Apple Crumble. Vegan.

Having snow storm warning in our area for two days keep us inside yesterday, but today after seeing all this snow outside we went sleighing because the weather and amount of snow let us to enjoy this frosty winter day.

Anyway, after coming back home everyone wanted something warm and sweet, so the apple crumble I made last night was the perfect choice for this.

The recipe is gluten, dairy, refined sugar free. It’s vegan and easy to make.

I guess in summer you can try to make it with berries, but my favorite one is still with the apples.

Vegan Apple Crumble.

 

Ingredients:

Apple Filling:

6-7 heaping cups peeled and chopped apples

1tbsp. arrowroot powder

1/3 cup coconut sugar or coconut nectar

1tbsp chia seeds

1tsp ground cinnamon

1tbsp fresh lemon juice

Topping:

1 cup gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup almond flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

2 tbsp shredded coconut

1tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 375F .

Make the Apple Filling. Place the apple in a large bowl and sprinkle the arrowroot powder on top. Toss until combined. Stir in the sugar, chia seeds and cinnamon. Add the lemon juice. Pour the apple mixture into the prepared dish and smooth it out evenly.

 

Make the topping. In a large bowl stir together the oats, walnuts, almond flour, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, shredded coconut, cinnamon until thoroughly mixed.

 

Sprinkle the oat mixture all over the apple mixture in an even layer.

 

Cover the dish with foil and poke a couple of air holes in the foil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the apples are just fork-tender. Uncover the dish and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until the topping is golden and fragrant.

 

Serve with dairy-free ice cream or whipped coconut cream.

It’s healthy enough for breakfast the next day, too.

Coconut Chocolate Cake.

Chocolate and Coconut combination. What can be better? Especially if you combine them in the healthy version of cake. This is the perfect recipe for special occasions, holidays, birthdays etc.

I made it last weekend after spending few days instead because Sophia has been sick for a week already. So to make myself busy and everybody else happy I made this delicious, chocolate, guilty free cake.

Gluten, dairy free with the vegan option( replace eggs with the flaxseed eggs).

 

Coconut Chocolate Cake.

Ingredients:

Cake:

1.5 cups almond flour
½ cup raw cacao powder
½ cup raw coconut palm sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, room temperature ( for vegan version replace with flaxseed eggs)
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
⅓ cup coconut milk, full fat
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Coconut Layer:

1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tablespoon raw honey
⅓ cup almond flour
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup coconut milk, full fat

Chocolate Glaze:
½ cup 70% dark chocolate
1/4 cup coconut milk, full fat

 
Prepare your pan by greasing the bottom and sides of an 8-inch removable bottom pan with coconut oil, then cut a piece of parchment paper and place it on the bottom of the pan. Mix together the almond flour, cacao powder, coconut sugar and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, coconut milk and vanilla extract.
Using a spatula, gently mix dry and wet ingredients together. Mix just until ingredients are combined, being careful not to over mix the batter
spread batter evenly in the pan and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 17 minutes.
Set pan over a wire rack to allow cake to cool.
Coconut Layer:
Mix all ingredients for the coconut layer together until everything is well combined. Spread the mixture over the top of the cooled cake in an even layer, then freeze for 10 minutes
Chocolate Glaze:
Slowly melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over simmering water (double boiler). Once chocolate is melted, stir in the coconut milk and mix until the glaze is smooth and shiny. Pour glaze over the top of the cake.
Refrigerate for about 2 hours or until the glaze is set. Tastes the best the next day.

Vegan Apple Pie.

My favorite season just started and I can’t wait to enjoy this fall. I love, love, love fall. I love fall holidays, fall foods and everything that reminds me about this colorful part of the year.

Sophia started school yesterday and because of it, I decided to bake something special for her.

I just wanted to make this day special for her and associate with something warm and delicious.

The best choice for me for this season is apple pie.

I do enjoy any kinds of apple pie, especially warm with the hint of cinnamon.

When I start thinking about the recipe for the apple pie it always needs the ingredients that I don’t have at my house: butter, all purpose flour etc., and I am glad that it’s still easy to make delicious apple pies without all these things, and keep it simple and healthy.

The recipe I used yesterday is vegan, gluten, refined sugars free and easy to make. The only special ingredient is the millet flour that I have for a while already and didn’t have a chance to use it, so yesterday was my first time using it, and it worked great. I believe you can easily replace it with GF oat flour if you don’t have a millet flour.

After Sophia tried the pie she said: ” Mommy, I forgot to tell you, that you’re amazing. I love when you bake for me. I also forgot give you a kiss.”

It means a lot to me when my family enjoys food that I make for them.

Vegan Apple Pie.

 

 

Ingredients:

CRUST INGREDIENTS:

2 cups millet flour

1½ cups almond flour

½ tsp sea salt

½ cup coconut oil

½cup maple syrup

FILLING INGREDIENTS:

3 apples

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp maple syrup

3 Tbsp  crushed pecans

GLAZE INGREDIENTS:

½ cup (gluten free) apricot jam or preserves

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350F. To make the crust: In a food processor, combine millet flour, almond flour and salt. Over a low flame, heat coconut oil and maple syrup; stir to combine. Add coconut oil and maple syrup to flour; pulse until combined. Spread dough in a 9.5 inch oiled tart pan (preferably with a removable bottom). Press down and fill sides to form a crust. Pierce crust with a fork several times and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flatten crust with a fork, pressing down to make it as compact as possible.

To make the filling: Peel and thinly (and evenly!) slice 4 apples and pile in crust. Combine maple syrup and lemon juice and brush over the apples. Sprinkle pecans on top and bake approximately for 1 hour until the apples are soft and slightly browned.

To make the glaze: Combine apricot jam and water in a small pan and heat on low until the preserves are thinned. Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Brush tart with glaze and serve warm.

Enjoy!!!!!

Beet Coconut Soup.

I love beets. I guess it comes from my culture and our traditions to cook. We use beets a lot in our recipes: soups, salads etc.

One of my favorite dishes is Ukrainian Borsch. It’s a traditional Ukrainian soup with beets.

The soup I decided to make today tastes very similar to Borsch, but takes less time to make. I got some juicy and fresh beets at the farmers market two days ago, so the decision to make the beet soup today was obvious. I love using coconut milk in this recipe, because it gives the creamy texture to this soup and makes it even more delicious. I also used some lemon juice in the recipe to turn it to a vibrant star.

The recipe asks for vegetable stock, but I don’t use the store bought one, and I didn’t have the homemade this time, so I used some:

Seitenbacher Vegetarian Vegetable Broth and Seasoning, 5-Ounce Cans (Pack of 6)

This is the only one I trust. It has few ingredients and all of them are safe to eat: nutritional yeast extract, carrots, onions, turmeric root, parsley, leek, nutmeg, garlic, lovage, celery, pepper, balm, dill, paprika, rosemary, mustard.

Beets Coconut Soup.

Ingredients:

4 large beets; peeled and cut into 1″ chunks

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp lemon juice

4 cups vegetable stock or 4 cups of water

1 can coconut milk (approx. 400 ml)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté for five minutes.  Add vegetable stock and beets and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and let simmer for approx. 20-30 minutes, or until beets are tender. Using a blender, purée the soup. Add coconut milk, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir.

I served it with whole wheat baguette with homemade vegan cream cheese.

Here is a quick and easy recipe for vegan cream cheese which is my favorite so far.

Vegan Cream Cheese:

 Ingredients

1¼ cups pine nuts

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 very small clove of garlic

2 tablespoons water

½ chopped white onion

1 tbsp. coconut oil

Add pine nuts, salt, lemon juice, garlic, onion, water, and coconut oil to a food processor. Process until creamy. Pour mixture into container. Cover container and freeze 2 hours, then store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!!!!

Strawberry Cupcakes. Gluten Free.

My daughter’s favorite kind of berries is strawberry. She can eat everything with strawberries in it: ice cream, cupcakes, tarts etc.

One of her favorite dessert is a cupcake. I don’t make them a lot, because it should be a special occasion for this, but sometimes you just want to make a little surprise for your loving ones. I knew my daughter would love the idea to have a strawberry cupcake with no reason for it, so I made these gluten free, refined sugar free strawberry cupcakes.

This cupcake is perfectly moist with just the right amount of sweetness. There’s fresh strawberries in both the batter and the frosting, so you taste the berries with every bite.Using a blender to mix the ingredients ensures that the almond flour is blended into an extremely fine grind, making the cake smooth and light. A little lemon juice in the batter and frosting makes the tart strawberries sing.

 

Strawberry Cupcakes. Gluten free.

Ingredients:

2½ cups blanched almond flour

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon sea salt

⅔ cup maple syrup

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ cup finely chopped strawberries

Frosting:

1 cup raw cashews, soaked before

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup chopped strawberries

1 tbs. lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with baking cups. Combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, and lemon zest in the jar of a blender.Puree on medium speed for 20 seconds or until smooth. Add the dry ingredients and blend on high for 30-45 seconds. The batter should be very smooth and contain no lumps. If needed, scrape down the sides with a spatula and blend again for a few seconds until all of the dry mixture is incorporated. Gently fold the chopped strawberries in by hand. Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin, filling about ¾ of the way full. Bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle and comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool completely on the counter before frosting.

For the frosting mix all the ingredients in the high speed blender until smooth.

Decorate the cupcakes with frosting and fresh strawberries.

 

 

Vegan Strawberry Tart.

Strawberry season is officially open in our area. It was a little late this year, that’s why we didn’t wait too long to go picking strawberries on the local farm.

I have great memories from my childhood, picking strawberries every summer with my grandma and eating them fresh and juicy with sour cream and sugar.

I guess that’s why strawberries are my favorite kind of berries, and I still love picking them. Also I am trying to build some lovely memories for my daughter too, teach her where the food originally comes from and just enjoy the fun with her on the summer day.

Last weekend was day when we decided to travel to the local farm for picking the strawberries.

 

I was wondering if something changed from the last year, because she got older. Actually, nothing changed: mommy picks, Sophia eats.

 

The strawberries are huge and juicy this year, so Sophia ate at least 1 pound there while I picked around 12 pounds.

 

 

Because we have a lot of strawberries to eat, until they get bad, I experimented with some desserts for the last couple of days, using these juicy berries and making my family healthy, delicious treats.

One of the recipes I am sharing today is completely vegan, gluten free and easy to make.

Make sure you have all the ingredients before you decide to make it.

Vegan Strawberry Tart.

Ingredients:

Crust:

Coconut flour, 44g

Brown Rice flour, 100g

Coconut sugar, 50g

Almond flour, 50g

Coconut oil, 6 tbsp

Water, ice cold, 4 tbsp

Salt, a pinch

Vanilla,to taste

Preheat the oven at 360F.

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Melt the coconut oil, then mix it in the flour mix. Slowly add the icy water, hand mixing and compacting the mixture as you go along. Line the inside of your  tart mould with the mixture, taking care to press it hard. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take the tart bases out and let them cool on a plate.

Coconut Cream:

1 can coconut milk

1 cup strawberries

3/4 cup cashews

3 tbs maple syrup

vanilla extract

In a high speed blender, blend the cashews and the milk, adding the vanilla, strawberries and maple syrup. The consistency should be smooth and creamy.

Spoon the cream into the tart base and decorate with the strawberries. Put it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Enjoy!!!!

 

Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake. Gluten Free.

Coming back to work left me lack of time for trying to cook something new. I still cook, but something that I tried before and know the result of this dish, otherwise we have chances to stay hungry.

Last weekend when it was cold and rainy we stayed home, so I took this time to cook some new dessert.

It was ready pretty quickly and was eaten pretty quickly as well.

The recipe is gluten and dairy free and finally I found the recipe where I can use the brown rice flour and doesn’t taste the brown rice in it, as I usually do.

Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1/3 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder) + more for coating pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 free-range eggs
1 cup coconut palm sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup hot water
coconut oil for greasing

 

chocolate ganache

2 ounces dairy and gluten free chocolate chips
1.5 ounces full-fat coconut milk

 

Instruction:

 

Preheat oven to 350° and grease an 8 or 9-inch bundt pan with coconut oil, place a couple teaspoons of cacao powder in the pan. Gently shake the pan to disperse the powder evenly; tip and bump to clear excess powder, set aside
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients with a whisk; set aside – break up any clumps with your fingers
In another large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until thoroughly combined – about 1 minute. add the vanilla and oil; add the hot water while whisking
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan.

Transfer to oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Make the ganache.

In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk until boiling, remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Let it rest for about 5 minutes and stir to combine
Drizzle chocolate evenly over the top of the cake, then top with your favorite nuts.
Enjoy!!!!

Banana pancakes. Vegan, Gluten-Free Recipe.

I am trying to make something different for breakfast recently. Usually, my daughter asks for whole wheat toast with avocado, cucumber and hemp seeds; strawberries and bananas; or it might be the same toast with nut butter and banana, hard boiled egg and plum tomatoes.

So if I cook something for breakfast besides a toast, that means it’s a special breakfast.

Yes, we are busy in the morning and I don’t have time to spend an hour making breakfast for myself and my family, so I always look for easier ways to make their breakfast healthy and nutritional.

The recipe I am sharing today is simple and easy. You probably will spend around 20 minutes to make it, but it’s worth it. Healthy, vegan, gluten  and nut free banana pancakes are delicious and nutritional.

I substitute the eggs in the recipe with the flax seeds egg and it works great. Actually I am doing it now in more recipes and so far I am glad with the result.

Banana Pancakes. Vegan, gluten-free recipe.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons golden flax, ground
6 tablespoons water
1/2 cup oatmeal flour ( gluten-free)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 medium banana, mashed
1/2 cup Almond Milk or any other dairy free milk ( coconut, hemp, soy etc.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons coconut oil

In a small bowl, combine flax and water. Stir to combine then wait until a gel consistency is achieved. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except coconut oil. Fold in flax gel.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil, then 3 tablespoons pancake mixture. Mixture will begin to bubble. After about 30 seconds-1 minute the bubbles will become hollow and it is time to flip your pancake. Allow the other side to cook for 1 minute, then remove pancake from heat. Do the same with the rest of the pancake mixture.

Serve warm with fruits, honey, maple syrup, agave syrup etc.

Enjoy!!!!

Chocolate Chickpeas Cupcakes. Gluten free!!!!

I have kept the idea of using chickpeas in my baking for a long time already. I used chickpeas flour before, but all the goods had  a weird bean’s taste. I read a lot of information about chickpeas: the use, benefits, advantages etc.

Having the last can of chickpeas in my pantry I finally decided to use it to make something sweet. The choice was Chocolate cupcakes, with vegan chocolate frosting.

I didn’t use any flour in the recipe!!! ( Yahoo!!!). I was worried about my experiment, but the worst that could happen: the cupcakes would taste terrible, and I throw them away.

All the ingredients worked perfect together and turned into a most, delicious, truffle style chocolate cupcake!!!!!

Yes, the recipe is healthy and nutritional!!!! Gluten, flour, refined sugars free!!!!!

Please, follow the recipe to get the best result!!!!!

I will keep experimenting with the chickpeas now!!!!

Chocolate Chickpeas Cupcakes.

For the cupcakes:

15 oz can of garbanzo beans
1/3 cup almond milk
3 eggs
2 Tbl coconut oil
1/2 cup premium cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup coconut sugar

For the frosting:

1/2 cup raw cashews ( soaked for a few hours before)
1/4 cocoa powder
1,5 tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbl coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Drain and rinse your chickpeas.  Add the chickpeas and almond milk to a food processor.  Puree until very smooth.  Add eggs one at a time, blending after each.  Add the coconut oil, cocoa powder, baking powder and sweetener – blend until smooth.  Pour into greased muffin tins or cupcake liners and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool.

For the frosting mix all the ingredients in the food processor until it becomes creamy and smooth.

Frost your cupcakes and enjoy!!!!

Taste the best COLD!!!!! Keep them in the refrigerator!!!!!

Creamy Kale Dip. Vegan.

My daughter doesn’t like leafy green vegetables, except cabbage.

To make her eat them, I need to hide them in different dishes. I hide spinach in omlettes and quiches, kale in chillies, soups and shakes.

Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but the older she becomes, the more she understands, so the only way to keep her healthy and fill her up with all the vitamins is to be creative and cook something new all the time.

Last week I made Creamy Kale Dip. I have used cashews instead of the regular dairy products before and it worked great, so this time I decided to use it with kale too.

Every time when I make something new, I let Sophia try it first and then decide if she likes it or not. She isn’t very happy with trying new things, but sometimes I am a little pushy so she has no choice.

When she tried Kale Dip this time her reaction was:

S: “Mommy, I like it.”

Me: “It’s good, isn’t it?”

S: ” Mommy it isn’t good. It’s DELICIOUS!!!” ( these words melt my heart)

She ate it as a side dish, but you can use it as a dip also.

Creamy Kale Dip. Vegan

Ingredients:

5-6 cups of kale ( de-ribbed and  chopped)

1 garlic glove ( minced)

1 shallot (diced)

1/2 tsp coconut oil

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

Cashew cream sauce:

1 cup raw cashews( soaked in the water for a few hours)

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

salt to taste

a little water

In a deep skillet, melt the coconut butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook a bit til fragrant and minsed garlic. Add the kale and toss around to fully coat it with the butter. Cook until tender. Turn the heat down to low and add the 1 cup of cashew cream sauce. Cook long enough for the cashew cream to warm up just a bit and get fully incorporated with the kale.

Cashew cream sauce:

Put all the ingredients in the food processor and puree for a good long while, until everything begins to smooth and turns into a cream.

Enjoy as a dip or a side dish.