Saturday 2 February 2013

Apricot and ginger flapjack...no bake

Ok, so I have a super healthy, super speedy, sweet treat recipe for you....what’s new?

We actually a lot is new!


A few milestones have been passed these last few days....I’ve been keeping things quietly under wraps to a large extent but I think now comes the time to share a little more with you. It’s all still an ongoing work in progress, but that’s life at it’s best don’t you think?

I shared a few changes and achievements so far this year in yesterday's monthly roundup; namely the fact I have just completed my Certificate in Plant Based Nutrition...exciting times! Also the fact that I have teamed up with The Real Food Source (who I have previously written recipe posts for) and we are looking to launch a range of products via their newly revamped website (work still in progress).

But in other news, two other important milestones (they are a big deal to me anyway). My facebook page reached 400 ‘likes’ last week. I know that may sound pitiful to some and pails in comparison with some of the big bloggers out their who’s work I admire and respect so much, but to me that means a lot and I am very thankful...I will keep on pushing forward, onwards and upwards! 

Secondly this post marks my 400th post on this blog! Wow, I can barely believe i’ve kept things going this far and actually had 400 things to write about...with more and more ideas constantly cropping up in my mind! I remember when I sat down to write my first post, I didn’t have much idea how things would pan out, but I do distinctly remember writing down a list of about 20 recipes before running out of ideas, but thinking to myself ‘well that will keep me going for a few months at least’. 

Anyway, that’s just a little taster of what I’ve been up to....I will update you on everything in greater depth very soon.

If you’re still reading at this point...I applaud you!  Any thoughts or questions let me know as I‘m open to all ideas as this point in my development. After all this blog is as much for you as much as it is for me!

So, on to the recipe itself! Sugar free, fat free, no bake, simple, sweet...what more could you ask for? Instead of using dates- my usual go to natural sweetener. I opted for apricots and a little ginger for a warming kick. Make sure you use organic apricots, these are browner in colour as they are not processed with sulphur dioxide which is used to help the regular dried fruits retain their colour.


Apricot and ginger flapjack
 
Makes approx 8-10 slices

Ingredients

½ cup dried apricots
2 tbs ground flax
¼ cup whole almonds
Pinch of pure stevia (approx 1/6th tsp)
1 tbs heaped fresh grated ginger (use more or less to taste)
½ cup oats

Method

Place the apricots in a food processor and blitz for a few seconds until you have a sticky paste. Add the flax, stevia, ginger and almonds and pulse to mixture until the almonds are broken up into coarse chunks. Add the oats last and pulse gently to mix through without breaking them up too much.

The mixture should be firm but sticky, add a few extra oats if necessary.

Press the mixture into the bottom of a small lined tin and chill for an hour or so before slicing into squares.




For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.

10 comments:

  1. More excitement! Great to be in partnership with The Real Food Source. I'm not familiar with them but have just had a browse of their site and it looks fabulous..some really good prices too!
    Smoosh bars are always popular with me as well :)

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    1. Yay for smoosh bars! RFS are a great company, I originally came across them 2 or 3 years back when I was starting out along the vegan/wholefoods lifestyle, they definitely had the best prices that i came across back then too which is why I bought my stuff from them... and the rest you could say is history :-)

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  2. Jo,
    Congratulations on all of your recent achievements! It sounds like you've had quite a whirlwind of activity going on! Your teaming up with RFS sounds especially fun and exciting!

    If you have the technology to do so, I'd love to see some videos up on your site. I'm especially curious to see your legendary Thermomix in action! I live in the States and had never heard of the Thermomix before reading about it here (after discovering your site a couple of months ago). After "hearing" you talk about it, I'm so curious to see how it performs, specifically making hummus and nut butters.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Liz, Thanks for your kind words. Videos...now there is a thought I hadn't considered! Hmmm I will have a think and see what I can do in coming weeks. I think you just want to have a giggle at my English accent :-)

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    2. Jo,
      Well, I have to admit, we Americans DO love the accent. :) I am just so curious to see how your Thermo performs common culinary tasks carried out by an actual home chef, in real time in a real kitchen.
      Another thing I would love to see on your site are some "process" photos of your creations, like step-by-step shots. Sometimes when I'm making things in the kitchen, I get to a point where I think that what I have in front of me does NOT look the way it's supposed to. I'm not sure if that is feasible for you, but some progress, "this is what it should look like now" shots would be appreciated. :)

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    3. Hi Liz, It's funny you mention process photos, as I was thinking that I should maybe get into the habit of including that side of things. At the moment I do actually take process shots with my phone but don't then incorporate them into the posts, but I will look into it. I guess my only hesitation up until now has been the aesthetics as process shoots tend to be very practical not beautiful, but ultimately the recipes need to be useful above anything else!

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    4. Oh, I know, process shots aren't practical or necessary for most recipes. However, some of the recipes that require some precision (say, your ginger parcels), recipes in which the ingredients' form are greatly changed (smoosh/nakd/lara bars), or a recipe that includes caramelization or a reduction, before and after shots would be good for those things, I think.

      It really wouldn't make sense to do that for all of your recipes, though, of course. :)

      I promise this is the last time I post another comment in this post. I think I have more text on this page than you! :)

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  3. Pretty exciting times ahead! Good for you on following your dreams.
    It's inspiring and so are your recipes :)
    Thank you for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Nezumi, Thank you so much for your lovely comment, through inspiring others I keep inspiring myself :-)

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  4. I need a food processor! But this looks lovely, can't wait to give it a go!

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Comments make me smile....go on!

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