Oat Flour Crepe

a vegan quick bread

I had some mango chutney (achār or whatever) left from last night but I didn't have any more chapati to eat it with and I didn't want to settle for ordinary bread.  I was basically looking for an excuse to play with the stove so I decided to make some crepes.  The bummer was I didn't have flour anymore so I improvised.  Thus, I came up with something vegan, gluten-free and awesome!

If you follow the recipe strictly, you'll come up with:

- 2 medium sized crepes


You will need:

- 150 grams (1 cup) of oat flour * You can make it yourself by grinding oatmeal in a coffee grinder until it becomes completely powdered. 

- 250 millilitres (1 cup) of soy/almond/coconut or any non-dairy milk * In my case, I used organic soy milk. 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil * If you use coconut milk, omit this ingredient. 

- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar or maple syrup (or honey, if you're okay with it) 

- 1 unit equivalent of banana-based egg substitute * Click on the link to know how to make it.

- ¼ teaspoon of salt 

- 1 tablespoon of baking powder

To make pancakes:

1.  Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl, including the banana egg substitute. 

2.  Add in all the dry ingredients to the mixing wet ingredients in this order:  Flour, salt, and baking powder 

3.  Make sure your batter is a little bit runny.  If, by your good judgement, it's not runny enough, mix in a bit more vegetable milk.  Make sure it doesn't become too fluid because then it will fall apart when you flip it since it's completely gluten-free. 

4.  Cook over low heat with a non-stick or greased pan.  Spread it fairly thin all over the surface.  A minute on each side will likely do.  Make sure you flip it carefully since it won't hold as well as normal gluten-filled crepes would.

Mango Chutney (or Achar or Whatever)

a vegan sauce

I wanted to make mango chutney but I didn't have all the right spices so I thought I'd simplify it and make achār instead.  Then again, I wanted it to be sweet, so I decided to improvise using simple ingredients.  If Mango chutney and mango achār were to make love and have babies, at least one of them would probably taste like this.

If any Indians are reading this, please don't get mad.  I love you!

If you follow this recipe strictly, you'll come up with about half a small jar of whatever this thing is.


You will need:

- 1 large mango (flesh only), roughly chopped 

- 2 teaspoons of ginger paste or shredded ginger * If you don't like ginger, reduce it to 1 teaspoon.  Remember that a little ginger goes a long way.

- ½ teaspoon of turmeric (paste or powder) * This is for colour. 

- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar 

- 1 tablespoon of olive oil 

- 1 tablespoon of agave nectar (or honey if you're not opposed to the idea)

- ⅓ cup of water 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt (or a little less)

mango

shredded ginger

turmeric powder

To make it:

1.  Sauté the ginger paste in olive oil over low heat for a few seconds. 

2.  Add in your mango and sauté for about a minute. 

3.  Add in the turmeric and sauté for 2 minutes. 

4.  Stir the salt, vinegar and sweetener in. 

5.  Stir in water and simmer over very low heat (with occasional stirring) until thick.

(Raw) Vegan Chocolate Pudding

a vegan dessert

This is an adapted version of Laura Miller's "not gross avocado chocolate pudding."  It's simple; it's delicious; it's vegan!  So, go make it.

This recipe is good for a whole bowl of pudding, which will feed a varied number depending on how hungry or greedy the diners are.

You will need:

- 2 large ripe avocados (of course just the flesh) 

- ½ cup of agave nectar, maple syrup, or honey (Now, maple syrup may not be technically raw but it's still used in a lot of raw food recipes.  Honey may be raw but not exactly pure vegan.  You can use it if you're not hardcore.  Just make sure it's cultured and you know the bees weren't killed in the process of collecting it.) 

- ½ cup of raw cocoa powder or melted dark chocolate (Use the latter if you're not fanatic about eating raw.) 

- 3 tablespoons of liquid coconut oil 

- ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar (No other kind of vinegar will do.)

- ½ teaspoon of nama shoyu or regular soy sauce (Nama shoyu is simply raw, unpasteurised soy sauce which raw foodists use in place of regular soy sauce but you may use the latter if you don't have the raw option.  It's not going to make your dessert taste like soy sauce; it simply destroys the taste of avocado and sharpens the taste of chocolate.) 

- ¼ teaspoon of salt (You can add even less than this because you literally need very, very little.  Just an itsy bitsy pinch will do.)

To make it:

Mix everything well in a blender, food processor, or in a bowl using a fork. 

Ideally, mix in the avocado, salt, nama shoyu, balsamic vinegar and coconut oil first.  Add the agave nectar and cocoa powder after about a minute of blending the first batch of ingredients and blend for another minute or two.

END TIP:  If so desired, you may top it with your choice of fruits and/or nuts when you serve it.