Ice-Cream and Giggles

As I am sure you are already aware, May the Fourth (Star Wars Day) is coming up. Although I am already brainstorming ideas (wookie cookies, yoda truffles, BB-8 cupcakes), I thought up that in the lead up to it I might share some of my star wars related recipes.

Now, to the raweos! You can make these like normal oreos of course if you do not have a death star cookie cutter (I got mine off eBay), but they are delicious in any form they may take.

Serves 10.

Total Time: 40 minutes.

You will need:

For the biscuit:

1 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup rolled oats
2 tbsp flax meal/ground flax seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the filling:

1 cup cashews soaked overnight or in boiling water for an hour
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, scraped out

Method:

1. Blitz all ingredients for biscuit in a food processor until combined and a dough is formed. Roll out between two sheets of baking paper and cut into circle shapes (should make around 20). Place in the fridge to set for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make your filling! Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender (vitamix is great for this). Once smooth, pipe onto one cookie and top with another. Repeat. Eat immediately or let set in the fridge for 30 minutes.

The either good or bad thing about making recipes, is taste testing. Sometimes you might make something and it will be a complete fail, and others, it is so damn delicious you end up eating most of it. Case in point: I made this cake on a Saturday, set it in the freezer overnight, then took a photo the next morning at around 9:30am. Then came the tasting stage. I just cut a wee slice to try it, then next minute, I had eaten around 1/4 of the whole thing. Before 10 am in the morning! Now, if that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is! The good thing about it though is that it only makes a small cake, so hopefully it will refrain me/you from getting carried away! Plus, you know, it is vegan, gf, refined sugar free, oil free, full of protein and probiotics (if you use coyo anyway!).

Makes one small 10cm cake.

Prep: 15 minutes, freezing: 6-8 hours.

Serves 4 - 6.

You will need:

For the base:

1/2 cup walnuts
2 tbsp desiccated coconut
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut butter
1/2 tbsp cacao power

For the filling:

1/2 cup soaked cashews
1 tbsp coconut butter
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut yogurt or cream*
zest of 1/2 an orange (approx. 2 tbsp)
2 tbsp orange juice

Method:

1. Blitz the walnuts in a food processor/high speed blender until crumbly. Add rest of the ingredients until combined, then press into a small lined springform tin, around 10 cm in diameter.
2. For the filling, add all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth, pour on top of base, cover in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 6 hours. Serve!

* I use my own homemade coconut yogurt. I simply melt a 400 ml can of coconut cream (water discarded) on low heat until smooth and warm, take off heat and stir in the contents of a vegan probiotic tablet. Then I pour it into a sterilized ball jar, seal it, and place in the oven at 40 degrees Celsius for 20-24 hours, then place in the fridge to set. Easy!

I have officially submitted my thesis (yay!) and though I still have a PhD proposal to write, I have much more time on my hands to experiment in the kitchen and post here! So, this blog shall hopefully be no longer so neglected!

In all my cheesecake experiments, I had yet to insert raspberries in them. They just add an extra "oomph" I think, you know?  This is another oil-free cheesecake experiment, so enjoy!

Prep: 30 minutes, Freezing 6-8 hours; Total Time: 8h30.

Serves 6-12.

You will need:

Base:

1 cup almonds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1.5 tbsp coconut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup

Chocolate Layer:

1/2 cup soaked cashews
1 tbsp coconut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp cacao powder
1/4 cup coconut yogurt or cream

Plus 1/3-1/2 cup frozen raspberries for layering

Raspberry Layer:

1/2 cup soaked cashews
1 tbsp coconut butter
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp water
1/4 cup coconut yogurt or cream
1/3 cup frozen raspberries

Method:

1. Combine almonds in a food processor until crumbly. Add rest of base ingredients, and press into a small lined tin pan.
2. Combine all ingredients for chocolate layer in food processor/high speed blender until smooth. Layer the raspberries on top of base, then pour chocolate layer on top. Place in freezer.
3. Rinse out blender, then add the ingredients for raspberry layer and blend. Then pour on top of chocolate layer. Set in freezer for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

Last week, I bought a new popsicle mould for mini magnums, and I'm in love! I am glad I did, and it has inspired me to get creative in the kitchen again with ice cream and popsicles (something that has been lacking lately, especially since I started this blog as a place to store my ice-cream recipes!). To start with though, I thought I would try and recreate a classic: double chocolate.

I tried to make these as healthy and low-fat as possible, which is why the ice-cream is made from banana, though the chocolate shell does have fat from the coconut oil. But it is refined sugar free, so hey, can't complain!

As I made this to fit my new magnum moulds (which are tiny!) this makes a really small batch: I would suggest doubling for larger moulds.

Makes 4 mini popsicles.

Prep: 10 minutes. Freezing time: 4 hours. Total time: 4 h 10 minutes.

You will need:

For the ice-cream:

1 frozen banana
1 tbsp cacao powder

For the chocolate shell:

1/4 cup coconut oil
3 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup

Optional:

1-3 tbsp crushed peanuts

1. Combine frozen banana and cacao powder in a food processor until smooth. Spoon into mould, insert popsicle sticks, and place in freezer for 4 hours.
2. For the chocolate shell, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan on low heat until smooth.
3. Once the popsicles have been in the freezer for 4 hours, remove from mould, and carefully dip each into the chocolate. If you want peanuts on top, work quickly before the chocolate sets! There will be chocolate left over (as this much is needed to dip each popsicle in chocolate), so I put mine in some chocolate moulds so it wouldn't be wasted.

Sometimes, a girl just needs chocolate. Something smooth and delicious that satisfies those unwanted cravings. At the moment however, I am making a conscious effort to try and have less sugar in my diet: eating lots of cupcakes, donuts and ice-cream apparently does not smooth down the waist line. But how does one combat those cravings? Why, healthy chocolate mousse of course! This quick recipe is full of protein, cacao and is refined sugar free! The perfect craving quencher.

Serves 2, approx. 5 minutes prep

You will need:

300 g silken tofu
2 tbsp cacao powder
4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp almond milk


1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Serve!

Chocolate and pear is seriously one of the greatest combinations. One of my favorite desserts is chocolate pear pudding, so scrumptious, rich, moist and decadent. Which is what inspired this sorbet, because chocolate and pear is really a match made in heaven. And guess what? This recipe is healthy, combining only three ingredients, and ridiculously easy! It is simply filtered water, pear and cacao powder.

Approx. 10 minute prep, 30 minute freezing time.
Makes 4 large scoops, serves 1-2 people.

You will need:

2 cups of chopped and frozen pears. You can peel them beforehand if you want: it really is your call, though studies have shown the skins of pears have more nutrients and antioxidants than in the flesh of the actual pear.
1/4 cup filtered water or coconut water
1 to 2 tbsp cacao powder

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth, scrape down sides as necessary. It is best to start with one tablespoon of cacao, as adding too much can make a bitter taste, so do the cacao gradually!
2. Place in freezer for 30 minutes or until hard, and serve!

Remember that vanilla cake batter ice-cream recipe I made last week? Well, I decided to tweak it. In my humble opinion, if any cake batter is the best, it is the chocolate kind. I am kind of a chocoholic (leave anything involving chocolate in the fridge at your peril!), so naturally I had to make a chocolate cake batter version, as with everything, chocolate makes it better. The baking soda makes this recipe so fluffy, just like you would expect from cake batter made from eggs! Also, how cute are these ice-cream cups?! They came with little wooden spoons too, I couldn't resist!

Recipe altered from Munchin with Munchkin's recipe:

You will need:

2 frozen bananas
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp butter essence
1/4 baking soda/bi-carb soda
2 tbsp cacao

1. Combine banana, maple syrup and vanilla essence in a food processor until smooth. Add baking soda, butter essence and cacao until combined. Taste. You might need to add a little more butter essence depending on the strength of the brand you use, as the cacao can overpower the butter essence.
2. Serve immediately or place in a metal tray and place in freezer for 30 minutes to an hour until frozen, though you will need to whisk it every 30 minutes so that it doesn't turn into an ice-block.

You will need:

2 frozen bananas
1/4 cup of almond milk
2 tbsp cacao powder
2 broken open teabags of chai tea

optional: 1-2tbsp maple syrup


1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. When combined, taste to see if you think it needs sweetener (the chai makes it a little bitter so you might need some.)
2. Pour into a metal tray, cover whith glad wrap and place in a freezer.
3. Whisk every 30 minutes until ready to serve.
4. When serving, top with some cacao nibs!

As I am sure many of you are aware, one of the main things vegetarians and vegans need is protein in their diet. Usually I add protein to smoothies, and this recipe is kind of a super smoothie, but in ice-cream form, which makes it that much more awesome! I used cacao because it is delicious and super healthy, and chia seeds as well to get that extra healthy kick, as they contain protein, calcium and omega-3 and potassium.

You will need
2 frozen bananas
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp cacao powder
1 scoop of vegan protein powder
1 tbsp chia seeds

Optional: toppings
handful of buckinis, hemp seeds, tsp of chia seeds and a few goji berries.

1. Add all ingredients (minus toppings duh) to a blender or food processor.
2. Once blender, place in a metal tray for 30-45 minutes until ready to serve.
3. Top with buckinis, hemp seeds, chia seeds and goji berries!