Buckwheat blini breakfast kebabs

I had originally planned this post for yesterday...but I figured since many of you will be celebrating Thanksgiving, will anyone actually be reading blogs....really? Other than maybe people like me who don't celebrate Thanksgiving in their country. So I decided that I'd postpone it a day... I didn't want anyone missing out! This would make a fab lazy day post Thanksgiving brunch.

This idea came to me at 2am last Saturday morning....just when I should be sleeping NOT thinking about breakfast!

I've got into a bad habit of sitting in bed on my laptop before going to sleep and getting so engrossed in things that I don’t realise the time has crept across to the early hours… and then I can’t switch off when I do lay down to sleep.

However I didn't really mind this particular moment of creativity, and I simply tucked the idea away in my mind until morning.

Welcome to the most amazing brunch ever!

Simple, healthy, versatile, gluten free….the list goes on!

Ok, I’ll cut to the chase. These mini buckwheat blinis were inspired by this post in which the concept of the oat blinis worked really well, however not wanting to simply replicate with buckwheat I made miniature versions using a melon baller as a batter scoop (this worked perfectly- I really recommend this for getting evenly sized blinis) and then threading them onto skewers between chunks of fruit.

You could use any fruit you wish as long as it can be threaded onto skewers. It would be fabulous with banana and strawberries but alas it is not the season for strawberries. I was a little lacking on the fruit front and so used banana and some tinned apricots….had I planned ahead I would have used grapes, chopped mango along with banana…but I  was too impatient to try out my idea before I could get to the shops to replenish my frit supplies!

The blinis are only slightly sweet in themselves so I drizzled them with a (generous) helping of maple syrup and a dollop of vegan yoghurt. You could increase the sweetness of the batter itself if you desired, although I always prefer pancakes to be plain and then sweeten with toppings.

Go on…have a little fun today and play with your food!

Recipe: Buckwheat blini breakfast kebabs

Approx. 8 kebabs (serves 2-4)

100g buckwheat flour

Scant ½ tsp bicarbonate soda

150ml soy milk (or other dairy free milk)

1tsp ground chia or flax

3 tbs agave syrup

½ tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

extra water to thin batter as needed

Approx. 2 cups fruit chunks of choice.

Maple syrup to serve

Method

Blend together all ingredients (other than water) until very smooth. Add as much water as necessary to create a thick but easily pourable batter.

Prepare fruit for kebabs- you can use any fruit that can be skewered. I used banana and apricot halves. Set aside.

Using a melon baller (most practical method) spoon small dollops of the pancake mixture onto a hot lightly oiled frying pan and fry for approx. 30 seconds or so on each side until golden.

When all the blinis are cooked thread them onto skewers alternating with chunks of fruit. Drizzle with maple syrup to serve.

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.

Pumpkin granola muffins

I have made a lot of pumpkin puree this last couple of weeks. I blended it up and froze it in muffin cup portion sizes…so many of my baking experiments have been making use of it.

This recipe is no exception and it is a double whammy as you have a pumpkin granola topping too! Of course the granola is optional- you could simply top with nuts and spice instead, but since at the time I was making a batch of this granola I figured it would be a good opportunity to set aside a little for the muffin tops.

mini muffins using a buckwheat flour mix

I’ve made these muffins using both flour combinations- spelt and my GF mix. I think between them I preferred the spelt, I enjoyed the buckwheat but found the flavour slightly dominant over the pumpkin, you may find it preferable to use oat flour or brown rice flour in its place.

For the granola topping, take pinches of raw granola mix and press firmly into the top of the uncooked muffin. Pre-baked granola will burn.  I also used mini muffin tins on my second attempt as the first try using full sized muffin cups lead to the granola burning at the edges before the muffins had cooked through.  If you are opting for a topping I would definitely advise you not to use larger than cupcake tins.

larger spelt muffins- great texture but burnt tops

These make the perfect winter warming snack served warm with a little vegan yoghurt and a drizzle of maple syrup….so good!

Recipe: Pumpkin granola muffins

Approx. 8 mini muffins

Ingredients

1 cup GF flour mix (I used ½ buckwheat, ¼ tapioca, ¼ ground almonds) or WM spelt

¼ cup coconut sugar/rapadura and 1/6^th tsp stevia

pinch salt

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground chia

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbs agave syrup

¼ cup apple or orange juice

Topping: 1/3 cup pumpkin granola for topping- optional

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients. Mix together lightly but well.

Spoon the batter into 8 mini muffins pans and press the uncooked granola mix into the top of the batter in each case.

Bake at 180C for approx. 12 mins until cooked through when tested with a toothpick.

Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup if you want to be full on indulgent!

NOTE: you can make regular sized muffins but I found that the topping began to burn a little before the muffins were fully cooked.

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 SIXTEEN: Oatmeal blinis

I’ve long wanted to have a go at making buckwheat blinis, they look so simple and seem so versatile, but the inclusion of egg in nearly every recipe shied me away However the recipe was again recently brought to my attention and this time instead of shy away I wanted to take up the challenge…BUT…since this is Vegan MOFO and my theme is oats it seems only fitting that I turn them into oat blinis.

These little blinis turned out a treat, so I will having a go at the traditional buckwheat version soon for sure.

What I like most about this recipe is the versatility…sweet or savoury…you choose. Well you probably already guessed that I’d make this a little fruity brunch treat (I was actually last weekend that I made these) so I added a touch of sweetness to the batter, you could just as easily add a few savoury spices instead.

I served mine with a good drizzle of maple syrup and banana plus a few raspberries that I picked from the garden. Yum!

This this recipe makes about 12 and I only wanted a few for my brunch so I am planning on freezing the remainder as I hear that buckwheat blinis freeze very well so I hoping these will too…I will report back!

Recipe: Oatmeal blinis

Makes approx. 12 blinis

Ingredients

200g ground oats

½ tsp bicarbonate soda

300ml soy milk (or other dairy free milk)

1tsp ground chia or flax

1 tbs agave syrup (optional)

½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

Approx. 100ml water to thin batter as needed

Method

Blend together all ingredients (other than water) until very smooth. Add as much water as necessary to create a thick but easily pourable batter.

Spoon heaped tablespoon of mixture onto a hot frying pan and fry for a minite or so on each side until golden.

Serve hot or cold. I ate mine hot.

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.

Creamy coconut rice pudding

Sometimes a little comfort food is in order.

Whilst for many of you the world is warming up and the sunny skies of summer are most definitely on the way, here in the UK the weather has been shocking! Just a few weeks ago it was officially announced we were in a drought having has such little rain during the first few months of the year….but oh my has April made up for that shortage! It has been grey and rainy non-stop and if I didn’t know better it feels as though we’ve skipped Summer and gone straight through to Autumn.

So, how can I remedy that situation?…by making yummy food of course. This is the perfect comfort food for spring, summer autumn or winter, subtly sweet and tropically coconutty, this little dish can be served either hot or cold for breakfast, dessert or as a snack any time of the day. Super versatile- just the way I like it!

I’ve never before made rice pudding from scratch and didn’t realise how easy it actually was. If you don’t have a Thermomix (which stirs it for you), you will need to keep a close eye on the hob and stir frequently, but otherwise it’s so easy. I’m surprised I haven’t tried it sooner.

I use Arborio (risotto) rice here as my first attempt to ensure a super creamy dish, buy you could use brown rice, I will give that a try next time.  The coconut milk teamed with the dates, maple syrup  and warming spices make for the perfect taste combination, you can add extra maple syrup or dates to taste if you wish for a sweeter treat.

I served this as dessert and it was very filling and satisfying, the ‘sink back on your chair with a smile once you’ve scraped the bowl clean’ type of satisfying!

Recipe: Creamy coconut rice pudding

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

200g Arborio rice

400g coconut milk

1 tbs ground chia

600g boiling water

50g maple syrup or agave

Handful of dates

1 tbs vanilla powder or paste

½ tsp cinnamon

Sprinkling of nutmeg to seve                         

Method

Chop the dates finely by hand or in a food processor.  Add all the ingredients to a large pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently. Once the rice has cooked, stir through the maple syrup and then allow the rice mixture to sit for a few minutes to thicken before serving.

Serve with fruit, coconut flakes or a simple sprinkling of grated nutmeg.

Can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.

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.

Pancake Day

Yesterday was Pancake Day... Shrove Tuesday... Mardi Gras...

....whatever you like to call it!  I hope you had a good one.

We celebrated with pancakes at work. This type of a special day for pancakes seems to be a more British phenomenon with other cultures and countries more into pancakes of all types all year round. Don’t get me wrong we eat pancakes at other times too, it’s just that Pancake Day is that little bit more special and the supermarkets fill their ‘seasonal’ shelves with pancake mixes, eggs, lemons, sugar, maple syrup and sauces of all descriptions. Basically an opportunity to entice people with an array of sugary treats!

On Friday I tested out my first successful vegan classic pancake recipe, so check it out! I was so happy with the success I replicated it today at pancake lunch with my colleagues.  

They made up their traditional batter with eggs and milk and I made up my own egg-free batter with soy milk.  I used a little baking powder so my pancakes were ever so slightly fluffy and had more bubbles compared to theirs. I made a few extra as I knew people would be too curious not to want a taste. 

Check out their big stack and my little stack!

Vegan vs Non-vegan....the verdict?   Well, they looked and tasted pretty much identical.  I think any non-vegan would be hard pushed to tell the difference.

Digging in......

Almost as critical as the pancake itself are the toppings! Some had savoury pancakes but most of us opted for the sweet versions... we kept it simple with the classic lemon and sugar, maple syrup, blueberries, banana and cinnamon, plus there were a few lashing of nutella for some of my colleagues.

 (I know, I know....blasphemy to this blog, but I still couldn't resist a pic!)

Did I have more pancakes when I got home in the evening... um, maybe!  Pancake Day only comes round once a year after all and I had to make sure I’d ‘fully tested’ my recipe, right?

 

Plus, I really wanted to test out a gluten free version since these pancakes contain spelt. I used almond flour and potato starch instead but alas it just wasn’t happening for me and so as not disappoint others I resorted to another batch of spelt pancakes at short notice.  I will continue my GF trials for a thin pancake and let you know how I get on. I think the almond flour version may have worked out for a thick style pancake.

Mmmmm…maybe you are feeling a little peckish? Pancakes of all kinds are great all year round, particularly as a quick ans easy healthy style brunch. Maybe these fat pancakes will take you fancy?

Spiced apple panakes with date and walnut

Sweet chestnut pancakes

Blueberry banana pancakes

or how about my newest most craveable creation....the choc chunk breakfast cookie....(looks like a pancake and only takes 2 minutes!)

A finally a little something to make you smile....what to do with the last remaining dribbles of batter from the big bowl of mixture? A little love heart of course courtesy of my lovely colleagues Kasia and Piotr.

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.

Cinnamon rolls

Hello! I’m feeling quite excited today as this last week I seem to have reached a bit of a turning point and people are beginning to ‘come and see’ what I’m getting up to!

I guess all new bloggers go through that stage of simply ‘talking to themselves’ and I wasn’t sure how long that would go on for or even if anyone would ever stop by and leave a little comment…but phew it looks like you’ve saved me from the madness (of talking to oneself!)

It’s makes me smile inside when I see someone has taken the time to have a little look… though at the moment I think that’s probably curiosity more than anything as I have yet to build up my archives! But hey, in time I will get there and I just hope you stick along for the ride and maybe drag a few others along with you!

I know I’ve mentioned in previous posts and in my ‘why including cake’ page what this thing is all about for me. I guess you could say quite literally I want to have my cake and eat it! It is very important to me that the food I make is as healthy as possible (when compared with its regular counterpart). All my recipes are vegan and minimise refined sugars, not all my recipes are currently gluten free but I am working towards that goal as I feel that even for those without gluten intolerances a diet lower in gluten would be beneficial to us all.

The recipe I have posted today is unfortunately not GF (it uses spelt flour), however I did a little research and found this recipe for a gluten free version that may offer some insight as to how my recipe could be adapted, I’m eager to try it out myself when I get the chance-  but in the meantime if anyone does try or has made their own in the past please be sure to let me know!

Recipe: Cinnamon rolls

Ingredients


Dough
3 tbs water plus  1 tbs ground flax
4 ½ cups flour (mix of wholemeal and white spelt) see also GF link above
2 ½ (1 sachet) teaspoons active dry yeast
1 cup  warm water
¼ cup agave and ¼ tsp stevia
½ cup coconut butter- melted
1 teaspoon salt

Filling
½ cup rapadura and ½ tsp molasses
½ cup coconut butter melted
2 tbs maple syrup
2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
¼ cup walnuts chopped
¼ cup dates chopped
­

Method

In a small bowl mix the water and the flax and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the spelt flours and the yeast. In another medium mixing bowl add the water, agave, stevia, coconut butter and salt and whisk until well incorporated. Add the (now gummy) flax mixture to the bowl containing the wet ingredients and whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to roughly combine. If the mixture is too sticky to handle add more flour- but only a little.

Lightly dust a clean surface with flour and knead to dough for 5 to 10 minutes. The dough should be firm and smooth. Place the dough back into the mixing bowl, cover and place in a warm place for about 1 hour. After 1 hour has passed, knead the dough for about 30 seconds and let it rest for 10 more minutes.

Whilst the dough rests, in a small bowl, whisk together the rapadura, molasses, melted coconut butter, maple syrup and cinnamon. Set aside. Roll the dough into a flat 16 x 20 inch rectangle. Spread the filling mixture evenly over the surface. Add a sprinkling of walnuts and dates also. Carefully roll up the dough lengthwise so it's 16 inches long. Cut it into 1 ½ inch sections with a sharp knife. Place the rolls close together, cut side up in a lightly greased 9x13 glass or ceramic baking dish. This will ensure that the rolls don't unravel during baking. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts and dates over them. Cover let the buns rise for one more hour.

Bake for about 15 minutes at 200C or until the tops are golden brown, rotating the dish halfway through. Drizzle a little more maple syrup to serve if you fancy.