Very Berry Tart on a Rice Cake Base

I am not a fan of rice cakes, those compressed discs of puffed rice have absolutely no appeal to me. If by some twist of fate I am “gifted” rice cakes, I will always transform them for use as an ingredient. You can easily infuse flavours at will because they are so bland. A chocolate tart or a rice cake base for a cheesecake sounds pretty good to me. Feeling inspired yet?

Gluten Free, Vegan Berry Tart on a Rice Cake Base

Ingredients

Base

2 cup crushed rice cakes (about 4 rice cakes)

½ cup ground almonds (chunky bits)

1 tbsp flaxmeal

¼ tsp salt (or as needed)*

2 tbsp vegan butter or margarine butter (29g)**

2 tbsp maple syrup (or to preference)*

Water

*The amount of salt and sweetener you use will depend on whether the rice cake is flavored enough as is

**The butter should be just softened, not runny

Additional spices or extracts e.g. cinnamon can be added to flavour the rice cake and almond base

Tart Filling

2 tbsp corn or potato starch

½ cup water

2 cups mixed fruit or berries (frozen)

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp lime or lemon juice (or to preference)

1 or 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters (optional)

Directions

Line the bottom of a 7” round baking tin with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350F

Place the crushed rice cakes, almonds, flaxmeal and salt in a bowl, stir to mix. You can add additional spices for extra flavour at this point. Add the softened butter and maple syrup. Massage the mixture until it is holding together. If necessary add a tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture is sticky enough and won't fall apart when pressed together. Place the mixture into the prepared tin, spread evenly and press firmly so it adheres to the parchment paper. Bake for 18 – 20 minutes until the top of the crust has browned and is set. Set aside to cool

While the crust is baking prepare the filling. I used frozen berries which can get soggy, so I opted to make the filling on my stovetop. In a skillet dissolve the corn or potato starch in water. Add the berries, salt, lime or lemon juice and bitters to the starch mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat. Stir gently so as not to crush the berries. Once the mixture has thickened to the consistency of a loose porridge, remove from the heat to cool. The mixture will thicken further as it cools, do not reduce until there is little or no liquid left. This takes less than 5 minutes so watch the mixture carefully

When the berry filling is cool to the touch, spoon it into the baking tin and spread it evenly over the cooled crust. I used a springform pan to bake the crust so before adding the berry mixture, I lined the sides with parchment paper for easy removal. Place in the refrigerator to set, 30 minutes or more, less if you place the tart in the freezer. Once set, cut into wedges, serve and enjoy! Wrap leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator

Gluten Free & Vegan Banana Puri (Banana Fry Bake)

In Trinidad and Tobago, banana puries would be the sweetened relative of fry bake or floats. The original banana puri recipe which hails from India is made without baking powder, cinnamon and vinegar. As the dough is gluten free, the baking powder and vinegar helps the puris to puff up. The cinnamon simply reminds me of banana bread.

Banana puries are the kind of just enough sweet treat you can pair with almost anything and have at any time of the day. Best of all the puries are kid approved! Especially for my Trini friends, if you're up to a culinary adventure give these puries a try.

Gluten Free & Vegan Banana Puri

Ingredients

1 cup gluten free flour*

1½ tsp baking powder

1/3 cup ripe mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)

1 tbsp brown sugar

pinch of cardamom powder (elychee)

pinch of cinnamon (optional)

½ tbsp vegetable oil**

¼ cup coconut milk

1 tsp vinegar***

2 tbsp ground almonds

Enough oil for deep frying

Tapioca starch or other flour to dust work surface

*I used Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix

**I used coconut oil

***Best used if you cannot rest the dough

Directions

Combine the flour and baking powder. Set aside

Peel and mash the banana. Mix in the sugar, the spices, oil, coconut milk, vinegar if using and almonds

Add the flour to the banana mixture and combine to form a soft but workable dough. The dough should be sticky to the touch, if is is not add water a little at a time

Divide the dough into palm sized portions and roll into smooth balls, the balls should still be fairly moist. You can work on a flour dusted surface to shape the dough. Wet or oiled hands will help

Cover and set the dough rounds aside for 30 – 60 minutes, more if you can. You can skip the rest and continue with the recipe. The stickier the dough, the better if you decide to skip the rest

Heat the oil for deep frying

When the oil is ready, flatten each ball into a palm sized disc either in your hand or on the floured work surface. Place the puri gently in the oil, fry until puffed and deep brown on each side

Drain on paper towels. Puries are best served warm but can be kept wrapped in a tea towel and served later in the day

Double Chocolate Cookies (gluten free and vegan)

These cookies are dense and fudgy, in other words totally delicious! Try the recipe below, it's almost impossible to get it wrong.

Gluten Free, Vegan Double Chocolate Cookies

Double Chocolate Cookies Recipe (gluten free and vegan)

Ingredients

(makes 10-12 small cookies)

½ cup brown rice flour

¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup potato starch

¼ tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup brown sugar

1½ tbsp white sugar

1½ tbsp unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder*

1 tbsp coconut oil

½ cup coconut milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

1½ oz chocolate chips

Notes

*If you are using natural cocoa powder use 1 tsp baking soda instead of the baking powder

You can use a pre-packaged gluten free flour blend, preferably a “light” blend for cake or pancakes and not a bread mix. Omit the xanthan gum if already in your mix

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a mixing bowl add the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Leave out the chocolate chips. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Knead or mix until the dough is slightly sticky but holding together, add a little more water or milk at a time if needed. Fold in the chocolate chips

Scoop rounds of the dough (about 2 tablespoons in size or as preferred) onto a parchment lined sheet leaving a space between each round. If you find the dough difficult to handle, chill for about 15 minutes before shaping

With wet hands flatten into discs. The cookies do not spread much so flatten to your desired thickness

Chill the tray of cookies in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes

While the tray is in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 425F

When ready, bake for 10 - 12 mins until the edges of the cookies are set

Cool and enjoy! Store in an airtight container on your kitchen counter for up to 5 days (if your kitchen is hot and humid, store in the refrigerator).