Cacao & Peanut Butter Cookies

This recipe originally was made with Cocoa powder and dark chocolate bits - I made a few changes and used cacao powder and nibs as I prefer Cacao over cocoa. I personally do not find any difference between the taste of the two but that's probably because I am used to it.

They did turn out to be pretty tasty - although I was not happy with the amount of sugar that went into it. Though in my 2nd try I replaced regular sugar with coconut sugar and the cookies tasted just as good.
The best part about these cookies is that you can make them completely gluten free (current version) or vegan (use nut milk) or nut free (use seed butter) depending on your personal preference.

Makes about 12 large cookies

Ingredients:

WET INGREDIENTS:

• 1 tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil (do not melt)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (Can replace with almond or sunflower seed butter)
• 1/3 cup sucanat
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar (can use normal sugar)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean or vanilla extract

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (optional)
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder (can use cocoa as well)
• 1.5 cups rolled oats, processed into flour (or 1.5 cups oat flour)
• 3-4 teaspoons milk -only if needed to moisten batter 
• handful of cacao nibs (can use chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flax and water and set aside for a few minutes so it can thicken up. Whisk the flax egg again once thickened.
3. Add the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl with the flax egg (coconut oil, peanut butter, sucanat, cane sugar, and vanilla). With a hand-held electric mixer, beat the ingredients until combined and smooth.
4. Now, beat in the dry ingredients, one by one, as you go down the ingredient list (baking soda, baking powder, salt, cacao powder, oat flour). If your dough is a bit dry, add a few tea-spoons of milk and beat the mixture again. The dough should be moist enough to form balls without cracking, but not super sticky.
5. Beat the cacao nibs into the batter or simply stir by hand.
6. Shape balls of dough (about the size of a golf ball or 2 heaping tablespoons) and place on the baking sheet 2-3 inches apart. Gently press down on each ball with your hand to form a disc (it should be 1/2-inch thick or so).
7. Bake for about 12-13 minutes (I baked for 13 mins) until the cookies are spread out nicely.
8. Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 7 minutes or so and then transfer to a cooling rack for another 10-15 minutes.

Raw Raspeberry & Cashew Cheesecake

Let me preface this by saying, that this is the easiest and quickest recipe that I have ever tried. Once you have all the ingredients (which is a pretty short list in itself), the actual making is really a 'piece of cake' (sorry, couldn't resist). Ok - it's not exactly a traditional cake but more of an ice-cream cake but that's what I loved most about it. And best of all its completely raw. 
Though it is made up of all healthy and nutritious ingredients, some of you might not like the amount of cashews because of their high fat content (as a friend pointed out yesterday) that goes into it - all I can say to that is that unless you are going to eat the whole cake by yourself - you should be good.

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1/2 cup raw walnuts (can use pecans or almonds)
1/2 cup medjool dates - pitted
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1½ cups raw cashews, soaked for at least 5 hours, overnight is best
Juice of 1½ lemons (can go up to 2 lemons depending on how sour you want it to be)
1/3 cup raw honey (or agave syrup)
1/3 cup coconut oil - melted
1 tsp vanilla extract (or seeds of 1 vanilla bean)
1 cup raspberries

NOTES:
- I used a 7"springform cake pan, but the original recipe creator had suggested layering any cake pan with round edges with a seran wrap. I did not want risk it but on an afterthought I guess, it could have worked decently well. In any case use a small 7" or 8" inch pan as this is a small sized cake.

PROCESS

1. Put the nuts (walnuts or whichever one you are using) and dates along with the salt in a food processor and pulse until they are chopped into small pieces. For a finer crust - you might have to process them longer than for a chunky one. To test if your mixture is of the right consistency, take a spoonful and roll it in your hand - if it binds well together then it means its done. 
2. Scoop out the crust mixture and spread it in the cake pan. Press firmly with your hands making sure that the edges are well packed and that it forms an even base.
3. Warm the coconut oil and honey - I prefer not heat honey on a direct flame - so you could melt the honey by placing the jar in a pan of boiling water and melt the oil separately and then mix the two.
4. Place all the filling ingredients i.e soaked cashews, lemon juice, honey+coconut oil and vanilla extract in a food processor. Use the most powerful machine that you have - I used my Cuisineart food processor and it did a great job. At this point I would suggest testing out the sourness of the mixture - you can start with juice of 1 lemon and then add as you go till its sour to your preference.
5. Pour the 2/3 of this mixture in the cake pan (no need measure this exactly - a rough gesstimate will do) - spread it evenly with a spatula.
6. Now add the raspberries to the remaining cashew mix in the processor and blend them till they are smooth. Pour this in the cake pan as your third and final layer and smooth it out.
7. Place it in the freezer until solid. It took me about 2-3 hours. To serve get it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 
8. Run a sharp knife under hot water to easily cut the slices - although I did not feel the need for this step.

 Recipe Source: My New Roots

Tofu Manchurian

This is the easiest and the tastiest way to make tofu. I was never a big fan of tofu until I tried it this way. I learnt this recipe from a friend's husband and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. I have made it for lot of people, most of whom were not fond of Tofu and it was always a hit. So if you are a tofu novice then this is the recipe to start with. The best part about this is that you can keep the sauce thick to serve it as an appetizer or make it more like gravy to serve with rice or any other grain. And did I mention it takes no more than 20 minutes to whip this up:

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 4-5 bunches Scallions (Green onions) - only the green part
• 8 0z Tofu (Firm) (Brand I use)
• 1 tbsp ginger - minced
• 1tbsp garlic - minced
• Salt 
• Pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Sauce

• 4 tbsp Soy sauce/Tamari (Brand I use)
• 1 tbsp Chilli sauce 
• 1 tbsp Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp Sesame Seeds

PROCESS:

1. Chop the green part of onions and sauté them lightly for a couple of minutes - make sure you do not overcook them especially if you are making this as an appetizer. 
2. Chop the tofu into 1 inch pieces and keep aside.
3. Add the minced ginger and garlic 
4. Mix in all the ingredients of the sauce - and add it to the green onions.
5. Add salt and pepper  to taste - while adding salt remember that the dish already has soy sauce so you might need very little additional salt.
6. Add tofu pieces
7. Serve as it is or on a bed of brown rice or quinoa or any other grain of your choice.

Blueberry Lemon Cake

Let me begin by saying that this actually is an almond-blueberry-lemon-poppy seed cake. This was one of the first cakes I baked or should I say first cake I baked successfully. The only reason I tried making this cake was because the recipe looked pretty simple to put together and the ingredient list was as healthy as it can be for a dessert. My pics here really do not do justice to how tasty the cake was - spongy, soft and yum.

 INGREDIENTS:
4 cups almond flour
2tbsp poppy seeds
3 eggs
2 cups of blueberries (save half for toppings)
2 lemons
1/2 cup coconut oil or ghee
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Glaze
1 cup greek yogurt
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

NOTES:

• If you do not want to use just almond flour, you can use 2 cups spelt+1.5 cups almond flour. I tried this combination
• I used coconut oil and honey but I am sure ghee and maple syrup would produce the same results
• I forgot to save 1 cup of blueberries for toppings and ended up adding the whole 2 cups in the batter - and it didn't feel they were messing with the taste or anything in fact I liked it that way.
• You could use simple home-made or regular store bought yogurt. The only reason Greek yogurt works a bit better is because its thicker. 

PROCESS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C
2. Mix the almond flour+poppy seeds+salt+baking powder+baking soda in a large bowl and keep it aside.
3. Heat oil and honey in a sauce pan on very low heat until the oil melts and gets mixed with the honey. I didn't want to put my pan on a direct flame, instead I put it on an iron tawa - this is not necessary, I was just being extra cautious.
4. Grate the zest from 2 lemons and add it to the honey+oil mixture. (My experience with lemon zest has never been good - I always find it too bitter so I DID NOT use any zest here). But if you happen to like it then definitely go ahead with the step.
5. Cut the lemons in halves and squeeze the juice of 3 of the halves and add it to the honey/oil mix. Save the 4th half of the lemon for the glaze
6. Add the honey+oil+lemon juice mix to the dry ingredients from Step 2.
7. Beat the eggs in a bowl and fold them into the batter. (I usually beat them for a while till they get a bit frothy)
8. Add 1 cup of blueberries and mix them gently with a wooden spoon
9. Grease a pan with oil and add the batter to it and put it in the pre-heated oven
10. While cake gets baked, prepare the glaze. Hang the yogurt in a cheese cloth for about 15 mins to drain out all the excess water - the idea is to make the yogurt as thick as possible. You might need to do this longer (say 30-40 mins) if you are using regular yogurt.
11. Add the juice from one half of the lemon left and vanilla extract to this thick yogurt. (Make sure you taste the yogurt first to see how sour it is- and add lime juice accordingly. You dont want it to be too sour - it you feel its very sour - just add little bit of honey) Keep it in the fridge to chill for about 20-30 mins.
12. You need to bake the cake for about 40-50 minutes depending on the oven and the size and material of the pan being used. I highly recommend checking the cake at the 30-35 minute mark.The cake needs to be golden brown on top and cooked all the way through. You can cover the cake with foil during the last 15 minutes if you feel the top is getting burned but the rest of the cake needs more cooking. (I did not need to do this, I baked mine for 40 mins and then let it sit in for another 5-7 mins after switching off the oven)
13. Take the pan out and let it cool for at least 30 mins. I was impatient and tried taking it out while it was still warm - it crumbled and ruined the pics:(
14. When the cake has cooled completely, cover it with the honey yogurt glaze and top with the remaining blueberries. Since our cake was not going to be consumed all at once, I did not want it to get all soggy - I served the yogurt glaze and blueberries on each individual piece.

Recipe Source: Green Kitchen Stories

Pear and Apple Crumble

This was my first time making a crumble - I had seen lots of crumble recipes with a variety of fruits floating around the web but somehow they never caught my attention. And man am I kicking myself for not trying this out earlier. A fruit crumble like this one serves as a perfect weekend b'fast and the leftovers can help you satisfy your sweet cravings during the week. The recipe might look a bit elaborate but trust me its hard to mess this one up. I overcooked my oat flakes a bit much but they still tasted pretty good.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pear
• 1 apple
• 2-3 tbsp raisins 
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ginger -minced
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1-2 pinch cinnamon - ground
• 1-2 pinch nutmeg - ground
• 1-2 tbsp lime juice

CRUMBLE

• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup pistachios - ground
• 4-5 fresh dates - pitted and chopped
• 2-3 tbsp coconut oil - melted
• 1-2 pinch cinnamon - ground
• 1-2 pinch nutmeg - ground
• 1 pinch of salt

NOTES:

The recipe I looked at was for a bigger batch - so the measurements here are my best approximation from that.

PROCESS:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. Take a cast iron skillet or any oven proof pan - put all all of the chopped fruits and seasonings (except the crumble ingredients) in the pan - mix well to combine
3. Cook this mixture for about 10 mins - till your fruits are tender
4. Grind pistachios into flour - I used my coffee grinder for this
5. Combine all the crumble ingredients in a bowl - mix it all well 
6. Spread the crumble toppings evenly over the fruit mixture in the cast iron skillet.
7. Bake at 375F for 30-40 mins. Check it at 20 mins and take it out once the crust os golden brown (I baked mine for a bit too long and it turned into a darker brown color)
8. Take it out and let it cool for at least 15 mins - this allows the crumble topping to get nice and crunchy.
9. Enjoy it with a cup of hot tea
10. The leftovers stay good for 5-7 days in the fridge.

RAW CACAO TRUFFLES

Cacao vs Cocoa - is there a difference? Which one is better?

The cacao fruit tree, also known as Theobroma Cacao, produces cacao pods which are cracked open to release cacao beans.  Raw cacao is made by cold-pressing unroasted cocoa beans. The process keeps the living enzymes in the cocoa and removes the fat (cacao butter). Cacao butter is the fattiest part of the fruit and makes up the outer lining of the inside of a single cacao bean. It is white in color and has a rich, buttery texture that resembles white chocolate in taste and appearance. Raw cacao powder contains more than 300 different chemical compounds and nearly four times the antioxidant power of your average dark chocolate - more than 20 times than that of blueberries. Cacao has the highest content of magnesium.

Cocoa looks the same but it’s not. Cocoa powder is raw cacao that’s been roasted at high temperatures. Sadly, roasting changes the molecular structure of the cocoa bean, reducing the enzyme content and lowering the overall nutritional value.

You can use cocoa powder and cacao powder interchangeably in baking, smoothies etc. The best powder is dark brown and will taste bitter. You can make your own hot beverage by mixing the powder with hot water or milk. Some research has found that mixing dairy with cacao inhibits the absorption of the nutrients. So to get the most health benefits from your cup of cacao, try using a milk substitute such as coconut milk or almond milk. Or you can try using cacao powder in tasty treats like this one: 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups raw almonds
• 3/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 6 dates, pitted
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• pinch of sea salt
• 3 Tbsp – 1/4 cup cold, filtered water
• 1 cup shredded, dried organic unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)
• Variations: Add some cayenne to spice it up, cinnamon, or whatever flavor you would like to try (I did not add any)

PREPARATION

1. Grind the almonds in a food processor to desired consistency (fine grind or a little chunkier for a crunch – you’re call), then add the cacao, dates, raisins, coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. (I used the coffee grinder)
2. Once everything is blended well, add the water (starting with smallest amount and build if need be) to make the mixture moist. (I had to use just half of the 1/4th cup)
3. Empty mixture into a bowl and get ready to ROLL! Take a small amount of the mixture, and roll balls a touch smaller than that of a golf ball between your palms. Send LOVE into them! If you want to, dip each ball into a smaller bowl of the coconut flakes and cover thoroughly by rolling and pressing to cover each ball evenly. That’s it!
4. Keep in fridge to help the truffles harden for at least two hours till ready to serve. Of course, I have to sample a few before going into the fridge. This recipe yields around 25-35 truffles depending on size you roll balls into.

Noops Notes:

• The truffles turned about to be very mildly sweet which I like but if you want you can increase the amount of raisins and dates by a little to make them sweeter. 
• I tried to roll the balls in coconut but maybe I used very little oil or maybe my coconut flakes were too big but I had difficulty getting them to stick - nevertheless they tasted super good and are my favorite snack with my Rooibos Tea. 

Pic: My Own

Recipe Source: Onegreenplanet