King kanel

When the Portuguese Christmas "king cake" meets the Swedish kanelbulle, the result is just... delicious!

Makes 1 cake:

For the dough:
Margarine (vegan, non-hydrogenated - 80g) 
Vegetable milk (300 ml)
Fresh yeast (25g)
Muscovado sugar (50g)
Flour (500g)

For the filling:
Dried fruits and nuts (200 g)
Orange jam (sugar free)

For the top:
Vegetable milk
Muscovado sugar

1) In a small saucepan, melt the margarine over medium-low heat. Pour in the milk and heat gently to about 37C.
2) In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast with a little of the warm milk-margarine mixture and a sprinkle of the sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3) Add the remaining milk mixture, sugar  and about 2/3 of the flour mixture. Mix until you have a smooth, soft dough, adding more flour as necessary if it’s too sticky.
4) The dough is ready when it comes away from the sides of the bowl.
5) Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
6) Knead the dough in the bowl and then turn onto a floured work surface and knead in the rest of the flour, for a couple of minutes. Gentle add in the dried fruits and nuts.
7) Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a thin, large rectangle. Spread with jam. Roll up tightly along the longer edge and slice into even pieces.
8) Place each piece, sliced side up, and shape a circle. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
9) Preheat oven to 225C.
10) Brush the tops with milk, and sprinkle with sugar.
11) Bake on the center rack of the oven for 8-10 minutes.
12) Cool and enjoy!

Rawbite bars

From Biofood I receive this amazing Raw Bite - organic fruit and nut bites :)

The flavors cover a large rank of tastes and go from the simple and fulfilling cashew, the delicious traditional apple and cinnamon and the more exotic and taste buds pleasing spicy lime and vanilla berries... a candy bar, dessert alternative that maintain your blood sugar levels and provides you a pleasure moment in your daily life.

Nathalies dried fruit

Dried fruit, organic, sulfur free, sugar free... just delicious :)

Getraw - yummy raw food snacks!

Another Swedish secret... getraw ;)
I was presented with this amazing set of snacks:

They're non-dairy, non-soy, gluten-free, 100% raw & organic, & contain no refined sugar.

They are fulfilling and delicious... with a great amount of protein!

The Licorice one tastes like a great sunny afternoon by the lake :)

Toffee and Hazelnut is chewy, but the nuts inside also gave a nice crunch. It was sweet, but not overly so!

Raspberry and Goji... the tartness of the berries mixed with the dates and agave sweetness make a perfect flavor combination for those days you feel under the weather!

Chocolate and Walnut is rich and tasty, raw cocoa and big chunks of walnuts make your day brighter :)

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.

Panforte di Siena

Makes 1 cake:
All purpose flour (85g)
Black pepper (1/4 tsp)
Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
Nutmeg (1/2 tsp - ground)
Cloves (1/4 tsp - ground)
Ginger (1/4 tsp - ground)
Corianders (1/4 tsp - ground)
Cacao ( 2 tbsp - powder)
Hazelnuts (1 cup - coarsely chopped)
Almonds (1/2 cup - coarsely chopped)
Candied orange peel (1 tbsp - chopped)
Honey (2/3 cup)
Muscovado Sugar (2/3 cup)
Dried Figs (1 cup - chopped)

1) Preheat oven to 150C/300F. Line a baking tin with baking paper and margarine.
2) In a bowl, mix nuts, chopped dried or candied fruit, flour and spices.
3) Melt honey and sugar over low heat. Stir the melted sugar and honey into the fruit and nuts. The dough is so firm it can be mixed and formed by hand.
4) Place the dough in the baking tin and bake for 40 minutes.
5) Leave the Panforte to cool on a wire rack.