Quick Summer Treats—Vegan

I really enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with different vegan ingredients, and that often results in super delicious dishes and desserts.

Here, I’d like to share one of my recipes with you every now and then—ones you can make quickly and easily. You usually only need a few ingredients. First up is my favorite dessert—in different variations. I haven’t met anyone yet who didn’t like it.

If you have your OWN recipes that fit this theme, feel free to share them here with others.

My favorite dessert: Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Ingredients:

1 can of coconut milk
100 g cashews
4–5 heaping teaspoons of cocoa powder
3–4 slightly heaping teaspoons of birch sugar (also suitable for diabetics)
a little vanilla 
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (if desired)

Preparation:

Blend all ingredients in a blender for about 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth and slightly frothy. Then pour into dessert bowls and place in the refrigerator. After about 4–5 hours, the mixture will be set and ready to serve.

Fruit Dessert Without Cooking

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
100 g cashews
1 cup any fruit you like - for example cherries, bananas, peaches, berries, etc. 
2 slightly heaping tsp birch sugar - only for tart fruits (also suitable for diabetics)
a little vanilla 

Preparation:

Cut half of the fruit into small pieces - these will be stirred in at the end. Blend all the remaining ingredients in a blender for about 1 minute. 

Then pour into dessert bowls and pop them in the fridge. After about 4-5 hours, the mixture will be firm and ready to serve.


Variations (also possible for the chocolate mousse)...

..as ice cream:
Put it in the freezer for about 1 hour and then take it out. The mixture should be firm, but not too hard. You’ll need to try it out for yourself.

... as a cake topping:
For this, bake a cake base in a springform pan, let it cool in the pan, and pour the mixture over it. Put the whole cake pan in the fridge for a few hours until the mixture is firm.

Thank you so much—I’ll give it a try :-).

A quick note: For once, the cake batter here is NOT vegan! I still use organic eggs for this.

Today, I made a strawberry dessert in little bowls using the recipe above. I’ll also share a very quick and easy sponge cake recipe here that I’ve been using for a long time.

First, I made the batter and divided it into small bowls. The advantage of this is that you can make small batches of tartlets; the rest goes in the fridge or gets frozen. The two glass bowls, for example, are sealed and placed in the freezer. Here, I’ve prepared 3 small bowls. After baking and cooling, top with strawberries (or other fruit) and then spread the cream (see recipe above) on top. Then place the bowls in the fridge. After about 2–3 hours, they’re ready to serve.

The recipe for the quick sponge cake fruit base (makes enough for one baking sheet or two cake layers)

• 2 tbsp oil
• 80–100 g birch sugar
• a little vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp vinegar (I use raspberry vinegar)

Beat these ingredients until fluffy.

• Then add 150 g fine whole-grain spelt flour
• and 1 packet of baking powder 

. The batter is relatively runny and should be spread thinly into the (greased) pans. It will rise to about twice its original volume.

Bake at 200 degrees (convection 180) for 15–20 minutes on the middle rack. Baking time may vary slightly depending on your oven. You don’t need to preheat the oven. It works great this way, too.

It’s really quick and tastes absolutely delicious!

Here are my photos from today’s baking session:


Just out of the oven



With strawberries and cream—now they’re in the fridge

Vegan and gluten-free cookies made with no sugar at all


I used the Thermomix for this recipe. But it will surely also work in another blender or with an immersion blender. A great recipe, also suitable as a sweet snack for children. We always keep them on hand. 

Ingredients:

• 60-70 g dates 
• approx. 200 g bananas (2 pieces)
• 100 g finely ground oats - alternatively rolled oats
• 200 g “flour substitute” of your choice and personal preference - e.g. ground millet, amaranth, nuts, almonds, or coconut flour, etc.
• 80-90 g liquid coconut oil

Preparation:

• Cut the dates into small pieces or, in the Thermomix, 10 sec/speed 5
• Then add the bananas in pieces and, in the Thermomix, another 10 sec/speed 5
• Add the ground oats and the “flour substitute” as well as the coconut oil and mix again for 
  10 sec/speed 5

Proceed similarly in a blender, but choose a low setting here.

Baking:
Use 2 teaspoons to place small mounds on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake at 180 degrees for approx. 20-25 min. No preheating is needed. The cookies should be lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Of course, everyone is welcome to share their own delicious recipes here too, as long as they fit the topic. I have another quick one that I just made.

If you have bananas left over, they can be very ripe too.

Banana Popsicles

Cut the bananas in half and insert a wooden stick into the thicker end. Then place them in a container and freeze.

Before thawing, melt some couverture chocolate (I use dark couverture). Then dip the cold banana in it and roll it in shredded coconut, ground nuts, or muesli. Everyone can choose whatever they like.

Your kids will love these too. They’re inexpensive, healthier than store-bought ice cream, and taste absolutely delicious. I’ll add photos as soon as I freeze some again.

Here are some photos of the chocolate mousse. It’s just as firm and fluffy as the “regular” kind. Super delicious! It was our Sunday dessert today.

My recipe for a vegan Parmesan alternative—quick and easy

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews (DO NOT soak beforehand!)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt (I use Himalayan salt)

Grind everything finely in a blender for a few seconds. It should still be a bit crumbly.
It tastes delicious on pasta, for example, but also on other dishes.
I only use it raw. Since it doesn’t melt, I don’t bake it into dishes—instead, I sprinkle it on a pizza only after it’s already baked.

This vegan alternative stays fresh for a while when stored in a cool, dry place. In our house, though, it gets eaten up quickly.

Here’s a photo

So today I’ll show you my first beet salad with raw beet (not vegan)



Recipe for the salad:Peel 1 beet and cut it into small cubes1 tsp. horseradish2 tbsp. sour creamSalt, pepper, and parsley 

When it comes to vegetables, I’m not exactly a successful gardener; flowers do better for me, but I had luck with the beets and both grew well.



Thanks, Petra, for the salad recipe. That sounds great. I’ll make it with vegan oat cream. I’m sure it’ll be just as delicious.

This is what a small cake with the chocolate mousse (see above) looks like. I added fresh cherries into it. In the fridge, the cake set nicely overnight, so I was able to slice it easily. It was super delicious!

For the bottom, I prebaked a thin cake base and then put the filling on top after it had cooled. That worked very well in my special pan. It has a glass bottom and the rim is made of silicone. The rim came off very easily, and the cake can stay on the glass.

This cake will delight everyone!

Monika, your cake looks absolutely delicious. I hope you have nice weather on the patio so you can enjoy it in the sunshine. 

Thanks, Petra! Yes, I think we’ll be able to enjoy the rest on the patio today. I hope you have a lovely Whit Monday.

I highly recommend this to all fans of quick summer recipes. Today I made the chocolate mousse ice cream—it turned out great after just 1 hour in the freezer.