Monthly Archives: November 2015

Posted on Posted by
Comments: Leave a comment

Quinoa Falafel

Quinoa Falafel Salad

| Disclosure: This recipe was created for Ancient Harvest. See below for more details. |

One of the earliest items I learned to make when I first started cooking happened to be baked falafels. I had fallen in love with falafels thanks to a local Greek restaurant near school but once I moved away, I had major falafel withdraw. And so, I decided to learn to make them at home, only slightly healthier. I’d be lying if I said the baked version was just as good as the fully fried version, which is why in this recipe, I split the difference and do a shallow fry. You will also notice that I didn’t go the traditional route and use dried chickpeas. This is for one primary reason: I have a hard time planning ahead and when I want to eat falafels, I want them now. I use the oven to help dry out the chickpeas slightly, which helps keep the moisture levels a bit closer to the traditional recipe. While this recipe can be made without the quinoa, I like the extra bit of texture the cooked quinoa provides. Read more and see the recipe.

The post Quinoa Falafel appeared first on Naturally Ella.

Naturally Ella

Posted on Posted by
Comments: Leave a comment

Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts with a Sunflower Cookie Crust (Nut-free, Vegan)

veganpumpkinpienutfree (1 of 1)

A couple weeks ago, I received a reader recipe request. Let’s call him “Jason”. Jason asked if I could create a nut-free version of my Raw Pumpkin-Maple Pie with a Baked Oat Crust (found in my cookbook, page 247) because his wife can’t have cashews and pecans. Apparently, it was tormenting her not to be able to try this pie! He wants to surprise her next month with this dessert as a special thank you because “she’s the best wife and mom ever”.

He went on to write, “Angela, I have no clue where to begin and don’t want to mess this up like I usually do.”

I immediately knew that I had to step up to the (pie) plate on this one (no pressure, no pressure!) because the world needs more love. And pie. Plus, I’ve always wondered how I could make this recipe without pecans or cashews, and now I have a nice option to share with you all. I tested multiple fillings and there was a clear winner that I’m sharing below. Spoiler alert – a combo of super luxurious full-fat coconut cream and sunflower seed butter worked so well as a replacement for cashews! It tastes so awesome.

I also paired it with a new toasted sunflower seed and oat “cookie” crust that’s a wonderful, crunchy compliment to the creamy and cool pumpkin pie filling. Pie crusts should never be boring or flavourless, and I love that this one is an easy “press-in” crust.

I meant to have this recipe up on Monday, but I ended up testing this pie about 7 times this week! I can’t sleep at night unless I’ve tested all of my options. Better late than never, I say. I’d rather not rush a recipe just to get it out on time. Anyway, I made this pie as a contribution to our Thanksgiving dinner later today (we’re in the US currently), and I’m so looking forward to the spread at my mom and stepdad’s. I hope those of you celebrating have a happy, fun, and safe Thanksgiving! And if you can’t make this pie today or this weekend, I hope you’ll include it on your holiday baking list.

Well, Jason (you know who you are) I hope this works out for you. If it doesn’t, I’d prefer that you not mention my name.

I’m joking! It’ll work out. Promise.

veganpumpkinpienutfreeglutenfree

Mini Pumpkin Pie Tarts with a Sunflower Cookie Crust (Nut-free)

Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free

This is a luxurious and creamy nut-free version of my favourite Raw Pumpkin Pie from The Oh She Glows Cookbook. After many trials, I ended up using a combination of sunflower seed butter and full-fat coconut cream to replace the cashews in the original recipe, and it worked out so well! The pie has a light coconut flavour, but it’s balanced out nicely by the earthy sunflower seed butter. As a bonus, this filling doesn’t use any whole nuts or whole seeds so you don’t need a Vitamix (or other high powdered blender) to get the filling super smooth. I used 4 tart-sized (about 4-inches diametre) “freestanding” baking cups which I found at Target, but you can also use a standard muffin tin lined with paper liners (or simply greased well) to make mini tarts. I’d imagine a 7-9 inch springform cake pan would work well too. The dough is a bit difficult to shape into a traditional pie crust (with high sides) so that’s why I went with a flat crust for this recipe. If you don’t mind fiddly things, then by all means take a stab at the regular pie crust. Also, the paper liners are easily removed if you remove them while the pies are frozen.

Yield
8-10 servings
Freeze time
24 hours (chill can of coconut milk in the fridge) + 3-5 hours
Prep Time
30 Minutes
Cook time
12 Minutes
Total Time
42 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust:
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
  • 1 3/4 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted*
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons smooth sunflower seed butter (pour off oil before measuring)
  • 2-3 teaspoons water, if needed to bind dough
For the filling:
  • 1/2 cup canned full-fat coconut cream**
  • 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted*
  • 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sunflower seed butter
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, to taste***
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
For serving:
  • Coconut Whipped Cream (I used So Delicious Coco Whip here)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grab four (4-inch diameter) baking paper cups, or 12 standard muffin paper liners and set aside. You can also use a 7-9 inch springform cake pan greased and lined with a circle of parchment paper.
  2. Add the sunflower seeds into a skillet and toast the seeds over medium heat for 5-8 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. Remove from heat.
  3. For the crust: Add the toasted sunflower seeds, oats, and salt into a food processor and process until finely chopped, resembling a coarse flour. Now, add the melted oil, maple syrup, and sunflower seed butter, and process until the mixture comes together into a heavy dough. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingers very easily. If it’s still a tad too dry, add the optional water and process again until it comes together. I find that I always need 2 teaspoons of water, but it’ll depend on your ingredient’s moisture content.
  4. Divide the dough equally between the liners, crumbling it all over each base. (Note: I reserved about 1/2 cup of the dough for sprinkling on the pies when serving.) Lightly wet your fingers. Starting at the centre, press the dough into the base to form a crust. If the dough starts to stick to your hands at any time, lightly wet your hands and shake off the excess water. Once the crust is all pressed in, poke the base with a fork about 2-3 times to allow the air to escape while baking. I place the 4 liners onto a baking sheet so it’s easy to remove them from the oven.
  5. Bake the crusts for around 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Place baking sheet on a cooling rack and cool the crusts for at least 15-20 minutes, or longer if you have the time.
  6. For the filling: Open the chilled can of coconut milk. Scoop off 1/2 cup of the white coconut cream only (not the water) and place it into a blender. (You can save the remaining contents of the can for a smoothie or other use.) Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, melted oil, sunflower seed butter, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice (to taste, I use 2 tsp), and salt. Blend, starting at a low speed and increasing the speed, until smooth.
  7. Divide the filling equally among the cooled crusts. Carefully, transfer the baking sheet (or muffin tin, if making 12 mini tarts) into the freezer on a flat surface. Chill until firm, about 3-5 hours. There’s no need to cover it.
  8. After the tarts are solid, carefully remove the paper liners. Here you can transfer the pies to the fridge for a mousse-like texture, but I prefer the texture when frozen after sitting on the counter for 5-10 minutes before serving.
  9. Serve with coconut whipped cream on top, if desired. This pie filling softens a great deal at room temperature, so it’s best not to leave leftovers on the counter. Return them to the fridge or freezer for best results.

Tips:

*A note about coconut: Health Canada classifies coconut as a “seed of a fruit” and not as a tree nut, however the U.S. FDA classifies coconut as a tree nut, so as you can see there is some confusion over classification when it comes to coconut. As always, if you think you might be allergic to coconut, be sure to talk to your doctor before consuming.

If you want to minimize the light coconut flavour in this pie, you can use refined (flavourless) coconut oil here rather than virgin.

**Be sure to chill a can of full-fat coconut milk for at least 24 hours before you begin this recipe. When ready, open the can and carefully scoop out 1/2 cup of the white coconut cream making sure not to use any of the coconut water.

***I used 2 teaspoons of Whole Food’s 365 Pumpkin Pie Spice since I’m currently away from home. You can also try my homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix.

veganpumpkinpienutfree1

© copyright 2015 Oh She Glows. All Rights Reserved.

Oh She Glows

Posted on Posted by
Comments: 6 Comments

SKG Automatic Multi-Functional 1-LB Mini Bread Maker – Intelligent User-Friendly Bread Machine – 19 Settings Programmable Breadmaker – Automatic Bread Maker Recipe Books – Mini Bread Maker – Electric Bread Machine – Bread Baking Machine – Bread Making Kit – French Bread Maker – Compact Bread Machine – Cake and Bread Maker – Loaf Bread Machine – Home Bakery Mini Bread Maker (450W, 1 Pound Loaf Capacity, 19 Settings, 15 Hours Delay-start Timer) Review


More Bread Machine Products

Posted on Posted by
Comments: Leave a comment

Pear Chutney Cheese Toast

Pear Chutney Cheese Toast

I hesitated posting another cheese toast recipe because it would be easy to think that toast has been played out. There are probably 100’s of variations of avocado toast (which, I’ve never had- the avocado never makes it past the waiting for the bread to toast), toast cookbooks, and even restaurants serving toast. Over the past few years, originally a simple breakfast treat, has become one of the ‘it’ recipes. I like my toast one of three ways: with peanut butter, with honey/butter, or with cheese. The latter started with a visit to the ferry building and cheese toasties which I created at home. The obsession has spilled over in to today’s recipe where the onions are ditched for pear chutney. Read more and see the recipe.

The post Pear Chutney Cheese Toast appeared first on Naturally Ella.

Naturally Ella

Posted on Posted by
Comments: Leave a comment

Chamomile & Turmeric Evening Tea

Chamomile_turmeric_tea_1

It was soon a year ago that we crammed Elsa, baby Isac, ourselves, our backpacks and a pram into a tiny campervan and drove around New Zealand. Our memories of green mountains, turquoise volcano lakes, enchanted forests, star-filled nights and sheep-covered fields are still vivid. Campervan life wasn’t super comfortable and our cooking wasn’t extravagant but it was the trip of a life time.

Chamomile_turmeric_tea_2

We made this tea part of our evening routine while we were driving around the chillier south island of New Zealand. It was the perfect way to end the day after having driven for hours, taken mountain hikes and played on the windy sand beaches. Sitting on wobbly plastic chairs next to the car, watching the sunset and drinking this warm and soothing evening tea before going to bed. Oh happy memories!

And with the first snow starting to fall here in Scandinavia, we have now begun making that tea again. Unfortunately our view isn’t that amazing here in our Stockholm apartment, but we close our eyes, take a sip and pretend that we have lush mountains behind our backs and a wild ocean dancing in front of us.

Chamomile_turmeric_tea_3

Warm chamomile tea with honey is indeed a good sleep-aid. Chamomile is calming and honey is anti-bacterial. We kept a huge jar New Zealand Manuka with us in the van and it felt like such a luxury. Active Manuka honey is known for its medicinal properties. If you can’t find it or afford it, choose another unheated quality honey. Coconut oil is a true super food with a long list of health benefits, add it to your daily routine and always choose a cold pressed quality oil. It gives tea a round and rich consistency and leaves you more satisfied. It can however feel a little oily and unusual if you are not used to it, so I recommend starting with a little less. Turmeric, ginger and cinnamon add great flavour as well as immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.

Chamomile_turmeric_tea_4

Chamomile & Turmeric Evening Tea
Serves 4

2 cups drinking water
2 tbsp dried chamomile in a tea bag or 2 chamomile tea sachets (organic if possible)
1 tbsp raw honey (Manuka honey if possible) or more to taste
1-3 tsp cold-pressed coconut oil
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk of choice

Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan. Turn off the heat, then add chamomile and let steep for 3-5 minutes. Discard the chamomile. Now stir in honey, coconut oil, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon and milk. Taste and add more honey, coconut oil or spices if you prefer. Re-heat on low heat if needed. Enjoy!

Green Kitchen Stories