Raspberry Icing

I wanted to make a pink icing. This is very dark pink, and has an intense raspberry flavour. It is gorgeous on chocolate cake.

600 g frozen raspberries -- cook down, then strain,

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil


2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp arrowroot

16 drops of strawberry stevia




directions:

1. cook the raspberries down and then strain to remove all the seeds. This is a lot of work as you have to push the puree through the strainer. Don't give up. You will vanquish the puree. I promise.
2. wash the pot then add in the other ingredients and cook until nice and soft.
3. puree with a hand blender.
4. add the arrowroot powder, stir, and bring to a boil
5. turn off the heat and let cool

Apple Tarts-- vegan, gluten free, yummy!

Who doesn't like apple tarts? These tarts are so sweet and tart and delicate, that they were the perfect thanksgiving dessert. We got the apples from a tree in my mother's yard. The flavour is machintosh but more sour. Spectacular. A full-bodied apple flavour that reminds me of apple orchards and childhood. Because of the sourness of the apples, I used more honey than I would normally. Perfection. Please adjust according to how tart your own apples are.

dough:

ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

2 tbsp ground chia seeds

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour

up to 1 cup water (start with 3/4 cup)

2 tbsp evco

directions:
1. combine the ingredients, then set aside while you make the apple filling

apple filling:

ingredients:

6 cups  apples, cubed

1/2 cup honey (our apples were holy hannah sour -- really old fashioned tree apples from my mother's yard, the kind of apple flavour that screams 'apple'. If you use sweeter apples, reduce the honey! add lemon!

2 tbsp arrowroot flour

pinch of sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla

1 tbsp ceylon cinnamon


directions:

1. cube or dice the apples -- they were not sprayed, so I didn't peel them. Pretty!
2. combine the ingredients and stir well. Set aside. This will coax the secrets from the apples before you use the filling.

assembling the tarts:

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345 and then do a little dance because you are happy and thankful

2. divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. Not being a savant, I just weighed mine and divided according to weight

3. prepare 24 silicone muffin cups (coconut oil is a good choice!)

4. roll out each piece of dough into a round just bigger than the muffin cup

5. put the dough into the muffin cups

6. scoop in 1/4 cup of the apple mixture into each dough-lined cup

7. spoon the remaining 'secrets' from the bottom of the bowl over each tart

8. bake at 345 for 45 minutes

Maple Pumpkin Pie! -- deep dish, vegan, gluten free

I made a very large pumpkin pie in a springform pan using roasted butternut squash. It's vegan, it's grain free, it's good for you, and it's delicious. Happy thanksgiving!

crust:

ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond meal

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp  ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp ground vanilla bean

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. combine the ingredients (I used a fork). It will be crumbly looking.

2. press the mixture into a lined (I use a round of parchment) and greased springform pan -- take it up the sides (I used my hands)

3. bake at 345 for 10 minutes

pumpkin filling
ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, roasted -- 3 cups of flesh after roasting
1 can coconut milk -- 400 ml
1/2 cup water

1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground vanilla
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 1/2  tsp sea salt
black pepper
4 tbsp arrowroot powder


directions for filling:

1. to roast the squash, I washed the butternut squash, and then cut it into large pieces, put them on a baking sheet, and put them in the oven for 1 hour on 345, or until they were soft. I then peeled/cut off the outer skin.
2. I then pureed the cooked squash with 1 can of coconut milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground vanilla, ceylon cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, sea salt, black pepper, and arrowroot flour. I added 1/2 cup of water, because I found that baking the squash seemed to dehydrate it a little, and the whole mixture seemed too dry. If you roast yours in a closed dish, or if you use a wetter squash (such as a pie pumpkin, perhaps) you might not need the water
3. set aside your filling until you are ready for it.

pie:

1. taste the filling and adjust for seasoning

2. pour into par-baked crust

3. bake pie at 345 for 50 minutes

Gluten free dinner pastry -- vegan, grain free, and full of sautéed vegetables. What's not to love???

These little dinner pastries were a fun change for us. They are pretty easy to make, although the dough is a little sticky, and must be rolled on parchment or silicone, and you can't make it too thin. They were a big hit in our household, and as far as filling goes, the sky is the limit.

dough:

1 cup water
2 tbsp evco

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp arrowroot flour
2 tbsp ground chia seeds

1 cup almond flour

1/2 cup coconut flour



filling:

2 tbsp evco
1 medium onion
1 bunch celery hearts (2 cups)
2 small yellow zucchinis
1 tiny carrot for colour

black sesame seeds

honey
soy sauce
lemon juice

500 g broccoli florets (3 cups)

1. prepare the dough and set aside
2. prepare the veggie mixture
3. divide the dough into 10 equal balls, and roll each into a flat circle about 10 cm in diameter
4. scoop a few tablespoons of the mixture into the centre of each circle and fold over carefully
5. bake on a lined baking sheet at 345 for 30 minutes

vegan crepes take trois -- gluten free, grain free, and free of vegans ;)

All your base are belong to us.

I've been trying to come up with a vegan crepe recipe that is gluten free and grain free to boot. This one is made with almond flour and chia seeds. Like what you see? Not perfect yet, but on the right track. Delicate, crispy, interesting. 

1 cup warm water
1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut butter
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp arrowroot flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tbsp ground chia seeds
2 tsp egg replacer

pinch sea salt
black pepper


directions:

1. combine and whisk
2. cook 1/4 cup at a time on a cast iron pan

Tree Fruit Pie -- Plum, Peach, and Nectarine

the baked cookie crust

the piled fruit in the baked crust

fruit patted down but not yet baked

baked and ready to be eaten with custard -- yum

artist's representation of the pie in question

crust:

ingredients:

2 cups blanched almond meal

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup coconut sugar

3 tsp cinnamon (I used 1 tsp each of korintje, saigon, and ceylon)

1 tsp ground vanilla bean

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. combine the ingredients (I used a fork). It will be crumbly looking.

2. press the mixture into a lined and greased springform pan (I used my hands)

3. bake at 345 for 20 minutes

pie filling:

2 large organic plumcots, washed, pitted, and chopped -- 2 cups
3 large organic nectarines, washed, pitted, and chopped -- 4 cups
2 large organic peaches, washed, pitted, and chopped -- 3 cups

total fruit -- approximately 9 cups.

Now, the fruit will bake 'down', so don't worry if it seems a bit ... full.

3 tbsp arrowroot powder
4-6 tbps coconut sugar, depending on how tart the fruit is, and how tart you want it ...
pinch sea salt

directions:

combine everything!
fill the springform pan!
bake at 345 for 60 minutes


custard:

ingredients:

2 cups milk (I use raw whole milk. I recommend at least using organic whole milk (not skim))

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp ground vanilla bean

1/4 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp arrowroot powder

directions:

1. combine the ingredients in a double boiler

2. stir while cooking until thickened

3. remove from heat and set aside to serve over slices of pie