Different Brands and Types of Tofu

I have tried different brands of tofu and now tofu is
a staple at our home. Ever since I tried trader joe's
tofu, I simply don't feel like purchasing any other
brand of tofu other than Trader Joe's.

I adore Trader joe's tofu. Tofu from Traders joe's is
slightly creamish in color and I feel it tastes pretty
different from other brands of tofu.

The best part of extra-firm tofu is that it looks and
tastes so much like paneer(Indian cottage cheese). I also
like tofu because it gets cooked within a couple of minutes.

There are many types of tofu: silken tofu, firm tofu,
and extra-firm tofu. I use extra-firm tofu frequently
to cook simple spicy gravies, to eat with
Chapatis(flat wheat bread) or hot rice.

What is your favorite brand and type of tofu?

Vegan Pumpkin Halwa

I love sweets. I like to try new recipes once in a while.
Recently, I saw pumpkin halwa in Mahanandi's blog. The rich
color of the halwa was breathtaking and I decided to make it.

I made this halwa with soy milk following mahanandi's
recipe. However, I used vegetable oil to cook the grated
butternut squash and used two and half cups of sugar
instead of two cups of sugar. During the final stage,
the halwa did not turn into a solid firm mass within
10-15 minutes according to the recipe. I guess because
I added more sugar, the mixture took nearly an hour to
become solid firm mass.

I tasted the halwa before keeping it in the freezer.
It was like pudding and tasted great. It became nutty and chewy, when
I kept it in the freezer. I liked both the version of the
delicious sweet.

India and Mahatma Gandhi

Today is India's independence day. Indians consider
Mahatma Gandhi as the father of the nation.

Gandhi, one of the outstanding leaders of 20th
century, brought independence to India through the
concept of nonviolence.

Gandhi, led a very simple life. Gandhi followed the
concept of Ahimsa(non-violence) in his life.

Mahatma Gandhi's food was mainly plant-based. In a
country where milk and milk products is widely used,
Gandhi felt that milk is unsuited for human beings.

Gandhi's meal included simple food -boiled vegetables,
chapatis(flat wheat bread) sprinkled with some
ghee(clarified butter), and goat's milk.

Even though Gandhi consumed goat's milk regularly, he
was not happy about it and strongly felt that humans
should not consume milk and milk products. Gandhi
considered that getting used to goat's milk was a
tragedy in his life.

I wondered why Gandhi did not consume cow's milk, as
milk and milk products is widely used across India.
It seems Gandhi came to know about the
cruel process of "phooka" or "doom dev" to increase
the production of milk in cows. "Phooka" or "doom dev"
includes any process of introducing air or any
substance into the female organ of a milch animal with
the object of drawing off from the animal any
secretion of milk.

I was shocked because this incident took place nearly
six to seven decades ago. If the condition of milk
producing cows was so bad decades ago, the condition
of milk producing cows is horrible in India these
days.

Cows are considered as sacred animals and the
slaughter of cows is banned in numerous states across
India. Most of the Indians feel that cows are
treated well by farmers.

Today, India is the largest producer of milk. Variety
of milk products, everything from icecreams to
flovored milk can be found across India.Towns and
cities across India are brimming with pizza joints.

According to Peta, "Some farmers in India illegally
inject cows with oxytocin, a powerful narcotic that
requires a prescription and causes cows to produce
more milk"

Thanks to Peta, the horrible conditions of diary
industry in India is now exposed to the Indians.

To celebrate this great day,I made vermicelli payasam
with soy milk. I followed this recipe.

I wish Indians across the world, a happy independence day!

http://market.ap.nic.in/mkt/mkt/pca.htm
http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/Biography/gandhi/part5.chapter29.html
http://www.ivu.org/history/gandhi/experiments.html
http://www.weeksmd.com/articles/dairy/gandhimilk.php

Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath on Veganism

Yogis in India from thousands of years have thrived on fresh fruits and milk. Yogis feel that vegetarian diet is the best food for spirutual growth.

Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath, a yogi from India visits California frequently to preach about Yoga.

Yogiraj Gurunath Siddhanath advises his devotees not to become vegan.

Visit this video to hear what he has to say about vegan food.

Vegan Mysore Pak

In southern India, almost all the sweet stores will
have bright yellow mysore pak. Mysore pak is made from
chickpea flour, sugar and oil. At homes and in some
famous sweet stores, ghee is used instead of vegetable oil
in the preparation of mysore pak.

I recently made mysore pak and it tasted great. I
followed Mahanandi's recipe, but used vegetable oil.I
also roasted the chickpea flour until the raw smell of
the flour vanished.

Another important factor is to make sure that the
sugar syrup is of the right consistency before adding the
chickpea flour.

Vegetarian and Vegan Fare in Washington D.C

The number of vegetarian and vegan restaurants is increasing across the country. But, it can still be very hard to find vegetarian and vegan fare from coast to coast.

Compassion over Killing, is offering a free guide - The Vegetarian Guide to Washington, D.C and surrounding areas.

Visit VegDC to order the guide. You can find : vegetarian restaurants, groceries, bakeries and caterers.

Finding Vegan Food Items in Supermarkets

People often assume that you should shop at natural
food stores or health food stores for vegan food
items.

Actually in your local supermarket, you can find
smogsboard of vegan food items.

Visit the webpage from peta
to get an idea of the numerous vegan food items in the supermarkets across the country.

Vegan Sandwich at Potbelly Sandwich Works

Large cities across the United States have numerous
vegetarian and vegan restaurants. Sometimes, it is
just not possible to visit some great restaurants.

When you're in a hurry, you are likely to visit the
fast-food joint ,located across the street or in the airport
lounge.

Recently I had been to Chicago with my husband, and I
had the chance to eat Potbelly's vegan sandwich.
We ordered the vegetrain sandwich, minus cheese, and
mayonnaise. The sandwich was delicious with tangy
peppers and with lettuce and mushrooms.

Even though the air around me was saturated with
smells of meat and cheese, I was happy eating my vegan
sandwich.

Unfortunately, this fast-food joint is present only in some states
of the east cost. Visit Potbelly Sandwich Works