Gluten-free Archives - Page 6 of 12

Raw Triple Chocolate Cookies (with Homemade Chocolate Chips!)

I grew up a white chocolate girl. A Milkybar, or even better, a bag of Milkybar buttons, was my favourite sweet treat. My Easter eggs were always white chocolate and Father Christmas even knew to put white chocolate coins in my stocking on Christmas morning!

Somewhere along the road though, I got into dark chocolate. I’m guessing it was when I went vegan and white chocolate automatically became off limits. Whenever the shift happened, now when it comes to chocolate I tend to think that the darker the better.

The white stuff has hardly crossed my mind for years but for some reason I recently started thinking about it and wondering if I could make a homemade version to rival the white chocolate of my youth.

It turns out there are a lot of recipes online so I messed around with a few to come up with my own. I’m pretty happy with the result: It’s sweet-but not too sweet, creamy and melt-in-the-mouth, with none of that waxiness the commercial dairy-free kinds I’ve tried have had. I used the recipe to make white chocolate chips to use in a recipe, though quite a few went straight to my mouth!

I decided a bold, dark chocolate would complement the subtle white chocolate flavour rather nicely so ended up making some raw dark chocolate chips too. Oh so moreish!

The dark chocolate chips were even easier to make than the white, since, because of the higher fat content, white chocolate melts more easily than dark so getting it the right consistency for making chips was a tad trickier. Neither are difficult though, they just take a little time, so you should definitely try making them (full instructions below). And then you can make cookies too!

Seeing as we were in chocolate mode, I didn’t think it could harm to add a little more…and so these Raw Triple Chocolate Cookies were born! A fudgy chocolate base studded with homemade white and dark chocolate chips.

Raw Triple Chocolate Cookies (with Homemade Chocolate Chips!)

Yield: 8 Cookies (+ extra chocolate chips)

Raw Triple Chocolate Cookies (with Homemade Chocolate Chips!)

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate Chips

3 Tbsp Melted cacao butter
1/3 C Raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp Coconut OR Agave nectar

White Chocolate Chips

2 Tbsp Melted cacao butter
1-1/2 Tbsp Raw cashew butter
3/4 Tbsp Coconut OR Agave nectar
1/4 tsp Lucuma powder (optional- just adds a hint of caramel flavour)
Pinch of vanilla powder

Raw chocolate cookies

1/2 C Almonds
3/4 C Cashews
Generous pinch of salt
1/2 C (packed) Pitted soft dates (e.g. Medjool)
1/2 Tbsp Coconut oil
1 Tbsp Coconut OR Agave nectar
3/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1/4 C Raw cacao powder
1/4 C Homemade chocolate chips ( 2 Tbsp White, 2 Tbsp Dark)

Instructions

To make the chocolate chips

In two separate bowls set over boiling water, whisk together the listed ingredients until smooth.
Spoon each mixture into a small plastic sandwich bag (placed in a glass to hold it upright)
Place the white chocolate in the fridge to firm up a little while you work with the dark.
Cut a tiny end off the sandwich bag and, as if using a piping bag to frost a cake, squeeze little dots of chocolate onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue until all the chocolate is used up. Place the tray in the freezer for at least an hour to firm up.
Repeat the same process with the white chocolate mixture. If the mixture is too thick to pipe, allow to warm at room temperature for a short while and knead the bag gently.
When firm, remove the chocolate chips from the trays and store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer.

To make the cookies:

Grind the nuts into a coarse flour in a food processor. Add the dates, coconut oil, coconut or agave nectar, and vanilla and process again until the mixture comes together. Add the cacao powder and process again to incorporate.
Fold in the chocolate chips, roll into balls and flatten into cookie shapes.
Refrigerate until firm.

Notes

Keep a container of these chocolate chips in the fridge or freezer for whenever you need a little sweet fix!

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/08/15/raw-triple-chocolate-cookies-homemade-chocolate-chips/

What do you think of white chocolate?

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Green Power Soup (Broccoli, Basil & Pumpkin Seed)

Green Power Soup (protein-packed and super delicious!) | coconutandberries.com

I won’t start gushing again about how much I love green food as I have done already and once I get started I won’t stop!

Today’s recipe is the sister post to my beloved “Green Power Burgers” and is equally delicious but even quicker and easier to put together. I think I’m a fan of most green foods (uh-oh,here I go again…) but I do have a few which stand out…

Broccoli! My very faithful friend. I always turn to broccoli when I’m feeling too tired or lazy to come up with an inventive meal since I know I’ll be happy with anything featuring it prominently. It’s formed the base of many “bowl” meals over the years: lightly steamed and served with some quinoa and pesto or hummus (I always keep homemade on hand), and I’m a happy camper!

Sprouts! Newer to my kitchen but something I’ve learnt to love. I fell out of the habit of growing my own sprouts at home until this post by Ricki reminded me of them and what a fantastic addition they are to our diets. The idea of “sprouting” might sound a little intimidating but I assure you it’s not hard and is actually pretty fun, especially if you don’t have a garden where you can grow things.

I wrote more about sprouts and sprouting here.

Pumpkin Seeds and Basil are our other green friends in this soup and add more great nutrition and flavour (as much as I want my meals to be healthy, I also want them to taste good!).

My Green Power Soup is velvety smooth, full-flavoured and very filling.

Green Power Soup (Broccoli, Basil & Pumpkin Seed)

Yield: 4 Servings

Green Power Soup (Broccoli, Basil & Pumpkin Seed)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
1/2 C Pumpkin seeds
2 Garlic cloves, minced
4 C Broccoli (1 Medium head, broken into florets)
4 C Vegetable broth
1/3 C (loosely packed) Chopped fresh basil
1-2 Tbsp White miso*
Approx 1 C Sprouts (I used mung bean and china rose radish)

Instructions

Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion and pumpkin seeds. Cook, stirring regularly for approx 10 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and pumpkin seeds smell fragrant (watch carefully so that they don't burn!)
Add the garlic and continue to cook for a further minute.
Add the broccoli and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered for 10-15 minutes, or until the broccoli is soft.
Remove from heat and stir in the basil and miso.
Leave to cool somewhat then pour into a high-powered blender ( I used my Froothie!) and blend until very smooth.
Return to pot to warm through.
Top each bowl with a handful of sprouts to serve.

Notes

*I use a low sodium broth so prefer nearer 2 tbsp miso.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/08/08/green-power-soup-broccoli-basil-pumpkin-seed/

What’s your favourite green food/meal?

Strawberry & Rhubarb Polenta Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

I know it’s sweltering hot here right now, but some kind of madness possessed me and I decided I needed to bake. The rhubarb made me.

A short while ago a friend of mine offered me some rhubarb that her neighbour gave her but she didn’t want. Now, I’m not one to turn down free fruit (actually I think rhubarb is technically a vegetable….) so of course I graciously accepted the gift.

That rhubarb had been hanging around for far too long and making me feel guilty about not using it every time I opened the fridge.

The time had come, and, beyond eating it raw dipped in coconut sugar as Gabby of the Veggie Nook recommended, all my ideas involved some heat.

An afternoon of having an extra hot kitchen ended up being well worth it though as this cake turned out wonderfully! Strawberries and rhubarb are a classic culinary pairing, I suppose because they’re both in season at the same time but also since strawberries’ sweetness complements tangy, tart rhubarb rather nicely too.

When baked the fruit creates little jammy pockets in the cake- delicious!

I made this recipe gluten-free seeing as everyone is always requesting gluten-free recipes and I do do my best to please! I actually loved the soft, moist texture of the cake from the ground almonds and polenta and though it’s a little delicate to be able to pick up with your hands, it’s lovely eaten with a little non-dairy yogurt or vanilla bean cashew cream.

I also used Clearspring Organic Corn Germ Oil which really brought out the nutty taste in the cake and contributed to the lovely golden crumb. But, if you can’t get hold if it, then any neutral oil or even olive oil or melted coconut oil would be fine here.

Oh, and you can also make muffins with this recipe! (You will need to reduce the cooking time accordingly)

Strawberry & Rhubarb Polenta Cake (Vegan & Gluten-free)

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Ground flax
3 Tbsp Water
1/3 C Corn Germ oil OR other oil of your choice (see note)
1/2 C Coconut nectar OR agave nectar OR maple syrup
1/3 C Apple purée (unsweetened applesauce)
1/2 C Polenta
1/2 C Ground almonds (almond flour)
1/4 C + 3 Tbsp Brown rice flour (reserve 1 Tbsp to coat the fruit)
1/4 C Tapioca starch
2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 C Chopped rhubarb (1/2" pieces)
1/2 C Chopped strawberries

Optional glaze

1 Tbsp no added sugar apricot spread
1 Tbsp water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/350F
In a medium bowl, whisk together the ground flax through to the apple purée.
Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to mix.
Add the liquid mixture to the dry and stir well to fully combine.
Toss the rhubarb and the strawberries with the remaining 1 Tbsp brown rice flour (this helps prevent the fruit sinking) and gently fold into the batter.
Pour the mixture into your prepared baking tin/muffin liners and bake for 40-45 minutes (less for muffins)
If using the optional glaze, mix together the fruit spread and water and brush over cake just after you remove it from the oven.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with non-dairy yogurt or vanilla bean cashew cream

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/07/26/strawberry-rhubarb-polenta-cake-vegan-gluten-free/

(I’m sharing this recipe with the Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck)

This cake didn’t make much of a dent on my rhubarb supply so I think I’ll be making either my Stewed Rhubarb with Orange or my Rhubarb-Berry Compote soon! Unless you have any other tasty recipes to share?

Let me know if you try out this Strawberry & Rhubarb Polenta Cake recipe. I always appreciate your feedback.

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Culinary Quandaries: A Vegan Dinner Party & a Giveaway!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with Almond-Coconut Crust

There are so many amazing new cookbooks popping up at the moment! This one is slightly different in that it’s an eBook- an interactive one at that!

“ A Vegan Dinner Party” is part of an eBook series called Culinary Quandaries designed to show readers how to cook to different dietary requirements, whether they have recently adopted a new diet themselves or would like to learn how to cook for someone else with requirements or preferences that they are unfamiliar with, or even if they are already well-seasoned vegans, vegetarians, gluten- and lactose-intolerant people themselves and are just looking to pick up some fresh and exciting new ideas for extending their culinary repertoire.

The introduction is especially useful for newbies as it explains veganism, what is and what isn’t vegan, and where to find some of the more unusual ingredients those not used to cooking vegan are likely not familiar with.

The recipes in the book have been contributed by experienced vegan chefs and bloggers, Anya Kassoff of Golubka Kitchen, Allyson Kramer and Janet Malowany of The Taste Space, so you know they’re going to be good!

The recipes range from the extravagant to the more classic, homey type, so you’ll be sure to find something to suit whatever mood you’re going for with your dinner party.

I would have loved to actually host a dinner party and make a few of the recipes from the book to serve to my guests but I just haven’t had the time lately. I’ve been happily testing out the recipes for my everyday meals though.

I kicked off with the Tamarind Roasted Eggplant and Chickpeas. I’ve had a half jar of tamarind concentrate in my fridge forever (luckily it lasts a long time) but don’t remember what I’ve made with it, other than the Tamarind Lentils from Veganomicon, which I’ve made many times, and the Tamarind BBQ Tempeh & Sweet Potatoes from Appetite for Reduction. Anyway, I was glad to find another use for it and this curry is certainly one I’ll make again and again. I served it with homemade naan but I think it would be good over rice too, maybe with a side of greens.

Mains I’ve particularly got my eye on to try next are the Hazelnut Burgers with Roasted Tomatoes and Avocado and the Melon Basil Summer Rolls.

Next up was the Chickpea & Apricot Salad with Pineapple-Ginger-Cilantro Dressing. This came from the Starters section but I think it’s better suited as a side-dish or a lunch option, which was how I ate it. I liked all the different textures going on here, and this dish was actually what got me back into adding fruit to my salads.

Other Starters include Baked Veggie Spring Rolls (including homemade spring roll wrappers!), Fig and Kale Salad and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Dippers.

As I mentioned, this eBook is interactive, meaning it’s not just a simple PDF, and there are drop down menus, separate ingredients lists and instructions, etc. Once purchased, you can view it directly online via the Erudition website or downloaded to iBooks or Kindle format.

I found it much easier to read/use the ebook on my iPad rather than a computer or laptop as it’s quicker to scroll through the directions rather than clicking through to a new page for each step. I love that some of the more complicated recipes are broken down step-by-step with visuals and even videos to guide you through.

To note: A couple of the recipes do call for slightly more processed ingredients which I don’t tend to use in my own cooking, such as TVP, vegan cheese, vegan cream cheese or vegan butter, but these are definitely in the minority, so there are still plenty of recipes to suit my tastes.

You didn’t think I’d skipped dessert did you? I had a tough time choosing a recipe to try but in the end went all out with the Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with Almond-Coconut Crust. Gosh is this delicious, but most definitely a dinner party recipe! Meaning, it’s very very rich and not one for every day! Good thing I halved the recipe as it would be dangerous having too much of this around.

For my next dinner party it’s a toss up between the Pineapple and Mango Tart and the Vegan Panna Cotta Tea Cups with Raspberry Compote…

You can buy the eBook online here…

I’ve also been offered a copy of the eBook to give away to a lucky reader. As it’s an eBook, anyone anywhere in the world is welcome to enter. Please follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter widget below and the winner will be announced in a week’s time!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Raw Lemon Tartlets with Strawberry-Nut Crust

If you follow me on facebook you might have seen the announcement of my blog’s 1 year blogiversary! It seems summer is a popular time to start a blog as I’ve noticed a few others are celebrating, and many more years than my humble 1 at that! All the same, I hope I too will be celebrating two, three, four…years down the line.

To mark the occasion I decided I should make dessert! I’m sharing this recipe as a big thank YOU to all my lovely readers! If it wasn’t for you, your kind comments, feedback and support, I doubt I would still be blogging. You make it all worth it!

I thought these “Raw Lemon Tartlets with Strawberry-Nut Crust” were special enough for a celebration, even more so as I used a new-to-me ingredient- Raw strawberry powder! There’s no colouring, flavouring or additives in here, it’s just the whole fruit dehydrated at a low temperature and pulverized, giving a super concentrated fruity flavour. You can get other fruit powders like blueberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and açai, all of which would likely work well in this dessert.

My first experiment with the powder- Raw Strawberry Dusted Caramel White Chocolates

Raw Living provided me with a few goodies, including this powder. If you’re not familiar with them then now’s the time to get acquainted! They sell all the raw food products you could possibly wish for (and ship throughout Europe)! Your basic dried fruits and nuts (all amazing quality), raw snacks (who has time to make their own all the time?!), raw chocolate, a huge range of superfoods, fermented foods and even natural beauty products.

You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to eat raw but a few tools can make it easier and more fun. You can get spiralizers, blenders, juicers, sprouters, etc. here as well.

But back to our dessert! Like most raw desserts, this one’s a snap to put together. Cashews, coconut and dates form the crust, along with a generous spoonful of strawberry powder for that yummy fruity taste. And the filling is a lemon custard/cream made with more cashews, banana (to cut the richness), coconut nectar and lots of lemon. Perfect with a few British strawberries!

Raw Lemon Tartlets with Strawberry-Nut Crust

Yield: 4 Tartlets

Raw Lemon Tartlets with Strawberry-Nut Crust

Ingredients

Strawberry-Nut Crust
1 C Cashews
1/2 C Shredded coconut
2-3 Tbsp Raw strawberry powder (or try another raw fruit powder)
1/3 C Pitted Medjool dates (approx 4)
Zest of 1 lemon + 2 Tbsp Lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Lemon Custard/Cream
2/3 C Cashews (NOT soaked*)
1 Banana, sliced
Zest of 2 lemons + 1/4 C Lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp Coconut nectar
pinch of salt
Fresh berries to serve

Instructions

Make the crust first. Grind the cashews and coconut in a food processor until fine. Add the salt, strawberry powder and pulse to combine.
Blend in the dates, lemon zest and juice until the mixture comes together.
Divide mixture between 4 coconut oiiled tartlet tins and press firmly. Freeze for 1 hour.
For the lemon filling, blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until very smooth. Remove to a bowl/container and refrigerate for an hour to thicken up.
Just before serving, remove the prepared crusts from the tartlet tins carefully. Divide the filling between the four tartlets, top with fresh berries and lemon zest

Notes

* I use unsoaked cashews as they absorb some of the liquid whilst in the fridge and help to thicken up the filling,

* Any extras can be frozen and either left to thaw or eaten straight from the freezer for a firmer texture.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2014/06/13/raw-lemon-tartlets-strawberry-nut-crust/

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[Disclosure: I am a Raw Living affiliate. This means that I receive a small commission on orders placed with Raw Living by readers directed from Coconut and Berries. Thank you for you support!]

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