Rose Ras Malai

Rose Ras Malai is another delectable dessert dish that you can enjoy. The Rose essence becomes a treat for the senses as it not only smells good, but tastes great as well. In the picture I have not poured in the soy milk in the bowl so you can view the 'malai' piece, but it is intended to be served with soy milk.









Ingredients
Roohafza Rose syrup (available at Indian stores)
2 Cups Soy Milk
1/2 cup Sugar
4 ounces of Tofu (firm if you are using this recipe, silken tofu if you want to blend the tofu, sugar and syrup together and form balls and pour sweetened soy milk with Rose syrup on top).

Directions
1. Boil the 2 cups of Soy milk, sugar, and the Rose syrup for 12 minutes.
2. Cut the Tofu horizontally to make 1/2 inch thick Tofu slices. Use the cookie cutter to cut out the shape of your choice.
3. Place the cut Tofu in the boiling milk and boil for another 1o minutes.
4. Let it cool and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes.
5. Serve cold. :)

Angel hair Pasta with Avocado Pesto

Avocado are not only incredibly tasty, but are also great for health as well! Avocados are loaded with Vitamin E, antioxidants, are great for the eyes, heart and lower Cholesterol. The Cashews are also another source of antioxidants and Magnesium. Beyond being healthy, the taste of Cashew cream is just heavenly.













Ingredients
1 pound Angel Hair Pasta
2 medium Avocados cut and seeded
1 cup Cashews
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
5 cloves of Garlic
7 Basil leaves
1 Jalopeno
1/2 lime
2 teaspoon salt or according to taste.

Directions
1. Boil water and place the pasta and salt into the boiling water and cook until well done. 15-20 minutes. Remove excess water as well.
2. Place the Cashews in the blender and pour in enough water to dip all the Cashews in water.
3. Blend the Cashews until nice and creamy.
4. Blend in the Avocado, salt, lime Jalopeno pepper, Basil, and Garlic cloves with the Cashews.
5. Stir in the oil with the mixture.
6. Add the Avocado mixture to the pasta and stir well. Turn on the stove and cook for 7 minutes.
7. Angel hair pasta with Avocado Pesto is now ready to serve and eat! Yay!

Hawaiian Mango-Coconut Bread

The glorious Hawaiian Mango-Coconut Bread is a specialty at the Luaus in Hawaii! Mangos are so yummilicious and healthy. So are Coconuts and Cashews that will be added to this recipe. Life is about celebration, and how about adding a little Mango sweet bread to add to the celebration.
Ingredients
3 cups of sweet Mangoes sliced and peeled.
2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups white Sugar
1/2 cup Cashews
1/2 cup shredded Coconut
1/2 cup Raisins
3 teaspoons baking soda mixed with 3 Tablespoons of Vinegar
1 cup Oil

Directions
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease the pan and add the mixture of all the ingredients.
3. Place it in 2 bread pans for 50 minutes.

Say Aloha! to your Hawaiian Mango-Coconut bread. :)
This bread was soo good, OMG!

Doggie Peanut Butter Cookies

It is a fact that doggies love peanut butter! These cookies make a wonderful treat as they are fresh, yummy and wholesome.

Ingredients
4 cups Wheat flour
1 cup water
1 cup oil
10 tablespoons peanut butter
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
2 cup oats

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients together to form a ball of dough.
2. Take some dough and and roll it out about 1/2 inch thick, and cut it with a cookie cutter.
3. Place in the oven for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
4. Serve the cookies to your canine companion after they are crispy and cool. :)

Coconut Macaroons

They have Coconut Macaroons at Whole Foods and they are absolutely deelish! So, I had to try them on my own. They look cute and fancy, but this is a dessert that is definitely easy to make.

Ingredients
1 pack of flaked coconut (approximately 4 cups)
1teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoon soy yogurt
2 teaspoons Vanilla extract

Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients evenly.
2. Make small balls with your hands 2 inches wide and place them in the baking pan.
3. Cook for 20 minutes. When the tips turn golden, macroons are ready!

Stuffed yet Siren-esque Red Peppers :)

The stuffed red peppers not only look amazing but taste great as well. The guacamole, black beans, corn, rice and salsa that make up this medley are Mexican inspired. The red peppers give a tangy taste and the salsa feels like firecrackers going off in your mouth. ( in a good way). Why is it good for you? Red bell peppers contain lycopene which helps to protect against cancer and heart disease. They are also a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, vitamin B6, and folic acid. Avocados in guacamole are a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Potassium, and has wonderful antioxidant properties. Black beans provide an excellent source of protein, lower cholesterol and are loaded with antioxidants. Tomatos in salsa are a great source of Lycopene. All in all, this dish not only looks good, it tastes good and it is good for your body. Enough said!

Ingredients
4 Red bell peppers
2 cups of black beans cooked
1.5 cups of Guacamole
2 cups of Salsa
1 cup cooked rice
1 corn cob with the corn peeled off the cob.
2 cups of lettuce
Salt

Directions

1. Cut the Red bell peppers in half from the top and sprinkle them with some salt.
2. Place 2 tablespoons each of black beans in the red bell peppers.
3. Place 1 tablespoon each of corn and rice in the bell peppers.
4. Layer it with 1.5 tablespoons of salsa.
5. Place 1 Tbsp of Guacamole on the top and spread it out.
6. Top it off with some lettuce.
7. Place the peppers in the oven for 10-15 minutes. You may add 10 extra minutes if you like it well cooked and not semi crunchy.

Now you are ready for your feast and your fiesta!

Scandalous Sweet Potato Pie

First thing that came to my mind when I took a bite of this pie was wholesome. It just felt so good and comforting. This delight of a dessert is not just yummy but healthy as well. Sweet potatoes are rich in Vitamin A (betacarotene) and Vitamin C. "Both Vitamins A and C are powerful antioxidants that work in the body to remove free radicals, this free radicals are chemicals that damage cells." I made this pie for my friend Nupoor who has been there for me in all the seasons of my life.

Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes cooked and peeeled
1 tablespoon of Cinnamon
1/2 cup of hot soy milk
2.5 tablespoons of oil
4 tablespoons of warm water and 3 tablespoons of Ener-G egg replacer(optional)
3 cups of brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 unbaked pie crust ( I used Mrs. Smith's pie crust)

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place the oil in the hot soymilk, and add to the sweet potatoes. Beat until soft and creamy.
3.Add the egg replacer, brown sugar, salt, vanilla, and nutmeg to the sweet potato mixture, and mix well.
4.Pour the filling into the crust, and bake for 30 minutes.

This recipe is from Raphael Rettner's cookbook with some of my own replacements and tweaking.