Entrée
-
Gluten Free and Vegan Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Pancakes are everyones favorite weekend breakfast. My favorite pancakes in the world are the limited edition Cinn-a-Stack pancakes from IHOP. I get so sad when they disappear off the menu. The cinnamon topping is so tasty and I could probably eat it separately in a bowl. For the purposes of the recipe I put it in a squirt bottle to get that signature swirl, but honestly you could just spread it over a cooked pancake with the back of a spoon to double down on that lovely velvety, sticky, sweet cinnamon flavor. Method The methodology is the same as regular pancakes. The kicker is that I make it with gluten…
-
Spicy and Sweet Tofu
Tofu is every vegetarian/vegan’s big hurdle. It can be bland and everyone tells you “it tastes great if you cook it right”. I’ll tell ya what… I didn’t think that rule applied to me. I was so so wrong. My dad was looking for better ways to get more protein and we bit the bullet and tried a bunch of tofu recipes. I made this tofu as a side dish that can be combined with a bunch of different things. You can eat it mixed into some rice, you can have it as a side with a serving of noodles, you can stir in some vegetables and make it a…
-
Vegan Creamy Garlic Pasta
Earlier in the week, I showed y’all how to make marinara sauce, what happens when you’re all out though?! No worries I am here to save you with my easy vegan pantry pasta! This pasta combines a lot of ingredients you probably already have around your house. You don’t really need to have anything else besides some sort of fat (in my case I used Country Crock Plant Butter), a few veggies, garlic, chili flake, nutritional yeast and cashews. The sauce is essentially constructed with the help of pasta water! I am trying to add more vegan and gluten-free elements to my diet. Pantry pasta can be riffed on in…
-
Spicy Rigatoni Rosa
As far as chains go, I don’t really discriminate. I’m not going to lie I love pretty much everything, anywhere. I feel like there is nothing more comforting than a big plate of pasta. One of my favorite chains is Buca di Beppo. The Spicy Chicken Rigatoni (minus the chicken) is one of my favorite dishes of ALL TIME. I can probably finish a whole plate of garlic bread too. My family can be quite picky with non-Indian dishes so the Spicy Rigatoni is a rare dish that everyone loves. This is my take on making a copy cat. There are several online, I have taken the crux of it…
-
Warm and Soft Idlis
Hittin’ ya back with another classic: Idlis! Earlier this month I posted my sambar recipe. A lot of things can be eaten with sambar so I decided to go full on and post Masala Dosa earlier this month followed by Idli! The reason Idli is coming out as a #BhaktaBasics recipe is because it’s able to be upcycled into something new later on! For now let’s start with the basics of this dish. Idlis are essentially steamed rice cakes that can be served with chutneys and sambar. You will need a special steamer to make this dish. Most Indian grocers will have them but you can also find one on…
-
Dabeli Pizza
Dabeli Pizza is great for a no-rush, lazy Sunday kinda day. These are lots of fun for kids and adults alike and make for a great addition for your normal chaat line up. This recipe is great for using up extra things you have in the fridge. The paratha dough is from my Aloo Paratha recipe, the filling is from my Dabeli recipe and all the toppings can be a great way to use up chutneys and herbs from the fridge! The idea has all of the key flavor notes that you look for in great chaat food, but it is a little more portable. The best part is that…
-
Roti/Chapatti
In desi families learning how to make roti is imperative. Most families I know make them a few times a week up to daily especially if you have elder family members living with you. Roti for me was very difficult. I feel like most kids my age never bother to learn how to make it because it seems too tedious or difficult. I really think it is a great skill to learn, especially if you enjoy Indian food. I’ll be honest this is one of those recipes that I struggled with a lot. I felt like an idiot because all of the women in my family seemed to have this…
-
Masala Dosa
Masala Dosa is a dish that has grown to be quite the staple in the Bhakta house. It isn’t a dish that I grew up with to be honest. My mom found a recipe through the CookingShooking channel and it really flipped our script! The potato and onion masala is her own creation and its really diverse with a lot of textural aspects from the cashews and toasted urad dal. We have bumped up this recipe a gazillion times from trying to make our own “gunpowder” which is a spice blend to sprinkle in the dosa. We have made Szechuan dosa with a chili chutney, spring roll dosas with a…
-
Easy and Quick Sambar
I would like to just start out this blog post by disclosing that this is not the authentic sambar recipe from a South Indian mom’s kitchen. This is a gujju-fied, cheater’s version that comes together super quick and is really flavorful and tasty in its own right. One of my best friend’s mom texted me her recipe, but I really want to sit with her and learn how to make it properly. In a post-COVID world, hopefully, a world that is coming to us soon, I will be able to visit her and learn from her directly. In the meantime, my family has this sambar recipe that they love and…
-
Callin’ Code Red Chili: Spicy Vegan Chili WITH BEANS
Y’all I am reveling in my full Texas vibes right now. Yes, I know true Texans never put beans in their chili, but when you’re vegetarian or vegan you will find any opportunity to sneak in some extra protein and nutrients. My dad tries his best to maintain a low carb diet. He was frustrated of feeling like he only ate the same 5-6 dishes on repeat. So, he tasked me with making a high protein, fiery as hell dish that would make him feel full and maybe sweat a bit. The spicy peppers and ghost pepper flakes are completely optional! Feel free to sub out a pepper of your…
