Vegan is the latest food trend of 21st century. Not only it’s light on the stomach but, it is also a great initiative if you are planning to quit meat once and for all. You don’t need to always rely on diners every time you crave for some vegan food. You can always prepare them at home. Let’s go through a three course meal that are exclusively for vegans.
Soup:
A simple yet filling soup that you can prepare at home is the lentil soup. Easy to prepare, it requires less than half an hour of your kitchen time. Boil and pressure cook brown pulses (or pulses of your choice) for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep the consistency (thick or watery) as per your requirement. Add 2 table spoons of olive oil to a pan, once heated add finely chopped onion and garlic to the oil and cook them brown. Blend tomato in a mixer and add it to the pan, add kosher salt, pepper of your choice and cook it till it starts to form bubbles. Mix both, the pressure-cooked pulse and the gravy in a pot and cook it for another 5 minutes, serve hot in a bowl.
Appetizer:
Cut a cauliflower into small pieces, wash them thoroughly in hot water and set them to dry. Add half teaspoon of smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt and mix them well. While you do this, preheat the oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the mixture on all sides of the cauliflower pieces and set them on baking sheet laid on a baking tray. Bake them for 10 mins, change the sides of the florets and bake them for another 10 minutes until you see them turning brown. Serve them with cream cheese sauce or a dip of your choice.
Main course:
Missing the old BLT sandwich? Those slices of bacon stuffed between slices of vegies and bread. The sauce and the slices of cheese would make it more irresistible. Well, fret not, you can still treat yourself with an all-vegan BLT sandwich. Take two slices of multigrain bread, apply vegan mayonnaise (available in stores) on either side of both the slices. Cut tofu into thin slices and drain-press them well add the slices into a margination of half table spoon soy sauce, two tablespoon tomato paste, one tablespoon liquid smoke and keep them set for couple of hours. Once set bake them in an oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Place the tofu slices between veggies of your choice (add jalapenos if you want to make your BLT a bit spicier) place a slice of cheese and cover with the slices of bread and grill them to perfection.
We are a coffee-drinking nation and every form of the beverage – decaf, regular, expresso, latte, cappuccino, macchiato and ristretto is consumed everyday by millions of us. It’s the first thing we need in the morning and the last (for some) after dessert. Black, with cream, with sugar, no sugar, flavored, each of us has a preference with regard to strength. Nespresso’s taken heed of this and given us a gift in a pod with the Nespresso capsules. Available in the regular Arabica and Robusta capsules, they have some amazing seasonal flavors as well.
Nespresso capsules are hermetically sealed in a capsule that holds 5-7 gms of coffee – enough for one serving of coffee. They offer five ranges in Ristretto (25ml), Espresso (40 ml), Lungo (110 ml), Decaffeinated (40 ml and 110 ml) or Flavored (40 ml).
The variations in Nespresso coffee capsules Ristretto range are:
Ristretto Origin – Made from South and Central American Arabicas, it has toasted flavors with cocoa notes and woody undertones.
Ristretto Origin India – A blend of the finest Arabicas with a smidgen of Robusta from Southern India, this full-bodied coffee has hints of spices.
Ristretto Intenso – A strong blend of South and Central American Robustas and Arabicas, the Ristretto Intenso is a full-bodied coffee with a creamy texture and peppery notes.
The variations in Nespresso coffee capsules Espresso range are:
Espresso Origin Brazil: A pure Arabica coffee, it has a mild sweet flavor.
Espresso Leggero: A blend of South American Arabicas and Robusta, it has smooth notes of cocoa and cereal.
Espresso Forte: Exclusively made from South and Central American Arabicas, it has an intensely roasted balance of espresso and fruity notes.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules Lungo range are:
Lungo Leggero: Lightly roasted East African, South and Central American Arabicas, with mild notes of jasmine is what makes up this delicious brew.
Lungo Forte: A complex mix of South and Central American Arabicas, this coffee has heavy roasted notes with a slight hint of fruit.
Lungo Origin Guatemala: A mix of Arabica and washed Gourmet Robusta coffee, Lungo Origin Guatemala is smooth and well balanced with dry and malty cereal notes.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules in the Decaffeinated range are:
Espresso Decaffeinato: Dark roasted South American Arabicas with a touch of Robusta enhances the cocoa flavors and roasted cereal undertones of this decaffeinated espresso.
Lungo Decaffeinato: This is a slightly more complex blend of separately roasted South American and East African Arabicas. It includes toasted cereal and sweet notes with subtle and floral hints of East African Arabicas.
The variations of Nespresso coffee capsules Flavored range are:
Espresso Vanilla: This silky-flavored coffee is the result of a base of Espresso Forte, which is a complex and heavily-roasted blend of South and Central American Arabicas and a slightly caramelized aroma of vanilla. Espresso Caramel: On a base of Espresso Forte, this complex and intensely roasted blend made from South and Central American Arabicas has the sweetness of caramel.
Here are a few easy and healthy recipe ideas that are both quick to make and light to digest on hot summer days. With very few ingredients, the preparation of these recipes is a breeze. So go on, enjoy these easy, healthy recipes that are brimming with nutrition and taste heavenly too!
Greek Cucumber Rolls
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Directions
This is popular among easy and healthy recipes. Slice cucumber into thin flat strips using a vegetable peeler and arrange them in slices of two on a clean tray. Smear the hummus on top of each slice, then toss some feta cheese, black olives and cut tomatoes on each of the cucumber strips. Squeeze a little lemon juice and sprinkle some finely chopped dill and cilantro. Finally, roll the strips, serve the Greek cucumber rolls and see them being gobbled up by the young and old alike!
Flavorful fettuccine pasta with vegetables
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Directions
Cook the fettuccine pasta according to the directions on the label. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the chopped garlic and shallots. After about a minute or so, add the other vegetables along with salt and toss them gently for a few minutes. The vegetables must cook and be crunchy at the same time. When they are done, add the cooked pasta, Parmesan cheese, and some freshly ground black pepper to it and mix well. Serve this flavorful fettuccine pasta with vegetables for lunch or dinner as a filling, yet light meal.
Sunshine juice
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Direction
Squeeze juice from the oranges and blend the strawberries in a juicer. Then in a pitcher, take the orange juice, strawberry juice, and chilled water together and mix well. Refresh yourself with this yummy sunshine juice with ice cubes on a hot day.