DAY THIRTY ONE: Halloweeeeeen

It's Halloween!  Also the last day of Vegan Mofo….alas I don’t have any oaty goodnesss to share…my Halloween inspired treats were simply not of the oaty variety today.  I do think I’ve done pretty well this month with so many oaty concoctions! It's been a fun challenge.

So, back to Halloween, how have you been celebrating?....fancy food, fancy dress, trick-or-treating, bonfires (ok that last one is not till next week!)

This year I haven't been to any parties, and I don't generally get many visits from 'trick-or-treaters' but I have made food...of the pumpkin inspired variety!

We had a Halloween lunch at work, well it was more of a team lunch that happened to fall on Halloween so I decided to get into the holiday spirit a little. Pumpkin risotto and another spin off of these Halloween Graveyard cakes...this time a pumpkin muffin with a gingerbread cookie! Lots of fun to makes two cakes in one.

I will admit the gingerbread ended up being a little puffier than I would have liked- note to self: use less baking powder! The risotto had a great flavour but I think the texture needed a little more work before I can share it with you.

I also made a soy-free cheezy stuffed crust pizza... this is a new super-food chia crust with a cheesy (soy-free) stuffed crust edge...but i'm a tease and you'll have to wait a little longer for the stuffed recipe as I feel it still it needs a few more tweaks and trials before its ready to share! I’ll be sharing the regular chia crust with you very soon.

All in all it went down well, me being a perfectionist felt it could have been that little bit better (although I was in a mega rush last night to get it all cooked!), but I know I will always be my own worst critic!! I had lots of positive pizza comments with a lot of love for the substantial and filling chia crust.

In other news, this was another little experiment a week or so ago at around the same time as the Graveyard Cakes... I think he looks so cute!

(Hint: you can make these monsters using these smoosh bars to form a head, arms and legs, then fix to an orange with toothpicks and add some sunflower seeds for the face!)

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.
For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY TWENTY FOUR: Dark chocolate oatmeal thins

You got a sneak preview of these in yesterday's Halloween post!  

The original intention wasn't as halloween crosses (surprise surprise!) but as my own copy-cat version of Nairns Dark Chocolate Oat Biscuits.



I came across a packet of these biscuits for the first time a few weeks ago and they tasted so good...a cross between a biscuit and a crackers, thin and crisp like a biscuit but much more substantially filling and also a semi-sweetness which I really loved, perfect for when you want a slightly indulgent but not sugar-coma inducing snack. 

It took me a couple of attempts before I succeeded with the flavour, these are subtly sweet and spiced biscuits so I wanted to get the right balance. I used a little rapadura along with cacoa nibs for an intense and slightly bitter chocolate hit and just a tad of cocoa powder. I also included a little salt, cinnamon and a pinch of chilli to give some subtle undertones. You could use dark chocolate chips for a slightly sweeter taste but I can't vouch for how they will alter the overall flavour. I would also advise using a granulated sweetener such as rapadura or coconut sugar, others such as fruit sugars may work but won’t have the slight caramelly depth of flavour.

The biscuit base is so easy to make up in a food processor and I really encourage you to taste test as you go so that you can add a little extra sugar, salt or spice as you need it to make sure the flavours work for you, it is down to personal taste after all. I still think these could do with a little extra work to get a really crisp bite...but the recipe as it stands still tasted good to me so I thought I would share it with you.  Feel free to let me know any changes you made to the recipe!

Similar to this recipe are these bitter chocolate thins posted way back at the beginning of this blog! 

Recipe: Dark choc oatmeal thins

Makes approx. 10 round biscuits (or Halloween crosses)

Ingredients

1 cup oats- coarsely ground

3 tbs buckwheat flour (or other mild GF flour)

1 tbs ground chia/flax

3 tbs rapadura

¼ heaped tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch chilli powder

2tsp cocoa powder

¼ heaped tsp baking powder

2 tbs softened coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

Up to ¼ cup soy milk to mix

3 tbs cacoa nibs

Method

Process the oats (or just use coarse oatmeal) and add all ingredients other than the soy milk. Process/pulse to combine and achieve a crumbly mixture. Add the soy milk a little at a time to reach a slightly sticky dough that holds together well.

Roll thinly (approx. 3mm thick) on a silicone or parchment lined and floured baking sheet and use a cookie cutter to make circles.  Or slice and overlay to form crosses before baking to use for the ‘Halloween graveyard’.

Bake at 180C for approx. 10-12 mins until just beginning to turn golden at the outside edges.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

DAY TWENTY THREE: Halloween graveyard

I got creative in the kitchen this weekend with a few Halloween treats before I run out if time before the day itself!  I had a lot of fun 'Pinteresting' for ideas...I came across lots of ghosts made from bananas, pumpkins, amazingly decorated cakes, teeth made from apples...but as far as I could tell not many gravestones!!

So this is my spin on things... a cupcake-cookie complete with gruesome 'blood' for special effect!!  Since my Vegan Mofo theme is oats, both my cupcake and cookie cross are oat based recipes, but the same principle could be followed with your own favourite cookie and cupcake recipes.  I will be making these again for halloween itself and i'm tempted to opt for a gingerbread cross and a vanilla cranberry sponge cupcake....Mmmmm.

 

I have recently bought a new flashlight for my night photography set up, and thought i'd have a play with it. I have a long way to go before I get good night shots that actually look natural but luckily in this instance a contrasty look made for a much better effect!

I have provided the ‘mini muffin’ base below (it’s a variation of this recipe). The cookies will be with you tomorrow in a separate post since the original plan for these wasn't as a gravestone cross!

To assemble the gravestones, turn the mini muffins upside down and poke a slot in the ‘top’ they should be soft and cut easily. Melt a little jam so its nice and runny and drizzle on the top before gently inserting the bottom of the cross into the muffin…tilt at an angle for extra scary effect!! Mwaa haa haaaa....

Recipe: Halloween graveyard

Makes 6

Ingredients- mini muffin cups

1 cup regular oats

¼ cup buckwheat (or other GF flour of choice)

1 tsp baking powder

2 tbs ground chia or flax

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 apple grated

2 tbs ground chia or flax

1 tsp cinnamon

2-3 tbs agave or maple syrup

Approx. 1/3  cup preferred milk alternative

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

Sugar free raspberry jam to decorate

Method

Mix the dry ingredients and then add the wet, mixing everything together well. Add the dried fruit in the final strokes.

Pack the mixture firmly into silicone mini muffins trays (silicone for easy removal and microwave compatibility). Microwave on full power for approx. 90 seconds until the top feels firm or bake for approx. 10 mins at 180C.

Come back tomorrow for the crosses recipe- or use your own  favourite ‘cookie cutter’ recipe!

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.