Blueberry Crumble

I sometimes forget how it was that I jumped into this (healthy, plant based)cooking boat. The other day someone asked me and it brought back a bunch of memories. Although I’ve always enjoy cooking and since my teenage years toyed with the idea of not eating meat, it wasn’t until I first expected a baby that began to read about foods and health. Back in 1992 in Holland vegetarianism and health foods was still in quite a primitive state, but when visiting the American Book Center in Amsterdam I would always come home with a book related to foods in some way(Diet for a New Planet by Robbins and Diet for a Small Planet by Francis More Lappe among others). As I remember before switching definitively to plant foods I used to make a killer (no pun intended) lamb masala which my husband loved. One day after having decided to not eat meat I had the brilliant idea to go ahead and substitute the lamb for tofu…..and what a sad disaster that was! It really did taste horrible or worse yet completely bland. My husband politely ate it all and proceeded to ask (almost cry): “can we just eat meat again?” Insecurity overcame me, but didn’t completely beat me. Lo and behold the next day I received a package from the U.S from a dear friend Ellen who lived in Ithaca, the home of the Moosewood restaurants, containing almost all the Moosewood books available at the time. These books opened up a new world for me, they were my bible, security blanket as well as a key to freeing me up to learn how to cook with vegetables without feeling like a boring freak. After those books came the Kripalu cookbook and many others, over 275 to be precise. I don’t seem to get done collecting cooking books, and don’t have any plans to stop in the near future since it seems that cooking plants is becoming more and more delicious, beautiful and creative by the day and I can’t just walk into a book shop without yet another beautiful book. By this point I don’t usually follow recipes anymore (sometimes I do), but I read them like novels and admire the pictures just like I look at the great Dutch painting masters (okay almost).

This Blueberry Crumble was inspired by one of those beautiful books which I just couldn’t leave in the shop: Green Kitchen Stories. On page 37 of that lovely book (oh, I have the Dutch version so in English it will probably be on another page) you can find the original recipe. My crumble was a result of a quick scanning of the recipe and my pantry and it worked beautifully.

My Crumble

3 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries (I used frozen)
2 cups oat flakes
1 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 cups of the milk of your choice (I had hazelnut/pecan homemade milk)
3 tbs chia seeds
2 tbs linseeds
vanilla
1/4 cup liquid sweetener (I had honey)
1 tbs coconut oil
1 cup hazelnuts
1/2 pecan

-mix oat flakes and baking powder
-in another bowl mix milk, seeds and vanilla
-in another small bowl mix nuts, coconut oil and sweetener
-put the blueberries in a baking pan and cover with the oat flake mix
-pour the milk and seed mix on top of oats and berries
-spread the nut, oil and sweetener mix on top of everything
-bake in a preheated oven at 190* for about 30 minutes

drizzle with coconut milk and a bit more sweetener if desired!

December 2013

December is a weird month. It’s weird because it feels like the shortest month of the year, shorter than any leap year I’ve ever experienced , but at the same time more happens in December than at any other other time. Here in the Netherlands December begins with the Sinterklaas celebration which occur at the beginning of the month. This celebration involves presents exchange, special foods, time for and with family, harmony and warmth. The weeks building up to Christmas also involve a certain special approach, yes we go to work, make dinner and take out our dogs, but in the mean time we feel the excitement and pressure of the impending “big day”. Whether we are religious or not the feeling of advent has a huge effect on our psychic and physical life. Christmas decorations, Christmas music, candles, Christmas celebrations at work and at schools, a natural feeling or desire to look inwards, to light candles, to show compassion and love for humanity, to be home curled up with a fine book and a warm drink, while at the same time feeling the pressure to hunt for the right Christmas presents, fantasize about making the perfect Christmas dinner and planning for the perfect Christmas evening with the right dynamic of loving friends and family. At the same time December is a time for wrapping things up at work and at school, students have tests, have to turn in papers and teachers have to grade them. Musicians and dancers play and dance more than at other times of the year. All in all money and stress seem to have taken central role in this special time of the year.

I also have contributed to the December frenzy. I also hurried to celebrate Sinterklaas with my younger kids. Ran around trying to find the right number of presents so that one wouldn’t have more than the other. I too stayed up late grading tests in the company of a lit candle, trying to get a feel for advent while my eyes closed craving sleep. I did my early morning December march along with hundred of other Amsterdam commuters, coffee in hand walking side by side each other, fixated on catching a train, not seeing the Christmas ornaments and advertisements, but having them subliminally address our need for something which goes way deeper than the consumer behavior which they are meant to awaken in us.

As we all know December’s craze is not done with the celebration of the Messiah’s birth, there are five days of cease fire before we embark on that last ritual of the year. New Year’s eve celebrations provides another potential moment for reflection plus a cause for rejoicing in the fact that we’ve made it through the 365 day cycle yet one more time. In Holland the New Year is welcome with an unbelievable amount of dangerous, expensive and often illegal fireworks, which create quite a lot of commotion as well as its share of accidents. The next day, the streets are filled with the remnants of the previous night’s activities and in a state not too different from that of a war zone. December has come to an end, and with its madness.

But don’t get me wrong, I am not a cynic, I have always loved December and have always experienced it as a special time of the year in the positive sense. However this December I had to reflect when my twelve year old daughter complained about how fast “everything” was going. Indeed as a fifty year old I feel an exponential quality to the way in which December wheezes by, but the fact that my young daughter experiences such a hastiness during this period makes me wonder if we are not creating a life for ourselves which resembles a film in accelerated motion.

In moments of doubt I did that which cannot be rushed, that is cook!
Most of my days have been spend cooking and baking. This post may not show the extent of this truth, since I am getting used to my new camera and haven’t been able to to take the kind of pictures I would like with it. But the time will come when my Canon EOS 1100D will serve my purpose.

Blueberry Glogg Pie

This recipe was inspired by the Scandinavian Christmas drink Glogg, which we so much enjoyed this Christmas. I figured why not make a pie out of it!

Crust:
2 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbs coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup of cold water

-mix all the dry ingredients
-add the coconut oil and mix with a fork until you reach a sandy consistency
-add the water and create a ball of dough
-flatten the ball and roll between two pieces of wax paper to create a thin large circle to fit into your pie form
-fit the dough into the pie form and poke with a fork in several places on the bottom of the dough
-with the remnants of dough, after fitting it on the pie form, make a lattice top for the pie, after you have poured in the fillings.

Cream Filling:
1 cup raw cashews
3 tbs. coconut flour
1 cup water
4 tbs. honey or rice syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

-put everything in the blender and blend well
-pour on the bottom of the uncooked pie crust

Filling:
2 cups of (frozen)
1 orange, zest
a dusting of powder cloves
1 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
handful of raisins
2 whole star anise
1 inch/2,5 cm fresh ginger, peeled and minced
2cups of red wine with
3 tablespoons of arrowroot
1/2 to 1 cup of honey or rice syrup

-mix all the ingredients in a bowl
-pour filling in the prepared pie crust, on top of the cashew cream and make a lattice cover for it
-bake for about 20 minutes in a pre warmed oven at 200* cent.

Pear Upside-Down Cake with a New Blog Look!

Upside Down
I lived in a funny town
Where everything was upside down!
The birds walked and the humans flew
Where the trees were totally blue!
Trees talked and laughed a lot
They stole each other’s fruit and fought
The bear was gentle, kind and sweet
He never ever ate raw meat!
Fishes went to school in a pool
Where a frog principal ruled.
Water was blue and the sky flew
And told me in life always be true!

By: Rosy, Tulika, Nikitar

Another Quick Post from one Busy Girl to Cyber Space
Pear Upside-Down Cake
If you’re into moist fruity cakes like I am this upside down cake will please you.

Cake:
3/4 cup whole spelt flour
1/2 cup white spelt flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup light olive oil
1 cup maple or rice syrup
vanilla

Glaze:
2 or 3 medium pears cut in half then thinly sliced
1/2 cup pear or apple juice
1 tbs. rice syrup
1 1/2 tbs arrowroot dissolved in 1/4 cup of the juice mentioned above
dusting of cinnamon

Cake:
-preheat oven to 180*
-Prepare a round cake pan by covering the bottom with wax paper and oiling it with about 1 tsp. olive oil and greasing the sides
-in a bowl mix all dry ingredients
-in another bowl mix all the wet ingredients
-mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients
-drizzle the baking pan with about 2 extra tbs. of maple syrup and spread evenly
-place the pears gracefully in the prepared cake pan
-then pour the batter evenly on top
-bake for about 30-40 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
-cool the cake and the invert onto a serving plate, peel the wax paper off carefully

Glaze:
-in a small pan heat up the juice and syrup
-add the 1/4 cup of juice with arrowroot and stir until it becomes thick and shiny
-brush, or gently evenly pour the thickened juice on top of the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon

One word of advice: don’t do what we do at or house and devour the cake before it is cooled off, it will not only leave you with an unpleasantly burned throat, but it won’t taste nearly as good. Wait until the cake has cooled down, it will be worth it!

Buckwheat Orange Cake

I made this cake because I love challenges, I am really stubborn and I truly believe that limitations can do great things for creativity. After my almond obsession of the last weeks I am having to take a step back since I am pretty sure I have over done it. A year ago I took an allergy blood test, which I completely ignored and the results showed an allergy to chicken protein, cow milk, peanuts, soy and almonds. In general I never eat any chicken products or drink cow milk and the occasional peanut butter sandwich never seemed to affect me. I have been eating soy consistently for the last 25 years without noticing any problems and almonds were never a problem until these last couple of weeks when I did some serious experimenting making different sorts of almond milk, almond pie crusts, almond pastes and anything else I could imagine. The result was that I began to feel itchy all over, I asked the doctor about this and she said that allergies are like a bucket, you can deal with a certain food until you have reached your maximum and your bucket is full and then the body will react.
Well my bucket is full, and after I detox from this almond attack I will take a more moderate approach to this delicious nut.

This evening I took on the challenge of creating a allergy free cake for myself(others were also allowed moderate pieces if they begged) and I really enjoyed the process of working with limitations. But you know, I didn’t feel limited, in the process of creating this cake I felt a sense of structure and order. I was reminded of my harmony exercises at the conservatory where I had to write a musical progression or phrase using only certain chords and using these chords only in a certain way in order to follow and understand the rules of composition of a certain musical period.
I usually enjoyed writing these progression because although there were some very strict limitations as to what was allowed and how long the phrases should be, because of these limitations the process of creation was clean and beautiful, and when the ingredients where used properly the result had a sense of balance and a feeling that one was hearing or creating something new which at the same time felt as if it had always existed. Making my buckwheat cake felt like that, although I had never made a buckwheat cake with orange glaze, the inner peace that I had in the process of using the ingredients I had chosen, the texture of the batter, the look and smell of the cake when it came out of the oven and the conviction that I had to frost it or glaze it with orange flavor was something that just seemed inevitable.

2 cups buckwheat flakes made into flour by putting in the food processor till fine
1/2 cup spelt flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp baking soda5 tbs chia flakes
1 tbs maca
1/2 cup coconut flakes
the juice of one orange and the grated orange peel
1/4 cup coconut oil melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 tbs succanat
1/2 cup water

-mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl
-in another bowl mix the wet ingredients including the orange peel
-mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients
-pour the batter into a prepared round cake pan with wax paper on the bottom and oiled sides
-bake in a pre warmed oven at 190* for about 25 minutes(but check after 15 minutes by inserting a clean knife in the center of the cake and it comes out clean)
-after the cake is done let it cool before un molding it

Frosting
1 cup of water
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbs agar powder
1tbs arrowroot dissolved in a couple tsps water
the juice of 3 oranges
4tbs succanat
3 tbs coconut oil
1 tbs chia seeds
1 tbs black sesame seeds

-heat the water and the maple syrup in a small pan
-whisk in the agar and bring to boiling point and add the dissolved arrowroot
-stir until the arrowroot is cooked and the liquid is thick and shiny
-add the orange juice and stir well
-put mixture in a wide container and put it in the freezer until it sets
-while the mixture sets mix the succanat and coconut oil with a hand blender
-blend the set agar with the coconut oil and succanat mixture
-stir the chia seeds and frost the cake
-sprinkle with black sesame seeds

I decorated the cake with dried tiny roses I bought in an Asian food store in Amsterdam

Fruit Bag

Yesterday I went with Ella, Anna and Cyrille(most of my crew)to the Rijksmuseum. It was the first time I visited since the reopening after their major 10 year renovation, and what a place it is! Walking in there is like standing in front of a buffet table with all of my favorite foods, knowing that putting them all on my plate and eating them will not allow me to appreciate their full value. I opted to enter into the Middle Ages and make my way up, aware that it would be hard to continue past the Dutch Renaissance or the Golden Age because I just love that period so much; I knew that continuing to look around past this period would be like putting more food on my plate after having eaten my most favorite dessert.
I have grown to really enjoy the art of Middle Ages, their wacky sense of perspective is something that I find totally puzzling as well as humorous. I find it hard to believe that they really saw the world the way they portrayed it: baby Jesuses with muscular bodies, or very skinny and not at all baby-like, vacant facial expressions and landscapes with no realistic sense of perspective. I know that there are different theories as to why Medieval artist didn’t make use of 3D, but the fact that most people believed that the world was flat makes sense to me given their one dimensional depiction of the world. Nevertheless I find their pious representations, their use of colors(specially gold) and the child like depictions very beautiful and touching, specially knowing the horrors that society was enduring at the time where rampant diseases like the plague, extreme poverty and starvation must have been causing unbearable suffering.

For Dutch 16th century art I have no words, and I will not try to describe its beauty and skills and the emotions and insight which it invokes. One thing that I have noticed in the Dutch Renaissance paintings is the relationship to foods, how detailed and prominent foods are depicted and the emotions around it. These are some of amazing paintings I saw yesterday which left me with a sense of awe for humanity.

Once back home we had a simple dinner which we finished with a quick and simple dessert, something which one of the characters in one of those old paintings could have made. The Fruit Bag doesn’t use pie forms or anything else besides fruit and a dough, and yes in the Dutch Renaissance they would have used butter and not coconut oil.
Anyway, if you come to Holland you may not leave without paying the Rijksmuseum a visit, and who knows, if you come in october you may be right on time for Pop-up Restaurant Amsterdam’s Oktoberfest.
Willem Claeszoon Heda-Still life with Gilt Goblet-(notice the light almost refined color of the bread)

Nicolas Maes-Old Woman in Prayer-

Bag
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs arrowroot
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4-1/2 cup cold water
cinnamon
4 tbs coconut sugar

-mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
-add coconut oil and work with a fork until it looks sandy
-add the water little by little until the dough forms into a ball
-wrap it in plastic and refrigerate while making the filling

Fruit
5-6 apples cored and cut in small cubes
1 cup frozen cherries
cinnamon
4 tbs coconut sugar
1tsp arrowroot
grated lemon peel from one lemon
1/4 cup roasted almonds

-mix everything in a bowl
-roll out the dough into a flat circle
-place filling starting in the center of the circle
-fold the sides leaving some of the filling showing in the center
-bake at 180* C until the pastry is done(about 20 minutes)

As Dutch as Apple Pie

This is the sort of pie that you come across in almost every cafe, bakery or restaurant in Holland. It is usually served with lots of whipped cream and most likely accompanied by coffee. It tends to be a mid morning or mid afternoon treat. In my vegan version the coconut oil replaces the butter and the soy milk the cow’s milk. Instead of whipped cream you can use unsweetened coconut cream, of course you could also use the fake whipped creams available but they don’t taste as good and have way too many ingredients, some of them don’t even sound edible!

11 jona gold apples
125 grams coconut oil
200 grams coconut sugar
vanilla
1 tbs baking soda
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
400 grams white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy milk
2 tbs cinnamon
4 tbs rice syrup
2 tbs arrowroot

-pre warm oven to 180* c.
-peel and core apples and cut them in slices
-oil a round spring form pan
-in a bowl mix coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla, a pinch of salt until well mixed and light
-add the flour, baking soda and baking powder
-add soy milk and oil and mix. Until the dough forms a ball
-spread half of the dough on the prepared spring form
-put half of the apples on top the dough in the prepared pan and sprinkle with 1 tbs cinnamon and drizzle with1tbs rice syrup and the arrowroot
-put the rest of the apples on top and sprinkle with 1 tbs cinnamon, rice syrup and arrowroot
-roll out the other half of the dough about 1/2 centimeter in thickness and cut in 8 pieces of 1 1/2 centimeters width,and one long strip for around the edges of the pie
-place the dough strips in a diagonal pattern on top of the filling
-place the long strip around the edge of the pie
-place the pie in the middle of the oven until it becomes golden brown, about 40 minutes( depending on your oven)
-check it regularly to make sure it doesn’t brown too quickly, if it does lower the oven to 150*c

Snow White’s Apple Pie

The abundance of resources and control over nature that western society has developed since the Industrial Revolution has led to inconceivable possibilities regarding transportation, refrigeration, conservation, and packaging of food which have had gigantic repercussions on how and why we choose the foods we do. We are now able to cook and eat any dish, any time of the year, with any ingredient from any part of the world. This phenomenon is light years away from the limitations of ingredients and resources that my grandmother had in pre and post revolutionary Cuba. During my time in Cuba, the first eight years of my life, I must have eaten at most two apples, and never whole, always sharing with my brother and only for a special occasion such as Christmas. On the other hand mangos, papayas and other tropical fruits were readily available(even in the limited economic and political circumstances of the time). Apples didn’t grow in Cuba and therefore were not easily available, for me an apple was an exotic fruit, with a magical smell, and the mystery of a fairytale, after all Snow White didn’t eat a red mango.

What effect has over abundance, and the possibility to buy anything we want had on our creativity when it comes to cooking? On the one hand as a result of the wide range of ingredients at our disposal we are able get insight into what the world eats. This is no insignificant development, since by knowing what people from other parts of the globe eat we can get a better understanding of who they are, how they live and why they are how they are. I created stories based on the taste and smells of those two apples I ate. For me those apples brought Snow White to life, it was a way of getting an intimate taste of another world. Those apples gave me a glimpse of what living in the United States would be like years before I actually got there.

Using our own local products as basis for our cooking is like making beautiful paintings of the countryside we see out of our own window, more real, we know it from the inside out. Of course experiencing other worlds beside our own can be a beautiful, enriching experience, but finding the meaning in our own ordinary world, we can appreciate the extraordinary in the familiar, and the richness in the stories and images that surround us. Similarly using our imagination and creativity to cook with what there is, with what the earth gives us, can empower us and give us a sense of trust in the universe and in our ability to sustain life in a simple, rich and creative manner.

Every choice we make whether conscious or not will have consequences, and because of the broad range of choices that we have available, the skills of choosing have become critical for a good life today. Unless we hone our choosing skills, we become increasingly lost, passive and stuck.
The art in cooking is about making choices.

Snow White’s Apple Pie

Crust:
2 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbs coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup of cold water

-mix all the dry ingredients
-add the coconut oil and mix with a fork until you reach a sandy consistency
-add the water and create a ball of dough
-flatten the ball and roll between two pieces of wax paper to create a thin large circle to fit into your pie form
-fit the dough into the pie form and poke with a fork in several places on the bottom of the dough
-partially bake for about 7 minutes on a pre warmed oven at 180*c
-set aside until you are ready to fill it

Filling:
3 large apples, cored and cut in small cubes
2 tbs maple syrup(that’s all I had left in my bottle)
6 tbs coconut sugar
1 tsp. coconut oil
cinnamon
cardamon
powder cloves
1 cup of a mixture of your favorite nuts lightly roasted
1 tbs arrowroot or 1 tbs kuzu dissolved in a bit of water
1 tbs rice syrup to brush on top of the pie

-in a large bowl mix all the ingredients except for the rice syrup
-fill your pie crust
-bake in a hot oven at 180*c for about 15 minutes
-the last 2 minutes take the pie out of the oven and brush with the filling with the rice syrup
-continue baking for another 2 minutes
-let it cool a bit before you take it out of the pie form.
-serve with whatever non dairy( or dairy cream you prefer), I like unsweetened coconut cream

Is this Cuban Rice Pudding?

white round rice
water
soy or rice milk
rice syrup
cinnamon stick
sea salt
lemon peel
coconut milk

-cook the rice as you normally would(1 cup rice to 11/2 cup water) with cinnamon stick and lemon peel
-when the rice is cooked add the milk(enough to generously cover the rice)
-add enough syrup to make it sweet enough
-cook cover at a low flame with a flame deflector
-let the rice thicken, and then add about 2 cups of coconut milk
-cook it until it gets nice and thick but not dry
-place the pudding in a beautiful dish and sprinkle with powder cinnamon
-put it in the refrigerator and let it get very cold
-serve with slices of mango or blueberries