Use this recipe for making different cakes or cookies

 ב"ה

It's been a while since I've added a recipe. I think we all have had a weird year. Mine started last year when my Mom died. Then my Dad died (it was less than 7 months apart). 

So I was living alone for over a year (starting last June, when my Mom was moved to a nursing home), something that I was not at all used to. So adding to my recipe blog somehow got lost in the shuffle. 

I still develop new recipes and perfect old recipes. 

This is one recipe I've been using for several desserts. It can be used for a cake (loaf pan or 8X8 pan) or cookies. It can be used for different flavored cakes and/or cookies.

I take 1/2 cup each of almond and coconut flours. I add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon powdered stevia (this is about the equivalent of 1-2 cups of sugar/syrup etc.), then I add 1/4 cup ground chia (this is an optional ingredient) and/or a tablespoon of powdered psyllium (not the husks) --  also optional. Add about 1 cup creamy peanut butter (I use 365 -- the whole foods store brand -- Organic Creamy Peanut Butter Spread -- unsweetened, of course) and about 1 cup of unsweetened Vanilla coconut "milk" (if you need more, add it slowly, like a tablespoon at a time, until it's the consistency of cookie dough or cake batter, depending on what you're making). I have a standing mixer and it mixes it better -- just be careful it doesn't splash -- but I can also mix it with a spoon. 

Add whatever flavoring you want -- one small to medium lemon (grated zest) for lemon, extract to taste for vanilla, 1/8-1/4 cup of cacao powder (or cocoa) for chocolate, 1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips (I use Luv stevia sweetened chips -- I'm only able to get them in cold weather on Amazon) for chocolate chips (with or without chocolate), also, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and/or pecans in the chocolate chip version (or by themselves for nut cake or cookies) -- add maple extract/flavoring if you like. 

If you are making a cake, like a loaf or 8X8 cake pan with parchment paper (so that your food isn't touching aluminum) and put the batter in the pan, spreading it to fit the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour (the loaf cake might need more baking time if it's thicker). If you are making cookies, shape the dough into rounds (the size you like) and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1/2 hour. (Check them after about 20 minutes to preventing burning -- then 5 minutes more each time it needs more baking). You can also make muffins (lining muffin tins with parchment muffin liners) using the cake batter. You can take the lemon base and put in blueberries or other small bits of fruit (or berries) and make blueberry or mango or apple or whatever muffins. 

For cakes of cupcakes (same as muffins but with an icing), the icing recipe:

1 cup organic raw cashews
coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk) to cover the cashews
1/2 teaspoon stevia
flavoring (see above) 

Put it all together in a strong blender and blend until it's all liquified --- add "milk" if it's too thick, add cashews if it's too thin and whirr around again.

My best keto vegan "bread" yet

ב"ה

I'm a life member of the Vegetarian Resource Group so I get the Vegetarian Journal. In the past issue, they had a recipe for rolled buns.

The recipe included a regular dough and a gluten-free dough recipe. The Gluten Free Dough still had ingredients I can't eat (not keto friendly, so to speak or trans fats -- like margarine). So I substituted. Here is the recipe I developed (I used it for the cake -- rolled up cakes -- and for "bread" without the sweet filling):

I took 2 1/2 cups plain coconut "milk" (not the canned stuff -- the kind that's in the vegan "milk" section in containers) and put in 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I also added a pinch of stevia powder. (If you are making cake with the dough, add another 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of powdered stevia. If you're making "bread" don't add more stevia -- it's sweet enough between the coconut flour and stevia in the yeast.) I heated the "milk" until it didn't feel cold or hot on my skin (if it was too hot, I let it cool until it was "there" -- better to be a bit too cold than a bit too hot -- the heat will kill the yeast) -- then I poured in one packet of yeast and gave it some time to bubble (making sure to get the yeast wet without stirring -- push the yeast down rather than stirring).

I then put together the dry ingredients -- 2 3/4 cups to 3 cups coconut flour and 1/2 cup almond flour, 2 tablespoon powdered psyllium husks, 1/4 cup ground chia seeds (I can't use flax seeds), 2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder, and a tablespoon of konjac starch.

I stir the dry ingredients and checked on the "milk" and yeast. If it looks like it's growing, then you're ready to put it into the dry ingredients and mix it all together into a dough.

If I'm making the cake, I made a sweet filling (cinnamon, coconut oil, stevia mixture simmered in a frying pan until blended -- spread this on rolled out dough then sprinkle chopped pecans and/or walnuts -- or a sweet cream cheese filling (one container of vegan cream cheese -- I use kite hill) with a bit of cinnamon, stevia, some grated citrus zest and chopped pecans and/or walnuts, etc.

If I'm making "bread" I make the dough into whatever shape I want -- bagels, small loaves, I even did a small braided Halla (bread for Shabbat -- the Sabbath), though that was less successful in staying together.

PS -- I forgot to mention that once you make the dough, let it rise (it won't rise much, but it does help the texture. Last week, I let it rise (covered with a towel sitting on top of the freezer) overnight.) I also forgot to mention that you bake it about 30 or so minutes in a 350 or so degree (Fahrenheit) (I think that's about 175 Celsius) oven. When you make the cake, roll out the dough (between two pieces of parchment paper), spread the filling (your choice) leaving about 1/2 inch on each edge, then roll it up (using the paper if you need it -- it should be loosely rolled, not tightly, like a fruit roll-up), pinch the edges, spray with a bit of coconut or olive oil, pre-cut into 6-12 slices (it's not hard to cut) -- the ones I had were pretty much wide and flat -- reminded me of my late Mom's roll cake back in the days when she still baked for the holidays.

For the bread -- make into loaves, rolls, bagels, even Halla (though it's hard to braid because the "ropes" are thick). I haven't tried boiling bagels yet -- I'll let you know how they come out if I try it tonight. Lay them on parchment paper lined cookie sheets and spray with olive or coconut oil (or brush with liquid coconut oil) and bake about 30 or so minutes  in a 350 or so degree (Fahrenheit) oven.

Oh, Fudge!

ב"ה

I made a very quick fudge -- I used a can of coconut milk (the high fat variety, not the "stuff" in a carton), about 1/2 cup liquid coconut oil (I avoid the solid kind to some degree because the liquid doesn't have a strong coconut taste and that taste makes my stomach queasy), 2 Tablespoons cacao powder, 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon stevia powder, and other flavors (I used 1/2 teaspoon maple extract, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 Tablespoons each of chopped walnuts and chopped pecans). I put it all together in a pot and cooked it all together until blended and thickened a bit. I put it all in a parchment lined aluminum load pan and into the freezer. (It's still in the freezer right now.)

I did taste what was left in the pot and it was delicious.

Thanks Food Channel for the inspritation

ב"ה

Somebody asked me why I watch the food network -- why do I watch iron chef and holiday cookie challenge -- But this is why. They talk about things that they cook or bake in these challenges and it gives me ideas. Last night, there was a Hanukkah challenge (the lady who won was a convert -- which I loved, but I digress) and one of the challenges was to make Latkes (לביבות, potato pancakes) with no potatoes. One person used zucchini, another used Brussels sprouts (which is one of my absolute favorite Vegetables (My food pyramid has on it nuts, berries, extras -- like spices and stevia and cacao powder, etc. and the bottom part is vegetables) so today, when I came back from Whole Foods (which won't be open the third day of Hanukkah) I started making zucchini/ Brussels Sprouts/ red cabbage latkes. 1 large shredded/grated zucchini (squeeze out whatever liquid you can) about 6 or so medium to large Brussles sprouts, trimmed, cup in 1/2 and sliced, and a couple of handfuls of sliced red cabbage (Whole Foods has organic in containers) -- I sauteed up the cabbage and Brussels sprouts until it was soft. Then I added it to the grated, squeezed out zucchini -- I added 2 Tablespoons of ground chia seeds and took 1/2 cup of coconut milk and blended it with 1 Tablespoon Agar (these two things are instead of eggs) and added all the ingredient together in a bowl. I mixed everything together -- then I spooned it out on a parchment lined cookie sheet and sprayed them with organic olive oil (I get it at Trader Joe's) and baked them at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crispy (at least around the edge) -- I made a topping of non-dairy plain unsweetened yogurt (I use Kite Hill) mixed with a bit of my blueberry/raspberry "preserves" (I make this by using a bag or two of frozen berries, 1 teaspoon starch and 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder and simmer it until it has the consistency of preserves or jam) -- it was delicious!

Update: On the 4th day of Hanuka, I came up with a quickie latke -- in a small frying pan, I sauteed (in olive oil -- organic of course) a handful (a big handful) of bagged cabbage (cole slaw mix) and a big handful of chopped red cabbage (Whole Foods sells them -- organic) in olive oil with spices and a pinch of Himalayan pink salt. After it got cooked through, I took about 1/2 cup of coconut milk and 1/2 teaspoon psyllium powder and 1/8 of a cup (2 Tablespoons) ground chia seed and whirred it together to make a fake egg. I poured the mixture over the cabbage and covered (again) the frying pan. I cooked it all until the fake egg was cooked through. I then served it with a dollop of almond based yogurt.

My Keto-vegan Gumbo

ב"ה

I have always loved okra. Mind you, I haven't eaten it too many times. But when they got okra in at Whole Foods (and it wasn't organic) it spurred within me a desire to find some organic okra (which I then ordered from Amazon).

In the meantime, I've been hearing all this "stuff" about the impossible burger so I wanted to make my version of that too.

I love mushrooms (particularly shiitake) and I find that when they are cooked (and spiced) just right they taste like meat. So I rehydrated one package of dehydrated shiitake mushrooms and one package of porcini mushrooms. I then put them rehydrated mushrooms into a food processor with my spice mixture (make one of your own with spices you like) and some pink (Himalayan) salt, and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. I processed it all and shaped the mixture into slider sized "burgers" -- and I sprayed them with olive oil (organic EVOO) and baked them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet at 425 degrees for 15-25 minutes. I let them cool and then took two of the burgers (I had made 6) and cut them into chunks and tossed them into the cooking veggies (for the "gumbo").

As that was going on, I took my deep flying pan, put in a teaspoon of my spice mix and covered the bottom with olive oil (also EVOO an also organic). I put in a 6 oz container of organic chopped red cabbage, added a couple of handfuls of thickly sliced okra, a medium zucchini cut into chunks, and a couple of handfuls of quartered (cut into quarters) fresh shiitake mushrooms. I let this cook on a small flame for a while -- this is what I tossed the "'shroom' burger" into. After the veggies got soft, I added two bags (10 oz each) of riced cauliflower. I cooked it through with the other veggies. I tried it and it was yummy.

Stuffed Zucchini Boats

ב"ה

On one of my lists, some gave a recipe for stuffed Zucchini with cheese and some said it sounds good but she wanted it Pareve (I guess so she could eat it with meat meals).

So, being vegan, I decided to create my own version that is, well, vegan (which is automatically pareve).

It came out great -- I sauteed up two large shiitake mushrooms (diced into small pieces) and the part of the zucchini (I only used one) that I scooped out and olive oil and my spice mixture and a bit of salt. After this sauteed for about 5 minutes on simmer, I stirred it up and added 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast. I sauteed some more (another 5 or so minutes) and then I stuffed it into the zucchini halves -- I then put it in the oven at 425 F for about 10 minutes. I ate it up so fast......

Riced Cauliflower "Pilaf"

ב"ה

I have been using a LOT of riced cauliflower (I get the frozen kind -- it stays well in the freezer) -- I can't eat rice (or any other grain). So the cauliflower, besides being very healthy, is great for sauces and soups, tastes great roasted, and just so happens to make a great substitute for rice (and other grain dishes). I fine that it's better sauteed in olive oil (or coconut oil or a combination of the two). I have to admit, I never tried it boiled or steamed.

So I start by taking my large ceramic lined frying pan -- I put in a layer of olive oil and a teaspoon of my spice mix (and a pinch of Himalayan pink salt) -- I put in about 1/3 - 1/2 bag frozen peas (or baby peas), and a couple of handfuls of shiitake mushrooms (I cut them into small pieces) into the pan. I also like to put in other veggies (zucchini, red cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, etc.) and then I put it all into the pan and sauteed it all for a while at the lowest flame. 

After the veggies cook for a while, I add a bag (or two?) of the riced cauliflower and saute through until the cauliflower tastes like farfel or pilaf. That's it -- it's just like having a rice dish.