Tuesday 30 September 2014

Açai and Strawberry Oat Smoothie

A blend of goodness from Oatly and High Tech Scandinavia. Refreshing after a great run in the Swedish Autumn sun.
 
Serves 2:
Strawberries (100g - frozen)
Banana (1)
Açaí (powder - 1 tsp)
Oatly oat drink (400 ml)

1) Blend everything until smooth. Enjoy!

Monday 29 September 2014

Gluten free, Vegan Chocolate Muffins

Provena's pure oats are oats which are grown, processed and packed entirely separately from cereals containing gluten. The strictly controlled production line ensures that the Provena products are gluten-free. Pure oats contain all the good benefits of oats: they are tasty, nutritious and healthy. They are full of flavour and with plenty of fiber.

You might have noticed that I usualy don't use premade mixtures but this time and after experiencing the taste of this bread I decided to give this muffins with chocolate chips a try, but in the vegan way :)
Makes 6 big muffins:
Provena Gluten-free Chocolate Muffin Mix with Chocolate Chips (300g)
Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Water (1 tbsp)
Egg replacement (equivalent to 3 eggs - eg. 3 tbsp ground flax seed and 5 tbsp water)

1) Preheat oven to 180C.
2) Line muffin cups with paper or foil liners. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients until combined.
4) Divide batter evenly among cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes.

And they were so yummy!

Monday 22 September 2014

Oat and Wheat Bread

Another amazing discovery in Sweden was the Provena gluten free products. The first thing I wanted to try was to bake an oat bread.

Although Provena has an Oat Bread Mix (that I will surely try other time) I used this wholegrain oatflour. As it went into the oven, the house was filled with the aroma of fresh-baked bread... and the result was a tasty, delicious, irresistible oat and wheat bread!
For 2 small loaves:
Strong wheat flour (200g)
Provena wholegrain oatflour (200g)

Salt (1 tsp)
Dark Muscovado Sugar (1 tsp)
Fast-action Dried Yeast (4g)
Extra flour for dusting
Water (250 ml - tepid)

1) Stir the flours and salt together in a large bowl, then make a well in the center and add the water, salt, sugar and yeast and stir with a fork.
2) Mix with a wooden spoon and then your hands until the mixture comes together and forms a slightly lumpy and sticky dough. If the dough feels a little dry, add another tablespoon or two of water.
3) Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead until it’s smooth and elastic. Put the dough in a bowl, cover it and leave it to rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
4) Shape it in two loaves and leave it to prove for a second time for 30 minutes to an hour until it has doubled in size once more.
5) Line a baking tray with parchment and dust with flour.
6) Preheat the oven to 220C.
7) Bake the loaves for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crusty. The base should sound hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Raw Energy Bites

I´m still amazed with the goodness of some samples that have been sent to me. The spirulina and the açaí, from High Tech Scandinavia, used in this recipe provided high value nutrients and great taste to this bites.

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Makes 12 small bites:
Cashews (1/2 cup)
Coconut flakes (1/4 cup)

Sunflower seeds (1/4 cup)
Raisins (1/2 cup)
Figs (dried - 2)
Apricots (dried - 5)
Spirulina (powder - 1/2 tsp)
Açaí (powder - 1/2 tsp)

1) Combine cashews, oats and dates in a food processor. Pulse until the ingredients have broken down into crumb-sized pieces. Scrape the edges of the bowl and beneath the blade to make sure nothing is sticking.

2) Add the spirulina and the açaí.
3) Process continuously until the ingredients clump together and gather into a ball.
4) Make small balls. Store the bites in the fridge and enjoy.

Thursday 11 September 2014

"The Pasta" - Fusilli with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

I think I can call this a family recipe... "the pasta"... that as always been the first answer from my little (higher than me) sisters for the question: what do you want for dinner?

I've already published a similar recipe but this one has a very special ingredient: oat imat creamy, full of flavour, light and delicious... another great product from Oatly.
Serves 2:
Fusilli (200g)
Mushrooms (200g)

Oatly imat (200ml)
Garlic (1tsp - powder)
Tomato Pulp (1 tbsp)
Soy Sauce (1 tbsp)
Olive oil
Pepper

1) Cook the fusilli "al dente", drain and reserve.
2) In a saucepan cook the mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil until soft. Add the garlic, soy sauce and tomato pulp and mix until combined.
3) Add the oatly imat cream and simmer for 2 minutes.
4) Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss to coat. Season to taste with pepper.

Sunday 7 September 2014

Skillet Cake with Açaí Frosting

This week has kept me very busy, the days seemed to have 48 hours ...
the dinners had to be simple, quick and nutritious. And so açai powder and coconut oil played a main role at dessert time.

High Tech Scandinavia products are tastefull and you can order them online.


Serves 4:
Muscovado Sugar (50g)
Vegetable milk (200 ml)
Coconut oil (1 tbsp + 1 tsp)
All purpose flour (150g)
Baking powder (1 tsp)

For the frosting:
Cashews (raw - 50g - soaked for 2 hours) 
Lemon juice (fresh - 1 tbsp) 
Agave (1 tbsp) 
Açaí Powder (1 tbsp)

1) In a bowl, mix all ingredients until well combined.
2) Melt one teaspoon of coconut oil in a woven proof skillet, add the dough, smoothing with a spatula. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
3) Put in the oven, under the grill and cook for another 5 minutes, until golden brown.
4) Rinse and drain the cashews. Add them to a blender with the lemon juice and agave. Blend until super smooth and creamy with no texture at all. Once you have achieved that you can add the açaí powder and give it another quick blend.
5) Spoon into the cake and enjoy.

Saturday 6 September 2014

Keep it simple - two ingredient overnight oats!

Sometimes it's better to keep things simple ... organic oat drink , tasty, nutritious and fresh...

We have been eaten, very often, overnight oats for breakfast, usually topped with some fresh fruit but today I used this drink from Oatly and the result was so surprisingly tastefull that I decided to stay with only two ingredients... and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Serves 2:
Rolled Oats (100g)
Oatly Organic Oat Drink Chilled (240 ml)

Cinnamon (optional)

1) Stir oats and oat drink together in a bowl. Place in fridge overnight or at least 3h.
2) Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and enjoy!

Monday 1 September 2014

Açaí Pudding

In my search for health food products in Sweden I found High Tech Scandinavia and what caught my attention was their vast range of powdered superfoods.

I've contacted them and last Friday I received this amazing gift from them:

The first one I've tried was the Açaí powder (organic, freeze dried):

"Acai is a superfood for real, it contains lots of vitamin E, vitamin B1, B2, B3, antioxidants, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, fiber, proteins, amino acids and fatty acids.

Acai powder has natural essential fatty acids, fiber and amino acids that work together to help your body burn fat, process food more quickly and lose unwanted pounds you want to lose. Acai powder will improve your immune system and digestive system so fat is not stored in the body."

It cloudy and a bit cold outside and a dessert idea for lunch time popped up...

Açaí Pudding

Serves 2:
Cornstarch (40g)
Muscovado Sugar (20g)
Açaí powder (1 tbsp)
Rice Drink (400 ml)

1) In a saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch and stir in rice drink.
2) Place over medium heat.
3) Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
4) Remove from heat, add the Açaí powder and whisk until combined.
5) Let cool briefly, and serve warm, or chill in refrigerator until serving.

It smells good and it tastes even better, soft, rich and nutritious... 

In the next days I will continue to post about this amazing products.