Chocolate Cookie Dough (vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free, nut free)

Chocolate Cookie Dough

(vegan, no bake, gluten free, oil free, refined sugar free, soy free, nut free)

Okay, I get it, some people don't like peanuts. Or nuts in general. Or sometimes you just crave chocolate! That's why you're here, right?

I love my peanut butter and chocolate cookie dough, but lately I'm really into the pure chocolate version as well! I, personally, love serving it with some sour, cultured coconut yogurt, which takes the whole cookie dough experience to a different level, and some frozen berries. (a lot actually) (you can use whatever toppings you like tho)

Also, many people use chickpeas for their cookie dough, similar to a sweet hummus, however, chickpeas are hard to digest and for me, they make me bloated in large amounts. That's why I love using kidney beans or white beans in this recipe!

Chocolate Cookie Dough

Serves: 1
Preperation time: 5 minutes
Fridge time: serve right away or let sit in the fridge for up to 3 hours to thicken (longer will let the surface harden - similar to a 'skin' on your hot chocolate)

Ingredients

• a can of white beans or kidney beans (240g)
• 25g cacao powder (or chocolate protein powder)
• 25g to 75g plant milk of choice (I like to use almond milk or cashew milk with this - you can also try to add only a dash if your food processor is strong enough, which will make your final product more thick and sticky)
• sweetener of choice - depending on your prefered level of sweetness (lately I've been really into coconut sugar. Read instructions for the correct amount)
• optional but recommended: a dash (or more) of cinnamon
• optional: 5g Maca Powder (gives it an earthy, slightly caramel-like flavor)

Instructions

• drain and rinse your beans 
• add all the ingredients but the sweetener to a bowl and use a handblender and blend until the dough forms a uniform consistency. Add more liquid if desired. (The dough will thicken a little in the fridge)
• add sweetener, little by little and keep blending and taste-testing until you reach your desired level of sweetness!
• transfer to a bowl, decorate and serve as desired

Tipp: 

• You can also use a blender or food processor if desired. You can also adjust the ratio of the liquid in that case.
• If you rinse your beans well, you won't taste them. If you are still able to taste them, try a different brand of beans or cook them yourself.

Cold Spicy Watermelon Noodles (gluten free, vegan, oil free, nut free)

Cold Spicy Watermelon Noodles

(gluten free, vegan, oil free, nut free)

Okay stop, don't judge this until you've tried it! I thought this was crazy when I first heard of it as well. But this is an actual dish! It's based in the Korean cuisine and is a typical summer dish people love to eat on a hot day. And you know what? It's my favorite ever since I've first made it.

I am not a huge fan of noodles, as they tend to be really heavy on my stomach, but cold noodles, especially with this refreshing combination of flavors, is a staple in my kitchen now! And the best thing: It will keep you satisfied, refreshed and cool on a burning hot day. And it will keep your kitchen cold, because you can simply prep the noodles before and you don't have to cook anything anymore.

Yes, some the ingredients are hard to find, especially when there is no asian supermarket close by, so I created a second version of the sauce (which is actually the most important thing here! You don't have to serve this in a watermelon, but it looks kind of cool, right?), that uses more accessible ingredients.

So back to the basics, what is this dish even about?
Well, the original, Korean name is Soobak Naengmyun (수박냉면), which means basically just Cold Noodles in a Watermelon. And that's just what it is. As mentioned above, the sauce is what makes this dish special. 

I'll put both the original (veganised) version and the version with the more accessible ingredients in a different post, which is linked here !! You can use this sauce as a salad dressing as well! It's really variable. 

So now, lets get into assembling (because, remember, you don't have to cook!)

Cold Spicy Watermelon Noodles

Serves: 1
Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• as much cooked pasta as you feel like eating 
• half a watermelon
• as much of the sauce as you feel like eating (again, the recipe for the sauce is linked here)
• cucumber
• cabbage
• optional: carrots, tomatoes

Instructions

• take your watermelon and (if not already done) scoop a hole in the middle where you can put your noodles (make sure your melon can stand - if not, cut a little bit off the bottom, so it can but the juice can't run out)
• pour a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of your hole
• add your noodles
• slice your cabbage, cucumber, carrots and tomatoes and add them on top nicely
• pour some more sauce on top and dig in!

Tip: Add more sauce, cucumber and cabbage as you go! And don't forget to eat the watermelon as well (not only the noodles) 

Chocolate Hazelnut "Nutella" Mousse (gluten free, vegan, soy free, oil free, refined sugar free)

Chocolate Hazelnut "Nutella" Mousse 

(gluten free, vegan, soy free, oil free, refined sugar free)

The other day I found some old hazelnuts from last autumn from our hazelnut bush.

They were still in peel and I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. I've always wanted to make some sort of hazelnut chocolate butter or some ground hazelnut cake, however, I don't have a food processor at home. So no nut butter for me.

Then I remembered a cake I had the other day, which had an amazing mousse filling made of peanuts. So why not make a mousse out of hazelnuts? It's perfect as a cake filling, but for sure also great as a topping for oatmeal, yogurt or smoothie bowls or just to dip some fruit in! (Well, turns out it's not that great on rice crackers without anything else added. I'd suggest you to use it as one of the things mentioned above or just eat is as a mousse with a spoon or swirled with some jam (my suggestion would be cranberry sauce/jam!))

At first, I was a little concerned about it becoming the right consistency, but the longer you blend, the better it gets. Just make sure it doesn't turn into nut butter! Just give it a try every now and then (great excuse for snacking, isn't it?)

So now let's jump right into the recipe! (And if you try it, make sure to tag me on Instagram or leave a comment down below!)

Chocolate Hazelnut "Nutella" Mousse 

Serves: 1 jar
Soaking time: 30 minutes to 2 hours
Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 150g Hazelnuts
• 200g Water
• 40g Raw Cacao Powder
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 50g Agave Nectar (or any other liquid sweetener of choice)
• pinch of Salt

Instructions

• soak hazelnuts in around 400mL of boiling water for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours. If your blender is super weak, I'd suggest you to soak them overnight, however, this will change the consistency of your final product)
• drain the hazelnuts, put them into a blender and add all your remaining ingredients
• blend until you reach that fluffy, creamy consistency or until you reach the consistency you like. This step can take up to 10 minutes, depending on your blender or food processor. (Make sure to scrape down the sides so it blends evenly!)
• store in an air tight container and keep in the fridge for up to a week or so (mine didn't even last that long because we ate it within the first 3 days)