The 3rd Trimester Begins, and Brown Rice Pudding Recipe!

Serves 4

Preparation time: active time 10 min + 40 min cooking

Hello people, it's been a while since my last recipe post, and surprise surprise, once more it is in the breakfast/dessert category, my favorite! 

Before I go on to that though, here's a quick update on all things pregnancy - I have just started my 3rd trimester, pretty exciting! I'm still feeling great, but have definitely slowed down a notch, baby bump is getting bigger by the day it seems, I find myself rolling around like a beached whale making grunting sounds whenever I try to get off a sofa or bed, to my partner's great amusement,  and I have a little less energy now. The third trimester is when baby starts putting on fat and goes through an impressive growth spurt, so it's more important than ever to be eating well, and enough, increasing daily caloric intake by about 300 kcal. A valid excuse to eat more? Sounds good to me! Which brings us to today's recipe..

This brown rice pudding is a perfect comfort dish for breakfast, dessert or snack. Creamy, sweet and healthy, it's a great way to use up left over cooked brown rice. You can play around with this recipe anyway you want to, making it more of a decadent dessert by adding chocolate chips, or a healthy breakfast, with different dried fruits and nuts and even perhaps omitting the cocoa powder. It's up to you, any which way you go, it's bound to be delicious!

Ingredients

3 cups of cooked brown rice

8 oz/225gr of tofu

1 ½ cups of non-dairy milk (I used hazelnut)

½ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener*

½ tsp cinnamon + extra for sprinkling

½ tsp nutmeg

2 tsp vanilla essence

2 T cocoa powder

optional: chopped dates, raisins, nuts, chocolate chips (I used dates & almonds)

* For a low calorie version use a sugar free liquid sweetener, there are even maple-flavored ones out there.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.

In a food blender combine the cooked rice, the tofu and the rice milk. Add the maple syrup, cocoa powder, nutmeg, vanilla and cinnamon. Lightly oil a baking dish and pour the mix into it. Sprinkle the dried fruits, nuts or chocolate chips, depending what you are using,  on top and press them down lightly with a spoon. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon and place in the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until browned on top and bubbly. Serve warm, with extra non-dairy milk or even cream if you like. 

Chocolate Fudge Pie and 5 1/2 month pregnancy update

Serves: 6-8

Preparation time: 20 minutes + 30 minutes to chill

Delicious, luxurious chocolate fudge pie that is truly - forgive the pun - easy-as-pie to make and with none of the added nasty stuff you'll find in the store bought versions. It's actually as healthy as a chocolate fudge pie can decently allow itself to be, and of course cruelty free!

Directions

The filling

12 oz / 340gr of silken tofu

2 T non-dairy milk of choice

9 oz / 250gr of non-dairy chocolate

3 T of liquid sweetener (I used maple syrup)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

The pie crust

7oz / 200gr of digestive biscuits* (check they are vegan)

3 T liquid sweetener (I used maple syrup)

3 T coconut oil

* For more decadence you can replace with oreo cookies 

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Process the biscuits until completely ground, then add the coconut oil and liquid sweetener and process until fully combined. Fold out the pie crust mix into a pie dish, pressing down to even out the surface. Cook in the oven for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove and let cool completely.

Melt the chocolate and blend all the filling ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Pour the filling into the pie crust and place in the fridge until chilled. The longer you leave it in the fridge the firmer the filling will be. 

Below is a photo of me, after eating the whole chocolate fudge pie all to myself. Juuust kidding, that's baby bump, now 5 and a half months on :) 

I'm happy to say that my second trimester of pregnancy is a dream, no nasty symptoms, loads of energy and the excitement of now being able to feel baby move more and more each week. Now that I have a proper bump - finally - and can feel baby kick, it seems much more real to me that I am going to be a mum soon, and that's really exciting! 

I've got a new book to add to my recommended pregnancy/parenting reading list - Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Mama, a controversial and in my view an empowering and fact-full book based on attachment parenting, trusting one's self as a parent, getting and staying healthy throughout pregnancy and beyond and being kind to the planet. 

More pregnancy updates and recipes to come soon. In the meantime, enjoy that pie!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Krispy Bars

This is a snack for those moments when fruit and soy yogurts just won't do the job, and you want sticky crunchy chocolatey decadence! 

Ingredients

2 cup puffed rice cereals or rice crackers (non sweetened whole grain)

4 T maple syrup or other liquid sweetener

1/2 cup peanut or almond butter

1/3 cup chocolate chips

pinch of salt

optional: seeds, nuts and dried fruits

Use more or less of the maple syrup, chocolate and nut butter depending on how decadent you want this to be. For a healthier version replace the chocolate with raisins. 

Preparation

Gently heat the liquid sweetener over low heat until it simmers. Switch off heat and pour over the rice cereals (if you are using rice crackers crumble these up into small pieces). Mix in the nut butter until well combined. Wait until the mixture is completely cool then add the chocolate chips and stir in well. Spread out the mixture into a small baking tray and press gently to flatten with the back of a wooden spoon. Let it set in the fridge, then crunch and munch away!

Ohlala's Oreo Strawberry Pie

Serving - 6

Preparation time: 20 minutes (+30min to chill)

A chewy crunchy oreo crust, covered in a creamy chocolaty filling, with a middle and a top lawyer of luscious strawberries... 

Suffice it to say that an unlimited amount of this oreo strawberry pie figures on my 'top 5 things I would take to a desert island' list. Yes, it is that good!

Ingredients

the crust

1 pack of oreo cookies (154 grams) 

3 T coconut oil

1T liquid sweetener (i used brown rice syrup)

the filling

150gr silken tofu

3 T soy vanilla yogurt

1 T liquid sweetener (i used brown rice syrup)

1 T cocoa powder

3 oreo cookies

1/2 t arrowroot (optional but will help thicken the filling)

1 T cocao nibs or dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)

1 tiny pinch of salt

toppings

a dozen ripe strawberries, sliced

1/2 T shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

The crust - Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Blend all the crust ingredients together in a processor until they turn into a fine crumby micture. Spoon out into a small round baking dish and press the crust mixture down until it covers the whole surface. Place in the oven and bake for 6-10 minutes, until the crust is slightly bubbling. Remove and set aside to cool. 

The filling - Blend all the filling ingredients together in a blender until smooth. Place half the sliced strawberries over the crust, then pour the tofu chocolaty mix over the top and spread out evenly over the crust. Now place the remaining strawberries over the top and sprinkle with the shredded coconut, if using. 

Place in the freezer for about 1 hour and serve. If you are leaving it in the freezer for longer, allow a good 20 minutes for it to thaw. 

Summer Berry Mousse

Serves 4

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Question: What to make when you have 5 minutes to:

A. alleviate that sweet tooth of yours before you lose it and run hysterically like you're the heroine in a thriller to the nearest store to buy all their cake supplies in your sunday pajamas and slippers?

B. make your kids/rude guests stop moaning about how they don't want to have just fruit or yogurt for dessert, again, because how boring is that!?

Answer: a strawberry and blueberry mousse, light, healthy and indulgent! This summer delight takes less time to make that it does to read this sentence. Who wants seconds? ME.

Ingredients

8 large ripe strawberries, stalks removed

2 handfuls of blueberries

200gr of firm tofu

3 T brown rice syrup (more or less depending on how sweet you want it)

1 T shredded coconut (optional)

3 pitted dates

Directions

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving. 

Oreo Cookies'n Cream Popsicles

 Makes 2

Preparation time 10 minutes (+3hrs to freeze)

How can Oreos possibly be vegan? Well, it's one of life's great mysteries, but they are. I reckon this was accidental, accidentally awesome that is.

I thought long and hard this morning about what to do with the pack of oreos I picked up yesterday, and then it struck me.. Oreo Cookies and Cream Popsicles! As far as oreo ice cream goes, this is a very healthy version, which gave me a good excuse to eat them for brunch.. yep, that's almost as socially unacceptable as having alcohol before noon, but whatever, it's Saturday! No complicated ingredients, no hassle, just delicious creamy crunchy oreo deliciousness. And now while you lovely readers rade your kitchen in search of oreos and dairy-free yogurt, I'm off to watch World War Z, Brad Pitt and zombies, what an amazing combination. 

Ingredients 

4 oreo cookies

½ cup rice milk

½ cup vanilla yogurt

1 t liquid sweetener (or more depending on your taste)

Directions

Blend together the yogurt, milk, liquid sweetener and 1 of the oreos until smooth and well combined. Chop the 3 remaining oreos into pieces and place the pieces into the popsicle molds, then pour the yogurt mix into the molds, over the oreo chunks. Place in the freezer for about 3 hours. And there you have it, delicious low fat oreo cookies and cream popsicles!

 

Raw Blueberry Brownies

Makes 10

Preparation time 5 minutes

'Behold' said the blueberries as they peered up to the top of the great chocolaty cliff in front of them 'tis the holy raw blueberry brownie cliff!' and all the little blueberries sighed and wished that one day they too would be lovingly mixed up and made up into a delicious raw brownie. 

So take 5 minutes to help these blueberries fulfill their destiny! In exchange you'll get to feast on rich yet healthy, tangy coconutty brownies. It's a win win situation.

Ingredients

1 cup oats

1 cup shredded coconut (replace with cashews if you prefer)

1 T melted coconut butter

2 cups dates

1/4 cup cacao powder

2-3 handfuls of blueberries

pinch of salt

Directions

Process all the ingredients together and flatten out into a small baking tray. Place in the fridge for about half an hour and serve with your choice of dairy free cream or yogurt and fruit. 

Raw Strawberry Chocolate Truffles

Makes 20

Preparation time 10 minutes (+ 2 hrs to freeze)

Truffles remind me of christmas and huddling away from the cold by a blazing fire, but let's face it, they are way too good to be reserved for the cold months alone. So today I made a summer version, that can be frozen and eaten cold, a heavenly bite of indulgence that will also cool you down on a hot summer day. Perfect accompanied by... you guessed it, champagne and fresh strawberries!

Ingredients

160 gr of sliced strawberries

6 T of cocao powder

8 T of melted coconut butter

2 T brown rice syrup (or another liquid sweetener)

a teeny tiny pinch of salt

2 T shredded coconut (optional)

2 T of cacao nibs (optional)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mash really well with a fork until the strawberries have blended down and become smooth. Scoop out into a cake pop mould or ice cube moulds and put in the freezer for a couple of hours at least. Thaw out for a good 20 minutes before eating. 

Vive l'été!

My-Oh-Mayonnaise Chocolate Cupcakes

Makes 20 cupcakes

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Approx 140 kcal per cupcake

'Mayonnaise cupcakes?!' I hear you protest. Yes, really, and what's more, they're actually really good! 

But let's get back to where this whole mayonnaise and baking nonsense started for me - that was this morning, and since then I have learned three lessons:

Lesson number 1 - Mayonnaise can be used to bake cakes, and apparently grandmothers already knew this for..well.. since grandmothers existed pretty much (in fact if you are one of these said grandmothers you are properly shaking your head at the screen and tut-tutting at my culinary ignorance right now.. )

Lesson number 2 - Mayonnaise, and in this case we're talking vegan mayonnaise, makes delicious buttery cupcakes! Why else would grandmothers use it?

And a completely irrelevant lesson number 3 - must avoid wearing a ponytail when doing yoga or Hatty the cat will pounce predator-style at me again during sun salutations.. to be fair though she makes up for it by cuddling up into a ball underneath me when I'm in child's pose :)

These cupcakes can't really be called healthy by any stretch of the imagination, but they are worth every ounce of fat and sugar that goes into them. Add a chocolate sauce filling and suddenly they've disappeared. Into people's tummies that is. I brought the whole batch to work today and they were gone in no time. 

People say there's nothing like getting out of our comfort zone, I'm guessing this goes for cooking as well, so go on, reach for the mayonnaise and try these out, you'll be pleasantly surprised. 

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat white flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

2 cups sugar (i used agave powdered sugar)

1 t vanilla essence

1 cup egg-free mayonnaise

300ml warm coffee

Optional filling

chocolate sauce or melted dairy-free chocolate

Directions

Preheat the oven to 370°F/180°C. Make sure the oven is ready to put the cupcakes straight in once you have combined the wet and dry mixtures. Prepare cupcake cases or lightly grease a cupcake baking tray.

Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. IN a separate smaller bowl put the mayonnaise and beat in the coffee and vanilla essence. Gradually pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and beat until completely combined. 

Scoop a large tablespoon for each cupcake into the cases or baking tray. Put in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool the the cupcakes on a rack for about 15 minutes. 

For the optional filling, cup out a cone shaped hole in the top centre of each cupcake, fill with chocolate sauce or melted chocolate and place the cones back on top of the cupcakes.

Morgan's Chocolate Fudge Muffins - low fat

Makes 10 fudge muffins

Preparation time 30 minutes

Approx 150 kcal/muffin

Morgan's Chocolate Fudge Muffins. Courtesy of little house of veggies

When I first became vegan back in 2010, I discovered Morgan's blog Little House of Veggies and I was instantly hooked. Her blog opened my eyes to how easy and delicious vegan cooking could be. Her amazing and oh-so-simple healthy chocolate fudge muffins were the first vegan dessert I ever made, and I remember inviting my friends over to celebrate my new found passion for vegan cooking over mouthfuls of this gooey melty chocolatey delight! Three years on and I had completely forgotten about this recipe, I accidentally stumbled upon Megan's blog this morning (sadly she seems to have stopped blogging for a while now) and decided to bring this old favorite recipe back to life in mykitchen. Mission accomplished - the whole flat smells like warm chocolate and I can't wait to sink my teeth into these. 

I have adapted Morgan's recipe slightly, and to make these more decadent I fill the fudge muffins with vanilla soy yogurt and chocolate sauce! 

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened applesauce (or use apples, peeled and blended)

1 tsp canola oil

5 T liquid sweetener

2 t vanilla extract

3/4 cups white whole wheat flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 cinnamon

1/2 cup of dairy free chocolate chips or cocoa nibs

2 T shredded coconut (optional)

2 T chopped nuts (optional)

Optional filling

Vanilla soy yogurt

Chocolate sauce

Directions

Preheat the oven to 370°F/180°C.

Mix all the wet ingredients in one bowl and all the dry ingredients in another. Combine well, spoon the mixture out into 9 muffin cases, or into a lightly muffin tray. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Don't cook for too long, these are fudge muffins after all!

For the optional filling - using a small sharp knife cut a cone shaped hole out of the top centre of each muffin, fill with a small spoonful of vanilla soy yogurt and squirt a generous amount of chocolate sauce on top, leaving space  so that you can now place the cone shaped muffin top back on top of each muffin. Serve warm.

Upside Down Plum Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Base - low/no fat

Serves 8

Preparation time: 50 minutes

Mmmmm plums! These beautiful purple fruits remind me of climbing trees with my brother in the fields behind our house when we were children. Our mum would send us out to pick them, unaware that most would end up splattered against the barn wall (or our faces) as casualties of great plum throwing competitions. The years have passed and I have since found an equally satisfying and fun thing to do with plums - baking them in a upside down cake. And if it's going to have a fancy top, why not give it a beautiful bottom too, by adding a base lawyer of strawberry cream cheese!

This cake is very low in fat but if you want it fat free either leave out the cream cheese bottom completely or replace it with strawberry coulis, it will still be delicious, I promise. 

And if you don't like the cake.. creep over to the wall of that grumpy old neighbors house, steady, aim.. and SPLATTER!

This recipe was adapted from a peach upside down cake by FatFreeVegan. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 cup + 2 T brown or demerara sugar (liquid sweetener also works)

pinch of salt

1 cup dairy free milk mixed

1 and 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups peeled and sliced plums

For the Strawberry cream cheese base

1 cup strawberries, frozen or fresh

1/4 cup liquid sweetener or unrefined sugar

3 T dairy free cream cheese*

* to make your own cream cheese blend 1 handful of cashew nuts with about 1/4 cup silken tofu and 1 T liquid sweetener and a pinch of salt.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C.

Melt the 1 T of margarine over low heat and spread all over the bottom of a 9inch round cake tin. Combine the plums with the 2 T of sugar and a squeeze 1/2 T of the lemon juice in a saucepan over low to medium heat and cook for about 4 minutes, until the fruit starts to soften. Place the plums on the bottom of the cake tin. 

Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, baking powder and sugar (unless you are using liquid sweetener) in a medium-sized bowl. Then combine the liquid ingredients in a separate bowl, including the remaining 1 T of lemon juice and the liquid sweetener if you are using this type of sweetener instead of sugar. Leave for about 4 minutes then combine the dry and the wet ingredients.

Pour and smooth the batter over the plums until they are completely covered. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

Meanwhile for the strawberry cream cheese bottom, heat the strawberries, lemon juice and sugar/liquid sweetener over medium heat until they are simmering and soft. Put in a blender together with the cream cheese and blend until smooth, taste to adjust in case you want to add more sugar/sweetener. A few minutes before the cake is done remove it from the oven and pour the strawberry cream cheese on top then place back in the oven for a few minutes.  

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin before loosening with a knife, placing over a plate and turning the cake carefully over onto the plate. 

Carrot & Maple Mini Cakes with Marmalade Icing - low fat

Makes about 12 mini cakes

Preparation & cooking time: 40 minutes

These one person mini carrot cakes are delightfully tangy and light. If you want to be super good then you can omit the icing and eat them with a spread of marmalade for a zero fat dessert. But seriously, this marmalade icing is way too zesty and delicious to resist so I say BRING ON THE ICING! I used  maple syrup as a sweetener for the mini cakes because I simply love the taste, and it will give you less of a sugar rush than normal processed sugar, but really you could use any liquid sweetener.

Ingredients

For the mini cake batter

1 cup of vanilla or plain soy yogurt (you can use oil if you don't want the low fat version)

3/4 cup maple syrup

2 Egg replacements

2 1/4 cups of flour 

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 medium sized carrots (about 300 grams)

1 cup non-dairy milk

1/2 cup of pecans, chopped

1 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

For the marmalade icing

3/4 cup icing sugar

50g vegan margarine

3 tsp marmalade

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Mix together the yogurt, maple syrup, 'eggs' and vanilla essence. Add the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the non-dairy milk and combine until smooth. Combine well and fold in the grated carrots and chopped pecans. 

Lightly grease cupcake cases or a muffin tin and pour in the mixture until they are 3/4 full. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place on rack and let cool completely before icing. 

For the icing - combine margarine, marmalade and icing sugar and beat with an electric wisk for at least 6 minutes, until light and creamy. Spread onto the mini cakes and decorate with grated carrot, marmalade, pecans or another decoration of your choice. 

To make these mini cakes extra decadent remove the center and fill them up with the marmalade icing. 

Healthy Banana & Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Makes 6 scoops

Preparation time: 5 minutes

The word healthy isn't usually followed by the words peanut butter, chocolate and ice cream, unless it is attached to the prefix 'un', but in this case, rest assured, while this recipe may not be diet food it certainly is a delicious, healthy and vegan alternative to store bought ice cream. It is also incredibly easy to make. 

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, chopped up and completely frozen

1/3 cup of dairy-free milk

1 T unsweetened peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla essence

40 grams of dark chocolate, roughly chopped*

* I find this sweet enough but you can add more chocolate and 2tsp of liquid sweetener if you prefer

Directions

Blend all the ingredients and serve immediately. You can play around with this recipe and use different flavors, such as shredded coconut, expresso, pistachios etc.