'Power parfait'... with chocolate, quinoa, banana, peanut butter...

The chocolate power pudding has now been made with various toppings on a number of occasions. I just love the warm comforting feeling of an 'oatmeal-esque' bowlful but with a protein powered alternative texture to change things up from time to time.

One morning when I had made a big batch of chocolate 'base mix' to keep in the fridge for a couple of days, I layered it up in glasses for a 'power parfait' (having too much fun with aliteration today!)  The youghurt topping was simply soy yogurt mixed with peanut butter and a drizzle of maple syrup. I mashed some banana through the chocolate base mix and sliced the remaining on top.

It made the perfect mid morning snack (after my early morning green smoothie) and once again since the quinoa mix was pre-made it only took mere minutes to throw together, this could easily become a dessert with a little extra sweetness thrown in.
Oh, on a quick side note, I also tried blending up the mix in a processor to get a smooth and creamy base, but it didn't really work that well and the texture didn't change much, but that's cool with me as I love the texture- just saying in case you had wondered...

Recipe: Power Parfait

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

I cup of this chocolate power pudding (chocolate quinoa)

2 small or 1 large bananas

1/2 cup vegan yoghurt

1 tbs peanut butter

2 tsp maple syrup

Cacao nibs to decorate- optional

Method:

Mash half of the banana and mix through the chocolate quinoa pudding. Spoon the pudding into two serving bowls or glasses.

Mix the yoghurt with the peanut butter and maple syrup and spoon over the top of the quinoa layer. 

Chop the remaining banana to top the yoghurt and decorate with cacoa nibs or other toppings as preferred. Chill if necessary (if the quinoa pudding is not chilled) prior to serving.

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.

buckwheat breakfast bowl

I’m a traitor…a traitor to my oats!

I use buckwheat all the time in my baked goods by grinding up raw buckwheat groats to make flour…but I’d never even thought to soak the oats and use them whole…crazy!

The idea first came from this post over at Oh She Glows, and it just seemed such an obvious thing to try, a great little breakfast experiment and also great for those of you who are oat sensitive.  All it takes is a little advance planning as the groats need to be soaked (overnight preferably) to soften up. Then it’s free reign with your imagination to jazz up the bowl however you wish. My ‘recipe’ below (if you can even call it that) gives you the basic principle and then you can top it up with any of my ideas below, plus many more of your own….feel free to leave ideas in the comments!

I enjoy this buckwheat bowl as a change from my oats. The buckwheat has a unique texture and quite a firm bite which is why I find it is best mixed with creamy ingredients such as banana, some soaked chia, maybe throw some soaked oats in too if you like! I also think the buckwheat itself looks really pretty…like mini pyramid jewels!

Pretty pictures….lovely layered up ‘buckwheat parfaits’ as I carefully crafted on the first day I made a batch…followed by a bowl of  mixed up ‘smoosh’ on day two…not so pretty but just as yummy! Make a big batch of buckwheat left soaking in the fridge and it will keep you going for a few days.

 

 

Decoration ideas:

Granola…chocolate is always best!

Cashew custard cream

Vegan yoghurt

Chia jam (coming in a future post)

Soaked chia seeds mixed through to add extra texture

Healthy chocolate mousse or chia pudding

Crumbled smoosh bars

Crumbled cookie such as these chocolate shortbread crumbles

Lots of fruit…of all different kinds, either sliced for the top of pureed/mashed to mix through.

Nut butters

Drizzle toppings (if going for a sweet option) maple syrup or agave nectar

Recipe: Buckwheat breakfast bowl

Ingredients:

1/3  cup raw buckwheat groats (soaked in water overnight)

Approx. ¾ cup ‘milk’ (I used soy)more if you want a thinner consistency

1 ripe banana- well mashed (this gives a creamy texture)

½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

Place the buckwheat groats in a bowl and cover with water. Stir. Place in the fridge overnight.

In the morning drain and rinse the buckwheat well and add to the remaining ingredients and mix through well. Add a little extra milk to reach desired consistency.

Get ready to go crazy with your mix-ins and toppings…..serve right away!

Voila, a super simple breakfast/snack/dessert or anytime meal!

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.

Angel delight

I know the name of this dessert will confused many of you...because Angel Delight is simply a British phenomenon. I did a little search to see what the US equivalent was and there didn’t seem to be one (feel free to correct me if I am wrong!)

Angel Delight is an instant powdered pudding mix whisked with milk to create a mousse-like custardy sweet dessert. It comes in various flavours and is something of a childhood staple in the memories of most of the UK population.

So, I wanted to create a healthy vegan equivalent that cuts out the dairy, the sugar and all the scary 'unknows’ of the powdered packet mix. I think I’ve cracked it…well it certainly went down well for dessert when I layered it up in little glass bowls and served it up for my family at the weekend.

‘Angel delight’ makes your perfect creamy moussey parfait.

Give it a try, I know you are curious now!

There are so many flavour combos you could try, here I went for strawberry and mango (I preferred the strawberry out the of two), but you could also go for other berries, banana, chocolate or maybe even orange although I think fruits with a higher level of natural pectin would work best as they would give the creamiest result when combined with the tofu.  I made my dessert by mixing the ‘base’ i.e everything but the fruit, then divided it into two before mixing in the fruit separately. The key is to blend really well.

Chill first (to allow the cashew and coconut butters to thicken slightly), then either serve it straight or with fruit and granola crumbs as I did here…basically layer up your own parfait. So pretty!

Recipe: Angel delight

Serves 1-2 (can easily be doubled)

Ingredients

½ cup silken tofu

½ cup fruit (mango/strawberries)

1 tbs cashew butter

1tbs coconut oil melted

1tbs agave plus a pinch stevia if needed

1 tsp vanilla extract

1tbs tapioca flour (or alternative thickener)

Method

Mix all ingredients together in a high powered blender (ideally with whisk attachment) until smooth. Pour into serving bowls and chill for min. 30 mins prior to serving.

Seving suggestion: Layer up different flavours with nuts/granola in between and chunks of fruit on top.

This will keep in the fridge for a couple of days.

This recipe is shared at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Hearth and Soul Blog Hop 

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.