I hope this way works better for everyone, but your feedback would be greatly appreciated as I'm in the process of making a new website so all posts will be on that once it's up and running. Yikes! Exciting and scary times ahead, specially for someone with little computer skills. Luckily for me, I've got a few smarty friends who are lending a hand, all in the name of goodwill of course, and some vegan chocolate cake!
But let's not waste time on housekeeping, here's a recipe I think you will love.
This came about after I was craving some foods from my past life. I'm not normally a chocolate girl but seeing an advertisement for snickers, I had a desire for some.
So, I got my thinking cap on and this is what happened.
Snickers Fingers
Makes 10 fingers
Ingredients
For Chocolate
3/4 cup coconut oil (liquid)
1/4 cup maple syrup/coconut nectar (which ever you have)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
For Caramel
10 medjool dates (seeds removed)
3 TBS maple syrup/coconut nectar
2 TBS natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts
Method
Line a loaf pan with baking paper and set aside. You could also make these in individuals patty cases.
For Chocolate
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix until thoroughly combined and smooth. Pour a layer on your prepared pan and place in freezer.
For Caramel
Place all ingredients, except peanuts, in the food processor and process until smooth.
Place this mixture on top of chocolate layer, using a spatula to create an even surface. It will be sticky!
Assemble
Pour your peanuts on top and push them into the caramel. Then pour the rest of the chocolate on top. I had to melt mine again because it had started to solidify.
Place in freezer for a couple of hours or overnight prior to cutting.
They keep in the freezer & can melt at room temperature.
WARNING: These are very rich so I cut them up into additional squares. Highly addictive!
This next dessert was totally different in my head, however, it died when it came time to taking it out of the mould so I had to improvise. I will remake it to the picture I have in my head again, but for the time being, this wasn't such a bad result.
Strawberry Mousse with Rose Water Jelly & Pistachio Crumbs
Makes 2
Ingredients
For Mousse
2 cups of strawberries
1/4 cup of raw cashews, soaked and rinsed
2 pitted medjool dates, soaked and rinsed
2 TBS of chia seeds
1/4 cup non-dairy milk of choice
1/2 tsp stevia powder
For Jelly
1/2 tsp agar
1 tsp rose water
1 cup of boiling water
4 drops of beet juice
2 tsp stevia powder
2 tsp maple syrup (or more stevia if you prefer)
4 TBS of shelled pistachios, cut into crumbs
2 strawberries
Method
For Mousse
Make a chia gel by soaking the chia seeds in the non-dairy milk overnight or for at least 30 minutes.
You can soak the cashews and dates together, for the same time as the chia.
Once ready, rinse the cashews/dates and place in a high speed blender with the rest of the ingredients.
Blend until really smooth and adjust sweetness if desired.
Divide mixture in serving cups, arrange some chopped up strawberries on top and place covered in the fridge.
For Jelly
Place boiling water in a small saucepan and sprinkle in the agar. Mix until dissolved on low heat. Increase heat if needed to keep it at a gentle boil, and add the rest of the ingredients. You may need to play around with the beet juice until you get the desired colour. Add 1 drop at a time. Once it has reduced a bit, about 5 minutes, take it off the heat. Get a shallow dish and line it with glad wrap, pour in the mixture and swirl it around until it cools somewhat. I had to blow a bit on mine. You want it tepid before you pour it on the mousse.
Once it has cooled a bit, divide it in half and pour onto the mousse pots. Return to the fridge until jelly has set (won't take too long).
Serve with the pistachio crumbs on top.
As you can see from the above picture, my jelly is not covering the whole thing. This is because I initially popped it in a different serving glass, lined with glad wrap, so that I could remove it and it would be a lovely little round shaped mousse tower. However! The mousse had not set (didn't freeze it) and it went everywhere, destroying my lovely jelly top :(
I still think it came out pretty good though, and it didn't affect the flavours.
The next recipe is my second attempt at making a cauliflower pizza crust.
It's not the type of crust we are used to eating with pizza, as in, you can't just slice it up and hold it, it will crumble. It's more of a knife and fork type dish.
If you love pizza, I urge you to try it. It's definitely a healthier alternative and it has some added protein from the almond meal.
The beauty of this dish, and pizza, is that the flavour combinations are endless.
Warning: It takes a while to cook!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Makes 1 25x10cm rectangular crust
Ingredients
1 small head of cauliflower
1/2 cup of almond meal
2 TBS nutritional yeast
1 small clove of garlic
1 tsp of dried oregano
3 TBS flax meal
9 TBS boiling water
Himalayan pink salt and pepper to taste
Method
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Line 2 trays with baking paper and set aside. 1 needs to be larger than the one you are using to bake the crust.
Mix the flax meal and water together and set aside to thicken.
Place the cauliflower and garlic in a food processor and process until it forms fine crumbs.
In the middle a clean dish towel, place the cauliflower mixture and wrap up. You need to squeeze out as much moisture as possible otherwise it won't cook properly, it'll fall apart and it'll just be plain annoying (yes, this has happened to me).
Once all the moisture is out, place in a large mixing bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and get your hands in there to mix it all up good and proper!
Pour mixture into the smaller prepared pan, distribute evenly and flatten out mixture, making it as uniform in thickness as possible.
Place in oven and check every 30 minutes.
It will turn a golden colour. Once you're happy with it, mine took about an hour, take it out of the oven, place the larger tray on top, and flip it gently.
Place in the oven again for another 15-20 minutes so that the other side can get golden.
(I did warn you)
Once ready, top with your favourite sauce and toppings. You can put it in the oven again if you want to cook your toppings but I was over it by then, and besides, I prefer my toppings raw.
Now go forth and eat stuff!
Peas, love and mungbeans
xxb
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