Lemon "Cheesecake" with Berry Topping

I'm actually quite excited with this recipe. I made this for our wedding anniversary back in April (I know! Very late in posting this!) and it was a hit for hubby and myself.

It is only recently that I am onto the band wagon of making raw desserts. It's just to increase my repertoire of creating desserts at home I guess. I love the idea of having a cheesecake without the heavy feeling in my tummy. There is NOTHING wrong with enjoying a cheesecake from time to time of course, but hey, if I could re create something at home that is healthy and nutritious, I'm in.

This require a little planning with the soaking of cashews. It is a very nutrient dense recipe- and very high in calories as well with the amount of cashews in it. Still a treat food for sure.

I am still using my trusty ken wood food processor but lately, been wondering if it is worth investing in a Vitamix or Thermomix? oh first world problems. Nevertheless, I have promise myself that I will not have another appliance unless one breaks down.

As I'm typing this, I just remembered I have a few more slices in the freezer. Oopies! I guess I know what I'm having for dessert tonight.

What do you use? Food processor? Thermomix? Or a high powered blender like Vitamix?

Lemon "Cheesecake" with Berry Topping (12 servings)

Base
150 grams almond meal
100 grams of desiccated coconut
3 medjool dates soaked in water
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

"Cheesecake"
500 grams of cashews soaked in water overnight
1 cup of lemon juice
zest of whole lemon
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted

Berry topping
1 cup of berries
1/4 cup water
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp of gelatine powder (mix with 1 tablespoon of water)

Make the base first.
Blitz everything up till it comes together. Press into a 9 inch lined cake tin. Fridge it while you make the "cheesecake".

Blitz all the ingredients together. Make sure it becomes like a smooth paste- not lumpy. Pour into base and freeze for around 30 mins to an hour.

Place berry topping except gelatine into sauce pan. Cook till it becomes soft. Cool and add the gelatine mixture. Pour berry topping onto cheesecake topping and freeze for a further 3-4 hours.

Defrost cake in fridge for 2 hours before serving.

Coconut Celery Zucchini and Pea Soup

We are well and truly in winter mode. Rugs are out and hot mugs of drinks. Every week, I like to schedule in a soup for dinner.

I made this for lunch though. My friend is expecting her first child and was heavily pregnant. I thought it would be love to have a girly chat with her before the baby arrives. She and I love to exchange ideas and recipes and we had lovely conversations about using simple and down to earth ingredients rather than processed items. We laughed about how her husband still prefers sweet desserts as that is how desserts should be in his mind, and how my husband has grown to have less of a sweet tooth over time.

I wanted to make something nourishing for her. A little like our friendship. Nourishing.

There is a green smoothie and then there is a green soup. This has celery, zucchini and peas. How much more green can it get? Oh hold on, it does have red onion in it so it's not totally green. Instead of heaviness of cream, I used coconut milk for that added richness.

I picked up these vegetables from our local farmers market. The freshness shone.

Yes, of course I made extra for dinner and lunch the next day. It's a perfect plan. Lunch with a  girlfriend and dinner already done. More time for Asher for the rest of the day.

Coconut Celery Zucchini and Pea Soup (serves 6)
1 full bunch of celery chopped
3 zucchini chopped
200 grams of organic frozen peas
2 tsp coconut oil
2 red onions sliced
2 tablespoons of garlic
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of ground ginger or fresh ginger minced
2 ltres of chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 tin of coconut milk

Saute onions and garlic in 2 tsp of coconut oil. Add all spices and cook till fragrant. Add all veges and cook till they are slightly soften. Add stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend with a hand blender. Strain if you like. Otherwise, reheat the blended soup with coconut milk. Serve with Coconut Bread or a grain free bread.

Coconut Milk Bread

This was one of my experiments to make a "bread" to hold and dip into soup. We tend to avoid grains these days but still love the sensation and texture of something to dip into soups. As the winter season is well upon us, I thought I might read up and try making it up at home.

This recipe is from Spunky Coconut again. The biggest reason why I made this is because it has coconut and hubby loves coconut. It did not disappoint and it has a creamy texture to this loaf. It's not "bread like". It's more of a mix between a muffin and a denser cake. We had soup with a little coconut in it so it went really well. In fact, hubby enjoyed this so much that he had this for breakfast as well with some peanut butter!

Coconut Milk "Bread" (15 slices)
2 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of coconut flour
2 tablespoons of phylum husk
1 tsp of baking soda
pinch of salt

1 and 1/4 cup of coconut milk
4 eggs
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp honey
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

Preheat Oven 180C. Line loaf pan with baking paper. In a mixer, add all dry ingredients and then wet. Spoon into loaf pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

OMGPaleo's Berries and Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting

I'm so excited! I'm hosting a baby shower for a dear friend and I'm in charge of... FOOD! The best thing is, she loves clean eating and wants me to create a menu of paleo/clean eating food for herself and guests.

Cooking for a party of 20+ people means I have to cater to different dietary requirements. But I think the most nerve wrecking thing is whether or not people will keep an open mind when they see the food. Savoury- I'm not too concerned.  Sweets however, the texture and taste is different from normal bakes. Especially because my tastebuds has changed and I'm used to very little sugar if not none now.

I tried these blueberry lemon mini cakes and YUP! They are going on the menu. I did a few changes but I really believe they are out of these world. The frosting especially is so easy to make and just provide a richness to the cakes.

Also, don't you think they look pretty?

OMGPaleo's Berries and Lemon Cake with Coconut Frosting (I made 14)
1/2 cup coconut flour
5 eggs
1/3 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoon of raw honey
2 tsp vanilla paste
2 lemons- juice and zest
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup of frozen berries
pinch of salt

Frosting
1/2 cup of coconut butter
2 tablespoon of water
juice of another lemon
1 tablespoon of honey

Line muffin tins with paper or if you are like me, just use little cupcake wrappers on a cookie baking tray.

Preheat Oven at 180C. Whisk dry ingredients together. Then in a jug, combine eggs, milk, honey vanilla, baking soda and salt. Pour wet to dry folding in berries last. Spoon into baking cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cool.

To make the frosting- melt the coconut butter. Whisk it with water, lemon juice and honey. Dollop it on cool cakes.

Chocolate Almond Coconut Slab Cake

If you come to my house any given day, open my fridge and you will find that I have been baking and experimenting with slices and muffins. I whipped this slice quickly the other day as we were going to a friend's house for lunch. I thought, better to give it away than to store it in our fridge! Hubby never mind though as that means he can just grab and go with whatever he fancies to work. He also said he could eat without the guilt that it is not nourishing his body.

Friends asked me how do I control myself given that I have baked goods in my fridge frequently? I was puzzled by that question. I never see that as a self control thing. Rather, it's a "what does my body feel like having". Most of the time, it's water or yogurt with some of my granola. When I bake, I bake to share and to make sure my husband, family and friends eat well. I do tastes my bakes, but I rarely finished everything by myself. I guess I taste and I'm satisfied by it.

This recipe comes from Elana Pantry. I think I didn't do it justice because I changed the ingredients amounts. Hence it became more cake and slice like rather than the chewy texture that Elana posted on her blog. Nevertheless, we enjoyed this little cake and it's good for a weekend afternoon treat with coffee.

Chocolate Almond Coconut Slab Cake 
4 eggs
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup of almond meal
1/2 cup of coconut flour
3 tablespoon of honey
pinch of salt
1 tsp of bicarb soda
1/2 cup of shredded coconut + extra
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 180C. Line baking slice tray with baking paper.
In a jug, whisk coconut milk, honey and eggs together. Then put almond meal, flour, salt, bicarb, coconut and some chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour wet to dry and fold. Spoon into tray and top it with the remaining choc chips and shredded coconut. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pecan Banana Bread

One of my favourite things to do is to bake. I simply love the warm comforting smell and taste coming out of the oven and diffusing to the whole house. There is something about baking that helps me to process the day, and even makes me feel a little better if I'm feeling sad, tired or down.

I wrote about my ambivalence about returning to work or staying at home.  I think at the end of the day, it's about what fits for your family and you. I count my blessings that I have a choice. My mum for instance, did not have a choice and had to return to work when I was 3 months young. Again, I'm one of those blessed kids that was surrounded by many loving family members- including my maternal grandmother whom I'm very very close to.

It's a little strange that I am in this position. I remembered that when I was younger, I thought that I will definitely stay at home. I love my mum and she is a strong independent woman who is a fantastic had working role model. But I also recall times when I wished she is at home. Perhaps that is why, I thought that when I am a mum, that decision will come easily to me.

There is nothing wrong with enjoying paid employment. I work in the area of psychology and am very pleased that I am able to reach out to others. It is what God has directed me to do and I have accepted this gift with both hands. But what happens when God bless you with another gift- a gift of life where you can stay at home and nurture a life at the same time?

I'm a big believer of being attune to your child and respond to his needs. As he grows bigger, I believe I will put him in day care anyway for social interaction with adults and children. Having little immediate family around, I do think it is important to expose him to other activities and children besides the games and classes we attend together. It's finding the balance as we go along I think that could be challenging.

My answer is this- I'm going to pray and wait and see.  If a door opens and it is an opportunity that I know God has directed me to, I will go towards it.  However, if the door closes then, I know where I'm being lead to. I think returning to full time work will not be in the equation.

The hard bit for me, is to stay in the moment. To simply enjoy time with Asher and being a housewife. A role I am so proud to be.

This pecan banana bread is from a recipe that I adapted from a friend. Besides baking being therapeutic, it also makes my hubby happy. I wrote before that he wakes early in the morning to go to work, so that he can be home to be with our son in the evening (and for me to head to the gym). Pecan banana bread is a nutritious quick morning breakfast where he could toast eat and go.

And that makes me happy.

Pecan Banana Bread (12 serves)
4 bananas mashed
1/4 cup nut butter of your choice
2 tablespoons of honey
1/4 cup of coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of vanilla paste
3 eggs
1/4 cup of pecan nuts crushed

handful of crushed pecan nuts

Preheat Oven 180C. Line baking loaf with baking paper.

Whisk honey,  banana, nut butter, vanilla and eggs together. In a separate bowl, place flour, nuts baking powder and soda. Pour wet to dry and fold. Spoon into baking tin. Sprinkle pecan pieces on top. Bake for 35-40 minutes till brown.

Chai Coconut Vanilla Pancakes

I wasn't a big chai tea fan before. I found the spices too strong for my liking- the cardamon usually gets to me. Then I tried a few other brands and realised it's really the blend of tea that makes the difference. A right blend makes such a big difference in the taste of the tea. These days,  I usually have it with almond milk- although i have tried it with coconut milk before and it was so lovely. Especially on a cold and rainy evening.

Following a few paleo bloggers, this recipe caught my attention. It combines tea and pancakes. Doesn't that sound lovely for breakfast already? Not to mention, it's so quick to whip up.

I have been loving my coconut flour lately. Again, like chai tea, I thought coconut flour was dense and dry. Indeed it is. However, blended with the right ingredients, it shines through in baked goods. It is really really filling as well. I whipped up 10 mini pancakes and hubby and I could not finish it at all. I had 2 and hubby had 3 and we both agreed the size of the pancakes are deceiving.

Chai Coconut Vanilla Pancakes
1/2 cup of coconut flour
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of baking powder
pinch of salt

4 eggs
1 cup of almond milk warmed with 2 chai tea bags
2 tsp of vanilla essence
1 tsp of maple syrup

Berries to serve- 1 cup of frozen berries and a few tsp of water

Whisk dry ingredients together. Whisk eggs, vanilla and maple syrup. Pour warm milk over the coconut mixture and work it in. Then add the eggs mixture. Spoon 1 tablespoon on a heated oiled pan. Flip it over after 3 minutes. Repeat.

Berries compote- In a saucepan, heat frozen berries with a few tsp of water. Cooked till soft and spoon over pancakes.

Happy Valentine's Day my friends!! Make this gorgeous breakfast for someone you love! xx 

Salted Coconut Chocolate Bark

This must be one of the most addictive chocolate snacks ever! I certainly do love my chocolate- I have a weakness for dark varieties. Pairing it with coconut butter though, it create this creamy chocolate chips that I have to will myself to stop eating. 

I mentioned before that I generally follow the paleo way of eating. PaleoOMG is probably one of my favourite bloggers who posts such gorgeous treats that I'm tempted all the time. She posted this for Christmas and I knew I had to make it.

And I'm not sure if it was the best thing to do or was it a mistake. I had to ration portions and give them away as gifts together with some of my bliss balls. I placed peppermint essence to the coconut butter instead of chocolate as I find that it seizes the chocolate a little.

Oh well, at least they are clean. ;)

Salted Coconut Chocolate Bark
1 cup of coconut butter
100 grams of dark chocolate
pinch of salt
2 tsp of peppermint essence

Melt coconut butter and add peppermint essence. In a separate jug, melt chocolate too. Line baking paper on a cookie tray, spread coconut butter on the tray. Drizzle and spread dark chocolate on it, swirling along. Sprinkle salt to it.

Peppermint Patties

Has it been a good Christmas for you? It certainly has for us. We started the day with church- Lasted 2 carols before I went into the cry room with cranky Asher. We had a lovely lunch with family members and just chilled for the afternoon. Presents were opened through the day rather than in one sitting. I promptly stored away some of Asher's toys for future use and let him enjoyed some of his new rattles and smaller items. Looking at the photos, he is one blessed baby!

I'm a little behind in my posting but I figured out better late than never. Every year around Christmas, I have the urge to make sweets. Maybe it's the season, but I feel that it just calls for something sweet to end the day with. I have been really good lately and am very close to gaining back my pre-pregnancy weight, and so have been experimenting with healthy sweets.

Speaking of which, it does feels good having my strength back. I'm not 100% back yet but just feeling more like myself is great and very close to where I was. You know how they say breastfeeding helps with weight lost? Well, it kinda did nothing for me until I start exercising. I mentioned this before but this experience has taught me to appreciate my body and read myself better.

Back to this little treat. My husband LOVES coconut. I wasn't a coconut lover before but is now a convert. I stumbled to this blog and found a treat that he loves in a much healthier version. I was delighted and made this just for us. The original recipe calls for 1/4 cup of honey but I added only 1 tsp and found it was sufficient for us. A Christmas after dinner mint.

Peppermint Patties (I made 14 and adapted from Meaningful Eats)
1 cup of desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons of coconut cream
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 tsp of peppermint essence
1 tsp of honey
100 grams of lindt dark chocolate

In a food processor, blitz coconut, cream, oil, honey and essence together. It will form a paste. If it is too dry, add a few tsp of water. Shape them into little balls using a teaspoon and pat them into patty shapes. Freeze them on a baking tray lined with paper for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt chocolate in microwave. Using a fork, place each patty into the chocolate coat it and place it back on tray. Fridge it. Eat after 1 hour. Store in air tight containers in the fridge.

The Aussie- Lamingtons

A few weeks ago, I was invited to Rick Stein's hunt for Australia's Top Food Bloggers. While I hesitated to participate (a little humble blog of mine to compete in Rick Stein's event- A HUGE chef?), hubby convinced me to give it a go. While I don't consider myself an Aussie yet, I have been here for more than 11 years (really!?) and truly love the food, culture and people.

and it's my way of saying a big thank you to the generous people who welcomed me in their lives in this big country, and to celebrate what I learn about food here.

I have to say I had fun trying to choose a recipe for this. I asked my colleagues, friends and family members what would they consider as Aussie food.. Their answers

1) Aussie BBQ
2) Anzac Cookies
3) Pavlova (Gotta love a good pav!) 
4) Kangeroo Steak (noooooo..)
5) Beef Pie 

and

6) the good old Lamingtons.


I chose Lamingtons-although a big juicy steak pie came very close second. Lamingtons can be seen as a humble sponge cake rolled in glistering chocolate and coconut. The combination really is what I know about Australia and what I come to love about it. Fluffy vanilla sponge cake represents people with big hearts and a slang that I had difficulty adapting to at the start (difficult= it wasn't easy to make the sponge! I know, I had a warp sense of humor), warm chocolate is the sweetness that fill my heart as I call this country home..and coconut... well, I have to find something that represent my husband whom I fell in love in this country.

Yes, my hubby loves and obsesses about coconut. He likes this dessert waaay more than I do and because of him, I reach for a lamington faster than him in church morning tea on a Sunday morning! Talk about influence.

The best thing about making these is that I can be as messy as I want and that's ok. It's lamingtons. It's my ultimate favourite Aussie dish because this is simplicity dressed up. It's not that complicated but it brings smiles to the kids, the friends, the family and most of all, the loves.

Lamingtons (around 16 pieces)

Sponge Cake
1 1/4 cup of plain flour
6 eggs
3/4 cup caster sugar
60 grams butter
1 tablespoon of vanilla essence

Preheat oven to 180C. Sift flour 3 times. Place eggs and sugar in mixing bowl and use an electric beater to whisk it for around 5-8 minutes. Fold sifted flour into egg mixture- around 2 times. Fold butter. Spoon into lined 9 inch square cake pan. Bake for around 25-30 minutes till the cake is springy to touch. Cool for around 1 hr.

Cut cake into squares.

Icing (Adapted from Donna Hay)
3 cups of icing sugar
3/4 cup of cocoa powder

1/3 cup of boiling water
75 grams of melted butter
(optional-1 tablespoon of baileys, or rum) 

dessicated coconut

Mix all up till smooth. Using a fork, dip each cake pieces into chocolate and roll it on a plate of desiccated coconut. Set on a wire rack.

lick fingers. eat.

oh! Did I mention that Rick Stein is coming to town? His fresh, no nonsense and funny cooking will be touring Australia in late March and April. I really do hope I have a chance to see him on stage! Wish me lots and lots of luck.

Nata DeCoCo Coconut Jelly

Hot hot hot hot hot.


Perth has been going through a series of hot weather these days. One weeks like this, it's difficult to spend time in a kitchen. I can totally understand why some people have air-conditioning in the kitchen! While having a few friends over for a bbq lunch one day, I decided to make Agar Agar for dessert instead. Agar Agar is a plant based gelatin which makes it suitable for vegetarian or Muslim friends.

To add texture, I used Nata DeCoCo, a coconut fiber. Once the first layer cooled, I was able to put in a 2nd layer, resulting in the dual flavour jelly. The 2nd layer was made up of coconut milk and agar agar. Hubby commented that this was addictive..and even our french friends were fascinated by such a simple but "different" (In their words!) dessert.

Nata DeCoCo Coconut Jelly

2 packets of Swallow brand agar agar powder. I used a green and plain one.
Sugar- I recalled using half of what the recommended amount was. 
180 grams of Nata DeCoCo (it comes in a can)
220 ml of coconut milk 


Following the directions on the packet, dissolve the plain packet of agar agar in water and sugar. Bring it to boil.

Meanwhile, start spooning Nata Decoco into the moulds.

When the mixture starts to boil, remove from heat. Cool slightly, spoon mixture into the moulds-filling it halfway.

Repeat. Over heat, dissolve the green agar agar powder with 1 cup of water, coconut milk and some sugar. Again, once it boils, remove from heat and cool slightly. By that time, the nata decoco layer would have firm up slightly. Spoon the coconut milk agar agar mixture to fill up the moulds. Cool and refrigerate.

Sending my little jellies to  Weekend Herb Blogging! It is hosted by Simone from Bricole- I'm intrigued by the dual language on her blog. Italian and English.