I could write a song about this cake, it's so good. (I know the list of ingredients is long and they are costly, but I guarantee that once you have them in your pantry and you can make this cake again and again, you won't be sorry at all.)

BLISSFUL RAW CHOCOLATE CAKE

(adapted slightly from a recipe by Matleena Lahti)


base:
250ml nuts (I've been using almonds and walnuts)
about 20 fresh dates
100ml dried mulberries
1-2tbsp coconut oil
75ml raw cacao powder
0,25tl salt
100ml almonds and/or pecans, roughly chopped
a handful cocoa nibs

filling:
350ml cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours or overnight
200ml coconut cream
150ml coconut sugar
150ml cocoa butter
100ml cocoa mass
50ml raw cacao powder
a good pinch salt

cocoa nibs, almond flakes, bee pollen, fresh berries etc. for garnish


For the base ground the 250ml of nuts in a food processor. Add dates, mulberries, coconut oil, cacao powder, salt and blend well. Taste and add more salt if needed. Roughly cut the almonds/pecans and add them and cocoa nibs to the base mixture and blend by hand or with a spatula. Line a spring form tin (about 23cm) with baking paper and press the mixture evenly in the tin and place in the fridge to cool while you make the filling.

Melt the cocoa butter and cocoa mass in a bowl over boiling water. Drain the soaked cashews. Mix everything for the filling (cashews, coconut cream, coconut sugar, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, cacao powder and salt) in a food processor until completely smooth (the cashews can take a while, depending on your machine, but give it time). Taste and add a little salt or coconut sugar if needed. Pour the filling over the base, and refridgerate till the cake is firm (this will propably take some hours, or you could also go for about an hour in the freezer; I refridgerate mine overnight - that also balances the flavours.) Garnish the cake with cocoa nibs, almond flakes, bee pollen, fresh berries, you name it!

I really love spinach crepes and, without really intending to, keep perfecting my recipe for them. For a long time I've also wanted to come up with a savory filling. Here's number one!

And ahoy, I'm flying to Berlin in a few hours! Happy days!

SPINACH CREPES WITH SWEET POTATO FILLING

(serves 3-4)

300g frozen spinach, melted
200ml milk (I use oat/rice/almond)
3 eggs
200ml light spelt flour
1,5tsp salt
a good glob of oil
butter for frying


1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes
olive oil
salt
pepper
a good handful almond flakes
a handful coriander, roughly chopped
a handful basil, roughly chopped
50-100g goat cheese feta or spreadable goat cheese


Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Drizzle olive oil and salt and pepper on top and fry them in 200 decrees for 45-60min till they are soft. Fry the almond flakes on a dry pan, carefully mixing all the time so they won't burn, till they get a little color and smell toasted. When the sweet potatoes are ready, scoop the insides on to a plate, discarding the peels. Mash with a fork and fold the almond flakes and the herbs in and add salt, if needed.

Mix everything for the crepes together. Fry thin, large pancakes in lots of butter (butter makes the edges nice and crisp), tilting the pan to spread the batter. Fill each crepe with the sweet potato mix, either spreading goat cheese on the crepe first or sprinkling feta on top, and roll.

I love this season I'm in. I've got so much time in my hands: time to listen, time to rest, time to heal, time to dream, time to be with friends and family, time to eat breakfast slowly, time to try out new recipes, time to make music all day if I want to. I really try to savor every day; I know that in time I'll have my hands full again!

In the summer I tend to not add any dried fruits in my granola because I love having it with fresh berries or fruit (strawberries and nectarine are my favorites). I tweaked my basic granola recipe (coming here as well) a little yesterday:

CRUNCHY CHIA GRANOLA

800ml rolled oats
300ml buckwheat
200ml coconut flakes
200ml almonds
75ml cocoa nibs
50ml sesame seeds
50ml chia seeds
0,25tsp salt
150ml sunflower oil
2 heap tbsp honey


In a big bowl mix all the dry ingredients. Heat up the sunflower oil in a kettle, add honey and mix until they merge. Pour the mixture in to the dry ingredients and mix well. Line an oven tray with baking paper and bake the granola in 150 celsius for about 20 minutes; after baking for 10 minutes mix a few times to bake evenly. Let cool completely before storing.

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 finally got around to trying this bread that is basicly just nuts and seeds. (Here's a slightly different version of the same thing.) I was quite pleased with the bread! It is especially good toasted and it holds together better if you store it in the fridge. (The lace patterned plate in the picture, my absolutely most beautiful plate, is from Valkoinen Puu. I am so incredibly inspired by the lovely couple who makes these!)

In this season I love the rustling of leaves, lots of hot chocolate (recipe coming soon) and listening to autumn music. The nights are dark but snuggling on the couch is good.

These days are slow and easy. I love how here and now matters all the more (however ordinary it might be) when you don't know what the future holds.

I have been making granola for a long time (inspired by my friend Maija last summer) but I never used a recipe. I just mix oats, chopped almonds and cashews and then warm up some oil with organic syrup or honey and then pour that on the oats and nuts and stir until everything is well coated (and warm up some more oil and sweetener, if not). I roast the granola in 175 celsius for 10 to 15 minutes or so, turning it a few times with a spoon to roast evenly. When the granola has cooled down I throw in cacao nibs, coconut flakes and dried cranberries (this was my favorite granola for a long time). Sometimes I use olive oil, sometimes canola and sometimes coconut oil. I've found that olive oil and honey are a good pair and canola oil and syrup; with coconut oil I've used no sweetener. Lately I have experimented a little with seeds, and one of my favourite finds for granola has been dried strawberries!

Green Kitchen Stories posted this granola recipe a while ago and the banana in it sounded so enticing that I had to have a go. I've made jars and jars of this during the last two weeks (we are many here at our parents)!

BANANA GRANOLA

(from Green Kitchen Stories)

700ml oats
120ml roughly chopped almonds
120ml pumpkin seeds
0,5tsp salt

3tbsp coconut oil
3tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
2 very ripe bananas


Combine oats, almonds, seeds and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl mash the bananas with a fork until smooth and add coconut oil and honey and mix. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry with your hands. Spread the granola in an even layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in 200 celsius for 15 to 20 minutes, check at around 10 minutes and turn the granola over and break chunks that are too big.

I had my little sister over for lunch and I decided to try a raw brownie recipe I ran across the other day. I was a little in a hurry making them in the morning so they didn't end up as pretty as I wanted to. They tasted amazing though. In the evening I rolled the remains into pretty truffels! (Next time I'll propably substitute almonds with cashews. Cashews are just so good.)

ALMOND DATE TRUFFELS

(makes about 30)
(adapted from My New Roots)

250ml raw walnuts
300ml good quality, soft organic dates, pitted
125ml raw cacao powder
125ml raw almonds
1/4tsp sea salt


Put walnuts in a food processor and blend on high until they are finely ground. Add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running. (What you should end up with is a mix that appears rather like cake crumbs, but that when pressed, will easily stick together, My New Roots says. And that if the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates. Well, I added dates till it went from crumbly to a big soft ball but I didn't mind.) Remove the batter to a bowl and mix roughly chopped almonds by hand. Press into a lined cake pan or mold. Place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve.

PS. I recently got myself a food processor inspired by Jamie's 30 minute meals (gosh, I haven't been watching them in ages!). This was the first thing I made with it. A very happy start! Spreads and nut butters, see you in a bit!

I tried out carrot cupcakes yesterday for a night at Helena's and they were so good I made them today as well for girls at work.

CARROT CUPCAKES

(makes 12)

250ml flour (I've been using different combos of almond, rice and spelt flour, you could also just use plain wheat flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1,5tsp cinnamon
a good pinch of ground cardamom
a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
a pinch of ground ginger
0,5tsp salt
200ml raw cane sugar
180ml oil
3-4 carrots
2 organic eggs (room temperature)

120g cream cheese
100ml powdered sugar
25g melted butter
organic almonds/hazelnuts for garnish


Mix the dry ingredients. Grate the carrots and mix them and the oil and the eggs with a spatula and add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Place paper muffin tins in a muffin tray and divide the batter into them. Bake in 175 celsius for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool complelety on wire racks. Make the frosting by mixing together cream cheese, sugar and butter until creamy. Cover completely cooled cupcakes with the frosting and sprinkle chopped almonds on top. Keep the cupcakes covered in the fridge overnight before serving; they'll taste a lot more and better the day after.

(You can also make a cake with the same recipe; just pour the dough into a lined or greased tin (diameter about 24cm) and bake for about 15-20 minutes, just until a toothpick comes out clean.)


(photo by Helena Mackey)