Author: PatagoniaLlami

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease a muffin tin with a little organic shortening.
2. In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and shortening. Process the ingredients until the dough resembles a meal.
3. Add the liquid ingredients and pulse a few times. The dough should look like a thick batter.
4. Using a cookie scoop, place one scoop of batter in each muffin tin. Add a few of the sliced plums to the tins and press them down onto the dough.
5. Cover the plums with another dollop of dough and smush it down so that it somewhat covers the fruit.
6. Cover each scone with a sprinkle of cane sugar and pop them into the oven for 12-15 minutes.

We’ve been experiencing quite a cold winter up here in the Great White North. This indulgent but highly nutritious recipe is my favorite way to warm up.

(Maca Root a.k.a ‘Peruvian Ginseng’ is a nutrient dense root that lowers anxiety and provides a lot of minerals and vitamins the body craves during the winter months. Maca is also a great vegetarian/vegan source for vitamin B-12. Added bonus, maca boost sexual organs and balances hormones.) —Dee

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients except cacao nibs together in a blender or whisk until well combined.
2. Heat in a pot at medium temperature.
3. Once warmed, pour into your favourite mugs, add cacao nibs, sip and enjoy.

Directions

1. Skim thicker coconut cream off top of can of coconut milk; reserve thinner milk for later use. Place skimmed cream, can of coconut cream and curry paste in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until combined.
2. Add in reserved thinner coconut milk, corn syrup, sugar and basil; bring to simmer over medium heat. Lower heat, add fish sauce, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
3. Using either a blender or immersion blender, blend thoroughly. Add in lime zest and refrigerate mixture for at least 3 hours or overnight.
4. Once thoroughly chilled, process ice cream per the manufacturer’s directions. Move to an airtight container and freeze for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before serving.
5. Note: to make a vegan ice cream, omit the fish sauce and substitute a dash of salt, and make sure the curry paste you use doesn’t include shrimp paste or fish sauce. I used Maesri brand, available from my local asian market, which seems to omit any fish and shellfish.

This is a super fast and easy dessert to make. It’s practically foolproof and a great choice to serve guests. All you need are a few simple ingredients, one mixing bowl and one pie pan.

Note: I updated the recipe in 4/2020 to reduce the sugar In half and use 1 instead of 2 eggs. I make this recipe 2-3 times a month and we tend to like it more chocolaty and less sugary.

In case you are worried about the saturated fat in the coconut oil, think again. It turns out that all saturated fat are not created equal. My daughter gives a thorough explanation in this blog entry: http://hannasvegankitchen.blogspot.com/2011/02/coconut-dairy-of-vegan-baking.html

This recipe can be gluten-free if you use garbanzo flour instead of wheat flour. I have tried coconut flour and almond flour also, which work fine. Lately, I’ve been using the almond pulp left over from making almond milk. This was a suggestion from a professional caterer, and it sure beats putting it in the compost. Plus, I can now call this a flourless cake.

I would like to eliminate the eggs and veganize this recipe, but haven’t accomplished that yet. I always use eggs from friends’ chickens, or the free range vegetarian farmer’s market eggs.

This dessert is always a big hit. Everyone asks for the recipe, so here it is. Enjoy!

Note: I often triple this popular dessert for a bigger crowd and bake in a 9×13 dish and cook for about 30 minutes. This way It makes about 70 squares. It freezes well also. As I said, foolproof! —Pegan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Use a bit of coconut oil to lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Place chocolate squares and coconut oil in large Pyrex or other microwave-safe glass bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute. Stir until chocolate dissolves completely, and If needed, heat for 30 seconds more.
3. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt. Stir until well blended.
4. Stir in flour or almond pulp, then stir in shredded coconut if using.
5. Pour into prepared pie pan. Top with nuts, if using. Bake 24 minutes or until center is set.
6. Let cool and cut. We find that it is much lighter when it is warm, and super fudgy when cold. We love it both ways, but tend to prefer it cold and fudgy. In the summer, we often will store it in the fridge to keep the fudgy consistency. It also freezes well.
7. Alternatively, for a more convenient finger food, spoon into baking cups in mini-muffin tin. Cook at 350 F for 12 minutes, or until the center is set. Makes 24 mini-muffin sized cakes.
8. For cupcake size, spoon into 12 cupcake baking cups and cook at 350 F for about 18 minutes or until the center is set.

Directions

1. In a large pan, add olive oil, onion, red pepper, carrot and garlic and sauté approximately 3 minutes over medium heat.
2. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, water, lentils and all seasonings.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, approximately 45 minutes.
4. Uncover and cook longer if more liquid needs to be absorbed, stirring several times during cooking.