Spiced Cinnamon Punch (Sujeonggwa)

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There is this Korean after-meal drink called Sujeonggwa. It’s commonly served after dinner because ginger helps your digestion and improves the absorption of essential nutrients in the body. Cinnamon in this drink also helps to control your blood sugar and cholesterol level and kill the bad bacteria in your GI tract so that the gastric juices work normally. So instead of going for sweets or ice creams after dinner, have this drink and maybe one of those snacking power balls. Perfect dessert and so good for your digestion!

Traditionally it is made by brewing the cinnamon sticks and sliced ginger at a slow boil and then boiled again after adding either honey or brown sugar. It’s dark brown in colour and topped with pine nuts and slices of dried persimmons. I like its subtle sweetness with a kick of cinnamon and ginger, quite different to Indian chai tea, which has a lot of mixed spices in it. I like it served cold with a couple of ice cubes in summer days. Or a bit of sparkling water to make it fizzy. It is refreshing, cleansing and hydrating! You can definitely make a healthy cocktail or non-alcoholic one with it, too. Depending on your taste, feel free add more cinnamon, ginger or honey.

Cinnamon DrinkIngredients

1L of water
8 cinnamon sticks washed
1/2 cup of sliced ginger
2 star anise
1 cup of good quality honey (or any kind of sweetener such as cane sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup)

Put all ingredients except honey in a large pot and boil over medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Discard the ginger, cinnamon and star anise. They’ve done their job now. Add honey into the pot and boil for another 20 minutes. Cool it down before you serve. You can top with pine nuts, slices of dried persimmon or dates for garnish.

Posted in: Dessert, Drinks, My recipes

Date Power Balls

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Chocolate Date BallsI didn’t know what Medjool dates were until I started making these power snack balls. Maybe I didn’t get my hands on because they didn’t look that attractive at the shops. They are soft, sticky and sweet, great for making healthy raw desserts.

Dates give extra energy to a tired body within half an hour after taking it. So having powder date balls will boost your stamina before exercise and keep your energy levels between meals. They contain minerals and vitamins – oil, calcium, sulfur, iron, potassium, phosphorous, manganese, copper and magnesium which are advantageous for health. They also help in fighting constipation due to high dietary fibre content, intestinal disorders, heart problems, diarrhea and abdominal cancer. Apparently Muslims break their fast by eating dates and water according to their traditions. Breaking fast with eating dates helps to avoid overeating of the food after the fast because the feeling of hunger gets pacified. So you can see eating dates helps to control your hunger here.

How to use them? Medjool dates taste incredibly sweet and caramel-like. My favorite way of using them is in baking and making sweets. They definitely help to satisfy your sweet tooth without any refined sugar. You can eat them just by itself as a snack on the go. They don’t need refrigeration and stand up well to travel. It is originally grown in Morocco, so goes well with Moroccan spices like cumin, cardamom, turmeric and saffron. Put them in savoury dishes like couscous salads, stuffing, tagine, casserole, etc. It will add a beautiful natural sweetness to the dishes.

Ingredients

50g mixed nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) – Feel free to use any types of nuts that you have on hand.
8 Medjool dates
50g oats
50g dark chocolate buttons
30g chia seeds
25g maca powder
25g almond meal
1 tsp of cacao powder
1 tsp of cinnamon powder
1 tbsp of coconut oil
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until completely combined. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Roll them into balls until all the mixture has been used. Add a bit of water if the mixture is too dry or add more almond meal if too wet. You will need to squish it together so that it sticks. Damp hands can help the rolling process. Refrigerate them in an airtight container until needed.

Posted in: Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

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Peanut butter browni

My mum didn’t bake much sweets when I was growing up. Koreans don’t eat much sweet cakes, muffins and pies, but have a fruit plate for dessert. However, we do have some chocolate snacks from the shop. Oh oh.. I remember when I visit to my grandma’s house, she always gives me some money and asks me to get a packet of cigarette from the shop. Then I’m more than happy to run down to the shop because I can buy whatever with the change. The bigger note she gives me the more snacks for us 🙂 We have a couple of snacks called “Choco pie” and “Oh! yes!” (yes, it is English name >.<). First one is basically similar to a whoopie pie with marshmallow in the middle. Second one is a light chocolate sponge cake bar with chocolate cream in the middle. It comes in an individual packet, a dozen in a box. I then kindly share with all my cousins when I get back from the shop. A dozen of pies easily gone in a sec! Brownies kind of remind me of those snacks I used to have and baking them makes me happy. This brownie recipe gave me 8 little squares. When it’s all done in the oven you are supposed to take it out, cool it down in a pan, even put in the fridge to cool completely before cutting them. Me? I just don’t wait whenever I bake cakes or bars. Why is it so hard to walk away and let it cool? Don’t make same mistakes like me x

Ingredients

100g dark chocolate
100g self-raising flour
1/4 cup of oats
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1 egg
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of baking powder
a teaspoon of cacao powder
a pinch of salt
3 teaspoons of crunchy peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 180. Sift all dry ingredients and set aside. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat or in a microwave and then stir in the sugar. Whisk the egg, milk and chocolate mixture in a large bowl. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Fold to combine until smooth. Transfer to a prepared pan, drop little globs of peanut butter and swirl with a knife. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow the brownies to cool in the pan before cutting.

Posted in: Baking, Dessert, My recipes, Snack

Raw Berry Cashew Cheese Cake

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Having a handful of nuts everyday is good for you because nuts have a moderate amount of protein (9-20%) and high quantity of essential fat (49-74% total fat). They are also a good source of fibre, a range of essential nutrients, especially vitamin B and vitamin E, minerals like iron, zinc, potassium, magnesium and anti-oxidant compounds. Increasing nut consumption is NOT going to cause a weight gain, however, you need to enjoy in moderation and replace them for less nutritious foods such as chips and sugary snacks. So how much is recommended daily? 30-50 grams which correspond to

  • 20 almonds
  • 15 cashews
  • 20 hazelnuts
  • 15 macadamias
  • 15 pecans
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts
  • 60 pistachios in shells (30 g of kernels)
  • 10 whole walnuts or 20 walnut halves
  • a small handful of mixed nuts

As per my previous post, it is better to soak your nuts for your digestion. I find an easy way is making a nut-based “cheese” cake and enjoying a slice a day to have your daily nut intake. They are absolutely raw, pre-soaked and blended for you with a pack of flavour. Make this cake (about 6-7 servings) on the weekend and enjoy for a week. So easy!

Raw Berry CakeIngredients

For the base
100g mixed nuts (I used cashew, almonds, walnuts)
1 table spoon of coconut oil
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon of nutmeg
5 Medjool dates
a pinch of salt

For the filling
100g raw cashew nuts (soaked 4-5 hours or overnight)
100g frozen mixed berries
1 table spoon of coconut oil
1 table spoon of maple syrup or honey

Place the base ingredients in a food processor and pulse until it all comes together. Scoop out the mixture and spread in a spring-form pan. Press firmly and set in the fridge. Now onto the filling. Put all filling ingredients in a food processor and whiz up until smooth. Then pour the mixture onto the crust and smooth with a spatula. Place in the freezer for a few hours to set. Use a sharp knife to cut into slices to serve. Keep the rest in the freezer. Enjoy with berries on the side or just by itself x

Posted in: Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes, Snack, Vegetarian

GF Black Bean Brownies

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Black beansYes, dessert can be healthy yet still delicious! I like putting savory ingredients in sweets e.g. beetroot, zucchini, eggplant, pumpkin, beans. It really fools you! They don’t taste like beans at all, but adds an amazing flavour and consistency. Rich, dark, moist, chocolatey and fudgy. Just the way the brownie should be! Trust me on this. You will fall in love with this after the first bite. From a health point of view, it is gluten-free, sugar-free and guilt-free. This brownie has a good amount of protein from beans and eggs, which means it fills you up and stabilises your blood sugar level unlike other desserts that are commonly full of sugar and empty calories. Great for a breakfast if you have a sweet tooth, a snack with a cuppa, even a satisfying yummy dessert with a glass of red 🙂

Black bean brownie 2Cacao powder – well known superfood. The best source of magnesium and anti-oxidants.
Almonds – high in essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E
Black beans – very high in fibre, folate, protein, anti-oxidants, an amazing longevity food!
Cinnamon – natural anti-infectious components, contains fibre, calcium, iron and manganese
Chia – very high in fibre, omega 3, a complete protein, anti-oxidants
Maple syrup – an anti-oxidant powerhouse. contains anti-inflammatory compounds, essential minerals like zinc, iron, calcium, and potassium. helps with digestion and muscle recovery

Black bean brownie

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked black beans and adzuki beans
50g almond meal
25g cacao powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 table spoon of chia seeds
1/4 cup of coconut oil
1/3 cup of maple syrup
3 eggs
a pinch of salt

Soak dried black beans over night. Wash well and cook in a boiling water until soft and tender. Drain and mash them with the back of the fork. Add all wet ingredients in a mixing ball, and then dry ingredients. Combine well making sure there is no lumps. Pour into the baking tin and bake in the preheated oven (180) for 40 minutes until cooked.

Posted in: Baking, Breakfast, Dessert, Gluten Free, My recipes