Short post today. Supershort.
Let me just say that vegan overnight oat parfaits are perfection.
Oh yes, perfection.
Whether it’s your first attempt (chocolate) and it’s too liquidy..
Or your second attempt and it’s just right..
This Goldielocks is one happy camper!
All thanks to Angela over at Oh She Glows.
Happy Easter, everyone!
For the past two weeks I have been obsessed with bakes. It all started over the Edible Perspective with her baked buckwheat post.
If you haven’t stopped by her site yet, I suggest you do. Her bakes have been popping up all over the blogging world, as well as the rest of her fabulous recipes. My breakfasts just haven’t been the same since I started reading oh-so-long ago.
There’s been a few flops before I really got it right here. Then I purchased an Italian made soup crock and started experimenting outside of buckwheat (mostly for fear of running out..).
I’ve had 3 major successes. All have been inspired by Ashley’s original recipe.
The first is a blueberry kamut bake.
Stuffed full of wild blueberries and topped with vanilla bean coconut butter!
Blueberry Kamut Bake
1/4 cup raw kamut, ground finely
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon raw buckwheat groats
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 banana, mashed
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 2 1/2 tablespoons water)
1/4 cup wild blueberries (for filling)
Preheat your oven to 350 and grease your soup crock (or whichever baking vessel you choose to use). Mix up your flax egg and let that sit to the side while you’re working. Mix together your dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the banana, pumpkin, milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Add in the egg and mix again.
Spoon half of your mixture into the baking vessel and flatten with a spoon. Arrange the blueberries on top of the batter so there’s a slight border around them. Spoon the rest of your batter on top of the blueberries and flatten. Bake for 30 minutes and top with whatever your heart desires. As is the case with most bakes. 
Next up is a Mexican Cocoa Bake.
I used the leftover “filling” from my Blueberry Lime Cheesecake from the other day as a filling for my bake. Can you say YUM?!
Mexican Cocoa Bake
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon raw buckwheat groats
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 flax egg
1/2 banana, mashed
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons non dairy milk
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Following the same procedure as above, whip those ingredients up and stuff the bake with whatever you choose. Be it leftover “cheesecake”, coconut, berries or even just leaving it unstuffed; all options would be wonderful!
The last (but certainly not the least) bake I have for you today is of the savory variety. I enjoyed the bakes so much I started to wonder why I couldn’t make them for dinner, too! So experiment I did!
In my opinion it turned out extremely well. So well that I think I’ll make a larger version for Kyle and I to share sometime. Comfort food: Indian style!
Stuffed Indian Chickpea Bake
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1 tablespoon lentils
1 tablespoon flax meal
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch ground cloves
1 flax egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 tablespoons non dairy milk
2 cloves garlic, crushed
For the filling:
1 pitted date, diced
1/4 cup chopped frozen spinach
3 mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Pinch cumin
Saute the date, spinach, mushrooms and spices in a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat. Cook about 5 minutes or until the mushrooms start to brown a bit. Remove from heat, mix up your flax egg and get to mixing up that batter! Layer the ‘shroom mixture into the bake and stick that sucker in the oven!
This guy needs a little more oven time, so bake him for about 35-40 minutes.
I topped this bake with a little savory almond butter and a cranberry/chipotle/strawberry jam I threw together a few mornings ago.
I hope maybe there’s a bake that strikes your fancy in that list! I know I can’t stop with the bakes.
Once you start, you won’t be able to stop either..
I hope to be back tomorrow night for some exciting news!!
Obsessed for weeks with the idea of minty nut butter, I took the plunge tonight. At first I was a worried that it would be too bitter, too strong.
But Leon was standing there, ready and willing to whip the ingredients into submission.
So we attacked that mint extract and cocoa powder, forcing it to coexist with the walnuts and almonds. The result?
Heaven on a spoon.
I called it Peppermint Patty Butter at first, but it tastes more like a Thin Mint. Mmm.. liquid Thin Mints.
Now that’s dangerous.
Peppermint Patty/Thin Mint Butter
2 cups raw walnuts
1/2 cup raw almonds
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut
2 dates
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4-1/2 teaspoon mint extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Roast walnuts and almonds on separate cookie sheets at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
In a food processor, puree nuts, cocoa powder, coconut and dates until a smooth butter forms. This should take about 10 minutes. With the food processor running, add in extracts and salt.
Enjoy!
Today the clouds parted and the sun shone down on the newest addition to my kitchen:
I finally splurged and bought this bad boy. I originally went in to Kohls for the discontinued model. However, they were sold out of the discontinued model and sold me the stainless steel model for the same price! With my coupon and some Kohls cash, the total came to $52.05!! Entirely worth the wait!
Last night I had whipped up some savory almond butter after drooling over Ashley’s recipe over at the Edible Perspective. Though the flavor was phenomenal, the consistency of my delicious creation was the last straw for my clunky food processor.
Leon (I have named the “new guy”) turned this:
into this:
All together now..
MMMMMMMMM!!
Smoky Savory Almond Butter (adapted from the Edible Perspective)
1 1/2 cups raw almonds
2 tablespoons raw cashews
2 tablespoons flax meal
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon smoked salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2-3 drops of liquid smoke (optional)
Roast almonds at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes while you combine all remaining ingredients, reserving only the cashews and liquid smoke. Place almonds, cashews and liquid smoke in food processor and blend until the almonds start to turn creamy. Add in spices and continue to blend until desired consistency is reached.
Then try to keep the spoon out of the jar.
I squealed with happiness last night when I finally, FINALLY got my walnut butter to be the right consistency! How exciting IS that?? Well.. if you don’t like walnut butter probably not very.. but I love the stuff! It is a nice break from peanut butter once in a while. Not that anyone really needs a break from peanut butter. Just to clear the air there. =)
Cocoa Walnut Butter
2 cups walnut pieces, unsalted
1/2 cup cashews, unsalted
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 teaspoons dark cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
All I did was roast the walnuts at 350 degrees until one burned my tongue when I tried it. Yep that was my judgement. I forgot to time them. It was probably about 8-10 minutes. I did the same for the cashews and then spun them in the food processor until they were perfectly smooth and glossy! Fantastic!
I did the best thing I could think to do with my perfect butter: I dripped it on my oats! Well gobbed it on, rather. I make oats nearly every morning. The only time I don’t have oats is when I have toast and fruit or use Ashley’s yummy recipe for Vanilla Bean Brown Rice. This morning my oats looked something like this:
Matcha Oats
3 tablespoons rolled oats
2 tablespoons wheat bran
1 tablespoon flax seed
2 teaspoons matcha powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 banana, sliced
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup water
Bring the milk, water and banana up to a simmer over medium/low heat. Mix together oats, bran, flax seed, matcha and cayenne, then whisk into the simmering milk mixture. Cook over low heat until the oats get thick, whisking occasionally. Pour into a bowl and top with yumminess! I topped mine with the cocoa walnut butter, a sprinkle of unsweetened coconut and some maple vanilla granola. Mmmmm!
Enjoy!
Man it’s been a crazy week/weekend. I spent the holiday in Plainfield with my Aunt Dawn, cousins and her family.
There was turkey to be stuffed and baked
sunsets to be watched
battleships to be sunk (my very first time playing the infamous Battleship, mind you)
You sunk my... itty bitty boat thingie!
turkey to be carved
tables to be set and filled with delicious food (see the cheesy mashed potatoes in the front?? mmmmm)
Tada!
homemade wine to be drunk
mmm.. tasty!
Time for dessert!! Pies, donuts, ice cream and cookies! Yum!!
Homemade one egg donuts.. secret family recipe!
My Aunt Dawn’s sister is the US ambassador’s assistant over in London, so we skyped her from the living room so we could still share our holiday.
It was a great night filled with yummy food, remembrance of those who couldn’t be with us and lots of fun, loving family time. I do love Thanksgiving!
So after the feasting of Thanksgiving I decided to attempt to make walnut butter again. I love, love, LOVE walnuts. Top two nuts – walnuts and brazil nuts. Well and roasted chestnuts (I just discovered this a few nights ago. Yum yum!)
The last time I tried to make walnut butter it was too bitter, not creamy and just not that great. Oh I still ate it, but I didn’t know how to improve it. My dad kept saying that my aunt used to add something to make it less bitter but he couldn’t remember what. So I turned to Ashley of The Edible Perspective. She’s the queen of homemade nut butters and had some terrific ideas on how to cut the bitterness, including adding some cashews to the walnuts. I’m still working on getting the flavorings right, so when I do that I’ll post a recipe. If you’re in serious need of some homemade peanut or almond butters, hop on over to her website and browse around. Such yumminess!
