Here's something I've been enjoying for breakfast recently, adapted from a recipe in Rawsome Vegan Baking.
It is kind of reminiscent of rice pudding due to the texture of the chia seeds and flavour of the cinnamon and sultanas.
In any case, it's a really lovely and quick breakfast!
Raw Rice Pudding (serves 2) (adapted from the Chia Vanilla Pudding in Rawsome Vegan Baking)
1/2 cup soft medjool dates
1/2 cup whole almonds
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
1/4 sultanas, or to taste
Blend the dates, almonds and milk until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl and combine with the chia seeds, cinnamon and sultanas.
Ideally, let it sit in the fridge for about half an hour before eating.
I love it when I discover a new way to use a basic ingredient. A while ago I discovered that you can use uncooked soaked red lentils to make delicious koftas. And now, I know that cooked and blended millet can be used to make an amazing cheesecake!
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| topped with mango - yum! |
You'd never guess that the filling of this cheesecake is made with millet. It has a beautiful light creamy texture, softer than the often firmer texture of raw cheesecakes made with cashews.
The filling is made with cooked millet, a small amount of cashews, lemon juice, maple syrup and vanilla. It is not overly sweet but is perfect combined with the crust and fresh fruit.
The crust is baked first, and is made of oats, walnuts, rice flour, cinnamon, oil and maple syrup.
And best of all - wait for it - Sylvia loved it! She ate hers with icing sugar and mango. I had to leave the room after she asked for a second piece to contain my glee so I didn't turn her off eating it! She actually asked me to take a photo of her half eaten piece for my blog, so here it is:
I had this cheesecake for breakfast this morning. Cheesecake healthy enough for breakfast - enough said!
This recipe for Lemon Teasecake is from Raising Vegetarian Children. I found the recipe for the filling online here (lime juice is used instead of lemon juice) for those interested in trying it with a crust of your choice.
I made this pie last night in desperation for something sweet and healthy. Also to use up bananas that were going brown!
It was so good. I never get over the seemingly endless magical combinations of ingredients such as dates, nuts and seeds. And this coming from a cupcake fanatic with more than just one sweet tooth!
The combination of banana and tahini in the filling reminds me of custard for some reason, especially when the pie is eaten before it has frozen too hard. Very silky and smooth.
This pie comes together really quickly, if you don't count the freezing time. I don't mind fiddly raw sweet recipes if I have the time, but it is nice to make a straightforward one every now and then.
If I was serving it to people, I would probably double the filling ingredients and decorate the pie with fresh bananas and shredded coconut.
Raw Banana Custard Pie (inspired by Chocolate Banana Cream Pie from Rawsome Vegan Baking)
Base
1 1/2 cups whole nuts (I used combo of cashews, walnuts and almonds)
1 cup soft medjool dates, packed
pinch of salt
Filling
2 large bananas
1/4 cup tahini (I used unhulled)
1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/8 cup non-dairy milk
pinch of salt
dash of vanilla
To make the base, blend the nuts until they are a coarse powder. Combine with the dates and salt in a food processor until the dough starts sticking together. Press into a cake tin (I used a small round one).
To make the filling, blend all filling ingredients together until smooth. Pour on top of the base and put in the freezer until firm (about 2 hours).
I didn't grow up eating "normal cakes" with spongy layers and fake cream icing. My mum made deliciously rich and dense Hungarian-style cakes loaded with nuts and real chocolate.
Of course I did love eating these other kinds of cakes at birthday parties, etc - it was such a novelty!
This slice reminds me of my mum's baking. It is quite dense (it has no raising agent) and has a ganache icing. The rice flour gives it a lovely almost grainy texture, which is delicious with the nuttiness of the slice.
Peter and I loved it and kept stealing pieces each time we walked into the kitchen. Sadly, Sylvia refused to try it (I think it was my enthusiasm - I still haven't learned) and Lexie licked the icing off and threw the remains on the floor with great gusto. But please, trust the adult's reactions!
Nutty Chocolate Slice (adapted from Hal's Maple Chocolate Flax Brownies from La Dolce Vegan!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup agave nectar (maple syrup would also work)
1/4 cup oil (I used grapeseed oil)
1/4 non-dairy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup each of whole almonds, walnuts and cashews
pinch of salt
Ganache icing
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp non-dairy milk
2/3 cup pieces of vegan chocolate
Preheat oven to 180C and lightly oil a cake tin (approx 8 inch).
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, agave, oil, milk and vanilla and put aside.
Place all the nuts in a blender and blend until they are powdery. Stir these into the mixture, along with the flours, cocoa and salt until just mixed.
Spread the batter into the cake tin (the mixture will be quite thick).
Bake for 20 minutes - no more or it will dry out. This slice is better slightly undercooked.
To make the icing, heat the oil and milk in a saucepan on the stove until almost bubbling, then add the chocolate pieces and stir around until it's all melted and thick.
Spread the ganache icing over the slice when slice has cooled.
