christmas – StyleNectar

Posts

Iced Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflakes

Raw Vegan Iced Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflake Cookies

Merry Christmas Friends!

Iced Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflakes are SO darn incredible it's as though a Christmas angel flew in to my kitchen and took over my brain to bring these delectable (semi totally addictive) cookies to life. Yes, they're raw vegan… but don't bother telling anyone as they won't know the difference. Are they healthy – yes, of course they're totally amazing for you… but again, don't bother telling anyone that either as, again, they won't know the difference, they're so tasty. The insane cardamom icing is worth making alone, however, once spread atop these unbelievable Chai Snickerdoodle cut-outs, it's seriously all over – SO divine!

Iced Chai Snickerdoodles Snowflake Cookies are the stuff Holiday dreams are made of… heck these gorgeous little cookies are perfect all winter long. Come spring just switch up your cookie cutter to a tulip or a bunny and you're good to go. You'll never want to be without your stash. Trust.

Raw Vegan Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflake Cookies

Raw Vegan Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflake Cookie-Cake!

Recipe for Iced Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflake Cookies

Makes 3-4 dozen depending on the size of your cookie cutters & your ability to restrain yourself from eating all the dough & icing prior 🙂 Make the dough and icing 2 days in advance. Do your cutouts the day after. Dehydrate. Then ice the 3rd day.

INGREDIENTS

Raw Vegan Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflake Cookies

3 cups oat flour (made from 2 c oat groats processed in Vitamix)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 1/2 cups medjool dates
1 t celtic salt
1 t Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1 1/4 t cardamom
1 T powdered stevia
1 T vanilla powder or 2 T vanilla extract
2/3 cup almond butter
1/3 cup coconut nectar
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup + 2 T filtered water + extra as needed

Raw Vegan Cardamom Icing

1 t vanilla powder or 2 t vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut butter
3/4 cup cashews soaked for 8 hours, rinsed & drained
1/2 cup extra virgin coconut oil
3 drops edible grade lemon essential oil (or sub fresh lemon juice)
fresh ground cardamom powder for sprinkling as the most-incredibly-delicious-do-not-skip-it garnish

METHOD

Raw Vegan Chai Snickerdoodle Snowflake Cookies

Place oat flour, coconut flour, dates, celtic salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, stevia, vanilla and almond butter in a large capacity food processor and process, scraping the sides of the bowl many times until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Add coconut nectar, coconut oil and 1/4 cup filtered water and process until fully incorporated and the mixture comes together as a dough. Add more water by the Tbsp as needed. Taste to adjust seasonings & sweetness. It will have the texture of gingerbread dough.
Dump the dough out, halve it, and form it into two smooth discs. Tightly cover each disc in saran and place in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day remove one disc at a time, allow to come to room temp for 20 minutes, then roll out to 1/4" (1/4" is much easier to work with) or 1/16", just as you would standard gingerbread or sugar cookie dough. Rolling the dough on a piece of parchment paper placed on a large cutting board works well for no-slipping. Also, I use my french handle-free rolling pin and find it's much less effortful than a standard handle rolling pin.
As you cut each shape, press the cookie cutter into the chilled dough, then pull the edges away from the cutter on the sides that are un-usable, then pick up the cutter with dough still inside and tap it out onto a silpat lined dehydrator sheet. As you can see, I used about the most difficult intricate snowflake designs one could use- to make it easier, I gently pushed out the skinny parts using the end of a spatula or my finger tips. You should have no problems, especially if using a less intricate cutter.
Once you've cut out all your cookies, put them into your dehydrator on 135F for 1 1/2 hours, then turn down to 115F for another 1 hour or until they're firm enough to transfer from a silpat to a screen. Transfer is easy: simply place a dehdrator tray fitted w/ a screen over the cookies on their silpat lined tray, flip over with your hands keeping everything aligned. Next peel the silpat off the cookies and place them back into the dehdrator, now on their screens, for 2 – 4 more hours or until reach your desired crispness. I personally like the cookies just slightly chewy, however they're also delicious crispy! (Alternatively, if you don't yet have a dehydrator, put them in the oven on it's lowest setting with the door propped open with a wooden spoon until reach desired crispness. This method doesn't guarantee they'll stay raw.)
Let the cookies cool before icing.

Raw Vegan Icing

Add all the ingredients into a Vitamix and blend scraping the sides down with a spatula several times, til totally combined and creamy.
Scrape out into a bowl and place in the fridge for 2 hours. Before you go to bed, pull the icing back out & let it sit out on the counter overnight. When you awake it will be the perfect icing texture (if your house is about 68F). Otherwise, just leave it in the fridge overnight, come morning, take out the icing and place on your counter for an hour or until reaches icing consistency. If it warms up a bit too much while using, simply pop back into fridge for 10 minutes or until thickened, feeling free to whisk it back up to return it to perfect texture.
Next ice your cookies: this is easiest if you have a couple of large cookie sheets to place cookies on as you ice them. After each tray of cookies is complete, sprinkel with a pinch of fresh cardamom- don't be shy – I LOVE a generous pinch. If it's cold out as in 35F or lower, place your trays outside and the icing will harden almost instantly. Store your cookies in the fridge in airtight containers with layers of parchment separating them.
Snuggle up with a plate full of sweet, iced, caradamom dreams… high-vibe, guilt-free decadence that leaves us looking and feeling just as dreamy 🙂

Do you have a favorite "traditional" recipe you'd like upgraded into a beautiful Vegan & Raw version? Share it below for a chance to have me recreate it for you!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube to stay current on all things SN!

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for visiting 🙂

Comment, Like, Subscribe & Share!

Food, Nutrition & Beauty, Style

Spumoni Christmas Gateau

It's that most wonderfully festive time of the year! When decadent, richly hued Italian Spumoni cakes layered with pistachio cream, chocolate-hazelnut and cherry ice-cream step out dripping in ganache and festooned like royalty in crisp wafer crowns! Let me tell you, I felt like royalty simply having this gorgeousness lighting up my table… so beautiful it was difficult to slice into. However, once past it's exquisite beauty, a creamy slab of this luscious Spumoni Christmas Gateau is a divine flavor celebration fit for holiday Kings and Queens! Heavenly layers of pistachio cream, chocolate-hazelnut and cherry ice-cream studded with candied fruit, chopped pistachios & hazelnuts galore luxuriously dazzle the tastebuds in ultimate comfort and joy!

High Vibe Living Foods like this Italian Spumoni Christmas Gateau are the most gorgeous and delicious on the planet… and they leave us looking and feeling the same way! Italian Spumoni Christmas Gateau is a truly spectacular way to celebrate the Season with amazing raw food deliciousness that doesn't weigh us down but lifts us up… in Peace, Joy and Happiness!

Raw Vegan Spumoni Christmas Gateau w Chocolate Ganache

This is my submission to Ren Behan at Simple & In Season and Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes for No Croutons Required Festive Photos and Bookmarked Recipes. Check them out!

Recipe for Raw Vegan Spumoni Christmas Gateau (Serves 6)

Ingredients

PISTACHIO CREAM

1/2 cup fresh young thai coconut meat (or sub soaked cashews)
2 super ripe bananas
1/2 cup pistachios, separated into 1/4 c & 1/4 c halved or coarsly chopped
4 drops edible grade lemon essential oil (or sub fresh lemon juice)
1/2 t vanilla powder
pinch of celtic salt
stevia to taste

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT CREAM

1/2 cup fresh young thai coconut meat or 1/2 cup soaked cashews
2 super ripe bananas
1/3 cup carob powder (or sub cacao or a combo)
1/2 t ceylon cinnamon
1/2 t vanilla powder
1/2 t celtic salt
stevia to taste
2 T + 1/4 cup hazelnuts, coarsly chopped

CHERRY CREAM

2/3 cup fresh young thai coconut meat or sub soaked cashews
2 super ripe bananas
2 1/2 T cherry juice concentrate or to taste
1/2 t vanilla powder
stevia to taste
pinch of celtic salt
1/3 cup dried, apple-juice sweetened cherries, lightly chopped as in halved – leaving several whole.

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1/4 c extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup carob or cacao
2 T almond butter

Method

PISTACHIO CREAM

Blend all the ingredients in a Vitamix, except the extra 1/4 cup chopped pistachios, until ultra creamy. Taste to adjust flavors as needed.
Stir in the chopped pistachios.
Pour into the bottom of a 6 x 3" removable bottom cake pan and put into the freezer until set.

CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT CREAM

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix, except the extra 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts, until ultra smooth and creamy. Taste to adjust flavors as needed.
Stir in chopped hazelnuts.
Pour onto 1st layer once it is set. Place back into freezer to allow 2nd layer to set as well.

CHERRY CREAM

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix, except extra 1/3 cup dried cherries.
Stir in dried cherries.
Pour onto 1st two layers once they're totally set. Place back in freezer to allow 3rd layer to set.

RAW VEGAN CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Whisk together all ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Drizzle over cake once it has set. Add decorative toppings at this point so they'll stick. Pop back into the freezer.

RAW VEGAN SPUMONI CHRISTMAS CAKE ASSEMBLY

Well, it's practically finished! However, feel free to add your own special touch as I did, with raw vegan chocolate wafers, dried rose buds, chocolate shavings, a few more chopped pistachios & raw coconut.
Allow the cake to thaw for 45 minutes – hour (or longer just keep an eye on it as we don't want it to totally melt) prior to serving to maximize creaminess.

Enjoy a large slice of high vibe luxurious Christmas indulgence under the light of the tree!

Do you have a favorite "traditional" recipe you'd like upgraded into a beautiful Vegan & Raw version? Share it below for a chance to have me recreate it for you!

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube to stay current on all things SN!

All Love,

Juliane

Thank you for visiting 🙂

Comment, Like, Subscribe & Share!

Food

French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie

I am in love with plant based Living Foods! SO fresh. So clean. So flavorful. Not to mention energizing, beautifying & healing… they taste better than traditional cooked fare! I really feel it's what nature intended for our nourishment.

French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie with "whipped cream" is no exception – this coming from a girl who always disliked hated pumpkin pie – that is until 6 years ago, when I discovered an amazing French recipe for cooked Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie. Of course, now that I follow a primarily Raw Vegan foodstyle (because it tastes and makes me feel so amazing!) I had to figure out a way to upgrade that French recipe to a delicious, enzyme rich, Living Foods version.

Perfect for entertaining – or for just having as your own special, beautifying treat awaiting you in the freezer. Since it's frozen it remains beautifully fresh compared to a traditional pie.

This knockout has a candied cookie-like crust and a creamy cheesecake-esque pumpkin filling.

Oh, and shhh… don't tell anyone about the secret ingredient that makes this SO much creamier & delish than any pumpkin pie you've had before (carrot juice). Plus, as always, it's unbelievably simple to prepare.

Please enjoy!

Recipe for French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie

Crust:  

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup raw pecans (or a combo of pecan, macadamia & walnuts, preferably soaked overnight & deydrated for 24 hours)
 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts (preferably soaked overnight & dehydrated for 24 hours)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
 1 tablespoon coconut oil 
1 1/2 tablespoons date paste (or use 2-3 dates mixed into 1st step of nut processing- just be careful not to turn the nuts into date-nut butter!)
1/2 tsp himalayan salt

Method:

Place nuts in food processor, pulse into small crumbs – be mindful not to overprocess into nut butter!
Combine the rest of ingredients by hand in a separate bowl.
Add this mixture to the crumbed nuts, mixing by hand until fully incorporated. Mixture should stick together when pinched between fingers.
Dump this into a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom (or use saran if tart pan is one piece). If you don't have a tart pan, use a pie plate with saran.
Press mixture firmly into tart pan or pie plate. Depending on size of your pan, thickness of your crust, you may have extra crust left over (especially if using the shorter edged tart pan. No problem! Just make some mini tarts or cutout a few "cookies" with your favorite cookie cutter! Once dehydrated fill the extra tarts with any leftover filling you may have- or with a little cashew cream topped with fresh sliced fruit! Pretty & Yummy 🙂
Dehydrate 48 hours at 115. 
Chill crust in freezer for 1/2 hour before filling.

Filling

Ingredients:

 1 1/2 cups cashews
1/2 cup chopped pumpkin
1/2 cup maple syrup 
1/2 cup coconut oil 
1/2 cup carrot juice plus 1/4 cup reserved for blending assistance if needed (yes that's right, carrot juice!)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla
 1/4 teaspoon himalayan salt
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)

Method:

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix until super smooth. Add additional 1/4 cup carrot juice as needed to facilitate blending- tho try not to use more than 2 tablespoons. 
Pour into tart crust and chill in freezer overnight.
Store in freezer and slice it right out of the freezer.
Add a small dallop of whipped cream (click preceding link for recipe!) if desired.

**Disclaimer! The above recipe is my tweaked version which is SO amazing as I've already mentioned, I know:) However, I wasn't able to get pictures of it so the pics here are of the 1st version which looks a little different. The above tweaked recipe will have a more solid, finely ground crust and the filling is much smoother and creamier. Bottom line, your pie will have a less grainy texture in both the filling & crust. Although they look somewhat similar I wanted to point this out.

Let me know how you like this one! Did you make any tweaks to make it your own? How were your Holidays? Any New Year's Resolutions?

All Love,

Juliane

If you liked this post say thanks by sharing it.

Food

Holiday Feast Raw Vegan Style

My first Raw Vegan Christmas was a great success (if I do say so myself). We enjoyed a beautiful, comforting and delicious feast that left us feeling wonderfully nourished and uplifted. Here's a peek at our all raw vegan menu:

Christmas Dinner 2014

Appetizers: Herbed "Goat" Cheese with Sesame-flax Crackers & fresh Peruvian Olives

First Course: Cream of "Roasted" Red Bell Pepper Soup

Dinner:

Marinated Portobello & Wild Mushrooms

Creamy Root Vegetable Mash & Gravy

Savory Stuffing

Wilted Garlicky Greens

Sweet-tart Cranberry Jelly

Dessert: French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie with Whipped "Cream"

Organic Wine Pairing: Equilateral Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 by Gabrielle Collection in Napa

Herbed "Goat" Cheese with Sesame-flax Crackers. Creamy, fresh & tangy – just like goat cheese – you'd probably not know the difference were you not aware it's actually raw vegan! Recipe coming soon – including recipe for the amaze crackers too.

Cream of "Roasted" Red Bell Pepper Soup – and yes it had that smoky, roasted flavor – Secret to be revealed in upcoming recipe post…

Once again, the incredible First Course, Cream of "Roasted" Red Bell Pepper Soup… So velvety and delicious.

Creamy Root Vegetable Mash & Gravy - omg, how luxuriously decadent are these… with fantastic gravy to boot. So. Good. Recipes coming soon… Meantime, don't forget about my Raw Creamy Cauliflower Mashed "Potatoes"

We could not get over this amazing Savory Stuffing. Just like traditional – wait, take that back – Better than traditional.

The house smelled just like it does every Christmas, all the flavors of each dish mingled together perfectly just like they do in the traditional versions. We found ourselves exclaiming repeatedly each dish was our favorite – all so yummy.

Marinated Portobell0 and Wild mushrooms – meaty, unctuous perfection alongside a dreamy root vegetable mash…

This sweet-tart cranberry jelly is delish right out of the jar… Perfect as a jam on toast too! Also, don't forget about my delish older non-raw recipes for Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly & Easy Cranberry Sauce.

The Pièce de résistance… I figured out how to raw veganize my favorite French Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie with dreamy whipped cream! Oh my gooodness, I'm seriously making myself so hungry right now 🙂

I'll share ALL the recipes with you over the next several posts. So stay tuned! How are you doing? We're having a lovely holiday season… lots of huge, cozy fires in the fireplace, old movies, long walks, beautiful music and, of course, delicious raw vegan yumminess.

How are you spending the holidays?

All Love

&
a 2014 filled with Happiness, Joy & Laughter!

~Juliane

If you liked this post say thanks by sharing it.

Food

Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly

Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly

Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly is a delicious recipe for those tart, red jewels so emblematic of the holiday season! It's also a wonderful way to use any of the five varieties of hot peppers my husband planted this year:-)

Easy peasy to prepare, this fiery sweet treat will put the ultimate finishing touch on anything and everything! Pair it with a creamy dairy free cheese atop crackers or serve with mashed root vegetables and hearty marinated mushrooms for a vegan holiday menu… the options are limited only by your imagination! A jar of Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly makes a beautiful hostess gift at Thanksgiving or Christmas, certain to be put to excellent use on delicious holiday leftovers!

Recipe for Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly (Makes about 3 cups)

Ingredients:

3 red bell peppers, diced
2 or 3 red chili peppers, diced (seeds left in, partially seeded or totally unseeded- depending on your heat preference!)
1 cup (or to taste as each sweetener varies) of your favorite healthy sweetener such as raw maple syrup, raw coconut nectar or Stevia (if using stevia you'll only need 1-2 Tbsp to taste!!)
1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegan liquid pectin (or use 1 diced apple as I do now)
2, 10 ounce bags fresh or frozen cranberries

Combine diced bell peppers, chili peppers, water, lemon juice, pectin (or diced apple) and salt in a large, heavy pot over a medium heat. Gently simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add cranberries and continue to gently simmer until the berries burst and the juices thicken, about 10 more minutes.
Add your choice of sweetener, stirring to incorporate.
Spoon the jelly into jars, cool and then cover. Enjoy!

Adapted from recipe by Andrew Knowlton

Cranberry Hot-Pepper Jelly in the making!

Food

Adventures in Pie

This Pecan Pie is the bomb!

Something about pie, part challenge to produce a flaky, delicate crust, part novelty for all the different kinds- from sweet to savory. May I be so daring as to call myself an experienced pie-maker? I’ve made at least 50 pies by now! And, it’s your lucky day, because after having tested a multitude of pie dough recipes, I’ve posted (below) what I’ve found to be by-far the flakiest, tastiest and most successful pie crust of all!

Within the sweet realm, my favorites include French Pumpkin Hazelnut, Dried Pear Caramel Dark Chocolate and Classic Apple. Today I’ve tried my hand at Pecan Pie for the first time and let me say it did not disappoint! Don’t forget a little ball of ice-cream on the side. Heaven!

PS. I’ll be testing out savory Individual Lobster Pot Pies on my husband before serving them for a party we’re hosting. Wish me luck… and stay tuned for the post.

Pecan Pie (serves 8)

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup light or dark corn syrup

1/2 cup Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or use Grade B Maple Syrup like I did, you’ll get a slightly looser texture)

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2 Tbs. bourbon

1 Tbs. instant espresso powder

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

3/4 tsp. table salt

1/3 cup very finely chopped toasted pecans

2 cups toasted pecan halves

1 blind-baked all-butter piecrust, (Below), or use a store bought crust to really make your life easy

1/2 cup crushed chocolate toffee candy pieces, such as Heath or Skor

Position a rack in the center of the oven, set a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet on the rack, and heat the oven to 375°F.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the butter is brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately whisk in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or Maple Syrup if using) until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool slightly.

One at a time, whisk in the eggs. Whisk in the bourbon, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Sprinkle half of the pecan halves in the piecrust, followed by the toffee candy pieces, and then the remaining pecan halves. Pour the syrup mixture over all.

Put the pie on the heated baking sheet and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake until set, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. When the pan is nudged, the center of the pie will no longer wobble, but the whole pie will jiggle just slightly, and the filling will bubble at the edges.

Transfer to a rack and cool completely before serving. The pie can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Email me if you want this recipe veganized, raw veganized, gluten freed or dairy freed 🙂

Recipe adapted from/Inspired by Fine Cooking 101, pp. 63 November 18, 2010

My Favorite All Butter Pie Crust (Yields Two, 10” Pie Crusts)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6-8 tablespoons (about ½ cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8-12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.

With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.

Dump out on a floured board, divide in half. Gently form each half into a disc with smooth edges. It may feel strange not to, but don’t chill the dough yet. Shape it into two disks and start rolling; you can chill the dough once the pie is assembled. This method is unconventional, but author Carolyn Weil says that ultimately you get the most tender result because you don’t have to struggle with a disk of chilled, hard dough. (If only making one pecan pie you may double-wrap 2nd half tightly and freeze the dough for up to 2 months.)

Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Trim the dough to 1” from the edge of pan. (If you have scraps, save them to make one or two little “donuts” for a chef’s treat! Bake then dip in powdered sugar or jam- yum!) Roll the dough under itself into a cylinder that rests on the edge of the pan. Crimp the edge and refrigerate about 1 hour or overnight. This will relax the dough and help prevent the edges from caving in.

Blind-Baking the Crust

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425 F. Line the chilled piecrust with foil and fill it all the way to the top (important, otherwise the edges will slip) with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove- carefully- the foil and beans/weights. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F. Bake until the bottom looks dry but isn’t quite done and the edges are light golden, about 5-7 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Email me if you want this recipe veganized, raw veganized, gluten freed or dairy freed 🙂

Pie Dough Recipe Adapted from Ina Garten of Barefoot Contessa

If you enjoyed this post say thanks by sharing.

Tag Archive for: christmas

Posts