Ice-Cream and Giggles

As promised, here is another May the Fourth (Star Wars Day) themed food! 'Cause what is the point of posting recipes for May the Fourth unless people know about them prior and can make them on the day? Basically for these I veganized a recipe by Diamonds for Dessert, though let me tell you, these are not for the faint hearted! Not only does this recipe require four blocks of vegan white chocolate (meaning these are a little pricey to make), but they are fairly time consuming (not that you could tell by looking at them, heh). However, if you really love Star Wars, Yoda, matcha tea, and chocolate, then these babies are for you! The truffle is made of cashews, white chocolate, and matcha, resulting in a super smooth and rich dessert. So rich, people, so rich! Oh, and they're accidentally gluten free, so yea, my sister can eat them too (insert painting nails emoji here).

Prep: approx 4 hours.

Makes 10-12 truffles.

You will need:

For the truffle:

240 g vegan white chocolate (I used Sweet William)
1/2 cup cashew cream (1/2 cup soaked cashews blended with 1/4 cup water until smooth)
3/4 tsp matcha powder
dash of salt

For the decoration:

100-150 g vegan white chocolate
Green food colouring (vegan)
1/2 - 1 tbsp coconut oil
20 g vegan dark chocolate
20-24 vegan white sugar pearls, for eyes

Method:

1. In a double boiler/saucepan on low heat, melt the white chocolate. Once melted, whisk in the cashew cream and salt. Sift in the matcha powder. Once combined, pour into a bowl and put in the fridge.
2. Every 5 minutes whisk the mix in the fridge as it slowly sets. This will take 1 hour to 1 hour and a half, though you can speed this up by putting it in the freezer for intervals.
3. Meanwhile, melt 150g vegan white chocolate and add some green food colouring. Using a piping bag, draw the chocolate into little long triangles for Yoda's ears on some baking paper on a tray. Make sure you have around 24-26 of these ears, with some extra (just in case!). Place this tray in the fridge to set. Leave the excess chocolate at room temperature on the kitchen bench.
4. Once the truffle mix is firm enough to roll, with slightly damp hands, roll into balls, around 10-12. Place back in the fridge.
5. Once the truffles and ears are set, it is time to assemble. Firstly, reheat the green white chocolate, and add around 1/2 tbsp to 1 tbsp melted coconut oil so that it is really smooth.
6. Dip each truffle in the white chocolate mix with a fork, letting the excess chocolate drain. Stick an ear into each side of the ball, then spoon some more chocolate on top, letting excess drain before putting onto a tray lined with baking paper. Repeat until all balls are done then put in the fridge.
7. While they are setting put two white pearls for eyes on the balls.
8. Melt the dark chocolate, pour into a piping bag and draw your design on Yoda, including 2 forehead wrinkles, pupils, and ear marks. Place back in the fridge and serve when ready.

When I saw this post on A Beautiful Mess, I just had to make a vegan version of their birthday cake popcorn that was much, much easier to make, i.e. didn't involve packet cake mix (because: effort!). And dayum, it did not disappoint! I warn you: this popcorn is supremely delicious and addictive! So make sure that someone else is with you when you make this so you don't accidentally eat it all yourself ;).

Serves 4.

Prep: 8 minutes, Refrigeration: 10 minutes. Total Time: 18 minutes.

You will need:

5 cups of air popped popcorn
100g vegan white chocolate
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vegan butter essence
2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking soda
Vegan sprinkles, for topping

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate in a saucepan on low heat, and add the coconut oil, butter essence, vanilla essence and baking soda. Once smooth, mix it with the popcorn. Place on a tray, and sprinkle with sprinkles.
2. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes before eating/inhaling.

Tim Tams are so quintessentially Australian, and I am so glad a vegan one exists by the brand Leda (which they call Chocolence)! I made these super quick, easy and delicious cheesecake balls for my sister's birthday, and as I used the Leda biscuits, these balls are also gluten free!

Makes 15-20 balls.

Prep: 30 minutes, Freezing: 30 minutes.  Total Time: 1 hour.

You will need:

225g vegan Tim Tam-style biscuits
225g (1 tub) tofutti better than cream cheese
170-200g vegan "milk"-style chocolate
20g vegan white chocolate
20g vegan dark chocolate

Method:

1. In a food processor, blitz the biscuits until a fine crumb is formed. Add the tofutti cream cheese, and blitz.
2. Roll into balls and place on a tray lined with baking paper (slightly damp hands helps to roll the balls easier!). Once rolled, place the tray in the freezer for 30 minutes.
3. In a saucepan on low heat, melt the 170g of chocolate for the coat. Using a fork, dip each cheesecake ball in the chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drain. Place on another baking paper lined tray. Repeat until all balls are coated, and place in the freezer until chocolate is set.
4. Finish by melting some white and dark chocolate, and drizzling them over the balls.

Lately I have become OBSESSED with the chocolate and peanut butter combo. How I have ever missed it, I have no idea. It all started when my boyfriend got me a packet of Cleo's Peanut Butter cups for Valentine's Day, and the rest is history.

This slice is easy, delicious, and reminiscent of a snickers bar. Plus, most importantly, it involves that ever amazing peanut butter and chocolate combo. It features:

A crumby cashew cookie base,

a smooth and oozy peanut butter caramel,

and most importantly,

chocolate.

Vegan Snickers Slice

Serves 10.

Prep: 30 minutes, freezing: 1 hour. Total Time: 1 h 30 minutes

You will need:

For the base:

1/2 cup cashew butter
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut flour

For the peanut butter caramel:

10 medjool dates, soaked and pitted
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

For the topping:

1/4 cup roasted peanuts
50 g dark vegan chocolate

Method:

1. In a food processor combine the ingredients for the base. Once combined pressed into a small square tin that is lined with baking paper.
2. Combine all ingredients for the caramel until smooth, then smooth over the base. Sprinkle with peanuts, and if desired, drizzle with chocolate now or later, once it has been cut up. Freeze for 1 hour.
3. Cut into bars before serving.

Ah, the lamington. The sponge cake, sandwiched with cream and jam, rolled in chocolate and sprinkled with coconut. The ultimate Australian classic perfect for Australia day.

I decided to take this traditional dessert up a notch by combining it with my favourite treat: donuts. I made a baked gluten free donut, sliced and filled it with whipped coconut cream, raspberries and jam, topped it with a chocolate ganache and, the finishing touch, coconut. Yum doesn't quite cover it!

Serves 6-8.

Prep: 20 minutes, baking: 12 minutes. Cooling: 30 minutes. Total time: roughly 1 hour.

You will need:

For the donuts:
 
1 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 2.5 tbsp water
2 tbsp melted vegan margarine
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla essence

For the filling and assemblage:

Approximately 4 tbsp berry jam of choice
1 x 400 ml coconut cream, refrigerated overnight
80 g sugar free vegan chocolate
12-18 raspberries
Coconut shreds

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. For the donuts, mix the flax egg, vegan margarine, sugar, almond milk, vanilla and baking powder and soda in a bowl. Sift in the flour. Mix.
2. Pour mix into a piping bag, and pipe into a donut tin. Makes 6-8 donuts. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
3. Let the donuts cool for at least 30 minutes, then slice horizontally.
4. Meanwhile, spoon out the coconut cream into a bowl, discarding water. Whip.
5. In a saucepan, melt 80 g of the chocolate with 6 tbsp of the coconut cream (keep the rest of the cream for the filling). Whisk until combined. Let cool to room temperature (the fridge helps to speed up this process).
6. Fill each donut with whipped coconut cream, jam, and 2 raspberries sliced in half. Pour the ganache on top of the donut, and sprinkle shredded coconut on top. Serve!

I made these truffles to take to my boyfriend's house for Christmas lunch so that there was a dessert available to me (super important), and they were a hit among the non-vegans. Though these are rich, if you are a chocoholic like me, you can eat three in a row! It was inspired by a cooking show my parents were watching on SBS (I have forgotten the name), though these truffles feature a fig, date, pistachio and "butter" filling, a smooth dark chocolate coating, and can be either finished off with toasted almonds or sea salt flakes. Plus, with the chocolate coating, these babies can stay fresh in your fridge for weeks, if they can last that long!

Makes 18-24 truffles.

Prep: 30 minutes, Cooling: 1 hour. Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

You will need:

170 g dried figs
170 g medjool dates, pitted
80 g shelled pistachios
40 g lite vegan margarine
1/4 tsp salt
150-200 g 70% dark vegan chocolate (e.g. Lindt)
40 g chopped blanched almonds
2 tsp sea salt flakes

Method:

1. In a food processor, blitz the pistachios until a meal is formed, then add the figs, dates, margarine and salt. Blitz until combined then roll into balls, placing them on a tray lined with baking paper.
2. Toast your almonds, by placing them in a non-stick fry-pan on low heat, using a wooden spoon to turn them over and cook them. You will smell them when they are ready, and they will start to take on a brown-ish colour. Place almonds in a bowl and set aside.
3. Melt your vegan chocolate. Then, place each truffle on a fork, dip in the chocolate, and let the chocolate drizzle away. Place on the baking paper, and top with either almonds or sea salt flakes. Repeat. Place truffles in the fridge for around an hour to set.

Vegan tiramisu has been on my to-do list for a while. However, it is just so fiddly, and I did not want to partake in these "raw" tiramisu's that seem so un-geniune and a poor replacement for the original version. Though to be honest, there is only one tiramisu I have ever liked, and that is the one by Michelle's Patisserie. I prefer one sans alcohol, so this is a "virgin" tiramisu so to speak, that does not lack in the good stuff.

So for lady fingers, I simply made a small sponge cake, which I cut into strips and baked again. The coffee syrup is self-explanatory, though for the cream I didn't want ten thousand ingredients with hard to find materials such as soyatoo (which is also full of sugar). I mixed cashews with tofutti cream cheese (which does have a little bit of sugar), plus some maple syrup, vanilla, and almond milk, which worked a treat (my dad even found the cream, by itself, quite tasty). Naturally, the whole thing is also dusted in cacao powder. Rich, yes. Delicious, yes. And it tastes exactly how I remember Michelle's Patisserie's tasting. Plus, it is not too hard to assemble and make, you just need to prepare yourself for a few steps.

Serves 2 - 4.

Prep: 35 minutes. Baking: 25 + 15 minutes. Soaking: 1-2 hours. Total Time: approximately 4 hours.

You will need:

For the ladyfingers:

3 vegan eggs (3 tsp egg replacer powder to 6 tbsp water)
4.5 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 3 tbsp buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp coconut butter

1. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
2. Beat the egg replacer powder with water for 1 minute until frothy. Add the rest of the ingredients, sifting in the flour. Beat. Pour into a lined square tin (12 cm x 12 cm).
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes, cut the square in half, then each half into small "fingers". Put this on a lined baking tray, and bake for 15-20 minutes (still on 150 degrees Celsius). Let cool.

For the coffee syrup:

3 tsp instant coffee
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tbsp coconut sugar

1. Add all ingredients to a jug, let cool and set aside.

For the cream filling:

1 tub Tofutti Cream Cheese
1/2 cup soaked cashews, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp maple syrup

1. In a food processor/high speed blender add the cashews, almond milk, vanilla and maple syrup until a smooth base is formed. Add the cream cheese until the mix is smooth.

Assembly:

You will also need a small square tin or 2 glasses
Plus cacao or cocoa powder for dusting

1. Layer some cream in the bottom, layer the sponge fingers. Drizzle the coffee syrup on top, dust with cacao powder, then add more cream. Repeat, by adding more sponge fingers, coffee, cacao powder etc. Finish it with the cream and sifted cacao powder on the top. Keep in mind you might not end up using all the coffee syrup!
2. Place in the fridge, and let the tiramisu soak overnight or for at least 1-2 hours (it's worth the wait, trust me!)

I have a confession to make. I have only tried creme brulee twice in my life. Once was homemade, and I did not like it. The other was a genuine French creme brulee in a small cafe in the back streets near Notre Dame that was quite nice. This was before my vegan days, of course. I thought, as an egg dominated dish, it would be difficult to make this vegan. I think of it more like a vanillary-coconut pudding or custard with a delicious caramelized top. I think the caramel top is my favourite part to be honest!

Recipe altered from here:

Serves 2.

Total Time: 2 hours

You will need:

150 g full fat coconut cream/milk
1/3 cup water
4 tbsp natvia baking sugar
1 1/2 tbsp egg replacer powder (e.g. Orgran)
1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
plus extra natvia sugar, for the caramelized top

Method:

1. Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender/food processor. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
2. Transfer mix to a saucepan, and slowly heat up until it starts to simmer and thicken. Once it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, transfer the mix to two small ramekins.
3. Place the ramekins in a water filled casserole dish (water should be about halfway up the side of a ramekin).
4. Bake for 25 minutes. It should jiggle. Set in the fridge for 2 hours.
5. Before serving, sprinkle around 1/2-1 tsp of natvia sugar on top of the creme brulee, and use a culinary torch to melt the sugar.

A few weeks ago, I started craving eggnog like nothing else. The strange thing is, I had never tried eggnog before at that point, but I couldn't get the scene from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation out of my head, where Chevy Chase is drinking eggnog out of adorable moose mugs (which you can buy from Urban Outfitters!). So while I have never tried eggnog before, I found a recipe for a vegan version on food52.com. And fell in love! It's thick, creamy, milky, and spicy all at once. So wonderful! However, the batch I made was a little too much for me to drink all by myself, so I decided to be adventurous and make some waffles with the leftover eggnog that I had.

What a call. Eggnog waffles turned out to be seriously awesome. Whilst I used homemade eggnog (buying vegan eggnog, or even eggnog for that matter, in Australia is impossible), I am sure if you are lucky enough to live in America, you could probably use store-purchased vegan eggnog (like Silk) to the same effect.

Serves 1. 

Prep: 5 minutes, Resting: 10 minutes, Cooking: 5 minutes. Total Time: 20 minutes.

You will need:

1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour (or more buckwheat flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
2.5 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup vegan eggnog (alcohol free)
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Plus, maple syrup for serving.

Method:

1. Soak the ground flax seeds in the water for 2 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients,  making sure to sift the flours and baking soda. Let the batter rest for 8-10 minutes while you turn on the waffle iron and let it warm up.
2. Pour the batter into the waffle iron, and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on your waffle maker's instructions. Serve with maple syrup.

If there is one staple in my kitchen that I absolutely must make myself, it is coconut yogurt. It is ridiculously easy and cheap to make, and by making it yourself you can determine how much sugar etc goes into it! Here's to no longer buying $15 tubs of coyo!

Makes one 400 ml tub of coyo.

Prep: 10 minutes, plus 24 hours in oven and 12 in fridge. Total Time: 36 h 10 min.

You will need:

1 x 400 ml can full fat coconut cream, refridgerated overnight
1 vegan probiotic tablet
1 tbsp corn flour (optional)
1 tbsp natvia sugar (or other sugar replacement)

Method:

1. Put your oven on the lowest heat, around 40 degrees Celsius. Sterilize a glass ball jar by pouring boiling water in it and letting it sit for a few minutes, then pour out the water.
2. Scoop out the coconut cream, and put into a small saucepan on low heat. Discard water.
3. Once the cream has melted and is warm, add the corn flour and natvia sugar. Take off heat, then stir in the contents of a probiotic tablet.
4. Pour the yogurt into the sterilized jar (making sure the glass isn't too hot), put on the lid and place in the oven at 40 degrees. Leave for 24 hours, then let it set in the fridge for around 12 hours.

The frailty of crepes has, it seemed, always led to difficulties when trying to make them vegan and gluten free. You really need a good binder to prevent them turning to crumbs when flipping them. After being vegan for nearly 17 months, I have made my fair share of vegan and gluten free crepes. Some turned into pancakes, others, crumbs. Last week I got the idea of making crepes with aquafaba as the egg-replacement, and it proved to be the best crepes I have made vegan and gluten free. What is this aquafaba you ask? It literally means "bean water". It is the liquid you get from a can of chickpeas or beans: you know that gross stuff that you probably pour down the sink? Well, what you are throwing out is actually a magical ingredient. Because chickpeas or beans have been soaking in it, the brine is full of protein: and it whips up like eggs magically (not even kidding: you can make macarons and meringue from this magical stuff). So next time you are using a can of chickpeas, make sure you save the aquafaba!

Prep: 35 minutes, Cooking: 10 minutes Total Time: 45 minutes.

Makes 5 medium-large crepes.

You will need:

140 g chickpea brine (equivalent of 2 large eggs)
240 ml unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp coconut sugar
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

plus vegan margarine for cooking

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl (making sure you sift the flours). When mixed, let rest for 30 minutes.
2. Grease a non-stick saucepan on low heat with 1 tsp vegan margarine, then pour out the crepe mix to desired size. Cook crepes for around 1 minute on each side.

Makes 21-22 small circle biscuits.

Prep: 40 minutes, baking: 15-20 minutes. Total Time: 1 hour.

You will need:

For the biscuits:

125 g rice flour or all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp natvia baking sugar
45 g vegan margarine
70 ml unsweetened almond milk
1/4 tsp baking powder

For assemblage:

250 g vegan fondant icing (see previous post), plus corn flour
1-2 tbsp maple syrup or rice malt syrup
1/2 cup edible flowers, washed and dried

Method:

1. In a bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
2. Using a fork, cut in the vegan margarine until crumbly. Then using a spoon, mix in the almond milk until a dough is formed. Place in the fridge for at least an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the dough between two baking sheets, dust with flour as desired, roll out and cut with desired cookie cutter. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool.
4. Roll out the fondant icing between two baking sheets dusted with corn flour. Cut, brush each biscuit with maple syrup, then press the cut fondant icing on top. Top with edible flowers.

Fondant icing. One of the hardest things to make. In fact, the last time I tried to make it I burnt myself on a boiling hot saucepan and got a ginormous blister (setting off the smoke alarm in the process)! So the next time I made fondant icing, I didn't want heat to be involved. At all. Inspired by this post, I managed to make a sugar free and vegan fondant icing, without crazy ingredients like agar agar or glycerin.

Makes 750-800 g of fondant icing.

Prep: 15 minutes.

You will need:

1/3 cup rice malt syrup*
1/3 cup vegan margarine
1 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
650 g natvia icing sugar mix**
plus 1/4-1/2 cup corn flour

Method:

1. Beat the margarine in a large bowl, then add the rice malt syrup, vanilla, and salt. Beat.
2. Sift and beat in the icing sugar.
3. It is ready when you can form a ball. It will still be sticky, but when you roll out (between baking paper sheets) dust with corn flour until it is easy to cut and peel off. You can divide the icing into balls and place in the freezer until you need it, so only add the corn flour when you are actually rolling out the icing and intend on using it.

* Or use light corn syrup (but then it wouldn't be sugar free) or a thick syrup (maple syrup is probably too thin).
** Or use normal icing sugar, but again, it wouldn't be sugar free.

Recently, my mum has been a watcher of Rick Stein and his various escapades across Eastern Europe and Asia. One of the recipes he made as a "Dalmatian Fig Tart": probably one of the most un-vegan recipes you can think of: a pastry made with eggs and a filling made with mascarpone cheese and honey, plus figs. But damn, does this tart look delicious and beautiful! Is it just me or are figs one of the prettiest fruits out there? I was determined to have a hack at making this tart not only vegan, but also gluten free and (mostly) refined sugar free (tofutti cream cheese has sugar added to it).

Now, I have never ever tried mascarpone cheese before, so I have no idea what it tastes like. However, my old mate google informed me it is an Italian cheese made from cream that is coagulated with an acidic substance: like vinegar or lemon juice. So how did I attempt to make a vegan version? I just added lemon juice to vegan cream cheese. Probably not the same, but it does help to get that "tang" that I imagine the real mascarpone cheese has. I would probably view this as a glorified cheesecake that is super pretty!

Makes one large tart, serves 8.

Prep: 30 minutes, refrigeration: 1 hour 15 minute, cooking: 65 minutes. Total Time: 2 h 35 minutes.

You will need:

For the pastry (altered from Minimalist Baker):

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
6 tbsp vegan margarine
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp natvia sugar
4-6 tbsp ice cold water

For the filling (altered from Rick Stein):

450 g vegan cream cheese (tofutti)
juice of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon zest
6 tbsp rice malt syrup or vegan honee (or really any liquid sweetener!)

Plus 3 figs, halved.

Method:

1. For the pastry, sift all the flours together and then add the salt and sugar. Mix in, then "cut" in the vegan margarine. Then add the water until a pastry is formed. Roll into a ball and leave in the fridge for an hour or more.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Roll out the pastry, dust with gluten free flour as needed, and press into a spring-form tart pan. Pierce the pastry with a fork, cover with baking paper, then fill with baking beads. Blind bake this for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the pastry from the oven, take off the baking beads and baking paper, then place back in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove, then turn the oven down to 160 degrees.
4. For the filling: add the cream cheese, lemon juice, zest and rice malt syrup to a saucepan on low-medium heat. Whisk until the cheese softens and it becomes smooth.
5. Pour the filling onto the pastry base, top with the figs and bake in the oven for 40 minutes. You can either serve warm (letting cool for around 30 minutes) or let it set in the fridge overnight. Letting it set in the fridge overnight assists in cutting the tart, but it is delicious both ways, in my opinion!

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!

These popsicles remind me of a mango weis bar: a layer of cream followed by a layer of mango. For those who don't know, these are a classic Australian ice-cream bar served in a wrapper. Funny story: a few years ago I was flying to Paris via Singapore from Sydney, and I was sitting next to a German teenager. He was given a Weis bar as a snack and he fully unwrapped the whole thing: not realising the bar is an ice cream, no stick included. He proceeded to have difficulty eating the thing, and you can imagine the mess. I was trying so hard not to laugh, it was shock to see someone who didn't understand the concept of eating a Weis bar!

 These popsicles however are perfectly delicious, easy to eat, and suitable for a hot day.

Prep: 10 minutes, plus 6-8 hours freezing time.

Makes 10-12 full sized popsicles.

You will need:

3 mangoes
3/4 cup coconut water
1-2 tbsp maple syrup
1 x 400 ml can coconut cream (around 250-300ml with water removed)

Method:

1. Blend the flesh of 3 mangoes with the coconut water and maple syrup in a high speed blender.
2. Pour half of this mix into a bowl or jug. Add the coconut cream to the blender.
3. Then pour the coconut mix into the popsicle moulds, top with the mango layer and insert popsicle sticks. Repeat.

Vegan white chocolate is one of those elusive commodities, rarely found and every more rarely, sugar free. This recipe is altered from Vegan Baking (my go-to site for all the how's/why's and vegan recipes), but I simply switched cacao butter for cocoa butter, and natvia sugar free icing sugar for icing sugar! 

Recipe altered from: Vegan Baking.

Makes 1 x 100 g block of chocolate

Prep: 30 minutes. Refrigeration: At least 1 hour. Total time: 1 h 30 mins.

You will need:

1 tsp soy milk powder
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp natvia sugar free icing sugar
60 g raw cacao butter
1 tsp vanilla essence or 1 vanilla bean, scraped out
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1. In a high speed blender, combine the soy milk powder, icing sugar and salt until a fine powder is reached.
2. In a double boiler on low heat, melted the cacao butter. Once melted, whisk in the vanilla, and then whisk in the icing sugar/soy milk mixture.
3. Temper the chocolate by heating the mixture up to 49 degrees, whisking all the time. Then place in the fridge, whisking occasionally, until it reaches 26 degrees. Then place back on heat, and heat up to 31 degrees. Then let the chocolate cool to room temperature and pour into chocolate mould.
4. Let chocolate sit in mould for around 10 minutes before placing in the fridge. Let harden.

Notes: I used this mould for the chocolate.

Donuts are one of my obsessions. Nothing can quite compare to a hot cinnamon donut from a bakery, slightly oily, sweet and fluffy. Ah, those were the days when I could eat 6 donuts and wake up with a flat stomach the next morning. Alas, those times are gone, but at least I can still make vegan donuts that taste like nutella, are gluten free and refined sugar free!

Prep: 12 minutes, baking, 10 minutes. Cooling: 15 minutes: Total Time: 35-50 minutes.


Makes around 9 donuts.


You will need:

1 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 2.5 tbsp water
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 tbsp melted vegan margarine
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup melted loving earth hazelnut chocolate butter or a vegan nutella option
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp gf baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cacao powder

Plus around 50 g of chocolate for icing (I used salted caramel and dark)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a bowl, add to the flax egg the coconut sugar, margarine, almond milk and chocolate hazelnut butter. Whisk.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and soda, then add cacao powder. Mix.
4. Pour into a piping bag, and pipe into a lightly greased donut tin.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
6. Let cool for around 10-15 minutes, then dip into some melted chocolate!

Rocky Road used to be my favourite treat food, using Cadbury chocolate and Pascall marshmallows. I have put off making rocky road since going vegan, mostly because of the difficulty of finding good vegan marshmallows. That's where dandies air puffed marshmallows come in: the perfect vegan gluten free marshmallow that even non-vegans love! They are a match-made in heaven when it comes to rocky road, so please enjoy! When I made this my pa was staying over and he grabbed a piece without realising it was vegan: and he liked it! My pa is a bit skeptical of veganism (I am not even sure he fully comprehends what it entails), so for him to like it I think is a big deal!

Prep: 10 minutes, Refrigeration: 1 hour. Total time: 1 h 10 minutes.

Makes around 10 squares.

You will need:

100g of good quality vegan chocolate (I used Loving Earth Hazelnut Chocolate)
12 large Dandies marshmallows
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave.
2. Pour a quarter of the chocolate into a small square lined tin (around 15 x 15 cm).
3. Layer your marshmallows with the pistachios with raspberries. The pour the rest of the chocolate on top.
4. Place in fridge and let set for around an hour, then cut up into squares. Serve with rose petals if you're feeling extra fancy.