Mini blueberry raw cupcakes

This time I have prepared not 1, but 2 new recipes of raw cupcakes for you :) These cupcakes are easy to make and are very refreshing on hot summer days. The portion is small, so invite your friends over for a little cupcake party:) They will be for sure happy to taste these healthy cuties with you:D 

Ingredients:

Cupcakes with blueberry "cheese" filling:

For the Crust

- 7-8 medjool dates 
- about 1/4 of a cup of coconut shred* (leftover shred after making coconut milk)

- 10 almonds, soaked overnight

- 4 dried prunes
- 1 tbsp coconut oil

For the blueberry "cheese" filling:
- 1 cup cashews, soaked for at least 3-4 hours
- approximately 50ml lukewarm water

- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp of vanilla 
- 1 tbsp maple syrup (if you like it sweeter, you can add more maple syrup and less water)

*The ingredient list calls for a coconut shred, after making coconut milk. I will explain how to make nut milks in another post :)
 
Preparation:
Start with the crust: place almonds in the food processor until coarse meal is formed. Add the rest and blend until the dough is sticky, but not too watery. When ready, place a handful of the mixture in the middle of each muffin tray. Press the dough with your fingers to the sides, creating a smooth coat around the tray with a hole in the middle. Place the crust to the freezer for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the cashews, lemon juice, vanilla and maple syrup to the food processor. Start processing and add a desirable amount of water until a smooth puree is formed.  Pour the cashew "cheese" mix into crust till the top of the tray. Add a few blueberries, pressing some into the cashew mixture. 
Freeze the cupcakes for 3-4 hours until set.

Coconut blueberry ice cream cupcakes
For the crust:

- 1 cup coconut shred after coconut milk

- 1 tbsp maple syrup

- 1 tbsp white almond creme 

- 1 tbps coconut milk

- 1 tbps coconut oil

For the Blueberry ice cream

- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 tbps coconut oil, melted

- 3 tbsp coconut milk

- 2 tbsp maple syrup

Preparation: 
Blend all ingredients for the crust in the food processor for a few minutes, until a sticky layer is formed. You can add more maple syrup and discard the coconut milk to have a sweeter crust. Place the mixture in the muffin trays filling till the middle. 
To make the blueberry ice cream, blend all ingredients in the food processor until creamy. Pour the ice cream on the crust and freeze for 3-4hours, until set.

Before serving, remove both types of cupcakes from the freezer and set on the counter top for about 15-20 minutes.The cupcakes stay fresh when frozen for a week.

Enjoy and share with your friends :)  

Baked potatoes with soya tzatziki dressing

Hi there :) Today I have an easy dinner or lunch recipe idea for you, which takes only half an hour to prepare, that is all it takes to make a healthy and nutritious meal for the whole family. 
The recipe is inspired from one of Attila Hildmann's vegan cooking books, with more modifications.

What will you need: 

For the Tzatziki dressing with a twist:

- 500 grams of fermented soya yogurt

- 1 tbsp of olive oil

- 1/2 zucchini

- 1/4 red onion

- 1 tsp of spicy paprika powder

- Salt, pepper according to taste

- 2 big cloves of garlic

- 1 tbsp of white vinegar

For the potatoes:  
- 1kg mixed white and sweet potatoes

- 3 tbsp of olive oil for 1kg of potatoes

- 2.5 tbsp rosemary (fresh, if available)

- Salt, according to taste 

Preparation: 
Start with the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 200°. Combine olive oil, rosemary (or other herbs you like), salt and pepper in a small bowl. Wash the potatoes and cut them into 8 wedges.  Rub the potatoes with the olive oil mixture and place them on a baking tray. Bake on a circulating heat for about 25mins.

While the potatoes are baking, go ahead and prepare the tzatziki dressing. I use fermented soya yogurt in this recipe, with no added sugar. I find that many soya yogurts available in the grocery stores have tons of sugars added to them. Try to find one with no added sugars on a fermented soya base. The flavor of this yogurt resembles the fine quark taste, which fits the tzatziki dressing very well. 
Cut the zucchini into very slim slices lengthwise. You can use the potato peeler to make the slicing easier :)  Cut the slim zucchini slices to half and place them into a mixing bowl. Press the garlic cloves through the garlic presser and add them together with the remaining ingredients into the mixing bowl. Mix all ingredients well with the soya yogurt.

Serve the potatoes hot, with salad and veggies on the side. Pour the tzatziki sauce over the potatoes and your veggies.

Enjoy :)