Raw chocolate mousse cake ~with a dollop of thick vegan marshmallow.

It's Mother's day this coming Sunday in Australia, so I thought I'd post a rich but healthy chocolate cake as a special treat and option for those wishing to surprise ♡ Mum ♡

I have a few chocolate mousse recipes that I alternate between, all raw, this one though, uses tofu. So if you're a fan of tofu and don't mind raw tofu in recipes, you  will love this reasonably simple chocolate mousse cake.

What steals the show and will amaze all who make or eat this for the first time, is the marshmallow. 

Everyone has been going on about this for the last couple of months ... I got my recipe from a wonderful instagram and facebook account called "Seitan is my motor"- and she modified it from a French blogger she found.

It's so crazy easy to make and delicious, and I just love the way it uses the left over brine from canned chick peas - that one would normally discard.

It barely uses any ingredients, but does use 1/2 a cup of sugar.

I've replaced her cream of Tartar with a splash of Apple cider vinegar - and that worked beautifully. 

It really grows in size and you end up with a lot of marshmallow!

.. In fact you could cover the whole chocolate mousse cake with a thick layer of the marshmallow if you like. It just might get just a tiny bit tricky or messy when slicing up and serving.

Please buy vegan sugar, as in some countries (luckily not Australian made sugar), sugar is made using bone char, which is a charcoal made  from burnt cattle bones.

So do a google search for vegan sugar in your country and please use that version. Ideally gmo-free also.

Today I've made a good sized cake - using 500grams (17.6 ounces) of tofu. But one can use a standard smaller block of tofu instead.

I've used an 18cm springform pan.

I saw on a conversation thread that someone successfully made their marshmallow with stevia instead of sugar, but I have not tried that and can not guarantee it will turn out as big or marshmallowy, but I may experiment with that in the future to see if it works.

I also have seen people substitute the guar gum with equal quantities of xanthan gum and they reported it turned out great.

The marshmallow grew so much in size, but that's ok as it can be packed into a large glass jar then refrigerated, and it stays nearly exactly the same, ready to be spooned out and used later. But does become a slightly creamier colour after 24 hours and looses just a little of it's thickness - and seems ever so slightly flatter over time, but still lovely to work with.

It's made using a hand held electric mixer.

*** NOTE: Cacao and vegan chocolate is used in this recipe. Some vegans choose to never eat chocolate or cacao - because little insects can get caught up in the fermentation process - and one can choose to replace that ingredient with carob instead.

I buy Fair trade organic raw cacao powder coming from Peru. Australian "Loving Earth" brand. And at this stage I accept that a lot of food I buy may have traces of little critters like rodent hairs, insects and tiny fish etc - that have been caught up in the harvesting, storing or production process. Which is pretty disgusting - I know, both ethically and hygienically. Sadly this is the life we're living nowadays, especially in big cities - massive scale harvesting - storing and production of our food is how our food gets to us.

I want to mention this - so you can make your own informed decision, and because insects are especially drawn to fermenting foods.

Raw chocolate mousse cake

Base.
1 cup pecan nuts
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup walnuts
1 Tbl. goji berries
1 Tbl. chia seeds

1 heaping Tbl. carob powder

2 Tbl. almond flakes

3 or 4 dates
add a few drops of water if more stickiness needed

Filling.

500g firm silken tofu (use smaller standard pack if smaller filling desired)

raw cacao powder (-taste test and use as much as you need)
2 or 3 Tbl. sweetener - I used Maple syrup (taste test to see if more needed)
1/2 cup almond milk (more if blender needs it)
2 and 1/2 Tbl. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla paste

1 Tbl. Maqui berry powder (optional)

salt to taste (optional)

Topping.

Vegan chocolate shavings sprinkled all over the top and fresh raspberries as garnish.

When serving - spoon a dollop of marshmallow onto slice. Recipe down below.

* I used an 18cm spring form pan. And I did line the bottom and then also the inside of the pan with cling wrap. I like to prepare this before I start making the cake. 

Mix base ingredients and as stated above - the tiniest amount of water only needed to make the ingredients turn super stickier. 
Then transfer and press into the bottom of a spring form pan. I know it's not ideal - but use cling wrap if you want a super easy tidy finish and cake that's easy to remove.
Let it sit in the freezer while you make the filling. 

Put all filling ingredients into the blender or food processor and mix. You will need to stop and start the blender constantly and use a spatula to scrape down edges or just help the mixture along. Perhaps this was especially the case for me because I used such a large amount of firm tofu. And I did not want to add too much liquid - to try and keep the texture more solid. In the end I kept adding more almond milk to try and help the blender mix as it was struggling, but because of the coconut oil that goes into it - I knew this would help keep it reasonably solid after storing in freezer.

Taste test to see if you like the taste and are happy with the amount of cacao and sweetener you've used.

Pour mixture onto base and place into the freezer.
It should take at least 2 hours to set - 3 or 4 even better.
It seems to taste even better the next day!
After the initial freezer stage - I prefer to transfer it to and leave it in the fridge - as I like a cake I don't have to defrost for 1/2 an hour to serve or eat.

Garnish with vegan chocolate shavings - sprinkled all over the top. And fresh raspberries. 

And then serve a slice of cake with a dollop of marshmallow.

Marshmallow photo taken the next day after it was made - and it had lost just 

a little of it's volume - but still gorgeous!

Vegan Marshmallow

Brine of 1 can of chick peas
1/2 tsp. guar gum
splash of vinegar (I used raw apple cider vinegar)
1/2 cup of sugar
1 - 2 tsp vanilla paste

- In a very large bowl put brine, guar gum & vinegar & beat on high with electric mixer for about 1 or 2 minutes & it will get white, thick & glossy.
Next add sugar & vanilla & beat on high until forms peaks & gets very stretchy, thick & big.

*Don't be scared as you're mixing and it climbs up the beaters and back down again. I just stopped and started my beater a few times.
And voilà! .. it's ready to pack into a glass jar for future use.
This all took under 5 minutes to make!

Will stay good for 24 hrs & will start to loose some volume after that but still wonderful. 

Spoon onto favourite desserts.

I hope you enjoy this delicious cake and wonderful marshmallow recipe!

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Thai red curry.

I had a big bunch of coriander (cilantro) in my fridge today and pumpkin ~ so I decided to make a big batch of this delicious red curry recipe that I have used and loved for years.

Thai restaurants would serve it with the delicate and fragrant jasmine rice, but to be honest I usually just eat the curry on it's own, and for the photo and post today I made some couscous with it, and it worked nicely.

To make this you will need a normal sized food processor or a power blender, and also a coffee grinder to turn some raw cashews into a fine powder.

Plenty of lime really makes the flavours pop in your mouth.

And by squeezing some lime juice all over the curry before eating - creates an amazing taste.

To make the nice round shape for the couscous, I used a cookie cutter. - After the couscous was cooked in too much water and then drained in a sieve - I placed a cookie cutter on the dish I wish to serve the couscous and then packed it full with the cooked couscous. I left it sitting in the cutter for about 1/2 and hour. Then very gently and slowly removed the cutter. 

Thai red curry 
~ served with couscous & lime wedges

(serves 4 - 6 people)

Curry Paste

1 lemongrass stalk - cut into small pieces

1 bunch of coriander - including stems - in pieces

2 cloves garlic

1 medium sized red onion - sliced

1 inch piece of ginger - sliced

1 medium sized red capsicum - diced

1 medium sized long red chilli in pieces

1 Tbl. dried curry leaves

1 tsp. turmeric powder

ground black pepper

1 tsp. ground coriander seeds

zest and juice of 1 large juicy lime

Blend all ingredients until it is as smooth as you can get it with your blender / mixer.

Transfer to the biggest stock pot you have and begin to gently simmer while you stir occasionally and begin preparing the rest of the ingredients. 

After it has simmered for a few minutes - best to switch it off until you're ready to add the other ingredients.

You now need...

4 cups water

1 small butter pumpkin cut into large bite sized pieces - (outer skin removed & discarded)

200g small button mushrooms -cut in half if too big or left as is.

100g round beans - ends removed and cut into bite sized pieces or in half if longer length preferred.

1 1/2 or 2 cups of broccoli florets 

3/4 cup frozen peas

1 medium sized tomato - finely diced

1/2 - 1 can of coconut milk or cream (cream will be richer - both taste nice)

1 tsp. of miso paste or vegan stock cube

1/2 cup ground cashew powder (made in coffee grinder)

1 Tbl. tamari

1 Tbl. preferred sweetener 

1 tsp. chilli powder(optional -and add more for crazy hot curry)

1 Tbl. homemade spicy raw tomato sauce - optional - for spice and heat lovers (see below for this recipe - which is a big batch to store in fridge)

Lime wedges for serving

Turn the heat back on with the curry paste and add coconut milk, miso paste, cashew powder, tomato and 4 cups of water and let it boil then simmer gently and add mushrooms and pumpkin pieces. 

Pumpkin cooks quite quickly, but can also vary - so cook for about 20 minutes - or until it is just getting tender, and then add all other ingredients (except lime wedges) and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Serve with side dish of preferred rice or grain. In the photo couscous is garnished with chives.

And supply plenty of cut lime wedges.

Spicy raw tomato sauce 

1 small red capsicum
2 romano tomatoes
2 - 3 cloves garlic
3 Tbl. lemon juice
Lg. pinch salt
chilli powder
a few drops tobasco sauce (optional) -

- Blend well. Adjust to suit taste. (This is a large batch to store in fridge)

Hope you enjoy one of my favourite dishes. xo

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Raw lemon cheesecake with a luscious caramel chocolate topping.

Once you begin to experiment with fun toppings, a whole new colourful and fun world opens up.

Rose petals, dried lavender, different nuts, seeds and dried fruits as well as fresh fruits and sauces... all make exciting choices to play with.

Bringing lovely fragrances and colours to the end result.

Even big chunks and lumps of toffees, chocolates or protein balls can be included.

No 2 cakes need ever look the same again.

Today the caramel chocolate topping was inspired by an impressive Australian 21 year old student who also in her spare time makes amazing food and photos - she has a stunning Instagram account (@nourishingnicola) and fantastic blog too.

The caramel chocolate topping is thanks to an amazing Australian company that makes gorgeous organic raw vegan chocolates (as well as many other high quality products). The company is called "Loving Earth".

~And for this recipe, their 'Organic Raw Caramel Chocolate' bar, was simply melted (at a gentle temperature to maintain raw status) and then poured over a cooled and set cheesecake.

For those of you that don't have access to that chocolate or brand, I will include in today's recipe -  my own recipe for a raw vegan caramel white chocolate topping - which is quite similar in taste.

It's a great recipe to have - to store in fridge and either eat as a chocolate treat or re-melt and use as a sauce on other recipes. It's posted down below at the end of today's post.

Also at the end is a link to an easy home-made macadamia nut butter recipe which is used in the caramel recipe.

Alternatively you could drizzle your own favourite chocolate sauce or another sauce on this cheesecake.

Raw lemon cheesecake with a luscious 

caramel chocolate topping.

Base.
1 cup pecan nuts
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup walnuts
1 Tbl. goji berries
1 Tbl. chia seeds

1 heaping Tbl. carob powder

2 Tbl. almond flakes
3 or 4 dates
add a few drops of water if more stickiness needed

Filling.

soak 2 cup raw cashews for at least 2 hours
juice of 1 medium sized lemon
2 or 3 Tbl. sweetener - I used Maple syrup (taste test to see if more/less needed)
1/4 cup water (more if blender needs it)
4 Tbl. coconut oil

1 tsp. vanilla pastesalt to taste (optional)

Topping.

3/4 Tbl. edible dried rose petals

1 tsp. dried lavender

1 Tbl. chopped raw pistachios

* I used an 18cm spring form pan. And I did line the bottom and then also the inside of the pan with cling wrap. I like to prepare this before I start making the pie. 

Mix base ingredients and as stated above - the tiniest amount of water only needed to make the ingredients turn super stickier. 
Then transfer and press into the bottom of a spring form pan. I know it's not ideal - but use cling wrap if you want a super easy tidy finish and pie that's easy to remove.
Let it sit in the freezer while you make the filling. 

Discard the water the cashews were soaking in and blend well all the other ingredients - taste testing to suit your own preference for sweetness and saltiness. 
If your blender is straining to mix- add a little water at a time.
Sometimes I will end up adding an extra 1/2 cup of water. Aim for a very smooth, yet quite thick consistency -  but it should be runny enough to be able to move-on-it's-own reasonably well when the blender jar is tipped up side down to pour out ... ~ but with you helping it along a little with the spatula.

Pour 1/3 of the blended mixture onto base (or just enough to cover the base) and scatter some fresh berries though out the topping, I used about 7 fresh raspberries and 8 or 9 frozen blueberries.

and now carefully pour the rest of the mixture onto the berries and base - making sure berries are covered  

Now place into the freezer.

It should take at least 2 hours to set - 3 or 4 even better.

When the cheesecake has cooled and you're ready to put the caramel topping onto the cake, if using the "Loving Earth" brand chocolate...

~gently melt 1/2 of one of their 100g bar. (Pictured above).

Now you can drizzle the melted chocolate all over the cold cake and then scatter rose petals, lavender and a small handful of chopped raw pistachios.

If you want the petals and nuts to stick to the chocolate - make sure to scatter them as soon as possible, but if you want them loose, just wait for the caramel chocolate to harden (it will only take minutes), and then scatter the dried flowers and nuts. I prefer it loose, as not everyone is a fan of rose or lavender taste, and it gives someone the option to scrape off / remove them.

The cake is finished... pop it back in freezer to store.

When you wish to serve and eat, take cake out and leave out at room temperature for about 1/2 hour at least. And then when a nice softness is achieved - it can be sliced and served or stored in fridge if you like.

For those of you wanting to make your own chocolate caramel sauce...

Raw caramel white chocolate 

1/3 cup cacao butter melted

1/6 cup macadamia nut butter (or cashew nut butter)

1 1/2 Tbl. light agave syrup (or maple syrup, I used light agave in an attempt to make this a lighter colour thats all)

2 large soft de-pitted dates

3/4 tsp. vanilla syrup

Melt cacao butter (gently at a low temperature if wanting to maintain raw status) 

then pour it in with all other ingredients into a small mixer and blend very well until as smooth as possible. With such a small quantity I couldn't use my blender so this is why I'm using my smaller mixer instead.

It is now ready to pour onto any dessert recipe, or if making a nice chocolate or storing the left over sauce - pour into baking paper lined container, and store in fridge.

If pouring onto a cool surface or putting in fridge - it will cool and harden quite quickly.

For those of you that want an easy recipe to make your own macadamia nut butter .. the following is a link to that recipe.

https://www.facebook.com/serveloveatyourtable/photos/a.784914591577145.1073741828.780950391973565/811965912205346/?type=1&theater

Enjoy xo.

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Delicious pasta with mushroom sauce.

This recipe is a follow on from yesterday's mushroom soup post.

It's a wonderful way to use the left-over mushroom soup the next day.

Very quick and easy to prepare.

I like to mix just a tiny amount of cashew creamy mayonnaise in with the mushroom soup (see previous recipe post)  - to give the sauce a creamier texture - and it works well for this recipe. Remember only a very tiny amount of the mayo needs to be mixed in with the soup. Approx. 1 tsp. for 1 cup of soup, or to your taste preference.

But this  mayo option  is not essential - the pasta still works well with the soup on it's own.

Prepare the pasta by first boiling water with a little salt and a Tbl. of oil - and when water is boiling - throw in your favourite pasta - for this recipe I prefer Farfalle pasta (bow tie pasta) but Fettucini would also be a good choice.

For those that look for gluten-free options - your choices are obviously limited and I would go with 100% buckwheat noodles.

Simmer pasta stirring regularly to stop it from sticking - cook until al dente and after straining .. pour your sauce over it.

I prefer not to drown the pasta with too much sauce - but go by your own preference how much sauce you like to add.

Hint: to stop pasta from sticking is the reason one waits for the water to boil first before adding pasta and for the oil in the water - as well as the constant stirring. Also not letting it just sit for ages in a strainer - after some time it can start to harden a little as all the liquid leaves it completely. Some like to even leave just enough moisture there to keep it slippery.

For garnish - parsley (very finely cut),  is always my preferred choice as a good match with the earthy taste of cooked mushrooms. And Please have a look at yesterday's mushroom soup recipe post for a description on how to prepare the spicy sliced mushroom for garnish as seen in the photo above. This can be prepared first and will cook while you're cooking the pasta.

Hope you enjoy this easy delicious meal. xo

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Decadent rich mushroom soup.

mushroom soup with 2 raw button mushrooms and 1 raw swiss brown in the background.

Sometimes one is just in the mood for the rich earthy taste of mushroom soup.

In Sydney selections of mushrooms have improved drastically over the years and I adore getting a nice varied selection of beautiful fresh mushrooms.

This recipe of mine is totally my own invention and I'm calling it decadent because it has some rich and strong ingredients.

Mushroom soup is so unique - so often after the 2nd day of soup,  the craving has well and truly been satisfied.  The beauty is that with the left over mushroom soup, one can use it as a lovely sauce to dribble over other dishes or as a garnish, or even a light drizzle over sandwiches, or use with pasta.

I have a favorite pasta and mushroom sauce recipe that I will share and write / post up today or tomorrow -after I now finish and post this recipe... which is perfect because, like me, you may have more mushroom soup than you know what to do with the next day, and the mushroom with pasta sauce recipe is so good that it really ends up being a few days of delicious mushroomy meals.

Can not stress the importance that the mushrooms are firm and fresh. Soft and older mushrooms will not do and can make you feel ill. With the smaller button mushrooms - they're fresher when the underside is closed off not showing the darker brown ripply insides of the mushroom heads - just as you see in the photo above- they're nice and closed up .. and very firm - so - super fresh.

I Find that parsley is a very perfect marriage of flavours between  the earthy taste of mushrooms and the unique and sharp fresh quality of parsley. 

There are a few other spices I've put in that really go so well in this soup (and sauce), and also some other ingredients you may not have in your pantry - and I do recommend getting the truffle oil and  porcini mushroom powder - these 2 items have strong flavours and only a little is needed at a time -so they last for ages. 

Mushrooms are a great source of B12.

Also, farmers often give their mushrooms a quick burst of UV light - which activates the capability  mushrooms have to create Vitamin D - so this is a perfect soup for winter or if you don't get much sun exposure.

Shiitaki mushrooms are well known for their very strong unique smell and flavour (especially when dried) so be careful using the dried version - it can take over and even ruin a recipe. I never use the dried version - only the fresh.

Shiitaki are also very nutritious and healthy - they're crazy high in copper (which is important for good heart health), and they're very good at fighting off unhealthy organisms and growths in our bodies and also have a good range of B vitamins.

You also get a good hit of Selenium in this mushroom and quite a few other vital nutrients.

If you love mushrooms and mushroom soup, you won't be disappointed in this beautiful special soup.

A selection of mushrooms - N.B. : I wouldn't use black funji in this recipe - 

swiss browns go beautifully but they're not in this photo.

Clockwise from the top left corner- Black fungi, button mushrooms, 

shiitaki, shimeji, enoki (or enokitake) and king brown

Mushroom soup

Use 450 - 500grams (approx. 1 - 1.1 pounds) of various mushrooms (or your favourite mushroom like button or swiss brown). 

I used for this recipe:  3 shiitaki mushrooms,   200g button mushrooms,  200g swiss browns, 1 large king brown mushroom and 40g of shimeji mushrooms. All chopped and sliced in to pieces.

1 small onion sliced

2 cloves garlic sliced

2 - 3 Tbl. light oil

1 tsp. plain paprika

3 black olives chopped into pieces

1/2 tsp. porcini mushroom powder

1 tsp. truffle oil

1 tsp. mushroom soy sauce (or tamari if this is unavailable)

1 heaping tsp. dried parsley flakes

3/4 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp majoram spice

1 tsp chilli powder (optional)

1 1/2 tsp. miso paste

salt and pepper to taste

3 1/2 cups of water (more if thinner soup desired)

fresh parsley finely chopped for garnish

Sauté in the oil all the mushrooms and onion slices.

When  they begin to look nicely browned (but not too dark and over - cooked to get burnt edges) - add garlic and then quickly add paprika. Both of these ingredients burn quickly - but their cooked flavour is brought out best when sautéed in oil. 

After a minute of mixing - add all other ingredients (except for water and fresh parsley garnish). Sometimes at this point I like to turn the heat off  while I now sauté for another few minutes.

Then - add water, turn heat back on and let this simmer for 10 - 20 minutes - mixing every now and then, until it looks and smells nicely cooked.

Now blend - but if you don't have a power blender, wait for cooked mushrooms to cool right down before blending - otherwise you'll end up with mushroom soup exploding out of your blender. 

Blend until very smooth. Only adding more water if a thinner texture is desired.

Taste test to see if more salt or pepper is needed.

*alternative garnish - is dollop of cashew cream mayonnaise (see earlier recipe blog on the 23rd February-Sydney time zone)- with fresh parsley sprinkled all over. But this cashew mayo has quite a strong flavour and will change the taste of this soup and also make it a little creamier.

**If you wish to garnish this meal with roasted and spiced slices of mushrooms (as seen in the photo at the top) - make sure you have at least a few extra mushrooms to slice nicely and roast in oven with oil and spices (I used a little paprika, cracked pepper and salt). I turn them over in the oven to get a nice brown roasted look on both sides  -and when they're finished - leave them sitting on paper towels to absorb the oil and cool before using as garnish. Roast (bake them) while you're making your soup. Ideal if you slice them thick enough so they hold their shape and thin enough so they're still light enough to lie on the soup later without sinking as garnish. Be gentle when handling them after baking as they can be more fragile and break.

Once garnished ~ serve your earthy rich mushroom soup ...  yes - it's decadent, but still so good for you.

Enjoy xo

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Raw key Lime pie. .. .. .. . ॐ

Why have a I put the well known symbol for Om / Aum ~ ॐ  in the title of this key lime recipe?
~ Because this pie, which I accidentally stumbled across on Instagram ... through a small trail of lovely posters, was as pretty close as you can get to having a spiritual experience making and eating a dessert. 
It's heavenly. The ingredients react and go together beautifully. 

As a side note: for those that aren't into spiritual or religious themes - "Om" ॐ is a powerful and mystical sound originating from Hinduism ~ and I remember once reading - that it was the first sound in the universe... what a neat description.

Back to this pie.
It originated from a talented blogger and Instagramer called 'Gloriously delicious' and I accessed it through 2 Instagram profiles - 'mangoandbliss' and 'lovenourishbloom'.
You ladies have done me a huge favour.
I'm so in love with this pie. I would never have thought of marrying these ingredients together - but it's opened a whole new world to me.
I have changed the recipe to make it my own and am so pleased with the results.

Love - love - Love .... and gratitude. 
(deep breath).
~Om.

Raw key Lime Pie

Base.
1 cup pecan nuts
1/3 cup almond flour
1/3 cup walnuts
1 Tbl. goji berries
1 Tbl. chia seeds
3 or 4 dates
add a few drops of water if more stickiness needed

Filling.
soak 1/2 cup raw cashews for at least 2 hours
2 medium - large avocados
2 large juicy limes and their rind (put aside 1/2 of the rind scrapings of one of the limes if using for garnishing)
2 or 3 Tbl. sweetener - I used Maple syrup (taste test to see if more/less needed)
1/4 cup water (more if blender needs it)
2 Tbl. coconut oil
salt to taste

* I used an 18cm spring form pan. And I did line the bottom and then also the inside of the pan with cling wrap. I like to prepare this before I start making the pie.

Mix base ingredients and as stated above - the tiniest amount of water only needed to make the ingredients turn super stickier. 
Then transfer and press into the bottom of a spring form pan. I know it's not ideal - but use cling wrap if you want a super easy tidy finish and pie that's easy to remove.
Let it sit in the freezer while you make the filling. 

Discard the water the cashews were soaking in and blend well all the other ingredients - taste testing to suit your own preference for sweetness and saltiness. 
If your blender is straining to mix- add a little water at a time.

Pour mixture onto base and place into the freezer.
It should take at least 2 hours to set - 3 or 4 even better.
It seems to taste even better the next day!
I prefer to leave it in the fridge - as I like a soft cake I don't have to defrost for 1/2 an hour to serve or eat.

Leave as is or garnish with thin lime slices or some of the lime rind sprinkled all over the top.

It slices beautifully. .. .  Enjoy!

.   .   .   .   .

Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)

Creamy cashew mayonnaise and cashew cream cheese.

Photo shows a jar of cashew mayo and a container of cashew cream cheese.... And 2 toasted sourdough bread slices, romaine lettuce, smashed avocado, cherry tomatoes, cracked pepper ground on top and homemade mayonnaise drizzled all over.

Homemade creamy vegan mayo 

& savoury cream cheese

Once you start experimenting with making your own cheeses and mayonnaises - a whole new world opens up. It's so exciting creating these delicious and easy recipes and I'm sure you'll be happy to find how they will improve your meals drastically.

I've selected 2 recipes today - but they're terribly similar to make with some minor variations.

And once you've made them - you can get a little more experimental yourself.

The mayonnaise is so very tasty because of the garlic, truffle oil, mustard and dairy-free probiotic - and using a generous amount of fresh lemon juice in this recipe - really brings out the zingy flavour even more. 

One thing I learned early on in my experiments with food - that citrus fruits really bring out the tastes in food. 

I squeeze lemon or lime juice in so many meals that I would never have thought of doing so before - and even oranges, clementines or mandarins do wonders also. Fruit salads always get a generous combination of lime and mandarin juice squeezed all over.

I make a big jar of mayo that normally lasts me 1 to 1.5 weeks. 

It gets drizzled on veggies, baked potatoes, a dollop spooned onto soups, salads, sandwiches, crackers or toast with avocado and tomatoes.

The cream cheese recipe is just a nice thicker texture. And spreads on better for crackers or toast.

And - sorry - the cream cheese is only achievable with a high powered blender.

I've written the 2 recipes together as that's how I make them. But if you don't have a power blender - this mayo recipe will still suit you - as I've taken that into account. 

For years I made this mayonnaise on the most powerful glass blender I could find - and it worked well .. not quite as creamy a finish as with a power blender - but still a very beautiful recipe. And glass is such a healthier material so at least one wins in that department. 

Tip: If you like you can try making your own truffle oil - by cleaning and then chopping up about 1 tsp. of a truffle into 3 or 4 tiny pieces and leaving it to effuse it's aroma into 1/3 - 1/2 cup of light olive oil. Storing it in a room temperature dark pantry is perfect.

The longer it's left the more pungent the oil becomes. At least 2 weeks is ideal. If you purchased more truffle than you needed to use - store it in oil in the fridge until you want to use it. The storage oil may become jelly like around it but that's easily cleaned off when you want to use it again.

This is definitely one of my favourite recipes. 

It's such a treat to share.

Ingredients:

2 cups raw cashews (Soaked for at least 2 hours. If you expect that you may leave them soaking for longer - squeeze in a little lemon).

1 to 1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard.

2 Tbl. Light olive oil.

Juice of 1 medium sized juicy lemon.(Or use more if you're mad for lemon juice)

1 tsp. Truffle oil.

1 to 2 cloves garlic.

Salt to taste.

1/4 cup water.

3 dairy-free probiotic capsules. 

(N.B : For those making this without a power blender... You will add approx. 3/4 to 1 cup of water (or more) instead of the 1/4 cup listed above.....basically you will be adding enough water depending on how runny or thick you prefer your mayo).

Discard the water the cashews have been soaking in and blend all ingredients except probiotics.
When a creamy consistency is reached...stop blender and check temperature of the mixture in the blender...if it's only warm and not too hot ... start blending again and empty the probiotic capsules into it while it's running.. Discarding the empty capsules. Probiotics die if exposed to strong heat. So keep this in mind, because an alive culture is healthier and will give this recipe a gorgeous rich cheesy / yogurt-like taste - especially after it's developed in the fridge for a day or more.

For those making cream cheese - it's ready! ... Remove 1/3 or  1/2  the mixture (depending on whether you want to make just a little cream cheese - or more) and place in jar and pop in fridge. (To serve you can garnish with lemon zest if entertaining and wishing to give a nice finish).

For the mayonnaise recipe ... Now add approx. 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water to the remaining contents of your blender... and blend well. Add more or less water depending on how much of a runny or thick consistency you prefer for a mayo.
And that's it! Put your mayo into a jar and store in fridge.

As mentioned above -tastiness increases after a day in the fridge because the ingredients and especially the probiotics create a tasty and yogurt-like  / cheesy effect.

Alternatives

*Add a tiny amount of beetroot powder or grated fresh beetroot (and really only the tiniest amount is needed) and you'll have a fun hot pink mayonnaise.

*Experiment making your own vegan cashew sour cream - by adding a lot more lemon juice.

*To make a plain cream cheese instead of this savoury one - leave out the mustard and garlic and add just a little sweetener (like maple syrup) and use a little less lemon juice. - Taste test it while making it- until you get a nice taste and balance of sweet and sour. Sometimes I'll even add just the tiniest dash of pomegranate syrup or balsamic syrup (about 1 tsp.)to the blender - I like a hint of that sweet and sour taste quality they both have. A plain cream cheese is great for bagels and jam or toast or crackers - or as I've presented in the photo below.  If serving your plain cream cheese to guests - try sprinkling some very finely crushed raw walnuts on top as a garnish.

Photo shows Plain cream cheese on sourdough toast with raw baby spinach leaves, sliced raw apricots (or any stone fruit, berries or fruit jam or syrup would work)- and balsamic syrup drizzled on top.

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Remember to always ... serve Love at your table.

ღ

© Magdika Cecilia Pérez  

(for : serve Love at your table)