Ingredients

For the filling (quantitites are enough for 3 -8 cm- tartlets)

120 g fresh blueberries, cleaned
60 g fresh raspberries, cleaned and crushed
the juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons agave syrup
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
4-5 fresh figs, cleaned and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon muscovado sugar

For the crust

See this recipe.

To complete

unbleached, powdered sugar

Makes 3 tartlets.

Directions

Combine the blueberries, raspberries, lemon juice, agave syrup and vanilla in a bowl and toss. Refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Add the figs, toss gently and set aside.
Make the tartlet dough as explained in this recipe. Preheat the oven to 180° C. Take the dough (or just some of it) from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour, roll the dough out to the desired thickness (2-4 mm) and cut into squares. Oil some tiny pie pans or molds and sprinkle them with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough squares in the tins, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, trim off any excess round the edges and bake for about 5 minutes. Fill the tarts with the fruit (reserve some for serving), sprinkle some muscovado sugar on top and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes then unmold. Complete with the powdered sugar and serve with some of the left over fruit.

Ingredients

1 carrot, cleaned and grated
2 tablespoons powdered (finely ground) golden flax seeds
130 g almonds, peeled and coarsely ground
a handful of raisins, soaked in filtered water for about 10 minutes then drained
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
half a teaspoon grated nutmeg
half a teaspoon cardamom
a few pinches of vanilla powder
3 teaspoons raw almond butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
15 g coconut butter, softened
60 g agave syrup

Makes 15 treats.

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. When you have a homogeneous mixture, wet your hands, form into shaped cookies and dehydrate 10-12 hours or until the desired dryness is reached. This is a moist dough and it might take a while to dehydrate (dehydrating times also depend on the thickness of the dough). If you like these treats to be a little moist, you can certainly reduce the dehydrating time and store them in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

100 g 70% Fairtrade dark chocolate, chopped
400 g cooked amaranth
80 g semi-whole wheat flour
a few pinches of Himalayan salt
85 g agave syrup
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
3 large tablespoons natural blackberry preserves (made from fruit, with no added sugar)
unbleached (organic and Fairtrade) powdered sugar, to taste

Makes 8-10 mini-cakes

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie. When the chocolate is completely smooth, add the amaranth and stir well. Fold in the flour and salt then add the agave syrup, olive oil and blackberry preserves. Combine well to reach a soft but thick texture. Transfer the batter into individual ramekins or molds and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cakes will keep moist. Let cool for a little bit and serve the cakes slightly warm, molded or unmolded, with some powdered sugar sprinkled on top. They’re equally good served cold.

Ingredients

150 g vegan labneh or other vegan yogurt based cheese (see this recipe)
1 tablespoon unflavored and unsweetened soy yogurt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a handful of capers, soaked in filtered water for 15 minutes then rinsed, drained and chopped
a few fresh dill sprigs, cleaned and chopped
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon paprika
half a teaspoon sumac

Makes one small cup.

Directions

In a bowl, combine the vegan labne and soy yogurt and blend. Add the olive oil, chopped capers and dill and mix again. Season with salt, add the paprika and sumac, stir well and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with some paprika, sumac and dill and serve.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons ground flax seeds
150 ml filtered water
a large zucchini, cleaned and cut into pieces
2 handfuls of arugula, cleaned
a tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4-5 tablespoons sesame seeds
dried thyme, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
a few pinches of chili powder

Makes about 20 crackers (6cm x 7cm x 3mm).

Directions

Mix the ground flax seeds with te water and set aside. Put the zucchini and rocket in the bowl of a mixer and process for about one minute. Add the flax seed mixture, olive oil, garlic, sesame seeds, thyme and salt and process again at high speed until you reach a smooth texture. Add the white pepper and chili and mix again. Spread the mixture evenly on a sheet of parchment paper that you will have placed on the tray of a dehydrator. The thickness of the final crackers will be determined by the thickness of the layer of your zucchini mixture. Dehydrate until the mixture looks dried on both sides but it’s still pliable. Cut into squares or rectangles and dehydrate again until crunchy or until you reach your favorite texture. It may take up to 12 hours; this depends largely on the dehidrator you use and the temperature you set.

Ingredients

500 ml mixed berry tea (use your favourite blend)
a little squeeze of lemon juice
one quarter of a teaspoon vanilla powder
one quarter of a teaspoon powdered cloves
5 tablespoons rice malt syrup
3 teaspoons powdered agar agar

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Pour the mixed berry tea into a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the lemon juice, vanilla and cloves and stir. Stir in the rice malt syrup and cook for a couple of minutes then add the agar agar, and keep cooking for about 5 minutes, while stirring continuously. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the hot berry tea mixture into a baking pan (use a steel or ceramic oven pan), then set aside and allow to cool, first at room temperature then in the ridge (at least 2 to 3 hours). When it is cold and completely firm, you can cut the jelly into squares and serve.

Ingredients

150 g vegan plain biscuits (with no hydrogenated vegetable oils and no added refined sugar), very finely crushed (you can use a food processor or coffee grinder)
200 g cherry jam or cherry preserve, with no added sugar
30 g coconut oil, to be melted
40 g pure cocoa butter, to be melted
200 g fairtrade dark chocolate (70% cocoa), melted in a bain-marie
100 ml GMO-free vegetable cream
100 g almond butter
1-2 tablespoons hazelnut butter
2 handfuls of shelled hazelnuts, more or less finely chopped

Makes 15-20 balls.

Directions

In a bowl, mix well all the ingredients except the hazelnuts. Transfer into the fridge or freezer until set. Roll into balls and roll them in the chopped hazelnuts. Chill again until ready to serve.

Ingredients

multy grain or wholemeal bread, sliced (and lightly toasted, if you prefer)
maple syrup
hazelnut butter
fresh figs (ripe but firm), cleaned and cut into quarters
shelled hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
dark chocolate, preferably Fairtrade

Directions

Drizzle each slice of bread with maple syrup then pread some hazelnut butter on it. Arrange the figs, cut side up, on top of the bread, add the hazelnuts and some extra maple syrup. Shave some chocolate on top and serve.

Ingredients

350 g ripe strawberries, cleaned and coarsely puréed
150 g rice malt syrup
juice of half a lemon
half a teaspoon powdered cardamom
a few pinches of powdered vanilla
half a teaspoon agar agar powder, dissolved in 1 tablespoon filtered water

Makes about 1 jar.

Directions

Put the strawberries in a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the malt syrup, lemon, cardamom and vanilla and toss until combined. Cook the fruit over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, then turn the heat down to low and keep cooking for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the agar gar, stir well and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the fruit has thickened, stirring constantly to keep from sticking to the pan. Turn the heat off, pour the strawberry mixture into individual jars. Let cool before covering each jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 10 days, 2 weeks.

Ingredients

150 g semi-whole wheat flour
100 g whole oat flour
50 g coconut flakes
50 g golden flax seeds, finely ground
2 tablespoons cornstarch, GMO-free
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
110 g rice malt syrup
130 g coconut milk
150 ml oat milk, unflavoured and unsweetened
2 handfuls of sultana raisins, soaked in filtered water for 10-15 minutes then drained
a handful of hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
100 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), coarsely chopped

Makes about 12 muffins.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C. In a large bowl, combine the wheat flour, oat flour, coconut flakes, flax seeds, cornstarch, salt, baking soda and baking powder and stir to blend. In another bowl combine olive oil, rice malt syrup, coconut milk, oat milk and whisk well. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the ingredients are combined but don’t over mix the batter. Add the raisins, hazelnuts and chocolate and stir just to make sure they’re evenly incorporated into the batter. Fill the muffin cups or muffin tray with the batter, using a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for a couple of minutes, unmold the muffins and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Ingredients

150 g whole oatmeal flour
50 g semi-whole wheat flour
50 g whole kamut flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon baking soda
80 ml almond milk, plain (unflavoured) and unsweetened
90 ml extra virgin olive oil
150 g rice malt syrup
60 g unrefined cane sugar such as muscovado

Makes 18-20 cookies.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. In a large bowl, mix oatmeal, wheat flour, kamut flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk together almond milk, oil, rice malt and muscovado, using a blender or food processor. Stir the liquid into the dry mixture. Make sure that everything is well combined. Line a baking tray with parchment-paper, scoop up a spoonful of batter and drop it onto the tray. Repeat with the remaining mixture. Bake 15-20 minutes, until deep golden. Be careful not to overbake. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a glass jar.

Ingredients

150 g whole rice, washed in cold water, well drained then cooked in water until very tender
160 g rice malt syrup
3 tablespoons light and fruity extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 organic lemon, grated
3 tablespoons whole rice flour
80 g corn flour (GMO-free)
a pinch of whole sea salt
a few pinches of vanilla powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch (GMO-free)
3 handfuls of sultanas, soaked in 3 tablespoons mirin for about 15 minutes then drained and pat dried
powdered brown cane sugar or extra fine almond flour, to serve

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170° C. Place cooked rice, malt syrup and oil in the bowl of a mixer and process until very smooth. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add all remaining ingredients and stir well until everything is incorporated. Place a sheet of parchment-paper on a baking tray and scoop up a spoonful of batter and drop it onto the parchment-paper. Repeat with remaining mixture. Once the fritters have been placed on the baking sheet bake for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden on both sides (you can turn the fritters over with a spatula). Remove from the oven, transfer onto a plate, absorb any excess oil with kitchen paper (this step shouldn’t be really necessary), sprinkle with some powdered sugar or almond flour and eat warm.

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g semi-whole wheat flour
80 g wholemeal flour
120 g almond flour
40 g unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
50 g muscovado sugar
half a teaspoon vanilla powder
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
a pinch of whole sea salt
180 g barley malt syrup
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
200 ml almond milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
100 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)

For the chocolate sauce

300 ml almond milk, unsweetened
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
2 teaspoons ginger juice
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cacao powder, sifted
half a teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon filtered cold water

For the chocolate ganache

150 g dark chocolate (70% cacao), broken into pieces
200 g rice malt syrup
50 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, GMO-free)
half a teaspoon fine ground Himalayan salt

To complete

chopped candied ginger (candied with dark brown sugar), to taste
dark chocolate curls (made with a vegetable peeler dragged down one side of the chocolate block from top to bottom), to taste

Makes 16-20 squares.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) cake pan, or alternatively, lay down a sheet of parchment paper on your cake pan. In a large bowl, sift together the semi-whole wheat flour, wholemeal flour, almond flour, cacao powder, muscovado, vanilla, cream of tartar, cornstarch and salt. Mix well.
Place the barley malt syrup, extra virgin olive oil, almond milk and almond cream in a bowl and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is blended. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. The centre of the cake should be firm but still a little moist (use a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the almond milk, rice malt syrup, ginger juice, vanilla extract, ginger powder and salt in a saucepan and start cooking over low heat. Add the cacao powder while you keep stirring. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, then add the cornstarch and cook for another minute or until the sauce is slightly thick (don’t stop stirring while it thickens). Let cool for a few minutes but not too long as the sauce will thicken a bit further as it cools.

When the cake has cooled, remove it from the pan and cut into squares. Poke a few holes in the squares, using a fork or stick. Pour some chocolate sauce over them little by little and let it soak in. Set aside for a while, to let cool again and let the sauce make everything moist. In the meantime you can make the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate in a saucepan together with the rice malt syrup, almond cream and Himalayan salt and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat as soon as the chocolate has completely melted and everything is combined. Let cool for a bit then pour the ganache over the top of  the cake squares and garnish with the candied ginger and chocolate curls.

Ingredients

100 g quinoa flour
200 g semi-whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
half a teaspoon cardamom powder
200 ml plain (unflavoured) and unsweetened rice milk
70 ml extra virgin olive oil
80 g rice malt syrup
20 ml maple syrup (grade C)
100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces
3 handfuls of dried sour cherries

Makes 10-12 muffins.

Directions

Preheat oven to 180° C. In a large bowl,  combine the quinoa flour, wheat flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, salt, baking soda, cardamom powder and stir to blend well. In another bowl combine the milk, olive oil, rice malt syrup, maple syrup and whisk well. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until the ingredients are combined but make sure you don’t over mix the batter. Add the chocolate and cherries and give another stir just to make sure they’re evenly incorporated into the batter. Fill the muffin cups or muffin tray with the batter, using a spoon. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven, let cool for a couple of minutes, unmold the muffins and place them on a wire rack to let cool.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

If you want to enjoy the bits of melted chocolate, eat the muffins while they’re still warm. Or whenever you fancy one, you can always warm it up. Anyways, they’re equally good cold. 

Ingredients

100 g dark chocolate, fair trade
2 tablespoons plain oat milk
1 pinch whole sea salt
100 g barley malt syrup
200 g almond butter
70 g whole puffed barley

Makes 20 treats.

Directions

In a saucepan in a bain-marie, melt the chocolate with the milk and salt, stirring constantly. As soon as it’s melted, remove the chocolate from the fire and add the barley malt syrup. Stir to combine and add the almond butter. Stir very well and add the puffed barley. When everything is well incorporated and the barley is coated with the chocolate and almond butter mixture, wet your hands and roll the mixture into balls with a flat bottom. Place on a sheet of parchment paper or a tray and let cool for about 30-40 minutes (you might want to refrigerate them if your kitchen is to warm). When they’re set, enjoy at room temperature. They keep for up to 3-4 days (if it’s too warm, store them in the fridge, but remember that they’re more gooey at a standard room temperature).