NUTRITIOUS FALL // FIG-TASTIC SMOOTHIE



May I present you the new recipe series that I'm starting today: NUTRITIOUS FALL! Over the next few months that are leading up to my favorite event/time of the year, christmas, I'm going to post my favorite fall recipes, that are perfect to enjoy after a tough day out in the cold, next to a fireplace while it's raining, on a cozy sunday afternoon or simply if you're in the mood for something that'll lift up your mood, make you feel glowing, happy and healthy and is at the same time beneficial for your body.

HOMEMADE COCONUT YOGHURT // vegan / gluten free / soy free


My first attempt on making coconut yoghurt was a major fail. It did not thicken or get the "fresh" yoghurt-like taste the probiotics develop. It was coconut milk with sugar and a weird smell to it.
Being very discouraged, I never tried making it again (and totally forgot about it, too) until a few days ago. 

I recently moved out from home (*insert crying emoji*) to Germany's vegan capital: Berlin. I'm sharing my apartment with 3 others: one fellow vegan, one paleo-vegan (who eats eggs) and a vegetarian. You see, a lot is going on in our kitchen! 
One night, I talked to my flatmate and he mentioned he wanted to try making coconut yogurt. The former disaster shortly crossed my mind but after a quarter of a second I was all in. 
He had already gotten the probiotics and I brought arrowroot starch with me (along with a million of other things you use once a year to make fancy schmancy stuff but hey - thanks to my food messieness we had a starch to work with) when I moved in. 

HOW TO MAKE A SMOOTHIE BOWL // & a recipe

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There are more than 150.000 pictures tagged with #smoothiebowl only on Instagram and that number is growing every second. But what is it exactly, a 'smoothie bowl'? Basically, it's a smoothie served in a bowl. Duh.

The question is, what makes it special and different from the good old smoothie (except from the bowl, of course)? There are two main points that I'll share with you: The first one is: consistency. Because without the increased thickness the toppings would not stay where you placed them but sink down to the bowls ground. Speaking of toppings, that is #2 of the speciality of a smoothie bowl. The toppings are what really makes the smoothie bowl unique. It either transforms the plain thick smoothie into the most delicious and gorgeous dish ever seen (and eaten) or it doesn't. Here's a rough guide that is meant to show you the basics of how to make a smoothie bowl, but feel free to experiment with whatever comes to your mind (and show me, I'd love to see your recreations! use #mangoandcoconuts).

PEANUT BUTTER CHOC CHIP MUFFINS // vegan / oil free / soy free


Woa. These are ah-may-zing. 

When I turned 18, my best friends got me a gift coupon on of my favorite restaurants around here. They serve delicious thai food on a very high standard. We had some problems finding a time when everybody was free (I'm moving to Berlin and they're moving as well) but we arranged a lunch date today. 

Yesterday evening Jule asked me if I had any healthy dessert left around but unfortunately I hadn't (or shall I say fortunately because that's why I made these?). However, that only motivated me to make these super moist and easy vegan muffins your family and friends are going to fall in LOVE with. I promise. They're inspired by a recipe the gorgeous Tess Begg posted on her YouTube a few days ago. Make sure to check that out as well for a video demonstration. 

HOMEMADE NUTELLA & VANILLA MOUSSE SLICES with EASY ICE MAGIC // vegan / gluten free

I've been thinking about making such an awesome slice for several weeks now. I searched tons and tons of pinterest boards, Instagram pages (Taline Gabriel, Pana Chocolate & Blendlove are my faves for raw treats, go check them out. Now.) and websites (too many fab ones to pick the best). 

I got the preparation game pretty good - but in the end it was all a massive 'I-just-throw-together-what-I-find' kinda thing, so if you're not 100% happy with the consistency you might want to add a few more dates, nuts or liquid. Just take these measurements as a rough orientation of what went in there then exact numbers you should follow strictly. Have fun with it and experiment because that is - in my opinion - what makes cooking fun and what keeps it interesting. If you don't try out new things, you'll probably won't experience that many failures but you will pretty surely won't accomplish as much. And that does not only apply to cooking ;) 

But now onto the food porn...



For this recipe, I used a homemade vegan nutella recipe by Vanilla Crunch (and slightly adapted it). 

VEGAN NUTELLA 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup hazelnuts, raw & whole
  • 4 ounces dark vegan chocolate (about 125 grams), for all Germans: for a cheaper option try Moser Dark Chocolate from Aldi
  • 3/4 can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup organic brown sugar

How-To

  1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C. 
  2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and place the hazelnuts on top. Roast for about 15 minutes (or until the skin starts peeling back).
  3. Meanwhile, break the chocolate in pieces and place it in a medium sized bowl. 
  4. Combine sugar & coconut milk in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted completely. 
  5. Take out the hazelnuts and, using a kitchen towel, start rubbing them until their skin comes off (it's completely fine if there's still some skin left on but the majority should be removed). 
  6. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor or high speed blender and process them until they become a fine flour. Add in chocolate ganache and keep blending until your mixture is smooth. 
  7. Taste. Yum. 



CHOC SLICES 

Base 

  • 1/2 cup hazelnut meal
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut 
  • 3/4 cup dates
  • 2 tsp cocoa powder (or carob powder)
  1. Process until it becomes a dough-like consistency. 
  2. Press in a square mold and store in the freezer while you make the vanilla layer.

Vanilla Macadamia Cheesecake Layer

  • 1/2 cup coconut cream
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts (I always use roasted and salted and then wash them until all salt came off because 1. they're WAY cheaper then the unsalted ones and 2. they have a nice roasted taste - just make sure there's no oil added)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup dates 
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  1. In a food processor or blender, blend until smooth and pour it on top of the nutella brownie layer. 
  2. Put back in the freezer and let it sit for about 2 hrs. Yup, sorry it really takes that long!

Chocolate Mousse Layer

  • 1 cup Homemade Vegan Nutella (see recipe above), room temperature
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut cream, room temperature
  1. Make sure both of your ingredients are not too cold or otherwise you'll have a really hard time bringing them together. 
  2. Just like the Vanilla Layer, simply blend everything together until smooth. Add on top of the Vanilla Layer and put in the fridge for 12+ hrs to completely set. 

Take it out of your mold and begin slicing your 'cheesecake'. Top with come chocolate ice magic and voila! Mouthgasm guaranteed.

HOMEMADE ICE MAGIC 

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup (or agave)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  1. Mix with a fork. 
  2. Dizzle over cheesecake slices.