Cakes & Biscuits

All posts in the Cakes & Biscuits category

The 12 Days of Yule – Day 11 – Apricot Bars

Published December 30, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

Apricot Bars

These low-fat bars contain ginger, which is a lovely winter spice for calming upset tums. Apricots are high in iron, which helps build good blood, so an all-round pick-me-up!

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat, soaked and dehydrated ( I do plenty of this in advance and keep it in the fridge for whenever it’s needed.)

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

25 dried unsulphured apricots, pre-soaked

1 tsp powdered ginger (a bit more if you like it!)

1 dsp coconut nectar (sugar alternative made from coconut.)

Method

Grind the buckwheat and coconut to a fine powder in a coffee or nut grinder.

Transfer to a food processor and add the apricots, ginger and coconut nectar.

Mix thoroughly until you have a sticky mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a silicone pie tray and spread evenly. Score into 8 bars with a pizza cutter.

Dehydrate for a few hours to repel some of the liquid.

freeze or refrigerate until needed.

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The 12 Days of Yule – Day 9 – The Yule Log

Published December 28, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

The tradition of the Yule log goes back centuries. A specially selected log was burned at Yule and the ashes saved for the new year.

Today most of us don’t have open fires and I don’t think the landlord would appreciate me burning a yule log, so a cake version is required.

This yummy mixture can be made in advance and frozen or whipped up the day before the hoards arrive.

Yule Log

Ingredients

  •   1 cup almonds, soaked overnight
  •   1 cup walnuts, soaked overnight
  •   1 cup raisins, soaked for a few hours
  •   1 cup organic apricots (unsulphured) soaked for a few hours
  •   1 cup dried figs, soaked for a few hous
  •   6 organic dates, soaked for a few hours and cut into small pieces
  •   1 dsp(UK) (US tablespoon) maple syrup or agave nectar
  •  The grated zest and juice of 1 organic orange

Method

Drain the almonds and walnuts, and place them in the food processor and process until broken down into very small pieces.

Add the raisins, cranberries, cinnamon, orange juice and orange peel.

Add the date pieces down the chute of the food processor as this will bind the mixture together.

Remove the mixture from the food processor and put it in a large mixing bowl.

Chop the apricots and figs into small pieces and mix into the main mixture.

Shape the mixture into a log shape (be creative – do knobbly branches etc!) onto a dehydrator non-stick sheet and dehydrate on 115˚ F until it is the right consistency. You can remove the non-stick sheet half-way for more even dehydrating and re-shape the log.

Slice this and serve with a warm sauce. (Tomorrow’s recipe!) Tip: Save the cranberry soak water.

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Power Bombs

Published March 18, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

These are a perfect “pick-me-up” if you’re flagging a bit, or in our house, they’re more of a “get-me-through-this-all-nighter!”

Mix the following together in a bowl or food processor:

2 tsp raw cacao powder

1 tsp raw carob powder

1 tsp maca powder

1 tsp purple corn flour

2 tsp raw agave nectar

1 tsp goji berries

1tsp coconut oil (melted)

1 tsp ginkgo tincture

Roll into little balls and chill in the freezer for an hour.

Nom as required.

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Super Flapjack

Published March 14, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

These are popular with adults and children alike… well they are here anyway!

Ingredients

1 cup cashew nuts

1 cup goji berries

4 cups whole oats

1 dsp hemp protein powder

1 dsp baobab powder

1 dsp honey

3 dsp agave nectar

2 dsp melted coconut oil

Method

Soak cashews and goji berries for an hour

Drain and add the rest of the ingredients

Spread into a tray and score with a pizza cutter

Place in freezer until firm

Keep in the fridge. Will last a couple of weeks if kept covered.

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Brownies’ Honour

Published March 12, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

Honestly, these brownies taste divine! And they are a snip to make!

CHOCOLATE BROWNIES

Ingredients

1 cup dates

1 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raw cacao powder

1 dsp/tbsp honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch sea salt

Method

Mix everything together in a food processor (with S-blade) until a fairly smooth (with a few nutty lumps) texture is reached.

Spread out in a silicone square cake pan and dehydrate for 1 hour.

Turn out, cut into 6 “fingers” and dehydrate a further 2-3 hours to create a crispy outside, leaving the centre soft and creamy.

Alternatively, try freezing the mixture in the pan, scoring the bars first and enjoy after a few hours’ firming in the cold.

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Almonds, Almonds, Everywhere…

Published January 22, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

I have neglected my blog for the past week, but I’m back now and I do have a big bag of almonds…

Almonds

Image by Shelby PDX via Flickr

I made this delicious milk when I came home from work today:

Strawberry Almond Milk

Equipment

Blender/liquidizer

Nut milk bag

Ingredients

1½ pints water

1 cup almonds

2 cups strawberries (I used frozen because it is January, but fresh is probably best)

Method

Soak the almonds overnight.

Place in blender with water and strawberries

Blend thoroughly

Sieve through a nut milk bag

Save the pulp to make Almond biscuits

 ————————————————-

Having drunk half the milk, I made the rest into this: (this is what I’ll be having for breakfast tomorrow.)

Cheery Berry Chia

Equipment

Dry grinder (optional)

Mixing bowl

Ingredients

1 pint strawberry almond milk

4 dessertspoons chia seed

1 cup cranberries (I used dried)

1 cup blueberries (I used frozen)

3 teaspoons agave or maple syrup

Method

Coarsely grind the chia seeds (you could use milled chia seeds instead)

Mix all the ingredients together and leave overnight

Options

I added 1 teaspoon baobab powder and a multivitamin, because I like to get a powerhouse in for breakfast.

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 I wanted to use the pulp from the Strawberry Almond milk to make some biscuits (cookies), but I needed this first:

Almond Butter

Equipment

Food Processor

Ingredients

2 cups almonds

Drop hemp seed oil

Pinch salt

Teaspoon agave nectar

Method

Place almonds in food processor and process for several minutes.

If the food processor is powerful enough, it should eventually form nut butter, but I had to add a drop of help oil to get the blending underway. Finally, when you have a smooth butter, add salt and agave (optional)

Keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Will last a few days.

 —————————————–

With all my ingredients to hand, I could proceed:

Almond Biscuits

Equipment

Food Processor

Dehydrator (or fan oven

Ingredients

2 cups almond pulp (I used almond & strawberry pulp)

6 dsp maple or agave syrup (I know, it’s a lot, but it’s worth it!)

2 dsp chia seeds

2 dsp almond butter

2 dsp coconut butter

Method

Process everything together until smooth and shape into small biscuits. I was able to make 36!

Dehydrate overnight on 115°F (45°C)

Keep in a sealed container in the fridge. Will keep for several days.

 —————————————-

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Lemon Lavender Biscuits – A Raw Treat

Published January 13, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

The weather here in the South of England is unseasonably clement and I can’t help but start thinking of Spring. My balcony is looking sad and in need of attention and I’m itching to get out there and start planting up my greens.

To get me in the mood and sustain all that activity, I’m going to make some of these biscuits, which just sing “summer” every time.

Lemon Lavender Biscuits

Equipment:

Dehydrator or fan oven, blender or grinder

Ingredients:

1 cup almond pulp from making almond milk (this works particularly well if the pulp has been subsequently dried and then ground into a flour, but this is not strictly necessary)

1 cup oat flour (rolled oats ground in a dry blender or grinder to make a fine flour)

2 dsp agave nectar (substitute your favourite sweetener if you prefer)

1 dsp mesquite powder (gives a lovely caramel depth to the flavour, as well as providing a nutrient boost)

1 dsp lavender flowers (I collect these in the summer and dry them for future use)

1 dsp purple corn flour (a superfood hit with the added benefit of imparting a gorgeous colour)

The juice of 1 lemon (organic, of course!)

Method

Mix everything together and shape into biscuits. Press a few extra lavender flowers on top for decoration.

Dehydrate for several hours until the biscuits are as crunchy as you like. They will go completely crisp if dehydrated long enough, but are equally delicious with a bit of chew.

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The Biscuits of the Oat King

Published January 6, 2012 by Polana Fowdrey

Following on from my previous post, wherein I gave the recipe for a delicious purple smoothie, here’s what I do with that lovely purple pulp…

 

Take the pulp from a Purple People Pleaser

Add: 1 cup oats

1tbs sweetener of choice

1 cup sparkling water

1 tsp purple corn flour

1 handful blueberries

Mix everything together, either by hand or in a food processor. Try not to break the blueberries up too much – they add a lovely texture.

Leave the mixture to stand for 1/2 hour. This allows the dry ingredients to soak up the moisture and the sparkling water allows the mix to “rise” a little and you get a lighter biscuit.

Spoon the mixture onto a non-stick dehydrator sheet and dehydrate on 115F for several hours until the biscuits are soft and chewy.

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What’s in the Cupboard?

Published July 31, 2011 by Polana Fowdrey

Well, not much at the moment – we really need to go shopping!
But I made these which, while not quite substantial enough for a meal, are sorting us out while we write our shopping list… and they are so yummy!

Cashew Brownies
a handful of cashews
a handful of dates
1 banana
2 tsp cacao powder
1 tsp carob powder
1 tsp maca powder
1 tsp lucuma powder

Soak the cashews in a little water for an hour, then drain and chop in a blender. You don’t need a high speed blender as the cashews will be quite soft.
Mash the banana and mix all the ingredients together.
Roll the mixture into 12 small balls (tip: use wet hands and sort-of ‘shake’ them into shape rather than roll!) and place onto a teflon sheet on a dehydrator tray.
Bake in the dehydrator for 6-7 hours, turning them over half way.

Quick! Take a photo before they’re all gone! =)

To turn things over in a dehydrator:
* take the tray out of the dehydrator and place it on the kitchen-side.
* place a fresh dehydrator mesh sheet over the top of the product, then place a tray over the top.
* turn the whole thing over.
* remove the old tray and mesh.
* gently peel back the teflon sheet.
* put the new tray, together with turned product, back into the dehydrator.
The product will dry quicker without the teflon sheet because the air can circulate all round, so removing from the teflon sheet as soon as it is ‘peel-able’ ensures the quickest drying time.

Of course, if you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use a fan oven on fan-only, with the door open ajar.

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Originally published on www.pollyskitchen.blogspot.com

Super Cookies and Super Pancakes

Published July 27, 2011 by Polana Fowdrey

One of the nice things about having a dehydrator is the range of interesting textures you can get from your raw food with it. I love experimenting in the kitchen and to be honest, green smoothies and salads, while delicious and very good for me, weren’t always very inspiring. I was craving cooked food. But not, I suspected, for the nutrition, but more for the feel-good factor. I needed some crunch, some goo, some nom, basically!
So I regard dehydrated food as Methadone for cooked food addictions – it satisfies the craving, without giving in to the addiction. And it can make a meal soooo much more interesting. I’ve never been one of those vegan martyrs who chews on tasteless cardboard ‘because it’s good for me.’ If I don’t like it, I simply won’t eat it. Period!
So here are two recipes which satisfy the baked food craving:

Super Cookies

1 cup of almond or cashew pulp from making nut milk
1 cup vine fruits, soaked
1 banana, mashed
1 dsp lucuma powder
1 dsp mesquite powder
1 dsp maca powder
2 tsp coconut butter/oil
1 tsp stevia powder or alternative sweetener
1 tsp ground mixed spice

Mix all the ingredients together and roll into small balls. Flatten them (as thin as possible) and place on a dehydrator tray.
I ‘baked’ mine overnight, which was about 7 hours, but they could have gone longer and been more crispy – we just wanted them for breakfast!

Super Pancakes
Pancakes! Yes, I know! I found this recipe here, but mine took longer to dehydrate. Perhaps I made them bigger.
Makes 4 pancakes
3 bananas, mashed
1/3 cup ground flax
1 tsp cinnamon powder
a drop of water to bind

Mix everything together and spread onto teflon dehydrator sheets. Spread as thin as you can with a spoon (dampen it if you have to, but don’t get the mixture too wet. I made one on each of 4 trays.

Dehydrate for 4 hours, or until the pancake will peel away from the sheet. Place another tray (with mesh) on the top and turn the whole thing over. Gently (and I mean gently!) peel away the teflon sheet.
Dehydrate for another 4 hours.
We had ours with fruit and cacao powder. I’d like to show you a picture, but we ate them too quick!
Take a look at Polly Noble’s pictures – ours were like that!

As with all dehydrator recipes, you could use a fan oven instead. Just put the oven on fan-only or on the lowest temperature and leave the door open a jar to let the heat escape.

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Originally published on www.pollyskitchen.blogspot.com