Fruit and nut slice...no bake!

It’s all about the ‘smoosh bars’ at the moment! With all the recent recipe testing I have an abundance of dried fruits and nuts.

Also my dad recently went all the way and purchased a Thermomix after seeing how much I use mine for everything from nut flours and butters to soup. Though his is an old style one he bought second hand, I wanted to put it through it’s paces to see how it fared against mine….a little blitzing of some fruit and nuts was the perfect test.

Instead of forming the mix into balls or bars, I figured I would keep it as a loaf stored in the fridge, so that he could simply slice off a slither when the desire struck. The flavours and textures work beautifully and give this loaf a really authentic 'fruit and nut' loaf feel. Keep the seeds and nuts fairly chunky whilst maintaining a fairly sticky mix, you can also press a few extra into the top.  Add a few more oats or dates as needed to get the right consistency to form a loaf.

Obviously it’s a lot denser than your regular cakey loaf so a little goes a long way. It’s very moreish so I will warn you now… you may well find yourself slicing of a little slither and then a little more! If you’d prefer individual balls or bars then go right ahead, the choice is yours.

Recipe: No-bake fruit and nut slice

Makes a shallow 20x10cm loaf

Ingredients:

300g dates (or sub some raisins)

70g oats

70g cashews (or other nuts or mixture of choice)

20g flax

70g pumpkin seeds

1 tsp ground mixed spice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

Process the cashews, oats , flax seed and spices until just coarse (not to fine). Remove from processor.

Process the dates  to form a paste, this can still containas few chunky bits if necessary.

Add all ingredients and pulse to mix through well whilst keeling a chunky consistency.

The mixture should be sticky but manageable- add a tsp or so of water if too dry and extra oatmeal if too sticky.

Spoon the mixture into a lined loaf pan (or similar sized tin) and press down (I use the back of a rolling on) until well packed. Chill in the free before slicing to serve.

Check out my other no bake treats here!

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.

CADA...zing!

This recipe is not my own discovery. In the world of Thermomix users it’s a well known concoction, with each of the initials corresponding to each of the ingredients. I decided to add some ‘zing’ with orange, cinnamon and cacao nibs and turned it into a creamy breakfast yoghurt bowl!

This is a super simple recipe. Great for breakfast or as a refreshing but filling snack. Like most of my favourite recipes this one is endlessly versatile...change up the nuts and fruits to suit your taste or what you have to hand. The fresh coconut is a must, and this is one of the only recipes I keep fresh coconut to hand for. I also use dates for their versatility and subtle sweetness but other dried fruits could be used.

I think what I actually love most about this recipe is it’s ‘what you see is what you get’ philosohy. All the ingredients are still visible in their original form, blitzed a little and mixed. Keep it nice and chunky for great texture.  

Recipe: CADA...zing!

Serves 2

Ingredients

Approx. ¼ cup chunks of fresh coconut

1 small apple- quartered and cored*

4-5 small dates (I used deglet nor)

¼ cup whole almonds

(optional extras)

1 small orange

½ cup vegan yoghurt

1 tsp orange zest

Cacao nibs

Cinnamon

Method

Prepare the CADA ingredients and add to the Thermomix bowl, or other high power food processor and pulse together until chunky.

To serve, layer up the orange segments into the bottom of a small bowl, top with yoghurt, add the CADA mix and then garnish with zest, cacao nibs and cinnamon as desired.

*add a splash of fresh lemon if not serving immediately to prevent from browning. CADA mix will store in the fridge for a few days.

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.

Chocolate coated hazelnuts

I promised more chocolate...and I wont disappoint. These little nibbly morsels are the perfect last minute snack and perfect for guests at New Years...a bowl of these on the table wont last long!

5 minutes of work plus chill time...leaves you plenty of time to prep them for New Year's and then enjoy the evening with your friends and family.

These roasted hazelnut balls are reminiscent in taste of ferrero rocher truffles but 10 times healthier and simpler to whip up. You could make a big batch and freeze some, vary the favourings and coatings just like the chocolate candy slices, I left mine plain for the photos and because sometimes simple is the best, but finely chopped nuts or coconut could also be amazing!

You could also go for macadamia's or brazil nuts, any nut with a uniform surface would work....versatility is the key, most of my Christmas recipes (and many of my recipes in general) are all about versatility, working with whatever ingredients you have to hand...as long as they are healthy!

This will be the last candy recipe of the year....for more last minute inspiration check out the chocolate and candy collection.

What are your plans for New Year's...food or otherwise?

Recipe: Chocolate coated hazelnuts

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cacao chip/chunks
4 tbs agave
1 tsp almond vanilla, hazelnut or vanilla extract (almond is my favourite)
pinch stevia
approx. 1/2 cup hazelnuts (with skins or blanched)

Method:

Melt the raw cacoa on the stove or in the microwave until melted BUT before it begins to go hard and 'grainy'.

Transfer to a small bowl and mix in all remaining ingredients except hazelnuts. Mix well until the mixture begins to stiffen.

Chill the mixture for a short while in the fridge (or about 10 mins in the freezer) until it stiffens considerable but can still be moulded.

Meanwhile roast the hazelnuts for 10 minutes at approx. 170C and allow to cool. Rub off most of the skins (if necessary).

Take a 1/2 tsp sized blob of mixture and mould with fingers to coat each hazelnut. Place on a baking sheet (or similar) so that they are not touching and chill until fully firm. Store in the fridge.

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.

No bake Christmas candy collection

Well I actually call these ‘smoosh bars’…if you’ve been following for a while you’ll have probably already figured that out since they pop up quite a lot (read: I am a little obsessed!)’ Smoosh Bars’ was a name that my family began to call them since when asked what they were I simply said ‘its just lots of healthy ingredients all smooshed together.’  It stuck!

I figured smoosh bars  was maybe an odd title for the post…probably less likely to entice people over, and then they’d be missing out on all the fun…(these bars are a lot of fun). So no- bake Christmas candy collection it is since today I am sharing with you my entire collection so far, but the variations are almost limitless, I’d love for you to share your own favourite flavour combos since I know many of you make this sort of thing yourself too!

Below you’ll find the links to previous smoosh posts, note that most of these bars contain nuts. In more recent weeks I have been running low on my cashew and almond supplies and have had a surplus of sunflower seeds, so to readdress this balance I made all the flavours linked below with sunflower seeds in place of the nuts to see how they worked out. The result was almost identical. If I absolutely had to choose I’d maybe say the nut version slightly won over the seed, but there is very little in it, so here we have the perfect most versatile bar collection perfect for school lunches and nut allergy sufferers… and in actual fact perfect for pretty much everyone!

Take your pick and go play!

Chocolate orange bars

Gingerbread Christmas cubes

Fudge topped gingerbread squares
Ginger pumpkin bars with carob

Roasted peanut and cranberry bars

Sunbutter coconut bars

Oh and last but not least…do you remember these mini Christmas puds?…they were my favourite thing last year!

I still love these mini puds...the clove in the top infused the flavour and makes them taste so authentic!

Now, here I have two new recipes to excite you:

Recipe: Marzipan almond smoosh

Makes approx. 10 bars

Ingredients:

70g dates

70g raisins

100g almonds (or sunflower seeds) I did use almonds to make it more aurthentic

50g buckwheat flour (or oatmeal)

30g dessicated coconut

30g dried cranberries

1tsp almond extract*

Topping (optional): 50g cashews or blanched almonds, few drops almond extract and 2 tbs agave syrup. Extra flaked almonds to decorate.

Recipe: Chocolate peppermint smoosh

Ingredients:

70g dates

70g raisins

100g sunflower seeds (or mild flavoured nuts)

40g buckwheat flour (or oatmeal)

30g dessicated coconut

20g cocoa powder

1tsp peppermint extract*

Topping (optional): 50g cashews or blanched almonds, few drops peppermint extract and 2 tbs agave syrup. If desired you could decorate with mini choc drops as a nice contrast.

Method (for both):

Blitz the nuts/seeds in a food processor for a few seconds until they are coarse. Add all remaining ingredients and blitz until you have a fine sticky ‘dough’.

Press the dough into a square container or smallish loaf tin lined with parchment (tin should be approx. 10x15cm) and pack down firmly, I use the flat end of a rolling pin to do this.

To make the top layer, blitz cashews or blanched almonds (make sure there is no skin as it will discolour the result) until they begin to get sticky, add a little agave and flavouring to taste and process a little longer.

Press a thin layer of nut mixture over the bottom layer and decorate with flaked almonds if desired.

 Chill for a couple of hours until firm enough to slice neatly.

Note: you could form into balls instead of making slices.

*use oil based and not alcohol based extracts if possible since the alcohol based versions have a slightly bitter taste due to the alcohol not being ‘burnt off’ as the bars are not baked.

 chocolate peppermint bar

almond marzipan bar

roasted peanut and cranberry bar

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.

DAY SEVENTEEN: PB&J chunky granola no-bake bars

At last...Success! 

I first had a go at making these bars over a year ago, at around the time I'd first discovered homemade smoosh bars. However my first attempt didn't go down so well and I attribute this to one critical factor- you must use roasted peanuts!! (ideally roast them yourself for 10 mins in the oven at 200C).  My first attempt just tasted off and didn't have any oomph- roasted peanuts taste so different to raw peanuts with such a depth of flavour. 

This time around I also left the mix a little more chunky and pressed some extra roasted chunks in to the top for good measure. I also changed some other ingredients up a bit and added a good dose of oats to the mix!!

I used a little sugar free strawberry jam and they were very sweet- indulgently decadently sweet, i'd even go so far as saying almost a little too sweet for me (almost... but not quite!)  you could probably use fresh berry 

puree instead for a slightly more subtle flavour or just use a little less jam...they will be perfectly sweet enough from the raisins.

You can use any dried red berries you wish, cherry or even goji if you are going for superfood factor- the sweetness of the jam should compensate for any tartness. This mix would also make a great raw crumble topping instead of packing it down into bars.

Recipe: PB&J granola no bake bars

Makes approx. 10 cubes

Ingredients

100g raisins

50g dried cranberries/cherries

80g roasted peanuts

50g oats (ground) 30g oats (unground)

20g chia seeds (optional)

½ tsp mixed spice

3 tbs sugar free strawberry or raspberry jam

Method

Add raisins, 50g ground oats, chia seeds and spice to a food processor and process for a few seconds to a paste. Add the roasted peanuts, dried berries, jam and remaining oats and pulse until the mixture is sticky and chunky.

Pack the mixture into a suitably sized tin and press some extra peanut chunks into the top. Chill for an hour before slicing into squares.  Alternatively you could form balls and roll in extra nuts.

You can find more no-bake recipes here.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

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.

DAY FIVE: Gingerbread granola

There just had to be at least one granola recipe for MOFO ‘Oatober’  (see what I did there…*sigh*). Chances are you be seeing more flavour combos as granola is one of my favourite snacks of all time. If I’m not in an experimentation moos and I just want to eat granola right that minute my go to choc/nut and gingerbread flavours are always winners, so it’s so what surprising that I haven't written his recipe up on here already.

Well I have now!

Like with all granolas, just keep throwing things in, roughly following the method below until the texture is right…you want it pretty sticky if you want to be able to form nice clumpy pieces. Big chunks of granola is how I prefer to eat it as that way you have the choice to crumble it over cereal or grad a handful for a snack on it’s own. Feel free to reduce the wet ingredients (or up the oat content) a little if you want a dryer mix that will give a more even flaky result (note I haven’t tested it this way).

Ginger reminds me of Christmas…ok maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here! But I just love the warming autumn and winter spices that come out at this time of year. It’s the same with cinnamon and cloves. Even though I pretty much dowse my food in cinnamon at all times of year regardless, now it feels as though I have even more excuse to do so!

For other granola recipes and oat-free options (shock horror) have a little browse on my breakfast page for inspiration.

Recipe: Gingerbread granola

One large bowlful

Gingerbread - ingredients

                                                                    

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup mix of nuts (I used almond and hazelnut)

2tbs each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

2tbs ground flax

3 tbs apple puree

1 tsp vanilla extract or powder

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

1 tbs agave

1tsp-1tbs molasses (depending on preferred strength)

1 tbs rapadura/palm sugar

2-3 tbs chopped crystalised ginger- optional

Method

Makes approx. 2 medium bowls (or two baking sheets worth)

Melt coconut butter/oil into other liquid ingredients. Add all dry ingredients and mix through. Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure a thin even layer with some clumpy bits. Bake at 170C for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden. Allow to cool fully before storage. Stores in a kitchen cupboard for a few weeks.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

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.

DAY TWO: chocolate trail mix cookies

These cookies have it all…. Nuts and fruit for an energy boost, oats for sustenance and last but not least…chocolate for an indulgent twist.

The other great things about oatmeal cookies is that they are pretty forgiving and can accommodate plenty of substitutions and approximate measurements depending on what you have to hand. I happened to be at my dad’s house when I made these cookies last week. I was in the middle of writing up some notes and doing a little research when I just fancied something chocolately but also more substantial than the three squares of dark chocolate that were left in the packet.

So then these three little squares of dark chocolate teamed up with some dried berries, and then a handful of nuts came to join in the game. Then I spied the tub of oats and before I know it a whole cookie mix had evolved!

Two cookies for me, two for my dad…and four saved for later...maybe.

I used a dollop of runny peanut butter in this mix which actually give a really great depth of texture and taste, but if you prefer not to have such a dominant flavour feel free to sub coconut oil or another mild oil. I usually use a little flax or chia to avoid a crumbly mix, however I didn’t have any to hand…but this was no problem as these cookies held together just fine.

So there you have it, the first ‘oat based’ offering for Vegan MOFO. Sweet, simple, healthy and foolproof. Vegan or not you’ll love these cookies.

Recipe: Chocolate trail mix cookies

Makes approx. 8 cookies

Ingredients

½ cup oats

3 tbs wholemeal spelt flour or GF flour of choice

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

2 tbs cocoa powder

3 tbs agave syrup

2 tbs peanut butter (or 1 tbs oil)

3 tbs crushed nuts

3 tsp chopped dried berries (I use mixed cranberries and cherries)

1 tbs dark chocolate chunks or cacoa nibs

3 tbs soy milk or as needed to create a thick spoonable batte

Method

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

Melt the peanut butter in the microwave for a few seconds until runny and  then add the agave syrup. Mix the wet ingredient adding as much soy milk as necessary to achieve a thick batter. Add  the nuts/fruit/chocolate last.

Press spoonfuls of the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, pressing down firmly eith a wet palm or the back of a spoon, as these cookies does not spread.

Bake at 180C for 8-10 mins or until just beginning to brown.

What Vegan MOFO means to me.

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.

The classic nut roast

Roast dinner...the most important and iconic meal in Britain (or would that be fish and chips?) I love a good roast, I also love the associated traditions, the fact that everyone sits down together as a family around the table, reaching across to dish up their meal from the various bowls of potatoes, vegetable, and in my case....nut roast! A good old vegetable nut roast means I can still share the Sunday dinner tradition with the meat eaters in my family, the added bonus is that they get to share my dish too and have even more variety to add to their plate!

I have played around with various nut loaf recipes over the course of time. There are so many out there to choose from in any case so you'd never been stuck for choice or ideas.  I have tried recipes that are very much nut based and then on the other hand veggie loaves with no nuts at all. My Sunday staple lies somewhere in the middle (too many nuts can get very expensive after all!) 

One resource I found really useful when I was newly vegan and less confident in the kitchen was the Vegan Lunch Box Magical Loaf Studio which is a simple recipe calculator or sorts which allows for so many veggie loaf options.  

So, this is a lovely basic nut roast, that can be easily adapted for any beans/veggies/nuts you have to hand. Note, I have allowed for various substitutions in the recipe. I usually use oats (as I always have them to hand), but you could substitute rice, quinoa or wholemeal breadcrumbs if you prefer or have oat senstivities. These loaves also freeze really well and are so versatile...perfect roughly crumbled to top a big bowl of salad or cut into chunks and rolled into a wrap with spinach leaves and a squirt of sauce.

Lastly…one great little serving tip for you (not shown in these photos). I often make a batch of nut roast loaves in mini loaf pans in advance and freeze them once cooked and cooled. An hour or so before serving I allow them to defrost a little, just enough to slice neatly into 2cm thick slices and then I re-bake them to give a double crispy finish around the edges. The 'slicing whilst frozen' trick works really well as sometime nut loaf can be prone to crumbling if sliced whilst fresh hot from the oven, Though it was freshly served in the photos below and hasn't crumbled much at all.

Recipe: The classic veggie nut roast

Inspired by ‘the magical loaf studio’ by Jennifer McCann for the Vegan lunch box blog.

Ingredients

1 cup chopped nuts

1 tbs olive oil

One onion diced

One large garlic clove minced

1 large carrot grated

1 medium courgette grated

1 cup cooked white beans

1 cup dry oats *(or cooked rice or quinoa or dry wholemeal breadcrumbs- non GF)

2 heaped tbs flax (or chia, tapioca or potato flour)

¼ cup fresh parsley (or other herbs)

½ tsp mix of other seasonings

2 tbs soy sauce (tamari for GF)

Salt and pepper to taste

Up to ¼ cup vegetable stock if needed (I never need it)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180C. Grind any seeds and set aside. Sauté vegetables in olive oil for 5 mins until soft. 

Mix all ingredients in large bowl adding sautéed vegetables to it. Mix and mash together well and add stock only if needed to achieve a sticky (but not wet) consistency. Add more oats (or another carbohydrate of choice) if mixture is too wet. 

Press mixture firmly into a greased and lined 20cm loaf pan (or two smaller pans as i often do to get more crispy edges!). Bake for 45 mins to 1 hour until cooked through. Let sit for 10 mins before turning out of tin.

* 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.

Nutty apple and cinnamon bake

I’m running behind!

This post was supposed to be up yesterday…so you’ll have to wait for my Silent Sunday for a bit later in the day!

mmmm...swirls of peanut butter on coconut apple cake

It’s been a chaotic weekend with my first public ‘Pole Performance’ at a ladies night event… it was a great experience as I’ve never performed a routine in front of  crowd before (only my students), it was also a new experience using a microphone…I was aware that I was speaking a little too quickly, I tend to speak quickly anyway so probably more so when nervous… I. really. Should. Learn. To. Slow. Down! In case of interest, this is my new venture: www.polestyle.co.uk …this is how I keep fit! Yes I know I performed at a ladies night so ‘sassiness’ was more the order of the day, but in reality my pole work is very much of the fitness and strength variety, it was simply a good opportunity to get people to throw away their inhibitions and give it a try.

Ok, back to food. So now you know why I’ve been late in the posting, that does not mean however that I have not been experimenting these last few days. Indeed I have lots of batches of foodie photos all waiting to be edited and written up.

Here is one to get you going, this was breakfast yesterday (the spelt version) and last weekend the coconut and buckwheat versions)…not all consumed by me I might add!  I enjoy this lightly sweetened as a breakfast ‘bake’, but you could by all means increase the sweetness and enjoy it as a dessert ‘cake’…. Add some cashew cream or a blob of nut butter for super indulgence (of the healthy kind!) Or even go a little crazy and add some choc chunks- melty choc chunks work everytime! See notes below the recipe re uses of different types of flour.

I’ll leave you with lots of photos…I’m off to the gym to choreograph  a pole routine for my new classes!

the coconut version

the spelt version

Recipe: Nutty apple bake

Serves approx. 3 (1 small loaf sized)

Ingredients

1 cup GF flour mix (I used ½ buckwheat, ¼ tapioca, ¼ ground almonds) or spelt flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup apple sauce

2 tbs coconut oil

3 tbs agave plus ¼ tsp stevia to taste (use more agave or any unrefined granulated sweetener such as coconut sugar for extra dessert type sweetness)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Approx.1/4 cup milk’ to mix (use more for coconut floor- see note)

1 apple cut into small chunks- set aside

½ cup coarsely chopped nuts of choice- set aside

Method

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then add wet ingredients. Mix together well.

Spoon the batter into a smallish loaf tin (mine was approx. 8x15cm) layering as you go with the reserved apple and nuts. Follow the formation: layer of batter, layer of apple/nuts, layer of batter, layer of apple/nuts. Press down lightly to pack the layers and secure the apple//nuts in the top layer.

Bake at 180C for approx. 20 mins until cooked through when tested with a toothpick.

Notes: I initially tried this using part coconut flour ( ½ coconut flour, ¼ tapioca, ¼ buckwheat) but it produced a much drier more crumbly cake (thought still good with a dollop of nut butter!) so I avoiding the coconut in my subsequent attempts and stuck with my regular GF mix as noted or for those who are not GF, wholemeal spelt flour is also great. The photos show the coconut and spelt versions*

layering up the coconut flour version- the coconut flour batter is a lot drier than the other batter mixes and is pressed with the fongers instead of being spooned into place.

 
* 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.

Chewy coconut granola bars

Remember I mentioned my coconut overload? Well, I’m still hot on the coconut infused recipes and this one is no exception, although you can easily change things around and sub the coconut if you want as it’s a super versatile concept.

This recipe was originally generated by accident…following a batch of chocolate granola gone wrong. That will teach me to mess with things when they are perfect as they are. Anyway, this particular batch was a little lacking in flavour and was very crumbly, still edible but not enjoyable as a snack on its own.

So chewy granola bars to the rescue!  This could easily have been a no-bake recipe as the banana holds everything together, however to me they were like chunky versions of smoosh bars, and  I wanted something a little firmer… so I baked them for 10 minutes. Just enough to firm them up but so they still retained the lovely chewy texture.

You can use any fruits and nuts you like and if you don’t have granola you can toast some oats and use those. I used chocolate granola, but if yours is plain feel free to throw in some cacoa powder or maybe even some cocoa nibs for a bit of raw chocolately goodness!

Recipe: chewy coconut granola bars

Makes one 8” pan

Ingredients

1 medium banana- mashed well

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup mixed fruit ( I used raisins/dates/cranberries/figs

½ cup coconut flakes (or crushed nuts)

1 cup granola (I used homemade choc granola)

Method

Blend all ingredients, except the granola, together in a food processor on medium speed (so the fruit doesn’t break up too small) or mix well by hand. Add the granola last, mixing through well.

Press firmly into a lined square pan. You can either keep these raw and simplychill until firm or you can bake them for approx.10 mins at 180C.

Once cooled/firm cut into bars and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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.

‘Indulgent’ chocolate breakfast oats

Oats... Oats... Oats

I figured a breakfast post about one of my favourite foods ever would be the perfect subject for a post whilst I am away on my holidays. Particularly with this spring weather we are having...sunny one minute, chilly the next. It often looks lovely and warm through the window but is actually quite chilly when you get outside. (yes i have bee  caought out a few times). So we are most definitely not relegating bowls of oatmeal to the 'winter recipe' box just yet...oh no never!

On days when the sun is hidden or I am feeling a little fragile and in need of some self-indulgence upon getting out of bed, what better way than to glam up a bowl of oats to provide a ‘lets-make-everything-better’ chocolately hit… whilst still providing the fuel to power me through the morning.

Actually I haven’t felt in that frame of mind for quite some time but not one to miss out on an opportunity for a little bit of healthy indulgence, this also makes an amazing mid afternoon snack if you feel in a bit of an energy slump…or are in one of those fidgety ‘not sure what to do with myself type of moods’ (yep that’s me on a frequent basis).  For an afternoon pep me up I halve the quantities below.

So this simple little concoction provides the perfect calming influence….it’s pretty much a hug in a mug!

You don’t have to add the extra chocolate chunks if you don’t want to (are you crazy!) but I really only added a sprinkling here and if you grate the chocolate it appears as if you have a lot more than you really have…deceptive! If you use a very ripe banana (I freeze chunks of ripe banana for future use at times like this) then you probably shouldn’t need any additional sweetener- but it’s up to you! This is another recipe where carob powder could also be used in place of, or mixed in with the cocoa for extra depth and sweetness and a twist on the usual taste…I tentitively tried the carob version recently and I was very pleasantly surprised, it tatsed really good and not so dissimilar the the original cocoa version. The banana and carob flavours compliment each other really well and neither are overpowering.

Oh how I love thee oats….hmmm this inspires a little Ode to the faithful Oatmeal now that I have so many oat-based recipes…but more on all that tomorrow!

Recipe: ‘Indulgent’ chocolate breakfast oats

Makes 1 bowl

Ingredients

½ cup rolled oats (or modify the amount depending on how hungry you are!)

Approx. 1 cup  soy milk or any dairy alternative

1 tbs cocoa powder (or carob)

1 ripe banana- mashed but a few lumps are ok

2 tbs coarsely chopped hazelnuts or walnuts

1 tbs dark chocolate chunks or grated chocolate

Sprinkling of cinnamon- optional

Method

Mix and mash together the oats, ‘milk’ cocoa powder and banana. Heat in the microwave for 90 seconds and mix through. This is the consistency I like it (thick but still liquidy) but feel free to microwave longer if preferred. Top the mixture with the nuts and chocolate chunks finishing with a sprinkling of cinnamon.

I always microwave my oats as I like the consistency this way (and the speed and reduced washing up) but I appreciate many of you like to use the stove top, so feel free to modify the method about to suit.

Above- a big bowl of cocoa oats, below- a mini portion of carob oats (all tucked up in bed)

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.