Oat Porridge

Super fast, super easy and super healthy. SUPER OAT PORRIDGE! 
I recently rediscovered the oat porridge I loved as a child and here it is. This can be eaten with so many different extras, as banana, fresh berries and fruit, vanilla sugar or my favourite raspberry jam.

You Will Need:

• 2 dl (0.85 cups) Traditional Rolled Oats
• 4 dl (400 ml) Water
• 1 pinch of salt

1. Mix all ingredients in a pan and gently bring to a boil. 
2. The porridge is done once the oats have soaked up all the water.

To Eat

• Vegan Milk, I use Alpro Natural Soya Milk.
• Raspberry Jam 
• (+ small sprinkle of sugar)

1. Serve warm in a bowl. Sprinkle with a small ammount of sugar, some raspberry jam and milk.

Alternatives:

• Cinnamon & Sugar
• Banana Slices
• Vanilla Sugar
• Fresh Fruit
• Berries

Semla / Fettisdagsbulle / Fat Tuesday Buns

The Semla was originally eaten only on Shrove Tuesday, as the last festive food before Lent. However, with the arrival of the Protestant Reformation, the Swedes stopped observing a strict fasting for Lent. The semla in its bowl of warm milk became a traditional dessert every Tuesday between Shrove Tuesday and Easter. Today, Semlor are available in shops and bakeries every day from shortly after Christmas until Easter. Each Swede consumes on average five bakery-produced semlor each year, in addition to all those that are homemade.

King Adolf Frederick of Sweden died of digestion problems on February 12, 1771 after consuming a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, smoked herring and champagne, which was topped off by fourteen helpings of Semla with warm milk, the king's favorite dessert.

The Semla is a wonderful, tasty sweet cardamon bun with almond paste and whipped cream.

You Will Need:

For the buns:

• 150 g Vegan Margarine
• 500 ml Dairy Free Milk
• 50 g Fresh Yeast (or equal ammount of dry yeast, read on packet)
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ cup (1-1½ dl) Sugar
• 1½ tsp Cardamon powder
• 4 1/4-5½ cup (10-13 dl) Plain Flour

1. Melt the margarine and add the milk to it. Heat until finger warm (37C / 98F)
2. Crumble the yeast in a big bowl, add the milk/margarine liquid some at a time to dissolve the yeast.
3. Add the salt, sugar and cardamon and mix. Once mixed add most of the flour (≈ 2/3 of total ammount)
4. Add more flour and mix until the dough is shiny and isn't sticking to the bowl. (Remember, don't add too much flour. The dough will be tough and won't rise as good)
5. Leave to rise in a warm room with no draft covered with a cloth until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Gently knead the dough and split into 30 round buns. Evenly space the dough balls on a few baking sheets on a trays and leave to rise under a cloth again until the buns are twice their size. (make sure they rise alot to get the light and airy)
7. Brush with some water and bake in the middle of the oven at (fan oven) 225C / 440F ("normal" oven) 480F / 250C.
8. Leave to cool.

Filling

• Vegan Whip Cream + a dash of vanillasugar & white sugar (store bought vegan brand or make your own vegan whip by whisking the hard part of full fat coconut milk/cream)
• Almond Paste
• Dairy Free Milk
• Icing Sugar

1. Whip the cream of your choice with a dash of vanillasugar and white sugar.
2. Cut the top of the buns (just a small lid) and take a little of the bread out. Mix the bread bits with the almond paste and a small dash of milk. It should be a creamy texture.
3. Fill the buns with the almond paste mix.
4. Top with the whipped cream, lid and then dust with icing sugar.

Optional: Serve in a bowl/deep plate with warm dairy free milk.

Tip: 

These buns freeze very well for later use

They are tasty and can be eaten as is 

Semolina Porridge / Mannagrynsgröt

Healthy breakfast, quick and light lunch or a treat. Semolina porridge is all those wrapped into one. So what is Semolina? Well...Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, also used for breakfast cereals, porridge and puddings. In Sweden we love all types or porridge (especially the ones eaten with milk, sugar & cinnamon) and most common ones are made from rice, oats or semolina.

You Will Need (2portions):

• 4 tbs (4x15ml) Semolina
• 400 ml (4 dl) Dairy Free Cooking Cream/Milk (I use unsweetened)
• 1 pinch of Salt

To serve:

• Cinnamon
• Sugar
• Dairy Free Milk (I use Alpro Soya Natural)

1. Heat the cooking cream/milk in a pan along with the salt.
2. Add the semolina. Bring to a simmer whilst stirring. Let simmer for 4 minutes.
3. Now the porridge is done! EASY! Serve warm with the sugar, cinnamon and milk.

Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

An old childhood favourite, just stepped up an extra notch in flavour and looks, but not in difficulty. Chewy and sweet chocolate chip cookie filled with soft vanilla ice cream. Easy to prepare ahead of time to store in the freezer.

You Will Need:

• 2 cups Plain White Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• ½ tsp Salt
• 3/4 cup Dairy Free Margarine
• 2-3 tbs Light Golden Syrup
• 1 cup Light Brown Sugar
• ½ cup White Sugar
• 1 tbs Vanilla Sugar or Essence
• Egg Replacer equal to 2 Eggs (mixed according to directions on packet) 
• 150-200 grams Vegan Friendly Chocolate
• You Favourite Dairy Free Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Mix all your dry ingredients.
2. Add margarine (room temperature), vanilla and egg replacer to the dry ingredients.
3. When your cookie dough is evenly mixed, add your roughly chopped chocolate and mix.
4. Line two trays with baking paper and roll your cookie dough. Use a dough scoop for equal sized cookies.
5. Space the cookie balls evenly onto the trays and bake for 17-25 minutes in a oven preheated to 165 C / 325 F (the cookies should be golden and starting to crisp on the edges and staying chewy in the middle.
6. Leave the cookies on the trays to cool down.
7. Take the ice cream out of the freezer to get a little soft (to be able to fill the cookie sandwiches easier)
8. Fill the ice cream sandwiches by stacking a good ammount of ice cream on one cookie and then pushing another gently on top. (the cookies can be kept whole/round if wanted or cut into half rounds if desired, that is what i did. Remember to cut the cookies in half before filling them)
9. Clean the edges of the cookie sandwich and freeze until it is time to eat them.

Creamy Beetroot Salad For Christmas & New Years

Creamy, sweet, savoury, tangy...all in one. This great side salad of beetroots, mayo and apples and goes great with allmost anything. As a side to your dinner, in a sub sandwich or with lunch.

You Will Need:

• 360 grams (≈ 1tin of 600grams) Tinned Beetroots
• 1dl /100ml Vegan Mayo (easy to find if your looking at the "fat free" mayos or specific vegan brands)
• 1 tbs Yellow Mustrad
• 1dl / 100ml Vegan Cream Cheese or Sour Supreme
• 1 small Red Onion
• 2 Apples (I use Granny Smiths)
• Salt & Pepper

1. Drain all the liquid of your beetroots and cut them into chunks.
2. In a bowl mix mayo, cream cheese (or sour supreme), salt, pepper and mustard.
3. Taste the mix! Add more of any ingredient to balance the flavour out.
4. Peel and core your apples and cut them into smaller chunks than the beetroots. Finely chop the red onion and mix apples, beetroots and onion into the mayo mix.
5. Stirr until pink and taste again.
6. Now your beetrooth salad is ready to be served with your dinner, on a sandwich or with lunch.

Tip: The Beetroot Slald will taste better the next day, so if you know you want to have it, best be to prepare it the day before and store in a sealed container in the fridge.

Wintery Mint Kisses

Our New One Green Planet Post, Very Festive For This Season Is Wintery Mint Kisses.

No matter if you celebrate this festive season because of religion or the love of family and traditions, dosen’t matter. But don’t forget to make these!

Mint Kisses are an old swedish tradition and are only eaten around the winter holidays.

For this recipe you will need: (makes around 50 Mint Kisses)

• 1 1/4 cup Icing Sugar
• 1 ½ tbs of Liquid Glucose (30 g)
• 2/3 cup Water
• ½ tsp Spirit Vinegar, (12%)
• 10 drops Peppermint Oil
• 75 grams of Dark Chocolate

Preparation:

1. Mix icing sugar, liquid glucose, water and spirit vinegar in a thick bottom saucepan. Cook for around 10 minutes til 115C / 240F. Use a thermometer (if you own one) to be 100% sure.
2. Pour mix into an lightly oil-greased bowl and let cool 15 minutes. Add peppermint oil and work the mass until it turns white. By using a spoon click the batter on parchment paper in small 1inch circles. (If the mixture gets too hard just carefully re-heat it now and then in the microwave or in a water bath)
3. Melt the chocolate and place a small ammount in the center of each circle using two teaspoons or a small piping bag.

Store your mint kisses in the fridge or pantry, in a sealed container (cookie jar) with parchment paper between the layers

Click Here For The Recipe on One Green Planet

Moist Chocolate Cake w/ Butter Cream Topping

This chocolate cake is moist and rich, yet not too filling. Easy and quick to make.

You Will Need:

• 1½ cup (3½ dl) of Plain White Flour
• 1 cup (2½ dl) White or Brown Sugar
• 3 tbs Cocoa Powder (dark european style)
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 5 tbs Canola or Sunflower Oil
• 1 tbs Vinegar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (or vanilla powder)
• 1 cup Cold Water

1. Mix all your dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Mix all your wet ingredients in another bowl
3. Add the wet to the dry and use an electric beater to combine it all until smooth.
4. Grease a spring tin and gently sprinkle with a thin layer of bread crumbs.
5. Add the batter to the tin and bake at  350F / 176C in a pre heated oven for 30 minutes. (bake in the lower part of the oven)
6. Leave your cake to completely cool down before making the butter cream and spreading it on the top of the chocolate cake.

For the Butter Cream Topping You Will Need:

• 100 g Margarine
• 1 2/3 cup (4dl) Icing Sugar
• 4 tsp Vanilla Sugar (or use vanilla extract)
• 2-3 tbs Plain Oil (this is to represent the fatty part of the egg yolk used in the non-vegan version)

1. Start by mixing the margarine with the two sugars, then add your oil. Just do some at a time until the filling gets smooth and creamy.
2. When your cake has cooled down completely (very important the cake isn't warm)Spread the top of your cake with the butter cream and sprinkle with cocoa powder. 

Tip: This cake will be good in the fridge for quite a long time (around 5 days or more) Stores best on a plate in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap. Or if you have a cake container.