Egg less Chocolate Brownies

Recently I played hostess to a 'pure' vegetarian and hence the need for egg less brownies. It came out nice and gooey and needless to say was a hit!

Here's what went into it:
100gms butter mixed well with about 150gms caster sugar. 
Then add the following to the mix:
1/2 cup yogurt
3 tsp coffee dissolved in some water

1 bar or about 50gms dark chocolate (depending on how chocolaty you want it)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup flour (I use multi grain to keep it healthy!)
1tsp baking powder
A few drops of vanilla essence
Some orange/lemon zest if you like the flavor
A bit of ground cinnamon & nutmeg
Some chopped walnuts if you like

The batter will be quite thick and it won't rise like cake - don't worry...it's not supposed to.

Put the whole thing onto a greased baking tin and cook for about 40 minutes at 180 deg C.

Serve warm with ice cream or custard on the side, and top it up with chopped fruits for wholesome indulgence.

Som Tam

I usually do not find all the ingredients readily to make authentic non-Indian food, so I have to make do with alternatives, or I just skip the ingredient altogether if it is not crucial. Here's a version of the Som Tam (Thai for Papaya Salad) in the absence of fish oil and shrimp paste.

1 medium-sized Raw papaya

Roasted peanuts (whole or crushed)

Some red chili powder

1 green chili, sliced

1 onion, chopped

2-3 tomatoes, chopped

Handful of basil leaves

Bunch of coriander

Soya sauce

Honey

Lemon

Olive oil (or fish oil if you have it)

The raw papaya should be slightly yellow in color to be used. Peel it, remove the seeds and grate it, or use a potato peeler to get thin strips. Just throw all the rest of it in together. You can play around with the quantities to make it more spicy, tangy, or sweet. Add salt if you need to...usually the soy sauce compensates. The original recipe calls for mixing it up using a mortar and pestle to get the juices flowing. Try it if you have it!

Adding raw beans or sprouts will make it more wholesome.

Cous cous with Aubergine and Blue Cheese

Cous cous is a great form of pasta...mainly because it cooks in 5 minutes flat. Moreover, I am always looking for recipes that include some mint since I have a mint plant and I need to use it often, else it will wither. This is a nice light meal in itself, or a good side dish for some grill.

About half a cup of cous cous (pour some boiling water in it, and after 5 minutes...Voila!)

1 large Aubergine cut in thin slices

1 Onion, chopped

Handful of mint

Some Blue Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Oil (preferably olive)

Juice of 1 lemon

Firstly, grill the aubergine slices and season with salt/pepper. This is the most time consuming part, but make sure it is cooked evenly on both sides. The cut the pieces in quarters.

The cous cous is cooked by just the boiling water. Use a fork to fluff it and separate the grains as much as possible.

Then comes the best part...you simply put in all the ingredients (including a dash of olive oil) together and mix. Add and subtract the quantity of the ingredients as you prefer. I like more of veggies than cous cous.

Sprout Hummus

Here's an alternative to the 'normal' recipe, not that we need one, but I had a bag of mixed sprouts lying around.

I added the following in a blender:

1 cup mixed sprouts

some garlic cloves

4-5 teaspoons of roasted sesame seeds (or Tahini if you have some...I didn't)

a bit o' ginger

a spoon of ground cumin

juice of 1 lemon

some olive oil (you'll need some more to sprinkle on top as well)

water (for a paste-like consistency)

Blend it all into a smooth paste. top with some olive oil and serve with some toast or fresh salad.

Minty Fresh Mango Shake

Here's one for the summer:

2 juicy mangoes

Handful of mint leaves

Sugar / honey (only if the mangoes are not sweet enough)

Peel and dice the mangoes. You don't need to bother about aesthetics while doing this...it's all going to be mashed up. Pick out a handful of fresh mint leaves. Add some water to get it to shake-like consistency. If the mangoes are rich in flavour and you don't like everything syrupy sweet, then skip the added sugar...or go ahead and add honey for a healthier option. Blend the lot together with some ice and serve chilled.

Pumpkin Soup

As a start...here's something that gets me by on cold winter evening (even though 'cold' in this part of the world means 'fairly pleasant').

I don't really go much by measurements, rather by what I 'feel' like.

For the soup:

1 pumpkin

2 medium sized carrots

2 tomatoes

salt

pepper

Boil the pumpkin, carrots and tomatoes till tender. Don't throw away the water. I find it easier to remove the pumpkin skin after boiling (just make sure to clean it well before you put it in). This also lets all the nutrients (whatever they be) from the skin soak into the water. Use the water to blend in the veggies till smooth, then sieve it. Add more water till you get desired consistency and bring to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Here's the part that adds the magic:

Some butter

Bit o' ginger

Heat butter in a saucepan. Grate the ginger and fry for a minute. Mix this into the soup just before serving.

For the garnish:

Top with some Feta cheese, cream, and a sprig of parsley or coriander.

I love the strong taste of pepper and ginger in this soup. Both these ingredients are excellent throat pleasers, and a wonderful accompaniment on a cold winters day.