 1 ½ cups of water. ) Add salt to your taste.
7. Wait till the water boils . Add the rice and cover the pan with the lid. Reduce the flame and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add lime juice before serving.
Note:
Use only methi leaves (not stem) for the dish.
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Eggplant has a special place in my menu. There are varieties of food items that can be done with it, from Baignan bartha to Baba ganoush. One of the easiest ways to incorporate egg plant in your food is using it in a sandwich. Preparing an egg plant takes no time. Egg plant is tasty by itself when toasted or baked, and does not need heavy seasoning or spices. Here is my version of egg plant sandwich; I added baked tofu to give it an extra kick.
Ingredients
- Egg plant – 1 (medium sized)
- All purpose flour – 4 tablespoons
- Corn meal – 4 tablespoons
- Garlic powder – ½ teaspoon
- Dried oregano – ½ teaspoon
- Salt to taste
- Dash of black pepper
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Peel eggplant and cut into ½ inch slices. Spread out on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 10 minutes, and then wipe out the salt with a towel.
2. Combine all purpose flour, corn meal, garlic powder, salt, oregano and black pepper.
3. Dredge egg plant in the above mixture on both sides and arrange on a cookie sheet which is spread with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then flip the eggplants over. Add a spoon of olive oil and bake for 10 more minutes until soft.
Baked tofu
Ingredients
- Extra firm tofu – 1 lb
- Bread crumbs – 6 tablespoon
- Garlic powder- ½ teaspoon
- Parsley flakes – 1teaspoon
- Soy sauce – 3 tablespoons
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400° F.
2. Cut tofu into desirable sizes and marinate them in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce for 30 minutes.
3. Combine bread crumbs, salt, parsley flakes, garlic powder .dredge marinated tofu in to the mixture and coat them evenly
4. Place coated tofu on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes on each side.
5. Place egg plant and tofu on sandwich buns or plain bread to serve.
Notes
Egg plant and tofu can be cooked on skillet, on medium heat for 10 minutes on each side, while being careful not to burn them.
Adding spread such as lentil carrot spread to your sandwich will add en extra layer of taste and drama to your meal.
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If you are looking for a nutritious gravy idea that goes well with rice or bread, try this one. Red kidney bean is rich in protein and iron and contributes to the nutritional benefit of this curry. Try this out, you will get carried away by the tangy taste!
Ingredients
- Red kidney beans – 1 cup ( soaked overnight and cooked until soft but not mushy. You can pressure cook it.)
- Onion (large) – 1 (chopped finely)
- Tomatoes (large) – 2 (pureed)
- Ginger and garlic paste – 1 tablespoon
- Chilly powder – 1 teaspoon
- Coriander powder – 1 teaspoon
- Cumin powder – ½ teaspoon
- Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – ½ teaspoon
- Tamarind paste – ½ teaspoon (before diluting in water)
- Jaggery/ sugar – 1 teaspoon
- Cinnamon stick – 1 small piece
- Cardamom – 2
- Clove – 2
- Salt to taste
- Oil – 2 table spoons
Directions
1. Set a deep bottomed pan. Add oil and splutter cumin seeds. Add cinnamon sticks, cardamom and cloves. Stir in the onions and ginger garlic paste and cook till onions become translucent.
2. Add pureed tomatoes and cook till oil separates on the surface. Add chilly, coriander, cumin and turmeric powders and mix well.
3. Stir in cooked beans along with water. Add diluted tamarind paste and jaggery.
4. Add salt and bring it to boil. Let the gravy thicken and switch off stove.
5. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves).
This tangy, spicy, mild sweet gravy is good to with rice and roti.
Notes
1. If you do not want to soak the beans overnight, soak it in hot water for 4 hours and cook it.
2. Garam masala powder can be used instead of cinnamon stick, cardamom and cloves. Use ½ teaspoon of garam masala before you switch off the stove.
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Typically, Black Forest cake consists of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries. This vegan version uses firm tofu and cashews for icing, and doesn’t have any dairy ingredients. Try this out, I guarantee this will be a treat!
Ingredients
- Whole wheat pastry flour – 1 cup
- All purpose flour – 1 cup
- Cocoa powder – ¾ cup
- Molasses / maple syrup – 1 cup
- Water – 1 cup
- Apple sauce – ½ cup
- Baking powder – 1 tablespoon
- Baking soda – 1 teaspoon
- Vanilla extract – 1 teaspoon
- Apple cider vinegar – 1 teaspoon
For Syrup
- Water – ½ cup
- Molasses/ maple syrup – ¼ cup
- Thin lemon sizes- 3
- Kirsch / syrup or juices from cherries- 1/3 cup
Icing
- Raw cashews – ¾ cup
- Water – ½ cup
- Maple syrup/sugar – ½ cup
- Firm tofu – 10 ounces
- Chocolate chip – ¾ cup
- Vanilla extract – 2 teaspoons
- Cherries (pitted) – 1 (10 oz jar with syrup)
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease 9 inch pan.
2. Combine water, molasses, apple sauce, vinegar, vanilla extract and whisk well.
3. In a large bowl, sift pastry flour, all purpose flour, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda together.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently fold in the batter. Make sure you mix in one direction. Make sure the ingredients are well combined.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
6. Check if the center comes out clean, remove from oven and let the cake cool.
Syrup Preparation
1. Combine water, molasses, and lemon pieces and bring it to boil. Let it boil for 3 minutes .Once the mixture cools, add cherry syrup. Set aside.
Icing Preparation
1. Blend cashews by adding water little by little until creamy.(the consistency should be creamy and not watery)
2. Stir in tofu and vanilla extract and blend well. Add sugar and blend again.(this is vanilla icing-if you prefer vanilla icing to
chocolate icing, reserve one cup of vanilla icing. Since I preferred chocolate icing, so I just reserved few tablespoons)
3. Melt chocolate chips in microwave and mix it with vanilla icing. Your chocolate icing is ready.
To Assemble Cake
1. Once the cake has cooled thoroughly, cut cake horizontally with a serrated knife to make three equal layers. Remove the top two layers and set aside.
2. On the bottom layer of the cake, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of syrup and spread chocolate icing evenly with a spatula.
3. Place the next layer of the cake and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of syrup and spread chocolate icing. Spread some cherries on the icing.
4. Place the top layer on cherries and sprinkle 2 more tablespoons of syrup . You could frost the top and sides with vanilla icing(which you had reserved). I preferred chocolate to vanilla, so I frosted with chocolate icing and dotted the top layer with vanilla icing to place the cherries.
5. The cake should be chilled for few hours before served.
Notes
1. If your frosting has running consistency, chill it for couple of hours before using.
2. Be careful in blending the cashews with water; try to reduce water as much as possible.
3. If you are not comfortable about cutting the cake into 3 horizontal pieces, bake the cakes in 3 different 9 inch pans, dividing the cake batter equally.
4. You could also use the store bought chocolate mix for cake.
I am sending this creamy, low fat, vegan version of black forest cake to Madhuram’s egg substituting event.
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Thomas Fuller, 1732:
“Of soup and love, the first is the best.”
I would say friendship and soup can be placed parallel as both gives warmth and comfort. Friends tend to ease out our feelings and act as anti depressant agents. Soups provide comfort and are welcome at anytime of the day. Indeed soups can be served as appetizers or can be had as a meal.
Here is one such soup using Bok Choy (Chinese cabbage) and Shiitake mushrooms. My friend Menaka Gopi, living in Singapore, needs help with the recipes that use the many varieties of greens and mushrooms available in Chinese stores. Hope this post will give her an idea on where to begin with the Chinese greens and mushrooms.
Bok Choy, good source of calcium, vitamin A and C, is also low in calories. It may also help prevent cancer by eliminate carcinogens.
Shiitake mushrooms can reduce blood pressure and lowers cholesterol regardless of the dietary fats being eaten. If you are on weight loss plan, go ahead and purchase shiitake mushrooms.
Ingredients
- Bok Choy (leaves) – 1 cup (blanched)
- Shiitake mushrooms – 1 cup
- Spring onions- 1 bunch
- Garlic (cloves) – 3 (minced)
- Ginger – 1 inch piece (chopped)
- Soy sauce/ tamari – 3 tablespoons
- Bay leaf – 1
- Chili flakes – ½ teaspoon
- Bok Choy stems – 3 ( cubed)
- Tofu ( firm) – 10 pieces ( cubed) ( optional)
Directions
1. Cut the leaves from the stems of Bok choy and wash them well. To blanch them, chop them into pieces and plunge them into a pot of boiling water, let stand for 3 minutes and rinse them in cold water. Set aside.
2. Snip the stems of the mushrooms, wash them and chop them into pieces. Wash the heads of the mushrooms and set them aside.
3. In a large bowl, add Bok Choy stems, mushroom stems, chopped spring onions, bay leaf, chilli flakes, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. Add 6 cups of water and bring them to rolling boil. When it reaches the boiling point, simmer the stove and let it boil for another 50-60 minutes. you will notice after 60 minutes, water would have reduced to half the quantity.By this time , water in the pot would be ingested with nutrients from the veggies.
4. Switch off the stove, strain the water, reserve the stock and discard the veggies.
5. Chop the reserved mushroom heads and stir fry them in a pan for 3 to 5 minutes until crisp and tender. Sprinkle a dash of salt to the mushroom and stir in Bok Choy leaves. Add the stock and bring it to boil. Add tofu pieces if adding them.
6. Switch off and serve.
Variations
You can add 1/2 cup of noodles to step 5 to make it starchy noodle soup.
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