Bo's Kitchen

Plant based recipes made with love

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Raspberry choc chip muffins

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raspberry chocolate chip vegan chia muffins

This week it was sunny almost every day, I managed to get a tan! Sadly, the sunshine didn’t last all week. As soon as Friday came, so did the rain, which only meant one thing- baking! Although I really enjoy sunning myself in the garden, I love nothing more than a day snuggled up in the house, with time to myself to try some new recipes, experiment with different flavours and indulge my culinary desires (usually in the form of lots of cooking shows and my favourite newspaper for inspiration). I set to work on these muffins as soon as I woke up on Saturday morning. The result is a soft, moist muffin that is light, tangy with raspberries and gorgeously chocolatey. Just perfect with a large Americano.

A lot of vegan muffin or cupcake recipes can be dry or dense, so I tried to make these as moist as possible with more than one type of egg replacer, which seemed to do the trick. I’ve been hibernating by myself all weekend and have almost finished the whole batch to myself. They are still as soft today as they were yesterday, so this recipe is definitely a keeper! They’re also vegan, refined sugar free and can easily be adapted to be gluten free.

Raspberry choc chip muffins (makes 10)

  • 2 chia eggs (mix 2bsp chia with 6tbsp water) (I use Organic Burst’s ethically sourced, organic chia)
  • 2 medium ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup plant based mylk
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (sub gluten free if you wish)
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (can sub gluten free oats)
  • 1/2 cup choc chips
  • 1 cup raspberries
  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and grease your muffin tin.
  2. Prepare your chia eggs in a large bowl and set aside for a few minutes. Mix really well with a fork until no big lumps of chia remain.
  3. Mix plant based mylk and cider vinegar in a small bowl.  This will curdle in a minute or two to form vegan buttermilk.
  4. To your chia egg, add bananas and coconut sugar. Mash together with a fork until a few lumps remain, you don’t want it totally smooth. Now add the buttermilk. Stir briefly to incorporate.
  5. Add vanilla and coconut oil and stir again.
  6. Add baking soda, sea salt, flour and oats to the wet mix and stir until just combined. Fold through choc chips and 3/4 cup raspberries.
  7. Divide batter between your prepared muffin tin, I fill them to the top which makes 10 but you can make 12 smaller muffins if you prefer- just fill them 3/4 of the way to the top.
  8. Sprinkle a few choc chips and your remaining 1/4 cup of raspberries on top and bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden.  Let cool for a few minutes and then remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack. These will store well in a covered container at room temperature for several days.

raspberry vegan muffins with chocolate chip

Beet cucumber and avo maki

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beet cucumber and avocado maki

Sushi is the perfect light summer meal. I love making a batch and snacking on it through the day, it never leaves me too full. It’s actually really easy to make, all you need is a sushi rolling mat, which you can pick up at your local supermarket. The beautiful vibrant pink comes from a little beetroot juice, but you can of course leave it out, or use other natural colourings, turmeric for yellow, red cabbage for purple or spinach for green. I love the earthiness of beetroot mixed with rice wine vinegar though, it really works well with the creamy avocado and refreshing cucumber.

I’ve tried to make the instructions on rolling sushi as simple as possible, but if like me, you prefer to look at pictures, there’s a great diagram here. Next time I will take more pictures I promise!

I was kindly gifted these gorgeous knives by Edge of Belgravia recently (best gift ever, thank you lovely knife people) and they have quickly become my new favourite kitchen toys. Super sharp and incredibly slick, they make slicing, chopping and dicing a sheer pleasure. You really do need a sharp knife to cut sushi, so I definitely recommend checking out these knife sets if you’re in need of one, they’re very reasonably priced for the quality.

Beet, cucumber and avo maki (makes 3 rolls, at least 18 pieces of sushi)

  • 1 cup sushi rice
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp coconut sugar (or any other sugar you have)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3-5 tbsp pure beetroot juice
  • 3 nori sheets
  • 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin, even strips
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced as above
  • Black sesame seeds (optional)
  1. Rinse sushi rice well under cool, running water until most of the starch is removed (the water should run fairly clear when it’s ready).
  2. Mix rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a little bowl.
  3. Add sushi rice and water to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and put the lid on. Leave to cook for 8 minutes. Check to see if all the water has been absorbed, if not, cook for a few more minutes.
  4. When your rice is ready, immediately stir through your vinegar, sugar and salt mix and add 3 tbsp of beetroot juice. If you want it pinker, add some more beetroot juice. Allow to cool to room temperature before using.
  5. Lay out your nori sheet according to the packet instructions (usually shiny side down) on a sushi mat. Spread a third of the rice on 2/3 of the nori sheet, working from the edge closest to you. Be sure to spread the rice right to the sides. Take your time here.
  6. Layer your sliced veggies lengthways across the rice, about a third of the way in from the edge closest to you. Sprinkle the veggies with black sesame seeds, if using.
  7. Lift the edge closest to you and begin to tightly wrap the rolls all the way to the end, pushing down lightly on the sushi mat with each turn to help it stick together.
  8. Using the sharpest knife you have, chop each roll into inch rounds. Serve with wasabi and tamari soy sauce.

Aquafaba waffles with cashew cream

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peaches and cashew cream aquafaba wafflesAquafaba experiments have led me to these waffles. There’s a fair few aquafaba pancake recipes around online but I haven’t quite mastered them yet. I tried to switch up my trusty waffle recipe with aquafaba instead. Just save the liquid from a drained can of chickpeas (or kidney beans). You don’t even need to whip it, yet it still makes for the crispiest, lightest vegan waffles I have ever tried. I made a cashew cream to accompany the waffles, as I had a serious craving for peaches and cream! Oh and blueberries. Maybe a little maple syrup crept in there too…

The recipe below will make an extra big pot of cashew cream which you can keep in the fridge and add to overnight oats, pancakes, cookies, toast etc.

Cashew cream

  • 1 1/2 cup soaked, drained cashews, (soak overnight)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • Juice of lemon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water
  • 1 vanilla pod, deseeded
  1. Add all ingredients to a blender and process on high until smooth. Add a little more water if you need to, blending for a good 5-7 minutes until you have a smooth, glossy cashew cream. Store in the fridge for up to four days.

Waffles

 

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 cup plant based milk
  • 3 tbsp aquafaba
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  1. Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in bowl.
  2. Add milk, aquafaba and oil and whisk until smooth and runny.
  3. Brush your waffle iron with a little oil. Fill iron with batter and cook until crisp.
  4. Top with fresh fruit, maple syrup and cashew cream.

Blueberry buckwheat parfait

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blueberry buckwheat parfaitCreamy, sweet, filling and nutritious. These little blueberry beauties are sure to get your day off to a good start! If you don’t have any black currants, just sub them for more blueberries. These take less than five minutes to prepare, just remember to soak your cashews and buckwheat the night before. You do need some frozen bananas too, so don’t forget to pop a couple in the freezer! I always have a tonne pre frozen, I think I presume most people are as banana obsessed as I am.

Buckwheat is naturally gluten free (it’s actually from the rhubarb family) and full of fibre and B vitamins, meaning it’s a great addition to breakfast. It also contains tryptophan which is a natural anti depressant! Just one cup of buckwheat provides 25% of your RDA of tryptophan. It’s pretty awesome stuff.

Blueberries and blackcurrants are from a powerful family of blue fruits and veggies. Anything blessed with this beautiful colour helps fight inflammation in the body, boosts your immune system and contains anti cancer compounds. I’d love to know if you try this simple breakfast parfait!

Blueberry buckwheat parfait (makes 2 parfaits)

  • 3/4 cup buckwheat (soaked overnight in water, rinsed and drained)
  • 1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight in water, rinsed and drained)
  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup black currants
  • 1 tsp acai powder (optional)

Extra berries and mint for decorating (I used leftover brownie crumble too)

  1. Rinse your soaked buckwheat well, until the water runs clear and the sticky residue is removed. Rinse your cashews too.
  2. Add rinsed buckwheat, cashews, frozen bananas, vanilla extract and coconut milk to your blender and blend until smooth. You want it to be thick but pourable, so add a little water if you need to.
  3. Pour the mixture into your glasses until 3/4 full. To the remaining mix in the blender, add blueberries, black currants and acai powder and blend until smooth.
  4. Top up your jars with the purple mix and decorate with more berries, brownie crumble and mint.

Chocolate marzipan truffles

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chocolate marzipan trufflesChocolate and marzipan has to be one of my favourite flavour combinations, what a treat. I always used to have marzipan from the fridge when my Mum made wedding cakes (and icing too, oops). There was often a nice big chunk in there for decorating but I couldn’t help taking a little piece now and then (basically whenever I had the opportunity). I adore those marzipan bars you can buy in some health stores too, just a generous bar of marzipan, smothered in dark chocolate. Mmmmmm. I love the smell of it, almonds are so sweet and delicious. These babies are gluten free, refined sugar free and packed with healthy protein. You can omit the amaretto if you like, it just won’t taste as marzipan-y, is that a word?!

I got the basis for this recipe from the Lazy Cat Kitchen blog and in it Ania suggests tempering your chocolate, to get the ultimate snap and sheen to your little truffles. I’d never done it before, but now definitely recommend tempering for the best results. It wasn’t tricky, but you do need a thermometer- it’s all about using it at just the right temperature.

Chocolate marzipan truffles (makes 24 truffles)

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups almonds
  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup almond mylk
  • 10 tsp amaretto
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 250g vegan dark chocolate, broken into medium size pieces (use a sugar free dark chocolate bar to keep totally sugar free)
  • Small handful of almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
  1. Blend almonds and cashews together in your food processor until finely ground, to a flour.
  2. Add lemon zest, maple syrup, almond mylk, amaretto, lemon zest, sea salt and vanilla to a small bowl and whisk together.
  3. Slowly add the mix, little by little, to the blender and pulse until combined. The mixture should be sticking together with your fingers. Bring dough together with your fingers and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge.
  4. Slowly melt 150g of your chocolate in a bain-marie (a bowl gently heated over boiling water), being careful to keep the water away from your bowl of chocolate (water is the worst thing that could happen to your melted chocolate, be careful).
  5. When the chocolate has melted, take off the heat and gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to get things cooling. Chocolate fully melts at 46°C, but you want to cool it down to between 31 to 33°C. Add the remaining 100g of chocolate, this will increase the rate of the cooling process. Keep checking the temperature with your thermometer every five minutes or so.
  6. While the chocolate is cooling, take your marzipan dough out the fridge and make into balls. I made a tablespoon of dough per truffle. When the chocolate has reached the magical temperature of between 31 and 33°C, you’re ready to dip! Dunk your balls into the chocolate and leave to dry on a cooling rack.
  7. Put any remaining chocolate into a piping bag, or just drizzle on top of the truffles. Garnish with toasted chopped almonds. Try not to eat them all to yourself.

 

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Kiwi and lime chia popsicles

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kiwi and lime chia popsiclesCool down this summer with my kiwi and lime chia popsicles! They’re sweet and creamy but so healthy you can enjoy them for breakfast. Packed with energising chia seeds and healthy fats from the coconut and nut milk, you’ll get that nourishing, full up feeling without feeling sluggish. They’re the perfect zesty treat to liven up your day. I love the texture of frozen chia seeds in coconut milk, it’s such a fun way to try chia!
(Makes 10)
  • 1 3/4 cups coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup almond mylk (or other non dairy mylk)
  • 2 tbsp rice malt syrup
  • 2 limes, juiced and zested
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 pod, seeded
  • 1/4 cup Organic Burst chia seeds
  • 2 kiwis, thinly sliced (I used Zespri golden kiwi fruit)
1. Stir coconut milk, almond mylk, rice malt syrup, lime juice and zest, vanilla and chia seeds together. Mix really well to make sure there are no lumps. Leave to soak for at least 15 minutes.
2. Rub a tiny bit of rice malt syrup on your kiwi slices and stick inside your popsicle mould. Slowly pour in the chia pudding and set in the freezer for at least 3 hours.