bodhilicious deserts!
I've always had a sweet tooth and before I gave up dairy, you couldn't keep me away from fresh cream eclairs, victoria sponges and chocolate cakes! So if I could take the step towards gluten free, vegan, sugar free deserts then anyone can! This will be the page I hope you'll see the most action on as I continue to innovate and come up with new ways of veganising some of my old favourites and creating new ways to hit that easy treat spot!
chocolate zucchini muffins
Thankfully, vegan desserts have come a long way in recent years. Gone are the days where the best you could expect was a fruit salad!
But I do find a lot of vegan desserts tend to be centred around raw vegan cakes, which ordinarily have a nut and date base and creamy topping. I do love these, and am discovering new ways to innovate and make them even yummier and more creative all the time, but some days I just want a good old fashioned cake! I am British after all and yearn after a gooey chocolate cake and Victoria sponge.
Which has led to me spending time in the kitchen, experimenting and creating plant based, gluten free, refined sugar free versions of some of my old favourites.
The results can be changeable, but when you get it right, it is so worth the effort!
Anyway, I'm going to save you hours of experimenting and note some of the winners here, starting with these delicious chocolate, zucchini muffins. I even caught my fussy dog stealing the spoons off the side to lick clean! So if they pass his taste test then they must be good!
Read on and feel free to let me know how you get on with the recipe!
MAKES 12 MUFFINS.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of buckwheat flour,
1 cup of plain cocoa powder,
3 heaped tbsp of ground flax seed,
1 tsp of bicarb of soda,
1/2 tsp of baking powder,
1 grated zucchini,
1 tsp of salt,
1 cup of organic coconut sugar,
1 tsp of vanilla flavouring (I use natural, organic, vanilla powder, but you can you essence),
1/2 cup of coconut oil,
1 cup of coconut milk,
50 g of vegan chocolate (I used green and blacks dark chocolate. But you should find most 70% cocoa chocolates are vegan)
paper muffin cups.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Fill a cup half full with water and add in the flax seed. Stir and set aside to thicken.
Place the chocolate bar in a bag and bash with a rolling pin to create small little chunks.
Put all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix with a mixer.
Turn out the mixture into the paper muffin cups in a muffin or cupcake baking tray and bake for 35 minutes.
To serve you can eat plain or with a yummy Vegan ice-cream (I like over the moo), slice the muffin through the middle and put a nice dollop of ice-cream in and serve with chocolate sauce drizzled over for an extra decadent treat!
See below for the chocolate sauce recipe.
INGREDIENTS
quarter of a cup of coconut milk,
50 g of at least 70% dark chocolate (make sure it's dairy free),
quarter of a cup of raw, unsweetened cocoa powder,
1tbsp of coconut sugar,
2 tbsp coconut oil,
sea salt
METHOD
To make the sauce place the milk in to a saucepan and put on a medium heat. Add the chocolate and continuously stir until the chocolate melts in to the milk. Add in the sifted cocoa powder a little at a time stirring continuously. If the sauce seems too thick add more milk, if it seems to liquidly add more cocoa powder. You want it to be a thick pouring sauce. Once the desired consistency is achieved add the agave syrup, touch of sea salt and coconut oil and stir in.
But I do find a lot of vegan desserts tend to be centred around raw vegan cakes, which ordinarily have a nut and date base and creamy topping. I do love these, and am discovering new ways to innovate and make them even yummier and more creative all the time, but some days I just want a good old fashioned cake! I am British after all and yearn after a gooey chocolate cake and Victoria sponge.
Which has led to me spending time in the kitchen, experimenting and creating plant based, gluten free, refined sugar free versions of some of my old favourites.
The results can be changeable, but when you get it right, it is so worth the effort!
Anyway, I'm going to save you hours of experimenting and note some of the winners here, starting with these delicious chocolate, zucchini muffins. I even caught my fussy dog stealing the spoons off the side to lick clean! So if they pass his taste test then they must be good!
Read on and feel free to let me know how you get on with the recipe!
MAKES 12 MUFFINS.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of buckwheat flour,
1 cup of plain cocoa powder,
3 heaped tbsp of ground flax seed,
1 tsp of bicarb of soda,
1/2 tsp of baking powder,
1 grated zucchini,
1 tsp of salt,
1 cup of organic coconut sugar,
1 tsp of vanilla flavouring (I use natural, organic, vanilla powder, but you can you essence),
1/2 cup of coconut oil,
1 cup of coconut milk,
50 g of vegan chocolate (I used green and blacks dark chocolate. But you should find most 70% cocoa chocolates are vegan)
paper muffin cups.
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Fill a cup half full with water and add in the flax seed. Stir and set aside to thicken.
Place the chocolate bar in a bag and bash with a rolling pin to create small little chunks.
Put all of the ingredients together in a bowl and mix with a mixer.
Turn out the mixture into the paper muffin cups in a muffin or cupcake baking tray and bake for 35 minutes.
To serve you can eat plain or with a yummy Vegan ice-cream (I like over the moo), slice the muffin through the middle and put a nice dollop of ice-cream in and serve with chocolate sauce drizzled over for an extra decadent treat!
See below for the chocolate sauce recipe.
INGREDIENTS
quarter of a cup of coconut milk,
50 g of at least 70% dark chocolate (make sure it's dairy free),
quarter of a cup of raw, unsweetened cocoa powder,
1tbsp of coconut sugar,
2 tbsp coconut oil,
sea salt
METHOD
To make the sauce place the milk in to a saucepan and put on a medium heat. Add the chocolate and continuously stir until the chocolate melts in to the milk. Add in the sifted cocoa powder a little at a time stirring continuously. If the sauce seems too thick add more milk, if it seems to liquidly add more cocoa powder. You want it to be a thick pouring sauce. Once the desired consistency is achieved add the agave syrup, touch of sea salt and coconut oil and stir in.
bannoffee pie
Whilst I can't take credit for this incredible recipe (it was made by my sister over at Mamas Choices) I can stake credit for making the yummy delights numerous times recently.
They're so simple and so delicious!
Creamy sweet deliciousness in a jar! This indulgent dish is loved by both adults and children in our family...
1st Layer -Nut base
Blitz half a cup of cashew nuts and half a cup of almonds in the vitamix/food processor until fine and powdery. Transfer to a bowl and thoroughly combine with 1 tablespoon of agave syrup and 1/4 cup of virgin coconut oil.
2nd Layer -‘Toffee’
Thoroughly blend the following ingredients in a vitamix/food processor: 1 cup de-pitted dates, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 cup of raw cashews (preferably soaked for 4 hours previously), 1 tbsp tahini paste, 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil.
3rd Layer -Sliced Bananas
Slice half a banana into each bowl/jar.
4th Layer: -Cream
Place 3 cans of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Remove the solid part and whip with 1 tbsp of agave syrup (or less, depending on desired sweetness).
Top with sifted cocoa powder and enjoy!
Makes enough for 4.
They're so simple and so delicious!
Creamy sweet deliciousness in a jar! This indulgent dish is loved by both adults and children in our family...
1st Layer -Nut base
Blitz half a cup of cashew nuts and half a cup of almonds in the vitamix/food processor until fine and powdery. Transfer to a bowl and thoroughly combine with 1 tablespoon of agave syrup and 1/4 cup of virgin coconut oil.
2nd Layer -‘Toffee’
Thoroughly blend the following ingredients in a vitamix/food processor: 1 cup de-pitted dates, 1/4 cup warm water, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/8 cup of raw cashews (preferably soaked for 4 hours previously), 1 tbsp tahini paste, 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil.
3rd Layer -Sliced Bananas
Slice half a banana into each bowl/jar.
4th Layer: -Cream
Place 3 cans of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Remove the solid part and whip with 1 tbsp of agave syrup (or less, depending on desired sweetness).
Top with sifted cocoa powder and enjoy!
Makes enough for 4.
Chocolate brownies
It is no secret that I have a seriously sweet tooth.
Back in the UK about 10 kilos ago, when I could eat whatever I liked without gaining weight (the glory days). I would buy a selection box of cream cakes from Marks & Spencers and demolish the whole lot in one sitting without a second thought.
Fast forward some years, my metabolism has slowed down, I have turned fully vegan as opposed to vegetarian and have come to realise the perils of a diet high in sugar.
I used to think sugar was a thing to avoid purely because it rotted your teeth, and as my Mum pointed out I didn't want to end up with teeth like a pirate. But as my teeth seemed to be fairing well I didn't give it much more thought.
Now I know better and I shudder when I scan the ingredient lists in supermarkets and find sugar in, well, pretty much everything. From 'healthy' breakfast cereals and 'diet, low calorie' foods, sugar has insidiously creeped in to almost every food source.
As I learnt some years ago, sugar used to be a status symbol. A representation of wealth from those who could afford this exotic produce.
Fast forward a couple of centuries and it's hard to believe we used to live without what has now become to be known as 'white death'.
Not only does sugar rot your teeth and make you fat, it also has far more serious consequences. It is a leading contributor to the incredible rise in diabetes, it causes liver disease and high cholesterol and perhaps most seriously it literally feeds cancer cells.
It's simply not natural to consume so much sugar and it overwhelms our systems and defences.
So what is a sweet toothed girl like me to do?
Get creative that's what!
As people are catching on to the dire health consequences associated to sugar there is a rise in sugar free baking.
I'll be honest, these brownies were a case of trial and error. At first my results were simply not satisfying enough until I created a hybrid of a few different recipes which hit the nail right on the spot.
At a little tea party I hosted the other day almost everyone contested the ingredients. 'They can't be sugar free'. 'They can't be healthy'. 'Why?' 'Because they are far too delicious!'
I have to agree, they do taste far too delicious to be almost everything free and they are seriously moreish.
They have even fooled my kids, who think they are getting a delicious treat every time they eat them.
Have a go yourself and let me know what you think below!
INGREDIENTS
Brownies
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of cashew nuts
1 cup of pistachio nuts
3 cups of dates (I used medjool dates)
1 cup of raw, unsweetened cocoa powder
a dash of sea salt
Topping
quarter of a cup of rice milk
50 g of at least 70% dark chocolate (make sure it's dairy free)
quarter of a cup of raw, unsweetened cocoa powder
1tbsp of agave syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
sea salt
METHOD
Place all of the nuts, apart from a few walnuts in to the blender and pulse until a powder is formed.
Remove and place in to a bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and salt and mix well.
In the meantime place the dates in to the blender and pulse until they are broken down in to little pieces (nb ensure you remove the seed).
Remove the dates and set aside and then place the nut and cocoa powder mixture back in to the blender. Add the dates a little bit at a time whilst pulsing until a nice dough is formed. Remove and set aside and break the remaining walnuts in to small pieces and add in to the mixture.
Line a baking dish with baking paper and grease with a little bit of coconut oil.
Scoop the dough in to the baking dish and flatten in to the shape of the dish.
To make the sauce place the milk in to a saucepan and put on a medium heat. Add the chocolate and continuously stir until the chocolate melts in to the milk. Add in the sifted cocoa powder a little at a time stirring continuously. If the sauce seems too thick add more milk, if it seems to liquidly add more cocoa powder. You want it to be a thick pouring sauce. Once the desired consistency is achieved add the agave syrup, touch of sea salt and coconut oil and stir in.
Remove and pour the topping sauce over the brownie mixture.
Place in the freezer. After one hour remove from the freezer and cut in to squares.
You can eat immediately or store in the fridge.
Warning, these are seriously good!!!
Back in the UK about 10 kilos ago, when I could eat whatever I liked without gaining weight (the glory days). I would buy a selection box of cream cakes from Marks & Spencers and demolish the whole lot in one sitting without a second thought.
Fast forward some years, my metabolism has slowed down, I have turned fully vegan as opposed to vegetarian and have come to realise the perils of a diet high in sugar.
I used to think sugar was a thing to avoid purely because it rotted your teeth, and as my Mum pointed out I didn't want to end up with teeth like a pirate. But as my teeth seemed to be fairing well I didn't give it much more thought.
Now I know better and I shudder when I scan the ingredient lists in supermarkets and find sugar in, well, pretty much everything. From 'healthy' breakfast cereals and 'diet, low calorie' foods, sugar has insidiously creeped in to almost every food source.
As I learnt some years ago, sugar used to be a status symbol. A representation of wealth from those who could afford this exotic produce.
Fast forward a couple of centuries and it's hard to believe we used to live without what has now become to be known as 'white death'.
Not only does sugar rot your teeth and make you fat, it also has far more serious consequences. It is a leading contributor to the incredible rise in diabetes, it causes liver disease and high cholesterol and perhaps most seriously it literally feeds cancer cells.
It's simply not natural to consume so much sugar and it overwhelms our systems and defences.
So what is a sweet toothed girl like me to do?
Get creative that's what!
As people are catching on to the dire health consequences associated to sugar there is a rise in sugar free baking.
I'll be honest, these brownies were a case of trial and error. At first my results were simply not satisfying enough until I created a hybrid of a few different recipes which hit the nail right on the spot.
At a little tea party I hosted the other day almost everyone contested the ingredients. 'They can't be sugar free'. 'They can't be healthy'. 'Why?' 'Because they are far too delicious!'
I have to agree, they do taste far too delicious to be almost everything free and they are seriously moreish.
They have even fooled my kids, who think they are getting a delicious treat every time they eat them.
Have a go yourself and let me know what you think below!
INGREDIENTS
Brownies
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of cashew nuts
1 cup of pistachio nuts
3 cups of dates (I used medjool dates)
1 cup of raw, unsweetened cocoa powder
a dash of sea salt
Topping
quarter of a cup of rice milk
50 g of at least 70% dark chocolate (make sure it's dairy free)
quarter of a cup of raw, unsweetened cocoa powder
1tbsp of agave syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
sea salt
METHOD
Place all of the nuts, apart from a few walnuts in to the blender and pulse until a powder is formed.
Remove and place in to a bowl and sift in the cocoa powder and salt and mix well.
In the meantime place the dates in to the blender and pulse until they are broken down in to little pieces (nb ensure you remove the seed).
Remove the dates and set aside and then place the nut and cocoa powder mixture back in to the blender. Add the dates a little bit at a time whilst pulsing until a nice dough is formed. Remove and set aside and break the remaining walnuts in to small pieces and add in to the mixture.
Line a baking dish with baking paper and grease with a little bit of coconut oil.
Scoop the dough in to the baking dish and flatten in to the shape of the dish.
To make the sauce place the milk in to a saucepan and put on a medium heat. Add the chocolate and continuously stir until the chocolate melts in to the milk. Add in the sifted cocoa powder a little at a time stirring continuously. If the sauce seems too thick add more milk, if it seems to liquidly add more cocoa powder. You want it to be a thick pouring sauce. Once the desired consistency is achieved add the agave syrup, touch of sea salt and coconut oil and stir in.
Remove and pour the topping sauce over the brownie mixture.
Place in the freezer. After one hour remove from the freezer and cut in to squares.
You can eat immediately or store in the fridge.
Warning, these are seriously good!!!