Chocolate spice cake

This cake is really moist and delicious. And you can change the ingredients to make it taste whatever you want. If you drop the spices, you have a regular chocolate cake, and if you drop the cocoa, it's a spice cake. And you can drop both cocoa and spices and add more vanilla or berries or other ingredients you like. It's up to you. :)

RECIPE
3 dl flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1,5 dl sugar
3 dl soy milk
2 tbsp melted vegan butter

Glaze:
2 dl powdered sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
3 tbsp strong coffee (you may have to add some more)
3 tbsp vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla sugar

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add milk and melted butter. Mix it well together and pour it in a round cake pan (about 22-24 cm). Bake for 30 minutes on 350 F. Let it cool in the pan before you put the glaze on it.

Glaze: melt the butter. Add cocoa and stir weill until smooth. Add coffee and vanilla sugar and stir. Then add the powdered sugar and stir until there are no lumps. Pour it over the cake and decorate with coconut shreds or chopped nuts if you want.

Homemade Lion bars

I love chocolate, who doesn't? But there aren't that many vegan chocolates to choose from, at least not here in Norway. So I have a project going in my kitchen; I want to try and veganise as many of the popular chocolates as I can. I have tried to make Fruit & Nut, and Bounty, and they were both delicious. Today I tried making Lion, and it was a complete success!

RECIPE
3 dl peanut butter
2,5 dl syrup
0,5 dl sugar
3 dl shredded coconut
1 tbsp vanilla sugar
5 dl Rice Krispies

200 grams of vegan dark chocolate of your choice

In a saucepan, melt the sugar, peanut butter and the syrup on medium heat. Take the saucepan off the heat and stir inn the remaining ingredients. Let it cool for a while, but not too long since it hardens when it's cold.
Put plastic wrap into a small bake pan, the bottom and sides has to be covered with plastic. Pour the batter into the pan with a spoon, and flatten it with your hands. Don't make them too thin, see the pictures.

Place the pan in the fridge for an hour. Take out the batter from the baking pan by lifting the plastic wrap. Cut it into bars (or other shapes if you want, you're the boss here) and dip the bottom side of the bars in the chocolate. You can of course cover the whole bar with chocolate, but then it will be more messy to eat it.
Place the chocolates on a tray and let it harden in the fridge og freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Keep these refrigerated.

Spicy veggie-focaccia

This has to be the BEST bread I have ever tasted! I love the No knead breads, and last week I wanted to make a focaccia-version of it, with lots of garlic and chili. And it came out just perfect! I'm in love!

Note: the dough needs time to rise, about 12-15 hours or more, so start making this the day before you're going to serve it. 

RECIPE

Dough:
500 grams flour
1/2 tsp dry yeast
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil
4 dl cold water
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp mix of oregano, thyme, basil, or just one of those or other herbs

Topping:
Just use whatever you feel like. I usually use:
-3-4 sundried tomatoes in slices
-Black olives (forgot to use it last time, but it's really good on this focaccia)
-3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped, not shredded)
-1 onion, yellow or red or both, in slices or pieces
-1-2 sides of grilled paprika, in slices
-Couple of pickled chilipeppers in pieces (my kids don't like that, think it's too hot)

And the most important thing (believe me, you can NOT drop this!!): lots and lots of salt flakes! (I use Maldon Salt). 

The dough:
Put everything exept the oil and water into a large bowl. Mix it all together. Add the water and the oil and mix into a dough, don't stir to much. Cover the bowl with plastic (I just put the whole bowl into a plastic bag) and let it rise overnight, or at least for 12 hours. The bread gets better the longer you let the dough rise. I let it rise for 24 hours if I have the time. 

The next day, grease a small baking pan with olive oil and place it in the oven (middle). Turn the oven to 425 F. When it has reached the temperature, take out the pan and place the dough in it. Use two spoons and press the dough into the pan. Drizzle olive oil on the bread, and spread the veggies on top. Sprinkle with herbs and LOTS of salt flakes.

Cover the bread with tinfoil and place it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Then take off the tinfoil and let the bread bake for 20 more minutes. Take it out and let it cool, before you cut it into squares. Serve it with soup or salat, or as a meal itself. Enjoy!

Ready for the oven

Right from the oven

Yummy bread

Easy and delicious tomato soup

Why make tomato soup from a can when it's so much better with the homemade version? :)

RECIPE

1 large chopped onion
2 cans of chopped, peeled tomatoes
3-4 large tbsp tomato paste
2 large shredded carrots 
1 cube or 2 tbsp vegetable broth (powder)
1 dl vegan cream or soy milk 
Salt, pepper

Make macaroni if you want it in the soup (I use whole wheat macaroni).
Fry the onion in oil, don't burn it. Pour over the cans of tomatoes. Fill up one of the empty cans with water and add it to the saucepan. Add tomato paste, carrots, broth, salt and pepper and let it simmer for 20 minutes. You can also add a drop or two of Liquid Smoke if you want.
Blend the soup smooth and add the cream/milk and salt & pepper. Add other spices if you want.

Serve hot with macaroni and some good bread, for instance spicy focaccia.

Raw raspberry cake

I think you'll enjoy this! Not too sweet, only soft and delicious. And healthy!

RECIPE

Crust:
2 dl mixed nuts (I use cashews and hazelnuts, but use whatever you want)
2 tbsp agavesyrup
0,5 dl coconut oil
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Put the nuts in the food processor and blend them until they have the concistency you want. Add the remaining crust-ingredients and blend well. 
Place a wax paper on the bottom of a round small cake pan and press the crust down into the cake pan, cover the whole bottom. Place the cake pan in the fridge while making the filling. 

Filling:
3,5 dl cashew nuts (soaked for 2 hours)
2 tbsp water
1,2 dl coconut oil
0,5 dl fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp pure vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 dl agavesyrup
2 dl fresh or frozen (thawed) raspberries

Put the nuts and 2 tbsp of water in the food processor and blend until they are very smooth. It could take a while, but if you want a more "rough" filling, you don't need to blend it that long. I like the filling really smooth, but let your taste decide. Add the remaining ingredients and blend a little longer.
Pour the filling onto the crust and let it sit in the refrigetaror for at least 2-3 hours before serving. You can decorate the cake wuth fresh raspberries or cocoa nibs or something else.

Blueberry oat bars

These are really tasty and easy to make. I got the recipe from Joel Luks, one of the best vegan chefs out there! And now there are lots of blueberries in the forest, so go out there and fill up fridge and freezer. :)

RECIPE
2 cups blueberries
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp agave/yacon
1 tsp cornstarch

1 cup each quick oats and whole wheat flour (you can use regular white flour also)
1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cups brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup vegan butter

First, set the oven to 350 F.
Mix the corn starch with a little cold water until it's resolved. Put the blueberries, syrup and lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil and add the corn starch-water. Let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes, and stir occasionally. Take the saucepan off the stove and let it cool.

Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and stir.

 

Melt the butter and add it to the dry mixture. Knead into a crumble dough. Spread HALF of the dough onto the bottom of a small rectangular pan. 

 

Put it in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Take it out and spread the blueberries onto the dough. 

Sprinkle over the rest of thedough on top of the blueberries and put it in the oven for 20 more minutes.

 Let it cool completly and then cut it into pieces. Serve as it is, or with vegan ice cream or vegan whipped cream on the side.

School buns

Here in Norway we have a wonderful bun called "skoleboller" (school buns). It's a sweet bun with vanilla custard in the middle, glazed with powdered sugar and water, and sprinkled with shredded coconut. Loooove!

It's sold in every store and every bakery, but there's eggs in the custard, and eggs and milk in the bun. So then we make this delicious treat ourselves, don't we? :)

RECIPE

200 grams vegan butter
7 dl vegan milk, I usually use soy milk
2 packets dry yeast (the same as 100 grams fresh yeast)
2 dl sugar 

2 tsp cardamom

1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp baking powder

About 1 kg flour + extra for kneading the dough

Shredded coconut

Vanilla custard

Powdered sugar + water

Melt the butter, add milk and let the mixture be about 37- 40 degrees. Add the yeast and stir well. Add sugar, baking powder and cardamom, and work in the flour until its a smooth dough. I use a Kenwood, the dough comes out perfect every time.

Cover the bowl with plastic and let it rise for about one hour. 

Knead the dough again. Take a handful of dough and form a bun. Place the bun on a baking sheet covered with wax paper and repeat until you have no more dough left. Cover the buns with plastic or a cloth and let them rise again for 30 minutes. 

Press a little down in the middle of each bun so you can place a  tbsp or two of vanilla custard in there.

Bake the buns on 425 F for 12-15 minutes. Let them cool completely, then glaze them with powdered sugar mixed with a little water (don't use too much water, it should not be too runny) and sprinkle them with shredded coconut. 

Vanilla custard

Who doesn't love vanilla custard? Creamy and delicious! I like it as a filling in buns, or you can eat it as a pudding, or even better - poured over a big bowl of fresh berries. Yummy!

RECIPE
4 tbsp corn starch
3 tbsp sugar
3 cups soy milk or other vegan milk
1 tbsp vanilla sugar, or 1 tsp vanilla extract/pure vanilla powder

Combine the sugar and corn starch in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the milk while stirring well, until well mixed.
Heat the mixture over medium heat, while stirring all the time to ensure lumps do not form.
Bring it to a boil while stirring.
Remove from heat, and stir in the vanilla. The custard will thicken as it cools. Let it cool until room temperature and use it in buns, or you can put it in the fridge and let it cool completely to make it even thicker.

Creamy mushroom casserole

In Norway we call this traditional dish "Skogsgryte" or "viltgryte", and it contains elk or deer. Well, my dish is 100 % cruelty free, but taste just as good! It's actually so good, we have it for Christmas every year. Enjoy!

RECIPE
A huge amount of fresh mushrooms. I honestly don't know how much, but a whole lot!
1 large onion
Soy milk, maybe about 5 dl or more (use the one with no sugar)
Instant corn starch - powder
3-4 large tbsp of Tofutti original cream cheese
1 cube or 1-2 tbsp of vegan broth (I use vegan beef broth from iHerb)
Spices (paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder)
Some black food coloring if you want the dish a little darker, I use a drop or two

Fixings:
Mashed potatoes (cut potatoes in little pieces, boil them until moist, drain the water and mash them with some vegan butter, salt and pepper, and maybe a little parsley)
Brussel sprouts
Pickled beets
Cranberry jam

Cut the mushrooms in slices and fry them in oil until they are a little crispy in the edges. Add the onion and fry a little longer. Add spices, soy milk (start with 3 dl) and the broth. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, then add the corn starch and let it thicken. Add more soy milk if it gets too thick or if you want more sauce. I love this sauce SO much, so I use a lot of soy milk and use more corn starch to thicken it. Let it simmer for 5-10 minutes and taste if it needs more spices.

Serve with the fixings of your desire. We usually have regular cooked potatoes on Christmas eve, but I like it better with mashed potatoes.

Raw chocolate cake in 10 minutes

Nice chocolate in ten minutes - healthy even! Not bad. :)

RECIPE
3 cups walnuts
20 large sticky dates, remove the stones
2/3 cup raw cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Put the walnuts in the food processor and blend it for 10-15 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and blend for about 1 minute, full speed.
Pour the "batter" on a cake platter and use your hands to shape it like a cake. Really press it together. Sprinkle some coconut flakes over the cake if you want. You can eat it right away, but I think it's better if it's in the fridge for about 30 minutes first.