Guest Post: By Susmitha Subbaraju

Susmitha is perhaps one of the friendliest people that I have encountered online and has accepted me into the group "Vegan Temptivists" on Facebook, which is truly an honor - especially since she is my first guest blogger! She is an extremely talented artist in practically all of the mediums and makes amazingly mouth-watering recipes. Her blog, http://blog.veganosaurus.com/ is full of delicious, stunning and unique recipes - she isn't afraid to veganize and is most definitely outgoing when it comes to the things that she loves. Check her out because you won't regret it! ^^

---

Before I became vegan, 9 years ago, I was never interested in baking and barely interested in cooking. But turning vegan opened up a whole new world of ingredients and possibilities to me and I couldn't help but be inspired to get creative in my kitchen. That's when the baking bug bit me and ever since then there's been no looking back.
Since I'm vegan for ethical reasons, for the longest time I had the attitude that I'd rather use a few less than healthy ingredients in my baking (all purpose flour, processed oils etc...) than compromise on the taste and texture of the finished goodie. My main focus was to have people taste my cakes and pastries and be blown away by the deliciousness of vegan desserts.

When my more health inclined vegan friends spoke of using date syrup or whole wheat flour in their cakes, I used to turn up my nose and say, "those healthy cakes won't impress non-vegans into turning vegan so what's the point?" I even tasted a few of those healthy cakes and cookies with an open mind but was left unimpressed which further strengthened my belief that good cakes had to be made of all purpose flour and contain a generous amount of oil.

Then a few months ago, my friend Arun kicked that attitude right out of me by bringing this amaaaazing chocolate cake to our monthly Vegan Bengaluru potluck. I thoroughly enjoyed it. He told me that it contained absolutely no oil, was made of whole wheat flour and was made without an oven! My jaw would've dropped hearing that last bit except that I was busy gobbling up the cake.

Since I associate Bou Shin's blog with healthy eating as much as the cute bentos, I figured a healthy cake recipe would be perfect for my guest post here. :)

I made a bunch of changes to Arun's original recipe based on the ingredients I had at home.

(Here's my version of the Healthy Chocolate Cake recipe)

• 1 1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 C Jaggery Powder (can use Sugar if you can't find jaggery but it's less healthier that way)
• 1/3 C Cocoa Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Small Mashed Bananas + 2 tsp Flax Seed Powder+ 1/4 C Water (whipped together for a few minutes)
• 3 tsp Lime Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 C Water
• 1/2 C Walnuts - broken into little pieces
• 2 Small Mashed Bananas + 2 tsp Flax Seed Powder+ 1/4 C Water (whipped together for a few minutes)

(Directions)

• Bring 3 to 4 C of water to boil in a large pan/pot/steamer (the baking dish should easily fit inside).
• Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and lightly grease with a few drops of olive oil.
• Mix dry ingredients (except sweetener and walnuts) and sieve a few times to make the flour airy.
• Mix jaggery/sugar with wet ingredients and whip for a few minutes to create air bubbles.
• Mix wet and dry ingredients quickly until there are no large lumps (do not over mix).
• Stir in the walnuts and transfer to baking dish.
• Place an upside down the plate or bowl inside the steamer pot (to add height) and place the baking dish inside it.
• Cover the pot and steam on medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and continue steaming for another 15 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the pot and keep aside for 10-15 minutes.
• Gently lift the cake along with the foil out of the dish and place on a cooling rack.
• After the cake has cooled completely, peel off the foil.
• Slice and serve plain or with melted chocolate poured over it.
• Enjoy!

Thanks Bou Shin for having me over on your blog.

Rice Waffles (Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Wheat-Free, Fat/Oil-Free)

I haven't had wheat flour in the house for about a month now, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm able to get out of the whole "dry wheat toast for breakfast with fruit" and instead moving on to other carbs. These are great for those that can't have gluten or wheat, and thankfully they have stevia to make them slightly sweet without rotting your teeth. These are toothy, crispy and absolutely delicious with a  great texture. They're very similar to hand-pounded mochi waffles and are, infact, half-hand pounded to give them that nice texture. Cinnamon sprinkled throughout, topped with fruit and agave nectar makes this an amazingly cheap, quick and fun breakfast.

(Ingredients)

• 2 cups Cooked White & Brown Rice
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 2 & 1/2 tsp Stevia Powder
• 2 tsp of Cinnamon

(Directions)

• Cook your rice according to the directions and once it has steamed for about 15 minutes (after full cooking) you can take half of the rice and put it into a large metal bowl.
• Use a crab mallet, mortar and pestle or whatever you can and start to pound the grain. The goal here is to let everything get mashed together so that the grains stick. Once it has gotten into a sticky paste, fold in your dry ingredients and pound them in, stretching and pulling the rice across the bowl as you pound and mix.
• Then, take an electric mixer and continue to beat the rice down until only a few half-shaped grains are left.
• Preheat your waffle iron and spray heavily, then place a big dollop in the middle and cook until crisp - you may need to "cook" it twice. Be sure to watch out for the steam.
• Serve with your favorite toppings, a big glass of non-dairy milk and enjoy!

Seitan Fajitas (Low-Fat, Oil-Free, Simple)

I had this for breakfast and used the same exact recipe for my "A Bento For Dad". The only difference being that I used no oil to cook this in my non-stick pan in. Plus, I steamed everything else for a lower fat and healthier meal, which makes me pretty happy! The seitan is extremely  soft, but still has enough 'chew' and flavor to just be eaten on its own (which I generally do). So, I hope that you like this as much as me.

(Fajita Seitan Ingredients)

• 1 cup of Vital Wheat Gluten (I used Arrowhead Mills)
• 2 tsp of Garlic Powder
• 3 tsp of Salt-Free Taco Seasoning
• 1/2 tsp of Cumin
• 1/2 tsp of Salt
• 4 tbl of Jelled Chickpea Broth
• Enough Water to mix

(Fajita Seitan Directions)

• Mix your dry ingredients together, then add in your broth and mix until there is too much gluten to mix in.
• Then you can slowly add in your water and knead with your hands about fifty times or until it is spongey.
• Cut into bite-size pieces and boil in water or broth for about an hour, then stir/pan-fry for a few minutes with olive oil or a dry pan until it has crisped to your liking.
• Sprinkle with extra seasoning, present with vegetables and fold in a nice flour tortilla, then you're done!
• Enjoy!