Gingerbread ice cream

I had a friend over to visit last Sunday and in true Sunday style we had a full on roast dinner complete with this nut roast, I actually used predominatly sunflower seeds this time which worked very well.

For dessert I wanted something quick easy and not too heavy after such a big main course. My hot pear and gingerbread crumble was the perfect fit- particularly since I had some of my buckwheat granola left over to use on top! I made a large batch of saucy topping and had quite a lot remaining afterwards so...what to do?

...Gingerbread ice cream! 

this gingerbread sauce was turned into ice cream!

I’ve not made many frozen desserts in the past, partly because I don’t have an ice cream maker, but every now and again curiosity gets the better of me. This is one such time.  This ice cream also perfectly fits the theme of my sugar free Whole Foods Challenge

If anyone does try this out with an ice cream maker please let me know how you get on and how creamy the ice cream is?  Without an ice cream maker this little concoction has some ice crystals and is more like a sorbet, but in actual fact I think this texture suits the dessert really well as it is a very refreshing after dinner experience and would make the perfect accompaniment to a an apple pie or pear crumble (it could replace the sauce on top of the hot pear curmble).

The strength of the ginger dominates the banana which is what I was looking for, of course the banana undertones are there in the background but I felt this flavour combo struck a great refreshing but mellow balance. I used soy yogurt in my recipe, and have not tried other substitutions, but you may find that full fat coconut milk gives a creamy texture. 

I toped my icecream with a simple dark chocolate drizzle made from melted cacao liquor, melted coconut oil and a little liquid sweetener. It freezes upopn contact with the ice cream for a lovely 'crack' as your spoon dives in. You could also dust with lemon zest, nuts or crystalised ginger if you desired.

Recipe: Gingerbread ice cream

Makes one small tub

Ingredients:

2 bananas (approx 200g peeled weight)
equal weight in vegan yoghurt (or coconut milk)
1/4 tsp pure stevia
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tbs fresh ginger (use more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Blend all ingredients together until very smooth. Pour into a freezer container and freeze stirring twice during the following 2 hours as it freezes.

 

  
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.

Apricot and ginger flapjack...no bake

Ok, so I have a super healthy, super speedy, sweet treat recipe for you....what’s new?

We actually a lot is new!

A few milestones have been passed these last few days....I’ve been keeping things quietly under wraps to a large extent but I think now comes the time to share a little more with you. It’s all still an ongoing work in progress, but that’s life at it’s best don’t you think?

I shared a few changes and achievements so far this year in yesterday's monthly roundup; namely the fact I have just completed my Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition...exciting times! Also the fact that I have teamed up with The Real Food Source (who I have previously written recipe posts for) and we are looking to launch a range of products via their newly revamped website (work still in progress).

But in other news, two other important milestones (they are a big deal to me anyway). My facebook page reached 400 ‘likes’ last week. I know that may sound pitiful to some and pails in comparison with some of the big bloggers out their who’s work I admire and respect so much, but to me that means a lot and I am very thankful...I will keep on pushing forward, onwards and upwards! 

Secondly this post marks my 400^th post on this blog! Wow, I can barely believe i’ve kept things going this far and actually had 400 things to write about...with more and more ideas constantly cropping up in my mind! I remember when I sat down to write my first post, I didn’t have much idea how things would pan out, but I do distinctly remember writing down a list of about 20 recipes before running out of ideas, but thinking to myself ‘well that will keep me going for a few months at least’. 

Anyway, that’s just a little taster of what I’ve been up to....I will update you on everything in greater depth very soon.

If you’re still reading at this point...I applaud you!  Any thoughts or questions let me know as I‘m open to all ideas as this point in my development. After all this blog is as much for you as much as it is for me!

So, on to the recipe itself! Sugar free, fat free, no bake, simple, sweet...what more could you ask for? Instead of using dates- my usual go to natural sweetener. I opted for apricots and a little ginger for a warming kick. Make sure you use organic apricots, these are browner in colour as they are not processed with sulphur dioxide which is used to help the regular dried fruits retain their colour.

Apricot and ginger flapjack

 

Makes approx 8-10 slices

Ingredients

½ cup dried apricots

2 tbs ground flax

¼ cup whole almonds

Pinch of pure stevia (approx 1/6^th tsp)

1 tbs heaped fresh grated ginger (use more or less to taste)

½ cup oats

Method

Place the apricots in a food processor and blitz for a few seconds until you have a sticky paste. Add the flax, stevia, ginger and almonds and pulse to mixture until the almonds are broken up into coarse chunks. Add the oats last and pulse gently to mix through without breaking them up too much.

The mixture should be firm but sticky, add a few extra oats if necessary.

Press the mixture into the bottom of a small lined tin and chill for an hour or so before slicing into squares.

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.

Triple gingerbread pancakes

This post and the last have actually been written up in reverse order to how they were created in the kitchen...simply because I got a little too excitable about the gingerbread sauce!

Triple ginger...?

...ginger pancakes, gingerbread granola, gingerbread sauce...you do like ginger right?  

Erm if not, maybe the pancakes below will be more up you street.

Strawberry cream pancakes

Lemon and poppy seed pancakes

Blueberry banana pancakes

Spiced apple pancakes

For the gingerbread recipe, I used my oatmeal blini recipe to get an oaty kick to start the morning, but you could use spelt or GF flours as per the other recipes linked above or your own tried and tested recipe, just add the ginger and molasses. For the sauce, see this post. My sauce was runnier than I had originally envisaged as I was too impatient to let the ingredients freeze fully and I spent too much time faffing around before taking the photos. For a thicker frosting to sandwich between the pancakes simply freeze for longer either before or after blending.

Gingerbread reminds me of the holidays, cold weather and warm sticky cake fresh from the oven....maybe i'm simply not ready to leave behind the seasonal festivities quite yet.

Recipe: triple gingerbread pancakes

makes 4 (easy to double)

Ingredients:

50g ground oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

70g soy milk

1 tsp ground chia or flax

1 tbs maple syrup

1/2 tsp molasses (optional to taste)

1/2-1 tsp ground ginger

For ginger bread sauce- see this recipe

For gingerbread granola- see this recipe

Method:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl ensuring no lumps.

In a lightly oiled frying pan, spoon pancake mixture into rounds and fry on a medium heat for approx. 2 minutes each side until cooked through and golden.

Serve immediately with gingerbread sauce and granola or other toppings as desired.

Note: you could also use a melon baller and make mini pancakes to skewer as per this recipe.

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.

Hot pear with gingerbread sauce

This was the 'accidental breakfast' I declared on my facebook page last Saturday...most worthy of its declaration, it was amazing, maybe even better than the original breakfast it was a spin off from (although that is pretty good too and will feature tomorrow!)  or maybe it was so good as it was unexpected...those moments are always the best!

So, I actually ended up having two breakfasts on Saturday...but it was around 11:30am when I ate this second one so that's pretty much lunch right?

The gingerbread sauce is the star..so good. yet so simple! Just three ingredients and depending on whether you freeze the yoghurt/banana beforehand determines whether you get a thicker frosting or cream consistency. Once blended you could also re-freeze for a short while if necessary. One sauce...two ways!  Yes the sauce does have a taste of banana, more so if your banana is very ripe (mine was quite green and still perfectly sweet enough) but the strength of the ginger does dominate and create a lovely flavour compliment.

You could use it on pretty much anything dessert like (or breakfast like) in nature. Or warm a brownie or muffins and drizzle the sauce over. I whipped up a simple 5 minute breakfast, hot pear chunks, gingerbread granola and gingerbread sauce. Don't skimp on the molasses if you can help it as this creates a lovely sweet caramelised puddle of juice at the bottom of the dish from the hot pear juice.  This really is more like dessert,  I would eat this as dessert any day of the week and still feel like i'm treating myself... i'm already planning more gingerbread sauce creations to get my fix!

Check out these recipes for inspiration to add the gingerbread sauce to. In particular this sticky jamaican ginger cake...mmmmm with at hot gingerbread custard version.




Recipe: Hot pear with gingerbread sauce

Serves 1
1 pear cut into chunks
1/2 tsp molasses
gingerbread granola as per this recipe (or any granola topping)
gingerbread sauce- see recipe below (for a single serving I used approx 1/3 the amount the recipe below makes)

sauce: serves 1-3
1 small frozen banana (approx 80g)
equal quantity of frozen yoghurt chunks
1/2 tsp ground ginger to taste(for a thicker frosting use frozen ingredients or freeze briefly before serving)

Method:

Chop the pear into fairly small chunks and add alongside a blob of molasses to a small bowl. Cook pear chunks in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Meanwhile blend the sauce ingredients together in a mini blender until well blended. 

Serve the hot pear and molasses mix topped with granola and drizzled with gingerbread sauce.

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.

Gingerbread quinoa bake

Homemade mincemeat is definitely my new favourite thing around here. Once you've made a jar (which literally only takes minutes) you can store it in the fridge and then use it in everything. I did the same last Christmas and these were a couple of the resulting recipes from back then.

Gingerbread parcels

Mincemeat fruit loaf

Cranberries also seem to be a bit of a recurring theme at the moment, maybe it’s because they look like Christmas jewels and I like pretty seasonal photos!

But in actual fact this post is really in celebration of…ginger and quinoa. I almost reached across for the cinnamon when mixing together this batter then my fingers switched track and out came Mr Ginger accompanied by Miss Molasses, another fabulous combo for this time of year. Note I am very cautious with adding too much molasses as I find it easily overpowering to my taste buds, feel free to be more generous if that’s your thing.

The texture of this bake was spot on, really moist but light and cakey. If you are not accustomed to the taste of quinoa flakes you may pick up on a slight bitterness, I think the ginger works really well to compliment the quinoa. But feel free to modify the level of spice and agave to your own taste.

Perfect for breakfast or dessert…or both! The recipe can easily be doubled up for a larger pie dish.

Recipe: Gingerbread quinoa bake

serves 2

Ingredients

½ cup quinoa flakes

1 tbs ground chia/flax

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch stevia (1/6^th tsp)

3 tbs agave/maple syrup

1 tsp molasses

1/3 cup soy yoghurt to mix (or other yoghurt)

3 tbs apple puree (or more yoghurt)

2-3 tbs mincemeat for base (homemade ideally)

Handful of part-cooked fresh cranberries to decorate top

1 tbs crystalised ginger- chopped for top

Brown rice syrup/agave/maple syrup to drizzle (if desired- I omitted)

Method

Part cook the cranberries by cooking in the microwave (1 minute) or hob for a few minutes until the first few cranberries only just begin to pop their skins.

Meanwhile, mix all wet ingredients together in a small bowl before adding to the dry ingredients (other than base and toppings) Mix well to achieve a thick smooth batter consistency.

Line the bottom of a small pie dish (approx. 15cm diameter) with the mincemeat mixture (or mix this through the batter- see note) spoon the quinoa batter over the top and smooth top with a spoon. Gently press the part cooked cranberries into the top of the batter and sprinkle with the finely chopped ginger pieces.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for approx. 15 minutes until golden, check with a toothpick and if the mixture is still uncooked in the centre loosely cover with foil so that the top doesn’t brown and continue to bake for another 5 minutes until cooked through. (I had to cover mine)

Notes:

Instead of using mincemeat as a base, you could mix it through the batter and reduce the yoghurt slightly.  I used a small ceramic fluted pie dish and it was tricky to get the bake out neatly. It would be advisable to use a dish with a removable base and mix the mincemeat through the batter if you wish to remove it. Or do as I did and eat from the dish- I didn't eat it all by myself!

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 TWELVE: Ginger granola bake

I‘m in bake mode!!

I am also in ginger mode….as a spin off from this recipe we now have a ginger granola bake. Of course you don’t have to top it with the ginger granola…but it is sooo good if you do, just saying! Double dose of oats- perfectly fitting for my Vegan MOFO theme.

I have made this bake a couple of times, the first time I put less baking powder and took it out of the oven slightly earlier when it was barely cooked through, this gave it a dense chewy, dessert-like consistency, whereas the recipe below should be more cake-like (does that make sense?)

I’d advise you taste test the batter before spooning into the dish to judge your own personal preference on sweetness- add a little more agave/stevia if preferred.

Mmmmm, now I want to eat more granola…you might have guessed that was my favourite part. Right, now to figure out what other recipes I can granolify!! Ideas welcome….

Recipe: Ginger granola bake

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 banana- mashed

1 tsp molasses (more if you like a strong taste)

3 tbs agave ad 1/6tsp stevia

2 tsp olive oil

¼ cup soy milk

1 cup oats

3 tbs buckwheat flour (or other GF flour)

1 tsp baking powder

1 heaped tsp ground ginger

½ tsp mixed spice

2 tsp ground chia or flax

Topping- unbaked gingerbread granola and a drizzle of molasses once baked. See this recipe

Method

Mix the mashed banana with the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together in a larger bowl then add the wet mixture and mix through.

Spoon the mixture into a small oven dish (min was approx. 15cm diameter) and top generously with the raw granola mix pressing it into the mixture.

Bake for approx. 15 mins until the granola is golden. Drizzle with a little molasses if desired.

Allow to cool a little before slicing and serving.

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 FIVE: Gingerbread granola

There just had to be at least one granola recipe for MOFO ‘Oatober’  (see what I did there…*sigh*). Chances are you be seeing more flavour combos as granola is one of my favourite snacks of all time. If I’m not in an experimentation moos and I just want to eat granola right that minute my go to choc/nut and gingerbread flavours are always winners, so it’s so what surprising that I haven't written his recipe up on here already.

Well I have now!

Like with all granolas, just keep throwing things in, roughly following the method below until the texture is right…you want it pretty sticky if you want to be able to form nice clumpy pieces. Big chunks of granola is how I prefer to eat it as that way you have the choice to crumble it over cereal or grad a handful for a snack on it’s own. Feel free to reduce the wet ingredients (or up the oat content) a little if you want a dryer mix that will give a more even flaky result (note I haven’t tested it this way).

Ginger reminds me of Christmas…ok maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here! But I just love the warming autumn and winter spices that come out at this time of year. It’s the same with cinnamon and cloves. Even though I pretty much dowse my food in cinnamon at all times of year regardless, now it feels as though I have even more excuse to do so!

For other granola recipes and oat-free options (shock horror) have a little browse on my breakfast page for inspiration.

Recipe: Gingerbread granola

One large bowlful

Gingerbread - ingredients

                                                                    

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup mix of nuts (I used almond and hazelnut)

2tbs each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

2tbs ground flax

3 tbs apple puree

1 tsp vanilla extract or powder

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

1 tbs agave

1tsp-1tbs molasses (depending on preferred strength)

1 tbs rapadura/palm sugar

2-3 tbs chopped crystalised ginger- optional

Method

Makes approx. 2 medium bowls (or two baking sheets worth)

Melt coconut butter/oil into other liquid ingredients. Add all dry ingredients and mix through. Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure a thin even layer with some clumpy bits. Bake at 170C for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Allow to cool fully before storage. Stores in a kitchen cupboard for a few weeks.

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.

Ginger pumpkin no-bake bars

A follow up from this post…I felt the ginger version deserved its very own write up..

The warming ginger and carob kick is the perfect flavour for when summer is not quite out, yet autumn is sneaking up on you from behind!

These were a treat made for my sister as a special request to take with her to the music festival she was going to a couple of weeks ago. Easy, healthy, portable snacks were the deal of the day.

Knowing how much she liked the regular gingerbread smoosh bars, I thought I’d indulge my new found love of seedy things and make a nut fee version, whilst also going a little more crazy by adding a carob dusting to the top. The great thing about the added carob is that it should help the bars stick together a little less when packaged together for her trip (alternatively just lay each bar between a layer of parchment). The carob also gives an almost 'velvety' appearance to the top which I really loved.

I am happy to report these bars were given the seal of approval!

Recipe: Ginger pumpkin no-bake bars

Approx. 10 bars

Ingredients

100g dates

80g mix of seeds (I used mainly pumpkin seeds with a few sunflower seeds)

50g raisins

30g ground oats*

30g buckwheat flour

1tbs sliced fresh ginger (optional)

1tbs ground ginger

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp cinnamon

Approx. 1 tsp carob for dusting

Method

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until you have a firm and fairly fine sticky mixture.

I formed bars by pressing the mixture into the bottom of a small loaf tin lined with parchment for easy removal. Sprinkle carob flour evenly across the top and gently rub with fingers to settle the powder.

Allow to chill for an hour before slicing into bars.

Sticky Jamaican ginger cake

A few weeks ago you may remember I put out a call on my Facebook Page for a challenge ‘which of your favourite snacks would you like to see healthanized’.

First up was this turtle cheesecake. My first attempt at a vegan cheesecake…and a resounding success. So much so that I got in a bit of a cheesecake frenzy!

The second special request was a ginger cake. Not just any ginger cake but the sticky Jamaican Ginger cake you can buy here in the UK made by McVities…I used to eat this warm and smothered in custard. It was a good shout and so last weekend I set about creating my own version. Not just keen to be healthy, this version also wanted to be gluten free.

Success!

The texture of the sponge was spot on, helped further by the sticky glaze on the top.  I cut the oil and sugar content right down but you’d never know it. I like this best served slightly warm…it would also make a great accompaniment to this cashew custard. Make sure you don’t overcook the cake to retain its dense rich moistness. It will still be a great if cooked a little longer but the sponge will be a little dryer making it less true to the sticky Jamaican ginger cake concept.

I used  this recipe  as my initial source of inspiration, tweaking the ingredients and quantities in accordance with my gut instinct on ‘healthanizing’….i’m getting pretty good at that game now!

Do you have a favourite 'copycat' dessert?

Recipe: Sticky ginger cake

Makes 1 loaf (approx. 21cm tin)

Ingredients

350g wholemeal spelt* or GF flour* ( I used 200g buckwheat, 100g ground almonds and 50g tapioca flour)

1 tbs ground chia/flax

100g rapadura/coconut sugar and 1/3 tsp stevia

1 heaped tbs ground ginger

1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

1 handful of dates or figs (approx. 1/3 cup)

50g melted coconut oil (or other mild oil)

50g apple puree

60g molasses

220ml boiling water

For glaze:

Approx. 5 dates

1-2 tbs mollasses

4 tbs boiling water

1 tbs agave

(note: if dates have been pre-soaked to make for easier blending reduce the water by 1-2 tbs)

Method

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Blend wet ingredients in food processor until very smooth. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir together until well mixed.

Spoon/pour mixture into a parchment lined medium loaf tin (or bundt tin if preferred) and smooth the top.

Bake in oven at 180C for approx. 25-30 mins until only just done (toothpick inserted will have a slight residue).

Whilst still hot in the loaf tin, prick holes in the top of the loaf with a toothpick. Blend the glaze ingredients to form a sticky paste and using a knife or pastry brush (I used a silicone pastry brush) generously coat the top surface.

Once partially cool, remove from the loaf tin and brush the sides with a little of the remaining glaze if desired.  Allow to cool fully before serving.

Note: the dense, moist and sticky texture of the loaf improves the next day.

* 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.