Mrs. Chicory

Vegan Lemon Cake

There was a time when I read blogs every day and it was a very nice time. I never got to know most of the bloggers I admire so much, but I often feel like we're friends, I take the time to comment on their posts or even drop them a note, I am genuinely happy when they succeed or have a baby, I buy their books and dream about attending their workshops.

One of the bloggers I admire most is Molly Wizenberg of Orangette, which was also one of the first blogs I started following. Her first book, Molly Wizenberg: A Homemade Life, is one of my favorite books, and not only cookbooks but books in general. Her style is just beautiful, and she is an extremely well-read woman. Her life seems fabulous (she reads The New Yorker and attends pottery workshops while running a family business and being a mom), but she always down to earth.

I also love her book because it's filled with vegetarian recipes. That's probably due to her husband being vegetarian. So that makes it a very useful book for me. Lemon cake has a special place in her book because that's the recipe that brought her together with her husband (who was just a reader of her blog when she posted the recipe! How romantic is that? Way better than Tinder, heh?). This is a classic French recipe with lots of eggs but it surprisingly doesn't feature butter. :) I didn't think I could successfully veganize it, but then I thought of a magical ingredient - chickpea. I'm pretty sure you would never have guessed it.

Vegan Lemon Cake recipe

1,5 cups (250 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 cup granulated sugar

2 handfuls candied orange peel (completely optional)

0,5 cup soy yogurt (plain or vanilla flavored)
3 tbsp canned chickpea
6 tbsp aquafaba (canned chickpea brine)

0,5 cup canola oil

juice from 1 lemon

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup (100 g) powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients. Mix with a spoon, just to combine.

Place chickpeas and aquafaba in a blender, add soy yogurt and oil and blend into creamy paste. Mix in the wet ingredients, stirring to incorporate.

Pour and scrape the batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan or whatever small-ish pan you have lying around.

Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C). Let cool completely, then pour lemony syrup all over it. To make it, mix lemon juice with sugar until it dissolves. Alternatively, you could just sprinkle the cake with some powdered sugar and garnish with pommegranate seeds.

Would you try it? Or does putting chickpeas in dessert scare you? (I know Martha Stewart makes brownies with black beans ..). Let me know:)

2Comments

by Zulejka

In goji berries, smoothie

Winter smoothie with dried fruit

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by Zulejka

In breakfast, green smoothie

Winter green smoothie with persimmon

In my parents’ garden grows a beautiful persimmon tree. Every autumn it is so full of persimmons, the branches almost start to break. My parents pick the persimmons while they are still hard and very bitter, they stack them in crates and gradually bring a few at a time in the kitchen so the persimmons don't all ripen at once. My father makes a green smoothie almost every day, and when there are persimmons in it, no bananas are needed - the green smoothie is creamy and smooth as ever!

Spinach is easy to find even in winter, and it will give you the green boost you need, while also providing tons of vitamin K and A, some iron, magnesium and calcium, lots of fiber, all that in like 7 calories! Crazy, right?

Kiwi, clementine, and persimmon bring in vitamin C and A to boost our immunity. That’s also why superpower barley grass is added in this winter green smoothie. But barley grass does so much more than that: it helps us detox and even fight cravings! “The presence of glutamic acid in barley grass inhibits the craving for harmful materials such as alcohol, coffee, nicotine, drugs and even sugary sweets”, according to Organic Facts.

To enhance the immunity function even further I added some spirulina powder which helps lower cholesterol, increases red blood cell count and is supposed to help control bronchial asthma. And there’s also some ginger, the number one winter ingredient, thrown in for a good measure of anti-inflammatory powers. Authority nutrition also states that “ginger extract can inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria”, which is really great news, especially in the winter time.

Winter green smoothie recipe

a handful spinach, washed

1 persimmon, washed, leaves removed

1 kiwi fruit, peeled

1 clementine, peeled

1 ripe banana, peeled

1 small piece ginger (a thumb), peeled

1 teaspoon barley grass powder

half teaspoon spirulina powder

1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar

juice of half a lemon

2 cups water

ice cubes (optional)

Wash persimmon and spinach. Peel kiwi fruit, banana, clementine and ginger. Juice half a lemon. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend for about 30 seconds (or choose the Smoothie cycle if you have a Blendtec).

Do you drink smoothies in winter, too? What's your favorite winter ingredient in them? Let me know in the comments! (Also, let me know what writing mistakes I'm making:))

3Comments

by Zulejka

In autumn, decor

4 autumn inspired decorations (on a budget)

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by Zulejka

In dinner, lunch

Creamy vegan pea soup with fresh herbs

When I was a little girl, I didn't like peas. Well, I would eat fresh peas straight from a pod, but whenever they were cooked, I just hated them. Now I really like peas! They're a great way to add plant protein and fiber to your diet. And they're really cheap, they cook in no time, and you can always have them in your freezer, ready to cook a delicious, creamy, hearty and fresh soup, packed with protein and fiber.

I really like this vegan pea soup, and so does my husband. As for the kids, the votes are split. ;) The youngest one loves it, the older wouldn't even try it. If you're not a pea-hater, you'll probably like it, too! Especially with a swirl of organic sour cream or creme fraiche or vegan sour cream and maybe some homemade croutons ...

This soup is:
- vegan
- creamy
- protein-rich
- fiber-rich
- aromatic
- fresh
- easy to make
- quick!

Creamy vegan pea soup recipe

adapted from Ina Garten

serves 4-6

2 handfuls cashews
200 g/2 cups leeks
500 g/5 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp olive oil
1 litre/4 cups vegetable soup
a few sprigs lemon balm
a sprig tarragon
lemon juice to taste (about a half lemon)
salt and pepper to taste
chives, to serve
sour cream, to serve

Dry toast the cashews in a skillet on low temperature. Set aside.

Chop the leeks and set aside. Heat olive oil in a pot. Add leeks and saute until leeks soften a bit (do not let them brown). Add peas, cashews and veggie soup. Let boil and cook for about 5 minutes or until peas soften.

Add fresh lemon balm and tarragon. Transfer the soup into the blender and blend into creamy deliciousness. Taste and add lemon juice to taste (be careful not to make it too tangy).

Swirl in some sour cream or creme fraiche, if using, and sprinkle some chopped chives on top. Serve with croutons - or as it is.

So, how do you like your peas? Do your kids eat them at all?;)

PS: come join me on my Facebook page! I'd love to hear from you. And if you're pleased with the way you made your pea soup look, tag me on Instagram!