Food Archives - Poppytalk

101 Year Old Makes Taccu con lo zí

Jan Halvarson — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 02:48:13 +0000

If you’ve ever watched Pasta Grannies on YouTube, this Nonna will definitely inspire.

Rosina, who has the energy of someone in her 70’s will amaze you with her vibrancy and agility as she heads to her backyard garden to pick fresh herbs to make this recipe, Taccu con lo zí, a pasta soup from the Grottomare region of Marche. Rosina explains when the wet pasta hits the oil it makes a “zi” sound, hence the name. The recipe calls for good quality guanciale or pancetta along with flour, eggs, olive oil, onions and a little salt dissolved in water.

Check out the video on how to make Taccu con lo zí.

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Strawberry Bannock Shortcake

Jan Halvarson — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 02:52:58 +0000

We published this recipe on the old blog a few years back and thought it would be perfect for a little St. Valentine’s Day brunch-style dessert. It’s adapted from a Canadian Living recipe —a twist on strawberry shortcake, the bannock (a traditional Canadian Indigenous bread) is sweetened with a little bit of vanilla and sugar. Best eaten when the bannock is fresh.

Strawberry Bannock Shortcake
(Adapted from Canadian Living – July/15)
For the Bannock—
2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup water
vegetable oil for frying

For the Strawberries—
3 – 4 cups of strawberries (hulled and quartered)
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup of whipping cream (with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla)

Method—
Mix the strawberries with the sugar and set aside. For the bannock, add all the dry ingredients together and mix well. Create a well and add the milk, vanilla and water. Mix together just until soft and slightly sticky dough forms. Add more flour if necessary, 1 tbsp at a time to reach desired consistency. Gather into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to about a ¼ inch thick and then cut into round shapes using either a large cookie cutter, lid or cup. Heat up the oil in a cast iron skillet, gently place the dough rounds (3 or 4 at a time) into the oil, turning once until puffed and golden, then turn them over to cook the other side. Bannock is cooked when tip of knife inserted in centres comes clean (about 6 minutes). Remove biscuits with a slotted spoon and place onto paper towels to drain. Let cool.

Whip up the cream, adding the sugar and vanilla at then end. To build, halve each biscuit and alternate whipping cream, strawberries, followed by another bannock biscuit, to desired height. We used 2½ halves. Top with more whipping cream and strawberries. Yum!

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Banana-Hazelnut Waffle Tower

Jan Halvarson — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 08:00:00 +0000

Elevate a festive brunch this holiday season with this towering stack of fluffy banana, cinnamon and hazelnut waffles.

In preparation for the upcoming holiday season I’ve been testing out a few brunch-style recipes that we could serve to guests and family. I’ve always liked the idea of entertaining for brunch, as it seems a little less formal than dinner parties, and much of the planning and preparation can be done ahead of time, allowing for more visiting with all of our guests.

Recently I came across this most delicious waffle recipe via addjoy.ca; a combination of our favourites, bananas and cinnamon, topped with a drizzle of warm melted chocolate-hazelnut spread, a dollop of whip cream with sprinkles of a few crunchy freshly cracked hazelnuts. A perfect combination for the holidays.

What’s fun with this recipe is you could make it tower-style like I have here to up your brunch game and serve like pieces of cake, or place all of the ingredients separately on the table à la carte, letting guests build their very own personalized creations. Either way, this recipe won’t disappoint and is so fun for kids and adults alike.

Check out how I made the tower below, along with the recipe.

Banana-Hazelnut Waffle Tower

Preheat the electric waffle-iron to medium heat, and spray lightly with oil.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 tsp. Magic Baking Powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 ripe bananas, divided
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Kraft Hazelnut Spread
1 cup Cool WhipWhipped Topping, thawed. cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

HOW TO MAKE:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Mash 2 bananas in a medium bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; whisk until blended. Stir in sour cream. Add to dry ingredients; stir just until blended. (Do not overmix.)

Pour amount of batter directed by manufacturer into waffle iron. Close lid quickly. (Do not open until waffle is done. Waffle may need to cook for more than cooking cycle.) Lift waffle off grid with fork. Repeat with remaining batter.

Microwave hazelnut spread 10 to 15 seconds on MEDIUM to warm gently.

Slice remaining bananas, thinly.

To create a tower, place two waffles and then layer with Cool Whip, then bananas, and then the chopped walnuts. Layer as mentioned above, two by two (I used ten waffles in total). To ensure the tower doesn’t topple over, place a bamboo skewer in the centre to secure.

Top with more Cool Whip, bananas and nuts, and then drizzle the warmed Hazelnut Spread over top.

This post is in partnership with Kraft Heinz. Stay tuned for more tablescape and recipes coming soon!

WIN $50 to buy all your brunching ingredients, go to addjoy.ca for more details.

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Sweet ’n’ Salty Peanut Butter-Filled Cookies

Jan Halvarson — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 14:00:00 +0000

You’ll want to gift these cookies, they’re that good!

These cookies are super-fun to make and seriously delicious. I came across this recipe recently and added them to my must-have holiday baking list.

A combination of sweet and salty, these chocolate-based cookies are rolled in chopped peanuts and then topped with a mouth-watering, peanut butter and Philadelphia cream cheese filling.

You can also make the dough ahead of time since they need refridgerating prior to baking anyway. I also love that 3 of these cookies can fit nicely into a small box I made (blog post on how-to coming soon) perfect for gifting.

Check out the recipe below.

Sweet ‘n’ Salty Peanut Butter-Filled Cookies

This recipe makes approximately 65 small cookies which can be frozen until ready to eat.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup butter
4 oz. (1/2 of 225-g pkg.) Baker’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups dry roasted salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Philadelphia Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Tip: You can make your own Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting, by mixing a 1/2 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese with 3 tbsp icing sugar.

HOW TO MAKE:

Microwave butter and chocolate in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended.

Add granulated sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well.

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350ºF. Shape dough into 64 (1-inch) balls; roll in chopped peanuts until coated.

Place 2 inches apart, on baking sheets sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 8 to 10 min. or just until centres of cookies are set. (Do not overbake). Cool on baking sheet 2 min. With handle of wooden spoon, press indentation into centre of each cookie. Remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

Mix peanut butter and frosting in medium bowl until blended. Spoon or pipe into indentations in cookies, adding . tsp. peanut butter mixture to each.

This post is in partnership with Kraft Heinz. Stay tuned for a post on how to make these adorable little cookie boxes and toppers made out of coffee filters coming out tomorrow, along with a collection of delicious recipes and festive-inspired tablescape ideas.

Pssst! There’s also a contest! WIN $50 to buy all your brunching ingredients. Visit addjoy.ca for more details!

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2 Super-Easy Green Juice Recipes to Boost Your Immunity

Jan Halvarson — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 07:47:00 +0000

Kicking off the new year with a favourite recipe from a few years back, that’s not only amazingly delicious, but it packs a punch when it comes to helping boost your immunity.

What I love about making our own juice is not only can we customize the recipes to what our body needs, but we can also control the ingredients (opting for fresh organic as much as possible), as well as consuming them as soon as possible before all of the nutrients oxidize and are lost. We have two recipes to share today, both power-packed with immunity boosting nutrition, with an option to spice things up if you like your juices that way (like us)!

Apple Cucumber Juice

This recipe is a really good juice if you’re looking for a low sugar-style juice, as we used green apples in our version which are more sour. And the cucumber, apple, lemon and celery are really good for those dealing with gut issues.

Ingredients:
¾ cup of Cucumber
½ cup of Apple (we used green apple as it’s low in sugar)
¼ cup of Lemon (we used 1/2 lemon)
¼ cup of Celery
(Optional) 1 to 2 (2-inch piece) fresh ginger

Directions:
Cut off the ends of the cucumber, peel skin, and slice into appropriate sizes.
Remove the seeds from the apple, cut.
Prepare celery by washing thoroughly.
Wash lemon with baking soda, and prepare by cutting, with the peel intact.
Peel ginger
Put lever on “close.” Alternate the order of ingredient insertion.
*Insert ingredients in order shown above.

Kale Spinach Juice

This recipe is a little sweeter, but perfect for the little ones who need a blast of green in their diet. If you wish to lower the glycemic impact from the pineapple, add a half lemon.

Ingredients:
1/4 of pineapple
A handful of kale
A handful of spinach
(Optional – 1/2 lemon)
1 to 2 (2 inch piece) ginger

Directions:
Remove the skin and the core of the pineapple, and trim and prepare the kale and the spinach.
Close the lever and extract kale-spinach-pineapple in order.
When putting the last ingredients in, place the lever in half-opened position to release compressed pulp.

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Probiotic Carrot Ginger Tumeric Sauerkraut Salad Dressing

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 05:59:00 +0000

I seem to be making a mental note on the daily whether or not I’ve had my probiotics. And I’m guessing I’m not alone? Not only can probiotics get expensive, it can be tricky to keep things interesting. So when I was making a salad dressing the other day and ran out of my usual go-to’s (lemon juice or apple cider vinegar), I grabbed a bit of my Grandmother’s ingenuity, (I remember her using pickle juice whenever she was in a pinch to replace those staples to make a salad dressing), and although there was no pickle juice to be had when I looked, I did have a nice jar of my favourite sauerkraut. But not your regular sauerkraut, this one was infused with zesty ginger, carrots and chock full of healthy probiotics! Now I thought I was being really ingenious when in fact, once I searched it out, I was not the first making a probiotic dressing. Nonetheless, I do think it’s a rather delicious version of my Grandmother’s idea, it’s also super healthy for you!

Probiotic Carrot Ginger Tumeric Sauerkraut Salad Dressing Key Ingredients

Raw unpasteurized ginger carrot sauerkraut juice – this ingredient is pretty specific, and I have a few favourite brands. I usually like to buy mine at the farmers market or in the produce refrigerated section.
Avocado or Olive oil – I just happen to have avocado oil on hand, but either will do. Tip: If refrigerating, I’ve noticed avocado doesn’t harden as easily as olive oil. If using olive oil, just pull out of the fridge about 10 minutes or so before using, to soften the oil.
Ginger – I usually buy mine organic and grate it with the peel on for it’s nutrient value. Remember peels have the bitter, and bitter is where all the medicine is.
Tumeric – I love fresh tumeric and I think fresh is a must for this recipe.
Garlic – I like to mince mine into small tiny chunks to get little hits of garlic every once in a while. Also remember to mince about 10 minutes before adding it to the rest of the dressing to get it’s most potent nutritional value.
Salt – I like to use Redmond’s Real Salt because I think it’s the highest quality of dead sea salt there is around. No plastic to worry about.
Pepper – Freshly ground pepper for this, the pepper also kicks in the anti-inflammatory qualities of the tumeric.

Probiotic Carrot Ginger Tumeric Sauerkraut Salad Dressing Key Ingredients

1/4 cup of raw unpasteurized ginger carrot sauerkraut juice (juice only)
1/2 cup of Avocado oil (or Olive oil)
1 baby-sized finger of fresh organic ginger
1 baby-sized finger of fresh organic tumeric
1 clove of minced Garlic
Real Salt – to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Mix together, and serve! This dressing can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

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Immunity Ginger Tumeric Shot Cubes

Jan Halvarson — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 07:11:00 +0000

Before I even begin this post, I would like to preface that this recipe does not need a juicer. Having said that though a juicer does make it a little easier and I would have never stumbled upon this idea in the first place without one. Ever since we got our juicer, I have been almost daily making our family some delicious, albeit, potent, immunity juice shots in hopes of keeping us all a little stronger throughout the winter months. But after all the cleaning that is involved using a juicer (on the daily) and especially when using fresh tumeric (not the easiest to clean), I came up with this simple hack, which just made life a whole lot easier. Then I realized too, it doesn’t even have to be made using a juicer, although of course the muscle work involved does make things a little easier, (only using once in a while versus everyday). All in all, so simple, I thought I’d share here.

You could say, this recipe is more about a life hack than it is about a recipe, as you could do this using any juice, but because these are so good for you and super-easy, I thought it was worth a post as it’s time saving and health saving. Because these are immunity shots, I’m using the skins of everything. The bitterness is where all the medicine is in a lot of our food, so I made sure I used the best ingredients possible, everything being super fresh and of course, organic. You can however make this non-organic, it just won’t be as potent, but if you don’t use organic, just remember then to remove the skins (as this is where all the pesticides lie). For those interested, I learned in my Functional Medicine Nutrition course that lemon is a great primer to start the day out with, to clean the liver and get the stomach acid flowing, hence a great drink to sip about a half hour before your first meal. The ginger protects and heals the gut, while aiding in digestion and the tumeric has anti-inflmmatory properties, known to cause homeostasis between gut flora and immune response. Keeping your gut healthy, in turn keeps our immunity in good check. So take your pre and probiotics, drink an immunity shot on the daily, get good sleep, stay away from sugar, and you should be well on your way. Stay healthy and enjoy!

Immunity Ginger Tumeric Shot Cubes

Ingredients
3-4 organic lemons (including skins).
1 – 2 inch finger of organic ginger (including skins).
1 – 1 inch finger of organic tumeric
a dash of freshly ground organic pepper (to enhance the tumeric/curcumin properties)
Double or triple as needed

Juicer Recipe
Simply throw all of the ingredients into your juicer and catch at the other end. Freeze into an ice cube tray. To serve, add an immunity ice cube to some sparkling or filtered water (about 1 cup and a half or to taste) and go!

Hand Juice Recipe
Juice the lemon with a hand juicer or use a spoon to squeeze (and of course remove the pits! Peel and grate both the ginger and tumeric and stir into the lemon juice. Freeze into an ice cube tray, then just add an immunity ice cube to some sparkling or filtered water (about 1 cup and a half or to taste) and go!

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PNW Coast Fish Tacos with Fresh Corn Salsa

Jan Halvarson — Wed, 16 Oct 2019 08:51:00 +0000

One of my favourite things to do as of late is to hack recipes and make them a little more healthful. From my Mom’s homemade barbecue sauce (which I will share soon) to some good old fashioned chocolate fudge, I’ve been on a mission to take back our food from what has become known as the SAD, Standard American Diet. Over the weekend I happened upon a program on the Food Network called Carnival Eats and was salivating at one particular dish, a fish pita that for the most part was pretty healthy actually, but still had a few things that could be improved. I swapped out the pita bread for some cassava flour wraps and made a healthier chipolte sauce using plain coconut yogurt versus sour cream. The corn salsa in this recipe is so fresh and delicious, you’re going to want to eat it just like it is (as a salad), but I just made sure to use organic corn, as most of our conventional corn has unfortunately been sprayed with some really bad pesticides and in particular, one of the worst, glyphosate. The ewg.org is a great resource for more info on pesticides/toxins in our food system. I always follow their guides when shopping for produce and meats – they have a list you can download to your phone which is really handy when you’re out and about.

What I love about this dish is that it has so many good nutrients for our health. The omegas from the fish, the healthy fats from the avocados and coconut yogurt, and especially the abundance of fresh cilantro which is a very good herb known for naturally detoxing heavy metals.

The combination of the spicy flakey cod, and fresh salsa had my family coming back for seconds, and I will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotations for years to come I’m sure. Check it out!

Pacific Northwest Coast Fish Tacos with Fresh Corn Salsa
Serves 4

Fish Filling
2-3 fillets of white fish (we used Wild Alaskan Pacific Cod)
1-2 Tbsp of coconut oil or ghee
Taco seasoning (1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp paprika, salt, pepper, 1/4 tsp minced onion powder)

Melt fat on a cast iron skillet. Place cod fillets and sprinkle taco seasoning on top of each fillet, spreading to cover the top of each piece. After approximately 5 minutes or until half of the fish looks cooked, flip and grill the other side. Sprinkle any leftover seasoning. Once fully cooked (another 5 minutes or so), flake each fillet with a fork until well flaked. Set aside (keep warm).

Corn Salsa
20 – 25 grape or cherry tomatoes (halved) or 2 firmer tomatoes (cubed and seeded)
2 fresh organic corn on the cobs or 1 can of organic corn
4 green onions (chopped)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 to 2 avocados (cubed)
1 garlic chopped
Salt to taste (we use Redmond’s)
Juice of one lime

Layer each ingredient starting with the cherries, then the corn, then the onions, cilantro and topped with the avocados. Slowly drizzle the lime juice. Sprinkle with the garlic and salt. Bring to the table in all the beautiful layers. Then when ready to serve, gently toss all the flavours together.

Chipolte Sauce
1 cup plain-flavoured coconut yogurt (let it warm up slightly to make it a little more runny for a sauce consistency).
1/2 tsp chipolte spices (crushed chipolte spices, or powdered)

Mix for drizzling over salad.

Build Taco
9 cassava flour wraps– ( I used La Tortilla Factory brand – no affiliate/sponsor)
1/2 purple cabbage (cut slaw-style)

I like to build the taco a certain way to avoid sogginess. Starting with the meat, then the salsa, then sprinkling on the purple cabbage and finally drizzling on the Chipolte Sauce.

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Lemony Fresh Herbed Cauliflower Rice Salad

Jan Halvarson — Tue, 11 Jun 2019 07:38:00 +0000

I came across a recipe the other day via AliLuvs.com, (many of you may be aware of her Healthy Cauliflower recipe already); it is so good (like she says). She got the recipe from Sophie Uliano who I believe was on Ali’s show, Home & Family (based in L.A.); you can check out Sophie’s site HERE. I’ve tweaked the ingredients a little just to make it even a bit more healthier (although seriously, either of their recipes are pretty healthy already). I’ve just noted things like organic, and switched up a few items (eg., switching out almonds for sprouted walnuts) to make it even more healthy and added a few nutritional fun facts. Check it out below!

Lemony Fresh Herbed Cauliflower Rice Salad

Cauliflower is considered to be one of the most healthiest foods on the planet. With it’s anti-inflammatory properties and an abundant supply of a phytochemical known as Indole-3-Carbinol which inactivates harmful estrogens and upregulates liver detoxification, it also contains something called sulforaphane that increases Phase II Liver detoxification activity even more and protects DNA from damage. In other words, it’s good for you and it helps fight cancer. The cilantro also will help in the aid of liver detoxification and the healthy fats will keep you satiated. This is a really delicious recipe, I personally love the freshness, and the subtle hint of mint. I think you’re really going to like it!

You will need
1 head of organic cauliflower* (riced)
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon avocado oil*
1 cup diced yellow onion*
1 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley*
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves*
1 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves*
1 tsp lemon zest (should be organic for zest)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (we use Redmonds) plus more to taste
1 cup chopped dried cherries or cranberries (but if you’re wanting to keep your blood sugar lower – which is always recommended, then swap out for perhaps fresh blueberries* or cranberries*
1 cup chopped sprouted/activated nuts (like walnuts* or macadamia nuts*)
1 cup shelled, steamed Edamame* beans

*Although most of these items are NOT listed as one of The Dirty Dozen, if the price is right, I’d definitely go for organic. I recommend one always eat lemon zest/peels and edamame organic however). Edamame from the soy family are known to be highly contaminated with glyphosate if not organic. A study has found that Glyphosate as a risk factor for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma*. Conventional lemons are sprayed with a variety of pesticides on the peel and some can be very difficult to wash off. If you’re fighting any type of chronic or autoimmune illness, or just want to keep optimal health, avoiding glyphosate and pesticides is highly recommended.

To make
If you can’t find sprouted/activated nuts, you can sprout them beforehand. By soaking the nuts overnight first, you are breaking down the phytic acid making it so they can be absorbed properly. Nuts have high amounts of enzyme inhibitors which is why they can be hard to digest. Soaking nuts can neutralize the enzymes allowing for proper digestion. If you soak them, be sure to soak in filtered water overnight. Drain and dry in the oven on low heat for a couple hours. Of course you can eat nuts without sprouting them, but sprouting them just makes them that more easily to digest – especially if you’re having any digestive issues already.

Rice the cauliflower in a blender or food processor. Sauté the diced onions on low heat (to not oxidize the oil) in a bit of avocado oil or ghee. Once the onions are soft and translucent, then add the riced cauliflower. Sauté for another 2 minutes.

Remove from pan and transfer the cauliflower mixture into a salad bowl. Mix in the other ingredients, then drizzle with a 1/4 cup of avocado oil, and toss. Top with the zest of the lemon and serve!

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Organic Gluten-Free Maple + Raisin Granola

Jan Halvarson — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 07:58:00 +0000

This recipe is adapted from our friend and former contributor, Jeannette Ordas of Everybody Likes Sandwiches’ Crunchy Maple Granola recipe which she made for one of her posts here on Poppytalk several years back. We were craving some granola recently, and rather than pick up something conventional from our local grocers which is usually packed with all processed sugars and preservatives, I remembered Jeannette’s recipes and thought I could adapt with some organic gluten free oats and switch things up a bit. That’s what I love about granola, it’s a perfect recipe for customizing yourself, and for this one I just switched up for other items I had at home, like hemp seed instead of sesame seeds, coconut sugar instead of brown sugar, etc. The result is a rather delicious addition to a bowl of yogurt, or as a meal or snack on it’s own with coconut milk.

Organic Gluten Free Maple + Raisin Granola

Adapted from Crunchy Maple Granola recipe by Jeannette Ordas for Poppytalk

6 cups gluten free whole organic oats

2 cups mixed raw nuts (crushed) like walnuts, almonds, pecans, brazil nuts

1/3 cup hemp seeds

2 teaspoons organic cinnamon

1 teaspoon organic ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon organic cloves

1/2 teaspoon himalayan pink salt

1/3 cup organic coconut oil, melted

1/4 cup sweetener – I used coconut sugar (which is just what I had on had and perhaps not optimal – but using correct equivalents preferably (xylitol, stevia, monkfruit) would be best

1/4 cup organic maple syrup

1 tablespoon organic vanilla

1 cup dried organic cranberries (or raisins) optional

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a large bowl, use your hands to combine the oats, nuts, hemp seeds, spices and salt together. Pour in the oil, coconut sugar, maple syrup and vanilla and toss well until coated.

Divide granola between 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in oven for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until golden and dry. Sprinkle on the dried cranberries during the last 10 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing in a tightly lidded container.

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Fat Burning Cacao Fudge Hearts

Jan Halvarson — Wed, 14 Feb 2018 03:59:00 +0000

Staying true to our healthy way of eating, I’ve been seeking new recipes that can still fulfill the sweet tooth, and at the same time burn fat as much as possible, especially at Valentines. This treat I’ve been making quite a bit this past year, usually in bar form, but for Valentines I wanted to make something special and so created a heart version. These fat burning treats are perfect for anyone seeking a little sweet, with healthy fats and uses cacao to feed that chocolate craving, perfect for your low carb lover. Hope you like it as much as we do.

Fat Burning Cacao Fudge Hearts
Makes approximately 30 small hearts

3/4 cup pumpkin seeds (preferably sprouted)
1/2 cup walnuts
3 dates (pitted)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
3/4 cup cacao
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
Sprinkles (like pink sprinkles, gold flakes or coconut flakes).

Crush/mix (using a food processor or blender) together the pumpkin seeds, walnuts, dates and coconut. Set aside. Mix the cacao, maple syrup, coconut oil and salt. Pour into the mixed nut mixture until well blended. Place in a 8×8 lined baking pan (I use parchment paper, but you can also use saran wrap. Spread out through to all edges. Cover with saran wrap, and smooth out to create an even set. Refridgerate at least a couple of hours. To create the hearts, I used heart foils, but you could also use cookie cutters. Pull out the fudge from the refrigerator and remove from pan, keeping the parchment paper in tact, but remove the top saran wrap layer. Using the heart foils, press through till the hearts reach out to the bottom. Or if using a cookie cutter, press out each heart. You might need to put the fudge back into the refrigerator between cutting out hearts (depending on how long it takes you) to keep the fudge cool. Once each heart is pressed out, sprinkle with your favourite topping, like sprinkles, gold flakes or coconut flakes. Keep in refrigerator or freeze. Will keep up to three weeks! These need to keep cool, or they will soften up too much, so make sure to keep in the refrigerator.

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Lemon Poppy Seed Cake + Icing How-to

Jan Halvarson — Tue, 29 Aug 2017 08:52:00 +0000

Ever come across a recipe that is so simple, and even though it’s not from scratch, you know it’s a keeper. Especially for when you need something quick, but also need it to be a bit extra special. This lemon poppy seed cake is that type of recipe. I had never baked a box cake mixed with pudding before, but the addition of the vanilla pudding in this recipe, plus the poppy seeds makes for a really special treat.

Lemon Poppy Seed Lemon Cake + Icing Video

This recipe is adapted from the back of Watkins’ Pure Lemon Extract box. It’s true. Such a good recipe! The original cake asks for lemon zest, which is nice, and maybe good for a casual loaf cake, but I like to leave it out for fancier cakes. Yields 2 – 9 inch cakes. As an option, for this cake I add one more layer, stealing a layer from our Lemon Wedge Cake recipe from last week.

1 box of super moist white cake mix (18.25 oz. or 517 g)
1 package of instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz. or 96 g)
1 cup water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs
1//4 cup poppyseeds
1 tablespoon (15 ml) pure lemon extract
(Optional) plus one layer of Lemon Wedge Cake (see recipe here).

Mix all of the ingredients (see, so simple) in a large bowl for two minutes or until blended. Pour into greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 20 minutes before removing them. Set Aside.

(Check out the Swiss meringue buttercream recipe below).

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