'Green Smoothie' peppermint cheesecake

I wasn't planning to post a recipe today (well actually I was since yesterdays post was supposed to be today but my fingers got clumsy and hit 'publish' and not 'schedule'...oops!)

But that's ok cos I accidentally came up with a little gem of a recipe that relates to yesterday's recipe and is oh so green I had to share it in the final run up to St Patricks Day!

P.S...I apologies now for the overuse of the word 'exciting' and the number of !!!! and ... you'll see in this post.

This receipt is indulgent whist being ridiculously healthy... I mean totally ridiculously healthy- so much healthier than you'd imagine when tasting a bite! Even my mum was wide eyed at how good it was and she won't go near my green smoothies! :-)

Just quickly scroll down now and take a look at the ingredients list!

I have been playing around with coconut flour and yoghurt combos a lot these last few days....such a revelation of simplicity and so versatile. I was almost dancing around the kitchen when I took this cheesecake out of the freezer, allowed it to thaw out and dove in...the texture is amazing- so soft and creamy!!

I am so excited to have created a vegan cheesecake that doesn't rely on tofu or cashews! Whoop whoop!

I have a few more experiments along these lines to bring your way soon, all equally exciting (in my opinion) but this will have to keep you going for now. Just promise me this....next time you make a green smoothie, reserve a little bit to make this!! I made a mini cheesecake as I wasn't sure if it was going to be a success or disaster, but you could easily make 3 or 4 times the amount and make a regular sized cheesecake. It really is good enough for dessert I promise (although it might freak out your dinner guests!) You can also cheat and use extra sweetener if you need to.

Right...gotta go, so much to do and so little time. All the taste testing I've been talking about that has largely sabotaged my '6 pack challenge' these last few weeks is soon to be coming to an exciting conclusion! Phew- there really is only so many dried fruits and nuts a girl can consume, so it's a good thing I had this little beauty and a big glass of the Super Green smoothie to hand for my post-work out lunch today!

Recipe: 'Green Smoothie' peppermint cheesecake

Serves 2 (or one hungry person!)

Ingredients:

3 tbs leftover green smoothie (I used this recipe)
1 tbs fine coconut flour
3 tbs vegan yoghurt (I used soy) Note: for non vegans this does also work with regular plain yoghurt
1 tbs white chia seeds (plus more for topping if desired)
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
4 drops pure stevia (or to taste)

Cheesecake base: I used some leftover 'smoosh bar' style mix from one of my testing samples. Basically its a mixture of dates, almonds and raw cacao nibs. You can use any raw crust mixture.

Method:

Mix everything together very well to form a smooth thick paste with no lumps of flour.

Press the cheese cake base into the bottom of a large silicone muffin case or a mini pie dish with removal base/sides (approx 8cm wide). Note: it may be hard to remove the cheesecake otherwise.

Spoon the cheesecake mix on top of the crust and firmly smooth the top with the back of a wet spoon. add chia seeds (or other decoration) is desired- or you can add these at the time of serving.

Freeze the cheese cake for a minimum of one hour. To serve remove from the case whilst still solid (it should peel away easily). Allow to defrost on a serving plate at room temperature for at least 30 mins.

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.

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 400^th 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 1/6^th 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.

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.

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.

Carry on camping!

Back home and rested after a busy bank holiday weekend in the hills!

It was so wet the car got stuck!

The day before my camping trip was mega busy with food preparations to carry me through the four day trip (supplemented by a bbq and a pub meal!)

I thought I’d share with you some of my preparations as many of these recipes are perfect ‘on the go’ snacks fit to fuel you up for the day whether you happen to be camping or not! I have posted many of these recipes or variations on them previously…but you know it’s always good to have it all in one place.

Oh, and in case you were wondering my pop up tent went up and down just fine thank you! I had been apprehensive that I would end up performing an embarrassing battle of wills in front of a field of bemused onlookers…thankfully that was not the case!

So, my food prep looked something like this:

These mexican beanburgers (pre-cooked and finished off on the bbq). I had planned to make these black bean beet burgers for a more authentic looking burger…but alas I had not black beans of beets!

Un-tuna sandwhichfilling- great in wraps, pittas or simply straight from the pot.

Lentil peanut dip…I know I go on about this but I love it!! Great with a pit of raw veggies.

Overnight oats….I premixed a tub of oats, chia seeds, cinnamon (lots!) and raisins, and then each night before going to bed I mashed a banana into a travel tub added 1/3 cup oat mix to a tub and then added approx. ½ cup soy milk. Mix it up…and voila the perfect breakfast come morning. I added some blueberries and a little extra soy milk in the morning too.  P.s this also serves a great lunch out on the hills….just remember to take a spoon.

Granola (cos I need oaty goodness with me at all times!) this batch had a touch of salt which really made the flavours pop!

mexican bean burgers

un-tuna salad

lentil and peanut dip

granola bites

Plus, last but not least…

Smoosh bars are another go to favourite that stand up well with the rough and tumble in the rucksack. Usually I opt for my gingerbread and choc-orange versions, but this time I put a little twist on things since I was running realty low on dates and so now you have a new recipe below.  I called these chocolate plum bars as prunes just didn’t sound quite so appetising to me (apolgoes if I have confused you with cherries in the photo!). The prunes provide a deep rich fruity sweetness which teams perfectly with the cocoa. My prunes were much softer than my regular dates so I slightly increased the nuts and oats to compensate.

Recipe: chocolate plum bars

Ingredients:

100g dried plums (prunes)

80g hazlenuts (or other nut(s) or seeds of choice)

50g raisins

25g coconut flour or ground oats* (I used oats)

20g cocoa powder

Method:

Put everything into a food processor and smoosh together until chopped up into tiny pieces and the bowl is filled with a fine sticky powder. For a less chunky nut then process the nuts a little on their own first before adding all the other ingredients in with them.

To form into bars I press the mixture into a small tin lined with baking parchment and us the flat end of a rolling pin to firmly pack the mixture down. Chill for a while before lifting out if the tin and cutting into bars. 

Oh and finally a few camping trip pics….

it was a bit wet!

* 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.