Vegan Apple Squash Cake with Earl Grey Date Balls

Base:
2 cups Pecans

1/2 cup ground flax

1 tsp ginger

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

a pinch of sea salt

10 deglet dates

Filling:

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 small organic butternut squash

a pinch of sea salt

1 can of organic coconut milk

1 cup melted coconut oil

Date Balls:

20 dates soaked in hot water with 1 tbsp earl grey tea (loose leaf)

bee pollen

2 tbsp coconut oil

Apple Topping:

1 macintosh apple

1/2 lemon juiced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp maple syrup

Blend base ingredients in a food processor and press into a springform pan.  Then place in the freezer to chill.  In a high speed blender, mix filling ingredients.  Then pour into the base and place cake back in the freezer while you prepare the toppings.  Thinly slice apples and in a bowl, mix with lemon juice, cinnamon and maple syrup. Then, going back to the food processor, drain dates and blend them with the earl grey tea leaves for the bag. Use a mini ice-cream scoop to make ball shapes and top with bee pollen for nutrition and colour. Place in the freezer to set. Once the filling in the cake is solid enough, top with apple slices and date balls.  Let it set in the fridge overnight and serve next day :)

Raw Vegan Papaya Cheesecake with Passionfruit Fig jam and Mint Sauce

I haven't felt inspired to create anything in a really long time, but I think these good summer vibes have finally done the trick.  This tropical spectacle is sure to engage your pallet on a beautiful summers day. 👌🌞 

Filling:

2 cup Papaya

2 limes (juiced)

1/3 cup honey

2/3 cup melted coconut oil

2 tbsp soy lecithin

2 cups soaked cashews

Crust:

2 tsp matcha powder

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 cup pecans

1 cup walnuts

3 tbsp coconut mana

a dash of salt

Jam Topping

2 figs

4 passionfruit

1 orange

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp chia seeds

Mint Sauce

1/4 cup of mint (packed)

1/4 cup water

1 lime (juiced)

3 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp honey

1. Blend all crust ingredients in a food processor until it sticks together.  Press into the bottom of a springform pan and place in the freezer.

2. Blend papaya, lime juice and honey.  Either melt coconut oil on the stove on the lowest setting or with a double boiler, set your bowl of coconut oil atop a pot of boiled water and wait for the oil to melt, stirring occasionally.

3. Mix in coconut oil and soy lecithin and blend once more.  Pour on top of the base and set back in the freezer.

4. To make the jam topping, place figs (with skins), the contents of 4 passionfruit, one peeled orange and maple syrup in a blender and blend until smooth.  You will still see the flecks of passionfruit seed in the mixture.  Pour the mixture out into a small bowl and mix with chia seeds.  You can wait a while for this to thicken or just pour on top of the filling layer and place back in the freezer.

5.  Let the cake set for a good 5h or overnight.  Then decorate with fresh figs and mint of basal leaves.

6.  For the sauce, just blend everything in a high speed blender and drizzle on top.  It may be a bit runny but when it's refrigerated for a while, the consistence becomes more viscus. 

Rocky Road Caramel Drumstick Pie (Vegan)

~ Inspired by the nostalgia of caramel drumsticks and rocky road desserts, I half-hazardly combined the two in this vegan adaptation. ~

Graham Cracker Crust

1.5 cup finely ground gluten free graham crackers

1/3 cup coconut sugar

a pinch of salt

8 tbsp coconut oil

Mix together and press into a glass backing dish.

Bake for 7m @ 375 degrees.  Then let it cool.

Melt 1 cup dark chocolate chips in a double boiler.  Line the cooled crust and then place in the freezer to solidify.  This is to mimic the drumstick cone chocolate coating. 

Coconut Cream Filling

160 ml coconut cream

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 tsp vanilla bean powder

3 tbsp agave

Almond Butter Caramel

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup agave (maple syrup would have been optimal but I was out.)

2 tbsp coconut oil

Toppings

Drizzle with almond butter caramel and top with vegan marshmallows, chopped, unsalted peanuts and shredded dark chocolate.

Aloe Jelly Bubble Tea

After my aloe plant fell over today, accidentally breaking off some fleshy leaf offerings, I wanted to try something different.

Strawberry Bubble Tea with Aloe Jelly

1 aloe vera leaf, peeled and cubed (Lu Hui)

1/2 a small lime

1 tbsp coconut sugar

1 cup of cold fruity tea (I used Teavana Strawberry Cream)

3-4 ice cubes

• Brew one cup of fruity tea and set aside or in the fridge to cool.
• Peel aloe, cut into cubes and place in a pot with the juice of 1/2 a lime and 1 tbsp of coconut sugar. 
• Let it simmer until the liquid has evaporated or absorbed into the aloe leaf cubes. 
• Place aloe cubes in the bottom of a clear glass.  Add cooled tea and ice.
• Enjoy!

Pu’erh Bubble Tea with Aloe Jelly

1 cup or pu’erh tea (brewed for 7m)(let cool)

1.5 tsp of honey

1 aloe vera leaf, peeled and cubed (Lu Hui)

3-4 ice cubes

A dash of almond/soy/hemp milk (the nature of almond or hemp milk might look kind of chunky, but it’s still just as tasty)

• Brew one cup of pu’erh tea for 7m 
• Add honey, let dissolve and set aside or in the fridge to cool.
• Peel aloe, cut into cubes and place in a pot on medium heat to absorb some of the liquid. * You can sweeten this with coconut sugar or honey as well but I wanted this recipe to be less sweet.
• Place aloe cubes in the bottom of a clear glass.  Add cooled tea and ice with a dash of milk and enjoy!

** Don’t make the same mistake as me and be sure to cut your aloe small enough to fit through a boba straw. :P **

Rosemary Cardamom Kumquat Tarts

These little beauties are tart with a pinch of savoury and sweet.  

The perfect transition from winter into spring/summer flavours.  

Rosemary Cardamom Tart Shells

1.5 cup Soaked Cashews

1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder

6 cardamom pods (extract seeds and blend in a spice blender)

2 tbsp fresh rosemary

4 dates

Kumquat Cashew Filling

3/4 cup seeded kumquats

12 tbsp water

4 dates

1/2 cup soaked cashews

White Chocolate Top Layer

1 cup cacao butter

2 tbsp coconut sugar( I used 2 tbsp honey but it separated when solidified)

A dash of grey sea salt

Candied Kumquats

8 kumquats

2 tbsp water

A pinch of vanilla bean powder

1.5 tbsp honey

Prep 2 cups of cashews the night before by soaking them in water in the fridge.  If you’ve forgotten, an hour or 2 before of soaking will do, if you have a high speed blender.  

Dry off your cashews with a fresh dish cloth.  Place 1.5 cups of cashews in a food processor with the rest of the crust ingredients.  Blend until smooth and press into silicone muffin tins or paper wrappers.  Place in the freezer.

Slice 3/4 cups of kumquats in half and remove seeds.  Place in a blender with the last of the cashews (1/2 cup), 12 tbsp of water to thin it out and 4 dates to cut the tartness. Blend until smooth.  The mixture should still be quite thick but at a touch more water if it’s not blending.  Fill the tart shells leaving a bit of room at the top and rerun to the freezer.

For the white chocolate layer, melt in a pot over low heat with coconut sugar and sea salt.  Let it cool slightly but not so much so that it starts to solidify again.  Pour over frozen tarts and return to the freezer.

Slice kumquats into wheel shapes and de-seed.  In the meantime, in a small pot, allow water, honey and vanilla to come to a boil.  One it’s boiling, add the fruit and bring it back up to a boil.  Then reduce to a simmer for 10m.  Remove from the stove and allow to cool before placing in a glass dish with the syrup in the fridge. 

Once the white chocolate layer is solidified, remove from their silicone tart shells and top with candied kumquats.  These tarts can then be stored in the fridge.  

Makes about 9 tarts

Could easily be made into a cake as well, using a spring form pan.

Takes ridiculously too long to make.

Grain Free Apple Turnovers via Life Made Full

Just spent the past 1.5h making some gluten free apple turnovers from the recipe I found over at 
Life Made Full: http://lifemadefull.com/grain-free-apple-turnovers-paleo-gluten-free-dairy-free/

They are delicious and a nice change from my ongoing chocolate everything obsession.
Despite begin time consuming, they're worth it for anyone looking for a gluten free option to regular turnovers.


Things to note:

- I ended up using arrowroot flour since I had no tapioca flour along with unbalanced almond flour instead of blanched.  These 2 substitutions didn't seem to affect the recipe in the slightest.

- The filling is slightly sweet.  If you're looking for something to really hit your sweet tooth, you may want to add some extra maple syrup or sprinkle them with confectionary sugar/icing before serving.  For my pallet, they were perfect.

- I beat my egg whites before putting them into the batter.  I don't know if this effected the recipe at but the batter seemed nice so you can add this step if you'd like.

Let me know how yours turn out! :)

Apple Squash Tarts

Crust

• 12 dates
• 150g walnuts
• 100g pecans
• a dash of sea salt
• a dash of cinnamon and ginger
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Squash Filling

• 1 cup squash
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 4 dates
• 1/4 lemon juiced
• 1/2 cup coconut oil melted

Cinnamon Apple Topping

• 2 small apples (peeled and chopped)
• 1/4 lemon juiced
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• a dash of cinnamon, clove and allspice 

In a food processor, blend everything together until smooth and then press into muffin tins.  You can line them with liners or saran wrap for easier removal later.  Place them in the freezer.

In a high speed blender, blend filling ingredients until smooth and place equal amounts in the tart shells.  There may be a bit left over you can have as a tasty pudding later.  

Place all the topping ingredients in a bowl and mix well.  Then top the tarts and place in the fridge overnight to solidify, or the freezer for an hour or less to speed things up.