Tag: plantbased

Healthy Hot Chocolate

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Nothing’s better on a cold winter’s day (like we’re having in Joburg) than a comforting cup of hot chocolate. My version is dairy-free and sugar-free, and goes perfectly with my Gluten-free Biscotti. If you don’t like spice you can simply omit these, but they do compliment the natural flavour of cacao really well.

Ingredients 

500ml almond or coconut milk
2 star anise
pinch of ground cardamom
pinch of Oryx Desert Salt
pinch of vanilla powder
pinch of cayenne
2 tbsp raw cacao butter
2 heaped tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp raw honey or organic maple syrup, or 1/4 tsp stevia powder

Method

Place the milk and the spices in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then remove from the heat and allow to steep for a couple of minutes, so that the flavours of the spices permeate the milk. Return to the heat just to bring it up to temperature. Remove the star anise, add the cacao butter, cacao powder and sweetener and use a small whisk to combine. Serves 2.

Try using hazelnut milk or brazil nut milk for a delicious alternative.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Buckwheat Waffles

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GF Waffles

I have this problem at the moment: I want nothing more than to have a lie-in on the weekend but my belly wakes me up and tells me it needs food! So I left my husband in bed this morning and went to make us both some yummy, guilt-free waffles. This is a variation on the last batch of waffles I made (which you can see here), as these ones are not vegan. They are, however, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and simply delicious 🙂 fun to make with the kids too. (The cleaning of the waffle iron is not such fun though!)

Ingredients

1 cup buckwheat flour
1 and half tbsp coconut palm sugar
1 and half tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt (I used Himalayan)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup almond milk (can also use coconut milk, hemp milk or oat milk)
4 tbsp vegan margarine or coconut oil, melted but at room temperature
2 eggs
1 tbsp maple syrup

Toppings of choice: I used maple syrup and almond butter

Method

Preheat the waffle iron as you want it extra hot.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl: buckwheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon.

In another bowl mix the wet ingredients and whisk together: milk, eggs, margarine and maple.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry and mix really well, making sure all flour is incorporated from the bottom of the bowl.

Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron and leave for around 10 minutes, or until you can see they are crunchy on the outside. This recipe makes 4 waffles, and my iron holds two at a time so I put the first two in the oven on a low heat to keep them warm while I made the next two.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

White Chocolate Mulberry Fudge

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White Chocolate Mulberry Bars

This is such a simple recipe and so healthy. Dried white mulberries contain less than half the natural sugar of raisins and other dried fruits. They are high in fibre and in protein – just 1/3 cup contains 4 grams of protein and 20% of your daily fibre needs. They also contain powerful antioxidants which help to protect your heart from damage from some toxins. Raw cacao butter is a source of healthy fats, which optimise organ function.

I’ve added no sweetener as the natural sweetness of the mulberries is enough for me. However if you would prefer it slightly sweeter you could add a bit of raw honey or organic maple syrup.

Ingredients:

100g raw cacao butter
100g organic dried white mulberries
1/8 tsp Oryx Desert Salt
1/4 tsp organic vanilla powder
2 tbsp almond butter

Method:

Gently melt the cacao butter over a very low heat. Be careful not to raise the temperature too much as this will destroy the nutrients found in raw cacao products. I normally turn the stove on for a few minutes, then turn it off and put the saucepan on the plate – the residual heat is enough to melt the cacao butter.

Place the mulberries in a food processor and process until they are broken up into a meal. Alternatively you could grind them in a coffee or spice grinder. Add the remaining ingredients and process to combine.

Spread into a dish lined with baking paper or clingfilm and allow to set, then cut up into blocks. It can be kept at room temperature if it’s not too hot – you might want to put it in the fridge if you have temperatures over 30 C.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Raw Grasshopper Pie

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Grasshopper Pie

Grasshopper Pie is an American favourite, using Oreo cookies for the crust with a mint cream filling. While I’ve never had the original version I’ve always liked the sound of it so I came up with this raw recipe.
Not only is it free of all the bad stuff like refined sugar and flour, it’s packed full of nutritious goodness in the form of avo, coconut and almonds. My son loves it and I love watching him eat something so healthy and yummy!

I’ve used agar (also called agar agar) to set the filling. It is made from a Japanese seaweed and is a very strong setting agent, so be sure to be precise with your measurements. Also be aware that agar powder and agar flakes require different measurements, so you would have to convert if using flakes (1tsp powder is equal to 1tbsp flakes.)

Ingredients

For the crust:

2 cups raw almonds, soaked for four hours, rinsed and layed out to dry (while this step is not necessary for the recipe to work, it’s always good to soak your almonds to release the digestion-inhibiting enzymes)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 tsp Oryx Desert Salt
150g fresh medjool dates (about 8 dates)
2 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil

For the filling:

400ml organic coconut milk
2ml agar powder
200g avo flesh (ie. weighed without skin or pip) this is about 1 1/2 Avon
40g organic virgin coconut oil
pinch of Oryx Desert Salt
120g raw honey
8 drops organic peppermint essential oil
1/2 tsp spirulina or wheatgrass powder (this is optional – it simply gives you a more intense green colour for your filling)
15g raw chocolate

Method:

Place the almonds, cacao powder, salt and 2 tbsp coconut oil in a food processor. Remove the pips from the dates and roughly chop them. Add to the food processor. Process until you have a fine crumb which sticks together when pressed. Turn the mixture into a loose-bottomed pie dish or a pretty glass serving dish and press to about 5mm thickness. Refrigerate.

Place the coconut milk in a saucepan and sprinkle the agar powder over the top. Whisk thoroughly. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for 3 minutes exactly. Agar needs to boiled to be activated, but its setting properties are destroyed if it is brought to too high a temperature, so use a timer! Allow to cool to room temperature.

Place all the ingredients for the filling, except the chocolate, into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Taste to see if you are happy with the sweetness and the mint flavour, which you can adjust if you like. Pour into the crust. Grate the chocolate over the top, and refrigerate until set (at least 4 hours.)

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Pomegranate & Fennel Salad

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Pomegranate & Fennel Salad

Pomegranate always makes for an impressive addition to any dish when you have guests. These beautiful little ruby-like jewels are bursting with flavour and packed with health. Over 8000 years ago they became one of the first cultivated fruits, and ever since have been a symbol of prosperity and abundance in many cultures.
They are rich in vitamin K, potassium and antioxidants – specifically punicalagin, a polyphenol unique to pomegranates, and anthocyanins, which are responsible for giving pomegranate juice its rich red color.

Ingredients (serves 3-4 as a side dish)

1 medium-sized bulb of fennel
1 pomegranate
2 handfuls baby spinach
1 handful fresh mint
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp organic maple syrup or raw honey
Oryx Desert Salt to taste

Method

If you have a mandolin use it to finely slice the fennel. Alternatively a sharp knife will do the job with a bit more effort!
Cut the pomegranate in half, and gently remove the arils (seeds), trying not to burst them. Discard any bits of white membrane, and add the arils to the fennel.

If the spinach leaves are large you can roughly chop or tear them, otherwise leave them whole. Remove the mint leaves from the stems and roughly chop them. Add to the fennel and pomegranate.

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon and maple or honey. Pour over the salad. Season to taste with salt and toss thoroughly.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Spicy Kale Chips

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Spicey Kale Chips 2

This is a variation of my regular Raw Kale Chips. By adding dried onion and tamari you get more of an umami flavour and the cumin seeds give them a middle eastern twist. Healthy snacking!

Ingredients

150 – 200g kale leaves, weighed once you have removed the tough centre stem
70g raw cashews
45ml fresh lemon juice
60ml water
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tbsp dried onion
10ml organic tamari
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Oryx Desert salt

Method

Tear the kale leaves into pieces about 5cm square, making sure that there are no tough stems remaining.

Place the remaining ingredients except for the cumin seeds into a blender, and blend until smooth. You may need to add a little extra water to get a dressing-like consistency which can be poured over the kale. Add the cumin seeds and blend just for a couple of seconds, so that you don’t grind them completely but still have bits of seeds.

Pour over the kale leaves and use your hands to “massage” the dressing into the leaves, making sure that it gets into all the frilly bits of the leaves.

Spread the leaves out on dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 46 C overnight. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can dry them in your oven on its lowest temperature.

Store in an airtight container.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Fruit & Nut Loaf

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Once again my appetite has increased. Apparently this happens at the 23 week mark as the baby goes through a big growth spurt. I’m wanting to snack all the time so I’m needing to make healthy snacks that are filling and nutritious and this is honestly one of the best things I’ve made!

Ingredients

2 apples
1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
1/4 cup water
1 and 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
1/3 cup pecans
8 medjool dates
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup almond milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp cinnamon

For the glaze:
2 tbsp almond butter
2 tbsp almond milk
Pinch Himalayan salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 / gas mark 6 and prepare a silicone loaf tin by cutting enough baking paper to cover just the bottom then grease the whole thing with vegan margarine.

Prepare homemade applesauce by putting the apples with the water and sugar in a saucepan and cook until soft. When soft, mash the apples into a puree and add to a large bowl. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.

Chop the dates into small pieces and add these to the bowl, then put the pecans into a pestle and mortar and bash until chopped but not crushed into a meal, add to the bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.

Once mixed, pour into the loaf tin and bake for 20-30 minutes depending on your oven. It should come out the oven as soon as the fork comes out of the cake clean, you don’t want to over bake it.

Leave to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning out onto a plate.

Make the glaze by mixing all the ingredients then spreading it over the top, If there is any left you can use this to spread on each slice as a spread.

Serve hot out the oven or once cooled.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Aubergine & Tahini Dip with Oryx Desert Smoked Salt

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Hatzilim im Tchina

This is a very common dip in Israel and I often make it for Shabbat dinner. Traditionally the aubergine will be cooked on an open flame, giving it a smoky flavour. Using Oryx Desert Smoked Salt gives it that same flavour, while simply roasting it in the oven.

Ingredients

1 large aubergine
2 tbsp tahini
juice of 1/2 a lemon, or to taste
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp ground cumin
small handful fresh coriander leaves
Oryx Desert Smoked Salt
Black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 200C.
Pierce the skin of the aubergine with a sharp knife a few times. Place it in the oven, straight on the rack. Roast until the skin is blackened and the interior is soft, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Remove the skin of the aubergine and chop up the flesh. Combine with the rest of the ingredients, adding the smoked salt and black pepper to taste.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Goji and Baobab Bars

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Goji & Baobab Bars

For those of you who have been saying that some of our recipes are a bit intimidating, here’s the perfect place to start. These energy bars are so simple to make, all you need is a food processor, no other techniques required!

Ingredients

1 cup goji berries
1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
6 – 8 fresh medjool dates (about 125g)
2 tbsp baobab powder
1/2 tsp Oryx Desert Salt
4 tbsp ground flax
1/3 cup organic virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp raw honey

Method

Place the goji berries and brazil nuts in a food processor and process into a rough crumb. Add the dates, making sure to remove the pips and process again. Add the baobab powder, salt, and ground flax and process to combine. Finally add the coconut oil and honey and process until everything is well combined and sticky but with a rough texture.

Spread evenly in a loaf tin lined with clingfilm (for easy removal) and refrigerate until set. Cut into bars and keep refrigerated.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine

Raw Chocolate Tart

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Raw Chocolate Tart

This is a favourite with my family and friends, and no one can ever believe what the main ingredient is… avocado! Don’t let that put you off – it is rich, creamy and delicious; everything you want from a chocolate tart. And it’s so simple and easy to make.

This year I made it for Pesach dinner (we don’t eat wheat during Pesach and our desserts always have to be dairy-free as we don’t mix meat and milk.)
Word of advice: don’t tell people that there’s avo in it until they’ve tried it!

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups whole raw almonds
60ml raw cacao powder
1/4 tsp himalayan salt
150g fresh medjool dates
2 tbsp organic virgin coconut oil

Filling:
500g ripe avo flesh (about 4 or 5 avos)
180ml raw cacao powder
60ml organic virgin coconut oil
40g raw cacao butter, gently melted
180ml organic maple syrup
1/4 tsp himalayan salt
1/4 tsp organic stevia leaf powder
1 tsp organic vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

Method

Remove the pits from the dates and chop them up. Place all the ingredients for the crust in a food processor and blend until you have a fine crumb that sticks together when pressed. If the mixture seems dry just keep processing until it’s sticky. Turn it out into a 23cm loose-bottom flan tin or glass serving dish. Press the crumb evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the tin, making sure that the top edges are straight and even. Refrigerate.

Place all the ingredients for the filling in a high-speed blender and blend until completely smooth, but be careful not to blend for so long that the mixture heats up.
Pour into the set crust and use a spatula to make swirly patterns on top or just smooth it out, as you prefer. Refrigerate overnight or minimum 4 hours.

Health & happiness!

Love,
Raine