Swedish Delights

'Semlor' simply means 'buns' in Swedish. A treat that's enjoyed every February, H tells me that it started as something the Swedes would enjoy for one day of the year, which then extended to one week. Now, Semlor (or 'semla', in singular) are available from Christmas to Easter (according to Wikipedia).

Since arriving in Sweden, H has been telling me that I must try these, as they're a huge tradition. They're simple sweet buns, filled with marzipan & cream, topped with some more cream then capped off with the top of the bun that is cut off. Not being able to eat wheat, I decided to take the challenge of making my own allergy-friendly version for Christmas this year. The first batch was a success, which I was able to enjoy with my new family while they ate their traditional Semlor. With this month's SOS challenge being stevia, I decided to create them again, this time making vegan-friendly alterations.


While these don't look the same as the traditional ones (I use hazelnut butter in place of the almonds, as I'm intolerant to almonds), they're still delicious, filling & nutritious.

It's a little bit of work in crafting these yummy buns, but it's also part of the fun. Once baked, the middle of the bun is dug out, with the filling placed in a bowl. Mixed in with the nut paste & cream, this mixture is placed back into the bun, then topped with cream. The traditional buns have a cap placed on top, but I found this too fiddly as they are quite small, & the bun can crumble. So I skip that step, but still have a delicious end result.

Semlor
Ingredients
Buns:
½ Cup (120ml) coconut flour
100mls coconut milk
25mls coconut oil, melted
1 egg (vegan substitute: 1 tablespoon (15mls) psyllium husk with 3 tablespoons of water)
1 teaspoon (5mls) vanilla
1ml white stevia
pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon of bicarb soda
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Filling:
175g roasted hazelnuts (or whatever roasted nuts you prefer - almonds are traditionally used.)
stevia to taste
Coconut cream, whipped

Topping:
Coconut cream, whipped

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
2. Sift the coconut flour, vanilla, salt, bicarb & baking soda into a bowl (if using psyllium husk, add this to the bowl as well. If using an egg, whisk in a separate bowl).
3. Melt the coconut in a saucepan on low heat. Once melted, add the coconut milk & warm. Remove from heat & add to the dry mix. Add remaining wet ingredients (either the 3 tablespoons of water or the whisked egg) & stir together. (If the batter is too wet, add more flour)
4. Roll small handfuls of the batter & place into either a greased muffin tray or muffin cups. Glaze with a little coconut milk.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven & cool (yeilds about 6 semlor)


For the filling:
1. In a food processor, grind the nuts into a paste. This may take about 10 minutes. You may need to drizzle some water (I added a tiny bit of coconut milk) to get it smooth enough for a paste.
2. Add stevia to taste as it's blending (choose whatever level of sweetness you'd prefer). Once ready, transfer to a bowl.
3. Whip the coconut cream (I just gather the coconut cream from an unshaken can of coconut milk)
4. Spoon the middle of a semla into a bowl. Add nut paste & coconut cream (about equal amounts of each compared to what's been spooned out of the bun) & mix together. Spoon back into the bun.
5. Top with whipped coconut cream.
6. Enjoy! They're delicious!


H watches me curiously as I make these, & is very happy that I can enjoy some Swedish sweets. I'm going to attempt more allergy-friendly recreations. I look forward to sharing them with you!

This has been submitted to Ricki & Kim's SOS challenge & Amy's Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Strawberry Tartlets

I'm not one to step away from a challenge, & these tartlets are an example of that.

My zucchini bread was omitted from the SOS challenge because of the non-vegan ingredients & my first baking attempt with the newly purchased stevia turned out to be a bit of a disaster. So, rather than be dismayed, I decided that I would have a go at making vegan-friendly tartlets. I'd been thinking of making a pie base, as I want to make a lemon meringue pie soon. But that recipe calls for a lot of eggs & butter, not exactly vegan friendly. So, I thought I'd try my hand at making a pie crust that would be admissible for the competition, & try my hand at something that contained no animals ingredients.

I'm happy with the outcome; not too sweet, relying more on the natural sweetness of the fruit, & the pastry coming up a little bit crumbly, but oh so yummy. I used a muffin tin to create the tartlet shapes. These are a good snack-size portion, loaded with healthy fats & protein. I didn't add any stevia or sweetener of any kind to the strawberries. I find that stewing them brings out the natural sweetness in the fruit.

These would be great with some soy cream or nut creams that I've seen a few food blogs indulge in. I hope you enjoy!

I've submitted this to this month's SOS challenge & Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Strawberry Tartlets (vegan-friendly, sugar-free, gluten-free, wheat-free)

Ingredients:

Tartlets:

100g (2dl) coconut flour

1/4 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts

1g powdered white stevia

2 teaspoons psyllium husk

60mls water

30mls soy milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch salt

pinch nutmeg

Filling:

2 cups strawberries, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan. In a bowl, sift flour, shredded coconut, ground hazelnuts, psyllium husk, salt, stevia & nutmeg, & stir together with a spoon.

3. Using a beater, mix in the melted coconut oil, soy milk, water & vanilla until mixed well.

4. Grease muffin tin with some coconut oil, & pat the dough into the shapes. Bake for 20 mins.

5. While this is baking, place the chopped strawberries into a saucepan with a splash of water, & simmer on medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat & cool.

6. When the tartlet bases are ready, remove from the oven & allow to cool before adding the filling. Place in fridge to set.

Yields 8-10 tartlets

Soup for Breakfast (& first recipe post!)

This is what I eat for breakfast:

Not much to the to the eye aesthetically. H gives me curious & funny looks when he finds me making this in the morning. I can't have cereal or bread, & I'm not a big egg eater, so I take what I can get. I'm also not a big breakfast eater. I never have been. I tend to have breakfast about 2 hours after I wake, sometimes longer, but always after my morning pilates/yoga workout (courtesy of the lovely Ellen Barrett, I highly recommend her Pilates Yoga Blend workout). I'm also not into heavy breakfasts. I don't like food as a general that weighs heavy in my stomach, & this 'muck' I find a perfect start to the day.

It may not look like much, but it's super healthy; a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, spinach, garlic, onion, & kale. Kale. I only started eating it recently. I ran out of it one morning & had this, sans kale. I noticed the lack of kale while eating it, & later in the day I realised I was actually craving kale. Better than the sugar cravings I get at this time of the month! (Yes, it's that time again - 'monthly fun time', as I 'lovingly' call it).

Most recipes that I'll post here will be servings for one, as I tend to make these things for myself only. H doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, & I'm not comfortable with having a cake or slice to consume all to myself, so any recipes I follow or create, I cut the ingredients in half, or even a quarter of what's listed. The same goes with this.

Broccoli, Zucchini & Cauliflower Soup with Kale

(Serves 1)

Ingredients:

4-5 broccoli florets

3-4 cauliflower florets, cut in half

small handful of spinach, fresh or frozen (I use frozen)

1/4 zucchini, sliced

handful of kale, chopped

2 cloves garlic (I'm a big fan of garlic & aren't afraid to use a lot of it, so feel free to use less)

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon coconut oil

splash of milk (feel free to sub with any type of milk, sometimes I just use coconut milk)

splash of coconut milk

1tablespoon coconut oil

salt, pepper & spices to flavour

Method:

Steam or boil broccoli, cauliflower, spinach & zucchini until soft. Add to a blender with the milk, coconut milk & a bit of the water from the pot used to steam or boil the vegetables. Blend together until smooth.

In a pan, heat coconut oil & add garlic, onion & kale. Sauté until onion is translucent. Transfer to a bowl, adding the vegetable puree on top.

Add salt, pepper & spices to your liking. I add garlic (anti-fungal), paprika, tumeric (anti-inflammatory), dill, salt & pepper - I like lots of flavours!

Eat! Yum yum!

I love this rather unconventional breakfast, & I look forward to it each morning. I find the combination of the lightly sautéed vegetables with the puree a nice mix for textures. But then, I'm known for eating strange food!

I hope you enjoy it!