The dough is very similar to a classic shortbread dough and is easy to form and roll out. Before baking it should be left to rest chilled for approx. 30 minutes.

For sweetening I use dried dates. They create a lovely sweetness and also add to the silky texture of the dough (better don’t taste it though, I warned you! ). I have tried a variety of cookies with the dough.

Here are a few cookie variation ideas:

• To make jam filled thumbprint cookies, form the dough into small balls and press dent into it, using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon. Fill the dent with some jam before baking.

• For marble cookies add some cocoa powder to half of the dough. Should it get too dry, add little bit of water. Knead the light coloured and dark colour dough together before forming the cookies.

• Add some cinnamon to create cinnamon star cookies (a favourite with my German family)

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Super Easy Cookie Dough (Vegan, Gluten-free, Fruit-sweetened, Oil-free)

Perfect for holiday baking, a super easy and quick cookie dough. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, sweetened with fruits and oil-free. The dough is wonderfully versatile and can be used for a variety of diffferent cookies.

Course Baked Sweet

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword Cookies, fruit-sweetened, gluten-free, holiday baking, oil-free, vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Rest time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 Tray

Ingredients

• 200 g rice flour (or other flour)
• 70 g almond flour (alternatively ground cashews or sunflower seeds)
• 2 tbsp psyllium fiber
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 100 g dates, pitted and chopped
• 170 ml warm water

Instructions

• Start by soaking the dates with the warm water in a bowl. Then blend it smooth, using a stick blender.
• Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour the date mixture into this bowl and stir to combine. A thick dough should form, which is easily pliable.
• Cover the bowl with the dough and place in fridge for approx. 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 170° C (top/bottom heat). Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Cut out the cookies and place them on the baking tray. Repeat the step until the dough is used up.
• Bake the cookies for approx. 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Decorate to your liking. Enjoy

They are the perfect ingredients for these Banana Donuts with raspberry glazing. The flavour combination – wow, I was impressed. What a an amazing combo. I think the recipe also works very well with blackberries

The raspberry glazing is refreshingly light und works without nuts. I’m using sunflower seeds as an alternative. Please be aware, they need some soaking prior to cooking.

To make the glazing set I use agar agar powder. It’s important to only use pure agar agar powder. I’m also using baking measuring spoons. One teaspoon equals 5 ml.

These Raspberry Banana Donuts are:

• vegan
• gluten-free
• fruit-sweetened
• soy-free
• nut-free
• oil-free

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Raspberry Banana Donuts (Vegan, Gluten-free, Fruit-sweetened)

Fluffy Banana Donuts with Raspberry Glaze. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, fruit-sweetened and oil-free.

Course Baked Sweet

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword Banana, Donuts, gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, Raspberry, soy-free, vegan

Prep Time 4 hours hours

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Setting time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Donuts

Ingredients

For the donuts:

• 140 g rice flour
• 60 g buckwheat flour
• 2 tbsp psyllium fiber
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 250 g very ripe banana (approx. 2 bananas)
• 1 tbsp almond butter
• 230 ml water

For the glaze:

• 30 g sunflower seeds (soak in water for approx. 4 hours, then rinse and drain)
• 100 g raspberries
• 70 g dates, pitted and diced
• 150 ml plant mylk
• 1 tsp agar agar powder

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 190° C (top/bottom heat). Mix the dry ingredients for the donuts in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with water and almond butter until they are creamy. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
• Evenly spread the dough in the donut mold. Bake for approx. 15 minutes or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Let them cool down properly.
• For the glaze, blend all ingreidnets in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into a small pot and bring to the boil gently.
• Let it simmer on medium-low temperature for a few minutes. Spread the glaze on the donuts and garnish to your liking. Enjoy!

Notes

Notes: Agar agar needs to be pure powder not flakes. The latter will need different amount to achieve the same result. 

Also, measurement is crucial when working with agar agar. I’m using measuring spoons. 1 teaspoon equals 5ml.

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

The dough as well as the filling is made with cooked pumpkin. It is amazing, how silky this chocolate cream filling is. Until now, no one that I served this tart to noticed the pumpkin, he he

The cooked pumpkin has a mild sweetness und allows the dough to be soft without oil or other fats. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free and fruit-sweetened. It also is free from soy and free from nuts which makes it very allergy friendly.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Tarte (Vegan, Gluten-free, Fruit-sweetened)

Pumpkin with a twist – and reeeaaally chocolatey. This Pumpkin Chocolate Tart is es true chocolate dream with a super creamy filling.

Course Desserts

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword chocolate, fruit-sweetened, gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, Pumpkin, soy-free, Tarte, vegan

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Setting time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 12 Portions

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 150 g buckwheat flour
• 30 g FAIR-TRADE cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp psyllium fiber
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100 g dates, pitted and diced
• 60 ml water
• 200 g pumpkin, cooked (I use butternut)

For the filling:

• 350 g pumpkin, cooked (I use butternut)
• 150 g FAIR-TRADE chocolate
• 30 g FAIR-TRADE cocoa powder

Instructions

• Mix the dry ingredients for the dough in a bowl.
• Blend dates, water and pumpkin in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into the bowl with dry ingredients and stir to combine. It should turn into a thick dough that forms a ball. Cover the bowl and let rest for approx. 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 190°C (top-/bottom heat). Prepare the cake tin and fill it evenly with dough. Press it firm and pull it up the sides.
• Bake for approx.. 15 to 20 minutes and let cool down properly.
• For the filling, ,melt the chocolate in a bowl that sits in a bowl with hot water. Add the remaining ingredients and blend it smooth with a stick blender.
• Spread the filling evenly in the prebaked tarte crust. Garnish to your liking and then chill until serving. Enjoy!

For sweetening I use my own homemade stewed apple. I simply peel, remove the core and chop them into smaller chunks. Then I place them in a pot with a lid and bring them gently to the boil. Once it is cooking, I let it simmer until the apple chunks are soft. Of course you can use store-bought apple sauce from a jar.

Before baking, the apples for the topping are lightly sliced, which results in a beautiful effect that make me all dreamy A good apple cake should have a good portion of cinnamon, I believe. Freshly ground nutmeg works well too, should you have to avoid cinnamon.

After baking, I dusted the apple cake with some ground desiccated coconut, which I blended in my mini-blender.

Note: When baking, it is important to cover the cake. For this I use a small un-coated baking tray which I place right on top of the cake form.

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Apple Cake (Vegan, Gluten-free, Oil-free, Fruit-sweetened)

Perfect for apple season! This apple cake only uses a few ingredients and easy to make. The cake is not only vegan and gluten-free, but alsomoil-free and fruit-sweetened. For a 21 cm cake spring form.

Course Baked Sweet

Cuisine Deutsch

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword Apple, cake, Cinnamon, fruit-sweetened, gluten-free, oil-free, vegan

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 10 Portions

Ingredients

• 150 g buckwheat flour
• 30 g tapioca flour (or corn starch)
• 50 g walnuts, finely chopped (you can omit it too)
• 2 tbsp sweetener of your choice (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp psyllium fiber husk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• approx. 4-5 small apples
• 330 g stewed apple
• 80 ml water

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 190 °C (top-/bottom heat). Prepare the cake tin by either greasing it or lining with baking paper (when using baking paper, I like to cut a thin stripe which I use along the rim).
• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Peel, half, remove core of the apples. Thinly slice them as pictured.
• Pour stewed apple and water into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
• Spread the dough evenly in the cake tin. Then place the apple halves on the dough, flat side down. Gently press them into the dough.
• Bake the cake covered (I use a small un-coated baking tray which I place right on top of the cake tin) for approx. 20 to 25 minutes until the apples are a bit softer and cooking in their juice. Then bake it without covering for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the apple juice has evaporated and the top of the cake looks dry.

The original recipe for Schupfnudeln contains egg. This is easily replaced with psyllium husk fiber to make the dish vegan as well as gluten-free.

The main ingredients are potatoes. These should be cooked and cooled down for at least a few hours if not the day prior. The potatoes are then mashed and mixed to a dough with the other ingredients.

After cooking the Schupfnudeln, they will be fried. That’s why they are also called German Fried Potato Dumplings. So yummy! I love to serve them with a creamy mushroom sauce. You can find the recipe here.

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

And yes, even though no ice cream maker is required, the ice cream has a lovely, smooth and silky texture. I was so happy when I took the first scoop and it scooped up so perfectly.

The ingredients are just a few. And if you would like to replace coffee, you can some cocoa instead and replace the water with some vegan mylk.

This recipe for cappuccino ice cream is always vegan and gluten-free. It is also nut-free and sweetened with fruits.

Note: To achieve a lovely, creamy texture, it is important to let the ice cream thaw just a bit if it was in the freezer for longer. I get the best texture when I place the whole container in the fridge for a few hours. That requires some planning and patience though.

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Cappuccino Ice Cream (Vegan, Nut-free, Fruit-sweetened)

Only a few ingredients needed. This cappuccino ice cream is super creamy and works without an ice cream machine. The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, nut-free and fruit-sweetened. Makes approx. 400 ml.

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword Cappuccino, coffee, fruit-sweetened, Ice Cream, nut-free, Sunflower Sead, vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Soaking time 4 hours hours

Ingredients

• 80 g sunflower seeds (or cashews), soak in water for 4 hours, then rinse and drain
• 120 g dates, pitted and chopped
• 150 ml freshly brewed FAIR-TRADE Kaffee, cooled down
• 250 ml coconut cream (from the can), OR plant-based cream

For the chocolate sauce:

• 1 tbsp FAIR-TRADE cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp date paste
• 1-2 tbsp water

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients for the ice cream smooth, using a high-speed blender.
• Prepare the chocolate sauce by blending all ingredients in a small bowl. Add just enough water to achieve a creamy sauce.
• Pour one third of the ice cream mixture into a freezer safe container. Then drizzle with some of the chocolate sauce. Repeat this step twice. Garnish if you like (I use cacao nibs).
• Freeze until it is fairly firm. Should you leave it in the freezer for longer, let thaw a little before serving (also see my note above).

The available range of vegan bread spreads and luncheons is still fairly small here in Aotearoa New Zealand. I guess this has cultural reasons, since I have never eaten as much as sausage as growing up in Germany

If the vegan bread spread or luncheon should be gluten-free as well, things can get a little tricky. So I decided to try my own version. The result was amazing! It’s so easy to make and has a lovely flavour. Just like with the meat based sausage, in the end it is mostly the herbs and spices that make the dish.

And there are so many flavour possibilities:

• Pizza flavour with basil and oregano
• Nice and spicy with chili and paprika
• Smoky with either liquid smoke or smoked paprika
• Mushroom – with mushroom powder and parsley
• …and more

This vegan luncheon recipe is very easy to make. Only the soaking of the sunflower seeds takes some time. For the gelling I use the vegan alternative agar agar powder. Additionally I use some guar gum to make it bind better. It also works without the gum though.

For the forms I use a simple drinking glass which I gently heat up with some hot water before filling it with the hot mixture. Of course you can use all sorts of suitable, heat-proof containers and forms.

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Super Easy Luncheon with Sunflower Seeds (Vegan, Gluten-free, Soy-free)

Sunflower seeds are so amazingly versatile! This savoury vegan luncheon is another proof. This recipe is not only vegan and gluten-free but also without soy and without nuts.

Cuisine Deutsch

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword gluten-free, Luncheon, nut-free, soy-free, Sunflower Sead, vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Soaking time 4 hours hours

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

• 50 g sunflower seeds (soak in water for approx. 4 hours, then rinse and drain)
• 200 ml water
• 1 1/2 tsp agar agar powder
• 1 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp guar gum
• 1/4 tsp chili (or to taste)
• 1 garlic clove

Instructions

• After soaking the sunflower seds, rinse and drain them thoroughly. Then place them in a powerful blender together with the remaining ingredients. Then blend until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a small pot and bring gently to the boil.
• Let the mixture simmer on low heat for a few minutes while stirring constantly.
• Fill the mixture into a heat-proof form and let cool down a little. Then store in the fridge until set. Enjoy

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

The filling is cooked, with a plant-based alternative for gelatine, the so-called agar agar powder. The amount used is crucial, too little lets the filling not set properly. Using too much makes it kinda rubbery in texture. I use approx. 1 teaspoon per cup of liquid and it works quite well.

This lemon tart does not need flour or grains. The crust is made from almonds and dates, which are blended to crumbs in a high-speed blender.

Blind Baking

The crust is baked first before being filled. It works best to pre-bake it, using the blind baking method. For this you need to weigh down the dough. This basically replaces the filling so the base doesn’t blow up when the air beneath expands in the heat. It’s fairly easy. After spreading the dough in the baking tin, you cover the dough with some baking power. Then add the weight.

You can use the following:

• Special blind baking marbles
• Dried legumes (for example peas, beans etc)
• Coffee beans
• Rice or other grains
• Sterilised gravel rocks (I did this successfully already)

This recipe for lemon tart is vegan, gluten-free and fruit-sweetened. It also doesn’t need any soy or grains.

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Lemon Tart (Vegan, Gluten-free, Fruit-sweetened)

Zesty, fresh and light! This is the motto for this vegan and gluten-free lemon tart. With plenty of fun garnishing options.

Course Desserts

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan

Keyword gluten-free, Grain-free, Lemon, soy-free, Tart

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Soaking time 4 hours hours

Servings 14 Portions

Equipment

• 35 x 10 cm tart form

Ingredients

• 170 g almonds
• 120 g dates, pitted and chopped

For the filling:

• 100 g dates, pitted and chopped
• 50 g sunflower seeds (soak in water for approx. 4 hours, then rinse and drain)
• 300 ml plant-based mylk, preferably unsweetened
• 75 ml fresh lemon juice
• 1 to 2 tbsp lemon zest (depending on how zesty you like it)
• 1 1/4 tsp agar agar powder (not flakes!) Also see notes below
• 1 to 2 pinches ground turmeric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 160°. For the curst, blend almonds and dates to fine crumbles, using a powerful blender. Knead the dough a bit and then spread it evenly in the tart form. Pull the dough up along the sides too.
• Blind bake the dough on the lower level for approx.. 15 minutes. Be careful, it burns easily. If needed, bake it covered.
• Let the crust cool down properly. For the filling, blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into a pot and bring it gently to the boil. Let it simmer for a few minutes while stirring constantly.
• Pour the mixture into the tart form and spread it evenly. Let it cool down a little before letting it set in the fridge. Garnish to your liking. Enjoy

Notes

Notes: Agar agar needs to be pure powder not flakes. The latter will need different amount to achieve the same result. 

Also, measurement is crucial when working with agar agar. I’m using measuring spoons. 1 teaspoon equals 5ml and 1/4 teaspoon equals 1.25ml.

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Logan MacLean in Waipū and ate their amazing Beyond Burger. Tanya, the owner of the cafe, is vegan herself and has a huge vegan menu to offer.

So, with burgers in my mind, I decided to try a new recipes. It worked out so well that I have to share the recipe with you 

The main ingredients are sunflower seeds and mushrooms. With a hearty mix of spices it creates a flavoursome burger patty that also has quite a firm texture. That also makes it suitable for the bbq.

The recipe is vegan, gluten-free and doesn’t require oil. For the burger buns I used my recipe for bread rolls without yeast. Instead of dusting them with flour, I brushed them with plant milk. A perfect combo 

Makes approx. 6 to 8 mushroom burgers:

• 100g sunflower seeds (soak in water for approx. 4 hours, then rinse and drain)
• 200g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1-2 pinches ground chili
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 50g chickpea flour
• 50g rice flour (or other gluten-free flour)
• 2 tbsp psyllium fiber husk

Method mushroom burgers:

1. After rinsing the sunflower seeds, let them drain thoroughly in a sieve.

2. In the meantime mix the chopped mushrooms with salt in a bowl. Let soak until the mushrooms have shrunk noticeably and have become watery (approx. 30 minutes).

3. Now ad the sunflower seeds to the mushroom and blend them roughly with a stick blender. Add the spices and mix roughly.

4. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and let rest for a few more minutes.

5. Form burger patties with wet hands and cook them either from both sides in a frying pan on low heat. Or bake them in the oven at 190°C for approx. 25 minutes (flip them in
between).

Please let me know what you think about this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! And if you remake this recipe, please share the picture with me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.

Goulash without meat? No problem! These days there so many meat alternatives. When I heard about Jackfruit for the first time, I was really impressed. The texture is surprisingly similar and offers so many possibilities, to create something yummy with it.

Makes 4 small or 2 big portions:

• 1 can jackfruit
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 400 to 500ml water
• 1 red pepper, cubed
• 1 green pepper, cubed
• 2 tbsp ground paprika
• 1 tbsp ground smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp sweetener of your choice
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 pinch chili (or to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Method:

1. Fry the onions in some water or oil in a medium sized pot. Add carrots and water and let simmer with closed lid for approx. 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Rinse the jackfruit and press out excess liquid. Then pluck it into smaller pieces.

3. Add the jackfruit and all remaining ingredients (except the garlic) to the pot. Stir well and let simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. At the end add the garlic and bring to the boil one last time.

Note: The goulash tastes best if you let it cool down and soak over night. This way the flavour will spread nicely. Enjoy!