no sugar added vegan gf chocolate sauce

1/3 cup (50 g) pitted dates (measured once pitted)
1/2 cup (125 ml) almond or cashew milk (you can use regular milk instead, if you prefer)
1 oz (15 g) unsweetened baking chocolate (or 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder, or other chocolate)

Put dates and almond milk into a blender; blend together until smooth.

Pour into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer, continue to cook whilst stirring over a low flame for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.

Remove from the heat, stir in the chocolate (or cocoa powder) until melted and incorporated.

Transfer to a glass jar. Serve warm, refrigerate and eat cold, or re-warm.

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i can’t wait to dip strawberries into this…

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from top with cinnamon

beer-marinated skirt steak

1 orange, thinly sliced with peel
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, halved and smashed
2 1/4 pounds skirt steak
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 cup beer (light or amber)
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce

In a wide, shallow glass baking dish, scatter half of the orange slices, half of the onion slices and half of the garlic pieces on the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the steak all over with salt and pepper and put in the dish on top of the orange and onion slices. Scatter the remaining orange, onion and garlic over the steak and pour in the beer and soy sauce. Lid or cover with plastic wrap and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare a barbecue on medium-high heat or preheat a broiler. Remove the meat from the marinade and discard the marinade. Grill the steak to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.

turn into tacos or whatever you like

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adapted from here

sweet and savory broccoli salad

substitutions can be made for whatever you have in the house. i know what you’re thinking: “mayonnaise-based salads?” but i recently had a sweetened mayo broccoli salad that was actually delicious (too much time in the midwest, maybe?)

perhaps this is a good transition away from heavy winter food, now that it’s already too hot to slow-bake ribs.

plus, it looks sweet and creamy without any added sugar.

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3 large broccoli heads
5 diced radishes
2 diced tomatoes
1 diced apple
1/2 cup of red grapes, diced, drain (read: drink) the juice
5 green onions minus the white part, diced
1 cup medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup dried cranberries

dressing:
3 Tbsp oil (she recommends sunflower or olive; i think i’ll use walnut oil, my new favorite salad oil)
1 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice

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adapted from natasha’s kitchen

almost raw vegan double chocolate brownie milkshake

this is what i now plan to do with my weekend.

first mix up some double chocolate brownie bites:

1/2 cup cashews, walnuts, or blend
fistful of walnuts
12 Medjool dates (1 cup packed & pitted)
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
a few pinches of chocolate chips (opt.)
a few pinches of shredded coconut or coconut flour (opt.)

1. In a food processor, add the nuts (not the fistful of walnuts) and process until a fine crumb. Don’t over-process.

2. Add in dates and process until chunky. Add in the rest of the ingredients (except walnuts) and process until a dough forms. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Pulse in walnuts so they remain chunky. Add a bit more liquid sweetener if dough is too dry.

3. Form into balls and store in fridge or freezer.

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then, throw some frozen bananas (or ice cream, or both) into the food processor with a scoop of peanut butter, a little bit of cocoa powder, and process until creamy.

throw in your brownie bites from above, and you’ve got a milkshake.

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adapted from oh she glows

ginger orange broccoli quinoa salad

1 and 1/2 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth (or water)
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger (divided)
1 teaspoon of freshly grated orange peel
juice of one small orange
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of honey or agave
pinch of salt
1 cup of trimmed sugar snap peas, halved
2 cups of broccoli slaw (shredded broccoli florets and stems, red cabbage and carrots)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons of fresh cilantro or parsley
2 tablespoons of thinly sliced scallions
1 cup of dry roasted peanuts (or raw)
1 tablespoon of black or white sesame seeds

1. Place the vegetable stock, 1 tablespoon of grated ginger, grated orange rind, orange juice and quinoa in a medium sauce pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook the quinoa for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, mix the rice wine vinegar, other tablespoon of grated ginger, canola oil, sesame oil, honey and salt in a small glass jar or container. Shake to combine.

3. After the quinoa has cooked for 10 minutes, turn off the heat. Toss in the sugar snap peas, broccoli slaw and red pepper. Return lid to pot and allow the veggies to steam with the quinoa for 5 minutes. Remove lid and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.

4. Toss the quinoa mixture with the salad dressing. Add in the dry roasted peanuts. Garnish the salad with fresh cilantro (or parsley), scallions and sesame seeds.

Serve at room temperature.

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from the fig tree

kimchi bokkeumbap (bulgogi and kim chi fried rice)

cooking a lot of korean food lately. can’t wait to try this!

BULGOGI

1 pound of beef tenderloin, sliced thinly into pieces ½ inch x 2 inches and ⅛ inch thick
(or 1 lb mushrooms for the vegetarians)

Marinade (for 1 pound of beef):

½ cup of crushed pear
¼ cup onion purée
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 chopped green onion
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs brown sugar (or 1 tbs of brown sugar and 1½ tbs rice syrup)
a pinch of ground black pepper
1 tbs toasted sesame oil
several thin slices of carrot

Add the beef to the marinade and keep in the fridge at least 30 minutes. If your cut of beef is tough, you can marinate longer to soften it.
Cook it on a pan or a grill, and transfer to a plate or a cast iron plate to serve.
Sprinkle chopped green onion and toasted sesame seeds over top.

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kim chi fried rice

3 bowls overnight cold rice
1 cup ripe kimchi (including juice)
200g pork belly (3 layer pork)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/4 medium green capsicum, diced
1/4 medium red capsicum, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon gochujang (Korean chili paste; add more if you prefer spicy)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons cooking oil
dash of black pepper
1 spring onions, chopped
eggs

1. Fry eggs sunny side up in oil. Set aside.

2. Add oil in a wok and saute onions until translucent.

3. Add garlic and pork belly and cook thoroughly.

4. Once pork is cooked, add red and green capsicum.

5. Add gochujang and kimchi. Stir-fry for a minute.

6. Add rice, soy sauce and kimchi juice. Stir to combine well.

7. Lastly add sesame oil and dash of black pepper. Serve topped with fried egg, spring onions, and shredded seaweed.

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from maangchi and messywitchen

crunchy szechuan green beans

1 clove garlic, minced
1-inch knob of fresh ginger, minced (should equal about 2 teaspoons)
2 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this will be spicy – reduce, if you prefer less spice)
1 Tablespoon oil
1 pound green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces and rubbed dry with a towel

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Whisk together the first seven ingredients (through crushed red pepper) in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the sunflower oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed saute pan over medium-high heat. Just when the sunflower oil begins to shimmer, add the green beans and sauté, stirring constantly, until they begin to blacken in small spots, about 3 minutes. (Note: Be careful when adding the green beans to the pan, as they should sizzle and pop a bit if the oil is hot enough. This process should go very quickly, with the green beans retaining a bright green color, even though they will start to blacken a bit in spots.)
Add the sauce to the pan, stirring to coat the green beans. Cook just until the sauce reduces slightly, about 2 minutes.

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recipe by inquiring chef

kimchi bibimbap

“stirred rice” – rice stirred up with leftovers!

+ last night’s rice
+ any leftovers you have in your fridge – meat, veggies, whatever
+ bolgogi (sweet korean rib-eye cooked with pear,) if you have it lying around. (you can leave it out.)
+ cut-up pieces of raw fresh veggies, like cucumbers, bean sprouts, carrots, or spinach
+ a handful of kim-chi, cut up
+ a fried egg
+ a gojuchang sauce made of 3 tablespoons Gochujang paste, 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 3ish minced cloves of garlic, 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon Korean fine red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, and 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
+ a topping of dried and salted seaweed

mix together and eat

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based on a recipe from heart mind and seoul

stovetop pita bread

440 grams bread flour (1.9 cups)

264 grams warm water (1.1 cups) (80 F.)

9 grams salt

8 grams instant dry yeast 

 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously flour it, set aside. Mix all the ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes or until the dough comes together. Turn the mixer to medium speed and mix for 8 minutes or until the dough turns smooth and cleans out the bowl. It should not be sticky. Turn the dough into a working surface and knead the dough with your hands for a minute more. Divide the dough into 75 grams pieces and roll into balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough relax for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick circle and place it on to the prepared trays. Cover with plastic film and let it proof for 40 minutes. When ready, heat up a pan (I used a crepe pan but a cast iron pan will work great too) and lightly oil it with olive oil. Cook the pita for a couple of minutes on each side. Wrap the warm bread in a large kitchen towel to keep the bread soft until ready to eat.

 

Note: Be really careful when handling the already proofed dough as it can affect the “puffing” process if the dough is pulled.

 

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from delicious shots

maple pecan cookies

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Maple Pecan Frosting

2 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1½ cups powdered sugar
⅓ cup chopped pecans, toasted

Preheat to 350.
Toast the pecans.
Beat the butter, applesauce and sugar in a large bowl by hand or with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy.
Pour the syrup into the mixture, and beat until incorporated.
In another large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, then gradually beat this into the butter mixture.
On a low sweet, mix in the oats and chopped pecans until just mixed.
Spoon out dough into rounded tablespoon sized cookies.

Bake 20 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

While the cookies are baking, combine the cream cheese and butter for the frosting, creaming them together. Then add the maple syrup.
Sprinkle in the powdered sugar, stirring until well-mixed.
Set aside until the cookies have cooled completely.

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from the speckled palate