Apple, banana and oats cake

Last weekend we celebrated in advance a very important event for our family (the youngest member of the gang is tyrning two).
As a very dear guest was a vegan, I wanted to bake an egg-free and dairy-free cake. After a lot of research, inspired by a recipe of the wonderful Ella, I made an apple, banana and oats cake, very easy to make and really delicious!

I didn't have the chance to take more pics, which means it was really successful.

Ingredients:
- 6 medium apples;
- 4 very ripe bananas;
- one handful of raisins;
- 300g oat flour / grind rolled oats;
- 2 tsp cinnamon;
- seeds from 1/2 of vanilla bean;
- 2 lg chia seeds;
- 2 lg coconut oil.

Method:
Peel and core the apples, then dice them or grate them. Place the cut apples in a pot and simmer over low fire until they get soft and the syrop evaporates (if you diced them, add a splash of water in the beginning, otherwise they might get burnt).
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
When the apples become soft, remove them from the fire, add the mashed banana and the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined.
Place the batter in a cake tin (line the base with baking paper and grease the margins)

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.

For the topping, I used peanut butter and fresh raspberries, but any fruit will do.

Enjoy!

Oven Baked, Vegan Falafel

I absolutely love the falafel from the Lebanese restaurants, so I tried make a baby friendly version at home. The first recipe I tried was the one from Ruxandra Micu's blog (here) and I never needed to look for another recipe, as I liked this one a lot 😂😂😂 This is my version (slightly adapted).

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of boiled chickpeas, (1/2 cup raw chickpea, soaked over night and boiled) or one can of chickpea.
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast;
- 1 handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped;
- 1 small carrot, finely grated;
- 1 small onion, finely chopped;
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed;
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika;
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder;
- salt (if no restrictions) and pepper by taste;
- 1 big tbsp tahini;
- 1 tbsp olive oil / olive oil spray.

Method:
Process the drained chickpeas in a blender until it becomes a smooth paste (or you can leave bigger chunks, depending on the texture you like). Transfer to a bowl and add all ingredients except for the oil. Mix well.
If the mix is too wet (and you cannot shape it using your hands) you can add a little bit more nutritional yeast or chickpea flour.
With a wet hand form patties, flatten them and place them on a tray lined with baking paper. Using an oil spray or a brush apply a thin layer of oil on the patties.
Bake in the oven until they get a golden brown crust (about 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius; time may vary depending on the size of the patties).
You can also fry them in a non-sticky pan, without oil, under a lid, adding a splash of water from time to time.
I served with potato puree and a vegetable stew.
Enjoy!

Lattice crust apple pie

I have to admit. I am in love with my new tart tin and with Jamie Oliver's crust recipe (find the original here). So, yesterday I decided to make some apple pie.

For this delicious dessert you only need three main ingredients: butter, flour and apples. For a better taste you can add a fourth one, cinnamon.

Ingredients for the crust*:

- 450g white flour;

- 225g unsalted butter, cold;

- 100 ml cold water.

* I used these quantities for both the crust and the lattice crust. If you want to skip the latter, use just 300g flour and 150g butter.

Ingredients for the apple filling:

- 6-8 big apples;

- 1 tsp cinnamon (optional).

Method:
Place the flour in a bowl, add the cold butter, diced and mix with your fingertips until you get a sandy mixture. Add about 100 ml cold water (add it slowly, as you might need a little bit less or a little bit more water, depending on the flour), until you get a firm dough. Divide the dough in 2 parts, a bigger one approximately 2/3 of the total and a small one, approximately 1/3 of the total. Form two balls, cover them with cling film and leave them in the fridge for about 30 minutes

Meanwhile, peel and grate the apples. Discard the juice and cook the apples for a few minutes in a non-sticky pan, over medium heat, until they get soft. Add cinnamon or other spices, by taste. Remove from heat and let cool.


Take the bigger dough ball out of the fridge and roll it out on a flat surface (little floured) until you get a shape and a size similar to the tart tin. Place it over the tin (lightly buttered) and press with the fingers to make sure it covers the whole surface and the sides. Cut the excess dough that hangs out from the tin, using a sharp knife. Place the tin back in the fridge for 30-40 minutes. (If you can, place the tin and the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes, this will prevent the dough from rising while baking).

Remove the tart tin from the fridge, pierce it a few times with a fork (so that it wouldn't form air bubbles underneath) and place in the oven. Bake at 190 Celsius until the dough becomes golden (about 20 minutes).


Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and add the apple filling.
Remove the small dough ball from the fridge, roll it out and cut it in stripes. Place them on top of the filling to form the lattice crust. Place back in the oven for 30-40 more minutes or until the top becomes golden brown.
Once completely baked, remove the tart from the oven and let it cool in the tin. When it's cooled you can remove it from the tin and place it on a platter.
Enjoy!