Bliss Balls of Delight!

I made these a few moments ago and they are so amazingly delicious that I had to share since they would make the perfect last minutes Valentines treat... or a perfect way to show some love any day if the year!

Best bit... they only take 10 mins from start to finish. Winner!

These are like chocolate bliss balls crossed with Turkish Delight. Rich yet light and delicate. The beetroot dusted coating gives the perfect finish and a hint of subtly sweet and earthy flavour.  

To be honest of you dont have the beet powder, you can omit it- they just wont look so passionate! ;-)

Make a big batch as they'll keep well in the fridge/freezer for a few weeks. Perfect gifted in cellophane bags with a ribbon round the top too!

Recipe: Bliss Balls of Delight!

Makes approx 12-16

Ingredients:

• 2 packed cups dates

• 1 cup finely ground nuts (I used a mix of almonds, macadamia and flaked coconut)

• 1/2 cup cocoa or raw cacao

• 2 tsp rosewater (or more/less to taste)

• 2 tbs beetroot powder

• approx. 3 tbs water

• To decorate: 2 tbs desiccated coconut and 1 tbs beetroot powder

Method:

Add the nuts to a processor and blitz until finely ground. Add all remaining ingredients except the water and continue to process until beginning to get sticky, and the water and process for a few more seconds until the mixture is very sticky and clumpy.  

Using your hands roll into balls and dust in the beet covered dessicated coconut. Allow to chill in the fridge to fully firm up. 

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No-Bake Choc Berry Beet Balls!

I am in love with beetroot power! Aside from the fact it looks super cool with it's bright red colour, it imparts a sweetness to recipes and well as a nutritional boost. Beetroot juice is known to be great for our blood, athletes love it as a pre-work out.

In relation to other so called 'superfoods' beetroot power is actually pretty economically priced, another winner in my view. I mix it into smoothies and porridge but here I have used it as a coating for these chocolate berry balls (you could make other flavours such as choc orange).

I thought they were quite halloweeny or even Christmassy... even though I am trying to resist thinking about Christmas- I imagine they would look awesome in a bowl alongside some spiralling covered chocolate balls! ha ha

What are you plans for Halloween... will you be celebrating?

Recipe: Choc Berry Beet Balls

Makes approx 15 balls

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup packed dates
• ½ cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1 cup cashews or almonds
• ¼ cup cocoa
• ¼ cup beet powder (plus extra to coat)
• ½ tsp cherry extract (or sub for orange extract is that’s more your thing)

Method:

Blend all ingredients together in food processor until you have a slightly sticky well blended mix.

Roll into walnut sized balls with your and dust in the beet powder. Allow to chill in the fridge to firm.

Pancake crazy.... 'red raspberry and beet'!

Happy Pancake Day!

Will you be eating pancakes today? If so I have one final offering to temp you!

...just in case you need even more ideas, you can find more pancake recipes in the 'bressert' category!

These pancakes were a spin off from some similar recent 'red' experiments such as this raspberry beetroot ice cream which was incredible. I also created a buckwheat bake using very similar ingredients to these pancakes but that needs a few tweaks before I can present it the world.

You can't taste the beetroot in you think pancakes, it's a great complement to the raspberry and just serves to emphasise the great colour. Serve them up with a bit of yoghurt or cream for a really striking dessert. I had actually planned to serve it up with my pink ice cream but then forgot at the last moment and hadn't taken it out of the freezer… opps!

You could also add some chia jam if you wanted to go all out on the pink theme and add an extra boost of sweetness!

Recipe: Red raspberry and beet

(the basic recipe was lightly adapted from this recipe on Oh She Glows)

Makes approx 12 pancakes - (feel free to halve the mix if you prefer)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 heaped cup brown rice flour (or spelt)

• 1/2 heaped cup buckwheat flour (or spelt)

• 1/4 scant cup arrowroot (or other starch)

• 2 heaped tsp baking powder

• 2 scant cups non-dairy milk of choice*

• 2-3 tbs unrefined syrup of choice* (adjust to taste as these are only slightly sweet)

• 2 tbs ground flax or chia

• pinch salt

• 1 heaped cup raspberries

• 1 cooked beet

• vegan yoghurt to serve- optional

• extra raspberries to serve- optional

* liquid quantity may vary slightly depending on mix-ins used. For sweetness you may also use stevia or another form of sweetener, if so increase liquid slightly. 

Method:

Blend all ingredients together to get a thick smooth batter. Add the liquid slowly to ensure the smoothest mixture. 

Heat a non-stick saucepan with a little coconut oil (or other oil of choice) and spoon dollops of batter into the pan. Cook for 2-3 mins on one side, carefully flip and cook for a minute on the other. 

Serve immediately or keep warm in the oven on a low heat until all are ready together. 

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Ridiculously healthy - 3 ingredient - pinktastic ice cream!

Please tell me the title grabbed your attention...?

I had to come up with something suitable fitting for this concoction. Simplicity at it's finest.

I made this recipe on Saturday in the midst of having a rather overwhelming and floopy weekend...and this turned the whole thing around for me. Yep this in indeed a game changer! I posted a sneak preview on my Instagram and one comment received was doubtful of the beetroot.... wooah no...most definitely not! This is some seriously good pink stuff ;-)

Even though the main ingredient in this ice cream is banana, the combo of beet and raspberry is pretty powerful and gives a lovely sweetly sharp hint, and so the result is not an immediately obvious banana flavour. My dad couldn't even guess what was in it at all when I presented him with a bowlful for dessert on Sunday evening... he started reeling off ingredients such a white beans... ha ha, he knows me too well! :-)

This will probably be my last pre-Valentines pink post. I'm not even a lovey duvey kind of girl. I think I've simply liked making pink things. I hope you do too!

However you happen to be celebrating On Friday...if indeed at all, I hope you enjoy your Valentines Day. For all those singletons out there, how about a booking a massage or a bubbly bath with oils and a face mask. I've been trying to find time for a bit of self-love as I know I don't prioritise 'me' time nearly as much as I should. 

Recipe: Banana beet and raspberry ice cream (no ice cream maker needed!)

Serves 3-4 (or two if you are ice cream obsessed!)

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas- chunked and pre-frozen

• 1 cup frozen raspberries

• 1 cooked beetroot (i bought them pre-packed)

• 1 tsp vanilla extra (or other flavouring) optional

• few drops stevia (optional for a touch extra sweetness)

Method:

Blend all ingredients together until smooth- but don't over blend as the ice-cream consistency will begin to soften. I added most of the raspberries into the blend, then added at the last few for decoration.

You can serve this immediately as a soft serve or spread into a tub and freeze for a few hours to serve with a scoop. Because this ice-cream uses a banana base, there is no need for an ice cream maker and the ice cream won't form icy crystals as some ice creams can tend to. Winner!

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Black bean beet burgers

Chant the title of this recipe over and over and you’ll have yourself a rap…or something of that sort! Either way these burgers are worth the chant (and the wait for those of you saw the sneaky picture I posted on my Facebook page when I’d first made them a week or so ago)

I know I still have a few recipes to share from my birthday post, and also another birthday related recipe (who doesn’t like to keep birthday’s alive for as long as possible?) but for today, I didn’t want to make you wait any longer for these burgers that have been grinning at me from the folder of photos on my computer desk top for too long!

Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers… Black bean beet burgers…

So I figure the title of this post gives them away rather but apart from having a slight purple tinge, I think they look pretty authentic, complete with chargrilled lines and all.  When I make these burgers again I may reduce the amount of beetroot slightly and also use a mix of cooked quinoa and rice for a variation in texture, since quinoa holds the firmness of the grain more so than rice which may be even more realistic for a meaty texture…just a couple of tiny thoughts to bear in mind, but here I have given you the recipe exactly as I made it.  It goes without saying that you could make a big batch and freeze some. You could also form balls and make meatballs…another variation on this theme.

Typically I don’t seek to replicate ‘meat’ in my meals, I simply don’t feel the need to and a just don’t miss it. I love the taste and textures that veggies and non-meat foods provide without trying to replicate meat…but this was simply a challenge I could not ignore. Plus I wanted to see how authentic I could make these, particularly for non- veggie friends. 

Another important side note to these burgers is that they are very ‘stable’ by that I mean they hold up very well to handling pre-cooking so I think they’d be great for a BBQ! I am definitely going to be making some of these this summer.  I found that the most authentic colouration came from part oven baking and part pan frying in a griddle to obtain the best colour and charred lines. The first batch I just oven baked and they tasted great but just lacked a little something in the visual department… me…perfectionist…never!

I teamed this meal with homemade tomato ketchup, cheezy mustard dip, avocado slices, and a homemade coleslaw. The burgers buns were simply baked versions of my gluten free flatbread with sesame sprinkled on top. Sweet potato fries sealed the deal! I have a recipe for the ketchup and cheezy mustard dip on the way soon….

Enjoy!

Recipe: Black bean beet burgers

Makes approx. 6 burgers

Ingredients

• 1 cup black beans- cooked

• 1 cup brown rice- cooked

• 1 cup oatmeal (GF if needed)

• 1 small onion- finely sliced

• 1/3 cup cooked beetroot- shredded finely

• 2 tbs chia and 3 tbs water

• 2tbs tahini

• 2 tbs tamari soy sauce 

• 2 tsp mustard

• Approx. ½ tsp hot chipoltle sauce (to taste)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½  tsp chilli powder

• ½ tsp paprika

Method

Mash black beans and mix with all other ingredients until you have a well mixed but still textured (meaty) mixture. The mixture should be sticky but manageable.

Form into burger patties approx. 1.5cm thick using your hands or use a cookie cutter as a mould to achieve neat edges (perfectionist!). Lay the burgers on a lined baking sheet and bake for approx. 10 minutes until they are just beginning to brown and then fry on a griddle pan for a few minutes each side to complete the cooking and achieve seared pan lines.

Can be frozen.

This recipe was shared in Allergy Free Wednesday's