Where Brownies Fear to Tread -- vegan brownies

We really do make the most amazing brownies. They are dense and fudgey, chewy and utterly satisfying. This are made without refined sugars, and are gluten free. I use either raw almond flour or finely ground raw sunflower seeds for these. Raw sunflower seeds can be reduced to a delicate powder in a seed or coffee grinder, so they have an ideal texture for baking. Beautiful, really. And the flavour is calm enough that it doesn't balance of whatever you put them in. Pumpkin seeds -- aka pepitas, bless their little green hearts -- have  such a strong flavour that you must use them purposefully, not just as an alternative. Yes, so these ones. These brownies. A few tweaks here and there, the recipe evolves a little. But they are great. Next time I'll grind up a couple of espresso beans with the chia seeds, and maybe a chili flake or two. You know, for fun.

equipment needed:

hand blender -- aka immersion blender

seed grinder -- or coffee grinder

mixing bowls

mixing spoons

measuring cups

measuring spoons

kettle for boiling water

oven

2 square silicone baking pans (8x8 each)

cooling rack

ingredients:

a)

1 1/2  cup pitted honey dates

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil 

1 cup coconut nectar

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1  tsp vanilla extract 

b)

1/2 cup hemp hearts 

c)

1/2 cup tapioca starch

1/4 cup chia seeds, finely ground

1 cup raw almond flour or finely ground sunflower seed flour

1/4 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp ground vanilla 

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 cup raw cacao powder

d)

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top -- use plenty, it's awesome that way.

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1) in a mixing bowl, put your ingredients from part a) and let them sit for 10 minutes. Add b) and let sit for another 10 minutes at least. If your dates start out very hard, give it longer. Give it an hour!!

2) in a separate bowl, combine your ingredients from part c). Make sure they are really well stirred together

3) when your dates are super soft and saturated, use your immersion blender to puree the concoction to  smooth and velvety perfections

4) mix your puree and your ingredients from part c) together

5) divide evenly between 2 square silicone pans (or a large rectangular is fine if that's what you've got)

6) sprinkle a tbsp or so of coconut sugar on top of each pan before you put them in the oven

7) bake for 50 minutes at 345

8) cool before cutting and removing from the pan

Chocolate Layer Cake

My son told me he'd like a chocolate cake with pink icing for his upcoming birthday. As a trial run, I made this double layer chocolate cake with vegan ganache filling and raspberry frosting for our anniversary today. Delectable. The chocolate cake is delicate and moist. The chocolate ganache is sumptuous and rich. The raspberry frosting is sweet and tart and balances beautifully with the chocolate. My husband and I both loved it. My son decided he'd like chocolate cake with chocolate frosting for his birthday instead. Go figure! Happy 8th anniversary, baby.

ingredients:

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup date sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar


4 tsp egg replacer + 1 cup cool water

1 cup raw cacao

2 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp stevia powder

 2 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 cup ground chia seeds

4 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

preheat the oven to 345
prepare your baking tins. I used 2 x 8" silicone square pans and just gave them a once over with coconut oil. For metal pans, use coconut oil as well as parchment.

1. combine the first 2 ingredients. Let them sit for a few minutes until the coconut oil melts.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed.
3. divide into your pans. Makes 3 small round layers, 2 eight inch square layers, or 24 small cakes
4. bake at 345 for 1 hour in the upper half of the oven
5. allow to cool at least a little before removing from the pan. Cakes will be more delicate than traditional flour cakes.

When cool, fill with vegan ganache and frost with raspberry frosting!!

Raspberry Frosting

Chocolate ganache filling

Vegan cookies -- spelt and chia keep it simple

ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil --  a little melted
1/2 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup finely ground chia seeds
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups spelt flour


directions:

1. combine ingredients in the order listed

3. roll out dough in two parts on lined baking sheets -- I cover the dough with a piece of parchment when rolling because it's a little sticky
4. score into squares, and sprinkle with coconut sugar if so desired
5. bake at 345 for 12 minutes


I rolled out in two parts directly onto lined baking sheets and just scored it with a butter knife before baking into squares, which I  then broke along the score marks after baking.

Simple!!

Chocolate Energy Bars -- Sunflower seeds and hemp hearts

If my son could, he'd subsist on these. Fortunately, there's actually nothing in these he should be eating, so I don't mind throwing a few in his lunch box every day. As he watches the other kids eating their jello and rice crispy marshmallow treats, he actually pities them they don't get to have these. 

ingredients:

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw hemp hearts

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds -- black

1 cup raw cacao powder

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp stevia powder

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 cup coconut butter

1/2 cup coconut oil

directions:

1. combine the first set of ingredients (up to not including the dates) and process until fully powdered

2. add the pitted honey dates (check for pits) and pulse until completely chopped

3. add the coconut butter and pulse until combined

4. add the coconut oil and pulse until combined

5. press into a silicone pan (I use 2 square ones), and score into pieces

6. chill or freeze until set

7. break along score marks and store in airtight containers in the fridge

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream -- Sugar Free and Sublime

My ice-cream maker hard at work. Perhaps Saturn would be a good name for it.

The finished product (finished in terms of made, and half way to being finished in terms of eaten.)

I got some lovely milk and lovely cream from a farmer, and decided to make some lovely ice cream with it. My husband, as I mentioned, didn't get into the chocolate avocado ice cream at all. I thought ice cream made with milk and cream would be right up his alley. I wanted to use an alternative sweetener instead of cane sugar, and chose coconut nectar. Next time, I will try it with agave. The coconut nectar gives it a complex rich sweetness reminiscent of chocolate and maple syrup to my husband, and he thought this ice cream was really good. The coconut nectar taste is mellow and  fruity to me, so I thought the more intense and sharp sweetness of the agave would let the vanilla shine more brightly next time. Over all, some very nice ice cream that won't spike your blood sugar, and has all the good old fashioned melty deliciousness of good old fashioned ice cream -- and no chemical after taste (my main criticism of the ice cream we can buy in the store).

ingredients:

1 cup cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3/8 tsp sea salt

6 tbsp coconut nectar (or 4 tbsp clear agave)

2 tbsp xylitol (a low glycemic sweetener that occurs in birch trees among other things)

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (or 1 extra tbsp vanilla extract)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

directions:

1. combine all the ingredients

2. pour chilled concoction into your ice cream maker  and freeze according to the manufacturers instructions

3. volume will increase as it freezes, and will result in almost a liter when finished.

4. Enjoy as is, or top with a little chocolate sauce (that will have to be my next recipe, I think)

It's really enjoyable to eat ice cream that contains no texturizers, no thickeners, no artificial flavours, and no colouring agents. Once you get used to doing without it, you won't miss that chemical after taste at all ;).

YUM.

Vanilla Bean Sugar Cookies -- Sans Sugar, and Gluten-Free

I always really liked sugar cookies. I liked the simple, vanilla redolent flavour, I liked the light texture, and I liked the cute shapes. When we were teenagers, my friend Jennifer and I made a huge batch of sugar cookies that we cut by hand into fantastic shapes and decorated with bright amazing colours of icing. We then took the whole batch down to Sick Kids hospital to give to the kids. A nurse confiscated them and promised they'd be distributed to the kids who were allowed to eat them. To this day, I have my secret doubts, and am at least halfway convinced that there were a lot of doctors and nurses grooving on the psychedelic effects of our beautiful creations. They were gorgeous, and back in the 80's, we all still believed sugar was good for you ... :)

Keeping with the theme of 'holiday' type cookies, I wanted to come up with a recipe for a sugar cookie that includes no sugar, and can be enjoyed without qualms. Like the gingerbread people of a couple weeks ago, these ones are also gluten-free. I'll do a not gluten free but still healthy alternative later on.

Coconut flour is an interesting flour. It absorbs water so prodigiously that you need much less of it than you would another flour. In fact, it could probably be used for disaster clean up following flooding ... I find the texture of cookies made with coconut flour improves after a couple of days, and then is really great, and keeps well for a number of weeks, even. In addition, coconut flour is very high in protein, with a good amount of fiber, won't spike anyone's insulin, is gluten free, and doesn't have the same inflammatory effects that many people experience with grain flours, even whole grain.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup agave

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla bean (this is more or less optional, because it's a bit more esoteric, and the cookies will be nice without it, too)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup almond flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup coconut flour

directions:

1. warm the oil to melt it

2. mix in the agave

3. mix in the eggs

4. add the vanilla and lemon

5. add the sea salt and vanilla bean

6. add the almond flour

7. add the baking soda

8. add the coconut flour, and mix well

9. wrap the finished dough in parchment, put it in an airtight container, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled (this will make it easier to work with)

10. divide the dough in half

11. roll half the dough between 2 pieces of parchment until reasonably thin, and cut with your favourite cookie cutters and transfer the shapes to a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet

12. amass the scraps and repeat until the dough is gone.

13. repeat with the second half

14. you should fill two baking sheets. The number of cookies will depend on the size of the cutters ...

15. preheat the oven to 300, and bake the trays for 20 minutes in the upper half of the oven. After 10 minutes cooking time,  switch their positions halfway through.

16. After 20 minutes total cooking time, shut the oven off, and leave the cookies in the oven for another 10 minutes.

17. After 30 minutes total cooking time, remove the cookies from the oven, and leave to cool for a few minutes.

18. remove the cookies to a cooling rack.

19. store in an airtight container.

20. these cookies keep really well, and in my opinion improve with age, and are at their best after a few days after baking