Gluten-free Archives - Coconut and Berries

Red Lentil, Spinach & Potato Curry with Baobab [& a Giveaway!]

If you’re a regular Coconut & Berries reader, you might have caught my Green Hummus Crackers recipe a few weeks back. I included Moringa green superleaf powder in the mix, produced by a company called Aduna.

I’ve since found out a lot more about the company, their backstory and their inspiring mission and wanted to share it with you too - as well as a yummy recipe using another of their amazing products - Baobab.

I’m also giving you the chance to WIN a whole hamper of Baobab goodies for yourselves! (Competition now closed)

I imagine Coconut and Berries readers might be more in the know than most about healthy foods so you probably have heard of baobab. However, 95% of people haven’t and that most definitely needs to change!

It’s packed with vitamin C, fibre, antioxidants and minerals including calcium, magnesium and potassium, which gives it an amazing range of potential health benefits.

BUT, not only is it an amazingly healthy (and tasty!) fruit that’s great for all of us who eat it, it also has the potential to transform millions of lives.

Baobab trees grow so abundantly in Africa that if there were a global demand for the superfuit then this existing crop could be worth $1bn to rural Africa and create sustainable income for up to 10 million African women.

The company has been working towards this goal on a shoestring since the launch in 2012 but last week were announced as Semi-Finalists in Virgin’s Pitch to Rich competition. If the company finishes in the top 3 they will win a £250K marketing campaign and get Richard Branson’s backing. This would transform awareness of baobab – and with it potentially millions of lives.

I think it’s awesome to see a social business get so far in the competition and hope you’ll agree that they should be in the final!

Anyone who votes can enter to win a whole hamper of Aduna baobab goodies, including their superfruit powder and raw energy bars) and, if that’s not enough, all voters are automatically entered to win £10K from Virgin Media.

Just follow the instructions in the image below and cast your vote HERE (Giveaway open worldwide)

GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER JESSICA!

I mostly use baobab in smoothies and love its slightly sweet, tangy taste, but I thought I’d experiment with it in savoury dishes too and loved the result in this Red Lentil, Spinach & Potato Curry. Tamarind, which is similarly sweet and sour, is traditional in curries after all, so it’s not all that wacky an idea!

There are lots of other recipes and serving suggestions on the Aduna website.

Red Lentil, Spinach & Potato Curry with Baobab

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Red Lentil, Spinach & Potato Curry with Baobab

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Coconut oil
1 Small onion, diced
3 Cloves of garlic, minced
2" ginger, peeled & minced
1 red chilli, deseeded & minced
1 Tbsp Curry powder (use your favourite blend)
1 tsp Salt
1 C Red lentils, rinsed well
1 Can (400g) Chopped tomatoes
3 C Water
250g/8oz New potatoes, halved OR quartered if large
2 Tbsp Aduna Baobab powder OR 1 Tbsp Tamarind paste
Couple of large handfuls of spinach

To serve (optional):

Non-dairy yogurt
Fresh coriander, chopped
Wholegrain flatbread

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook for a further couple of minutes. Add the curry powder, salt and red lentils and stir to coat well.
Add the tomatoes,water and new potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the pan and simmer for approx 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. When cooked, the potatoes should be fork tender.
Remove from the heat and stir in the baobab powder (or tamarind) and the spinach. The residual heat will wilt it.
Serve with a sprinkle of fresh coriander, a dollop of non-dairy yogurt & flatbread on the side.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/06/07/red-lentil-spinach-potato-curry-with-baobab-a-giveaway/

Hope you enjoy this recipe and let’s Make Baobab Famous!

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Vegan Hazelnut-Coffee Mousse (& Banana Crunch Parfaits)

I finally managed to whittle down my out-of-control nut butter stash to just 2 jars - 1 peanut, 1 almond (coconut butter and tahini don’t count 😉 ) but then my cupboard was looking a little bare so I had to restock again (!) and decided to do so with some of the homemade variety.

If you haven’t made your own nut butter before, I urge you to remedy that now. It’s so easy, you can control the added ingredients (most of the store-bought varieties still contain unnecessary palm oil), it’s much cheaper than buying it and roasted nuts make your house smell amazing!

Hazelnut butter is a good one to start with since hazelnuts are on the higher fat end of the nut spectrum which makes them quicker to blend and gives you a super silky end product. And remember, nuts contain the good kind of fat which is so important for both physical and emotional health, so don’t be afraid of them!

Once you’ve got a lovely jar of homemade hazelnut butter you’ll of course have to make my favourite Hazelnut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins!

But for this recipe, as mad as it might sound to some, I wanted to go chocolate-free.

I bet if you played the word association game and asked people to name the first word they think of when someone says “hazelnuts”, it would be chocolate. And you’d definitely be in the minority if you didn’t like Nutella growing up….

But, as much as I’m a fan of the chocolate/hazelnut thing, hazelnuts are amazing in their own right and other pairings are also worth exploring.

Coffee and hazelnut is another magical combination but until now I’d only had it with chocolate in the mix too, as in my Healthy Mocha-Hazelnut Shake. Another must-try!

You honestly do not miss the chocolate one bit in this recipe. The mousse is sweet and creamy, with a rich, nutty depth and kiss of caramel flavour from the coconut sugar. I didn’t want it to be too heavy so instead of going all out on the nuts, I used silken tofu as the base. You don’t taste it so don’t worry if it sounds strange!

See my Little Lemon Pots and Blueberry Coconut Cream Parfaits for other tofu desserts.

I especially love the Hazelnut-Coffee Mousse layered up with sliced bananas and chopped roasted hazelnuts for some crunch. It’s a really easy, pretty wholesome, and outrageously delicious dessert!

Vegan Hazelnut-Coffee Mousse (& Banana Crunch Parfaits)

Serving Size: 3-4 Servings

Ingredients

1 x 200g/7oz pkg Silken tofu, drained ( I use Clearspring Organic )*
1/4 C Roasted hazelnut butter*
1/4 C Coconut sugar
1 Tbsp Maple syrup (optional, if you like your desserts on the sweeter side)
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Instant coffee (I used Four Sigma Foods Mushroom Coffee with Chaga & Cordyceps)

To serve:

1/4 C Roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 Ripe banana, sliced

Instructions

To make hazelnut butter:

Preheat oven to 190C/400F, spread hazelnuts in a roasting dish/tray and roast for approx 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap the nuts in a tea towel and rub together vigorously to remove most of the skins ( don't worry if a few don't come off). Place the skinned nuts into a food processor with a large pinch of salt and process until smooth. This can take at least 10 minutes. You will need to stop and scrape down the sides a few times at the beginning.

For the mousse:

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high-powered blender until smooth. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, spoon into small glasses or ramekins, layering with sliced banana and roasted hazelnuts if desired.

Notes

*If using unsalted hazelnut butter, add a pinch to the mousse ingredients when blending.

*If you're using a larger pkg of tofu and have some spare, try adding it to a smoothie for a creamy texture and protein boost!

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/06/03/vegan-hazelnut-coffee-mousse-banana-crunch-parfaits/

Have you tried making your own nut butter yet? What’s your favourite flavour?

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Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto & Asparagus Quinoa Salad

After making my Mini Vegan Pizza Potato Skins the other week, I had a little jarred sun-dried tomato paste left which I used to make a quick quinoa dish for lunch. I hadn’t anticipated it being that special but I loved it so much that I decided I’d have to make something similar to share with you all here.

Since I’d finished up all the sun-dried tomato paste and also because I wanted everyone to be able to make this recipe, I made my own sun-dried tomato pesto from scratch. I’m calling it a “pesto” rather than a “paste” as I left it a little chunkier and added some pine nuts to the mix for even more flavour and texture.

If you can get your hands on a readymade vegan version then you could of course use that but this recipe requires only a few easy-to-find ingredients and a minute in the food processor so it’s really not much effort.

Sun dried tomatoes have such an incredible sweet, savoury flavour that this pesto adds a bit of pizzaz to anything it touches.

I mixed a good few spoonfuls of the pesto into fluffy quinoa, along with some fresh vegetables, for a delicious meal that is just as good eaten immediately as it is the following day from your lunchbox!

I’m trying to eat as much asparagus as I can before the season’s over and it is particularly lovely in this dish but Tenderstem broccoli or French green beans would also be good options. Cherry tomatoes add little juicy pops of sweetness throughout and balance the rich flavours nicely.

I especially love this quinoa Salad over a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach with a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of homemade hummus!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto & Asparagus Quinoa Salad

Yield: 4 Servings (6 as a side)

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto & Asparagus Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1/2 C Sun-dried tomatoes, divided (dry-packed kind)
1/2 C Basil (loosely-packed), divided
1 Clove of garlic
2 Tbsp Toasted pine nuts
1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast
3-4 Tbsp Olive oil
3/4 C Quinoa
Couple of big handfuls of spinach
1 C Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Bunch of asparagus (approx 200g), woody ends snapped off/trimmed
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
Salt & Pepper
Hemp seeds (optional)

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa well then place in a pan over medium heat with 1 1/2 C water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Stir in the spinach then re-cover and leave for at least 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 30 minutes while the quinoa is cooking, then drain (reserving a little water).
Add 2/3 of the sun-dried tomatoes to a food processor with half the basil, the garlic, pine nuts, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Stream in the olive oil while the motor is running and process until a thick paste (leave a little texture). You can add a Tbsp or so of the tomato soaking water for a looser consistency.
Steam the asparagus for 2-3 minutes then refresh in cold water and chop each stem into 2 or 3 pieces.
Roughly chop the remaining sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
Stir the pesto into the quinoa, followed by the asparagus, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil & lemon juice.
Check for seasoning and sprinkle with hemp seeds (if desired).

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/05/25/sun-dried-tomato-pesto-asparagus-quinoa-salad/

What are your favourite recipes for packed lunches or to take along to picnics and BBQS?

Green Hummus Crackers

So often in the past I’ve had grand intentions of making something creative for lunch but get busy and before I know it it’s 1pm and my stomach is growling! I’ve decided that during the week any fancy cooking has to be done in the evening and lunch needs to be a quick and snappy business.

I always have hummus in the fridge, as do most vegans or plant-based eaters I know. Crudités and hummus are great but they can only take you so far and personally I like a little more than that for lunch. That’s where these quick and easy Hummus Crackers come in!

So called for 2 reasons:

1. They’re perfect with hummus.

2. They’re made from the same ingredients as hummus (!)

The miraculous ingredient that is chickpeas somehow transforms into both a creamy dip and a crunchy, crumbly cracker!

I didn’t actually add tahini but I did add lots of sesame seeds which are basically the same thing, plus the usual garlic, lemon, oil and salt.

I also added a fun new-to-me ingredient for a little health boost and fun green colour.

You’ve probably heard of and maybe tried various green superfoods available in the West like spirulina, chlorella, wheatgrass, etc. but you might not have heard of moringa which is actually even more nutrient-dense than those and a rich source of iron, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium.

Aduna’s moringa is a 100% organic, raw wholefood made from the naturally-dried leaf of the Moringa tree.

According to Aduna “The moringa tree is native to Africa and Asia and is widely considered The Miracle Tree. Drought-resistant, fast growing and perennial, every part of the tree is valuable: from the seeds that are used for purifying water, to the medicinal properties of the bark, roots and flowers and — of course — the exceptionally nutrient-dense leaves.”

It doesn’t have an unpleasant taste so it’s pretty easy to incorporate into your diet. I found it slightly earthy and savoury so prefer it in sauces, soups, salads, etc. rather than in smoothies, but if you just add a couple of teaspoons it’s not very noticeable.

Green Hummus Crackers

Yield: Approx 3-4 Servings

Green Hummus Crackers

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Coconut OR Olive oil
3 Tbsp Ground flax seed
1 1/2 C (1 can ) Cooked chickpeas
1/3 C Sesame seeds
1/4 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Tbsp Lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Moringa powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend until you have a smooth dough. Roll the dough into a ball and use a rolling pin to roll into a very thin, even layer. Use your fingers to patch up any gaps.
Score the dough into cracker shapes and bake for 30-40 minutes, until just beginning to brown.
Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before breaking into crackers.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/05/11/green-hummus-crackers/

Aduna also produce another superfood called baobab which is rich in vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants. It also happens to be delicious! It’s a little sweet and tangy, kind of like lemon sherbets (!) and is very good in smoothies or even on porridge or yoghurt.

As I strive to be a responsible consumer it’s also reassuring to me that Aduna is an ethical company. They work directly with producers in Africa who coordinate harvesting, collection and the highest quality standards, as well as ensuring that growers are paid a fair price. You can read more about their mission here.

Hope you give these crackers a go and are maybe tempted to give moringa and baobab a go!

[Disclosure: Aduna kindly sent me some of their Moringa and Baobab for review purposes, but I received no other compensation and, as always, all opinions are my own]

Vegan Chewy Coconut-Oat Cookies

I’ve probably mentioned some time before that I went to boarding school.

It’s quite a few years now since I left but there are some things I remember very well — the food being one of them!

I rarely enjoyed the meals at school, although there were a few pretty decent desserts…

But, after sport on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoons, we’d come back to the boarding house to a tray of “treats”. Usually brownies, cookies, fairy cakes or a traybake of sorts. I have a very clear picture in my head of Matron sitting there guarding them to make sure nobody had more than one!

I guess sources of excitement were fairly few and far between as those “treats” were definitely one of them and we’d eagerly discuss what we were hoping to find that day on our way back from a cross-country run or hockey practice.

My very favourites were the Chewy Coconut-Oat Cookies.

I hadn’t actually thought of those cookies since school days but these took me right back. I’m very happy to say that they’re just as good as those I used to love, while being vegan, gluten-free and probably considerably healthier too.

They’re ultra chewy with a lovely crisp exterior and are jam-packed full of coconut and oats. They’re also quick and easy to make so hopefully you have all the ingredients at home and can whip up a batch today!

Vegan Chewy Coconut-Oat Cookies

Yield: Approx 12 cookies

Vegan Chewy Coconut-Oat Cookies

Ingredients

1-1/2 C Rolled oats
1 C Oat flour*
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp Coconut sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 C Unsweetened shredded (desiccated) coconut
1 Tbsp Ground flaxseed
1/2 C + 1 Tbsp Melted coconut oil
2 Tbsp Maple syrup
1/2 tsp Baking soda
3 Tbsp Water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 175C/350F and line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, oat flour, coconut sugar, shredded coconut, salt and flax.
In a small pan, melt together the maple syrup and coconut oil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda.
Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the water and stir until well combined.
Leave for 5-10 minutes to cool slightly then scoop balls of the mixture using a cookie scoop or spoon and place on the prepared baking trays. Flatten slightly (they don't spread much) and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.
Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
They will firm up a lot when cool.
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. They also freeze well.

Notes

- I grind my own oat flour from whole oats in my Froothie Optimum 9400 blender. It's much more economical than buying it pre-ground.

http://www.coconutandberries.com/2015/05/05/vegan-chewy-coconut-oat-cookies/