MBP April-One Pot Wonders

I love to blog hop to all my favorite blogs at least once a week to see what is cooking in their kitchens. The advantage of reading through blogs is you know for sure that recipe worked for them (or not), unlike cooking shows on tv or reading recipes in a magazine or cookbook.

Coffee (@ The Spice Cafe) came up with this idea of blog hopping and recreating the recipes in our own kitchens and posting about them on a different theme every. She passed on the baton for hosting the MBP event beacuse of her work commitments. I'd like to thank her for this opportunity.

Next Month's host is Raaga of the Singing Chef.

Thank you all for taking time and sending in these delicious entries. Here are the entries in Alphabetical Order. Please let me know if I have missed anyone.

First up is Anjali @ The Big Bite with her Pepper Flavored Rice from Sailu's Miriyala Annam.

Becke @ Columbus Foodie joins MBP for the first time with her Anelletti Pasta with Sausage and Greens inspired from Faith's pasta dish.

Bhagyashri @ Taste Buds makes delicious Cauliflower Biryani from Maheswari's dish.

Bhawana @ Tastes of India makes Bihari Khichidi inspired from Meera's and Asha's Khichdis.

Cham @ Spice-Club makes Vermicelli Khichdi from Roopa's Chow Chow bhath.

Dee @ Ammulu's Kitchen makes Thakkali Saadam from Jugalbandi.

Dhivya.P @ Dhivya's Kitchen sends her Palak Rice from Archy's Recipe Book.

Dhivya Karthik @ Culinary Bazaar makes Stuffed Peppers with Orzo from Economical Eats.

Divya @ Dil Se sends her Potato Fried Rice from Dhivya's Recipe.

Updated 4/27: Divya, Sorry to miss your entry. Divya @ Dil Se sends in her second entry Mushroom Peas Corn Pulao from Meena's blog.

Jayasree @ Experiments in Kailas Kitchen makes Ghee rice from Seena's rice recipe.

Medhaa @ Cook with Love makes Pudina Biryani from Andhra Flavors: For Spicy Lovers blog.

Meera @ Enjoy Indian Food makes Bihari Khichdi from Asha's recipe.

Mythreyee @ Paajaka's Recipes makes Karela Pulao from Indira's Kakarakaya Annam recipe.

Shoba @ Nangilgirl's Adventures sends two entries: First one is her Chicken Biryani from Srivalli's Recipe.

Her Second entry is Mushroom Peas Pulao from Meena's recipe.

Pooja @ Creative Pooja & An attempt to Spread Love with Cooking makes Corn Poha from Trupti's recipe.

Priyanka @ Asan Khana makes Tomato Baath from Lakshmi's recipe.

Raaga @ the Singing Chef makes Oats Upma from Nandita's blog.

Rachel @ Tangerine's Kitchen Hangout makes Pasta with Ham from Happy Cook.

Siri @ Siri's Corner joins us with two of her entries. First being her Pateta-par-Eeda from Nupur's blog.

Her second entry is Burnt Ginger Rice from Dhivya's recipe.

Srimati @ Few Minute Wonders revisits Upma from Lakshmi's recipe.

Swati @ Chatkhor makes Moong Dal ki Khichdi from Sia's blog.

Trupti @ Recipe Center makes Bengali Khichuri from Ashwini's recipe.

Uma @ Telugu Ruchi makes Peas and Capsicum Rice from Vanamala's Kitchen.

Vandana @ Vandy's Culinary Adventures makes Vegetable Pulao from Sunshine Mom's recipe.

Finally I made Creole Black Eyed Peas from Susan's Fatfree Vegan recipe.

Eggless Banana Chocolate Loaf

This is yet another egg free dessert and it is very delicious. Mashed banana binds to flour the same way eggs do, creating moist treats that are low in fat and cholesterol.

The cake is extremely easy to make, no creaming of eggs and butter, folding in flour etc.. nothing fancy at all. Just mix all the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately and whisk them together to combine. Easy as making a pie (oh.. I never made a pie and I don’t think its that easy.. well that’s another story). It can be veganized by adding with soymilk and vinegar instead of buttermilk (Put 1tbsp vinegar in a measuring cup and add soymilk to the 1-cup line.)

Recipe adapted from Vegetarian Times magazine.

Ingredients:
All-Purpose flour – 1½ cups
Sugar – ½ cup (or more)
Unsweetened cocoa powder – 1/3 cup
Baking soda – 1tsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Low-fat buttermilk – 1 cup
Mashed Banana – ¾ cup
Vanilla extract – 2 tsp
Canola Oil – 1/3 cup

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Coat 9- x 5-inch loaf pan, 3 6- x 3-inch miniloaf pans, or 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
  
• Whisk flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk sugar, buttermilk, banana, vanilla, oil in a separate bowl.
  
• Fold buttermilk mixture into flour mixture.
  
• Scoop the mixture into the prepared pans. Bake large loaf 50 to 60 minutes, miniloaves 35 to 45 minutes, or muffins 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  
• Cool 5 minutes in pan(s). Unmold, and cool.
  

For a fancy finish, drizzle with chocolate drizzle.(Melt 1 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate in double boiler or in microwave at low (20 percent) power.)

MBP-April: One Pot Wonders

Pressure Cooker is great to use for one pot meals. My entry is Creole Black eye Peas cooked entirely in pressure cooker from Susan’s Fat free Vegan. I didn’t have peppers or celery on hand, so I used frozen mixed vegetables (carrots/ beans/ peas and corn). I served it over brown rice.

New Pantry Additions

Lately I’ve started expanding my pantry staples with items that I have never used before. Here are some items that are new in my pantry/ fridge: Vital wheat gluten, Nutrition Yeast, Flax seed meal, Miso, Wheat Germ.

I made Seitan with Vital wheat gluten and nutrition yeast with Seitan O' Greatness recipe from here. This is a very versatile dish and you use any seasonings to make it your own. I added some cumin pd, coriander pd, pinch of turmeric. My husband thought it tasted a little bit like chicken, but it did not have the texture of chicken.
To use, just sauté in little bit of oil and you can use it in million different ways. Freeze the unsautéed seitan in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, it makes quick and easy BLD (Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner) recipes, so always make the complete recipe even if you are making for two.
I made Seitan Curry with mixed vegetables and coconut milk with half of the log (no pics.. sorry) and used half of the rest in wraps (lavash wrap smeared with mayo and filled with seitan, rice, onions, tomatoes and spinach).
I’m still snacking on the rest of the sautéed seitan. So good.. yummmmm..

MBP-April Reminder

Reminding everyone about MBP-April: One Pot Wonders.

I’m going to reply back to everyone who sends me an entry for the event. Please let me know if I don’t reply back to your email in 48hours.

Some of the emails are going into SPAM and I don’t want to miss anyone for the round up.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Vegan Baking-Morning Glory Cupcakes

One of my co-workers is on a 3 month vegan diet. She has a challenge with her sister that she was going to eat only vegan for 3 months. Personally, I don’t think I can ever become a vegan, I love my milk and cheese too much (and don’t like soy milk that much).

Well my co-worker is almost at the end of her successful three months, so I thought I’d bake her some vegan cupcakes. Personally, I could never think of baking without eggs, so these cupcakes were kind of a challenge to me too. But I have to say, they are very delicious and you wouldn’t know until someone told you that they were vegan. This recipe is from Vegetarian Times magazine.

You can make this cake in a 9”x5” loaf pan, or 3 6”x3” mini loaves or 12-cup muffin tin.


Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour – 2 cups (you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour)
Baking Soda – 2 tbsp
Baking powder – 2 tsp
Light Brown Sugar – 2/3 cup
Ground Cinnamon – 2 tbsp
Ground Ginger – 2 tbsp
Salt – ¼ tsp
Crushed Pineapple in its own juice– 8 oz., can, drained and liquid reserved
Finely grated Carrots – 1 cup (2-3 medium carrots)
Carrot juice – ½ cup (I subbed V8 Vfusion Orange juice)
Canola Oil – 1/3 cup
Vanilla essence – 1 tsp
Raisins – ½ cup
Walnuts (or any nuts) – ½ cup, optional

Method:

• Pre heat oven to 350°F. Spray the baking pans you are baking in with cooking spray.
• Whisk flour ground cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  
• In a separate bowl, mix together carrot juice, ¼ cup reserved pineapple juice, oil, sugar and vanilla extract.
  
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well to incorporate. Scoop into prepared baking pan(s).
  
• Bake large loaf 50 to 60 minutes, mini loaves 35 to 45 minutes, or muffins 18 to 22 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  
• Cool 5 minutes in pan(s). Unmold and cool.
  

This cake is sweet, but not overly so, very much like a breakfast muffin. I took them to work and everyone really liked them.