A Simply Divine Lemon Cake (GF + V)

March 29, 2018

The following scenario is getting pretty common at our house: we’ve invited friends or family over for dinner and I’ve promised to be in charge of dessert and appetizers while my husband takes care of the main course. People are starting to arrive and I’ve probably set the table by now, my man has taken care of my appetizers and starts prepping the main course, and as the doorbell rings I’m probably standing at our kitchen window still taking photos of the dessert. Or I might still be in the shower / putting my clothes on / at the store buying food. You see, being an optimistic by heart has this side effect that I ~~sometimes~~ a lot of times end up thinking I can manage 1043 things in a very short amount of time. My success rate is not that great, really. Whoops.

But this time I had a good reason for my very late, very quick photo session: this very divine lemon cake. I got an urge to make something super fresh with a lot of lemons last weekend and ended up creating this thing that’s somewhere between a cake and a pie. It’s partially raw, as the filling is typical for raw cakes and made from cashew nuts, coconut milk, and a lot of lemon, but instead of going the raw route with the crust, I made a crumbly crust and baked it in the oven before adding the filling. And I think that combo of the baked crust and the fresh filling makes this a bit special and very yummy. So it was a good thing I climbed on that window still to take these photos (not so easy with this huge belly I’ve got!).

A few words about the filling: usually raw cakes have a lot of coconut oil and / or cacao butter, but I didn’t feel like adding a lot of oil so I ended up using only one tablespoon of coconut oil and let the cake set in the fridge overnight. And thanks to this, the filling turned out to have a very yummy texture with a slightly sour, but super fresh taste to it. And it held together really well even without all the oil! *Patting myself on the back*

I hope you guys enjoy the cake and wish you all a lovely Easter! May it be filled with good vibes and cozy times :)

A Simply Divine Lemon Cake (GF + V)

notes: I think the filling needs a lot of lemon and only a tiny bit of sweetness to make it really fresh, but if you’d like to make it more sweet, feel free to add some more honey / maple syrup.

20 cm / 8-inch springform cake pan
serves 8

Crust:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
2 tbsp gluten-free oat flour
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 tbsp honey or maple syrup

Filling:
1 2/3 cup cashew nuts
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
2/3 cup lemon juice (you’ll need 2 to 3 lemons)
2 tbsp organic lemon zest, grated
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla powder

fresh blueberries, for decorating

METHOD:

1. Add cashew nuts to a large bowl, add plenty of water, and soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F degrees. Mix the flour, vanilla powder and salt in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil and honey in a small pan on low heat. Add the oil mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until a crumbled dough forms.

2. Cover the bottom of the cake pan with baking paper and spread some coconut oil to the sides. Press the dough to the bottom and to the edges of the pan and dock the bottom with a fork. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes until the crust has a beautiful golden-brown color. Allow to cool properly. Prepare the filling in the meantime.

3. Drain and rinse the cashew nuts and transfer them to a blender. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, honey or maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla powder. Blend until completely smooth. Taste, and add more sweetness or lemon if needed.

4. Once the crust has cooled, pour the filling on top and spread evenly. Place to the fridge to set for at least 4 to 6 hours or overnight. Decorate the cake for example with fresh blueberries, serve, and enjoy!

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The Best Gluten-free and Vegan No Knead Bread Rolls

March 22, 2018

There are recipes that I try out once, fall in love with them instantly, and then share them here right away thinking that someone else might like them too. And then there are recipes that I make again and again and only somewhere along the 27th time making it, I realize that there might be something bigger there and something worth sharing. Something life-changing, modestly speaking.

And the recipe I’m sharing today is pretty life-changing, trust me. I know we food bloggers love to say that everything we make is the best and the most delicious thing there ever was, but it’s just pretty easy to get carried away when you’re so excited about something. Like I am about these gluten-free and vegan no knead bread rolls. They might not be the best ever bread you’ve eaten, but regarding the time and effort it takes to make these, and how deliciously good they are, we’re pretty close to something almost magical. No eggs, oil, milk, or weird ingredients needed in these babes. And no messing up your hands in dough! Vive la révolution!

Sow how do I make these? Lemme tell you.

Last summer I came across a thing called overnight bread rolls. As the name suggests, the dough is made on the previous night, then put to the fridge to rise, and in the morning you simply scoop the dough onto a baking sheet and bake into delicious rolls with a crispy crust and a soft inside. Once reading about it, I knew I had to try it. So after some intense wandering around the interweb, I found my way to this recipe by a Finnish chef who kind of began the whole thing (she is actually one of my idols in the food biz!). Now that I knew how the idea worked, I just had to come up with a gluten-free version. And now, finally, after making these countless times (and eating a huge amount of these), I’m ready to share the recipe with you all!

These bread rolls taste like any good homemade bread should (that’s a lot to say in the world of gluten-free baking) and I love the slightly sour taste they have + they’re not crumbly at all as a lot of gluten-free baked goods tend to be. The secret to the great texture and taste is a small amount of dry yeast and a long rising time in the fridge, which result into an almost sourdough-like end result. You see why I’m in love?

I think I’m gonna leave you to it and have one more from the batch I baked this morning, but before hopping onto the ingredients and measurements, I wanted to share a few notes about the recipe so that you’ll have all that it takes to make these. And that really is not much.

Sending you cozy vibes and delicious times! ♡

A few notes about the recipe:

– Feel free to try different flours in these. First I made these only with gluten-free oat and buckwheat flour, then added some rolled oats, and now I’ve settled to a mix of oat, buckwheat, and brown rice flour. I always recommend using at least two different flours in gluten-free baking to achieve a good texture.

– I’ve made these into thin flat bread type of rolls (a bit like pita bread) as well and really like those too. To make flatter breads, you’ll only need about 2 cups of flour, as with the recipe below, you’ll get more traditional bread rolls. Also, these always tend to turn out a bit different depending on the time the dough has been in the fridge and how the yeas has done its magic.

– These are definitely best after baking and store well to the next day, but if you want to store these for longer, I recommend popping them to the freezer and then defrosting from there to keep them soft.

The Best Gluten-free and Vegan No Knead Bread Rolls

notes: I like to add a bit more flour to the dough in the morning to make it more ‘spoonable’. check out my other tips from above the photo to learn more about the changes you can make!

makes 7 to 8 big buns

3/4 cup gluten-free oat flour
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1 tsp psyllium husk powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dry yeast
2 cups warm water

Add in the morning:
about 1/2 cup flour (any of the above)
sunflower and pumpkin seeds, for decorating

METHOD:

1. Add the flour, psyllium powder, salt, and dry yeast to a large bowl and mix. Then add the water and stir well to remove any clumps. Cover the bowl with a soft cloth and place to the fridge overnight.

2. In the following morning, take the dough from the fridge and stir carefully. Add about a 1/2 cup of flour to make the dough a little thicker and easier to handle.

3. Preheat the oven to 225 C /425 F degrees. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper and with the help of two tablespoons, form about 7 to 8 rolls to the sheet (I go for about 2 tablespoons of dough per roll). Sprinkle some seeds on top, if desired.

4. Bake for about 30 minutes until the rolls have a beautiful golden brown color. Let cool for a moment before serving. If you want to keep the crust crispy, don’t cover the rolls after baking. Once cooled, serve and enjoy!

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My Favorite Pregnancy Superfoods + Power Breakfast Pancake

March 15, 2018

this post is sponsored by CocoVi.

Last week I was all about homemade cosmetics and self-care, but this week we’re talking about food! This is my second post in collaboration with CocoVi and for this post I decided to talk about my favorite pregnancy superfoods, meaning the foods that I’ve been enjoying and loved throughout my pregnancy (even during the awful nausea).

Pregnancy has brought a lot of changes both mentally and physically for me, and it has naturally affected on what I eat – and also to what I haven’t been eating. It took a lot of mental flexibility in the beginning when I found myself craving for more meat, mashed potatoes, pizza, fish fingers, and all that comfort food instead of colorful veggie dishes and my dear lentil stews. So it took some effort to be okay with the fact that I was actually craving for the foods I hadn’t eaten in years, or a decade, and things I kind of thought were off-limits. But in a way it’s been a good practice to get out of my usual patterns and have a more relaxed attitude towards food, and life in general.

Besides having cravings, I’ve been madly hungry at times. First it took some courage as well to just trust my body and eat a lot more than I was used to, as my body was simply in need of extra energy. Even though I love food deeply, at some point it felt like a full-time job to eat that much! But now I’m back to a more “normal” phase and at eight months pregnant, the finish line is starting to get closer (yikes!), and luckily there’s no more nausea and the heartburn that came along mid-pregnancy seems to have disappeared too. So now it’s been actually nice to cook something else than breakfast foods for a change :)

my go-to pregnancy smoothie | tuulia blog

One of my go-to smoothies with pear, frozen mango, frozen wild blueberries, psyllium husk powder, dried nettle and plant milk. I sometimes add some frozen spinach too, and if I want to make this a bit more filling, I’ll add some hemp seeds, hemp protein or soaked cashwes.

There’s an endless amount of guides and rules on what to eat and what not to eat while pregnant, and the challenging part has been to just trust myself and eat what I feel like my body is needing at the moment (but naturally I’ve given up on the things that should be definitely avoided). But for example I’ve been eating more animal products and meat than before, as even the thought of lentils and beans made me sick for a long time and my stomach wasn’t able to handle them at all. But besides the comfort food, I’ve luckily been in the mood for a lot of smoothies, different porridges, fruits, banana pancakes, and all sorts of veggie-filled wraps.

As a lot of you know, I tend to use superfoods in my recipes every now and then and I’ve had all sorts of jars with different powders in my cupboards for years already. While pregnant, I’ve given up on the stronger superfoods, like wheatgrass and maca powder, but have continued to use a few of my favorite products that I’ve been using for a long time. The term superfood easily brings all sorts of exotic ingredients in mind, but for me for example wild berries and nettle are the ultimate superfoods, and they’re both local to where I live. But to wrap up this very lengthy introduction, I thought I’d share my favorite pregnancy superfoods and the things that have made me feel good in between eating my weight in bread :)

A simple green smoothie with banana, pear, frozen spinach, dried nettle, and plant milk.

My Favorite Pregnancy Superfoods:

Spinach: I use spinach almost daily and I love to add baby spinach to my salads or other foods. I also use a lot of frozen spinach and add it to my smoothies. Frozen spinach has been a super easy way to add some greens to my diet especially on the days when I don’t feel like eating anything green. And besides making green smoothies out of it, I add a few pieces to my berry smoothies as well since spinach has a very mild taste.

Nettle: I’m a true fan of nettle and have talked about it here on the blog before as well, since it’s such a great ingredient. It’s nice to pick up some fresh nettles in late spring and summer, but usually I go for the dried nettle powder, as it’s super easy to add a teaspoon of it to smoothies, soups, stews, or on top of an omelette. I always thank nettle for my pretty good immunity and for the fact that my hair grows out very quickly, but now while being pregnant, I’ve also been taking it for the plant-based iron it has.

Fruits: I’ve always been eating a lot of fruits but pregnancy has been making me eat even more, and I can easily eat up to 5 fruits a day! In the beginning I ate a lot of citrus fruits as they relieved some of the nausea I had (besides eating the fruit, I sometimes just cut a lemon or mandarin in half and inhaled the scent of it as it eased the nausea as well), but I love bananas and pears too. I use bananas in baking a lot as well, since they bring a nice natural sweetness and make baked goods moist, which I love.

Wild berries: The great thing about living here in Finland is that we have a lot of wild berries, which are full of vitamins and other good-for-you things. I eat berries daily and add them to smoothies, on top of porridge, or on top of pancakes. I’ve been craving especially strawberries (probably because of the vitamin C), but have been eating all sorts of berries (mainly frozen, as we don’t have fresh berries this time of the year) through the entire winter. Especially in the beginning when I didn’t have much of an appetite for real food, I used to make smoothies, porridge, or sandwiches for dinner and adding berries to my meals was an easy way to get some good nutrients.

Whipped Lingonberry & Millet Porridge.

My Favorite Pregnancy Superfoods | tuulia blog

I love adding nuts, dried mulberries and hemp seeds on top of my morning porridge or smooothie. I’m a huge berry lover too.

I always have some rolled oats, dried mulberries, hemp seeds, psyllium husk powder, nuts, and good oils at home.

Rooibos latte w/ rooibos tea, coconut butter, oat milk and a fresh date

A creamy rooibos latte made with rooibos tea, oat milk, coconut butter (or coconut oil) and a fresh date.

Coconut oil: Besides being great for skincare, coconut oil is a staple in my kitchen. I use it for frying, as it can handle high temperatures well, it’s great for baking to replace butter, and it’s easy to add a spoonful to hot drinks, smoothies, or in porridge to bring some extra energy and creaminess. My friend had a habit of adding a spoonful to her morning smoothie while being pregnant, and I’ve sometimes added a spoonful to my morning porridge to relieve any constipation.

Healthy fats: I still remember the time I was avoiding fats and oils as much as I could and everything had to be fat-free, whereas now I make sure to have enough healthy fats daily. Besides being good for you, I’ve noticed that healthy fats nourish my dry skin that is prone to eczema. Avocados are an easy way to have some good quality fats, but I also like to use avocado oil (it’s great for frying too), olive oil, and hemp seed oil from CocoVi. I’ve been using hemp seed oil especially during winters when my eczema has been pretty bad, and I’ve been having a spoonful of hemp seed oil either in salads, on top of soup, or in my morning porridge.

Hemp seeds: Seeds are not recommended while pregnant here in Finland due to any heavy metals in them, and I haven’t been eating a lot seeds after getting pregnant just to be sure. Hemp seeds have been a favorite of mine for years already and they’re pretty much the only seed I’ve been eating every now and then throughout my pregnancy. Hemp seeds have been an easy source of some added protein and healthy fats especially when my appetite has been lacking. Besides hemp, I’ve eaten chia puddings every now and then as well if I’ve been in the mood for it. There’s usually seeds in many gluten-free products as well, so I haven’t been stressing about it that much as I’ve felt that seeds are not probably the worst thing you can eat while pregnant. And when I’ve been using seeds, I’ve chosen organic ones (CocoVi’s seeds are organic, which I think is great).

Fresh dates: Dates are my go-to treat whenever I’m in need of something sweet asap, and I like to make healthy candies out of dates by filling them with almond butter and adding dried mulberries or walnuts inside as well. A couple of those and I’m happy for a moment! I like to use dates in lattes as well, and also in baked goods. Lately I’ve found myself craving for dates more than usual and have been eating them more too. Dates are actually said to be a great pregnancy food and eating dates could make your labor easier (while reading about it, I found this research, which says that eating 6 dates for 4 weeks before your due date could make the labor easier and faster). Let’s see if the dates I’ve been eating will have any effect, but at least they’re yummy to eat :)

Dried mulberries: Dried mulberries are another favorite way of mine to add some sweetness to my day, and I love to add them into my morning porridge (I cook them with the oats so that they’ll become super soft and chewy), or I add them on top smoothies, pancakes, yogurt, or just eat them as they are if I’m in a need of something sweet.

My Pregnancy Power Pancake | tuulia blog

My go-to breakfast especially in the first trimester: a huge breakfast pancake with berries and fruits.

Vegan Chocolate Milkshake w/ frozen banana, cashews, date, raw cacao powder, ice, and almond milk | tuulia blog

A vegan chocolate milkshake with frozen banana, cashews, date, raw cacao powder (or dark unsweetened cacao powder), ice, and almond milk.

Psyllium husk powder: Besides being a celiac, I also have a very sensitive stomach and all the pregnancy hormones have brought it’s own add to the mix (not gonna share too much). I’ve been using psyllium husk powder usually just for baking and taken it with me while traveling in case I need some extra fiber, but now I’ve been adding it to my smoothies and pancakes as well. That added fiber has been easing out my stomach issues, and psyllium husk is said to help both diarrhea and constipation, so it’s great for all the pregnancy-related stomach problems. Psyllium husk also makes smoothies really creamy, so it’s a great add if you’re in the mood for a spoonable smoothie treat.

Hemp protein: I don’t use a lot of protein powders since most of them are not a great fit for my stomach, but I’ve been using hemp protein ever since I was diagnosed with celiac’s disease, as a nutritionist suggested it for me. And now while being pregnant, I’ve been adding a spoonful of organic hemp protein powder to my smoothies, and it’s been an easy way to get some protein while I’ve been mostly in the mood for carbohydrates (I blame winter for this as well).

Nuts: While reducing the amount of seeds I eat, I’ve been using more nuts lately as they’re an easy source of some added energy and good fats. I like to add soaked cashews to my smoothies to make them creamy (like in this smoothie), walnuts are great on top of porridge, and I think almonds are best when roasted in the oven for granola. Brazil nuts are a favorite too, and I like to add a couple soaked ones to smoothies too.

Phew! That was a long list of food! Thanks for making it here till the end. Before jumping off to a recipe (I thought you deserved that after all this reading!), I just want to say that every pregnancy is a very unique experience, we’re all different, and the most important thing is to do as you feel is right. I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, and these were just some of my own experiences, but hopefully they’re useful to some of you out here. Besides growing a new life, pregnancy is definitely a journey into yourself, as at least for me a lot of the things I was used to liking went out of the window. It’s also been relieving to acknowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect pregnancy, and there are so many things that are out of our hands and you just need trust your body to do the work and try to keep up with all the changes happening :) And instead of going forward full-steam on, this has definitely been the time take it easier and just enjoy the ride.

But now, I thought I’d share the recipe for my Power Breakfast Pancake, as it’s been a life savior on many mornings, and afternoons too. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Sending you love and light, and so many cozy vibes. ♡

Power Breakfast Pancake (GF)

notes: if I make this for breakfast, I usually use two eggs, but if I’m making it as an afternoon snack, I’ll reduce the amount of eggs to one. you can use other gluten-free flakes or flour in these too and usually make this with the ingredients I have at hand. I love to eat my pancake with lotsof toppings and pretty much always add some coconut cream or plant yogurt on top too.

makes one large or a few smaller pancakes

2 organic eggs
1/2 banana
1,5 tbsp gluten-free rolled oats
1,5 tbsp millet flakes
1 tsp psyllium husk powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup plant milk

+ coconut oil for frying
+ berries, fruit, dried mulberries and coconut cream for serving

METHOD:

1. Break the eggs into a blender. Add all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Let the batter rest for a couple of minutes.

2. Heat a frying pan and add a bit of coconut oil to the pan. Pour the dough to the pan and fry on medium heat for a few minutes until the surface begins to dry up. Turn, and continue to fry for a short moment.

3. Serve the pancake warm with berries, fruits, dried mulberries, and coconut cream and enjoy!

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Homemade Body Butter + Tips for Using Coconut Oil

March 8, 2018

this post is sponsored by CocoVi

This time of the year I find myself turning into something I’d call… a lotion monster. My dry and sensitive male skin loves moisturizing and there seems to be different lotions all around our apartment (but they’ve usually lost their caps since I don’t apparently work well with caps, which leads into me buying new jars). I love both facial and body oils and especially now with these cold and dry weather conditions, I’m a true oil fanatic. A few drops to my face, a little something to my hands while cooking in the kitchen (yess for coconut and olive oil!), and now while being pregnant, I’ve come up with a daily routine of massaging oil and body lotion to my belly, breasts, and the rest of the body as well. So I’m a very well moisturized lady by the time I get to bed. Maybe it’s the couple minutes it takes to me to do that, or the gentle massage I give to myself at the same time, but that little moment of self-care has become very nourishing for me both mentally and physically. Even if I do love oils, moisturizing with just oils is rather…oily, and they tend to take quite a lot of time to absorb properly, so I wanted to come up with something that’s as moisturizing as an oil, but has a bit more texture. Enter: this homemade body butter with just a few simple ingredients: coconut oil, cacao butter, and almond oil. I also added some essential lavender oil to the mix, and it brings a lovely scent + lavender has a soothing effect, which is great for an occasionally restless person like me. I’ve been making recipes for CocoVi for a few years already, but now I got the chance to come up with two collaborations here on the blog as well. So I picked up the products I use the most and for this first post I wanted to come up with homemade cosmetics instead of food. You see, making homemade beauty products from edible ingredients is pretty great as: 1) you don’t have to go and search for weird ingredients (or maybe you’ll need to go and buy almond oil but you can find it in many grocery stores and use for baking too!) and 2) I got to use the bag of cacao butter that’s been hiding in the cupboards for a while. Before I jump onto the recipe, I thought I’d quickly share some thoughts on coconut oil too. A lot of you probably have a jar at home, and I use it in many of my recipes too. Besides being great for baking, there are however so many ways you can use coconut oil outside the kitchen, and I thought I’d share a few of my favorite ways here.

My tips for using coconut oil:

– You can make a super nice homemade body scrub with coconut oil, honey, and salt. It’s great for the whole body and leaves your skin feeling super soft. – Coconut oil is also great for dry hair and dry scalp. I like to massage it gently to my scalp and to the whole lengths of my hair (or just the ends if I’m busy) and let it sit for at least 20 minutes before washing off. You can also use a small amount of coconut oil as a hair oil to dry ends after washing, see the explanation at the link. Meanwhile, if you want to style your hair, you can purchase equipment on sites online which has stocks like Kamisori Shears.

– For the past few months I’ve been removing my make up with coconut oil. I take about a teaspoon of coconut oil and massage it to my face and it removes all of my makeup gently. I then use a gentle cleansing foam to remove the make up and oil. (Tip: A small jar of coconut oil is super handy while traveling, as you can remove your make up and moisturize the entire body with it). – Coconut oil is a great moisturizer for intimate areas as well and can be used as a natural lubricant. – Coconut oil works as a massage oil too and besides getting a massage, you’ll be getting a moisturized skin. So convenient! (Now you just need to get that massage..) But now back to this body butter. Besides using coconut oil, I chose cacao butter and almond oil as they’re very moisturizing, absorb pretty quickly, and my sensitive skin seems to really like them. Also, both cacao butter and almond oil have lots of vitamin E, which is said to be great for skin care (and I even found this research, which says that vitamin E can help to prevent stretch marks + fade existing ones), and I’m very happy to try it with my ever-expanding belly :) If you feel like in need of some self-care and moisturizing, whip up a batch of this body butter and schedule some pampering time to your daily life. I’m not the one to keep up with extensive beauty routines, so these small moments of taking care of myself are the ones I tend to stick to. And at least for me, self-care = better overall mood. Sending you lots of love and cozy times! xo

Homemade Body Butter with Coconut Oil & Cacao Butter notes: when making homemade cosmetics, make sure all your utensils are clean and dry, as water can bring bacteria to the lotion. you can sterilize the jars you use in boiling water but I usually just wash them in the dishwasher and then dry carefully. also, depending on the temperature, this body butter can harden up, but it will soften quickly when applied to skin. you can use a small spoon to take it from the jar if it seems too hard to take by hand. 3/4 cup cacao butter 1/2 cup cold-pressed coconut oil 1/4 cup almond oil 10 to 20 drops of essential lavender oil (or another essential oil) METHOD: 1. Clean and dry the jar you’ll use for the body butter carefully so that no water is left. Make sure that the all the utensils you use are clean and dry. 2. Melt the cocoa butter and coconut oil in a warm water bath until liquid. Remove from the heat and mix in the almond oil. Place in the fridge for about an hour to cool. (If the mixture is too runny, it won’t foam). 3. When the mixture is clearly a bit thicker, take it from the fridge. Add the essential lavender oil and whip into a fluffy foam with an electric mixer. This will take usually a few minutes. Spoon the cream into a jar. 4. Store at room temperature in an airtight glass jar. The cream stores well for 2 to 3 months. TallennaTallennaTallennaTallenna TallennaTallenna TallennaTallenna

Homemade Body Scrub with Coconut Oil & Honey

March 6, 2018

Hey friends! I’m just quickly popping in here today with a super simple recipe for a homemade body scrub. I think taking the time to pamper yourself is always important, but especially at times when life gets busy and there’s a lot going on. I’m a true lover of self-care but admit that it’s so easy to forget ourselves and focus on other things instead. But having just a couple minutes to yourself and doing something that feels truly nourishing makes a great difference.

I have a few self-care routines in my daily life that I try to hold on to, as they make me feel so good, and also help to live in the moment instead of always rushing on to the next thing on my agenda. In the mornings I sit down for my morning meditation, take a few (usually 10 to 20) deep breaths and do some gentle stretching. It takes me about 5 to 10 minutes to do that and it’s become a habit I truly value. My second routine actually also involves some stretching (I feel like stiff muscles = a stuffy mind), as I tend to do some gentle stretching in bed before I go to sleep at night. Just a few simple moves to relax my body and shift from doing to just being.

When I’m in the mood for some additional self-care, I’ll do a body / face scrub or mask to give my skin some extra nourishment. And this were these homemade beauty treatments come into the picture. I try not to have too many beauty products in my shelves but rather focus on a few great ones, so I really like to make my own scrubs or masks every now and then. And this simple body scrub is made of just three ingredients: coconut oil, honey, and salt. I love to use honey in homemade beauty treatments as it makes my skin unbelievably soft (you can look here)and very moisturized. This is a very gentle scrub so you can use it on your face too and it’s super quick and easy to make. I love to do this especially in the summertime and step into the sauna for a few minutes to let it really sink in, but it works perfectly with just a warm shower as well :)

Homemade Body Scrub with Coconut Oil & Honey

makes one portion

1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tbsp salt (I actually prefer fine salt, but sea salt is fine too)

METHOD:

Mix all the ingredients together to form a smooth paste. Apply the scrub to a damp skin while massaging gently. You can use the scrub for the whole body. If possible, step into a sauna for a moment and allow the scrub to soften. Wash the scrub carefully and finish the treatment with a good moisturizing cream and/or skin oil.

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Healthy Breakfast Muffins

February 24, 2018

When you’re hungry about 37 times a day (#preggolife), healthy snacks come in handy. Creating different kinds of healthy eats and treats is one of my favorite things, as I’m a true breakfast and snacks lover. And a healthy desserts lover. And lunch is my thing actually too. But when dinner time rolls around…that’s the one meal I’m least inspired to make. But okay, let’s get back to these muffins quickly before my brain tells me to eat again (it kinda already happened).

I shared a Kitchenbar recipe for these healthy breakfast muffins here on the blog (in Finnish) a few years ago and as I know a lot of my readers have liked these, I thought I should make them again and share the recipe in English as well. So I baked a couple batches of these, tweaked the recipe a bit, and here I am now shoving these into your mouths. Or I hope you’ll end up doing that. Regardless of the way you like to enjoy your baked goodies, these muffins are a nice little treat early in the morning, or in the afternoons along with a smoothie or a yummy hot beverage. There’s banana, carrot, and zucchini hidden inside the muffins, which make them really moist and pretty filling too. I usually make these with gluten-free oat and buckwheat flour, but almond and brown rice flour work really well too. So you’ve got a lot of flexibility in these, which I really like. And once the muffins have cooled enough, I actually like to slice these in half and add some avocado, a bit of cheese, or some sliced banana on top. Don’t know if that’s weird but I occasionally have this tendency to take things over the top :)

Eat well and stay cozy, friends! xo

Healthy Breakfast Muffins (GF + vegan option)

notes: if you’d like to make a vegan version of these, just replace the honey with maple syrup and the eggs with two chia or flax “eggs”. in order to make chia / flax eggs, just mix either one with water and let sit for about 5 minutes, until a thick gel forms. this gel works as a replacement for eggs in baked goods and it’s super easy to make. also, you can use other gluten-free flours in these muffins, for example brown rice and almond flour work well too.

inspired by Wholehearted Eats

makes 6 to 8 muffins

1 ripe banana
2 organic eggs (or 2 tbsp chia seeds / flax meal + 6 tbsp water)
3 tbsp melted coconut oil (or very mild olive oil)
2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
2/3 cup grated carrot
2/3 cup grated zucchini

2/3 cup gluten-free oat flour
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
1,5 tsp baking powder
1,5 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
a pinch of salt

Possible add-ins:
1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins or other druid fruit

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F degrees. In a medium bowl, mash the banana. Add the eggs (or chia / flax gel), coconut oil, and honey, and stir well. If you’d like to take the easy route, you can also mix the ingredients in a blender (that’s what I always do).

2. Add the grated carrot and zucchini to the wet ingredient and mix.

3. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Add seeds and dried fruit, if desired.

4. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the dough into muffin cups and decorate with a few seeds. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Let the muffins cool for a moment before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, or pop these to the freezer.

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Easy Chickpea Flour Pizza

February 15, 2018

There are probably people who always make their pizza the same way, with a go-to crust recipe. And then there are people who call pizza all the things that have an element somehow related to pizza. Obviously, I’m the latter type. The fact that this is my sixth pizza recipe on this site speaks for itself too. But who doesn’t love a good slice of pizza?

If you ask me, I think the world of pizza has endless options. Especially when it comes to gluten-free (+ vegan) pizza crusts, I think it’s great to explore lots of different kinds of recipes in order to find the ones that you really adore (like people usually either love or hate cauliflower pizza. I really like it and my husband does not. Yay.). I like both crispy and soft crusts, thin and thick ones, but most of all I really love if the crust is super easy to whip up. Preferably no kneading involved and no messing up your hands in dough. Enter: this easy peasy of a pizza with chickpea flour crust! This really is the easiest crust ever, as you just mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and then pour the dough onto a baking sheet. This is the best kind of easiness there is.

I think pizza toppings are a personal matter (no judgement here on the weird things you like) but my favorites include thinly sliced zucchini, cherry tomatoes, soft mozzarella, and once the pizza is done, I like to top it with fresh greens. A handful of greens makes the pizza somehow really fresh, and since you’re eating your salad on top of your pizza, it’s a total win-win situation.

Happy pizza times to all you fellow food lovers out there!

And hey! I’ll be making recipes monthly for Risenta throughout this year and this pizza was actually one of the recipes I’ve made for them. But no worries if you’re not fluent in Finnish, I’ll make sure to share some of the goodies either here or on my Instagram as well :)

Easy Chickpea Flour Pizza

makes one large pizza

Crust:

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin

Toppings:

2-3 tbsp tomato paste
½ zucchini
1 tomato
a few cherry tomatoes
125 g mozzarella di bufala (or other cheese)
a handful of leafy greens (I used baby spinach and arugula)
black pepper

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 225 C / 425 F degrees and cover a baking sheet with baking paper.

2. Measure the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, salt, and cumin to a large bowl and mix well with a whisk so that there are no clumps. Pour the dough onto the baking sheet and spread with a spoon to an oval shaped base.

2. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes until it has a beautiful golden-brown color and feels slightly crispy. In the meantime, slice the zucchini, tomatoes and mozzarella into thin slices.

3. Take the crust out of the oven and spread the tomato paste evenly on top of the crust. Add other fillings (except the greens) and place back in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until the vegetables have softened a bit and the cheese has melted. Finish with leafy greens and some black pepper. Serve and enjoy!

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Coconut Pancakes w/ Mango Nice Cream (GF + V)

February 7, 2018

this post is sponsored by Asennemedia & Urtekram.

As I mentioned before, I’ve had a huge craving for pancakes during the last few months, or actually from the beginning of my pregnancy (so that makes it about 7 months already!). Especially during the first trimester my go-to breakfast was a gigantic and very thick banana pancake with berries and fruits, which was both a delicious way to start the day but also a momentary cure for my morning – let me rephrase that – all-day sickness. But after having my share of the thick pancakes, I found myself in the mood for thinner pancakes, like crepes, and for all the tropical foods our nearest grocery store carried. So to balance out the winter vibes all around, I whipped up a batch of coconut pancakes and made a super quick mango nice cream to treat myself properly. And then I ate five pancakes, two scoops of ice cream, and a huuuge amount of fruits with a satisfied grin on my face. They say eating for two while you’re pregnant is a myth and unnecessary, but maybe that doesn’t apply to pancakes. Or nice cream. Or to me. Oh well, who cares, as it was all worth it and I’d do it again.

Besides eating huge piles of pancakes, one of the benefits of being a food blogger is that I get to try a lot of new products before they hit the stores. Like the two things I got from Urtekram for this collaboration: their new organic coconut milk and organic coconut cream. I always have some coconut milk in my pantry, since I think it’s such an easy dairy-free replacement for cream, and I like using it both in savory and sweet recipes (and on top of my pancakes!). A lot of the cans in the market have different additives in them, but these both are free from additives, they’re organic, and the cans are BPA-free. So if you’re a coconut addict like I am, it’s pretty nice to have a ‘cleaner’ version finally in the stores! As a true coconut fan, I tried both the milk and the cream: I used the coconut milk in the pancake batter and the cream in the nice cream. The coconut milk is slightly runny and replaces regular cooking cream well, and the coconut cream is thicker and thus good for desserts, and especially ice cream!

Before jumping to the recipe, just a few words about the pancakes. If you’re not a fan of coconut, don’t worry. The taste of coconut is super mild in the pancakes and mostly brings a nice twist to the batter. So you might even like it :) And the mango nice cream comes together from only three ingredients (frozen mango, frozen banana & coconut cream) and is a great topping for the pancakes if you’re in the mood for something tropical. And to make sure things get a little out of hand, I recommend chopping a bunch of fruits and berries on top of the pancakes. Or you could top the pancakes also with homemade jam, cashew cream, shaved chocolate, or nut butter…just to give a few examples. Really, the sky is the limit when it comes to treating yourself.

So treat yo self and feel good, friends! xo

Coconut Pancakes (GF + V)

notes: the batter should be quite runny as you want these pancakes to be pretty thin. if the batter seems toot hick, add a bit of sparkling water. if you’re not serving the pancakes straight away, I recommend putting a kitchen towel on top so that they’ll stay soft and not dry up.

makes 8 to 10 pancakes

2/3 cup gluten-free oat flour
2/3 cup rice flour
2 tbsp coconut sugar
a tiny pinch of salt
3/4 cup organic coconut milk
1 cup sparkling water
coconut oil for frying

For serving:
Mango Nice Cream (recipe below)
fresh fruit (I had mango, banana, kiwifruit, and strawberries)
toasted coconut flakes

METHOD:

1. Measure the oat flour, rice flour, coconut sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add coconut milk and sparkling water and mix thoroughly so that no clumps remain. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.

2. Heat a frying pan and add a small drop of coconut oil to the pan. Measure about 3 tablespoons of the dough to the pan and spread to a thin layer. Fry on medium heat until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and it starts to dry up. Turn and fry the other side. Prepare the rest of the batter in the same way.

3. Once the pancakes are ready, serve them with mango nice cream, fresh fruit, and toasted coconut flakes and enjoy!

Mango Nice Cream

makes about 4 servings

1 frozen banana
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
3 tbsp organic coconut cream (refrigerated overnight)

METHOD:

Add the banana and mango to a blender. Scoop three tablespoons of the white thick paste from the coconut milk can and add to the blender. Start blending on low speed and then slowly add more speed once the fruits start to crumble. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender a few times until a smooth consistency is achieved. Once the nice cream is done, scoop into balls and serve!

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The Inner Glow Juice w/ Sweet Potato, Carrot & Mandarins

February 4, 2018

I know that I tend to say the same things over and over, but I’ve been in the mood for all things orange lately. Meaning orange-colored foods. So this week I’ve been enjoying plenty of mandarins, sea buckthorn, carrots, and sweet potatoes. In addition to eating a shameless amount of sweet potato fries (it’s just so hard to stop once you start), I’ve been juicing my sweet potatoes too! Just like carrots, sweet potatoes can be juiced too and they bring a soft flavor, a super nice ‘thickness’, and some veggie power to the juice. Plus the color is just really pretty and pretty food just makes me happy.

There hasn’t been that many recipes coming up from me during the last six months, since honestly I’ve been busy craving bread…juice…potatoes…pancakes…and every now and then some decent food. You see, instead of cooking, I’ve been growing this tiny little bump for the past 28 weeks :)

Being pregnant has been wonderful and so, so exciting, but naturally there has been a share of those not-so-wonderful days and moments with nausea and fatigue. Which I believe a lot of us mom-to-bes seem to have in this stage of life (sending some cheerful hugs to your way, sisters!). So I’ve been pretty focused on eating some feel-good foods and taking naps instead of cooking, or being creative in the kitchen. But after spending a week in the sunshine, I now feel like a whole new person! Having that amount of sunshine makes you wonders, believe me (I’m a true summer lover). I finally feel like I’ve got some energy to make things happen and getting active in the kitchen is definitely on my list. So be prepared for new recipes! I think there’s pancakes coming up at least. And some other breakfast recipes too, since I’ve noticed that breakfast is a great dinner too. At least when you’re preggo. Or just wiped out.

But let’s start with this juice that I made to get rid of a tiny flu bug hanging around, and to bring some *inner glow* to my being. I also desperately thought that juicing these bright orange-colored vegetables with tons of betacarotene would help me to keep this light tan I managed to get while away (ahh the sunshine!). Let’s see how things turn out!

And hey! If you’re in need of some sweet potato inspiration, here are a few of my favorite things involving sweet potatoes:

3-Ingredient Sweet Potato Flatbreads
Super Veggie Pizza w/ Sweet Potato Crust
Sweet Potato Toasts w/ Avocado Pea Mash, Feta & Eggs
Oven baked Sweet Potato Chips
Sweet Potato, Carrot & Lentil Stew

Sending you good vibes for the new week! ♡

The Inner Glow Juice with Sweet Potato, Carrot & Mandarins

notes: taking ginger supplements is not usually advised while pregnant, and I’ve been using only small pieces of fresh ginger if I’ve been feeling sick or really nauseous. but you can feel the ginger out in case it’s not your thing :)

makes about 3 1/2 cups

2 small sweet potatoes
3 carrots
3 (organic) apples
4 mandarin oranges
a small piece of fresh ginger

METHOD:

Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots and cut them into small cubes. Rinse the apples and peel the mandarins and ginger. Cut the fruit into smaller pieces as well. Juice all the ingredients, pour into to glasses, and enjoy! The juice can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.

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No-Rice Nori Rolls w/ Marinated Tofu & Veggies

January 23, 2018

this post is sponsored by Puhtaasti kotimainen

I don’t know if it’s just me, but usually around this time of the year I found myself at a creative slump when it comes to making dinner. I feel like we make the same things all the time (hello mashed potatoes with spinach, my ultimate winter comfort food) and everything tastes just a little…blunt. So how do you get out of the no-inspiration-I-am-hungry-though-amd-need-food rut? I have found two solutions to this problem:

1) Take a vacation and go somewhere with lots of sunshine and do not cook for a week. (Spoiler: we’re on holiday right now and I’m writing this under an umbrella in the sun and loving the fact that someone else makes my breakfast. lunch and dinner. #grateful). Cooking at home becomes so much more inspiring when you spend some time away.

2) If / when option 1 is not realistic, grab a bunch if vegetables from the store and make something ethnic. The flavors of thai, moroccan, or for example nepalese food taste great in the depths of winter. Or if you’re in the need for something fresh and easy, try these no-rice nori rolls! They’re the perfect little thing to satisfy your sushi cravings without all the fuss of cooking the perfect rice. And also, eating your daily dose of veggies is a lot more delicious this way.

I’ve been cooking a good deal of recipes for Puhtaasti kotimainen during this winter, and in addition to these veggie sushis, I made this super yummy muhammara paste from roasted bell peppers, a super fresh dairy-free tzatziki with cucumber, mint, and feta cheese, a vegan tomato soup, and a really nice salad with pear, lentils, avocado, and goat cheese. A few easy recipes to give you guys some inspiration :)

But a word about these sushi rolls (or pockets?). If we’re being specific, these have very little to do with traditional sushi, as there’s no rice involved. Being the lover of convenience as I am, cooking up the perfect sticky rice seemed like too much work, so I just wrapped a bunch of colorful veggies and some oven roasted tofu into nori wraps, dipped them in tamari, and ate them with a satisfied grin on my face. So easy, yet kind of sophisticated, and totally not anything like my mashed potatoes. Yesss.

Sending you sunshine and good vibes! xo

No-Rice Nori Rolls w/ Marinated Tofu & Veggies

notes: you can always add your favorite veggies in here, or some rice if you like. a creamy dip with tahini would probably be divine too.

makes 4-6 rolls

4 to 6 nori wraps (depending on how much fillings you put in)
a bunch of romaine
2 carrots
1 cucumber
1 avocado
marinated tofu (recipe below)
a big handful of microgreens
tamari (or gluten-free soy sauce), for serving

Marinated tofu

1 block of firm tofu
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp tamari (or gluten-free soy sauce)
1 tbsp maple syrup

METHOD:

1. Start by making the tofu. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F degrees. Wrap the tofu in some paper towel and place it on a plate. Put another plate on top of the tofu and place something a bit heavy on top for about 15 minutes to remove excess liquid from the tofu.

2. In a medium bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients together. Cut the tofu into a long strips gently turn the strips the pieces in the marinade. Place the tofu on a baking sheet covered with baking paper and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tofu is slightly browned.

3. In the meantime, prep the vegetables. Peel the carrots. Slice the carrots, cucumber and avocado into thin long slices.

4. Once the tofu is ready, assemble the rolls. Lay out the nori sheets and turn it on a diagonal. Place the romaine salad, sliced carrots, cucumbers, avocado, and tofu in the center. Add some microgreens on top.

5. First fold up the bottom and then fold the sides across. You might need to wet the sides of the wraps so that they will stick together. Hold on for a minute so that the roll stays in shape. Serve with some tamari, and enjoy!

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A Simply Divine Lemon Cake (GF + V)

A Simply Divine Lemon Cake (GF + V)

The Best Gluten-free and Vegan No Knead Bread Rolls

The Best Gluten-free and Vegan No Knead Bread Rolls

My Favorite Pregnancy Superfoods + Power Breakfast Pancake

Power Breakfast Pancake (GF)

Homemade Body Butter + Tips for Using Coconut Oil

My tips for using coconut oil:

Homemade Body Scrub with Coconut Oil & Honey

Homemade Body Scrub with Coconut Oil & Honey

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

Healthy Breakfast Muffins (GF + vegan option)

Easy Chickpea Flour Pizza

Easy Chickpea Flour Pizza

Coconut Pancakes w/ Mango Nice Cream (GF + V)

The Inner Glow Juice w/ Sweet Potato, Carrot & Mandarins

The Inner Glow Juice with Sweet Potato, Carrot & Mandarins

No-Rice Nori Rolls w/ Marinated Tofu & Veggies

No-Rice Nori Rolls w/ Marinated Tofu & Veggies

Marinated tofu

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