Green Smoothie Recipe #5 – Kiwi & Peach

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] Savoy Cabbage is one of the stronger flavoured leafy greens out there so I recommend saving it until you have a bit of green smoothie practice under your belt, you’ll notice that in the recipe below I have replaced my usual creamy ingredient (banana) with avocado, this reduces the sweetness of the smoothie but adds a wonderful creamy texture.

Savoy, Kiwi & Peach Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of savoy cabbage leaves
1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
1 kiwi fruit, peeled
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 peach, pit removed
1 tbs agave nectar (or other sweetener)
1 tbs chia seeds (optional)
1/2 cup frozen berries (optional)

Method:

1. Place your fruit in the blender, add water and blend until smooth, add your ‘greens’ and blend again until smooth. Add your chia seeds and blend until they are mixed through. Serve.

Amounts above will be enough for 2 smoothies.

NOTE: The amount of water you use will depend on how thick you like your smoothie, I just use enough to get the blender going nice and fast, if you like your mixture to be less thick, add more water.

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Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] I have two Joyous Mamas to thank for inspiring this recipe. WhiteOwl, for mentioning that she had made Peanut Butter cookies which instantly had me in baking mode, and Starzia for posting the recipe in the first place. The Joyous version was a cookie recipe and included such delights as rapadura and light spelt flour, but since I had neither of those things on hand I created my own version of the recipe and made mini-muffins instead. The results were super cute – as only mini things can be – and super delicious too.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup plain soymilk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbs non dairy butter
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup sultanas
1 cup plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the peanut butter, agave, soymilk, vanilla, and butter. Mix with a wooden spoon until mixture is smooth and has no lumps (except for the bits of peanut). Stir in the chocolate chips and sultanas.

3. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine.

4. Spoon the mixture into a non-stick mini muffin tray and bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the tray.

*Makes 24 mini muffins

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Vegan Baklava

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] This was my first ever attempt at baklava so it isn’t very pretty but I promise that it’s very delicious!! I found the original recipe here and veganised it accordingly, it was a pretty straightforward conversion and I’m really happy with how it all turned out. I ended up doing the cooking after the sun went down and the lighting in my house is pretty dark so I didn’t take photos of the process, just of the end result.

Vegan Baklava

Ingredients:

1 pkg filo pastry
1 cup non dairy butter
1 cup chopped nuts
2 tbs ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
5ml vanilla extract
2 tbs agave nectar

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees. Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a small bowl mix nuts and cinnamon. If required cut the filo pastry so that it is the correct size and shape for the pan. Cover filo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 – 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, add butter, top with nuts and then repeat, continue layering, until all ingredients are used up. The top pastry layer should be about 6 – 8 sheets deep.

3. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

4. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and agave. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

5. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

Raw Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”]Over the next week I will be showcasing the raw food stylings of my Joyous friend, Sepia, who put together a mouthwatering selection of raw vegan treats for her birthday party last weekend and has been kind enough to share the recipes and photos with me to post on Vegan Chickie. Some of the recipes are her own and some are the work of the wonderful Ani Phyo, chef, author and all round raw food wonder woman.

Raw Vegan Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients:

For the Crust:
2 cups raw macadamia nuts
1/2 cup dates, pitted (medjools)
1/4 cup dried coconut

For the Cheese:
3 cups chopped cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup agave nectar
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt (optional)

For the Raspberry Sauce:
1 bag frozen raspberries (or whatever berries you prefer)
1/2 cup dates

Method:

1. To make the crust, process the macadamia nuts and dates in the food processor. Sprinkle dried coconut onto the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan. Press crust onto the coconut. This will prevent it from sticking.

2. To make the cheese, blend the cashews, lemon, agave, gently warmed coconut oil (do not use microwave), vanilla, sea salt (if using), and 1/2 cup water. Blend until smooth and adjust to taste.

 Pour the mixture onto the crust. Remove air bubbles by tapping the pan on a table.

 Place into the freezer until firm and then top with Raspberry Sauce.

3. Remove the whole cake from the pan while frozen, and place onto a serving platter. Defrost in the refrigerator.

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Crusty Italian Bread

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] This is a really simple bread recipe, great for making delicious crusty bread without a bread-maker. We found the original recipe here, and created the vegan version below. Leave the loaf to cool for as long as you can bear it before slicing the bread, the longer you leave it the crunchier the crust will be, but I won’t blame you if you can’t wait long, who can resist the smell of freshly baked bread? Not I!

Homemade Crusty Italian Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup hot water
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbs agave nectar
2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 cup semolina flour
1 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Cooking oil spray

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, combine water, milk, and agave nectar. Sprinkle yeast over top – do not stir. Allow to stand 10-15 minutes until foamy. Add 2 cups of flour. Using electric mixer, beat on low for 4 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel. Place in an unheated oven and allow to stand 1-2 hours.

Remove bowl from oven and add remaining cup of bread flour, semolina flour, salt and olive oil. Using your electric mixer with a dough hook, beat for 5 minutes. Spray another large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Pour dough into that bowl. Turn over until dough is covered with oil. Cover and let rest 15 minutes.

Sprinkle a cookie sheet with several teaspoons of flour to stop the dough from sticking. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into an oval mound. Flatten slightly until each half is about 6 inches across. Spray tops of dough loaves with nonstick spray. Put cookie sheet into unheated oven to rise another 30 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled. Remove dough from oven. Preheat oven to 230 degrees.

Using a sharp knife, make 3 slits across top of bread about 1/4 inch deep. Fill a small round cake pan with 1/2 inch of water. Place on cake pan on bottom rack in oven. Place cookie sheet with bread dough on it on the middle rack of the oven. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. If bread browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the last 5-10 minutes of baking.

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Vegan Very Berry Frozen Yogurt

[tweetmeme source=”VeganChickie”] After the success of my chocolate ice cream endeavors last week, I thought I would try my hand at some berry frozen yogurt. I am very pleased with the results, the sweetness of the sugar and vanilla, mixed with the tart berries is an excellent combination. This recipe also set much firmer than the chocolate one as well which was a nice surprise. I definitely think the trick is to use coconut cream instead of coconut milk.. anyway, without further ado:

Vegan Very Berry Frozen Yogurt

Ingredients

2 cups soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 tbs agave nectar
1 cup sugar
2 tbs arrowroot powder
1 400g can coconut cream – stored in the refrigerator
2 cups frozen mixed berries

Method:

1. Heat the soy milk, in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. Once the milk starts to steam, lower the temperature and stir in the vanilla paste and agave nectar, mix until dissolved.

2. Stir in the sugar and whisk in the arrowroot powder one half tablespoon at a time, making sure that each half tablespoon is completely dissolved before adding the next one.

3. Add the can of coconut cream and whisk until the mixture is glossy. Remove from the heat and once mixture has cooled slightly, transfer to a container and refrigerate until completely cooled (preferably overnight).

4. Remove the mixture from the refrigerator, stir in the frozen berries, and then add the mixture to your ice cream maker, following the directions that came with the machine.

For best results, once completed, transfer the mixture to a container and freeze overnight before consuming.

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