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.

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.

Hemp protein superfood ‘candy’ bars

I wouldn’t want to mislead you in any way with the wording on this title…but these bars are like ‘candy’!

I don’t mean the synthetic sugar rush induced by candy, but  instead I mean 'popping candy' which is exactly what the little hemp seeds in these bars reminded me of as they ‘pop’ when you bite into them…such a fun texture, why have I not played around with hemp seeds before!

I have made a few versions of these bars now, modifying the proportions of hemp protein each time to try and achieve the optimum taste vs highest protein content, after all these bars were originnaly conceived  as a high protein hit so this ratio was important to me.

 I’ve think I’ve nailed it with this recipe….but of course everyone is different, so if you find it a little too ‘hempy’ for your taste simple reduce the protein powder content accordingly or add more of the other ingredients into the mixing bowl to reach your desired effect.

These bars are also a superfood bar infused with chia seeds and maca powder…my perfect training buddies. I have recently read Thrive Fitness by Brendan Brazier, and even though I’d be aware of Maca before I wasn’t so aware of it ability to assist the body in post workout recovery and ‘adrenal fatigue’. Feel free to add any of your own superfood supplements if you fancy, just make sure you watch the balance of wet to dry ingredients since these bars will become very crumbly if the dry ratio is too high. I also experimented with adding a teaspoon of greens powder, but for me that tasted to green- some more experimentation needed I think!

I originally made these bars as a way to consume protein in a  non-smoothie form (not a huge fan in smoothies), so taste wasn’t the main factor for me…but these surpassed my expectations on that front, even my family agreed they were a great all round snack bar. A perfect alternative to my usual smoosh bars.

Recipe: Hemp protein ‘candy’ bars

Makes 8 x 45g bars (approx.)

Ingredients

1/2 cup (80g) pumpkin seeds

½ cup (50g) shredded coconut

¼ cup (40g) hemp seeds

¼ cup (50g) hemp protein

2 tbs chia seeds (15g)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tbs cacao powder

1 tbs maca powder

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup packed raisins (or 10 dates)

3 tbs melted coconut oil

3 tbs oats or quinoa flakes

Method

Pulse the dry ingredients (other than oats/quinoa) together in a food processor so there are still coarse pieces remaining. Set aside whilst blending the dates/raisins with the coconut oil. Add dry ingredients and pulse to achieve a slightly crunchy sticky mixture. Mix through the oats/quinoa flakes last.

Press the mixture into the bottoms of a small loaf tin or form into balls. Chill for at least 1 hour before carefully slicing onto bars. Store the bars 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.

Ginger pumpkin no-bake bars

A follow up from this post…I felt the ginger version deserved its very own write up..

The warming ginger and carob kick is the perfect flavour for when summer is not quite out, yet autumn is sneaking up on you from behind!

These were a treat made for my sister as a special request to take with her to the music festival she was going to a couple of weeks ago. Easy, healthy, portable snacks were the deal of the day.

Knowing how much she liked the regular gingerbread smoosh bars, I thought I’d indulge my new found love of seedy things and make a nut fee version, whilst also going a little more crazy by adding a carob dusting to the top. The great thing about the added carob is that it should help the bars stick together a little less when packaged together for her trip (alternatively just lay each bar between a layer of parchment). The carob also gives an almost 'velvety' appearance to the top which I really loved.

I am happy to report these bars were given the seal of approval!

Recipe: Ginger pumpkin no-bake bars

Approx. 10 bars

Ingredients

100g dates

80g mix of seeds (I used mainly pumpkin seeds with a few sunflower seeds)

50g raisins

30g ground oats*

30g buckwheat flour

1tbs sliced fresh ginger (optional)

1tbs ground ginger

½ tsp mixed spice

½ tsp cinnamon

Approx. 1 tsp carob for dusting

Method

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until you have a firm and fairly fine sticky mixture.

I formed bars by pressing the mixture into the bottom of a small loaf tin lined with parchment for easy removal. Sprinkle carob flour evenly across the top and gently rub with fingers to settle the powder.

Allow to chill for an hour before slicing into bars.

Seedy smoosh

I’m on a roll these week, getting back into the swing of things that the summer holidays threw out of sync!  So here we go, another recipe to knock your socks off and get you going full steam ahead.

Smoosh bars…my favourite. You know that right?  I want everyone else to be able to enjoy them too, but up until now those with nut allergies couldn’t join in the fun.  This recipe was in part inspired by a friend who is a teacher and requested some ideas for healthy school-friendly snacks that didn’t contain nuts. I love it when people set me a challenge!

Welcome my super seedy smoosh bars.  Full of seeds…no nuts!

I made sun butter for a first time a short while ago and figured this could be the perfect way to try it out, and I was not disappointed. I have since made my regular nut based smoosh bars simply substituting the nuts for seeds without the sun butter, and they also worked well, however in this recipe the roasted sun butter really adds an extra dimension…so good! I’m almost embarrassed to say I was surprised how good they were, I obviously didn’t have enough faith in these mighty seeds. Now I know better. 

The whopping serving of chia in these bars makes is enough to class them as a super-food in their own right...who's with me? If you don't have any chia seeds, no worries, other small or processed seeds would work just fine here too.

The perfect back to school treats for those whose schools ban nuts from the lunchbox, oh and just about anyone else who fancies a healthy snack….er. so that will be everyone then!

You'll find more no-bake treats and snacks here.

 

Recipe: Seedy smoosh

Approx. 10 bars

Ingredients

½ cup chia seeds

2/3 cup raisins

½ cup roasted sun butter (homemade roasted/blended sunflower seeds)

½ cup desiccated coconut flakes (plus extra for topping)

1/3 cup ground oats*

A squeeze of lemon juice and a little zest (optional- makes the flavours pop)

Method

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until you have a form sticky mixture that can be formed in to balls or bars.

I formed bars by pressing the mixture into the bottom of a small loaf tin lined with parchment for easy removal. Sprinkle extra coconut on the top and press down or roll the balls in it.

Allow to chill for an hour before serving.

* 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 granola

I feel like i'm surrounded by a sea of chocolate....

You could say i've had a bit of a chocolate kick this last week, with new recipe trials and a few repeats of old favourites.

So far this week i've been munching on chocolatefudge, chocolate orange smoosh bars, my newest chocolate frosting, some trials for an up and coming healthy chocolate bar, and last but not least....

chocolate granola!

This has become something of an obsession, with three batches made so far (although some of that was then given away to others). This follows my previous two granola recipes and, for me, is a winner by far (although my mum and sister who have tested out all the options preferred my regular granola for breakfast). This is the perfect 'indulgent' (but still super healthy) breakfast treat, the perfect alternative to pop corn or your finger-picky snack of choice, great as a dessert topping...the list goes on.

I do have to admit that a fair amount of the mixture didn't make it into the oven....oops!

I have used cacoa powder and cacoa nibs for a super healthy mix but you could easily substitute cocoa powder and semi-sweet dark chocolate drops if you prefer.  I've found that the bitterness of the cacoa nibs is an amazing compliment to the subtle sweetness of the granola coating and it gives such a depth of flavour. The other bonus is that the cacoa nibs don't melt and in the oven (although melty chocolate could be a good thing?)

Such a simple recipe, so if you haven’t tried making your own granola yet I really advise you gets to it right away. I promise you won’t regret it!

P.S I didn’t eat all that chocolate by myself!!

Recipe: Chocolate granola

Makes 3 bowls

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup oats

2 tbs chia seeds

1 cup mix of nuts (I used cashew, walnut and hazelnut)

2tbs each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds

2tbs ground flax

3 tbs raw cacoa powder

2-3 tbs raw cacao chips

3 tbs apple puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbs coconut oil- melted

2 tbs agave syrup

1 tbs rapadura/palm sugar

Method:

Mix together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Melt the coconut oil into other liquid ingredients then add to the dry.  Spoon onto 2 lightly greased baking sheets making sure you have a thin even layer with some clumpy bits. Bake at 170C for 10-12 minutes until almost beginning to brown- keep a close eye to avoid burning. Allow to cool fully before storing in an airtight container. Stores in the cupboard for a few weeks.

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.

Speedy seedy crackers

I love to have something on hand to pick at… whether it be my home made ‘nakd’ bars,  or a bowl of chocolate frosting hiding away in the fridge waiting for a spoon to come a-dipping! But, sometimes  I just fancy a savoury kick to keep me going till tea time (particularly if I know there is dessert not far away). 

These crackers are perfect…. on their own, with this dip, or a dollop of nut butter. The inspiration came from this post on Oh She Glows, so simple and quick to make and so many possible variations of flours, seeds and herbs to investigate now I know how good these crackers are.

The essence of the recipe also inspired an alternative twist that I just couldn’t wait to test out…but more on that tomorrow!

Recipe: Speedy seedy crackers

Makes approx. 20 crackers

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown rice flour

3/4 cup ground almonds (if making your own do not over process so that oils are released)

2 tbs tapioca flour
2 tbs polenta (this just gives it extra cruchiness)

2 tbsp ground flax

1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 ½ tsp Italian herbs

1/4 tsp bicarbonate soda

2 tbs sesame seeds

2 tbs poppy seeds

1/4 cup water

1 tsp olive oil

Method

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix well with spoon. Knead dough with hands until it comes together. Place ball of dough on parchment paper or a non-stick mat. Roll out dough until it’s about 1/8th inch thick, or as thin as you can get it without ripping. With a  sharp knife slice into squares.

Preheat oven to 180C and line a baking sheet with parchment. Bake for 18-20 minutes until slightly golden in colour. Cool on baking sheet, then store in air-tight container once fully cool.

Pumpkin scones

I keep my promises…

…and as promised here is my pumpkin scone recipe to share with you all. It's late at night and my bed is calling but I was determined to post this recipe on Halloween itself- and I made it with 5 minutes to spare!

I took the entire batch of scones to work today to share with my colleagues as an afternoon snack. Everyone had a taste and there were many ‘noises’ of approval around the room. Maybe they were just being nice… well, why not find out for yourself!  Actually I’ll save you the guess work- they were very yummy indeed! Warming and delicately spicy just the way you would imagine a thick cut wedge of moist ochre coloured tea bread.

If autumn were a food she would definitely be a pumpkin scone!

We ate the scones warmed from the oven split open and spread with butter and drizzled with a little syrup (well, they did and I had a dollop of soy yoghurt). They are perfectly moist and moreish all on their on but a topping always finishes it off nicely- nut butter could also work well!

I have to admit I feel as though I somewhat cheated a little. I had planned on buying a pumpkin and preparing the puree from scratch, but all the ones I saw in the shops were huge pumpkins ready to be carved. Then I remembered I had a bottle of pure organic pumpkin puree already tucked away in my baking box. Teamed up with some pumpkin seeds sprinkled across the top and you have your perfect recipe for all year round. I imagine the pumpkin could just as easily be substituted for squash or even sweet potato!

Recipe: pumpkin scones

Makes approx. 12 wedges

Ingredients

1/3 cup rapadura plus ¼ tsp stevia

3 ½ cups mix of white and wholemeal spelt flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

3 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

½ cup coconut butter

2 cups pureed pumpkin

Handful of pumpkin seeds

Method

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mix through partially melted coconut butter to achieve a crumb consistency to the mixture. Add pureed pumpkin and combine well until a dough is formed. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough a few times, pushing it into a large circle a (generous) inch thick. Sprinkle the top with pumpkin seeds and press lightly into surface. Place dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet and score the dough into 12 (or 8 larger) triangular pieces. It is easiest to do this once the dough is on the baking sheets ready to go straight into the oven as it may be hard to transfer to the baking sheet once cut. Don’t worry if the dough is sticky and difficult to cut all the way through, the segments should just serves as a guide and can be cut fully once cooked. Bake at 200C degrees for approx. 15 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Raw power cubes

The ‘power cube’ was an early recipe generated by a practical need for a healthy quick fix protein kick after a gym session. They were first conceived as bars with the intention of a being a healthy cereal bar but the consistency was denser and soft (not dry and crisp) lending itself to a flap-jack style bite sized cube.

Thus, the Power Cube was born! 

I feel these bars could be a bit ‘Marmite’ in that you’ll either love em or hate em! The notion behind the cube was less ‘treat’ and more ‘nutrition’ but over the weeks and months I have refined the recipe to my own personal tastes, and so I happen to love them! My family members however do not proclaim these to be among my best work (but again, let me remind you of their reason for being, so best not compared to an indulgent cake!) They are very flexible and accommodating so feel free to change things about and throw in what you fancy- the idea being you get a dense protein rich oaty bar as the end of it!

These bars are rich in a balance of protein fats and carbs and so are also great to grab on the run when you are not sure when you will next be eating or to have a couple tucked away in your bag in case of emergency as a mini meal replacement! The cubes are also raw further boosting their nutritional status.

Recipe: Power Cubes

Makes a 20x25cm tray cut into 25 cubes.

Ingredients:

400g oats

30g dessicated coconut

30 sesame seeds (other small or ground seeds can be used)

3 tbs cocoa powder

1 tbs ground ginger (optional)

150g isolated soy protein powder

3 tbs tahini

3tbs smooth peanut butter (use all PB instead of part tahini if you prefer)

1 ripe banana

1 tbs vanilla essence

2 tbs agave syrup

½ tsp stevia

Approx ¼ cup soy milk or other non-dairy milk (just enough to hold the mixture together well)

Method:

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix and mash wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix together adding as much soy milk as needed to create firm sticky dough. Firmly press the mixture into a 20x25 cm tray (or whatever similar size you have). It is easiest to line the tray with baking parchment as this will then simply lift out when ready to cut. Place the tin in the fridge for an hour (or longer) to firm up. When firm cut into cubes and store in the fridge. The cubes will keep for a week or more in the fridge and also freeze well. 

I like to make ‘gingery’ power cubes as I love ginger and I think this works well with the peanut butter which I personally find a bit over powdering on its own. Feel free to vary the spices and cocoa content to your own preference.