Eggless Fudgy Brownies - my way!

Contrary to popular perception, being a vegan does not limit my food choices, but opens up a whole new culinary experience & taste. Having to bake without eggs or butter requires one to be creative & slightly innovative!

I'm always into new food adventures! Sometime ago, I picked up a book published by the Vegan Society of Australia which inspired me to create my 'eggless' fudgy brownies. The book gave suggestions on how to substitute eggs with other ingredients - guess what they are! -- banana, icing sugar, cashew nuts, protein powder, etc.

So, I ventured to create my own version of the brownies shown in the book. Actually, I forgot to bring the book home -- so, 'necessity' being the mother of invention, I devised my own recipe based on logic, feel, look, taste & smell (will explain as I go along).

LOGIC - I started by blending a few minutes (pulsing - ie. push the on button only for a few seconds, off it, & repeat until you get the consistency you want):

100 gm dates (remember to check for seeds/pitts or you are going to break your blade!)
1 small (11cm) banana (peeled, of course!)
30 gm raw cashew nuts
3 tablespoons protein powder (whey & soya based)
50 gm icing sugar (its a mix of refined sugar & corn flour)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (Van Houten, is dark & good) dissolved in 1/2 cup of warm water

LOOK - It should come out slightly thick & gooey. Its okay if the cashews or dates are a bit coarse.

Heat up your oven to 180 degrees.

Pour mixture into a large bowl. Sift parts of 100 gm of self-raising flour and slowly fold in the mixture. Alternate with tablespoons of olive oil (total 5 tablespoons) and mix well.

FEEL - If the mixture feels heavy, slowly add a little boiled water & lightly stir. Do not over mix or your brownie will be too dense. It should be shiny & smooth & not too thick.

Line a long 8"x5" cake tin with baking paper slightly oiled. Spoon mixture into the tin. Lightly tap the pan on the table to remove large bubbles in the mixture. Top with pieces of dates & cashew halves.

SMELL - Bake for 20-30 mins. @20 mins or when the cashews look slightly browned, open the oven door & stick a skewer into the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, stop the oven. If not, continue for another5 mins. You should also have a fragrant smell when it's cooked. Too strong a smell means the cocoa is burnt.

When cooked, remove and let it sit for 10 mins. Then remove to a wired rack until its cooled.

Why be a vegan?

Why, you may ask...

According to http://www.vegetarianvegan.com/

Most vegetarians claim that they became a vegetarian for one of three main reasons.

The first reason, which most vegetarians claim, is that they have serious ethical problems with eating meat. Most disagree with how chickens are debeaked, forced to live in small cages, and are then slaughtered when they do not produce eggs fast enough.

Most vegetarians also disagree with the crowded and stressful environments that animals are forced into; and the hormone-laden daily feed used to make them grow faster and produce more.

People who become vegetarians for this purpose often draw ethical boundaries in different spots, depending on their indept personal beliefs. For instance, some staunch vegans will refuse to consume yeast, wear wool, or even eat certain vegetables, such as carrots, that require killing the plant to harvest.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, some vegetarians, sometimes referred to as pseudo-vegetarians, will actually eat fish and chicken on a regular basis.

The second reason vegetarians claim for not eating meat is that it conflicts with their dietary preferences. Some of these vegetarians simply do not like the texture and taste of meat, others do not eat it because it is high in cholesterol and often contains very high concentrations of hormones and preservatives.

The third and smallest group of vegetarians cite some environmental reasons for not consuming meat. They complain that the consumption of meat causes farmers to continually deforest the land to create grazing land for their cattle.

My say ?... check out http://crazeefit.blogspot.com/

http://vegetarian.bhanot.net/

Vegan vs Vegetarian

With all new interests comes new knowledge. I hope you, my readers will take the time to inform yourselves so that if you have a objection to this way of life, it is an informed opposition!

VEGETARIAN: Vegetarian is a blanket term used to describe a person who does not consume meat, poultry, fish, or seafood. This grouping includes vegans and the various sub- categories of vegetarian; however, it generally implies someone who has less dietary restrictions than a vegan.

SEMI-VEGETARIAN: The term semi-vegetarian is usually used to describe someone who is a vegetarian who consumes dairy products, eggs, chicken, and fish, but does not consume other animal flesh.

OVO-LACTO-VEGETARIAN: Ovo-lacto vegetarians are vegetarians who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and milk. This is the largest group of vegetarians.

OVO-VEGETARIAN: Ovo-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume eggs.

LACTO-VEGETARIAN: Lacto-vegetarian is a term used to describe someone who would be a vegan if they did not consume milk.

VEGAN: Vegan is the strictest sub-category of vegetarians. Vegans do not consume any animal products or by-products. Some go as far as not even consuming honey and yeast. Others do not wear any clothing made from animal products.

Ratatouille Spaghetti (my way.. :))

FOR VEGANS : You have a choice of veggie such as eggplant, lightly steamed pumpkin, boiled potatoes, corn kernels, peas.

1. Boil a large pot of water & cook a bunch of spaghetti until al dente (just cooked, still stiff to the bite), stirring occasionally. You can drain it out or turn off the fire & leave it to soak, if you prefer it softer. I find soaking is better for this recipe.

2. Cut one long purple eggplant (terung, aubergine) into 2cm rounds approx. with skin & put into a pot or wok. Drizzle with olive oil & let it coat & seep into the eggplant slices. Switch on the burner & lightly pan fry both sides until almost cooked. If you want spicy, add a few dried chillies & saute until dry or crispy.

FOR NON-VEGANS : Throw in some prawns or squid rounds at this point. Don't put too much seasoning or salt as seafood may will produce a salty gravy.

3. Add in 1 coarsely chopped red, large onion & fry till soft. Throw in 1 chopped tomato, 5 cm of thinly sliced celery and stir fry. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste/puree, if you have. If not, add more tomatoes! Sprinkle some sugar (whenever you have tomato - Chef Wan's tip).

If you want more flavour, sprinkle some mushroom seasoning powder (get it from vegetarian grocery shop). If you have an orange (especially the horribly sour ones), peel & chop into cubes and add in for a tangy flavour.

4. When cooked pour in the drained spaghetti and toss. For flavour, you can drizzle some light soya sauce (or Japanese shoyu - the citrus type is good) or sprinkle fine salt & lots of freshly ground pepper. Turn off the flame if it dries too quickly. Pour a little of the spaghetti water to make it moist & a bit sticky. Easier for the sauce/flavour to stick to the spaghetti (Tip from Jaimie Oliver, the Naked Chef) .

FOR NON-VEGANS : You can stir in a dollop of butter or dash of your favourite cheese.

5. Serve on a bed of yau mak (baby romaine or any salad leaves). Top with coarsely chopped coriander leaves.

Vegetarian Food Pyramid

Vegetarian Food Pyramid

* Fats, oils, sugar & salt : Use sparingly. Use fats or oils low in saturated, or hydrogenated fat, or Trans-fats.

* Milk, Yogurt Cheese : 2-3 servings daily
- 1 cup milk;- 1 cup/8 ounces yogurt;- 1.5 ounces natural cheese;- 2 ounces processed cheese.-

*Dry Beans, Nuts, Seeds, Eggs and Meat Substitutes : 2-3 servings daily
- soy milk 1 cup;- cooked dry beans or peas, 1/2 cup;- 1 egg or 2 egg whites;- nuts/seeds 2 Tbsp;- tofu or tempeh - 1/4 cup;- peanut butter - 2 Tbsp.

*Vegetables : 3-5 servings daily
- 1/2 cup cooked/raw vegetables;- 1 cup leafy raw vegetables;- 1/2 cup cooked peas/beans/legumes;- 3/4 cup vegetable juice.

*Fruits : 2-4 servings daily
- 1 medium apple, banana, orange;- 1/2 grapefruit;- melon wedge;- 3/4 cup fruit juice;- 1/2 cup chopped fruit;- 1/4 cup dried fruit;

*Breads, grains : 6-11 servings daily
- 1 slice bread;- 1/2 hamburger bun or English muffin;- 1 small roll, muffin, or biscuit;- 5-6 small crackers;- 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, pasta, noodles;- 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal.

CLIMATE CHANGE Initiatives

Trying to find the place...

RM5 Entrance Ticket (redeemable when making purchases)
Project A - Plant a tree


Project B - Earth Saving Diet

Project C - Recover Ozone Layer (eg. garbage enzyme)
Project D - Green a Desert

And..... Project E - Share a Movie (ie. Al Gore's Inconvenient Truth)

Shop at JustLife bazaar. Pay RM9.90 for a cloth bag to carry your purchases. Return the bag to any of JustLife's outlet and get a complete refund.
(GREAT IDEA !!)


Also available- healthy & delicious organic by various outlets. I had the tofu pouch from Green Meadows, RM5.00 for 2. They have home/office delivery service too! Gonna check it out.... its at SS2, PJ.

Pledging to be a Vegetarist (vegan activist)

I hardly ate vegetables (except cucumbers in the nasi lemak & preserved kiam chye) throughout my growing-up years, preferring to gorge on all parts of the chicken, lamb, beef, pork (even the brains which was considered a delicacy), wild boar, pigeon and even hare (rabbit)!

Eating has always been an adventure in my family. We would return from our trips across the border (ie. Singapore) with packets of frozen foodstuff & cans of exotic-sounding food and started opening it up to see what was inside. As Singapore is very cosmopolitan, we get all kinds of food.

I also ate all kinds of fish, abalones (when it was still affordable), top-shell, lobster, crabs, shellfish of all shapes & sizes, squid, sea cucumber, jelly fish and yes, shark's fin!

When I turned twenty one, I was working & eating out. I began to appreciate stir-fried veggie Chinese style, then progressed to the Malay ulam (raw vegetables from the villages) & salads from the buffet line. But meat has remained my main favourite.

Along the way, I have many times attempted to go vegan but meat addiction was strong & I lack the resolve. There was much mis-understanding about vegans, or vegetarians. To make matters more complicated, in Chinese vegetarian cooking, they do not use garlic or onion but have mock meat, colouring, taste enhancers & lots of oil to make it tasty & appetising!

When I began my fitness training two years ago, I made a resolve to not eat large animals, ie. beef & lamb (but I was still attached to pork) and I have so far been able to stick to it (except a few times when I did not realise the soup or gravy was beef-based until latter).

For the past month, I have cut out chicken & pork. But it was not easy, not because of my addiction to it, but difficulty in finding vegetarian food that's not laden with saturated oil! I alternated between Indian Brahmin vegetarian & Malay fish/seafood/ulam & Chinese vegetarian & home made salads. It was an up-hill struggle trying to find healthy vegetarian food.

An accidental turn at the Taman Tun (Jln Burhanuddin Helmi) junction one day took my gym friend & I to an organic health food restaurant cum grocer called Eco Green for breakfast. And at the counter, I picked up the Climate Change initiative, an event organised by Justlife organic food shop at Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil on Aug 9 & 10.

And this is where I learned the benefits & more importantly the DIRE EFFECTS of meat eating to the environment! I was never a fan of organic food. And as usual, with ignorance one usually makes wrong evaluations. Before we putdown a movement as pure sensationalism or commercialism, we should find out more information about it...

Brickfields food adventure

During the Chinese New Year, I decided to take a stroll along Brickfields and I stumbled upon a place which sells 'puttu atta' and 'puttu ragi'.

Well, most of us are familiar with 'puttu mayam' - those strings of beehoon-like snack served with coconut shavings and brown sugar.

Well, there's also 'puttu bambu (bamboo)' where the powdery white rice mix is steamed with a few raisins in bamboo sections and 'puttu piring' where the mix is steamed in slightly flat metal plates with dark brown sugar inside.

Now, there's 'puttu atta' where the mix is wholemeal and 'puttu ragi' has a darker mix made of ragi (not sure what that is). Communication with the staff was difficult, punctuated with lots of head shaking and smiling.

However, they were nice enough to let me take some photos. One even offered to pose for me!! Guess they are used to 'tourists' (ha, ha)!

Notice the unique steaming 'towers' too! The mix is stuffed into the long towers and placed over the base in the stove.

Indian Vegetarian - by Brahmin chefs

TRY THIS !

Bajji (Indian snack ala 'tempura')
Slices of potato, onion, bread, carrot coated in a red batter & deep fried.

Vegetable Kofta
An assortment of vegetables topped with a thick creamy gravy and a few cashew nuts. Not spicy at all.

There's a story behind how I ended up with both. Being a bit of a glutton, to accompany the one tosai I ordered, I thought I'd try a side dish picked randomly from the menu - the Vegetable Kofta. The waiter informed the guys in the kitchen. There was some talk & movement in & out of the kitchen. After sometime, he came back & said that they couldn't make it because the cook was away. He recommended the bajji instead but it was deep fried, so I was hesitant but finally gave in as he was quite persuasive.

So, I tried the bajji, which was crispy but way too oily. I took only 1 1/2 of the 4 piece set and packed the rest. Then to my surprise, the kofta appeared! Apparently, the cook came back and saw the order. So I tasted a bit of it- it was good - and packed the rest.

That reminds me - On an earlier visit, when I ordered Teh 'O' kurang manis (tea with no milk and less sugar), but I got teh halia 'O' (ginger tea with no milk) instead! Such, an adventure eating here - you never know what you'll get! Maybe that's why I keep going back there, ha.ha...

Set Lunch
They also have set lunches served in large metal trays lined with banana leaves. A mountain of white rice comes in a small oval platter placed in the centre of the tray, surrounded by 5 small cups of curried veg., 1 cup rasam (sour soup), 1 cup buttermilk, 1 cup payasam (sago & milk dessert), 2 small deep-fried salted dry chillies & 1 piece of pappadam.

As I was cutting down on carbo, I had to ask them to reduce the enormous rice portion, twice. It was still quite a lot but I gave up trying to lessen it. The guys just could not believe it and I didn't want to be a difficult customer.

Lunch is served only from 12 noon. So, I can only have the set lunch on weekends or public holidays. Tosai & snacks like bajji, samosa and vadai are available throughout the day. There's also supposedly a healthier version of the (rice) tosai - 'atta tosai', made of wholemeal flour like in a chappati. But it was quite a letdown as the atta tosai turned out to be a rubbery pancake.


Shop : Bakti Woodlands, Jalan Leboh Ampang (opposite BSN)