09/2014

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Freekeh Pumpkin Streusel Cake

Monday, September 29, 2014

This tender, moist coffee cake is made with healthy freekeh flour, pumpkin puree and Speculaas spice. The hazelnut streusel topping gives the cake a very delicious crunchy.
Apart from bursting with an amazing combination of flavours, this crumble coffee cake is also very versatile. It works great as a weekend breakfast with a steaming cup of tea or with a large dollop of whipped cream as the afternoon coffee accompaniment. Instead of honey that original recipe has called for, I have used homemade pistachio syrup that Evelyne from Cheap Ethnic Eatz sent me a couple of months ago. With the fresh homemade pistachio syrup, this cake is definitely a winner. Thanks, Evelyne!

Streusel	Cake
50 g Hazelnuts, chopped 10 g Brown raw sugar 25 g Butter 1/4 tsp Speculaas spice mix	200 g Whole freekeh berries (green spelt), ground into flour 1 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp Salt 1+1/2 tsp Speculaas spice mix 50 g Dried cranberries 300 g Pumpkin puree 100 g Plain low fat yogurt 100 g Pistachio syrup or honey 50 g Coconut oil, melted 1 tsp Vanilla extract 4 Egg whites

Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a 20-cm springform pan or line with a parchment paper.
For the crumble topping, place all of the crumble ingredients into a large bowl. Rub the butter into the nuts until crumbly. Set aside.
Combine freekeh flour, baking soda, salt, spice mix and dried cranberries in a large bowl. Stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
Combine the pumpkin puree, yogurt, pistachio syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract and eg whites in another bowl. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moist.
Spoon batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle with streusel topping. Bake for about 1 hour or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

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Black Quinoa Pumpkin Salad with Avocado Sour Cream Dressing

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

This protein-packed quinoa salad embodies the flavors of autumn, but it's great served any time of the year. This salad is packed with spicy roasted pumpkins, black quinoa and red onions, and finished with a creamy herby avocado dressing. Great warm or cold, as a meatless main or side dish!

Black Quinoa Pumpkin Salad with Avocado Sour Cream Dressing

inspired from this and this

Avocado Sour Cream Dressing	Salad
1 Avocado 150 g Sour cream 1 tbsp Lime juice 3 tbsp Water 1 clove Garlic, crushed Salt and pepper, to taste Chopped mixed fresh herbs of choice	350 g Pumpkin, peeled and roughly cut 1/2 tsp Chilli flakes 1 tsp Finely chopped garlic 2 tsp Finely chopped fresh ginger 1 tbsp Olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 120 g Black quinoa 350 ml Water 1 Red onion, sliced Parsley or cilantro leaves

Place all ingredients for the dressing in a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to serve.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.  Put the pumpkin, chilli flakes, garlic, ginger, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl and toss until well coated.  Spread evenly in a roasting tray lined with baking paper), then roast for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is just cooked through but still firm.
Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear, drain and transfer to a medium saucepan. Add water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until water has absorbed. Set aside to cool and fluff with a fork.
 Combine the pumpkin, red onion and black quinoa in a large serving plate. Garnish with parsley and serve with avocado dressing.

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Fresh Fig Freekeh Chai Bread (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan)

Friday, September 19, 2014

Freekeh (green spelt), chai, coconut oil and fresh figs come together in this moist, rustic whole grain quick bread that's easy to make and very delicious. You can make this in a muffin form and top each with a sliced fig or nuts.

Fresh Fig Freekeh Chai Bread (Dairy Free, Egg Free, Vegan)

inspired by this

2 tsp Chai mix
240 ml Freshly boiled water
250 g Whole freekeh berries, ground into flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Sea salt
60 g Raw brown sugar
100 g Coconut oil
2 Fresh figs, diced

Place chai mix in a large cup. Pour the freshly boiled water directly over the mix and brew approximately 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190C/375F. Line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper. Whisk the ground freekeh, baking powder, salt and raw sugar.
In another mixing bowl, stir together the brewed chai and coconut oil until well combined. Add in flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth. Fold in chopped fresh figs.
Pour the batter into the prepare baking pan. Place the fig slices on the top of the batter and press them down gently. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar if desired.

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Spelt Streusel Apple Bread

Monday, September 15, 2014

This apple spelt bread is very delicious, moist, and so easy to make. Buttermilk is the secret to the tender, moist texture of this quick bread. There's no sugar in the batter--only in the streusel topping. Back in July, I was one of the 4 lucky winners for a NuStevia giveaway at kristi’s blog, Mother Rimmy's Cooking Light Done Right and received a set of stevia products from NuNaturals to try. For those who ain't fans of artificial sweeteners, replace the stevia powder with 150-200 grams of sugar.
The bread is prepared with spelt bread flour and filled with Granny Smith apples and cinnamon and is topped with a raw brown sugar and almond streusel. Warm from the oven, this cakey bread makes a perfect after-school snack and it freezes well, too.

	Topping
225 g Spelt bread flour (Dinkel #1050) 1 tsp Baking soda 1/2 tsp Salt 2 Small Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped 100 g Butter, softened 12 packet NuStevia white stevia powder 2 Eggs 1 tsp Vanilla extract 110 ml Buttermilk	40 g Spelt pastry flour (Dinkel #630) 20 g Finely chopped blanched almonds 40 g Raw brown sugar 1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder 45 g Butter

Whisk together the spelt bread flour, baking soda and salt. Peel and chop the apple. Cream butter and white stevia powder in a mixing bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in chopped apples. Divide the thick batter into 7 greased mini rectangular baking cups.
For topping, combine the flour, almonds, raw sugar and cinnamon powder. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle each with some streusel topping. Bake at 190C/375F for 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

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Beetroot Salsa filled Avocado

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

This tasty and flavourful salsa comes together quickly because it calls for nutrient-packed vacuum packed precooked beets. I love it over avocado, but it's also an excellent way to jazz up white fish or grilled chicken.

200 g Vacuum packed beetroot, diced
1 Tomato, diced
1 Red onion, very finely chopped
1 Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp Lime juice
1 tbsp Olive oil
Chilli salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Ripe avocados, cut in half lengthways, skin on, stone removed
Rye crackers, to serve

Make the salsa by mixing together the beetroot, tomato, onion and parsley. Add the lime juice, olive oil, and season to taste with chilli salt and black pepper.
Arrange the avocados on serving plates and spoon a little of the salsa into the middle of each avocado halves. Place any spare salsa into a small dish and serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

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Tomato Wraps with Pumpkin and Feta

Saturday, September 06, 2014

This is a nice simple and very delicious wrap, served warm or cold. The combination of naturally sweet pan-roasted hokkaido pumpkin, salty Feta cheese, herby homemade dried tomato and mixed greens creates a colourful and flavoursome wrap that makes a quick and tasty lunch for two.

1 (600 g) Small hokkaido pumpkin
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
30 g Dried tomatoes in olive oil, sliced
100 g Low-fat feta
100 g Low fat Quark (German fresh cheese)
4 Tomato tortilla wraps
Mixed salad

Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out all the seeds, then cut into thin wedges. Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot. Add in pumpkin wedges and cook for 15 minutes until tender yet firm. Season with salt and pepper.
Thinly slice the dried tomatoes. Puree feta and Quark together.
Place the tortillas in a dry pan over medium heat and cook them for about 30 seconds on each side.
Spread 50 grams of cheese mix evenly onto each tortilla to within 1/2 inch of edge. Top with pumpkin wedges, salad leaves and dried tomato slices . Roll up and enjoy.

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Spelt Barley Bread with Avocado and Cranberries

Tuesday, September 02, 2014

A healthy and moist quick bread made with spelt flour, ground naked barley, cranberries and avocado in place of butter. It keeps well in the refrigerator, for toasting throughout the week for breakfast or afternoon tea. You can also serve this with a good dose of maple syrup or peanut butter.

Spelt Barley Bread with Avocado and Cranberries

adapted from NY Times

200 g Spelt bread flour (Dinkel #1050)
50 g Naked barley flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2-3/4 tsp Sea salt
4 Eggs, medium
100 g 1.5% Plain yogurt
250 g Avocado flesh, mashed
70 g Dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a standard loaf pan with baking paper. Sift together the spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the yogurt and the oil. Quickly whisk in the flour, and fold in the cranberries. Scrape into the bread pan.
Bake for 45-50 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Turn onto a rack and allow to cool.