Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Desserts. Show all posts

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Vegan and sugar free chocolate mousse

 

I have decided to resurrect this Vegan recipe blog. I am not sure if it will go well or not. 

Why did I stop? I am certainly not making money since I only have google ads on so I make zero dollars! Nor I ask companies to sponsor me with products. 

And I got a bit tired of seeing my recipes copied here and there, often full text and photos (and spelling mistakes) without credits. Ok, when something is on the net you should let it go ... and things are going to get worse with rise in spambot traffic ... but somehow I felt that even if one more vegan recipe gets shared it is good for the world. 

Nope. Most of the vegans I seem to meet can't be bothered with cooking. Some even expect pre-pacaked ready to eat vegan meals, everywhere. 

Ok, it is fun to have a veggie burger now and then, but this thing of 'industrial food' is not exactly environmently friendly! I try not to buy process food, I make my own food. From scartch. 

And I hope that there are still vegans who cook out there.



 Raw, low carb and healthy. This dessert is so easy and delicious that I made it two days in a row, once with hazelnuts and once without. I'll share the basic recipe:

12 dates
a little water to cover the dates
1 heap tsp cocoa (I used Dutch cocoa)
half tsp vanilla essence
1 firm avocado
berries to decorate

Remove the stones from the dates and place in a nutribullet or blender and add enough water just to cover them. Soak for 20 minutes, then add cocoa (a real heap tsp of it) and vanilla. Blend. Add the avocado, sliced, and blend again. Divide into three serving bowls or glasses, top with berries (frozen ok) and refrigerate until serving time. Decorate with edible flowers if you like, I used Alyssum here. If you want to add hazelnuts you will need about 8, toasted and grounded, to add to the date mixture. 

My husband couldn't believe that it was made with avocado and no sugar! The texture is just like a mousse, you can increase lightly the cocoa for a more bitter-chocolate flavour, increasing the dates (or using dates that are too big) will make it sweeter but may give out more of a date rather than cocoa flavour. If the mousse is too thick add a drop of water and mix again.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Easy vegan custard slice with Spanish Tortas de Aceite, step by step

 


Thanks to my friend Ray I have recently discovered these sweet Spanish Ines Rosales' tortas (there is also a savoury version). And noticing that they are vegan I thought of making a quick dessert, a bit like a custard slice, which I love, with them!


For the custard I used oat milk (barista style).

Ingredients:
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
250 ml oat milk
a few drops of vanilla essence
2 sweet Ines Rosales pastries
Amarena cherries (optional)
Icing sugar to sprinkle
Fresh Fruit to serve (optional)



Mix the first three ingredients together and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add the vanilla at the end. You should cook this custard until it is quite thick, and then keep stirring after cooking until it is lukewarm and no more steam comes out. Make sure that is thick, not runny!


Pile the custard on one of the pastry


I had some amarena cherries so I though of adding 4 to the custard, but any fresh or preserved fruit would work too. Just don't add too much 'juice'.



Place the second pastry on top and press lightly, smoothing the custard on the sides with a small spoon, if necessary. Sprinkle with icing sugar and refrigerate for a few hours.


This actually served three people, and we had fresh cherries on the side. I'll definitely make it again, probably with berries or with fruit preserved in alcohol! Yum! A real treat!


 Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©


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Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Two layers Vegan Chocolate Soy Cream Pudding


In Italy I found a really delicious soy cream which inspired me to make a rich chocolate pudding.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp flour
2 tbsp raw sugar
500ml soy milk
120 g best quality dark chocolate
(plus some to grate)
200ml soy cream


Mix the flour and sugar, add the soy milk slowly and then bring to the boil. Add the dark chocolate and stir until thick. Pour half of the mixture into the bottom of for dessert bowl (better if glass, so you will be able to see the two different chocolate layers - alternatively you can use some pretty glasses).


Let the chocolate pudding in the bowl cool down and set, in the meantime stir the remaining chocolate (still in the pot) until cool, then add 3/4 of the soy cream and mix well. Divide between the 4 serving bowls, then top with a dollop of cream, swirl it with a spoon or a toothpick and finish with grated chocolate.


Can you see the two layers in the last photos? Still intense chocolate, but with a creamy heart! Refrigerate and serve, everyone will love it!


Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Vegan and gluten free Turmeric spoon dessert - the plant based paradise!



Mix 1 tbsp of cornflour with 2 tbsp of sugar and a pinch of turmeric powder. Slowly add 500ml or soy milk (or another vegetable milk of your choice), bring to the boil and simmer, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Pour into 4 dessert bowl (I use grappa/whisky glasses), and refrigerate. Before serving decorate with fruit (I used plums, nectarines, watermelon, blueberries and passion fruit).

Super delicious!


Fruit from the garden:




Veggies from the garden


 

And flowers




Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Vegan chocolate semifreddo, two ingredients only


This is intense and delicious, and yes, only two ingredients are required (well, plus water...). It tastes quite a bit like nama choco, an amazing Japanese chocolate which is made with cream, but there is no cream here, and it is also incredibly easy to make.

Inredients

200 g dark chocolate (dairy free, and the best you can find)
100ml water
the liquid from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba)

Break the chocolate and place into a bowl with the water, and then onto a pot of boiling water to melt at bain marie. If you heat the water and the chocolate together they will mix perfectly. 


In the meantime beat the aquafaba until you get stiff peaks. 



When the chocolate is melted beat it with an electric beater until it cools down.


Add a spoon or two of aquafaba to soften, and then, spoon by spoon, add the chocolate to the aquafaba mixutre, folding well.


Pour into an ice cream container. It will look quite pale and have the consistency of a 'runny' mousse, but it will turn back into a strong dark chocolate colour while freezing.


Freeze for a few hours, then remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving, wait for the edges to melt a little and then cut into slices and serve. This is really, really good!


Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Vegan Monte Bianco


This is my home recipe for a Vegan Monte Bianco so easy, (plus no cooking required) and one of my favourite desserts. Chestnuts are in my DNA, as they were the staple food of my ancestors, and mine to when I was little (we still have a chestnut wood in Italy). They are naturally sweet, low in fat and high in protein, but they are so difficult to find in NZ (please write to me if you have some!!). The original recipe calls for cream, but it seems that coconut cream goes really well with chestnuts too! Here are the ingredients:


1x 400ml can coconut cream, refrigerated for at least one day
1 drop vanilla
1 tbsp sugar
1 x439g Clement Faugier chestnut puree
1x 250g Clement Faugier Sweet chestnut spread
Dark chocolate to grate (I used dark vegan Mexican chocolate)

You can add a few drops of rum or Frangelico if you like.

Scoop the coconut cream out of the tin (leave the water at the bottom) and beat until soft and foamy. Add sugar and vanilla. Set aside. Beat the two chestnut purees together (I added the coconut water to make them softer). Add some grated chocolate (about 2-3 tbsp, or to taste) and if you like a little alcohol. Spoon the chestnut mixture over a plate and shape like a peak. Then cover with the coconut cream.


Grate some more chocolate on top and refrigerate until serving. 
Well, your Vegan and non-vegan friends  alike will be surely impressed: this is sooooo good, full of proteins, and gluten free too!




Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Friday, January 13, 2017

Vegan chocolate and coconut cream puddings with edible flowers





1 can coconut cream
1 l oragnic soy milk (I use Vitasoy, either Original, Milky or Calci Plus)
4 tbsp raw sugar
2 heap tbsp cocoa (the better the cocoa the better the flavour, so don't go for cheap baking cocoa, but for 'hot chocolate' quality)
2 tbsp cornflour
Natural Vanilla essence 
1 tbsp icing sugar
Edible flowers to decorate



Place the can of coconut cream in the fridge (possibly one day ahead). Dissolve the dried ingredients with a little soy milk to make a paste, then add the rest of the milk and mix well. Put on the stove on low and, always stirring, bring to simmering point. Make sure that you stir well, especially around the borders and bottom of the pot, so that the pudding has a smooth consistency. As soon as it start thickening turn the element off, add the vanilla essence (if using) and keep stirring until it has cooled down a bit. Divide into 8 dessert ramekins or small bowls and refrigerate. When the pudding is set open the can of coconut cream and scoop out the cream top, leaving the water at the bottom of the can (this can be added to other dishes, like curry or rice. Whip the coconut cream with a drop of vanilla essence and the icing sugar. Top the chocolate puddings with the whipped coconut cream.


And now for the flower decorations: choose only organic flowers, here we have borage, rose petals, violets, diantus petals (small carnations), calendula petals (pot marigold). Wash the flowers and petals with water, I let mine soak for white a while and shake them gently to make sure that there are no insects (this is a Vegan dish after all!). A few flowers or petals will suffice, as they are only decorations, although to be eaten. Refrigerate again so that the coconut cream set, and then serve.





Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Sunday, January 1, 2017

Beautiful Fruit Plates and Fruit Salads

Fresh pineapple, kiwi, banana, raspberries, mango, mandarin, blueberries and strawberries

Nothing better than a colourful fruit plate for breakfast, dessert, or snack! 



Berry fruit salad: strawberries, blueberries and raspberries

Tropical fruit salas: pineapple, banana, mango and kiwi
Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Monday, December 26, 2016

Macedonia di frutta


Strawberries, nectarines, pears, blueberries and kiwi fruit, a drop of lemon juice and some coconut water. No sugar. 

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
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Thursday, July 14, 2016

Instant mango and coconut yogurt vegan ice-cream, and how to make more coconut yogurt from you bought jar to save money!


I have tried a couple of brands of coconut yogurt and it is quite nice, although I am not sure 100% if I can call it Vegan. One of the two labels it as Vegan, but the live bacterias (a part from being 'live', if you see what I mean) could come from dairy products, as usually lactobacillus originally do… so if you know more about it just tell me, I really like to find out!*

Another thing that I have noticed is the price of coconut yogurt… so expensive!!! Around $10! So before finishing the second jar I have filled it up with a can of coconut cream (only about $2.50) and after two days in the hot water cupboard followed by two days in the fridge I got my own coconut yogurt (albeit a bit more runny than the bought one). I am trying the second lot with a thicker coconut cream and I'll let you know if it works.

The ice-cream

One cup of frozen mango
Half a cup of coconut yogurt

Blend with immersion blender

I am glad I remembered to take a photo before they gulped it all up: it was delicious!!

And of course it could count as sugar free, gluten free, and possibly raw vegan*.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Coconut and Lavender Agar Agar, like a Vegan Panna Cotta or Biancomangiare


I like to use lavender for desserts, but the flavour has to be delicate, not too overwhelming. 

Ingredients: 

one small bunch of Lavender
3 tbsp caster sugar
1x400ml can coconut cream +
same amount in boiling water to rinse the can
1 tsp agar agar

to serve: blackberries and lavender


Pick the lavender from the garden and make sure it is clean, or rinse lightly and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Put in a container and cover with the caster sugar. Put a lid on and leave for 2-3 days. The sugar will absorb the aroma of the flowers. 


 Place the coconut cream in a pot, fill the can with the same amount of boiling water to rinse it and add into the pot. Remove the flowers from the sugar (it will be crumbly and moist) and add it to the mixture. Add a tsp of agar agar and bring to the boil stirring constantly. You can add a few petals of lavender if you like, but don't overdo it - not everyone likes to find 'bits' in such a smooth pudding. Fill 6 individual jelly moulds and let them set. The container with the lavender and sugar still had some sugar around the sides so I put the blackberries there for a few hours to marinate (with the lavender also) and get a bit of juice! I serve them alongside the tipped agar agar, which tasted a bit like young coconut flesh and with a subtle but distinctive lavender flavour.






Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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