Scrambled Tofu Cauliflower

Ingredients-:

• Cauliflower- cut into florets according to the size you want
• Tofu- Chop the tofu in half inch squares.
• Cilantro for garnishing

For the marinade-:

• Pav-bhaji masala
• Salt
• Cumin powder
• Turmeric powder
• red chilly powder
• Amchur Powder
• Olive oil

Just eyeball all the ingredients to fit to your taste and the quantity you need.

Method-:

• In a bowl, toss in all the marinade ingredients and  mix well. Get rid of all the excess water from tofu by placing the tofu in between couple of paper towels and putting two cans or something heavy over the tofu. Chop the tofu into half to one inch squares. Don't scramble the tofu, it will get scrambled while sauteing in the pan later. Coat all the pieces of tofu with the marinade. Keep aside.

• Add some oil in pan and add cumin seeds as the oil gets hot.
• Add the marinated tofu squares into the pan and mix.
• keep sauteing, for about 5-6 minutes.
• Add Cauliflower florets and mix well.
• Cover the pan and let the cauliflower get cooked.
• Adjust the salt as per taste. Remember that I have already added the salt while marinating the tofu.
• The tofu gets scrambled enough when you are sauteing the tofu. The final preparation will have few chunks of tofu and few scrambled tofu as well. It gives a nice consistency to the dish, if you ask me.

Enjoy with a nice whole wheat roti or rice!!

I thought I should do enough justice by uploading a close-up!! Hence the second pic....:)

Homemade Whole Wheat Croutons

If that leftover bread is lying in your pantry or in the refrigerator, pull that out and make these crunchy homemade croutons!

            Cut the bread slices into an inch cubes, line the baking pan with an aluminium foil, grease the foil lightly with cooking spray and spread those cut cubes on the sheet. Toss the sheet in to a preheated oven at 375F. It just takes about 4-5 minutes. Keep a close eye on them, so that they don't brown too much on you.

I used whole wheat, dairy free bread to make these croutons.

These healthy and fresh croutons surely  beat the store brought once. You can also flavor by tossing them with a mixture of olive oil and herbs of your choice. Top your salads, mix in your soups /stews or just enjoy as a snack. 

SIMPLE PLEASURES-Mung Dal Dhokla

 

Ingredients-:

Soaked mung daal - 1cup
Green chilly
Garlic crushed
Ginger crushed
Salt to taste
Turmeric- a pinch
Canola oil- 2 tbsp
Baking soda- 1 tsp
Water- 2 tbsp

For Garnishing-:
Chopped Cilantro(Coriander)
Shredded coconut

For tadka-:
Mustard Seeds- 1 tbsp
Curry leaves- 5-6
A pinch of asafoetida

Procedure-:

• Soak the yellow mung daal in water for 4-6 hours. Grind the soaked daal to a rough consistency. Don't make it too smooth.
• Also grind the garlic and chily in a grinder with some salt and keep it aside.
• Put the steamer on the medium flame.
• Mix the grounded mung daal with grounded garlic chilly mixture and add 2 tbsp of water and salt to taste.
• Also add 2 tbsp of canola oil.
• Add the baking soda just before you put the mixture in the steamer.
• Mix everything well and pour the mixture in to a pan that you can safely put in the steamer.
• On a medium- high heat keep the steamer for about 15 minutes.
• The dhokla will be ready in 15- 20 minutes. It's done if inserted knife comes out clean.

I am sending this recipe to Cooking concepts- Vegan Diet - Only plant based hosted by Srav's Culinary Concepts.

                                                      

SIMPLE PLEASURES -Bhopalyache bharit/ Pumpkin Raita

Ingredients-:

• Pumpkin- cooked
• Ghee (Clarified Butter)
• Cumin Seeds
• Turmeric
• Asafoetida/ hing
• Green Chili
• Roasted Peanut powder
• Salt to taste

Procedure-:

• Cook the pumpkin and then peel it. I used steamer to cook the pumpkin, but you can certainly use the pressure cooker . It becomes easier to peel after it gets cooked. If you want you can peel it and then cook it. That is fine too.

• Mash the pumpkin so that no big lumps are left.
• Tadka preparation- Heat a pan with some ghee in it. Add cumin seeds, green chilies, saute for a minute and add asafoetida, turmeric.
• Add roasted peanut powder.
• Add salt to taste. Pour the tadka over the mashed pumpkin and mix well.