By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Laurinda_Erasmus]Laurinda Erasmus
This is a fun and easy recipe that even toddlers can help their mothers make! The ingredients are flexible and are basic muesli ingredients that most of us have in the cupboard anyway. Different nuts and dried fruit can be used in the recipe to create different flavours, textures etc. Due to the sticky dates, the ingredients stay firmly together without crumbling.
To make the biscuits look more refined, the nuts can be ground or chopped into various textures in order to give the biscuits a smoother, less chunky look. For instance: grind the brazil nuts to a coarse flour and finely chop the pumpkin seeds. Keep the sunflower seeds whole, since they are small, but chop the almonds with a knife into fairly even pieces. The dried apricots can also be added to the dates, water and oil when blending into the liquid part of the recipe - the apricots will simply aid the dates to hold the biscuits together.
Ingredients
� cup (130 g) chopped dates
� cup water
1 Tbsp walnut / hazelnut / rice bran oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup (100 g) finely chopped dried (moist) apricots
� cup (100 g) almonds, chopped
� cup (100 g) brazil nuts, chopped
� cup (90 g) pumpkin seeds, roughly chopped
4 Tbsp (45 g) sunflower seeds
4 Tbsp buckwheat seeds, crushed
2 Tbsp goji berries
1 Tbsp finely ground flax seeds
1 Tbsp finely grated zest of mandarin / orange
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
Method
1. Place the dates, water, oil and lemon juice in a mixer and blend until smooth. This mixture will hold the ingredients together to make a batter.
2. Place the rest of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix well.
3. Pour the date mixture into the mixing bowl and stir until mixed.
4. Place the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up a little and to give the flax seeds and buckwheat seeds the chance to form a sticky substance with the moisture in the batter.
5. Tip the batter onto a sheet of unbleached wax baking paper. With the back of a large spoon, press the mixture firmly down to a thickness of about 2 cm.
6. Take a biscuit (cookie) cutter and press shapes from the batter. Press the mixture firmly into the biscuit cutter before transferring to another sheet of baking paper (or Paraflexx sheet for the dehydrator). Carefully push the shaped biscuit free from the cutter. Continue making shapes until all the batter is used up - simply spoon the last bit of batter into the cutter, press into shape and transfer to the sheet with the other biscuits.
7. Dry the biscuits out. If you use a dehydrator, dry out for about 4 hours until the biscuits are firm but still retain the moisture from the dried fruit. If you use an oven, set the baking temperature to 40� C (104� F), and dry out for about 2 hours until firm.
Makes about 23 biscuits.
Extra ideas:
You can change the dried fruit in the recipe to give the biscuits different flavours. Try making berry biscuits by using dried cherries, blueberries, cranberries and goji berries. A Caribbean flavour can be achieved by using dried pineapple, paw-paw, coconut and for the spices, add vanilla instead of the spices above.
Laurinda Erasmus is a vegan chef and author of a vegan recipe book, called Benessere well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style, by Quinoa Publishing. The book has over 520 recipes, each with a colour photograph, taken by the author herself. The book won a gold medal at the Living Now Book Awards in New York, USA. She is passionate about the vast possibilities of creating plant-based meals, the increased wellness and energy through plant nutrition and making a smaller impact on our precious ecosystem. Through her book and vegan classes, she shows healthy and fun ways of how to bring more plant-based meals into one's diet. She also travels extensively, always collecting new recipes and re-writing them as vegan dishes. She shares her tips for vegan travellers and vegan travel recipes on her blogsite http://veganwellbeing.wordpress.com and to view her book see [http://www.veganwellbeing.net]http://www.veganwellbeing.net.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Raw-Vegan-Spicy-Biscuits&id=6437633] Raw Vegan Spicy Biscuits
Friday, April 6, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Vegan Nachos and Home-Made Savoury Crackers
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Laurinda_Erasmus]Laurinda Erasmus
This much healthier version of a traditional Mexican dish is really authentic in taste. Make it for a light lunch or triple the recipe and serve it at a party. Home-made nachos are very quick and easy to make. They are accompanied by soy yoghurt (soured with lemon juice), home-made guacamole dip, a lentil and bean tomato mix scattered with grated fried tofu. Enjoy!
Ingredients
home-made Nachos savoury crackers* (see recipe below)
1 cup cooked Puy / brown lentils
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
4 tomatoes, chopped
4 tbsp tomato paste, thinned with 4 tbsp water
1 - 2 tsp chopped fresh red chilli (to taste)
2 tsp peanut oil
� cup grated firm tofu
4 ml turmeric
3 ml paprika
2 tsp fine savoury yeast flakes
avocado guacamole dip (home-made)
� cup soy yoghurt / silken tofu mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice
Method
Place the lentils, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste mix and chilli in a saucepan and heat gently.
Heat the peanut oil in a small pan and fry the tofu on fairly high heat to remove most of the moisture.
Add the turmeric, paprika and savoury yeast to the tofu and stir for a minute. Remove from the heat.
To assemble the nachos dish: spoon the lentil-tomato mixture into the middle of a large serving platter. Push the savoury crackers into the mixture from the sides. Scatter the fried tofu on top.
Serve the avocado (guacamole) dip and soured soy yoghurt or silken tofu on the side, so everyone can help themselves.
Serves 4.
* Nachos savoury crackers
These crackers taste wonderfully authentic, yet are baked in the oven rather than fried. You can add all sorts of interesting herbs to the dough if you wish. Cooked couscous adds an interesting texture, although you can substitute cooked quinoa to make gluten-free crackers. Nut butters effectively bind all the ingredients together to make crispy, black pepper studded nachos.
Ingredients
4 tbsp dry couscous / quinoa for gluten-free
1 cup yellow corn meal
� tsp herbal salt
2 tbsp cashew nut butter / smooth peanut butter
2 tsp cracked black pepper
� cup brewed lukewarm camomile tea / lukewarm water
2 tsp savoury yeast powder
olive oil cooking spray
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 220�C (430�F). Place a baking (pizza) stone or heavy duty baking tray in the oven to heat up at the same time.
Pour boiling water over the couscous and leave for 5 minutes (or cook the quinoa). Drain and fluff with a fork. Make the camomile tea.
Place the corn meal and salt in a mixing bowl and combine. Rub in the nut butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir the black pepper and cooked couscous or quinoa into the flour mixture.
Pour the tea (or water) over the flour mixture and stir until combined. Add the savoury yeast and stir to mix in.
Dust a sheet of non-stick baking parchment with corn meal. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for half a minute. It will be a stiff dough.
Roll the dough into a thick pipe, then transfer it to the parchment. Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a thin rectangular shape, flour the dough well so as not to stick. Take a knife and deeply score the dough into squares, then into triangles. Spray them with olive oil.
Working quickly, remove the baking stone or tray from the oven and slide the parchment onto it together with the scored dough. Bake on the middle shelf for 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven's temperature to 190�C (370�). Turn the crackers over and bake for a further 3 minutes. Make sure the crackers are dry and crispy.
Remove from the oven, break the crackers free from each other and cool thoroughly on wire racks. When the nachos are cold, store them in an airtight container (for up to a week).
Makes enough for 4 people.
Laurinda Erasmus is a vegan chef and author of a vegan recipe book, called Benessere well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style, by Quinoa Publishing. The book has over 520 recipes, each with a colour photograph, taken by the author herself. The book won a gold medal at the Living Now Book Awards in New York, USA. She is passionate about the vast possibilities of creating plant-based meals, the increased wellness and energy through plant nutrition and making a smaller impact on our precious ecosystem. Through her book and vegan classes, she shows healthy and fun ways of how to bring more plant-based meals into one's diet. She also travels extensively, always collecting new recipes and re-writing them as vegan dishes. She shares her tips for vegan travellers accompanied by vegan travel recipes on her blogsite http://veganwellbeing.wordpress.com and to view her vegan recipe book, see [http://www.veganwellbeing.net]http://www.veganwellbeing.net.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Vegan-Nachos-and-Home-Made-Savoury-Crackers&id=6442245] Vegan Nachos and Home-Made Savoury Crackers
This much healthier version of a traditional Mexican dish is really authentic in taste. Make it for a light lunch or triple the recipe and serve it at a party. Home-made nachos are very quick and easy to make. They are accompanied by soy yoghurt (soured with lemon juice), home-made guacamole dip, a lentil and bean tomato mix scattered with grated fried tofu. Enjoy!
Ingredients
home-made Nachos savoury crackers* (see recipe below)
1 cup cooked Puy / brown lentils
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
4 tomatoes, chopped
4 tbsp tomato paste, thinned with 4 tbsp water
1 - 2 tsp chopped fresh red chilli (to taste)
2 tsp peanut oil
� cup grated firm tofu
4 ml turmeric
3 ml paprika
2 tsp fine savoury yeast flakes
avocado guacamole dip (home-made)
� cup soy yoghurt / silken tofu mixed with 1 tsp lemon juice
Method
Place the lentils, kidney beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste mix and chilli in a saucepan and heat gently.
Heat the peanut oil in a small pan and fry the tofu on fairly high heat to remove most of the moisture.
Add the turmeric, paprika and savoury yeast to the tofu and stir for a minute. Remove from the heat.
To assemble the nachos dish: spoon the lentil-tomato mixture into the middle of a large serving platter. Push the savoury crackers into the mixture from the sides. Scatter the fried tofu on top.
Serve the avocado (guacamole) dip and soured soy yoghurt or silken tofu on the side, so everyone can help themselves.
Serves 4.
* Nachos savoury crackers
These crackers taste wonderfully authentic, yet are baked in the oven rather than fried. You can add all sorts of interesting herbs to the dough if you wish. Cooked couscous adds an interesting texture, although you can substitute cooked quinoa to make gluten-free crackers. Nut butters effectively bind all the ingredients together to make crispy, black pepper studded nachos.
Ingredients
4 tbsp dry couscous / quinoa for gluten-free
1 cup yellow corn meal
� tsp herbal salt
2 tbsp cashew nut butter / smooth peanut butter
2 tsp cracked black pepper
� cup brewed lukewarm camomile tea / lukewarm water
2 tsp savoury yeast powder
olive oil cooking spray
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 220�C (430�F). Place a baking (pizza) stone or heavy duty baking tray in the oven to heat up at the same time.
Pour boiling water over the couscous and leave for 5 minutes (or cook the quinoa). Drain and fluff with a fork. Make the camomile tea.
Place the corn meal and salt in a mixing bowl and combine. Rub in the nut butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir the black pepper and cooked couscous or quinoa into the flour mixture.
Pour the tea (or water) over the flour mixture and stir until combined. Add the savoury yeast and stir to mix in.
Dust a sheet of non-stick baking parchment with corn meal. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for half a minute. It will be a stiff dough.
Roll the dough into a thick pipe, then transfer it to the parchment. Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a thin rectangular shape, flour the dough well so as not to stick. Take a knife and deeply score the dough into squares, then into triangles. Spray them with olive oil.
Working quickly, remove the baking stone or tray from the oven and slide the parchment onto it together with the scored dough. Bake on the middle shelf for 10 minutes.
Reduce the oven's temperature to 190�C (370�). Turn the crackers over and bake for a further 3 minutes. Make sure the crackers are dry and crispy.
Remove from the oven, break the crackers free from each other and cool thoroughly on wire racks. When the nachos are cold, store them in an airtight container (for up to a week).
Makes enough for 4 people.
Laurinda Erasmus is a vegan chef and author of a vegan recipe book, called Benessere well-being: vegan & sugar-free eating for a healthy life-style, by Quinoa Publishing. The book has over 520 recipes, each with a colour photograph, taken by the author herself. The book won a gold medal at the Living Now Book Awards in New York, USA. She is passionate about the vast possibilities of creating plant-based meals, the increased wellness and energy through plant nutrition and making a smaller impact on our precious ecosystem. Through her book and vegan classes, she shows healthy and fun ways of how to bring more plant-based meals into one's diet. She also travels extensively, always collecting new recipes and re-writing them as vegan dishes. She shares her tips for vegan travellers accompanied by vegan travel recipes on her blogsite http://veganwellbeing.wordpress.com and to view her vegan recipe book, see [http://www.veganwellbeing.net]http://www.veganwellbeing.net.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Vegan-Nachos-and-Home-Made-Savoury-Crackers&id=6442245] Vegan Nachos and Home-Made Savoury Crackers
Monday, April 2, 2012
Healthy Gluten-Free Baking: Gluten-Free and Flour-Free Banana Muffins
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Kim_J_Wilson]Kim J Wilson
For too long, gluten-free baking has been lacking in flavor, fiber and nutrition as most recipes are dependent upon gums, starches and refined flours. This method of baking, in contrast, uses presoaked whole grains and is a wonderful alternative as it produced baked goods that have great texture, flavor and nutritional quality. It is also much less costly to prepare than gluten-free mixes and traditional gluten-free recipes. This has the added bonus of making wholesome gluten-free recipes affordable and appealing to the whole family. (No more making the gluten-intolerant family member eat differently from the rest!).
I usually refer to these recipes as "blender recipes" because the whole grains are soaked for a period of time to allow for the breakdown of enzyme inhibitors and to increase nutritional value, and then are processed in a blender for use in a pancake, muffin, cake or cookie recipe. The texture of baked goods made from blended soaked grains is superior to those made with gluten-free flours and is much more similar to that of the white flour products we're accustomed to. They are more nutritious and economical too! Gluten-free "blender" recipes are some of my favorites and definitely worth the extra effort expended to set some grains to soak in advance of baking time.
So here's a basic blender recipe for-
Gluten-free Flour-free Banana Muffins
1 1/3 cups brown rice
1/2 cup whole millet
1/3 cup raw buckwheat
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
_________________
1 1/4 cups water
2-3 ripe bananas
2 Tbsp. oil/butter
3+ Tbsp. honey*
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ground flax
1 tsp. cinnamon
� tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. sea salt
___________________
2 tsp. baking powder
� tsp. baking soda
Soak grains overnight (or for at least 8 hours) in plenty of water plus the 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Drain and then add to blender with the ingredients in the right column. When batter is quite smooth, gently blend in baking powder and soda (sift through a sieve and whisk in to avoid lumps). Pour into oiled muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.
* or agave or maple syrup
Option: add 1 cup of raisins to muffin batter before baking.
Be sure to oil your muffin cups well so they release easily. I prefer using a baking stone (muffin top style) as the clean-up is simplified.
These muffins keep well and freeze great!
From Everyday Gluten-Free by Kim Wilson
Kim Wilson has spent over 12 years working exclusively with whole foods to develop recipes that satisfy a variety of needs (for those just beginning to eat healthy to serious raw-fooders to those with extensive food allergies and health conditions like candida)- all in a tasty, enjoyable and affordable way. Her recipes are free of animal products, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, yeast, sugar and other problematic foods. "What's left," you might ask? Only the good stuff! For more information and recipes visit her website at http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com or her WHOLEmade recipe blog at [http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/recipeblog/]http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/recipeblog/.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Gluten-Free-Baking:-Gluten-Free-and-Flour-Free-Banana-Muffins&id=6432347] Healthy Gluten-Free Baking: Gluten-Free and Flour-Free Banana Muffins
For too long, gluten-free baking has been lacking in flavor, fiber and nutrition as most recipes are dependent upon gums, starches and refined flours. This method of baking, in contrast, uses presoaked whole grains and is a wonderful alternative as it produced baked goods that have great texture, flavor and nutritional quality. It is also much less costly to prepare than gluten-free mixes and traditional gluten-free recipes. This has the added bonus of making wholesome gluten-free recipes affordable and appealing to the whole family. (No more making the gluten-intolerant family member eat differently from the rest!).
I usually refer to these recipes as "blender recipes" because the whole grains are soaked for a period of time to allow for the breakdown of enzyme inhibitors and to increase nutritional value, and then are processed in a blender for use in a pancake, muffin, cake or cookie recipe. The texture of baked goods made from blended soaked grains is superior to those made with gluten-free flours and is much more similar to that of the white flour products we're accustomed to. They are more nutritious and economical too! Gluten-free "blender" recipes are some of my favorites and definitely worth the extra effort expended to set some grains to soak in advance of baking time.
So here's a basic blender recipe for-
Gluten-free Flour-free Banana Muffins
1 1/3 cups brown rice
1/2 cup whole millet
1/3 cup raw buckwheat
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
_________________
1 1/4 cups water
2-3 ripe bananas
2 Tbsp. oil/butter
3+ Tbsp. honey*
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ground flax
1 tsp. cinnamon
� tsp. nutmeg
3/4 tsp. sea salt
___________________
2 tsp. baking powder
� tsp. baking soda
Soak grains overnight (or for at least 8 hours) in plenty of water plus the 1 Tbsp. vinegar. Drain and then add to blender with the ingredients in the right column. When batter is quite smooth, gently blend in baking powder and soda (sift through a sieve and whisk in to avoid lumps). Pour into oiled muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen muffins.
* or agave or maple syrup
Option: add 1 cup of raisins to muffin batter before baking.
Be sure to oil your muffin cups well so they release easily. I prefer using a baking stone (muffin top style) as the clean-up is simplified.
These muffins keep well and freeze great!
From Everyday Gluten-Free by Kim Wilson
Kim Wilson has spent over 12 years working exclusively with whole foods to develop recipes that satisfy a variety of needs (for those just beginning to eat healthy to serious raw-fooders to those with extensive food allergies and health conditions like candida)- all in a tasty, enjoyable and affordable way. Her recipes are free of animal products, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, eggs, yeast, sugar and other problematic foods. "What's left," you might ask? Only the good stuff! For more information and recipes visit her website at http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com or her WHOLEmade recipe blog at [http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/recipeblog/]http://www.simplynaturalhealth.com/recipeblog/.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Healthy-Gluten-Free-Baking:-Gluten-Free-and-Flour-Free-Banana-Muffins&id=6432347] Healthy Gluten-Free Baking: Gluten-Free and Flour-Free Banana Muffins
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