Berry Tart

Over the last few weeks, strawberries have burst into season in Germany.

The tiny fruit stand down the road has once again set-up-shop, ready to share the bounty of their berries.

As I approached the stand last week, the smell of strawberries was so pungent, I felt like I was walking through the fields.

In honor of the fresh spring strawberries and their very compatible  blueberry friends, I made a delicious vegan tart.

The crust was a simple combination of almond meal, maple syrup, coconut oil, salt and almond extract.

After heating the maple syrup, coconut oil, and salt together over medium-low heat, I added the almond extract then poured the warm mixture over the almond meal.

Simply fold the mixture until well incorporated then press into an oiled tart pan.

This crust is baked for 15 minutes before adding the filling.

Speaking of the filling…

The filling ingredients are apple juice (I used Weber,) cornstarch, maple syrup, lemon juice, almond extract, lemon zest, salt, blueberries and strawberries.

Half of the apple juice is whisked together with the cornstarch then set aside.

The mixture will look quite milky.

From here on out, I didn’t take any pictures, but the next step is to cook together the remaining apple juice and zest, maple syrup, lemon juice, almond extract and salt until it simmers.

After that, stir in half of the berries and cook until they release their juices before reducing the heat and adding the cornstarch mixer while continuing to whisk.

Once the mixture is thick, fold in the remaining berries and place the mixture in the prepared crust. Spread evenly, cover and refrigerate until set.

Delicious, fresh and spring-like!

Mixed Berry Tart

Adapted from Clean Start by Terry Walters

Crust

2 cups almond meal

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon coconut oil

pinch of sea salt

1 teaspoon almond extract

Filling

1 cup apple juice

2 and 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

zest of 1 lemon

pinch of sea salt

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh strawberries

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F and lightly oil a 9-inch tart pan with coconut oil.
2. To prepare the crust, combine maple syrup, coconut oil and salt in a small skillet and heat over medium-low hear, whisking continuously until the oil is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the almond extract.
3. Place the almond meal in a large bowl and pour the syrup mixture over top, folding to incorporate the ingredients.
4. Press the dough into the prepared tart pan and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove crust from the oven and press down any bubbly areas of the crust. Cool the crust on a wire rack.
5. To prepare the filling, whisk together 1/2 cup apple juice and the cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine the remaining 1/2 cup apple juice with the maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, almond extract and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer then add 1/2 a cup of both the strawberries and blueberries. Stir the mixture until the berries release their liquid.
6. Reduce the heat and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue to whisk until the liquid thickens up. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the remaining berries.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, cover and refrigerate until the filling is set, at least 1 hour.

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Fruit, Nut and Seed Granola

Several weeks ago I made Angela’s Favorite Granola.

I’ve been eating this left and right since then. It’s topped fruit and yogurt, been eaten by the handful and sprinkled over oatmeal.

For some strange reason, I never shared her recipe and my photos. Better late than never. Here’s a simple how-to to make Angela’s awesome granola.

This recipe has 4 stages: mix the dry ingredients, simmer together the wet ingredients, toss then bake.

Wet ingredients include: brown rice syrup, agave nectar, coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce, peanut butter and brown sugar

Dry ingredients include: rolled oats, raw almonds, raw walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ground flax, coconut flakes, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt, raw pumpkin seeds, golden raisins and dried cranberries.

Stir together the wet and dry ingredients.

 Spread the mixture out evenly onto a lined cookie tray and bake.

Pretty, isn’t it?

Store the granola in the refrigerator and eat to your heart’s content.

For the recipe, please visit Angela’s blog.

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Vegan Almond Herbed Pizza Cheese

I’m sure all my friends and family back in the Midwest are going “Huh?” and “yuck!” over that title.

Well get ready to change that “yuck” into a “yum!”

When we returned from our trip to Vienna, we were out of everything- even milk. Being out of milk is a dreadful thing when you love coffee as much as we do.

As a substitute, I made homemade almond milk following this recipe.

This is the creamiest, smoothest homemade milk I have ever made.

As a byproduct of the almond milk production, I was left with gorgeous, snow white almond grounds which strongly resembled ricotta cheese.

The lights flipped on.

Vegan cheese for pizza night!

 

Fresh out of the oven (and into poor lighting.)

This week, my fresh yeast pizza dough was topped with roasted eggplant, mushrooms and tomatoes. 

Not only did this cheese substitute make a delicious pizza topping, it was equally awesome raw on my lunch salad today.

Lamb’s lettuce, cherry tomatoes, roasted eggplant and mushrooms with vegan almond herbed cheese.

Vegan Almond Herbed Cheese

Adapted from this recipe

• about 1 1/4 cups almond grounds (leftover from making almond milk)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• juice from 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp.)
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4-1/2 cup water, added a little at a time

Method

1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender adding a little water at a time until the mixture resembles crumbled goat cheese.
2. Use the vegan cheese to top pizzas, salads, as a spread for sandwiches or as a dip.

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Healthier Napa Cabbage Salad

Napa cabbage salad is one of my mom’s best potluck dishes. Every time she brings this salad to a picnic, potluck, or party, the bowl comes home empty.

When I was home at Christmas, we went out to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday at a restaurant that specializes in simple dishes made with local ingredients.

While there, I ordered the Napa cabbage salad.

It was delicious.

Since then, I’ve been thinking about this salad but only just now got around to making it.

I tried to make the dish healthier than the original version by reducing or eliminating the oil, butter and sugar, and I think the outcome is superb, if I do say so myself.

 

Makes 6 very large servings

For the greens

• 1 large head Napa cabbage
• 8-10 green onions, chopped

For the crunchies

• 3 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 package ramen noodles, broken
• 3 tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 cup slivered almonds

For the dressing

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 4 Tbsp. honey or agave syrup
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Finely shred the head of cabbage. Toss the green onions and cabbage in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. To make the crunchies, toss together the sesame seeds, ramen noodles, almonds and sesame oil until evenly coated. Spread the mixture onto a lined baking sheet and make at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until the crunchies become golden in color. Stir every now and then to ensure even toasting.
3. To make the dressing: In a small saucepan, heat vinegar, oil, honey, sugar, and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil, let boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. Pour the cooled dressing into a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Before using, shake the dressing well.
4. To serve, combine dressing, crunchies, and cabbage, tossing to evenly distribute the ingredients. Serve immediately.
5. If you are planning on eating this over a couple of days, just toss together a little bit of the crunchies, greens and dressing right before you want to eat.

Enjoy.

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Easy Danish Pastry

I beg you… please make this recipe this weekend.

Putting this recipe together takes no more time than making a sandwich.

The combination of simplicity yet decadence is probably sinful.

A few weeks ago, I bought a roll of puff pastry with the intent of making this recipe.

I love the name of puff pastry in German. It is called Blätterteig, which when translated means leaf pastry. The layers are certainly dainty and light like a leaf. oh, and I also love that a roll of Blätterteig only costs 89 cents.

Today, I opened the fridge, saw the roll of puff pastry, an assortment of fruit that needed to be used and cream cheese.

And the light turned on!

 

Easy Danish Pastries

Ingredients

• 1 roll puff pastry
• 1 block cream cheese
• 1 heaping tablespoon powdered sugar
• splash of vanilla extract
• 1 egg white, whisked
• toppings such as strawberries, blueberries, slivered almonds, poppy seeds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C.) Unroll the puff pastry and cut into 6 even pieces.
2. Space the pastry out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the edges of the pastry with the egg white.
3. Put the cream cheese, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a bowl and cream together using a rubber scraper.
4. Put about 1.5 Tbsp of cream cheese mixture onto each pastry square and spread out, leaving a half-inch border around the edge. Top with chosen fruit, nuts or seeds.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges are puffed and golden brown.

Before and After

These would be great for brunch, afternoon tea, baby or wedding showers, an easy gift, or just because.

Really, so simple yet such a delicious and impressive outcome.

Poppy seeds

And for a little American patriotism…

Red, white and blue. 

Now go forth and bake! You won’t regret it!

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Homemade Almond Milk

While in the US at Easter, I tried almond milk for the first time.

Instantly, I fell in love.

Unfortunately, the ready-made stuff isn’t available in Germany yet.

Luckily, making almond milk at home is incredibly simple.

How to Make Homemade Almond Milk

Ingredients

1 cup almonds, unroasted

3-8 soaked dates, depending on how sweet you want your milk

splash of vanilla, optional

4 cups cold water

Method

1. Soak the almonds and dates in water for 1 hour then drain, reserving the date water.
2. In a heavy-duty blender, add the soaked almonds, dates, vanilla and water. I like to save the date water then add to it to reach 4 cups.
3. Process for about 1 minute.
4. Strain the liquid over a large bowl in a nut milk bag or  a fine mesh strainer lined with a paper towel.
5. Periodically, stir the almond mixture to release all liquid.
6. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Once the ingredients have soaked, this method really takes no more than 15 minutes, most of that being time to strain the mixture.

Use your almond milk in oatmeal, smoothies, recipes or just to drink!

The benefits of almond milk include:

being high in magnesium, potassium, Vitamin E and calcium. Almond milk has fewer calories compared to dairy milk. Almond milk is raw, vegan, and a wonderful alternative to people with lactose intolerance or a soy allergy.

Once you have strained your almond milk, save the almond pulp to be used in recipes or simply enjoyed as a sweet snack.

Almond pulp with honey and cinnamon

Give this simple recipe a try and save yourself some money while adding important nutrients to your life!

If you are looking for a detailed step-by-step guide, visit this website.

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