Just discovered a new wonderment
Dates stuffed with nut butter
do it
you'll thank me
Showing posts with label peanut butter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peanut butter. Show all posts
Thursday, 8 August 2013
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Emotional Baking and Sweet Vegan Hand Pies
When I am emotional I tend to bake.
It allows me too:
a) feel in control of something in my life
b) calms me and focus my mind on to something that isn't stressing me
c) create something positive (good food) that i can give to others to make them feel good, there by making me feel better.
In general my emotional baking sessions create something quite wonderful. Last night and this morning was one of those occasions. I made two different vegan hand pies, PBJ and Chunky monkey ones. These are cute, vaguely healthy compared to other pies and vegan. This was my first shot at vegan pastry and it's actually not that hard. I added a little peanut butter to my pastry mix to add not only extra taste to the crust but to enrich and help form the dough like extra butter or an egg would. I found this really worked and the added healthy fat helped the flakiness of the pastry.
Ingrediants
225g of plain flour (to make healthier use half wholemeal half white, or your own flour combination)
100g of vegan baking fat (margarine/vegan butter)
2 tbsp of natural smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp of agave (or other liquid sweetener)
tsp of salt
Couple of tbsp of ice cold water
-Weigh out your margarine or vegan butter. Cut into little chunks and place in the freezer.
- Weigh out your flour and add the salt place it in a large mixing bowl in the fridge, it's important to get your ingredients as cold as possible with pastry.
-While the other ingredients are getting cold mix together you peanut butter and agave so the combine and make a thick gloop.
-Take your cold margarine or vegan butter and cut it into your cold flour. After the fat is cut into small chunks and coated in flour use cold hands or a pastry utensil rub the vegan baking fat into the flour till it resembles rough bread crumbs.
- Add the peanut butter mixture and cut into your flour bread crumbs. Then add your ice water gradually till your dough comes together into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to rest till needed.
Ingredients
Half your vegan pastry
1/2 cup of roughly diced strawberries
1/4 cup reduced sugar vegan strawberry jam
2-3 tbsp of natural peanut butter
1 tsp of cornstarch
3 tbsp of almond milk
- Mix together your strawberries, jam and flour.
- Take small balls of pastry (about the size of a ping pong ball) and roll out into disks on a floured bored
- Mentally divide the disk in half, on the upper half of the disk smear, liberally, with peanut butter leaving 1/2cm clear around the edge.
- Place a tsp of the strawberry mixture in the center of the upper half then fold the bottom half up to enclose the filling. Crimp the edges to seal and place on a baking tray lined with grease proof paper.
- Repeat until all the pastry is used up (6-8 pies) then with a sharp knife or fork prick wholes in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Then with a pasty brush lightly coat the pies with almond milk.
- Place in a 180 degree oven for 10-15 minuets till the pastry is golden
Ingredients
Half your vegan pastry
2 tsp of cocoa powder
2 tsp of agave (or other liquid sweeter)
3 tbsp of natural peanut butter
pinch of salt
1 banana
- Mix together your cocoa powder, salt and agave to form a thick chocolate syrup. Fold in your peanut butter till fully combined. Slice your banana into half circles.
- Take small balls of pastry (about the size of a ping pong ball) and roll out into disks on a floured bored
- Mentally divide the disk in half, on the upper half of the disk smear, place a tsp of the chocolate peanut butter mixture and flatten with a knife leaving 1/2cm clear around the edge.
- Place 4 banana pieces on top of the chocolate peanut butter mixture then fold the bottom half up to enclose the filling. Crimp the edges
to seal and place on a baking tray lined with grease proof paper.
-
Repeat until all the pastry is used up (6-8 pies) then with a sharp
knife or fork prick wholes in the top of the pie to allow steam to
escape. Then with a pasty brush lightly coat the pies with almond milk. Place in a 180 degree oven for 10-15 minuets till the pastry is golden
It allows me too:
a) feel in control of something in my life
b) calms me and focus my mind on to something that isn't stressing me
c) create something positive (good food) that i can give to others to make them feel good, there by making me feel better.
In general my emotional baking sessions create something quite wonderful. Last night and this morning was one of those occasions. I made two different vegan hand pies, PBJ and Chunky monkey ones. These are cute, vaguely healthy compared to other pies and vegan. This was my first shot at vegan pastry and it's actually not that hard. I added a little peanut butter to my pastry mix to add not only extra taste to the crust but to enrich and help form the dough like extra butter or an egg would. I found this really worked and the added healthy fat helped the flakiness of the pastry.
Vegan PB Pastry
Ingrediants
225g of plain flour (to make healthier use half wholemeal half white, or your own flour combination)
100g of vegan baking fat (margarine/vegan butter)
2 tbsp of natural smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp of agave (or other liquid sweetener)
tsp of salt
Couple of tbsp of ice cold water
-Weigh out your margarine or vegan butter. Cut into little chunks and place in the freezer.
- Weigh out your flour and add the salt place it in a large mixing bowl in the fridge, it's important to get your ingredients as cold as possible with pastry.
-Take your cold margarine or vegan butter and cut it into your cold flour. After the fat is cut into small chunks and coated in flour use cold hands or a pastry utensil rub the vegan baking fat into the flour till it resembles rough bread crumbs.
 |
| adding the beautiful PB |
 |
| Todahhhhh |
Vegan PBJ Hand Pies
Ingredients
Half your vegan pastry
1/2 cup of roughly diced strawberries
1/4 cup reduced sugar vegan strawberry jam
2-3 tbsp of natural peanut butter
1 tsp of cornstarch
3 tbsp of almond milk
- Mix together your strawberries, jam and flour.
- Take small balls of pastry (about the size of a ping pong ball) and roll out into disks on a floured bored
- Mentally divide the disk in half, on the upper half of the disk smear, liberally, with peanut butter leaving 1/2cm clear around the edge.
- Repeat until all the pastry is used up (6-8 pies) then with a sharp knife or fork prick wholes in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Then with a pasty brush lightly coat the pies with almond milk.
 |
| Babies pre-oven |
Chunky Monkey Vegan Hand Pies
Ingredients
Half your vegan pastry
2 tsp of cocoa powder
2 tsp of agave (or other liquid sweeter)
3 tbsp of natural peanut butter
pinch of salt
1 banana
- Mix together your cocoa powder, salt and agave to form a thick chocolate syrup. Fold in your peanut butter till fully combined. Slice your banana into half circles.
- Mentally divide the disk in half, on the upper half of the disk smear, place a tsp of the chocolate peanut butter mixture and flatten with a knife leaving 1/2cm clear around the edge.
 |
| Voilaaaa |
 |
Friday, 19 July 2013
Raw Slaw and Goji Berries
Hellooooooooooooooo! As my friend Fi has kindly informed me that she was disappointed in me that Healthy Hungry Hippos hadn't been updated in a while I thought I better clean up my act and cook and blog with all my heart.
Recently I bought some goji berries. I LOVE these things and i used make 'power detox juice' by steeping a hand full of goji berries in green tea with some lemon then letting it cool and transferring to my water bottle of the day. It was Antioxidant central! However, I wanted to investigate them in a savory dish like you would put raisins in a carrot and rice salad to add a sweet sharp note. So I look in the fridge and we have a shit load of crunchy vegetables, white cabbage, carrots, bok choi and onion.. SLAW TIME! This slaw has an eastern inspiration, so no heavy fatty creamy dressing just a light tangy and slightly spicy flavor. Perfect side dish or with the satay drizzle a nice summer lunch or dinner.
So here is my Raw Slaw with Goji berries and Cashews with a Satay Drizzle, I hope you like..
Raw Slaw with Goji berries and Cashews
Ingredients
Slaw
2 cups shredded white cabbage
1 large celery stick
1 small bok choi
1 small red onion
2 small carrots
10 dwarf beans
hand full of corriander
hand full of raw cashews
handfull of goji berries
Dressing
3 tbsp of grapefruit juice
1 lime
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of rice wine vinager
1 tsp of agave
2 tsp of grated ginger
1/2 tsp of grated garlic
2 tsp of your favourite dried curry spice mix
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of corriander
1 chilli
pinch of cayenne powder
-In the bottom of a large salad bowl combine all dressing ingrediants apart from the chill. Score the chill with a knife and add to the bowl. This will allow the taste and some mild heat to be added to the slaw with out it becoming chilli central.
- Chop into thin batons the celery, onion and bok choi. Add to the bowl along with the shredded cabbage. Throughly mix coating it thoroughly in the dressing. Leave in the fridge for 30-40 mins to brine.
-Meanwhile peel and chop your carrots and dwarf beans into battons and roughly chop your corriander.
- When the slaw has finished its time in the fridge add your carrots, coriander, cashews and goji berries.
Satay Drizzle
Ingredients
1/4 peanutbutter
1/4 cup water
1/4 grapefruit juice
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp of maple syrup
2 tsp of grated ginger
2 tsp of your favorite curry spice mix
pinch of salt
- Combine all ingredients till smooth drizzle is made
- Assemble!
Recently I bought some goji berries. I LOVE these things and i used make 'power detox juice' by steeping a hand full of goji berries in green tea with some lemon then letting it cool and transferring to my water bottle of the day. It was Antioxidant central! However, I wanted to investigate them in a savory dish like you would put raisins in a carrot and rice salad to add a sweet sharp note. So I look in the fridge and we have a shit load of crunchy vegetables, white cabbage, carrots, bok choi and onion.. SLAW TIME! This slaw has an eastern inspiration, so no heavy fatty creamy dressing just a light tangy and slightly spicy flavor. Perfect side dish or with the satay drizzle a nice summer lunch or dinner.
So here is my Raw Slaw with Goji berries and Cashews with a Satay Drizzle, I hope you like..
Raw Slaw with Goji berries and Cashews
Ingredients
Slaw
2 cups shredded white cabbage
1 large celery stick
1 small bok choi
1 small red onion
2 small carrots
10 dwarf beans
hand full of corriander
hand full of raw cashews
handfull of goji berries
Dressing
3 tbsp of grapefruit juice
1 lime
1 tsp of salt
1 tbsp of rice wine vinager
1 tsp of agave
2 tsp of grated ginger
1/2 tsp of grated garlic
2 tsp of your favourite dried curry spice mix
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of corriander
1 chilli
pinch of cayenne powder
-In the bottom of a large salad bowl combine all dressing ingrediants apart from the chill. Score the chill with a knife and add to the bowl. This will allow the taste and some mild heat to be added to the slaw with out it becoming chilli central.
 |
| Violaaaa! RAW SLAW! |
Satay Drizzle
Ingredients
1/4 peanutbutter
1/4 cup water
1/4 grapefruit juice
1 tsp of rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp of maple syrup
2 tsp of grated ginger
2 tsp of your favorite curry spice mix
pinch of salt
- Combine all ingredients till smooth drizzle is made
- Assemble!
 |
| I made it in the peanut butter jar, anything to avoid washing up |
 |
| Its like a healthy rainbow! |
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Baked Vegan Doughnuts (peanut butter and chocolate swirl)
They are baked not fried and they are vegan. That's about where the 'healthy' art stops with this recipe. This is my.. drum roll please....
Peanut butter and Chocolate Swirl baked Vegan Doughnuts with a PB and Chocolate Glaze!
I don't really need to sell them do I? I mean they aren't awful for you and every one deserves a treat now and then and its better then stuffing your face with shop bought desserts filled with additives, PLUS no animals harmed or used in the making. So go for it!
Ingrediants
Peanut butter mixture
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup + 1tsbp almond milk
Pinch of salt
-Cream together in a mixing bowl peanut butter, sugar and oil. Add in almond milk and mix until fully combined.
-Gradually mix in flour and salt. Set aside
Chocolate mixture
1 tbsp of peanut butter
1 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tbsp of coco powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup + 1tsbp almond milk
-Cream together in a separate mixing bowl peanut butter, sugar, coco powder and oil. Add in almond milk and mix until fully combined.
-Gradually mix in flour and salt. Set aside
- Grease a doughnut tray thoroughly and spoon in tsp sized portions of both mixture into the mold so they 'swirl' together. Repeat this until all the molds are full. Like so, below...
- Place in a 180 degree oven till a skewer comes out clean
- Remove from tray and leave to cool
Glaze
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp coco powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp agave
1/4 almond milk
-Mix together.. you may need to add more almond milk/peanut butter/ icing sugar to get desired consistency. Agave syrup is optional but it adds a lovely sheen to the icing.
- Ice doughnuts however you like I like to dunk one side on the doughnuts in the icing and twist and viola.
Peanut butter and Chocolate Swirl baked Vegan Doughnuts with a PB and Chocolate Glaze!
I don't really need to sell them do I? I mean they aren't awful for you and every one deserves a treat now and then and its better then stuffing your face with shop bought desserts filled with additives, PLUS no animals harmed or used in the making. So go for it!
Ingrediants
Peanut butter mixture
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup + 1tsbp almond milk
Pinch of salt
-Cream together in a mixing bowl peanut butter, sugar and oil. Add in almond milk and mix until fully combined.
-Gradually mix in flour and salt. Set aside
Chocolate mixture
1 tbsp of peanut butter
1 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tbsp of coco powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/3 cup + 1tsbp almond milk
-Cream together in a separate mixing bowl peanut butter, sugar, coco powder and oil. Add in almond milk and mix until fully combined.
-Gradually mix in flour and salt. Set aside
- Grease a doughnut tray thoroughly and spoon in tsp sized portions of both mixture into the mold so they 'swirl' together. Repeat this until all the molds are full. Like so, below...
 |
| Babies pre-oven |
- Remove from tray and leave to cool
Glaze
1/3 cup peanut butter
3 tbsp coco powder
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp agave
1/4 almond milk
-Mix together.. you may need to add more almond milk/peanut butter/ icing sugar to get desired consistency. Agave syrup is optional but it adds a lovely sheen to the icing.
- Ice doughnuts however you like I like to dunk one side on the doughnuts in the icing and twist and viola.
 |
| The Lovely glaze |
 |
| HOZAAAAA |
Friday, 31 May 2013
Wholemeal Banana Nut Cup Cakes with Peanut Butter Glaze
Wholemeal Banana Nut Cup Cakes with Peanut butter glaze..
I decided to make something to go with my Vegan Frozen Yogurt (recipe in my earlier post) and with a jar of PB in the cupboard and some practically black banana's this was the obvious solution. This recipe is also vegan and creates moist little cakes sticky banana cakes that are surprisingly light and moreish.
Ingredients
Cup Cakes (12)
2.5 Very ripe bananas mashed
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (i used crunchy but smooth is fine, make such it's natural, no added sugar/oil)
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
1tbsp of oil
1/2 cup of whole meal spelt flour
1/4 cup regular whole meal
1/2 tsp baking poweder
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract
-In a food processor, blitz raw sugar till a fine consistency. Add to a bowl with Peanut butter, vanilla extract and oil.
-Cream together (like you would do butter and sugar in a cake) until fully combined. Then add your mashed banana and almond milk and mix together viciously.. cooking can be a work out too.
- Sieve in flours, cinamon, salt, baking powder and discard the husks left in the sieve. GENTLY fold together your mixture, spelt flour is delicate you don't want to over work your batter.
- Spoon mixture into cup cake cases, these cakes don't rise much so fill them practically to the top. I used soft plastic ones so I could remove my cakes with ease but it's up to you.
- Bake at 180 Degrees Celsius in a fan oven till golden and you can stick a tooth pick in the middle and pull it out clean (about 10-15mins)
Peanut Butter Glaze
Ingredients
1 heaped tbsp of peanut butter (again I used crunchy, as that's what I had, but smooth is fine)
2 heaped tbsp of Liquid Sweetener (I used agave syrup)
-Easy as pie, or glaze.. what ever. Just add to a small saucepan, turn up the heat a little and whisk together with a fork. Once combined keep warm over a very low heat until your cakes are done. Whilst cakes are warm divide between them and spread around with a knife or back of a teaspoon.
-Leave cakes to cool and remove from cases, serve with frozen yogurt if so wished.. I did.
I decided to make something to go with my Vegan Frozen Yogurt (recipe in my earlier post) and with a jar of PB in the cupboard and some practically black banana's this was the obvious solution. This recipe is also vegan and creates moist little cakes sticky banana cakes that are surprisingly light and moreish.
Ingredients
Cup Cakes (12)
2.5 Very ripe bananas mashed
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (i used crunchy but smooth is fine, make such it's natural, no added sugar/oil)
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup almond milk
1tbsp of oil
1/2 cup of whole meal spelt flour
1/4 cup regular whole meal
1/2 tsp baking poweder
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract
-In a food processor, blitz raw sugar till a fine consistency. Add to a bowl with Peanut butter, vanilla extract and oil.
-Cream together (like you would do butter and sugar in a cake) until fully combined. Then add your mashed banana and almond milk and mix together viciously.. cooking can be a work out too.
- Sieve in flours, cinamon, salt, baking powder and discard the husks left in the sieve. GENTLY fold together your mixture, spelt flour is delicate you don't want to over work your batter.
- Spoon mixture into cup cake cases, these cakes don't rise much so fill them practically to the top. I used soft plastic ones so I could remove my cakes with ease but it's up to you.
- Bake at 180 Degrees Celsius in a fan oven till golden and you can stick a tooth pick in the middle and pull it out clean (about 10-15mins)
 |
| my banana babies pre-oven |
Peanut Butter Glaze
Ingredients
1 heaped tbsp of peanut butter (again I used crunchy, as that's what I had, but smooth is fine)
2 heaped tbsp of Liquid Sweetener (I used agave syrup)
-Easy as pie, or glaze.. what ever. Just add to a small saucepan, turn up the heat a little and whisk together with a fork. Once combined keep warm over a very low heat until your cakes are done. Whilst cakes are warm divide between them and spread around with a knife or back of a teaspoon.
-Leave cakes to cool and remove from cases, serve with frozen yogurt if so wished.. I did.
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