Dried lemon slices

Ingredients

4 lemons

Instructions

Slice the lemons evenly, from 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick. You can get approximately 8 slices per lemon, depending on the size of the lemon.Place the slices on a metal cooling rack over a baking sheet or a parchment paper lined baking sheet.Bake in the oven to the lowest temperature (for my oven it's 170ºF/77ºC) until completely dry, approximately 4 to 5 hours.For even drying, rotate the baking sheets every hour or two.Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Notes :

This technique can be used to dry oranges, lemons and other citrus fruits. One year, I used the dried oranges as Christmas decorations. And of course, the house smells so good during the drying process .

For my dried lemons, I keep them in a jar stored in a dark cabinet and they last for approximately 6 months. After this point, the dried lemon slices start to discolor and then I throw them out.

Vegan Ombre Pink Smoothie Ice cream

Ingredients :

The crust :

1 cup pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped cashews

1 cup walnuts

1 cup oats

2 tbs chocolate lover mix @yoursuperfoods

The filling :

6 frozen banans

1 tsp FOREVER BEAUTIFUL @yoursuperfoods blend

1 tsp SKINNY PROTEIN @yoursuperfoods blend

1 tsp pink Pitaya @unicornsuperfoods blend

(all blends are 100% organic Vegan and natural , use VGNBITES15 code to get 15% discount

on both online stores )

Method :

For preparing the crust blend all the crust ingredients together in a food processor until you're lift with a sticky dough , you can add more oats if you like or also sub with granola for crispy crust.

make the base for your personal cake in a small mousse cake ring.

For the filling make as you make smoothie, blend the frozen bananas and pour in first layer only the banana , then add to the blend 1/2 tsp pink pitaya and 1 tsp skinny protein , add on top the banana layer, for the last layer add the other half of the left pink pitaya and add 1 tsp of forever beautiful blend, so you get darker pink , you can play with the colours as you like .

freeze overnight the rings and when you want to eat them take out from the freezer.

My tip for you to take them easily out of the rings , to pass on the ring for 10 seconds hot water under the water tap, without wetting the whole cake , only the steel rings , you'll see that it will go out smoothly .

Vegan Strawberry Lemon Matcha Chocolate Macaroons

There is always a slight confusion when you mention the words 'macarons' and 'vegan' when clearly you know they shouldn't work. Unlike other vegan baking, it is easy to comprehend substituting eggs because it's merely there to help bind your cake. But when it comes to macarons, seeing as eggs are the main ingredient, you can baffle some non-vegans or non-bakers. There is no trickery here, instead of using egg white we use aquafaba. Which is... erm... cooking liquid or brine from beans.

Who would have thought that whipping liquid from a can of chickpeas could create something so delicious?

Probably no-one.

It's one of those things where you have to see it to believe it, but the evidence is in this post. Another preconception is that it will taste like chickpeas. It doesn't. Unless you're like me and try it while it is justaquafaba. My brain was slightly confused about how something so white and creamy could taste anything but good. My brain has definitely learnt its lesson. Please do look into aquafaba because it is actually remarkable, and can be used as substitutes for so many different recipes and as a healthy alternative.

Enough of the technical talk, it's time for tasty macaron talk. These are what I like to call my strawberry party macarons; they're filled with a white chocolate flavoured cream ( strawberry , lemon, pistachios and chocolate buttercream)

They're so light and chewy on the inside, and a slight crunch on the outside. The buttercream centre is creamy and sweet. You honestly won't be able to tell the difference. Plus look at how well they have risen (also known as 'the feet').

These macarons do take a little longer to make than most of my other bakes, but it's mainly to let the macarons to dry, so you won't be in the kitchen for much of the time. They have been said to taste better after a few days, so if you can wait that long, then do so. (I couldn't, so I'm not judging). Another point that is really important is how accurate you need to be with these measurements. Make sure you use an electric scale and not cups. These little party macarons are perfect for parties but would make a beautiful gift, and also a daily snack for you. (I do this myself, so again, I'm not judging).

SO this is HOW YOU MAKE VEGAN MACAROONS !!!

This recipe makes 24 macarons.

MACARONS:

250g of chickpea brine (two 400g tins)

200g icing sugar

100g almond flour

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

30g caster sugar

Superfood blends for colouring of your choice ( I use @unicornsuperfoods blends which are vegan 100% organic , no flavour , and super nutrition !! you can get 15% discount on all items on the online store with VGNBITES15 code )

(Red color , Yellow, Green , Chocolate normal cacao powder ) is what I used)

FILLING

STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM

100g strawberries

1 tbsp granulated sugar

50g dairy-free white chocolate

20g dairy-free butter

30g vegetable shortening

100g icing sugar

LEMON BUTTERCREAM

100g Lemon juice filtered

1 tbsp granulated sugar

50g dairy-free white chocolate

20g dairy-free butter

30g vegetable shortening

100g icing sugar

PISTACHIOS BUTTERCREAM

100g pistachios powder

1 tbsp granulated sugar

50g dairy-free white chocolate

20g dairy-free butter

30g vegetable shortening

100g icing sugar

CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM

100g cacao powder

1 tbsp granulated sugar

50g dairy-free dark chocolate

20g dairy-free butter

30g vegetable shortening

100g icing sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

(This can be done the night before). Pour the liquid from your chickpeas into a saucepan, and on a low heat, heat until the liquid has reduced to 110 grams. Check throughout to make sure it doesn't go under. Leave to cool at room temperature

Prepare some cookie sheets (you will need about 4, preferably ones without a raised edge like THIS ONE), with parchment paper or silicon baking mats.

Weigh your almond flour and powdered sugar. If you are using a coarser almond flour, pulse it in the food processor a few times until it’s very fine. My favorite brands areHoneyville, Blue Diamond, and Costco brand, but I’ve had success with most other brands too.

Using a food processor, mix together the almond flour and icing sugar. This is an easier way of sifting your ingredients as there need to be no lumps. otherwise Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar twice. These seems excessive but it’s so important for really light and fluffy macarons. Very worth the extra step!

Carefully sieve your mixture one last time into another bowl. If there are any lumps remaining, throw those away. Leave to one side.Using a stand-whisk, add the aquafaba and cream of tartar and whisk until light, creamy, and creates soft peaks. This can take up to 15 minutes.Add the caster sugar and continue to whisk. Add your food colouring gel or blends and whisk again until the colour has spread evenly.Carefully fold in your almond and icing sugar mixture a bit at a time. Keep folding until your mixture is well combined and looks shiny. Place a sheet of parchment paper on your baking sheet, and using a round piping nozzle , (or you can Pour the batter into a pastry bag with a ½ inch plain round tip.)

Pipe onto the prepared baking sheets in 2 inch circles, 1 inch apart. Tap the sheets on a hard surface twice (fairly hard – you’re trying to get rid of air bubbles).

You can draw circles on the back of your paper if you aren't too confident about doing this freehand. Bang the tray onto the table 3 times to remove any air bubbles. Leave your macarons to sit for at least 2 hours to dry; they should feel dry when touched. Place into a pre-heated oven (130 degrees° C / 110 degrees° C (fan) / 260°F / gas mark 1) for 15 minutes. They're cooked when the tops are hard, and the bottom has a slight movement. Once cooked, turn off the oven and leave the macarons in there for another 10 minutes. Allow them to cool before removing them from the parchment paper.

To prepare your buttercream:

For the strawberry cream place your strawberries into a blender and blitz until all have become liquid. Pour in a saucepan on a low heat with the granulated sugar and mix until it has reduced (become slightly thicker). Add the white chocolate and keep mixing until it has all incorporated. Leave to cool.Using an electronic whisk, whisk together the dairy-free butter and vegetable shortenings until they're soft and light. Add the cooled strawberry mixture and mix. Add in the icing sugar and mix until fully combined. Add a little milk if needed. Scoop into a piping bag and sandwich between your macarons.Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

For the Lemon cream Pour lemon juice in a saucepan on a low heat with the granulated sugar and mix until it has reduced (become slightly thicker). Add the white chocolate and keep mixing until it has all incorporated. Leave to cool.Using an electronic whisk, whisk together the dairy-free butter and vegetable shortenings until they're soft and light. Add in the icing sugar and mix until fully combined. Add a little milk if needed. Scoop into a piping bag and sandwich between your macarons.Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

For the pistachios cream Pour in a saucepan on a low heat pistachios powder with the granulated sugar and mix until it has reduced (become slightly thicker). Add the white chocolate and keep mixing until it has all incorporated. Leave to cool.Using an electronic whisk, whisk together the dairy-free butter and vegetable shortenings until they're soft and light. Add in the icing sugar and mix until fully combined. Add a little milk if needed. Scoop into a piping bag and sandwich between your macarons.Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

For the Chocolate cream Pour in a saucepan on a low heat cocoa powder with the granulated sugar and mix until it has reduced (become slightly thicker). Add the white chocolate and keep mixing until it has all incorporated. Leave to cool.Using an electronic whisk, whisk together the dairy-free butter and vegetable shortenings until they're soft and light. Add in the icing sugar and mix until fully combined. Add a little milk if needed. Scoop into a piping bag and sandwich between your macarons.Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.

Leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.