Ingredients

For the apricots

700-750 g fresh and ripe apricots, cleaned, pitted and cut into thin slices
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
the juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
half a teaspoon cardamom powder

For the crumble

300 g almond meal
5-6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
a few pinches of cinnamon powder
1 large tablespoon cocoa powder
a pinch of whole sea salt
70 g pure cocoa butter, melted
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon almond butter

Makes 4-6 servings.

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the apricots, rice malt syrup, lemon juice, vanilla extract, ginger and cardamom powder. Mix thoroughly and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, muscovado, cinnamon, cocoa powder and salt. Add the cocoa butter, olive oil and almond butter and rub ingredients together using your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for about 45 minutes.

Remove the apricots from the fridge, arrange the crumble randomly on top of the fruit and serve cool.

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

half a small head of cooked Romanesco broccoli (which should be about 180-200 g)
215 g cooked whole Baldo rice (which is about 150-170 g uncooked), preferably al dente
1-2 tablespoons raw sesame oil
1 tablespoons tahin
half a teaspoon powdered coriander seeds
half a teaspoon powdered cumin
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
freshly ground black pepper, just enough to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
a small handful of parsley leaves, preferably fresh, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cleaned and chopped chives, preferably fresh
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons ground white sesame seeds (you can grind them yourself in a spice or coffee grinder)

To complete

3 handfuls of peeled almonds
1 tablespoon flakes of nutritional yeast

Makes 16-18 balls.

Directions

Using a potato masher or fork, mash the broccoli until no large pieces remain. Transfer the broccoli mash into a large bowl, add the cooked rice, sesame oil, tahin, spices, salt, parsley, chives and sesame seeds (whole and ground) and stir well to combine all ingredients. To shape the balls, wet your hands with a little water to prevent the mixture from sticking. They should be slightly smaller than a golf ball. Set the balls aside on a sheet of parchment paper or a tray. In a coffee grinder, finely grind the almonds with the nutritional yeast. Roll the rice balls in the almond-yeast powder and serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

2-3 cups filtered water
2 teaspoons dried mint
a pinch of powdered cloves (or 1-2 whole cloves)
a pinch of powdered star anise (or 1 whole star anise)
200 g whole grain cous cous (I used whole spelt cous cous)
Himalayan salt, just enought o taste
2 tablespoons raw sesame oil
2-3 handfuls of raisins, soaked in filtered water for 10 minutes then drained and pat dried
3-4 chopped medjol dates, stones removed
2 handfuls of pistachios, peeled
2 handfuls of almonds, peeled
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
a pinch of chilli powder
seeds from 1 pomegranate
fresh mint leaves, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

First, make the spicy mint tea. Bring the water to a boil, add the mint, cloves and star anise, stir, remove from the heat and let everything infuse for about 1 minute. Filter and set aside.

Place the cous cous in a salad bowl (preferably large and low) and pour some of the mint tea over it (just enough to cover the cous cous). Cover with a lid and let the cous cous ‘cook’ for 1 to 2 minutes. Check doneness and add some more tea (which should be still very hot) if necessary, pouring it little by little. When the cous cous is ready (it should be al dente) fluff with a fork, add the salt and sesame oil and toss. Add the raisins, dates, pistachios, almonds, cinnamon, chilli and pomegranate seeds and toss again. Sprinkle with some fresh mint leaves. Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

1 medium zucchini (peeled and stems removed), coarsely chopped
a handful of almonds, peeled
1 teaspoon raw almond butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of white pepper
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
juice of half a lemon
a few fresh basil leaves, washed and pat dried

Makes 1 small cup.

Directions

Process all ingredients in a food processor until fairly smooth. Transfer into a serving bowl or individual mini glasses and add a few drops of olive oil. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use (do not prepare more than 2 hours in advance).

Thoughts, tips, ideas

This pate is delicious on crostini and crackers or paired with raw vegetables such as fennel and celery or carrot and cucumber sticks.

Ingredients

5 bananas, preferably Fairtrade, ripe enough, peeled
3 tablespoons almond meal
4 tablespoons agave syrup
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of powdered vanilla
juice of 1/2 a lemon
6 tablespoons raw almond butter
2 handfuls of fresh, ripe raspberries, crashed and blended with 2 teaspoons lemon juice (those should be prepared at the very end, just before serving).

Makes 4 servings.

Directions

Purée the bananas in a blender, add the almond meal, agave, salt, lemon and almond butter and continue processing until very smooth. Place into serving glasses or little cups and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Top with the crashed raspberries before serving.

Ingredients

For the almond-thyme ‘cheese’ (quantities for 1 cup)

1 cup peeled almonds, soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours (in the fridge)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon almond butter (from untoasted almonds)
fresh chopped thyme, to taste

For the pizza base

1 cup wholemeal wheat flour
1/2 a cup natural mineral or filtered water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of whole sea salt
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

For the topping

2-3 handfuls of rocket, washed, pat dried and sprinkled with some extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of whole sea salt and a little dried thyme
3-4 fresh figs, washed, trimmed and cut into wedges
almond-thyme cheese, to taste

Makes 1 pizza.

Directions

After soaking time, rinse the almonds and ground them in a food processor. Trasfer the ground almonds in a cup, add the lemon juice, salt, almond butter and thyme and mix using a fork or your fingers. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8  hours before using.

Preheat the oven to 180° C. Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder on to a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. In a jug, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the water and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the water with oil and slowly pour into the flour’s well. Using your hands, fold the flour into the water until mixture comes together. If it’s too wet and sticky, add some more flour. Knead for about 5 minutes and form a ball. Place the dough in a floured bowl, cover it with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for 10 minutes. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured board, and dust your hands, the dough, and the rolling pin with a little flour before rolling the dough out. While rolling it to the desired thickness, dust with more flour if necessary. Fit you pizza to a pizza pan or an oiled sheet of parchment paper. You can now poke a few holes with a fork. The pizza is now ready to be cooked.

Place the pizza base in the oven and bake for about 10-20 minutes (baking time will depend on the thickness of the base). Remove from the oven, let cool and top with the rocket, figs and almond-thyme ‘cheese’ (either cold or at room temperature) to taste.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

This pizza is best served cold or very slightly warm.

Feel free to substitute wholemeal flour with semi-whole. You can also use spelt and kamut (whole or semi-whole) instead of wheat.

Ingredients

150 g semi-wholemeal wheat flour
100 g cornmeal (OGM-free)
50 g almond flour
a pinch of whole sea salt
3 tablespoons cream of tartar
150 ml agave syrup
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
150 ml unsweetened, unflavoured soy milk (OGM-free)
1 tablespoon natural vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest (organic)
200 g long, light green zucchini, grated
8 zucchini flowers, washed, stems and pistils removed, and cut into 4 parts

Preheat oven to 180° C, lightly oil and flour a 20 cm round (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-wholemeal wheat flour, cornmeal, almond flour, salt, and cream of tartar. Mix well. Place the agave syrup, oil, soy milk, vanilla extract and lemon zest in a bowl and stir well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until the batter is blended. Stir in the grated zucchini and the zucchini flowers. Make sure everything is well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the centre is firm but still moist (use a wooden stick to check donness). Let cool before removing the cake from the pan.

Ingredients

For the soup

1/2 ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces
2 cucumbers, ends cut off, washed, peeled and cut into pieces
1/2 shallot, peeled and chopped
2 handfuls of almonds, peeled and soaked for 1 hour
juice of 1 lemon
3 teaspoons agave syrup
3 cm fresh ginger root, peeled
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (and some more for the garnish)
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
1/2 teaspoon powdered coriander seeds
a pinch of ground white pepper
a pinch of chilli powder (and some more to garnish, if desired)
1 cup of natural mineral or filtered water, chilled

For the pesto

3 handfuls of Brazilian nuts
2 cloves of garlic
4 large handfuls of fresh basil
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
zest of 1 lemon
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
natural mineral or filtered water, just enough to reach the right texture

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Place all the soup ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender and purée. You can add some more water if necessary. Once you finish processing, let the soup cool completely (freeze for the first 30 minutes then transfer into the fridge for another 30 minutes). In the meantime, you can prepare the pesto.

Coarsely chop the nuts in a food processor or coffee grinder. Peel and mince the garlic. Wash the basil leaves and break them with your fingers. Place the nuts and garlic in a (preferably marble) mortar and pound briefly with the pestle. Add the basil, salt and lemon zest and pound a bit more.  Slowly pour the olive oil  while you keep stirring with the pestle, then add the water, little by little, until you get  to the right texture (it should still be  a bit chunky to better complement the very light consistency of the soup).  If you don’t have a mortar, you can use a food processor to make the pesto but be careful not to overprocess and overheat the mixture, which would lose  both colour and taste. However, the best option is to use a mortar and pestle method. As soon as the soup is completely chilled, divide it into  individual serving cups and top with a dollop of pesto. Sprinkle over a little chilli powder, finish with another little drizzle of olive oil if desired and serve.

I like to consider the pasta I’m proposing today as a quite sophisticated but at the same time extremely simple, quick, cheap and delicious main course. This is definitely the sort of recipe that turns out to be useful when there are pastivore guests to satisfy, or when a last-minute meal has to be thrown together. If you’re going to test this recipe and can’t find sedani rigati, just go for another kind of wholemeal short pasta, like penne or rigatoni. I think the delicate nuttiness of the almonds and the sharp lemon flavour both pair exquisitely with the sweetness of the leek and shoyu. For my sedani I used organic lemons, an organic leek, organic shoyu and organic pasta. 

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

300 g wholemeal sedani pasta

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon shoyu

1 leek, trimmed and finely sliced

½ cup ground almonds

finely grated zest of 3 to 4 lemons

whole sea salt (to taste)

freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil and shoyu in a large non-stick pan over medium heat then gently stir fry the leek until golden, stirring in a little bit of water at a time to moisten the consistency. In the meantime cook the sedani in plenty of boiling and salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and throw it into the pan where you cooked the leek, add the lemon zest and almonds and sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and season with black pepper to taste.