Meringue Pie (GF, Oil Free, Vegan)

This is a marbled Meringue Pie.
I split filling recipe in half and used Fresh Blueberry Juice and Fresh Strawberry Juice (each half & half with fresh lemon juice)

Crust

• 1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup dates
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (do not omit!)
• 1 tablespoon tahini

Place all raw pie crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until well processed but still slightly mealy/chunky.

Press down into your pie plate!

Filling 

• 1 ¼ cup ground raw sugar (size of table sugar)
• ½ cup corn starch
• ¼ teaspoon agar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 ¼ cup milk Alternative (I like thick consistency of almond milk)
• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup lemon juice + 1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest (Sub ½ juice with fresh pressed juice of another flavour for fun)

Add to sauce pan and bring to boil and whisk for 4-5 minutes, it will turn into a pudding like mixture and when you can’t stir no more it’s ready to go in the pie crust, then cool for an hour or two. Note: when marbling follow the same

Meringue

• 1 16 ounce can of chickpeas – put a colander over a large mixing bowl and pour the chickpeas in to drain the brine into the mixing bowl. Put the chickpeas in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to eat.
• ¾ of a cup of finely ground sugar – grind regular sugar in a blender if you don’t have finely ground sugar
• ¼ of a teaspoon of cream of tartar
• 1 and ½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Pour the liquid from the can of chickpeas into the bowl of a stand/hand mixer…but do not do this by hand. Add the cream of tartar. Whip the bean juice with the whisk attachment until it starts to thicken.

Slowly Begin to add the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping on high. This process took me 9-10 minutes, but it can take up to 15 to 20 minutes.

Keep it going on high speed until the mixture has a thick whipped cream consistency. If meringue is gloopy, it will deflate. NOTE: A spoonful of meringue at the proper consistency will not drip if you hold it upside down. Best Meringue Instruction Video: https://youtu.be/d2wIYfNukZE

To assemble: Preheat oven to 200°F. Pipe dollops of meringue on top of the pie. Bake for 2 1/2-3 hours or until the meringue is toasted. The baking time will depend on the amount of meringue on your pie, and how it’s piped on. Thick layers will take longer to bake. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, letting the meringue set.

 

To make meringue cookies out of leftover meringue, dollop meringue onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 200°F for 2 hours. Turn off the oven and let dry with the oven door cracked for a couple of hours.

This Recipe is made by combining and altering a few favorites, I was assisting with a wedding Allergy Menu. Sources –

http://seitanbeatsyourmeat.com/pi-day-vegan-lemon-meringue-pie/

http://www.misterniceguy.com.au/recipes/vegan-lemon-meringue-pie/

Deceptively Delicious Choc. Chip Cookies

So I have been a little ill on and off as I adapt to London, ON completely skipping over spring and deciding it was a great idea to go from Horrible Winter to Humid Summer. In NO WAY am I knocking this new weather, I just require an adjustment period. I will not try to catch you up on my workout schedule as of the last untracked 2 weeks. I will say that the schedule has been hit and miss with T25 and I will repeat week 3 until I can preform it every day.

In lieu of days missed I have prepared for the Windsor, ON Colour Run on July 19th…on this last Saturday alone I walked 2.3 Miles in the morning, and then another 1.4 miles in the afternoon (but this time pushing my mom in a wheelchair, total weight resistance of 240 lbs-ish).

I have also spent a great deal of time working out with my spouse, which is super supportive of him since he does not workout, eat a regular diet or anything LOL. I love him so much, he is always trying so hard to overcome personal dislikes or inabilities in opportune times for me. The guy has really bad vertigo (NO FERRIS WHEELS, NO BALCONY SEATS, NO WATERSLIDES), yet he will attempt or succeed at participating in all these situations. 😀

So Song of the day is in honour of my best friend and love….

Now for some protein packed goodies, Deceptively Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Deceptively Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies

Minutes to Prepare: 20

Minutes to Cook: 30

Number of Servings: 36

 

Ingredients

Parchment Paper
1 c firmly packed brown sugar or Raw Sugar
3/4 c trans fat-free soft tub margarine
2 tsp Grd. Flax Seeds with 4 TBSP warm water
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cup Quinoa Flakes
1/2 cup GF Flour or AP Flour (may require more flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 – 3/4 Cup Organic Cocoa Powder (Optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Top a baking sheet with Parchment Paper.

2. Mix ground Flax Seeds with 4 TBSP warm water, and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the sugar and margarine with a wooden spoon or on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the Flax egg mixture and vanilla, then the chickpeas and chocolate chips. Add the flakes, flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix on low speed until a thick dough forms.
3. Drop the dough by the tablespoonful onto the baking sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Press gently with a fork to flatten. Bake until the cookies are golden brown and just set, 11 – 13 minutes; do not overbake. Transfer to a rack to cool.
4. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.Note: Serving size calculate for 3 dozen cookies.

Number of Servings: 36 approximately

 

Note – If you are attending the Windsor, ON Color Run and would like to be on a team…they have a discount of $35 rather than $45 for team members until June 1st…My team is “Hope4Cindy”, message me for the password if you are interested

Sun-Dried Tomato & Pesto Spaghetti Squash Pasta Toss

Ingredients:

1 Large Spaghetti Squash

1 250 to 300ml jar of Pesto or favorite recipe (see my fave below)

1 small jar of Sun-dried Tomatoes (preferably in oil, I think about 8 to 10 in a jar)

Pepper, to Taste

Dash of Fresh Basil, reserved & optional

Directions:

-Cook spaghetti squash by preferred method. Mine is to pierce it with a fork, place on a baking sheet and bake at 375^oF for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until fork easily pierces squash flesh. After 15 to 20 minutes it is good to roll/flip the squash during the baking process.

– Remove from packaging oil & Chop the Sun-dried tomatoes loosely. Feel free to use this oil in the preparation of your pesto sauce for additional flavor, or add 1 tbsp to the mixture.

– Mix the prepared squash, pesto, and chopped sundried tomatoes, season with pepper and maybe a dash of fresh basil. Enjoy

Pesto Ingredients:

1 large bunch of basil or favorite greens (about 3 cups, loosely packed)

2-3 large cloves garlic

5 to 6 Tbsp raw pine nuts

3/4 tsp Himalayan Pink salt, or to taste

4.5 to 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp to 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)**

Pesto Preparation:

Place all ingredients except the olive oil and nutritional yeast into a food processor. Process to a finely ground consistency. Add olive oil and process again, until it’s smooth and creamy. Add nutritional yeast and process again until well combined for a cheesy flavour. Serve or it can be store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Adaption of Source: http://veganspoonful.com/2007/10/10/vegan-pesto-sauce/

Notes:

– If not a fan of oil and preparing your own pesto try a navy bean based pesto http://ohsheglows.com/2011/08/04/high-protein-oil-free-basil-pesto/

but I would suggest that the Tomatoes are still oil packed due to the fact it creates a better consistency/texture

Featured at:

http://bunnykitchen.com/2014/07/09/virtual-vegan-linky-potluck-2

 

Strawberry Cheesecake filled Chocolate eggs

I was on www.naturalcandystore.com and I saw a hollow chocolate bunny with surf sweets gummies inside which made me consider other stuffed chocolate Easter treats that could be made. Ta-Da! Vegan Cheesecake stuffed eggs…yummy.

Chocolate:

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder or 1 cup Chocolate chips
• ¼ cup virgin coconut oil, liquid
• 2.5 tbsp pure maple syrup

 

–          Put your mold in the freezer to chill. Combine all chocolate ingredients until the mix turns into a thin sauce or syrup.

–          Remove the molds from the freezer and apply a thin coat of chocolate sauce before returning to freezer to harden.

–          Repeat with second coat

 

Filling:

Cheesecake-

2.5 cups soaked raw cashews

Dash of lemon juice

1 to 1.5 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp sweetener, optional

1 cup reserved soaking liquid or coconut water

Strawberry sauce-

1 cup strawberries

¼ cup water

1 tbsp sweetener

1 tsp agar or 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed into equal parts liquid

 

4 Graham Cracker Cookies (Homemade or store bought), crushed

 

Cheesecake- Blend softened raw cashews, lemon juice, vanilla, sweetener, and a little more than a ¼ cup of reserved water. Add more reserved liquid as absolutely necessary, you do not want to add too much, should have similar consistency as cream cheese. Blend until smooth and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

Strawberry Sauce – Blend all sauce ingredients except agar powder. Bring to boil and reduce heat, cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in agar powder or cornstarch mix, be careful it does not clump. Bring back to a boil and then remove from heat. Sauce should be a syrup consistency not gel.

 

Put it together: (Try not to handle your shells too much or they could soften, keep them in a fridge or freezer and only pull out the one you are working on.)

1) Take ½ egg and sprinkle crumbs, add some cashew cheesecake, and lightly pour strawberry syrup over it.   Repeat, until desired filling amount is reached.

2) To seal the egg place a second ½ over the other and seal around the edging with excess chocolate syrup. I found it helped to return the filled ½ egg to the freezer for a minute before sealing together with other ½.

 

NOTES:

–          I made about 3 batches of the chocolate shell mixture to make all the eggs in the pictures, but I like thick shells.

–          You could have excess cheesecake filling, but I doubt anyone will have a problem helping finish that up….if you are willing to share that is.

–          If chocolate mixture seems too thick add more coconut oil….When thick it may not fill the crevices of your mold, losing details or making it fragile.

 

The chocolate shells can be stuffed with practically anything, make sure you have fun. Making homemade treats allows you to avoid the “well I would preferred if it _______” Food is something that celebrates, acts as a form of expression, nourishes, and brings people together….It is a glue for life, don’t waste it, but don’t use it too sparingly. 😉

Source:

Chocolate shell –

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2013/03/20/healthy-cadbury-creme-eggs/

Vegan Pop Tarts (with Gluten Free Option)

 

The boyfriend asked that I make snack food, previously I had made him an evolution of a cinnamon roll….Recipe for a later date 😉 Anyways, so I decided on pop tarts, spent most of one day making jams, and today I made 3 batches of dough (Gluten-Free, Peanut Butter, and a 1/2 & 1/2 of Spelt and All-Purpose Flour)

The PB Dough & Apple Pie Filling is amazing

Makes 8- 10 pop tarts

Dough Ingredients:

• 4 cups Flour (Plus 2 tsp Xanthan Gum for every 1 cup flour, if using Gluten-Free Flour)
• 2 pinches of salt
• 320 ml (10 ml less than 1 1/3 cup) softened Earth Balance Butter
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, (start with a 1/4 cup and add 1 tbsp at a time from there)

Favorite Jam or pie filling

Direction:

1. Mix Flour & Salt together, then cut butter into flour mixture, very well, with pastry cutter or fork.
2. Starting with a 1/4 cup, drizzle cold water over the mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until it starts to form a dough. I added almost 1/2 cup. It should be moist enough to form into a ball, but not too sticky to knead.
3. Turn onto a floured surface, split dough in 1/2, shape one 1/2 into a disc, and then use a rolling pin to roll into a large rectangle that is about 5mm thick
4. Cut into 8 to 10 equal rectangles and carefully transfer each to the baking sheet.
5. Place about 3 tbsp of filling onto the rectangles, leaving a 1/4 inch border to seal the edges. Then use your finger to dot water around the edges so the two rectangles stick together. Top the rectangles with their matching halves and then seal l with a fork, careful not to pierce through dough.
6. Repeat with second 1/2 of dough.
7. Bake for 15 to 20 mins or until begins to brown.
8. Let cool for a few minutes, then top with glaze if desired.

Note:

– Add more flour if it gets too wet.

– If dough cracks, dip fingers in water and run it over the crack sealing it back together

– For Peanut Butter dough add 2/3 cup peanut butter to the recipe when you are cutting in the butter

Pina Colada Jelly

Adapted from http://www.grouprecipes.com/72748/pina-colada-jam.html

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh crushed pineapple
• 1.5 oz coconut flakes
• Coconut Cream, separated from one 400ml can of full fat coconut milk
• 3/4 to 1 cup Dark rum
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pkg. Liquid pectin

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients except pectin in a large pot
• bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Reduce heat and simmer 30 – 40 minutes to thicken.
• Remove from heat and stir in pectin, well.
• Transfer into 8 oz. jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Cool overnight.

Jam

Ingredients:

• 4 cups berries
• Water, 1/4 cup or slightly more
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pkg liquid pectin

Direction:

1. If you like chunky jam reserve one cup berries to chop and set aside…otherwise, add all ingredients, excluding pectin, into a pot and bring to a boil.
2. Berries will be softened, mash them or let cool and use a hand blender to break down berries
3. Bring back up to boil before reducing temperature and cook for another 20 to 30 mins, until berry mixture has a thick syrup consistency
4. Turn off heat and stir in pectin, well
5. If you have reserved berries this is when to toss them into the jam
6. Pour into 8oz jars and seal in a 10 min boiling water bath
7. Let cool, preferably overnight, prior to enjoy

Kale Pesto

Ingredients

• 1 bunch  kale, about 12 ounces
• 2 cloves raw garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, soaked & drained
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of pink salt
• Pinch of Black pepper

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. Puree until paste forms and well combined, 30-60 seconds.
2. store in the refrigerator until use.
3. Use as is, or heat until warm at time of use

Source

Recipe Adapted from the recipe by Chef Jason Neroni of Superba Snack Bar in Venice, Calif. via radio chef Evan Kleiman of Good Food.

Cashew Mayo

simple vegan mayonnaise, great base for dips

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Place cashews in a bowl and and oak in boiling water, leave about 1 inch water level above cashews. Let soak for 1 hour.

Drain cashews, reserving the liquid. Place cashews in a Food Processor or blender with lemon, salt, and about 3 tbsp to 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid. Blend until very smooth, adding additional liquid as needed to purée the mixture.

 

Makes 1-1/4 cups

Fillet of “Fish”

Serves: 4 > Prep: 20 min > Cook: 30 min > Ready in: 50 min

Ingredients (see notes for alternatives) –
Fillets:
350g firm tofu, dried/pressed, & cut into 4 slices
1 ½ to 1 ¾ Cups breadcrumbs
1 tsp kelp powder
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tbsp. olive oil or Coconut Oil
½ Cup Dairy-Free Milk
3 Tbsp Flour
Flour, as needed

Tartar Sauce:
1 cup to 1 ½ Cup vegan mayonnaise
1 large or about 1/3 cup pickles, chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Dill, optional

4 buns of choice (I love Sprouted Hills Bakery’s Garlic Bagels, or homemade buns)

Directions:
Fillets –
1) Preheat oven to 350o F, Press Your Tofu (I do not have a press so I use this method: http://www.veggiebelly.com/2011/04/how-to-press-tofu.html )
2) In a bowl, mix up your crumbs with kelp powder, garlic, paprika, salt, & Oil.
3) In a separate bowl, whisk milk & 3 tbsp flour, well
4) In a third bowl or on a plate, measure out ½ to ¾ cup flour
5) Dip tofu slices into milk mixture, flour, and then milk mixture; then into the breadcrumb mixture, and pat it lightly to coat well.
6) Place on a baking tray prepped with parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes, turning when first side is browned and began to crisp. Once flipped side is brown and crispy they are done.
Tartar Sauce –
1) While Fillets are baking, mix all Tartar sauce ingredients together

Notes:
– I have subbed bread crumbs with crushed cereal flakes, panko, or even crushed crackers
– If you do not have Kelp powder, you can use 1 tbsp crumbled nori sheets (best way to do this is in a magic bullet)
– Vegan Mayonnaise can be subbed with a homemade cashew based mayonnaise (see in Sauces/Dips/Spreads)
– Parchment paper can be replaced with a piece of greased tin foil, but then do not add oil to breading mixture.