Samosa

Samosa is a  popular snack from Indian cuisine. I love to eat samosa with sweet tamarind chutney.  I always order samosa for appetizer in restaurants. Whenever we go to Hanuman Mandir in Alpharetta, we go to Amma's Kitchen. And in Amma's Kitchen, we order Samosas for take-out.

A couple of days ago, I made Samosas at home. I followed the recipe from  Manjula's Kitchen
.The samosa was awesome! I used homemade garam masala. My son also liked the samosas very much!

If you are not inclined to do the dough for the samosa, you can use puff pastry sheets. For a healthier version of samosas, you can bake. Samosas are really a great snack, and you should try it!

50 Million Vegetarians in China

I'm so happy that many people across the world are eating plant-based food. According to a latest survey, there are about 50 million vegetarians in China.

It seems many Chinese are thriving on plant-based diet to protect wild life. Some Chinese are inspired to become vegetarians because of vegetarian celebrities such as Natalie Portman and Faye Wong. Young Chinese want to stop the suffering of millions of animals by eating plant-based diet, good for health and our beautiful planet Earth.

Our world will be a better place if everyone eats plant-based fare every day!

Vegan Almond Cookies

My son likes cookies, and I try to bake cookies once in a while. I always have almonds in my pantry, and I'm always looking for ways to use it.

Two days ago there was 3-4 inches of snowfall in Atlanta. Schools and offices were closed for two days. My son loved watching the snow, and he wanted to eat cookies and cupcakes. Well, I baked some almond cookies, and my son loved them! I'm sure I will be baking these cookies often for my family.

I baked Saffron-almond flavored cookies from Aayis blog. I used Earth Balance natural shortening instead of butter. I used rice milk and  vegan sugar( sugar in the raw). The taste was really very good. My husband said it tasted like "Kobbari biscuit" , which is popular in Bangalore bakeries.

If the link does not work , go to google, and type "Saffron-almond flavored cookies" for the recipe in Aayis blog.

Vegetarians and Vegans in Pakistan

I grew up in Bangalore, India . While going to school in the morning, my friend Faiza Sultana often told me stories about Pakistan. She told me that are forefathers were from Pakistan. Faiza wished to visit Pakistan to see her distant relatives. Pakistan is India's neighboring country. I also want to visit Pakistan sometime, as I want to see some ancient Hindu temples near Karachi and Lahore.

My friend has not yet visited Pakistan, but she keeps track of everything from cricket to Lollywood and politics to fashion , of Pakistan. Faiza recently sent me the facebook link to Vegan and Vegetarian Pakistan

I was so happy to see the facebook link to Vegan and Vegetarian Pakistan . I grew up with the notion that Pakistani food is synonymous with non-vegetarian food.

Recently, I read another article in outlook India, which reports that the demand for vegetarian food is growing rapidly in Pakistan. I'm so happy that educated Pakistanis are exploring plant-based diet, good for health and our environment.

Number of Vegans Are Increasing Every Day

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated - Mahatma Gandhi

According to many reports many people across the world are trying vegan diet for few days. Some people are trying vegan fare to lose weight, and some people are trying vegan fare, as they are concerned about environment. Some people are trying vegan food, after seeing the horrible conditions of cows, pigs, veals and chickens in factory farms.

Thanks to Peta and Youtube. The sufferings endured by innocent animals is exposed. Many people are watching very sad videos of dairy cows in India and United States, and have made up their mind to go vegan.

I'm in United States and it is really easy to thrive on a vegan diet with some planning. Super markets from coast to coast carry variety of non-dairy milk, seitan, tofu , non-dairy icecream and vegan chocolates. Popular stores such as Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are awash with numerous vegan food items.

Cruelty-free Shopping

Everything from cosmetics (beauty products , skin-care products ) to household products  undergo a
cruel process - animal testing before they reach you. Monkeys and rats suffer a lot during the animal testing process. Many animals die during , animal testing.

Fortunately, many companies have stopped, animal testing . Today you can find many everything from tooth paste to laundry detergents and lipstick to hair shampoo, not tested on animals. Shop with compassion during the holidays and all year round.

Visit   Leaping Bunny to find out companies, which do not test their products on animals.

Healthy Eating Plate

 Michael Pollan, a famous Food Writer, urges people to eat plant-based food.

Michael Pollan's answer to healthy lifestyle is - Eat Food . Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

Nutrition experts from Harvard School of Public Health have created Healthy Eating Plate.
Healthy Eating Plate is inclined towards wholesome plant-based diet. If you follow the guidelines from Healthy Eating Plate, your health will be in great condition.

The main point of Healthy Eating Plate is, "Make most of your meal vegetable and fruits, half of your
plate". And to eat meat as a condiment!

According to Healthy Eating Plate, protein is found in beans, lentils, nuts and quinoa. Calcuim is found in collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, beans and tofu. And regular excercise is good for bones.

The blogs - vegan dad , fat free vegan , holy cow , and vegan richa are awash with many tasty plant-based recipes.