Valentine’s roundup!

So soon off the back of Pancake Day comes Valentine’s Day! Will you be celebrating?

I don’t go in for Valentine’s in a big way, even when in a relationship it’s not really my thing...huge romantic gestures on a specific day of the year that is so heavily marketed and hyped up doesn’t really do it for me... That said I am a bit of a romantic but a moment of spontaneous expression or subtle gestures of love are much more meaningful! 

Don’t get me wrong, I'm not a total cynic and a little bit of love any day of the year can never be a bad thing. I love this photo- some may have already seen it up on my Facebook page, it was taken along the cliffs in Ireland last year.... a little reminder from nature if ever it were needed.

Plus when it comes to valentines day, any excuse for a little treat is always welcome and when that little treat can be a healthy indulgence all the better.  So today I wanted to give you a little round up of my Valentine themed recipes and some others from around the web that have caught my eye. I know these aren't all fitting with my Whole Foods Lent Challenge (though many of mine are pretty close and could easily be adapted if needed) but I was a little bit stumped in finding all sugar-free whole food recipes!!

At least this time I am only eating them with my eyes!  My first proper 'whole foods' sugar post will be with you on saturday.

Let me know how you spent your Valentine’s... loved up or otherwise. :-)

hot choc banana cream cups 

chocolate pepermine no bake bars

Chocolate orange cupcakes  (healthy frosting!)

berry oat cups

chocolate mousse pie

buckwheat breakfast bowl 

5 min- choc orange puddle cake

More inspiration from around the web, with thanks the Pinterest. Remember love is not just for Valentines Day! Show some spontaneous foodie love all year round :-)  P.S these recipes are not necessary vegan but are simply to give you inspiration to make your own versions to suit. Credits below each.

P.S you can follow me on Pinterest here!

red velvet heart pancakes by Be Different Act Normal

Choc filled strawberries by Lily Shop

the perfect pear by Lily Shop

chocolate mousse cookies by Style Me Pretty

Valentines hot chocolate cream cups

I love this recipe!

It worked perfectly, maybe even more perfectly than I had hoped when I dreamed it up in my mind... the gooey banana and thick creamy chocolate sauce make for the perfect Valentines breakfast decadence....or simply any breakfast decadence or dessert. Yes indeed this is another 'breakfast does dessert’ recipe.

Oh, and did I mention that it only take 5 minutes?

I originally tried this recipe without warming the sauce, more in keeping with this original recipe that inspired this creation and has proved immensely popular on the blog. It was ok this way, kind of like a chocolatey custard but a little bit thin and not indulgent enough for my liking (although you could always increase the nut butter/reduce water if necessary). So then in the second testing I fully assembled the cups and then warmed them! Amazing, the banana at the bottom of the cup cooks and goes all gooey and the nut butter and banana in the sauce thicken like a rich creamy mousse. It’s hard to explain....so instead I won’t keep trying to. Instead you should just go and make it!  

You could use a mild nut butter like almond or cashew for a subtle creaminess or go all out with peanut butter for a choco-peanutty-banana hit! Alternatively if you aren't a fan of banana, you could maybe use avocado or increase the nut butter content to achieve the same thickness- note I have not tried it this way!

P.S I loved the pretty white flowers in the photos. I ran round my house trying to find something pink or red that was feminine and Valentines-y, but nothing came to hand...then I remembered i'd bought some flowers last weekend.... not pink, but elegantly romantic- the perfect prop :-)  Now if i just had my very own romantic to present me with the flowers.....hmmmm?

Recipe: Hot chocolate cream cups

Makes 2 cupcake sized cups

Ingredients- cups

1/3 cup oats

1 heaped tbs cocoa powder

2 tsp ground flax

Vanilla extract to taste (approx. ½ tsp each)

1 tbs agave

2-3 tbs vegan yoghurt

Ingredients - Filling:

1 medium banana mashed (slice and reserve ¼ of the banana)

1 tbs nut butter (I used almond)

1 tbs cocoa

2 tbs water

A few mini dark chocolate drops

Method

Mix and mash all the 'cup' ingredients together well to form a thick sticky ball of dough. Divide into two equal pieces and press firmly into two cupcake ‘cups’ (I used silicone cups).

Cook on full powder in the microwave for 1 min or bake at 180C in the oven for approx. 10 minutes until just cooked and not sticky to touch

Meanwhile blend the filing ingredients together in a small blender, reserving a few slices of banana. If you are struggling with blending a small quantity, double the mixture and save some in the fridge for later. This makes a little more than needed for the cups anyway.

To fill the cups, place a couple of slices of banana at the bottom of each cup, fill with sauce and decorate with remaining banana and chocolate chips as desired. Microwave both cups at the same time on 70% power for 30 seconds. IMPORTANT: do not allow the mixture to bubble- watch closely and as you see it begin to want to bubble stop the microwave- you are done! For me, this happened at 30 seconds. (otherwise the mixture will boil over the edge of the cup and the texture will be impaired).

These are the cups served cold (not a huge visual difference but definitely better served hot!)

gooey...melty....gooey....melty...double chocolate....banana....

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.

Valentine's cookie sandwich

My last Valentine’s recipe is here! I can’t believe how organised I’ve been. I usually miss the holiday themed recipe opportunities…or only realise at the very last minute, so I’m pleased with my early preparations.

Let’s hope as you are reading this that I am cosied up in a little cottage in the middle of Herefordshire…and not stuck in a blizzard somewhere, since the weather conditions at the time of writing (just gone midnight into Friday morning) were somewhat suspect with snow and ‘freezing rain’ forecast…hmmm not the best start to a holiday!

For this final recipe I just couldn’t get this fudge out of my mind- it is simply so good and so easy to make! Here I’ve rolled it out so that shapes can be made with a cutter and it performs the job just beautifully. Sprinkle with a little coconut and stop here if you like.  But I didn’t want to stop there, I wanted to add a little bit of pink!

I played around with the ‘pink’ options for quite some time. I wanted to create a similar raw ‘smoosh’ recipe so that the whole process was very quick and simple. To take a pink dye the basic dough needed to be light in colour so the two options I trialled were marzipan and cookie dough.

The marzipan still needs a little more work in my opinion as I think the almond flour makes the marzipan stick the roof of your mouth a little as you eat it but the marzipan recipe original seen here was too oily for rolling. The overall taste is good and it forms the shapes well, but for me the texture is not 100%- but then again I am very picky when it comes to textures. I preferred the cookie dough option and this worked best with the chocolate layer on the outside as the cookie dough is very soft and quite sticky whilst the fudge is firmer to touch and so seemed to work best that way round. As you can see I have tried various options here- feel free to vary things and experiment with your own layering!

I also pressed a little desiccated coconut on the chocolate sandwiches to give a pretty delicate finish…this was my favourite option!

Recipe: Valentines cookie sandwich

Makes anywhere between 20-40 heart sandwiches (depending on size of hearts and method used)

Ingredients- chocolate layer (fudge)

½  can black beans- rinsed and drained

1 small mashed banana

½ cup cocoa powder (or raw cacoa powder for an even healthier boost)

1/3 cup dates

2 tsp vanilla extract

½  tsp cinnamon

¼  tsp stevia

½ cup ground oats

2 tbs ground flax

2 tbs chia seeds

Ingredients- pink layer

Option A- marzipan

½ cup ground almonds

¼ cup almond flour

2tbs tapioca or arrowroot

¼ cup coconut butter

2tbs agave (tiny pinch spelt)

1 tsp almond extract (more if needed to taste)

1tbs water (as necessary to form dough)

1-2 drops red food colouring

Option B- cookie dough

2/3 cup cashews
1/3 cup oats
4tbs agave
1 Tsp vanilla extract

3tbs dried cranberries

1-2 drops red food colouring (for a stronger pink colour)

Method (for all):

Blend all dry ingredients in a food processor. Add wet ingredients and then blend again. The dough should be fairly tacky but not too sticky and should still be easy to handle.

Roll out, chill if needed and use cookie cutter to cut out hearts for each sandwich. Assemble in desired fashion and store in an air tight container.

 marzipan hearts with chocolate fudge centres

cranberry cookie hearts with a chocolate fudge centre

coconut chocolate fudge hearts with a soft cookie centre

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.

Valentine's coconut ice

Valentines is such a commercial holiday…but then again, any cause for celebration is good enough for me!

I’m not really the type to celebrate Valentines in a big way, I much prefer showing a little love at any other time of the year and not when I’m ‘told’ I should. But since I have no Valentine of my own it’s a little bit pointless debating my options (or maybe I’m just a tad jealous)!

A thoughtful gesture always means so much more than anything money can buy. A little homemade gift is sure to raise a smile... and a tasty yummy treat all the more!

I have a few simple Valentine’s ideas to post over the next few days.  These would be perfect any time of year….another little way to remind someone how much they mean to you.

No Valentine? Then treat yourself, you best friend or your mum. Plus since these treats are super healthy you will all be smiling all day long.

First up, pretty pink coconut ice. 

You can use any dried red berries here- I used cranberries. The result is a lovely speckled pink cube of delight with a light crumbly coconutty texture and hints of delicate sweet berries. You could use any shaped moulds you fancy, just make sure to firmly press in the mixture whilst still soft and warm.

Recipe: Valentine's coconut ice

Makes approx. 12 cubes (1 ice cube tray)

Ingredients

1 cup coconut butter (make your own)

2tbs cashew or almond butter

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

2 tbs agave nectar plus tiny pinch stevia

1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Melt the coconut butter then combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a thick smooth paste is formed.  There should be ‘flecks’ of the red berries in the mixture as opposed to a solid colour. Whilst still warm, spoon the soft mixture into an ice cube tray or other candy moulds and press down firmly into each mould. Freeze briefly to set and then store in the fridge.

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.