Pancakes with maple syrup and blueberries - vegan

Versiunea in limba romana: Clatite cu sirop de artar si afine - vegane/de post

I started searching for the perfect vegan pancakes. The first try had really tasty pancakes as a result, but not really photo stuff, a little too sticky and difficult to keep their shape. The second recipe I tried recommended to use a lot of bubbly water, but the taste was not what I expected and they were to sticky to even try a second bite. The third try is the one in the picture. A success with the kids, a beautiful shape, easy to prepare and tasty. We loved to serve it with maple syrup and blueberries, but I'm sure some vegan chocolate cream would also be perfect. This is a recipe I found on vegan yum yum and I adapted it just a little.

The search for the perfect vegan pancake continues. I'll keep you posted. Have a beautiful winter day!

400 - 440 ml soy milk
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
160 g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
finely grated zest of one orange

Mix well all ingredients, including any solids that might get stack on the bottom of the bowl. Use the batter right away or refrigerate it to use it in the morning. If over night it becomes too sticky, mix it with a little water until you obtain the consistency you like. Heat a non stick pan, then pour one tablespoon of batter for each pancake. Once you see bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, turn it; once it becomes golden, remove it from the pan. Stack the pancakes high, like a castle, in oder to keep it warm. Serve immediately with mapple syrup and blueberries. 

Enjoy!

Warm pumpkin, poppy seeds & pomegranate salad

Versiunea in limba romana:  Dovleac in crusta de mac, cu rucola & rodie 

This autumn was quite warm, dry and sunny so far in Bucharest, but for the last couple of days it's getting quite dark and cold. Leafs went from green to yellow in no time and now all my beautiful trees lust their crowns. It's autumn, all right. My kids already started to write their Santa letters. New versions every day, of course... 

When I discovered this salad on one of my favorites blogs, My new roots, I was in heaven. This happy colorful salad was exactly what I needed in a cloudy cold day. Warm pumpkin, poppy seeds, rocket salad and pomegranate. Happy autumn! 

250 g pumpkin, without seeds and skin, cut in 1 cm pieces
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp poppy seeds
fleur de sel
rocket salad (for 2 portions)
1 small onion, cut in rounds
juice of 1/2 lemon
a  splash of olive oil
salt, freshly ground
pomegranate

Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Put the pumpkin, garlic, olive oil and poppy seeds in a heat resistant ceramic dish, mix well and bake for around 30 minutes.

 

Pumpkin must be soft, but not mashed. Let it cool for 15 minutes. 

Wash and dry the rocket salad. Open the pomegranate and put the seeds in a bowl, without crushing them. Mix rocket, onion,  olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Mix a little. Put baked pumpkin and pomegranate on top and serve right away.

Aprox 2 portions. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from here.

Fig tart with orange cream and chocolate crust - raw vegan

Versiunea in limba romana: Tarta cu smochine, crema de portocale si blat de ciocolata

Happy vegan friday! I played  a little with almonds, cashews, oranges, vanilla, cocoa, vanilla honey (Kzarinne) and fresh figs and the result was delicious. What a beautiful tart! My kids loved it! I like raw desserts, as they are really easy to prepare, just a bit of waiting time, but it does not bother me.  This raw tart is healthy, easy to make and quite  filling, a little piece is all I could handle at a time. I can hardly imagine anyone fighting with an entire tart. Little healthy portions, perfect for satisfying sweet tooth cravings.  

A delicious tart with fresh figs, orange cream and chocolate crust. Simple, healthy, fast!  Happy Vegan Friday!

P.S. Status: 26 weeks, another 98 days to go, quite a round belly, resting a lot (forced relaxation, but doctors order, it's true). No extra weight except baby, so far. Have a great day!   xoxo

Crust
325 g raw almonds
30 g cocoa raw
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp salt

Cream
280 g raw cashews, kept in cold water for 2 hours
3 tsp vanilla honey
finely grated zest and juice of one orange
1 tsp lecithin granules

fresh figs 
maple syrup

Blitz almonds in a blender, untill  you obtain a course almond flour. Mix it with cocoa, maple syrup, coconut oil (very slightly warmed), vanilla and salt. It should look like fine crumbs. Put this crumbs in the tart tray, press it tightly and refrigerate for a while. 

To prepare the cream: drain cashews, then blitz it in the blender together with the orange juice and zest, vanilla honey and lecithin. Put the cream over the crust and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Just before serving,  cut the figs in thin slices.

Arrange it nicely over the tart and brush it with maple syrup. I chose maple syrup as it is easier to brush, but we can use also honey or agave nectar.

 

I prepared 3 tarts, using 12  cm diameter tart trays. 

Enjoy!

Maple ginger pumpkin cheesecake with walnuts in maple caramel

Versiunea in limba romana: Cheesecake cu dovleac aromat & nuci in caramel de sirop de artar

Ah, my precious! My perfect cheesecake: ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg flavored pumpkin, with a delightful mix of walnuts and pumpkin seeds in maple caramel. I baked it yesterday, refrigerated it overnight, guarded it carefully against the possible attack of drooling kids.  In the morning, my husband came from gym convinced to eat the cheesecake. It was a hard negotiation, but in the end we made a pact: he gives me 10 minutes to make my pictures with the untouched cheesecake and I offer him 2-3-4-5 big pieces of cheesecake. Tough negotiation, I can tell you. So, here you can see the results of my 10 minutes photo session with a beautiful cheesecake. What a feast came after! Kids absolutely loved it! We enjoyed it with a warm cup of Earl Grey tea. A delight...

A delicious cheesecake, with autumn flavors and autumn colors  ♥

150 g digestive cookies
75 g butter, unsalted, melted and cooled
50 g candied ginger, finely cut
675 g  Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
1 jar of condensed milk, at room temperature
850 g pumpkin, no seeds or skin, cut in little cubes
3 eggs, bio
60 ml maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
240 ml double cream
180 ml maple syrup
60 g walnuts
2-3 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Vapor cook the pumpkin, until soft. Let it cool to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Prepare a ring tray, with removable bottom, brush it with some butter and then put baking paper in it. Transform the cookies in rough crumbles, mix it with the candied ginger and the melted butter, then press it strongly on the bottom of the tray. This way we prepare a good support for the cream cheese filling.

Mix well the cheese, until creamy, then slowly add the condensed milk. When the composition is homogenous, add eggs, maple syrup (60 ml), the pumpkin, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix slowly, without trying to hard to puree the pumpkin. Pour it in the prepared tray, over the crumb crust. 

Bake the cake for almost 1 hour and 15 minutes, take it out of the oven and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for a couple of hours, or better, overnight.

Just before serving, prepare the maple caramel: heat the double cream and maple, bring to a boil, then let it boil on a medium fire for around 20 minutes, mixing rarely. When the syrup is more consistent, add the walnuts and pumpkin seeds. Set aside. Let  cool a little. Serve with the cheesecake. Just perfect :)

Recipe is adapted from  here

Apple Calvados Pie

Versiunea in limba romana: Placinta cu mere si Calvados 
Yesterday I prepared a delicious pie with apples marinated in Calvados. It's an adults only version... Why? I peeled, cored, cut and marinated the apples, but only managed  to prepare the pie 2 days later. The apples were in perfect shape, but so flavored, filled-like with Calvados, that I decided this is definitely an adults only pie. For decorative purpose I used some rosehips, but they added no specific taste to the pie. 
As for Calvados, I used Calvados Comte Louis de Lauriston, as the bottle looked so nice, with a big apple inside it. The bottle is fixed in the tree right after the flowering, so the apple grows inside the bottle. So perfect! From the apple  and pear tree covered hills of the Domfrontais region, this Calvados is distilled only once, then aged in oak barrels. Very flavored, perfect for my favorite pie. Have a beautiful autumn ♥

1 kg apples, peeled and seeded, cut in thin slices
100 ml Calvados
25 g melted, unsalted butter
pie dough (recipe follows)
115 g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon + 1/4 tsp ground allspice + 1/4 tsp nutmeg + 1/4 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of one lemon + zest of one orange

Pie dough - Jamie's recipe

500 g flour, sieved
100 g confectioner's sugar, sieved
250 g very cold butter, diced
thin zest of one lemon
2 big eggs
4-5 tbsp milk 

Marinate the apples in Calvados for a couple of hours  (initially I wanted to marinate it for a couple of hours, but in the end they marinated for 2 days).

Mix flour, butter and sugar; add the lemon zest and mix a bit more. Add eggs and milk, mixing a little, until the dough becomes homogenous. Avoid over mixing. Give the dough a round shape, wrap it in plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Brush the pie dish with some butter. Cut the pie dough in halves, put one half on a floured surface and roll it until you have a sheet of 5 mm thickness. Put the dough sheet in the pie dish, covering also the sides of the dish. Brush it with melted butter. Mix the marinated apples, sugar, spices, vanilla extract, lemon and orange zest, then pour it in the pie dish.

Prepare the second pie sheet (the same thickness), put it over the pie dish, press the dough on the sides, sealing the edges. Cut a flower shape in the dough, brush with melted butter, spread over some cinnamon and brown sugar.

Bake the pie for 50 - 60 minutes.

Full of flavor, absolutely delicious. We loved to serve it with ice cream. Enjoy!

Apple pie smoothie

Versiunea in limba romana: Apple pie smoothie 

I loved the idea of an effortless apple pie, cuddled in one glass, flavored with cinnamon and allspice.  No baking, no time consumed in the kitchen... Actually, I found this delicious ideea while browsing Andreea's (The Hobby) facebook postings, with details here and I adapted it a little. How could I resist this temptation, when these days I feel time is running out so fast and I wish the day had 48 hours... At least 48 hours... Besides, last evening I received the perfect honey vanilla cream, from  Kzarinne, ecological and delicious. Super happy! So, this morning I prepared the perfect breakfast, an apple pie smoothie. An autumn breakfast.... Have a beautiful autumn!   ♥

100 g raw cashews + 320 ml cold water
300 g apple sauce
1 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp allspice (ground)
4 tsp  vanilla honey cream - Kzarinne
a pinch of sea salt

Mix well cashews and water, using a blender, then add the rest of the ingredients and keep blitzing until you get a smooth silky delicious smoothie. Serve right away.

So flavored and vegan. A delicious breakfast or a dessert ready in no time. Enjoy!

Basil flavored ricotta stuffed fleur de courgette

Versiunea in limba romana: Flori de dovlecei cu ricotta si busuioc, 2 variante delicioase

Delicate, orange yellow, sunny courgette flowers... Oh, the joy! I adore this cute delicious flowers. A couple of days ago I found these beauties again in shops in Bucharest. The happiness!  Fleurs de courgette...

My first thought was to prepare them tempura style, but I quickly found out that I had no all purpose flour and mineral water. All kinds of flours in my cupboard, faro, rice, oat, millet, kamut, chickpeas, but no all purpose, plain white flour... And I wanted those flowers so badly! With no desire to go to the market, kids almost back from school, I had to act quickly and have lunch ready by the time they come home. Think, think, think... Brainstorming... What if? Let's try ricotta and fresh basil from my garden. The courgette flowers stuffed with basil flavored ricotta were amazing. I baked some and deep fried the others in bread crumbs, with some spicy fresh tomatoes salsa as a dipping sauce. Loved both, but my all time favorites were... What do you think? Enjoy! 

250 g ricotta cheese
6-7 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 garlic cloves, thinly cut
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
salt and pepper freshly grounded
aprox 18 courgette flowers
60 - 70 g flour (I used kamut flour, but all purpose flour is OK)
2 eggs + 2-3 tbsp milk, mixed well
7-8 slices of golden toast Mulino bianco, transformed in rough bread crumbs

Salsa: 3 - 4 fresh tomatoes  + peperoncino, depending on your taste + 2 garlic cloves + 1 tbsp olive oil
salt, freshly ground pepper

 Mix ricotta, basil, garlic, olive oil and egg, until you obtain a cream. Wash carefully the courgette flowers in cold water, then gently dry them on kitchen paper. Remove the pistil of the flower. Carefully fill the flowers with the ricotta cream, using a little teaspoon. 

Now we have two options, just try the one you like best... Or both of them, just like me :)

a. Heat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Put the stuffed flowers in a ceramic, heat resistant tray, with one tablespoon of olive oil and a dot of butter, sprinkle with fleur de sel and fresh pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Simple and delicious.

 

b. Prepare salsa: blitz fresh tomatoes, garlic, peperoncino and olive oil in a blender.

 

Next steps to be done with each flower, one by one: take one flower, dust it in flour, wash it carefully and quickly in the egg & milk mixture, then  cover it in bread crumbs. Repeat with each one.

 

Heat very well the oil (as for deep frying) in a pan (you can use sun flower oil, or maybe canola or peanut oil for healthier choices). When oil is heated, deep fry the flowers, just a few at a time, until breadcrumbs become golden. Take them out of the pan and pet dry on kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the flowers. Serve them hot, dipping the flowers in the spicy fresh tomato salsa. Deliciously basil flavored flowers... I love them!

Enjoy!

Goji, cashews & chocolate cereal bars - a vegan delight

Versiunea in limba romana: Batoane  cu cereale & goji - mic dejun ciocolatos, vegan
Happy vegan friday! A surprise breakfast for my chocolate loving elder son. He loved it. My little kid didn't even want to hear about it, being upset that I did not prepare something fruity especially for him, no trace of chocolate. As if the cinnamon spiced muffins I prepared yesterday were not especially made for him... OK, I'll repair my mistake...
These cereal bars were delicious, very chocolaty and filled with goodies: cashews, goji, raisins, seeds, rolled oats, no milk at all. Vegan. Raw vegan. 
I have to say that my perfect, dream breakfast is a french crusty baguette with brie cheese and jambon blanc, preferably served in the sun, watching the sea, but the chocolate surprise for my son was super yum.  It's true that I eat it as a coffee cake, not as breakfast, but I loved it. Perfect for my chocolate cravings.  Not to mention that I skipped the oven, a blessing in this hot weather.
Cereal chocolate bars... A guilty pleasure hidden in a  scrumptious breakfast  ♥

70 g cocoa powder, the best quality you can find
70 ml coconut oil, heated just a little bit, on bain marie (slightly warm, not hot)
120 ml agave syrup
1 lgt lecithin powder
1 small red beetroot, raw, well washed, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp goji
4 tbsp raw cashews
4 tbsp golden raisins
4 tbsp sun flower seeds, raw
6 tbsp rolled oats (without any honey, simple)

Prepare a tray (10 x 10 cm) with baking paper. Put the beetroot in the blender and blitz until pureed. Add cocoa, coconut oil, agave syrup, lecithin, mix well. Transfer the chocolate cream to a bowl and add gojji, cashews, golden raisins, sun flower seeds and rolled oats, mixing carefully. Pour the mixture in the prepared tray and refrigerate until next day.

By now, the chocolate should set enough to be easily cut.  Serve it cold and keep refrigerated until serving.

 

Yummi :)

Cinnamon flavored apple & cashews muffins

Versiunea in limba romana: Briose cu mere si caju, aromate cu scortisoara 

 

Happy first day of autumn! ♥ Well, I'm not looking forward for rain, clouds and cold weather... Thanks God, it seems September will be quite warm and we will slowly  start feeling real fall weather. But I am looking forward for all the goodies autumn brings us: apples, plums, raisins, quinces, leeks, pumpkin, cabbage, pickles, baked cakes, cinnamon flavors, holidays... Farmer markets are filled with lots and lots of vegetables and fruits, beautifull, juicy, tasty... All the goodies I have to prepare for winter...

Apples and cashew muffins, cinnamon flavored, lovely and delicious, freshly baked for the first day of fall. Enjoy! ♥

300 g flour (sifted) + 1 tbsp baking powder + 2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp grounded allspice
150 g brown sugar
2 big apples, peeled, cored and chopped 
125 g cashews, chopped
125 g butter, unsalted (melted and cooled) + 2 eggs + 185 ml milk

Thin slices of apples, half a lemon, brown sugar 

Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare a muffin tray. Lightly "brush" the thin slices of apples with the cut side of the lemon, then sprinkle with brown sugar. Set aside while preparing the muffins.

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and allspice. Add sugar, cashews and apples. Mix well.  In another recipient mix milk, eggs and butter. Pour the liquids over the solid mixture and mix slowly, with a wooden or a silicon spatula, avoiding overmixing. Pour the batter in the muffins tray, decorate with the apple slices and bake for 20 minutes.

Let the muffins cool on a wired rack. These muffins are delicious, tender and flavored, a celebration of fall. 

Recipe for aprox 24 muffins.

Tart with lemon, poppy seeds & blueberries - a delicious raw vegan dessert

Versiunea in limba romana: Tarta raw cu lamaie, mac & afine

Yesterday night, just before going to sleep, the idea to make this tart started to "hunt" me. To sleepy to go downstairs to get my "idea moleskin", I send myself an SMS. Wouldn't wanna forget it, right?  In the morning, I woke up full of energy and ready to work wonders. The lemon & poppy seeds tart, that is.  Really easy to make, no baking, vegan. Raw vegan. Happy Vegan Wednesday! 

When my little boy came home, I invited him to try this dessert. He loves lemon/lime and poppy seeds cakes as much as I do, but we never tried the raw version before. I had a feeling this has to work. He ate rapidly, silently. Not a word. Is it good? Does he like it? Not a word. He looked to be really focused. "Mom, do you have other tarts like this one?" "Yes, honey. I have 3 more mini tart and a bigger one." "Good! The bigger one is mine!" Obviously, he loved it. How could he not love it? The tart crust is crisp and has a light nutty flavor. The lemon cream is light, lemony, very refreshing. The mini tarts are so beautiful,  decorated with  little blueberries and some lemon zest. Oh, and the lemon perfume...

I loved playing with raw food, again. A deliciously refreshing dessert, perfect for the hot weather in Bucharest these days. 35 degrees Celsius again... 

Happy Vegan Wednesday!

Tart crust

250 g raw almonds
50 g poppy seeds
4-5 tbsp agave syrup
Ground the almonds, but not too fine. Mix it well with the poppy seeds and agave syrup. Put the mixture in the tart pan (I had 4 mini tart & 1 medium sized), press it into the pan and refrigerate until using.

Lemon cream

200 g cashews
the zest of one lemon
1/2 - 1 tsp lecithin powder
5-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Fresh blueberries
Put cashews in cold water for 2-3 hours. Drain chashews, then blitz it in the blender, with the lemon juice, lemon zest and lecithine. I did not use more agave, as I wanted this dessert to be refreshing and lemony, not too sweet.

Fill the tart crust with the lemon cream, decorate with blueberries and lemon zest and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour. Serve cold.

Delicious. Enjoy! Happy Vegan Wednesday ♥