heartyspoonful

"Coffee is a language in itself."

- Jackie Chan 

My parents weren't big coffee drinkers, but growing up, I always thought it was so "adult" of them to have a cup of coffee in the morning with their breakfast. My dad preferred his coffee black, although in the afternoon, he'd have a cup with some cream and sugar. My mum was all about her cup in the morning with sugar and milk. That's it. I had to wait for the next morning to breathe in that wonderful coffee aroma. 

I had my first cup of coffee a couple of months after turning 18. Don't ask why I took that long to try coffee. I guess I never really thought I needed it. Until one morning, no amount of tea and lemon water was enough to wake up my senses. My sleeping problems got worse and after lunchtime, I found myself yearning for my warm bed. It was time to try some caffeine and see how my body would react. I'll be honest with you: Coffee barely has any effect on me. I can still dose off after my morning cup of coffee. I reach for extra cups during a long work day only because of how it makes me feel. I feel comforted, like a warm hug in a cup. 

I've never baked using coffee before. I've made desserts that pair very well with coffee, but this particular gift from the heavens has never been an ingredient. It was time to change that. What better way than to include my current favourite Dandies marshmallows as well. I was browsing the Dandies website for recipe inspiration and guess what was featured? Espresso brownies. Disclaimer: I did change up this recipe a little bit because it's a little too indulgent for my taste. I mean, 1 1/2 cups of sugar? You don't need that much sugar in whatever you're baking. Unless you're baking a 5-tiered cake of something. The recipe below includes my modifications, just FYI. 

 What diet?

Espresso Brownies with Dandies Marshmallows

Makes 9-12 squares

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (make sure all ingredients are at room temperature)
• 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Crumbs of graham crackers, as topping 
• 6 Dandies marshmallows, cut in half

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a muffin pan with coconut oil/vegan butter.

In a large bowl, make vegan "buttermilk" by whisking together apple cider vinegar and almond milk. Let stand for a few minutes until the mixture curdles. 

Add sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla to the buttermilk. 

Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine until well incorporated. 

Pour the batter into the muffin pan, about 3/4 full. Top with graham cracker crumbs. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes. Halfway through, top with marshmallows. 

When baked, let cool completely. Don't remove from tin until completely cool. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. 

Enjoy! xx 

August rolls in and all I can think about it all the autumnal activities I get to do. Apple picking. Layering. Oh, thicker scarves. Ankle boots. The smell of cinnamon and apples in the air.  Pumpkin pie. Jumping on a pile of orange, yellow and red leaves. Walking around with a hot cup of coffee in hand. Funnily enough, I love visiting museums in the fall. Those colder morning runs that end up being more refreshing. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Summer isn't over! Isn't life all about being grounded in the present? Enjoying what's right in front of you? And what's in front of me is basically big zucchinis that are a little tired from being made into zoodles. Because I need to bake (it's stitched in my DNA, I believe), I just have to make zucchini bread. I tried a new recipe and I think it's my favourite so far. 

 Seriously!

Vegan Oil-Free Zucchini Bread 

Adapted from Cearaskitchen*

Makes 8-10 slices

Ingredients:

I'll tell you the truth, it took a lot of wasted peaches before I began to like them. The fuzzy skin always threw me off. The taste itself was just all right. It was either too soft or a little too unripe. It's still not one of my favourite fruits. I don't find myself craving peaches. So you see, you can't expect everyone to crave you, no matter how juicy of a peach you are. 

Growing up, we're taught the importance of being well-liked by every single person we encounter. It doesn't matter if an individual is a nobody in our life. That stranger still has to like you. How crazy is that? I definitely found myself censoring my opinions, shutting myself up and smiling or agreeing with someone's unfounded philosophy. It's all about being a juicy peach, right? But then you grow up and realise not everyone is worth your time. Same goes for other people thinking that about you. It's just a fact of life. You can dislike certain people and certain people will dislike you. You don't need a reason. They don't need a reason. That's just how it is. The unexpainable. 

But if I really want to win your heart, I'll just bake. Ok, no, I joke. I just bake because I need the stress to leave my body. This peach galette was a result of that. Isn't that just peachy?

Peach & Fig Galette

Makes 8-12 slices

Ingredients:

Crust:

But really, I'd rather eat oats for breakfast. 

When it comes to problems, however, just swallow them up, digest them, then spit them out with a huge smile on your face. It doesn't have to be for breakfast. You can do that any time. I say this only because I'm trying to live in the moment. For a born worrier, it's a difficult feat. Staying grounded and pushing away dark clouds take up a lot of effort. I have to root myself to the ground to not get detached to what's happening in the moment. You should think about the future, to plan accordingly (for example, if you want to travel the world or you want to purchase your first home, save up now), but if it's a what-if question, your imagination running wild, tame that horse. 

Recently, I read the book So Sad Today by Melissa Broder and I couldn't help but feel her pain. I didn't go through the extremes she's gone through, suffering from different addictions, but when it comes to panic attacks, that's right up my alley. These aren't fun. Never. If you want to know how it feels to drown on land, it's all about the panic attack. You end up feeling like the world is about to crumble and you'll get pulled into a sink hole. You try to rationalise your feelings, but you can't. Even the trigger can be the minutiae of the most irrelevant thing. You can't fight it. You just have to ride it out. 

You see, running in the morning grounds me. Maybe it's just in my head, but I feel like my day will be more settled if I get that run in. Runs clear my mind. I find myself shifting my focus, thinking abut my problems and then actually either solving them in my head or pushing them aside so I can just get into that zen zone. You know what makes running in the morning so perfect? Right after your run, breakfast awaits!

I bought this Lululemon running bag with the hopes of running to and from home during the work week. (And yes, I've done it!) Since I love morning runs, I pack my food for the day in my little bag, some gum, my phone and I go, go, go! The distance from my home to the office is 8-10 km, depending on which route I take. But the biggest issue is of course is making sure my breakfast doesn't spill all over my bag. The solution? Mason jars with covers for my overnight oats. This past week though, I bought one too many containers of coconut yoghurt. It's not really a bad thing, but when you've got only 2 weeks before the expiration date, it's time to put on the creativity hat. Et voila, this pretty filling chia coconut yoghurt parfait that you can prepare the night before a morning run. 

Ready to run?

Overnight Chia Pudding with Coconut Yoghurt

Makes 1 serving

Ingredients:

I remember devouring cheesecake back in my unhealthy bingeing days. I'd get sick of course, not because I ate too much of it, but because my body decided it should reject all dairy products. I didn't care, stubborn ol' 17-year old me. I figured, if this is the life that was randomly picked for me, then damn it, I'll consume whatever I want. Back in those days, I was also suffering from a disturbing eating mindset. I'd eat the cheesecake and then run to burn off the calories (and then some). It didn't matter that I already exercised that same day. Heck, all the better I did a double whammy that same day. You see, that isn't much living if you ask me.

Of course, my intolerance to dairy worsened as I got older. If I even have a tiny bite of cheese or a sip of milk, I would feel this paralysing pain in my tummy. That was not fun and I also doubt you'd want to live your one life feeling that way. Obviously, I've tried various vegan substitutes for cheese, milk and other dairy products like butter and cream cheese. It's a hit or miss, I admit. There are vegan cheeses out there that left me feeling robbed. Did I just pay $15 for this block of nonsense?  Seriously. Same thing for dairy-free desserts. I remember trying what was supposed to be vegan banana bread that had left me wanting. It was just rubbery and I suppose it overcompensated for the weird texture with the sweetness level. Oh, the things I let my tongue go through for vegan products.

A few years ago when veganism was still "new" and vegan restaurants started popping within every few kilometres or so, I was excited to find vegan blueberry cheesecake in New York. I don't remember which restaurant it was, but what I can still recall is the weird taste that cake left in my mouth. It was overly sweet, the texture reminded me more of custard than of cheesecake. It disappointed my little heart (and taste buds). I shied away from baking cheesecake all this while because, let's be honest, who wants to be disappointed time and time again? I've hungrily looked at recipes posted by braver and creative vegan bloggers, but I was always disappointed when the cheesecake is "raw" and is mostly made up with nuts. I'm sorry, that's just not cheesecake in my book. It's a delicious dessert, but I can't possibly count that as cheesecake, a.k.a. the dessert from hell (I say that with much love).

One lazy Sunday evening, I was left alone in my kitchen, feeling excited and restless. I had my dinner and went straightaway to the grocery store, not knowing exactly what I should be buying. All I knew was I wanted to make cheesecake. I had a basket of blueberries at home, needing to be devoured. For the crust, it's simple. I'd just recopy the crust from my vegan banoffee pie. For the cheesecake itself, who knows? I needed to channel my inner creative goddess and drag her out from her hiding place. I tell you, I was pacing around the grocery store for 30 minutes,  each aisle checked for possible ingredients.

I tell you, sometimes restlessness results in some pretty delicious creations.


Vegan Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping
Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

Cheesecake Layer:

• 450 grams firm silken tofu (about 1 and 1/3 blocks of tofu for me)
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp arrow root powder dissolved in 2 tbsp nut milk of choice
• Pinch of grated lemon zest

Graham Crust Layer:

• 2 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil

Blueberry Layer:

• 2 cups of fresh/frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp chia seeds/arrow root powder
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare the pie plate by either greasing with oil or lining with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs, maple syrup and coconut oil. Add more coconut oil as needed. Pour the crust mixture into prepared tin, spread evenly and press down firmly.

Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

For the cheesecake layer, in a food processor, mix together all cheesecake ingredients until smooth. Don't overmix to avoid making the cheesecake too runny. Pour on top of the crust and spread evenly.

Bake for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch. Let cool and refrigerate. Chilling time may vary, but best to be longer (I only cut into mine overnight).

For the blueberry layer, mix all ingredients except for chia/arrowroot powder. Let come to a boil and then simmer. Add the chia seeds or arrowroot mixed with 1 tbsp of water and mix. Cool before pouring on top of cheesecake.

Enjoy! xx

Truth be told, I'm not a big pie lover. I enjoy a slice of vegan pumpkin pie or apple pie when the season calls for it. (Hello, autumn!) But really, making pie crust petrifies me. I have this weird fear that the crust would turn up all burnt even before I add in the fruits. But I'm slowly conquering my fears in the kitchen one pan at a time. 

Now, I'm still uncomfortable at the idea of baking a pie crust from scratch, but at least I'm willing to make pies in general. So what better pie is there to bake than banoffee pie? If you're not familiar of what this delicious pie is, just check wiki. It's just flavour bomb from the first layer to the last.

Making a vegan version isn't so easy. I needed biscuits for the crust, a substitute for the toffee layer. And how in the world was I going to find a substitute for the dulce de leche? A little research with the help of Google helped a little bit, but a lot of the recipes called for a raw version. I'm not a big fan of a nutty crust (sorry, not sorry). The dulce de leche was usually made of cashews. Again, I only really like cashews when I make frosting for carrot cake. For banoffee pie? I need something lighter. I stumbled upon coconut cream, which is really just whipped chilled coconut milk. Sign me up!

Vegan Banoffee Pie
Makes 8 slices

Crust:

• 13-15 gingerbread cookies/Maria cookies
• 5 tbsp melted coconut oil/vegan butter

Banoffee Layer:

• 1 1/2 cups medjool dates, soaked in hot water
• 2 tbsp peanut butter/almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla powder
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Pinch of salt

 

Coconut Cream Layer: 

• 1 can coconut milk, chilled overnight
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

• 2 bananas, sliced 

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two small pie tins or a classic pie dish (about 9 inch) with coconut oil.

Process the cookies in a food processor until roughly chopped. Add melted coconut oil and process until the crumbs are finer.

Press the mixture into the pan(s) until the layer is even. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

For the banoffee layer, process all ingredients together in the food processor until smooth. When the crust has cooled, add this layer evenly.

For the coconut cream, scoop out the coconut milk from the top of the can. Discard remaining water. Using a whisk or an electric mixer, mix the chilled coconut milk until it looks like cream. Add maple syrup for a hint of sweetness and whisk some more.

Add a layer of bananas on top of the banoffee layer. Top with coconut cream and add the remaining banana slices.

Chill in the fridge before serving.

Enjoy! xx