The popular health magazine Prevention (India Today Group) had organized a Readers’ Meet last Saturday (June 07, 2014).  The event was held at Carrots, the vegan restaurant in Koramangala.  Supported by Washington Apples, the interactive meet saw about 30 interested readers and food bloggers.  The program began with a short introduction by Sanghamitra Chakraborty, Editorial Director of Prevention & Women’s Health magazines.  This was followed by a brief talk on summer foods by me, which led to an interesting discussion with the audience.  The last part of the event was a demonstration of 2 apple recipes by Carrots Chefs Singraj Gurung and Susmitha Subbaraju.

Sharing the recipes with you.

Roasted Apple Sauce

Ingredients:
4 Apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
15 ml  Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Lemon Juice
25 gm Brown Sugar
3 gm Cinnamon
2 gm Nutmeg

Directions:
Toss the apple pieces in a bowl.  Bake in a preheated 400F oven until the apples are very soft, about 30-50 minutes. Mash the apple. Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Vegan Russian Salad

Ingredients:
20 gm Sweet Potato Cubes
20 gm Carrots Cubes
20 gm Green Peas
100 gm Cashew Mayonnaise
30 gm Apple Cubes

Directions:
Steam/boil the potatoes, carrots and peas. Mix all ingredients together and chill in the fridge for about an hour.

Yesterday I received an invitation to attend a vegan cookery-cum-lunch session being held for a charitable cause.  Is it fashionable or healthy to be a vegan?  It’s certainly a healthy trend but if it has to be fashionable to be healthy, so be it.

A vegan is one who avoids all animal products – clothes, foods, accessories, furnishings, etc.  I’m not sure how many people in this world or in India are completely vegan, but I know a lot of people are followers of vegan food habits.

A vegan diet eliminates all animal foods – meat, poultry, fish, egg, dairy, animal fats and sometimes even yeast.  So many non-vegetarians and vegetarians who take dairy products in their diet wonder if a vegan can be well nourished.  Fortunately, vegans do get all the nutrients from a variety of plant foods like cereals, pulses, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices.  The only nutrient lacking in a vegan diet is vitamin B12.  This can be obtained thru supplements.  A vegan’s diet can be very healthy, if all the foods are taken in the right proportion. Studies have shown that vegans who eat right have lesser chance of getting lifestyle-related diseases like adult diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, etc.  It’s also easier to shed weight with this diet.

Try it sometime for a few days and you might feel the difference.