Cookbook - Personal Project

JIA MISRA

PLEDGE TO BE VEG 20 fresh, healthy and vegetarian recipes for every home cook!

WORLD CUISINE

WHY VEGETARIANISM? “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages” said Thomas Edison. Even before time was tracked, humans have depended on animal products through hunting, however, the present offers a world of opportunities when it comes to a vegetarian diet. As of late, specialists and governments encourage the public to be a veggie lover.

Experts from the UN (United Nations) show research as to how global warming and meat consumption are closely linked, and it may just be an eye opener. Meat eating fuels climate change as animals tend to process their food using bacteria that is present within their stomach. The outcome of this process is the animal expelling methane. A greenhouse gas that is said to be almost 34X more powerful than carbon dioxide. With a vegetarian diet, not only are you following healthy and ethical eating habits, but also contributing by putting an end to global issues that exist today.

It is said that a person spends an average of 1,94,113 Rs. every year on meat. With a vegetarian diet, an individual saves almost 2000 Rs every week! This means with vegetarian diets people are saving almost 1700 Rs more (per meal) and are given more freedom with their income. This provides choices to spend money on more important things like education, resources for daily life and for leisure. By being a veggie lover, you receive nutritious and more affordable meals.

Vegetarian diets typically include food like fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts among others. This diet tends to be less saturated in fats because plant based diets tend to have a higher caloric deficit, (the measure of calories required to maintain the body’s weight), and a lower fat percentage. This provides the body with sufficient nutrients, more energy and keeps the body satiated for a longer time, which also results in lesser snacking. On the other hand, non vegetarian diets, or meat protein products are high in trans fat, a fat that can be unhealthy to the body in wrong amounts.

WHY VEGETARIANISM? Like mentioned prior, vegetarians rely on natural sources and carbohydrates to remain energized. This means that the diet is rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals. Examples of these are vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin b otherwise known as folic acid, iron and many others. Such antioxidants can be found in the food sources broccoli, artichokes, kale, oranges, avocado, etc. These antioxidants ensure the body remains in balance, gets its sufficient vitamins and minerals and is energized to do activities.

Paul McCartney once said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian”. At slaughterhouses, animals are first shot in the head to be stunned and then their hind leg is cut off to be hung. Next, they are skinned and beheaded. Lastly, their bodies are split down the middle and the meat is extracted. This entire process is done for one sole reason - to please the taste buds. Not only is this unjustifiable, it is morally wrong. An organism is put through a process of pain simply to please our taste buds and provide little to none nutritional value.

Through vegetarianism, we do our part to ensure all animals are in a state of wellbeing, money is saved, the environment is protected, antioxidant rich food is consumed and we avoid high fatty food. So, after knowing all this, ask yourselves, is it really worth it?

A rescued calf in Varanasi with Dr. Deepak Singh. (source: https://helpanimalsindia.org/whatwedo/recipients)

Chapter 1:

Breakfast Recipes

Banana & Honey Toast Ingredients Required: - 1 medium sized Banana - 2 tablespoon Honey - 2 Slices of Bread Procedure: 1) Take a medium sized banana and slice it horizontally to create round pieces.

2) Toast your bread using a toaster/ pan.

3) Once toasted, butter if you’d like and place the banana slices on the bread.

4) Drizzle some honey to top it off!

DID YOU KNOW? Banana contains potassium which is a mineral that reduces blood pressure.

Avocado Salad Ingredients Required: - 1 Avocado - 1 Tomato - Half a Lemon's juice - Pinch of salt and pepper - Pinch of corriander leaves Procedure: 1) make dressing - mix together lemon juice, salt, pepper and coriander.

2) roughly chop avocado and tomato.

3) toss the dressing and veggies together and serve fresh!

Source: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/tomato-avocado-salad/

Granola Ingredients Required: - 2 cups rolled Oats - nuts of choice - coconut oil - 1 cup sunflower seeds - maple syrup - 1 tsp cardamom powder - a pinch of salt - 1 tsp cinnamon powder - handful of dried fruit Procedure: 1) Mix together 2 cups of oats, 1 cup sunflower seeds, a handful of nuts, cinnamon, salt and lastly the cardamom powder.

3) Mix in half a cup of coconut oil and 1/2 cup of maple syrup and stir well.

4) Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 180 degrees in an oven for 10 minutes.

5) mix in dried fruit after baking and serve!

Eggless Pancakes Ingredients Required: - 1 cup Whole wheat flour - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1.5 cups milk - 3 tablespoon oil/ butter - pinch of salt - 3 tablespoons sugar.

Procedure: 1) mix together the measured amounts of whole wheat flour, baking powde, salt.

2) In a separate bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons butter and the measured amounts of sugar and milk by beating the butter and sugar first and slowly adding the milk.

3) Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture in portions to form a smooth batter.

4) heat a pan and place the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to melt.

5) Scoop the desired amount of batter and once bubbles form, flip. Once cooked, serve fresh with honey, maple syrup, berries or fruit!

Breakfast Smoothie Ingredients Required: - 1 tablespoon rolled oats - 1 Frozen banana - A handful of frozen strawberries - 1 Tablespoon peanut butter - 1 tablespoon Almond Milk (add more depending on desired consistency) Procedure: 1) place your measured amounts of fruit in a freezer overnight.

2) throw in your fruit, measured amount of rolled oats, almond milk and peanut butter in the blender to blend smooth and serve fresh with desired toppings.

DID YOU KNOW? Strawberries are rich in antioxidants, which are key for a healthy heart.

CHAPTER 2:

LUNCH R E CI P E S

Pasta Marinara Ingredients Required: - 1 cup pasta - 2 tomatoes - olive oil - salt and pepper - balsamic vinegar - pasta water - lemon.

Image Source: https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipeideas/recipes/a55613/5-cheese-marinara-recipe/

Procedure: 1) Boil your pasta with a pinch of salt.

2) Drain the pasta, saving half a cup of the water the pasta was boiled in.

3) Roughly chop your tomatoes and throw them in the blender.

4) Heat a pan and drizzle in your olive oil. Pour in the tomato puree and pasta water.

5) Once reduced, season with and serve fresh with cheese, basil leaves or as is!

Quick and Easy Quesadilla Ingredients Required: - Bay leaves - black beans - cumin seeds - olive oil - salt and pepper - broccoli - 1 zucchini Image Source: - 1 onion =https://recipes.timesofindia.com/recipes/rot i-quesadillas/rs61301093.cms - 1/2 cup corn - 2 tortillas - desired amount of cheese Procedure: 1) Making the black beans - boil a handful of beans with the bay leaf, water, salt, pepper and cumin.

2) Chop up all your vegetables of a desired amount.

3) grate a desired amount of cheese.

4) Heat a pan and drizzle some olive oil in. Place your tortilla and place all veggies, cheese and black beans on half of the tortilla.

5) Fold the tortilla over and flip and cook.

6) Serve alongside guacamole, sour cream, salsa, ketchup or as is.

One Pot Biryani Ingredients Required: - turmeric - salt and pepper - bay leaf - star anise - garam masala - 1 tomato - coriander - ginger garlic paste - olive oil - choice of vegetables 2 cups rice.

Procedure: 1) Boil your measured amount of rice, strain and set aside.

2) Heat a pan with olive oil, fry the ginger garlic paste and throw in all the spices.

3) put in your choice of vegetables and stir completely.

(4) Stir in your rice and put in a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

One Pot Biryani

Cream of Broccoli Soup Ingredients Required: - almond milk/ whole milk - Broccoli florets - whole wheat flour - salt and pepper - oregano - olive oil DID YOU KNOW? - ginger garlic paste Broccoli was grown mainly in Italy since the Roman the 16th century when a royal marriage - 1 medium sized onion. Empire until brought the vegetable to France.

Procedure: 1) Blanch your broccoli florets in water with a pinch of salt.

2) in another pan fry off the ginger garlic paste and the chopped onion with olive oil. 3) add in a tablespoon of whole wheat flour to thicken and throw in the blanched broccoli florets and let it simmer with the lid on.

4) Next, pour this mixture into a blender to blend until smooth.

5) bring the mixture back to simmer and season with salt, pepper, oregano and other desired spices.

6) Add the milk in parts until the mixture runs down the back of a spoon slowly. Serve warm with broccoli florets for garnish.

Tomato & Cheese Sandwhich Ingredients Required: - Bread - cheese - butter - 1 tomato - salt and pepper - oregano - chili flakes (optional) Procedure: 1) Thinly slice the tomato into thin, round pieces.

2) Grate or slice your cheese according to your liking.

3) Lightly butter both sides of your bread slices.

4) Place the tomato slices and cheese on the bread slice and sprinkle the seasoning. 5) Place the other bread slice on top to create a sandwich and toast either on a pan with butter or in a sandwich maker.

Chapter 3:

DINNER RECIPES

Chilli Cheese toast Ingredients Required: - 2 slices of Bread - handful of cheese - Yellow & red capsicum - few cilantro leaves - salt and pepper.

Procedure: 1) toast your bread on both sides.

2) In a bowl mix together the grated cheese, finely chopped bell peppers, cilantro and salt and pepper. Season with salt, pepper and desired seasoning.

3) In a heated pan, place the toast and put the cheese-veggie mixture on top and put the lid on til the cheese melts. Serve fresh.

DID YOU KNOW? While cheese may seems to be incorporated in almost everything, Legend has it that the 1st cheese was created 4,000 years ago, accidentally!

Paneer Bhurji Ingredients Required: - 2 tomatoes - few cilantro leaves - coriander powder - salt and pepper - clove - bay leaf - cumin - vegetable oil - paneer - 1 tsp garam masala.

Procedure: 1) In a blender throw in 2 roughly chopped tomatoes and some leaves of cilantro.

2) Put this mixture in a pan drizzled with oil to simmer for a couple minutes.

3) Put in all seasonings according to your liking.

4) Gently rip the paneer using your hands, Add the paneer in the pan and stir well.

5) Simmer until it thickens and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Stuffed Bell Peppers Ingredients Required: - 2 bell peppers - Handful of rice - 1/4th cup black beans - cumin seeds - bay leaf - handful of cheese - pinch of salt - Pinch of oregano - Pinch of pepper - finely chopped chives.

Source: https://simple-veganista.com/veganstuffed-peppers/

Procedure: 1) begin by preparing the bell peppers by cutting off their tops, to form a cup.

2) Next, in a separate pot, boil the black beans and corn with water, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano and bay leaf.

3) Boil rice.

4) Once the rice and bean mixture are both boiled, mix them together. Add more seasoning if required.

5) Scoop the rice mixture and stuff it in the bell peppers.

6) Grate a desired amount of cheese on top and back at 180 for 15 minutes.

Zucchini Pasta Ingredients Required: - 1 Zucchini - 2 tomatoes - few basil leaves - pinch of salt and pepper - oregano and paprika to taste - juice of half a lemon - 1 onion - half a garlic clove - 1 tablespoon oil.

Source: https://chefsavvy.com/zucchini-pasta -with-tomatosauce/

Procedure: 1) Begin by thinly grating the zucchini to form long, thin strips using a spiralizer or by chopping through hand.

2) Heat a pan and drizzle some olive oil.

3) Throw in the chopped onion and garlic to get rid of the raw smell.

4) Puree your tomato in a blender and add it into the pan.

5) season with all seasonings and the juice of ½ a lemon.

6) Add in the zucchini. Stir well and serve with basil or grated vegan cheese.

Pan fried Tofu Ingredients Required: - 1 pack of Tofu - 1 onion, - half clove garlic Image Source: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/pan- pinch of salt and pepper fried-sesame-garlic-tofu/ - handful finely chopped spring onion - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon cornstarch - 3 tablespoons honey - 1 tablespoon sesame oil - 2 tablespoons soy sauce.

Procedure: 1) Drain and slice the tofu into bite size, equal cubes.

2) In a bowl, put in cornstarch and roll the tofu in it until it is fairly coated.

3) Fry the tofu in a pan using oil with chopped onion and garlic.

4) In a separate bowl mix 3 tablespoons of honey, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and all seasonings.

5) Once the tofu is fried, pour in the marinade and cook off until well mixed. Serve fresh with finely chopped chives.

CHAPTER 4:

Dessert RECIPES

3 Ingredient Truffles Ingredients Required: - 1 pack Oreos - 50 grams white chocolate - 3 tablespoons almond milk Procedure: 1) Throw your Oreos and blend until they are crumbs.

2) Put the crumbled cookies in a separate bowl, pour in 3 tablespoons of milk and mix well. This should form a dough, although, if 3 tablespoons of milk is not sufficient add more till it forms a dough.

3) Shape the dough into 1 tablespoon sized balls.

4) Place these balls to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes.

5) In the meantime, melt your white chocolate. You can do this by melting it in the microwave with 15 second intervals or in a glass bowl above water on the gas.

6) Once chilled, use a fork to dip the balls in the chocolate and lightly move it up and down to make sure the excess chocolate drips off. Repeat this process with all of the balls, chill and serve!

NOTE: The truffles can be served according to your liking in any way. Traditionally they are covered in chocolate however feel free to have some fun and use sprinkles, cocoa powder and more!

2 Ingredient Banana Pancakes Ingredients Required: - 2 Bananas - 1 egg - 1 tsp butter

Procedure: 1) Mash the bananas with a fork or a blender until smooth.

2) Crack an egg into this mixture and mix well.

Fold to incorporate air.

3) In a pan, melt some butter and scoop the batter into the pan.

4) Flip the pancake when bubbles begin to form around the edges and serve hot with whipped crème, sliced banana, maple syrup or as is!

This recipe contains egg. The science behind this recipe is that the starch from the banana substitutes flour whereas egg is what cooks the batter and is the foundation the pancake. However, if you'd like to skip the egg, to refer to the eggless pancake recipe listed in the Breakfast category.

Banana Mug Cake Ingredients Required: - 1 ripe banana - 1 tablespoon butter - 2 tablespoon sugar - ½ tsp baking powder -1 teaspoon vanilla extract -1 tablespoon milk.

TIP: When microwaving, do not open the door as the cake rise or else the cake looses its air and flattens.

Procedure: 1) Mash the banana to form a smooth mixture.

2) Mix in the butter, sugar and cream together until smooth.

3) Add in the baking powder and flour and mix well.

4) To thin the mixture, add one tablespoon of milk and toppings of chocolate chips and nuts if you like.

5) Microwave for 2 minutes and serve!

Apple Pie Ingredients Required: - 1 large apple - 1 cup flour - ¼ cup chilled cubed butter - 1 tablespoon water - 1 cup water -1 tablespoon butter - pinch of salt, cinnamon - ½ cup sugar.

Procedure: 1) In a bowl, mix together ¼ cup of chilled, cubed butter with 1 cup of flour to form a crumbly mixture. To this add 1 tablespoon of cold water to bring the dough together. If required, add more and chill while making caramel.

2) Finely chop the apple to form small, cubed pieces.

3) Bring the dough back out, roll and put it into the tins. Bake this at 180 degrees celsius for 15 minutes till edges brown.

4) In a heated pan, pour in 1 cup of water and ½ cup of sugar and do not mix, only swirl the pan until the caramel forms. Season with cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

Apple Pie

5) Throw the apple into this mixture until the apple is soft.

6) Once cooled, bring out the crust and scoop the apple mixture and fill it in.

7) Cool the pie until the temperature is brought back down to room temperature and serve with vanilla ice cream or as is!

Source: https://tasty.co/recipe/60-minute-apple-pie

Strawberry Sorbet Ingredients Required: - 2 cup Strawberries - 1/4th cup maple syrup - pinch of salt.

Procedure: 1) Roughly chop the strawberries and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours.

2) Once frozen, blend the strawberries and honey together until smooth.

3) Put in a pinch of salt to enhance the flavour and blend again.

4) Scrape out this mixture into a tin and smooth out the surface. Place this tin into the freezer for at least an hour.

5) Lastly, scoop out the sorbet and garnish with fresh strawberries or as is!

Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/quick-easy strawberry-sorbet-recipe

Want to Know More?

If you are a vegetarian or even a new member to the world of vegetarianism, below are a list of resources that support the cause of vegetarianism to allow you to conduct any further research of your own.

1) EVEN: Eugene Veg Education Network is devoted to educating the general public about the impact of their food choices. On its website it includes a range of resources including interviews with experts, initiatives conducted, the importance of vegetarianism and how you can contribute!

2) FARM: A non-profit educational organization advocating a plant-based diet and humane treatment of farmed animals through a variety of grassroots programs.

3) The Vegan Society: Promoting ways of living free from animal products for the benefit of people, animals and the environment.

4) The vegetarian Society: The Vegetarian Society is a British registered charity which was established on 30 September 1847 to promote vegetarianism.

5) Animal Outlook: A non profit NGO that is dedicated towards animal advocacy. Through its undercover investigations, it exposes the merciless lynching of animals in farm factories. On its website, it provides a range of resources such as its vegan starter guide to help newcomers to the world of plant based eating to find their way through.

Jia Misra's

PLEDGE TO BE VEG October 2021