Ujwala's Delicacies

Indian inspired all natural kitchen.

Desi style all vegetarian homemade tofurkey

The vegetarians at your table will undoubtedly love it if your dinner features something they can eat, especially a dish that recalls the traditional poultry they’ve given up. Nonvegetarians can enjoy knowing that vegetarian dinners, even those that aren’t 100 percent organic, take less of an environmental toll than meat-centric suppers. Tofurkey is definitely the best-known brand of veggie-based turkey alternatives; it’s handcrafted from tofu to look somewhat turkey like, and even stuffed with a vegetarian stuffing. But it’s far from the only option. Downside of buying store bought Tofurkey is there aren’t many certified-organic meat alternatives out there. Use your own certified-organic tofu and ingredients when you make at home.

Try something different with Thanksgiving dinner this year, make it meatless. It’s like a Thanksgiving present for the planet. A study of the veggie-loving Adventist community in California found that even nonorganic vegetarian diets used 2.9 times less water, 2.5 times less energy, and 13 times less fertilizer than meat-centric eating. Go organic and the benefits get even bigger. Your body will thank you, too, if you swap out the meat for a Tofurkey.

A Portland, Oregon man has millions of reasons to be thankful today and its all thanks to his creation 20 years ago, Tofurkey.

Seth Tibbott is a millionaire many times over because of the faux turkey made out of tofu. Tibbott was among the few vegetarians in the US in the 1970’s, but those vegetarian side dishes and salads just weren’t as appealing as a real turkey, the traditional thanksgiving centerpiece.

Tibbott started experimenting with more appetizing ways serve soy. He created pumpkins stuffed with soy and even gluten roasts, but no one seemed to bite. Then Tibbott, a professional soy crafter, came up with Tofurkey roasts in 1995.

Rava laddu with palm sugar

Rava laddu is south india’s common sweet made for festivals, weddings, gatherings, pujas.

Coconut palm sugar is a sugar substitute that seems to be gaining popularity in the market. It is made from sap that is extracted from the coconut tree. The taste of pure coconut palm sugar is similar to brown sugar. For cooking purposes, it has a very low melt temperature and an extremely high burn temperature so it can be used baked products in place of sugar.

Manufacturers of coconut palm sugar boast its low glycemic index, claiming it is a better choice for people with diabetes than regular sugar. Glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how a food raises blood glucose (or blood sugar) compared to a reference food (usually glucose or white bread). In the United States, we do not do official GI testing. So, GI numbers for the same food can differ depending on your source.

It is okay for people with diabetes to use coconut palm sugar as a sweetener, but they should not treat it any differently than regular sugar. It provides just as many calories and carbohydrates as regular sugar: about 15 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrate per teaspoon. So, you still need to account for it when planning meals.

10 minute, 5 ingredient Dalia, brown sugar laddu

Celebrate your delicious style with this 10 minute recipe. As the festive season inches closer, the need to include sweetness and deliciousness in your life becomes inevitable. Dalia is made of chickpeas. They are nothing but roasted split chickpeas. Making of Dalia is an interesting process. Chickpeas are soaked for several hours. Then roasted on low flame for a long time in large barrels. At the end color changes to light yellow and texture is crunchy. Flavor is quiet enhanced by this process. Resulting Dalia is ready to eat. Make sure to use fresh ghee. Without realizing fresh ghee significantly enhances aroma and taste.

Enjoy and have a festive Diwali!

Diwali is upon us!

One of the holiest days in Hinduism, Diwali celebrates the victory of good over evil and is cause for the biggest celebration in Indian culture. As the Sanskrit word diwali literally translates to “festival of light”, celebrations across India (and, increasingly, the world) feature candlelight processions, fireworks, gatherings and food.

Of course, no celebration in any culture would be complete without food, and that’s where I come in. As Indian culture spreads abroad, more and more people (like you, for instance) are looking for healthy Indian recipes to make from fresh, never-frozen, never-canned ingredients. As a native South Indian, I grew up on truly authentic Indian food and continue to cook it for my family and friends. Just as I use only the freshest ingredients, I want to pass that on to the world; you’ll never have to open a package to cook any of my recipes. I am committed to using whole grains and natural ingredients in my recipes, and those looking for low-carb and low-sugar Indian food without sacrificing genuine Indian recipes will find a haven here.

I’ll be posting one recipe per day throughout the Diwali season to help you celebrate in delicious style. Whether you’ve come to my Indian cooking blog merely out of cultural curiosity or as a source for your next family meal, you’ll find nothing but the best Indian recipes.

Enjoy and have a festive Diwali!

Enjoy diwali recipes here – https://ujwalasdelicacies.com/diwali-recipes/

Spaghetti squash kheer

Kheer is Indian gods favorite prasadam (offering to god). It is essential sweet made at every puja, festivals, weddings and other occasions. Kheer has many names depending on region – payasam, payasa, Khiri, payesh and payox. The word payasam is derived from payasa, meaning milk and fereni in Persian.

Next time you make payasam, replace vermicelli with spaghetti squash for low card and low sugar alternative.

Kheer is a rice pudding made by boiling rice or vermicelli with milk and sugar garnished with cardamom, saffron, cashew nuts, pistachios or almonds. It is typically served during a meal or as a dessert. Also offered to god on festivals and pujas.

With cooking, spaghetti squash flesh falls away from the inner cavity into strands reminiscent of spaghetti. These “spaghetti” strands are crisp and mildly sweet in flavor. You can surprise and delight young children by showing them how this vegetable transforms with cooking.

Acorn squash, mint soup – stock-free, vegan, gluten-free

“Squash” comes from the Narragansett Native American word askutasquash, which means “eaten raw or uncooked.”

Acorn squash is aromatic and sweet with a light nuttiness that is enhanced by roasting. Look for squash with a slight patch of orange which indicates maturity. Too much orange means it is overripe unless it is the golden variety.

One of the first published recipes for pumpkin pie (Pompkin Pudding) was in Amelia Simmons’ 1796 cookbook, American cookery. This the first cookbook to be written by an American and published in the United States.

Whole-grain pasta in pumpkin, tomato sauce

Did you know?

… a pumpkin is really a squash?
It is! It’s a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.

… that the Irish brought this tradition of pumpkin carving to America?
The tradition originally started with the carving of turnips. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S., they found pumpkins to be plentiful and they were much easier to carve for their ancient holiday.

… that pumpkins are grown all over the world?
Six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins, including Alaska. Antarctica is the only continent that they won’t grow in.

Butternut squash sambar

Butternut squash is one of the most popular winter-squash vegetables. Squash combined with lentils makes it a nutrient rich dish packed with protein, fiber, vitamins etc. Sambar is south Indian lentil soup. Staple food that is usually eaten with rice, idly or vada. It can be consumed as soup as well. Being a winter-squash member, butternuts can be readily available in the USA markets from September until the middle of December. However, since many fruits arrive into USA from South American continent, they can be easily found all around the season.

Being a member of pumpkin family, butternut squash has a pleasant nutty flavor and mildly sweet taste. Fresh raw butternut cubes may add special tang to vegetable salads. It is found favorite in both savory as well as a sweet dishes. It can be used in variety of delicious recipes as baked, stuffed, or stew-fried; however, eaten best by steam cooking to get most nutrients.

In Mexico, butternut squash bisque (soup) with added fruits, herbs or seafood is a favorite appetizer. Roasted and tossed butternut squash seeds can be used as snacks.

Pumpkin, coconut halwa

Well… hello, fall.

We can thank the autumnal equinox for this shift from sultry summer to cozy fall. And while most of us are aware of when the first day of autumn lands on the calendar, there’s more to the equinox than meets the eye.

1. There are two equinoxes annually, vernal and autumnal, marking the beginning of spring and fall. They are opposite for the northern and southern hemispheres.

2. The autumnal equinox happens the moment the sun crosses the celestial equator, which is an imaginary line in the sky that corresponds to Earth’s equator. Every year this occurs on September 22, 23, or 24.

3. From hereon, the days get shorter until the winter solstice in December, when the light will begin its slow climb back to long summer days. Winter solstice is technically the shortest day of the year, while the summer solstice in June boasts the most sunlight. Hence, the four season, as illustrated below.

4. This year, the autumnal equinox arrives precisely at 4:21 a.m. (EDT) on Wednesday, September 23. Unlike an event like New Year’s midnight that follows the clock around the time zones, equinoxes happen at the same moment everywhere.

5. This year, the sun will rise at 6:56 a.m. EDT on the equinox and will set at 7:04 p.m., giving us 8 minutes of day over night. Although the sun is perfectly over the equator, we mark sunrises and sunsets at the first and last-minute the tip of the disk appears. Also, because of atmosphere refraction, light is bent which makes it seem like the sun is rising or setting earlier.

6. Exactly equal day and night won’t happen until September 26 with sunrise as 6:59 a.m. EDT and sunset at 6:59 p.m.

7. For the astrology-minded, the morning of the autumnal equinox is when the sun enters Libra … the sign of balanced scales. Equal day and night, balanced scales, seeing a connection here?

Stock-free Buttercup squash, asparagus soup

The leaves are about to start changing, the days will get shorter, and mornings will grow chillier and crisp as summer fades away. And though we will miss long summer days and warm nights, we have a brand new, exciting season approaching! So why not start thinking about some fun recipes this autumn? Make best out of every variety of Pumpkins and squashes.

Use fresh pumpkin. Look for pumpkins without blemishes that are firm and smaller in size. Whole pumpkins can be stored in a cool dark place for up to two months. Don’t throw away the seeds. You can bake them for a wholesome, crispy snack.

A cup of cooked, mashed pumpkin has more than 200 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A, which aids vision, particularly in dim light, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Pumpkins are also rich in carotenoids, the compounds that give the gourd their bright orange color, including beta-carotene, which the body converts into a form of vitamin A for additional peeper protection.