I know I haven’t been posting anything for a while. As some of you may know, I have chosen to give my life to God and to serve Him for His glory. Thus, I have been volunteering I my church since last December. I will still be there for the next two and a half years to complete my learning. It’s a great experience that is taking 90% of my time. The 10% free time I get is spent sleeping for the most of it or doing other things like hanging around with my new friends, shooting weddings or resting.
I don’t have much time for cooking, let alone inventing recipes. I have most of my meals with the church community so I don’t even have the occasion to cook. I don’t have a proper kitchen that I can use as of today. This might change in the future.
I can’t say that I don’t miss writing on this blog or cooking and baking. I really do. I also have to talk to you about other projects that I have. Maybe you saw my post on Instagram about creating a visual image for my mother’s brand? This project alone is taking so much time and dedication.
In this article I simply share a few pictures of the place I am staying at so that you too can enjoy the gorgeous landscape I admire everyday. Maybe you've seen some of them on my Instagram account? If you haven't I hope you enjoy them. I'll share soon the last two weddings that I was lucky to photograph. Until then, farewell my friends.
Very vegan Christmas cookies // Sablés de noël très végétaliens
I know, it’s ONLY November, but
- Christmas decorations have been in stores for weeks
- Most food bloggers are posting Christmas recipes
- Christmas is in a month and a few days
- I have been in a Christmas mood for a while now
- I just wanted to BAKE something Christmas like
Plus these cookies are gluten free and low sugar. You can eat them for breakfast, dipped in you Tea, you can have them for dessert with a couple scoops of apple and banana sauce, you can have them at night snack… You just pick your favorite time of the day to eat them.
They are inspired from the French dessert “pompe à l’huile”. In Provence, which is in Southern France, for Christmas, people eat 13 desserts and “Pompe à l’huile” is one of them. It’s a bread that is perfumed with olive oil and orange. It is so delicious, so sweet and yet, is not like the typical flavors I have for Christmas.
I just thought I could change change my cookie recipe and try to flavor them with orange and olive oil instead of making the classic gingerbread man. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!
Makes about 30 cookies (depending on the size of cookie cutter you use):
- 60 g oat flour (rich in fiber and proteins)
- 40 g soy flour (high in protein)
- 60 g whole rice flour
- 30 g corn starch
- 40 g brown sugar
- 5 g bicarbonate of soda or baking soda
- 50 g olive oil (note that you can add more or less olive oil depending on how strong you want the taste to be)
- Zest of one orange (preferably organic)
- 125 mL water (this is what I needed but depending on the flours you are using, you might need more or less).
1. Preheat your oven at 320°F/160°C.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl (flours, orange zest, sugar and baking soda).
3. Add olive oil and mix until dough is crumbly.
4. Add water little by little. Mix and keep adding water until your dough is not sticky anymore and homogeneous.
5. Wrap in a plastic wrap and store in Fridge for 1 hour or more.
6. Take dough out of the fridge 15 min to one hour before cutting the cookies.
7. Spread dough on a lightly floured surface. Use cookie cutter to shape cookies. They should be about 2 to 3 mm thick.
8. Lie the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 min.
9. Let them cool on a cooling rack (don’t worry if they are not crunchy when out of the oven, they harden as they cool down).
10. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Je sais, Novembre n’est pas terminé et pourtant :
- Les décorations de Noël sont en magasins depuis longtemps
- Les autres blogger postent déjà pour Noël
- Noël est dans JUSTE un peu plus d’un mois
- Je suis en mode Noël depuis un moment déjà
- Et puis je VOULAIS cuisiner un truc de Noël (juste pour me mettre encore plus dans l’ambiance et pour oublier un peu tous ces événements…).
Et puis ces sablés sont sans gluten, pauvres en sucre, bons pour la santé et ils sont bons. Du petit déjeuner avec du thé au snack du soir en passant par le dessert avec de la compote, ils se glissent partout dans la journée. Il ne vous reste plus qu’à choisir le bon moment pour les manger.
Je me suis inspirée de la recette de la pompe à huile provençale pour les faire. Si certains l’ignorent encore, la pompe à huile est l’un des 13 desserts provençaux : riche en huile d’olive et doucement parfumée à l’orange… C’est l’un de mes desserts favoris pour cette année je crois, même si il s’éloigne pas mal des saveurs classiques de Noël, que pourtant j’adore.
Donc pour cette fois, je vous livre une recette de sablés de Noël un peu différente du classique au beurre ou du Gingerbread man mais sans gluten et bonne pour la santé. J’espère que vous les apprécierez autant que moi !!
Pour environ 30 sablés selon la taille des emporte pièce que vous utilisez.
- 60 g de farine d’avoine (riche en fibres et en protéines)
- 40 g de farine de soja (riche en protéines)
- 60 g de farine de riz complet
- 30 g de fécule de maïs
- 40 g de sucre muscovado
- 5 g de bicarbonate de soude
- 50 g d’huile d’olive (il est possible d’augmenter ou de diminuer la quantité selon l’intensité que vous souhaitez donner à vos biscuits)
- Le zeste d’une orange (biologique de préférence)
- 125 mL d’eau (c’est ce don j’ai eu besoin mais selon le type de farine utilisée car on peut varier les plaisir ou même n’utiliser que de la farine de blé si on n’est pas allergique gluten, ils vous en faudra plus ou moins).
1. Préchauffer le four à 160°C/320°F.
2. Mélanger les ingrédients secs dans un saladier (les farines, le zest d’orange, le bicarbonate de soude et le sucre).
3. Ajouter l’huile d’olive et mélanger pour avoir une pâte sableuse.
4. Ajouter l’eau petit à petit. Mélanger en ajoutant l’eau jusqu’à avoir une pâte homogène et non collante.
5. Envelopper dans un film plastique et réfrigérer la pâte pendant une heure ou plus.
6. Sortir la pâte du réfrigérateur entre 15 minutes et une heure avant de la travailler.
7. Etaler la pâte sur une surface farinée sur une épaisseur de 2 à 3 mm. Découper des formes à l’emporte pièce.
8. Déposer les sablés sur une plaque recouverte d’une feuille de papier sulfurisé et faire cuire pendant 30 à 30 minutes.
9. Laisser les sablés refroidir sur une grille (ne vous inquiétez pas, ils durcissent en refroidissant).
10. Conserver pendant un mois dans une boîte en métal.
Green soup for a blissful Fall // Soupe verte pour un automne joyeux
Ever since starting on my new job, I have had very, very, busy days. An by busy days I mean waking up at 6 in the morning, leaving home at 7:30 or earlier and not being back before 6 or 7 in the evening. And usually, when I come back, my brain is dead. So I just cook diner, shower, eat diner, go to church if there is any church activity or simply sit on my computer chair in front of my screen, scrolling on other people’s feed on Instagram and YouTube or read a good book in bed. And that’s all. I have been too tired to consider doing anything else!
And now that I’m finally finding a balance between work and free time (meaning, I am finally cooking and shooting and blogging again), things have to change again. But it’s for the best. My work contract ends on November 30th and then I’ll be heading to my church headquarters for a three year volunteering program.
I feel very exciting about it, yet a bit scared. It will be a total change for me. No more living on my own and doing what I want, whenever I want (including eating the foods that I love). I will have to be there when I am being asked to. It might seems strange to you, fellow readers, that I willfully give 3 years of my life to a program that is basically going to rip away my privacy and my independency.
But know it, I am only doing this for God. I have been a Christian for many years now and I have come to realize that my life without Him was nothing. God gave his son for me, so why would I not give Him my life so that He can do whatever He needs with it? I know God is good so anything happening to happens for the best, even when I don’t see it. Totally crazy if you don’t believe in God and you’re reading this right now. But you know what? It doesn’t matter.
I created this soup a while ago, while experimenting with green ingredients. This soup is totally vegan but you can replace some ingredients to make it vegetarian or adapted to the diet you follow.
Green soup:
- 1 TbS olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 red onion
- 500 g frozen peas
- 100 g spinaches
- Juice of one lemon (you can even add a bit of zest for flavor)
- 3 small courgettes
- 1 small fennel
- 10 large mint leaves
- 1,5 L vegetable broth
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- Cashew cream or coconut milk to taste
1. Chop onion and garlic cloves.
2. Bring olive oil to high heat in a pot.
3. Fry onion and garlic until onion are golden. Reduce heat to medium.
4. Add peas to the pot with vegetable broth, lemon juice and zest, mint leaves and salt and pepper.
5. Let simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Add courgettes, fennel and spinaches. Let simmer for another 15 minutes on low heat.
7. Use a stand or hand mixer to mix your soup.
8. Filter it to remove any fibers or piece of vegetable.
9. Add coconut milk or cashew cream to make your soup creamier and give it a softer taste.
10. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, crushed nuts and a small mint leave to decorate.
Depuis que j’ai commencé à travailler, mes journées sont très, très, très chargées. Et quand je dis « chargées », je veux dire que je me lève à 6 heures le matin (non pas que je sois là pour me plaindre, j’aime me lever tôt) , je pars de la maison à 7h ou 7h30 et je ne rentre pas avant 6 ou 7 heures le soir. Et la plupart du temps, mon cerveau est éteint quand je passe la porte de la maison. J’ai suffisamment d’énergie pour faire le dîner, me laver, manger, aller à l’Eglise si il y a une réunion ou poser mon derrière sur une chaise et regarder une série, regarder des vidéos sur YouTube, me mettre à jour sur les réseaux sociaux ou lire un bon livre. Et c’est tout. Ces derniers temps, j’ai été trop fatiguée pour envisager quoi que ce soit d’autre.
Mais maintenant que j’ai enfin réussi à trouver un équilibre entre le travail et le temps libre (comprendre : je retrouve le temps de cuisiner et blogger à nouveau), il faut que tout soit chamboulé de nouveau. Mais c’est pour le meilleur. Mon contrat de travail se termine le 30 novembre et je pars ensuite pour 3 ans faire une formation missionnaire dans mon Eglise.
Je suis très nerveuse à propos de tout ça. L’idée même de m’engager pour le service de Dieu est excitante et en même temps un peu angoissante. Ça va être le changement totale : plus de vie privée puisque nous vivons en dortoirs, plus de contrôle sur la nourriture, plus d’indépendance puisque je devrais être là où on me le demande. Cela peut paraître étrange de se priver d’argent et de volonté propre de manière tout à fait volontaire pendant 3 ans.
Mais c’est ma foi en Dieu qui me pousse à le faire. Je suis protestante depuis longtemps et il est arrivé un moment de ma vie où j’ai réalisé que ma vie sans Dieu ne rimait à rien. Dieu à donné son fils pour moi, alors pourquoi ne ferais-je pas don de ma vie en échange de la vie éternelle. Tous ces propos vous paraitront insensés si vous ne croyez pas en Dieu et pensez qu’il n’existe pas ou que la religion est « l’opium du peuple » comme le disait notre cher Marx. Mais peu importe. Je n’ai pas de religion, j’ai la foi.
J’ai créé cette soupe de mi saison il y a un bon moment. Je m’amusait avec les légumes verts et j’en suis arrivée au résultat que vous pouvez voir sur les photos. C’est une soupe végétalienne mais rien ne vous empêche de changer certains ingrédients pour en faire une soupe végétarienne ou en accord avec le régime alimentaire que vous suivez.
Soupe verte :
- 1 CàS d’huile d’olive
- 2 gousses d’ail
- 1 oignon rouge
- 500 g de petits poids surgelés
- 100 g d’épinards frais
- Le jus d’un citron et son zeste
- 3 petites courgettes
- 1 petit fenouil
- 10 feuilles de menthe
- 1,5 L de bouillon de légume
- Sel et poivre selon votre goût
- Crème de noix de cajou ou lait de coco ou autre substitut végétal à la crème fraiche.
- Noisettes grillées et autres graines pour décorer
1. Hacher l’oignon et les gousses d’ail.
2. Faire chauffer l’huile d’olive dans une casserole
3. Faire revenir l’oignon et l’ail jusqu’à ce que l’oignon soit doré. Baisser le feu.
4. Ajouter les petits poids, le bouillon de légume, le jus de citron et son zeste, la menthe, le sel et le poivre.
5. Laisser mijoter pendant 15 minutes environ.
6. Ajouter les courgettes, le fenouil et les épinards. Laisser mijoter pour 15 minutes de plus.
7. A l’aide d’un mixer plongeant ou d’un blender, mixer la soupe.
8. Filtrer la soupe pour enlever les fibres et les peaux de petit poids.
9. Ajouter la crème de noix de cajou selon votre goût (j’en ai ajouté 200 mL) pour avoir une soupe plus crémeuse et lui donner un goût plus doux.
10. Servir avec un filet d’huile d’olive et décorer avec des noisettes concassées et grillées, des graines, une feuille de menthe…Green soup for a blissful Fall // Soupe verte pour un automne joyeux
I have a passion for Asian food, specially Japanese food. I recently discovered the richness of Korean, Thai or Vietnamese food. Since Spring is now well set here in France, I thought it might be time to come up with some fresher dishes. I’m sometimes trying to go Vegan. Just eat fruits, vegetables and more. When I stumbled upon some black rice noodles in my local organic store, I just couldn’t help buying them. After letting them sleep in my pantry for a month and a half, I finally decided to open the package and cook something out of them.
I tested black rice during my mast stay in Philadelphia, at my Dad’s and as I discovered the sweet yet rich flavors of this grain, I could only think of my black rice noodles, waiting for me at home. I found some cheap asparagus at my local store the other day and since I have recently found myself being in the I-haven’t-got-the-courage-to-cook-for-myself kind of mood, I wanted something quite simple.
So I cooked this Pad Thai, which didn’t take me long and tasted like heaven in a bowl. I call this dish Pad Thai, revisited because some of the traditional ingredients are missing. This dish is both vegan and gluten free, so I skipped the fish sauce as well as the shrimps. You can add as many vegetables as you like, remove the pepper if it’s too strong for you and so on.
I love this noodle dish because just eating it with a pair of chopsticks (where’s the fun otherwise, huh?) it feels like traveling to Asia. I also love it because you can create as many variations as you wish. Just have some of the sauce ready in your fridge, a few greens waiting to be eaten, and you’re good to go for a 10-minutes-ready dish. That’s why I suggest preparing it in bulks, so that you don’t have to mix all ingredients all over again. It keeps very well in the fridge. It’s also a very light and healthy dish that you can have for either dinner or lunch (or breakfast if you’re crazy, I won’t judge you!).
This is the kind of food that I eat everyday, the kind of food that I love, the kind of food that makes me feel happy and energized.
Pad Thai, revisited – serves 4
- 200g raw black rice noodles (you may use traditional white rice noodles if you don’t find any)
- 400 g asparagus
- 100 g mushrooms
- 200 g Broccoli's (I used frozen ones)
- 1 TbS sesame oil
- Sesame seeds or peanuts, fresh cherry tomatoes… to top
- 3 TbS soy sauce
- 3 TbS lime juice
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 cm ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 to 2 tsp peanut butter
1. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 15 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Mix together soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and peanut butter. Adjust with more pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, lime juice or pepper according to taste.
2. Cut asparagus in 1 inch bits and mushrooms in thin slices. Heat sesame oil in a wok or a frying pan. When oil is bubbling, throw in asparagus and broccolis, reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 minute. Add half of the sauce and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Drain rice noodles and throw them in frying pan. Add the remaining sauce. Cook until rice noodles are tender. Add the mushrooms 1 minute before serving. Idealy, asparagus are stil a little crunchy and mushrooms are not too cooked.
4. Serve in bowls and top with sesame seeds or peanuts, halved cherry tomates … Eat right away!
J’ai une passion pour la cuisine asiatique, surtout la cuisine japonaise. Récemment, j’ai découvert la richesse de la cuisine coréenne, thaïlandaise ou même vietnamienne. Maintenant que le printemps est bien installé en France, je me suis dit qu’il était temps de penser à cuisiner des plats avec plus de fraicheur. Il y a des jours où j’essaie d’adopter un régime végétalien. Je ne mange que des fruits et des légumes et produits qui en sont dérivés. Quand je suis tombée sur des nouilles de riz noir dans ma coopérative bio, je n’ai pas pu résisté et les ai achetées. Après qu’elles soient resté à dormir pendant 1 mois dans mon placard, il était temps pour moi de m’en occuper.
J’ai goûté le riz noir pendant mon dernier séjour chez mon père à Philadelphie. Dès que j’ai découvert le goût noisetté et profond du riz noir, j’ai immédiatement pensé à mes pauvres nouilles qui attendaient sagement d’être cuisinées. En rentrant, j’ai trouvé des asperges bon marché et puisqu’en ce moment je suis ma période « j’ai la flemme de me faire à manger mais j’ai envie de quelque chose de bon », je me suis dit qu’il me fallait un plat pas trop entreprenant et rapide à cuisiner.
J’ai opté pour le pad thaï, mais à ma façon, et autant vous dire que pour moi, le déguster était comme goûter à un morceau de paradis dans un bol. C’est un Pad Thaï revisité car il est végétalien (et au passage, sans gluten), ce qui fait que certains ingrédients traditionnels sont absents de la recette. Il s’agit notamment de la fameuse « fish sauce » et des crevettes.
J’aime beaucoup ce plat de nouilles car quand on le mange avec des baguettes (sinon c’est pas marrant) ; il me donne l’impression de m’évader pour l’Asie depuis ma cuisine. Il est aussi génial car on peut en faire des variations infinies. Il suffit de changer les légumes, de changer les nouilles, d’ajouter de la viande ou du poisson, des œufs… On peut le décliner comme on veut et c’est ça qui fait de ce plat, un truc facile, rapide, pas très cher et donc un must cook. Je suggère de préparer la sauce à l’avance et en plus grandes quantités pour ne pas avoir à la refaire à chaque fois. Elle se conserve très bien au réfrigérateur. C’est aussi un plat très saint que l’on peut faire tant au dîner qu’au déjeuner.
Pad Thaï, revisité – pour 4 personnes
- 200 g de nouilles de riz noir (vous pouvez prendre des nouilles de riz blanc si vous n’en trouvez pas)
- 400g d’asperges vertes
- 100 g de champignons de paris
- 200 g de brocolis (j’en ai utilisé des surgelés)
- 1 CàS d’huile de sésame
- Des grains de sésame ou des cacahuètes pour assaisonner
- 3 CàS de sauce soja
- 3 CàS de jus de citron vert
- ¼ de CàC de piment fort
- 3 cm de gingembre râpé
- 2 gousses d’ail, râpées
- 1 à 2 CàC de beurre de cacahuètes
1. Faire tremper les nouilles dans de l’eau froide pendant 15 à 30 minutes. Pendant ce temps, préparer la sauce : dans un bol, mélanger la sauce soja, le beurre de cacahuète, le jus de citron, le gingembre, l’ail et le piment. Ajuster la sauce en rajoutant un ou plusieurs de ses ingrédients selon votre goût.
2. Couper les asperges en morceaux de 2 à 3 cm. Couper en fines lamelles les champignons, réserver. Faire chauffer dans un wok ou une sauteuse l’huile de sésame. Quand elle est bouillante, ajouter les asperges et les brocolis puis baisser le feu. Les cuire pendant 1 minute puis ajouter la moitié de la sauce. Cuire pendant 5 minutes.
3. Egoutter les nouilles et les ajouter dans la poêle avec le restant de la sauce. Cuire jusqu’à ce que les nouilles soient tendres. Ajouter les champignons 1 minutes avant la fin de la cuisson. Idéalement, les asperges seront légèrement croquantes en fin de cuisson et les champignons à peine cuits.
4. Servir dans des bols, décorer avec les graines de sésame ou des cacahuètes, des tomates cerises coupées en deux… et déguster sans tarder!
Poolish croissants by Philippe Conticini + almond filing // Croissants sur poolish by Philippe Conticini et garniture aux amandes
I am fascinated by anything with sourdough. Sourdough bread, sourdough brioche… sourdough croissants! I love seeing this water, flour and yeast mix into action. It gives your baked goods such a fluffy and moist results that any other thing without it seems just disappointing. So when I figured out I could try baking sourdough croissant, I just HAD to try.
The result, of course, was awesome and now there’s no going back to baking croissant without sourdough (actually, there’s no going back to baking bread and anything involving yeast without sourdough!). This recipe is the recipe from a very famous French baker: Philippe Conticini. He’s a very talented baker and his recipe is just A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. These croissants taste exactly as if they had been bought in a bakery. This recipe takes homemade croissants to the next level.
But of course, it requires patience. A lot of patience. So don’t tell your family you are just about to bake croissants because they might feel frustrated to have to wait for a good 48 hours before the little things end up in their tummies! You have to prepare the sourdough first, and wait at least 14 hours before using it (so if you are like me, just have some sourdough prepared ahead and spare your family an excruciating 24 hour waiting!). Then you have to go for the “détrempe” and that’s another night spent in the fridge good for you to wait.
After that, you have to “tourrer” the dough, that’s to say, include the butter, let rise, spread, fold, let rise, spread fold, let rise… And then you have to make the babies and wait another 2 hours or more before eating them. This might discourage you but as we say in France “patience et longueur de temps font plus force, ni que rage” (patience and the full ness of time do more than force or fury).
I also tried an almond filing for these babies and it was delicious. It was light too since I used dates, water and almonds to make it, instead of the traditional butter, sugar and almond mix. The result was as good as if I had used butter and the croissants were still very moist and good.
Just remember that it takes patience to bake these babies, but that you won’t feel disappointed after you tried them once!
Poolish croissants and almond filing – makes about 16 croissants
Sourdough:
- 70 g flour
- 65 g milk
- 5 g yeast
Détrempe and tourrage:
- 340 g flour
- 85 g butter
- 100 g water (you may need more or less depending on the type of flour you use, the humidity…)
- 55 g sugar
- 8 g salt
- 200 g butter for the tourrage
- 1 egg yolk for brushing
Almond filing:
- 10 dates, pitted
- water
- 70 g almond flour
To prepare the almond filing, mix the pitted date with a bit of water. Add as much water as needed until you have syrup. Heat this syrup to make it reduce and concentrate the flavors. In a bowl, mix together 70 g of this syrup and the almond flour: your filing is ready.
1. Prepare the sourdough: in a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Cover with a clothe and let rise for 1 hour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least 24 hours.
2. Prepare the détrempe: pour sourdough, flour, salt, butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix ingredients until dough is crumbly. Slowly add water and keep mixing until dough is non sticky and homogeneous. Let rise for 30 minutes and knead dough again. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let sit overnight in the fridge.
3. Tourrage: shape 200g into a square (you can use soft butter and do it between 2 slices of plastic wrap). Spread détrempe into a rectangle that is twice as long as the butter square and a bit larger. Put the butter square on one of the half of the rectangle and cover it with the other half. Spread dough again in a rectangle and fold it this way: bring both ends at the middle of the dough so that you have a square. Now fold this square in two so that you have a rectangle with 4 layers of dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let sit for 2 hours in the fridge.
4. Spread dough in a rectangle again, and fold it as before. Let sit for 1 hour in the fridge. Repeat this step as many times as you wish. You have to do it at least twice. I like to do it 5 times so that my croissants have beautiful layers. Once you decide that you have given enough turns to your dough, it’s time to shape the croissants.
5. Spread the dough in a rectangle so that it is about 5 mm thick (you don’t want your dough to be too thin or the croissants will hardly rise). Use a sharp knife to cut triangles into dough. Spread some almond filing at the bottom of the croissants (not at the tip) and roll them. Place them on a baking trail lined with parchment paper and let rise for 2 hours under a cloth. Make sure the tip is under the croissants, otherwise, it might pop up during baking time.
6. Preheat your oven at 440°F. Brush croissants with egg yolk diluted in a bit of water/ make sure to only brush the top and not the layers of dough. Bake for 15 minutes and eat once they have cooled down. Congratulations, you just spent 3 days in your kitchen baking some goods that were gone within minutes! But when you see your loved ones’ face when they try these babies, you’ll only wish you made a bigger batch of these!
Je suis fascinée par tout ce qui touche, de près ou de loin, à la poolish. J’adore voir ce mélange de farine, d’eau et de levure se développer et donner des pains et autres pâtisseries sur pâtes levées bien plus aériens et moelleux que leur équivalent sans poolish. La poolish, c’est magique et quand j’ai découvert que Philippe Conticini avait fait des croissants sur poolish, il a bien sûr fallu que j’essaie.
Que dire du résultat ? Et bien que je troque ma recette de croissants traditionnelle pour celle-ci et qu’il n’y aura pas de retour en arrière. Le feuilletage se développe à merveille, on ne sent pas le goût de la levure et à en croire toute la famille, ils sont aussi bon qu’en boulangerie ! Résultat : on remet ça ce week-end. Ces croissants demandent beaucoup de patience puisqu’il faut faire la poolish la veille ou au 24h à l’avance. Mais le gros avantage de la poolish, c’est qu’on peut en faire plein d’avance et qu’elle se garde très longtemps. J’ai même une fois trouvé un site où la personne avait gardé sa poolish pendant plus d’un an. Donc si vous avez de la poolish d’avance, vous avez déjà gagné 24h
Ensuite on passe à la détrempe et là encore, il faut être patient puisque cette demoiselle repose au moins toute une nuit au réfrigérateur. Bref, vous l’aurez compris, on ne fait pas des croissants sur un coup de tête ; on planifie ses croissants et on attend un peu avant de dire qu’on est en train de faire des croissants car autrement, on a des tas de petites mains qui trainent et demandent sans arrêt quand ils seront prêts.
Après avoir laissé la détrempe reposer, on aplatit le beurre et là, je dois avouer que j’ai été soulagée de voir que Philippe Conticini utilisait du beurre mou (et non pas du beurre froid, à la même température que la pâte), ce qui a grandement facilité ma tâche d’étalage ! On donne des tours à la pâte. Autant qu’on veut. J’aime bien en donner 6 pour avoir un beau feuilletage, mais on peut s’en tenir à trois si on manque vraiment de patience.
Enfin, il faut façonner, laisser encore pousser, cuire et déguster. J’ai essayé de faire un fourrage aux amandes pour mes croissants. Je ne voulais pas de la crème aux amandes habituelle, pleine de beurre et de sucre, sachant que le croissant n’est déjà pas très léger. J’ai donc opté pour une crème à base de dates et d’amandes et franchement, c’était largement suffisant. Les croissants étaient moelleux et la crème très gouteuse. On ne peut pas l’appeler crème amandine car elle n’y ressemble ni de près, ni de loin, mais on peut tout de même appeler ça croissant aux amandes je suppose.
La recette est longue, elle demande de la patience, mais elle en vaut la peine !
Croissants sur poolish et crème aux amandes – pour environ 16 croissants
Poolish :
- 70 g de farine
- 65 g de lait (ou 70 g d’eau)
- 5 g de levure déshydratée
Détrempe et tourrage :
- 340 g de farine T45
- 55 g de sucre semoule
- 100 g d’eau (ou de lait si vous avez utilisé de l’eau dans le poolish)
- 85 g de beurre
- 8 g de sel
- 200 g de beurre pour le tourrage (Philippe Conticini en utilise 250 g mais avec 200g, on a aussi des croissants très moelleux et moins gras)
- 1 jaune d’œuf dilué pour la dorrure
Crème aux amandes :
- 10 dattes fraiches
- un peu d’eau
- 70 g d’amandes en poudre
La crème aux amandes est très simple à préparer : il suffit de mixer les dates avec un peu d’eau jusqu’à obtenir un sirop. On fait ensuite réduire ce sirop pour concentrer les saveurs. Dans un bol, on mélange la poudre d’amande avec 70 g de sirop de dattes et le tour est joué. Le reste du sirop se conserve environ 2 mois au réfrigérateur et peu remplacer le sucre dans la pâtisserie.
1. Préparer la poolish : dans un saladier, mélanger tous les ingrédients jusqu’à obtenir une pâte homogène. Laisser ensuite la poolish lever une heure à température ambiante, recouvert d’un torchon. Couvrir d’un film plastique et laisser au réfrigérateur au moins 24 heures.
2. Préparer la détrempe : dans un saladier, verser la poolish, la farine, le sucre, le sel et le beurre. Mélanger les ingrédients ensemble : vous allez obtenir une pâte très sableuse. Ajouter l’eau à la pâte jusqu’à ce qu’elle devienne homogène (il est probable que vous ayez besoin de plus d’eau ou de moins d’eau selon la farine que vous utilisez, l’humidité du jour). Laisser cette pâte reposer 30 minutes puis malaxer à nouveau. Envelopper dans du papier film et la laisser reposer toute une nuit au réfrigérateur.
3. Tourrer la pâte à croissant : le lendemain, sortez le beurre et donnez lui la forme d’un carré. Etaler la détrempe en rectangle dont la longueur fera un peu plus du double de celle du carré et la largeur un peu plus large que celle du carré de beurre. Placer ce carré sur l’une des moitiés du rectangle de pâte et replier la seconde moitié par dessus. Bien souder les bords et étaler à nouveau la pâte en un rectangle. Plier la partie inférieure du rectangle jusqu’à la moitié. Faire de même avec la moitié supérieure afin que les deux extrémités se retrouvent bout à bout. Plier en deux le résultat obtenu : on est censé observer ici 4 couches de pâtes. Envelopper cette pâte dans du papier film et la laisser reposer 2 heures au réfrigérateur.
4. Au bout de deux heures, sortir la pâte. Elle doit normalement avoir la forme d’un rectangle assez long. Etaler la pâte dans le sens de ce rectangle : on aura ainsi donné un quart de tour à la pâte. Il ne faut pas étaler la pâte trop finement : entre 6 mm et 1 cm d’épaisseur. Reprendre le même schéma de pliage qu’à l’étape précédente, envelopper la pâte et laisser encore reposer 1 heure au réfrigérateur. Répéter cette opération autant de fois que vous voudrez donner de tours à la pâte.
5. Façonner les croissants : étaler la pâte sur une épaisseur de 4 mm environ. A l’aide d’un couteau bien aiguisé, découper des triangles dans la pâte. Si vous voulez fourrer les croissants, étaler un peu de crème aux amandes à la base du triangle. Rouler le croissant et le disposer sur une plaque de cuisson recouverte d’un papier sulfuriser, pointe en dessous (sinon elle va remonter en cuisant). Continuer jusqu’à épuisement de la pâte mais attention, on ne fait pas une boule de pâte avec les restes qu’on étale à nouveau car le feuilletage ne pourra pas se développer. Donc logiquement, il y aura quelques croissants un peu déformés sur la fin.
6. Laisser pousser les croissants au moins 2 h ou toute la nuit au frigo si on veut des croissants pour le petit déjeuner. Préchauffer le four à 220-230°. Dorer les croissants avec le jaune d’œuf dilué dans de l’eau en faisant bien attention à ne pas en mettre sur le feuilletage, seulement sur le dessus. Enfourner pour 15 minutes puis laisser refroidir et déguster.
Homemade bagel with creamy avocado, apples and walnuts // Bagels comme à New-York garnis à la crème d’avocat, aux pommes et aux noix
Trying a simple life. Something I’ve been thinking of for a long time now. I thought it might help me. A lot. Being les stressed, less of a maximalist and more of a minimalist. Sorting out my life, my things, my stuffs, trying to make convenient choices. I don’t want to label myself under a category. Already being a vegetarian is hard to explain and to have people understanding. They think you’re a weirdo: “because meat is sooo good”. Well, I don’t appreciate meat. So why should I bother eating it?
And fish? Well, I don’t fancy fish. I recently discovered all the benefits of a plant-based diet. I still eat yogurts and dairies, but I try to replace them with plant based ones (and then it’s not dairies anymore, is it?). I eat eggs from time to time, but again, not my cup of tea. I can’t say that I’m a true vegetarian, because I don’t have a problem eating something that has “touched the meat”. It’s ok. Of course, I’m against mistreatments on animals. Of course, I like to know where the animal based food comes and how it was obtained. But I don’t freak out if I can’t eat the food that I love to eat.
Back to being under a label: well, I think that’s stupid. Saying that you’re a vegetarian can help people when they invite you over and ask if there’s anything you like or not. It can help people who read you understanding some of your cooking choices. But that’s where it ends for me. Now that I’m trying to “de-clutter” as minimalists say, I’m afraid I’ll fall under a new label and be criticized for not respecting it. So just that you are being warned, I don’t claim being a minimalist or someone following strictly the simple living way of life. I’m just trying it and for right now, it’s enough for me.
If you have any advice on how to live your life simpler, please, feel free to comment. I would love to hear about other people’s experiences.
Now, about my recipe. It’s a very simple recipe. It’s not gluten free but I’m sure there are tons of delicious gluten free bagel recipes out there. All you need is patience, simple pantry ingredients and a blender or a hand mixer. Simple, right? It’s a fresh recipe that I was inspired to cook since here spring is back. I know, some countries are still under snow, like my Father in Philadelphia. They had a snowstorm on Thursday and are living under cold and freezing weather. Anyways, I was happy to eat this bagel and drink a fresh iced tea with it.
The original bagel recipe comes from The sophisticated gourmet’s blog.
Bagels – makes 8 medium size
- 2 Teaspoons active dry yeast
- ½ cup oat flour
- 1 + ½ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 + ½ cup wheat flour
- 1 + ½ cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon agave syrup
- 2 Teaspoons salt
- Topping of your choice
1. In ½ cup of the warm water, pour in the agave syrup and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture, until it all dissolves in the water.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.
3. Pour half of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. Depending on where you live, you may need to add anywhere from a couple tablespoons to about ¼ cup of water. You want to result in a moist and firm dough after you have mixed it.
4. On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and stiff dough.
5. Let the dough rise for one hour or until it has doubled size in a mixing bowl covered with a damp dish towel. Then punch the dough down and let rest 10 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape them into a ball. Take each ball and press it gently against the countertop. Then press 2 fingers in the center of each ball and make a circle that should be about 1/3 of the bagel diameter. Place each bagel on a floured cooking sheet and let sit for 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile preheat your oven at 425°F (220°C) and boil a pot of water with ¼ cup baking soda. Boil each bagel for 1 to 2 minutes per side and transfer them to a lightly oiled or floured baking sheet. You can pick this moment to top your bagels with anything of your choice. I picked poppy seeds for mine but sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or even pumpkin seeds will do as well.
8. Bake your bagel for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool on a wire rack before using them. They keep for 2-3 days in a plastic box. You can also freeze them for 3-4 month.
Creamy avocado filing (for 2 to 3 bagels) :
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ a lemon juice
- 1 Teaspoon tahin (sesame seed butter)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Teaspoon dried garlic or 1 fresh garlic clove.
Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until you obtain a creamy avocado sauce (this part of the recipe literally takes 5 minutes).
Final step:
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- A few walnuts, chopped
1. Halve the bagel and toast it in the toaster or under the grill of your oven.
2. Spread 1 to 2 large tablespoons creamy avocado sauce on the bottom side of the bagel. Top with sliced apple and chopped walnuts. You can spread both sides with the creamy avocado sauce if you wish to.
Essayer une vie simple. C’est une chose à laquelle je pense depuis un bon moment. Je pense que ça me ferait du bien. Etre moins stressée, être moins maximaliste et plus minimaliste. Faire un tris dans ma vie, mes affaires, mes activités ; essayer de faire des choix pour ne garder que le nécessaire. Il n’est bien sûr pas question de tomber sous une nouvelle étiquette. Les concepts de « simple living » et de « minimalist living » ayant beau être à la mode ces derniers temps, je ne veux pas me catégoriser et me dire que j’appartiens définitivement à l’un d’entre eux. Etre végétarien est déjà suffisamment difficile à expliquer et à faire comprendre aux gens qui ne comprennent pas pourquoi je ne partage pas leur point de vue puisque « la viande, c’est tellement bon ». Je n’apprécie plus la viande comme avant, et alors ? Quant au poisson, cela ne me fait plus envie. Et puis j’ai découvert les bénéfices sur ma vie d’un régime à base de plantes. Je mange toujours des yaourts et autres produits laitiers, mais j’essaye de les remplacer par leur alternative végétale dès que je peux. Il m’arrive aussi de manger un œuf de temps en temps, mais encore une fois, je ne courre pas après. Je ne peux pas dire que je sois une végétarienne pure et dure. Ça ne me gêne pas de manger un légume qui a été cuisiné avec de la viande. Bien sûr, je suis contre les mauvais traitements sur les animaux, et c’est ce qui me pousse à consommer de façon plus réfléchie. Mais ça s’arrête là.
De retour à nos moutons, je disais donc que je ne veux pas de nouvelle étiquette : je trouve ça inutile. Dire que l’on est végétarien peut aider lorsque les gens qui vous invite vous demande si il y a quelque chose que vous ne mangez pas. Cela peut aider aussi les lecteurs de ce blog à comprendre certains de mes choix culinaires. Mais c’est ici que s’arrête l’étiquette pour moi. Maintenant que j’essaye de faire un peu le vide autour de moi, j’ai peur de tomber sous une catégorie, de voir les gens penser que j’entre dans une mode pour la suivre à 100% alors que je refuse moi-même de dire que je la suis. Je veux donc mettre els choses au clair : je me contente d’essayer et de faire des expériences pour savoir si ce style de vie pourrait me convenir. Et c’est bien suffisant pour moi pour le moment.
En revanche, si vous avez des conseils, n’hésitez pas, je suis prête à les suivre !!
Concernant la recette maintenant… Bref, essais minimalistes obligent, il me fallait une recette simple, facile et rapide. Pour les bagel, je me suis inspirée de la recette du blog SophisticatedGourmet (blog en anglais) dont j’ai un peu arrangé les proportions de farine et d’eau. Pour la garniture, je voulais quelque chose de vrai et de vegan. Les beaux jours sont de retour et le soleil qu’il y avait dehors me donnait plus envie d’en profiter que de rester des heures à cuisiner. Les bagels peuvent se faire à l’avance et la garniture ne prend pas plus de 10 minutes à être cuisinée et intégrée dans le petit pain. Alors voilà une recette toute simple et impromptue de bagel frais et vegan, 100% naturels et sains.
Bagels – pour 8 bagels de taille moyenne
- 1 sachet de levure déshydratée
- 50 g de farine d’avoine
- 225 g de farine de blé complet
- 225 g de farine de blé type 55
- 375 mL d’eau tiède
- 1 cuillère à soupe de sirop d’agave
- 2 cuillères à café de sel
- Petites graines pour le dessus
1. Réhydrater la levure dans 75 mL d’eau tiède avec le sirop d’agave. Ne pas mélanger au départ, attendre 5 minutes, puis mélanger jusqu’à ce que la levure soit bien dissoute.
2. Dans un saladier, mélanger les farines et le sel. Creuser un puits et ajouter le mélange eau, sirop, levure. Commencer à mélanger puis ajouter petit à petit l’eau. Il est probable que vous n’ayez pas besoin de tout ou au contraire, que vous ayez besoin d’en ajouter un peu.
3. Couvrir la pâte et la laisser gonfler une heure ou jusqu’à ce qu’elle ait doublé de volume. Dégazer la pâte puis la laisser reposer 10 minutes de plus.
4. Diviser la pâte en 8 et former des boules avec. Aplatir chaque morceau sur le plan de travail légèrement fariné puis, avec deux doigts trempés dans la farine. Faire un trou au milieu du bagel. Le trou devra faire à peu près 1/3 du diamètre du bagel. Laisser reposer 10 minutes les bagels sur une plaque farinée.
5. Préchauffer le four à 220° et porter à ébullition une casserole d’eau avec 30 g de bicarbonate de soude. Pocher les bagel un par un ou deux par deux pendant 1 minute de chaque côté. Déposer ensuite chaque bagel sur une plaque de cuisson farinée ou légèrement huilée. C’est à ce moment-là que l’on peut les garnir de petites graines (graines de pavot pour moi) de son choix.
6. Enfourner pendant 15 à 20 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient dorés puis laisser refroidir sur une grille avant de les garnir. Il est possible de les conserver 2 à 3 jours à l’abris de l’humidité ou de les congeler pour prolonger leur conservation pendant 3 à 4 mois.
Garniture à l’avocat – pour 2 à 3 bagels :
- 1 avocat bien mûr
- Le jus d’un demi citron
- 1 cuillère à café de Tahin (crème de sésame)
- 1 cuillère à soupe d’huile d’olive
- Sel et poivre du moulin à votre convenance.
Mettre tous les ingrédients dans un blender et mixer jusqu’à obtenir une sauce crémeuse. Réserver.
Garniture finale :
- 1 pomme finement tranchée
- Quelques noix concassées
1. Couper le bagel en 2 et le faire toaster au grille pain ou sous le grill du four.
2. Tartiner l’une des faces (ou bien les deux) du bagel avec 2 à 3 cuillères à soupe de crème à l’avocat. Ajouter les tranches de pommes et les noix, mettre le dessus du bagel par-dessus et déguster avec un thé glacé maison.
Scones, scones, scones and forever scones // Scones un jour, scones toujours.
I had promised it, here it is, THE scones recipe: soft, puffed and delicious, here are some scones you’ll remember. My first time eating scones was on a school trip to Scotland. Since then, I kept a very specific memory of their taste. I love scones and I don’t recall ever refusing one when they were proposed to me.
Then, I had the chance to taste some savory scones at the Bapz, that French tea room I had talked to you about in my article about my zucchini pie.
These scones are different from the regular ones. I changed some ingredients and made them gluten free. But they still are some delicate cake to eat during Tea time or for breakfast, whatever suits you!
Mini heart-shaped scones – makes about 30
- 250 g (2 cups) all purpose gluten free flour or 100g corn starch (or any starch you like), 50g quinoa flour, 50 g sweet rice flour and 50 g oat flour
- 65 g unsalted butter, soft (if you make this recipe with wheat flour, only 55 g of butter will be needed)
- 10 g baking powder
- 20 g muscovado sugar
- 1 egg + 1 yolk for brushing
- 150 mL milk
- Pinch of salt
1. Preheat your oven at 350°F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Add butter and egg and mix until dough is crumbly.
4. Add milk and mix until sough is homogeneous. Add more flour if dough is too sticky and more milk if it remains too crumbly.
5. Spread dough and use a cookie cutter to make scones. Make sure dough is quite thick or the scones won’t rise and will be crumbly after baking.
6. Transfer scones on a baking trail lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg yolk and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
Je vous l’avais promise, et bien la voilà, LA recette des scones : tout moelleux, bien gonflés et bien sûr délicieux er gourmands, voilà des scones dont on se souviendra. La première fois que j’ai mangé des scones remonte à un voyage scolaire en Ecosse. J’ai gardé depuis un souvenir très exact de ces petites viennoiseries que les Anglais mangent avec de la crème et de la confiture. Les scones faits maisons restent bien sûr les meilleurs et mes préférés.
Par la suite, j’ai pu à nouveau goûter des scones, mais cette fois, salés, au Bapz (oui oui, j’en ai déjà parlé dans cet article sur la tarte à la courgette). Donc si par hasard vous habitez à Toulouse, foncez au Bapz !
Même si ces scones ne sont pas comme ceux que j’ai mangé en Ecosse car j’y ai apporté quelques modifications, ils n’en demeurent pas moins une petite gourmandise délicate et idéale lors d’un Tea Time qui se respecte ou même au petit déjeuner. Sur ce, bonne dégustation.
Mini scones en forme de cœurs – environ 30
- 250 g de farine sans gluten (mélange que l’on peut trouver dans le commerce) ou 100 g de fécule de mais (ou autre fécule), 50 g de farine de quinoa, 50 g de farine de riz et 50 g de farine d’avoine.
- 1 sachet de levure chimique
- 65 g de beurre doux ramolli (si vous choisissez de faire cette recette avec de la farine de blé, n’utilisez que 55 g de beurre)
- 20 g de sucre muscovado
- 1 œuf et un jaune pour dorer
- 150 mL de lait
- Une pincée de sel
1. Préchauffer le four à 180°, chaleur tournante.
2. Dans un saladier, mélanger la farine, la levure, le sucre et le sel.
3. Ajouter le beurre et l’œuf puis mélanger jusqu’à ce que la pâte devienne sableuse.
4. Ajouter le lait et mélanger à nouveau pour obtenir une pâte bien homogène. Si la pâte est trop sableuse, ajouter du lait et si elle est trop collante, rajouter de la farine de riz, de quinoa ou d’avoine.
5. Etaler la pâte à la main sur un plan fariné et découper les scones (il vaut mieux éviter d’avoir une pâte trop fine car les scones ne monteront pas et resteront sableux après cuisson).
6. Transférer les scones sur une plaque de cuisson recouverte de papier sulfurisé et les dorer au jaune d’œuf.
7. Enfourner 10 à 15 minutes et déguster encore tièdes.
The ultimate (vegan) banana pie // Tarte à la banane et aux agrumes (végétalienne)
Just a quick recipe because I haven’t had much time lately. But this. I had to share it with you. I baked it as a dessert on Valentine’s day with these cute scones. This pie is vegan and you can make it gluten free. The pictures are taken with a whole wheat crust but it tastes as good with a gluten free crust. Hope you enjoy it. You can try adding a bit of vanilla, it makes it even better!
Vegan banana pie – serves 6
For the crust:
- 80 g sugar
- 80 g coconut oil in liquid form
- Juice and zest of half to one blood orange
- 250 g whole wheat flour but you can make this crust gluten free if you replace the wheat flour by a mix of quinoa flour (50g), almond flour (50g), corn starch (100g) and oat flour (50g).
- 1 egg or 1 Tbs chia seeds mixed with 3 Tbs water
For the filing:
- 4 large bananas (but you can use more if you want to)
- 2 TbS musovado sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 TbS coconut oil
Preheat your oven at 350°F.
Prepare the crust. Combine flour, sugar and zest together. Add coconut oil and mix until crumbly. Add egg or chia seeds and mix until dough is homogeneous. If it’s too dry, add more oil and if it’s too sticky, add more flour. Set for 15 minutes in the fridge. So far, note that you can freeze this dough wrapped in parchment paper for 3 months.
Peel the bananas and cut them in slices. Set in a bowl. Combine sugar, oil and lemon juice together and pour into banana bowl.
Spread dough and place it in a pie pan. Use a fork to make holes in the crust. Add the banana mix and bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
Une petite recette en exprès car le temps est compté en ce moment. Mais il fallait que je partage cette tarte. Je l'ai faite en dessert pour la Saint Valentin, le même jour que j'ai cuisiné ces scones sans gluten. Vous pouvez ajouter de la vanille dans la pâte et dans la garniture, ce n'en sera que meilleur.
Tarte à la banane et aux agrumes – pour 6 personnes
Pâte à tarte :
- 80 g de sucre
- 80 g d’huile de noix de coco
- Jus et zeste d’une demie à une orange sanguine
- 250 g de farine de blé type 150. Il est possible de faire cette pâte sans gluten en remplaçant la farine de blé par 50 g de farine de quinoa, 50 g de poudre d’amande, 100g de fécule de maïs et 50 g de farine d’avoine.
- 1 œuf battu ou une CàS de graines de chia mélangées à 3 CàS d’eau
Garniture :
- 4 belles bananes mais vous pouvez en ajouter tant que vous voulez
- 2 CàS de sucre muscovado
- Le jus d’un citron
- 2 CàS d’huile de noix de coco
Préchauffer le four à 180°C.
Préparer la pâte. Dans un saladier, mélanger la farine, le sucre et le zest d’orange. Ajouter l’huile de noix de coco et mélanger jusqu’à ce que la pâte soit friable. Ajouter l’œuf battu ou les graines de chia. Mélanger jusqu’à obtenir une belle boule homogène. Si la pâte est encore trop friable, ajouter de l’huile de noix de coco et si elle est trop collante, ajouter de la farine. Réserver 15 minutes au réfrigérateur.
Préparer la garniture. Peler les bananes et les couper en rondelles. Réserver dans un bol. Mélanger à part le sucre muscovado, le jus de citron et l’huile de noix de coco. Verser ce mélange liquide dans les bananes.
Etaler la pâte et foncer un moule à tarte avec. Piquer la pâte à l’aide d’une fourchette. Disposer les bananes et enfourner pour 20 à 30 min.
A winter Granola against frozen winter mornings // Un muesli croustillant pour les matins gelés d’hiver
This is the final act. This is the finals. My blog is entering the last stage of best food blog awards by the French magazine Marie-Claire Idées. I’m a bit nervous. I don’t expect to win for this year. But at least I will have done it. If I do not win for this year, I’ll take the challenge again next year. Because it was a good challenge. It helped me working hard on my blog posts, it helped me thinking my way through cooking and it helped me pushing my limits.
This whole thing proved me that I love this: cooking and shooting. Creating dishes for other people and writing blog posts. Even though this year has been a very busy year so far, I’m still looking forward to feeding this blog with recipes. I always think each thing that I cook as a likely-to-end-on-the-blog recipe.
I created this granola recipe because, if it wasn’t obvious yet, I love granola. Seriously, I could eat the entire jar just in one breakfast. Granola is crunchy, sweet, flavourful and full of surprises. And it’s healthy. Granola has everything for me to love it. Lately, I have been obsessed with tea-based granola recipe. I realized that you can actually cook a lot of pastries with tea. And one of my other obsessions in life is tea. Not any tea. The good teas only (seriously, I must have at least 20 different kinds of tea at home currently). I can’t step into a tea shop and leave it empty handed.
So I combined these two obsessions and created this granola. I picked a Christmas tea and added cinnamon and chocolate to have a hearty and wintery granola. It feels so good to eat it with a cup of plain yogurt, some fresh fruits and a big cup of tea after a morning workout outside in the cold, freezing winter.
Christmas tea flavoured Granola
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup poppy seeds
- 1 cup mixed seeds
- 1 orange zest
- 1 TbS ground cinnamon
- ½ cup over infused Christmas tea (I infused mine for 15 minutes)
- ¼ cup agave or maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- White chocolate chunks (as much as you want)
- Raisins (as much as you want)
1. Preheat your oven at 400°F (200°C).
2. Combine rolled oats, poppy seeds, mixed seeds, raisins, orange zest and cinnamon in a bowl.
3. Add Christmas tea, coconut oil and syrup. Mix and add more rolled oats if the mixture is too wet or more tea if it’s too dry.
4. Line a baking trail with parchment paper and lay granola on baking trail. Bake for 15 minutes and turn granola after 7-8 min.
5. Wait until granola has completely cooled down to break it and add chocolate chunks.
6. Store in an airtight glass jar for a month.
C’est la fin. C’est la finale. Le blog entre enfin dans la dernière phase du concours du meilleur blog culinaire organisé par Marie Claire Idées (et d’ailleurs, je compte sur vos votes). Je stresse un peu, il faut l’avouer. Même si je n’espère pas gagner, au moins je l’ai fait. Je suis allée jusqu’au bout et je recommencerai. Ce concours m’a aidé à me concentrer sur la qualité de mes posts et à travailler sur mon blog, à repousser mes limites et à toujours plus cuisiner.
Tout ça m’a prouvé que j’aime cuisiner et prendre des photos. Créer des plats et préparer mes posts. Même si cette année est chargée et que je passe plus de temps à travailler qu’à cuisiner et photographier, je ne peux pas m’empêcher de penser à chacune de mes création comme étant susceptible d’atterrir sur le blog.
Quant à ce granola (ou muesli croustillant), je l’ai inventé parce que, comme si c’était pas assez évident comme ça, j’adore le granola. Je serais capable de manger le paquet entier en un petit déjeuner si ma conscience ne me retenait pas. Le granola maison, c’est bon. C’est juste sucré ce qu’il faut, croustillant, plein de parfums et de surprises. On y met ce qu’on trouve au fond du placard, quelques graines, des raisins secs, un trait de sirop d’érable et c’est parti !
Récemment, j’ai découvert les recettes de granola à base de thé. Mon deuxième grand amour dans la vie (je dois avoir au moins 20 variétés différentes à la maison, sans compter tout ce qui reste chez mes parents…).
J’ai mélangé mes deux passions et j’en suis arrivée à cette recette, idéale pour le matin, quand on a été courir dans le froid. Avec un thé de Noël, de la cannelle et du chocolat blanc, j’ai trouvé ce qui fait mon bonheur quand j’ai besoin de réconfort. Idéal avec un bol de yaourt, des fruits frais et bien sûr, une tasse de thé !
Muesli croustillant au thé de Noël
- 2 cups de flocons d’avoines
- ½ cup de graines de pavot
- 1 cup de graines mélangées
- Le zeste d'une orange
- 1 CàS de cannelle moulue
- ½ cup de thé de Noël très infusé (compter au moins 15 minutes d’infusion)
- ¼ cup de sirop d’agave ou de sirop d’érable
- ¼ cup d’huile de noix de coco
- Chocolat blanc à volonté
- Raisins secs à volonté
1. Préchauffer le four à 200° C.
2. Dans un saladier, mélanger les flocons d’avoine, les graines, le zeste d’orange, la cannelle et les raisins secs.
3. Ajouter le thé, le sirop d’agave et l’huile de noix de coco. Bien mélanger. Si le mélange est trop compact, ajouter des flocons d’avoine. Si il est trop sec, ajouter un peu de thé.
4. Etaler le granola sur une plaque de cuisson recouverte de papier sulfurisé et enfourner pendant 15 minutes en remuant le granola à mi-cuisson.
5. Attendre le complet refroidissement pour casser les pépites et les mélanger au chocolat blanc.
6. Conserver dans un bocal avec un couvercle hermétique pendant un mois.
A vegan epiphany cake (et un peu de français dans cette vie!!!)
Pour le français c'est un peu plus bas!!
I know, epiphany was a whiiiiile ago. Yeah, I know that. And I also know that I didn’t write or post a single article for… a while as well. Thing is, I was very busy with Christmas and my exams. But now that this is all done, I can come back to my baby and take care of it.
Epiphany in France is a very famous holiday. We always eat the traditional “galette des rois “ (or epiphany cake if you prefer. My favorite one is the brioche cake with chocolate chips or candied fruits.
I wanted to share with you a vegan recipe for this cake that I created and made at least 5 times in the last 2 weeks. The nice thing with brioche is that you can give it the shape you want to and transform it into a breakfast treat or a nice after school snack.
Also, I am so proud to announce that all of my articles will now be in both French and English (yeah!) so that all of my French followers can come on the blog for other things than the pictures!
Vegan epiphany cake – serves 8
- 360 g whole wheat flour (or 100 g quinoa flour, 100 g oat four, 100 g corn starch and 60 g sweet rice flour for a gluten free alternative)
- 5 g dried yeast or 25 g fresh yeast
- 100 mL rice milk
- 50 g grape seed oil
- 30 g agave syrup
- 1 Tablespoon chia seeds mixed in 3 tablespoon hot water
- Candied fruits or 75 g chocolate chips
Directions:
- Combine yeast and flour in a mixing bowl. Set.
- Combine rice milk, grape seed oil, agave syrup and chia seeds in another bowl.
- Transfer liquid ingredients into dried ones and mix until dough is homogeneous
- Knead dough for 5-10 minutes and let rise for 2-3 hours.
- If you are making the gluten free brioche, preheat your oven at 400°F. Add chocolate chips to dough or shape it into a crown. Transfer it onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, brush it with a bit of rice milk and top it with rock candy and candied fruits. Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool.
- If you are making the regular brioche, add chocolate ships (optional) and shape dough into a crown and transfer it onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Let rise for 30-60 minutes.
- Preheat your oven at 400°F.
- Brush brioche with rice milk and top with rock sugar and candied fruits (optional).
- Bake for 15-20 minutes and let cool before eating!
Une brioche des rois vegan
Alors, oui, l’épiphanie, c’est passé, je sais, et alors ? Oui et je sais aussi que je n’ai rien écrit ou posté sur ce blog (ni même ailleurs) depuis … un bon moment. Et alors ? J’ai été très occupée par Noël et mes examens mais maintenant que le rush de décembre est passé, je peux à nouveau me consacrer à cet endroit.
Au moment de fêter les rois, ma galette préférée est celle en forme de couronne, avec une pâte briochée recouverte de fruits confits. Je ne suis pas une grande fan de frangipanne et entre nous, c’est tant mieux car faire une frangipane végétalienne est une tâche bien plus difficile que de faire une brioche végétalienne.
C’est d’ailleurs la recette du jour. J’ai dû faire cette brioche végétalienne au moins5 fois ces deux dernières semaines donc je me suis dit que je pouvais la poster sans trop de risques ! Cette brioche peut aussi être adaptée pour les gens non végétaliens en remplaçant les graines de chia dans l’eau par un œuf et en remplaçant l’huile par du beurre et le lait de riz par du lait de vache (entier pour les gourmands, écrémé pour les femmes au régime).
Brioche des rois végétalienne
- 360 g de farine complète (ou 100 g de farine de quinoa, 100 g de farine d’avoine, 100 g de fécule de maïs et 60 g de farine de riz pour la recette sans gluten)
- 5 g de levure sèche ou 25 g de levure fraiche
- 100 mL de lai de riz
- 30 g de sirop d’agave
- 50 g d’huile de pépins de raisin
- 1 CàS de graines de chia mélangées à 3 cuillères à soupe d’eau
- 75 g de pépites de chocolat ou fruits confits
Etapes :
- Dans un saladier, mélanger la levure et la farine
- Dans un bol à part, mélanger le reste des ingrédients.
- Verser le mélange liquide dans le mélange sec et malaxer jusqu’à obtenir une pâte homogène.
- Travailler la pâte pendant 5 à 10 minutes puis laisser lever 2 à 3 heures (la pâte doit avoir doublé de volume).
-
- Si vous faites la brioche sans gluten, arrivé à ce stade, préchauffer votre four à 200°, dégazer la pâte puis incorporer les pépites de chocolat (facultatif) et lui donner une forme de couronne. La disposer sur une plaque de cuisson recouverte d’un papier sulfurisé. Dorer la galette avec un peu de lait de riz et ajouter des pépites de sucre et des fruits confits (facultatif). Enfourner pour 15 à 20 minutes puis laisser refroidir.
- Si vous faites la brioche traditionnelle, dégazer la pâte, incorporer les pépites de chocolat (facultatif) puis lui donner une forme de couronne. Disposer la galette sur une plaque de cuisson recouverte d’un papier sulfurisé puis laisser lever pour 30 à 60 minutes supplémentaires.
- Préchauffer votre four à 200°.
- Dorer la couronne avec un peu de lait de riz, la décorer avec du sucre et des fruits confits puis enfourner pour 15 à 20 min. Laisser refroidir et déguster !
Welcome to our very first Christmas tree trimming party. This is collaboration from across many miles. From Canada, the United States to India and France. It is with great pleasure that we invite you to enjoy our selection of Christmas recipes. You will find recipes for breakfast, appetizer, dinner and dessert. You cannot go wrong with a vast selection like this.
My name is Sarah and I’m the French one here ;-) I am delighted and excited and very happy to be part of this Christmas! I blog at The Cook who Photographed and I recently switched my diet to a vegetarian one. I invent recipes, which are mostly vegan or vegetarian and gluten free. I try to feed myself with healthy organic foods, home grown or local grown foods. I study intellectual property law along with being a food photographer. I love cooking too and all I wish is to communicate my passion for good and healthy food. I come from France, a country where food photography is not as popular as it is overseas. I work with Stock Food and maybe some day, I’ll be able to host workshops and feed my family thanks to my passion.
You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Tumblr (pretty much everywhere).
Please enjoy this link to my gluten free, dairy free Christmas Breakfast.
thecookwhophotographedinenglish.tumblr.com
Hi I am Anu and my blog is www.easybitesonline.com . Although our beliefs are different, we as a family definitely enjoy the holiday season and Christmas day. As soon as lights go up in the neighborhood, the festive spirit and anticipation of the celebration begins! My daughters love decorating the Christmas tree, writing to Santa and await eagerly for their presents. My younger daughter who is 6 for sure believes in Santa and insists on placing a snack and a carrot in the kitchen ready for his visit :) There have been times when either myself or my husband are at work and therefore don't get to become involved with any happenings. If otherwise however, we tend to invite friends over for dinner, since our families live in India.
My dishes I'm presenting here are - vegan, gluten-free beverage and dessert - Persimmon Banana Smoothie and a Raw Persimmon Tart. I am so excited to be sharing this with you all. Determining the dishes which had to be vegan and gluten-free was a challenge, however I do hope you will enjoy my dishes. Merry Christmas to you all! Let the party begin!
Hello, I am Jayashree from India. I am extremly happy to be part of this party again. Thank you Cherie Chalmers for bringing these events. I am a foodie and I love cooking and trying my hand at new dishes. Its been four years since I started my writing journey. After writing on various sites, I now have my own website www.evergreendishes.com I also write poetry and a few poems have been published.
Hi, my name is Laurie Barrie and I have been gluten free all my life. I am a wife, mom, and grandma and love cooking up yummy recipes in my kitchen. I am sharing an appetizer and a dessert for your holiday delight. My first offering is gluten & dairy free honey teriyaki meatballs in the shape of a Christmas tree and my second is a gluten & dairy free dark chocolate cupcake with candy cane whipped frosting. Please stop by my blog at http://www.glutenfreeyummy.com and stay a while. Life's too short to eat bad food, so let's cook up something yummy!
Merry Christmas my name is Cherie and I blog at www.cheriesforgetmenots.com. I welcome you to our Christmas Tree Trimming party. I have organized this post for all of us as I love Christmas and I am very excited to share our recipes with you. I had plans for more recipes but life got in the way, so my contribution is gluten and dairy free Mint Christmas Tree Meringues and a Chocolate Mint & Raspberry Deconstructed Pavlova Parfaits. As I sit here enjoying my own tree I wish you many memories while you put up your own. Some traditions are just so important to our lives
Thank you for joining us this Christmas; I am sure we will be back at a later date in the new year for another special event in our lives. Are you looking for recipes for your Christmas Dinner. Please check out our collaboration from Thanksgiving at the following link.
My gluten free and dairy free Christmas breakfast or how to feel allergy free on the day Jesus was born
Christmas… My favorite time of the year. For this second group blog post – the first one is right here - I want to share with you a recipe, not any recipe, but THE recipe. First of all, let me introduce my sister Elsa and I favorite breakfast: pancakes and crêpes. We love them both and I remember my sister being 4 year-old and eating more pancakes than every one around the breakfast table. She has calmed down now. But still. The idea of pancakes or crêpes always gets her rushing in the kitchen, begging our mother to have the first one or the last one (we all know I am talking about the ugly ones, the first one being the one we fry to make sure the dough has a proper consistency and that the frying pan is hot enough and the last one being the one we fry with the dough leftovers, always having an ugly shape but still being kids’ (and bigger kids too) favorite one).
When I knew I would be part of a group blog post for the second time, I felt excited but felt a lack of inspiration. I had absolutely no idea what I would cook or bake. And then, I remembered. Cooking is what I like and I cook according to my cravings. I always listen to my stomach so that I am going to make a dish which meets my palate’s needs of the moment. Last week, as I was coming back from University, tired and exhausted, I decided to make crêpes.
Crêpes are so comforting. I love them. When I was younger, I mastered the art of having her cooking batches of them almost every Sunday night during wintertime. As I moved to go to college, I had to face the fact that even though I loved cooking and was quite good at it for some dishes, I was total wreck when it came to frying my own crêpes. The dough was not a problem at all. But the frying part… My first tries at frying crêpes were disastrous. I wasted 80% of the dough and just had a couple ugly and too thick crêpes to eat. Pancakes were way easier for me to fry. But with a bit of trying, I finally learned how to properly fry a crêpe.
Now, most French people will tell you that if there are to be crêpes or pancakes, there must be Nutella around (or at least, my dear cousin Camille for whom I cooked one the first dishes on this blog). Well, believe it or not, I hate Nutella. Or at least, the real one. I love Nocciolata however. But these things are quite unhealthy. So I decided that on this special occasion I would cook my own chocolate spread. This spread has a Christmas taste thanks to the cinnamon and ginger that I added in the end. I love these spices so much that I use them pretty much everyday. The best thing with spices is that they bring your body a lot of good things and are delicious.
But enough talking. Let me give you the recipes!
How to make your own candied orange peel (DIY)
Ingredients:
- 1 orange, peeled (keep the flesh, it will be useful for the pancakes)
- Sugar
- Water
Steps:
Cut orange peels in slices. Throw in a pan.
Fill pan with cold water. Turn on the heat and wait until water is boiling. Strain peels and repeat this step 2 more times. Its purpose is to prevent the candied oranges to be too bitter.
Weigh peels and add as much sugar as weigh indicated on the scale.
Cover with cold water.
Place over medium heat and wait for small bubbles to appear.
Reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook until peels become translucent. It can take up to one hour.
Let slices cool down in their syrup and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Gluten free and dairy free orange and coconut pancakes
Ingredients:
- 200 g all purpose gluten free flour
- 6 g baking powder
- 1 egg
- 125 mL orange juice
- 125 mL coconut milk (note that you can increase or decrease the liquid amounts according to your tastes).
- 1 TbS coconut sugar (you can replace it with any sweetener but this one gives a special taste to the pancakes)
- Candied orange slices to taste
Steps:
Cut candied orange in cubes. Reserve.
Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Add egg and half of coconut milk and of orange juice. Whisk together and add rest of liquids according to your taste.
Let dough rest for 1 hour in fridge.
Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.
Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.
Gluten free and dairy free white chocolate spread
Ingredients – makes two jars.
- 1 cup skinned hazelnuts (you can also use simple hazelnuts with their skin as I did if you want a more rustic looking like spread)
- 1 cup cashew nuts
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup white chocolate
- Candied orange to taste
- Cinnamon and other spiced to taste
Steps:
Cut candied oranges in squares. Reserve.
Heat a frying pan over high heat. Roast hazelnuts and cashew nuts until golden. Add 1 cup water and keep stirring for a minute.
Transfer nuts to a stand blender and add remaining cup of water. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous nut puree.
Transfer to a bowl. Add white chocolate and spices. Stir well and finally add candied oranges. Store in glass jars and keep in the fridge.
Notes:
You can turn this breakfast recipe into a great Christmas desert. All you have to do is make crêpes instead if pancakes. To make crêpes, simply combine 3 eggs with 250 g all purpose gluten free flour, 250 mL coconut milk and 250 mL orange juice. Let the dough rest for one or more hours in fridge. Then fry your crêpes. Once you have about 15-20 crêpes, start spreading some white chocolate spread on once. Add one crêpe on top of the first one and spread some more white chocolate spread on it. Repeat until you run out of crêpes. Don’t spread any white chocolate spread on top of the last one. Instead, spread some chopped nuts and melt a bit of white chocolate with water. Pour it over your crêpe cake and you have a wonderful and tasteful allergy free Christmas dessert!
You can use store bought candied oranges.
Make sure you use organic oranges because pesticides concentrate on the skin of the fruits.
Chocolate, almonds and apple buns – for the love of Fall
I love Fall, I love its warm colors, they make me happy. As I open the curtains of my room in the morning, I enjoy drinking my cup of tea watching the show of the leaves turning in the wind. I feel lucky that even though I live in town, trees surround our apartment. Nantes is a great city: it is full of parks and green places. There are trees and bushes and flowers everywhere.
I baked these buns last weekend. I was tired after spending 8 hours working on the same law topic. I felt like I needed a break and when it happens, I have two options: going out jogging or baking. It was raining cats and dogs last Saturday so I chose to bake. Baking has the power of calming me down. My mind is totally focused on the recipe, on proportions, on timing, on creation. Baking has the power of making me forget my troubles.
I baked these buns because I wanted something with an apple and chocolate filling. Also, almonds give a nice taste to a Fall treat and are full of proteins, which is important in a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Makes about 15 buns
- 300 g flour
- 5 g desiccated yeast or 25 g fresh yeast
- 100 mL plant milk (if vegan) or regular cow milk
- 2 TbS muscovado sugar
- 50 g butter (or vegan shortening)
- 1 small apple
- 1 TbS cacao powder (unsweetened chocolate)
- 50 g almond flour
- 1 TbS agave syrup
- 10 dates, soaked in water
Steps:
Combine together yeast and milk. Let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add flour and sugar. Mix well and add butter or shortening to dough. Knead dough, adding more flour if needed (the amount of flour will depend on the kind of flour you are using. If you use whole flours, you might need a bit less flour than if you use regular flour. Why? Because whole flours absorb more liquid than regular white flour).
Cover and let dough rest for one hour.
In the meantime, prepare the filing. Shred the apple in a bowl. Add cacao and almond flour. Stir well. Cut dates in tiny pieces and transfer to apple-chocolate-almond filing. Add agave syrup and stir. Keep in fridge until dough is ready.
When dough has rest and swollen, transfer to a dusted table. Dust flour and spread into a rectangle shape. Spread filing on dough and roll it. Cut buns and lay on a baking trail lined with parchment paper. If you know how to make knots with your buns, you can do as well and send me a message to tell me how you do it. Because my knots are horrible. At least, my buns look rustic.
Let buns rest for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven at 390°F (200°C) and bake for 15 minutes. You can glaze buns with egg yolks (non vegan recipe) or water before baking.
Banana sourdough – a healthier vegan alternative to the traditional banana bread
I think this family has a banana addiction. For newbies here, I live with my Uncle and Aunt for my studies. We buy bananas all the time. One of my cousins is totally in love with them and the two others share the addiction too. And my Aunt… If it weren’t for her diet (she follows the chrono nutrition rules), she would be eating bananas everyday as well. On weekends however, no one is on a diet. Weekends are cheat days and everyone eats whatever they fancy eating. It’s also on weekends that I bake.
A few weeks ago, we had extra overripe bananas. No one would eat them and I didn’t want to throw them away. So I decided to bake. But not anything, I wanted banana bread. I wanted to bake something that would feel comforting but since I have troubles eating unhealthy foods, I wanted my banana bread to be healthy. I had some sourdough in my fridge. Then I knew exactly what I would be baking. A banana sourdough bread.
This sourdough bread is really sweet, with a nice banana taste, of course, but also well balanced because it has very few sugar. It was gone within the weekend here. I just had the time to shoot it and eaten it was!
Makes one big loaf.
Sourdough starter:
- 5 g desiccated yeast or 25 g fresh yeast
- 100 g flour
- 100 mL water
Tip: you can make more sourdough and keep it in your fridge for up to a month even though I heard of people keeping it up to a year.
Banana sourdough:
- 400 g flour
- 200 g sourdough starter
- 3 large overripe bananas (or about 350g)
- 1 TbS agave syrup (or any other syrup)
- 1 TbS coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 TbS Rum (optional)
- 50 g desiccated coconut flakes
- 50 mL plant or nut milk (you can use regular milk if you don’t bake any vegan sourdough)
- 1 vanilla pod
- The juice of one lemon
Steps:
Prepare the sourdough: combine all ingredients in a bowl and whip until dough is homogeneous. Transfer to a glass jar and let rest in the fridge for 12-24 hours (though I highly recommend waiting for 24 hours before using the sourdough).
Prepare the sourdough bread: press the lemon juice in a bowl. Add rum, sugar, syrup and vanilla (halve the pod and scrape the vanilla grains with a knife). Give it a stir. Use a fork to puree the banana into that same mixing bowl. The liquid it contains will help a lot.
In another bowl, pour sourdough starter. Add 200 g flour and mix. Add banana puree, desiccated coconut and plant milk. Stir well.
Add remaining flour and stir again. At this point, your dough must be quite sticky but not too liquid. If you find it too liquid, just add more flour until you get the consistency of sticky bread dough.
Cover and let dough rest for one hour or more.
Add a bit more flour to dough, mix it and use your fingers to transfer it to loaf pan. I used a Silicone Loaf Pan so I didn’t have to grease it. If you use a regular baking tin, grease it or cover it with parchment paper.
Let dough rest for 30 more minutes.
Preheat the oven at 390°F (200°C). When ready, dust banana bread top with flour and bake it for 20 minutes (it has to be brown and well swollen) and leave it in the oven for 20 more minutes.
Transfer sourdough on a grill until completely cooled. This sourdough bread can be frozen or eaten right away. It keeps up to 4 days, wrapped in a tea towel.
I’m going to give you a few ideas of DIY Christmas presents in the upcoming posts. I particularly love this homemade scrub. It smells so good that you’d almost eat it instead of scrubbing yourself with it. Also, the smell has the power to bring you on a trip on an island. I love to use it after a long day when I’m tired and in need of comfort. I usually like to apply a bit of coconut oil on the scrubbed parts of my skin after that. Coconut oil has a lot of great properties:
It’s full of Vitamin E, which is essential for healthy skin growth, repair of wear and tear on the skin, keeping skin smooth and protecting against cracking. It also prevents premature aging and wrinkles. Thus, coconut oil can be used in homemade anti aging cream.
It’s full of Proteins. The proteins in coconut oil keep the skin healthy and rejuvenated, both internally and externally. Proteins, as does vitamin E, contribute to cellular health and tissue repair. Coconut oil will help those with a diet that is deficient in proteins having a nice skin. These people are more likely to develop obvious scars. That process will be stopped by the use of coconut oil.
Coconut oil also does not get rancid, unlike many other oils.
Using coconut oil in an exfoliant product will help scrape off excess dead skin and clean out whatever substances have blocked the pores without leaving the skin irritated. So why wait? I hope that, as me, coconut oil will be your best friend this winter!
Also, lemon is awesome for your skin:
If you have acne, lemon can help a lot healing it. It also is great for blackheads removal.
Lemon juice lightens dark spots and blemishes thanks to its citric acid.
Lemon can help getting rid of oily skin.
This coconut and lemon scrub is definitely a must have for this winter. Scrubbing your skin is really important if you want to maintain it healthy and beautiful. Sometimes, it can be expensive to buy super sophisticated scrubs. But the best scrubs are the one you’ll make at home. This scrub is inexpensive, super easy to do and lasts for 3 month so if you plan on making your gifts ahead or simply need to pamper yourself, just rush to your kitchen. Because this is the place where the magic happens. No need for weird objects chemists use. All you’ll need is a spoon, a bowl, a container and ingredients.
You can find coconut oil in many stores nowadays or online at amazon.com. Viva Labs Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is pretty good to use: As for lemon essential oil, you can also find it online. I like using this Lemon 100% Pure Therapeutic Essential Oil.
These ingredients may look expensive at first, but you’ll need so very few of them that they will last forever.
Recipe for Coconut and lemon scrub:
- 1 TbS coconut oil
- 5 drops lemon oil
- 100 g granulated sugar
- Zest of half of a lemon
Melt coconut oil in microwave (just a few seconds).
Using a Microplane shredder or any thin shredder, shred lemon zest in a bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
Add coconut oils and lemon drops. Stir well and store in a glass container. Don’t forget to label it and to write the date so that you remember when you made it and be sure it’s still good to use.
This post is a bit different from all other posts. It's an introduction post to an autumn harvest dinner to which I participated. I'll let you scroll down to read more and visit the different blogs for the recipes. Some have wonderful pictures :-)
Welcome to our AutumnHarvestDinner#.
You are going to enjoy the wonderful contributions from my fellow blog friends. This is truly a dinner from across the miles, with bloggers from sunny L.A., and the Bay Area of California, Saginaw Michigan, Idaho, India, France, and British Columbia Canada.
We look forward to having you join us in the venture that we have worked on for the past month. We hope you enjoy the beautiful dishes, the story of each of us, and the beautiful photography that brings it all together. We hope you enjoy our complete meal that all seven of us have been working on together. We will start out with a beautiful tablescape just perfect for you and your guests. Nothing makes a meal taste better than being seated at a carefully created place setting. You will enjoy the varied components of our meal, and finish with a warm and cozy dessert. Thank you for joining us, we hope you enjoy our first virtual dinner. We look forward to hearing from those of you who enjoy this creative meal.
Autumn Harvest Tablescape:
Hi my name is Sandra Garth. I design tablescapes as well as dessert buffets. I've been a cake decorator for over 25 years and also enjoy styling parties. It's a pleasure to meet you. I used warm autumn colors for this table that could easily last for the season. It's fancy enough for a holiday and casual enough for everyday. The napkins and stemware could easily be swapped out if you become bored with the setting.
http://www.aroundmytable.com/?p=2414
Gluten and Dairy Free Honey-Oat Rolls
Hi all, my name is Laurie Barrie and I blog about all things gluten-free. I was diagnosed gluten intolerant at the age of two, so consider yourself somewhat lucky, there was really nothing edible on the market for the past 40 years! I chose to create a dinner roll recipe because everyone used to ooh & awe about my grandmother's rolls that I could never eat. I think she would have approved of my gluten & dairy-free Honey-Oat Rolls.
My blog name is http://www.glutenfreeyummy.com.
I am delighted and excited and very happy to be part of this Autumn Harvest collaboration! My name is Sarah and I’m the French one here ;-) Since I also cooked a red Kuri squash and carrot pie for this Autumn Harvest collaboration, I suggest that you scroll down a bit if you would like to read more about me J
Main Course: Gluten Free Stuffed Pork Roast with a side of Crispy Roast Potatoes
Welcome to our Autumn Harvest Virtual Dinner Party. My name is Cherie and I blog at www.cheriesforgetmenots.com. I have been blogging about a year and a half and am always learning new things as I go. I have a very restricted diet that I follow to help improve my health so I started blogging so that I could share my journey to good health and wellness. I have been diagnosed with celiac disease and also with multiple food allergies. This makes eating out very challenging so for me there is nothing better than a safely prepared home cooked meal. I usually end up having a salad when I am out as it is hard getting food that is not cross contaminated (but that is a blog by itself). In Autumn I find we start to cook comfort food again after a summer of light meals from the barbeque and garden. My contribution to this virtual dinner is gluten free stuffed pork roast and a side of crispy roasted potatoes. The stuffing is a blend of spinach, dates, apple, red onion and gluten free bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon? Welcome and I hope you enjoy!
Main Course: Gluten Free Stuffed Pork Roast with a side of Crispy Roast Potatoes
Salad: Fall Harvest Roasted Pear, Walnut and Kale Salad
I’m the Page in the food blog, Tasting Page, and I have the good fortune of working out of sunny Los Angeles where we have access to a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables all year round. I try and eat food that grows from the ground, instead of ingredients that come out of a box or off an assembly line. While fall in LA may not bringing much of a change of season, there is still a subtle shift as nights turn a little cooler and vegetables turn warmer to pumpkins and squash. I especially love when pears come into season. They’re so versatile. I like them in a morning smoothie, stuffed in a pie, or here I roasted them with just a little honey to round out a kale salad tossed with beautiful red walnuts. Enjoy during your Thanksgiving or fall celebration. For more real food recipes, connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.
I’m delighted to be part of this Autumn Harvest collaboration. I’m Sarah and I blog at The Cook who Photographed. I invent recipes, which are mostly vegan or vegetarian and gluten free. I try to feed myself with healthy organic foods, home grown or local grown foods and I never eat meat. I study intellectual property law along with being a food photographer. I love cooking too and all I wish is to communicate my passion for good and healthy food. I come from France, a country where food photography is not as popular as it is overseas. I work with Stock Food and maybe some day, I’ll be able to host workshops and feed my family thanks to my passion.
You can follow me onFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Tumblr (pretty much everywhere).
Come and visit my blog. And don’t forget to feedback
Spinach is one of the healthiest foods mentioned by the world health foods. It is rich in antioxidants and a store house of nutrients. It consists of Vitamin K, Vitamin A, manganese, iron and Vitamins B2 and B6. One needs to include it on a regular basis in their diet.
About me:
My name is Jayashree and I am an enthusiastic food blogger and recipe builder. I also writes articles, short stories and poems. My recipes can be read on www.evergreendishes.com.
I believe in living life to the fulles and am happily married. I live with my family in India.
Gluten Free Giant Pumpkin Skillet Cookie with Icing & Caramel Drizzle
I am really excited to be a part of this Autumn Harvest collaboration. My name is Sandi and I blog over at Fearless Dining. My blog is all about gluten free recipes and safe dining. I started my blog because I was tired of getting sick when I dined out. Most doctors’ offices just don't give you much detail about how to live gluten free and I had no idea how dangerous cross contamination could be. I started to call around to Bay Area restaurants and asked lots of questions about how they handle gluten free orders. Within just a few months, I had built up a database of over 645 Bay Area restaurants' safe gluten handling procedures. I would love to connect via Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or Instagram.
We really hope you have enjoyed our progressive dinner and hope you will join us again. We are thinking about our next group blog with something pertaining to Christmas. We are so glad you have joined us in reading our heartfelt menu. Thank you from
Cherie, Sandi, Sandra, Kelly, Laurie, Jayashree, and Sarah
In closing I would like to add a quote that I liked that just seems like it is perfect for a fall dinner party.
It’s probably one of the times of the year that I love the most. That time when hot and dry sunny days let place to cold and windy autumn days. I love looking at the trees turning red, losing their leaves and watching them fly in the wind. I love going outside and then, have the privilege to drink hot black tea, sitting on my bed wrapped in warm covers and wearing baggy sweaters.
I love the smells of Fall. I love the smell of pumpkin spices, I love the smell of warm soups cooking slowly, I love the smell of hot coco, and the smell of warm houses (yes, houses smell different every season).
One of my favorite food in autumn and winter are squashes. All of them. Every time I bump into a new kind, I don’t take the time to think and buy it right away, already wondering how I could cook it.
I created a post for a group blog post. It will be posted on my blog in a couple of weeks. Waiting for it, I wanted to share with you my recipe for vegan pumpkin pie. This recipe uses very few sugar and very few fats so besides being a nice Thanksgiving treat, it’s also great for your health. I like to bake it with fresh ginger because its taste is stronger. However, if you only happen to have dried ginger, it’s fine, your pie will be as good as with fresh one.
Serves 4-6
25 g corn starch
25 g buckwheat flour
50 g oat flour
¼ ts baking soda
1 TbS olive oil
1 ts canola oil
8 mL water
1 small red kuri squash
3 TbS maple syrup
3 TbS muscovado sugar (optional)
1 TbS ground cinnamon
1 TbS fresh ginger, shredded
1 TbS pumpkin spice
¼ tonka bean, grounded
Zest of 1 lemon
Chopped nuts to top
Prepare the crust:
Combine flours and soda in a mixing bowl.
Add oils and water and mix until dough is homogeneous, not sticky and not crumbly. Add more oat flour or water if necessary.
Set in the fridge.
Prepare the filling:
Halve red kuri squash and remove seeds with a spoon. Cut it in squares and cook it in boiling water until tender.
Use a hand blender to puree it with a bit of cooking water.
Combine spices, sugar, lemon zest and maple syrup and add to red kuri squash puree.
Mix well.
Assemble the pie:
Preheat oven at 350 °F (180°C)
Spread evenly crust on a sheet of parchment paper.
