At the end of 2008, I began a massive and comprehensive overhaul that affected every aspect of my life.  It’s been really awesome.   One small prong in this multi-pronged approach was an attempt to curb my raging sweet tooth. I decided to kick off the new year by going an entire month without any refined sugar.  Proudly, I declared that in January, I would be sugar free.

A few days later, the realization of my mistake came crashing down on me.  My birthday is at the end of January!  So . . . no birthday [cup]cake?!  Initially I was horrified at the thought, but quickly I realized that this dark error had a bright side. This would be the perfect opportunity to try out a new recipe idea I’d been rattling around in my brain!

Like most veg*ns, here at HQ we rely on a lot of Greek and Middle Eastern food.  We heap on the hummus, we get freaky with falafel, and we’re passionate about pita!  But the one thing we’re missing from this Mediterranean masterpiece, is the dessert.  Baklava, the traditional regional sweet, is based around layering butter and honey – two decidedly un-vegan ingredients.

Not that I’d let something as trivial as that stop me! And so I devised this veganized version, especially for me on my sugar-free birthday.  And wow, let me just say, “Deeeeelicious!” 

So here you go: a Baklava that’s healthier, cruelty-free, and equally as palate pleasing, to compliment and complete your next Mediterranean feast.

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons Earthbalance™, more for greasing the dish

8 oz. phyllo dough (Athens brand is vegan, as are most others) 

20 oz. (about 2 1/4 cups) raw chopped walnuts 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup water

1 cup agave sweetener

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 cinnamon stick

Instructions:

Remove phyllo dough from freezer and allow to defrost – about 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 325º. 

Chop the walnuts and then spread them out on a baking sheet, roasting them in the oven until they are lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

Place toasted walnuts in a mixing bowl and add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt, and almond extract.  Toss to coat.

Raise oven temperature to 350º.

Put the Earthbalance™ in a bowl and melt it in the microwave (a few seconds should do it).

Carefully unfold the defrosted phyllo dough on the countertop. It will dry out really quickly, so keep it covered with a damp dish cloth.

Using a bit of cold Earthbalance™, grease a square glass baking dish. 

Place one piece of phyllo dough in the bottom of the dish – it may not fit perfectly, which is fine.  Using a pastry brush, lightly paint the phyllo with the melted Earthbalance™. Add another piece of phyllo, rotating it if you need, to evenly distribute around the dish. Brush it with Earthbalance™.  Remember to replace the damp towel each time you pull from the stack of phyllo dough – it will dry out fast!  Continue this process until you’ve got 8 sheets of phyllo and 8 layers of Earthbalance™ in the bottom of your dish.

Add a third of the spiced walnuts evenly over the phyllo. 

Repeat these steps with 8 more sheets of phyllo and Earthbalance™, and another third of the spiced walnuts. Then do it once more, finishing off the spiced walnuts. Top this off with 8 more sheets of phyllo, buttering between each one. 

***  you will not finish the package of phyllo dough, but it re-freezes just fine

You need to cut your Baklava before you bake it, because it will be too flaky once it’s done.  Use a very sharp knife and make sure that you cut all the way through the bottom layer!

Place it in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, until golden.

While the Baklava is baking, you can cook up the syrup.  In a small saucepan, combine the water, agave, lemon juice, orange zest, and cinnamon stick.  Simmer over low heat and stir to avoid burning.  The sauce will thicken up in about 10 minutes.  When it is done, fish out the zest and cinnamon stick.

When the Bakalava comes out of the oven, let it cool for about 5 minutes before adding the syrup.  Pour the syrup evenly over the  pastry, making sure it gets in all the cracks and thoroughly soaks through.  Allow the Baklava to cool completely before digging in.  Dig in!

Who said RAW had to be boring?!  Nu-uh, no way!  This decadent dessert – rich, silken chocolate inside its delicate shell - is downright delicious.  Divine Creation I say, not just because it tastes so good, but because it’s so good for you, too!  

Raw cacao powder is teeming with antioxidants – over 5 times as many as blueberries!  Cacao is also the best natural source of magnesium, which is the primary mineral deficiency in SAD eaters (Standard American Diet).  Cacao is believed to reduce cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, and inflammation.  

Coconut oil is pure fat, just like any oil.  But as we all know, ‘not all fats are created equal’.  Coconut oil contains about 50% lauric acid, a rare, healthier medium-chain lipid that’s also found in breast milk.  This oil is also an incredible antimicrobial (bacteria, fungi, viruses) and aides in combatting everything from candida to HIV.

Raw agave and dates are both low-glycemic sweeteners, so they won’t rock your system with a blood sugar spike-and-crash cycle.  Additionally, dates are rich in calcium, iron, potassium, and phosphorous, and are a great *ahem* digestive aid.

Do I even need to review the infinite health benefits associated with nuts?  A quick favorite for each: Pecans boast the ideal oleic (‘good’)/linoleic (‘bad’) fatty acid ratio, which contributes to lower weight and cholesterol.  A handful of cashews is essentially the biochemical equivalent of a prescription prozac.  No joke!

Still not convinced that RAW =/= boring?  Just make this.  Taste it.  I dare you!

Raw Pecan Torte with Chocolate Ganache

Originally by Chef Sprout, embellished by Laurie Lane, re-embellished by Me!

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups pecans

1 cup pitted dates

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup cacao nibs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Ingredients for Filling:

2 cups pre-soaked cashews

1 cup cacao powder

1 cup water

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup agave nectar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

Combine all crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until evenly moist. Grease a torte or pie pan with coconut oil and spread the crust with your fingers.

Combine all filling ingredients in the [cleaned] food processor, blending until very smooth. Pour filling into the crust and freeze or refrigerate until firm (1-3 hours). Garnish with fresh mint or berries.

^^And those?^^  I had quite a bit of excess ganache, so I poured it into two teacups, whipped up a quick ‘frosting’ of almond butter, coconut oil, and agave syrup, topped off the teacups, and threw them in the fridge to chill out.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

Growing up in southern California, I must admit that I took for granted the exotic produce that sprouted like weeds across the arid terrain.  An orange grove in every park (free for snacking), a lime tree on every apartment patio (to accompany Corona), and a lemon tree in every backyard (beware the thorns!).  I truly did not understand the treasure chest that was the avocado tree, ever heavy with fruit, in my own front yard.

Of course, every region has it’s own amazing gifts from the ground.  In the Northwest we have apples, and I certainly didn’t appreciate the divine pleasure of a perfectly ripe, perfectly crisp, perfect fresh heirloom apple, until I lived here.  Back home I ate over bred apples out of supermarket bins and considered them mundane, such a boring fruit.  But here!  Here is where I experienced the near-religious bliss that accompanies the first crunch of a Honeycrisp apple, fresh from the orchard.  Marvelous!

So I have traded avocados for apples and I fancy that fair, but boy, I do miss the citrus.  Those familiar warm hues that whisper ‘hey, there’s a bright light at the end of this cold tunnel’.  Citrus season comes in the dead of winter, and what relief it is to savor that juicy flesh that hints at sun and summertime.  I think I appreciate citrus more here, in its scarcity, than I ever did back home when it was everywhere.  Such is the quirk of life, I suppose.

Tangerines are always my top citrus pick.  For these cupcakes, I wanted to offer an enlivening winter dessert, and add an unexpected, earthy element to the palate.  Tangerine for tradition, with a hint of cumin that perfectly anchors the acid of the mandarin and the sweetness of the icing.  These turned out beautifully, and were a resounding hit at the annual Winter Solstice party.  I expect they’ll become a seasonal staple in the Rebhal household.

Ingredients:

1 cup soymilk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup canola oil

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon almond extract

3 tablespoons  fresh tangerine juice

2-4 tablespoons tangerine zest (as much as possible)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350º.  Whisk together the soymilk and vinegar in a small bowl, and set aside to curdle. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cumin, and salt, mixing thoroughly. In a separate bowl, beat the oil, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and tangerine juice.  Add in the soymilk solution and mix well. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently process until no large lumps remain. Fold in the tangerine zest, reserving enough to decorate. Fill an oiled or lined cupcake pan, evenly distributed, and bake 20-25 minutes.  Makes 12 cupcakes.

For the Icing:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons softened vegan butter

All juice and all zest from one lemon

Beat all of these furiously in a bowl until you get a nice whipped frosting.  If too runny, add more sugar.  If too solid, add more lemon or a splash of soymilk.  Spread over completely cooled cupcakes, sprinkling with cumin and zest. 

Then, let the dogs help with the clean up.