A Little More In 2013

Looking back at the year that has been, 2012 couldn’t have started on a better note. Before I knew it, 2013 is at the door. Can’t wait to welcome it with open arms and a big smile. The following is my resolution for 2013, what’s yours?

Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

‘Tis that time of the year, temperatures are falling, snow is falling (in some places), leaves have fallen, a lot of red, green and white everywhere. The holidays have become a lot more commercial now than they were before. It is still fun, getting a Christmas tree, aah the smell of a fresh tree. While I do not get a tree home, I take in whiffs of air every time I drive by this place that sells trees. In my mind, I picture myself in a beautiful landscape surrounded by snow-covered tall ever-greens, sitting by a fireplace and enjoying some warm cookies with a glass of milk… Warm cookies… warm cookies…. warm cookies… coming back to reality, the thought of warm cookies still echoing in my head I realize that perhaps in this moment that is the only thing I can make happen! Aah… love it when magic is in one’s control I drove to the grocery store, pulled up this really cool recipe for vegan double chocolate chip cookies and started shopping.

Before I write down this recipe, I must share something that made the whole process of baking cookies and the cookies themselves much sweeter.

When I was at the checkout counter, my cashier, Nick, greeted me and asked me “How are you?” I replied, “Fine, thanks. How about yourself?” He replied saying that he was tired to which I said hopefully his shift was ending soon. Unfortunately, he had another 4 hours to go. I felt bad for him and hoped that his day improved. As he was scanning my items, I noticed that I had some Lara bars in my basket that I could gift him and hope to improve his mood or even bring a smile on his face momentarily. I picked it up and handed the bar to him. His first reaction was – “Do you want to remove this from your list?” I said “No, that is a gift from me to you, hope you enjoy it. ” He was ecstatic, his face lit up and he told me he was not sure if he could accept it. I said to him “Of course, you can, it is a gift. All I ask is for you to pay it forward.” He replied.. “Definitely”. So there’s my story of a random act of kindness.

Thank you for patiently reading. Here’s the recipe I enjoyed and this will most likely go into my permanent cook book, once I master it by tweaking around just to get it right.

Notes:

1. I did not have an electric mixer or food processor at that time, so I used all the strength of my arms to whisk and mix and maybe that is why my “whole Wheat” cookies were not as smooth in texture…. But delicious nonetheless
2. The recipe calls for whole wheat baking flour, which I did use, but keep in mind, the cookies will taste slightly different than what you’re used to.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Tbsp (tablespoon) ground flaxseed (equivalent of 1 egg)
2. 3 Tbsp water
3. 3/4 cup non-dairy, non-hydrogenated butter (such as Earth Balance)
4. 1 cup granulated sugar (I used slightly less than 1 cup and I used brown sugar)
5. 1 tsp (teaspoon) vanilla extract
6. 1.25 (1 and quarter) cup whole-wheat pastry flour (you could use all purpose/white baking flour if you wanted)
7. 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
8. 1/2 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
9. 1/2 tsp baking soda
10. 1/4 tsp salt
11. 1 cup non-dairy semisweet chocolate chips (I used only about half a cup)
12. Special ingredient that I addded – half a cup of tiny vegan marshmallows
13. Might need 1 or 2 Tbsp of non-dairy milk or water

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C or gas mark 4).
2. In a food processor or blender (I used a blender), whip flaxseed and water together until mixture reaches a thick and creamy, almost gelatinous consistency. Set aside
3. In a large-sized bowl, mix butter and sugar. Whip until creamy. Add flaxseed paste and vanilla
4. In a separate bowl, blend the remaining dry ingredients except for choco chips and marshmallows.
5. Add this mixture to the wet mixture and mix until everything is well blended. You can use a hand blender or food processor to mix.
6. If you need a little extra moisture, add a small amount of water or non-dairy milk. (I added 2 Tbsp of almond milk).
7. Finally, stir in the chips and marshmallows.
8. Form balls on uniform size, flatten them slightly and lay on a baking sheet or aluminum foil.
9. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops are no longer gooey. You can turn on the oven light and monitor the cookies.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Recipe courtesy: The Joy Of Vegan Baking

Sabudana Chi Khichdi (Sago/Tapioca khichdi)

I have discovered that my passion for cooking surfaces mostly towards the year-end when it rains and the climate is cold. Why the rains, you ask? I grew up in India and one thing you must know about India – its seasons: Hot, hotter and hottest with the monsoon season somewhere in the middle I love the monsoon season in India. As a kid, that meant holiday at school when it rained cats and dogs. India is a tropical country and when one says raining cats and dogs means it pouring down hard and will most likely cause flooding.

I enjoyed going up to the terrace to enjoy the first rain of the season. The rains not only brought out the earthworms and snails, it also brought out the beautiful smell of the Earth, the melodious music of nature.

When it rains so hard that we’re forced to take a break from school and work and stay indoors, it means only one thing – family, friends, fun and food. That’s another thing to note about Indians, they never miss an opportunity to get together with friends and/or family to chat and laugh over food and drinks. Especially during the monsoons, it is very common to enjoy some chai with hot snacks such as kaanda bhajji (onion fritters), vada pav and sabudana khichdi. This morning I woke up the wonderful pitter patter of the rain drops on the roof. It reminded me of home and so after getting out of bed and quickly scanning through my pantry, I decided to make me some masala chai and sabudana khichdi. I am going to share with you the recipe for this regional dish, originating in the state of Maharashtra, India. Growing up in Mumbai (city in Maharashtra) one becomes a Maharashtrian by association

Sago is not a good source of fiber or vitamins, but it is low in fat and has small amounts of protein. It is high in carbohydrate content, so it is good if you’re looking to go running the next morning or if you’ve had it for lunch, then an evening run should be effective as far as fuel is concerned But yeah, if you’re on a diet, then you probably want to stay away from this calorie demon. This snack is super low on the oil content (not fried, only oil required is for tempering) and one can add veggies to this snack to make it healthier.

Here is the recipe:

Serves 2 to 3 people

Ingredients:

• Sago – 1 cup (soaked overnight or at least 6 hours)
• Oil – 2 Tbsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds – 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida – 1 pinch
• Curry leaves – 3 to 4
• Green chilli – 1 to 2 finely chopped
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Salt – to taste
• Juice of 1 small to medium sized lime (as per preference)
• Sugar (I used brown sugar) – 1/2 Tbsp (or to taste)
• Coconut – 1/3 cup
• Cilantro (corriander) – for garnishing as per your preference
• Roasted peanuts – 1/3 to 1/4 cup coarsely ground

Method of Preparation:

Wash and then soak the sago balls in about 1/2 cup of water overnight, however if you’re pressed for time, then about 4 hours should be fine with occasional stirring to mix it such that all the sago balls equally absorb water. When the sabudana (sago) have been soaked long enough, they become bigger in size and very soft. Take a mesh or strainer to get rid of excess water. Then lay a kitchen paper towel on a plate and spread the sabudana in a single layer on it to get rid of any water that wasn’t drained. Let it sit while you temper the other ingredients. In a pan (or kadhai), add the 2 Tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds to it, as soon as the mustard seeds start cracking, add cumin, fenugreek, turmeric powder and Asafoetida. Finish off with curry leaves and green chilli. Now add the sabudana and mix well. Turn the gas back on, while constantly stirring. Add the peanuts and coconut. Mix well. Finally add the sugar, salt and lime. Mix well. In order to let all the flavors be absorbed by the sabudana, keep the flame on for another 5/8 minutes. Remember to keep stirring. Now turn off the flame and garnish it with cilantro. It is ready to be served. What gives sabudana khichdi its flavor is the sweet-n-sour (tangy) blend of sugar and lime and the crunchiness of roasted peanuts.

Fun Friday

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Garfield the cat, I think it was his laziness that I connected most with haha… Recently I stumbled upon a cat quite the opposite of Garfield, this cat does not like to sleep or eat Lasagna all day, he always seems to be in is laboratory trying out some crazy Chemistry experiments…. Naturally, we all know what happens to beings who confine themselves in the lab all day with chemical formulas and equations all day…. they come up with geeky jokes, their own jokes that they laugh at. I stumbled upon Chemistry Cat’s jokes and thought they’d be the perfect topic for this Friday’s post.

You’ll love ‘em if you love geeky humor, or if you love cats or if you love science (Chemistry in particular). Enjoy

Techniques to Master New Skills

While feeding my body a healthy breakfast in the morning is important, so is feeding a healthy breakfast to my mind. I do so by reading. No, not by reading news on who got mugged on a street or shot in a gang fight, but by reading positive articles and news that nurture the mind and soul.

Not too long a ago, a friend of mine posted a link to an article on “tiny habits”. Intrigued by it, I read it and thought it’d be fun to try it (will write about it soon).

This morning as I was going through my twitter feed, I came across an article from HBR, titled – How to Master a New Skill. If you know me, you know I am always up for trying new things, be it in my personal or professional life; I love to learn new things be it a sport or some form of art like painting or singing… okay not singing, that I shall confine to the walls of my bathroom, haha… While the article focuses on mastering new skills to advance your career, you can apply the principles to any aspect of life where you need to or desire to learn a new skill.

Before I point you to the article, here are some things I have learned by trial and error and simply by my own experiences gained either from fear at some point or courage at another. Having said that, I am still learning and growing and it always helps to approach things from a different perspective every so often

According to me the top 3 pointers for most of us to remember are:

# 1 – When wanting to master a new skill is “patience“. It is important to remember that everything takes time, especially when one is trying to acquire a new skill. So be patient with yourself, give yourself time and encouragement

# 2 – Do not fear failure, well, you can fear it, but do not give up because of the fear of failure. It is okay to fail. Unfortunately, failure in our society has a very negative image. But that is not true.

#3 – Dream big, but make practical small-step goals with clearly defined objectives AND rewards. This way, not only are you taking it step by to step to your ultimate goal, but you’re also celebrating success along the way, which has been proven to feed into the human psyche for guaranteed success. The human brain works on a cue-reward mechanism. We all do, even without knowing it. It’s like getting the dog to do tricks or listen to you by simply walking towards the jar full of doggie treats.

Best of all –  By simply picking up new skills, you’re keeping your brain sharp and constantly engaged and studies have shown that by keeping the brain working and learning new things, you’re keeping Alzheimer’s disease at bay. So here’s another reason… get out there and learn something new today! and yes you can master it too… just remember these tips

Okay, going to the article now, the points (in blue) that struck me the most were:

Halvorson agrees: “Many people implicitly believe that if you have to work hard at something, it means you lack ability. This is rubbish.” Instead, recognize that learning a new skill takes extreme commitment.

Know How You Learn Best – you know what works for you. Do not take an approach simply because it works for someone else. When we were kids, my sister and I had very different ways of absorbing study material. While she liked to write things down, I liked to read it aloud. We both always did well. My brother, he was, well one Mr. Smarty-pants, he always told my mum that the more basketball he played at school with friends, the more it helped him in his studies. Of course my mum wasn’t going to buy that… But my brother, oh he is smart!! too smart I think. He said that playing basketball with his friends after school, fostered a healthy discussion on what was taught in school, exchanging ideas while keeping it fun…etc… he made it sound as if it was all about study and not about play…..yet again I find myself digressing… anyway, you get the point

Reflect Along The Way – Recently at work, I had to attend a training on Process Management and the model that training was based on had a “Reflection/Introspection” box at the end of the flow diagram that fed back into the think tank. For individuals and small teams, the reflection/introspection happened on a weekly basis when they met. For the project, it happened on a monthly, bi-weekly basis. The idea here is that as you reflect along the way, you improve, you become more efficient and maybe even see things with a fresh new perspective.

That’s all for now. Have a great day!

Here’s the article – How to Master a New Skill

Thank You All

I want to take this opportunity (Thanksgiving day in the US) to thank you all for encouraging me to write more by reading my posts, liking them and commenting on them. You have made my stay here so much richer and fun. Thank you.

 

Tweet tweet tweet I have a twitter account

Hello readers, I am happy to announce the arrival of my blue bird baby… haha…I now have a twitter account. I shall try and tweet daily on some of the topics listed below. The topics will be on health, mental well-being, personal growth and other random things

I hope you find it useful. Here’s the link to my twitter profile. Please follow if like what you read If you have twitter accounts, please share them here so that I and other readers have the opportunity to see what awesome stuff you tweet about.

https://twitter.com/thechangerevrev

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