Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

This weekend I made a split personality pumpkin pie--sweet and salty, GF and vegan. I took advantage of local autumn produce and used a fresh pumpkin to make. The only thing missing was whipped cream, but you can add it to yours...

Sweet and Salty Pumpkin Pie (original recipe from here)

to begin
* cut a small pumpkin in half, de-seed and fill halves with water
* place in oven for 45 minutes at 200C or until soft
* remove and cool

crust
while pumpkin bakes...
* food process 2+ cups of nuts/seeds until clumpy but not nut butter 
--> (I used a handful of mixed nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds from this pumpkin, coconut and flax)
* whisk together and add 1/4 c. honey or rice syrup + tbsp melted coconut oil to food processor
* add 1 C. GF oats (or you could probably use more nuts/seeds or some GF flour) +  1/2 tsp salt + 2 tbsp sugar
* process until doughy, press into pie pan, prick bottom of crust with fork a few times
* bake 10 minutes and let cool 
note: my crust was sticking to the pie tin when I served the pie so you could oil the tin first and maybe don't press the crust so firmly against the tin

filling
while the crust bakes...
* mix 3 tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 maple syrup or honey
* drain water off pumpkin halves
* puree enough of pumpkin w/skin on to make 2 & 1/4 c. puree
* mix puree, cornstarch + sweetener, 1/2 c. more sugar if want (but I think it was too sweet this way), 1/4 non-dairy milk, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves
* pour filling on top of crust, cover with foil and bake 50-55 minutes, let cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours (important for filling to "gel")

note: my filling didn't "gel" properly. I think because I used pumpkin and not "pumpkin-pie filling" from a can so it was more watery. If you use fresh pumpkin, then I suggest more cornstarch OR better yet, if you're not vegan or don't have roommates who won't eat eggs, USE EGGS!

roasted pumpkin seeds
* rinse off pumpkin goo, coat seeds in coconut oil, salt and add spices you like. This time I added paprika and curry. Bake along-side pie

Pizza in the mornin', pizza in the evenin', when it's pizza on potato, you can eat pizza anytime

I woke up this morning...with this song in my head and the video is winning for sure. 

Though I haven't completely eliminated gluten or grains, they don't have much of a presence in my diet so there is always a search toward more GF options. We had a bunch of potatoes from local gardens so I thought I'd see if a potato crust pizza worked out. I paired the pizza with some sweet corn ears and a vegan caesar salad. Check the recipes below for this late summer harvest meal!

potato crust pizza (flammkuchen style)

crust
* boil potatoes until soft but not falling apart, drain and cool
* once cooled, shred potatoes 
* mix shreds with some grated hard cheese like romano or parm if you're not vegan, otherwise skip it
* line baking sheet with baking paper then press mix into crust like shape
* bake crust at 450F/225C for 20-25 minutes
* let cool a bit before topping

toppings
* spread crème fraîche on crust
* top with sliced leeks and sun dried tomatoes (or bacon if you're a meat eater)
* pop that sucker in the oven at same temp for another 10-20 minutes

vegan caesar salad

dressing
* mix tahini, fresh grated garlic, dijon mustard, a couple spoons nutritional yeast, a bit of water, salt 
* toss into lettuce of choice (I used napa cabbage or what they call China cabbage in the European neck 'o' the woods), also seasonal 
* can top with croutons or crostinis and grated parm if you're not vegan

here's a harvest calendar to get an idea of what's seasonal for late summer!

You're such a tart!

The beautiful thing about living in a collective is that there is always a bounty of ingredients around. Yesterday morning all the ingredients to make a gluten-free tart were staring me in the face when I opened the fridge. The beets and zucchinis were from local gardens, and corn cobs are lining the grocery store produce aisles these days. My friend whom, I refer to as Badger, passed this gem along a couple years back. You can be a rebel and change ingredients any way you like but here's how I like to do it.

late summer harvest tart

* food process a mixture of nuts and seeds + mix with salt&rosemary + melted butter + a bit of water until dough-like
* press into a pie dish and bake for 20 minutes at about 350F/175C then cool
* while it bakes, carmelize leeks or onions and set aside
* shred beets and zucchini
* boiled corn, cut off the cob
* once pie crusts have cooled a bit, layer onions, zucchini, beets and goat cheese if you like
* bake for 30 minutes or until you consider it done, man

World's Best Hangover Cure

A couple of my roommates came home a little on the toasty side of things last night so I felt inspired to make them a hangover cure for breakfast. It's that time of year when zucchinis and root vegetables are ready for harvest so I used some new potatoes both purple and yellow and zucchini from local gardens to whip up these goodies!

zucchini Bread

2 cups flour of your choice

2 eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 cup sugar 

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

1/2 cup raisins and nuts if you like

mix and bake at 350F for an hour

hangover surprise

sliced potatoes topped with mayonnaise

shredded/crumbled cheese ( I used a mix of Danish stinky cheese and middle-eastern white crumbly fresh cheese)

rosemary, salt, pepper

homemade chili paste (garlic, oil, red chili pureed)

baked with bread at 350F for an hour

broiled grapefruit + shredded coconut

separate fruit from pith

place in over safe dish

top with coconut

broil/bake for 20 minutes

Spread Head

Beautiful day for a countryside ride...

Turns out Copenhagen is a good dumpster diving city and my roommates have brought home a goldmine of goodies lately. Here's what we've created...

vegan rucola beet pesto

* roast garlic and beets until soft

* toss into a food processor with two giant handfuls of arugula

* add a tbsp nutritional yeast

* add sunflower seeds

* add salt, pepper, and EVOO

* blend 'er up

creamy avocado sauce/spread

* puree avocado, carrots, turmeric, garlic, lemon juice or a dash of vinegar, 2 handfuls arugula and nutritional yeast if you like

* use as a spread or a sauce for veggie or real pasta

sundried tomato + scallion hummus

* puree chickpeas, scallions, sundrieds, curry paste, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, EVOO + water

vegan carrot tea cakes

* use 2 cups carrot/veggie/fruit pulp from juicer

* mix in 1 1/2 c. flour of your choice + 1/4 c. sweetener  of choice, tsp vanilla, 1/4 butter/ oil of choice, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp baking powder add milk, an egg, banana or water if you need moisture

* add raisins if you like

* bake in muffin tin or drop onto cookie sheet 

* 225C/400F for 20ish minutes

* let cool 10 minutes before eating

Happy riding!

Metal Monday!!

It's a rare occasion when you live with 5 people to have the house alone but today it's mine, all mine! What more could a girl ask for then to blast some metal and whip up some raw dessert goodies?! Chocolate trumps diamonds any day folks...

Here's to Monday!

                 choco peanut butter sandwiches

* place chocolate in double boiler and melt
* slice bananas and make a sandwich with two slices and peanut butter in between
* drizzle melted chocolate on top
* put in freezer
* after some time, reheat chocolate, flip frozen sandos and drizzle other side with chocolate
* put in freezer and enjoy as you wish!

                     cacao cashew creme truffles

* throw cashews and water into a food processor and blend until it makes a thick cream
* add cacao powder, vanilla and any other spices you like (I added cayenne)
* freeze
* after some time, take out of the freezer and use a spoon to scoop out the amount you want and roll into little balls
* roll in cinnamon, coconut, nuts or whatever your imagination can think up!
* store in freezer or fridge

date and nut rolls
* in a food processor add walnuts, coconut oil, dates or any other dried fruit you like (I like something sour to give it a kick like cherries or cranberries)
* once it's a paste, roll in coconut flakes and store in the fridge

What do you call nuts on a wall?

Walnuts!

Here's a little video from this weekend

Copenhagen has its annual Distortion electronic street music festival throughout the city and we had some friends come up from Deutschland to party on. I'm reaaaallly not a fan of most electronic music so for me the best part was people watching, spending time with friends and of course, food. 

Cambodian curry
* garlic + onions + ginger + pepperoni (thin red peppers)+ potatoes + carrots + aubergine all sauteed in a big pot
* throw in some red curry paste + a handful of kaffir lime leaves + fish sauce + boullion + lots of coconut milk
* simmer until potatoes are soft
* serve with basmati rice!

parsley pesto
* food process garlic + lots of fresh parsley + sunflower seeds + tomato sauce/paste/sundrieds/etc. + pepperoni's + oil + lemon juice + salt
* serve with German breakfast/brotzeit--homemade spelt bread, spreads, sliced veggies and fruit!

walnut butter
* food process walnuts + maple syrup + lime juice

healthnut cookies
* spelt flour + baking powder + baking soda + salt + cinnamon + vanilla + museli or oats + dried cranberries + raisins + choco chips + oil + water + egg replacer with flax seeds soaked in
* mix and bake on 175C/350F for 10-12 minutes

curried yellow lentils
* sautee garlic on medium heat
* after 2 minutes add ginger, pepperonis, mushrooms, zucchini 
* after another 2 minutes add lentils and sautee everything for a couple more minutes
* add green curry paste or self-made curry + can crushed tomatoes
* add chopped potatoes + diced fresh tomatoes + lots of chopped parsley
* add water and cook on low heat for an hour
* serve with brown rice