Sunday, 27 March 2016

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!

Today I bring to you a recipe i made for tonight's Easter dinner. I may have taste tested it a bit.....but they'll never know.....This chocolate cake recipe is 100% delicious and is both vegan and gluten free! Take my word- this chocolate cake is simply stunning.

The recipe came from another blog: the Minimalist Baker (http://minimalistbaker.com/one-bowl-vegan-chocolate-cake/). The only changes I made were to use 1-1 Gluten free flour mixture in the cake and water in the icing (instead of almond milk).

Indulge and enjoy!





Ingredients:
CAKE
  • 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) original unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cups (307 g) unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup (120 ml) strong brewed coffee (espresso) (or sub more almond milk)
  • 2/3 cup (160 ml) canola oil
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 2 cups + 2 Tbsp (320 g) 1-1 Gluten free flour mixture 
  • 1 1/3 cups (266 g) organic cane sugar (or sub granulated sugar)
  • 1 cup (96 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
FROSTING
  • 1 cup (16 Tbsp or 224 g) vegan butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 - 3 cups (280-336 g) powdered sugar
  • 2/3 cup (63 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup (30 g) dairy-free semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ~1/4 cup water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176 C) and lightly spray 2 8-inch round cake pans or one large rectangular pan with nonstick spray (see notes for cooking times for different size pans). Dust with cocoa powder, shake out the excess and set aside.
  2. Mix the almond milk and vinegar in a large mixing bowl, and let set for a few minutes to activate. Add the oil, coffee, vanilla extract, and applesauce and beat until foamy.
  3. Add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter and slowly sift over the wet ingredients while mixing with a hand-held or standing mixer. If you don’t have a sifter, simply mix dry ingredients in another bowl and add to the wet mixture while beating. Beat until no large lumps remain. It should be creamy and pourable. Taste and adjust sweetness as needed, adding more sugar if desired (I found it plenty sweet).
  4. Divide batter evenly between your 2 cake pans or rectangular pan.
  5. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.
  6. While cooling, prepare frosting by beating together all ingredients until light and fluffy, adding the powdered sugar in small amounts until you reach your desired consistency and sweetness. If it becomes too thick, add more water. If it's too thin, add more cocoa powder or powdered sugar.
  7. Once the cake is cooled, frost generously with buttercream frosting, adding a thick layer between the top and bottom layers (if doing a 2-layer cake). Alternatively, omit the frosting and dust with cocoa powder.
  8. Serve with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream, a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce, coconut whipped cream or a glass of almond milk!


Tuesday, 15 March 2016

Tasty, Flavourful and Healthy?!

Gasp. Healthy? Could it be? No, there's no way something this delicious could be so healthy.

But it's true.

Allow me to introduce you to.......drum roll please.....Roasted Chickpeas!

Whether you're looking for a sugar-free, gluten-free, peanut-free (what's with all the frees?) school snack, an after-gym snack, an I'm-bored-what-do-we-have-in-the-fridge snack, these chickpeas are for you!

Now, I have to be honest, I got this recipe off another website (thekitchn.com), specifically http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-crispy-roasted-chickpeas-in-the-oven-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-219753 but they were so tasty I just couldn't NOT blog about it.
And if we're being honest, the chickpeas almost didn't make it into the picture- they were that good. 
So here you go: a mouth-wateringly yummy, healthy, vegan, gluten-peanut-sugar free snack just for you. Enjoy snacking!


Ingredients
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 teaspoons spices or finely chopped fresh herbs, like chili powder, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, smoked paprika, rosemary, thyme, or other favorite spices and herbs
EquipmentCan opener
Strainer
Dishtowel or paper towels
Measuring spoons
Baking sheet

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F: Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven.
  2. Rinse and drain the chickpeas: Open the cans of chickpeas and pour the chickpeas into a strainer in the sink. Rinse thoroughly under running water.
  3. Dry the chickpeas: Pat the chickpeas very dry with a clean dishtowel or paper towels. They should look matte and feel dry to the touch; if you have time, leave them to air-dry for a few minutes. Remove any chickpea skins that come off while drying, but otherwise don’t worry about them.
  4. Toss the chickpeas with olive oil and salt: Spread the chickpeas out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Stir with your hands or a spatula to make sure the chickpeas are evenly coated.
  5. Roast the chickpeas in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes: Stir the chickpeas or shake the pan every 10 minutes. A few chickpeas may pop – that’s normal. The chickpeas are done when golden and slightly darkened, dry and crispy on the outside, and soft in the middle.
  6. Toss the chickpeas with the spices: Sprinkle the spices over the chickpeas and stir to coat evenly. Serve while the chickpeas are still warm and crispy. They will gradually lose their crispiness as they cool, becoming addictively chewy.

Recipe Notes

  • Besides eating these chickpeas as a snack, you can toss them with salads or sprinkle over soup in place of croutons.