This is what we used:

• Bunch of fresh chard (enough to cover two baking sheets)
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Japanese seven spice (shichimi togarashi)
• olive oil for spraying

First we set the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. Then we prepared the chard: washed the leaves, removed the stems, and cut the remaining parts into bite-size pieces. Now we crumpled a baking parchment, spread it on the baking sheet, and sprayed some olive oil on it. Then we covered the baking sheet with the chard pieces, taking care that individual pieces didn’t overlap, and sprayed them with some olive oil. We ground the nutritional yeast, salt and seven spice in a mortar, and sprinkled half of the spice mix on the chard bits. We made two sheetfuls of chips, so the rest of the spice mix was for the second batch.

Now we baked the chard for 7 minutes. They burn really easy, so we started watching them after 5 minutes or so. When they were dry and crunchy, we took them out of the oven. They are best eaten right out of the oven, since they lose their crispness fairly quickly. We devoured two sheetfuls of them in no time – their airy texture and spicy taste is quite addicting!

Instead of just rolled oats I use a four grain mix that includes rolled oats, rye, barley and wheat. The grains have been precooked and then flattened to make them quick to prepare, just like oats often are. This specific four grain mix can be bought in any little grocery in Finland, and we usually cook it into porridge which takes 3 to 10 minutes – we use organic cereals that are ready in 5 minutes. Of course there’s a whole world of cereals, nuts, dried fruit, and seeds you could toss in these bars!

I’ve made three variations so far and they’re all pretty great – the one with peanut butter and sunflower seeds is a basic cupboard-staple option with a sweet caramel undertone, cocoa with cherries is always a lovely combo and satisfies my sweet-tooth quite perfectly, and the mandarin-pistachio-cranberry-goji is the most colorful and sparkles with fruity flavor. I would make each one of these again, but to be honest I guess it is much more likely I’ll experiment with new combinations and ingredients for each batch I make!

Basic Peanut Sunflower Snack Bars:

• 1 and 1/2 dl four grain cereal (or rolled oats)
• 1/2 dl gram (besan, chick pea) flour
• 1/2 dl sunflower seeds
• 1 dl whole cane sugar
• 1/2 dl apple juice
• 3 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Cocoa Cherry Quinoa Snack Bars (pictured below):

• 1 dl four grain cereal (or rolled oats)
• 1/2 dl gram (besan, chick pea) flour
• 1 dl puffed quinoa
• 1/2 dl dried cherries, chopped
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 dl whole cane sugar
• 1/2 dl unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons cashew butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Zesty Berry Pistachio Snack Bars (pictured above):

• 1 dl four grain cereal (or rolled oats)
• 3/4 dl gram (besan, chick pea) flour
• 1 dl puffed quinoa
• 1/2 dl dried cranberries, chopped
• 1/2 dl dried goji berries, chopped
• 1 dl whole cane sugar
• 1/2 dl unsweetened mango sauce
• 1 dl (unsalted, shelled) pistachios, chopped
• grated zest of 1 organic mandarin
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

I toasted the cereal and gram flour (and sunflower seeds for the peanut version, or walnuts for the pistachio one) on a dry frying pan until fragrant and just lightly browned, for about 10 minutes.

While I was toasting the cereal, I placed the sugar and the apple juice (or the apple sauce for the cocoa version, or mango sauce for the pistachio one) in a small cooking pan and cooked over medium heat for about 6 minutes until thick and bubbly. Then I added the nut butter (if used), salt, vanilla, and cinnamon or cocoa powder (if used) in the pan and mixed thoroughly.

Now I poured everything in a mixing bowl and stirred with a fork until there were no dry lumps visible. I placed the dough between two pieces of baking parchment and pressed it with my fingers (I needed to use oven mittens, it was so hot) to a square about 3/4 cm thick. Then I let it set in room temperature, which took about an hour or so, before cutting into bars – this batch makes about 9 to 12 depending on how large you like them. If the bars seem too sticky, I let them dry on the counter for about an hour on each side and they’re easier to handle.

I store these in zip-lock bags, separated by layers of parchment paper to avoid sticking, and in room temperature – these keep pretty well, and this batch isn’t huge either. In warmer climates it might be a good option to store these in the fridge, tightly sealed to avoid moisture creeping in.

I recently found a wonderful organic smoked rye flour. It’s called riihikuiva which means barn-dried in Finnish, and has an amazingly deep and rich smokey flavor. If there’s no smoked flour available, I bet a pinch of smoked paprika with regular rye flour would work just as well. We served these muffins plain, hot from the oven with our evening tea, and I bet muffin halves spread with some vegan cream cheese would be pretty tasty as well.

Dry Mix:

• 2 dl white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 dl smoked rye flour (or another smoked flour, or medium rye flour)
• 1/2 dl oat bran
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar (muscovado)
• 1 teaspoon each: salt, dried basil, chilli flakes

Wet Mix:

• 1 and 3/4 dl plain unsweetened soy yoghurt
• 3/4 dl cold-pressed sunflower oil (or olive oil)
• 1/2 to 3/4 dl water
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed

Add-ins:

• 15 kalamata olives, chopped
• 3 sundried tomatoes in oil, rinsed and chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons capers
• 1 spring onion, sliced

I first preheated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and sprayed 8 muffins cups with olive oil.

I stirred together the wet and dry mixes in separate bowls and then combined the two, being careful not to overmix. I had to add a tablespoon or so more water because the batter was too dry, but this always depends – it’s best to start with 1/2 dl water and add more as needed. I folded in the olives, sundried tomatoes and capers, and spooned the batter in the muffin cups. Then I sprinkled the muffins with some onion slices, and baked them for 17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin came out clean.

The recipe makes enough for three huge carrots cut into sticks – it might seem like there’s not enough dip, but there is. Since the flavor is pretty intense, I wouldn’t consider this a party food. I think this is best enjoyed as a snack, or maybe a light meal for the rare warm summer days when we don’t feel like staying in the kitchen for more than five minutes. I’ve also made this dip with natural peanut butter and that’s all good, but the cashew magic makes it super delicious.

The Dip:

• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons natural roasted cashew butter
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon brown rice vinegar

I just stir everything together with a fork until smooth and serve with a pile of carrot sticks.

There’s only enough batter there to keep things together, letting all the nutty goodness really shine. We munched on these from the fridge for more than a week and the flavors just kept on getting better. I used a cayenne-flavored dark chocolate for the topping, but regular would be fine – maybe sprinkled with a bit of extra cayenne for more spicy kick. I also used whole cane sugar and agave as sweeteners, but to simplify things I’m sure using just one or the other would work as well.

Here’s what I used:

• 2 and 1/2 dl assorted nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, and almonds)
• 1 dl raw coconut flakes
• 1/2 dl chick pea flour (gram or besan)
• 1/2 dl whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 dl coconut oil in room temperature
• 1/2 dl whole cane sugar
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar
• 1 tablespoon soy yoghurt
• 60 grams (cayenne-flavored) dark chocolate, chopped

First, I preheated the oven to 175 degrees Celsius, covered my baking dish with parchment paper, and sprayed it with a bit of olive oil. I also chopped the nuts and the chocolate – the nuts quite coarsely, dividing them only in 2-3 pieces each.

To make the batter, I mixed the dry ingredients except nuts and coconut flakes (chickpea flour through cayenne) in one bowl, and the wet ingredients (coconut oil through soy yogurt) in another. Now I poured the dry into wet and stirred with a fork just enough to mix. Then I poured nuts and coconut flakes in the batter bowl and stirred until they were evenly coated with the batter. There should be just enough batter to coat.

Now I spread the mixture in the baking dish and baked the squares for 15 minutes, until nicely browned. I turned down the heat in the oven, sprinkled the chocolate evenly over the nutty layer, and then placed the baking dish back in the oven for 1 minute to melt the chocolate. I removed the dish from the oven and spread the chocolate evenly with a butter knife, then let the whole thing come to room temperature, and refrigerated for a few hours before cutting into small squares with a sharp, unserrated knife.

The amount of chili can of course be scaled up or down, to suit everyone’s tastes. The seasoning recipe makes just about enough to season 1 dl of unpopped corn kernels, or less if we want a more intense flavor.

Basic Pop Corn:

• 3/4 to 1 dl pop corn kernels
• 1 and 1/2 to 2 tablespoons canola oil

We heat the oil in a cooking pot on high heat and add one corn kernel to see if it’s hot enough – when the kernel pops, it’s time to add the rest. Then we cover the pot, shake it a little, and let the kernels pop. When the popping slows down, we remove the pot from heat, pour the pop corn in a serving bowl, and toss in the seasoning.

The Seasoning:

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango powder, also known as amchur)
• 1/3 teaspoon hot chili powder
• 1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

We just stir all the ingredients together with a fork – the amchoor powder tends to get a bit lumpy, so it’s important to be thorough with this.

This is nice and crunchy and not too sweet, with a hint of cinnamon, ginger, vanilla and cashew nut butter for extra flavor. We usually don’t eat sweet things for breakfast and rarely ever buy granola, but I am now very much hooked to this homemade version – it’s so delicious as a snack with plain soy yoghurt or vegan milk. And obviously there’s plenty of room for creativity when it comes to granola, with all the nuts and seeds and dried fruits and extracts just waiting to be added for good measure.

Here’s what I used:

• 6 dl rolled oats
• 2 dl soy flakes (by Soyappétit), slightly crushed
• 2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 dl muscovado (whole cane) sugar
• 5 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon cashew nut butter
• 1 tablespoon soy milk

First I heated the oil, sugar, nut butter, and soy milk on medium heat until the sugar had melted. I removed the pot from heat and combined the dry ingredients – oats through ginger – in a bowl. Then I poured the sugar mixture and vanilla extract in the dry stuff, stirred with a fork until thoroughly combined (this takes some time), and spread the granola on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

I baked my granola in 150 degrees Celsius, first 12 minutes, then tossed it, and baked for another 12 minutes, removed from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet. This all depends on the oven I guess, so the granola might need another 5 to 10 minutes of baking time – it should get golden brown (the bits that aren’t cocoa brown) and crunchy.

This is how our soy flakes look like: they’re very light and airy.

I find it oddly gratifying that anything baked, using only whole spelt flour, and filled with lentils and quinoa can compare to those deepfried, salt-laden treats – even if the yumminess of my pies is of a different, more wholesome kind. The dough I used was adapted from the recipe I found from the Dog Hill Kitchen blog, and which I used in my apple pocket pies last year. It’s lovely and very easy to work with. This time I actually colored the dough yellow with turmeric, which doesn’t show in the picture much at all – my photographic eye hasn’t gotten used to the bright spring sun just yet!

The Dough (made 10 medium-sized pies):

• 5 and 1/2 dl whole spelt flour
• 2 dl water (cold)
• 5 tablespoons margarine (cold)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper

I first combined the flour, salt, baking powder and spices in a bowl, and then mixed the margarine in with a fork. When the dough started to be very crumbly without any large lumps of margarine, I added the water, and kneaded with my hands until smooth, soft and workable. A little more flour or a little more water might be needed, it all depends on how dry the flour is.

Then I placed the dough in the fridge while I made the filling.

The Filling (for 10 pies and some leftovers):

• 1 and 1/2 dl red lentils, rinsed
• 1 dl quinoa, rinsed
• 4 dl water
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• canola oil for frying
• 2 teaspons grated ginger
• 2 dl cabbage, grated
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons mild curry paste (Rajah’s or similar)
• 2 teaspoons curry leaves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon chili flakes
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 dl chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon veggie broth powder (if needed)
• 1 dl plain soy yoghurt

I first heated the oil in a non-stick pan and fried the onions until soft. Then I added the ginger and fried a minute or two, added the cabbage and fried until a little softened, and then added the following: curry paste, coriander, chili flakes, and curry leaves. After a few minutes I poured in the lentils, quinoa, and water, and brought them to boil. Then I covered the pan and lowered the heat, and let the filling simmer for 15 minutes.

At this point the quinoa was almost done and the filling had a porridge-like consistency. I removed it from heat, stirred in garam masala, soy yoghurt, and cilantro, as well as a teaspoon of veggie broth powder to add some saltiness. It might not even be necessary since curry pastes are often quite salty.

Before the assembly, the filling needed to cool down to room temperature, so it wouldn’t melt the margarine in the dough.

To Assemble:

I divided the dough in 10 equal parts and rolled each into a ball. Then I floured my working surface lightly with some spelt flour, and rolled each ball out until they had the diameter of about 13 centimeters. Now I placed a generous amount of filling in the center of each round, folded them over to form a half-moon shape, and sealed with the spikes of a fork. I also poked a few air vents in each pie with the fork.

Then I baked the curry pies in 175 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. I find that in our climate, these are best stored in a paper bag in room temperature, but we did freeze a few for future lunches as well.

This batch serves 2 people as a snack or a starter – I have a feeling that next time we make these I will be doubling the recipe. The mint flavor came out quite delicate despite the seemingly large amount of mint leaves in the recipe, possibly because our mint was a little bit on the dry side.

The Ingredients:

• 200 g firm tofu, not pressed
• 1 dl cashew nuts
• 1 dl mint leaves, lightly packed
• 2 cloves garlic
• a 5 cm piece of a lemon grass stalk
• 1 red Thai chili, de-seeded
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

I placed half of the tofu, cashew nuts, mint leaves, garlic, lemon grass, the chili, and a splash of water in our mini food processor, and started blending into a coarse paste. The paste didn’t end up completely smooth, just so that there were no larger pieces of lemon grass or chili – I think this could easily be achieved with an immersion blender as well.

Now I crumbled the rest of the tofu, and added that to the spicy paste. I seasoned the dough with salt, and it was ready to be fried.

I heated a tin layer of canola oil in a frying pan, formed the dough into 10 balls, and flattened them lightly. I actually battered two of the croquettes with a gram flour and water mixture (the one that is on the right side of the picture being one of those), but I think the un-battered ones were slightly nicer.

I fried the croquets on high to medium high heat until browned on both sides, and then drained them on kitchen towel. I served these right away with an easy dipping sauce made with lime juice, soy sauce, and a pinch of sugar.

There are numerous more or less detailed recipes for farinata around the internet, but I mostly relied on the one from The Daily Spud, who got it from a book by Elizabeth David. I added fresh rosemary and garlic for additional flavor. We enjoyed the farinata for dinner with oven roasted vegetables, and had the leftovers for a snack on the next day, when we fried our slices on a frying pan to get the crispiness back.

We both think farinata is a bit like polenta, but has much more flavor than any polenta we’ve ever cooked. Not to say polenta couldn’t be as good as this farinata – we just haven’t mastered cooking it right just yet. Some recipes have up to three times more olive oil in a similar amount of batter, but the 3 tablespoons I used was still enough to make the bottom side all shiny and crispy.

Here’s the short list of ingredients:

• 200 g, or about 4 and 1/2 dl chickpea flour (gram or besan)
• 6 and 1/2 dl water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (plus some more)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed (optional)

The farinata batter needs to rest for four hours before baking, so this recipe requires some planning ahead.

First, I whisked together the water, the olive oil, and the chickpea flour, making sure there were no lumps. The batter is pretty liquid, but it sets perfectly in the oven. I covered the bowl and let the batter rest for 4 hours.

Then I preheated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius, and brushed a round pie tray with olive oil. I mixed the salt, garlic, and rosemary in the batter, and poured it in the baking dish. Now, I baked the farinata for 30 minutes in 200 degrees Celsius, then upped the heat to 225 Celsius and baked for 15 minutes more.