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Vegan Cocoa Almond Quinoa Breakfast Cake

January 21, 2014 by Zizi

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This is a very simple but great breakfast idea… how to use quinoa in a not usual way. It is best served when you have time to enjoy it with a cup of tea or coffee.

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The base of the cake is quinoa and almond meal so it is not only vegan, also gluten-free. It is sweetened with dates and apple sauce, packed with nutrients, fiber, protein thanks to quinoa, flex seeds and almond.

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Vegan Cocoa Almond Quinoa Breakfast Cake
(Recipe with a bit of change: Whole Foods iPad application)

Ingredients for a 20*20 cm square baking pan

– 1 cup quinoa
– 1 and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soymilk, rice milk, oat milk – whatever you prefer)
– 1 cup pitted dates
– 3/4 cup almond meal
– 1/2 cup flax seeds
– 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
– 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Method

Rinse quinoa until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a pot. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until water is absorbed (15-20 minutes). Set aside, leave to cool, then fluff with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). Line the baking pan with parchment paper.

In a kitchen blender purée almond milk, dates, flex seeds, apple sauce, cocoa powder and salt. Transfer this mixture to a bowl, stir in quinoa and 1/2 cup almond meal. Transfer to the prepared pan, scatter the remaining 1/4 cup almond meal over the top and bake until firmly set (about 1 hour).

Set aside to let cool. Cut into squares and serve.

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Filed Under: vegan Tagged With: almond, baking, breakfast, cocoa, quinoa

Vegan Date Hemp Protein Balls

July 1, 2013 by Zizi

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I have a very good friend who although doesn’t have children she knows what a tired new mom needs. Yes, lots of energy! My eating habits are almost back to normal but I still eat unhealthy snacks few times a week. So, Zsófi, my friend gave me the best present: these vegan date protein balls. Oh my, they are yummie.

Not only delicious, they are full of protein. Hemp seeds (or powder) provide a rich source of gluten-free protein loaded with essential fatty acids and fiber. In addition, hemp seeds contains vitamins such as C, E, B1, B2 and carotene, which are in a fat soluble digestible form and trace minerals such as phosphorous, calcium, potassium and magnesium. (Read more about the benefits of hemp protein here.)

I asked Zsófi to share her recipe with us. She used this recipe from Green Kitchen Stories as a base but changed a few things. These balls are simple, guilt free, “pick me up” snacks.

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Vegan Date Hemp Protein Balls

Ingredients

– 80 g pumpkin seeds
– 50 g dried shredded coconut
– 65 g hemp protein powder
– 2 tablespoons  grated flax seeds
– 1 tablespoons bee pollen
– 2 tablespoons cacao powder
– 1 tablespoon grated poppy seeds
– 1 tablespoon rolled oats
– 15-20 pieces dates and dried plum, pitted
– 3 tablespoons coconut oil (room temperature)

Method

In a dry non-stick pan toast pumpkin seeds for 6-8 minutes. In a food processor pulse the pumpkin seeds and set aside.

Add dates, plum and coconut oil to the food processor and run until smooth. Place the mixture into a bowl and add the dry ingredients: pumpkin seeds, grated flax seeds, shredded coconut, hemp protein powder, bee pollen, cacao powder, grated poppy seeds and rolled oats. Stir until well combined.

Form little balls with your hands and rolled them in desiccated coconut, cacao powder or oats. Eat them straight or keep them in a box in cool place (or refrigerator).

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Filed Under: vegan Tagged With: cocoa, coconut flakes, date, hemp, poppy seed

Coco-Cocoa Brownies from Emma Of The Poires Au Chocolat Blog

June 6, 2013 by Zizi

Let me introduce you my second guest, Emma who writes the wonderful dessert blog Poires au Chocolat.  I’m amazed by her recipes, photos and videos.  She has a degree in English Language and Literature but she also studied pâtisserie at Le Cordon Bleu in London. She offered to share a sweet recipe with us.  Here is Emma…

“These are tender cake-style brownies with a little crisp crust. I usually make them with butter but I thought it’d be interesting to see how coconut oil worked – I’m so glad I tried it out. Feel free to throw in some nuts or any other add-ins (probably around 100 g would be right) – though I like these plain.”

Coco-Cocoa Brownies
(adapted from Alice Medrich’s recipe in Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy)

Ingredients (makes 12 brownies)

– 200 g light brown sugar
– 130 g coconut oil
– 65 g quality unsweetened cocoa powder
– 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
– 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
– 2 eggs, cold from the fridge
– 65 g plain flour
– 1 tablespoon of toasted shredded coconut or handful of toasted coconut strips

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C/325F. Line an 8″ square tin with greased foil or baking parchment.

Place the sugar, solid oil, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt into a bowl and suspend it over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir together as it melts and keep heating until the mixture is uniform and hot to the touch. Sit aside to cool until the mixture is lukewarm.

Once the mix has cooled, beat in the eggs one by one, then stir in the flour. Beat for forty strokes – when you’re done, it should be silky, thick and generally glorious. Pour into the tin and sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set and risen a little. Leave to cool then slice into bars.

*****

Interview to get to know Emma a bit more…

Where are you from? Where do you live?
E: I grew up in the countryside in Devon, England. I now live in Oxford, where I went to university. My mum has lived in the Swiss Alps since I left home (I’m the only child of a single parent, so she wanted a change of scene at the same time and we’d spent several winters there already) – so I also spend a lot of time there.

What is the name of your blog?
E: Poires au Chocolat.

How long have you been blogging?
E: I’ve been blogging for four years, since I was 19.

When did you start cooking/baking?
E: My mum taught me to cook and bake from a young age. I was always allowed to play in the kitchen (there’s a funny story from when I was three about a perpetually hungry house guest who used to sneak food from the fridge in the night and a pot of vegetable scraps I’d been cooking for my doll…). I also spent a lot of time cooking with my grandma as I grew up – making jam and that sort of thing.

Who (where) did you learn cooking/baking from?
E: As I said above, I learnt most of my savoury skills and basic baking skills from my family. I’ve since augmented my baking knowledge by reading, lots of practice and attending culinary school for six months.

What is your signature dish?
E: I’m not sure I have a signature dish to be honest – I guess baking and desserts in general.

What is your favourite vegetarian/vegan meal?
E: I’ve been craving ratatouille with couscous recently (perhaps an odd pairing, especially as we usually add cheese such as gruyere or strong cheddar on top).

Where do you get inspiration from?
E: From books (old and new, recipe and reference, fiction and non fiction), blogs and the ingredients themselves.

What was the most memorable food you have eaten during your travels?
E: I ate some really wonderful food when I spent six weeks in California last year – there were so many fresh, delicious dishes and interesting ideas. Other than that, I’m addicted to gelato.

Name three things you always have in your fridge!
E: Butter, milk and homemade jam.

Is there a food that always reminds you of home?
E: My mum makes an amazing fish pie with salmon, any firm white fish, a little bit of smoked fish, scallops and prawns in white sauce with a crisp herby-cheese-breadcrumb topping that always reminds me of home (though I guess this might not be the place to talk about that recipe!). It’s one of the few dishes she makes that I don’t seem to make myself.

What would people be surprised to find in your kitchen? Is there anything you want to share?
E: I’m not sure, really. Perhaps that I’m not a particularly adventurous savoury cook? I tend to make the things I’ve eaten all my life (and, contrary to my insistence on their use for baking, I never use scales to make them – I was taught by eye, not recipe).

—

All photos are courtesy of Emma Gardner.

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Filed Under: guest post, ovo Tagged With: baking, cocoa, coconut flakes, meals around the world, sweet

The World’s Best Raw Chocolate Ganache Cake

March 14, 2012 by Zizi

I have to tell you: this is the world’s best yummiest raw chocolate cake ever! I can even say: this is the best chocolate cake.

I don’t tell you to make it.

I’d rather say: if you don’t make it you will miss your best raw chocolate cake moment!

Raw, vegan and full of chocolate? How can this happen? Does this mean this is a healthy, sweet, very chocolate-y experience? Yes, if you don’t count the 100 grams coconut flower sugar, this cake is nutritious, healthy, full of vitamins and minerals.

The base contains dates, almonds and Himalayan salt. Almonds are rich source of vitamin E, containing 26 miligrams per 100 grams. Raw almond is high quality protein, a third of which are essential amino acids.They are also rich in dietary fiber, B vitamins, essential minerals and monounsaturated fat, one of the two fats which potentially may lower LDL cholesterol.

Health benefits of dates are uncountable, as this fruit is affluent in natural fibres. A 100 gram portion of fresh dates is a source of vitamin C and supplies 230 kcal (960 kJ) of energy. Dates are even rich in other vitamins and minerals. These natural product contains oil, calcium, sulphur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health.

The base of the ganache is avocado. Avocados are a good source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C, E, K, folate, and B6. Half an avocado has 160 calories, 15 grams of heart-healthy unsaturated fat, and only 2 grams saturated fat. One globe contains more than one-third daily value of vitamin C, and more than half the day’s requirements of vitamin K.

Cocoa contains a large amount of antioxidants (flavinoids). Cocoa beans are rich in a number of essential minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese and in vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B3, C and E.

“Coconut sugar has long been a staple in East Asia where it is extracted from the sap of coconut flower buds. And when compared to brown cane sugar, coconut sugar contains more than 20 times the amount of nitrogen, 26 times the amount of phosphorus, nearly 16 times the amount of potassium, four times the amount of magnesium, 26 times the amount of natural chloride, and nearly twice the amount of iron. It is also very high in natural B vitamins.” (Learn more on Natural News.)

Do you believe me that this is a healthy chocolate ganache cake? 🙂

Oh and I shouldn’t forget to mention the name of the goddess who I learnt to make this cake from. Laura Coxeter is a raw food specialist and she showed Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (in the TV show River Cottage “Veg Every Day”) how to make a sumptuous chocolate tart with wholesome raw ingredients.

Raw Chocolate Ganache Cake

Ingredients (serves 4, for a 18,5 cm – 7,28 inches – spring form pan)

For the base
– 100 g almonds
– 70 g dates, pitted
– 1/2 teaspoon sea or Himalayan salt

For the filling
– 2 big ripe avocados
– 70 g raw cocoa powder
– 50 g coconut oil
– 100 g coconut flower sugar (you can substitute with raw cane sugar)
– 1 vanilla bean, split and seeded
– pinch of sea or Himalayan salt

Method

If you have time soak the almonds for at least 6 hours then drain and dehydrate them (The soaking releases the enzyme inhibitors and makes them easier to digest.). In a food processor blend the almonds. Add dates and salt and blend until you get a ‘dough’ or until the mixture forms a ball (if it’s too dry, add 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil to the dough).

Line the spring form pan with cling film and press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Place it in the freezer  to harden until you make the ganache.

Place all the filling ingredients in a food processor then blend everything until smooth. Pour the ganache over the base. Set in the freezer for 1 hour (it should be firm enough to slice up). If you’re impatient you can take out after 45 minutes freezing. 🙂

Let’s cut in…

This is your slice… the bigger part is all gone! 🙂

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Filed Under: vegan Tagged With: almond, avocado, cake, chocolate, cocoa, conscious eating, raw

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