July 24th, 2013
Frozen Berry Cheesecake on a Sunflower Crust
Food blogs have become a big part of my life, and there are so many that I look at for inspiration and ideas daily. I often feel like I know some of the people behind them very well, even though we’ve never met. David, Luise and Elsa of Green Kitchen Stories are certainly among those people. Theirs was one of the very first food blogs I started reading and a major inspiration for Golubka.
GKS combines gorgeous photography, amazing ideas, simple and clever recipes, and overall irresistible charm. It is definitely the blog that I cook from the most, and it’s no surprise that I was impatiently awaiting the arrival of their first cookbook Vegetarian Everyday.
The book is absolutely stunning, full of amazing photography and approachable, nourishing recipes. I’ve cooked quite a bit from it – all to delicious and healthy results. Today I will be sharing two favourite recipes – Orange-Kissed Seed Crackers and Frozen Berry Cheesecake.
The crackers became a sort of obsession for me and Paloma and I’ve made them numerous times, using different types of flours like buckwheat, quinoa and spelt. They taste great in all variations and go well with the Sage and Walnut Pate, Rhubarb and Pear Compote, or just about anything else.
The Frozen Berry Cheesecake is made with strawberries in the book, but I used blackberries instead due to the abundance of beautiful blackberries at the local market. And I cannot say enough about the sunflower crust, which is simple and incredibly tasty. Regardless of the type of fruit you use for this cheesecake, it is sure to be a winner and a breeze to make. Paloma has requested that I make it again for her birthday, which is coming in August.
I’ve also made their Quinoa Cakes and Beet Bourguignon, and am intrigued by the Apple Ketchup, Swedish Crispbread, Vegetable Chorizo and Elderflower Lemonade to name a few. Next on my list is the Mascarpone “Beanotto” with Oyster Mushrooms and Spinach.
Thank you David, Luise and Elsa for such a beautiful book! For more amazing recipes, check out Vegetarian Everyday.
Orange-Kissed Seed Crackers
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup flax seeds – ground
1/2 cup hemp seeds
scant 1 cup amaranth, quinoa or almond flour
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all the seeds. Scoop out about a quarter of the seeds and reserve for the topping. Add flour, salt and olive oil to the bowl together with 1 1/4 cups cups of water. Stir to combine. You should now have a loose batter. If it’s not loose enough, add some more water.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour the batter over the parchment paper and spread with a spatula as thinly as you can.
4. Bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the honey/maple syrup and orange juice in a small bowl. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, brush the cracker with the orange glaze and sprinkle with the reserved seeds. I also added a handful of pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of poppy seeds.
5. Cut into 2 inch pieces and bake for 30 more minutes or until crunchy.
Frozen Berry Cheesecake on a Sunflower Crust
for the crust
2 1/2 cups sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons hemp seeds – optional
12 fresh medjool dates – pitted
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
for the filling
2 cups fresh berries such as strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries or frozen unsweetened berries, or other fruit
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup honey or agave syrup
2 cups Greek yogurt (or vegan cream cheese for a vegan version)
to make the crust
1. Toast the sunflower seeds on a baking sheet in a 350 F oven for 6-8 minutes. Let cool.
2. Pulse in a food processor together with the hemp seeds for about 20 seconds, the seeds should be chopped but not powdered.
3. Add the dates, coconut oil and salt and to the food processor and process until the mixture sticks together. Transfer the mixture into an 8-inch springform cake pan and press it against the bottom to create the crust. Place in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
to make the filling
1. Puree the berries (if using blackberries or raspberries, strain out the seeds), lemon juice and honey in a food processor or blender. Pour into a large bowl and add the yogurt.
2. Mix well and pour on top of the crust in the cake pan. Put in the freezer for 1 1/2 hours or until no longer soft.
3. Top with more berries and edible flowers for decoration. Slice and serve immediately or keep in the freezer for a few days, but let it thaw for about 20 minutes before serving.
Tags: blackberries, book review, cheesecake, crackers, recipe, sunflower seed, vegetarian everyday
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January 9th, 2013
This post is also available in: French
Aran Goyoaga hardly needs an introduction. Her amazing blog Cannelle et Vanille attracts thousands of readers with its sunny photographs and clever gluten-free recipes. I waited for the arrival of her first cookbook Small Plates and Sweet Treats with little patience, but it was very much worth all of the wait. It is full of the same gorgeous photography and exciting ideas. Everything that I’ve made from the book so far has been more than delicious. Paloma and I cooked the Glazed Apple and Chestnut Bundt Cakes and the Chocolate, Beet and Almond Butter Molten Cakes for Thanksgiving. Then we tried the Chocolate Frangipane and Raspberry Tarts for our New Year’s celebration. Friends loved them all. I also haven’t been able to get enough of the Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup and these shortbread cookies – they are truly addictive.
Pink peppercorns have become somewhat of an obsession for me lately. They are so good on almost anything – in savoury dishes, as garnish for creamy soups, sprinkled on salads, and as an aromatic, spicy addition to a dessert. In these cookies, the combination of ingredients is mind blowing, the flavour is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. I tweaked Aran’s recipe a little by adding pumpkin seeds instead of pistachios and substituting regular butter with nut butters and ghee. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with adding ground pumpkin seeds in place of some flours in baked goods, and I’m really loving the results. Another thing that I’ve been making regularly is pistachio butter. Like any nut butter, it’s easy to make with the help of a food processor and is wonderful on its own or added to baked treats.
Look for many more inspiring recipes in the book.
Pink Peppercorn Cookies
(adapted from Small Plates and Sweet Treats)
makes about 50 cookies
1 cup pumpkin seeds – ground into flour in a food processor
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 teaspoons pink peppercorn – coarsely ground in a mortar with a pestle or in a dedicated coffee grinder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons almond butter
5 tablespoons pistachio butter
5 tablespoons ghee
1/2 cup honey or 3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 vanilla bean – seeds scraped out
3/4 cup powdered coconut sugar – for dusting
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine pumpkin seed flour with the other flours, starch, peppercorns and salt. Set aside.
2. Scrape seeds from the vanilla bean. In a bowl of a stand up mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all the butters with the honey/coconut sugar and vanilla bean seeds and beat until well incorporated and fluffy. Add in the dry mixture and mix everything into a dough.
Alternatively, use a hand mixer to combine the butters with honey/sugar and vanilla seeds and then add the butter mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix with a spoon, then knead with your hands to form a dough. If using coconut sugar, the dough will be drier and slightly harder to combine.
3. Place the dough on a work surface and shape it into 2 logs, about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap them in parchment paper and roll, trying to make the log as round as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, unwrap and cut into disks 1/4-inch thick. Place them on a parchment paper-covered baking tray about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes until the bottom is golden. Don’t over bake to prevent cookies from getting hard and dry. The cookies will be very soft when hot. Leave them to cool on the tray for 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar. Keep in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Tags: book review, cookies, gluten free, pink peppercorn, pumpkin seeds, recipe
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September 8th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
Lately, there has been news of a number of blog to book projects that left us absolutely thrilled (La Tartine Gourmande, Cannelle et Vanille, GKS, Roost), and the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook is the latest release in that field. Being huge fans of Sara and Hugh Forte, we could hardly wait to receive our pre-ordered copy in the mail.
The book is full of Sara’s wholesome, approachable recipes beautifully illustrated by Hugh’s virtuoso photography. After devouring it cover to cover and being very inspired to get cooking, I decided to start with these quinoa collard green wraps complete with a carrot-miso spread, beets, sprouts, and avocado. My minor adjustment was sprouting the quinoa instead of cooking it, as suggested in the original recipe, but whichever method you prefer, the result is sure to be delicious. These wraps are full of clean, vibrant flavours, accompanied by a nice, healthy crunch. Next on my list are the Edamame Dumplings and Brussel Leaf Baby Spinach Saute, yum!
Check out the book for much more serious sprouted goodness.
Quinoa Collard Wraps
(makes 4 wraps)
8 large collard greens leaves – washed and dried
2 cups quinoa – sprouted or cooked
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup roughly chopped carrots
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 small shallot – chopped
1 tablespoon of miso paste (I used unpasteurized chickpea miso from South River)
1 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil (decreased from the original 3 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups of grated raw beets
1 avocado – peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup sprouts or microgreens
Cut the end stems off each collard leaf and shave down the stalk, making it the same thickness as the rest of the leaf.
Mix tahini and a bit of lemon juice into the quinoa, set aside.
Combine carrots, ginger, shallot, miso paste, honey and vinegar in a food processor until smooth, adding sesame oil and salt at the end.
Using 2 leaves at a time, overlap them halfway to create a bigger wrapping surface. Place an even amount of carrot spread in each wrap. Top with quinoa, followed by beets, avocado and sprouts. Fold the collard sides over and roll tightly like a burrito. You can serve it immediately or store in the fridge, wrapped, for about 2 days.
Tags: beets, book review, carrots, collard greens, miso, quinoa, raw, recipe, salad, savoury, vegan, wraps
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