8 Grilled Vegetarian/Vegan Delights

A compilation of eight Vegetarian/Vegan grill recipes.

I am bringing to you a Tempting Tuesday post with lots of color and vibrance today. This post is a compilation of eight of my favorite recipes that involve grilling. Late summer is the perfect time to bring out the grill and char those beautiful summer vegetables and produce and make a healthy vibrant meal.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and bring out that grill!

Vegetarian Souvlaki Rolls [Vegan option available]

Greek flavored grilled vegetables and a zingy yogurt sauce, rolled in your favorite bread.  I highly recommend a garlic naan bread. Just the colors in this dish will brighten up your day. Use vegan yogurt to make the recipe vegan.

Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowls [Vegan]

A vibrant summer bowl of spicy grilled Cauliflower, chewy Black Rice, fresh vibrant summer salad all tossed with a mint coriander oil. Rainbow in a bowl!

Grilled Vegetable Open Sandwich [Vegan]

Grilled Summer vegetables over a bed of mashed ripe avocado on a slice of crusty sourdough bread. Perfect for healthy mornings!

Corn Tomato Bharta [Vegan]

Pureed sweet summer tomatoes and sweet corn simmer along with aromatics and spices to make a delicious curry. Serve it up hot with roti, naan or rice.

Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls [Vegan]

There is no way we are talking about grilling and skipping the eggplant. Thinly sliced eggplant is grilled and rolled with coriander (cilantro) hummus to make finger licking rolls.

Grilled Vegetable Open Sandwich [Vegan option available]

Two crusty chunks of rye bread, a generous helping of creamy tartar sauce and the hero - a garlic and chilli marinated slab of Paneer that is grilled to perfection. Oh ya and lettuce too. That's what is in this Grilled Paneer Sub Sandwich. Replace the Paneer with Tofu to make the recipe vegan.

Instant Paneer Tikka [Vegan option available]

Paneer, Capsicum and Tomato coated in an instant marinade of spices and grilled to make a quick weekday snack. This Paneer Tikka is perfect for the lunch box too. Replace the Paneer with Tofu to make the recipe vegan.

Bean and Grilled Veggie Burger with Coriander Cashew Sauce [Vegan]

Vegan burger with a patty made from grilled vegetables and red kidney beans and topped with a sauce made from coriander and cashews.

If you tried these recipes, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like these recipes, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Grilled Vegetable Open Sandwich Recipe

Grilled Summer vegetables over a bed of mashed ripe avocado on a slice of crusty sourdough bread. Vegan and healthy open Sandwich!

This post is neither inspired by some past incident, my childhood or the weather. This Grilled Vegetable Open Sandwich came into being solely because of 2 things - the awesome Sourdough bread and the soft ripe Avocado. 

I get super excited when I find a ripe avocado. I never miss a chance to pick it up. I buy it first and then think of where I can use it. The sourdough is a different story. I was in training for 2 days last week ( hence, I missed posting on Friday) at a hotel. And the hotel's bakery had this amazing looking selection of breads. That is where I picked up this extremely crusty loaf. Crusty bread and ripe avocado, in my head it had to be an open sandwich.

There isn't much to hide from in this Sandwich, so it is important you use the best ingredients you can. You can select the veggies you want to grill based on what's available and what you love to eat. I grilled yellow capsicum, red capsicum, broccoli and zucchini. It made my sandwich look vibrant and inviting. The peppers added a nice sweetness to the otherwise savory sandwich. And broccoli, aah, I love grilled broccoli to eat just like that with some salt sprinkled. So I made some extra. The grilled veggies can be used in tacos, burritos and rolls too, so if you have leftovers, it takes care of another meal. 

To grill the veggies, I sliced them long and drizzled a little extra virgin olive oil, the good kind, and coated the veggies. Sprinkled salt and pepper, and grilled them in the oven for 20 minutes or until my peppers blistered and browned slightly. If the day is fine, go ahead and use your outdoor grill. This Sandwich is also perfect to assemble at picnics or campfires as far as you have the veggies grilled or a place to grill them on site.

The bread was so good, I really did nothing to it. Just sliced it. To add flavor to the bread, you can toast it with butter or rub it with smashed garlic. I kept the avocado simple too, just a squeeze of line, a pinch of salt and pepper. Sometimes, simple is good.  

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Grilled Vegetable Open Sandwich Recipe

Grilled summer vegetables and mashed ripe avocado layered on crusty sourdough bread slice. Vegan open sandwich recipe.

Recipe Type:  Sandwich
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Total time:     35 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

6 slices Sourdough Bread
1 ripe Avocado
1 cup Broccoli florets
0.5 Yellow Capsicum
0.5 Red Capsicum
1 small Zucchini
1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Slice the capcisum and zucchini into bite sized pieces.
2. Place them in a bowl and add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.
3. Lay on a baking sheet and grill in the oven on high for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are slightly charred.
4. Mash the avocado with the lime juice and a pinch of salt.
5. Spread the avocado the sourdough slice and top with grilled veggies. Serve immediately.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Grilled Cauliflower Bowl

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls

Bruschetta Duo

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10 Savory Vegetarian/Vegan Breakfasts ready in under 30 minutes

A compilation of ten easy to make vegetarian / vegan breakfasts that can be made in under 30 minutes from scratch!

Do you love breakfast? Or are you one of those people who just wants to be done with it cause every scientific article calls it the most important meal of the day? 

I am definitely the breakfast lover category. If you are in the same category, welcome my friend!! 

If not, why is it that you would rather skip this meal - crunched for time? not hungry in the morning? don't have good breakfast options? I'm here to solve some of these problems for you through this teeny weeny post. I am also forever crunched for time, you see while I love breakfast, I am not an early riser and most of my morning is spent scrambling to get ready to catch my bus to office. I give myself exactly 60 minutes from wake up to run for bus. Also, I am absolutely against cereal for breakfast, I believe it is just sugar. So it is always a savory breakfast for me. I have hence, compiled a short list of 10 breakfasts that you can make in under 30 minutes for those busy mornings. Also, a few of them can be prepped the previous night or even, prepared the previous night. Just reheat and enjoy in the morning.

1) Churmuri Soosla [Vegan]

Churmuri Soosla is a stir fry made from salted puffed rice (not the cereal), onions, tomatoes and turmeric.  It is then topped with lime juice and roasted gram powder. This makes for a very good after school snack or evening tea time snack too.

2)  Bread Upma [Vegan]

My favorite way to use up old bread is to stir fry it with spices, onion and tomato. You can make this bread upma with fresh bread as well. Quick and easy recipe.

3) Tomato Omelet [Vegan] 

Omelet always means Eggs, except in this case. Tomato omelet is made from chickpea flour or besan. Add lots of tomato to it and some spices for taste. Pour them onto a hot pan and cook them just like you would cook an omelet. Serve it with bread or eat it just like that, the choice is yours.

4) Wheat Dosa | Savory Wholewheat Pancakes [Vegan]

This one is very similar to the Tomato Omelet above, but this Dosa is made with whole wheat flour or atta instead of chickpea flour. Serve this with some coconut chutney or sambar in pure South Indian style.

5) Breakfast Bruschetta [Vegan]

If you love bread for breakfast, you will love this bruschetta. One is a classic bruschetta with onions and tomatoes while the other is a take on avocado toast with avocados and green olives.

6) Chutney Sandwich [Vegan Option Available]

My favorite picnic breakfast of all times - bread with one slice smeared with butter and another with a simple coriander-coconut chutney. Use vegan butter to make it vegan or just skip the butter. The chutney can be prepared the previous night if you want to cut down on time in the morning. Make the sandwiches when you plan to eat them to avoid a soggy mess.

7) Vegan Zucchini Frittata [Vegan]

Frittatas can be vegan too! Try out this vegan frittata made with chickpea flour or besan and baby zucchinis for added health. Load it up with your favorite veggies to make it healthier.

8) Beetroot Chickpea Pancake [Vegan]

This is just a different take on the tomato omelet mentioned above. Here the tart tomatoes are replaced with sweet grated beet roots that add that wonderful pink hue to the pancakes. For a quicker breakfast prep in the morning, grate the beet root the previous night and save time.

9) Instant Ragi Dosa  [Vegan Option Available]

Instant Ragi Dosa is a very healthy breakfast option as it uses finger millet or ragi flour. Ragi is rich in nutrients and very good for healthy. Ragi flour is mixed with fine semolina or cream of wheat with spices, onions and herbs to make a very runny batter. he only dairy element in there is yogurt to add a little sourness to the dosa, you can either skip it or replace it with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan. 

10) Instant Rava Dosa [Vegan Option Available] 

Again, this is very similar to the Instant Ragi Dosa, but made with rice flour. A popular breakfast in Bangalore, this recipe will teach you how to make it at home with a lot less oil. The only dairy element in there is yogurt to add a little sourness to the dosa, you can either skip it or replace it with vegan yogurt to make this recipe vegan.

If you tried these recipes, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like these recipes, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

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Avocado, Cucumber, Carrot Sushi | Vegan Maki Roll [Video Recipe]

Vegan Maki Sushi Roll made by rolling avocados, cucumber and carrots in sushi rice and Nori sheets.

Remember here, I spoke of Gee going to Malaysia and shopping in super markets? It paid off, a second time!! It is she who bought me the Nori Sheets and the Sushi Rice all the way from a Japanese store in KL. (You can buy them in Gourmet stores in Bangalore or buy them online).

Well, she looves sushi. And this time she got to eat them sitting at home in her pajamas without worrying if they are really vegetarian. Win-win! I always knew of sushi as a raw fish dish. But the first time I heard of a vegan one was when I was in California and my friend wanted to make me try some. I did not get the chance to try there, but I did try it the first chance I got once I was back in Bangalore and the love affair has continued since. Every single time I see a vegan sushi on the menu, I order it. This was my first time making it at home, but it definitely won't be the last.

Making sushi is really not that difficult, if you have the correct variety of rice. A lot of recipes online say you can use quinoa or brown rice or some other variety of rice. While I'm sure you can work with them if you are a pro at sushi making. For an amateur, sushi rice works best. This rice is very different from the other varieties of rice in my pantry. It is sticky, yet the grains hold their shape. Any Indian rice when cooked to become sticky, will turn mushy and become paste like. And that is definitely a no-no for sushi making. You want to be able to identify the grains, yet have them stick to each other. I was scared when I rolled my first roll, but the rice made it impossible for me to mess it up. So say what you may, according to me it is the rice that is the hero of the sushi. Making the rice is simple, you cook it as per instructions on the packet. Then spread it out in a large bowl or plate and mix in the vinegar, sugar and salt while smashing the rice a little. Adjust the vinegar, sugar and salt to your taste.

Once your rice is ready, you can fill your rolls up with basically anything. Keep it fresh and simple. I filled my rolls with avocado, cucumber and carrots. And for a few, I threw in some sauteed mushrooms as well. The flavor of a sushi comes majorly from the rice and the nori sheets. Nori sheets give the sushi a mild fishy umami flavor. 

Serve sushi with a good quality Soy Sauce, Pickled Ginger and Wasabi paste.

Note: Sushi is usually rolled with a bamboo mat, but the technique is achievable with a kitchen towel and a plastic wrap. Watch the video for more details!

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

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Avocado Cucumber Carrot Maki Sushi Roll

Vegan Maki Sushi Roll made by rolling avocados, cucumber and carrots in sushi rice and Nori sheets.
Recipe Type:  Appetizer
Cuisine:            Japanese
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4. Makes 27-30 individual rolls.

Ingredients:

3 Nori Sheets
1 cup uncooked Sushi Rice
2 cups Water
2 Tbsp Vinegar
1.5 tsp Sugar or Jaggery
0.5 tsp Salt
0.5 Avocado
1 Cucumber
1 Carrot
Wasabi paste to serve
Soy sauce to serve

Method:

Making the Sushi Rice:

1. Wash and cook the rice as per instructions on the packet. I rinsed the rice once and pressure cooked it with 2 cups of water for 10 minutes on low-medium heat.
2. Once the rice is cooked, remove it into a large steel or wooden bowl or plate.
Heat the vinegar in a small pan, add the sugar and salt. Once the sugar has dissolved, remove from heat.
3. Add the vinegar to the rice and with a wooden spoon, mix it well. The rice should be sticky, yet retain the grain structure. Allow it to cool.

Making the Avocado Cucumber Carrot Maki Sushi Roll:

4. Slice the avocado and julienne the cucumber and carrot.
5. Take a kitchen towel and spread a plastic sheet on it. I used a clean plastic packet in which I had purchased rice. I cut it into a rectangle and laid it on top of the kitchen towel.
6. Place the nori sheet, shiny side down on the plastic sheet.
7. Take 1/3rd of the rice and place it on the nori sheet. Wet your hands and spread the rice until it covers the nori sheet. Layer it as evenly as you can. It doesn't have to be perfectly even, the rolling later will ensure it spreads evenly.
8. On one edge, place 1/3rd of the cucumber, carrot and avocado.
9. Gently roll the nori sheet until the vegetables are covered. Use the kitchen towel now to compress the vegetables.
10. Continue rolling until the full nori sheet is rolled up.
11. Using the kitchen towel, compress the roll. Turn and compress again.
12. With a sharp wet knife slice the roll into individual maki rolls. Wet the knife between each slice. Do not apply pressure while slicing, make gentle to and fro motions. The roll should be sliced in 2-3 knife movements.
13. Serve with pickled ginger, soy sauce and wasabi paste.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Vegan Miso Soup

Breakfast Bruschetta

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Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Tomato & Onion and Avocado & Olives

Saturday.... Finally... What is your PERFECT Saturday?? Leave me a comment...

Mine is waking up late, a hearty breakfast, a good cup of ginger tea and the morning paper. 

I got all of that today with these Breakfast Bruschetta Duo. Soooo PERFECT....

I like to keep breakfasts as simple as possible. Usually, breakfast is my simplest meal of the day. On weekdays, I snooze and snooze my alarm until I have to wake up ( Don't you just love the SNOOZE button? ) and then there is a whirlwind in the house as I rush around to get ready to go to work. I definitely don't have time for a fancy breakfast. So something quick that I can whip up is the solution. 

I make BreakFEAST only on weekends. But after an extremely hectic week, I really did not fancy any more hard work on Saturday!!! So today was the day to keep it simple yet hearty and TASTY.

I woke up at 9 and bam! it's 9.30 and I was plonked on the bean bag in front of the TV watching the latest season of MasterChef and eating my oh-so-easy-yet-delicious Breakfast Bruschetta Duo. Don't they look AMAZING?? 

I love love LOVE colorful food. Makes me wanna eat it immediately. I had to control my urge, until I could finish taking photos. The idea of Breakfast Bruschetta Duo is inspired from the Goddess of TV cooking - Nigella. I did not follow her exact recipe though, I changed the topping to my liking.

I could have these Bruschetta for lunch, snacks, tea and dinner... I could pretty much have them all day long. I cannot get enough of them. So FRESH and so EASY. All I had to do was find the freshest sourdough bread in the supermarket yesterday. And today morning, all I did was chop chop chop as Raj made ginger tea for us. And then just toast the bread, top with the chopped veggies, sprinkle salt and pepper... a drizzle of some extra virgin Olive Oil and we're DONE.

I don't know anything that could be easier than that and look that GOOD. Do you?

I used a sourdough loaf. I've made these before using Baguette. They taste just as good with regular bread. Use what you have and it'll still taste just as delicious. 

The first Bruschetta is topped with chopped fresh tomato, red onion and coriander, while the second one is topped with sliced avocado, green olives and fresh mint leaves. I also made a third kind - the Tomato and Avocado one. But they were eaten before I could get a single photo. You see, it started out as may be 3 bruschettas per person. Then Raj saw them and I saw them and both were tempted, so we were like let's just make it even so we both get 2 of both. By the time we were done with 3, we wanted MORE.... So he was on toasting bread duty, while I went to chopping. And we had a third variety. 

That's the best thing about these Breakfast Bruschettas, you can mix and match the toppings. Put what you love. Someday, when I have all the time in the world, I'm gonna make my other favorite bruschetta - the caramelized onion and mushroom one... yummmm.... Until then, back to the simple life.

Breakfast Bruschetta Duo - Tomato & Onion and Avocado & Olives

A duo of bruschettas perfect for breakfast - one topped with tomato and onion and the other with avocado and olives. 

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:         International
Prep Time:    20 minutes
Cook time:     5 minutes
Yield:             8 Bruschettas

Ingredients:

1 Sourdough loaf or Baguette
1 large Tomato
1 red Onion
A handful of fresh Coriander leaves
1/2 Avocado
8-10 green Olives
A handful of fresh Mint leaves
2 Tbsp of extra virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Freshly cracked Pepper
Lime

Method:

Slice the bread into thick slices.
Toast them on a griddle or tava for 3-4 mins. Remove onto a plate.
In the meanwhile, finely chop the tomato, red onion and coriander leaves and mix well.
Slice the avocado and the green olives.
Top half the slices with the tomato mix and half with the avocado and olives one. Add Mint to the avocado and olive bruschetta.
Sprinkle salt and pepper.
Drizzle the olive oil. Squeeze lime on the bruschetta.
Serve immediately.

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