Vegan Mofo Day 10 Baking without Flour - Breakfast Brownie

Today's vegan mofo prompt is "Baking without Gluten".
Whilst this recipe *may* contain gluten due to the oats, it is a flour free recipe which is something that is very relevant to me as I shared in my Introduction Post! For a guaranteed gluten free version you can substitute quinoa flakes in place of the oats.
I am quite enjoying my flour free life and with delicious breakfast treats like this, it's no wonder that I am not feeling deprived at all!
It would also make a great dessert for anyone who wants a little after dinner treat! 

Single Serve Black Bean Breakfast Brownie

                                  You'll need:
                                        1/2 cup cooked black beans
                                        1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds
                                        1/2 teaspoon cacao powder
                                        1/4 cup rolled oats
                                        1 small overripe banana
                                        1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine all the ingredients together in a mini food processor and pulse until lightly combined (best to keep some chunks for added satiety - Chew your food!). Add a splash of water if it's needed to combine the mixture into a thick batter. The water may or may not be needed depending on the size and ripeness of your banana and how well your beans are cooked.
Pour mixture into a silicone baking mould. I press my mixture into a quarter of a large square one. It doesn't spread as it cooks so this works well. Bake in a preheated 200°C oven for 20 minutes until cooked through and edges are crispy.

Delicious served with yogurt and berries.

Showing the pieces of banana and beans so you can see it's not pulsed thoroughly. 

*I find this sweet enough with just the banana, however if you'd like a sweeter version you can add 1 Tablespoon date paste to the batter.
*Multiply quantities if you want to make a multiple serves. 

Vegan Mofo Day 3 Person Inspired - Chocolate Pear Bake

Following along the list of themes and prompts for vegan mofo.....

                 Today's inspiration is bought to you by a person!

I had to think about this one as I don't know that I am hugely inspired by other people as I do quite like to be my own person but then this idea came to mind! 

Now I must say that this recipe has been sitting in my 'drafts' since June 2015!!!! (OPPS! Just goes to show my lack of blogging lately!)
It's original inspiration came from Nigella Lawson! I used to LOVE watching her cooking shows and I recall one time her commenting how well pear and chocolate go together. I have to admit that I've never actually tried any of her recipes, nor do I recall the recipe she made to make that comment!! But I did keep in mind this flavour combo and started to experiment with this combo of flavours, and yes, I can say that indeed pears & chocolate do go incredibly well together!!!

Here's my take on a delicious, yet healthier version of pears and chocolate combined!
Using overripe pears in this recipe means you can use far less sugar than in traditional baked desserts as they are naturally more sweet. If you don't have overripe ones, that's fine too, under-ripe ones will work quite well and will soften as the dish is baked. This is a great way to use up any spare pears you may have if you've stocked up when they're on super special (speaking from experience)!! 

CHOCOLATE PEAR BAKE

(Makes 1 cake that serves 6-8)

                  

                    You'll need:

                   3 overripe pears
                   1 cup wholemeal flour
                   1 teaspoon baking powder
                   2 Tablespoons coconut sugar
                   1/4 cup cocoa powder
                   1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
                   1 teaspoon vanilla
                   1 cup motherless milk of choice

Slice the pears into thin pieces and remove any of the core. Layer in a 24cm pie dish with the large side out and the small ends meeting in the middle as shown below. 

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla and milk. Mix together til just combined using a whisk. Do not over stir as the mixture will then become too chewy as it bakes. Pour the batter over the pears.

Place dish in a preheated 180°C oven and bake for 40 minutes.  

 Slice and serve.

I find using a glass pie dish that it doesn't stick and can be served easily enough, however if using a ceramic or other dish, I would recommend lining it first with non-stick paper. 

If you wish to try a completely sugar-free version I reckon you could substitute the coconut sugar for 1/4 cup of date spread without it hugely affecting the way this bake turns out. 

I haven't tried it in this exact recipe but with my largely sugar free home these days that is what I would try! If you do give this version a shot - be sure to let me know what you think :-) 

Chocolate Caramel Date Tart

Now I'm not going to pretend that this is everyday kind of food...... But if you're looking for a special occasion treat then I highly recommend giving this tart a try. It's deliciously sweet without added sugar. It's filling is so smooth and it will give you a great chocolate hit. We served this in place of birthday cake and it was a huge hit!  

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL DATE TART

(Serves 10-12)

                You'll need:
                BASE
                1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
                2 Tablespoons ground flax seeds
                1 Tablespoon cocoa powder
                4 pitted medjool dates
                2 Tablespoon motherless milk of choice

                FILLING
                1 1/2 cups pitted medjool dates 
                1/4 cup motherless milk of choice
                1 teaspoon vanilla essence

                TOPPING
                100g bar of dairy-free dark chocolate (I use Lindt 70-85%)
                100ml motherless milk of choice
                1 teaspoon vanilla essence 


Soak the dates for the filling in a bowl of boiling water for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the base.
Put all the ingredients for the base into a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together. It will be a bit sticky - that's ok! Press the mixture into a glass 20cm pie dish. You can use another pie dish if you'd like, but I find that the mixture doesn't stick to the glass ones and therefore I don't need to use oil or line it. Place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
Strain the dates and place all the filling ingredients in a food processor and blend til completely smooth and creamy.
Pour the filling mixture onto the base & return to the freezer.
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients for the topping. Stir continually on low heat until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny.
Pour the topping over the filling mixture.
Place the pie in the fridge and allow the topping to cool.
Once cooled, you can slice and serve (as many pieces as you like hahahahaaaa!)! ;-)

Question of the day:
Do you make yourself treats like this 'just because', or do you save them for special occasions?

Thanksgiving Recipe - Pumpkin Pie

It's about this time of year when many people start thinking about thanksgiving.
We don't celebrate thanksgiving, but I previously tried this recipe for a dinner party with friends and it worked so well that I wanted to try it again and make sure I posted it in time for thanksgiving if it worked out.
I'm pleased to say that it works so well and is totally delicious :-)
It's not very difficult to make either which means it's a winner in my books! 

EASY PUMPKIN PIE

(This recipe makes 1x 24cm pie - serves 8-12 depending on cutting size.)
You'll need:
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla essence (optional, works without it)
For the filling:
1/4 medium size pumpkin
300g tub soft silken tofu
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (don't have this - use 1t cinnamon, 1/4t each ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves)

Peel and de-seed the pumpkin. Cut into pieces and cook until tender however you choose, my preferred way is in the microwave. This takes approx 7 mins with a small amount of water in the bottom of a microwave safe dish. You need 1 1/2 cups of cooked pumpkin pieces, though don't stress if you are a little over or under as this recipe is very forgiving.
Set cooked pumpkin aside.
In a food processor combine the crust ingredients and pulse until the mixture is lightly crumbled and comes together.

Press the mixture into the pie dish with the back of a spoon. You can be as precise or rustic as you desire. Make sure there are no holes in the button layer as the filling will leak through if there is.
Place pie base in a preheated 160°C oven and baked for 20 minutes. 
In the meantime, prepare the filling.
Make sure the pumpkin is well strained of any water. Strain the tofu.
Combine all the filling ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth.
Pour the filling over the baked pie base.

Spread with the back of a spoon to get a nice even surface on top.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 40 minutes, still at 160°c.

Once cooker, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing.

Note: 
* We have found that so long as we are using a glass pie dish it doesn't need to be sprayed with oil, the pie slides right off it when it's cooled.
* This is a lightly sweetened pie, you can use more maple syrup if you'd like a sweeter pie.

Question of the day:
Do you celebrate thanksgiving?

Neapolitan Ice-cream

Who remembers those big tubs of ice-cream that had a mixture of chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavours in them? I assume they are still available. We always had them in our house when I was growing up. My favourite flavour was chocolate, and my brothers was strawberry. Although, occasionally we would have a scoop of all 3 flavours and mix it together to make a big swirl of flavoured ice-cream in our bowl!

Here's a way to combine chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavours into a healthy ice-cream swirl:

 NEAPOLITAN ICE-CREAM 

You'll need (per serving):

1 cup frozen strawberries, chopped into pieces prior to freezing

1 medjool date, pitted

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla essense

1-2 Tablespoons motherless milk of choice 

Combine all ingredients in a mini food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
The amount of milk will vary depending on your blender, and how smooth you want it.

Deliciousness! 

This one was made with more milk and more cocoa.

Question of the day?
Did you have Neapolitan Ice-cream as a child? If so, what was your favourite flavour?

Chocolate Okara Pie

For those of you who make your own motherless milk, it can often be quite a dilemma what to do with all the leftover pulp. It seems wasteful to throw it away, and yet it isn't always the easiest thing to find uses for, especially if you go through a lot of milk in your home.
Here's a great way to use up some of that pulp.
I have only tried this pie with okara (soy milk pulp) but I see no reason why it wouldn't work with other plant-based milk pulps.

Chocolate Okara Pie

Crust:
1 cup oat flour/bran
1/2 cup okara
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon baking powder

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until combined. Mixture will be a wet crumble. 
Press into a 20cm pie dish, making sure to press some of the mixture up onto the sides.
Bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated 180C oven.

Pie filling:
1/2 cup okara
1 cup motherless milk of choice
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or other dry sweetener of choice)
1/4 cup cornflour
2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all the pie filling ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.
Pour mixture over the baked pie crust.

Cook at 160C for 1 hour. Remove from oven.
The mixture will be slightly wobbly.
Allow to cool prior to slicing.
The mixture will thicken upon cooling.

Serve with frozen berries of choice.

Question of the day:
Do you make your own plant-based milk? If so, what do you do with the pulp?

In My Kitchen - April

For those of you who follow my blog, you may have noticed I have taken a bit of a break lately.
We have lots going on for us so I just needed some down time, and that meant time away from the computer.
I have plenty of recipes lined up to share in the coming weeks, but to get back into things I thought it would be a good idea to share what has been happening In My Kitchen so far this year. 

When life gets busy we find that we fall back onto easy meals. Well, to be perfectly honest the large majority of what we eat is easy, basic meals. But in busy times that means relying on some family favourites.

From Top left:
Red Lentil and Spinach Sauce with roasted potatoes and green beans, Veggie Pizza, mashed potatoes with steamed veggies and thick Mushroom Gravy with spinach added, Salad with Potato Waffles and Lentil Burgers, Red Lentil and Spinach Loaf with corn and potatoes, Rice & Veggie Bake, Eggplant Bean Sauce over roasted potatoes with corn, Lentil Meatballs with potatoes in tomato sauce and steamed veggies. 

Easy doesn't mean that dessert is forgotten! 
We often have banana ice-cream, or mini "puddings" that are made with just fruit, dates, applesauce and oats. I often throw together things like this without following a recipe. However when I made these raisin sweetened brownies my family gave me strict instructions to write down exactly what I had done and make them again and again! Recipe coming soon so stay tuned!

Below is a new family favourite that we are working out how to tweak it to be just right. The problem is, I have been slack with writing down exactly what I do, so no 2 batches ever end up the same!
But this is so good that my husband has made up a little song to go with it!

 
I love seeing all the colours as we are cooking our meals :-)
They are just so inviting!

I have been putting our pressure cooker to good use and making large batches of legumes. 
Sometimes though...... it all goes horribly wrong! 

I find that I am still getting used to the exact number of 'minutes' that I should set the cooker to, in order to get perfect legumes. This batch of fava beans that I put on were clearly overdone and they had completely crumbled into a big blob! So instead of being able to use them in a ratatouille like I had planned, I ended up doing some experimenting! I must admit that it brings me much joy to just experiment in my kitchen and not have to bother with precise measurements!
I made several dips and a batch of mini pita breads to go with them. I took this into work for a meeting and everyone really loved both the dip and the pita bread.
These stuffed foldovers were loved by my family too. They were filled with the gone-wrong fava beans, spinach, carrots, peas and corn. Of course, baked til golden brown (not shown).

Talking about baking, there is rarely a week that goes past without our oven producing wonderful aromas.
We made these animal cookies for a "vegan teddy bears picnic" we went to. They had a wonderful texture, quite true to 'cookies' even without the use of vegan butter replacements. I intend to master this creation and blog the recipe soon. However, since they do contain nuts, it is a rare occasion that we eat nuts at home so it may be a while before a final recipe eventuates! 
The "kale" cake shown is the recipe from the new Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, which I finally caved in and purchased! 
Also shown below is a pile of super yummy oat pancakes which we devoured for breakfast one morning. And one of my daughter's favourite after school snacks recently - apple nachos. Sliced apples, piled with goji berries, homemade chocolate sauce, coconut and a sprinkling of walnuts. 

Here's a glimpse of a few of her lunches lately:

More colourful items. She is really enjoying hommus and salad wraps/rolls at the moment. Pictured is also pita bread, banana loaf, fruit wrap and strawberries.  

I bought a new gadget recently - an air-fryer! I am in love with it! Not only does it NOT totally heat the whole house up (like the oven does) but it cooks my potato chips in less than half the time. It is also great for warming up leftovers for school lunchboxes and also makes wonderful crumbed mushrooms (even if the photo looks wrong, I promise you they were delicious! I used oyster mushrooms on this occasion).

Other new items in our kitchen:

PB2 (Powdered Peanut Butter)- Yes, yes I know - processed food! But alas, I just HAD to try this when I saw it in our health food store recently. And with much less fat than peanut butter it ticks the box for an occasional treat.
I bought these curry paste's to try and they are the only oil-free ones I could find. I have only opened the red one so far and it was HOT HOT HOT! So the other three-quarters of the container is still in the fridge!
These relatively new "flats" - available in Woolies and other stores, are made from veggies or fruit with the addition of seeds and/or nuts. They are dehydrated to become crispy. They are quite tasty. Again, not something I would purchase regularly but none the less a great product for when those occasions happen that we need something to snack on and are caught out unprepared (I'm thinking those days when you end up caught back at work for 2 hours!).
Also shown are these White Corn Tortillas. I pictured these because I have been asked about wraps that are oil-free. These are the only ones that I have had any luck being able to find regularly. To be honest, they don't fold real well and are best used in cooked items such as Mexican Pie.

And to finish off this post - here a few items "out" of my kitchen.
Enjoying a delicious Bean & Potato Salad under the Harbour Bridge just before day-light saving ended.
And an amazing oil-free vegan pizza that was made especially for me at a friends birthday party! I felt so blessed! :-)

It's nice to stop and enjoy the little blessings when life gets busy and the weight of everyday things are getting us down!

Question of the day:
What is something that you can stop and be thankful for lately?

Tell us what's been going on in your kitchen this month! And don't forget to add your link at Fig Jam & Lime Cordial. Thanks for hosting Celia! :-)

Easy Choc-Mint Biscuits

Happy Australia Day to all my Aussie readers.
I hope you are enjoying your long weekend. 
If you haven't found something amazing to make tomorrow then let me suggest these!
Lots of people think of Tim Tam's and Mint Slice as real 'Aussie' biscuits.
And yes, there are vegan versions available in the supermarket - but hey, why not make your own??!!
I don't pretend these are healthy, but then again, we're all allowed a treat occasionally.

EASY CHOC-MINT BISCUITS

You'll need:
Arnotts nice biscuits
Kingland Soy cream cheese
Your Inspiration at Home choc-mint powder (or alternatively cocoa powder with a drop of peppermint essence)
Lindt 70% dark chocolate block

Remove the creamcheese from the fridge and allow to soften for 10 minutes. Mix in the choc-mint powder (or cocoa and mint essence).
Spread the mixture over the top of nice biscuits. 
Melt the dark chocolate in a microwave on 50% power until soft and runny. Drizzle over the biscuits. 
Allow to cool before serving so the chocolate can set. 
You can keep these in the fridge to firm up for about half an hour. Any longer and the biscuits will go soggy!

Enjoy! :-)

Chocolate Berry "Cheesecake"

Does a recipe like this really need an introduction?!?
I think not, just try it - you'll want it every night.
It's quick, easy, healthy & delicious.

 

CHOCOLATE BERRY CHEESECAKE

Crust:
1 cup oats
1 cup dates
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

Filling:
300g frozen berries of choice
200g medium firm tofu
1/4 cup soymilk (or other motherless milk of choice)
3 Tablespoons maple syrup
3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Soak the dates in boiling water til softened. 
Drain and combine the dates, oats and cocoa powder in a blender or food processor.
Blend until well combined but not completely crumbed.
Press into a 20cm pie dish.

Blend the ingredients of the pie filling.
Pour into the pie dish on top of the crust. 

Place in the freezer for 3-4 hours.

Defrost 15-20 minutes prior to serving.

Serve for dessert,    no wait,    actually I think this is healthy enough to be BREAKFAST!  

Or turn it into "Birthday Cake".

 

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Add your recipe at:
Rock My Vegan Socks 
Vegan Dollhouse

Vegan Mofo - Final Few Reviews

This month seems to have escaped me much quicker than I was hoping!
So today I will give a final few reviews of a couple more books that I thought deserved a mention.

Firstly I'm going to give a big shout out for Chloe Coscarelli.
Chloe became well known for being the first vegan to win cupcake wars, and that is how my love of her started too. 
Her books are the perfect cookbooks! 

........However, I don't have any recipes to show you today!
You see, she has the most amazing recipes and the most beautiful photos. Part of me doesn't want to destroy how wonderful they are but attempting my own ;-)
These are great books to sit and read on the couch. You simply can't be miserable while you have one of these books in your hand!
These would have to be my top "therapy cookbooks"!!! You know those ones that you just sit and read and know that even if you never cook anything from them you'll be completely satisfied that you own them and they fulfill your life in a funny sort of way ;-)
That said, I have cooked a few recipes in the past from them and definitely will again in the future!

She has a new book just released a few days ago which I look forward to adding to my collection.

You can view Chloe's website here - Chef Chloe. 

Next in line is Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
She is very well-known in vegan-land. She has written many books - my collection is pictured below. Everyone raves about her!
The vegan cupcake/cookies/pie series are cute little handheld size books that have wonderful pictures through out and the recipes are super easy to make. These recipes are sure to impress anyone who thinks that vegans miss out on treats! 

Shown below is "Blueberry Spice Crumb Bars" from the Vegan Cookies book. My batter didn't spread as well as I was hoping so I didn't layer the top with crumbs as the recipe calls for. They were so so delicious. A really nice dessert to finish our meal with. My husband really enjoyed these and yet "claims" he doesn't like blueberries, then again I don't particularly like them fresh either but frozen ones seem to be quite different ;-)

I was so excited when Appetite for Reduction was released and I got it straight away. I have cooked several recipes from this book. It doesn't have the beautiful photography that the mini books have, rather a few photos in the centre of the book. So some of the recipes require a good understanding of how you hope they will turn out. All the recipes in the book are low-fat, although for our purposes they still require the complete elimination of oil and some other ingredients. Everything we have tried so far is delicious.
As I hear all things from Isa are!
Below is pictured "Smoky Split Pea Soup".

And shown here is "Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta & Spinach".
Both of these recipes were amazingly delicious and I'll definitely be making them again.
I loved the roasted cauliflower. I have often used cauliflower in white sauce, but roasting it first gave it a wonderful taste.

You can view Isa's website here at the Post Punk Kitchen. She has a wonderful range of recipes on her website.

And last but not least is Leah Leneman.
I can't say that she is an overly popular vegan writer, possibly because she passed away in 1999 and I don't think that the vegan boom had taken off then. None the less, her books have a special place in her heart because her book "Vegan Cooking for One" helped me in those very early stages of changing my diet. I could not of done it without that book.

They are not fancy or flash cookbooks, just basic books with no pictures but they are a great starting point. They have many wonderful recipes, all using basic ingredients and most things I've tried I've really enjoyed. 
They are packed FULL of recipes that require little time or effort to prepare.  

Pictured below is Mushroom and Tomato Pie.

Well that's it from me for Vegan Mofo this year!
I hope you have enjoyed my reviews.
Is there any vegan cookbooks that have stolen your heart?