25. Turmeric Cake
This simple and delicious vegan turmeric cake is perfect to serve after dinner as a healthy dessert alternative.
Here’s how to make it:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups self-rising flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- 1 ¾ cups coconut milk
- 1 tbsp tahini (sesame paste)
- Shelled pistachios for garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350F
- Coat the bottom and sides of an 11×7 in baking dish with tahini
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, turmeric and shredded coconut and salt. Mix well.
- Add coconut oil and milk and gently stir all the ingredients together until just combined (do not overmix).
- Spoon batter evenly on the prepared baking dish.
- Decorate with pistachios on top and bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes.
- Let sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting.
26. Turmeric Chickpea Fritters
Mouth-wateringly tender on the inside but with a great crunch on the outside, these hearty, garlicky, easy chickpea fritters are infused with the wonder spice.
Ingredients:
Chickpea Fritters:
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2.5 tbsp water)
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil, divided (plus more for sautéing)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp hulled white sesame seeds or hemp seeds
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Pinch sea salt and black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and thoroughly dried
For The Coating:
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp (12 g) panko bread crumbs
To Prepare
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and add flax egg to a food processor or high-speed blender.
- Heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Once hot, add 1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and minced garlic. Sauté until slightly browned, stirring often – about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool slightly, then add to food processor or blender with a flax egg.
- Add panko bread crumbs, parsley, parmesan cheese, sesame seeds (optional), coconut sugar, turmeric, cumin, a pinch each salt + pepper, and 1 tsp olive oil, and lemon juice.
- Pulse/blend until small bits remain, scraping down sides as needed.
- Add rinsed/dried chickpeas and blend until a “dough” is formed, scraping down sides as needed. You don’t want the chickpeas to turn into a paste, but you also don’t want any left whole.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- To make the coating, mix parmesan cheese and panko breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Scoop out heaping 1 Tbsp amounts of dough, form/roll into balls – about 15 total.
- Roll fritters in the vegan parmesan cheese-panko bread crumb mixture to coat.
- Heat the same skillet you used earlier over medium heat.
- Once hot, add enough oil to form a thin layer on the bottom of the skillet, then add fritters. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to cook them in two batches as to not crowd the pan. Add more oil as needed.
- Brown fritters for 4-5 minutes total, shaking the pan to roll them around and brown all sides. Turn down the heat slightly if browning too quickly.
- Add sautéed fritters to a bare or foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Once fritters are golden brown and fairly firm to the touch, remove from oven. Let cool a few minutes before serving. They will firm up the longer they cool.
27. Raw Vegan Ginger And Turmeric Cheesecakes
If you have a sweet tooth and would just love to eat cake every day without feeling guilty for doing so, these turmeric cheesecakes could be exactly the thing you’re looking for.
Ingredients:
For the base:
- 100g almonds
- 90g dates
For the filling:
- 250g cashews
- 20g softened coconut butter
- 50g melted coconut oil
- 10g fresh ginger
- 10g fresh turmeric
- 30g lemon juice
- 75g maple syrup
- 1 cup water
For the caramel:
- 50g dates
- 15g melted coconut oil
- 8g fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions:
- Add the ingredients for the base to a blender and blitz until you get a sticky, crumbly mix.
- Press the mix into your mini cheesecake molds. You can also make one larger cake.
- Add the ginger, turmeric, lemon juice and water to a blender and blitz until you completely mix everything – you should not have any odd bits and pieces or chunks of ginger or turmeric left.
- Add the rest of the ingredients for the filling and process until you get a super smooth, silky cream.
- Spoon this onto the bases and pop it into the fridge (or freezer) to set.
- To make the caramel, add the ingredients to a blender and process for a good minute or until you get it as smooth as possible. That should be incredibly light and smooth.
- Spoon the caramel on top of the cheesecakes when ready to serve.
The Difference Between Turmeric and Curcumin
Curcumin, dubbed ‘the yellow gold of India’ (4) is a naturally occurring chemical compound found in turmeric. It’s what gives the turmeric its intense yellow color as well as its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory health benefits.
Curcumin was actually discovered two centuries ago by two laboratory scientist from Harvard-Vogel and Pettetier. It was in the year 1949 that it was confirmed that curcumin can work a potent antibacterial. Then, in later years, it was established that it’s also effective as an anti-inflammatory.
Extensive studies carried out over the past thirty years have indicated the healing potential of curcumin against an extensive range of human diseases. In particular, it works well for inflammatory conditions likeAlzheimer’s disease. As well as physical ailments, Curcumin has proven to work against stress, anxiety, and depression.
The downside is that large amounts of turmeric would be required to obtain a substantial and effective dose of curcumin, as a low percentage of what you consume is actually absorbed into your body.
Piperine, which is found in black pepper, is known to help your body to absorb the nutrients from curcumin, so it’s good to combine the two. This can be as easy as always adding freshly ground black pepper to your turmeric recipes. Coconut oil is also effective in helping the body to absorb the compound since turmeric works most effectively when eaten with a little bit of fat.
You may never have guessed that the little jar of turmeric in your spice cupboard could be capable of so much good! By adopting some of these easy turmeric recipes into your life, you could begin to lead a fuller, healthier, tastier life starting with your next meal.