Recipes

Pit's Flourless Chocolate Celebration Cake

VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE

When you want your chocolate fix without compromising your health, this is the cake for you. Easy to make and no baking required. Just throw everything in a food processor and blitz.  This cake is gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free. 

For the cake

• 3 cups almond flour
• 3 cups dates (pitted, soaked in warm water until soft)
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• 6 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp espresso coffee (optional)
• 3 tbsp coconut oil

For the ganache

• ½ cup coconut oil, softened 
• ¼ cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp espresso coffee (optional)

Method

1. Place all the cake ingredients in a food processor and process until everything is combined. Transfer all ingredients into a plastic lined 16cm cake tin; press down firmly and evenly (with wet hands or a wet spatula). Place the cake in the freezer for at least 2 hours to let it set and chill. 
2. Place all ganache ingredients in a glass bowl over the hot water.  Mix well with a fork until ganache is smooth. 
3. Remove cake from the freezer and pour the ganache over just before you are ready to serve. Use a spoon to spread it evenly and smoothly over the top.
4. Serve with fresh berries. Can be served at room temperature, as it won’t melt unlike other raw cakes.

You can use the cake mixture to make chocolate truffles – just roll them into balls and shake cocoa powder over to finish.

Organic Seeded Loaf
 

VEGAN

Dry ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup flax seeds
• 1 cup chopped almonds or nuts of your choice or just half a cup of threaded coconut
• 4 tbsp buckwheat or chia seeds
• 8 tbsp psyllium husk
• 1 tsp salt

Wet ingredients

• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp melt coconut oil
• 3 cups filtered water

Method

1. Combine all dry ingredients and stir.

2. Whisk together maple syrup, coconut oil and water.

3. Mix wet and dry ingredients well.

4. Transfer the mixture into an oiled loaf tin. (27cm x 15 cm)

5. Let sit for at least 2 hours or overnight.

6. Bake at 170 degree Celsius for 25 minutes

7. Turn out the loaf up side down on the oven rack and bake for another 25 minutes. Don't worry the loaf wont break and you can be rough with it, thank goodness to psyllium husk

Ayurvedic tumeric and honey Tea

I make this magic tea a lot in winter particularly when family members or I get sick or are about to get sick. It tastes so good. I usually triple or double the recipe, it only lasts us for a day or less than a day.  It takes no time to make and the house smells so good at the same time. I recently made it with just water and added non dairy milk and honey just like having Chai tea or your normal English Breakfast tea. 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp grated fresh tumeric or 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 6 whole black peppercorns, crushed
• 6 whole cardamoms, crushed or 1 tsp ground cardamon
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger or a tsp ginger powder
• 2 cups nut milk (I use home-made almond milk) or water, you can add more if you like your tea less strong.
• 1 tbsp Manuka honey (add it before you drink if you prefer not to cook your honey. You can substitute honey with maple syrup if you are vegan. 

Instructions: 

1. Combine all the spices and honey with milk in a pot. Bring it to simmer for around 2-3 minutes. 
2. Strain, serve. Good luck.
3. PS. If you make this for children, use less fresh ginger and turmeric as it can be a bit spicy for kids.

Mini orange cake

This recipe is a keeper. I have made this cake for so many years and it has always been good. You can leave Grand Marnier out, if you prefer, but I love a little hint of this orange liqueur in it. I bake this cake in either my little mini muffin tray, or a 20-23 cm tin if you want to bake it as a cake. You can double the recipe as well.

Recipe:

• 5 free-range eggs
• 1 cup raw sugar or maple syrup
• 2 Oranges (zest and juice)
• 200g melted unsalted butter
• 1 and 1/2 cup of wholemeal spelt flour or use normal wholemeal flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• A handful of coconut threads (optional but use organic to avoid preservatives)

Orange Glaze:

• Juice of 1 orange
• 1/2 cup of raw sugar or honey
• 2 tbsp Grand Marnier

Combine orange juice and sugar in a saucepan and simmer gently until the liquid has reduced into syrup. Take off the heat, add Grand Marnier.

Method:

1. Butter and flour a cake tin.
2. Cream the eggs and sugar. 
3. Add zest, juice and melted butter.
4. Fold the mixture in the sifted flour and baking powder, add coconut threads. 
5. Place the mixture in a prepared tin, bake it in a 180 C oven for 40 minutes or until it's cooked.
6. Remove the cake from the oven, prick it with a wooden skewer.
7. Pour over the orange glaze. Leave it to cool. Enjoy.

PS. for mini muffins, I baked them for 7 minutes.

Vegan Ginger Slice

Raw Vegan 

One of my favourite desserts - ginger slice from The Unbakery (little bird). This recipe is very spicy (warning for those who don't like ginger like one of our sons!) as it contains so much fresh ginger juice and 1/2 cup of ground ginger! This recipe requires a good/reliable blender and a good food processor. I adapted it a little bit from the original recipe to make it simple and less sweet. You will have to go easy on ginger if you prefer your slice mild. 

The base

• 1 cup soaked cashew
• 1 cup soaked almonds
• 1 cup dried coconut
• 1 cup pitted Medjool dates
• 1 tsp vanilla extract/paste
• 1 pinch sea salt
• zest of 1 small lemon

Blend everything together. 
Line a baking tin (26 cm x20 cm) with plastic wrap and firmly press the base mixture into the tin. Chill in the fridge.

The topping

• 1 cup of coconut oil
• 2 cups rolled oat (blended)
• 1/2 cup or less of ginger juice depending on how strong you want your slice to be (use a juicer or a food processor and squeeze the juice using cheese cloth)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup cashew nuts (blended)
• 1/2 cup ground ginger (or less)
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar

Method

1. Blend everything together
2. Pour the mixture over the base
3. Sprinkle over with coconut sugar
4. Chill for 4-5 hours to set
5. Cut into squares

Enjoy :-)

Chiangmai noodles (Khao Soi)

DAIRY-FREE

I hope you aren't put off by the long list of ingredients. This noodle soup is very easy to make and very tasty. It should taste sweet, spicy, salty and a bit sour from lime juice and pickled cucumbers or gherkins. You can buy red curry paste, but I like making my own curry paste so I know what goes in my food. You  can substitute shrimp paste with anchovies or just leave them out if you prefer.

Curry paste recipe:

• 5 dried red chillies, deseeded
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• a piece (2cm) of fresh turmeric or a 2 tsp of ground turmeric
• a piece (2cm) of fresh ginger
• 1 tsp shrimp paste (I used 3 anchovy fillets)
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds or 3-4 coriander roots
• 1 tbsp salt

Soak dried chillies in hot water for 5 minutes or until soft, drain and chop them into pieces. Grind chilies and the rest of ingredients in mortar and pestle or blend them in a food processor.

Curry ingredients

• 5 tbsp coconut cream
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 chicken drumsticks (I use free-range chicken)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken stock or hot water
• 400 g egg noodles, cook per instruction
• 400 g crispy noodles (from any Asian super market or deep-fry them in very hot oil until puffed up, drain on paper towel.
• Spring onion, sliced for garnish
• Coriander leaves for garnish
• Lime wedge to serve
• Fried chillies and shallots to garnish
• Pickled cucumbers to serve or gherkins, chopped

Method:

1. Put coconut cream in a wok over medium heat until the cream start to brown around the edge, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the paste and stir until fragrant. Add palm sugar, soy sauce and chicken, stir well.
3. Add the stock, coconut milk and bring to boil, turn down the heat and simmer until chicken is cooked (about 25 minutes).
4. Put boiled noodles in a bowl, spoon the soup over the top, top with crispy noodles. Garnish with spring onion, coriander, fried shallot, pickled cucumber, lime wedge and fried chillies. Enjoy.

Serves 4.

Fluffy breakfast pancakes

DAIRY AND GLUTEN-FREE

Requested by one of my lovely B&B guests, this pancake recipe is fool-proof. I have always used this recipe whether I use buckwheat flour or coconut flour to make pancakes. For buckwheat pancakes, you need to add extra milk (1/4 cup) to the flour. This is a really simple and easy recipe that you don't need to chill the batter in the fridge.

Recipe:

• 1  1/2 cups buckwheat flour or self raising flour
• 2 free range eggs, separated
• 1 cup of nut/seed buttermilk ( 1 cup of nut or seed milk + 1 tbsp of white vinegar, stir and let it stand for a few minutes)
• 2 tbsp raw caster sugar (leave sugar out for healthy option)
• Organic coconut oil (for diary-free) or unsalted butter to cook
• Pure maple syrup and seasonal fruits to serve

Method:

1. Whisk the yolks and milk together until combined.
2. Add milk and yolks to the flour, stir, leave it to soak up the liquid for at least 10 mins.
3. Whisk egg white until soft peak.
4. Fold egg white through the batter.
5. Heat a pan on medium heat. Add a little knob of butter or olive oil, pour around 1/4-1/2 cup of the batter into the pan, cook until you see quite a few of bubbles on the pancakes, flip to cook the other side. It should be lovely golden colour. 
6. Serve with fresh berries, banana and some REAL maple syrup.
7. Note: Read ingredients when you buy maple syrup as some brands claim real maple syrup but there is some sugar or glucose content in it.

Serves 4.

Thai fish cakes

DAIRY AND GLUTEN-FREE

Fish or Fish and Prawn cakes are very easy to make and are a very versatile dish. We have them as a snack before dinner, lunch with salad, brunch with poached eggs or make a big portion (like round mini cake) for dinner and have them with mango or avocado salsa. This is a no flour or potato recipe and very healthy if you grill them instead of deep-frying.

Recipe:

• 300 g white fish, boned, skinned (although tried with kahwhai and worked really well).
• 200g fresh prawns, peeled, chopped (optional or replace it with fish)
• 1 tbsp red curry paste
• 30g finely sliced snake beans (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 egg whisked
• 5 leaves kafir lime (finely shredded)
• 1 tbsp chopped wild ginger

For Chilli sauce:

• 4 tbsp sweet chilli sauce (store bought)
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 2 tbsp chopped spring onion
• 3 tbsp grated carrot
• 2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts to serve
• Juice of 1 lime
• Mix the above ingredients together, taste.
• * If the sauce is too thick, add more chilli sauce, lime juice or hot water.

Method:

1. Mix chopped fish, curry paste, fish sauce, egg in a food processor, blend briefly until smooth.
3. Spoon the mixture into a bowl, add prawns (optional), kaffir leaves, wild ginger,and beans (optional), mix well.
3. Wet your hand with water, shape the fish into round cakes, the size and thickness is your preference.
4. Heat a skillet or a pan over a medium heat with a little bit of olive oil just to coat the pan.
5. Grill or pan-fry the fishcakes around 2-3 minutes on each side. Don't over cook the fishcakes as they may become dry.
6. Let cool if you have them with salad or serve them warm with chilli sauce mix and crushed peanuts.

Make 20 or serve 4-6