Vegan Almond and Strawberry Halvas

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This Almond halvas is a very easy dessert and very healthy considering that it is eggless, milkless and without a trace of fat in it.  

Easter is just a few days away and this will probably be my last post before Easter.  

The fasting period is almost over but there are some days during Lent when not only animal products are not allowed for the Orthodox fasting period but also any kind of fat, be it animal or vegetable fat.  

Good Friday is one of them as well as Holy Saturday.

This wonderful vegan dessert is perfect for these two days.  

The recipe was given to me by my nephew’s wife in Cyprus.  It’s a very easy dessert and very healthy considering that it is eggless, milkless and without a trace of fat.  

It’s main ingredient is almond in the form of a cordial, which is a syrup made from almonds and raw almonds.  

It is then thickened with semolina.  The amount of sugar depends  on how sweet you like this pudding.  

The amount used may seem a lot but believe me it is not sweet at all.  

Now if you can’t find almond cordial you can experiment and make it with almond milk or rose cordial, vyssinada, which is a sour cherry cordial or just make some syrup with water, sugar and blossom water, or use fresh orange  or mandarin juice and why not pomegranate to make the syrup?  

My twist to the recipe was the addition of the strawberry sauce.

Vegan Almond and Strawberry Halvas

Preparation time:  10 minutes

Cooking time:  10 minutes

Ingredients:

Strawberry Sauce:

• 300 grams strawberries, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice

Halvas Pudding:

• 1 1/2 cups soumada (almond cordial)
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 4  cups water
• 1 1/2 cups fine semolina
• 1/2 cup blanched and finely chopped almonds

Directions: 

1. Put the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a non stick frying pan and cook for about five minutes.  Press the strawberries to release some juice and mix until the syrup thickens.  Set aside to cool.
2. Put the water, sugar and soumada on the heat and when it begins boiling add the semolina.  Stir with a balloon whisk unit it sets.  Add the almonds, mix and remove from the heat.
3. Wet the bottom of a mold or a bundt form with a few tablespoons of strawberry syrup.  Add half the pudding which spread evenly using a spoon.  Add half the strawberry sauce on top and cover with the remaining pudding.
4. Refrigerate for a few hour and then unmold.
5. Serve the pudding with more strawberry sauce on top.

 

You can find many more Greek recipes in my cookbook “More Than A Greek Salad”, available on all Amazon stores.

You can find more Lenten or Vegan Recipes here. Wishing you all a Happy Easter.

 

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi,

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