chickpea flour crackers *

Savoury crunchy little crackers, made with chickpea flour? Yes please. Simple and delicious.

equipment needed:

2 silicone baking mats or 2 pieces of parchment
2 baking sheets
rolling pin
mixing bowl
fork
mixing spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
oven


ingredients:

a)
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour
1/2 tapioca starch

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

1/2 tsp xanthan gum powder

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp mesquite

2 tbsp coconut sugar

c)
1/2 cup coconut oil

d)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

e)
2 tbsp coconut flour if needed

f)
sprinkle salt on top and bake



directions:

1. mix the dry ingredients together very well (a and b)
2. use a fork to mix in the coconut oil (c)
3. pour in the water and apple cider vinegar and mix well (d)
4. add coconut flour if too sticky (e)
5. roll out on 2 silicone mats using a piece of parchment to keep the rolling pin from sticking
6. using a butter knife, score it into squares, and sprinkle with sea salt
7. bake at 345 for 20 minutes
8. dehydrate further in the oven on 170 for a few hours for very crisp crunchy little crackers
9. store in an airtight container when fully cool

Chocolate Chip Muffins -- vegan and adorable

This is what passes as simple for me. Simple means the way it tastes usually, instead of how few ingredients there are. I realize I could have used one type of flour instead of 4. But each plays a role in the texture. Scotch oats keep it moist. Tapioca gives it spring and bounce. Millet gives it a lovely delicate texture. Kamut gives it body and resilience. Plus each one is good for you and adds its own stamp to the pleasant flavour profile. Try 'em, and you'll see what I mean.

equipment needed:
muffin cups -- I prefer the silicone kind that are reusable (I've had mine for a decade)
muffin pan or baking sheets (the silicone cups don't need a muffin tray)
mixing bowl
mixing spoon
whisk
measuring cup
measuring spoons
oven


ingredients:

a)
1 cup warm water + 1/4 cup coconut oil
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut sugar

b)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup millet flour
1 1/2 cup kamut flour
1 cup scotch oatmeal

c)
1 cup chocolate  chips


directions:
preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the warm water and coconut oil and let the oil melt
2. add the rest of the ingredients from a) and whisk together
3. add the ingredients from b) and whisk them in
4. stir in the chocolate chips
5. scoop into muffin cups and bake at 345 for 20 minutes

makes about 24 muffins
I like to give them space so prefer to bake the muffin cups spread out over 2 baking sheets

crockpot a la amazing -- split chickpeas and chunky vegetables

You may not know how magical a few tbsp of coconut manna or coconut butter can be in a recipe. Coconut by itself can be kind of stultifying and drab. But, somehow, it ante's up the mix when put with the right ingredients. In this case, the cumin, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the apple cider vinegar help the coconut manna decorate for a party. I have to say I'm a huge fan of split chickpeas and chunky vegetables. So this concoction, served with saffron infused brown basmati rice, is a winner. Step up and receive your award, cutie. Paired for dinner with a salad of spring-y delight we nom-ed for realsies. You had better believe it.

equipment needed:
crockpot/slow cooker or large cooking pot and stove
cutting board
big knife
measuring cups
measuring spoons


ingredients:

1 onion, diced (1 cup)
3 cups split chickpeas, rinsed but not cooked

1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pieces

2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced carrot
2 cups diced sweet potato
2 cups diced yellow potato

1/4 cup coconut butter or coconut manna
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder or paprika
4 -5 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

8 cups boiling water

2 cups frozen green peas, defrosted


directions:

1. in your crockpot, layer in the ingredients in the order listed, reserving the green peas until the cooking is finished.
2. cook in the crock pot for about 3 hours on high
3. if you are using a pot on the stove, cook for about 1 hour, until the chickpeas are tender, and the vegetables have achieved your ideal consistency
4. when the pot has finished cooking, stir in the defrosted green peas.
5. taste. if necessary, add salt pepper apple cider vinegar

Pudding Cake -- Hey, 1970s, you can keep your shag carpet.

Flashback to the 1970s. We ate stuff like this from a mix. I think there was a lemon, a chocolate, and maybe some kind of butterscotch flavour. Butterscotch was very big in the 70s. You'll have to take my word for it.

Somehow you mixed this up, threw it in the oven, and it turned into some cake with pudding generously oozing through it like lava through the rapacious, primordial heart of Mordor.

This one isn't quite that simple. This one requires you to dirty two  bowls, and mix two separate things. But if my husband and child are anything to go by, it is worth it.

Pudding Cake

equipment:

prepared silicone muffin cups
baking sheet
mixing bowl and spoons
oven


ingredients:


pudding ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut butter (aka coconut manna)
1 cup water or vegan milk
1/2 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp date sugar

4 tbsp cacao
1 tbsp tapioca starch

1 tsp vanilla extract

a generous pinch of sea salt -- 1/8 tsp


pudding directions:

1. combine in a small saucepan, and whisk until thickened over a low heat
or
whisk to combine and  gradually heat in a microwave safe bowl, stopping to whisk a few times

2. set aside until after cake batter is made


cake batter ingredients:

2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut oil or avocado oil (if you use coconut oil, melt it before using by heating one of the cups of water and combining the oil with that 1 cup of water)
1 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup date sugar
6 tbsp raw cacao

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup tapioca
1 1/2 cups kamut flour
1 tsp baking soda


cake batter directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed, mixing thoroughly after each addition
2. once all ingredients have been combined, you are ready for the third part of this endeavour


pudding cake directions:

1. preheat oven to 345
2.  scoop a little cake batter into the bottom a muffin cup
3. add a small portion of pudding on top of the bottom layer of batter
4. place a small scoop of cake batter on top of the pudding layer
5. repeat until all the cake batter and pudding is used up.
6. if you run out of pudding, but still have cake batter left, bake a few cakes with nothing in them, or throw a few chocolate chips into the remaining batter and make chocolate chip cakes
7. if you run out of cake batter and still pudding left, put it into a dish and put it in the fridge for later or eat it quickly before anyone else does.

8. bake the pudding cakes at 345 for 30 minutes

Buckwheat Muffins with Hemp hearts and Ginger **

Buckwheat is one of those tricky flours. The texture makes  for spongey, cohesive baked goods, but the flavour can be strident with certain other flavours. Cinnamon and buckwheat are not a harmonious combination for me. However, vanilla and maple can make buckwheat purr.

Here I was inspired to add a hint of ginger to the mix, and I find it pleasing. We've done these muffins without the ginger, and they are exceptionally yummy. Definitely one of our favourites.

These muffins have just a handful of ingredients, mix up in about 5 minutes, and bake in 30. Definitely an easy recipe to make. The part that takes the longest is scooping the batter into the muffin cups.

equipment needed:
mixing bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
mixing spoon
muffin cups (I use silicone muffin cups on a rectangular baking sheet)
oven


ingredients:

a)
1 cup coconut sugar
2 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch

b)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda

c)
2 cups water
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

d)
1 cup hemp hearts


1. combine dry ingredients (a and b)
2. add water, vanilla and vinegar, and whisk
3. add hemp hearts
4. scoop into 24 muffin cups
5. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

Millet oat bran cookie bars

There are so many reasons why these are a great little tea cookie bar. 1) they are so easy to make. 2) they aren't too sweet 3) they are comforting 4) what's not to like?

I've been keeping a tin of these on my counter for the past number of weeks -- not that they last that long, but I've been making a new batch each time the tin is empty.

I slip a few into a snack box for my son to take to school with him, and my husband grabs one a few times a day with his tea when he needs a quick nibble. Sometimes I go 1 cup oat bran and 1 cup large flake rolled oats, but either way they are nice and simple.

equipment needed:
2 square silicone pans
mixing bowl
mixing spoon
measuring cup
measuring spoon
oven


ingredients:

a)
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup sweet brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet
2 cups oat bran
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup coconut sugar


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

c)
1/4 cup coconut oil

d)
1 cup water
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract


directions:

1. preheat oven
2. combine the dry ingredients from a) and b)
3. using a fork, work in the coconut oil until it's all combined and sandy looking
4. add d) and mix well
5. divide the batter between 2 square silicone pans and bake for 20-25 minutes at 345
6. remove from the oven and cool
5. using a blunt object like a metal spatula edge, cut into bars -- I do 32 per pan
6. when cool, remove from the pans and store in a cookie tin.
7. makes 64 cookie bars


25 minutes 345

Whole foods easter eggs ****

For me, this recipe continues to be exceptional. It's so simple, yet the results are far more than the sum of its parts. Somehow date and cacao together do a tango so fine, the artistry is remarkable and fascinating. Then again, it's probably just me. But an entire batch of these in our freezer doesn't last long. Just saying.

equipment needed:
food processor
freezer
measuring cups
measuring spoons
airtight container


ingredients:

1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup raw cacao


1/4 tsp ground vanilla bean
1/8 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup pitted dates -- actually, keep adding dates until it changes from crumb to something that holds together -- it will look like a beautiful dark chocolate dough



directions:

1. process the coconut, hemp hearts, and raw cacao until as fine as possible, with the vanilla bean and sea salt

2. add the dates while the processor is spinning, and keep adding until the dough is cohesive

3. chill a little or not, and then roll into egg shapes, toss in coconut or cacao, and wrap in foils

muffins -- plain-Jane oatmeal muffins

 Sometimes plain and simple is just what you need. These muffins combine the simple pleasing goodness of oatmeal with the powerful nutritious punch of hemp hearts. Lightly sweet and uncomplicated, these muffins are great for everybody. They mix up in about 10 minutes, and bake in 20. And just like the plain-Jane of apocryphal fame, you may realize that uncomplicated and reliable may not be so plain after all.

equipment needed:
oven
mixing bowl
measuring cups
measuring spoons
whisk
spoon
24 muffin cups (I use silicone muffin cups on a baking sheet)


ingredients:

a)
1 cup hot water + 1/4 cup coconut oil

b)
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup coconut sugar

c)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup oat bran
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1 1/2 cup kamut flour
1 cup large oat flakes
1 tsp baking soda

d)
1/2 cup hemp hearts


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345
2. mix together the hot water and coconut oil
3. when the oil is melted, add all of b)
4. whisk in the ingredients from c) in the order listed
5. stir in the hemp hearts
6. scoop the batter into 24 muffin cups
7. bake for 20 minutes at 345
8. cool, and store in an airtight container (in the fridge)

Cream filled eggs -- the vegan kind

I remember eating a Cadbury cream egg as a kid. Man those things are sweet. I always liked the idea more than I liked the reality. Too sweet, no flavour. These ones, dear friends, taste really good. The centre is a creamy, smooth concoction that includes maple and cashew cream. The outer shell is a organic, fair-trade dark chocolate. I used a 71% chocolate made by cacao berry. This one melts beautifully. Some chocolates with higher cocoa content may not melt to a liquid state, making them harder to work with. Use a double boiler!! Use a double boiler use a double boiler use a double boiler.

The combination of the dark chocolate flavour with the maple cashew is just right. It's more sweetness than I can handle often, but really amazing. And certainly a much more body-friendly and environmentally sound option than the commercial preparation.


My fellahs and family all enjoyed very much.

I got little silicone moulds, and made half eggs. I made a few whole eggs, but that's really more cream egg than I really liked. Hard to use. Too big around. Too much commitment. The half eggs were perfect.

equipment needed:

double boiler

food processor

moulds for egg shape

mixing bowl

mixing spoons

measuring cups

measuring spoons

ingredients:

a) fair-trade organic dark chocolate, like cacao berry. Did you know that a lot of chocolate is harvested using slaves and slave-children. True story. Go for fair-trade, friends.

b)

1 1/2 cups cashews -- raw -- soaked in filtered water with some sea salt for a couple of hours then rinsed well

3/4  cup maple syrup

3 tbsp agave

6 tbsp coconut ol

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/8 + tsp sea salt

c)

turmeric

directions:

put your mould in the freezer to pre-chill

1. in a food processor, combine the ingredients in b)

2. pulse until chopped up, then  process until as smooth as possible. The smoother the better!!

3. set a little of the mixture aside to combine with enough turmeric to make your 'yolk' colour.

4. chill the filling -- it will firm up and be easier to work with, imho

5. in a double boiler, melt your chocolate. I used about 2 cups total chocolate for these eggs, and had a little of the cashew cream mixture left over but was tired of making eggs by that point so ....

6. I painted the moulds using a silicone pastry brush, but some people spoon it in. Let it chill a few seconds, and then sluice the chocolate around the moulds. Practice until you find a technique that works for you!

7. When the chocolates thick enough, scoop a little white and a little yolk colour inside.

8. spoon a little melted chocolate over top of the filling to close it. Pop it in the freezer to firm up.

9. Gently remove from the moulds.

10. I kept them refrigerated.

11. The cashew cream filling will be quite soft and creamy at room temperature, and a little more firm when chilled. You can see which way you like them best.