Apple Tart (vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar free)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Audioslave ~ Cochise
Audioslave ~ Like A Stone
Audioslave ~ What You Are
Chris Cornell ~ Can't Change Me
Audioslave ~ #1 Zero
Audioslave ~ Gasoline
Chris Cornell ~ Pillow Of Your Bones
Audioslave ~ Jewel Of The Summertime
Chris Cornell ~ Part Of Me
Audioslave ~ Drown me Slowly
Audioslave ~ The Last Remaining Light
Chris Cornell ~ Arms Around Your Love 
Audioslave ~ Show Me How To Live
Chris Cornell ~ She'll Never Be Your Man

I enjoyed the company of good friends on Sunday evening and it was my pleasure to cook them all a meal and give us all a chance to relax and catch up with each other. When deciding what I wanted to cook for us I easily planned out the main course but struggled with the dessert. I was craving good old fashioned apple pie which is odd as I am by no means a dessert person nor a pie person. Strange how cravings hit you, isn't it? I thumbed through my recipe files and found this tart recipe that was heavy on flavour and apples without being loaded with gluten, dairy and refined sugars. Perfect..

It was very easy to make. The crust was quite delicate and I confess I served mine still on the loose base from my flan tin. It is a crumbly base but I liked that and the flavours were very enjoyable with the wholesome texture combined with the spices and tahini hit. The apple toppings were delicate in flavour but comforting with the mix of apples and dates..sweet enough without having a major sugar-rush after each mouthful. I served ours cold with indulgent chilled soya-vanilla custard. The dessert was rich but without the heaviness and stodge of traditional apple and custard. And I must confess...we all enjoyed a second slice. Ooops... 

Apple Tart ~ Vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free...so tasty!

Apple Tart    Serves 8

2oz ground almonds
4oz brown rice flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
4 tbsp water
2 tbsp sunflower oil
3 tbsp light tahini

3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled and chopped
2 medjool dates, chopped
6fl oz filtered water

2 Gala apples, cored and finely sliced (skins on)
1/2 tbsp sunflower oil

Place the ground almonds, rice flour, cinnamon, cloves, water, sunflower oil and light tahini into a processor and blitz until you have a crumb consistency. Line the base of a 9" loose based flan tin and press the crumbs onto the base, flattening it out until you have an even surface. Do not press into the sides and be sure to leave a clear edge between the edge of the tin and the crust. Heat the oven to 200'C/400'F/GM6 and bake the crust for 15 minutes or until it has turned golden brown. 

Place the chopped apples, dates and water into a saucepan and stew the mix until the apples are soft. Remove from the heat and puree until smooth. 

Leaving a 1 cm edge around the crust spread the apple/date puree evenly over the crust. Take the sliced apples and place them on top of the puree in any overlapping pattern you wish. Brush the apple slices with the sunflower oil and place back into the oven for 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked and beginning to brown. Serve warm or cold. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week starts well...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my creation and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. I do send out thanks to whoever did. ~R~



 

 

Individual Festive Pies (vegan)

Rocket & Roses Kitchen Play List:

Martina McBride ~ When You Are Old
Nickelback ~ Deep
The Chiffons ~ One Fine Day
Sinatra ~ Tea For Two
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Life Without You
Jamie Callum ~ Catch The Sun
Skin ~ Should I Stay Or Should I Go
Mr Buble ~ At This Moment
The Union ~ What Doesn't Kill You
Shakira ~ Gypsy
Fun Lovin' Criminals ~ Loco
Janiva Magness ~ Once In A While
Jack Johnson ~ Flake
Natalie Cole ~ Paper Moon

Every year before Christmas ML and I host a dinner party for our closest friends. It's not a riotous hangover inducing party...just a simple dinner shared with friends that we consider family. We eat, exchange pressies and catch up with each other....there maybe a game or two in between courses. There is always festive decorations and festive music in the background. This year I decorated the table with the Scandinavian red and white theme. Once all our friends arrive we lock the door and spend a lovely evening together...we look forward to it immensely. Then we all go off to celebrate our festive holidays as we all wish...but for one night we are all together. And the swell of emotion from the collective friendships is hard to ignore....you take care of friendships like this and never take them for granted. I've lost count of how many years we have hosted these nights now but I am very happy for the day I decided to offer this tradition to our friends...very happy indeed.  OK, ok, ok...enough of the sappy stuff...Ahem! 

Keeping to a budget is often tricky for occasions like these but I do like to rise to the challenge.  Usually I like to offer a starter, main course (including three different options to cater for all attending), desserts also catering for all as with the main course and then finishing off with coffee and vegan mint chocolates. This year I needed to streamline and I also needed a menu that would accommodate my need to be seated for the making of all the courses. (Long story, doctors orders etc etc..anyway) After many runs through my cook books and online recipe facilities I sat exhausted and at a loss. I then decided that this year needed to be completely different from the past dinner parties and so then sat down with a clean sheet of paper and put my thoughts down on it. 

I decided to forgo the starter course and start with a main course that would only need the one dish that would suit everyone. And once I had made that decision I quickly found the perfect recipe...individual festive pies. Now I can take very small amounts of gluten and I know my friend Stripe can too and we decided to take the chance on them. I was drawn in by the appearance of them and when I started to read through the ingredients I was sold. There was only one ingredient that troubled me and that was the mushrooms but they are so finely chopped they melt into the other filling ingredients so I decided to risk it. I veganised them by swapping out egg wash for almond milk, butter for Pure Vegan butter, dairy cream for soya cream and finally dairy milk for some more almond milk. I also doubled the recipe to make enough pies for all invited guests plus one for the freezer for a treat on another day. 

Ordinarily I would never make gluten pastry, much less a pastry made with veggie suet but as it was a High Days and Holidays treat I decided to make it as suggested. Making the ninth pie was an informed choice so that I would make the pie shells thinner than suggested and it worked beautifully. The pies were simple to make but I confess the moulding of the pastry into the ramekins and folding over of the overlap was the patient work of ML's hands. I was busy sat rolling out pastry and cutting out pretty stars! Ahem! Although the photo below really is quite deceptive as the pastry looks quite thick...it wasn't! The reaction of our good pal Bev was quite lovely as she walked into the kitchen as we were assembling the part baked pies. She was very taken with them and as I brought them into the awaiting friends to make their selections...well..my tray of pies disappeared in seconds. The pastry shell was indulgent but quite light for such a rich pasty, the filling was creamy but still held varying textures from the contents and the taste...well...wow...it was fabulous. Wholesome, creamy, brimming with christmas flavours and scents...we all devoured them. I served them with roasted parsnips, festive red cabbage, steamed Brussels sprouts, carrots and green beans. And would I make them again? Yes! I have jotted down plans of trying them with a gluten-free pastry very soon to have a stash of them in my freezer for other High Days and Holidays occasions. 

The other courses I hear you ask! Well I made a decision to make a light dessert course...using shot glasses and a decadent dark chocolate truffle recipe I had recently found. So I made a vegan white chocolate dip with berry skewers, a raspberry jelly with fresh raspberries floating in it and a Raw Creamy (Cashew) Lemon and Raspberry Vegan Cheesecake using a medjool date and almond base. To finish this course three very small squares of vegan dark truffles were waiting at the end. And it was a hit with everyone...it was packed with flavours and extremely light on the tummy. Gratuitous dessert photo can be found below...

The final course was a table spread with a multitude of savoury crackers and biscuits, a fruit tray of fresh red and green grapes and clementines, a selection of dairy cheeses for my non-vegan friends (nervous twitch!) and for myself and my lovely pal Dev...a small vegan cheese board. I bought in a Blue, Garlic & Herb and Cranberry vegan cheeses but also made a Walnut & Cranberry Vegan Cheese Ball to add to the plate. And that is how we finished our meal...playing a game whilst nibbling on the crackers, cheeses and fruits. We were very full but very happy...

Individual Festive Pies

Individual Festive Pies  Made 9 x 250ml ramekin sized pies
(Adapted from Good Food Magazine)

400g leeks, thinly sliced
50g vegan butter (I used Pure ~ Sunflower)
200g mushrooms, finely chopped
8 pinches of ground Mace
8 pinches of fresh thyme leaves, plus 9 tiny sprigs to decorate
200g potatoes, grated
200g cooked Puy lentils 
200g cooked chestnuts, finely chopped
16 tbsp vegan cream (I used Alpro Fresh Soya Cream)
8 tbsp fresh cranberries, plus 4o to decorate
almond milk to glaze
4 tsp redcurrant jelly/jam 

For the pastry:
400g plain flour or gluten-free alternative
200g vegetable suet
16 tbsp almond milk

In a large skillet gently melt the vegan butter and then saute the leeks until completely softened. Meanwhile blend the mushrooms in a food processor until very finely chopped and add them to your cooked leeks. Turn up the heat a little and cook until the mushrooms are shedding water and remove the liquid. Add your grated potato and cook for a further 3 minutes and then add the chestnuts, puy lentils and cream. Cook for 4 minutes more and then remove from the heat. Chop down the 16 tbsps of fresh cranberries and add them to the skillet, stirring well to evenly distribute. 

To make the pastry, put the flour and the suet into a food processor with 2 tsps low-sodium salt. Blitz together until you can't see any big veggie suet lumps. Then keep the processor pulsing as you add the milk 1 tbsp at a time until the pastry comes together. 

Roll out a quarter of the pastry on a floured surface and then using one of the ramekins cut out 9 lids. From the centre of each lid cut out a star shape. Set the lids and stars to one side and cover with cling film. 

Cut 9 strips of baking parchment and using a little vegan butter stick them into the ramekins, so the ends of the strips stick outside each of side to help you remove the pies when baked. Gather the lid scraps with the remaining pastry and bring together. And divide into 9 equal pieces. Roll out each piece to a £1 coin thickness and use to line each dish leaving an overhang.  Divide the filling between the ramekins. Top each pie with the lids, roll down each overhang to meet the lid. Use fork prongs to seal the edges. The pies can now be covered and chilled for up to 24 hours before baking.

To bake: Pre-heat the oven to 200'C/400'F/GM 6. Brush each pie with a little almond milk and bake for 30-40 minutes. 

Remove the pies from the oven and gently edge around the top of the pies with a sharp knife. Then line a fresh baking sheet with parchment and lift the pies out of the dishes (BE PATIENT!) and place them on the new baking sheet. Take the pastry stars our from under the cover of cling and brush each one with almond milk and then place a small sprig of thyme onto each one. Place the pastry stars onto the baking parchment. Mix the 40 whole cranberries with the redcurrant jelly/jam and then divide it out between the star cutouts on the pies. Make sure to keep them within the cut out. Place the baking sheet back into the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the pie tops and stars are crisp and golden. Top each pie with a star and serve...

Enjoy! 

And now for the desserts....Raspberry Shot Desserts. 

Raspberry Shot Desserts with Dark Chocolate Truffles hiding out at the back...light and delicious

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend was a great one and your week starts well? 

I would also like to thank our friend Ann, my lovely sister and her little ones for all their help in making the food, making sure I stayed sat down as much as they could (I am not the most co-operative of patients..Ahem!)...you guys rock!

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my creation as I simply adapted it from a vegetarian recipe from Good Food Mag. I thank them for sharing such a great festive treat. ~R~ 

Ali's Vegan and Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Rocket & Roses Vegan Kitchen:

Paloma Faith ~ Perfect Contradiction Album

Ali's Vegan and Gluten-Free Carrot Cake

Hello folks...well what a weekend! The celebration for my lovely Mum went really well and food and pink fizz was had by us all. Little Noo had her own celebration on the day by getting her ears pierced! I felt so old..lol But she came back with red ears but the most proud and magnificent smile that reached all corners of her face. Sadly though poor ML is still fighting off a nasty dose of Pleurisy so was sofa bound but that meant extra hugs from the little ones throughout the day. Thankfully I had the help of the lovelies that are my sister and my pal Ann. Phew! A steamy cast iron stuffed with a veggie casserole, topped with veggie dumplings was the offering for lunch along with fresh salads. The little ones enjoyed a carrot and lentil soup with bread and heaps of fresh salads. For dessert ice cream sundaes were on the menu and everyone around the table feasted happily. Afterwards it was party games that included limbo, musical statues and chairs and a great game of stringing food items to a long piece of string and the little ones had to go along and remove the items with just their mouths...very funny indeed. Mum really enjoyed herself so that was great. 

Sunday was a day for relaxing after the madness of the celebrations. Ann was staying for the weekend and then we were joined by Dev and Bev and the lovely four legged Ms Ella so Archie was extremely happy. We enjoyed a late lunch together and then after Dev, Bev, Ann, Archie and Ella took a stroll around the country park we sat down to tea and a hefty slice of today's recipe. Relaxing...and peaceful. 

Whilst away on our road trip around Scotland I had devoured enjoyed a piece of carrot cake but as I had been off of sugar for a while before enjoying this morsel it kicked off a major craving for more of the orange nirvana. Whilst Pinning on Friday I found the recipe for a vegan and gluten-free version. How happy was I?? However it wasn't sugar free and although I did a half sugar/half sweetener for one of the cups of sugar it still is quite heavy on sugar especially when making the frosting to go with it too. I only made half the suggested amount of frosting and even that was far too much. Although my guests and taste testers all disagreed with me on this point. But then I've always been a frosting free person. Ah well..each to their own, eh? lol. 

I simply can't take any credit for this cake so I am choosing not to post the recipe but simply provide you with the link to the creators webpage. Her post about the cake comes with a story and magnificent photos...I simply could not compete with that today. So please check out Ali's posting for Vegan and Gluten-Free Carrot Cake at Gimmesomeoven.com. 

The cake is made with a very generous amount of carrot which I prefer. I feel cheated with these carrot cakes that are mainly batter with a smattering of one carrot throughout. The flour mix with festooned with cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and a pinch of cloves. The sugars are blended with 4 flax eggs until light and fluffy and is then folded into the flour and carrot mix. You have the choice of three cake sizes...one large, 2 9" or 3 8" layers. I chose the 9" version...for no other  reason than that's what I had close to hand. My 8" tins are shallow and also buried at the back of my baking tin cupboard! lol. The cakes cooked in the set time of 25 minutes and smelt divine whilst baking. And despite no lining of the tins the cakes came out of the tins without any hassle. They kept their texture very well and the cake sprung back when pressed. When cooled I frosted the centre of the cakes and then reluctantly the top. (I hardly every frost the top of a cake unless its a birthday cake...but I know my friends well enough to provide what they would like...that's love right there!) I was still left with a large tub of frosting. (Half batch...*shaking head* lol) I left the cake to chill in the fridge to firm back up the frosting until I was ready to serve....

...when I did finally make tea for the returning wanderers I served the carrot cake. All loved it...all had extra frosting..lol I admit that I removed most of mine. However the cake itself was a glorious surprise. The texture almost made me tearful as I was beginning to believe that a good texture and vegan-gluten free cake were mutually exclusive. But this cake albeit dense was spongy and moist. No sandy textures once you started to chew. The batter and carrot were at a perfect balance. You knew you were eating a good carrot cake. Now my only issue...and it's a very small one at that...was the spice blend. A hefty measure of ground cinnamon is suggested and that is exactly what I used...1 tbsp. By comparison to the other spices it was a gigantic amount and the other spices were a little lost. The cinnamon intensifies the longer the cake is sat. We all agreed that it was a great tasting cake as it was but we also agreed that a lowering of the measurement of the cinnamon next time would be the way to go. As is..Dev likened it to a German Christmas cake for its use of spice. 

The recipe itself was perfectly easy to make. I loved the use of the flax eggs. I know I'll be making this again with the slightest of adaptations. Less cinnamon, adding pecans and when Ann isn't partaking...using a few juicy sultanas thrown in for good measure. And...no frosting unless it's a celebration cake. 

I hope you take the time to check out Ali's full posting and try this recipe for yourself...it's a treat of a cake but worth it. 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend was a great one and that your week starts peacefully...

~Red~

NB: I take no credit for this recipe whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Ali over at Gimmesomeoven.com and hers alone. I do send out thanks to her for sharing it. ~R~

  

Tomato Tart (vegan & gluten free)

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

The Ting Tings ~ Be The One
Joan Jett ~ You Can't Get Me
NIN ~ Closer
Becky Hill ~ You Will Want The Most
Jon Fratelli ~ She's My Shaker
Chris Cornell ~ Lost Cause
Stevie Ray Vaughn ~ Tin Pan Alley
Black Stone Cherry ~ In My Blood
The Eagles ~ One Of These Nights
INXS ~ Shining Star
Jim Reeves ~ Four Walls
James Morrison ~ Better Man 
The Zutons ~ Hello Conscience
Pixie Lott ~ Cry Me Out

What do you do when you have a punnet of beautiful and ripe baby plum tomatoes to use up? Make a salsa...a chutney...a salad...a sauce...or even a soup? Yep..well you could but isn't it sometimes a shame to chop, dice or mush these resplendent jewels from mother nature? Which is why I decided to make this tart instead. The recipe is not mine as I found it posted by Anon on a recipe site. But I knew the moment I saw it that I wanted to make it. It uses the tomatoes as the star attraction and they are nestled by a base of almonds and oats. Perfect..

It's very simple to make and I confess I made mine whilst making my breakfast...yep that simple. I made two adaptions by using coconut oil in the base in place of the salted butter or olive oil option and by replacing fresh oregano with dried but that wasn't a choice, it was what I had available. I used my punnet of baby plum tomatoes with 2 deep red med vine tomatoes. The smell of it baking away in the oven was a pure delight...

Now this cannot be mistaken for a robust gluten crust because removing it from the baking tin was impossible so I had to leave mine to cool on the springform base. Yep..the almond/oaty base is definitely a little crumbly but it doesn't take away from it's beautiful flavours and when combined with the tomato filling...its taste matches its aroma in its pure pleasure. 

Tomato Tart

 
Tomato Tart  Makes 1 9" round tart

1 cup ground almonds
1 cup gluten-free oats
1 tbsp pysllium husks
3 tbsp cornmeal
1/2 tsp low sodium salt
4 tbsp coconut oil (or vegan marg or olive oil)
2 tbsp cold water

2 cups chopped assorted tomatoes, cut into halves or quarters
1 red onion, halved, quartered and thinly sliced 
2 garlic cloves, sliced 
1 tsp dried oregano (or 1 tbsp fresh chopped oregano)
1 tbsp grainy mustard 
salt to season

Preheat your oven to 350'F/180'C/GM 4 and line a 9" baking tin with parchment paper and set to one side. 

In a food processor pulse the almonds and oats until they resemble a coarse meal. Add in the pysllium, cornmeal, salt and oil and pulse until the mixture starts to come together. With the machine running add the cold water until the mixture comes together (although mine never quite balled up but did stay together when pressed) and then turn out into the prepared tin and press it down firmly into the base and allow a slightly little lip around the edge. Set to one side...

Gently toss the tomatoes, onion, oregano, mustard, garlic and salt together in a bowl. Pour the mixture onto the tart base and spread it out evenly over the crust. 

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes..and then serve. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Sunday has been a peaceful one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. I would be more than happy to give credit where it's due if you recognise this recipe as your own..simply just drop me an email at rocketandroses@aol.com. But whoever you are..thank you for a great recipe...~R~   

Tomatoes & Cashew Parmesan on Teresa Cutter's Quinoa & Chia Seed Toasts

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Tina Dico ~ In The Red
The Eagles ~ Learn To Be Still
Caro Emerald ~ A Night Like This
Joan Jett ~ I Love Rock n Roll
Prince ~ Get Off
Auf De Maur ~ Overpower Thee
Satie: Gonssiennes - 3. Lent
Bebel Gilberto ~ Close Your Eyes
Airbourne ~ White Line Fever
Soundgarden ~ He Didn't
Bach: Cello Suite #4 in E Flat
Chris Cornell ~ Call Me A Dog (Live)
Bobby McFerrin ~ Circlesong 8
Doris Day ~ I'll Never Stop Loving You

Blimey what a week! I'm exhausted and it isn't over yet. Tomorrow I shall be found walking a waterfall or two so I felt it only right to stop by and update you folks on my latest experiment in the gluten-free, yeast-free and vegan bread quest. This time I found a recipe online by The Healthy Chef..Teresa Cutter. Her recipe was just what I needed for this busy week. As long as you have a food processor it really isn't very hard work to make. There is a little advanced prep involved because you have to soak the quinoa and chia seeds overnight but again...easy. For Teresa's original posting simply click here. You will also find all the nutritional information for this loaf and Teresa's suggestions for serving it...

When all the ingredients were whirling around in my processor I was waiting for the seeds to break down a little which lead me to re-read the recipe and realised that they shouldn't. lol. And as I poured the batter into my bread tin I was becoming a little worried about the texture of this bread. But regardless I popped it into my awaiting oven and set my timer and got busy making the picnic for yesterday's play in the park with the little ones. My timer blasted off and I removed the bread loaf and placed it on my kitchen side to set and cool. As I was running around making sure everybody had everything for the day I quickly removed the loaf from the tin to cool completely and it looked very pleasing to the eye. And there it stayed for the next six hours whilst we were off to throw ourselves around the park.

When I finally sliced off the crust and a slice I was struck by just how moist it was. It reminded me of a very moist banana bread...and I tried a bite or two from the crust and I was undecided. I tried the next two bites with a little sunflower spread...still undecided. I decided to toast the second slice to see if it firmed it up at all. Well it did around the edges but the second you added spread to it...it sucked it up and ended up as soggy bread....which then fell apart in my hand. lol. The overall taste to this bread is exactly what you would expect from a quinoa and chia seed bread but the hard crunch every now and then from the seeds was a little challenging because it felt like a tooth had broken. lol. Despite this I was determined to find a way of eating this bread without the previously stated issues.

I decided that I would heed Teresa's advice and pan toast my slices first. This morning I was craving an old favourite...tomatoes on toast. I also had a stash of cashew parmesan and I had a tin of organic plum tomatoes that I had picked up recently...they don't have citric acid added to them so I was a little giddy when I found them. (Citric acid being something I've had to cut out recently) However, they were expensive...£1.25 per tin so I bought just the one. I placed my slices into a skillet to toast and opened my tomatoes to find....1 1/2 tomatoes in a tin filled with tomato juice. Am I wrong to be scandalised by this...not even 2! 1 1/2! Sainsbury's..shame on you. Grrrr. Anyway..I digress. Once my slices had finished toasting I sprinkled on a little cashew parm then added the tomatoes then generously grated black pepper over the top. Now I really enjoyed this meal and enjoyed the quinoa and chia seed toasts. They were a great base if not sturdy base...they soaked up all the tomato juices before I had even sat down to eat..lol. A satisfying combination though..

Would I make this bread again...well..yes because I've tried it a few ways I know it's limitations but also the many ways you could enjoy it too. And you can never have too much quinoa and chia seeds in your life...eh?

Tomatoes & Cashew Parmesan on Teresa Cutter's Quinoa & Chia Seed Toasts

Teresa Cutter's Quinoa & Chia Seed Bread  Makes 1 2lb loaf
(Recipe from TheHealthyChef.com)

300g/10.5 oz/1 3/4 cups whole uncooked quinoa seed
60g/2 oz/ 1/4 cup whole chia seed
250ml/1 cup water (use half to soak chia seeds and the other half to combine in the 
processor)
60ml/ 2fl oz/ 1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
juice from 1/2 lemon 

Soak the quinoa in water overnight in the fridge. Soak the chia seeds in 1/2 cup water and this can left overnight also but you will need to give it a good stir before use.  

Preheat the oven to 160'C/32o'F/GM 2/3 and line a bread tin with parchment paper. 

Drain the quinoa in a large sieve and rinse with plenty of water. Make sure the water is fully drained from the sieve. Place the quinoa in the processor. Add the chia gel, 1/2 cup of water, olive oil, bicarb soda, sea salt and lemon juice. Mix in the food processor for 3 minutes. The bread mix should resemble batter consistency with some whole quinoa still left in the mix. 

Spoon into the lined loaf tin. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes in the tin then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely before slicing. Serve...

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend has been a great one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Teresa Cutters @ TheHealthyChef.com and hers alone. I send thanks for an interesting recipe. ~R~

 
 

Yeast-Free Pumpkinseed Teff Sandwich Bread topped with Cashew Cream Cheese & Cucumber

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Paolo Nutini ~ These Streets Album

So far it's been as very busy week..Monday was hospital based and also I was enjoying celebrating my 7th Civil Partnership Anniversary with ML. We had a lovely day together and after the hospital treatment was over, we got in the car and disappeared for the rest of the day. ML bought me a beautiful white rose bouquet although I'm not sure how I should take the fact it was also displaying purple thistles...lol. I do hope that wasn't a personal message. However the bouquet was beautiful and I am a sucker for white roses...hence the Roses part of my blog's name. In the evening we sat down together to watch About Time and laughed and shed tears for the two hours that followed. Tuesday was also a great day because I had the company of little Layla for the day and we were joined by my pal Ann for the day. So we caught up as I cooked, shared lunch and then we took the opportunity to take a stroll in the beautiful spring sunshine. We pootled down to the local Country Park and let Layla run riot in the parks there. I don't think Ann's back will ever be quite the same..lol. Then it was time for another stroll down to the parks cafe and we put some chairs next to the railings of the duck pond and watched the Tufty ducks swimming in the water, other ducks cleaning themselves and having a splashing good time. However I kept a careful eye on the swan and the geese...ready to beat a hasty retreat should they decide to pay us a visit. Did I mention I have a slight bird phobia...well anything with wings..lol. I was very brave. Then it was time for another stroll down into another part of the park where we turned into Ninjas when we walked into a walk of bugs. lol. And as Layla had been such a good girl she was allowed another time in the play area as we made out way back. The four legged fella Archie joined us and was also enjoying the sunny weather and the stroll even if he did keep trying to tie us all together the little scamp. As you can see I have been busy having a good time so please forgive me for being away from the blog for a couple of days. 

I have been experimenting with Gluten Free bread products again and as always...it's been a somewhat vexing experience. lol. But I think I am getting better at it. This time I tested out a recipe that is the creation of Kim over at Affairs of Living blog and for her awesome post about this recipe please click here.  I made one adaption by replacing the Xanthan Gum with Pysllium Husks...straight swap..same amounts. I made this decision after researching the whole Gum issue and I had been using the mighty Husks without any gut problems. 

As always I struggle mentally with the amount of ingredients that goes into gluten free recipes but I sucked it up and got busy making the flour mountain..lol. It's a very easy recipe to make and you spend more time measuring things out than you do anything more technical. However where Kim states you will have need of a sturdy spatula as the dough will be very thick...I didn't achieve that. I had a thick batter but I went with it and scattered pumpkin seeds liberally on top and popped it into my oven. And 55 minutes later I removed something that actually resembled a loaf of bread! *cue happy dance* I had the best will power as I was able to leave it to cool completely before cutting off a slice or two to test. I made a batch of cashew cream cheese to spread on it and topped it off with good old cucumber. You really can't go wrong with that combination eh? The bread's texture was really good and the flavour was a little sweet but greatly enjoyable. When topped, it hit a new level entirely and I devoured my test piece. I can't wait to try a slice toasted to see how it holds up.

Kim's Yeast Free Pumpkin Seed Teff Sandwich Bread

Yeast-Free Pumpkin Seed Teff Sandwich Bread   Makes one loaf
(Recipe from Kim@AffairofLiving.com)

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup + 2 tbsp teff/ragi flour
1/2 cup arrowroot starch/flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum or guar gum (I used Psyllium Husk)
1 tsp salt or Herbamare
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 
2 tbsp finely ground flax seeds 
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil or rapeseed oil

Preheat the oven to 350'F/180'C/Gas Mark 4. Generously oil (or line) a 9 x 5 loaf tin. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet and place in the oven and let bake for 10 minutes whilst the oven heats up. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

In a small bowl whisk together water, flax and apple cider vinegar, and let sit for 10 minutes. Then whisk in the oil and stir to mix. 

While the flax absorbs the water, place the cooled pumpkin seeds in a blender and blend until you have a fine powder, like flour. Place in a bowl, and whisk together with teff, arrowroot, tapioca, coconut flour, Gum or Husks, salt and bicarb soda. Create a well in the centre, and add flax-water mixture, stirring to mix with a whisk, then changing to a sturdy spatula or a wooden spoon. Dough will be very thick!

Place in the prepared loaf tin and press into a loaf shape with a spatula. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and press them lightly into the surface. Place in oven immediately and bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out on a rack and finish cooling. Let cool completely before you slice, if you can, or wait at least 10 minutes. 

For cider vinegar subs and for the nutritional info please click the link above for Kim's original post. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week has started really well..and you have enjoyed happiness in many ways...

Proof of the sunny adventures...Ann and Layla playing assault course styley

~Red~ 

NB: This recipe is not mine so I take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Kim @ AffairofLiving.com. I thank her for a great recipe. ~R~

 

 

  

41st Birthday Cupcakes: Isa & Terry's Banana Split Cupcakes

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Thunder ~ Higher Ground
Bowes & Morley ~ Sick & Tired
Idil Biret ~ Chopin: Nocturne #1 in B Flat Minor
TOFG ~ The Night That Davey Caught The Train
Patti Smith ~ When Doves Cry
Chris Cornell ~ Can't Change Me
The Pretenders ~ Talk of the Town
Terra Naomi ~ Umbrella
Kid Rock ~ American Bad Ass
Joe Nichols ~ I'll Wait For You
Soundgarden ~ Room A Thousand Years Wide
Natalie Clein ~ Brahms: Cello Sonata#2 Adagio Affetuoso
The Cranberries ~ Show Me
Little Angels ~ I Ain't Gonna Cry


Yesterday...*sighs* I reached the grand age of 41. Where did this last year go...doesn't seem five minutes since I was trying my best to live in denial. However I am always aware of a simple quote I read around that time...

Yep..humbled me greatly, then and now. And even when I am going slightly hinkey about stepping into my early forties (note...early!...lol) I am grateful that no matter how hard this year has been..I have had another year. And at times it's been doubtful. So all happy here.

After all the celebrations last year I wanted a quiet birthday this time. As my birthday is on a Sunday this year, we decided to have a casual birthday lunch with my Mum, sister and little ones on the Saturday...a slightly more fun family day with cupcakes....and happy cupcakes at that. Then on Sunday we are met up with our friends for a lunch at a bar called Goucho's. I'll report back on that later next week. And again...followed by birthday cupcakes. lol.

My choice..well I say mine..with a little help from my sister..lol..was Banana Split Cupcakes. Once again the recipe is the creation of Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's and from their awesome cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. My copy of their book is barely in one piece now and has so much tape in it holding pages together..lol.

'We' chose them because our inner child (something that happens a lot when my sister and I get together..despite our 11 year age difference lol) called out to them. I remembered going to a nice (not greasy spoon style..yuck) café when I was a kid and sharing a banana split with my Mum. Happy times.

So once ML got home last night the cupcake production line started. Apparently making them was great fun..as you got to swirl stuff into the batter. lol. And I thought my inner child was bad..lol.

Decadent close up..lol

The cupcakes were very good and despite looking terribly sweet..they weren't as sweet as imagined. The cake was very tasty and the hits of pineapple, banana and dark chocolate were sublime. Then the topping was a heady hit of childhood memories as you waded through the cream, cherry, nuts, chocolate drizzle and sprinkles. OK so there was clearly a way of eating these cupcakes. Take off the bottom part of the cake and enjoy the subtle textures and flavours...then dive into the top of the cake with the toppings and cling on and enjoy the sugar rush ride. lol. Great fun....and exactly what was needed. Thank you once again to ML for making yet another wonderful birthday creation.

ML said this is the arty shot!...lol

Isa & Terry's Banana Split Cupcakes Makes 12

1/2 cup of pineapple preserves
1/2 cup of very ripe bananas, mashed well
1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/3 cup of canola/sunflower oil
2/3 cup of rice milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract (we didn't use any..)
1/4 cup of finely chopped dark chocolate

Toppings:
Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting..
Quick Melty Ganache
(recipes below)
fresh sliced bananas if serving immediately or
banana chips
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
chocolate or rainbow sprinkles
6 candied cherries, cut in half optional

Preheat the oven to 350'F and line a muffin tin with liners.

Stir pineapple preserves in a small pan over a low heat till melted and they pour easily when scooped with a spoon. Set to one side.

Push the bananas through a sieve or blender to remove all the big lumps. It should be fairly smooth.

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl and mix. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the oil, rice milk, vanilla and almond extract and mashed banana. Create a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and fold in the wet ingredients..mixing to just combine. Do not overmix..small lumps are OK.

Fill liners two thirds full. Top the batter of each cupcake with 1 tsp of preserve and 1 tsp chopped chocolate. With a small knife, carefully stir two or three times to stir in the preserves and chocolate. Bake for 20 - 22 minutes till a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before topping.

Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup of nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup of nonhydrogenated margarine
3 1/2 cups of icing sugar, sifted if lumpy
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup soya milk

Beat the shortening and margarine until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 minutes more. Add the vanilla and soya milk and beat for another 5-7 minutes until fluffy. Store in the refrigerator until ready to top the cupcakes.

Quick Melting Ganache

3 tbsp soya milk
1/3 cup of dark choc chips

Heat soya milk over a medium heat until just about to simmer. Remove from the heat, add chocolate chips and stir till the chocolate has melted and soya milk is combined. Set aside and leave to cool for 10 minutes. With a spatula spoon, scoop into a prepared pastry bag or plastic bag with the corner cut off, or drizzle haphazardly with a fork. This ganache will set when fully cool.

To assemble:

Top cooled cupcakes with vegan buttercream icing that is piped through a large icing bag with a large star nozzle. Drizzle with quick melting ganache and then scatter with nuts, banana and a cherry. Keep until ready to serve.

Enjoy! And as always many thanks to the vegan guru's that are Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your week is a splendid one...filled with Happy.

~Red~

Gratuitous Vegan Chocolate Birthday Cake...with berries..

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Chopin Nocturnes Playlist on iPod

Well..it's been quite a week here at R & R HQ...with a very bad viral nasty rampaging through my entire family. ML & I were completely floored by it and could barely lift our heads off of the pillows yesterday. And if I'm honest we are still under the viral influence and fear we shall be for a few more days to come....Urgh!...

Trustworthy stepped in and wrote a great posting about his Happy Chicken Nuggets which I thought was great and you folks have responded well to it. May keep him around you know? lol. Thanks fella...

Being on that horrific bed rest thing...I have very little to post food wise today but I do have a great photo for you to enjoy...it's virtually chocoholic foodie porn. lol. It comes via ML..who was once again cake baker commander in chief..as it was my baby sisters 30th birthday on Wednesday. And my sisters request is always the same...chocolate, chocolate and oh a little more chocolate. Crazy chick. Oh and if it's OK..maybe a little fruit to go with it...

So here it is....the 30th birthday cake...which I can confirm..tasted every bit as good as it looked. The chocolate cake recipe is Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe from Joy of Vegan Baking. It's the perfect chocolate cake and the filling and covering comes from a very old recipe of mine. Quite fudgey. The centre of the bundt is filled with strawberries, raspberries and cherries....and when you cut into the cake...there is a waterfall of fruit. And the combination of the smells of chocolate and the berries...is to die for. Yum!

So chocolately....so fruity...so good. lol

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your weekend has started well and brings you many smiles...

Stay viral free out there...*cough and sneeze*...Urgh!

~Red~

Minnie Mouse Vegan Birthday Cake ~ Littlest Nieces 2nd Birthday

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Florence & The Machine ~ Shake It Out (Acoustic)
Melissa Etheridge ~ All We Can Really Do
Stevie Ray Vaughan ~ Scuttle Buggin'
A Perfect Circle ~ Blue
Billy Eskstine ~ My Foolish Heart
Doris Day ~ Bewitched
Emma B ~ Maybe
The Cranberries ~ You and Me
The Cranberries ~ Free To Decide
Shakira ~ Octavo Dia
Crowded House ~ Private Universe
Bruce Springsteen ~ All I'm Thinking About
Depeche Mode ~ Personal Jesus (7" version)
Carole King ~ Oh No Not My Baby


It was our littlest nieces 2nd birthday tea party on Sunday afternoon. And once again it was our pleasure to provide the birthday cake. The request as always was for a chocolate cake...not sure if that is the request of the little ones or a request from their chocoholic parents??? lol. And this is where my involvement ends...as the baking of the cakes...and creating of the cake has been the work of ML for a long time now. The request for this cake was anything Minnie Mousey...as L is obsessed with her. 

ML took this challenge and ran with it...and came up with a fantastic Minnie Mouse cake. And it was baked and decorated in record time...lol. The cake was chocolate with chocolate filling. And from there it was a case of assembly and decoration. And I thought ML did a fantastic job and L loved it..so that was all that mattered. Oh and she loved her pressie too...so Phew!..we did good this year..lol.



Minnie Mouse themed birthday cake...

ML really enjoyed making this cake. lol. But did have a panic moment after spelling out the name..lol.

Gratuitous Close Up

Like I said before we also did good on the pressie this year....even if big sister N was happy to play with it endlessly. And here are a couple of photos to prove it...lol.

Mummy, big sister N and the little birthday girl L
(not the best quality photo but ya get the idea lol)

And one more for the road....

Yep N was very happy to 'show' L how to play with
her pressie. lol

So that is the littlest ones birthday over and next up is her Mummy's 30th!!! So ML will be making another birthday cake today. lol. I cannot believe my baby sister is a very good mother of three little ones...much less 3o years old. Blimey...is that a grey hair???? lol.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing the Little Ones Tales...and I hope your week has started well....

~R~