Yields 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 100g dry sourdough bread crumbs
• 70g minced pecans
• 200g coconut cream
• 100g water
• 120g fine kamut flour
• 100g sucanat sugar
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• edible petals to serve

For the syrup:

• 100g agave syrup
• 100g brown rice syrup
• 2 lime leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablepsoons of dried rose petals
• 1 vanilla bean pod scrapped and pod
• juice of 1 lemon & zest

. 

method

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Pour bread crumbs and pecans into a 9-inch square baking dish and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until just brown, set aside half of the mixture for topping.
2. Reduce oven to 350F. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, water, kamut, sugar, and rose water, mix well, and cook for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened.
3. Pour the cream mixture on top of the bread crumbs and top with the rest of bread crumb mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until the breads crumbs are golden and the mixture is firm.  Sprinkle with edible flowers, if desired.
4. For the syrup, combine the syrups, leaves, stick, petals, and vanilla bean paste/pod in a small saucepan over medium heat, stir and simmer for 10 minutes or until it becomes a thick syrup.  Strain out the leaves, stick, pod, and petals, and add the lemon juice and zest, mixing well.
5. Serve slices of the dessert warm with the syrup.  Can keep in your fridge for two days.

Yields 6 hand-pies

INGREDIENTS

For the Pie Dough:

• 450g Bread flour (or all purpose)
• 100g Fine spelt flour
• 1 cup frozen earth balance butter
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• zest of one lemon
• about 1 cup of ice water

For the Filling:

• 1 cup rhubarb, stems removed, chopped
• 1/2 cup strawberries chopped (or pears, apples, raspberries; cuts the tartness from rhubarb)
• 1/4 cup orange juice (optional)
• 2 Tbsp raw sugar or maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)

. 

method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, mix flours, sugars, zest and salt, then cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter until well combined and you have pie size balls of butter.
3. Drizzle ice cold water over the mixture in 2 Tablespoon amounts and mix with a wooden spoon until it starts to form a dough. It usually takes about 3/4 cup but you may need to add up to 1 cup. It should be moist enough to form into a ball, but not too sticky to handle. Add more flour if it gets too wet.
4. Turn onto a floured surface, gently shape into a disc, and then use a floured rolling pin to roll into a large rectangle. I find it helpful to place a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough while rolling to reduce cracking.  Rest in fridge for at least 30 minutes, over night ideally.
5. While your pie dough is resting, prepare the compote by placing rhubarb, strawberries/fruits, raw sugar, and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and smashing down with a spoon to muddle the fruit together.  Leave it chunky by barely cooking it, if you like to have a bit of a chew factor in your pies! If it bubbles too much, turn down to low heat. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
6. Roll out the pie dough into a large rectangle. Cut into 12 equal rectangles and carefully transfer to a baking sheet. Cover with cling film. Rest in freezer for 10 minutes.
7. Spoon the fruit filling onto 6 of the squares, leaving a 1/4 inch border to seal the edges. Then use your finger to run water around the edges so the two squares stick together. Score the other 6 so you have vents. Top the squares with their matching halves and then seal lightly with a fork.
8. Brush with a bit of melted coconut oil, or olive oil, sprinkle with raw sugar (optional), and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
9. Let cool and then top with glaze if desired. To prepare glaze, simply whisk together melted vegan butter, powdered sugar and add juice 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. The glaze is not necessary, but recommended for sweeter pop tarts.
10. Store leftovers in a covered container at room temp for up to a few days.

Recipe inspired by Amy Chaplin "at home in a whole food kitchen".

Serves 6 - 8, about six 9" socca

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups chickpea flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
• 3 cups warm filtered water, divided
• 2 tablespoons melted extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 5 teaspoons homemade Curry Powder (recipe below)
• 2 red onions, finely sliced

HOMEMADE CURRY POWDER

Makes about 1/2 cup

• 1-inch piece cinnamon stick, broken up into several pieces
• 1/4 cup coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 cardamom pods
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons ground turmeric
• 2 tablespoons ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

Warm a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add cinnamon stick, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cloves, and cardamom; toast spices, stirring continuously, for 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant.  Remove from skillet immediately and place in an electric spice grinder along with peppercorns; grind until fine. Transfer to a bowl and add turmeric, ginger, and cayenne if using; mix well. Store in a sealed glass jar; use within three months. 

method

Day or Two before you want to eat:

Place chickpea flour in a bowl and whisk in 1 1/2 cups warm water until completely smooth.  Add remaining warm water and whisk again.  Transfer to a mason jar or container, letting it sit for 1 - 2 days until you smell slight notes of fermentation. 

If you choose not to ferment the batter, you can make this in one straight shot.  Fermenting does make it easier to digest (you won't get gassy), adds a lot more flavour, and adds to the nutritional content. 

Once you are happy with how the batter tastes after letting it sit for a couple days (totally safe to dip a spoon in and taste), pour into a bowl and whisk in your coconut oil.  In a skillet, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Add mustard seeds and cook until they begin to pop, about 30 seconds.  Stir in curry powder, remove from heat, and add to chickpea flour mixture; stir well.  Cover bowl with a towel and let batter sit for an hour at room temperature.

Preheat broiler.

Warm about 1 teaspoon olive oil in an oven-proof, 10" cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Pour in 3/4 cup chickpea batter and, moving quickly, distribute 1/6 of the onions over batter.  Cook for 2 minutes, or until edges are set and small bubbles form.  Place directly under the broiler, and cook for 4 - 8 minutes or until top begins to brown.  Remove from broiler (be careful as the handle will be extremely hot) and loosen edges of socca with a pallet knife or flat spatula.  Slide onto a cutting board, and repeat with remaining batter. Cut into wedges or stuff like an omelet/burrito, and serve immediately with the chutney. 

INGREDIENTS

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

• 3/4 dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 cup boiling filtered water
• 3 cups roughly chopped cilantro (leaves & stems)
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 serrano chili, seeded and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup mild extra virgin olive oil

method

Place coconut in a small bowl and cover with boiling water; set aside for 15 minutes or until rehydrated and softened.  Pour into a strainer to drain, reserving soaking liquid. Set aside to cool completely.

Add cilantro, mint, garlic, ginger, chili, lime juice, maple syrup, salt, and drained coconut to a food processor and blend until finely ground, scraping sides as necessary. While the motor is running, drizzle in olive oil and blend until combined. Add 5 tablespoons reserved coconut soaking liquid and blend until smooth, adding more liquid to get desired conistency. Serve immediately or store in a jar in the fridge for up to four days.

ingredients

Crust

• 1 ¼ cup old fashioned rolled oats
• ¼ cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
• ¼ cup cocoa powder, I used Valrhona
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup almond meal
• ¼ cup brown rice flour
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons melted extra virgin coconut oil, plus more for oiling pan
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste, or 1/2 vanilla pod, or extract

Filling

• ½ cup whole raw cashews, soaked 2 to 6 hours
• 1 ½ cups dried unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 cups water
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup, preferably grade A
• 4 teaspoons agar flakes
• 3 ½ teaspoons matcha tea, plus more to dust
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste, or 1 vanilla pod, or extract

method

Make the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Thoroughly oil a fluted 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom and set aside.

Add oats, coconut, cocoa powder and salt to a food processor and blend until oats and coconut are finely ground. Place in a bowl and stir in almond meal and brown rice flour. Stir in coconut oil and mix until all the flour is moistened. Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix again until the dough forms a ball. If it’s not holding together, add a teaspoon of maple syrup. If dough is very sticky set it aside for 10 minutes to thicken up. Wash and dry your hands and press crust thinly and evenly into prepared tart pan. Prick with a fork and bake 18 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Make the filling:

Line a large strainer with a nut milk bag or several layers of cheesecloth. Place strainer over a medium pot and set aside. Drain and rinse cashews, and add them to an upright blender. Add coconut and 3 cups of water, blend on highest speed until smooth. Pour into lined strainer and gather the edges of the bag or cloth and gently squeeze out all liquid. Compost solids. You should have 3 cups of coconut-cashew milk, if not add a little water. Rinse out blender. Add maple syrup and agar flakes to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer for 15 minutes or until all agar flakes have dissolved. Whisk mixture every 5 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove from heat, uncover pot and allow to cool for 10 minutes then pour mixture into the blender. Add matcha and vanilla and blend until evenly combined and foaming. Gently pour into tart crust. Allow to sit for another 15 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to set. This takes about 1 hour or until its completely chilled. Use a small strainer to dust with matcha. Serve cold.

Seaweed soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large handfuls of dried seaweed, such as wakame
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 handsfuls of mushrooms (shiitakes, criminis, wild mushrooms)
• course salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons tamari 

method

Soak the seaweed in cold water to cover for 10 minutes, drain well and coarsely chop.

Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a large, heavy pot over high heat.  Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring now and then, until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. 

Add the seaweed and garlic and stir to combine.  Add cold water to cover, bring to a boil, and skim any foam that rises to the surface. Add tamari and cook at a rolling boil until the seaweed is quite soft and the broth has taken on lots of flavour, 45 minutes to 1 hour. 

Serve with rice and kimchi ;)

Bindaetteok (mung bean Pancakes)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups dried mung beans, rinsed in a few changes of cold water
• 1/4 cup sweet rice, rinsed in a few changes of cold water
• 1/2 cup sour kimchi liquid
• 1 tspn toasted sesame oil
• 1 tspn tamari
• pinch of course salt
• 1 generous cup finely diced sour kimchi
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Scallion Dipping Sauce

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp gochugaru (red pepper powder)
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced

Combine everything in a small bowl and whisk until combined.

Detail 4

Combine the mung beans and rice in  medium bowl. Add cold water to cover by at least 1 inch and soak for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.

Drain the soaked mung beans and rice and place in a blender along with 1/2 cup of fresh water, the kimchi liquid, sesame oil, tamari, and salt.  Blend until its just about smooth, being careful not to over-mix (it should be coursely pureed as opposed to perfectly smooth). Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in the kimchi.

Heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heart. Using a 1/4 cup measure, ladle in the pancake batter to form 4 pancakes and cook until crisp (add in mushroom or green onions here before it completely sets) and browned on the first side, about 2 minutes. Carefulle flip and cook until crisp and browned on the second, about 2 minutes.  transfer the pancakes to a paper towel-lined plate and continue with the remaining batter and more oil as necessary. Serve hot with Scallion Dipping Sauce. 

CHOCOLATE SPELT & OAT FRUIT ALMOND SCONES RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 205g Spelt Flour
• 205g Oat Flour (store bought or grind rolled oats in a strong blender till semi-fine)
• 510g Almond Meal
• 23g Baking Powder
• 5g Baking Soda
• 5g Salt
• 225g Dark Chocolate Chips
• 65g Agave or Maple Syrup
• 150g Apple Sauce
• 135g Coconut Oil (melted)
• 145g Almond Milk
• 25g Vanilla
• pint of berries or stone fruits (chopped)

METHOD

1. Whisk the spelt flour, oat flour almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In small pot, measure out the wet ingredients and place it on the stove top on low heat to melt the coconut oil and warm the mixture slightly, or put into a microwavable bowl and heat until melted. 
3. Mix the wet into the dry ingredients by forming a well in the dry ingredients and slowly adding your wet mixture, mixing by hand until dough comes together (but try not to over mix, this creates a denser product). 
4. Divide mass into three portions, pat down each so it is a thick rectangle, 1.5 inches in thickness, then cut each rectangle into thirds so you are left with 9 squares, which you can then divide each into half to create small triangles. Place onto large baking trays lined with parchment or silicon mats. Top each with 4-5 mixed berries or other fruit (apples tossed in cinnamon and lemon zest, peaches, grapes, bananas). Optional: Press some almond slices or rolled oats on top for garnish.  Place into a large zip-lock bag if you would like to freeze them to bake on a later date, otherwise follow the last step!
5.  Bake at 350F for approximately 15 minutes, till golden brown. Let the scones cool, and top with powdered sugar if so desired.  

FERMENTED CARROT CAKE CINNAMON STICKY BUNS

Ingredients

Dough (made 8 hrs in advance, overnight is easiest)

• 2 1/2 cups Spelt Flour
• 2 1/2 cups Bread Flour (or all-purpose)
• 1 cup Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup mature sourdough starter
• 2 tbsp Maple syrup
• 1 1/2 cups Nut milk (I use Neuz) 
• 1 1/2 cups Carrot juice 
• 1 tbsp Turmeric  powder
• 1 cup Grated carrots
• 1.5 tspn Salt
• 2 tspn Baking powder
• 1 tspn Baking soda

STICKY GLAZE

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegan butter
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

FILLING

• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp minced ginger, or 2 tspn powdered ginger

Method

In a large bowl mix your flour, and cut butter into flour with a pastry cutter or using the tips of your fingers, crumble into pea size. Alternatively you can use a mixing stand with the paddle attachment and mix on a medium speed until the butter is pea size.  In a separate medium bowl, whisk sourdough starter, maple syrup, nut milk, carrot juice (I use my own juicer and sub the pulp for the grated carrots!), turmeric powder, and grated carrots (if using store bought juice).  Add the wet ingredients to the flour and butter mixture and mix with your hands in a claw-like hand-position.  You can again use your paddle attachment and mixer, or a spoon.  Mix until all the dry ingredients are completely incorporated, but not over-mixing or kneading like you would bread.  We do not want to build lots of strength, otherwise you will have a more chewy cinnamon bun! Let this dough sit out in room temperature, covered with cellophane or a plastic bag, for about 8-10 hours (I like doing this over night). 

Once dough has fermented, sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, and salt onto the dough, and knead the ingredients in by folding the dough over on itself and keep mixing.  While the dough sits for 20 minutes to rest, prepare sticky glaze by cutting the vegan butter into small cubes (1cmx1cm), and sprinkle evenly in a spring form cake pan (9in), casserole dish (~8x8), or cast iron. Use baking parchment if you know your pan tends to stick! Sprinkle the coconut sugar or brown sugar in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish on top of the butter, then top with chopped pecans and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a thin rectangle (8inx20in). Brush with 1/4 cup melted coconut oil and top with 1/2 cup brown sugar (or granulated sugar), cinnamon, and ginger.

Starting at one end, tightly roll up the dough and situate seam side down. Then with a bench scrapper or chef knife, cut the dough into 1.5 - 2 inch sections and position in your baking dish with the glaze layer on the bottom (you should have about 10 - 12 rolls). Cover with a damp towel and set on top of the oven to let it briefly rise again while you preheat oven to 400F.

Once the oven is hot, bake rolls for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a 5 minutes, then carefully invert onto a big plate and serve immediately.

Sourdough pizza recipe

Ingredients

• 360g water (cool if in a warm room, warm if in a cool room)
• 25g mature sourdough starter
• 50g fine whole wheat flour
• 150g fine kamut flour
• 300g bread flour (Anita's Organic Flour)
• 15g fine sea salt
• 30g good olive oil

methoD

The night before you want to bake off the pizza, make the dough ahead of time (about 12-16hrs).  I like to make it in the evening before I go to bed so I can have it for dinner.  

Start by combining the water (if you have an instant read thermometer, use water at 72F, ideally if your room is at 68F - just don't use water warmer than your wrist temp!) with your scaled flours directly into in a large glass, ceramic, or metal bowl.   Mix very well with clean hands, so no dry flour is left on the sides, and no clumps.  Clean down sides with a spatula, cover with a damp tea towel or plastic bag so no skin develops.  Leave in a warm spot for 30 minutes.  After resting, add sea salt and oil directly into bowl and mix well with clean hands.  Clean down sides, tuck into a ball into bowl, cover with plastic bag or cellophane, and leave on counter in a room that is about 20C/68F.  Leave this until nice and bubbly, about 14-16hours (if you want to save it for dinner, ridge it at after over-night rest for the day and bring it back out 3 hours before dinner time to wake up).

method CONTINUED...

To bake pizza:

Pre-heat a convection oven to 475F with preferably a ceramic or steel pizza stone.  If your oven is not a convection, just bake in still heat at 460F.  If you don't have a stone, use an upside-down cookie sheet tray.  

When your dough is nice and active (bubbly), grab a rectangle sheet of baking parchment and tear it to fit the size of the your over-turned cookie tray that is pre-heating with your oven, or the size the stone.  Take the parchment and place on top of a cutting board to build your pizza on (this makes sliding to the oven much easier with a loaded raw pizza). Sprinkle some semolina, fine cornmeal, or bread flour on top of parchment.  Gently pour your dough out of your bowl, using a bowl scrapper or a wet spatula, or wet hands, on a heavily floured surface.  Cradle the dough with your hands, trying to use the pads of your fingers and palms, and gently stretch the dough out, using the weight of the dough to do most of the work and not forcing it to stretch out.  Don't stretch it out too much, as we want to do most of the shaping on the parchment so it's easier to move.  

Once you have the shape you want on your parchment (using as much flour as you need so the dough doesn't stick to you or the parchment), even out the thickness by dimpling the dough gently with the tips of your fingers, all over the dough.  Don't go too crazy though, as you will eventually de-gas the dough and it won't rise as well.  Top with your sauce (2 cups at most) and prepped ingredients, sprinkle with some salt and olive oil, then transfer it to the stone or tray that's nice and hot in the oven.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the bottom is nice and golden.  Cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes, then slice/cut and enjoy :)