Raw Peanut Butter Cookies

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raw peanut butter cookiesThe food we eat affects our mood and in turn our mood directs appetites craving for something sweet or savoury, carb-loaded or deep-fried foods. It would damage your health to just follow your heart and eat whatever you feel like eating, though also unhealthy to suppress your cravings. I’m so fascinated by the relationship between food and mood and health. It seems hard to achieve a total balance between all three though what matters is that we listen to our feelings, try healthy alternatives and feed our body with nutritious and delicious foods. Don’t you agree? I came down with some kind of bugs this week, feeling lethargic, headachey, blocked sinus, sore throat, etc. All I wanted was climb onto the bed and bury myself in there all day. However, it never happened. In fact, I came home after work and spent some time in my kitchen preparing meals and making little treats. Healing time for me 🙂

Who doesn’t like peanut butter? or Cookies? Peanut cookies? When making these neat and nutty little cookies, there is no fragrant aroma of baking cookies in the house you normally expect. Also because of the nature of their making, texture is quite dense and soft unlike the baked crunchy cookies. Though what you will get is incredible peanut butter yumminess, good nutrition and feeling good about treating yourself, thanks to refined sugar-free, gluten-free and low-carbs, I promise it is a pleasingly easy recipe and tastes wonderful. So tuck right in! 🙂 Only one issue is that they just don’t seem to last long in my freezer after I make them. A big mug of tea and a couple of these guys on the side is totally my weakness and a moment of indulgence.

Ingredients

1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup Medijool dates, pitted
1/2 cup organic peanut butter (if peanut butter allergies, use other nut butters)
1 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp maca powder
1 tbsp cacao nibs
a pinch of salt

Blend all up in a food processor. Make little balls and press with your favorite cookie stamp. Store in a airtight container in the freezer.

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

GF Pear Chai Tea Cake

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What kind of tea do you like? I visited T2 shop in Emporium in Melbourne CBD a few times just because I fell in love with a hundred variety of teas there. There is a lot of health benefits of drinking tea including detoxing, preventing cancer, improving your skin and even weight loss, but hey I just like the smell and taste that calms me down. Whatever reason you choose to drink tea, it is good for you 🙂

– If you are caffeine sensitive, it is probably best to avoid black, white and green tea later afternoon.
– Stick to chamomile and red tea (a.k.a rooibos tea from South Africa) which is caffeine free and very soothing for your digestion!
– Try spiced tea with coconut milk or almond milk and a few drops of stevia.
– Miss coffee? Try chicory root and dandelion. It tastes just like coffee without caffeine.
– Make iced tea in hot summer. Brew the tea. Just add sweetener and slices of your favorite fruits in a jug and keep in fridge up to 3 days.
– Use brewed tea and tea bag for baking such as rooibos, earl grey and chai tea.

I made this tea cake vegan and gluten-free with no refined sugar. So it is not too sweet and quite dense in texture. Having a big dollop of thick vanilla yogurt or whipped coconut cream would be nice. Of course, freshly brewed chai tea on the side, too.
pear chai cakeIngredients

1 tbsp flaxmeal
1 cup of strongly brewed chai tea
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
100g brown rice flour
50g coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 pear sliced
a pinch of salt

Combine flaxmeal, brewed tea, melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Add other ingredients, except pear, into a bowl and mix well with a spatula. Pour the mixture into a prepared baking tin. Arrange sliced pear on top and gently press. Bake in the preheated oven (180) for 30 minutes or until cooked. Allow to cool in a tin for 10 minutes before slicing.

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

Raw Goji Ripe Bars

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Goji Ripe BarsI had such a determination after a daily consume of baked goods like homemade muffins and cakes for months. It’s time I had something different like porridge, smoothie, fruit bowl or something. Then all sense of discipline melts away next day. I just admit I cannot live without them because of a joy of making them plus utterly fabulous taste after a bite. Oh well, at least I make them healthy. It is okay, right? I had to share these raw snack bars with you because they are incredibly delicious and healthy for you. I have tried a packet of cherry ripe in the past (it tastes like SUGAR) and wanted to recreate the same flavour with natural ingredients. Base has beautiful cinnamon and sweet dates. I used dried goji berries and turmeric powder in the filling mixture which are packed with anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory components. My cravings are well taken care of. Knowing that there is no nasty sugar in them allows me to go ahead, free from pangs of guilt. Raw desserts seem so hard to make, but trust me! It is easy to make and is kept very well in the freezer. Only downfall of this recipe is you have to resist the urge to devour all of them at once. Enjoy x

Ingredients (makes 10 bite sizes)

Base

2/3 cup walnut
4-5 Medijool dates
30g cacao powder
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp cinnamon powder
a pinch of sea salt

Filling

50g goji berries, soaked in warn water and drained
50g vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
a pinch of sea salt

Icing

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tsp cacao powder

As preparation, line a container (20cm x 10cm) with a baking paper or Glad wrap. Place all the base ingredients in a food processor and blitz until the mixture comes together. Add a bit of water if too dry. Transfer the mixture into a prepared tin and press down with the back of spoon or spatula. Place in freezer while making fillings. Blend all filling ingredients in a food processor and pour the mixture on top of the base. Press down, smooth the top and place in freezer. For icing, mix melted coconut oil and cacao powder in a small bowl. Pour over the filling and set in freezer for a couple of hours. Take it out of freezer about 10 minutes before cutting into little squares and keep them in freezer.

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

Healthy Chocolate Cups with Pink Peppercorns

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Christmas and this time of the year to me is all about reflecting on what has been happening in your life and planning for the new coming year. Yes, just a quite one. We walk around the streets full of bright lights and carols and look around window displays, maybe snow too. I think I enjoy the excitement and anticipation more than Christmas day itself. That is how my family ‘celebrates’ Christmas, not a kind of tradition having to cook a giant turkey or mountains of foods in an utterly chaotic kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I like a celebratory Christmas feast, too. Anyhow, I made a little Christmas treat here (excuse my love affair with making sumptuous desserts at the moment). Cacao is rich and bitter sweet and pink peppercorns add a bit of spicy savoury yuminess. Total deliciousness full of antioxidant and mood enhancer without refined sugar or dairy. This is real clean eating 🙂 Keep them in your freezer for hungry emergencies or sweet craving moments. Enjoy and I hope you all are having a great time with your family and loved ones x

homemade chocolateIngredients (makes 8 mini cups)

3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp almond ground
1-2 tsp honey or any of your favorite sweetener
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
a pinch of sea salt
a bit of water
pink peppercorns

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Add a bit of water if too dry. Spoon the mixture into little molds and top with pink peppercorns. Chill in the freezer and serve cold.

 

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

GF Vanilla Crepe Cake

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vanilla crepe cakeWhile the not-too-sweet breakfast muffins make me happy waking up hungry in the morning, I crave for something rich and decedent once in a while. This crepe cake is not only gluten-free and dairy-free, great if you have food sensitivities, but also deliciously light in texture by using brown rice flour. I insist healthy version doesn’t mean it sacrifices the flavour. A hint of cinnamon, saltiness and sweetness from salted caramel is heavenly. So I call this the glory of sweet breakfast cake 🙂 The cake is better to be pre-made and chilled in the fridge before serving, though you can also serve warm straight away. Just roll them up or fold twice like you would serve crepes. You can also see my other crepe recipes here and here.

Ingredients (makes one serve as picture shown)

1 egg
100g brown rice flour
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2/3 cup almond milk
a pinch of sea salt
coconut oil for making crepes
salted caramel for filling
cinnamon powder for dusting

Lightly beat egg with a whisk and then add all other ingredients. Set aside for 10-20 minutes. Mixture should be fairly runny. Add a bit of almond milk if too thick. Heat a crepe pan or non-stick frying pan over low-medium heat. Add a dollop of coconut oil into a pan and ladle a crepe batter into the middle of the pan. Swirl the pan in a circular motion to spread the batter thin and evenly. It should take only a minute each side to cook. Repeat with the rest of the batter. I spread salted caramel between the layers and built the cake on a serving plate. (I used a jar of salted caramel that I bought from the farmer’s markets). Place in fridge for a couple of hours to set.vanilla crepe cake1

 

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