Coconut chocolate brownies (aka Cranks brownies)

 

With this recipe I wanted to make the ultimate healthy brownie (if such a thing exists!). No refined sugar or white flour, gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free. It’s only my second batch and they’re tasting pretty good. Of course do not expect a fat and sugar laden but god damn delicious Nigella Lawson brownie. These are a little more modest in flavor in comparison but way healthier and more environment and animal friendly :)

I told my sweet-toothed friend about these and it instantly reminded him of the time his dad baked stuff from the Cranks recipe book. Apparently the stuff he made always turned out slightly tasteless, dry and floury. He assures me these brownies are not like that at all and ‘surprisingly moist’. I definitely think they’re sweet enough. Anyway, as a result of the whole Cranks story we renamed these as Cranks brownies. Please don’t be put off. (FYI Cranks was a chain of English wholefood vegetarian restaurants).

This recipe uses date paste, banana and molasses to add sweetness. Date paste is great. Unlike sugar, which has zero nutritional value, dates are rich in dietary fibre and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, and C. They also contain magnesium, potassium and iron. You can use it to replace the sweetener (e.g. sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave) in many recipes. Molasses is a good source of calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. One tablespoon provides up to 20% of the daily value of each of those nutrients.

One of the reasons for using less sugar is because, as I am sure you’ve heard, it’s bloody bad for you. There’s mounting evidence to suggest that high intake of sugar rich foods may lead to increased deposition of visceral fat and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Yikes! Here’s a link to a nice and easy to digest leaflet about sugar and your health:

http://uhs.berkeley.edu/facstaff/pdf/healthmatters/NutritionActionSugarBellyApril%202012.pdf

So, having read the info in the link above, still want Nigella’s brownies (I bet you do) or will you give these a try?

Coconut chocolate brownies (aka Cranks brownies), makes 12

Dry ingredients:

¾ cup brown rice flour

¾ cup cocoa powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

½ cup desiccated coconut

Wet ingredients:

½ cup soy milk

¼ cup sunflower oil (you can use melted coconut oil)

1 tsp instant coffee granules (optional)

¾ cup hot water

1 cup dried dates

1 tsp chocolate extract (optional)

1 tsp almond extract

1 ripe banana

1 tbsp pure cane molasses

First make the date paste. Put the dates in a bowl with the optional coffee granules, cover with the hot water and allow to soak and soften for at least 10 minutes (the longer the better). The coffee granules will help to boost the chocolate flavour of the brownies. Transfer the soaked dates and the water into a food processor, add the banana and mix on high speed until smooth and caramel-like. Return to the bowl and add the milk, oil, molasses and chocolate and almond extracts.

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and pour into a rectangular (or square) baking pan measuring approximately 26 x 20 cm, lined with parchment baking paper. Bake in a pre-heated oven (175°C) for 15-20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely. Cut into 12 squares and store in an air-tight container.

 

 

Note: I used to use agave nectar in place of honey (many vegans do). It turns out agave nectar is worse than high fructose corn syrup!! Here’s a nice piece explaining why agave nectar and other sweeteners are not good for you. 

http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/

Courgette pasta with spicy kale and coriander pesto

We've always eaten healthy food but since going vegan I've become increasingly more aware of the quality of the food we eat. This means eating raw where possible, microwaving less, and definitely avoiding refined foods and foods high in sugar. One recipe that has always intrigued me is raw courgette pasta. Feeling very doubtful, I decided to buy a julienne veg peeler to make the pasta with and give it a go. Here's the one I got:

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/16956/Chefn-3-in-1-Vegetable-Peeler

I wanted to buy a cheaper one (for 3 quid) but they didn't have it in stock. I am glad though because this one is absolutely brilliant! Anyway, I have tried this recipe several times now and this one I think is rather special :)

Note: Some people absolutely despise coriander. Apparently this is genetic. If you're one of these people just omit the coriander. I absolutely love the stuff!

http://www.nature.com/news/soapy-taste-of-coriander-linked-to-genetic-variants-1.11398

Courgette pasta with spicy kale and coriander pesto, serves 1-4

1 medium-large size courgette per person

A few roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes (from a jar or make your own, recipe here: http://possumology.blogspot.co.uk/2012_09_01_archive.html)

For the pesto:

125g (about 4 cups) of fresh curly kale, washed

small bunch of fresh coriander, washed

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

2 tbsp ground almonds

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

2/3 tsp smoked sea salt

1 tsp chilli flakes

juice of half a lime

Sprinkling of almond parmesan (recipe borrowed from http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-sprinkling-we-go-almond-parmesan.html). I’ve adapted it to make a smaller batch just enough for up to 4 people:

Generous tbsp of ground almonds

2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes

Pinch of salt

Pinch of garlic granules

Blitz all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and set aside. Mix the parmesan ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Wash the courgette (no need to peel) and cut into long, thin spaghetti strands using a julienne veg peeler. Pile up on a plate, add a generous dollop of the pesto, sprinkle on parmesan and drizzle with a few drops of olive oil. Garnish with the sun-dried tomatoes.

If you have any pesto left over, store it in a small jam jar in the fridge for up to a week. You can use it in your sandwiches. 

Note: Kale is packed full of lutein, a naturally occurring carotenoid found mainly in green, leafy vegetables like kale, spinach and broccoli, and orange vegetables and plants like corn, nasturtium and marigolds. (Last year my allotment friend let me have a whole load of his nasturtium flowers and I used them in salads. They taste just like rocket (peppery and pungent) and really liven up salads with their bright orange/red colour).

Why am I telling you about lutein? I am currently coming to the end of my PhD looking at the effect of lutein (which forms the macular pigment within the retina) on retinal ageing. Within the retina the macular pigment acts in two ways: as an antioxidant and a blue-light filter. Increased level of the macular pigment has been found to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and in some cases improve vision in patients with AMD. So there you go, for healthy eyes eat your greens :)

Curry roasted broccoli and chickpea pie

The closer we get to the weekend, the more inventive I become with my cooking. This is for two reasons: food supplies become depleted and whatever is left needs using up. We always seem to end up with a lonely and rather sad looking broccoli at the end of the week. For this recipe, I felt the humble chickpeas would make wonderful companions for the broccoli and all together they can be spiced up with curry, lime, garlic and chilli. This pie is very simple but packed full of flavour.

Curry roasted broccoli and chickpea pie, serves 2-3

1 400g can of chickpeas, drained

1 large broccoli, washed and separated into small florets

2 tbsp medium curry powder

good pinch of salt, pepper and chilli flakes

1 lime, halved

1 onion, peeled and cut into half rounds, separated into individual pieces

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

Good glug of olive oil

½ soy milk

¼ cup pine nuts

Pie crust:

1 ¼ cups of strong whole wheat flour

pinch of salt

⅓ sunflower spread

⅓ cup cold water

Preheat an oven to 170°C. Put the broccoli, onion pieces and whole cloves of garlic into a roasting tin. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp of curry powder, pinch of salt and pepper, juice of half of the lime and a good glug of olive oil. Mix well and put in the oven to roast for 10-15 minutes. Turn occasionally to make sure the onion and broccoli brown evenly. In the meantime make the pie crust. 

Put the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and add the sunflower spread. Mix together using your fingers until breadcrumb like.  Add the water and knead into smooth dough. Roll out on a floured surface until slightly larger than the baking pan, turning a few times during the process. Gently transfer to a greased 20cm non-stick baking pan. Set aside and return to the pie filling.

Remove the broccoli from the oven and add the chickpeas, juice of the other half of lime, a pinch of chilli flakes, 1 tbsp of curry powder and another glug of olive oil. Mix well and return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes. Remove and add the soy milk and pine nuts, and stir well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie case and put in the oven on 190°C for 35 minutes. Cover the top with aluminum foil to prevent browning. 5 minutes before the end remove the foil to allow the top to brown a little. Serve with a simple salad.

Quince crumble

A few months ago I went to a wine tasting evening at my local vegetarian cafe. The wine was absolutely superb and I enjoyed myself very much. However, what really stayed with me was the quince liqueur. I am in love with it, but at 15 quid for a small bottle it isn't cheap so I decided to make my own (recipe on its way).

 

 Quince are notoriously hard to get hold of due to their short growing season and few suppliers. They are similar in appearance to pears and apples, however they are usually not consumed raw due to their hard texture and astringent flavour. Quince are more suitable for jam and jelly making, as well as wine, liqueur and cider making. They develop a lovely deep orange/red colour when roasted and are delicious in crumbles.  






Quince crumble, serves 4-6 
 
3 quince, peeled, cored and cut into quarters
190g granulated sugar
5 bay leaves 
Water

For the crumble topping:

300g plain flour
200g vegan sunflower margarine
140g brown sugar
70g oats


Preheat the oven to 160°C. Put the quince wedges in an ovenproof dish measuring approximately 9½" x 7½" x 3" deep. Add the sugar, bay leaves and enough cold water to just cover the quince wedges (about 3 cups). Bake the quince for 2½ hours or until they turn a lovely deep orange colour. Toss the quince occasionally to ensure an even colour. Remove from the oven, discard the bay leaves and drain excess liquid, leaving a little behind. Turn up the oven to 190°C.

  
 

To make the topping, rub the butter and flour together until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs (do not overwork). Mix in the oats and sugar. Sprinkle the crumble on the quince and bake for 20 minutes until the top is browned and the mixture is cooked. Serve warm on its own or with a scoop of vanilla soy ice cream.

 

Sweet potato, coconut and dried lime soup

I have only recently become acquainted with dried limes. They are traditionally used to flavour Middle Eastern dishes and resemble slightly charred and extremely tough ping-pong balls. However, do not be put off by their sinister demeanor as these beauties can effortlessly transform any dish. 

You can either grind them into fine powder in your coffee grinder or food processor, or you can use them whole in stews, soups and curries where they become soft and edible. If you choose to grind them, first cut them in half and remove any seeds. The powder can be used to flavour the cooking liquid for basmati rice (about 1/2 teaspoon per 1 cup of rice).

Anyhow, I thought the sweetness of the sweet potato and creaminess of the coconut would go lovely with the sour, citrusy, slightly fermented flavour of the dried limes. If you cannot find dried limes anywhere just use the juice of 1 lime. Here's the recipe for this lovely, heart-warming soup.

  

Sweet potato, coconut and dried lime soup, serves 3-4

Dash of olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut into pieces

1 small red chilli (or a good pinch of dried chilli flakes)

1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 whole dried lime, stabbed several times with a sharp knife (or juice of 1 lime)

2 whole bay leaves, dried or fresh

4 tsp vegetable stock powder (I use marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder) dissolved in 1 litre of hot water from a kettle

100g creamed coconut, chopped into pieces

salt

pepper

fresh coriander to garnish, washed and chopped

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and gently cook the onion, garlic and chilli (if using dried chilli add this to the 1 litre of stock water).  Add the sweet potato and cook for 2 minutes whilst stirring occasionally. Add the stock along with the dried lime and bay leaves and give the soup a good stir.  Boil gently until the potato is soft. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper along with the coconut and allow it to melt in the soup. Take off the heat and blitz the soup with a stick blender or in a food processor. Serve immediately with a handful of fresh, chopped coriander. Once completely cold, the soup can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 2 months.