chocolate cream caramel bars
Crust:
1 cup almonds or other nuts
1 cup dates
Pinch of salt (optional)
Caramel:
½ cup cashew butter
½ cup coconut oil
1 cup dates
Chocolate cream:
1/3 cup coconut oil
2-3 tablespoons cacao powder
¼ cup preferred liquid sweetener
To make the crust: process the almonds into flour in your food processor, then add the dates and process until it all begins to stick together. Press into the bottom of a lined baking pan (I used a small bread pan) and refrigerate.
To make both the caramel and mocha layers: just blend the ingredients in each list until smooth. Feel free to add other flavours like vanilla, chili , ginger, etc. Spread the caramel onto your crust, followed by the chocolate cream. Refrigerate until completely set; this will take a couple hours.
Tofu Eggless Salad
from Crazy Sexy Diet
contributed by Chad Sarno, www.rawchef.com
1 Block of firm tofu
1/2c vegan mayonnaise
1/8c onion, finely chopped
1/4c carrot, grated
2Tbsp of parsley, finely chopped
1/8c nutritional yeast
1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt-1/4tsp pepper.
In lg bowl, crumble all tofu. Hand mix with remaining ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Will keep in fridge for 5 days.
Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumble Pie : Gluten-free
and Vegan
From the
web-site The Clean Dish
Ingredients :
1 cup
gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 cup oats rolled or quick oats (not instant)
1/2 cup raw cane sugar (or 1/4 raw cane sugar + 1/4 coconut sugar)
3/4 cup organic vegan margarine
2 cups sliced organic strawberries
2 cups sliced rhubarb
+ 3 tablespoons of water
1 cup oats rolled or quick oats (not instant)
1/2 cup raw cane sugar (or 1/4 raw cane sugar + 1/4 coconut sugar)
3/4 cup organic vegan margarine
2 cups sliced organic strawberries
2 cups sliced rhubarb
+ 3 tablespoons of water
Directions :
Preheat
oven to 350F and prep a baking pie dish with parchment paper.
In a
large bowl, combine all the dried ingredients (first 3). Add in cold margarine
and using a dough cutter or a knife keep slicing through the margarine to
combine with the dry ingredients. The texture should start to look very crumbly
and the size of the margarine bits should be very small. Once only crumbs
remain, remove about 1 1/4 cup of the mixture onto a small bowl and set
aside.
Add 3
tablespoons of water into the large bowl with the crumbs and gently mix to for
a dough. Do not overmix. Once the ingredients form into one piece, simply scoop
out the dough onto the baking pie dish. Start pressing down the dough with your
fingers to cover the full base. If the dough is too crumbly, wet the tips of
your fingers with extra water and press down. If the mixture is too wet, simply
dust the top with a little extra all-purpose flour and continue pressing. Don’t
forget to go up onto the sides of the pie dish to form sides – this will
prevent the juices from flowing out.
In
another bowl, mix the sliced strawberries and rhubarb together with additional
3 tablespoons of raw cane sugar (up to 1/4 cup ~ depending on the sweetness
desired).
Spread
out the fruit on top of the pie crust and even out the top.
Back to
the ‘crumble’ that’s set aside, add 2 more tablespoons of raw cane sugar, mix
to combine and sprinkle on top of the pie evenly.
Place in
the preheated oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes. Top should be nice and
golden. (my baking time was exactly 35 minutes)
Remove
from oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes minimum before serving.
Limoncello Coconut Pops
(raw, vegan, grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free)
from The Clean Dish
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon unrefined, virgin coconut oil
1/2 C shredded coconut, unsweetened +some for dusting
1/2 C blanched Almond flour
1Tbs maple syrup
1Tbs Limoncello or grain &gluten free vodka(e.g. potato vodka)
1/4 tsp lemon extract
tiny pinch of sea salt
optional 1/8 tsp of turmeric powder for colour.
Directions:
In a small saucepan, melt coconut oil over low heat.
combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl.
Form 10-12 balls and roll them in coconut shreds; if the dough is too crumbly, add a bit more coconut oil.
refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Lovely with a bowl of sorbet or gelato possibly chocolate flavour?!
Dee Dee's Hummus
1 1/2 c of chickpeas
1/4 c tahini
1/4 c juice from a lemon
1/4 c of dill pickle juice or 1/4c of olive juice. ( can also use hot pickle pepper juice if you like a bit of spice in your food)
1 Tbsp of Parsley
1/4 tsp of cumin and paprika
1tsp of sea salt (1/2 tsp is using olive juice)
1 garlic clove crushed
1Tbsp Olive oil optional- I will add if making for company.
Mix all in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste to see if needs more salt. If too dry add a bit of olive oil. Store in fridge. Great as a side dish or as a dip with cut up veggies and or rice crackers. I love it with chicken.
Cilantro Salad
serves 6-8 small -med portions
1 bunch of Cilantro leaves (if not a fan of cilantro substitute with Parsley)
1/4 of fresh lemon juice
5 med sized basil leaves
10-12 med sized mint leaves
1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooked and cooled Quinoa (Quinoa is an excellent source of protein)
1/4 c of finely chopped red onion (can use white or yellow in place of the red onion)
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1/2-1tsp of sea salt
Fresh black pepper to taste
splash of pure extra virgin olive oil
Options: can add red pepper and or tomatoes chopped finely
Wash Cilantro leaves well, as they tend to be quite sandy. I put my in my salad spinner. Spin to remove excess water. I like to pull the leaves off of the stems. You can cut the stems up and put them in the salad as well. I save the stems and store in the fridge to use in my morning green smoothie.Put the leaves in a large mixing bowl. Use scissors to cut up the basil and mint and add to bowl. Add chopped onions, garlic and quinoa. Mix well. Then stir in the lemon juice, mix well , then the salt and pepper. Taste to see if it is salty enough. It should be fairly salty. Add a splash of pure extra virgin olive oil. Mix well. Store in container and keep in the fridge. Is excellent on it's own or as a side dish with meats or brown rice.
Lighten Up Tahini Salad Dressing
from Oh She Glows web site -passed on to me by Sarah Letcher
makes 1 cup
1/4 c of tahini
1 garlic clove
1/4-1/2 c of lemon juice (depends on your taste for sour, I start with 1/4 c and then add 1Tbsp of lemon juice at a time.)
1/4 c of nutritional yeast. Can purchase at most health food stores, I think it is available in bulk food stores as well.
2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper.
3Tbsp of water or more if you find the dressing too thick.
Excellent on salads, and or meats.
Blend the ingredients in a food processor or nutri bullet, until smooth.
Cashew cream cheese
from Crazy Sexy Kitchen cook book by Kris Carr
makes about 2 cups. I halved the recipe.
I am totally in love with this recipe. I am allergic to dairy and have never found a satisfying alternative cream cheese until now. This is so worth the effort.
2c raw cashews, soaked for a few hours or overnight in water to soften
1/2c water
2 Tbsp of lemon juice ( I found I had to add more lemon juice to make a bit more tangy)
1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp of onion powder
1 1/2 tsp of diced chives
1 1/2 Tbsp of finely minced shallot or red onion
1/2 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Drain cashews and add to high speed blender or nutri bullet with water, and lemon juice, blend until smooth. Pause to scrape down sides to ensure all ingredients are blended well. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add rest of ingredients mix thoroughly. Store in fridge.
Here is the perfect meal to put your fresh Cashew Cream Cheese on:
Chickpea Crepe (also know as fava and garbanzo bean flour by Bobs)
These crepes are so good and versatile with so many options for lunch, dinner or dessert. I have shared one of my favourites filling which will follow the crepe recipe. This is a great recipe to have for company. You can make the crepes up ahead of time. place parchment or paraffin free wax paper in between each crepe to store in fridge. Remove the paper and heat on a cookie sheet in a 300 F oven until warm.
Crepe Batter
from Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr
makes 4 small crepes or 2 large ones
1 1/2 c water
1/2 c olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 1/2 c of chickpea flour
2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
for frying use vegan butter or coconut oil- I used coconut oil
warm oven to keep crepes warm
In a blender or nutri bullett, combine water with oil, salt, pepper, and chickpeas flour. Blend until smooth. Add more flour if too watery, the mixture should not be as thick as pancake batter, but thicker than water. Lastly add in the fresh rosemary and pulse. ( I used scissors and cut the rosemary up into the batter)
Place a fry pan over med-high heat and add vegan butter or coconut oil to lightly coat bottom for the pan. Ladle about 3/4 c of batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter into a thin circle. The crepe should be thinner than a pancake in order to be able to fold it over later. Cook until golden brown on the bottom about 3-4 mins. then flip and brown on other side. when done set on an oven proof plate and keep warm in a warm oven. add more butter or oil and start next crepe. It is not uncommon for the first few crepes to not turn out. So don't get discouraged. just takes practice. I use a cast iron fry pan and the crepes all turned out great.I have not tried to freeze the crepes, but will give it a try.
Spinach Pine nut and mushroom filling
from Deanna Deal
for each crepe 1c of raw spinach
1 Tbsp of raw pine nuts
1/2 clove of garlic finely chopped
2 Tbsp of cut up mushroom
In fry pan with med heat roast the pine nuts in coconut oil or olive oil, when they begin to turn golden remove and place in a dish.
Add more oil to pan if necessary add mushroom and garlic and stir to saute. Put aside in bowl when done.
Wash the spinach and leave slightly wet add to pan, be careful the water will sputter a bit in the oil. Mix until soft and wilted, this will take less than a minute. Remove from the heat.
Add to chickpea crepe and fold over. Top with cashew cream cheese.
Could also make a dessert crepe by adding warmed up strawberries sprinkled with some fresh grated nutmeg and top with coconut whip cream. (recipe to follow)
Gluten Free Pancakes
recipe from Sarah Letcher
Makes 4 small cakes or 2 Medium sized ones
1 banana
2 eggs
2Tbsp of Nut Butter- I used Hazelnut Almond butter
1 Tbsp Chai seeds
1-2Tbsp ground Flax
1 Tbsp of non dairy milk- I used coconut milk.
Blend in blender -cook with coconut oil in fry pan over med-high heat, about 3-4 mins per side. Top with fruit and coconut cream and cinnamon.
Coconut cream- Store can coconut milk in the fridge. Do not shake before opening. The cream will have settled on the top. When you open you can scoop out the cream and add to your pancakes.
Coconut Whip Cream- Same step as above for coconut cream, except scoop as much of the cream as possible into a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer whipped the coconut cream and add 1-2 Tbsp of maple syrup to sweeten. If too thick add a little bit of the coconut water from the can, but just a small amount, too much will make the whip cream watery. Store in fridge.
Crostini or gluten free bread with Artichoke puree garlicky mushrooms and horseradish.
This is a lovely dish. I had it on toasted gluten free bread. You could also toast the bread and cut it into quarters for appetizers.
2c jarred artichoke hearts, rinsed
1/2c pine nuts, toasted
2 Tbsp lemon Zest (1 lemon rind)
3 Tbsp minced chives
1/4tsp sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 whole grain baguette, or your favourite toasted bread, sliced into small crostini-size pieces or 12-15 gluten free crackers
Garlicky Mushrooms (recipe to follow)
3-4" fresh horseradish root, peeled and grated. (I actually forgot to add this and it was still fantastic)
Strain and rinse the artichoke hearts well. Using a food processor pulse artichoke, toasted pine nuts, lemon zest, and oil into a coarse puree.. Transfer into a small mixing bowl and mix in the chives and season with the salt and pepper.
Place 1-2 Tbsp of the puree onto crostini top with Garlicky Mushrooms and finish with grated horseradish root.
Garlicky Mushrooms
1 Tbs of Butter or Earth Balance or other vegan butter if you are allergic to dairy
