Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Sauce

This pumpkin sauce is AMAZING with not just pasta, but with lots of other things too. Toss in some stir fried veggies and make it a delicious and vibrant orange CURRY to pair with rice. Or DRIZZLE it over some grilled vegetables to liven them up.

pasta creamy coconut gravy italian pumpkin salad dressing dip chips

This creamy- silky smooth-delicious-orange sauce filled with the goodness of those freshly picked farm pumpkin is completely VEGAN. Yesss!!! I mean you can make your own non-vegan version by replacing the coconut milk with some cream, but according to me, the coconut milk adds a lovely taste to the regular pumpkin sauce.

Did I tell you how easy to make this was? Or how you could finish making this before your TV serial/sitcom reached its credits? Yup, it’s THAT simple!!!

What do you need, you ask? Just some olive oil, pumpkin, garlic, coconut milk, oregano and anything to add some heat to this baby. I used some dried red chillies, you can add hot sauce or green chillies or paprika or totally skip it. And of course, salt. 6 ingredients, including salt and oil. Nothing gets simpler than that.

After you assemble all your ingredients, it is just chop, saute and blend. 3 steps. So now 6 ingredients and 3 steps – no reason at all to not try this at all.

I added it over some cooked farfalle pasta and tossed in some stir fried vegetables like broccoli. I love broccoli. Feel free to add or not add anything at all. It doesn’t really demand anything, it is just as good being plain.

If you plan on drizzling this on veggies or using it as a dip, I suggest adding less of the coconut milk to keep it nice and thick. If it is curry you plan to make, you can add other spices – cumin and coriander go well with it.

Oh oh oh – This would make an interesting SALAD DRESSING too. Some zucchini ribbons, some julienne carrots and some fresh salad leaves with this slightly sweet pumpkin sauce – DELICIOUS and healthy!!!

Step by Step Instructions:

1) Heat oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Saute for 1 min.

2) Add the diced pumpkin and cover and cover and cook on low heat until the pumpkin is done. Cut into smaller pieces to get it cooked sooner.

3) Add the oregano, chopped red chillies, coconut milk and salt.

4) Cook for around 2-3 mins on low heat.

5) Allow it to cool and then blend into a smooth sauce.

Pumpkin Sauce [Vegan]

Versatile vegan pumpkin sauce that can be used for pasta, as a dip or as a base for curry.

Recipe Type: Sauce

Cuisine: International

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

For Pumpkin Sauce:

2.5 cups or 125gms of diced Pumpkin

1 Tbsp of finely minced Garlic

3/4 tsp of dried Oregano

3/4 cup of Coconut Milk

1.5 Tbsp of Olive Oil

1 tsp of dried Red Chillies

Salt to taste

Pasta:

250gms of Pasta

1 cup of assorted stir fried Vegetables (Broccoli, Peppers/Capsicums etc.)

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add the minced garlic. Saute for 1 min.

Add the diced pumpkin and cover and cover and cook on low heat until the pumpkin is done. Cut into smaller pieces to get it cooked sooner.

Add the oregano, chopped red chillies, coconut milk and salt.

Cook for around 2-3 mins on low heat.

Allow it to cool and then blend into a smooth sauce.

Boil the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Toss with the sauce and the vegetables and enjoy it hot.

Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty [Vegan & GF]

Sabudana Chana Vada Sago Chickpea patty burger garbanzo fritter wada pakoda bonda sabakki

Sabudana vada is a traditional Maharastrian snack eaten during fasting / upvas. I was trying to avoid potatoes in my diet, so I replaced it with chickpeas or kabuli chana. This vada (patty) is a fusion between the traditional Sabudana Vada and the Middle Eastern Falafel. Although both the original snacks are deep fried, I shallow fried.

Deep frying definitely makes them tastier, but then, doesn't it always do it? I watched an older episode of Eat Street on TV, where they showed a truck that deep fried Cup cakes. I wonder how that tastes.

The chickpea in the vada increases the protein content of the vada. It also adds a nuttiness to it. You can eat it just as it is or add it in a burger like I did. I used the dry chickpeas that I soaked overnight, you can replace this with canned chickpeas as well. The sabudana or the sago pearls sold in supermarket are dried. They need to be soaked to fluff up and become spongy. You can add spices to enhance the flavor.

All the work in this recipe is during the preparation stage, the cooking is actually a no brainer - grind, mix and fry. That's it!

This vada is vegan and gluten free.

Step by Step Instructions:

1) Soak the kabuli chana or chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.Drain the water and keep aside.
You can use canned chickpeas as well. Skip the above steps if using canned chickpeas. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas. Use 2 cups of canned chickpeas.
2) Soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water and leave aside for 1/2 hour.Drain the water and cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.If you plan on making this for breakfast, then after draining the water, cover and keep it aside overnight.
3) Grind the peanuts into a coarse powder.
4) Grind together the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely.
5) Add the ground peanuts, sabudana, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
6) Shape into patties / vadas.

7) Heat around 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan for shallow frying. You can decide to deep fry it too.
8) Once the oil is hot, add the vadas to the pan and cook on medium heat.
9) Flip the vadas when the first side is browned and cook it until the other side browned.
10) Serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.

Sabudana Chana Vada | Sago Pearls and Chickpea Patty

Pan fried patties/ vada made with sabudana (sago pearls) and kabuli chana (chickpeas). Vegan and gluten free.

Recipe Type: Snacks /Breakfast
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 8 hours (Including soaking time) or 3 hours (If using canned chickpeas)
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 7-8 vadas

Ingredients:

1 cup dry Kabuli Chana / Chickpeas
1.5 cups of dry Sabudana / Sago Pearls
1/2 cup of roasted Peanuts
1-2 Green Chillies
7-8 Curry Leaves
2 Tbsp of chopped Coriander Leaves
Salt
Water
Oil for frying

Method:

Soak the kabuli chana or chickpeas in 3 cups of water overnight.
Drain the water and keep aside.
You can use canned chickpeas as well. Skip the above steps if using canned chickpeas. Wash and drain the canned chickpeas. Use 2 cups of canned chickpeas.
Soak the sabudana in 2 cups of water and leave aside for 1/2 hour.
Drain the water and cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.
If you plan on making this for breakfast, then after draining the water, cover and keep it aside overnight.
Grind the peanuts into a coarse powder.
Grind together the chickpeas and green chillies coarsely.
Add the ground peanuts, sabudana, curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt and mix well.
Shape into patties / vadas.
Heat around 2 Tbsp of oil in a shallow pan for shallow frying. You can decide to deep fry it too.
Once the oil is hot, add the vadas to the pan and cook on medium heat.
Flip the vadas when the first side is browned and cook it until the other side browned.
Serve hot with coriander chutney or ketchup.

Dahi Kebab Recipe | Yogurt Kabab Recipe [Video]

Dahi Kebab Recipe with step by step video instructions. Dahi Kebab is a pan fried appetizer / snack made from thick yogurt or hung curd, chickpea flour and nuts. The kebab is crispy on the outside and creamy and soft on the inside. Dahi Kebab is gluten free and fits a Jain diet.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

Dahi Kebab Yogurt Kebab kabab kebob hung curd punjabi besan chickpeas snacks

Dahi kebab… sounds interesting, doesn’t it? That’s the very reason I ordered it in a food court and I was pleasantly surprised. It actually tasted delicious. And as though fate meant for me to make it, the recipe was showed on TV before I could even google it. It is so simple to make, and it is crowd pleaser. Most people I’ve served it to, haven’t heard of it and eat it out of intrigue. But there is no stopping after one, believe me. It even turned a “dahi hater” around.

It actually tastes a lot like paneer, but it is creamier and has that tang of dahi. It is pan fried, so up goes the healthiness factor.

You can add spice powders like cinnamon, cardamom, clove etc and zing it up. I preferred to keep it as simple as possible to let the dahi shine through.

You can either buy already hung curd or make it yourself. I made it myself. Hung curd is just regular yogurt with all the whey drained out. To make it at home, tie the yogurt into a muslin cloth and leave it hanging for 6-8 hours. I left it overnight in the fridge.

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 up to.

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Dahi Kebab Recipe | Yogurt Kebab Recipe

Dahi Kebab is a popular gluten free North Indian appetizer. Dahi Kebabs are pan fried Kebabs made with thick yogurt and chickpea flour.
Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 8 Hours
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 8 Hours 20 Minutes
Yield: 12-15 kebabs

Author: Anupama

Ingredients:

3 cups Yogurt (Curd/Dahi)
2-3 Tbsp Chickpea Flour (Besan)
1-2 Green Chillies
2 Tbsp chopped Nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios) (Optional)
1 Tbsp Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method:

1. To make hung curd, place a muslin cloth on a strainer and add the yogurt. Tie the cloth and either leave in the strainer for 4-6 hours or tie the cloth over the sink. You can also leave this in the fridge overnight.
2. 3 cups of yogurt will yield 1 cup of hung curd. Take the hung curd in a large bowl.
3. Add all the ingredients except the oil and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan for shallow frying.
5. Wet your hands and take a small ball of batter and shape it as a kebab.
6. Gently place the kebab in the frying pan. If you are unable to shape the kebabs, you can use two spoons and spoon the kebabs into the frying pan.
7. Cook on medium heat.
8. Flip when the first side browns.
9. Cook until the second side is cooked too.
10. Serve hot with mint coriander chutney or ketchup.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Paneer Tikka

Shalgam ke Kebab

Sweet Potato Kebabs

Kothimbir Vadi | Pan Fried Coriander and Chickpea Cake

Kothimbir Vadi Coriander Chickpea Cake cilantro garbanzo steamed baked savory maharastrian vada wada pancake vegan

A lot of my food cravings are thanks to the magazines I read. Recently, in one of them, there was this delicious looking Kothimbir Vadi or Coriander Vada photo. It had the traditional recipe following the photo where the vadas are deep fried after being steamed. I love deep fried vadas but they are a big bane to my weight loss program, so I try to modify the recipe to make it healthier.

Recently, I had made the Gujrati Handvo which is a pan fried thick cake, very similar to the recipe in this post. Bells went off in my head! I could try the same with this kothimbir vadi. And to my delight, it turned out very well. Everyone loved it at home and they went missing in minutes.

It tastes the best with some coriander and mint chutney, but goes equally well with tomato ketchup. It is a very good option for a packed lunch as it carries well in boxes. It is versatile, you can have it for breakfast or as a tea time snack.

Step by Step recipe:

1) Blend the ginger, garlic,green chillies and half the coriander leaves into a paste along with a little water.
2) Add it to the chickpea flour along with the semolina, yogurt, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
3) Add a little water to loosen the batter, I added around 1/4 cup.
4) Mix well and keep aside for 10-15

5) Heat a small non stick pan or a kadhai.
6) Add around 2 tsp of oil to it.
7) Once the oil is hot, add the half the mustard seeds.

8) Once they splutter, add half the sesame seeds, half the carom seeds, half the asafoetida and half the curry leaves.

9) Now pour in half the batter.
10) Cover and cook on low heat for around 10-12 mins.

11) Now with the help of 2 spatulas, carefully flip the thick pancake.

12) Allow it to cook until the second side browns.

13) Remove from heat and cut into pieces. Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Kothimbir Vadi

Pan Fried Coriander and Chickpea Cake.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups Besan / Chickpea Flour
1/2 cup Fine Semolina / Chiroti Rava
1/2 cup Yogurt / Curd
1 cup chopped Coriander Leaves
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1" piece of Ginger
2-3 Green Chillies
1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
1 tsp of Carom seeds / Ajwain
2 tsp of Sesame seeds / Til
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of Asafoetida/ Hing
1 tsp of Turmeric Powder
2 sprigs of Curry Leaves
4-5 tsp of Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Blend the ginger, garlic,green chillies and half the coriander leaves into a paste along with a little water.
Add it to the chickpea flour along with the semolina, yogurt, coriander leaves, turmeric powder, salt and baking soda.
Add a little water to loosen the batter, I added around 1/4 cup.
Mix well and keep aside for 10-15 mins.
Heat a small non stick pan or a kadhai.
Add around 2 tsp of oil to it.
Once the oil is hot, add the half the mustard seeds.
Once they splutter, add half the sesame seeds, half the carom seeds, half the asafoetida and half the curry leaves.
Now pour in half the batter.
Cover and cook on low heat for around 10-12 mins.
Now with the help of 2 spatulas, carefully flip the thick pancake.
Allow it to cook until the second side browns.
Remove from heat and cut into pieces.
Serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Vegetable Jalfrezi Recipe | How to make vegetable jalfrezi | Mix vegetable curry [Video]

Vegetable Jalfrezi recipe with step by step photo and video instructions. Vegetable Jalfrezi is a mixed vegetable curry with a tomato based gravy. Vegetable Jalfrezi is gluten free and can be made to fit a vegan or plant based diet with simple replacements.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

mix vegetable gravy paneer jalfrezi indian

Guests coming over and you wanna impress them? Or are you just bored of your usual dinner fare? Jalfrezi can be your answer. Try it !

I saw this lovely photo of Jalfrezi in a magazine, it had me salivating. That one photo was my inspiration to try my hand at Jalfrezi. Jalfrezi has made its presence felt worldwide. It was voted to be UK’s most popular Indian curry a few years ago. And who would believe making it was so easy.

The only effort needed is actually in cutting the vegetables, but you can totally skip it by buying already cut veggies from the supermarket or using your food processor. And you can relax doing your crossword or watching your favorite show on TV, while it simmers slowly. All it needs is like a check around 5-10 mins. Open the pan, peek, stir, close and back to what ever you were doing. Lovely, isn't it?

The best part is, you can add any vegetables you fancy or use up all your leftover vegetables at the end of the week to make it. I would however recommend adding baby corn as I felt it gives it an added crunch. To make it vegan, replace the paneer with Tofu or totally skip it, you won't be missing out on anything.

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

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Vegetable Jalfrezi

Vegetable Jalfrezi is a popular Indian mix vegetable curry with a tomato based gravy. Vegetable Jalfrezi is gluten free and vegetarian. It can be made vegan by either skipping the Paneer or swapping it out for Tofu.

Recipe Type: Curry
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 large Onion
3 Tomatoes
0.5 cup Cauliflower florets
0.5 cup Broccoli florets
1 Carrot
8-10 Green Beans
8-10 Baby corn
0.5 Capsicum (or a mix of colored Capsicums/Peppers)
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
50 gms Paneer or Tofu
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
1.5 cups Water
3 Tbsp + 2 tsp Vegetable Oil
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
1 tsp Kitchen King Masala or Garam Masala
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Sugar or Jaggery (Optional but recommended)
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadhai. Cut the paneer into batons and fry them lightly until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and keep aside.
2. Add the remaining oil to the kadhai and add the cumin seeds.
3. Add the finely chopped onions and saute until golden brown.
4. Add in the ginger garlic paste and saute until fragrant.
5. Puree the tomatoes and add in the kadhai.
6. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until the oil separates.
7. Add in the ketchup and mix well.
8. Now the vegetables like cauliflower, carrot and beans which take a little longer to cook.
9. Add water.
10. Cook on medium heat until the vegetables are almost done.
11. Now add the remaining vegetables like baby corn, broccoli, capsicum.
12. Add the turmeric powder, kitchen king masala, red chilli powder and salt.
13. Cook until the vegetables are done and the curry has the desired consistency. If it is too thin, you can cook it a little longer.
14. Add the paneer to the gravy.
15. Add sugar/jaggery to suit your taste.
16. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis or rice.