COCONUT AND SEA BUCKTHORN RAW CHOCOLATE

So a couple of months ago a friend of mine A. came to visit me in Austria from London. I had just read up on these Arctic Power Berries and asked her to bring me one of each.

Of course I automatically wanted to make something with the powders and as you may or may not know my family loves chocolate, so what better thing to make than some yummy chocolate.

In the end I didn't spread out the liquid equally so some bits of my chocolate bar were very bitter whilst the other bits were nice and sweet :D

Here the recipe and some photos:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cacao powder

3 tbsp honey or maple syrup

banana/coconut chips

 1 tbsp sea buckthorn powder (or cranberry or blueberry!)

add sea salt if you wish!

1. Melt the coconut oil in low heat and remove from the heat as soon as it is melted

2. Add the cacao powder and whisk until they are completely combined

3. Add honey/maple syrup, crushed banana/coconut chips, sea buckthorn powder (and sea salt if you wish!)

4. Pour the chocolate into moulds or on a baking sheet and let it set in the fridge for about 15 minutes

This recipe is fully vegan, gluten feee, raw and refined sugar free! (Yuhuu nice and healthy)

I ended chopping the chocolate up and adding bits to my müsli or yoghurts :) 

Here are the ingredients I used

This is what the melted chocolate looked like

This is what it looked like before I put it in the fridge, as I said not spread equally :/

All in all I was quite happy with the result, it's something I've never tried before but enjoyed making as it goes super quickly and is super easy to make :) I'll definitely try making this again in the near future! 

Gluten free chocolate almond brownies

My cousin El also known as the founder of this blog gave me the Oh she Glows cookbook, I loveeeee it! I've been wanting to make everything from it and I started today by making the gluten free chocolate almond brownies, just not so gluten free, Vienna isn't that amazing with health food shops yet so we don't get a lot of stuff that's needed for some of the recipes.... Below is the cookbook :)

The brownies were interesting to make, a bit dry though probably because I used grams instead of cups because I couldn't find mine... They're also a bit burnt on the top but you can't taste that much :p

So the ingredients you'll need are;

4 teaspoons of ground flaxseed

1 cup of whole raw almonds (I used ground almonds which I already had at home..)

3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of brown rice flour

2 tablespoons of arrowroot (this and the brown rice flour is something I didn't have at home, luckily the recipe gives you a substitute to use instead in this case it would be a 3/4 of all purpose flour, I used spelt flour)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons vegan butter or coconut oil (I just used margarine)

1 cup natural cane sugar (used normal sugar)

1/4 cup almond milk (I used lactose free milk)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

and 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

As you can see I substituted quite a lot of the ingredients with stuff I had at home..

So first off you preheat the oven to 180° and lightly oil a cake pan, then whisk together the flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water and put to the side you won't be needing this for a while.

Next if your almonds aren't ground yet put these in a blender and grind till they're floury. Then mix these together with the brown rice flour, arrowroot (in my case just spelt flour), cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.

Now you melt 1/2 cuop of the chocolate chips and the vegan butter over a low heat, once melted remove from heat and mix in the flaxseed mixture, sugar, almond milk and vanilla extract. 

The recipe saves the other chocolate chips to add to the brownies before they go into the oven but I just melted it all together... 

So mix together the chocolate mixture with the dry ingredient mixture and combine well, add the remaining chocolate chips and walnuts if desired.

After this just place the batter in the prepared tin and voila the brownies are ready to be placed into the oven! I baked them for 22 minutes but that was too much for me the recipe recommends 28 to 34 minutes.

I would also recommend eating the brownies with some ice cream or a glass of cold milk :)

Enjoy! Here are a couple of pictures of the results, sorry about it not looks so pretty...

Quinoa Gwyneth Paltrow Style

I had a mega productive morning today. Woke up at 6am, even though my alarm was set for 7:30 and decided to go for a run along the canal. I did about 9km with a friend who just moved back to town. I am not sure if it's the warm weather, my perma jet-lague from Europe, the light in the morning, or what..but I am finally motivated to get out and run. Fiewf!! Just when I thought I was destined to be lazy forever.

Anyway after the run I quickly made this recipe for my lunch. I have been wanting to try out my new cookbook- It's All Good- by Gwyneth Paltrow. This recipe is  closely adapted from Gwyneth's quinoa with mushroom and thyme. I didn't use as much oil and didn't have fresh thyme but otherwise stuck quite closely to the original. I put the quinoa on, hopped into the shower and then made the rest of it.

It is very quick and simple.  I appreciate the cookbooks instructions on how to make good quinoa.

1 cup quinoa
1 3/4 cups water
pinch sea salt

Rinse quinoa, put in pot with water and salt and bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer with lid on for 12 minutes, and then put a paper towel under the lid while it rests for 5 minutes. I had never done that before and I think it did help with the texture, making the quinoa perfectly fluffy and moist.

- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- garlic
- mushrooms
- fresh or dried thyme
-2 cups arugula

In a fry pan put 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sauté 1 clove garlic for 30 seconds. Add in mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Add in thyme.
- Mix 2 cups quinoa, mushrooms and arugula in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Cake

In my case, it was chocolate mint hazelnut cake!! I was just over being sick..well I was still sick, but no longer courageous, and my head was very foggy. I was determined to make a cake, as I had committed to bringing a dessert to my friend Becca's wedding shower. She is Celiac, so I had to bring something gluten free. I  picked out this recipe on pinterest, which is from Good Housekeeping originally.I simplified it by not making a frosting, and I don't feel it needs it.  I was almost out of baking chocolate so went out to get some the morning of the shower, and accidentally took mint chocolate chips instead of regular semi-sweet.

I was wondering if I was going crazy or why I was smelling mint. Had I not rinsed the pot properly?

Lucky, chocolate mint is a good combo and with half regular chocolate, half mint chocolate the cake still turned out, and was eating up.

Spanish Eggs

I got this recipe from Carolyn who got it from Better Homes and Gardens. It makes for a big, filling, flavourful breakfast. great way to start the day!! I made this yesterday- finally had my appetite back after being sick for a few days- and it kept me full until lunch.

Moo-less Chocolate Mousse

This recipe is a lot healthier than it looks. It is made-up mostly of avocado and banana. Who would have thunk it. The recipe says it makes 2 servings and I divided it into 3 so they would be smaller- saintly, I know!-  I then processed to eat 2! And I licked the bowls.

Vanilla Almond Sponge Bread- Paleo-Gluten Free

I couldn't think of what to make for breakfast the other day. I have been eating Paleo- and therefore can't eat my usual oatmeal. I wanted something different from my egg-nana pancakes, or plain eggs, so decided to try out this recipe from Practical Paleo. It turned out well but isn't that sweet. It's better served with a bit of almond butter or honey. Today I made french toast out of leftovers and that was really good.

Chocolate Almond Flourless Cake- Gluten Free

I made this cake last week, but haven't had a chance to post the recipe because it was originally in German and in grams so it took some effort to translate it. It didn't take much effort to bake however, and was really good. I think it's a new favourite of my dad's. I made it for dinner guests and then we didn't end up serving it, so my parents had it all for them. I had a piece too of course. The recipe is from a family friend in Austria.

Ingredients:
6 eggs; separated
1 1/3 cup icing sugar
1 package Vanillezucker- or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ground almond or walnuts (or by weight150g)
6 square semi sweet chocolate (150g)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Beat the egg whites until forms stiff peaks
Cream together the egg yolkes, sugar and vanilla
Add ground nuts and chocolate (cooled)
Fold in egg whites
Pour into a  spring form pan (greased with butter and flour or cocoa)
Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.  Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Chocolate Truffle Brownies (Gluten Free)

These brownies are the other gluten free dessert I brought to Daniele's. I got the recipe from Quinoa 365. They are made with quinoa flour, which I find has a bit of a nutty taste.  If you aren't gluten free and don't have quinoa flour, these could be made with regular flour. As I said before, I was a bit skeptical about making gluten-free desserts and how they would turn out but my friends said these were good.  I liked them too ( then again I like anything chocolate )

Ingredients:
4oz unsweetened chocolate (4 squares)- oops I used semi sweet
3/4 cup butter
 1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups quinoa flour
1/4 cup milk
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:
-preheat oven to 350f
-line a brownie pan with parchman paper or grease and flour it
-melt chocolate and butter together (either in a saucepan or  in the microwave) and then add in sugar, stirring constantly. If you used a saucepan, transfer to a bowl.
-add in eggs and vanilla and blend well
- add in flour and milk
-mix in nuts
- pour into pan and bake for approx 22 minutes*
- let cool in pan for 15 minutes before cutting into 16 squares ( or 32 for smaller brownies)

*The recipe says to be sure not to overbake.The truffle/ness of these browneis comes from a moist, chewy inside. I baked them for about 30 minutes and they still had that texture.

Cinnamon Sugar Cookies (Gluten Free)

I decided to make a couple of gluten free desserts to bring to my friend Daniele's Mediterranean cooking party (more posts and photos coming soon!) as one of our other friends Becca is Gluten free.  I went online to make sure that the coconut flour i got at bulk barn was gluten free, and came across this recipe on the bulk barn website.

I was unsure how these would turn out, because I find often times gluten free desserts are not so great. The flavour of the coconut flour really came out in the cookies (a lot more so then in the cream cheese pancakes) so if you like coconut then you will definitely like these.

What is coconut flour and what are the benefits? According to the bulk barn website Coconut flour is made from pure, white, fresh coconut meat. It is high in dietary fibre, low in digestible carbohydrates, a good source of protein and free of gluten. A versatile and flavorful ingredient, you can use coconut flour in a variety of snacks, baked goods, desserts and main dishes. When added to your baking it lends a wonderfully rich texture and natural sweetness. It can also be used as a thickener for soups and sauces. A delicious, healthy alternative to wheat and other grain flours.

Ingredients:

4 eggs 

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup melted butter 3/4 cup sifted coconut flour2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350F 

- Combine eggs, sugar (reserve 1 tablespoon of sugar), salt, vanilla and butter. Mix well. Stir in coconut flour. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow it to thicken.

- Combine cinnamon with 1 tablespoon sugar. Form dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll in cinnamon mixture, coating thoroughly. Place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Flatten ball to a diameter of about 2".  (makes about 2 dozen)

- Bake for 15 minutes

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Ready to be served to the (lucky) company

While I am here slaving away with my house and cat sitting duties, my parents are off in Vienna having a lovely time  with my grandmother.  Now you can't go to Vienna without eating all the best pastries, rolls, chocolate, coffee and most delicious foods. It's impossible.   My mom and my grandmother have been baking up a storm, and since no one bakes better then mothers and grandmothers, i thought I would share their recipes with you. 

One of the advantages of this cake is that it is flourless and gluten-free. I have tasted many not-so great flourless cakes,  but this one is INTENSE,  chocolately and delicious.

This recipe is from Claire who got it from Whole Foods website, who got it from one of its readers. 

Serves 12

Ingredients

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips or bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 3 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
1 1/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray, then line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Spray the paper with cooking spray, too, then set the pan aside.

Place two-thirds (8 ounces) of the chocolate and 1 cup (2 sticks) of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Stirring often, melt chocolate with butter until completely blended. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, you may use your microwave to melt the butter with the chocolate, if desired). Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition. Sift cocoa into bowl and stir until just blended.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until cake has risen and top has formed a thin crust. The cake should be just firm in the center when done. Cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto a plate, removing sides of springform pan. Remove and discard parchment paper and set cake aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the chocolate glaze. Melt remaining 4 ounces chocolate and 3 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, then stir in milk, honey and vanilla. Set aside to cool slightly.

When cake has cooled, pour glaze onto the center. Using a spatula or the back of a spoon, very gently smooth glaze along the top and sides of the cake. Chill cake, uncovered, for 30 to 60 minutes before serving to set the glaze and make the cake easier to slice.