Chocolate Crispy Cake 'Bliss Bars'
So here's a super simple recipe that I first made a month or two ago and I think I have now made at least 4 times since! It's a great one to make with or for kids too.
They are soooooo moreish it's unreal.... a soft and chewy 'bliss ball' texture with loads of crispy flakes mixed through.
The added bonus with the high proportion of flakes mixed in is that it helps lighten up an otherwise dense snack... that's the only problem with bliss balls/energy balls- they are very dense for their size and if like me you have a tendency to 'eat with your eyes' - it's very easy to overdo it!
So here's a super simple recipe that I first made a month or two ago and I think I have now made at least 4 times since! It's a great one to make with or for kids too.
They are soooooo moreish it's unreal.... a soft and chewy 'bliss ball' texture with loads of crispy flakes mixed through.
The added bonus with the high proportion of flakes mixed in is that it helps lighten up an otherwise dense snack... that's the only problem with bliss balls/energy balls- they are very dense for their size and if like me you have a tendency to 'eat with your eyes' - it's very easy to overdo it!
Guilty admission- as I sit here writing this post, I have a box of these bites beside to take on a road trip with a friend this afternoon, BUT I have already munched through the about four of them! Oooops.... ;-)
This most recent batch I made had protein powder added instead of the coconut flakes. This really helps bump up the protein count, if that's your thing for for it. One tip- I found they flavour was so much better the following day- on day 1 I could slightly taste the protein powder but by the second day onwards it had pretty much disappeared as the flavours had time to meld.
You can use any type of crispy flaked cereal you like, but for extra nutritional value I used these amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat cornflakes by RealFoodSource (amaranth is shown in the photos here)
You can press the mix into a square pan and cut into squares/bars or roll into balls, both work great. They freeze well too, and can even be munch o straight from the feeezer (mind your teeth- you may prefer to defrost a little!)
Add any 'mix-ins' you fancy, some other dried fruits, nutty chunks or an extract such as peppermint, orange or almond always go down well. If using an extract- about 1/2 tsp should do mixed in at the start, with other ingredients pulse through at theed for a chunky texture.
Recipe: Chocolate Crispy Cake 'Bliss Bars'
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped dates
1/2 cup cocoa (or raw cacao)
1/4 cup ground flax (optional but I like the hidden nutritional boost)
1/2 cup ground almonds (or any ground nut)*
a pinch of salt
1 cup flakes cereal
handful chocolate chips or cacoa nibs- optional for extra crunch and chocolateyness
* for the protein version I swapped the ground nuts for defatted almond protein powder- you favorite neutral protein blend would also work here.
Method:
Place the dates, cocoa, flax, nuts and salt in a food processor. process until you have a soft-ish, sticky and clumpy mix- you will likely need to add 2-3 tbs water to create the right consistency.
Add the cereal flakes and choc chips (if using) and pulse through to mix in evenly.
Press firmly into a tin or roll into balls, Chill for an hour until firm.
Will keep for a week or two in the fridge or you can freeze them.
Portugal so far... plus chocolate recipe with a quirky ingredient!
Hello! I am at Merkaba in the mountains of Northern Portugal! If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you will already know all about this! i decided to treat myself to a month long birthday present so deeper my own inner journey and spiritual growth.. you'll find more on all that over on the mindset blog.
I am here for the entire month of May (well just over 3.5 weeks) and am settling into community life. It is an incredible space... and the view is stunning! That said we did have ten full days of torrential rain- though luckily out of the other side of that now. Sunshine looks set for the rest of my stay! The rain was a great teacher and afforded me much thinking space.
Check out the amazing Kitchen space! This is where I have been unleashing some creativity :-)
I'm off to join the yoga class on the bus deck shortly (yes the deck next to a converted double decker bus!) and so will leave you with a quick recipe (and some extra food pics)!
One of the guys cooked up way to too much couscous so I tried tho think of as many ways to use it as possible.... these chocolate bars were a huge hit! You could use any grain really- I would typically go for quinoa as a more nutritious and gluten free option. Or how about millet of amaranth?
.... apologies for photo quality. I only had my phone an the lighting was not too great!
Recipe: Chocolate cous-cous snack bars
Ingredients;
- 2 cups cooked cous-cous (or other grain- see notes above)
- 1/3 cup peanut butter (crunchy is good for added texture)
- 1 cup chopped dates (with 1/4 cup hot water to partly soften them*)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup soaked seeds (I used sunflower and pumpkin)
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar if needed- adjust to taste)
- 1/2 cup cocoa nibs (mixed through or press on top)
- chocolate drizzle- optional (cacao coconut oil and coconut sugar)
Method:
Blend the peanut butter, coconut oil and soaked dates (I softened my dates simply the processor here is very basic).
Stir all remaining ingredients together then add the wet 'paste'. Stir/mash evenly to coat fully then press into a lined brownie sized tin. I added a little chocolate drizzle to decorate
Firm up in the fridge before slicing into squares.
Here is a little teaser to some other meals I've been enjoying here...
Al food is plant based and organic as far as possible. Much of it is also raw, so I've been trying out loads of raw nut and seed based sauces, I really want to share this one of mine with the gang soon! Also lots of decadently healthy raw desserts. For my first two weeks here Tracy from Raw Happy was here- she is a raw food chef and also amazing yoga teacher and cooked up some incredible meals and treats of us all.
Juice Pulp 'Coleslaw'
Remember this post for my 'apple pie' juice? Well, now I have a second recipe for you... this one is a little bit different.
This is NOT a juice!
One of the things that has always frustrating me about the idea of juicing is what to do with the pulp…. I almost feel like shouting ’Nooooooo’ as I tip it into the compost.
When I was presented with the opportunity to trial the Juico Uno, my first inclination was to research recipes to use the pulp. If you are anything like me, that has probably played on your mind too. Organic veggies are not cheap and so I want to salvage an much as I possible can of them. I know there are recipes out their for juice pulp burgers and such which I am yet to try but today I have something much, much easier. Plus it requires no cooking which also means no loss of nutritional value. Win win!!
Play around with various different pulp combinations. You may find some veggies are more fibrous than others, and some pulp remains wetter than others. I think the fact that this particulate batch had some tomato pulp gave it a great texture.
Get creative with herbs and spices too. This recipe is simply a guide to get started.
I kept this batch in a sealed container in the fridge and used it as a side or topping for various meals and snacks over the following couple of days…. try in salads, mixed with hummus, over avocado toast, in sandwiches. Or even sprinkle over hot meals one such as pastas dishes once served, to give a boost of colour and fibre!
Checkout my little videos demonstrating the veggie juice (salad in a glass!) and also the pulp coleslaw in action!
You’ll see my Juico photos popping up over social media… plus a few videos clips I recorded. (you would have laughed at my ridiculous video set-up balancing my camera on a box stacked on a step ladder in the kitchen to get the angle) I’m no video pro but i’m having fun trying!
P.s like I mentioned join my first post. I was gifted the Juico Uno Juicer in return for trialling it and producing content to show how it can be used… but as ever all the thoughts here are all my own!
If you have a juicer… you must give this a go next time you have some veggie based pulp! (then let me know what you think!)
Recipe: ‘salad’ coleslaw
Serves approx. 4
Ingredients- The pulp leftover from juicing:
- 1 red pepper
- 2 large carrots
- 6 romaine lettuce leaves (or equivalent)
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tomatoes
Plus:
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 tbs balsamic vinegar
- a little salt and pepper to taste
- herbs or species to taste (I used a tablespoon chopped fresh mint or you could use a sprinkle of cayenne for a kick)
Method:
Make the juice using the vegetables and set aside to consume separately
The remaining pulp will be fairly wet due to the nature of vegetables used. Toss with a fork to mix and then add the remaining ingredients. Toss again to mix and then serve as a side or anywhere you’d use ‘coleslaw’ such as a burger topping’.
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PB&J cinnamon tofu sandwich... protein packed!
Whilst I was experimenting with Keto eating, boosting my protein without beans and pulses needed a little more planning.
I don't tend to cook with a lot of tofu, partly because I don't really enjoy it as a meat substitute but also because tofu tends to get a bit of a bad rap on terms of digestibility and it being more processed than other food options. I also eat soy yoghurt as my go-to non dairy option (convenience more than anything) so I don't want to rely on tofu in other forms and overdo it.
All that said, there are times when it is a great low carb, high protein boost. I really enjoy it in chocolate mousses an baked croutons (recipe in my book) or now ...as a sandwich! It made great 'bread'.
It worked really well here as a sweet option. Though I imagine a savoury filling and seasoning would be good. I served it hot and crisp from the pan. If it cooled I imagine it could get a little rubbery... i'll leave you to test that :-)
I used a handful of raspberries that I mashed with chia seed to make a quick 'jam'. Depending on how much fruit you used would depend if it fell into the keto camp in terms of carb count. You could literally use a thin layer as a little taste which a big slather of peanut (or even better almond) butter.
Recipe: PB&J cinnamon tofu sandwich
Ingredients:
- 4 slices packaged tofu (approx 8-10mm thick)
- 1 tbs coconut oil
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
- few drops stevia
Filling:
- handful raspberries (or other berries)
- 2 tsp chia seeds
- approx 1/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
Method:
Mix the berries and chia on a small bowl and set aside.
Slice the tofu and lightly press it to rid some of the water. Warm the coconut oil in a frying pan (or griddle for pretty lines!) then add the cinnamon, vanilla and stevia and swirl around the pan to mix.
Fry the tofu slices in the oil mix until cooked through, crispy and golden- approx 5 mins turning halfway.
Serve hot as a stack layered up with nut butter and the chia jam.
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Quick hemp and avocado 'coodles'
Want a rich and filling lunchtime snack ready in five minutes? This is perfect for Spring, requires no cooking and is a great base for any toppings you might have to hand.
I had fun with my spiraliser... feel like its been a while! Now we are getting closer to the warmer weather I think it will be making a more regular appearance again.
I've played around with avocado-based sauces and dips on numerous occasions but here I blended it with shelled hemp seed and a generous squeeze of lime for a tasty twist and an extra protein boost. Olives and tomatoes seemed the obvious topping to me but you could use what ever you fancy. Why not try some roasted veggies for a 'hot and cold' flavour combo. You could also use ground almonds instead of hemp if you prefer- usually tasty!
This would also make a great picnic dish for a lunchtime snack at the office or a tapas dish to take to a party.
This recipe was one of my keto experiments. I'm still playing around with the keto style of eating but I am trying to reintroduce a few beans and pulses back into my diet- patly because I really missed them (more than sweet things!) but also because they are such a useful protein source. Some days I am likely to be out of keto because of this, I am simply finding a balance that works well for me.
Avocado is such a versatile ingredient for all types of diet, it's mild and creamy and full of healthy fats. What's your favourite way too use avocado?
p.s I don't think I'll ever get bored of taking photos of tomatoes... perfectly photogenic :-)
Recipe: Hemp and avocado 'coodles'
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 1 courgette
- 1 small avocado
- 3 tbs ground almonds/shelled hemp
- 3 mint leaves- finely chopped (or other herb- such as parsley or basil)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2tsp oilve oil
- Toppings: chopped olives and sliced cherry tomatoes plus a little salt and pepper
Method:
Spiralise the courgette and set aside. Blend the avocado with the almond/hemp seeds, lime juice, chopped mint leaves and olive oil and mix through the courgette noodles.
Serve into a bowl and top with cherry tomato halves and olives with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.
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Flax focaccia... sweet and savoury!
Once of my first keto experiments was the flax focaccia bread from Leanne's book. I wanted an easy snack recipe that I could eat on it's own (with almond butter!) or add as a extra boost to meals. I had to make some adaptations to make it vegan since the original recipe uses eggs, therefore the texture is likely not to be so 'fluffy' but it still tasted good to me!
I also decided to experiment with a second batch as a semi-sweet version using ground ginger. Since flax is quite a powerful flavour, I needed to use a spice that could hold its own work as a compliment. I also used vanilla bean for an edge of softenss and molasses … Well, just because gingerbread and molasses go hand-in-hand and you only need a tiny touch to get the depth of flavour.
Even though I call this a 'sweet' bread, it really is only very lightly sweet since I used only pure stevia and no other form of sweetness. If you are not on a strict low-carb diet then I would suggest adding 2 tablespoons of syrup or coconut sugar to taste.
I enjoyed this gingerbread version with plain soy yoghurt that I had also mixed with vanilla. Don't skip on the pecans, they really add a lovely touch to the bread and give great crunch. Pecans always remind me of caramel and toffee... I guess that's what they are often paired with, so for me they psychologically conjure up a hint of extra sweetness!
The savoury focaccioa slices makes a great side for a salad... the bowl in these pictures was a combo of lots of low carb raw veggies (plus a few tomatoes for a flavour pop), some homemade saurekraut plus an olive dressing mixed with a little water to make a drizzle sauce.
Recipe: Keto flax focaccia- sweet and savoury
This recipe is adapted from Leanne’s book- Keto Beginning
Makes 1 8” round cake pan
Ingredients:
1 cup ground flax
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup almond butter/tahini
¼ cup warm water
2 tbs coconut oil
Chia seeds for topping (savoury version)
For sweet version:
Reduce salt to a pinch
Add: 1 tbs ginger, 1 tsp vanilla bean powder, 1 tsp molasses and few drops stevia to taste.
A handful of toasted pecans.
Method:
Mix the flax, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. (plus add ginger vailla for sweet version)
Melt the coconut oil and almond butter/tahini into the warm water (plus stevia and molasses for sweet version)
Mix the wet into the dry until well mixed then spoon the mixture into prepared baking pan- I used a round 8” silicone cake tray. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon, spinkle over the chia or reds in the pecans and transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake bread for 15-20 minutes, until top is lightly browned.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before lifting from the tin. Allow to cool fully before slicing.
Store in the fridge or freezer.
Why not sign up for my newsletter in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers plus my FREE ebook. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus.
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Superfood granola!
Granola is already a super food.... ha ha see what I did there ;-)
Oh dear, i think i'm having one of those crazy days where overwhelm has finally taken a backseat to 'crazy lady lets just go with the flow' mode. I'm kinda liking it. Ok, so the fact that I have Michael Buble playing in the background as I write may have something to do with that.
Anyway. Stop getting distracted.
We're talking granola today, but not just any kind of granola. This version has super powers! (kind of).
In a nutshell I have cooked up a batch of regular granola clusters, the regular granola you all know and love BUT I infused it with all the super foods I had to hand plus a boost of quinoa. Note, there are no hard and fast rules here just mix in a bit of whatever you have and taste test as you go so you can tweak it to your liking! I appreciate that some super foods can have pretty powerful flavours! I didn't add greens powder because i was scared too- my granola was of the semi sweet variety. But feel free to do so.....?
The key thing here is to bake on a super low heat so as much of the goodness as possible is retained the lower the better basically, for as long as it takes to dry out to your desired consistency. I tried this win both the dehydrator and oven and both ways work well. Obviously it does't need to be clumpy if you prefer smaller flakes, it will dry out more evenly that way too.
What are your favourite 'super foods' to add to recipes? I'm always a cinnamon and maca girl.
Superfood granola... baked on the low!
Ingredients:
- 1 large banana or apple- pureed
- 1 cup packed dates (to make approx ½ cup date paste)
- ½ tsp pure stevia
- 3 tbs chia
- 1 tbs each maca, acai, mesquite, cinnamon (use any superfood powders other than greens!)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 ½ cups jumbo oats
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (optional or sub other grain)
- ½ cup soaked seeds of choice
- handful of cacoa nibs- optional
Method:
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Puree the banana/apple and dates and then mix through with the dry ingredients until well coated. Add the seeds last.
Spread in clumps on a lined baking sheet or dehydrator sheet. Bake for 60-90 mins in the lowest oven setting (mine was approx 90C) or dehydrate for approx 8 hours (maybe more as I forgot to time it!) The smaller the clumps the quicker it will ‘cook’
Using a low temperature helps preserve as much of the superfood goodness as possible!
'Scary' baked sweet potato slices!
The days feel like they are slipping away so fast at the moment.... I just looked back at my blog feed and realised I've only actually posted one recipe this week (plus a couple of other non-food posts)
What's going on!
Life.
I have so many recipes I want to make, so many that have actually been made and are waiting to be turned into blog posts.... but just so little time to do it!
I blame the coaching courses and Wholeplus. It will all be worth it in the end I know, and foodie progress with Wholeplus can only be a good thing (updates on all that soon), it just gets frustrating at times when it feels like everything is pulling me away from sitting down to write you a recipe.
Ah, now that feels better. Strop over.
Ok, I'll keep this short and sweet not least because the recipe is just that.
I was originally inspired by Gena's halloween themed post and then simple added a savoury twist and some decorations of sorts! You see some green piping on some of the faces... that is a dip I hope to share next week, but that is only optional or you can also use this recipe as a base.
P.s the red sauce on the side isn't really a recipe- just some canned tomatoes with spices, but you could try adding this healthy tomato ketchup
I have one more Halloween themed post (the dip) that I'll try and get up early next week. Then you know what? I think we need some more cake back in our lives...it's been way too long!
Recipe: Scary sweet potato slices
Ingredients:
- 1-2 long evenly shaped sweet potatoes- cut into 1cm slices
- 1-2 tsp garam masala (or spices of choice)
- 1-2 tsp olive oil (or preferred oil)
Decorations:
- blanched almonds
- pumpkin seeds
- sunflower seeds
- walnuts (for brains!)
- ...plus anything else you can think of!!
Method:
Mix sweet potato slices with the oil and spices and bake on a lined baking sheet for up 30 minutes until cooked and slightly golden.
Arrange on your serving platter and then create faces with the 'decorations' of choice.
I'd love to see what you come up with if you make them!!
