March 8th, 2013
The cookbook manuscript has been submitted! And even though there is still a lot of work to be done in the editing stage, this is a huge relief. The past few weeks have been extremely busy and very exciting. Getting feedback from our amazing recipe testers has been so fulfilling, and I learned so much along the way. Time to celebrate with a recipe for something sweet.
After finishing the manuscript and clicking Send, I thought I would need a very long break from the kitchen. Instead, I turned around and baked this celebratory tart, inspired by how sweet both the pineapples and mangoes have been at our markets.
I had never before baked with pineapple, and this first experience left me wondering why I didn’t think to do it earlier. Baked pineapple is delicious, its flavours become maximized and caramelized, and it looses some of its aggressive acidity. And when combined with sweet, smooth Champagne mangoes and a hint of lime juice, it is sure to be a hit. Enjoy.
Pineapple and Mango Tart
(makes one 9-inch / 23 cm tart)
for the crust
8 tablespoons coconut oil – melted, plus more for greasing the tart pan
1/2 cup (90 g) brown rice flour
1/2 cup (65 g) garbanzo flour – (I make my own by grinding sprouted and dried garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca flour
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 tablespoons ice water
for the filling
1 tablespoon almond flour
1/2 – 3/4 large ripe pineapple – skin removed, cored and thinly sliced
1 ripe mango – peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
zest of 1 lime
to make the crust
1. Pour the coconut oil into a small shallow dish and put it into the freezer for 10 minutes. Lightly oil your tart pan. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of vanilla extract and ice water. Pulse several times to combine.
2. Take the coconut oil out of the freezer and cut it right in the dish, into 1/4-inch cubes. Add the cubes into the food processor and pulse until the coconut oil is broken down into tiny granules and the mixture resembles sand. Add the vanilla extract and 4 tablespoons of ice water, and pulse until the dough either forms a ball or sticks together when pressed between your fingers. If not, add one more tablespoon of ice water.
3. Turn the dough onto your working surface and quickly knead, forming a ball. Flatten it with the palm of your hand and press into the tart pan, starting with the bottom and working it up the sides. Make sure that the crust is of even thickness throughout. Prick several times with a fork and refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
to assemble and bake the tart
1. Preheat oven to 395 F (200 C). Take the crust out of the refrigerator and sprinkle the bottom with the almond flour. Arrange the fruits in a circular patter, alternating them inside the crust and filling it tightly. Sprinkle with coconut sugar.
2. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the fruits are soft and caramelized. Brush with the lime juice and sprinkle with the lime zest when still hot. Let cool before unmolding and slicing.
Tags: book, gluten free, mango, pineapple, recipe, tart, vegan
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February 5th, 2013
This post is also available in: French
It’s hard to believe, but soon it will be a year since we began working on the book. This has been a very exciting and challenging time and now we’re just several weeks away from turning in the manuscript to the publisher.
A couple of friends have been testing our recipes, but we need more help. We’re wondering if some of you will be interested in trying out one or two of our recipes and giving us your feedback within two weeks. We need to make sure that the instructions are clear, the measurements – accurate, and of course that everything tastes good. We will express our gratitude in the book and your names will be there as well.
We’d like to remind you that the upcoming book includes all vegetarian, mostly vegan and gluten-free recipes – it is not a raw food book. You will not need a dehydrator, there will be no opening of young coconuts or any other techniques specific to raw food making. We do have raw alternatives to several recipes in the book if that interests you.
Update: Thank you many times over for all your support. Right now, we’ve got all the help we need with the recipe testing.
Please email us at [email protected] with the subject line Recipe Testing if you’d like to participate.
Let us know:
– if you are a strict vegan
– what country/hemisphere you live in
– if you own a high-speed blender
– if you are allergic to a certain type of food
We will designate recipes according to this information. We specifically need people from the Southern hemisphere for the testing of our summer recipes.
Thank you so much!
Tags: book
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November 11th, 2012
This post is also available in: French
We’ve been waiting for so long to announce this news that I am having a hard time writing a cohesive first sentence. But here it is – we are working on a cookbook! It will be published by Roost Books and is due to come out in the Spring of 2014. We’ve been working on it all summer with the help of our wonderful editor over at Roost and the amazing Alison Fargis of Stonesong as our agent. The book will be hardcover, with all new recipes, and lots of photos of course.
Although the book will be a continuation of this blog in many ways, we are taking a bit of a different approach to it. We took into consideration all the emails and comments received from readers over these past two and a half years and left out most of the hard-to-find ingredients and unconventional techniques. It is really important to us that the recipes in this book are accessible to everyone, while still original and nutritious.
All the recipes are vegetarian, mostly vegan, and gluten-free. Many of them have instructions for both cooked and raw preparation. We are also working on a Play Time chapter where we cook with and for kids, knowing that so many of you are particularly interested in a healthier way of feeding the little ones.
It’s hard to describe how excited and immensely grateful we are for this opportunity. We want to thank each and every one of you for your support – visits, comments, emails – this book would have never happened without your encouragement.
The book has kept me busy, and I’ve hardly noticed the holiday season sneaking up. The days have become much shorter, and the air has been crisp and chilly. This is the perfect time to cure any hot chocolate cravings. This hot chocolate is spicy, rich, and heart-warming. Enjoy the season and celebrate with us. Cheers!
Spiced Hot Chocolate
3 cups hazelnut or almond milk
1 cinnamon stick
1-inch piece of fresh ginger – peeled and sliced
freshly ground nutmeg – to taste
1 vanilla bean – seeds scraped out
5 tablespoons coconut sugar or to taste
1 cup shredded cocoa butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup mesquite powder
2 tablespoons maca powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
In a medium saucepan, combine the nut milk, cinnamon stick, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla seeds and pod, and coconut sugar. Bring to a near boil, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Remove from heat, cover and let infuse for 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, melt cocoa butter on a double boiler. Add in the rest of the ingredients, mix until smooth. Strain the milk and gradually add it into the chocolate mixture, mixing to combine as you go. Enjoy and stay warm.
Tags: book, drink, hot chocolate, nutmeg, recipe
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