Chocolate Rocher Bars

When I was a kid, my parents took us (my brother, sister and I) to the North of Quebec.

Back then, my family was really religious, and we were part of a cult. The cult was fairly small. There were I think a total of 5 churches all over Quebec (and it only exists in Quebec). Now, I know at least two of those churches became independent. And in the North, there was only a family. Not sure how they came to know of the existence of our church, but the church members regularly went to visit them during their summer vacation. I don't know if they are still part of the church or not.

Anyway, although I think that cult messed up my mind for a long time, there was at least one good thing I got out of it (because you always have too look at the bright side of things, right?) And I got it from that trip. That lady in the North of Quebec, she made awesome chocolate rocher cookies!

Seeing we liked the cookies so much, my mom asked for the recipe, and we have been making them at home regularly.

I decided to shape them into chocolate bars instead of cookies. They are super easy to make, and delicious. Ah, and I veganized the recipe too, obviously.

CHOCOLATE ROCHER BARS

Ingredients

1/2 cup of almond milk
1/2 cup of vegan margarine
2 cups of vegan sugar
6 table spoons of cacao powder
3/4 cup of peanut butter
1 tea spoon of vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups of oats (not quick cooking oats)

Instead of the peanut butter, you can also use chopped walnuts.


Directions

Mix the first three ingredients in a pot and heat it over medium heat until the margarine is melted. Bring to a boil and stir well until smooth. Lower the heat and add the cacao powder. Remove from the heat and pour in the rest of the ingredients (peanut butter, vanilla, and oats). Pour the mixture in a rectangular Pyrex plate. Flatten the mixture out with a spoon and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours.

It should be kept cold in the fridge after that. If you keep it at room temperature, it will become too gooey and sticky.

Enjoy!

A classic: Crepes with maple syrup

I went grocery shopping yesterday morning, and I could not resist buying maple syrup. I live in Brazil, and this is clearly imported from Canada (hence the French on the bottle), so it is quite pricy. When my father came to visit me last May, before the World Cup craze, he brought me a few cans. But they are already over. I have been craving for maple syrup since.

Crepes with maple syrup was a staple food in my house growing up. Every Saturday morning, we were almost certain to have it for breakfast. Now that I am vegan, I no longer use my family recipe, but my own version, cruelty-free.

VEGAN CREPES

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup, all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
A pinch of sea salt
1 cup of soy milk
2 tablespoons of vegan margarine, melted
More margarine to cook the crepes

Often, crepes batter use sugar, but I don't put it, since I find the maple syrup in itself contains enough sugar! You can use whole wheat flour if you prefer, or use a mixture of both whole wheat and all purpose flour for a healthier alternative. I didn't have any whole wheat flour at hand. You can also add in a mashed banana to the batter, or oats, which gives it a nice and healthy taste.

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder and salt). Whisk in the milk and the melted margarine until the batter is smooth. It shouldn't be too liquid. Heat some more margarine in a frying pan. When the margarine is all melted and boiling, it means the pan is hot enough. If the pan is not hot enough, the batter will stick and you won't have a nice looking crepe (my daddy's trick!). Pour in enough batter to make the first crepe. Cook for 1 or 2 min until the batter is darker around the edges. The top of the crepe should not be runny. Flip it and cook on the other side. Once cooked through, put aside on a plate and repeat the process until there is no more batter. Serve with bananas or fruit of your choice and maple syrup.

Bon appétit!