Sweet

Vanelja’s Mother’s Day Cake

vegan, gluten-free

Cake:

½ cup oat milk
4 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
⅔ cup applesauce, unsweetened
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond meal by Risenta
⅔ cup oat flour (or grind rolled oats in the blender)
½ cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
tiny pinch sea salt

Filling & on top:

Coconut whipped cream or soy whip
fresh berries
banana
almond flakes

Tin diameter: 16-18 cm / 6,5 – 7 inches

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F degrees. Mix the oat milk and ground flax in a small bowl and leave to thicken for 10 mins.

In the meantime measure the coconut oil, applesauce, apple cider vinegar and vanilla in a big bowl and stir well. Mix the almond meal, oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt in another bowl and mix then with the wet ingredients. Stir in also the flax gel. Grease a cake tin with coconut oil and pour in the cake dough. Bake for about 40-45 mins, until a toothpick comes out clean. Note that the texture of the cake should be a bit moist.

Take the cake out of the oven and let cool completely. Split the cake in two with a sharp knife. Fill with coconut whipped cream or soy whip and banana slices. Set the other half on top of the lower half and frost the cake with coconut whipped cream or soy whip and place lots of fresh berries on top. Finalize with edible flowers.

Shop

Vanelja’s Apple Pie

Plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, naturally sweetened

2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water
1 ½ cup rolled oats
½ cup almond meal
¾ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp baking soda
tiny pinch of sea salt
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
½ tsp cardamom
⅔ cup natural oat yoghurt or almond yoghurt

On top:

1-2 sweet apples
½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
almond flakes

Cake tin diameter: 18-20 cm / 7-8 inches

Preheat the oven to 225 C / 430 F degrees.
Measure the ground flax and water into a small bowl or drinking glass. Stir and leave to thicken for 5 minutes.

In the meantime place the rolled oats into a blender and blend until flour. Pour into a bowl and pour the rest of the dough into a bowl and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Stir in also the flax gel. Cover the bottom of the cake tin with a piece of parchment paper. Separate 2 tbsp batter into a small plate and pour the rest of the batter into a cake tin and smoothen the surface.
Remove the cores from the apples and cut the apples into very thin slices. Stack the slices in overlapping rows into a circle on the dough. Press the slices gently so that they go a bit deeper into the batter. Add small chunks of the remaining batter you had set aside here and there on top of the apple slices. Sprinkle on some cinnamon. Top with a small handful of almond flakes. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until you get a nice golden color.

Take out of the oven and let cool slightly. (Note, If you’re using a smaller cake tin you might have to bake the cake a bit longer to get it done. Cover then with a foil to prevent the apples from browning.) Serve for example with vanilla nice cream or vanilla sauce of your choice.

Blackcurrant Oat Yogurt Bites

Makes about 12

½ cup oat yogurt 
½ cup blackcurrants
2-3 tbsp cashew butter (or other nut butter)

Pour the yoghurt into a bowl and stir in the blackcurrants. (If you like it to be sweeter, stir in a couple of drops of stevia or sweetener of your choice.) Spoon in the cashew butter and lightly stir with a spoon so that it leaves nice white stripes. Spoon into chocolate molds or ice cube molds and freeze for a couple of hours.

Vanelja’s White Hot Chocolate

(for two)

1 can (400 ml) full fat coconut milk
¼ cup oat milk or almond milk (I used Kaslink Aito Kaurajuoma Barista)
1 ½ tbsp cocoa butter, grated
1 tbsp maple syrup (or a couple of drops of stevia)
1 tbsp coconut butter, for extra creaminess
½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp vanilla powder & a pinch of sea salt

On top:

Oat Whip or Coconut whipped cream (I used Kaslink Aito Kaura Vispi)
1 tsp beet powder or pink pitaya powder
Ceylon cinnamon
grated cocoa butter

Measure the coconut milk oat milk, maple syrup, coconut butter and spices into a pot and bring to boil while stirring constantly. Take off the heat and taste the mixture. Add some of the spices or sweetness, if desired. Prepare the whipped cream in a bowl. Stir in some beet powder to give it a nice pink color. Divide the white hot chocolate into two mugs and top with whipped cream, cinnamon and grated cocoa butter. Serve & enjoy while hot.

 

Summer Kisses

12 cookies (recipe below)⠀
whipped coconut cream (recipe below)⠀
12 big strawberries⠀
raw chocolate or dark chocolate
⠀⠀
p e a n u t b u t t e r c o o k i e s:⠀

1 cup almond flour⠀
¼ cup xylitol (or erythritol or coconut sugar)⠀
1 tsp baking soda⠀
½ tsp vanilla powder⠀
½ cup peanut butter⠀
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted⠀
pinch sea salt⠀

c o c o n u t w h i p p e d c r e a m:

2 cans (á 400 g) full fat coconut milk or coconut cream, kept in the fridge
2-4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract⠀

Cookies: ⠀
Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine all the ingredients and mix well. Divide the dough into 12 small balls. Flatten the balls with your fingers on a baking tray covered with baking paper to get round cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden. Take out of the oven. Let cool completely. The cookies are really soft at this point. They will harden in 30 mins or so. ⠀

Whipped coconut cream:
Scoop out the white thick paste from the coconut milk cans into a bowl. Add syrup & vanilla. Whip with a stand mixer. If the mixture becomes too runny, place it in the fridge for a while.⠀

Assembly: ⠀
Place the whipped coconut cream in a piping bag. Place one strawberry on top of each cookie. Frost the cookies with the whipped coconut cream so that it totally covers the strawberry. Place the cookies into the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour so that the frosting hardens. Dip the whipped cream top in melted chocolate. Pop back into the fridge to harden. Top with flowers.

Chocolate Frosted Blueberry Nice Cream Balls

2 cans full fat coconut milk
4 tbsp white almond butter (or norman almond butter or some nut butter)
⅓ cup blueberries (preferably wild blueberries)
1 pipet vanilla stevia

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more sweetness, if you like. Pour into a bowl and chill in the freezer for 45 mins so that the mixture gets cold. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and prepare ice cream according to the instructions of the manufacturer. If the ice cream is not hard enough you can still freeze it for 1 hour in the freezer. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can just freeze the mixture in the freezer for about 3 hours, or until you get a good consistency, stirring the mixture every 30 minutes. Thaw on the counter for 5 minutes.

Scoop out balls from the ice cream and keep them in the freezer for 30 minutes. In the meantime melt some raw chocolate or sugar-free dark chocolate. Dip the ice cream balls in the chocolate so that they get a nice thick frosting. Freeze 10 more minutes or more so that the chocolate hardens. Serve and enjoy! (If the ice cream feels too hard, let it thaw a while before serving.)

Gingerbread Tiramisu Dream Cake

Cream filling:
1 cup cashew nuts, soaked for 30 mins & rinsed
½ cup oat milk or coconut milk or 1:1
2-3 tbsp juice from a lemon
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp coconut syrup or some liquid stevia
½ tsp vanilla powder or 1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt

Mocha filling:
½ cup cashew nuts, soaked for 30 mins & rinsed
½ cup almond meal
4 tbsp raw cocoa powder
¼ cup coffee (I used Lost Leaf espresso blend by Keakoffee through Slurp)
¼ cup oat milk or coconut milk or 1:1
4 tbsp coconut syrup or some liquid stevia
1 tsp gingerbread spice mix
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
pinch of sea salt
+ 1 tbsp rum, if desired

Tin size: 15 x 15 cm

Place all the ingredients of the cream filling into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add some of the spices or sweetener, if desired. Pour into a bowl. Place then all the ingredients of the mocha filling into the blender & blend until smooth. Taste and add some of the spices or sweetener, if desired. Pour the mocha filling into a cake tin covered with parchment paper. Pour the cream filling on top. Sprinkle some cocoa powder on top and freeze until solid. Take out of the freezer, let thaw for 15 mins & enjoy!

Berrylicious Cacao Dream Cake

Crust:
1 ¼ cup almonds
6 fresh dates, pitted
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp coconut butter/coconut manna, melted (or coconut oil, melted)
pinch of sea salt
½ tsp cardamom

Base:
2 cups cashew nuts, soaked for 1 hour & rinsed
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
juices from half a lemon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract (or ½ tsp vanilla powder)
½ cup coconut oil, melted (prefer neutral taste)
¼ cup maple syrup

Cacao filling:
Half of the base filling + 3 tbsp raw cacao powder + ½ cup Yosa Cocoa Oat Drink (or ½ cup oat milk and 1 tbsp more raw cacao powder)

Berry filling:
Half of the base filling + ¼ cup raspberries (and/or blueberries) + 4 tbsp Yosa Oat Snack Forest Berries (or ¼ cup more berries)

Crust:
Place a piece of parchment paper onto the bottom of the can tin. Place almonds into a blender. Blend until fine crust. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until moldable dough. Separate about ½ cup of the mixture into a bowl. Press the rest of the dough firmly onto the bottom of the cake tin. Roll the dough you separated into small balls.

Filling:
Place all the base filling ingredients in a blender. Blend until as smooth as possible. The mixture will remain quite crumbly at this point. Separate half of the mixture into a bowl. Place the cacao filling ingredients into the blender. Blend with the remaining base mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into the cake tin. Freezer for 30 mins. Wash the blender, pour in the remaining base mixture and add in the berry filling ingredients. Blend until smooth. Spoon the pink filling on top of the cacao layer. Freeze until solid. Decorate with the truffles you’ve made. Let thaw for about 30-45 mins. Enjoy!

Happy Chubby Cookies

keto & vegan
makes about 15

1 cup almond flour
3 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp flax meal
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup almond butter
½ cup oat milk
1 – 1 ½ tsp of liquid stevia
½ tsp cardamom
pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius / 400 Fahrenheit degrees. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour and flax meal in a bowl. Stir in the peanut butter, almond butter, oat milk, stevia & spices. Mix well. Taste and add more sweetness, if desired. Place the bowl into a freezer, for about 30 mins. The dough should be thick and a bit sticky but easily moldable.
Roll the dough into balls and place it on a cookie sheet or tray covered with parchment paper. Press down the cookies twice with a fork, or with your fingers or with a glass or plate with a nice pattern in it. If you use glass, put a bit of melted coconut oil on it so that the dough won’t stick. Bake for 15 mins until slightly golden. Take out of the oven & let cool. Dip the cookies into melted chocolate & enjoy!

Mocha Dream Cake

Crust:
½ cup pecan nuts
½ cup almonds
7 fresh dates, pitted
½ tsp cardamom
pinch of sea salt

Filling:
2 cups cashews, soaked for 1 hour and then rinsed
juices from half a lemon
½ cup coconut oil, melted (with neutral taste)
½ cup coconut syrup
⅓ cup oat milk +2 tbsp instant coffee & 3 tbsp raw cocoa powder

On top:
Raw cocoa fudges or raw chocolate

Pan diameter: 18 cm / 7 inches

Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a cake pan. Place the almonds & nuts into a blender and blend until crust. Add dates, cardamom and salt and blend until moldable dough. Press the dough firmly into the bottom of the cake pan.

Place all the filling ingredients (except instant coffee & raw cocoa powder) into a blender and blend until smooth. Add some oat milk, if needed, to get a smooth texture, still keeping it as thick as possible. Pour half of the mixture into the cake pan and smooth out the surface. Add coffee & cocoa powder to the blender and blend with the remaining mixture. Taste and add some of the spices, if needed. Spoon the filling into the cake pan and even the surface gently with a spoon so that you don’t mix the two fillings. Place the cake pan into the freezer for about 3 hours or until the cake is solid. Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a serving dish. Let thaw for a moment. Serve & enjoy!

Pastel Semlas

¼ cup coconut oil, melted (or about 75g local organic butter/vegan butter, melted)
1 cup oat milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cardamom
½ cup xylitol or erythritol
1 cup almond flour
1 cup rice flour
½ cup psyllium husk powder
1 local organic free-range egg (or 3 tbsp chia ½ cup water)

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F degrees. Mix the melted oil (or butter) with the oat milk. Add in the rest of the ingredients. If using chia-water mixture, let it thicken to gel for about 10 minutes before adding). Stir well and leave to thicken for 20 minutes. Now the dough should be easily moldable so you can create round buns from it. Add a bit of rice flour, if needed. Form 8 small buns and place them on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until slightly golden. Let cool completely before cutting in half.

Fill with almond paste and coconut whipped cream (colored with pink pitaya powder or beet powder and/or turmeric).

 

Coconut Whipped Cream

2 can full-fat coconut milk (keep in the fridge)
1 tbsp coconut syrup (or for example maple syrup)
½ tsp vanilla powder

Take the coconut milk cans from the fridge and scoop out the white thick paste into a bowl. Add syrup and vanilla. Whip until fluffy. If the mixture gets too warm and runny, keep it in a fridge for a while so that it gets as thick as normal whipped cream. Use as a filling in semlas with almond paste.

 

Almond Paste

1 cup almond meal
3-5 tbsp coconut syrup or maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla powder or seeds from half vanilla bean

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon. The dough should be easily moldable, like playdough, not too dry or crumbly. Add more syrup or almond meal if needed. Roll the dough into a pole (about 5 cm / 2 inches thick) and roll it inside a parchment paper or plastic wrap. Put it in the fridge and leave to thicken for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Cut the pole into 1 cm/½ inch thick slices. Use slices inside semlas with coconut whipped cream.

Snickers Moon Balls

Makes about 12 truffles

2 cups peanuts
½ cup raw cocoa powder
7 fresh dates, pitted
3 tbsp maple syrup
pinch of sea salt
peanut butter
100 g / 3,5 oz raw chocolate or dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit degrees.
Spread the peanuts onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Roast the nuts in the oven for 15 minutes stirring once after 10 minutes.

Let the nuts cool and pour them into a blender. Blend until fine crust. Separate about ¼ cup of the mixture into a small bowl. Add cocoa powder, pitted dates, maple syrup and salt into the blender. Blend until moldable dough. Take about 1 tbsp of the dough and create a ball. Press your thumb inside the ball to create a hole. Add about 1 tsp peanut butter into the hole. Press the sides of the truffle to cover the hole. Prepare the rest of the dough the same way. Dip each ball into melted chocolate. A good tip is to use a toothpick for dipping. Sprinkle on the peanut crust you saved. Freeze the truffles for 1 hour. Serve and enjoy. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Blueberry Crumble Pie

About 9 pieces

1 ⅓ cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup almond meal
⅓ cup coconut sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cardamom
pinch of sea salt
1 cup coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp raw organic honey or coconut syrup

Filling:

1 cup blueberries
1 ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
dropperful liquid stevia
1 cup blueberries & 4 tbsp chia seeds

On top:

Blueberries
edible flowers
coconut milk powder, optional

Dish size: 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 Inches

Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius / 350 F degrees. Cover the pan with parchment paper. Mix the base ingredients in a bowl with a spoon so that you get a crumbly but slightly moldable dough. Press about ⅔ of the crust dough firmly onto the bottom of the pan.

Prepare the filling. Mix 1 cup blueberries, banana, vanilla extract & stevia in a blender until smooth. Scoop into a small bowl and stir in the whole blueberries and chia seeds. Leave to thicken for 15 minutes. Spread the berry mixture onto the crust. Sprinkle on the remaining crust dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until nice & golden. Take out from the oven and let cool completely. Cut to pieces, top with blueberries and edible flowers and sprinkle on some coconut milk powder. Enjoy! Store in the fridge.

Vanilla Choco Nice Cream Sandwiches

About 4 big or 6 small pieces

Vanilla n’ice cream:

3 ripe frozen & sliced bananas
1 can full-fat coconut milk (kept in a fridge)
½ tsp vanilla powder

Place all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. You may have to scoop down the sides. Pour the ice cream mixture into a freezer-safe tin and freeze for about 30 mins. Prepare the cookies.

Chocolate Cookies:

1 cup almond flour
1 cup oat flour
4 tbsp raw cocoa powder
3 tbsp flax meal
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp vanilla powder
8 tbsp water
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp maple syrup or coconut syrup

Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add water and melted coconut oil and syrup. Mix. The dough should be easily moldable. Add water or flour if needed. You should be able to make a big ball out of the dough with your hands. Place a dough ball between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll out to ½ inch thickness. Cut the dough into cookies with a knife or use a cookie mold. Place the cookies gently on a baking tray covered with a baking sheet. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely. The cookies will get crispier as they cool.

Chocolate frosting:

½ cup coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp raw cocoa powder
2 tbsp coconut syrup

Mix the melted coconut oil, cocoa powder and coconut syrup in a small bowl.

Assembly:
Scoop about two spoonfuls of the ice cream and place it on the backside of one cookie. Place another cookie on top of the ice cream and press down gently. Drip some chocolate frosting on top of the sandwiches and top with shredded coconut. Freeze for 30-60 minutes.

Vanelja’s Raw Magnums with PB & Jam

(Makes about 6 popsicles)

Ice cream:
1 cup cashews, soaked 5 hours or overnight, then rinsed
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
½ cup coconut yoghurt, natural & unsweetened
1 tsp lemon juice
1 dropperful liquid stevia
1 tsp xylitol
1 tsp vanilla extract

Jam:
2/3 cup raspberries
3 tbsp chia seeds

Filling:
peanut butter

Frosting:
raw chocolate or dark chocolate

Place all the ice cream ingredients into a blender and blend until super smooth. Add a bit more liquid, if needed, but keep as thick as possible. Taste and add sweetness, if desired.
Pour the ice cream mixture into ice cream molds and freeze for 2 hours until solid. In the meantime prepare the chia jam.
Mash the raspberries and stir in the chia seeds. Add some stevia, if you like. Leave to thicken for 2 hours.

Take the ice cream pops from the freezer and remove the molds. Spread about 1-2 tbsp peanut butter on top of each popsicle. The spread on the chia jam. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and dip the ice creams in it. Top for example with peanut butter swirls or coconut flakes. Put back into the freezer for 30 mins, until solid. If you store the popsicles in the freezer longer, let them thaw for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Vanelja’s 3 Ingredient Plum Pie

2 cups sweet plums, cut into slices
1 ⅓ cup (3 dl) rolled oats
4 tbsp melted coconut oil
+ 1/2 tsp cardamom & 2-3 tbsp coconut sugar or erythritol for extra sweetness, if desired

Pan size: 7 inches/18 cm

Preheat the oven to 425 F/225 C degrees. Place half of the plum slices in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add rolled oats and coconut oil. Blend well. Taste and add some coconut sugar and cardamom, if desired. Cover the bottom of a cake pan with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Cover the surface of the pie with the remaining plum slices. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until nicely golden and the sides and the surface look done and dry. Take out from the oven and let cool. Serve and enjoy for example with coconut whipped cream. Store covered at room temperature or in the fridge.

Blueberry Truffles

1 cup shredded coconut
¾ cup macadamia nuts
⅓ cup coconut butter
⅓ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
5 tbsp raw organic honey or coconut syrup, or other natural syrup of your choice
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until a thick paste. Form small balls. Sprinkle on some coconut milk powder. Freeze for 1 hour. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Strawberry Creamsicles with Raw Chocolate Frosting & Clover Flower Sprinkles

2 cups organic strawberries
1,5 cup cashew nuts (soaked for 1 hour)
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
few drops of stevia

Cut strawberries into pieces snd remove stems. Add strawberries, soaked&drained cashews and coconut oil into a blender and blend until smooth. Add vanilla and a few drops of stevia and mix. Check the taste. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds and freeze until solid.
Frost with melted raw chocolate and sprinkle some clover flower pieces or for example nut crust on. Serve & enjoy!

Midsummer Pancake Cake

serves 6

Pancake:

1.5 cup full-fat almond flour
1 cup gluten-free oat flour
3 tbsp ground flaxseeds

5 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3 tbsp coconut sugar
pinch of sea salt

2 cups oat milk
1 tbsp coconut oil

Coconut Whipped Cream:

2 (14-ounce) cans of full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp coconut syrup or raw organic honey

On top:

3 ripe bananas fresh berries

Open the coconut milk cans and scoop the white thick paste into a bowl. Add the vanilla and syrup and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. If the mixture becomes too runny, place it in the fridge or freezer until firm.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add oat milk. Mix. Leave to thicken for about 10 min. Cover a baking tray with parchment paper and grease it with coconut oil. Pour the dough onto the tray. Spread evenly so that the pancake is about half-inch thick. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Take from the oven and let cool. Prepare the coconut whipped cream.

Cut the pancake into 6 equal-sized pieces. Pile the pieces into a cake and add coconut whipped cream and banana slices in between pieces. Frost with coconut whipped cream. Top with berries. Serve and enjoy!

Cinnamon Roasted Peaches

4-5 fresh peaches, pitted & sliced
2-3 tbsp organic butter or coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp erythritol (or coconut sugar)
1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom

Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F degrees. Place the sliced peaches on a covered baking tray. Drizzle on the butter/oil and the spices. Bake for 20-25 mins until soft and juicy. Serve for example with porridge. (Here served with oatmeal, almond butter & hemp seeds.)

Chai Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 tbsp flaxseed meal and 5 tbsp water (or 2 local organic eggs)
½ cup oat milk or almond milk
2 cups almond meal
1 cup rolled oats
1 ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
¾ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp erythritol (or coconut sugar)

Pan size: Approx. 20 x 10 cm / 8 x 4 inches

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set it aside. Mix the flaxseed meal and water in a bowl and let thicken for 5 mins. In a big bowl mix all the ingredients. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 40 mins or until done inside. Take out of the oven and let cool completely. Serve for example with peanut butter and raspberry chia jam.

Vanelja’s Healing Hot Chocolate

(Keto & Plant-based)

2 cups oat milk (or almond milk)
1 tbsp instant Chaga powder
1 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp vanilla powder
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of sea salt
1 dropperful liquid stevia (or 2-3 tbsp erythritol or maple syrup)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well. Pour into a pot and bring to boil. Serve hot for example with frothed oat milk and crusted raw chocolate and almonds.

Lemon Cardamom Cookies

(keto & plant-based)

1 cup almond flour
¼ cup erythritol or xylitol
1 dropperful liquid stevia
3 tbsp coconut oil or grass-fed butter, melted
lemon zest from one lemon
½ tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp cardamom

Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit degrees. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix with your hands until moldable dough. Cover a baking tray with a baking sheet and divide the dough into 8-10 balls. Flatten the balls with your fingers. When flattened you can cut them with a cookie-cutter into a certain shape or leave them round. Bake for 8-10 minutes until slightly golden on the sides. Take out of the oven and let cool completely before removing them.


Glaze:

¼ cup erythritol, powdered
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla extract

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix. If you don’t have powdered erythritol you can make it by blending normal erythritol full-speed in a blender so that it turns into powder. (Remember to close the lid well!) Spread the glaze on top of the cookies and decorate with dried edible flowers and leave to set for 10 mins before serving.

Blackcurrant Tea Buns & Blackcurrant Chia Jam

1 ½ cup almond flour
¼ cup coconut flour
2 bags Clipper Blackcurrant Black Tea
5 tbsp psyllium husk
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp sea salt

1 cup hot water
2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

On top: sesame seeds and/or poppy seeds

Preheat the oven to 175 C / 380 F degrees. Cover a baking tray with a baking sheet. Mix the almond flour, coconut flour, tea (cut the tea bags open and pour the tea mixture in the bowl), psyllium husk, baking powder and salt in a big bowl. Pour in hot water, apple cider vinegar and oil. Stir and leave to thicken for 10 mins. The dough should be now soft and easily moldable. Form 6 small balls from the dough and set them on the baking tray. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until slightly golden. Take out of the oven and let cool completely.


Blackcurrant Chia Jam:

1 cup blackcurrants, fresh or frozen
2-3 tbsp chia seeds
1 dropperful liquid stevia or 2 tbsp maple syrup
½ tsp vanilla

Measure the blackcurrants in a bowl. If using frozen berries, thaw them first. Stir in the chia seeds, sweetener and vanilla. Leave to thicken for 10 minutes. Taste and add seasoning, if needed. Store in a sealable jar in the fridge and use within a week.

Cinnamon French Toasts with Apple Jam

4 oat breads (I used Vaasan Ohut Kaura 100)
⅓ cup oat milk
1 ½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp vanilla
2 tbsp erythritol or xylitol
+ 1 tsp coconut oil for frying

On top:

Whipped coconut cream
Apple Chia Jam

Toast the oat bread slices in a toaster to get them really dry and crusty. Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat. Pour the oat milk into a small bowl and stir in the spices and sweetener. Dunk each bread slice in oat milk mixture for a few seconds. Don’t over-soak them so that they don’t become soft. Place in pan and cook on both sides until golden. Serve with whipped coconut cream and apple chia jam.

Apple Chia Jam:

2 apples
¼ cup water
4 tbsp chia seeds
½ tsp vanilla powder
½ tsp Ceylon cinnamon

Blend one and a half apple in a blender and blend until smooth puree. Cut the one apple halve into tiny cubes. Place water into a small pot and add in the apple cubes. Cook on low-medium heat for a few minutes until apple cubes soften a bit. Take off the heat and pour in the apple puree, spices and chia seeds. Leave to cool down and thicken. Store in a sealed jar in a fridge and use within 5 days.

Tiramisu Pancake Stack

(serves 2)

Pancakes:

½ cup rolled oats
1 ripe banana
½ cup almond meal
½ cup oat milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Coconut whipped cream filling:

2 cans of full-fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
1 tsp organic local honey or some liquid stevia
½ tsp vanilla powder

Other fillings:

¼ cup strong brewed coffee
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
If not vegan: ½ cup organic mascarpone

Measure all the pancake ingredients, except the filling, in a blender. Blend until smooth. Heat a pancake pan over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of batter into the hot pan and spread it a little bit. Cook for 1,5 minutes, flip and cook the other side too. Cook the rest of the pancakes. Leave to cool down and prepare the filling.

Open the coconut milk cans and scoop the solid coconut cream into a bowl. Mix with beaters until fluffy. Mix in honey or stevia and vanilla. If the mixture gets too runny, place it in the fridge for a while.
Place a pancake on a serving bowl or plate, brush some brewed coffee on top. Add a layer of mascarpone, if using, and then some coconut whipped cream. Otherwise, add only a layer of coconut whipped cream. Sprinkle on some cocoa powder and add another pancake over the top. Add again the brewed coffee and the fillings. Place the third pancake on top and top with coconut whipped cream and cocoa powder. Serve & Enjoy right away.

Tip! Try also banana slices as a filling.

Vanelja’s Strawberry Dream Cake

Crust:

1 cup almonds
½ cup pecan nuts
4 tbsp raw cocoa powder
5 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp almond butter
1 dropperful liquid stevia (or 2 tbsp organic honey or maple syrup)
pinch sea salt

Filling:

3 cups raw cashew nuts, soaked for 1-5 hours, then rinsed
1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen & thawed)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
3 tbsp juice from a lemon
2 dropperfuls liquid stevia (or 4 tbsp organic honey or maple syrup)
½ tsp vanilla powder

Can tin: approx. 23 x 23 cm / 9 x 9 inches

Cover a cake tin with baking paper. Place the almonds and pecans into a high-speed blender or food processor. Blend until fine crust. Add the rest of the crust ingredients and blend until well combined. Press firmly into the cake tin.

Place all the filling ingredients into a high-speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a bit more liquid, if needed, so that you get the mixture super smooth, still keeping it as thick as possible. You may have to scrape down the sides occasionally. Taste and add some sweetness, if desired. Pour on top of the crust and smooth out the surface with a spoon. Freeze for 2 hours or until solid. Let thaw for 30 mins before serving. Top with LOADS of fresh berries, the more the merrier.

Blueberry Fig Dream Pie with Lavender

Filling:

2 cups cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
1 cup oat milk, or other vegan milk
7 tbsp coconut syrup (or organic raw honey, if not vegan)
5 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 cup coconut oil, melted
3 fresh figs
3 tbsp blueberries
1 tsp dried lavender


Crust:

1 ⅔ cup almonds
⅓ cup coconut flakes
6-7 fresh dates, pitted
tiny pinch salt

Tin size: 18-20 cm / 7-8 inches

Prepare the crust first. place the almonds and coconut flakes into a blender or food processor and blend until fine crust. Add the dates and blend until moldable dough. Take about 4-5 tbsp dough and set aside. Press the remaining dough into a cake or pie tin so that you cover also the sides. Take the dough you set aside and press it to a 0,5 cm / 0,2-inch thick plate for example on top of parchment paper. Cut with a small cookie cutter to get about 6 small cookie dough pieces, for example flower-shaped. Prepare now the filling.

Place all the filling ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth mass with no crumbs. If needed, add just a little bit more liquid to get it smooth, but keep the mixture as thick as possible. taste and add some of the spices or more sweetness, if needed. Pour the mixture into a cake tin on top of the crust. Place the cookie dough pieces on top and place them into a freezer for about 2 hours or until solid. Take out of the freezer and let thaw for about 30 minutes. Top with some fresh blueberries and lavender, if you like. Serve and enjoy!

Chocolate Pancakes

1 ½ ripe banana
1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup raw cocoa powder
½ cup oat milk
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp raw cocoa nibs

Place all ingredients, except the cocoa nibs, into the blender and blend until smooth. Stir in the cocoa nibs and leave to thicken for 5 minutes. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Drop about 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the pan and cook until the surface looks almost dry. Flip and cook the other side too.

Baked bananas

2 ripe bananas
Ceylon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 175 C degrees. Cut the bananas lengthwise and sprinkle on some cinnamon. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until soft. Serve with pancakes.

Vanelja’s Feel-good Blueberry Pancakes

Makes about 7 small pancakes⠀

1 ripe banana⠀
1⁄2 cup rolled oats⠀
1⁄2 cup oat milk (or other vegan milk)⠀
1 tsp baking powder⠀
1 tsp vanilla extract⠀
1⁄4 cup buckwheat flour⠀
1 tbsp coconut sugar⠀
1 tsp coconut oil, melted⠀
1/2 cup blueberries⠀

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Let the dough thicken for 10 minutes. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Drop about 2 spoonfuls of the batter onto the pan, drop a few blueberries in and cook until the surface looks almost dry. That should take about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until nicely browned on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter. If the pancakes remain too pale, lift the heat up a bit or if they get too brown, lower the heat. Serve with peanut butter & blueberries.

Vanelja’s Crunchy PB Chocolate Seed Donuts

(Makes about 6)

¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup hemp seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup pine nuts
100 g / 3,5 oz raw chocolate or dark chocolate, naturally sweetened
3-4 tbsp peanut butter

On top:

dried rose petals, if you like

Measure the seeds and pine nuts into a bowl. Melt the chocolate and pour it onto the seed mixture. Stir well. Spoon a little bit of peanut butter on the bottom of donut molds. If you want to use rose petals, add them before the peanut butter. Add a couple of spoonfuls of chocolate seed mixture into the donut molds on top of the peanut butter. Spread evenly. Freeze for 2 hours or more until the chocolate gets hard. Take out of the freezer and immediately remove from the molds. Serve and enjoy. Store in the freezer.

Granola Apple Crumble ⠀

Apple filling:

5 medium apples, seeds removed & cut to thin slices⠀
3 tbsp local organic honey or maple syrup⠀
2 tbsp potato starch⠀
2 tbsp juice from a lemon⠀
1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon⠀
1/2 tsp ground cardamom⠀
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg⠀
3 fresh dates, pitted & cut to pieces⠀

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats ⠀
1/2 cup oat flour (you can blend rolled oats into flour)⠀
1 cup Tesco Free From Berry Granola⠀
3 tbsp peanut butter⠀
2 tbsp local organic honey or maple syrup⠀
1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon ⠀
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or organic butter)

Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C degrees.
Place all the filling ingredients on a pan and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and prepare the topping. Measure all the topping ingredients into a big bowl and combine well. Pour the apple filling into a baking dish and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the topping mixture on top of the apple mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes until the apples get soft & juicy and the topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Serve for example with vanilla ice cream or natural yoghurt of your choice.

Pumpkin Pie Nice Cream Sandwiches

Nice Cream:

5 ripe bananas, cut to pieces & frozen⠀(+3 tbsp maple syrup, if desired)
¼ cup pumpkin puree⠀
¼ cup coconut milk⠀
1 tsp ground cinnamon⠀
¼ tsp ground ginger⠀
¼ tsp ground nutmeg⠀
¼ tsp ground cloves⠀

Cookies:

Tesco Free From Stem Ginger Cookies

Place the frozen banana slices, pumpkin puree and coconut milk into a high-speed blender or food processor. Measure in all the spices. Blend until smooth. Taste and add some of the spices, if desired. Pour into a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1 hour. Once solid, scoop out an ice cream ball and place on top of a cookie. Top with another cookie and press slightly. For extra pleasure, dip in melted dark chocolate. Serve & enjoy right away.

Dalgona Chaga Coffee

2 tbsp instant Chaga coffee
2 tbsp xylitol or coconut sugar
2 tbsp boiling hot water

Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whip with a hand mixer for about 2-3 mins until fluffy and holds stiff peaks.
Spoon dollops of whipped coffee on top of your drink, such as strawberry milkshake.

Strawberry Shake

1 can full-fat coconut milk, cooled
1/2 cup strawberries, frozen
1 ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
+ optional: 1/2 tsp turmeric & couple of grinds black pepper

Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

Raw Lemon Poppy Seed White Chocolate

1 cup grated cacao butter
0,5 cup cashew nuts (soaked)
1 tsp lemon zest
3 – 4 tbsp local organic honey (or coconut syrup or erythritol)
1 tsp vanilla extract
0,5 tsp poppy seeds

Soak cashew nuts for about 1 hour. Rinse the nuts and add to a blender. Melt the cacao butter in a warm water bath and pour also it into the blender. Add the lemon zest, honey and vanilla extract and puree into a smooth paste. Taste and add more sweetness if desired. Mix poppy seeds into the mixture with a spoon and pour the mixture into chocolate molds. Freeze for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Store in the freezer.

Vanelja’s Simple Choco Crepes

Makes about 8 crepes

1 cup chickpea flour
⅓ cup raw cocoa powder
1,5 cup oat milk or other vegan milk
3 tbsp coconut sugar

Place the chickpea flour, cocoa powder, milk and coconut sugar into a blender and blend until smooth. Leave to thicken for 5 minutes. The batter should still remain quite runny so that you can prepare thin crepes. Preheat a non-stick pan in the middle heat. Measure about ⅓ cup of the batter on the pan and spread with a spoon until a thin crepe. Bake for 50-60 seconds. Flip gently with a thin spatula and bake slightly on the other side too. When all the crepes are done, let them cool a bit. Fill with coconut whipped cream and fruits & berries of your choice. Drizzle some peanut butter on top. Serve and enjoy!

Strawberry N’Ice Cream

2 cups fresh strawberries
1 ripe banana
1 cup cashew nuts
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
0,5 cup almond milk (or other plant-based milk)

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and prepare ice cream with the directions of the manufacture. If you don’t own an ice cream maker pour the mixture into a freezer-safe jar and freeze for 3-4 hours stirring the mixture every 30 minutes. Serve crusted nuts, small date pieces and a dash of cardamom.

Apricot Strawberry Bars

0,5 cup almonds
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup almond flour/almond meal
4 tbsp organic honey
50 g organic butter (or 5 tbsp coconut oil)
½ tsp cardamom
pinch of salt

5 apricots
1 cup strawberries
juices of a lemon
4 tbsp organic liquid honey

Tin size: 20 x 20 cm / 8 x 8 inches

Preheat the oven to 175 Celcius / 350 Fahrenheit degrees. Put the almonds into a blender and pulse until rough crumbs form. Pour the crumb into a bowl and add rolled oats and almond meal. Stir in honey, melted butter or oil and spices. Mix. Take out about 5 tbsp of the mixture and press the remaining dough into a greased tin covered with parchment paper slices.

Cut the apricots into slices and remove the stones. Cut also the strawberries into pieces. Add strawberry and apricot pieces into a bowl and add lemon juice and honey. Mix. Pour the mixture into the tin on top of the crust. Crumble the rest of the dough on top of the strawberries and apricots. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden. Take out and let cool. Store in a fridge and cut into pieces when totally cooled. Serve for example with ice cream.

Tahini Licorice Nice Cream Popsicles

3 frozen bananas, sliced
5 tbsp oat yoghurt
1 tbsp tahini
2 fresh dates, pitted
1 tbsp licorice root extract powder
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth soft serve. You can do the blending also in smaller portions. Drizzle some tahini inside popsicle molds and fill the molds with the soft serve. Place the ice cream sticks and freeze. Frost with melted raw chocolate and decorate with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Chocolate Vanilla Chia Popsicles with Cherry Mash

2 cups almond milk (or oat milk or coconut milk)
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 ripe banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp + 4 tbsp white or black chia seedsv
3 tbsp carob powder or raw cocoa powder
2 tbsp almond butter (or tahini)
3 fresh dates, pitted + 1 cup cherries

Place almond milk, sunflower seeds, bananas and vanilla extract into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour about ⅓ of the mixture into a bowl or jar and stir in half of the chia seeds. Leave to thicken. Add carob/ raw cocoa powder, almond butter and dates into a blender and blend with the remaining mixture until smooth. Pour the mixture into another bowl and stir in the remaining chia seeds. Leave to thicken for about 15 minutes.

Mash cherries with a fork on a plate and set them aside.
Spoon some chocolate mixture into popsicle molds, add in some cherry mash and fill the molds with the white mixture. Stir a couple of times, add in the popsicle sticks and place into a freezer and freeze for about 2 hours or until the popsicles are totally frozen.

Vanelja’s Gingerbread Pancakes:

Makes about 7 small pancakes

1 ripe banana
½ cup / 1,5 dl oat milk (or for example almond milk)
½ cup rolled oats
1 tsp baking powder
1,5 tsp gingerbread spice mix
1 tsp vanilla extract

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Let the dough thicken for about 20 minutes. Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Drop about 2 spoonfuls of the batter onto the pan and cook until the surface looks almost dry. That should take about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until nicely browned on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter. If the pancakes remain too pale, lift the heat up a bit or if they get too brown, lower the heat.

Vanelja’s Raw Carrot Cake
with California Raisins

Base:
2 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 ½ cups raw walnuts
½ cup California raisins
7 fresh dates, pitted
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
½ cup almond flour

Frosting:
1 cup cashews, soaked for 1 hour & rinsed)
5 tbsp coconut cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Grind the carrots into popcorn sized pieces in a food processor. Add California raisins, walnuts and dates, vanilla extracts, salt, cinnamon & cardamom and pulse to mix. NOTE! The batter should remain coarse and have a cake-like texture so be careful not to over-blend it until smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in the almond flour. Line a 7-9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and scoop the batter in. Spread and press down evenly.
Add the cashews to a food processor or to a high-speed blender with coconut cream, lemon juice, syrup and vanilla. Blend until silky smooth. The icing should resemble cream cheese. If needed, add a little water. Spread the icing over the cake. Pop the cake in the freezer for 3 hours. Bring back to room temperature and remove from the cake tin. Let thaw for 30 minutes. Decorate and enjoy! Store in the fridge and use within a week.

Stuffed Gingerbread Dates

12 fresh dates, pitted⠀
¼ cup gingerbread dough (I used 1 plate of Myllyn Paras ginger bread dough)⠀
100 g dark chocolate, melted⠀

On top: ⠀
peanut butter⠀
crushed peanuts or coconut flakes⠀

Roll out the gingerbread dough until about 2 cm / 0.8 thick disc. Cut into cubes around the size of the head of the thumb. Use a sharp knife to make a lengthwise slit into the dates. Remove the pits. Place one gingerbread cube inside each date. Close glently and dip into melted chocolate. Sprinkle on peanut butter & crushed peanuts. Place into a freezer for 30 minutes to harden. Serve and enjoy. Store in the fridge and use within 3-4 days.

Gingerbread Sweetpotato Dream Cake

Well here’s a winter treat worth sharing. This creamy raw cake gets its surprising richness from sweet potato and gentle warmth from gingerbread spices. And lemme tell you that it is one heavenly union.

Made in collaboration with Electrolux Explore 7 blender and Asennemedia

As you may may have noticed from my previous blog post where I launched my new ebook Dreamy Season – Wholesome food for Holidays & winter, I’m kinda of a Christmas freak. Like I could actually eat Christmas related food the whole winter season and when it comes to Christmas recipes, my imagination seems to be endless.

One of my favorite nice cream recipes I’ve ever created is a gingerbread nice cream that has sweet potato in it. Homehow those two elements make a perfect match and I’ve been wanting to bring them together in some other dish too.

Gingerbread Sweetpotato Dream CakeElectrolux Explore 7 blender

The idea evolved when I got to test the new Electrolux Explore 7 blender. As the first thing I wanted to try with it was a smoothie. I’m kind of a smoothie nerd and my way to test a blender is to see how smooth it actually makes my smoothie. And I have to say I was kind of surpised. Blenders in this price group usually leave smoothies a bit grainy but this baby blended them smooth as velvet. Really nice job.

The second thing I wanted to test was a raw cake. The batter there is thicker than in a smoothie so it gives new challenges to the blender. Again, very nice, very smooth. One great feature in Explore 7 blender is that it’s designed in a way that though it makes mixtures smooth it doesn’t heat up the ingredients so it keeps everything fresh and the nutrients alive n´ kicking. It isn’t a blender for thick nut butters, raw cake crusts etc, but you can definitely make great soups, smoothies, raw cake batters, grind nuts and even make juice (!) with it. Plus it’s pretteehh.

Oh, and back to my sweet potato gingerbread matching mission. So when I challenged the blender with a raw cake I wanted to make something christmassy. Because of my christmas mania condition, you know. Then I remembered the heavinly union of the gingerbread and sweet potato in my nice cream and the idea was born. Also wanted to make a nut-free raw cake for a change, as people ask me about them constantly.

And it came one fine piece of cake, I have to admit.

Try it yourself to get yourself into Christmas mood and let me know how it resonates! And if the Explore 7 blender resonated, tune into my Instagram as I’m giving away one blender on my today’s IG post. See you there!

V

Blueberry Dream Cake - Raw cake by Vanelja

Well hello, babes! Finally it’s happening, updated Vanelja.com has opened its doors and welcomes you to take a tour. Though it took quite some time to get this open, it has been heart-warming to notice how many of you regularly uses the recipes on my site, as I have got tons of messages from people asking when all the material will be returning. So sorry you’ve had to wait for them, but happy to know you’ve missed my treats!

Blueberry Dream Cake by Vanelja

And now when the new site is open I’m also beyond excited to launch my brand new grocery: Blueberry Dream Cake by Vanelja. It is a treat that I absolutely ah-dore and I’m just so super duper happy to start offering my all time favorite raw cake to people. I get asked almost weekly if I do catering or if I take orders for my dream cakes, and now I can finally say YES!

And this one is truly a raw cake of my dreams. If I should pick only one sweet treat to consume for the rest of my life, it would be my Blueberry Dream Cake, most def, no doubt about it. It has such a mouth-watering taste with the pecan based crust with a hint of cardamom and the rich blueberry filling. The texture is creamy and fluffy yet the cake is very fresh because of the white layer with some hints of lemon in it. I honestly start salivating even now when describing it to you, haha. And what’s lovely about this Blueberry Dream Cake is that there is no coconut flavor that pushes through, which I feel is a problem in many raw cakes.

Blueberry Dream Cake - Raw cake by Vanelja

I’ve made my Blueberry Dream Cake in collab with Green Street, a big-hearted Helsinki-based provider for raw cakes and other healthy food. The cake will be out very soon, at 15th of May to be exact, and you’ll be able to buy it from certain retailers, supermarkets and cafés in Helsinki and Stockholm. Gonna list down all the retailers here on my site soon! And if you want to have a whole cake, preordering is open NOW and the first deliveries start 15th of May. If you have some parties coming up this spring and summer, like graduation parties, family get-togethers, brunches for friends etc. you can preorder the cake HERE. It is a great thing to serve for a big bunch of people as it is vegan, gluten free and naturally sweetened, so it fits to most diets and most occasions. I prefer it as a weekend brekkie, as it is perfect for cozy slow mornings.

The decoration of these photos are not included in the cake, but it has a beautiful pattern on the surface (which you can see here) so it can be served as it is, or  you can finish it for example with some blueberries or edible flowers.

Blueberry dream Cake brekkie

At the moment the availability of my Blueberry Dream Cake is limited only to Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, but hopefully we’ll get the cake to wider reach too. Again, gonna be updating the retailers here on my site. And if you have a café and you’d think my Blueberry Dream Cake could match your selection, throw me a message!

But in the meantime, let me know how you like my cake and my new site! There are still some new features on their way + one surprise gift for you coming before the summer, so stay tuned – especially on Vanelja’s Instagram, as that is the place where I holler most often about my moves.

xo

V

Matcha Smoothie Bowl by Vanelja

Matcha Smoothie Bowls Vanelja

So Matcha Beauty Bowl

1 ½ frozen banana
½ cup steamed, peeled and frozen zucchini, cut to pieces
½ cup cashew nuts, soaked for 1 hour and rinsed
2 brazil nuts
2 heaping tbsp full fat coconut milk, the white paste
1 tbsp coconut oil
½ tsp vanilla powder
1 tbsp collagen powder (skip, if vegan)
1 tbsp tocotrienols
1 cup unsweetened oat yogurt (or unsweetened coconut yogurt or almond yogurt) +tbsp matcha powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender, except the matcha. Blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add some yogurt or plant-based milk if the mixture is too thick. Pour half of the mixture into a bowl. Mix the matcha with the remaining mixture. Fill a serving bowl with the green and white mixture, garnish the smoothie bowl with coconut flakes, edible flowers, apple coins and sesame seeds.

Healthy Easy Bliss Balls

Healthy Easy Bliss Balls

Vanelja’s Easy Almond Bliss Balls

(makes about 15 bliss balls)

1 ½ cups almonds (raw or dry roasted)

7 fresh dates, pitted

½ tsp ceylon cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

tiny pinch sea salt

+ sesame seeds on top

Blend almonds in a blender until fine crust. Add fresh dates, pinch of ceylon cinnamon and nutmeg plus a tiny pinch of celtic sea salt. Blend until mouldable dough. Form tiny balls and roll them in sesame seeds. Keep in the fridge or freezer for a moment to get them nice and cool.

Healthy Christmas Cake by Vanelja

Healthy Christmas Cake by Vanelja

(vegan, gluten free, naturally sweetened)

Cake:

5 tbsp ground flaxseed
½ cup water
1 ½ cup Risenta almond meal
1 cup Risenta rice flour
⅓ cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
2 tsp gingerbread spice mix
½ tsp cardamom
tiny pinch of sea salt
1 can (400 ml) full fat coconut milk
½ cup coconut oil, melted
5 fresh dates, pitted
5 tbsp coconut syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
+ 5 fresh dates, pitted and cut to small pieces

Frosting:

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter or white tahini
1 tbsp coconut syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

On top:

Coconut flakes
hazelnuts

Cake mold:

0.4-0.5 gallons (1,5 – 1,8 liters)

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit (175 Celsius) degrees. Grease the bundt cake mold with coconut oil. Mix the ground flax and water in a small bowl and leave to thicken. In the meantime prepare the cake dough.

Mix the dry ingredients in a big bowl. Place coconut milk, coconut oil, 5 dates, coconut syrup and vanilla into a blender and blend until smooth. Mix with dry ingredients. Add also the flax mixture you made and mix well. Stir in the date cubes. Pour the dough into the cake mold. Bake for 55-60 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes and remove from the mold. Let the cake cool down totally. Frost and serve! The cake is at its best after one night in the fridge.

Frosting:

Mix the coconut oil, nut butter and vanilla in a small bowl. If the mixture goes too runny, keep it in the fridge for about 15 minutes, mixing it couple of times. Frost the cake and decorate with coconut flakes and nuts.

More recipes on Vanelja’s Instagram!

You wanted recipes for lunch and dinner – I give you granola pizza!

What do you mean, that doesn’t look like your average everyday meal? My five-year-old ate that specific pizza as a dinner, straight from the photo background, after she’d came home from the kindergarten the other day. True story. That’s how we run things here at the Vanelja household.

Ok, to be honest (and boring), I have to admit that we do also eat so called normal food, every once in awhile, but that’s not on my blogging agenda today. Either. But, I give you a hint that in the near future I’m gonna launch something super exciting, that I know all you savory craving creatures will lovelovelove! So stay tuned!

And now back to this marvellous breakfast pizza. Such a whimsical weird creation it is. I always encourage people to play around with their food and experiment with familiar ingredients. And that is exactly what happens with this granola pizza. Your ol’ granola and yogurt breakfast, but in a new and refreshing form. Maybe not a totally new concept to all you trendy foodies out there, but something fun to try out, at least!

The crust is made from Vanelja’s Pink Granola (recipe below), but you can take the easy way and use whatever gluten free store-bought granola you like and stir in some berry powder or freeze dried berries to get that pretty pink hue. Then just top it with your favorite dairy free yogurt, berries, figs and flowers and cuteness overload and your favorite weekend brekkie is guaranteed. Although, I must say that this kind of a breakfast would give an extraordinary start also to a Monday morning, that’s when some extra magic and zest is usually needed the most.

Oh, before you run away after your granolas and yogurts, I just want to let you guys know that Vanelja is nominated at the Blog Awards Finland, in the food category – Yay! That would be my first award in my home counrty after 8 years (!) of blogging about health food. Phew – time really flies when you’re having a blast! So if you like what I’m doing, go click and leave a vote for me HERE. Only your email (Sähköposti) and your name (Nimi) is needed. Thank you, sugar – I mean, honey, raw and organic! haha!

V

Hiya Honey! Look what I’ve got for you today – A dreamy and creamy blueberry thyme raw cake –  A cake that can also be found on the cover of the latest THRIVE magazine. That’s right, babe, my cake is an actual cover girl! So sooo amazing! There’s also a four page spread & a feature of me in the magazine in where I share some of my food secrets + many many other great features and recipes of super talented recipe creators.

I first created this blueberry raw cake in the spring with a collaboration with a Finnish salad and herb producer Järvikylä when I made an adaptation of their thyme blueberry cake and during the summer the cake photo has become easily one of my most shared and liked IG posts ever and it has been so much fun to see people making their own creations of it and posting them on their pages and sharing them with me. The beauty and magic of Instagram.

To celebrate my cover photo I thought to share the recipe here on my site too – So here you go, my friend, go and enjoy these blueberry filled dream bites!

V

(gluten free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened)

Base:

½ cup pecan nuts

½ almonds

7 fresh dates, pitted (or dried organic soft apricots)

a pinch of sea salt

 

Filling:

2 cups cashew nuts (soaked for 30 minutes & rinsed)

½ ripe banana

¼ cup coconut oil, melted

5-6 tbsp raw organic honey (or maple syrup or coconut syrup)

¼ cup oat milk or almond milk

fresh lemon juice from ½ lemon

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup blueberries

a handful of fresh thyme leaves

 

On top:

blueberries

fresh thyme

 

Pan diameter: 18 cm / 7 inches

Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of a cake pan. Place the almonds and nuts into a food processor or a high-speed blender and blend until crust. Add dates or apricots and salt and blend until moldable dough. Press the dough firmly into the bottom of the cake pan. Prepare the filling.

Place all the filling ingredients (except blueberries and thyme) into the food processor / blender and blend until smooth. Add some dairy free milk, if needed, to get a smooth texture, still keeping it as thick as possible. Pour about ⅓ of the mixture into the cake pan and smooth out the surface. Add blueberries and thyme to the food processor / blender and blend with the remaining mixture. Taste and add some spices if needed. Spoon the filling into the cake pan and even the surface gently with a spoon so that you don’t mix the white and the purple filling. Top with blueberries. Place the cake pan into the freezer for about 2-3 hours or until the cake is solid. Remove the cake from the pan and place it on a serving dish. Let thaw for a moment. Sprinkle on some thyme leaves, serve and enjoy. Store in the fridge.

 

As seen on THRIVE magazine!

Vegan Chocolate Nice Cream with raw chocolate Cake chunks

It is time, to get your nice cream balls rolling again, baby!

You probably remember the N’Ice Cream book by me and my co-author Tuulia Talvio that was launched exactly a year ago, first in Finland and in the US and then later in the year in 6 countries, like in France, German and Chroatia. The book has found it’s home in the arms of so many healthy ice cream lovers around the world that it is hard to even realize. So thank you! There is no better feeling than when your passion inspires people, makes an impact and is even a part of a cultural change (the ever so lovely ice cream culture), like now for example when we’ve been witnessing many big brands bringing out their vegan ice creams with better sweeteners after the last summer in Finland.

We have not been talking about an ice cream revolution for no reason! * raised fist emoji *

To give it even a stronger boost we have now launched this Deluxe Edition of the Finnish N’Ice Cream book – as an ebook – with 10 new bonus recipes in it, which means now over 90 recipes for lovely delicious vegan, gluten free and naturally sweetened ice creams. And you can get it only for 8,90 euros.

Note, that this Deluxe Edition is only available in Finnish and as an ebook and you can download it here. We’ll try to find a way to get these bonus recipes out also in English in some form asap!

But so that you international readers won’t have to return with empty hands, here’s one faaabulous nice cream flavor for you to exploit: Deluxe Chocolate Nice Cream with Peanut Butter Swirls and Raw Chocolate Cake Chunks! I came up with it by accident when I decided to blend together chocolate mousse (from my Chocolate Pizza Post) and frozen banana. So freakingly delicious. Then I also stirred in some raw chocolate cake chunks and peanut butter swirls and I honestly almost started to cry when tasting it. That’s what pure pleasures can do to you. 

When scooping balls from this nice cream a song by Barry White, Can’t get enough of your love, babe, started playing in my mind:

“I’ve heard people say that
Too much of anything is not good for you, baby
Oh no
But I don’t know about that
There’s many times that we’ve loved
We’ve shared love and made love
It doesn’t seem to me like it’s enough
There’s just not enough of it
There’s just not enough
Oh oh, babe
My darling I, can’t get enough of your love babe…”

 

That kind of sums up the whole essence of this nice cream. You just can’t get enough of it – And you don’t even have to. As good stuff makes good to you.

V

Vegan Deluxe Chocolate Nice Cream

Serves 3

(vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, dairy-free)

 

½ cup steamed sweet potato pieces

¼ cup cashew nuts, soaked for about 1 hour

3 fresh dates, pitted

¼ cup almond milk, or other dairy free milk

4 tbsp raw cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

 

3-4 frozen bananas

 

peanut butter

raw chocolate cake chunks

 

Place steamed sweet potato sliced, cashews, dates, almond milk, cocoa powder, vanilla ja coconut oil into a blender and blend until tick mousse. Add frozen and sliced bananas. Blend until soft serve. If your blender is small you can do this in two or three batches. Pour the soft serve in a big freezer safe container. Mix in the raw cake crumble and pour over some peanut butter. Freeze for about 30 minutes or until the mixture gets a bit harder. Serve and enjoy!

 

Raw Chocolate Cake Chunks:

½ cup gluten-free rolled oats

½ cup almonds

3 fresh dates, pitted

4 tbsp raw cocoa powder

a pinch of sea salt
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until crumble. Taste and add sweetener if needed. The dough should be quite dry but easily moldable. Roll into small chunks with your hand and sprinkle the nice cream batter with the chunks.

More Nice Cream recipes in the N’Ice Cream cookbook by Virpi Mikkonen & Tuulia Talvio

When you combine the biggest food passions of our family into one creation, you get something like this:

Gluten-free and vegan chocolate pizza filled with sweet potato chocolate mousse, raspberries and peanutbutter.

Soooo heavenly. Won’t be missing the traditional Easter desserts this year!

Refreshing and luscious weekend to all you bunnies too!

 

V  

Vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, naturally sweetened

 

Pizza crust:

2 tbsp chia seeds + ½ cup water

1 cup almond meal

½ cup potato starch or tapioca flour

2 tbsp psyllium husk

a pinch of salt

½ cup olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 390 Fahrenheit (200 Celsius) degrees. Mix water and chia seeds in a small bowl and set aside for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, put all the other ingredients into a bowl and mix. Add the chia gel and stir. For the dough into a ball and press or roll out on a parchment lined baking pan. Bake for about 15 minutes or just until the crust starts to become a very light golden brown. Let it cool down a bit before adding the toppigs.

 

Chocolate Mousse:

1 cup steamed sweet potato pieces

½ cup cashew nuts, soaked for about 1 hour

5 fresh dates, pitted

½ cup almond milk, or other dairy free milk

4-6 tbsp raw cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

 

On top:

nut crust

raw chocolate

raspberries

peanut butter

 

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth mousse. Add a bit more liquid if needed, so that you get a smooth mixture, but keep the mousse as thick as possible. Spread evenly on the pizza crust. Add the rest of the toppings. Serve and enjoy!

It’s always so fun to watch how people have different ways of reacting to the first rays of spring sun here in the North. After a long and dark winter people get so cute with their excitement. Some switch immediately into their light jackets and start to trip along with their small spring shoes even though the ground is still completely frozen. (Ok, that was totally a granny thing to say, but I’m a person who just hates to freeze and keeps her pantyhoes on until June. So yeah, I’m a granny.) And some optimistic people, like my dear partner, switches the summer tires on. And then go travel with the tram or taxi when the snow suddenly decides to return. (Like it tends to happen and like it also happened last weekend.)

 

And then there are people like me, whose first thought is: Ice Cream! It really is some chemical reaction that happens in my brain: Sunrays --> Must make nice cream.

 

During the last week I have managed to make nice cream from many different kinds of ingredients, for example from purple yam aka Ube. The color was so amazing so it just yearned to be blended into a nice cream. Check it out from my Instagram

 

The same thing happened a few days ago when I received a box of smoothies and breakfast bars from Semper. Naturally they started a new life as a nice cream. Well, some of them. Most of the bars ended up in the “quick snack stash” in our car and the smoothies in our refrigerators “panic shelf”, which is our family’s life saver. We are just so bad in routines, meal planning and all that wise adult stuff and the mealtimes manage to surprise us almost every time. Plus we usually move with super short notices so everything that is healthy and easy to grab along is totally needed in our household.

 

One of our favorite snacks are nice creams that can always be found in our freezer. Either we make nice cream from frozen bananas with frozen berries or fruits or almond butter or then we enjoy smoothie popsicles. It’s fun to have the familiar breakfast/snack, as in yogurt with berries and granola, in a form of an ice cream. The kiddo loves it and I don’t have to feel guilty for giving her ice cream or two as a evening snack. Win/Win. 

 

Oh, and all the nice cream lovers in Finland – or people who understand Finnish – the Finnish version of the N’Ice Cream book by me and Tuulia Talvio is coming out as an ebook in a month with some new bonus recipes. So stay tuned, if you wish to download a huge package of nice cream recipes into your phone or computer. In the meantime you can start your Summer of N’Ice Cream with these popsicles!

 

V

 

In collaboration with Semper 

 

Time to fulfil your wishes. Your nut-free wishes! Nearly every time I post a new sweet recipe I get messages from my lovely readers with allergies asking if it would be possible for them to prepare the recipe without nuts or almonds. Most of the times I have to disappoint them because nuts and almonds play such a significant role in many raw/health recipes, and the recipe just wouldn’t be the same if you substitute them with something else.

But now, my babies – now I have something magnificent for you! Something that is nut-free, raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and naturally sweetened, all at the same time. And delicious too! This one is truly a crowd pleaser.

And it doesn’t lay on coconut! Many times nut-free treats use coconut to get the creamy rich texture, but I know that the taste of the coconut doesn’t please everyone. And I have to admit that I don’t prefer a strong coconut flavor either and nowadays I use coconut in my recipes in veeery subtle ways so that the strong hippie vibe doesn’t push through. (All my love to hippies ♡)

So, therefore I picked a more neutral ingredient here that still gives a nice wholesome consistency. I picked chickpeas – le chick! Those brilliant little creatures that are so versatile, nutrient-rich and lovely. Then I accompanied them with fresh organic dates. Because dates are my no. 1 favorite sweeteners and they also add a nice little bonus to the texture and taste. I really could not survive without fresh dates in my kitchen.

Which brings to mind another quoestion I get asked a lot – Which dates do I use? Well, the ones that you can always find from my kitchen are fresh organic dates by Fontana that are sold in cardboard boxes in fruit ja vegetable section in supermarkets – at least here in Finland. I like the texture, the taste and the fact that they are organic. They are also easy to find because they are available very widely in the supermarkets – at least here in Helsinki. So I was very happy to pair up with Fontana with this post, because I actually use their dates A LOT.

And here’s my hot tip for a natural date sweetener:

Buy a package of fresh dates. Preferably organic. Take about 20 dates, take out the stones and place the dates in a blender. Add about 1 cup water and 1 tsp vanilla extract or ½ tsp vanilla powder, if you like. Blend until creamy and smooth sauce. Add more water, if needed. And if you like your sauce to be extra smooth, remove the date skins under a running water. Then pour the sauce inside a sealable clean jar. Now you have a lovely sweetener that you can use when baking in breakfasts or in any way you want. Store the date paste sealed in a fridge and you can use it easily for 2 weeks.

Now there you have it. Go ahead and make this date caramel paste & my Le Chick! Caramel Bars and serve them for example to your Valentine next week. Moi moi!

V

In collaboration with: Fontana organic dates

(Nut-free, Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Refined sugar-free)

 

Base:

1 cup chickpeas (cooked / from a can)

10 fresh dates, pitted

5 tbsp coconut flakes / shredded coconut

½ tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

 

Caramel:

10 fresh dates

3 tbsp tahini (or your favorite nut/almond butter)

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

3 tbsp water

3 tbsp coconut syrup (or raw organic honey)

½ tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

a tiny pinch of sea salt

 

Chocolate frosting:

6 tbsp raw cacao butter, melted

4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

6 tbsp raw cacao powder

4 tbsp coconut syrup (or raw organic honey)

a tiny pinch of sea salt

 

OR about ½ cup of your favorite raw chocolate melted

 

Tin size: 17 x 12 cm / 7 x 5 inches

 

Base:

Cover the tin or the freezer safe container with parchment paper. Add the chickpeas into the blender and blend. Add dates, coconut flakes and vanilla and mix until a thick sticky mass. You may have to scoop down the sides of the blender in between blending. Taste and if you want add vanilla or other sweetener, for example coconut syrup. Spoon out the dough into the tin and even the surface with a spoon. Prepare the caramel sauce.

 

Caramel sauce:

Place all the ingredients into the blender and blend until sticky sauce. Add a drop of water, if needed, but try to keep the mixture as thick as possible. Spoon out the caramel sauce and spread onto the base mixture. Prepare the chocolate frosting.

 

Chocolate frosting:

Melt cocoa butter and coconut oil in a warm water bath. Add cocoa powder, syrup and salt. Mix until a nice sauce. Taste and add more some of the ingredients, if needed. Pour the chocolate mixture onto the caramel sauce. Put into the freezer and freeze for a couple of hours or until solid. Take out of the freezer and cut into bars. Let thaw for about 15 minutes before serving. Store in the freezer or in the fridge.

 

New year, fresh winds! A new edition of my very first cookbook, It’s a Pleasure – Sweet treats without gluten, dairy and refined sugar (in Finnish: Kiitos hyvää – Herkkuja ilman sokeria ja gluteenia) has just came out in Finland with new recipes in it. 

I’m really excited that I had an opportunity to design new stuff for this title, as I feel that although the book came out already two years ago here in Finland, the subject is still very topical.

Well, actually I can’t think of a time when healthy yet delicious sweet treats would go out of style. At least they are very much trending in our household all the time. And it was only 3 months ago when the book came out in the US, so it’s great to blow some new wind to these sails also in Finland! (I know there might not be that kind of idiom in English, but you get the point.)

So cake, muffins, donuts, cookies, chocolates, candies, ice creams and other heavenly goods, all without gluten, dairy and refined sugar. Gentle yet effective ease for sweet cravings with 86 recipes. Pretty luscious package, if I may say. And you’ll recognice the new Finnish edition by the green stamp it has on the cover. 

To celebrate the new edition I wanna give away one copy of the new Finnish title to one lucky reader. All you have to do is drop a comment and say hello here in the comment field and I will pick a winner (located in Finland) on Sunday 22nd at 22.00. (10 pm)

Of course I don’t wanna leave you guys from other counties with empty hands, so I’m giving away one copy of the English title, It’s a Pleasure too. So eeeveryone can join! And please do!

Here is also one of the new recipes from the new Finnish edition: my current No.1 favorite raw cake, Raw Licorice Chocolate Mousse Cake, with a super soft and tasty filling and crunchy truffles. Enjoy, babes!

V

(raw, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free)

Crust:

1 cup almonds

½ cup pecan nuts

5 fresh dates

3 prunes

3 tsp licorice root powder / licorice root extract powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp anise powder

½ tsp sea salt

 

Filling:

1 cup cashew nuts (soaked for 1–3 hours)

1 cup coconut milk (room temperature)

6 tbsp coconut syrup or raw organic honey

1 tsp tamari soy sauce

1 cup raw cocoa powder

pinch of sea salt

5 tbsp cocoa butter (melted)

5 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

 

Chocolate Licorice Sauce:

2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

2 tbsp raw cocoa powder

2 tbsp licorice root powder or licorice root extract powder

½ tsp vanilla powder

2 tbsp coconut syrup (or maple syrup)

a tiny pinch of sea salt

 

On top:

Small truffles made from the crust dough + black sesame seeds

raw cocoa powder

 

Tin/Cake mould size: 17 cm / 7 inches

 

Crust:

Cover the bottom of the cake mould with a parchment paper so that it is easier to remove later. Add the almonds and nuts into a blender and blend until fine crust. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until a thick and sticky dough. Check the taste and add more seasoning if you like. Spoon out the dough and put into a bowl, taking aside about 4-6 tablespoons of the dough, from which you’ll later make the truffles. Press the rest of the dough firmly onto the bottom of the cake mould. Prepare the filling.

 

Filling:

Toss out the soaking liquid of the nuts and rinse the cashews in cold water. Place the nuts into the blender and add the coconut oil. Also add the syrup and tamari. Blend. Add the raw cocoa powder and salt. Also pour in the cocoa butter and coconut oil. Blend until a smooth thick mass. Pour the mass into the cake mould. Even the surface with a spoon. Place the cake mold into a freezer for about 2 hours or until it’s totally firm. In the meantime prepare the truffles and the sauce. When the cake is firm, take it out of the freezer, remove from the mould, dizzle some shosola sauce on and decorate with the truffles you’ve made. Serve and enjoy. Store in the fridge.

 

Truffles:

Prepare small balls from the dough crust you had set aside. Roll the truffles on black sesame seeds pressing them firmly but gently so that the seeds stick and cover the balls evenly.

 

Chocolate Licorice Sauce:

Add the raw cocoa powder, licorice powder, syrup and salt into the melted coconut oil. Mix well so that you get a nice chocolate sauce.

More healthy sweet treats: It’s a Pleasure cookbook

Gluten-free, Vegan

6–8 pieces

 

1 ½ cups full fat almond flour/almond meal

½ cup coconut flakes / shredded coconut

7 tbsp flax meal

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg powder

½ tsp ginger powder

¼ tsp cardamom

½ cup coconut sugar

a pinch of sea salt

½ cup grated carrots

2 tbsp orange zest (from organic oranges)

½ unsweetened apple sauce

1 cup water

½ coconut oil, melted

 

Frosting:

1 cup cashew nuts (soaked for 30 minutes)

5 tbsp full-fat coconut milk (the thick white paste of coconut milk can be kept in the fridge)

4 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 tbsp orange juice

3 tbsp xylitol or coconut sugar

½ tsp vanilla powder

 

On top:

orange zest

ceylon cinnamon

nut crust

 

the pan: 2 l / ½ gallon foil casserole

 

The cake:

Preheat the oven to 175 Celcius / 350 Fahrenheit degrees. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Grate the peeled carrot with a small/fine blade into another bowl. Add the orange zest. Add also the apple sauce, water and melted coconut oil. Mix. Add the dry ingredients from other bowl and mix well. Pour the batter into the casserole and bake about 40-45 minutes, until the surface has a nice tanned colour. Take the cake from the oven and let cool completely. The cake is very soft when taken out from the oven, but it will get firm when it cools. In the meantime prepare the frosting.

 

Frosting:

Take the soaked cashews, toss the water and rinse the nuts. Place the nuts into the blender. Take the coconut milk can from the fridge and scoop out 5 tbsp of the white thick mass from the can and put to the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Add a drop of coconut milk so that the mixture is smooth, but still keeping it as thick as possible. The texture should resemble thick greek yogurt. Check the taste and add some spices or sweetness if you like.

 

Spread the frosting on top of the cooled cake. Place the cake into the fridge and let it thicken overnight.  The following day add some orange zest and sprinkle some cinnamon and/or nut crust on top of the cake. Serve and enjoy! Store in the fridge and use within 3 days.

Life has had quite hectic twists and turns lately. Sometimes I wonder how it is even possible for me as one human being to cope with all these projects I have managed to gather in my life. But in some weird way person kind of multiplies herself, expands time or makes other magic tricks when stuff just needs to be done. And there is no time to sit around when a revolution awaits! A food revolution, you know, in which I try to take part with my work.

A part of my revolution dream has now become reality as my very first cookbook about healthy sweet treats, that came out in Finland some time ago has now been released in the US and it goes by the name It’s a Pleasure. I’m so happy about the outcome – the book looks and feels super pretty and nice and I hope it can help to transform globally the way people feel about sweets with it’s over 80 recipes for cakes, candies, cookies, muffins, ice creams, chocolates and other sweet treats – all without guten, dairy and refined sugar. Because there is just no better way to indulge than to savor with treats that left you feeling light, healthy and satisfied!

Try for example these overwhelming pralines. I have prepared big batches of them lately and people have LOVED them. And no wonder. The best pralines combine many elements: a soft filling, a texture that snaps nicely and something crunchy. Also, a hint of saltiness is a big plus. These chocolates are all of the above and can be created with very simple and wholesome ingredients.

Please, just try them! And if you wish to have a copy of It’s a Pleasure, throw me a message here below before Oct 10th and I’ll pick two winners to whom I’ll post the book next week – in Finnish or in English, you choose!

Until then – Viva la revolucion!

V

NUT CARAMEL CHOCOLATES

The time has come!! The N’Ice Cream book about healthy vegan ice creams by me and Tuulia has come out today in the US. And I’m over the moon excited! The Finnish version of the book got sold out in a week here in Finland and I hope the international audience will love the English version just as much.

Several people have now said to me that the N’Ice Cream book feels like the ultimate summer saver for them, and that makes me sooo happy. Because that is exactly what this book was designed to be. To enable a feel-good summer with healthy, naturally sweetened and gluten-free vegan ice creams, ice pops, sorbets, soft serves, instant ice creams, ice cream cakes & cookies, waffle cones, sauces, jams and all that jazz. And also our very best tips on how to prepare delicious ice cream easily without an ice cream maker.

You can now buy the book from:

If you like to have more n’ice cream inspiration, come and follow our Instagram: @nicecreambook where we share pics & tips and give shout-outs to peoples beautiful nice cream creations. Be sure to tag your n’ice cream photos #nicecreambook and @nicecreambook so that we can see them!

And now, ladies and gents, I'm happy to introduce these treats I have for you: Lovely lovely Vanilla Chocolate N’ice cream Sandwiches that I made inspired by a couple of recipes from the N’Ice Cream book. They just might be the perfect summer snack. And the perfect way to celebrate the launch of our book. Note that you can always just skip the cookies and make the instant ice cream base and enjoy it with this super quick chocolate sauce, if your ice cream cravings won’t wait!

And then there’s still one more thing: A giveaway! I’m giving away one copy of the N’Ice Cream book. Just write a short hello and why you would like this book to the comments below and you’re in! You’ve got time to participate until midnight Sunday the 22nd of May. And the giveaway is this time open to US, Canada & Finland. Good luck, my friends!

V

VANILLA N'ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Hello, Love!

I have been waiting so eagerly to tell this to you. And now I can finally announce:
The hottest – or should I say the coolest cookbook of the summer is now available for PRE-ORDER! And – there is a magnificant pre-order gift, too!

Hooray, it is really happening, my friends! I’m so happy to launch this!

So as I mentioned in my previous post, N'Ice Cream – the healthy vegan ice cream cookbook by me and Tuulia Talvio will be out May 17 by Avery Publishing, Penguin US. There’s gonna be over 80 delicious recipes for healthy vegan ice creams without gluten, dairy and refined sugar. …Creamy ice creams, ice pops and sorbets, instant ice creams, ice cream cakes & cookies, waffles, sauces and jams, you name it. THIS BOOK covers it all when it comes to wholesome ice creams!

And as a thank you we wanted to make you something special. So when you pre-order N'Ice Cream cookbook now, you'll get this delicious gift:

GATHER e-book with over 30 recipes for your wholesome, easygoing, plant-based summer parties.

Oh yes, baby, it is true! By pre-ordering N'Ice Cream now you'll get this luxurious digital cookbook totally FREE. (Or if you’ve already pre-ordered the book – Thank you! – the offer includes you too.) Gather is not available in any other places so pre-ordering is really the only way to get your hands on this summery piece. And note also that the gift book comes as a pre-order gift only with the N'Ice Cream cookbook, so it is not included with the Finnish version, Hyvän olon jäätelökirja, which will be out in stores in Finland already in about 2 weeks.

GATHER E-BOOK OFFERS:

  • More than 30 original healthy plant based recipes for your summer get-togethers

  • All recipes are vegan, free from gluten, dairy & refined sugar

  • Recipes for savory snacks, sweet desserts and fresh drinks

  • Tips for organizing a stress-free party

  • A full-size color image for every recipe

The book includes recipes such as Falafels & Cashew Sour Cream, The Vegan Party Platter, Flaxseed chips & Creamy Dip, Sweet Potato Mini Pizzas, Nut-free Blueberry Pie, Divine Raw Chocolate Cake (presented below!), Apricot Cookies and Nut Fudge, Summer Pancake Cake, Brazilian Lemonade, Melon & Lime Aqua Fresca and many many more! And note, that all these recipes are totally new and original, not posted anywhere else before.

Check out more about Gather e-book and how to pre-order and get your gift HERE.

Oh and hey, I recommend warmly to subscribe to Vanelja’s newsletter asap, as there is coming some great weekly giveaways, bonus recipes, playlists and everything wonderful to get you in summer vibes & ice cream mood!

Come and follow also our official Insagram page of N’Ice Cream. A really nice giveaway is coming in our IG page already today, so hurry. We are waiting for you! 🙂

N’ICE CREAM HOT LIST:

And before I leave you to enjoy the Divine Raw Chocolate Cake from Gather I have to say that we are AMAZED by all the support we have been getting from people to help to spread the news about this book. From people we know and from total strangers too! We are grateful for all the help we can get to spread the word of n’ice cream and healthy ice cream revolution.

If you feel like you would want to help in any way we would be so so happy! Like by sharing this post, the N’Ice Cream preorder gift, N’Ice Cream Instagram posts or anything else. Or if you are a blogger and would want to share some ice cream tips, some photos, bonus recipes or a small feature / interview, please send us an email to nicecreambook@gmail.com and we’ll got you covered!

And now, finally. The cake. The Divine Raw Chocolate cake. It is a-bliss. Please enjoy!

V

DIVINE RAW CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ok, wow. Do I have some BIG news for you people. Big, creamy, delicious and heavenly news. And yes, it is about ice cream, and it is about books. As I bet you guessed already from the photo.

So, remember the e-book about healthy ice creams we did last summer with my friend Tuulia, that was called Kind Ice Cream for You? Yep, the cute little pink book that became surprisingly popular during the summer. Well, we thought that the e-book would have been just a nice little summer project for us, but life had bigger plans for it.

As it happened, one brilliant book agent found our e-book through my friend Jessie’s blog post (Jessie, you girl are pure gold! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for writing that post!) and asked if me and Tuulia were interested in making an actual book out of our e-book.

And oh-my-god, OF COURSE we were!

So one thing lead to another and now I am SO PROUD and SO HAPPY to announce that our cookbook about healthy vegan ice creams is gonna be out in the US in May 17th and it goes with a name N’Ice Cream. The publisher of the book is the ever so lovely Avery, part of Penguin Random House which is one of the biggest book publishers in the world.

So there we are now with our ice creams sharing the home with Nobel prize winners and biggest best-sellers in the world.

So crazy. So so crazy amazing! N’ice cream, I scream, everybody screeeam!

There you can see the cover of N'Ice Cream on the right hand side on the first photo. That one is gonne be seen in bookstores all around North America and Canada. The cover photo on the left hand side is from the Finnish edition called Hyvän olon jäätelökirja, that will be out in the middle of May in Finland through Cozy Pyblishing.

So it’s gonna be healthy, vegan and super easy ice creams for all the people around the world soon! And we are just so overly excited here and can’t wait them to come out. We feel we have done something revolutionary with this piece and that the recipes in the book have an actual potential to make this world a little better place. Maybe we’ll too get a Nobel nomination from it. Haha!

But really, as Don Kardong put it: "Without ice cream there would be darkness and chaos." So ice cream IS plain good, and healthy ice cream is even better.

And if you wanna join this ice cream parade beforehand, you can go and pre-oreder N'Ice Cream already from these places:

I can tell you that there is going to be a super duper nice gift for people who will pre-order the book and it will be the perfect companion to N’Ice Cream. But more about it next month!

Also, be sure to sign up to my NEWSLETTER because there’s gonna come some brilliant material to subscribers during this spring.

And finally, before I wrap this up, I want to thank deeply everyone who supported us with this project in any way, purchased our e-book back in the days and shared the love – there's some good karma coming your way!

So, we are living wonderful times, my friend, and the upcoming spring is gonna be filled with possibilities for all of us. Lets keep the light up!

V

We made a fun little video with my man about this 3 Ingredient Vegan Apple Pie I had developed and I suddenly thought it might be a good idea to share the whole version of the recipe here too. Although it is insanely simple and you can basically see the whole procedure from the video!

The recipe is from my new and – happy to say – no. 1 best-selling cookbook in Finland Kiitos hyvää Pikaruokaa (meaning healthy fast food) and I personally feel this recipe here is one of the most relaxed ways to make an apple pie I have ever encountered. I’m glad that it popped into my head somewhere from the cosmos one cloudy day when I really needed a quick comfort food.

So check out the video HERE – and see how the magic happens!

I hope you’ll try it and love it as much as my family does!

V

One of my favorite things in the world is problem solving and finding a solution. Give me an overhand knot and I’ll untangle it. Tell me something is impossible, I’ll find a way. Show me a problem, yo, I'll solve it.

Because in my world, there ain’t no problems, just solutions not yet found.

And that is exactly what a vegan semla (aka shrove bun, a traditional sweet bun filled with whipped cream and almond paste or raspberry jam and consumed for example in Finland, Sweden and in Estonia at Shrove Tuesday / Pancake day.) without gluten, dairy, yeast and refined sugar appeared at first.

Sure, I had made gluten free and yeast free semlas many times before, but they always included eggs. With eggs it is easy. With eggs everything is easy. And then, on the other hand all the vegan semla recipes they include usually white flour and yeast. With white flour and yeast it is easy. Even a baby can do it.

But to make a vegan semla, that has a nice and soft texture, that doesn’t crumble, that has a heavenly taste and none of those belly swelling ingredients – THAT was a tricky equation. That was something I just had to get involved.

So I made my math and baked the first batch. Disaster. The taste was good but the texture was horrible. Let’s modify the recipe and make another batch. Buns come out all flat. Ok, the third version usually always works. Not this time. The taste is great, the texture is better, but buns remain raw on the inside no matter how long I bake them. And finally when they are done, they look horrendous.

At this time a normal person would just say, oh well, let’s just eat pancakes then!
But a maniac like me – is just getting started.
So I roll my sleeves, take a deep breath and go to the mattresses.

I twist the recipe here and there, pour a little bit more of this and less of that. Change the baking temperature and add a new ingredient. In my head the buns should come out brilliant, but you can’t never be certain when it comes to baking. There is always a bit of magic involved, and a lot of chemical reactions happening that are hard to predict. But with high hopes I send my buns to the oven. And with a growing excitement I take them out, split them and fill them. …And with happy tears in my eyes I finally eat them.

I’m in love with these semlas. My family is in love with them too. Please do try them also. With the vanilla flavored coconut whipped cream and super easy homemade almond paste. They just belong together. This equation equals love.

V

Pst, Check out also my other shrove bun inspired recipes:

Creamy Raspberry Cardamom Smoothie & Creamy Raspberry Raw Cake

SEMLAS

After a long development I can proudly announce that I have captured the essence of a chocolate cake. And here comes the news: A delicious chocolate cake can be done with only just 3 ingredients!

And before you say anything, like "3 ingredient chocolate ain't no news, miss!, let me clarify: this ain’t one of those 3 ingredient cakes, that has been spreading in the internet, which includes store-brought chocolate, which actually contains a big bunch of different ingredients. No, no, no.

This cakes includes solely 3 basic NATURAL ingredients: Organic eggs, dates and raw cacao powder. Yep, that's all you need.

You can of course refine the recipe for example with vanilla powder, cinnamon or a tiny pinch of chili. And top with super easy chocolate mousse, or whipped coconut cream and berries!

The recipe is from my brand new cookbook, and I feel it is a good example of how simple you can make cooking, and still enojy nice flavors and clean ingredients.

And then to the muse of my cake! I have dedicated this cake to my friend’s amazing ethical fashion brand Lovia. Lovia’s clothes and accessories are produced in Helsinki, Finland and they use mainly recycled and organic materials in their clothes and accessories. I recommend to take a look at their beautiful and unique products, photos and films at their site.

Lovia’s pure, wild, clean and dark style made me think of deep chocolate flavors and pure basic ingredients used in a new and innovative way. And the outcome was truly somewhat magical!

As a christmas present Lovia wanted to offer 30 % discount to Vanelja’s followers during this weekend. With the code LoviaVanelja30 you can get the discount when shopping at their online store before the midnight of 13th of December.

So have some chocolate cake folks and make your weekend merry!

V

3 INGREDIENT CHOCOLATE CAKE

It was exactly one year ago when I opened the doors of Vanelja and introduced it to the world for the first time. And in my very first blog post I then wrote:

“Nothing in Vanelja is permanent, no goals has been set. That makes it possible to grow to whatever direction life takes it to. It is exciting to see what kind of flowers will Vanelja bloom in when the fertilizers are freedom, passion and pleasure!”

And wow, what beautiful blossoms have I been able to witness during this first year! I have been just amazed by all the opportunities, connections and people life has sent through my blog.

During this year I have made great new friends from different parts of the world, I have also made 3 cook books (insane, I know! do not try at home), been featured in international media, websites and blogs, been picked by Instagram to their suggested users list, been nominated in the Saveur Food blog Award and actually winning the award in the Best-designed blog category. And then there are also some huge huge things I can’t yet talk about that have started to seed during this year.

So may I just say: Phew. And thank You. Thank you life, thank you dear You, thank you universe. I promise to continue following my dreams. And as Elsie De Wolfe said:

“I am going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life.”

And I’m also going to make lots of these delicious banoffee-muffins, which you should try also. They too taste like a dream.

V

BANOFFEE MUFFINS

Galette. The word which commonly refers mainly to certain pies is associated in my mind with a crazy person. As “galen” means “crazy” in Swedish and “galette” could then easily be a crazy person in Italian, or something.

In my head I see a passionate woman with a messy hair and flour dust all over her face who is so crazy about pies that she doesn’t have time to polish it and fiddle with it, so she just mixes whatever fruit or berries she can find, throws the fillings in the center of the dough and sort of slaps the sides in the middle so that the pie barely keeps it’s form and then swooshes it into the oven! And when the pie is done, she eats it while still standing in front of the kitchen counter with her apron on. Sucking her fingers in between devouring because the pie is still way too hot, but at the same time way too tempting and delicious for her to keep her fingers away from it.

Well, the reality is much more boring, and galette means just a flat cake, usually a rustic berry or fruit filled pie. Or quite surprisingly, a thin man. But not a crazy baker. Only in my head. And possibly in yours too now.

So with that image in your mind I suggest you to try this luscious gluten-free berry galette that is super simple to make. And even though nothing usually beats freshly baked pies this pie is actually maybe even more delicious if you happen to have the willpower to save it for the next day.

When I did the first batch I savored it immediately.

Yes, with my apron on, in front of the oven. Yes, I am the messy crazy baker lady described. Yes, you already knew it, I know.

But, with the second batch I managed to save a few pieces until the next day. And boy was it moist and tasty then!

Next I’m going to make one pie to be eaten right away and one to be saved until the day after. I’m also planning to try this base with peaches and raspberries and with apples and cinnamon. Strawberries & rhubarb I already tried, and It was heaven! Pears and figs would work with this one too
And why not also savory fillings! Like mushrooms and onions, or roasted vegetables and herbs. Or squash and ricotta!

Ok, apparently my summer is going to be just totally “galette”. Hopefully yours too!

V

Try this galette for example with vegan vanilla ice cream, they are match made in heaven! Healthy ice cream recipes can be found in our Kind Ice Cream for You eBook.

It has arrived! Our e-book about healthy ice creams is finally out! And I must say that I am deeply and utterly in LOVE with it. Hands down, it must be the loveliest cook book I have ever encountered. And that is my totally objective opinion. If me and my partner-in-crime Tuulia Talvio would have not made it I would still love it to pieces! Hahaa!

But the most amazing thing for me here is how this book took even myself by surprise. Because when we started making it this winter I would have never guessed that it would become so big, beautiful and comprehensive as it is.

First we planned to make just a nice small e-book about healthy, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free and gluten-free ice creams with few nice recipes with few nice pictures. But the project kept on growing and growing until one day we realised that we have a real book in our hands, well, on our computer screens – with 130 pages and over 60 recipes, great pictures – and last but not least, a beeeautiful layout, thanks to my dear friend, a super talented graphic designer Leena Oravainio.

So here I am now, super proud, deeply happy and a little bit teary over our kind and beautiful new-born book, Kind Ice Cream for You. And I really want you to meet her, so go ahead and
read more about it in the book’s official website: www.kindicecream.com.

You can buy the book through my SHOP or through www.kindicecream.com or by going straigh HERE. All the roads lead to the same destination. NOTE: E-BOOK IS TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK

So be free to share, download and spread the love! We have really poured our love and passion in this one, so we are very grateful for all the help you can give in spreading our kind ice cream message! #kindicecreamforyou #kindicecream

Take care, be Kind and have a lovely ice-cream-filled June, my friend!

V

Ok, are you ready for the most delicious summer of our era? Have your taste buds and sweet teeth ready because an ultimate e-book about healthy and delicious homemade ice creams, KIND ICE CREAM FOR YOU is almost here!

This is a book that we have been preparing the whole spring with my lovely colleague & friend Tuulia and it is going to be published online in the beginning of June, meaning next week! Eeeek! This is so Exciting! It´s going to be the book of our dreams – and hopefully yours too!

KIND ICE CREAM FOR YOU serves over 60 recipes for homemade & healthy ice creams, all free from dairy, soy, gluten and refined sugar. Most of the recipes are raw and they can easily be done vegan. People with nut-allergies will find loads of goodies for them too!

The book is going to give you recipes for Creamy Ice Creams, Soft Serves, Sorbets & Ice Pops, Instant Ice Creams, Ice Cream Cakes & Cookies and Addings & Toppings + introduction to kind ice creams and to good quality ingredients. And because it is an e-book it can be easily read with a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone. That way you can carry it with you to all of your summer adventures and make kind ice creams whenever you feel like indulging!

And hey, it is in English so all you quality ice cream lovers all around the world can read it!

All in all, I honestly think this book includes everything a perfect ice cream book should. I am feeling SO happy and proud.

AND NOW A WARM RECOMMENDATION: Right now would be a perfect time to sign-up to my newsletter, because all the subscribers who have signed up before 1.6. will be getting a 20 % discount from the KIND ICE CREAM FOR YOU e-book immediately when it´s released, which makes it then only 9,50 euros! And you´ll be also getting a free Smoothie Guide delivered straight to your e-mail right away!

Sign-up HERE

Last week we asked you guys in our social media channels to give us your helping hand and to tell us your favorite ice cream flavors. We received over 200 mouth-watering ideas and happily noticed that many of them were already covered in the book, for example, blueberry pie, mango melon, matcha white chocolate, licorice, cherry garcia, salted caramel and so on.

Still, we managed to pick two winners who will win free copies of our e-book and whose favorite ice cream will be included in the book. The other winner is Salla, who wished for a healthier version of Snickers Ice Cream and the other one is Minna whose favorite ice cream is Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches. Both recipes will be now found in the book, and in our web sites too, as tastings. The recipe for the super amazing Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches is found at my co-author Tuulia´s page, and the recipe for Snickers ice cream will be presented here – in a cake form!

This chocolate covered caramel peanut butter ice cream cake is just a perfect treat for summer parties. People who love peanut butter and caramel will adore it!

And don´t be frightened if this recipe seems to have a little too many steps for your taste – 90 % of the recipes in our book will be super easy, because we think both summer and this book should be merely for lazy pleasures. But in some occasions you just need to have a few extra layers to make it festive – like now when announcing this super cool ice cream news!

V

SNICKERS ICE CREAM CAKE

Hi Honeys! I have been in silence here for quite some time, mainly because I have been soaking my feet in the golden sands and foaming waters of Venice Beach, LA and also enjoying the blooming spring of New York and tried to keep myself as far from computer as possible. With a quite great success, as you may have noticed.

The other thing that is keeping me busy elsewhere is my book project, well, actually TWO book projects that I´m currently working on. (Gonna hype more about them later! But may I just say that there will be coming up some insanely delicious stuff made with a big and shining heart!) And because there is only one me and only certain amount of hours in the day and a soul that seeks also for relaxed family time so that easily equals some tranquility in this channel.

But, now I got you something special to make up my absence: A luxurious and truly amazing chocolate cake in a jar recipe that I designed a while ago to one Finnish web site but hadn´t posted it here yet. This layered sweetie has it all – the creaminess, some crunchiness, the rich cake layer and above all delicious taste and wholesome ingredients!

And it is actually very simple to assemble even though the instructions may seem quite complicated by a first glance. You just layer some clean chocolate cake crumble, raw chocolate sauce, banana, nuts and coconut whipped cream in a jar and then spoon the magic in your mouth! simple and sensational.

Please let me know the level of your love when you decide to try it! At least my heart expanded to the maximum already with the first bite.

V

CHOCOLATE LUXURY CAKE IN A JAR

I have a huge spring time crush happening here. The target of my affection is oh-so creamy and dreamy home-made pistachio milk. What a charmer. The color of this heavenly nectar is so beautiful that I could just sit and watch it´s tones through my drinking glass forever. …If I would not be so eager to gulp it down in a heartbeat.

Pistachio milk is perfect for example in making raw cakes and ice creams and it´s a loveliest base for smoothies too! In today´s smoothie recipe I connected pistachio milk with figs. And boy did it turn out delicious!

I warmly recommend you try it out on some lovely spring day. And also a bunch of other delicious and fresh smoothie recipes from my free e-book, Creamy Smoothie Guide!

And hey, while you´re here could I ask you to take a minute (or more like 30 seconds) and vote for VANELJA in Saveur Food Blog Awards in the best-designed blog category, as my blog is one of the finalists. Your vote would mean a world to me! As this whole being-in-the-finals already did. You need to registrate first but it only takes a second and you won´t get any junk mail.

So Click & Vote for VANELJA and pure pleasures! Thank you darling, I send you loads of love in return!

V

PISTACHIO FIG SMOOTHIE

“She´s a smooth operator, smooooth operator…”

I am so happy to announce that I have created something really cool for you guys. I have been a real “smooth operator” and collected my all time favorite smoothie recipes and best smoothie tips inside of virtual covers of an e-book. The Creamy Smoothie Guide includes 34 pages packed with delicious recipes, mouth-watering photos and hot tips + a formula for a perfect green smoothie. This e-book is a gift from VANELJA to you! You can now download it from HERE.

At the same time you´ll be able to subscribe to VANELJA mailing list which means that you´ll be privileged to get more pure pleasures, recipes, news and quality content, such as this smoothie guide, to your email about once in a month. No non-sense spamming, I promise. Just diamonds.

So go ahead and download your Creamy Smoothie Guide and make your blender buzz! I hope the guide can channel even a drop of that inspiration and energy to you that these liquid lovers give to me! Feel free to share love and tell about VANELJA and The Creamy Smoothie Guide to your friends in your channels:

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

TWEETABLE: A LOVER OF SMOOTHIE? GET THIS FREE CREAMY SMOOTHIE GUIDE WITH 34 PAGES FULL OF MOUTH-WATERING RECIPES, PICS & TIPS!

Thank you!

V

I have always found it very interesting to observe how different people react on new things, when they hear great news, new opportunities arises or something good happens. Some go openly bonkers screaming and jumping from happiness, some start panicing and turn the good thing into something scary and intimidating and some swallow their joy and let just a slight smile escape through their lips even though they are dancing and moshing inside.

And then there are people like me who´s natural reaction for something good is to bake a cake. (After the going-publicly-bonkers-phase.) For me a cake represents a deep and intense joy and something ultimately festive. The whole procedure including designing, cooking, eating, food styling and photographing a cake is something that my soul finds very relaxing, joyous and gratifying. For me creating a cake is art on it´s best.

This weekend I have been celebrating with this phenomenal Stracciatella Chocolate Cake that was my reaction to one magnificent news I received on friday. It is born from pure happiness and bliss. When I served the cake people were just chewing it in total silence for a while, then they took a deep sigh and bursted into a praise. Like music to my ears.

I´m not going to tell just yet what was the thing that inspired me to make this super tasty and creamy and luscious piece of work, that I will announce tomorrow on my social media channels (Instagram & Facebook). Now I just wanted to share my happiness in the form of this cake and wish it can pass on some of my great mood and love to all of you!

V

STRACCIATELLA CHOCOLATE CAKE

These last days I have been so grateful for all the feedback and daily messages that I am receiving from the people who have bought my KIITOS HYVÄÄ -cook book (in Finnish) and who have cooked something that has blown their mind away and taken them to healthy treats heaven. That is absolutely the best thing for me as a cook book author. To success to inspire and give new ideas for clean eating. And to read, hear and see the reaction of the people when they notice how good, let´s say for example a raw blueberry cheese cake or raspberry candy sticks can taste or how delicious a Cherry Garcia ice cream made mainly from hemp seeds, raw chocolate and honey can be!

After my book was published in December it has been the best selling cook book (for 3 months already!) for example in this Finnish online book store. And that is beyond amazing! It says clearly that people are tired of that shabby, shitty and bloated feeling they get from the traditional pastries, and that they want to feel good not only when they are dropping that piece of cake into their mouths but also afterwards. And no-one wants to give up their pleasures and sweet treats! And actually no-one has to, you just have to pick better ingredients and maybe learn few new tricks.

At the moment I´m looking for a publisher in the US and in Europe so that I could get the book in other languages also, for aaaall you people with sweet n clean cravings out there! Many of you have been asking for an English version, and I also heard a funny rumor that such would be published any day soon. But as far as I know it is not happening just yet, although I took it as a sign, so maybe in the near future it will be not just a rumor but also reality. Fingers crossed!

In the meantime I will share one of the most loved recipes from the book – Sea Salt Toffee Candies aka Nut Butter Toffee! We also made a video of them sponsored by the great nu3.fi. CHECK IT OUT!

And because all the feedback that I have received from these I really have to give a word of caution: These golden cuties seem to be truly addictive stuff. They are super easy to make and they taste delicious. Before you notice you´ll be making another batch. And another, and another.
Regardless, please do try!

V

SEA SALT TOFFEE CANDIES

Everything easygoing feels now very tempting. Or maybe those kind of things always attract me like a light bulb attracts the fly. Light-hearted, bright and laid-back essence just feels the right way to be. Ask for example from golden retrievers, daisies or from these carefree little blondies!

So the recipe of the day is called Flourless blondies, Flourless Chickpea Blondies, to be exact.

Once again, a surprise ingredient! Peas. But you´d never guess by the delicious taste what they are actually made of. And that is because they get their genius side kick from banana, almond butter, honey and vanilla extract and maybe, if you will, from a pinch of cinnamon too. So good, I promise!

And I love the way how they are super easy to make, just blend all ingredients in a blender, pour into a pan and bake. Ta-daa! And the whole procedure takes less that 30 minutes from the moment you start having cravings until the moment you pop them out from the oven. My kind of darlings!

And speaking of darlings, I would love you to be one too and vote my blog at Saveur magazine´s annual food blog awards, in case you like my recipes, photos and videos or find this page inspiring! Nominations close on March 13 so you´ll have two more days to vote. Getting nominated would mean a lot to my work.

Thank you and have a lovely and light-hearted rest of the week!

V

FLOURLESS CHICKPEA BLONDIES

Sunny summer greetings from the grey and rainy Finland! You dear blogger is totally in shining summer vibes here even though the weather gives us no reason to actually celebrate just yet.

The cause of my mental summer trip is that I´m preparing here one super nice surprise for you guys for the upcoming spring and summer. So inspired by that I have taken kind of a head start here, wearing floral pants, eating ice-cream and all that.

And speaking of ice-cream. I found this old recipe which is actually one of my most loved vegan ice-cream recipes that is maybe familiar to some of my Finnish readers who followed my old blog. Because it is truly a crime to hold this delicious recipe for myself I decided to put it online again and translate it of course also to english.

So here they are, my super delicious vegan ice-cream pops that are easily made with only just 3 ingredients. And when you add just a few bonus seasonings you´ll get yourself a really luxurious treat. I recommend to try them in both ways!

V

DAIRY-FREE CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM POPS

I´m all about secret ingredients. Like in cooking adding stuff that would suddenly feel weird and totally wrong for example in sweet treats. In my KIITOS HYVÄÄ healthy treats cook book (in Finnish) there is for example a recipe for Mint Pistachio Brownie that includes black beans, a Sweet Chocolate frosting that is made from avocado and a Caramel Mud Pie of which magic lies in sweet potato. Unexpected and therefore interesting. And extra interesting – and quite essential – it is also that the one who eats the dish would never ever guess.

And this is how we get to today´s topic. Which is a chocolate bar recipe that is also found in my cook book. These rich and creamy coconut bars, also called as Clean Bounty Bars are simply de-licious.

But. If I would tell you that one of the main ingredients in these delicious looking coconut chocolate bars is in fact potato would that spoil your appetite? I hope not, because that is truly the case.

Mashed potato is one of the key ingredients in these babies and I don´t know what it actually does to them but it makes them taste goood. And makes the texture and mouthfeel oh so goood.

And the most surprising thing while making these bars happen when you mix the mashed potato with honey – it turns into liquid! Crazy magic potato!

I promise that after these chocolate bars you´ll never look the good ol´ potato at the same way.

And hey, check out how the magic really happens and watch this Clean Bounty Bars VANELJA video!

V

CLEAN BOUNTY BARS

I had made something super sweet and cool to pamper you in this Valentine´s Day but some higher forces threw so many small obstacles on my way when I tried to release the post that I realised it is just better to lift my hands, leave it and post it some other day. When the stars align, wind blows from the right direction and the time is ready.

“If you gotta force it, just leave it alone. Relationships, friendships, ponytails. Just leave it.”

Said someone somewhere in some Pinterest picture.

I think it is a good thought especially now at Valentines. When you are at ease love comes and what is meant to happen happens. No need to stress, fuss and hustle. All is good.

Here are my 3 favorite clean chocolate treats for you to prove it. They´re all pure good. Make them to your loved one or show yourself some self loving and care.

Sweet Valentine´s Day, my friend.

V

I love theme foods and traditional treats that are consumed only in one specific feast and only once a year. And I also love love love spring and every small promise and hint that says that spring is actually and finally coming and bringing the light back. So those two loves combined it is no wonder why I am so inspired and excited of the upcoming Shrove Tuesday (which is for me the first solid promise of spring) and it´s treats.

In many countries Shrove Tuesday is know as the Pancake day, that naturally means that the day is celebrated by consuming pancakes. In Finland we have that pancake thing also, but even more common treat is the “Shrove Bun” which is this sweet baked roll that is halved and filled with raspberry jam or almond paste and whipped cream. People go always nuts about them! And argue every single year which is the BEST and the REAL filling for Shrove Buns – raspberry or almond paste. (I must say I love them both but in the end I would lean towards raspberry jam.)

As delicious as the Shrove Buns are there is one problematic thing about them. They include wheat, yeast, white sugar and dairy which makes many peoples belly bloat. Especially because for many people one bun is just not enough.

That is why I have created these alternative treats that you can consume generously and still feel fresh and great afterwards! Last year I created this gluten-free, yeast-free and dairy-free Shrove Buns (sorry the recipe is only in Finnish here) and this year I made this Shrove Smoothie as in Creamy Cashew Cardamom Raspberry Smoothie AND also Raw Shrove cake as in Raw Creamy Rasperry Cake which are both inspired by the traditional tastes of the Shrove Bun.

So this year no-one needs to feel like a gas balloon or decline from treats anymore. How wonderful is that! And how wonderful is also that the sun has been actually shining here for two days already (which feels like a miracle after this exceptionally dark and gray winter)!

So hurray for the sunshine and Shrove Tuesday and enormous amounts of treats! Spring is coming and love is in the air, and in the smoothies and cakes and buns!

V

RAW CREAMY RASPBERRY CAKE

This cake was born to be a legend. I first released the recipe over two years ago in my old blog and it immediately gained a great success. I haven´t got that much comments and feedback from any of my other recipe. Both raw cake and traditional cake lovers seemed to love it. And no wonder. It combines creamy vanilla frosting, deep chocolate flavors and banana. You just can´t go wrong with those simple and always stylish ingredients.

The recipe found its way also into my healthy treats cook book and now I think it´s time to release it again online – in the name of democracy. Classics belong to everyone.

So help yourself and stick your spoon into what I would modestly call one of world´s best raw cakes.

V

RAW CHOCOLATE COCONUT CREAM CAKE

I´m a true believer of pleasures. Good amount of lazy enjoyments keep your brain working and new ideas flowing.

I have had quite a hectic time in the beginning of this year and one thing that keeps my mind clear from all the work fuss are my midday hot showers. No matter how worried, stuck or stressed I feel when I step into the shower I always leave with calm feeling and fresh new ideas and realizations. Sitting under a hot running water for about 15 minutes in the middle of my home office day is my everyday pleasure and meditation technique numero uno.

Look for example these caramel filled mocha muffins with vanilla coconut whipped cream frosting. These babes were born while one of my midday showers. Well, the idea was born there. And while they might not be any world changing innovation I think they are still truly remarkable. So luscious and tasty and soft and lovely! And I have heard amazing feedback from many people about these muffins. Someone called them life savers. So maybe there might be some world changing potential in them after all.

So I say relax your brains and go ahead and seek for pleasures and enjoy! Lazy time can be very productive. You can start with these muffins.

V

CARAMEL FILLED MOCHA MUFFINS

I must say – and it might come as a surprise when thinking of my profession as a food editor, recipe artist and a cook book author – but I´m a quite terrible cook.

And that is when it comes to normal, real food, meaning warm dishes, meals and dinners. In that area of cooking my imagination just stops and mind goes blank. I have maybe two kinds of dishes that I can handle well: the other one is oven roasted or steamed vegetables and the other one is veggie soups. Oh yeah, there´s also a third one I like to serve and that´s called “Let´s go out to eat.” That´s something that is served in our family many times a week. And I´m not proud of it. It´s just that I might miss a chromosome that makes mothers eager to cook meals for their family. My man misses that too. His cooking chromosome, I mean. Well, maybe mine too.

Okay, I think I would have the basic skills one needs in preparing good meals, but it is the passion and interest that I lack. Even though the inspiration would be found everywhere. Cook books and internet are bursting delicious recipes, but for some reason mostly the sweet stuff catches my eye. Or snacks. Or breakfast things. That part of cooking makes my eyes sparkle and mouth water.

This being said it might not be a surprise that I´ll once again serve you guys something from that field. It is a great invention of mine called a Breakfast Cake. It unites granola and chocolate pudding. It is truly a brilliant thing. It´s really soft and fudgy and can barely hold a shape of a cake. But it can, and that is why it´s called cake, not just a pile of pudding and granola. It is not too sweet because in the morning too much sweetness for me is like loud noise to tastepuds. You will want to wake up your senses gently.

The other great thing besides the subtle and delicious taste and a great concept is that for a change this recipe is totally nut-free. I´ve received so many pretty requests for nut-free recipes from people with allergies that I thought now is the time.

I have also received many pretty requests for recipes for healthy meals but as you now know, I´m not quite there yet. Still developing. Maybe someday in the future I will start creating these great entrees for you readers and for my family. (to be honest, hopefully I will be able to hire someone to do that in my home and on this site…)

So for now I´ll continue with these sweeties and snacks! With them – I rock.

Try this and you´ll rock too.

V

CHOCOLATE PUDDING CAKE

Since my childhood I have always been a sucker for candy. I must say that it is the biggest temptation for me. Even now, when I have been eating quite clean for over 6 years, it is still sometimes hard for me to pass those colorful candy shelves. All those sweets, chocolates, flavors and smells just make my head blur. Usually I can manage myself, but if you give me a bowl of candies – I will sure empty it. And not leave one tiny piece behind.

Well, we all have our addictions.

And I´m not alone with this one. Candy business is huge and especially here in Finland and also in Sweden even adults eat candies like there´s no tomorrow! It is crazy. That is why it is my passion to create better alternatives for all those common candies filled with refined sugars, colourants and artificial flavors. One of my dream is to join forces with some candy factory and to start creating healthy sweets for people. So holler if you happen to be in candy biz! I´m your girl.

And then to the real topic of this post. It is the licorice toffee that I´ve created. I got the inspiration for it from this really popular retro toffee bar that we have here in Finland called “Hopeatoffee” as in Silver toffee. I don´t know where the name comes from, because it ain´t silver. It´s black. That is because it´s made from licorice. It´s soft tasty licorice toffee and I can understand why it has been on market for over 30 years now. It is good.

But of course not as good as my new version! This updated silver toffee has only three ground ingredients: organic rice syrup (or honey), almond butter and dairy-free milk. Then you flavor it with licorice, anise, vanilla and salt, cook it for 5 – 20 minutes, depending on how sticky you want your toffee to be, pour it on molds or on board, let it cool and you´re good to go!

You´ll love it.

Have fun time cooking and munching! And stay tuned, because there´s more clean candies to come!

V

LICORICE TOFFEE

For the last night of the year I wanted to prepare a cake that makes you feel both grateful and hopeful at the same time. For those are the two essential emotions one should feel when one year ends and another one begins.

To achieve that goal I chose champagne and orange to be the star actors of this party delicacy. The layers of my rustic naked cake are filled with orange chia jam and orange coconut whipped cream. The final result truly tastes like the New Year´s eve – glamorous and joyful!

And even though the alcohol evaporates when you bake the cake in the oven, this cake totally get´s one into party mood. Even kids!

My soon-to-be-3-year-old daughter tasted it, ran to hug me and said that the cake tastes so good that it makes her stomach dance!

Dancing and hugging, that´s what the best parties are made of. And champagne, of course.

Magnificent New Year to all of you!

V

NAKED CHAMPAGNE CAKE

Higher forces are talking through me. I mean something bigger than me made me do stuff – to bake christmas cookies, to be exact. (I´m happy the forces communicating through me are seemingly good-natured, maybe a kind spirit of pastries or something.)

Many days I was haunted by this idea of gluten-free version of a traditional finnish christmas mince pie with a plum heart. And many days I tried to avoid this given mission. Just wasn´t in the mood. Then yesterday I finally gave in and stuck my hands to the dough. And created this easy modern version of the mince pie.

Actually they are more like cookies, even though the texture reminds a little bit of a puff pastry. The taste is delicious. The chia plum jam with a hint on licorice gives them a perfect juicy heart. Our 2-year-old went totally bonkers with these and had a great temper tantrum when after her fifth cookie I didn´t give her more. I think that means I kind of nailed my mission.

And if you were wondering (beacuse of my “talking higher forces” or “given missons”), I´m really okay. I can insure you. Not overstressed about my book and hearing voices, really. I´m actually very realxed and happy. Especially now when I got this new christmas recipe out of my system and the outcome was fantastic.

So keep ´em coming, you all mighty spirit of pastries!

V

MINCE PIE COOKIES WITH A PLUM JAM HEART

To me there is nothing more that screams christmas – or rather that sings christmas, with the jingle bells backround – than ginger bread cookies. One bite or one sniff and you travel straight to the winter wonderland and to christmas mood.

In fact, as much I love a good ginger bread cookie I don´t want to eat them any other time than just before christmas. So that the magic won´t fade.

Now when it´s only 9 days to christmas I can finally swing into high gear and start baking my magical crispy cookies with warm flavors. Wishing they would make the winter wonderland reality, meaning that the snow would finally come.

So here´s my gluten-free and grain-free ginger bread cookie recipe that I have created for you. Added also some nut butter in just to make the spell more intense. Join the magic and enojy!

V

GINGER BREAD COOKIES

I am sooo excited here right now. Butterfly disco in my stomach and a permanent crazy persons grin on my face. One reason is that it is the first day of December and I can finally and totally release all my christmas moves! Baking, decorating, dancing… Last night we already brought the christmas tree inside and I can see how it´s just praying for me to dance around it along with some good old Frank Sinatra tunes while munching ginger bread.

But, there is yet another and this time bigger reason for my hype and that is that my first cook book (!!!) Kiitos hyvää is gonna be released in Finland in this very week!

*more awkward dance moves here*

The book is about sweet treats with no white sugar or gluten. (or dairy or yeast or any shady stuff). The book is about pure pleasures – like this site. It´s available only in Finnish at this moment but let´s hope that we´ll get an english version of it later for all of you fellow pleasure seekers around the world!

Here´s a small sample of the sweet treasures of my book: Vanilla coconut stars with chocolate almond butter heart.

When you taste them you really feel like they´ve dropped on your tongue straight from the heaven.

V

VANILLA COCONUT DROPS WITH A CHOCOLATE HEART

I have started it. I have let Christmas in. Some might say it's way too early for this annual guest to arrive. Yet in my point of view, Christmas has so many lovely qualities, especially flavors and things to eat, that if you want to enjoy it to the maximum, you really need to start early.

As I did when I baked these lovely Cranberry Cinnamon cookies.

In some weird way these cookies remind me of cinnamon rolls, but these are definitely more cookie-like than buns, while still quite soft in the center. And crisp at the same time. With some soft and juicy cranberry and raisin hits. And almond flakes. Aaand that cinnamon and cardamom flavor. These cookies are simply a must pre-Christmas treat!

V

CRANBERRY CINNAMON COOKIES

The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.

That was said by Oscar Wilde. And that argument I have been trying to proof today by making this ridiculous and fabulous chocolate covered peanut butter popcorn cake. Because there has been some frequent thoughts of chocolate, peanut butter and popcorn on my mind. Together. Combined.

And because it is Halloween.

So now, I can inform you all that Oscar Wilde was wrong. I did not get rid of the temptation. Actually it got worse. This morning I have had to yield to the temptation in every 15 minutes and go time and again back to the fridge and chip off “just one more piece” of this cake. But I don´t mind. I love it.

And warmly recommend it. To every pleasure seeker and peanut butter & popcorn & chocolate lover. This is a perfect movie night snack or halloween treat. If you don´t mind your hands getting all cluttered with chocolate and your temptations getting bigger by every bite.

V

PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN CAKE

Popcorncake:

  • 5 cups non-salted popcorn
  • 0,5 cup melted butter
  • 0,5 cup thick peanut butter
  • 2 tbls organic raw honey or coconut palm syrup + toffee stevia drops
  • 0,25 cup crushed peanuts
  • 0,25 cup crushed raw chocolate or cacao nibs

Chocolate frosting:

  • 4 tbls peanutbutter
  • 3 tbls coconut oil or butter
  • 3 tbls raw cacao powder
  • 4 tbls organic raw honey or coconut palm syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

On top:

  • crushed peanuts
  • crushed raw chocolate or cocoa nibs

Butter a bundt pan. Prepare the popcorn. Remove all unpopped grains from the crowd and put the popcorn in a bowl. Melt butter, peanut butter and honey in a warm water bath. Pour the mixture into a bowl with popcorns. Add in the nuts and chocolate chips and mix. Press the mixture firmly into the cake pan. Put the pan into the freezer for a couple of hours. Take the pan from the freezer and turn the cake out onto a plate and put in the fridge and prepare the frosting.

Melt peanut butter, coconut oil / butter and honey in a warm water bath. Add cocoa powder and vanilla. Check the taste and add more spice or sweetness if needed

Frost the cake and top with chopped nuts or grated raw chocolate. Put the cake into the freezer for about 15 – 30 minutes. Serve, chip off pieces with your hand or with a help of a knife and enjoy! Store in the fridge.

Note: This cake has to be served cold, otherwise it will lose it´s shape. You won´t get perfect cake slices but more like delicious blocks and chuncks!

Follow Vanelja!

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

What happens when two ultimate breakfast lovers and foodies meet? Answer is: Sunday in Bed breakfast menu. Which means foods that make you stay with your breakfast long, keep your pajamas on the whole day, crumble on sheets, leave food and dishes here and there so that you can return eating after a small nap.

We created the menu together with super lovely Tuulia from Uusia Tuulia blog (that you can read also in english now!) We two share the same food visions, we love good and delicious food, clean flavors, fresh ingredients, and most of all, good breakfasts.

Sunday in Bed breakfast menu includes:

  • Almond yogurt

  • Berry almond granola

  • Lemon pancake

  • Orange blossom jam

  • Hemp bread rolls

  • Kiwi Spinach Apple juice

I could go on and on about how amazing all these dishes are eaten together or alone, but instead I just recommend you, very warmly, to write down all these ingredients and get them for your slow weekend mornings.

The recipes for almond yogurt, jam and bread rolls you can find here below and the recipes for granola, pancake and juice you can get from Tuulia´s blog.( Just switch the language to english from the upper bar on her page!)

Have lazy and lovely weekend!

V

ALMOND YOGURT

(dairy-free)

  • 2 cups raw almonds (soaked overnight)
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 tbl honey
  • 1 probiotic capsule or 1 package vegan yogurt starter 3 tbls natural yogurt/ unflavored vegan yogurt with active bacterial culture
  • 1 – 3 ts agar agar (if you want your yogurt to be thicker)

blend soaked and strained almonds, water, and sweetener and blend until smooth. Strain the mixture with cheese cloth on top of a bowl, so that you get a nice white almond milk. You can use the left over almond pulp for example with crackers or bread rolls.
Pour the almond milk into a pot and warm it so that it almost boils. If you want your yogurt to be thicker, add agar agar and boil carefully for about 5 – 7 minutes and add probiotic powder after that. Allow the mixture to cool. Stir in the brobiotic powder / yogurt. Pour yogurt into a sealable clean glass jar. Allow the mixture to incubate for about 6 – 12 hours. Store the yogurt in an air-tight container/jar in the refridgerator.
Try different lengths of time yogurt cultures and amount of culture you use so that you find the best way to make the perfect yogurt for your taste!

HEMP BREAD ROLLS

  • 1 tablespoon of chia-seed + 0,5 cup water
  • 1,5 cup almond flour (you can substitute part of this with the almond pulp left over from making the almond yogurt)
  • 0,5 cup oatmeal
  • 0,25 cup potato flour
  • 0,5 cup hemp seeds
  • 0,25 cup of linen seeds
  • 1,5 tsp psyllium fiber husk
  • 1,5 tsp baking powder

  • 1,5 cups of water (or some dairy-free milk)

  • 0,25 cup melt butter (or coconut oil)
  • 2 tablespoons hemp oil
  • 1 tsp local honey
  • 0,5 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
  • pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200 celcius degrees. Mix chia seeds and oat milk in a small bowl and let it sit for about 15 minutes until you get a gel-like mixture. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add water, melted butter/oil, chia gel, honey, apple vinegar and salt. Allow the dough to swell for a couple of minutes. The dough should be soft, plump, like a yeast dough – not dry. If necessary, add some flour or liquid.

Take pieces of dough and roll them into balls and put them on a baking tray covered with a baking sheet. Sprinkle some poppy seeds on top. Bake the buns for about 30 minutes in center of the oven until they are nice and golden. Take out of the oven, let them cool a bit, serve and enjoy!

ORANGE BLOSSOM CHIA-JAM

  • 3 oranges
  • 3 tablespoons local raw honey
  • 1 teaspoon orange flower water
  • 3 tablespoons chia-seeds

Puree the oranges in the blender until the mixture is smooth. Add the honey and orange blossom water and stir. Taste and add sweetness, if you will. Pour the mixture into a clean, sealable glass jar and stir in the chia-seeds. Leave to thicken, stir after 15 minutes and put the jar in the fridge for about 1 to 5 hours. Use with pancakes or other goodies! Store in a refrigerator in closed jar. Use within a week.

Follow Vanelja!

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

In Finland we have this one delicious small chocolate covered mint truffle bar with a hint of vanilla called Pätkis. Pätkis and I have quite a strong and long lasted love relationship. Actually at one point it was an almost unhealthy addiction, from my part, I have to admit. Being together felt always such a good idea and it tickled all my senses, but afterwards I felt always used and empty.

And I'm really not the only missus this small charmer has. Actually, almost all my female friends have a small or big crush on him. One friend of mine thought that her relationship with Pätkis wasn't doing her any good, so she threw me a challenge and asked if I could make a healthy version of her favourite chocolate lover. I sympathised her pain, so I rolled up my sleeves and got into action.

And I did quite well, I have to say. Of course you can never totally copy the charm of a true Casanova, but for me this does the trick.

Chocolate truffle on the inside, a hint of peppermint and vanilla, and a chocolate coat on top. Everything is raw, unprocessed, no white sugar, no additives, no e-codes or other gimmicks.

This lover is a true lover. No exploiting of women. He leaves a girl smiling and feeling good about herself. And I'm happy to pass the love!

V

RAW MINT TRUFFLE CHOCOLATE BARS

About 8 pieces

Raw Mint Truffle Bars:

  • 0,5 dl cacao butter
  • 0,5 dl raw cacao mass
  • 4 tbls cold-pressed coconut oil
  • 5 tbls raw cacao powder
  • 4 tbls organic honey (or coconut palm syrup)
  • 2 tbls almond butter (or some salt free nut butter)
  • a few drops chocolate flavored stevia (optional)
  • 0,5 tsp vanilla powder
  • 0,5 tsp peppermint extract
  • a mini pinch of sea salt
  • 1 dl of almond meal

Chocolate coating:

  • 1 dl grated raw cacao mass
  • 0,5 dl grated cacao butter
  • 2 tbls cold-pressed coconut oil
  • 4 tbls raw cacao powder
  • 4 tbls organic honey (or coconut palm syrup, or stevia)
  • 0,5 tsp vanilla extract or a few drops of vanilla flavored stevia
  • a mini pinch of sea salt

Mint truffle bars:

Melt the cacao butter, cacao mass and coconut oil in a warm water bath until liquid. Add raw cacao powder, honey, stevia, vanilla and peppermint extract and sea salt. Stir. Check the taste and add more spice if needed. Mesure the almond flour into a blender and add the chocolate mass. Mix until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and put it into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Prepare the chocolate coating in the meantime.

Chocolate coating:

Melt the cacao butter and coconut oil in a warm water bath until liquid. Add cacao powder, honey, and salt and mix. Check the taste and add sweeteners if needed.

Take the chocolate mass from the freezer and form small chocolate bars. (If the mixture is still too loose put it back in the freezer for a moment.) Glaze the bars with the chocolate coating. If the frosting is too runny, keep it a little while in a cold water bath so that it thickens a little bit. When all the bars have their coating, put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Store in a refrigerator. Best when kept in a room temperature for a while before serving!

Follow Vanelja!

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

Twitter

There's some licorice mania going on here. All licorice related feels now tempting. All kinds of licorice and chocolate combinations in particular.

A few years ago, I fell in love with the Finnish Panda Duello candies that were these wonderful chocolate-coated licorice pieces. (For which, by the way, my husband directed a cute ad)

I got a little upset when I realized that these candies were no longer being manufactured, which was ultimately a good thing, because I panicked and developed my own substitute – a healthy licorice chocolate. The recipe is included in my upcoming Kiitos hyvää cookbook that will find its way to the Finnish shops in the first week of December.

Only it's terrible to have to hold back so wonderful a secret for such a long time!

So to ease the pain of keeping this secret and to help my licorice mania, I made a licorice smoothie parfait with a hint of chocolate.

I have once made a licorice smoothie for Four Sigma Foods back in the day that charmed many. This smoothie parfait is a lot like the FSF smoothie, except that this one contains a few different ingredients and is built in layers, which makes it more a dessert than a morning smoothie.

Licorice smoothie parfait

Chia pudding:

  • 5 rkl chia seeds
  • 1 cup almond milk (or other dairy-free milk)
  • ½ tl vanilla powder

Licorice smoothie:

  • ¼ cups almonds
  • 2 dried figs
  • 1 banana
  • 2 cups almond milk (or other dairy-free milk)
  • 1 ts vanilla extract
  • 1-4 ts black licorice root extract powder (or grated licorice extract stick)

    • 1 banana

Chia pudding:
Make the chia pudding by adding chia seeds, almond milk and vanilla in a jar, stir after 30 minutes and let then sit 2 hours or overnight in a fridge. The longer you refrigerate the pudding, the thicker it will be.

Licorice smoothie:
Add all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Add enough liquid to make it smooth but not too watery.

Assembly:
Add about ¼ cups of smoothie in a big glass. Spoon in chia pudding and add then sliced banana. Top with the licorice smoothie. Grate some licorice extract stick on top. Serve and enjoy!

Try, if you dare. You see, this might very easily lead to an addiction for licorice lovers. You know what they say, once you go black, you never go back.

V

Follow VANELJA!

Instagram: Vanelja

Facebook: www.facebook.com/vaneljaweb

Pinterest: Vanelja

Twitter: @VaneljaOfficial

This year fall came suddenly. It came from the bushes, ran briskly beside me when I was on my morning jog precisely today at 8.30 am. Gave me a smile way too fresh and zesty, a smile I wasn’t at all ready for. Gave me goose pumps. Sniffling and my fingers numb, I returned home and started making some warm and comforting crumble pie. And planning my Big Escape.

No, this isn´t the kind of a post where you praise the fresh autumn days, candles and wool socks. Sometime ago, I would have tried my very best to find something good in the cold and dark season that is on it´s way, and on some level I still do it, but at the same time I’ve grown in that kind of honesty where I can admit that the upcoming winter kind of frightens me. Even though I know the season will bring me some exciting work stuff.

Honesty feels good. You don´t have to like winter. It’s ok not to be a winter person, even if you live in Finland. So, that being said, I have ordered from the universe´s mail order a second home for me and my family somewhere warm and sunny. Maybe in the West Coast of US? Maybe. We’ll wait and see for my order to be processed.

Back to that crumble pie. Its soul is made of figs and pears. I’d say it’s perfect food for this season. Warm, honest, kinda heavy, juicy, plump and sweet, still somehow easygoing. I ate the whole pie for my breakfast-lunch. Wearing wool socks. I lighted a candle, too. It was all kinda sweet, I have to admit. But the thing that warmed me the most was the thought of my big escape.

FIG PEAR CRUMBLE

Fruit Filling:

  • 4 large fresh figs
  • 1 large ripe pear
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • sweeten with vanilla stevia (or 2 tablespoons of domestic honey)
  • Cumble

  • 1 dl almond meal
  • 1 dl rolled oats
  • 0,5 dl almond flakes (or for example pumpkin seeds)
  • a pinch of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 5 tablespoons soft butter or coconut oil
  • sweeten with vanilla stevia (or 2 tablespoons of domestic honey)
  • Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Wash and slice the figs and pears. Put the pieces in a saucepan, add water, vanilla extract and stevia. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat for about ten minutes. In the meantime, make the crumble.

    Apply almond flour, rolled oats and almond flakes in a bowl. Add the salt and cinnamon and mix. Pour in the melt butter and add stevia. The mixture will be chunky and crumbly.

    Pour the fruit filling into a buttered baking dish. Add then the crumble topping. Bake in center of the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the surface has a slight tint. Take out of the oven, serve and enjoy! Try for example with greek yogurt!

    Today there are cookies on the menu! Watch our cookie video and try this super simple, cute and tasty recipe. You can also try oatmeal flakes or buckwheat flakes instead of coconut.

    3 Ingredient Cinnamon Cookies

    Approximately 6 – 8 pieces

  • 1 big and ripe banana
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • Preheat the oven to 175 degrees. Mash the banana and ddd the coconut and cinnamon. Mix. Taste and add seasoning or sweetness if desired. Shape the cookies into balls on a baking sheet and press them to about half a centimeter thick cookies. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the biscuits get a delicate golden brown color. Allow to cool and enjoy.

    V

    I´m the type of person who tends to heat up easily. When there are not enough hours in the day for all the ideas, projects and inspiration, my mind and body go into overdrive. Usually I can find the balance quite easily by calming down and eating more alkaline food, drinking green juices and so on, but once in a while the cooling down task proves to be more difficult.

    Lately I have been working with two very dear and big projects, this website and my upcoming cookbook that will be released in Finland in December. These projects combined with other work stuff and a quite speedy life with a 2-year-old have made my body collect some extra heat.

    So now, with all you lovely readers as my witnesses, I promise to take action and make cooling off and quieting down my main missions. This means more daily meditation and being conscious, being present.
    I believe that in a peaceful state of mind you can be just as effective as when your mind is in overdrive.

    What is needed is just a little bit of learning and more concentrating when it comes to my type of hotties. And hey, lovely cooling treats like this pretty sorbet made from frozen grapes! You can find the recipe in HERE.

    Some meditation and some sorbet will help you to cool down and take the edge off an agitated state, for sure.