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 ♥