Onion and Olives Vegan Bread Rolls

I only recently discovered onion in bread and I kid you not, every time I incorporate it in a recipe, it's a mind-blowing success.

So, when last night I took a dozen of these bread rolls to a friend's party, everyone quickly forgot their reasons for being on a diet and the tiny fluffy rolls were the first to disappear from the table.

For this recipe I use equal parts whole wheat and white flour but if you prefer you can make it only with white flour of course.

Onion and Olives Vegan Bread Rolls
makes 8 medium size or 16 small size rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

• 250 g whole wheat flour
• 250 g white flour
• 250 ml lukewarm water
• dry yeast (for 500 g flour)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Additions:

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced black olives
• 1 tsp oregano
• cumin seeds for decoration

1. Place the yeast, sugar and 100 ml lukewarm water in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon. Let rise for about 15 minutes.

2. Sauté the onions in olive oil until golden brown and add a pinch of salt. Let cool.

3. In a medium-sized bowl combine both flours, oregano and salt.

4. In a large bowl pour the yeast mixture, the rest of the water and 1 tbsp olive oil.

5. Carefully start adding the flour and mix with a wooden spoon.

6. Stir in onion, olives and remaining flour (a bit at a time) until a soft dough forms.

7. On a floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes) adding more flour to prevent sticking.

8. Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and set it aside to prove. This gives the yeast time to work. Let prove for about 1 - 1.5 hr or the dough is double in size.

9. Divide dough into 8/16 equal pieces and form balls.

10. Place rolls on prepared baking sheet, sprinkle with cumin seeds and cover with damp towel.


11. Allow 1 hour for rolls to double in size.

12. Preheat oven to 180°C.

13. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

And that's it. Can you smell them already?

What is your favorite bread rolls recipe? Share it in the comments for everyone to try.

Healthy Homemade Nutella Recipe (Vegan)

I have almost stopped buying sweets. Not because I don't like them but because I am disgusted by the amount of unhealthy, chemically-enhanced ingredients they contain, and of course the sweeteners in all forms. With commercial sweets and ice-cream I said good bye to Nutella as well.

Why? Because although Nutella is marketed as "hazelnut cream", its main ingredients are sugar and palm oil, followed by hazelnut, cocoa solids, and skimmed milk. Actually Nutella is 55% sugar! In the United States, Nutella contains soy products. Read the correct list of Nutella ingredients. About half of the calories in Nutella come from fat (11 g in a 37 g serving, or 99 kcal out of 200 kcal) and about 40% of the calories come from sugar (20 g, 80 kcal).

I have already reduced to a minimum the use of refined white sugar but palm oil is so hard to avoid in commercial products nowadays. Not only is palm oil proven to increase blood cholesterol levels and to contribute to heart disease but according to Climate Mama it also contributes to climate change. Often, the agricultural practices used to produce palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia (where 80% of palm oil is produced) have a negative impact not only on the wildlife, and our environment but also on our increasingly limited “carbon budget.”

Being a health- and environmentally conscious chocolate lover I got super excited when I found the recipe for homemade Nutella by the Coconut Mama and hurried to the market to buy some hazelnuts and start blending.

While Nutella provides very little in the way of good nutrition (not much protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals - the nutrients we are lacking) this homemade sugar-free version is not just vegan, it's healthy.

So, here is the (slightly adjusted) recipe, accompanied by step-by-step instructions for a healthy guilt-free "Nutella" indulgence!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hazelnuts
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Yields about 1,1 lb (500 g) of delicious homemade Nutella.

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C).

2. Spread the hazelnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet.

3. Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for about 12 minutes, until they get slightly  brown and the skins are blistered a little.

4. Wrap them in a kitchen towel and rub vigorously to remove as much loose skin as possible. Some skin will cling to the nuts but that is ok. Let cool completely and put in a food processor.

5. Blend the hazelnuts until they form nut butter.

Not ready.

Not ready yet.

Close.

Perfect!

6. Now add all the other ingredients and only half of the required milk.

7. Blend again. If you like the consistency, leave it like that, if not just pour the rest of the milk.

And voilà! You have a rich nutty, chocolatey treat that is also healthy!

References: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_oil#Health
http://climatemama.com/blog/6595
http://foodwatch.com.au/blog/additives-and-labels/item/nutella-the-full-correct-list-of-ingredients.html

This post was shared here:
Real Food Wednesdays
Raising Homemakers 
Motivation Monday 
Sweet Sharing Monday
Plant-Based Potluck Party

Vegan Summer: Mini Apple Strudels

It is officially summer, even in Norway! The heat is on us and not only are we sweating in our flip-flops and shorts but we have reduced our meals to a minimum. A lot of people associate summer with barbecues and grilling but in such high temperatures my family is unable to take any meat whatsoever. 

Summer for us means light vegetarian or even vegan meals and abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Sometimes, when the sun hides behind thick stormy clouds (which happens on a regular basis) I get inspired for a fruit dessert and I thought I'd share with you a recipe I came up with the other day which is my personal variation of the famous Viennese apple strudels. The recipe is easy to follow and you can add a bunch of ingredients to make them a favorite for the whole family.

Mini Apple Strudels

makes 40

Dough:

• 2 tea cups (400 gr/14,11 oz) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tea cup oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tea cup soya/rice etc. milk
• dry yeast

Filling: 

• 5 - 6 apples
• 2 tablespoons sugar/honey
• a tablespoon of margarine
• a handful of raisins
• a handful of chopped black chocolate

Before I continue I have to let you know that I am one of those cooks who don't use accurate measurements. Whatever happens in my kitchen is more a matter of emotions moods, cups and spoons than of correct measurement tools.

:-: Having said that, I owe you a clarification: When I say "tea cup", I mean the type that is rather called "mug". It holds about 400 ml/13,52 oz of water and about 200 gr/7,05 oz of all-purpose flour. :-:

Instructions:

Mix the appropriate amount of yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and the cup of milk (at room temperature) in a slightly bigger bowl to let the yeast rise and let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes. Call me old-fashioned but I always do that, just to make sure the yeast is working.

Combine the dry ingredients (flour and salt) in a large bowl, make a well, pour the oil, add the milk and yeast and, using a wooden spoon, mix until you have a smooth batter. You might want to continue kneading with your hands. If you think the dough is too soft you can always add a pinch or two of flour. 

After 5 minutes of kneading, let the dough rest for about an hour.

In the meantime prepare your filling: Peel your apples, core them, shred them coarsely. Try to squeeze them a bit so you take out part of the juice (which I highly recommend you drink right away!).

Put a small saucepan on the hot plate and add the shredded apples after the margarine has melted. Add the sugar and raisins, and mix lightly. The idea is to soften the apples enough so they don't need to cook in the oven. After they have achieved a level of softness to your liking (in about 10 minutes on medium heat) take them away from the hot plate and let them cool. 

Can you see the shy banana? I put a slice in some random strudels, together with the apple filling and the result was great!

By that time your dough should have risen well enough and you can pin it out in a circle. You can use a similar tool to the one on the photo, or a glass to cut off circles which you will fill with the apple mixture (and possibly add chocolate chips, which I love) and fold to get crescent shape.

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.

Arrange the mini strudels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. To avoid egg-washing (and keep the vegan spirit of the dessert) lightly brush them with oil.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Set aside to cool on a wire rack or eat while still warm!

What have you been baking these days?