Hi, Y'all!
Wie did our first steps in direction coffee shop, and in preparation I am busy experimenting with all different kinds of goodies... I don't wan't to spill all my beans, but if we manage to produce a barista quality plant-based milk, our café will be vegan. And my first attempts with oats, almonds and cashews were promising. I used the milk for our morning smoothies, but in the process of shredding, hydrating and filtering the nuts and oats, you get some pulp which is way too good to throw away or compost. Therefore, I put it into a simple bundt cake. It didn't rise as much as I hoped for, but the taste was very good and went very well with my tea.
But then IG made me do this: Bliss Balls!
The ones on top contain oatmilk pulp, oatmeal, shredded coconuts, ground almonds, dates, caramel syrup and tahini (that sesame paste you also need for hummus). Basically you mix everything together until you have the desired consistency, then form into balls and roll them in coconut flakes for example. Cool them and you're done! But be careful, they are rich in taste and energy - handle with care...
The ones below consist mainly of almond pulp, ground almonds, cocoa powder and dates - ground hazelnuts would go well, too, I guess. Instead I tried to roast whole hazelnuts, but underestimated my oven... But I could salvage some nuts and placed them in the center of each bliss ball. Offered them yesterday at our weekly extended family meeting and went home with empty plates. That says something, right?
Youtube lately came up with a funny idea - coffee bread! First one I made had room for improvement, but the second turned out pretty good:
But man does not live by bread alone, therefore I tested two spreads. Here comes number one:
You might guess, what was the inspiration... But the ingredients may surprise you because it wasn't based on hazelnuts but chickpeas! I roasted them and then blended them with cocoa powder and maple syrup. Texture is smooth, the spread is not overly sweet and most interestingly the taste of roasted chickpeas reminds slightly of coffee - like very much and will do again...
My neighbor Vicky inspired me to make the second spread, because she gifted my a glass of homemade lemon curd which was awfully delicious. So, the day before yesterday I tried some with oranges instead of lemons and cornstarch instead of eggs. Hubs was delighted! He put it on freshly baked bread, but you could easily spread it on pancakes, sponge cake or use as yogurt flavoring. Neverending options..
Hubby requested some burgers the other night, and thus I pulled out my burger bun recipe, substituted the butter with our self-made vegan butter and as an egg-alternative I mixed one tablespoon of chickpea flour with two tablespoons of water (psyllium husk works, too). Turned out wonderfully fluffy just as I wanted them to be.
I made the patties from chickpeas, tahini and loads of cumin - very yummy! A classic guacamole made from avocado, garlic, pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice was the perfect match. Potato wedges as side dish, and the hubs went straight to burger heaven :-)
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