Quick and Easy Pumpkin Molasses Chocolate Chip Bread - Vegan

Moist and fragrant, this pumpkin and molasses bread studded with dark chocolate chips is not only easy to prepare, but it also happens to be vegan. I don't eat eggs, so that's a bonus because they are rarely to be seen in my kitchen. I loaded up on pumpkins while in season, roasted and bagged up and froze a healthy quantity of purée for future use. So of course, plenty of pumpkin has been making its way into my main dishes and baked goods, and this satisfying bread is one such example.

I like to bake and cook, but cleanup is not my favorite chore, so the fewer dishes dirtied, the merrier the chef. Only one bowl is needed to turn out a loaf, along with a few utensils and a loaf pan. The bread is great for breakfast, and because it's somewhat sweet, can satisfy an after dinner craving for dessert too.

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Molasses Chocolate Chip Bread - Vegan

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Vegan Richa Published on October 31, 2016 A quick and easy vegan pumpkin and molasses loaf with chocolate chips that is moist, fragrant and delicious Print this recipe Dry ingredients: 1 3/4 cup flour (I used a blend of unbleached white and whole spelt flours) 2/3 cup coconut or brown sugar 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon baking soda pinch of sea salt 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I used 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp cloves) 3 tablespoons dark chocolate chips (the mini ones work best, but use what you have on hand) 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts or almonds (optional) Moist ingredients: 1 1/8 cup unsweetened and unspiced pumpkin purée 1/2 cup almond milk 4 tablespoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon molasses 1 teaspoon lemon juice handful of dark chocolate chips for topping (optional) Instructions: Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or grease well and dust with a bit of flour. Preheat an oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and pumpkin pie spice until well blended. Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts, if using. Make a slight well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the pumpkin purée, almond milk, oil, molasses and lemon juice. Stir until well blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and top with chocolate chips if desired. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes until lightly golden and a cake tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the pan to cool for at least 10 minutes. Turn the loaf on to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing. Wrap leftover bread and store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes 1 9-inch loaf

Other quick breads to try from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Kalamata Olive Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Peanut Butter Loaf with Dates and Prunes
Cornbread with Brown Rice
Moist Chocolate Date Cake

Eggless Witch Finger Cookies Recipe-Halloween Recipes

For the first time I am sharing a recipe for Halloween day. I have heard about Halloween day and the most popular Halloween Sugar cookies from my friends in US. So this year I wanted to try some interesting and scary recipe on this day. When I was browsing for it, I found this easy Halloween spooky witch finger cookies in Priya’s blog. Its very similar to butter cookies recipe. When I showed the witch finger cookies images to my daughter Raksha, she was very much excited and asked me to bake them immediately. She took part in all the activities like mixing the cookie dough, baking, shaping cookies until decoration with jam . Friends, Do engage your kids and try this easy Halloween butter cookies, share your feedback with me. Now lets see how to make this eggless spooky witch finger cookies for Halloween day !

Eggless Halloween Witch Finger Cookies Recipe

Eggless Halloween Witch Finger Cookies Recipe - Butter cookies recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Cookies Recipes

Serves: 15 nos

Prep time: 40 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 55 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml All purpose flour / maida - 1.25 cups Powdered sugar - 1/3 cup Softened butter - 1/2 cup Baking powder - 1/8 tsp Salt - a very small pinch Vanilla extract - 1/4 tsp Whole Almonds - few

METHOD

In a wide mixing bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Beat it well with a whisk until creamy, soft and fluffy. Sieve Maida/ all purpose flour and baking powder.Add this to the butter mixture and make a dough. If the dough is very crumbly and dry, add few tsp of butter or cooking oil. Do not use milk. Mix well and make a soft dough. Wrap the dough in a butter paper or cling wrap and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take out the dough and let it come to room temperature.It would become soft. Now take a big gooseberry sized dough and make finger shapes by rolling it. Stud in blanched almond for nails. Draw lines using a knife. Grease a baking tray with butter & maida or line with a butter paper. Arrange the cookies in a baking tray. My daughter wanted to make witch hand with palm & fingers. So we shaped like a hand. Please refer picture for the idea. Preheat the oven in convection mode at 180 c. Place the cookies tray and bake the cookies for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, check if the sides of cookies turn golden brown in sides & bottom. Remove the tray and let the cookies cool down completely.Do not try to remove the cookies, it may break. Cookies would be soft when hot. It turns super crispy & hard after cooled down.So be patient till it cools down. Mix some hot water with the jam and dilute it. Apply them on the cookies and give a blood like appearance. Enjoy these scary cookies !

Note

You can use with wheat flour or maida & wheat flour in 1:1 ratio. Do not use milk for making dough. Cookies may turn chewy & its shelf life would be reduced. This cookies stayed good for a week when stored in an air tight box.

Try this easy, tasty, scary witch finger cookies and enjoy with your kids !!

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Thai-Inspired Creamy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup with Mixed Mushrooms

In the cold autumn and winter months, there is nothing quite like a creamy vegetable soup made up of root vegetables and earthy mushrooms, all simmered together with spicy Thai seasonings that initially tempt and then pleasantly linger on the palate. The lasting allure is beautifully tempered by the soothing presence of coconut milk and the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes and carrots. This soup speaks comfort. It also makes a fair amount, so it's great for leftovers the next day, especially as the flavors meld together after the soup has been resting overnight.

I do like a thick and creamy soup, but as is usually the case, soups are not only forgiving, but also very easy to adjust to suit preferences, so thin out the soup as much or as little as desired. Serve it up with grains, flat breads, or even some thick slices of crusty bread.

Thai-Inspired Creamy Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup with Mixed Mushrooms

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Oh She Glows Every Day: Quick and Simply Satisfying Plant-Based Recipes Cuisine: Thai Published on October 29, 2016 Warming and fragrant creamy sweet potato and carrot soup seasoned with Thai red curry paste Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 oz (30g) mixed mushrooms (I used shiitake and porcini), soaked for 20 to 25 minutes, drained and roughly chopped 1 tablespoon sesame or olive oil 1 medium red onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1-inch fresh ginger, minced or grated 2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste, or to taste 2 1/2 cups vegetables stock, plus more as needed 1/4 cups almond butter 14 oz (400 mL) coconut milk 1/2 tablespoon tamari (soy) sauce 1/2 cup dried red lentils, rinsed 3 cups carrots, diced 3 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne juice from 1 lime (2 tablespoons) 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper to taste small bunch of cilantro or parsley, finely chopped for garnish (optional) finely chopped roasted tamari almonds for garnish (optional) vegan Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)* Instructions: Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes, then drain and roughly chop. Set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, garlic and ginger, and sauté for 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften. Stir in the curry paste and stir and fry for another minute. In a small bowl, whisk the almond butter into a little of the vegetable stock until smooth. Pour into the pot, along with the remaining stock, coconut milk, tamari, lentils, carrots, sweet potatoes and spices. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add half of the mushrooms, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Blend the soup until smooth or partially smooth as desired in batches using a countertop blender or in the pot with an immersion blender. Add the rest of the mushrooms, lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Add more stock if necessary. Return to the stove and simmer for another few minutes. Serve hot garnished with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley, chopped tamari almonds or vegan Parmesan cheese. Suggested serving accompaniments: Sri Lankan coconut roti and hot fresh cooked brown rice. Notes: Garnishing the soup with roughly chopped roasted tamari almonds adds texture along with a complementary salty component. Instead of discarding the mushroom soaking liquid, use some in the soup in place of the stock for extra mushroom flavor. *To make vegan Parmesan cheese, simply grind raw cashews and almonds, nutritional yeast and sea salt into a fine meal. It keeps so well in the refrigerator that I make up enough have on hand when desired. My measurements yielding just under a cup of Parmesan: 1/2 cup cashews, 1/3 cup almonds, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast and a few pinches of sea salt. Makes 6 servings

Other Thai-Inspired creations you may enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Creamy Thai Coconut Mushroom Soup
Thai Red Curry Vegetable Soup
Thai-Inspired Sweet Potato Kidney Bean Soup
Massaman Curry with Paneer Cheese

Gulab Jamun Recipe Using Instant Mix– How To Make Gulab Jamun With MTR Mix

Diwali celebration is incomplete without these yummy Gulab jamun. Its an universally loved Indian dessert recipe. In most of the Indian households, Gulab jamun recipe will be in the Diwali sweets menu for sure. Many people make it as the last minute sweet for Diwali and other special occasions like birthday, anniversary, New year celebration and even for Valentine’s day . Most of us opt for Gulab jamun recipe using readymade, store bought Instant mix as its easy and quick to make, cheap in price compared to other sweets in shops.Even though the ingredients used in the gulab jamun mix are the same, there are many brands available in the market with their own variations & style. Some of the most popular ones are MTR, GITS, Aachi, Bambino and Orkay. Recently my reader friend Harini requested me to share Gulab jamun recipe using MTR jamun mix. So I bought a pack of jamun mix in buy one get one offer and tried it yesterday by getting some inputs from my friends Tara, Megha and Swarna. They make Gulab jamun using readymade mix very often. So they shared some useful tips to make soft, smooth gulab jamun without breaking and cracks.I watched this YouTube video tutorial as well. I followed the steps carefully and the result was awesome, perfect !! I was elated to see my soft, Gundu Gundu gulab jamun and jumped out of joy . Raksha and Sendhil relished this yummy dessert recipe with ice cream. Most of you may think, making gulab jamun using instant mix is not a big deal or rocket science. Yes, its true. But beginners may face some difficulties to prepare a perfect Gulab jamun. So this post is explicitly for them. Even bachelors can also give a try. Experts, please excuse me and do share your  favorite jamun mix along with some tips if any. Lets see how to make Gulab jamun recipe with MTR instant mix at home with step by step photos and a video tutorial !

Gulab jamun recipe with instant mix

How to make Gulab jamun using readymade, Instant, store bought mix

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 20 nos

Prep time: 45 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 60 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Gulab jamun mix - 150gms/ 1.5 cups Boiled Milk at room temperature - 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp ( + 1 tsp) Cooking oil - to deep fry For sugar syrup Sugar - 3 cups Water - 3 cups Cardamom powder or rose essence - 1 tsp Saffron threads – few Chopped nuts – to garnish Please watch this video for clear understanding !

METHOD

Read the instructions given on the pack. In MTR mix, its mentioned to add 1 part of water for 4 parts of mix. 400gms of sugar for 150 gms mix packet. So i followed the recipe accordingly.  Take sugar and water in a wide bowl and mix well. Keep aside, let it dissolve. In the mean time, take the gulab jamun mix in a wide plate. I used my thambalam/ big round plate. Usually I make chapati dough and other dough in my thambalam as its spacious and convenient to mix well. If the mix has more lumps, sieve it once.  Break the lumps with your fingers while sieving. Do not discard the residue. Add it to the mix again. I got around 1.5 cups of  powder. Now add the milk little by little and gather all the flour with your fingers. The mixture will become wet and very sticky. Do not worry. Gulab jamun will come out soft if the dough is sticky. I used 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp + 1 tsp milk. So add milk carefully at the end. If you add more milk, jamun will flatten and break. Do not knead the dough using your palm.Mixing should be done only with your fingers. Cover the dough with a plate or invert a bowl. Let it rest for 15 minutes to 1 hour. In the mean time, heat sugar + water and melt it. Add saffron threads, cardamom or rose essence. Boil the syrup for 10 minutes in medium flame till the syrup turns slightly sticky to touch, glossy & resembles oil in consistency. Keep aside. Let the syrup becomes warm. After 30 minutes, take the dough.It will be soft to touch.Do not knead it. Grease your palm with ghee. Make a big gooseberry sized ball by rolling the dough between your palm. Give gentle pressure and roll it continuously for 30 seconds to make it smooth and crack free. As the dough is sticky, jamun balls will not get cracks. If you feel there are cracks, just roll it tight. Cracks will disappear. I made around 20 balls. Heat oil in a kadai and when it gets heated , put a pinch of dough in the oil. If it rises to the top slowly, oil heat is perfect. Now stir the oil with a ladle in the corners. When the oil starts to rotate, drop the jamun balls. I cooked 4 per batch. Stir the oil continuously without touching the gulab jamun. You will find jamun rotate with oil and turns bigger in size. The color of jamun balls change slowly and it cooks uniformly. Once it turns golden brown, remove it in a tissue paper. Do not fry for long time. Jamun will become hard and it will not absorb the syrup. After frying, open & check if its cooked well. Leave the cooked jamun for 2-3 minutes in tissue paper and then drop in the sugar syrup. ( If you feel difficult to stir the oil, just keep the flame low, add the balls, flip every now and then till jamun turns golden. Then remove it) If the sugar syrup becomes cold, heat till it becomes medium hot. i.e vapor should start to come from the syrup slightly. Deep fry all the balls in batches, drain in the tissue and drop in the syrup. Let the balls soak in syrup for minimum 3-4 hours. It will soak well and double in size. Remove and serve in a bowl. Transfer the gulab jamun to a tight box and store it for days.No need to refrigerate. Enjoy !

Tips

Adding milk for making the dough helps to give soft jamun. You can use water as well. My friend Swarna adds just a tsp of milk in the beginning and add then water to make the dough. Dough should be really sticky to get soft Gulab jamun. If you have added more milk by mistake, don’t panic. Just cover the dough with a lid and let it rest for an hour.Grease your hands and make smooth balls.If it comes out without cracks, then proceed and deep fry only one ball for a trial. If it disperses in oil, then add a tsp of maida, mix well and make another ball. Test it and proceed further.  But adding more milk flatten the jamun. So please be careful while adding milk. Jamun balls should be crack free. Roll it for 30 seconds continuously.This helps to seal the cracks while rolling. Do not press it too hard while rolling, but give gentle pressure. Deep fry the balls only at low temperature else balls will get browned quickly without cooking inside. Gulab jamun balls will disperse in oil  or cracks more if the oil temperature is too low. So Check the temperature before you drop the balls. Similarly cracks will form if the jamun balls become dry.so keep it covered all the time till you finish the procedure. Sugar syrup should not be too hot while you drop the jamun. It should be medium hot or warm. Similarly Gulab jamun should not be too cold.  Gulab jamun will flatten if you add more milk. It will also flatten if the sugar syrup is less. Make sure the sugar syrup is enough for all the balls to absorb and dunk in completely. If the quantity of sugar syrup is less, then jamun will not turn soft and double in size.

Try this delicious, yummy cute Gulab Jamun recipe for your Family and have a great Diwali Celebration.

Wish you all a very happy and safe Diwali !!

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Kaju Pista Roll Recipe – Kaju Roll Recipe – Cashew Pista Roll

Kaju sweets are one of the costliest sweets in sweet stalls. No matter about its price or calories, we never say no to sweets made with cashews. Its our family favorite. So I used to make kaju katli for all the special occasions like birthday, anniversary. When I asked Raksha about her choice for Diwali sweets, her first reply was “Kaju Katli”. Then came gulab jamun, Badam halwa etc etc. So this morning, I made kaju katli for her, Kaju roll for my blog posting, kaju strawberry, kaju flower and kaju apple just for myself . Yes, I used the same cashew dough for all these varieties. Basically the ingredients & the method of cooking Kaju katli and Kaju roll are almost the same. Additionally, pista stuffing is to be made and rolled in cashew dough for Kaju pista roll. If you can make a perfect cashew dough, all these sweets can be made in no time. Making Kaju dough is not so difficult. Troubleshooting is also easy.This is a no-fail recipe. I am sure anyone can get it right. For variations, badam or dates can be used for the filling and prepared as Kaju badam roll or Kaju khajur roll. In general, Kaju roll is really a good alternative for Kaju katli or kaju burfi If you are bored with it.So try this easy, interesting sweet for Diwali and have a great celebration.Generally kaju pista rolls are wrapped with silver varaq in sweet stalls. As i din’t have it, I just kept a colored dot and made a simple presentation by seeing the picture of Nestle Milk Maid Kaju roll recipe. It looked really attractive. Try this decoration if you don’t have silver varaq.Ok, Lets see how to prepare perfect Kaju roll recipe with step by step images along with some tips for trouble shooting.
Here is the picture of all the Kaju sweets I made

Kaju pista roll recipe

How to prepare kaju pista roll - Easy kaju sweets for diwali

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Sweet

Serves: 15 nos

Prep time: 5 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 20 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Cashew nuts/Kaju - 1 cup Sugar - 1/2 cup Water - 1/4 cup Ghee - for greasing the hands Milk or water - 1 -2 tsp ( for troubleshooting) For pista dough Pista - 1/2 cup Powdered sugar - 1/4 cup Cardamom essence or rose water - few drops Water - as needed ( Use few drops)

METHOD

If you have kept the cashews in refrigerator, take it out and let it dry completely.Powder the dry cashews in a suitable mixer. For this, grind the cashews continuously for a minute till it becomes smooth powder. Do not grind for long time because cashews release oil and it becomes a paste. You can also grind it by using pulse option. i.e grind for few seconds, wipe the sides and repeat until it becomes a powder. Both the method works well. After grinding the powder, sieve with a wire mesh if needed. Keep the powder aside. In a kadai, heat sugar + water and melt it.Boil till it reaches one string consistency. String should be thin. To this, add the powdered cashews and mix well. It will become watery at first. Keep mixing in medium flame by staying nearby. The mixture will thicken and start to leave the sides of pan. At that time, simmer the flame completely. Take a pinch of cashew dough by greasing your fingers. Try to make a soft, smooth ball. If you are able to do it, cashew dough is done. Immediately transfer it to a greased plate. Using a spoon, just mix the cashew dough to turn thick and warm. Once its heat is enough to handle,  grease your hands with ghee and keep kneading for few minutes. It will turn soft, smooth like  a dough ball. For Making kaju katli : Place a  butter paper and keep the kneaded cashew dough over the butter paper. Cover it with another butter sheet and start rolling it with a rolling pin. Roll the thickness you desire. Now make diamond shapes and remove after its cool down. For making Kaju Pista roll : Cover the kneaded cashew dough with a dry cloth and set aside. Powder the pista to a smooth powder. Follow the method of making cashew powder. Do not grind for long time . To the pista powder, add powdered sugar, green food color, cardamom essence and mix it. Add few drops of water and make a smooth dough.Grease your hands with ghee and make a dough. Do not add more water, pista dough would become very sticky. If its too sticky, add a tbsp of maida and mix it in a kadai in very low flame to make it non-sticky and thick. Grease your hands with ghee and knead it soft. Divide the dough into 2 parts and make two logs/ cylinder shaped by rolling with your palm on a plate or counter top. Keep it aside. Now take the cashew dough and place it in between the butter paper. Roll it thin with a  rolling pin/chapati roller. Cut the circle into 2 parts as shown in the pic. Take one half of the circle, place one of the pista log in the center.The size of pista log and the cashew dough circle should be the same. Fold it once from above and below the log. It will resemble a log. Now roll the log gently. The more you roll, it will elongate and becomes a perfect log.It will stretch double, triple in size. Cut both the ends and taste it ; )) Cut the log into small cylinders by keeping your finger as reference size.Then take one roll and press both the ends gently on a plate or counter top to get perfect round shape.Refer the pictures for clear understanding. Repeat the same with the other half of cashew dough and pista dough. Arrange the kaju pista roll in a plate and let it set for an hour. Enjoy it ! Enjoy !

Note

Trouble shooting tips In case, u missed the right consistency and if the dough becomes crumbly and hard, just break them into pieces. Grind in a big mixie jar adding little water or milk and make a smooth paste. Transfer the mixture to the kadai and again cook it till you attain the correct stage.You can easily identify the right stage as you know where you went wrong. So do it patiently and remove it at the right stage. Note Cashews should be completely dry before grinding.While powdering the cashews please be careful in running the mixie. Over doing it makes the cashews sticky & wet.U wont get the perfect smooth powder. One string consistency is very important. If sugar reaches more than one string consistency , katli will become hard. U have to add more milk to make it soft. Adding more than the required milk makes the dough wet & sticky.It reduces the shelf life of the sweet. U can check the consistency of dough by making a small ball out of it.The ball should be non-sticky.Suppose if u over mix the dough and if it becomes hard,no worries.Just keep the dough in a plate and let it warm.Add few tsp of little milk to it and knead it well by greasing your hands with ghee.It will become soft.Then u can roll it and make pieces as mentioned above.

Delicious Kaju Pista Roll is ready to enjoy !!

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