Showing posts with label brunch. Show all posts

Bhavini's Batata Poha

Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
Bhavini's Batata Poha
I got something truly amazing from this blog - my friend Bhavini! She is a friend of my husband's, but we were not in contact before this blog because she had already moved to another state by the time my husband and I got married and we never got the chance to meet. She discovered my blog through my husband and we started bonding over our common love - food! Food may have brought us together but her kindness, compassion, creativity, and zest for life (which food is a big part of!) continually inspire me and make me grateful to have her in my life. Bhavini and I have wanted to do some sort of collaboration for a long time and I am so excited to announce that she has agreed to do a guest post for me - and it's a great brunch recipe just in time for the weekend!

This was one of my favorite breakfast foods when I visited my husband's hometown in Maharashtra, India, where it is a common dish. I can still feel myself sitting at the dining table in his aunt's house, windows open to a view of lush tropical plants, the songs of exotic birds and the aroma of spices filling the air. I sat soaking it all in, eating this mystery dish wondering what exactly it was made from and enjoying every single bite. In my husband's language, Marathi, poha is called pohe. This dish will take your taste buds on a journey to India.

My beautiful (inside and out) friend Bhavini

Here is Bhavini's post:

Batata Poha (Pohe)

This recipe is usually served during breakfast, but my hubby likes it so much that I sometimes make it even for lunch or dinner. It goes great with a hot cup of Coffee or Tea. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family and friends enjoy it!!

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
2 Cups poha (flattened rice), available at Indian grocery stores
1⁄2 tsp turmeric powder
3⁄4th tsp mustard seeds
3⁄4th tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp peanuts
1 or 2 green chilies (Per your taste)
1 medium potato (Batata), chopped into small cubes (keep it in water to prevent it from oxidizing)
1 medium onion finely chopped
8 to 9 curry leaves
1 tbsp chopped Cilantro leaves
2 to 2.5 Tbsp oil
sugar to taste (Optional)
Lime/lemon wedges
salt per taste

Method:
1. First take the poha in a strainer and keep it under running water for about a minute or two. Rinse it very gently and not too much or else it can become mushy.

2. Once all the water has drained out, transfer it into a bowl while you cook the rest of the ingredients.
Making Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
Moistened Poha

3. If you feel the poha is not soft and has dried out you can sprinkle a few drops of water.

4. In a pan, add the oil and fry the peanuts till they become a little brown and crunchy. Transfer into a small bowl and keep aside.
Frying Peanuts for Batata / Potato Poha Vegetarian / Vegan Indian Breakfast
Fry peanuts 

5. Now in the same oil add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and, once they start spluttering, add chopped onions, curry leaves, green chillies and turmeric and stir all the ingredients.
Saute onions for Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
Sauté spices and onions 

6. Now add peeled chopped potatoes, salt and stir and keep it at medium heat. Cover the pot with the lid until potatoes are cooked. Make sure to stir in between to make sure potatoes have not burned.
Before Picture: Adding Potatoes to Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
Before

After Picture: Cooking Potatoes for Batata Poha / Pohe Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
After

7. Once potatoes are cooked, add the Poha (Flat rice) and mix gently with the rest of the potatoes mixture.
Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
Add poha and mix

8. If required add more salt and optional sugar.

9. Now switch off the flame and cover the pan again just for a minute or so for poha to get steamed for a few minutes.

10. Remove the lid and garnish the poha with chopped cilantro leaves, peanuts, some chopped onions and lime wedges.
Vegetarian Vegan Batata / Potato Poha Indian Breakfast
Finished Batata Poha

Crazy Sexy (Kitchen) Giveaway - Enter to Win!


Enter to win! (details at the end of this post)
Some people just shine. Being diagnosed with a rare and incurable stage 4 cancer, Kris Carr started a wellness revolution in her own life. Since learning to thrive despite her diagnosis, Kris has brought that wellness revolution into the world to share it with others. She is one of those people who I find very inspiring! I used to listen to her weekly radio show, follow her online and enjoy recipes from her cookbook. Just looking at this cookbook and reading her words, makes me feel healthy and empowered - long before I eat the recipe I'm reading about! I love Kris and am so grateful to her for the good work she does that I want to pay it forward by giving a copy of Crazy Sexy Kitchen away to one lucky reader! Yay! Before I share the details of how to enter, let me share with you a few reasons why I love this book!

Peach and Coconut Breakfast Quinoa
Peach and Coconut Breakfast Quinoa
The recipe above is adapted from the Mango and Coconut Millet Breakfast recipe. I love that the cookbook gives you a basic recipe with a lot of different options and variations. For example, my breakfast doesn't even have millet or mango. It's a Peach and Coconut Breakfast Quinoa. This is a nice, healthy breakfast when you need something warming. Great for a Michigan winter morning - or any time of the year!

Getting ready to make the Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie

Crazy Sexy Goddess Smoothie
Oh my goodness, I felt so healthy after drinking this smoothie! I felt like whatever the world could throw at me, I could handle it with strength and grace! There's something about drinking kale that makes me feel like I have superpowers.

Don't get the wrong idea - this book is not all about breakfast. Kris and Chef Chad Sarno share their journeys, give tools for transitioning to a healthy, plant-based diet (including information on plant-based nutrition from a RD), tips on being a bargainista, kitchen know-how (such as knife skills 101 and advice on cooking grains and beans), menu planning suggestions, and recipes from juices and smoothies to dinners and desserts. This book is designed to provide guidance and inspiration for anyone from the kitchen novice to the gourmand. That includes YOU, so enter to win!

**This contest is open to anyone in the United States or Canada.

There are 5 ways to enter the giveaway. That means you can have up to five entries per person. Here's how to enter:

1. Follow East Meets West Veg on Twitter and let us know in the comments below. 
2. Follow East Meets West Veg on Instagram and let us know in the comments below.
3.
Like East Meets West Veg on Facebook and let us know in the comments below.
4. Share on your vegan blog page and give the link to that page in the comments below. (I'm not asking for a full post; a quick line and link will suffice)
5. Share someone or something that has inspired you to lead a healthy lifestyle and/or follow a plant-based diet in the comments below.

Please enter to win by the end of the day on Saturday, October 5. The winner will be chosen at random. I am SO excited!!!
Winner will be announced Sunday, October 6th so please check back to see if you won!


Here are some reviews I found of Crazy Sexy Kitchen:
http://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Sexy-Kitchen-Plant-Empowered-Mouthwatering/dp/1401941044/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
http://veganyear.blogspot.com/2013/01/book-review-crazy-sexy-kitchen.html
http://www.bigcityvegan.com/blog/vegan-cookbook-reviews/vegan-cookbook-review-crazy-sexy-kitchen

And the winner is . . . Jerilyn from Ontario, Canada (http://www.bellaveg.com)! Congratulations!! Here's what Jerilyn said:
"The movie Earthlings inspired (...forced?) me to go vegan. I decided overnight to lead a vegan lifestyle (big change because I was not even vegetarian). I only had two slipups in the beginning; been vegan for over a year now :)"

I was so impressed when I read this comment about Jerilyn's overnight change! What strength of character! (Though this isn't why she won - the winner was picked at random using a random number generator) I found all of the comments below to be so interesting and inspiring! I really appreciate each and every person's comments. The stories shared below were some of the most touching comments I have ever read. Thank you so much to everyone who participated! I'm really looking forward to doing another giveaway in the near future!

What Crêpe? A Bit of Vegan Heaven Wrapped Inside a Fresh, Warm Crêpe

What Crêpe? is one of our absolute favorite places to get weekend brunch. From the moment we set foot inside for the first time, we loved it! This place has a relaxed vibe and the European inspired decor made us feel like we were far from Detroit. We felt like we could have just hung out there all day. I think the atmosphere alone would have won us over even if we could only eat a salad, but add onto that vegan crepes and soy milk for your organic coffee - oh my!

Our first dozen or so visits were spent eating only sweet crepes (which were absolutely divine), but we finally decided to try some of the savory crepes and now we can't visit without getting both savory and sweet.

The first time I tried the Old Woodward, a savory crepe with pan seared tofu, I was kind of afraid because I am a little picky about tofu and I often do not like it in restaurants so I usually avoid it when possible while eating out. The minute I took my first bite, I knew that my life would never be the same (okay, really just my brunches out wouldn't be.) It looks like your average run-of-the-mill tofu, but the taste is absolutely extraordinary. It won me over on texture too, which is a big deal for me when it comes to tofu. It's firm enough, but still easy to bite into.

I love combination of this delicious savory tofu with the avocado, tomato, spinach and crepe, though we have lately tried adding in different additional fillings and sauce with varying levels of success. I think my favorite additions so far have been the vegan truffle zip sauce, olives or asparagus. By ordering this crepe vegan, you are omitting the feta cheese so you may as well play around by substituting something else.

If you are really concerned about cross-contamination, this may not be the place for you. It says on their menu that vegan and gluten-free crepes are made in the same kitchen and on the same utensils as regular crepes. We've never found anything gross (pieces of chicken or chunks of egg) in our food as we have occasionally at other places though.

What Crêpe? is located in Ann Arbor, MI. The Birmingham and Royal Oak locations have now closed.

You seriously need to try this place. It just might change your life.

Vegan Crêpe (Old Woodward - pan seared tofu, red onion, avocado, tomatoes, spinach)
Vegan Old Woodward 
(pan seared tofu, red onion, avocado, tomatoes, spinach)

Vegan Crêpe with fresh strawberries, pecans, toasted coconut, and chocolate soy ice cream
Vegan Crêpe with fresh strawberries, pecans, toasted coconut, and chocolate soy ice cream

Love a homemade lazy weekend brunch! Happy Saturday!







Who says going vegan means you have to skip the meat and potatoes weekend brunches? I just swapped out a meat sausage for spicy veggie sausages in this dish and added spinach for a little extra nutritional boost. Put that together with the poppy seed muffins from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch (love this book!) & my husband's homemade chai and you have the breakfast of my childhood dreams!


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