These crackers have become an ultimate go-to recipe lately..

SEED CRACKERS

(tweaked from Green Kitchen Stories)

65g sunflower seeds
60g sesame seeds
40g ground flaxseeds
75g flour (almond, oat, rye, chickpea, buckwheat.. I use a 50/50 blend of two of these)
0,75tsp salt
3tbsp olive oil
225ml water


Place a bowl on a scale and first measure sunflower and sesame seeds in, reserving a quarter of the mixture for sprinkling on top. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix. Add olive oil and water and stir until combined. Spread the mixture out immediately on a baking tray, as thinly as possible, (the dough will thicken quickly and then it'll be a lot harder to spread evenly) and sprinkle the remaining seeds (and a little more if you will) on top.

Bake in 150 decrees first for 20 min, cut in squares with a pizza slicer or a sharp knife and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Keep peeking in the oven after 15 minutes or so; the baking time can vary alot depending on your oven. The crackers should get just a little golden on the edges. Break gently into individual crackers and let cool on a wire rack.

Beware of addiction.

I wasn't planning on posting Christmas recipes, let alone creating them - maybe that's why it happened. These easy, yet oh so delightfully yummy, raw truffels will become my go-to recipe, I'm sure, for when I want something sweet fast. They do not call for a lot of ingredients and you will most likely have them in store (I always have dried fruits in my pantry in case of things like this..) Make a few batches for Christmas; and I'm sure your friends wouldn't mind little presents either!

RAW COCOA TRUFFELS

250g dried dates (soaked for a few hours)
250ml shredded coconut
50ml raw cacao powder
0,25tsp ground vanilla
0,25tsp salt
shredded coconut or raw cacao powder for coating


Soak the dates in water for a few hours until they are soft. Drain excess liquid and pure them with a hand blender. Add rest of the ingredients and mix with your hands to combine everything well. Form small balls and roll them in cacao powder or shredded coconut. Store in the fridge for up to a week or so.

Notes:
You can use regular dark cacao powder instead of raw cacao powder; I've stuck to raw since it's less processed and has got a lot more of its valuable nutrients left.

 

RAW FIG TRUFFELS

200g dried figs and/or apricots (soaked for a few hours)
150ml shredded coconut
50ml coarse almond flour
0,25tsp ground vanilla
0,25tsp salt
0,25-0,5tsp cinnamon
shredded coconut for coating


Cut off the hard stems from the figs. Soak the figs and/or apricots in water for a few hours until they are soft. Drain excess liquid and pure them with a hand blender. Add rest of the ingredients one by one and mix with your hands to combine everything well. Form small balls and roll them in shredded coconut. Store in the fridge for up to a week or so.


Notes:
I prefer organic on most products and apricot is definitely one of them. They’re not treated with any sulfur or artificial color and so are very different from the non-organic ones. You can go for either figs or apricots or a mix or really any dried fruits! For almond flour I pulsed almond flakes in the food processor because I had them at hand, but you can of course use ready almond flour, and preferably coarse. You can also use fine almond flour, your truffels will just become a little more dense. You can, all in all, play with this recipe a lot; substitute almond flour with more shredded coconut or oatmeal. Leave out cinnamon or use more! Taste after adding each ingredient to get just the truffels you'll love!

There was no other way to celebrate this new home than with a lavishing brunch (inspired a little by that of Sandro's) and the house full of people I love. The menu had salads (tomato mozzarella salad, sweet potato lentil salad, feta couscous salad, crunchy egg salad and green chickpea cucumber salad), broccoli tuna red onion quiche, salmon, potato & beet wedges, dips (hummus, tzatziki, pesto and beetroot avocado dip), malt bread & no-knead bread and fruits, raw blackcurrant cake, brownies and banana bread for dessert. Happy days.

My new home absolutely bathes in light. I'm in love. It already feels like the most special home I've had. A place of peace. A place of dreams coming true.

Yesterday I made possibly the best tasting cake I have ever made. Today I got the first flowers here. Happy days.

(The pictures lie: boy, there's still so much to unpack and organize..)

 

RAW BLACKCURRANT CAKE

200ml mulberries
200ml almond flour
good pinch of salt
1-3tbsp water, depending on how dry the mulberries are

175ml cashews, soaked overnight and rinsed
1 ripe banana
300ml blackcurrants
1-2tsp organic honey
vanilla powder
90 ml coconut oil, melted

blueberries for garnish


Grind mulberries in a food processor, add almond flour and salt and pulse a few times to mix. Add water while the food processor is running (you want a thick paste). Line the bottom of a springform tin (18-20cm) with baking paper and press the crust mixture firmly in the tin. Place the tin in the freezer to wait. Rinse food processor well. Blend cashews in the food processor until smooth and creamy. Add banana and mix. Add blackcurrants (it can be easier to add them in parts if they're frozen) and honey and vanilla and mix well. Last add melted coconut oil with the food processor running and mix until well combined and smooth. Taste and add more honey and/or vanilla if desired. Spread the topping evenly on the crust and freeze for an hour or two or until served. Remove from freezer 30 minutes prior to eating and top with blueberries.

Hello February! Here's another recipe I've been meaning to try for ages! These apple & oat scones get such a lovely subtle taste from apples and almond butter. They're best fresh from the oven but I'll be happily munching on the rest of them in the train on my way north tomorrow morning. But before that we'll celebrate Nora and Otto getting married today. Sweet!

These days are slow and calm. It's good.

CARROT DATE BREAKFAST MUFFINS

(makes 12-16 muffins)

480ml almond flour
1 heap tsp cinnamon
1tsp salt
2tsp baking powder
240ml soft dried dates, pitted
3 ripe bananas
3 organic eggs
60ml coconut oil, melted
1stp apple cider vinegar
360ml carrots, grated
150ml almonds, chopped (plus some for garnish)


Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dates, bananas, eggs, vinegar and oil in a food processor until fully combined and smooth.
Add the mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula. Fold in carrots and almonds. Spoon mixture into paper lined muffin tins and sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Bake in 175 celsius for 25 minutes (baking time might vary a little depending on the size of your muffins).

These muffins are perfect for breakfast or a snack as they have no sugar or white flour in them. (They're adapted a little from a paleo recipe.) They also freeze well. I've made these both with very fine almond flour and much coarser almond meal; fine flour makes the muffins quite dense whereas coarser meal makes them very moist and light. I reckon a blend of the two would be perfect! I've also sometimes replaced carrot with apple, works really well!

I am leaving to Berlin in the morning. How very lovely. I cannot wait to be with my friends and family. Eat good food, walk the endless streets of Berlin, reminish, sit in cozy, inspiring cafes and forget everything about work and schedules.

I got rhubarb from a workmate the other day so in the midst of packing I made the first rhubarb pie of the summer.

 

RHUBARB CRUMBLE PIE

100ml spelt flour
100ml almond flour
200ml corn flour (you can use 400ml of the flour you prefer)
150ml sugar
1tsp baking powder
1tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1tsp vanilla sugar
125g coconut oil (originally butter)

100ml sour milk
1 egg

2-4 rhubarb stalks

250g quark
50ml organic cane sugar
1tsp vanilla sugar
1 egg


Mix all the dry ingredients together and add melted coconut oil. Take two thirds of the dough and add sour milk and egg. Grease a tin (diameter about 24cm) with coconut oil and spread the dough in the tin. Cut rhubarb in 7mm slices and cover the dough with them. Mix quark, sugar, vanilla sugar and egg together and spread it over the rhubarbs. Take the remaining one third of the dough and sprinkle it on top. Bake in 175 celsius for about 35-40 minutes (for example spelt flour burns easily so the baking time will vary a little depending on the flours you use and how moist you want to leave the pie). I like this pie best chilled but can never wait that long.

I had Helena over for breakfast and thought it was about time to make banana bread again. I appreciate and cherish time with Helena all the more now for she's moving abroad in May. She's a gem and she makes me very happy.

BANANA BREAD

100g almond flour
90g wheat flour (300ml flour altogether)
40g (230ml) shredded coconut
50g (75ml) cane sugar
a pinch of salt
1tsp baking powder
1/4tsp baking soda
1tsp cinnamon

3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
100ml oil


Combine the dry and wet ingredients separately, beat the wet mixture a little and then mix all together. Bake in a greased bread tin in 180 celsius for 50-60 minutes. Serve toasted with Philadelphia (or as it is).

The original recipe has 230g wheat flour; I've tried different combinations and I have to say this was my favorite. You can make the bread gluten free by using a combination of almond and rice flour for example but I like using some wheat flour because it helps the bread stay together better and not crumble so easily. I've also reduced sugar to a third and replaced butter with oil (which makes the bread moistier and a little lighter). The bread stays good for about 3 days.

Have a happy Tuesday!