This post is also available in: Suomi (Finnish)
this post is in collaboration with GoGreen & Asennemedia.
I think we’ve all been there. We’ve decided to invite some friends over for a drink, throw a bigger party, or host a weekend brunch for our girlfriends. Maybe one of your friends is a vegetarian, another is gluten-free, someone’s vegan, and you’re all overwhelmed and don’t know what to serve. Trust me, I’ve been there! I’ve always loved to organize all sorts or gatherings, big and small (and cook all the food!), but there are times I get really stressed about cooking for others. It feels so tempting to just grab some apples and grapes, a couple blocks of cheese and a bag of chips from the store, but then again, do I really want to serve those again? Not really. So to keep things interesting for myself and for all the friends we’ve invited over, I’ve been trying a lot of different stuff over the years and there are a few things that have become party food staples in our kitchen. And I thought it would be nice to throw a little veggie-inspired party here on the blog and share a couple tips with you!
This party is all about colorful veggies, bean dips and a dessert, that’s one of my absolute favorites: a vegan and gluten-free mud cake, that is sinfully delicious thanks to the cashew chocolate frosting on top. The cake turned out to be so good, that I recommend inviting a few friends over just for a piece of cake, ha! And no one will ever guess that the cake is mostly made of black beans… yes, black beans! It might sound weird, but black beans and chocolate actually make a very tempting combo and give a wonderfully dense texture (hence the name mud cake) to a cake. And as my version is sweetened with only dates, it’s a real good-for-you treat – and for your guests too! This is the kind of snack you’ll enjoy when you’re playing games, like 해외축구갤러리, together with your friends.
Besides making some kind of dessert, different dips and spreads are my go-to party foods, probably because they’re really easy (and very affordable) to make and I just love a good dip. A few weeks back I got to choose a couple different products from Go Green for this post and I headed straight to the legume section with the dips in mind. I always have a jar of organic chickpeas around, as they’re the key to a great hummus and hummus just happens to be great for any party.
This time I decided to try something new and made a green power hummus with avocado, spinach, and fresh basil, which make really nice and super creamy hummus. Besides the hummus, I made a sun-dried tomato and white bean dip too, and I love it on top of some bread or with some veggie sticks. And I made some rosemary fries too! They go really nicely with the dips and together with some fresh vegetables, olives and chips you’ve got yourself a wonderful snack platter, that’s both delicious and very pretty to look at. And even if you don’t have a party coming up, I strongly recommend trying out the cake, as there’s always time for a little get-together with a piece of chocolatey goodness.
Sending happy vibes to all of you out there! xo
For more inspiration, follow me on Instagram and tag photos of my recipes with #tuuliablog so I can see!
Oven-roasted Rosemary Fries
4 big potatoes
1 sweet potato
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & black pepper
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C degrees. Rinse and dry the potatoes and sweet potatoes carefully. Cut both into tall slices and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper, and mix well.
2. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the fries evenly on the tray. Bake for about 30 minutes until the fries have a beautiful golden brown color. If you’d like to have a crispy crust, change the oven to broil for the last 5 minutes.
Sun-dried tomato & White Bean Dip
2 cans (á 285 g) organic white beans
1-2 garlic cloves
5 bis sun-dried tomatoes (in oil)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
a handful of fresh basil
1 tsp cumin
salt & black pepper
METHOD:
Open the cans of beans and rinse and drain the beans thoroughly. Chop the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces. Add all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth paste. Or you can puree the ingredients in a large bowl with a hand blender. Taste, and add more spices if necessary. Scoop the dip into a bowl and place in the fridge for a moment before serving.
Green Power Hummus
1 can (á 290 g) organic chickpeas
1 avocado
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp tahini
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
a handful of fresh basil
a handful of fresh spinach
salt & black pepper
METHOD:
Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Chop the avocado and garlic into smaller pieces. Add all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth paste. Or you can puree the ingredients in a large bowl with a hand blender. Taste, and add more spices if necessary. Scoop the dip into a bowl and place in the fridge for a moment before serving.
The Best Ever Vegan and Gluten-free Chocolate Mud Cake
into a 20 cm / 8-inch cake pan
2 cans (á 285 g) black beans
20 fresh dates, pitted
1/3 cup unsweetened cashew milk
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
a tiny pinch of salt
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cacao powder)
2 tsp baking powder
For decorating:
chocolate cashew frosting
fresh blueberries
coconut flakes
chocolate shavings
Chocolate Cashew Frosting
3/4 cup raw cashew nuts, soaked
1/3 cup unsweetened cashew milk
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2-3 tbsp coconut syrup
1 tbsp raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cacao powder)
1 tsp vanilla extract
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F / 175C degrees and cover the cake pan with baking paper. Rinse and drain the black beans thoroughly.
2. Add the black beans, dates, cashew milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Use the tamper or mix the dough with a spoon every now and then in order to get the batter smooth. Or if you prefer, you could also puree the ingredients in a big bowl using a hand blender.
3. Scoop the dough into a bowl, add the cocoa powder and baking powder and stir until smooth. You can taste the dough and add some more cacao powder or sweetener, if you like. Spoon the mixture into the cake pan and bake for about 50 minutes. Prepare the chocolate frosting in the meantime.
4. Rinse and drain the cashews. Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Start by adding as little liquid as possible in order to get a really thick frosting. Taste, and add more cacao or sweetener if necessary. Scrape the frosting in a small bowl and place in refrigerator for a moment to thicken.
5. When the cake is done, take it from the oven and allow to cool thoroughly. The longer it cools, the better it will be and it’s best to store in the fridge for at least a few hours before serving. Once you’re ready to serve, decorate the cake for example with the chocolate frosting, fresh blueberries, coconut flakes and chocolate shavings. Serve, and enjoy!
Everything about this post makes me drool, seriously! After seeing these wonderful pictures everyone will be dreaming of being your guest! :-)
xo
You’re welcome to come over any time! <3 <3
This is definitely my kind of party spread! Each one of these recipes look wonderful, but especially the chocolate cake. The ingredients are surprisingly good-for-you which is a plus! I need to make this soon and not tell my boyfriend he’s eating a cake made from black beans. I’ll just smile to myself about how sneaky and delicious it is!
I love how you can’t even taste that there’s black beans in this cake…I hope you’ll like it as much as I do! <3