On Ciuchi’s second anniversary in our home, we disregarded the part of the detox connected to all types of nuts (yes, the detox was difficult!) and baked her a fine dessert (there were still strawberries available; we had strawberries until December anyway!). She runs the entire house, so she deserves everything! ♥

Use and shape as follows—

🥄 The shells

1 & ½ tbsp of psyllium seeds -> 5’ in 2 tbsp of hot water

60g gluten-free oatmeal

30g tapioca flour

a pinch of sea salt

30g Cajoont

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

Knead • Divide into 6 tartlet moulds • Cover with baking parchment • Place baking beads above • Bake for 25’ at 170°C

🥄 The filling

1 x Caju Fresh from NoMoMoo (the star ingredient)

4 tbsp of maple syrup

an organic lemon’s zest

🍓 Decorate with strawberry slices

May you live long, Ciuchi! ♥

P.S.

You can fill the above tartlets with chocolate and decorate them with raspberries; they are delicious!

🥄 Filling 2

140g vegan chocolate

50g Cajoont

10g Svmântână

100g raspberries

15g almond flakes

It is easy: melt the chocolate (bain-marie); then, mix in the cashew butter and sour cream from NoMoMoo. Fill the tartlet shells. Decorate with raspberries; the almond flakes are such a nice addition.

If there’s a dish I baked most last summer (even at the beginning of fall), this was it! It was even appropriate during our detox (or I made it so)! The cherry tomatoes you're using must be delicious!

The ingredients needed for a round baking pan of Φ 22 cm are:

(for the) FILLING

350g cherry tomatoes

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 & ½ tbsp of maple syrup

15g butter

+ 1 medium onion

+ 1 tbsp of butter

(for the) CRUST

1 tbsp of psyllium seeds

2 tbsp of (hot) water

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of sea salt

Wash the cherry tomatoes and place them in the baking pan. Sprinkle the thyme. Pour over the maple syrup. Cut out small pieces of butter and sprinkle them all over the cherry tomatoes.

Place the baking pan in the preheated oven for 14 minutes at 190°C.

Then, let it cool.

Meanwhile, clean the onion, chop it, and fry it in butter. Then, add it over the cherry tomatoes.

Make the crust using the recipe here.

Roll out the crust and cover the cherry tomatoes, ensuring you tuck the dough under the tomatoes.

Bake it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes at 170°C.

It was, in fact, my birthday cake. I hope you like it! (I tried it in summer when the tiny Cancerians turned 1 – and I used berries to decorate it.)

(for the) CRUST

1 tbsp of psyllium seeds

2 tbsp of (hot) water

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of sea salt

(for the) FILLING

140g condensed milk

70g whipping cream

210ml milk

2 tbsp of tapioca flour

+1 large pear

3-4 strawberries

2-3 tamarind pods

Make the crust using the recipe here.

Let the crust cool.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Add all the ingredients to the pan and let the mixture boil.

Pour the filling into the crust; decorate with pear and strawberry slices and tamarind paste.

 Let it sit in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours. Then, savour it! ♥

1 tbsp of psyllium seeds

2 tbsp of (hot) water

125g gluten-free oatmeal

25g tapioca flour

60g (melted and cooled) butter

1 tbsp of apple vinegar

a pinch of sea salt

The big a-ha moment of the year was the discovery of psyllium seeds! We never stop learning or – as I like to say – remembering! Apparently, all gluten-free doughs require psyllium seeds to be fluffy and elastic. I love them!

How to bake the crust?

First, let the psyllium seeds sit in water for 5-10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free oatmeal, the tapioca flour, the melted and cooled butter, the apple vinegar, and the sea salt. Mix in the psyllium seeds and the water, too. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky.

Shape the crust in a buttered and floured tart mould. Add the filling. As a variant, cover the crust with a baking parchment and place baking beads on the crust.

As a third variant, shape the dough to cover the filling and create an upside-down tart.

Bake for 25 minutes at 160°C in the preheated oven.

We were allowed to use butter for cooking during our detoxifications in 2024, so this recipe was excellent! We felt light every time after eating it. ஐ

Here’s such a fun and quick recipe for when you’re craving gluten-free cookies!

You’ll need—

5 tbsp of water

2 tbsp of psyllium seeds

120g oatmeal

a pinch of sea salt

4 tbsp of coconut sugar

2g baking powder

60g (melted) butter

+10 chocolate chips

for 20 cookies

Let the psyllium seeds soak for about 5-10 minutes (use hot water if possible).

Mix the ingredients in the specified order until you reach the chocolate chips.

Form the cookies.

Place them in a baking pan lined with baking parchment.

Add a chocolate chip per cookie for half of them.

Bake for 25 minutes at 170°C.

You can taste them after they cool a bit. They’re so buttery!

P.S. You can use coconut oil for the vegan version.

This was a first!

I’ve been thinking of baking them for a long time, and I finally did!

Here's the recipe (makes 7)-

125g oatmeal

2g baking powder

a pinch of sea salt

12g butter

25ml hot water

35ml cold water

Mix the oatmeal, the baking powder, the sea salt, the butter, the hot water, and the cold water.

Knead.

Roll out the dough.

Cut out the oatcakes (Φ 7cm).

Bake on baking parchment, in a baking pan, for 20 minutes, at 180°C.

They’re so much tastier than the packaged version!

P.S. For the other recipe – kapia pepper stew with onions –, please ask Marcel, he was the chef. 😊

I savoured life and rested; this is why this post came out later than planned. I needed it. We create best when we are tranquil.

Today: oatmeal

What terrifies me the most when working with oatmeal? The thought that I’d add the wrong amounts because I’m working with a gluten-free flour that’s still unfamiliar to me.

Where do I get oatmeal from? I love baking with Romanian and Finnish oatmeal.

Why do I love it? Oatmeal is gluten-free. It is a filling flour; you feel light after eating it. It has an unmistakable taste, which makes both savoury and sweet bakes stand out.

How do I use it? By far my favourite gluten-free flour, oatmeal is great for tarts and mini-tarts, pies, and various cakes.

 

While in mythical Byblos at the end of last year, a yellow cake looked very appealing to me at breakfast. It included turmeric, but I loved it! When I returned home, I tried to bake it; it was a success.

This NoMoMoo challenge, which is very dear to me and started last week, made me push the limits of this cake, searching for and finding gluten-free vegan substitute ingredients.

The star? The cashew sour cream from NoMoMoo!

You will need a 20x20 cm baking pan and—

100g cornstarch

a pinch of sea salt

110g brown sugar

100g gluten-free oatmeal

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

4g baking powder

140g cashew sour cream

orange blossom water

90ml spring water

35ml flaxseed oil

1 tbsp of tahini

9 pistachio beans

I like authenticity, so I choose my ingredients as much as possible from the countries whose recipes I prepare or from nearby countries. I love local producers!

If we talk about basic ingredients, I used Romanian cornstarch. I bought the sea salt from Lebanon in a convent from Anfeh village. I also bought the orange blossom water from Lebanon – and you may add more than just a drop. The tahini is from Turkey; the pistachio is Iranian but processed in Romania. The flaxseed oil is Romanian. The best ingredients can transform a regular meal into a terrific one, especially if we prepare it with love and support!

Returning to the NoMoMoo sour cream, it is special: fluffy, versatile, and great! Panda feels the same way.

To make this cake, which is perfect as such or as a tea cake, mix the cornstarch, the sea salt, the brown sugar, the oatmeal, the turmeric powder, and the baking powder.

Add the wet ingredients: the cashew sour cream, the orange blossom water, the spring water, and the flaxseed oil.

Stir with a wooden spoon until homogenised.

Grease the baking pan with tahini, pour the mixture, and add the pistachio beans in 9 (imagined) centres of slices.

Bake at 180°C in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Let it cool and enjoy it!

What flavours do you feel? 😊

One year and a half ago, I tried NoMoMoo's products for the first time. I got drawn to them before tasting them (I then understood why)! It was love at first bite! They are not only exquisitely made but also the most delicious vegan cheeses (and more!) I’ve tasted! They're made with soul and you can feel it!

So here I am, wholeheartedly trying to include them in a good-looking dessert.

It is still their season, so I chose peaches! Here’s what I got! [As I baked without lactose and eggs, I also wanted a gluten-free dessert.] Its star is NoMoMoo’s Cajoont Clasic; you’ll need one.

What to use?

FOR THE DOUGH

125g gluten-free oatmeal

35g tapioca flour

2 tbsp of brown sugar

a pinch of sea salt

115g Cajoont Clasic from the fridge

1 ice cube

2 tbsp of icy water

FOR THE FILLING

4-5 medium peaches

1 tbsp of brown sugar

1 tbsp of tapioca flour

10g Cajoont Clasic

+15g Cajoont Clasic to sprinkle over the galette

How to bake it?

Use a blender to mix all the ingredients for the dough in the specified order; you can knead them into a dough, too.

Spread the dough over a ceramic tart mould (use water and tapioca flour to help you do this); leave elongated pieces of dough on purpose.

A little elf helped me clean and cut the peaches into slices. Mix them in a bowl with the brown sugar, the tapioca flour, and 10g of Cajoont Clasic.

Then, place the peach slices next to one another on the dough; fold the elongated pieces of dough over the fruit slices.

In the end, sprinkle the remaining bits of Cajoont over the galette.

Bake it for 15 minutes in the preheated oven at 220°C.

How do I know if I like a dessert? When I crave another slice immediately after the first one!

I hope you’ll try it and agree. And that you’ll also go crazy for NoMoMoo’s Cajoont! 

P.S. To make it easier to bake this lovely galette, add one teaspoon of psyllium seeds to two tablespoons of spring water. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes, then add it to the other dough ingredients.