Vegan Savory Crepe Stacks

I’ve taken another long break this time. I was trying out some new recipes, and very few turned out exactly how I wanted them to. I do have a bunch to share now, so here’s a brunch recipe!

This recipe is fairly labor intensive. I recommend making it on a weekend while sipping on a nice smoothie. I was terribly hungry by the time this was done. On the plus side, these are fairly easy to make and it’s something fun to do together with your partner or kids!

Servings: 2 Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the pancakes

All purpose flour 1 cup
Salt 1/2 tsp
Plant milk 1 1/2 cups (I used oat milk)
3 tbsp canola oil, or any tasteless oil

For the tofu salad

Extra firm tofu 10 oz
Vegan mayonnaise 3 tbsp
Salt 1/8 tsp
Ground black pepper 1/4 tsp
Garlic powder 1/2 tsp
Mixed dried herbs 1/2 tsp, or 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs
Canola oil 1 tbsp

For assembling

Prepared crepes and tofu salad
Baby arugula 4 cups
Avocado 1 large

Instructions

Mix all ingredients of the crepe batter, pass through a fine mesh sieve and set aside for at least 1 hour.
Add 1 tbsp canola oil to a medium pan and set on medium heat
Crumble the tofu and add it to the pan and sauté till all moisture has evaporated and the tofu is slightly crispy
Remove to a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature
Heat a small non stick pan on low heat, and brush on some oil
Pour 1/4 cup crepe batter into the pan and swirl the pan to spread it into a thin layer
Carefully flip the crepe when it looks just set on the top and cook the other side for about 30 seconds
Remove to a baking sheet lined with parchment in a single layer to avoid sticking
Once all crepes are made, add the remaining ingredients of the tofu salad to the cooled tofu scramble and mix well
In a plate start layering the crepes. Put a crepe on the bottom, then add a layer of tofu salad, then add a crepe on top followed by a layer of arugula. Repeat this till half of the crepes and half of the tofu salad is finished
Add avocado slices on top of the stack.
Repeat steps 10 and 11 for another stack.

Tips

To make sure the crepes do not take on much color, make sure the heat is low to medium low.
Please make sure to rest the batter and run it through a sieve. Otherwise the crepes will not be smooth
You can use this crepe recipe for sweet stacks as well, just add a tablespoon of agave or raw unrefined sugar. The layers can be whipped coconut cream and any fruit!
The tofu salad is also very versatile and you can flavor it however you like! Try adding the spices you like for a different flavor. It can be used in sandwiches and wraps as well for a quick breakfast

This is one of the best breakfasts I’ve had which is vegan. It really fills you up and it’s perfect with coffee or tea. I hope you try this out soon and as always let me know how it goes!

Vegan Eggplant Parmesan

I’ve recently discovered I get a weird stomach ache on eating dairy. I also get itchy all over on eating eggs, so its time to start looking for vegan options. I’ve always liked Eggplant Parmesan and it’s a great dish to feed a crowd.

Servings: 6 Prep time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

For processing the eggplants

Eggplants: 3 medium
Plant milk 1.5 cups (I used oat milk)
Cornflour 1 tsp
All purpose flour 1 cup
Breadcrumbs 2 cups
Dry mixed herbs 2 tsp
Ground black pepper 1 tsp
Salt as needed
Olive oil as needed

For the cashew ricotta

Cashews 1.5 cups
Hot water enough to cover cashews
Salt 1/4 tsp
Lemon juice 1/2 tsp

For the sauce

Tomatoes 2 medium
Tomato paste 1/4 cup
Water as needed
Basil leaves 5-6
Salt and pepper to taste
Shallot 1
Garlic 3 cloves
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Sugar 2 tbsp

For assembling

Vegan cheese 2 cups (I prefer daiya since it melts well, but any cheese is fine)
Prepared eggplants, sauce and ricotta

Instructions

Slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch slices
Sprinkle both sides of the slices liberally with salt and let sit for at least 30 mins
In the meantime, soak the cashews in hot water for 15-20 mins.
Blend the cashews, salt and lemon juice to a smooth paste. Set aside till assembly
Mix the cornflour and plant milk together in a bowl.
In another bowl, mix the ground pepper and breadcrumbs
Dab the eggplant slices to remove the moisture
Spread some olive oil on baking trays to grease them
Coat each eggplant slice in flour, then dip in the plant milk liquid. Coat the slices liberally with the breadcrumbs and lay on the greased sheets
Drizzle some olive oil on top and bake in 400 F oven for 20-25 mins. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle salt on both sides
Finely chop the garlic cloves, shallot and tomatoes
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the garlic and shallots until translucent
Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until just soft, maybe 5 mins
Add the tomato paste and mix well.
Add about a cup of water and the sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Coved and simmer for 15-20 mins adding water as needed.
Finely chop basil and add to the sauce after removing from heat.
In a deep baking pan, spread some sauce at the bottom. Arrange the baked eggplant slices above the sauce, then spread cashew ricotta on top. Sprinkle some vegan cheese on the ricotta. Repeat the layers till all the eggplant is used. Spread the remaining sauce and cheese on the top of the last layer of eggplant
Bake in a 350 F oven for 20 mins or till the cheese has melted and everything is heated through

Tips

The ricotta and eggplant slices can be prepared up-to a day in advance. Just bake the eggplant slices when ready to assemble!
Please do not skip “sweating” the eggplant slices since this will remove moisture and reduce bitterness. Also do not forget to salt the slices once baked to make sure they’re seasoned well
The lemon juice in the ricotta is optional, but it gives a nice tang. You can also use white vinegar
Please simmer the sauce at least 15 mins. This helps the flavors to intensify. You can simmer it for up to 1 hour if you have the time.

This is definitely a long process, but this will feed at least 6 people. Once you get into the rhythm of coating the slices, it’s easy to prepare a whole bunch of them. Preparing some pans of this will ensure you can feed a whole party without too much effort! I hope you give this a try, and let me know how it goes!!

Raspberry and Cinnamon Oatmeal

I’m back! I was super busy recently with my move to Austin, so I took a hiatus from posting here. Now, I have a lot of time on my hands so I’m going to start posting regularly.

There was a time when I hated oatmeal with a passion. My mom used to make a dry oatmeal which I never liked. Then a coworker reminded me that it’s not necessary that I’ll still hate the things I used to as a child. So I started experimenting with making oatmeal which I will actually like to eat.

This oatmeal is sweet and tangy, with just enough bitterness and crunch. I used raspberries as a base with water here, but you can use pretty much any fruit which gets cooked easily or add already cooked canned fruit like peaches.

Servings: 2 Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

Rolled oats 1/2 cup
Water 3/4 cup
Cinnamon powder 1/4 tsp
Raspberries 6 oz or 1 small pack
Honey 3 tbsp
Pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp
Chocolate chips or granola of choice 3 tbsp

Directions

Add the rolled oats, water, honey and cinnamon to a deep pan on medium heat
Reserve 6-8 while raspberries, cut the rest in half and add to the pan
Cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes
Transfer the cooked oatmeal to two bowls and top with pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips (or granola) and the reserved raspberries

The toppings in the recipe can also be changed to accommodate your taste! I hope this recipe turns out great for you… As always, please let me know how it went!

Tacossss….

As promised, I’m following up with some of our favorite recipes which will help in meal prep. So, let’s talk about tacos in this post. Taco meat or vegetarian taco mix are perfect for making ahead. Just heat the frozen mix in the microwave and add it to a tortilla with lettuce, cheese and salsa. A quick and delicious meal that will also wow your colleagues. Trust me, they’ll all be in awe of the fact that you can whip up tacos in a weekday.

I realize this isn’t the traditional way of making tacos and they do not taste like actual tacos either. However, the taste suits us, so here’s the recipe!

Ingredients

Ground Turkey: 16 oz pack (1)
Yellow Onion: 1/2 finely chopped
Spicy tomato salsa: 1/2 cup
Turmeric: 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp

Canola oil: 1 tbsp

Nutmeg: 1/2 tsp

Flour or corn tortillas

Shredded lettuce

Salsa verde

Shredded cheese

Salt and pepper

Method

Heat oil to a non stick pan or a cast iron skillet
Add finely chopped onion and sauté till translucent
Add the ground turkey and sauté until cooked
Add the spices, salt and pepper
Add the salsa and sauté
Let the mix cook till all water has evaporated and the turkey starts crisping up.

Cool the mixture and freeze in airtight boxes in single serve portions

To serve, thaw overnight and heat through in a pan. Alternatively, defrost in the microwave.

Add lettuce, taco mix, cheese and salsa verde on a tortilla and enjoy!

Tips

Add chopped tomatoes and sour cream on the taco to tone down the spice
Use tostadas instead of tortillas to add some crunch. Of course, they won’t be tacos anymore.
Use tofu instead of turkey to make the tacos vegetarian!
Any other meat instead of turkey is an option as well

So that was my take on tacos that can be frozen! Let me know if these turned out ok…. 🙂

Meal Prep Part 3

This post took a lot longer to materialize than I thought. I started a new job, moved and then moved again. I just never found the time to write. Sigh.

So this post is about freezing other than Indian cuisines! There are some things that should be kept in mind:

1) Never freeze fully cooked pasta, noodles etc. unless prepped in a certain way.

2) Potatoes do not freeze well unless they’re in a mash or in stews and soups

3) Never freeze dairy based sauces, dressings and condiments for more than a few days except cheese.

4) Always freeze dressings in portions. Since most are not cooked, defrosting a large batch and refreezing might spoil it.

5) It always pays to freeze extra vegetables after prepping them. This link: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/uga/uga_freeze_veg.pdf has a lot of vegetable prepping methods!

6) Preserve fresh herbs by chopping them up and freezing them in an ice tray in your choice of oil or water

In all cuisines, there are food types that can be easily frozen. I usually combine flavor profiles from different cuisines into a dish to make sure it suits my taste!

Dressings

Dressings for salads and pasta can be frozen easily. That way, you just need to throw a bunch of veggies together or boil pasta at the time of eating. For pasta dressings, I also cook vegetables like asparagus, bell pepper etc. and add it to the dressing. Pro tip: Orzo pasta works great with oil based sauces since it’s really small

Sauces and Curries

As mentioned above, freezing sauces with dairy is not a great idea. However, sauces like pesto, stir fry marinade, teriyaki sauce, Thai curry paste, marinara sauce etc. can be easily frozen. Most Asian cuisine can be frozen, even after adding tofu! Having frozen broths and gravy can be helpful as well.

Bread, Noodles and Pasta

Any baked bread can be frozen. It should be cooled completely and sealed tightly before freezing. I wrap mine in aluminum foil and put it in a freezer bag before freezing it.

Pasta and noodles can be frozen as well. Cook the pasta till it’s just short of fully cooked according to your taste. Toss it with oil so every noodle is well coated. Spread it on a foil covered tray and freeze the tray. Once frozen, transfer the pasta to a freezer bag. When ready to eat, just boil it for a few minutes in water!

Roasted Veggies and Casseroles

It shouldn’t be a surprise that roasted veggies freeze very well. The only exceptions I’ve found to this are potatoes and cabbage. Similarly, most casseroles will freeze well. I recommend baking it for 10 mins less than the recipe. When ready to eat, bake for 10 minutes after defrosting!

Patties, Falafel, Kebabs etc.

All kinds of burger patties freeze well, including just portioned and shaped meat. Falafel is another thing that freezes great and just needs to be shallow fried before eating. I also microwave mine, but the texture becomes dry and might not agree with everyone.

I was extremely surprised that kebabs freeze well too. Just make the kebabs in your usual way and freeze them in individual containers!

Soups

My all time favorite thing to freeze is soup. Every time I have extra veggies or even some fruits, I just roast them and purée them. Add some herbs and you have an amazing bowl of lunch!

I hope these tips were useful! I will follow up with some of my favorite recipes from here on.

Conversation with Shirley

This post is about a lady I met last week. Let’s call her Shirley. I started a conversation with Shirley that I never finished. I wish I had given her my side of the story.

The first time I noticed Shirley, we were sitting at the reception and she was telling a woman that people don’t come to the US to live the dream and that they should not be here in the first place. She glanced at the Hispanic couple who had just entered and me as she said this. We soon moved to the main waiting room. This next room had one other person in it. Let’s call her Samara (I’m watching Rings as I write this). There is one thing you should know about Samara: she was Hispanic. I tell you this because it is extremely relevant to what happened next.

Shirley was asked to take a seat next to Samara. Samara shifted a seat, probably since Shirley had a walker and would need space for it. Shirley laughed and said she wasn’t going to sit in Samara’s lap. She went on to thank Samara and we all settled down to wait. A few minutes later, Samara’s daughter got done with her appointment and they left. Now it was just Shirley and me.

Shirley looked over and said that she thought we were all together. I assumed she meant Samara, her daughter and me. I smiled and said we weren’t. I was a little offended by this because I thought this assumption was based on our skin color. She confirmed this when she asked me if I was Mexican or Indian. I told her I was Indian. She then asked me how long I’d been in the US and if I knew English when I got here. I said two years and told her that I was surprised people were ignorant about the use of English in other countries. Shirley brushed this aside and told me that she liked Indians. She thought we were hard working people, well educated and polite. She specifically admired the fact that we do not go on welfare. I was offended by this too, but I said thanks. She seemed to think she was paying me a compliment, but her opinions were quite racist.

Shirley went on to say that she welcomed Indians to the US and that the others didn’t belong here. I assumed she meant other immigrants. I pushed back on that. I told her I wouldn’t assume that others did not belong. She said when I’ve been here long enough, I’ll know she’s right. I was starting to get annoyed, but I still smiled.

She then started talking about the importance of standing on your own two feet. When I pointed out that this was important anywhere in the world, she explained that US was different. There were people from all nationalities here and there was law and due process. I was starting to get angry now. She was not only racist, but probably thought that other countries were lawless. Before I could say anything, Shirley was called in for her appointment and I was called in soon after. I did not see Shirley after that.

This unfinished conversation is all I can think of since then. I had so many questions. Did Shirley think that other countries did not have due process or laws? Did she not know that immigrants contribute more to the welfare programs than they used? Did she really like Indians or was that because I turned out to be Indian? Would she have said I don’t belong here to my face if I had been Mexican? Why was she so friendly to Samara when she didn’t think Mexican people belong here? I was also very curious about her background, her life story and her ways of getting information. I was curious if her views were based on her experiences and if not, then why would she have such views? Did she think the same about white people who immigrate to US or were they not a part of the “others” she mentioned?

I was also questioning my own responses during the conversation. I said thanks and smiled when I would have started a debate with another person. It took me longer to become angry since Shirley was quite old. I couldn’t bring myself to argue with her or express my opinions freely. It seemed disrespectful to do that. Now I realize that I have been doing that all my life. I do not regret this since I do believe that old people are from a different generation and are set in their opinions. This time though, I should have gotten my point across. I could have done it politely given more time.

These things are why I wish I had finished that conversation and why I am writing this. Maybe I’ll find another Shirley who wants to have a conversation. Maybe I’ll find someone who has had such a conversation. If nothing else, I know that it will definitely help me move on and be better prepared when I do find another Shirley.