Poppy Seed Torte - Czech Makovec

Variations of the poppy seed torte are found through Central and Eastern Europe. 

This recipe is a simple version of Makovec from Czech Republic. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 cup poppy seeds (ground; you can use an electric coffee grinder)
• 2-3 tablespoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/2 cup oil (or melted unsalted organic butter)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease or oil your baking pan.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
3. Add the milk, eggs and oil and mix with a hand mixer on medium till the dough is smooth. 
4. Pour the batter into the baking pan. 
5. Bake about 30-35 minutes or until a probe or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Serve warm or at a room temperature with a cup of warm tea, coffee or a glass of milk. 

Before serving you can sprinkle the torte with organic powdered sugar or top with a lemon glaze. 

Can also be served with freshly whipped cream. 

Strawberry Coconut Milk Delight

       

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb fresh organic strawberries + a few more for decoration
• 2 cups unsweetened canned organic coconut milk (this is the one I use)
• 14 tablespoons organic honey
• 3 tablespoons gelatin (this is the one I use)
  

Directions:

1. Place cleaned strawberries in your powerful blender, add 1 cup of coconut milk and 10 tablespoons of honey. Blend on high speed till the mix is liquid. 
2. Place the mix in a small pot and warm over medium heat but do not boil.
3. When hot, turn the stove off, add 3 tablespoons of gelatin and mix well till the gelatin dissolves. 
4. Pour the mix into paper cups, filling them 1/3 or 1/5.  You can also use ice cube trays. (I used both, the bottom part is from paper cups and the flower is from an ice cube tray.)
5. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes or until hard, but do not freeze. 
6. Stir 4 (or as desired) tablespoons of honey into the 1 cup of organic coconut milk.
7. Take the jelly snack out of the paper cups (tear the cup on the side) and place on a plate. Pour the cold coconut milk over the jelly and decorate with the strawberries. 

Enjoy as a delicious, nutritious summer dessert.

Breakfast Coconut Muffins

        

Makes 6 regular size cupcakes.
You will need a hand mixer, a muffin pan and unbleached baking cups. 

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons organic raw sugar 
• 2 tablespoons organic coconut sugar
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (or any other oil) 
• 3 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/2 cup blueberry for topping, fresh or frozen, optional
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and place the baking cups into a muffin pan.
2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks into separate bowls.
3. Using a fork, whisk together the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the coconut oil, water, coconut flour and baking powder.  Mix thoroughly.
4. Using the mixer, mix the egg whites to produce a solid egg snow.
5. Gently add the dough mix to the egg snow and using low speed, mix one more time all together.
6. Place the dough into a muffin pan. 
7. Top with blueberries (optional).
8. Bake for about 20 minutes.
9. Enjoy as a delicious and nutritious breakfast or as a healthy afternoon dessert with your favorite hot drink. 

Serving suggestions coming soon.

Buckwheat Sweet Bread

  

Preparation time: about 30 minutes

Baking time: about 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250g soft butter 
• 200g organic raw cane sugar
• 6 eggs
• 250g buckwheat flour
• 250g ground hazelnuts (can be substituted with almonds, pecans or walnuts) 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 400g of your favorite berry jam 
• organic powdered sugar for decoration (optional) 

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Separate the egg whites and yolks. Mix butter and sugar thoroughly then add the egg yolks. 
3. Combine buckwheat flour with the ground hazelnuts and baking powder. Add the egg and butter mix. 
4. Using the mixer, mix the eggs till it makes a solid egg snow. Mix the egg snow into the dough. 
   
5. Cut the baking paper into the shape of the springform and place it in the bottom --  or grease the baking form with butter, margarine or coconut oil.
6. Bake for about 50 minutes.  Using a long toothpick or wood skewer, poke the bread and withdraw.  If it comes out clean, the bread is ready; if the dough sticks to it, continue baking a few more minutes.
7. Open the springform, then very gently flip the cake base onto the cooling rack. Carefully remove the baking paper from the cake and leave it to cool.
8. Cut the sweet bread evenly into half, spread the jam and put the other half back on the top. 
   
9. Sprinkle with powdered sugar as desired. 
10. Serve warm or at room temperature with a cup of dairy-free milk (e.g., almond milk, rice milk or flax seed milk) or a cup of tea. 

When served as a dessert, serve with freshly whipped cream. 

Orange Jelly Candies - all natural

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tablespoons unflavored all natural gelatin
• 2/3 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed and strained 
• 8 tablespoons organic agave 
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract, optional 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan on low heat until gelatin has completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth. 
2. Pour into silicon ice cube trays. 
3. Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes. 
4. Remove the tray, pop out the jellies from the form and enjoy these delicious gummy candies. 

Keep in an air-tight container and use within a day or store in the refrigerator for a couple days. Can be also kept frozen for later use.

Coconut Ice Cream

Yields 6 ZOKU pops

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp (7oc) coconut milk, unsweetened, not light
• 1/4 cup (2 oz) regular almond or coconut milk unsweetened 
• 3 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp + 1 tsp organic raw cane sugar 
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 

Directions:

1. Whisk together all the ingredients until sugar has dissolved.
2. Insert sticks into the pop maker molds and pour the coconut base until you reach the fill line. 
3. Let freeze completely, then remove the pops as directed by ZOKU.
4. Repeat with remaining pops and enjoy :) 

Flourless Cashew Cake Base

This cake base is absolutely delicious, very easy and quick to make. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 20-25 minutes

This recipe makes a 1-inch thick cake base in a 9-inch springform pan. You will need a mixer,  baking paper and a cooling rack.

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons of hot water
• 100-150g of sugar
• 150g finely ground cashews (I used a coffee grinder to make almost a flour)
• 50g of corn starch 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. 
2. Cut the baking paper into the shape of the springform and place it on the bottom --  or grease the baking form with butter, margarine or oil.
3. Using the mixer, whisk the eggs with the hot water and slowly add the sugar.
4. Add the ground cashews and corn starch and mix all ingredients thoroughly. 
5. Spread the dough evenly in the springform.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Open the springform, then very gently flip the cake base onto the cooling rack. Gently remove the baking paper from the cake and leave it to cool.

Tip:    You can substitute the cashews with almonds or hazelnuts.

Coconut Macaroons

       

Makes about 40 macaroons

• 3 egg whites
• a pinch of Himalayan salt
• 150g / 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 250g shredded coconut 
• baking paper

Preparation time: about 20 minutes

Leave standing: about 4 hours

Baking time: about 20 minutes

1. Line the tray with the baking paper. Whip the egg whites with salt until they become a firm snow.  Add half the sugar and beat/mix until the mix shines. Stir in the rest of the sugar. 
   
2. Mix shredded coconut into the egg snow.  Use two teaspoons to place dollops of the macaroon mix onto the baking sheet.  Let the macaroons dry for 3-4 hours at room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the macaroons for 15-20 minutes.
4. Place the macaroons on a cooling rack.  
5. Serve at room temperature and enjoy. :)

         

Hazelnut Macaroons

         

Makes about 40 macaroons

• 3 egg whites
• a pinch of Himalayan salt
• 150g / 3/4 cup organic sugar
• 250g ground hazelnuts 
• some extra hazelnuts for decoration
• baking paper

         

Preparation time: about 20 minutes
Leave standing: about 4 hours
Baking time: about 20 minutes

1. Line the tray with the baking paper. Whip the egg whites with salt until they become a firm snow.  Add half the sugar and beat/mix until the mix shines. Stir in the rest of the sugar. 
   
2. Mix ground hazelnuts into the egg snow.  Use two teaspoons to place dollops of the macaroons mix onto the baking sheet. Place one hazelnut atop each dollop.  Let the macaroons dry for 3-4 hours at room temperature.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake the macaroons for 15-20 min. Place the macaroons on a cooling rack.  
4. Serve at room temperature and enjoy. :)

         

Based on internet research I have found that hazelnuts provide the following benefits:

• cardiovascular benefits
• cancer prevention 
• muscles
• skin health
• bone and joint health
• nervous system
• digestive tract health
• high in B vitamins

Blueberry "babovka"

Recipe coming soon

French Apple Dessert

For 6 people

Ingredients

• 4-6 green apples
• 100g / 1/2 cup organic sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons of organic sugar 
• 100-150g / 3/4 to 1-1/3 cup coconut flour 
• 50g / 1/4 cup shredded coconut or any other ground nuts (not peanuts) 
• 75g / 2.6 oz. European-style butter, thin slices
• butter to grease baking form 

Prepare time: about 20 minutes

Baking time: about 25 minutes

1. Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).  Grease the baking form.  Peel and cut the apples into thick slices.  Boil the apple slices briefly (2-3 minutes) in water with the 3-4 spoons of sugar.  Apple slices must stay hard. Drain the apple slices and place them in the baking dish.
2. For the streusel topping, mix the flour with nuts, 1/2 cup sugar and butter slices.  Mix by hand. If needed add flour or butter.
3. Sprinkle the streusel by hand evenly onto the apples.  Bake for 25-30 min. Streusel should be lightly brown.
4. Serve hot, with or without vanilla ice cream topping.  Enjoy :)