Chamomile Latte & Healthy Coconut Banana Boats + Tips for Sleeping Well

January 22, 2015

sponsored by Familon

During the last week I’ve once again been reminded how important a good night’s sleep is. I’ve always been a sensitive sleeper and every now and then I’ve got difficulties falling asleep, especially when I travel or sleep in new places. Thats why when I’m at home I try to have a pretty stable rhythm, so that I would get as much sleep as possible. I’ve noticed that the amount of sleep I get influences my mood and body so much, that I no longer want to compromise on sleep voluntarily. After having a few restless nights, I value sleeping even more than before and wish to sleep well every night – and for as long as possible. If sleep is as vital to you, you can try using products such as a mattress pad heater.

A nice bed and a pillow, and some pretty sheets are important when we’re going into bed, but there are so many other things that affect sleeping, at least for me. I’ve noticed that calming down and relaxing are the most important things for me. I’m a bit of a hyperactive person sometimes, and when that mood hits me, it’s super hard to sleep and I might fall asleep only in the morning. And that’s not good. But when I’m able to calm down and relax both my mind and my body, I usually fall asleep quite quickly and sleep well.

To get everyone sleeping a bit better and feeling well, we decided to share some tips for relaxing together with Familon. I’ll share two posts and this is the first one. And for the first part of the series, I created a menu for sleeping well. There’s chamomile tea latte, which is reaaally nice, and healthy coconut banana boats. Bananas, dates and chamomile tea are all known or their sleep enhancing abilities so I wanted to use them in my recipes. In my Finnish page (change the language from the top of the page), you’ll also find some of my favorite tips for relaxing. Sorry for not translating those, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the recipes! :)

Chamomille Latte

Chamomile Tea Latte

serves one

1 cup strong chamomile tea
1/4 cup almond milk (or a handful of peeled almonds)
1-2 medjool dates, pitted
1/4 tsp vanilla powder

METHOD:

Steep the chamomile tea for about 5 minutes. Put the tea, almond milk or almonds, dates and vanilla in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Healthy Coconut Banana Boats

makes one big or two smaller servings

1 banana
2 tbsp almond butter (or other nut butter)
1/2 cup coconut cream
a handful of berries
a handful of nuts
a handful of raisins

METHOD:

Cut the banana in half, so that you get two “boats”. Cover the halves with almond butter and coconut cream and garnish with berries, nuts and raisins.

Gluten-free Banana Bread

January 18, 2015

This week I noticed that I started my blog almost exactly two years ago (yay!). Unfortunately you won’t find all my posts in English from that time, as I started to write them in two languages only a couple months ago. Anyways, if I’m being really exact, my blog’s birthday was on Wednesday, on that very same day when I was standing in the middle of the snow taking pictures of this banana bread.

I started my blog because I thought it would be nice to write down all kinds of health tips and recipes that I had fallen for. First I wrote about all kinds of superfoods but now I mostly share recipes as that feels most natural to me at the moment. It’s kind of funny to notice how quickly things change: in the beginning I just quickly snapped a photo and wrote a short text, but now I might be planning some recipe, a photo or a story for a long time until doing it. Food blogging has also given me a great excuse to fill my kitchen cupboards and buy all sorts of pretty things.

Lately I’ve also noticed that my own requirements towards my work have grown a lot. Sometimes I get really frustrated if the pictures or writing the post isn’t working as I had planned. Despite frustration and requirements, the most important thing in all this cooking, photography and writing posts is that it’s fun and brings joy to my everyday life. And luckily it has done that greatly and that’s the reason why I keep coming back here to this space.

But let’s get back to these pictures just for a moment. I’ve had this recipe for the banana bread ready to be shared for a while already, but then I changed my mind and wanted to tweak the recipe into a nut-free version. So I made one more banana bread and took new pictures while spending some time back home in Finland.

Somehow I got this idea of shooting outside in the minus degrees as the snow looked so pretty. However, at some point while standing in the snow, I started to think that was I being just totally nuts. I wondered what my parent’s neighbours were thinking about my weird winter outfit and all the things that I had dragged outside. But before changing my mind, I decided that this wasn’t and should not be a moment for self-doubt. I decided that if you enjoy doing something, even how silly I might seem to others, you should just keep going no matter what. There’s always room for things that make us happy and therefore we should keep those habits tightly with us.

In the recent months I’ve made banana bread more often than any other bread, just alternating the recipe a bit from time to time. I’ve made the bread with almond flour many times but this time I used buckwheat flour instead, as I wanted to offer a nut-free recipe for a change.

The recipe is really easy, as you’ll only need one bowl. Banana bread is really delicious fresh from the oven, but I also like to have it with some yogurt and berries. Banana bread becomes actually even more better when you let it sit in the fridge overnight, if you have some patience. I recommend having some banana bread as a dessert on a weekend breakfast or as a treat on a winter picnic. Take some hot cocoa with you and yiu’ll have the most delicious lunch or snack break while enjoying these magical winter months.

Gluten-free Banana Bread

notes: to make a nut free bread, leave the walnuts away. gluten free oat flour is pretty common nowadays but you can easily make it yourself too by blending rolled oats until they become flour in a food processor or a blender.

makes a 24×10 cm loaf

3 +1 big ripe bananas
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
a pinch of sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
3 organic eggs
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (or mild olive oil)
3 tbsp honey
1/2 cup oat milk
1 cup gluten-free oat flour
1 cup buckwheat flour
(a handful of walnuts)

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork or with a hand blender until smooth. Mix in the spices.

2. Melt the coconut oil and add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well.

3. Grease a loaf pan lightly with coconut oil and pour in the batter. Cut one banana in half, so that you’ll get two long banana halves. Arrange them on the bread and crumble a handful of nuts on top, if desired.

4. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the bread is golden. Slice and serve as it is or with some yogurt and berries for example. Store the bread in the fridge. You can also freeze some slices of the bread and then just pop them to the toaster when a craving for banana bread hits.

Nourish Bowl with Tofu, Brown Rice & Lots of Vegetables + A Tasty Pumpkin Seed Dressing

Nourish Bowl w/ Tofu, Brown Rice & Vegetables + A Tasty Pumpkin Seed Sauce

January 9, 2015

In cooperation with Jalotofu.

I’ve always prefered vegetarian food, even though I’ve never been a vegetarian officially. Still, I mostly eat and cook vegetarian food as I find that it makes me feel good and vegetables are easy to cook and prepare. Vegetarian cooking also inspires me more than preparing meat or fish, and I always find myself saving vegetarian recipes from magazines, books and blogs instead of those with meat.

I usually eat quite a lot of eggs and different kinds of lentils and beans either in salads or cooked in soups or stews. When we’re eating out I like to try dishes with tofu and my boyfriend makes tofu every now and then, but somehow I’ve never made it myself. Before this post I mean. So when Jalotofu challenged me to create a recipe with tofu, I decided that it was time to move from just eating tofu to actually cooking something out of it.

There’s so much contoversial information and opinions going around about tofu and soy in general that it’s sometimes hard to keep up. Some sources say that you should avoid soy alltogether and some sources say that it’s super beneficial for your health. My own opinion about soy has also changed a few times. Sometimes I’ve tried to quit using soy completely and then at other times I’ve changed my mind and enjoyed my soy yogurt and chai latte with soy milk in good spirits. I’m still not sure who to believe in this whole debate but luckily a fellow blogger, Outi, just wrote an excellent post about soy (it’s only in Finnish unfortunately). So after reading that post I got some reassurance for the fact that eating tofu and soy in moderation is probably perfectly fine. I like tofu and when eating mostly vegetarian food, tofu is a good source of protein and it brings a nice variation to my diet. And you can make so many things out of it! I was mainly thinking of chocolate mousse, but tofu is really nice in all kinds of currys or in soups for example.

Before taking this small journey to the world of tofu I didn’t know that there are so many different types of tofu. There’s soft tofu, silken, firm, all kinds of marinades and depending on the brand different kinds of soybeans. However, when choosing tofu, quality should always be put first so that you don’t have to worry about gmo or other weird stuff. Jalotofu produces top quality organic tofu in Finland and they use this traditional and natural process to make it, which is super cool in my opinion. Take a look at their website for more information and remember to check out the delicious recipes too (like that chocolate mousse!).

Tofu can be prepared in various ways but I decided to make it in the oven, which turned out to be really easy and delicious. In order to get the tofu to have that nice crunchiness, you should drain the tofu well and marinate it for a while before preparing it. If you’re unsure of how to do all this, check out this article on how to cook tofu.

Because I’m not that experienced with tofu and what to pair it with (yet), I decided to go with something simple, nourishing and yet really delicious. So I kind of ended up making the thing that I eat on a constant basis: a bowl with all kinds of vegetables and sides. I managed to find some perfectly ripe avocados and pomegranates from the farmer’s market and paired them with broccoli (my favorite), some dark leafy greens and brown rice. Pumpkin seeds that had been hiding in the cupboards also turned out to be the perfect base for a nice and creamy sauce.

I make these kinds of bowls kind often, as they’re perfect for using those forgotten vegetables in the fridge or some leftovers. And when you double the recipe, you’ll have some delicious food ready in the fridge, which makes eating healthy so much easier.

Nourish Bowl w/ Tofu, Brown Rice & Vegetables + A Tasty Pumpkin Seed Sauce

notes: you can replace the rice with quinoa or millet or try wild ricw or red rice instead of brown. by doubling the recipe you’ll get enough for four or you can store the leftovers for upcoming days.

serves two

1 packet of firm Jalotofu (or your favorite organic tofu)
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 head of broccoli
a couple of handfuls of dark leafy greens
1 ripe avocado
seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
1 lemon for the marinade and sauce
a handful of sprouts
+ pumpkin seed sauce for serving (recipe below)

The tofu marinade:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD:

1. Drain the tofu. Then wrap it into a paper towel, set to a plate and leave a heavy item on top for 15 minutes to press out excess moisture. Meanwhile cook the rice and prepare the marinade.

2. Mix olive oil, tamari, honey and lemon juice in a bowl. Cut the tofu into smaller pieces and put them in the marinade. Turn over couple times so that they coat well. Let them sit for about 10-15 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F ja make the pumpkin seed sauce (recipe below). Once the tofu is marinated, spread them to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the edges are golden. Prepare the vegtables while the tofu is in the oven.

4. Cut the broccoli into smaller pieces and cook for 4-5 minutes so that it’s still a bit crunchy. Peel the pomegranate and the avocado.

5. When everything’s ready, arrange the greens, vegetables, rice and tofu to plates. Serve with sprouts and the pumpkin seed sauce.

Tasty Pumpkin Seed Sauce

slightly adapted from My New Roots

notes: the recipe makes quite a lot of sauce but it will go really nicely with salads or just vegetable sticks, so there won’t be too much of it really.

1 cup / 240 ml pumpkin seeds
1 cup / 240 ml water
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

1. Toast the pumpkin seeds on a dry pan over medium heat until they start to pop. Se aside from the heat and let the seeds cool for a moment. Chop the garlic into smaller pieces. Squeeze the lemon juice.

2. Place pumpkin seeds and garlic to a high speed blender or a food processor and blend on high until for a moment. Add about half of the water, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and apple cider vinegar. Blend on high until you get a nicely smooth texture. Add the nutritional yeast, salt and pepepr and the rest of the water and blend for a short moment. Taste and allow to cool in the fridge. The sauce can be stored in an airtight glass container in the fridge.

Raw Almond & Blueberry Chocolate Treats

January 5, 2015

Happy New Year 2015! Hope you all had some fun and the beginning of this year has been lovely so far.

As it’s once again a new year, I should probably talk about new beginnings, intentions and goals, eating more greens, getting fit or starting a cleanse or a detox. Instead of all that, I decided to do things a bit differently this time and start the year with some chocolate, if you don’t mind. Just because there should be something to eat for all of us who haven’t got those intentions and goals figured out and written down to our new notebooks. And ’cause those intentions and goals that we are thinking of say nothing about quitting chocolate…especially if we’re talking about these Raw Almond & Blueberry Chocolate Treats that I made for you!

I wouldn’t describe myself as a fanatic chocolate lover but lately I’ve noticed that chocolate is a rather efficient little thing when a sweet craving hits me. And when I noticed that it takes less time to make my own chocolate than to run to the store, chocolate started to become a regular thing in our kitchen.

I usually make chocolate in the spur of the moment without a recipe. It’s so easy to add different kind of flavors to the basic ingredients (cacao butter, coconut oil, honey and cacao powder) and all kinds of nuts, dried fruit and essential oils are my favorite. This time I decided to try berries with chocolate and it turned out to be a quite fun combination. The blueberries are juicy whereas the almonds make the chocolate crunchy.

If one of your intentions was to eat more berries for example, these chocolate treats are a rather delicious way for that, if you’re in need of some inspiration. And for the rest of us making our own chocolate might be a good way to figure out those intentions and goals that we want to achieve in the upcoming year. So enjoy your chocolate and have a delicious start to your January!

Raw Almond & Blueberry Chocolate Treats

notes: if you want to make a nut-free version, replace the almonds with seeds or dried fruit. to make a vegan version, replace the honey with maple syrup or coconut blossom syrup.

makes 6 pieces

1/2 cup raw cacao butter
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbs honey (or more, if desired)
5-6 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
a small pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp dried blueberry powder
a handful of fresh or thawed blueberries
a handful of crushed almonds (or other nuts)

+ 6 small muffin cups

METHOD:

1. Melt the cocoa butter, coconut oil and honey in a small pot on the stove on low heat. Turn the heat off and mix in the cacao powder, vanilla, salt and blueberry powder. Whisk well so that there are no clumps. Taste the chocolate and add more sweetener if you like.

2. Pour into muffin cups and decorate with blueberries and crushed almonds. Set in the freezer for half an hour or until the chocolate is set. The remaining chocolate (if there is some) can be stored in the fridge.

Gluten-free Gingerbread Granola

December 20, 2014

I had this feeling that I needed to create something really Christmassy. And from that feeling, this gingerbread granola happened.

As I’ve done in the previous couple years, I decided to give granola as a gift this year too. But instead of doing one of my go-to recipes, I wanted to try something new. And I’m glad I did, because this one turned out great. It’s really good. Actually so good, that I’m not even going to mention how many times I’ve gone and taken just a bit of it while writing this. As it would be kind of embarrasing to tell you how many breaks I needed to write this sentence. And just to add another word of warning, there will be this really lovely scent in your home after making this. So be careful.

Even though I just made this lovely granola and it smells like Christmas in our apartment, I haven’t really got that into that Christmas feeling. I totally forgot to listen to Christmas songs so I tried to cover it this week by listening to them non stop. That wasn’t such a good idea. We don’t have a single christmas decoration in our apartment as we’re moving in between christmas and New Year’s and it felt a bit foolish to buy something to this place. So I’ve just been missing glögg (traditional Finnish Christmas drink, it’s like mulled wine), gingerbread cookies and my mom’s Christmas decorations. Or maybe I’m just remembering all those white Christmases that lasted for ages when I was a kid, and everything feels a bit dull compared to those memories.

Even thought that Christmas feeling is still hiding somewhere, I’m really looking forward to Christmas. Cooking and baking, talking and spending the whole day in my pyjamas, reading and of course eating good food. Luckily these thing can be made no matter where you’re spending your Christmas or what’s the weather like.

Christmas traditions, those familiar things and all the same old decorations are nice. But then again, sometimes it’s really relieving to forget all those traditions and try something new. Spend the holidays abroad, invite new people to spend Christmas with you or try a totally new menu. So instead of all that pressure that’s lurking around we could just focus on the things that we truly enjoy. Like in this gingerbread granola, which is a perfect substitute for making gingerbread cookies. And you’ll also get a couple nice gifts from it too at the same time. And maybe while we’re doing those things that we really like and enjoy, the feeling of Christmas will come to us just naturally, without all the fuss.

I didn’t have the energy to make gingerbread cookies this year, but after seeing so many pictures in Pinterest, I knew that I had to go out and buy those damn gingerbread spices. But instead of doing the traditional cookies, I wanted to make a granola. And now while I’m munching on the granola, I’m wondering how I haven’t made it earlier?! I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite recipes already, so if you’re in that kind of a gingerbread craving state as I was, this will save you.

My measurements are always a bit generous so don’t worry about measuring the spices so strictly. If you want to make a nut-free granola just replace the nuts with seeds, raisins and/or other dried fruit. You should store the granola in an airtight glass jar and it makes a pretty gift too, if happen to be in a need of a backup gift. But if you decide to give this as a gift, I strongly recommend that you move a part of the granola immediately somewhere safe as otherwise there might not be any granola to give…or maybe you’re better at it than I am :)

Have a lovely, relaxed and delicious Christmas! ♡

Gluten-free Gingerbread Granola

slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker

makes 1 baking sheet of granola

2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 1/4 cup mixed nuts
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp bourbon vanilla
a pinch of salt
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
4 tbsp honey

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C / 300°F. Crush the nuts a bit into smaller pieces. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and spices. Mix well.

2. Warm the coconut oil and honey on the stovetop until runny. Add it to the dry ingredients and mix carefully. Transfer granola to prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, rotating halfeay through. Let cool completely before serving and storing in an airtight glass jar.

Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies

December 11, 2014

Gingerbread cookies are definitely a staple in what comes to Christmas treats. Making these cookies are a tradition that so many of us know as we’ve been baking the cookies since we were little. My sisters used to make a big gingerbread house in the weeks before Christmas and they used all kinds of funny things to decorate the house. Besides cookies, gingerbread spice is now used in so many ways. I’ve seen photos of gingerbread smoothies, cakes, loaves, and muffins. So many delicious things that I wish I had the time to try all of those.

Before jumping to those modern variations I’ll share my own take on the one and true classic recipe: gingerbread cookies. My version is a gluten-free one so that all of us who are not able to eat gluten would also have the chance to enjoy these delicious Christmas traditions.

Making your own gingerbread cookies takes a bit of time (and patience) because the dough needs to be left in the fridge overnight. However, this seemed to be the hardest part as the dough was so good that I would have gladly eaten it straight away. So if you manage to leave it in the fridge, you’ll be having some very delicious cookies to share with your friends and family. And maybe you’ll prepare some mulled wine or hot apple cider, put on some Christmas music and enjoy the feel of this dark, yet somehow lovely time of the year. ♡

Gluten-free Gingerbread Cookies

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
3 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
1/2 cup gluten-free oat milk (or other plant-based milk)
3 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 -1 tsp ground cloves
a pinch of black pepper
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
2/3 cup buckwheat flour

METHOD:

1. Melt the coconut oil and honey until runny in a small saucepan over low heat. In a large bowl, mix the oil-honey blend, oat milk, and coconut sugar. Add baking soda and all the spices and mix well.

2. Mix the flour in another bowl and then add the flour in a few batches to the milk-honey-oil mixture. The dough is ready when it starts to form a ball, but you should leave it a little soft as the dough becomes a bit harder once in the fridge.

3. Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F degrees. Take fist-sized balls of the dough and then roll the dough evenly until thin enough on a floured surface. Use cookie cutters to cut into cookies and lift onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Bake for about 7-10 minutes. Let cool for a moment before serving. Serve and enjoy!

Raw Chocolate Chia Mousse

December 2, 2014

In the beginning of this year, chia puddings were a big thing. Everyone was trying them and there were all kinds of recipes on blogs and magazines. There are two recipes in my archives too, but they’re in Finnish (sorry!).

Even though chia puddings are super easy to make and full of nutrients, I haven’t really made them that much lately. But that doesn’t mean that my cupboards are not full of jars with chia seeds. You see, a while ago I went out and bought a giant bag of chia seeds because I thought that would be the sensible thing to day. It will save me money! They´re good for me! Or something like that.

I’ve been putting those tiny seeds in my smoothies and to this cinnamon granola (seriously yummy stuff) but the jars are still quite full. So in order to be that sensible person, I decided to create something good-for-me yet delicious, and came up with another chia pudding. But before you’re yawning, let me just say that this one is pretty special. As everything with chocolate tends to be.

If you’re looking for an easy snack, healthy dessert or just a recipe for all those chia seeds hiding in your kitchen, this is the one for you. Enjoy! ♡

Raw Chocolate Chia Mousse

serves two

1/3 cup chia seeds
1 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 ripe banana
1 tbsp almond butter (or other nut butter)
1 tbsp organic honey (or maple syrup)
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
a small pinch of salt

METHOD:

1. Stir chia seeds and coconut milk in a bowl. Set it aside about five minutes and then stir well again. Let the seeds swell for about an hour, until you have a thick gel.

2. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more sweetener or spices if necessary. Enjoy immediately or allow to cool down in the refrigerator for a while. Serve for example with dried mulberries, thawed mixed berries and coconut milk.

Raw Chocolate Mousse Cake

November 23, 2014

I’ve always loved reading magazines and especially personal interviews from different people. It’s interesting to read about other people’s stories, experiences, passions, fears, routines and of course about their favorite foods and approaches to cooking. When interviewees are asked about their bad habits, surprisingly many answer chocolate. Eating it and being hooked to it.

If you ask me, I wouldn’t say that chocolate falls in to the bad habit category. Instead, nowadays more appropriate bad habits could be the everlasting feeling of hurry, stressing out of nothing and self-criticism. But chocolate, it really doesn’t deserve that kind of a bad reputation. Because chocolate is more of a delicate treat, that gives us pleasure and is just really delicious.

If I want to treat myself with chocolate, I nowadays choose either a really dark one or raw chocolate. Couple pieces is enough to make me feel good and satisfy the chocolate craving that comes every once in a while.

Besides just eating it as it is, chocolate is great for cooking and I’m definitely a fan of all kinds of chocolate-y desserts. If I’m in need of a quick fix, I’ll have a cup hot chocolate. But if I have more time or it’s a special occasion, I go for a cake. So after making this cake for many years, I thought it was time to share the recipe for my ultimate favorite cake: The Raw Chocolate Mousse Cake.

This is one of the first raw desserts that I’ve ever made and ever since the first time I made it this one has been one of my go-to recipes. And so many of my friends and family love it too! Usually raw cakes mean soaking nuts for hours and therefore having to do some planning ahead, but this cake doesn’t require either of those. No soaking and no freezing the cake for hours so that it’s ready to be served. So luckily for all of us, this one’s really easy to make and you can always adjust the ingredients and measurements to your liking.

So let’ just relax, forget about those unnecessary bad habits that we keep holding onto, and instead have a piece of chocolate and enjoy this really nice cake that will hit the chocolate craving spot. ♥

Raw Chocolate Mousse Cake

serves 8

Crust:
1 cup / 240 ml walnuts
2/3 cup / 160 ml dried dates / 6-8 fresh pitted dates
1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
a small pinch of salt

Filling:
3 ripe avocados
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup / 120ml raw cacao powder
4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 teaspoon ceylon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla powder
1/4 cup / 60 ml raw cacao butter or extra virgin coconut oil

METHOD:

1. To make the crust, pulse walnuts into a fine powder in a food processor or a blender, then add the cacao powder, salt and dates and keep processing until it all starts to stick together. Press into the bottom of a springform cake pan. Put in the freezer.

2. To make the cake, melt the cacao butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Then add all the ingredients to a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add more sweetener or spices, if desired. Take the cake pan from the freezer and pour the filling on top of the crust. Place back to the freezer and freezer for about an hour, until the filling has set. Cut into pieces, serve and enjoy!

Stovetop Cinnamon Chia Granola

November 11, 2014

As the weather gets colder, I find myself craving for sweet things more than usual. I’ve been especially craving chocolate lately. To ease those cravings, this hot chocolate is luckily a quick and satisfying answer.

But for my other sweet cravings, I’ve had to be a bit more creative. As it really wouldn’t be good for me to eat cakes, brownies or other lovely things that I have in these cozy cafés in Amsterdam, I’ve started to make my own granola. For me, granola is the perfect treat that has just the right amount of sweetness without being an actual dessert. So if you’re craving for something crunchy and a bit sweet, granola might be just the thing you’re looking for.

This granola is really fast to make, as instead of using an oven I made it on the stove. So it literally takes about 5 minutes to make it. So easy, but so so good. It’s perfect with almond milk and some fresh berries, but it’s also lovely as a porridge topping or with some yogurt.

I just finished my last batch of this and I’d better make some more just in case another sweet craving hits me at some point. Hope you enjoy the granola too! ♥

Stovetop Cinnamon Chia Granola (gluten-free)

makes 4 servings

1 big tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
a handful of walnuts
3 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
a pinch of bourbon vanilla
2 tbsp honey

METHOD:

Heat a frying pan and add coconut oil. As the coconut oil has melted, add rolled oats and toast them for a moment, so that they get a bit of color. Be careful not to burn them though. Add walnuts and chia seeds and continue frying for a minute or two. Add spices and honey and mix well. Serve with milk or yogurt and some berries and fruits. Store the remaining granola in a glass jar.

Hot Raw Chocolate

October 29, 2014

Even though in the beginning of each season I tend to address my love for the four seasons, I can honestly say that this time I’m having some difficulties. The beginning of the darkest and coldest time of the year is just around the corner and warm and happy feelings are not the ones on top of my mind.

Luckily, moving from Finland to Amsterdam has some benefits, as it’s not nearly as dark in here than it’s in Finland. But still I’ve been sensing the cold and grey weather lately. So in order not to fall into total despair, it’s time to take out the ’hard guns’ and make some hot chocolate!

I’m a big fan of tea and tend to drink lots of it, but there are some situations when tea just is no enough and instead something stronger is needed. This is where the chocolate comes in.

You already might have heard about raw chocolate and its many benefits, tried it or even made some yourself. It’s some pretty delicious stuff, I might say. Raw cacao was the first thing labeled as superfood that I tried a few years back and since then it has had it place in my cupboards. I like to use it for baked goods of for smoothies, but it also makes a really nice hot chocolate.

Here I paired it with some cardamom and cinnamon, spices that make this drink even more warming. And on the top of everything, I like to put a piece of raw chocolate to the bottom of the glass, so that the last sips are mainly pure chocolate.

So stay warm, take it easy and have a lovely cup of hot chocolate ♥

Hot raw chocolate w/ cardamom

serves two

2 1/2 cups almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon or one cinnamon stick
a pinch of salt
a pinch of ground cardamom
1 tbsp honey
+ a couple pieces of raw chocolate

METHOD:

1. Add all the ingredient except honey and raw chocolate to a small pan. Cook at low heat stirring at the same time. Be careful not to let the milk get boiling hot. Now add the honey and mix well.

2. Put a couple pieces of raw chocolate to the bottom of each glass. Pour the hot chocolate on top, sprinkle some more chocolate and enjoy.

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