VEGAN PÃO DE QUEIJO (BRAZILIAN “CHEESE” BREAD)

Vegan & Gluten free. Makes approx. 15 golf ball sized cheese breads. Inspired by the recipe made by Teffy (sprinkleofgreen.com) with my own personal tweaks.

For the photos I paired my favorite creamy tomato soup because it is the best way to eat this bread. It makes it feel like the grown up version of grilled cheese and canned tomato soup (a personal childhood favorite) that I get to enjoy now free of dairy, gluten and all the salt. Will be sharing more of my favorite soup & bread recipes soon because I love soup & bread, as you’ll see and hopefully enjoy too!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of cooked & mashed sweet potato
2 cups of tapioca starch
1 Tbsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. mixed herbs *
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 cup water
5 Tbsp. flax oil  *

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Peel the sweet potato (1 large one is usually enough) and cut into cubes and boil till soft.
In a large bowl prepare & mix dry ingredients (tapioca, baking powder, mixed herbs & nutritional yeast). Prepare the wet ingredients by bringing the water and oil to a boil and add to the bowl, along with the mashed sweet potatoes and mix together with a metal fork.

Will turn into a sticky impossible to work with texture so its best to let it cool in the fridge for 10 minutes.  Add some extra tapioca starch on a flat surface and your hands to start forming it into gold sized balls. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until solid and cracked on top (usually around 20 minutes).

* Can use any herbs you wish but my favorite is 1 Tbsp. of thyme and 1 Tbsp. of rosemary.
*Can substitute the flax oil for any oil you have, including coconut or olive oil.

Raw Double Chocolate Macaroons

Filling:
2 cups of dates (soaked warm water 5 minutes)
2.5 cups of shredded coconut
3 Tbsp. of cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. of coconut oil

Chocolate Shell:
1/3 cup vegan butter
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract(optional)
1 Tbsp. honey (optional)

Directions:
Blend dates in a high speed blender. Add rest of filling ingredients until mixture forms together. Shape into 1 tbsp sized balls, then place on a pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze 5 minutes. Prepare chocolate mixture by melting the butter and coconut oil on low in a saucepan. Add rest of ingredients and stir until all clumps disappear. Keep on the lowest heat. Dip bottoms in chocolate shell mixture and place back in freezer for 5 minutes. Use a spoon filled with the chocolate mixture to coat the rest of the macaroon. Sprinkle with almond chunks. Drizzle any left over chocolate over the macaroons. Freeze until solid.

*Store in the freezer for up to a month. Fridge for a few days. I prefer them straight out of the freezer but they can be kept/eaten at room temperature too.