Pegan baking

A pegan diet combines two popular trends — paleo and vegan. One might wonder what to eat for dessert, if you are on a pegan diet. These four healthyish desserts or snacks are all vegan, but also glutenfree and without refined sugar. They are packed with nutrients and are super delicious. It’s time to add chickpeas, black beans, oats, quinoa and black rice to your baking.

APPLE QUINOA SNACK BARS

10 SERVINGS

These apple quinoa snack bars look almost like an apple pie — and taste as delicious. Enjoy as a healthy dessert or grab one on the go as a nutritious snack.

INGREDIENTS

100 g quinoa

100 g shredded zucchini

250 g oats

150 g apple puree

½ tsp vanilla powder

pinch of salt

2 apples

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Rinse and cook the quinoa according to the package. Let it cool down.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

3. Shred the zucchini and put it in a sieve for a moment.

4. In a bowl, combine the quinoa, oats, apple puree, vanilla and salt and mix with a spoon. Add the shredded zucchini and mix again.

5. Line a baking pan (about 15 x 20 cm) with parchment paper and press the mixture evenly into the pan with a spoon.

6. Slice the apples thinly and place on top. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Alternatively you can also cut the apples into small pieces and add to the mixture with the shredded zucchini.

7. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

CHICKPEA BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

10 SERVINGS

This creamy chickpea blueberry cheesecake is a vegan version of a classic baked New York cheesecake. The secret to the velvety and rich texture is a combination of oat-based cream cheese and chickpeas. And you would never know.

CRUST

250 g oats

8 big Medjool dates

2 tbsp coconut oil

pinch of salt

3 - 4 tbsp of water

FILLING

1 can (400 g) of chickpeas (cooked)

100 ml orange juice

300 g oat spread (or other vegan cream cheese)

zest of 2 lemons

juice of 1 lemon

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

2 tbsp corn starch

400 ml coconut milk

3 tbsp maple syrup (or other sweetener)

200 g blueberries (fresh or frozen and thawed)

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas thoroughly and put in a bowl. Pour the orange juice over the chickpeas and let them soak while you prepare the crust.

2. For the crust, place the oats in a blender or food processor and pulse until fine flour.

3. Add the pitted dates, coconut oil and salt. Pulse and add water until a dough forms.

4. Line a cake tin with parchment paper or use coconut oil. Then press the dough firmly into the bottom of the tin and refrigerate while you make the filling.

5. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.

6. Add all filling ingredients except the blueberries into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

7. Pour the filling over the crust.

8. Puree the blueberries and add about half of the puree on top of the filling. If you like, add the puree in small dots and make swirls using a chopstick or a toothpick.

9. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes. A wobble in the middle is ok, it will firm up once cooled down.

10. Refrigerate overnight and serve with some blueberry puree.

11. Refrigerate overnight and serve with some blueberry puree or fresh blueberries.

12. Serve with blueberry puree or fresh blueberries.

BLACK RICE PUDDING WITH CITRUS

4 SERVINGS

This sticky black rice pudding is a comforting but healthy dessert. It is also perfect for breakfast or as a snack. Take advantage of the citrus fruit season and add some beautiful clementines or other citrus fruit to the pudding.

INGREDIENTS

250 g black rice

400 ml coconut milk

300 ml water

1 tsp cardamom

½ tsp vanilla powder

pinch of salt

zest and juice of 2 organic clementines

1 - 2 tbsp coconut or maple syrup

Clementines and coconut flakes for serving

1. Rinse the black rice thoroughly. Check the package for instructions if the rice you are using needs to be soaked.

2. Place the rice, coconut milk and water in a pot and heat until boiling.

3. Add the salt, cardamom, zest and juice of the clementines and let the rice simmer for about 45 minutes under a lid. Stir occasionally.

4. Add coconut or maple syrup according to your taste.

5. Enjoy warm or cold with clementines, coconut flakes and some more syrup if you like.

BLACK BEAN BROWNIES AND DATE CARAMEL

16 SERVINGS

These flourless black bean brownies are fudgy and super delicious. The best part is that they are easy to make and only take about 10 minutes of prep time. If you want to take this dessert to the next level, serve the brownies with some sweet and salty date caramel.

INGREDIENTS FOR BROWNIES

2 tbsp chia seeds or ground flax seeds + 6 tbsp water

1 can (400 g) black beans (cooked)

150 g cacao pulver

4 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp oat milk

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp coconut or maple syrup

100 g coconut sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp

optional: 50 g vegan dark chocolate chips or crushed nuts

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C.

2. Mix together 2 tbsp chia seeds or 16 ground SERVINGS flax seeds with 6 tbsp water and set aside to sit for five minutes.

3. Drain and rinse the black beans and put in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

4. Add all other ingredients to the blender (except the optional chocolate chips or nuts). Also add the chia or flax seed mixture. Blend until smooth.

5. If you like, add some chocolate chips or crushed nuts to the batter and mix with a spoon.

6. Line a baking pan (about 20 x 20 cm) with parchment paper and pour the batter into the pan.

7. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

8. Let the brownies cool down on a rack and then put in the fridge to set overnight or for at least a couple of hours.

INGREDIENTS FOR DATE CARAMEL

200 g Medjool dates (pitted and cut in half)

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp oat milk

1 tbsp coconut or maple syrup

1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Soak the dates in boiled water for 5 minutes.

2. Then drain and add to a blender with all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth and add a layer on top of the cooled brownies.