Tropical chia summer pudding

More coconut and pineapple!

This recipe is a keeper for hot summer afternoons!  I’m planning on making this a few more times in the final lead up to my Tough Mudder event as it was so hydrating and refreshing and I’m in full on hydration mode... irrespective of the fact that the weather in England is still dull and cold most days!

This keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days so make a double batch if you’ve got a hot spell on... and  grab a big spoonful whenever you pass the fridge!

I’m also now wondering whether this mixture could be frozen into ice lollies...that thought literally just popped into my head so I have not yet had a chance try it out....sounds like it could work?

I added a tsp of maca powder as I often try to add it into my ‘fitfood’ recipes for an extra boost and to assist adrenal recovery, but that is totally optional and won’t affect the taste or texture.

Recipe: Tropical chia summer pudding

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1 heaped tbs white chia seeds (dark will work fine too but won’t look so pretty!)

1 banana- mashed well

1 tsp maca powder (optional)

½ cup fresh pineapple

¼ cup coconut water (or substitute regular filtered water)

Coconut sprinkles and mint to decorate (optional)

Method:

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Or if you prefer a chunkier consists you could whip everything together lightly with a fork. (I whipped mine until almost smooth)

Allow to chill and thicken in the fridge for at least an hour before consuming.

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.

Overnight oats cookies!

Simplicity at it’s best!  

It's always good to simplify everything in life where possible...this hugely popular post was a testament to how amazing simplicity can be! 

Simplicity is most definitely where it's at. Starting with these...

I love oats, I love cookies, I love oatmeal....I want it all!  BUT I often don’t want to spend any time at all prepping things in the morning.  Particularly as of late with all the new developments that have been taking place.

It’s needs to be good to go in one quick swoop!

I think I may have an ingenious solution to that demand. The concept of 'overnight oats' saves you time in the morning (and is super healthy) so what if I made up a thick overnight oat mix, infused with chia seed to help thicken, bind and healthify things even more. Then come morning just throw it in the oven? Hmm, what would happen?

Well, I can report that you do indeed get cookies! 

To elaborate a little further I tried two version one with and one without oil, those with the oil were slightly lighter and had a crispness to the outside, though both were soft cookies and both tasted good! I would advise either eating them freshly from the oven or warming again slightly if consuming at a later time. The double bake effect also help crisp up the non-oil cookies. They were softer and a tad rubbery if eaten cold after a period of time (though I still ate them so that’s not to say they are at all bad!)

Add any mix-ins you fancy just before you dollop the cookie mix and pop them in the oven- throw in a handful or this or that. Raisins were a particular favourite for me- sweet and squashy,  I also tried choc chips and pumpkin seeds.  I kept the cookie mix only slightly sweetened for breakfast, but feel free to add a little extra sweetness to taste if desired.

Recipe: Overnight oats cookie

Makes approx 12 cookies

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup oats

1 ½ cups non dairy milk of choice

3 tbs maple syrup (or sweetener of choice)

¼ cup flax or chia

½ tsp cinnamon

--------

¼ cup melted coconut oil (optional)

½ cup mix ins- raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds etc

Method:

Mix the top 5 ingredients together well in a medium bowl. Allow to sit over night (or for a few hours) the mixture should be very thick and gloopy.

Heat the oven to 180C and mix the coconut oil through the mixture along with any desired mixins. Taste the mixture and add a little extra sweetener if needed.

Dollop balls and flatten on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 mins until golden. The cookies will only crisp up a little.

Note: these are soft breakfast cookies but the addition of the oil will make a slightly slighter cookie with crisper edges (I also had success with ‘double baking’ the no oil version).  To achieve a crisper cookie you may try 2-3 tbs of unrefined granulated sugar instead of the syrup- note I have not tried this.

For more oaty goodness check out these recipes!

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.

Tough Mudder Challenge... and chocolate 'boost' mousse!

For those of you who are dedicated followers of my blog....I think there may be a few of you out there somewhere ;-)  You will have seen a sneak preview in this weeks Mantra for Monday.

I true crazy style I have signed myself up for a challenge, a challenge that actually brings me out in a cold sweat of panic just thinking about it...though I am now getting used to that feeling.

This blog began back in 2011 at a time when my life and perception of the world around me was changing, I was changing and since that time I have not stopped. This is simply the next chapter...pushing that little bit harder and testing my limits both physically and mentally. Off the back of my Lent Challenge is needed a kickstart and in response I have signed up to Tough Mudder, taking place south of London on Saturday June 8^th...just 8 weeks away.

‘Fit foods’ will take priority in the run up to the challenge and so I will be busy using this Fit Food collection of recipes in coming weeks... but always one to add to a collection here is another offering for you today.  

I rarely supplement protein but if I do it’s typically hemp as the cleanest whole food form of protein powder. This is a spin off from my Green Smoothie Cheesecake and coconut cream discoveries. It makes great dessert like snack or semi-freeze for a soft serve or cheesecake option...choices choices!  The texture is mousse like with the soft grain from the hemp and coconut flour giving a great texture- it's not smooth and silky but has a soft light grain and almost bubbly bite (difficult to describe).

I originally made a single serve mini portion (it's intense so you don't need a large serving), but as that worked out so well I increased the ingredients and tweaked things ever so slightly to make 6 portions that I have piped into mini muffin cases and frozen.  Simply pop one out and allow to defrost just a little when you are in need of a boost!

Chances are you’ll be seeing some more ‘fit food’ recipes around here...

Recipe: Chocolate 'boost' mousse

6 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup hemp protein (other powders may also work)

3 tbs cocoa or raw cacoa powder

1/4 cup fine coconut flour

2 tsp maca (optional )

1-2 tbs ground chia

1 cup mashed ripe banana (use frozen for a thicker consistency)
1 tbs coconut oil- melted

1/4 tsp stevia to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

up to 1/2 cup non-dairy milk or choice (use more of less depending on desired consistency and whether or not you used frozen banana)

Method:

Blend all ingredients together until very smooth. 

Spoon or pipe the mixture into mini muffin cases (I piped it for purely for aesthetics!) Freeze for 30 minutes or so if you prefer a soft serve consistency, or freeze longer if planning on keeping for a few weeks. 

Serve at room temp or chilled and topped with extra fruit, nuts, chia seeds or trail mix if desired.

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.

Crispy cauliflower bites

Cauliflower is pretty special. It has so many uses.

So of course there is the more regular cauliflower soup or cauliflower ‘cheese’ recipes.

But then you have the more quirky recipes...the chance to get a little creative with this mild flavoured white vegetable...the perfect canvas for experimentation?

Cauliflower rice risotto?...ok not quite crazy enough. How about baked banana oatmeal (remember when I snuck it is there?) I’m sure I’ve also used it in muffins to replace the apple puree (which in turn replaces part of the fat content) but I can’t seem to find it on the blog...maybe it hasn’t yet been written up (perfect excuse for a retest!)

Anyway back to the point of this recipe. I love cauliflower as a great way to make a really substantial meal without loading up on calories, calories I can make use of elsewhere in the day. It’s also perfect as a light snack, so here we have these crispy little cauli bites. Serve them as a side or as a snack on their own.... nibbly and moreish!  Mix up the flavours to your own preference. Don’t worry about the banana, this was simply to get the sticky consistency to coat the cauliflower, I found that the power of the spices more then cover any bananary flavours tones.

Recipe: Crispy cauliflower bites

Serves 2 as a side or snack

Ingredients

2 cups loose packed cauliflower florets (chopped in approx 1” size)

¼ cup banana- mashed

1 tsp ground flax

2 tbs water

1 tsp smoky chipotle sauce (or other hot spice)

½ tsp cumin

1 tbs nutritional yeast (optional but recommended)

1/3 cup polenta meal

Method

Prepare the cauliflower florets and set aside. Blend the banana, water, flax, and spice to make a smooth sticky paste. Coat the cauliflower in the mixture and then roll in the polenta meal to coat as evenly as possible. You can add extra spice to the polenta meal if you desire.

Spread the coated florets in a single layer on a line baking sheet and bake at 150C for approx 30 mins until golden and crispy. 

Note: I lowered the temperature to prevent premature burning and to help dry the coating as it cooked and crisped up.

Eat very soon after baking to ensure a crisp bite.

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.

‘Magic’ dairy free cream topping... 2 minutes!

Ok, so maybe this topping isn’t actually magic.....but it is almost!

2 base ingredients, 2 minutes and almost infinite variations...plus it’s healthy and allergy friendly.

Seriously could you really ask for any more magic?

Since making the discovery a few weeks ago, I have hinted at this recipe and posted a few of it’s variations for it’s use in recent posts but I figured it was time to give it the attention it deserved and write it’s own dedicated post. It’s all about the topping...and everyone loves a good topping!

As mentioned back in this post, the original idea to use coconut flour to make coconut cream was not my own, The Dairy Free Queen regularly mixes it up into a coconut cream. However I had even greater success when I took this idea to another level and combined it with yoghurt (either dairy or non-dairy works fine- I typically use soy as it’s most readily available to me). It makes the cream super smooth and thick also visually less lumpy (though it still tastes great simply mixed with non-dairy milk as per the original method).

The two base ingredients are coconut flour and yoghurt but there are various additions to tweak it. It has a mild coconut flavour which can easily be disguised with other mix-ins. I have provide two cream options below, but of course there are varying degrees of 'thickness' in between depending on your desired use.  It freezes well and makes an amazing chilled cheese cake! You can also bake it. I made a mini baked cheesecake recipe which I will try and post later this week, though to be honest the unbaked version as in the green smoothie cheesecake is amazing...and may possibly be my preference over baked!

Check out the coconut cream recipes so far below...and then go and make your own. So quick and easy, if you don’t already have coconut flour this is definitely worth buying some for (note I have tried with other flours such as almond and it doesn’t work...I have warned you!)

Chocolate buckwheat bake

Healthy Cadbury's Eggs

Creamy Dark chocolate shake

Green Smoothie Peppermint Cheesecake

Recipe: Cream topping

Makes approx ¾ cup

Thin whippy topping Ingredients:

1/4 cup fine coconut flour

1/3  cup non-dairy milk

1-2 tbs yoghurt of choice

Stevia or syrup to taste

A few drops vanilla extract- optional

OR

Thicker  ‘clotted cream’ style topping ingredients:

½ cup yoghurt (I use soy)

2 tbs fine coconut flour

Stevia or syrup to taste

A few drops vanilla extract- optional

(other flavours also optional)

Method

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir together well. Let sit for a few seconds and test the consistency (coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid), add more wet or dry ingredients as needed

Sneak preview of baked cheesecakes...coming soon!

 
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.

Creamy quinoa porridge

I love quinoa, and I don’t eat it nearly enough. Since going through my (seemingly never ending) fitness bar development phase I learnt that a high quantity of nuts and seeds just doesn’t agree with my digestion. Nuts and seeds are a great source of protein but I’m taking a little respite from them to get my body back on track so I need to fill up on alternative protein rich whole foods.

Quinoa! 

This seems to sit well with my digestion and is so endlessly versatile I need to bring this food into my everyday diet a lot more. These chocolate cookies and also these banana ones are a great option- they will be my new ‘grab-and-go’ snack fuel for the time being.

Whilst I am familiar with adding quinoa to top a bowl of soup or to form the base of a salad, I have only recently started experimenting with sweet versions. With the freezer now stocked with batches of cooked quinoa portions I figured this a was the perfect opportunity.  

Here I’ve kept it simple with a breakfast quinoa porridge, this was inspired by my recent foray with buckwheat porridge so I felt pretty confident it could work!  I lightly spiced it with cinnamon and nutmeg to compliment quinoa's 'nuttiness' and sweetened with mashed banana for an extra breakfast boost and then topped with just a few chopped walnuts, date sugar and raisins (and more cinnamon)....mmmmm, gives my oats a run for their money!

This would be fab topped with my breakfast sprinkles to further sweeten and jazz things up too!

Recipe : Creamy quinoa porridge

Serves 1

Ingredients

3/4 cup cooked quinoa (I defrosted a freezer prtion)

1 mashed banana 

1 tbs peanut butter or almond butter (for extra creaminess)

1/2 - 3/4 cup non dairy milk to reach desired consistency (I like mine loose and creamy)

approx. 1/4 cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

2 tsp chia seed (optional)

nuts and fruit and date sugar or my breakfast sprinkle for topping

Method

On the stove top add the cooked quinoa and milk and warm through on a medium heat, after 2-3 minutes add the mashed banana and nut butter and mix through evenly until creamy. 

Add a little extra milk if needed and add the spices and chis seed in the final minute. 

Spoon into a bowl and sprinkle with toppings.  

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.

‘Breakfast Boost’ sprinkles!

I was going to put together a another ‘intro post’ to publish yesterday...but the day ended up being so crazily busy I will have to do that tomorrow. It’s also coming up to the end of Lent ad therefore the end of my ‘Whole Foods Lent Challenge’ and my ‘6-week to 6-pack Challenge’ so I will fill you in on both of those tomorrow also. Sometimes I wish there were simply more hours in the day!

So, first let me fill you in on yesterday’s events...

I launched my ‘Wholeplus’fitness bar range to the public at my local gym...scary and exciting in equal measures as I just didn’t know what the response would be or quite how much do people really care about their health in the ‘real’ world? It went without a hitch, people loved the products and were really engaging with the simple whole foods concept. It was also so lovely and heartening to know so many people out there do care about what they put in their bodies. I had some really lovely conversations and got some great feedback to develop the products further. I wil keep you posted!

I got a bit carried away and didn’t take many photos... but I am hoping to do another event in a few weeks so will try and take a few more then!

On a whim the night before the event I spontaneously came up with another recipe idea that was also well received... a healthy breakfast mix in to use instead of sugar or syrup on top of oatmeal,  cereal or yoghurt etc. So many people I know enjoy of bowl of healthy porridge BUT then proceed to load it will sugar to sweeten it. This mix-in or topping uses dates ground into course granules and mixed with seeds and various ‘superfoods’ to give a versatile tasty sweet addition with great texture.

These are the only two pictures I got of the event...little cubes of bar tasters, jars of breakfast sprinkle and 2 bowls of truffles.
The jars you see along the back of the table are all the raw ingredients to help engage people with visualising
the 'whole foods' concept.

I made up three different jars of sprinkles for my event, but below is the basic principle I followed and a few ideas to get you going. All ingredients are approximates as I haven’t quite firmed up the recipes yet, and to be honest you can just eye-ball the quantities and throw in things you fancy and then process the mix until the texture looks right to you.

Check out my classic apple oats as shown in the picture...the perfect base for a sprinkly topping! 

Recipe : ‘Breakfast Boost’ sprinkles!

Makes  approx. 450g

Ingredients

250g dates

50g nut butter

100-150g mix of nuts/seeds (I used pumpkin coconut flakes and hemp seed mainly with a little chia thrown in for good measure!)

2 tbs maca powder

1-2 tsp spice – i.e cinnamon, ginger or vanilla

A little sea salt to taste

½ tsp pure stevia powder (note: It’s good to make the mix quite sweet since it will be ‘diluted’ in sweetness when mixed through)

20g coconut oil (if needed to help ‘clump’ the ingredients)

Method

Process the dates with the nut butter until you have small coarse clumpy pieces (i.e 1-2mm grains).

Add all remaining ingredients and pulse to mix until you achieve desired texture. 

Add a little coconut oil at the end if you need a less dry and a more clumpy mixture. (I only needed this when I made a chocolate protein based sprinkle as I used proportionally more dry ingredients).

I imagine this would keep for quite a few weeks in the fridge or a cool cupboard.

(p.s. Geek mode....I love these photos as the jars make great props and I love the shapes they create!)

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.

Introducing ‘Fit-food’ and buckwheat balls!

So many new ‘introductions’ these last couple of days…plus another one planned for next week!  There has been a lot going on that is beginning to take shape very nicely so I just want to bring you up to speed with where I am and share my excitement with you too!

Off the back of the launch of my new Wholeplus Fitness bar range, the recent weeks have had me thinking about and exploring all sorts of ‘fitness’ related snacks and recipe ideas. For example my green smoothie cheesecake was a bit of a revelation in super-healthy-tastyness!

I have a new recipe to share with you today that continues the buckwheat theme that you’ve also seen here, here and here in very different ways. Yum- I love buckwheat. But on the theme of introductions, I have added another new category to the recipes tab so now you’ll be able to search through ‘Fit-Food’. These recipes are all about high protein, or low carb, or grab and go power-snacks… basically plenty of recipes to fit an active lifestyle. Feel free to throw more ideas and comments my way as this is an area if nutrition I am very passionate about.

Click here for my full listing of Fit-Food recipes!

So without waffling on any more, here is the ‘fit-food’ recipe for today. Super simple but certainly hits the spot. Enjoy!

Recipe: Buck-coconut bites

Makes 12 balls

Ingredients

½ cup dates

¼ coconut flakes

½ buckwheat groats (you can toast them first if you like but I didn't)

2 tbs peanut butter (or other nut butter) add a pinch of salt if not using salted nut butter.

Method

Process the dates until sticky and coarsely ground.  Add all remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. Add more nut butter if too dry and more coconut if too sticky.

Options: you could also add vanilla, spices, carob or cocoa, or nuts of seeds of choice to sub some of the buckwheat or coconut.

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.

Quinoa-power breakfast cakes

These little bites of chewy moreishness were inspired by my chewy choc quinoa cookies that I have formed a bit of an addiction too, now every time I cook up a batch of quinoa, I reserve one cup to make a little batch of these cookies straight off, as they literally takes a mere 5 minutes to whip together with pre-cooked quinioa...  anyway I digress...

As much as can I just about justify eating the choc version for breakfast, I wanted something that upped the health factor even further, and to be honest I don’t typically want chocolate for breakfast! How about a quinoa-banana concoction? Now that sounds like a powerful start to the morning, or any time of day.  

I added a peacan half to the top of each and oh my goodness when I tasted these little chewy cookie cakes fresh from the oven the toasted pecan made the whole thing taste like a maple pecan pastry...you know the sort, flaky layers of plaited pastry loaded with sugars and syrups with a few toasted pecans nestled between the goeey layers. Well let me tell you- the toasted pecan combined with a little drizzle of date syrup really does nail it....don't leave the pecans out!

So, 5 minutes to mix, 10 minutes in the oven (perfect time to have a quick shower) and then these beauties are on your breakfast plate or stashed away in your bag for a mid morning pick-me-up. I don’t think you  can ask for much more than that?

This post also ties in very nicely to a new category of recipes that I will be revealing tomorrow...my favourite collection of recipes to date! Hold tight... :-)

  

Recipe: Quinoa pancake patties

Makes 6 pancake patties

Ingredients

1 banana

Pinch stevia

1 tsp chia/flax

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp vanilla

1 cup pre-cooked quinoa

3 tbs oat flour (or other GF flour)

Pecans to finish (either whole or chopped)

Date syrup to drizzle- optional

Method

Mash the banana and mix through all ingredients adding the quinoa and oat flour last.

Scoop into balls and press into flat patties with moist palms or the back of a spoon. Place flattened patties on a lined baking sheet  and press pecans into the top of each. Bake at 180C for 10 minutes until just beginning to turn golden at the edges.

Serve with vegan yoghurt and a drizzle of date or maple syrup

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 buckwheat clusters

You should all know by now that i'm a little obssesed with oats...and that doesn't look set to change anytime soon! BUT there is a new kid on the block...in the form of buckwheat. I had a top up delivery of foodie delights from my wholesaler last week which included 10 kilos of raw buckwheat groats!

Up until now I've genrally milled the buckwheat to make flour, since that is the GF flour of choice for the majority of my recipes. However, recently a few recipies using the whole groats recently caught my eye, in addition to a few energy bar experiments that I wil be rervealing more about shortly! This buckwheat granola by Angela over at Oh She Glows particulalrly grabbed my attention and so I wanted to try out my own spin on it!

Anyway, back to the recipe itself. This is a buckwheat granola and I simply swapped buckwheat for the usual oats and in keeping with my sugar free Whole Food Challenge I have used date syrup to sweeten and bind, it works perfectly and gives lovely crispy chewy nuggets of buckwheat delight!

Here I made a date syrup with roughly a 4:1 ratio of dates to water made by soaking the dates in hot water and then blending until smooth (you can make a jars worth and store in the fridge) Once again, we have a very versatile recipe as a great base for ‘mix ins’. Just be sure that the balance of dry ingredients to wet stays roughly the same to ensure the mixture clumps together well as it is baked.

I actually made a similar recipe using a few different ingredients including coconut sugar for a more itense caramelly flavour. You can find the recipe here at Real Food Source  (along with many other recipes I have created for them).

 

Recipe: Buckwheat granola clusters 


Makes 1 ½ cups

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat groats (soaked and well drained*- they don't need to be totally dry)
¼ cup date syrup and a pinch of stevia to taste
¼ cup coconut flakes or other nuts/seeds (optional)
2 tbs peanut butter (or other nut butter) this should be drippy
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of sea salt (omit if using salted butter)


Method:

Mix the date syrup with the nut butter of choice, cinnamon and salt. Add the buckwheat groats and coconut flakes, nuts or seeds and mix through lightly until well coated.

Lay in clumps in a even layer on a lined baking sheet and bake on a low temperature- approx 140C for approx 30-40 mins until just golden. The granola will still be soft and sticky but will crisp up as it cools.

*Soak the buckwheat for a few hours or overnight, drain and rinse at least twice as buckwheat residue is very slimy. I prepared a big batch and kept the remainder in the fridge for a few days. to use for other things,

 

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.