Tag: protein

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

Fruit & Nut Loaf

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2

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

Vegan White Chocolate Cookies

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White choc cookies 1

Pregnancy cravings have struck! I am craving cookies and biscuits like never before, especially in the afternoon. I’ve given in and had a few ‘naughty’ Belgian chocolate covered biscuits because I don’t agree with depriving yourself to the point of being miserable. I’d say that my healthy lifestyle makes up for 80% of the time, and the other 20% is when I eat out or at other people’s houses or fancy a treat. I don’t want to be the person who goes out for dinner and can’t have anything on the menu. Since cleansing myself and getting into remission, I no longer have any intolerances so my body accepts everything, I just don’t agree with eating all that unhealthy stuff all the time. But every now and then, if I fancy a biscuit, I have it! That being said, the cravings have got a bit mad so I had to make some healthy ones to keep at home and these really do satisfy the craving 🙂

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas, rinsed then patted dry
2 tbsp organic natural peanut butter (I use Meridian)
3 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp maple
1 tbsp sized chunk of cacao butter
3 tbsp buckwheat flour
1 tbsp coconut palm sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (not essential, but I find it gives the outer layer of the cookie a crunchier texture)
Pinch of Himalayan or Oryx salt (I used Oryx desert salt)
Generous handful of vegan white chocolate chips (or any chocolate chips of your choice)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 (gas mark 6) and line a baking tray with baking paper and grease it slightly with coconut oil.

Put the chickpeas, peanut butter, almond milk and coconut oil in a food processor and blend until smooth.

Then add the maple, cacao butter, buckwheat flour, coco sugar, baking powder, bicarb and salt and process again until smooth and sticky.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the chocolate chips and mix in.

Take cookie sized balls of the mixture in your hand, roll then press down to a cookie shape on the prepared baking tray. Dampen your hands slightly if it is too sticky. Repeat until mixture is finished.

Put in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until you see they are very slightly golden but do not over bake. They will continue to harden once they come out the oven. Transfer baking sheet that they are on, onto a cooling tray or wire rack until fully cooled.

Served best with a cold glass of almond milk!

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Paleo Brownies

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Paleo Brownies

These brownies are gluten- and grain-free, and by using stevia and only a small amount of honey to sweeten they are very low in carbs too. The use of almonds, flax, egg and avo means that they’re a decent source of protein; and the coconut oil, along with the flax, is great for controlling cholesterol. A truly guilt-free treat!

Ingredients

65g raw cacao paste
80g organic virgin coconut oil
60ml raw almond butter
60ml raw honey
2 eggs
1/2 cup ripe avo
2 tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla powder
1 cup ground almonds
60ml ground flax seed
1 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of Oryx Desert Salt
1 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
1/4 cup chopped raw pecan nuts

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C and grease a square baking dish with coconut oil.

Place the cacao paste, coconut oil, almond butter and honey in a glass or steel bowl which can fit over a saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl over the saucepan, gently melting the ingredients.

Mash the avo with a fork until smooth. Whisk the egg and vanilla, and combine with the avo. Set aside.

Combine the ground almonds, ground flax, stevia, cinnamon, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

Once the chocolate mixture is completely melted and whisked together, slowly pour it into the egg mixture whilst whisking vigorously, to prevent the heat from scrambling the egg. Stir in the dry ingredients and the chopped pecans.

Spread the batter into the baking dish and bake for about 20 – 25 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

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

Lemon, Coconut & Baobab Bliss Balls

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Lemon Coconut Baobab Bliss Balls

I fancied having something in my fridge that is sweet but refreshing at the same time, and healthy of course, and I haven’t made any form of bliss balls for a while so I just made these. All the ingredients are natural, organic and raw and the Baobab adds extra superfood goodness for added energy and an immune boost.

Ingredients

1 cup organic medjool dates
Half cup hazelnuts
Half cup almonds
Juice of 2 lemons (I like it quite lemony but you can reduce if you like)
1 tsp baobab
About half a cup desiccated coconut, give or take

Method

First soak the nuts for at least 4 hours (you can soak them together in a bowl with purified water)

Add all the ingredients, including 4 tbsp of the coconut to the food processor and process until the nuts are totally ground into a butter and everything is well incorporated and soft.

Take about a spoonful out with your hands and roll into a ball and place on a large plate. Continue this until you have finished the mixture, leaving a gap in the middle of the plate. You may need to add a tiny bit of water to your hands to help roll the balls if they are too sticky.

Once they are all on the plate, sprinkle the rest of the coconut in a heap onto the middle of the plate and coat each one individually with the coconut.

Once they are ready you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for about a month.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Raw Caramel & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats

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Raw Caramel & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats

Yesterday I posted our Chocolate & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats and today I thought I’d try the recipe with caramel instead of chocolate, using our Raw Caramel Recipe, and they are divine! Again using quinoa instead of Rice Krispies for gluten free, organic, protein-filled goodness.

Ingredients

1 x Raw Caramel recipe
2 cups puffed quinoa pops

Method

Make the caramel as per the recipe above then put the puffed quinoa in a bowl and pour the caramel over. Mix it well, you might need to squish it all over with your hands – the kids will love it!

Arrange some muffin cases in a cupcake baking tin and add some of the mixture to each case, then put in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Once ready you can keep them in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Chocolate & Puffed Quinoa Krispie Treats

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quinoa crispy cakes

There’s nothing better than baking with your kids, but baking with healthy ingredients and teaching them all about it is even better. I remember as a kid we used to make Rice Krispie cakes but of course with melted Dairy Milk and actual Rice Krispies! This is a healthier take on that and you won’t feel guilty giving these snacks to your kids – they are full of goodness and are still yummy. The kids will be happy and their blood sugar levels won’t drastically drop like they would if you used artificial ingredients so it’s the best of both worlds. They are full of bioavailable plant-based protein – oh and they’re sooooo easy to make!

Ingredients

2 cups puffed quinoa (you can buy a box online or at your local health shop)
1 x chocolate sauce recipe

Method

First make the chocolate sauce as per above recipe.

Once it’s made and ready in the saucepan, add your puffed quinoa to a medium sized bowl and pour the chocolate over. Mix well until combined.

Place muffin cases in a cupcake baking tray and add a few spoonfuls of the mixture to each one (as much as it takes to fill them to the top) then simply place the tray in the freezer for about 45 minutes.

Now all you have to do is make sure there is no fighting over who gets to lick the bowl!

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Berry Fudge Cups

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cranberry and peanut fudge cups

It’s all about peanut butter for me! Not only is it so tasty and indulgent, it is also a great source of plant protein so I tend to make a lot of snacks with natural organic peanut butter. You can make your own but for this recipe you really need a runny consistency so I like the Meridian peanut butter – works really well. See how you get on, these really are so delicious…

Ingredients

2 handfuls cranberries (also works great with goji berries)
Half cup natural organic peanut butter
4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp organic natural maple syrup

Method

Mix all the ingredients other than the cranberries in a bowl until well combined.

Add empty muffin cases to a cupcake baking tray and sprinkle some cranberries at the bottom of each case then spoon in about 2 tbsp of the mixture on top.

Freeze for about an hour or until solid. I tried to keep them in the fridge but they went to soft so you should probably keep them in a container in the freezer once you’ve taken the cases off (that’s if you haven’t eaten them all straight away!)

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren

Courgette Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms and Vegan Pesto

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Zoodles

OK I may have gone a little overboard with the sauce, it’s just so yummy! But you may want to tone yours down and add less sauce, or as much as you want to get it as creamy as you like.

It seems that everyone is jumping on the spiralizer bandwagon these days which is great! All these utensils give us more resources to be able to cook healthily more often, and in less time. It honestly takes about 60 seconds to put two courgettes through a spiralizer. I decided to go for a tagliatelle shape this time. I had some mushrooms and leeks in the fridge along with my courgettes so decided to mix all three together and the result was delicious. Added to it my creamy Vegan Pesto, you can’t go wrong! Either as an accompaniment to a meal or as a meal itself with some salad – just yum!

Ingredients

2 courgettes (zucchini)
About 6/7 chestnut mushrooms or any smallish mushroom
1 leek
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 x vegan pesto recipe

Method

First spiralize your courgettes and set aside. If you don’t have a spiralizer you can use a potato peeler. (Spiralizers are quite cheap and really great to have around.)

Chop your mushrooms and leeks.

Heat some olive oil in a deep saucepan and when hot, add the mushrooms and leeks. Stir for a while, until the mushrooms start to release juices, then add a little salt and pepper. After about 7-10 minutes, once they smell delicious, gently pour away the excess liquid.

Put the saucepan back on the hob and add the courgette. Mix well, then add the pesto sauce and mix around until all is hot. Serve hot and sprinkle a few pine nuts on the top.

Enjoy!

Love,
Lauren