Vegan Recipes: Something Sweet

Showing posts with label Something Sweet. Show all posts

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Candied violets - violette candite, step by step.

Pick the violets, rinse and drain. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water and a drop of lemon juice. Cover and leave overnight. Drain and save the purple water into a pot. Add equal parts of sugar (I had 200ml water, 200g sugar). Boil until the syrup bubbles and add the violets. Patiently pick them up with a teaspoon and let the dry (it may take a few days). I used the leftover sugar to candy chestnuts, but any other fruit would do. Store your violets in a jar.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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 ©

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Vegan coconut and blueberry puddings with lavender and nata de coco

Ingredients:
A cup of frozen blueberries
a few cubes of nata de coco in syrup
lavender petals
2 tbsp sugar
1x400ml can coconut cream +
same amount in boiling water to rinse the can
1 tsp agar agar

Place the blueberries and nata de coco in a bowl, add a few petals of lavender and let it defrost.

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. Add the sugar a tsp of agar agar and bring to the boil stirring constantly. When it boils add half of the blueberries (but not the nata de coco) and their juice. Fill 4 to 6 glasses and let it set. Then add the rest of the blueberries and nata de coco (it will have changed colour from translucent to purple) and decorate with lavender petals. refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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 ©

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Autumn preserves: quince paste, feijoa paste and fig jam

It is Autumn and there is great produce around, in particular I like quinces, which I can find at the local orchard in Oratia (Dragicevich and Sons, in West Coast Rd). I usually make jelly (recipe here) or paste, the paste needs less sugar and you get more out of it, although the cooking process is quite long.

Wash the quinces, quarter and then remove the centre but not the skin. Cook with a bit of water until soft then blend. Add 60% of weight in sugar and a pinch of citric acid, and then bring to the boil, and boil, boil and boil until quite thick, stirring most of the time (ideally all the time, but I took breaks away from the heat!!). Then pour into a mould or a rectangular container.

Let the paste set for a few days, then cut and wrap in baking paper.

This year I had quite a few feijoas in the garden, so I though of doing the same. In the past I made jam (recipe here) and it was so solid that I realised that it had been a mistake to put it into jars: feijoas are like guava and guava makes a paste similar to quince paste.

So I followed the same steps as for the quinces, but instead of removing the core I removed the skins with a knife. If you want to use the skins for something else you can try this feijoa cordial.

Finally, the fig trees have a few figs, not big and as soon as they ripen the birds eat them, so the only thing I can do is to pick them when they are still green, not so good for eating fresh, but good for jam.

Boil them first for five minutes then discard the water and scum (from the white sap that comes out), cut them into two and put them back in the pot, once again with 60% sugar, and a little water.

The figs should mush easily while boiling, if you keep stirring them with a wooden spoon, but if you want to keep a few whole remove them from the pot before mashing the rest, and add them back during the last 5-10 minutes. This jam went into jars, it looks great, but I have the feeling that it will also be quite hard (I added some pectine - jam setting mix) and probably next year I will end up making fig paste instead of jam!

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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 ©

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Marzipan with Amaretto

Assorted natural flavours and colours, including green tea, cherry syrup, berry juice, candied citrus,
and some stuffed dates too!

Last Sunday I did a demo about making Marzipan at the Auckland Art Gallery, to celebrate Italian Language week with the Dante Auckland. I have a basic recipe which I always follow (without egg white, thus suitable for Vegans too) and you can find it here. But since almonds don't have much taste in NZ (sorry... need to be said) I always add a few apricot kernels (not too much, they are poisonous!) so follow this recipe carefully! Now, apricots are not in season yet, and I made a little variation, which worked well: I added a little drop of Amaretto.

Marzapane with Amaretto

Ingredients
200g raw almonds
100g icing sugar
1 tsp Amaretto

Blanch the almonds in boiling water and remove the skins. Keep a few almonds aside for decoration, if you like, and ground the rest into a fine powder, almost like a paste. Add the icing sugar and Amaretto and mix until you get a dough. Shape into your favourite morsels, and colour with berries, green tea powder, spirulina, or anything you like. Some ideas for shapes and colours here.

Perfect for presents! Coloured with cocoa, green tea and berries

Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

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!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Christmas Fruit Platter with Balsamic

Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena goes well with fruit, and there is also a Balsamic cream you can buy which is less expensive and ideal to decorate plates.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Italian chestnut fritters

… chestnut fritters! And you only need three ingredients: Italian chestnut flour (which is naturally sweet so you don't need to add sugar), sultana (optional, but traditional!) and oil for frying! These are full of protein, gluten free, and perfect for breakfast, or snack, hot or cold. I love them after a gym workout and the kids like to put them in their lunch boxes. They are very filling, plus they last a few days, if you don't eat them all at once!

Mix the chestnut flour with enough water to make a batter (same consistency as hot cakes), add the sultana.

Drop full spoons of batter in the hot oil and fry on both sides until nice and brown.

Drain excess oil with kitchen paper

Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Kiwi smoothie

Time for vitamin C! This smoothie is just kiwi, banana and coconut water, a real meal in a glass!

Vegan Recipes

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Sunday, April 5, 2026

Candied violets - violette candite, step by step.

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Vegan and sugar free chocolate mousse

Thursday, February 10, 2022

Vegan coconut and blueberry puddings with lavender and nata de coco

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Two layers Vegan Chocolate Soy Cream Pudding

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Autumn preserves: quince paste, feijoa paste and fig jam

Thursday, February 28, 2019

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

Sunday, January 20, 2019

Marzipan with Amaretto

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Vegan chocolate semifreddo, two ingredients only

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Christmas Fruit Platter with Balsamic

Thursday, July 20, 2017

Italian chestnut fritters

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Kiwi smoothie

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