galettes chouettes

Several stays in France founded my addiction to the famous breton pancake (of course they're served all over the country)

Galettes are the savoury version of crêpes, and traditionally made with buckwheat flour, salt and water. Nothing else, and so much pleasure ;) But of course we may enrich the original recipe to pamper our little tastebuds.

This is my way to prepare them:

1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 cup all purpose flour (I prefer wholewheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
optional: 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Mix well, set aside.

In another bowl, mix:
1/2 soymilk
1/3 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp Soy yoghurt
1 tsp agave syrup

Add both mixtures and stir like mad. If the dough appears to be too thick, add small amounts of water until it's of pancake dough consistence. Heat non-stick frying pan, spread with a little bit vegetable oil, and bake your galettes!
You will need a really big and flat spatula for turning. When first making them, I tried it with a wooden one which was about 4mm thick and that didn't work at all, I destroyed two pancakes until I realized the problem ;)

Traditionally served with beurre salé (salty butter), of course you can use salted margarine. But my favourite beneath fresh fruit - which makes them crêpes again, then, haha - is a freshly prepared tomato and arugula salad and this spread.

1001 nuts Cookies

I was craving for something sweet and grainy, fruity and crispy and soft all in one. I thought of something like a homemade fruit bar. It was 10 p.m. and that's the time when most German Shops are closed, so I had to improvise with the stuff I had at home.

Many variations with any kind of your favourite nuts and seeds are possible of course. This one is quite cool for quick and healthy breakfast, for taking it to work as a yummy snack if you need quick energy, and it's perfect for children at school or for sport. The cookies are not sticky at all in contrast to most muesli bars, not too sweet but super fruity.
Of course you could also add finely chopped dried fruit like raisins or figs or apricots or berries for more sweetness... let me know what you did!



makes 15-18

2 small (or one average) sour organic apples
80-100 ml coconut milk
3 tbsp agave syrup
2 tsbp each of sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, linseeds, chopped cashews, tahini
4-5 tbsp rolled oats
dash of vanilla seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cardamom capsule, finely grinded
if necessary, a bit orange juice
for the sweet tooth: 1 tbsp mascovado sugar (not neccessary)
approx. 15-20 small circular rice papers

Grate apples very fine including skin. Add all except rice paper, mix very well and let steep for at least 10 minutes. Then work the dough well once again and form small balls about the size of big cherries. The consistence is quite fluffy, not too sticky, so if you have difficulties with rolling and it falls apart, add a bit more liquid and a bit of flour (only a small amount or you'll taste it afterwards!). Press balls on rice papers and slightly pat to flatten.
Bake 20-30 min. at 160°C (320°F). The outside should be slightly crisp and the inside soft and moist.

Many variations with any kind of your favourite nuts and seeds are possible of course This one is quite cool for breakfast, it's not very sweet but fruity. Of course you could also add finely chopped dried fruit like raisins or figs or apricots or berries for more sweetness... let me know what you did!

Healthy Hangover Breakfast Waffles

Detox!

(for about 6-7 waffles)
2 cups soy/rice/almond milk
1 tbsp white vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/4 cup warm water
1/2 banana, mashed
-> mix and blend until smooth.

2 cups buckwheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
dash of salt
a bit brown sugar and/or agave syrup if you like it sweet
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla seeds

-> combine well and add milk mixture, beat until smooth and bubbly. If it's too sticky, add a little bit of water or orange juice. But not too much! Dough must be slightly thicker than the one for pancakes.

Spread waffle iron with sunflower oil and bake bake bake until you have a huge pile of steaming hot crispy waffles! Serve with any kind of fruit, syrup or nut spread you like. I had a bit of homemade plum sauce, soy yoghurt, tahini and redcurrants. Purrrrrr......

Vegan Chocolate Bananarama cake

Baking day! Today, I invented a vegan cake recipe all by myself. I was a bit afraid that it wouldn't work, but it turned out really delicious! Tell me if you liked it!!!! It's really easy to make :)

Vegan chocolate bananarama cake
(for one medium spring pan or baking pan)

Dough
200g wholemeal wheat flour
100g dried dates, finely chopped
100g brown sugar
50g oat rolls
50g cocoa powder (the dark one without sugar)
100g cold margarine
250ml soy cream or oat based cream (I used "oatly", I don't know if that is known outside of Germany)

Mix everything well with a blender and put in spring form in a way that the margins are also covered (look at my pictures to you get an idea of it - just like when you make a pastry).

Filling
1 big organic banana (ripe)
2 or 3 fresh not too ripe apricots
a handful of blueberries
4 Tbsp Vanilla sugar
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp ginger powder
a dash of nutmeg
a dash of ground black pepper
a few drops of fresh lemon juice

Chop banana and apricots in very small pieces and mix with the rest using a fork and mashing the banana a bit.
Now, fill the mixture in the pan and flatten evenly. If you like, you can sprinkle a bit of extra sugar or honey.

Bake at 190°C for 20-25 minutes (be careful not to burn!).

Vegan Gooseberry Scones

I bought a pound of lucious dark red gooseberries on the farmers' market yesterday. They're perfectly ripe and super sweet, and they taste divine in my muesli. But there are so mny of them that I probably had to eat three mueslis each day, and so I thought about baking something, I was in the mood anyway as it had been Jule's birthday last week and she had invited me for a girls' evening today to celebrate it bit (her only occupation at the moment is revising for her final exams which start in a week, and she's nearly on her last legs now... so she decided not to have a big party now and to catch up on that in a few weeks). We will have a lot of sweets, watching silly TV shows, smoke a lot and comb our hair. What girls do when they're alone. haha :)
As a little surprise for her, I made these vegan scones, a perfect use for my gooseberries!

The recipe is based on a really yummy one by Kirsten Holiday on Post Punk Kitchen (goooooooorgeous website for vegans!!!), and I added a few ingredients. So, this is my modified recipe:

Vegan Gooseberry Scones
(for 12 Scones or Cupcakes)

300g flour
4 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp vanilla sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
100g vegan butter substitute
200g soy yoghurt (I took mango flavour)
150 - 200g mashed gooseberries
200g soy cream
120g rolled oats
50g chocolate chips
hundredsandthousands and sugar writing for decoration (or whatever you like)

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilly sugar and salt. Add butter substitute and crumble.
Then, mix yoghurt, cream and berries in another bowl until smooth and blended well and add to the flour mixture. Stir well but not too long to not make it goopy. Lastly, add oats and chocolate chips and mix them under the dough.

Put it into a muffin form (what I did) or make scones (explained by Kirsten).

Bake 15-20 Minutes at 200°C.

Vegan Burger Party

Mjammm, Mr P and me were at our friend Charlie's house yesterday for a Veggie burger party. She invented this delicious recipe:

Veggie Burgers
(serves 4 hungry people)

250g cooked kidney beans (canned)
2 onions (roughly chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 bunch of basil
3 dried tomatoes
5 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
a dash of chilli powder
a dash of caraway seeds
black pepper (as much as you like)
100g breadcrumbs

Puree everything except breadcrumbs with a hand blender. Form flat burgers and roll in breadcrumbs. Fry in pan with a bit of olive oil or bake in oven for about 10-15 min at 170 °C.

We had big bowls and plates with all the things you need for delicious burgers: Tomatoes, Salad, pickled gherkins, dried roast onions, burger sauce, ketchup, cheese slices (for non-vegans), chilli sauce... and of course bread rolls and french fries.
For dessert, we had vegan vanilla pudding/jelly and organic bananas (Mr P's idea. I love him so much, nearly as much as bananas :D)


...and much later, it all ended up in a very mexican red-wine-and-tequila-celebration... Hu-La and nomnomnom, my friends!

Vegan Thursday.

I established a no-fastfood-but-tasty day per week for Mr P a few weeks ago, he wants to eat healthier now he has become a football coach for 10-12 year old kids (they seem to run faster than him, he he).

This was the first result:
Organic spelt bread, red pepper, sweet chilli sauce (loads), vegan pumpkin/carrot stars.

He liked it, jippieh.

This week, I was a bit more brave: I cooked some butterflies. Haha. Course not. Look.

Basmati rice with veggie bolognese for the wings, very hot chilli sauce for the antennae and cucumber stir fry for the body.

Cucumber Stirrrrrrr-Frrrry
(serves one hungry girl)

1 big fresh organic cucumber
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
a handful of walnuts (from the tree of your trust)
soy sauce
black pepper
salt
ground nutmeg
a small piece of fresh ginger
1 Tbsp balsamico

Roast walnuts in oil until they're golden. Add cucumber, let stew for a few minutes while you reduce heat. Add all spices. If you like it sharp (I dooooo!), add some fresh or dried chillies aswell. But be careful.

Oh I love playing with food! Do you?

vegan L-Love

Got a new favourite series: The L-Word. In fact, I fell in love with Shane at the first glance, and it inspires me in a strange way... Uhm, too much detail ;) At any rate, it inspires me culinarily.... example: Kit's Polenta pear tarte she sells in The Planet. I discussed it with mummy, and from somewhere deep in her many many recipe notes, she conjured a polenta tarte recipe. Not pears, but apples, no matter. I translated it into Vegan Love Language. There you are:



Polenta Whatsoever-Fruit Tarte
(for a 28cm-spring form)

750ml Soy milk (if you are a sweetie, take the vanilla flavoured one)
375 ml water
dash of salt
dash of saffron
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
2 Tbsp brown sugar


--> bring to a boil.
Then add

200g polenta

and simmer for about 15 - 20 min. (be careful not to scorch or boil over)
Take from the stove and let cool a bit, then add

75 g raisins or sliced dates
1 big mashed banana




Take the spring form and grease it with a little bit of canola or sunflower oil,
then spread some ground almonds into it.

Fill the cooled polenta mixture in the springform.
Now decide which fruit you would like to use: good are sour apples, pears, mango, peach, apricot. You will need about 400 g in total, slice it roughly and put it one the cake.

Finally: Mix
6 Tbsp coconut cream and
2 Tbsp brown sugar

and spread it evenly on the top of the cake.

Let bake for about 30-35 min at 200°C.
Eat warm (tastes likea wonderful semolina pudding) or cool (tastes like some kind of crazy mouth-watering cheese cake).

Hope you like it. Let me know!