**This post is dedicated to Zanna, who always inspires me to continue developing new vegan recipes even when I get lazy & go on a hiatus for months at a stretch. Thanks 🙂 **

It’s winter once again, and the vegetable market is flooded with red, juicy carrots! Like most Delhiites, I’m a big fan of carrot halwa and already have a version on my blog that is always a hit, even with those who love dairy. If you are looking for a truly rich and decadent vegan carrot halwa, do try this one.

Years ago, my friend Romit shared with me his method of making a healthy raw vegan version of “cream” by blending tender coconut meat. You could use this “cream” to make a variety of fruit-based desserts like layered parfaits, fruit cream, or soft serves. Even though the idea had been simmering in my mind for a while, I finally got around to trying this only now. And my only regret, as they say, is “why didn’t I do it earlier?” Since tender coconut meat by itself is not sweet enough, I added some dates and raisins to up the sweetness quotient.

Coming soon 🙂

Have you ever tried Italian-style hot chocolate? It’s so thick, smooth, and decadent you could actually eat it for dessert! While I love hot chocolate, it wasn’t until recently that I heard of this version. My friend Arushee sent me a YouTube link for a non-vegan version of this glorious treat. I made a few changes and veganized it. It’s a lovely warming treat to be enjoyed on a rainy or cold day!

The mango season is winding to an end, and I realized I haven’t posted even a single mango-based recipe this year! So, I decided to post something special before we bid adieu to mangoes this year. We are still getting fragrant and luscious Dasheri mangoes in my part of the country and hope you’re getting it too. For the most part, I don’t like adding sugar to fruit-based desserts, but this one is an exception. As much as I love fruity cheesecakes, I make them only occasionally as I haven’t yet figured out how to make healthy fruit-based cheesecakes that are NOT frozen, easy to make, economical, pretty to look at and taste great too. This one ticks all the other boxes except for “healthy” haha! But it’s OK to indulge sometimes, right 🙂 ?!

While I’m not a fan of sweet breakfasts, I can’t deny that a smoothie bowl is one of the most convenient ones to put together on weekdays! I like my bowl with a lot of thick, semi-frozen fruity smoothie topped with chopped fruits and a little granola. Since the store-bought granolas are filled with sugar, I prefer to make my own. Also, I’m not a fan of oats that’s often the main ingredient in most commercial granolas, so I make mine with poha!

Coming soon 🙂

Also try:

Homemade Vegan Pizza (No Yeast)

Vegan Pan Pizza (No Oven!)

I guess this has already been said on my blog a few times, but here it goes again: I was never a “pizza person” in my pre-vegan days. I was, and still am, someone who loves simple north Indian food–on most days, dinner is dal/subzi/roti or a big salad. However, going vegan has definitely made me more adventurous in the kitchen, and nowadays, homemade pizza is one of my favorite things to make when I have visitors. While assembling a pizza with store-bought base (mostly vegan), pizza sauce (vegan options are easily available), and vegan cheese is super simple, there’s certainly a sense of fulfillment in making your own pizza from scratch 🙂

When I first started blogging in February 2018, I promised myself that I would post at least twice every month. And I did–for a few months. One thing I realized only after starting my blog is that blogging is hard work. It isn’t “all fun & little work” as I had once imagined it to be. I mean, blogging is fun, there’s no denying that. However, it takes discipline and commitment to maintaining a blog. You need to show up regularly, and I’m not proud of admitting that I have fallen off the bandwagon more often than I would like to admit.

One of my major *life goals* is to upload as many vegan curd recipes as possible on my blog! People in my part of the world love their curd and it’s often one of those dairy products that new vegans in India miss a lot. Experimenting with different varieties of plant-based curds is a favorite hobby of mine and I bring to you yet another delicious variant of our beloved dahi 😊

Agar agar or China grass, a vegan alternative to gelatin that’s derived from red algae, is used here to thicken and stabilize the cashew milk. I use Urban Platter agar agar powder. You can use any brand, but make sure you use agar agar powder, not flakes or sheets. If you don’t wish to use agar agar, try this Cashew Rice Curd recipe instead; this specific recipe won’t work without it.