Flight of Fancy
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Vegan oreo brownies
I was tasked today to satisfy a brownie craving from my sister. It took a little convincing, but I said I could make them vegan and they’ll be just as good (if not better) than any non-vegan brownies.
There is a bit of an online debate whether Oreos are vegan or not. I think they are so I used a whole bunch. If you’d rather not use the Oreo’s you can sub them with any sort of biscuit, or even chocolate pieces.
What you’ll need:
300 g cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 TBS cocoa powder
8 TBS ground flax seeds
250 ml water
100 g dark chocolate, chopped
200 g vegan butter or margarine
400 g sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
⅓ cup canola oil
1 box Oreos (I used a mix of white and dark Oreos), roughly chopped
How to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a square brownie tin or cake tin with baking paper and a bit of non-stick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder. Give it a whisk with a hand whisk until evenly combined.
- In a small bowl or mixing jug, combine the ground flax seed and the water, give it a little stir and set aside.
- In a microwave proof bowl, add the butter and chopped dark chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 30 second increments, stirring in between, until it is all melted and mixed.
- Add the sugar, canola oil and vanilla essence to the melted butter and chocolate, stir together until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the butter mixture and the flax seed mixture to the dry ingredients. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, mix until combined or you can see no pockets of flour.
- Add half the chopped Oreos to the mixture and stir through.
- Add the mixture to the lined tin and using the spoon or spatula, smooth the top down.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- After the 30-minute mark, sprinkle the brownies with the rest of the chopped Oreos.
- Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the top has cracked a bit and the mixture doesn’t jiggle when moved.
- Cool in the tin for about 30 minutes before taking them out the tin and cooling the rest of the way on a rack.
- Cut into desired sized pieces and put them in your face.
As always, thanks so much for reading! If you give this recipe a try, drop me a message and let me know how it turned out, or you can tag me in your creations on Instagram @flightoffancyfood or on Facebook @ninabakesstuff.
If you like this recipe, how about trying out some of my other recipes:
Love and health to all of you,
xx
N
Basil and blueberry (n)ice-cream
I love ice-cream so much, it was the one thing I really missed when I changed over to vegan. I have found a fantastic substitute that is so much easier to make than normal ice-cream and tastes just as good.
It’s so bloody hot right now and it’s only going to get hotter, so why not mix up a big batch of (n)ice-cream and cool yourself down.
What you’ll need:
2-3 bananas, sliced and frozen
1 cup blueberries
4 leaves fresh basil
½ tsp vanilla essence
How to do it:
- For this part all you’ll need is a food processer, blender or nutribullet.
- Chuck all the ingredients in the blender and put it on high until smooth. It might take a while, be patient.
- Scoop it into a container and put it in the freezer. Or just eat it straight away, no one is judging x
This recipe is really ridiculously easy. Also it’s super modifiable. You can substitute the berries and basil for peanut butter and a bit of syrup, or even cocoa powder and chocolate chips. You do you my friends.
If you fancy something else to satisfy that sweet tooth how about trying some of my other recipes:
- Vegan Matcha cookies
- Vegan peanut butter and chocolate popcorn bars
- Vegan pecan and dark chocolate toffee shards
As always, thanks for reading and if you try this out drop me a message and let me know how it turned out, or you can tag me in your creations on Instagram @flightoffancyfood or on Facebook @ninabakesstuff.
Love and health to all of you,
xx
N
Vegan matcha cookies (Spookified)
It’s October and I absolutely adore Halloween. So I’ve taken this amazing recipe for matcha cookies and given them a Halloweenie upgrade. (Which is just icing them Halloween themed to be honest)
These cookies come out perfect for royal icing. I have updated my royal icing recipe below which makes it a bit more stable.
What you’ll need:
200 g cake flour (you can also use gluten free flour alternatives)
100 g white sugar
4 tsp Matcha powder
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
110 g coconut oil, melted
60 g plant milk of your choice (I used almond)
1 tsp vanilla essence
¼ tsp almond essence
For icing:
500 g icing sugar
¼ cup warm water
¼ cup Ograns egg replacer powder
¼ tsp vanilla essence
2 drops almond essence
2 TBS lemon juice
How to do it:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, toss in all the dry ingredients and give it a mix using a hand whisk just so it’s mixed evenly.
- In a jug add all the wet ingredients and stir with a fork.
- On the lowest speed of the mixer (use a paddle attachment) pour in the wet ingredients until everything is incorporated.
- Do not over mix! Just mix until it is all combined.
- Take the dough out the mixer, roll it up in cling wrap and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.
- Preheat your oven to 180℃
- Take out the cooled dough and roll it out, about ½ cm thick. This dough is a bit sticky, I rolled mine out with a plastic rolling pin with a little coconut oil on the surface. I don’t like to use flour with this one because it changes the consistency.
- Cut out what ever shapes you desire and place on a baking tray sprayed with a little non stick spray.
- Here you can cook them as is, or place in the fridge for 5 minutes or so to cool the dough down. It helps reduce spreading.
- Bake the cookies in batches if your oven is small (like mine). Between each rolling place the extra dough in the fridge to keep cool.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, you should see a little bit of brown on the bottom, don’t worry if they look soft, they will harden as they cool.
For the icing:
- Place all the icing sugar and the egg replacer in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
- Add the essences and the lemon juice, start mixing on slow speed. Add the water just a tiny bit at a time until the icing comes together.
- When it looks thick and chunky beat on high speed for 4-5 minutes until everything is mixed together.
- If your icing is too thick add a tiny bit of water at a time while mixing on slow. A little water goes a long way so be careful.
- When your icing has a good piping consistency, you can colour and decorate as you wish. But it’s October so make them spooky x.
Thanks for reading, and if you give this a try drop me a message and let me know how it turned out.
Or you can tag me in your creations on Instagram @flightoffancyfood or on Facebook @ninabakesstuff.
If you fancy trying something else to satisfy that sweet tooth, how about:
Love and health to all of you,
xx
N
vegan Peanut butter and chocolate popcorn bars
These bars are so easy to make and you can just make loads and keep them in the freezer for summer treats.
Also I think peanut butter, chocolate and popcorn is such an iconic combination.
What you’ll need:
¾ cup coconut oil
2 TBS light brown sugar (you can also use coconut sugar or liquid sweetener like agave)
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 heaped cups popped popcorn (I used IMBO popcorn kernels)
80 g dark chocolate
Fine salt
How to do it:
- In a baking tin, a smallish one (the one I used was a square cake tin 15 x 15 cm), line the bottom with nonstick paper and spray a little bit of non-stick spray around the sides.
- In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil with the sugar or sweetener. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the peanut butter, a pinch of salt and vanilla essence and using a hand whisk, stir until it’s smooth.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture into the lined pan. Add as much popcorn as you like, pushing it down so it’s embedded in the mixture.
- Sprinkle with a little fine salt and place in the freezer for about and hour.
- After the hour, temper your chocolate. You can use a double boiler or melt in the microwave in 15 second increments.
- When your chocolate is smooth and has no lumps, drizzle over the popcorn mix.
- Place back in the freezer for another hour or so. Remove and cut into desired size pieces.
- These are best kept in the freezer. Perfect for summer.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!
If you give it a try, drop me a message and let me know how it turned out! Or you can tag me in your creations on Instagram @flightoffancyfood or on Facebook @ninabakesstuff
If you feel like trying something different, how about these?
Love and health to all of you and thanks for reading!
xx
N
Vegan coconut cake
What you’ll need:
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 cup white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar (or coconut sugar is fine too)
1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp fine salt
2 cups desiccated coconut (I used IMBO)
1 can full fat coconut milk
½ cup coconut oil, melted
1 ½ TBS white vinegar
2 tsp vanilla essence
For the icing:
4 cups icing sugar, sifted
½ cups vegan butter
⅓ cup full fat coconut milk
How to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and line 2 cake tins with baking paper on the bottom and a good covering of nonstick spray all around.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugars, bicarb, salt, and coconut.
- Using a hand whisk mix it together just until everything is evenly distributed.
- Add the coconut milk, coconut oil, vinegar, and vanilla essence to the flour mixture.
- Using a spoon or spatula, mix just until everything is combined. If you overmix your cake will be tough.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the cake tins, smooth down with a spoon, and bake at 180°C for about 30 minutes, or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Carefully remove them from the tins and leave to cool completely.
- Now you can either decide to finish the cake now or wait. I like to wrap my cakes up in clingfilm and refrigerate for a couple hours, a cold cake is much easier to level and ice.
- To make the icing, add the vegan butter into the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
- Beat on a medium speed until soft. Add the icing sugar and start mixing on the lowest speed.
- Slowly add the coconut milk and when it starts coming together, beat on high for about 5 minutes until smooth.
- If the mixture is too thick you can add a bit more coconut milk.
- Level your cooled cakes and sandwich with a good dollop of the icing. Spread a fine coat of the icing all around the cake. Refrigerate for 5 minutes then finish your icing.
- Top with shredded coconut, coconut pieces and crumbled offcuts off your cake.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.
If you try it out give send me a message and let me know how it turned out xx
Or tag me in your creations on Instagram @flightoffancyfood or on Facebook @ninabakesstuff
If you’d like to try some of my other recipes how about:
Love and health to all of you,
xx
N
Super fudgey avo brownies with lemon buttercream (vegan)
Okay okay, I know I have just put up a brownie recipe but you really can’t have too many. I was asked by a friend of mine to help come up with a recipe to use up any left over avocados that may be a bit overripe. This recipe needs a really ripe avo, it wont come out as well with hard ones.
These brownies are not a cake texture, they are a fudgey texture. Super moist and squishy. They will last about 2 weeks covered and refrigerated. I haven’t tried freezing them but I am sure they would freeze well.
What you’ll need:
2 medium avocados, completely ripe and mashed
180 g cake wheat flour
80 g cocoa powder
80 g coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine salt
1 tsp vanilla paste
100 g golden syrup (or maple syrup)
100 ml water
½ cup neutral oil
½ cup almond milk
For icing:
100 g vegan butter, softened
1 Lemon, zested and juiced
200 g icing sugar, sifted
How to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a medium sized baking dish or square cake tin with non-stick spray.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add all the ingredients except almond milk.
- Using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the ingredients until smooth and fully combined. If the mixture is thick add a bit of almond milk at a time until smooth and pourable.
- Pour the mixture into your greased dish and bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Meanwhile mix the icing. Add the softened butter and icing sugar to a bowl. Using an electric hand whisk, beat until smooth and combined, add the lemon zest and about a tsp of the lemon juice. Beat again until smooth.
- When the brownies have cooled completely, cut into any sized block you desire and ice with your lemon icing.
Enjoy!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I did. And as always if you give it a try, drop me a message and let me know how it turned out, or tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.
If you are looking for more sweet treats, how about trying my:
Happy baking,
Love and health to all of you,
xx
N
Beetroot brownies (vegan)
I absolutely love beetroot. It has so many uses, from drying to a supplement or using as a homemade pigment. It has the most beautiful, earthy flavour that reminds me of being in a dark forest. Also let’s be honest, the pink that comes off this vegetable is pretty incredible.
It has so many health benefits, for example reducing blood pressure, boosting immunity and even an aphrodisiac (to name a few). Treat yourself to some of these incredible, moist and super moreish chocolate treats.
What you’ll need:
2 medium beetroots
180 g cake wheat flour
80 g cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp fine salt
1 tsp vanilla paste
250 g golden syrup (or maple syrup)
80 g coconut sugar
140 ml water
For icing:
Small handful of beetroot chips, blitzed in a food processor to powder.
100 g icing sugar, sifted
1 TBS almond milk
How to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C and spray a medium sized baking dish or square cake tin with non-stick spray.
- Wash and scrub your beetroot. Chop off the ends and cut the beetroot into smallish chunks.
- Boil these for about 15 minutes until almost soft.
- Chop up the cooked beetroot finely, or blitz in a food processor or Nutri-bullet. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add all of the brownie ingredients along with the chopped beetroot.
- Using a hand-held electric whisk, mix the ingredients until smooth and fully combined.
- Pour the mixture into your greased dish and bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Meanwhile mix the icing. Add the beetroot powder and icing sugar to a bowl.
- While stirring with a whisk, add the almond milk. Mix this until all combined. If the mixture is too runny add a bit more icing sugar until it has nice pipeable consistency.
- Scoop the icing into a small piping bag or contact cover with clingwarp until ready to use.
- When the brownies have cooled completely, cut into any sized block you desire and drizzle the beetroot icing over the top.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did, and as always if you try it out, drop me a message and let me know how it turned out! Or tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.
If you are looking for more sweet treats why not try my:
Happy baking everyone,
Love and health to all of you
xx
N
Bean, corn and lemon grass soup
(Serves 2-4)
I know quite a few people have been waiting for this recipe to be uploaded, so here we go!
My mom wanted me to call this Nina’s Healing soup. It was mainly due to the ingredients being so good for you. It has loads of nutrients and has a decent bite to it and we all know chili is good for the soul!
What you’ll need
2 TBS olive oil
1 white onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
4 cups vegetable stock
2 small lemongrass stalks, chopped into 3-4 cm pieces
1 can sweetcorn in brine
1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp turmeric
2 red chilies, de-seeded and chopped
½ tin coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chilies to serve
Dash of sriracha to serve
How to do it:
- In a medium sized saucepan, heat up the olive oil. Fry the onions and garlic until translucent.
- Add the ginger and stir to combine.
- Add the vegetable stock and lemongrass stalks. Let this simmer for about 20-30 minutes until aromatic.
- Add the corn, beans, turmeric, chilies and coconut milk. Stir through and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Serve with freshly chopped red chilies and a sprinkle of coconut shavings and a dash of sriracha.
I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as my Dad did 🙂
As always, if you give it a try, drop me a message and let me know how it turned out! Or tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.
Love and health to all of you,
xx
N
ginger and coriander pumpkin soup
Here is another heart warming dish to keep you warm during winter! It’s thick, creamy and perfect for a cold winter night served with some crusty bread rolls. The recipe calls for the soup to be blended into a smooth consistency, if you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a food processor or even a Nutribullet in small batches.
Serves 4
What you’ll need:
1,2 kg pumpkin, skinned and cut into pieces
3 TBS olive oil
3 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
4 cups vegetable stock
1 handful fresh coriander
½ cup coconut milk, plus more for serving
1 lime, zested and juiced
Salt and pepper to taste
How to do it:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lay the pumpkin pieces out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake these for 30-40 minutes until soft.
- In a medium or large saucepan, heat up the remaining olive oil. Fry the shallots and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add the ginger and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock, the softened pumpkin, the fresh coriander and a dash of salt and pepper. Simmer for about 30 minutes until slightly reduced and aromatic.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup in the pot.
- Return to the stove on a medium heat and add the coconut milk and the lime juice and zest, stirring until combined.
- Serve with pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of coconut milk and some fresh coriander or toasted pumpkin seeds.
Thanks for reading and as always, if you give this recipe a try, drop me a message and let me know how it turned out. Or you can tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.
Love and health to all of you!
xx
N
ancient greek soup
Also known as Fakes Soupa. This soup has very few ingredients and is pretty easy to make. Despite it’s minimal components it comes out the gate with great nutrition and some really fantastic flavour.
This dish goes way back to the ancient Greeks whose diet consisted of loads of legumes as a staple as well as garlic, onions and bay leaves, all favoured because of their multiple health benefits.
I’m really excited about this recipe, it is incredibly affordable and is perfect for a healthy and cheap meal. It is also crazy delicious!
What you’ll need:
250 g brown or green lentils
1 white onion, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, diced
3 fresh bay leaves
50 ml olive oil
A drizzle of red wine vinegar to serve
How to do it:
- In a medium pot, add the lentils and about 1 liter of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- Strain the lentils, place them back in the pot with fresh water. Fill the water until about 5cm above the lentils.
- Bring to a boil, add the onion, garlic and bay leaves. Season lightly with salt and pepper and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for +- 60 minutes until the lentils are soft and the soup is aromatic.
- When the soup has reduced a bit, drizzle in the olive oil while stirring, continue to stir for about 8 minutes. The soup will thicken a bit.
- Serve with a drizzle of red wine vinegar, some olive oil and some chopped olives or feta.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. And as always, if you give it a try drop me a message and let me know how it turned out! Or tag me in your creations on Instagram @ninarlasvegas.
If you’re looking for more winter warmers how about trying my:
Roasted Red pepper and Red Quinoa soup
Happy cooking!
xx
N
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