Strawberry cake :Vegan version.

I had strawberries in my refregerator & wanted to use them.Searched for a recipe & came across a vegan cake using them here.I tweaked it a little & made one last night ...on the eve of International Women's day.

Ingredients : 1 cup multigrain atta ( Pillsbury ),1/2 cup brown mineral sugar,1/2 tsp baking soda,1/2 tsp baking powder,1/2 cup  strawberry puree ,a few strawberries with the stem removed & cut into thin stripes ( optional ),1/4 cup oil,1 tbsp apple cider vinegar,1/2 tsp vanilla essence, salt to taste.

Method : Mix all dry ingredients that is atta,baking soda,baking powder,salt & sugar with a whisk many times so that all are thoroughly mixed with each other.Keep aside.

Mix strawberry puree ( wash strawberries,Remove the green stems,Chop them .Puree in a blender or mixer.Take 1/2 cup of this puree .Add oil,vanilla essence & apple cider vinegar.Mix nicely with whisk.Now pour this liquid mix into a well in the dry ingredient mix. Blend all into a batter.Add water if lumps remain.Keep aside.

Line a microwaveable vessel with butter paper.On that ,keep thin slices of strawberries.Pour cake batter over the strawberries.Bake in microwave for 8-9 minutes.Switch off microwave.Let it cool for 5 minutes.Remove & check with knife if cake is done.If knife comes out clean ,cake is done.Otherwise microwave for 1 more minute.Check again.Let it cool for 15 minutes.Put the cake vessel upside down on a plate.The cake will drop down on plate.Else ,it can be gently removed from sides of vessel so that it drops down on plate.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

The lining of thin strawberry slices on bottom of cake is optional.This gets sticky after baking.
The amount of sugar used was just apt.If you want it to be more sweet ,3/4 cup sugar can be used.Always remember that brown sugar is less sweet than white sugar.Hence ,if using white sugar,1/2 cup would be sufficient.

The cake was super moist !

Sprinkle some powdered sugar on cake slices to make them sweeter .Sprinkle coloured sugar balls on cake slices in the alternative like I did !

Naval kol sabzi

Naval kol is a cabbage like vegetable .It is shaped like any onion .Its colour is like green cabbage.It tastes like cabbage .It is a solid mass unlike cabbage which has layers.

I love this vegetable as I like variety.It is quite a tricky vegetable.It may look fresh & yet may be hard to cut as also get cooked.It has leaves like radish.I discard the leaves & only use the solid mass for sabzi.I peel the vegetable to remove small offshoots which are there on the outside & cut it like any other vegetable.If I find any part of the vegetable very hard,It has to be discarded as it will not cook .The rest can be cut & cooked.

Ingredients : 2 navalkols- chopped into half inch pieces,1 green mirchi-chopped into 2-3 pieces,1-2 sprigs of curry leaves,1/2 tsp urad dal,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4tsp hing,1/2 mustard seeds,1tbsp oil,1tbsp fresh dessicated coconut,salt to taste.

Method : Heat oil in a kadhai.Add mustard seeds.When they  pop up,add urad dal.After urad dal has turned golden ,add mirchi & kadi patta.Then add the navalkol pieces along with haldi & hing.Mix all.Cover with a lid & cook for 5 minutes.Remove lid & sprinkle some water.Mix & cook again for 5minutes.Prick the navalkol pieces to see if they have turned tender.If tender ,add coconut & salt & mix nicely & cook covered with lid for another 2-3 minutes.Put off the gas.Serve sabzi as side dish to chappatis or even as an accompaniment to rasam-rice.

If they are not tender,add some more water.Cover with lid & cook again.After the veggie pieces have turned tender,add salt & coconut.Mix nicely.Cover with lid & cook for 2-3 minutes.Put off gas.Navalkol sabzi is ready.