Ingredients

1 large ripe avocado, peeled
1 zucchini, cleaned
half a medium cucumber, cleaned
a handful of fresh basil, cleaned
250-300 ml almond milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
juice of half a lemon
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
a few pinches of dried, powdered ginger
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons coriander infused oil (here’s how you can prepare it: place 2-3 teaspoons coriander seeds in a glass jar and add 150-200 ml extra virgin olive oil, seal and leave in a cool, dark place to infuse for about two weeks. You can either strain the oil or leave the coriander seeds in for a stronger flavour)
freshly ground green pepper, to taste
fresh chives, if desired, for garnish

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Combine the avocado, zucchini, cucumber, basil, almond milk, lemon juice, salt, ginger and olive oil in a blender and blend on high until very smooth. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes then ladle into bowls or dishes. Add a drizzle of coriander infused oil, sprinkle with some green pepper and garnish with chives if desired.

Ingredients

50 ml GMO-free vegetable cream (I used almond cream), unsweetened and unflavoured
50 ml almond milk, unsweetened and unflavoured
120 g rice malt syrup
50 g hazelnut butter
50 g almond butter
100 g dark fairtrade chocolate (70% cocoa), broken into pieces and melted in a bain-marie
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1-2 handfuls of dried sour cherries
1 large handful of coarsely chopped hazelnuts

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Pour the vegetable cream and almond milk into the bowl of your mixer, add the rice malt syrup, hazelnut butter, almond butter and process for a couple of minutes until combined. Slowly add the melted chocolate and process again until smooth. Put the mixture into the fridge for about 10-15 minutes then transfer it into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 30-40 minutes should be enough to make a creamy, thick ice cream. 3-4 minutes before the end of the cycle, add the dried sour cherries and chopped hazelnuts. At the end of the cycle, remove the ice cream from the machine and divide it into bowls or glasses. Eat your ice cream right away or keep it in the freezer until serving time.

Ingredients

150 g rice malt syrup
130 g raw almond butter
20 g raw coconut oil
50 ml almond milk (unflavoured and unsweetened)
65 ml almond cream, or other GMO-free, vegetable cream (unflavoured and unsweetened)
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon

Makes 2-4 servings.

Directions

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer and process until smooth. Transfer the mixture into the fridge for about 30 minutes then pour it into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. 40 minutes should be enough to make a creamy, thick ice cream. At the end of the cycle, remove the ice cream from the machine and divide it into bowls. Eat the ice cream right away or keep it in the freezer until serving time.

Ingredients

For the cake

150 g semi-whole wheat flour
150 g millet flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
half a teaspoon cream of tartar
4 Granny Smith apples
160 ml unsweetened and unflavoured almond milk
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
170 g rice malt syrup
a few pinches of vanilla powder

For the rice malt caramel sauce

250 g rice malt syrup
150 ml vegetable cream (I used almond cream)
a pinch of whole sea salt
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons filtered water

Makes 1 cake (20-22 cm). 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. In a bowl, combine wheat flour, millet flour, salt and cream of tartar. Peel, core and thinly slice 2 apples. Line a cake pan (20-22 cm) with parchment paper and arrange the apple slices in a single layer on it on concentric circles, making sure there are no gaps. Peel, core and cut into pieces the remaining apples and put them in the bowl of a mixer, add the almond milk, olive oil, rice malt syrup and vanilla and process until very smooth. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together quickly. Pour the batter on top of the sliced apples and bake for 40-45 minutes.

To make the rice malt caramel sauce, combine the rice malt syrup, vegetable cream, salt, muscovado and vanilla in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down a bit and continue  to cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring regularly. Do not overcook. Add cornstarch, cook for a few more minutes, until the sauce thickens further to your preferred sauce consistency. Turn off the heat.
Remove the cake from the oven, let cool slightly for 5-10 minutes, transfer the cake onto a wire rack or a plate, pour the rice malt caramel sauce on top of it and let cool completely before serving.

Ingredients

200 g fair trade dark chocolate (70% cacao)
90 g quinoa flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
115 g rice malt syrup
55 g maple syrup, grade B or C
4 tablespons powdered flax seeds, mixed with 12 tablespoons filtered water
50 g hazelnut butter
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
6 tablespoons almond milk, unflavoured and unsweetened

Makes 30-35 brownies.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170° C. Lightly oil and flour a 20 cm square (stainless steel) baking pan. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie.
Combine the quinoa flour, salt, cinnamon, cream of tartar in a medium bowl and stir. In another bowl, combine the rice malt syrup, the maple syrup, flax seeds, hazelnut butter, olive oil, hazelnut oil and almond milk. Add the chocolate as soon as it has melted, and stir well. Fold the wet into the dry ingredients, stir again until perfectly combined then spread evenly in the baking pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick plunged into the center comes out slightly moist with batter. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then unmold the cake and transfer onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and let cool a bit more before serving.

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

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

For the crust

The recipe is here. You will need about 80-100 g of dough in order to make 2 tart shells. of about 15 cm. The quantities vary according to the thickness you prefer for the single shells.

For the hazelnut cream

200 ml almond milk
a pinch of whole sea salt
2 tablespoons hazelnut butter
1 teaspoon thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon agar agar powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch (GMO-free), dissolved in 2 tablespoons filtered water
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup

Quantities indicated here are enough for 2 tart shells of about 15 cm. To fill a single larger tart you will of course have to double or triple the quantities.

To complete

coarsely chopped hazelnuts, to taste
thyme leaves, preferably fresh, to taste
rice malt syrup, to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180° C. When you’re ready to roll the dough, take it from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface, dust your rolling-pin with flour and roll the dough out to the desired thickness (3-4 mm). Oil your tart pans and sprinkle with a light coating of flour. Arrange the dough in the pans, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork to let the steam escape, and transfer the pans into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden (cooking time varies according to the thickness). Let cool a tiny bit before removing the tart from the pan and filling with the cream.

To make the hazelnut cream, pour the almond milk in a pan over low heat, then add the salt. Stir, add the hazelnut butter and keep stirring until it has completely melted. Add the thyme, using a tea infuser spoon or ball, and turn the heat to medium-high. Remove the thyme/infuser after 3-5 minutes and add the agar agar, while you stir until it has dissolved. Add the cornstarch and keep stirring for a few more minutes until the mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat, add the rice malt syrup and stir to combine. If the texture of the cream is grainy, mix with an immersion blender to make it smoother. Set aside to cool slightly before you fill the tarts.

To complete, fill the tarts with the hazelnut cream, scatter the hazelnuts and thyme leaves over the top and drizzle with the rice malt syrup.

Ingredients

For the pannacotta

350 ml almond milk
150 ml almond cream (or other vegetable cream, preferably rice based cream)
3 tablespoons agave syrup
a pinch of vanilla powder
2 1/2 teaspoons agar agar powder

For the cacao and carob sauce

2 teaspoons cacao powder
4 teaspoons carob powder
2 teaspoons tahin
4 teaspoons agave syrup
3 teaspoons raw almond cream
9 teaspoons almond milk

To complete

2-3 fresh prickly pears, peeled and crushed or puréed just before serving
agave syrup, to taste

Makes 4 servings.

To make the pannacottas, pour the milk and cream into a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Add the agave and the vanilla and stir well. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the agar agar and keep stirring until dissolved, 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful as the mixture might stick to the bottom of the saucepan if left for too long without stirring. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into small pudding molds. Set aside and allow to cool -first at room temperature and then in the fridge- for at least 2 to 3 hours. You can unmold the pannacottas when they are cold and completely firm.

To make the cacao and carob sauce, whisk the cacao powder, carob powder, tahin, agave syrup, almond cream and milk together. Keep refrigerated until shortly before serving.

To serve, place the pannacottas on the individual serving plates, pour some cacao and carob sauce over them, mix the prickly pear pulp with the agave syrup and complete the dessert presentation. Serve immediately.