Raw Carob Banana Fudge

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img_1160One of the things I cannot live without is chocolate desserts. A piece of dark chocolate with a cafe noir, minty chocolate after meals, strawberries dipped in chocolate with a glass of wine, home-made cacao balls with a cuppa, chocolate-zucchini or chocolate-banana cake.. mmm..is it just me drooling right now? I fell in love with this raw fudge as soon as I had a first bite. It is rich, decadent, heavenly, melting in your mouth. I was lucky to find this French lavender sea salt from a local shop, but feel free to use normal sea salt or make one yourself 🙂 It is divine.

Another good thing about this fudge? It is made of all my favorite healthy ingredients, which means no guilt of eating chocolate dessert, yay! Tahini made of sesame seeds is an excellent source of vitamin B important for healthy cell growth and red blood cells, which will prevent anemia. It also supports your bone health, metabolism, immune and nervous system. Chia seeds contain calcium, manganese, and phosphorus, and a great source of healthy omega-3 fats. I don’t have to go over awesomeness of coconut oil again here, but did you know coconut oil is a natural appetite suppressant? The compounds as coconut is digested are shown to curb hunger naturally and increase energy expenditure. Certainly another reason to add into your diet for overall good health, right? You can replace carob powder with cacao powder in the recipe, though taste the mixture as the sweetness and bitterness is slightly different between two.

Ingredients (x10 serves)

1 large ripe banana
3 tbsp hulled tahini paste
1 tbsp raw honey
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp raw carob powder
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 tsp French lavender sea salt (optional)

Mesh a ripe banana with a fork in a large bowl. Warm up the raw honey, tahini and coconut oil in a pot over low heat until they are just melted. Combine the honey mixture, banana and other ingredients (except lavender salt) in a bowl. Combine well with a spatula and transfer to a prepared silicon baking tray or a container lined with a baking paper. Sprinkle salt evenly on top and chill in the freezer to set. Cut into squares and serve straight from the freezer.

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

Grapefruit, Avocado and Grilled Halloumi Salad

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Grapefruit saladGood thing about a cold season is the abundance of citrus fruits. Oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, lemons…among them I adore this beautiful pink grapefruit. Grapefruit can add a healthy and refreshing flavor to entrees, desserts and drinks. They are high in vitamin C and a half of a medium grapefruit has only 60 calories. It is well known fruit for weight loss because grapefruit is high in enzymes that burn fats, has high water content and has less sodium. A combination of these three characteristics make grapefruit a perfect food for increasing your body’s metabolism. Not only that, lycopene, a carotenoid pigment that is responsible for the red color, is a powerful anti-cancer agent. If one is worried about their body fat they could also opt for a painless cryoslimming technique. Other benefits of Grapefruit are fighting against common cold and fever, dissolving gallstones, boosting liver function, better digestion and enhancing immunity against infections.

This salad is embarrassingly so simple to make with only three ingredients – the salty flavor of halloumi cheese, creamy sliced avocado and sweet-tart ruby grapefruit. It is best to serve this salad when citrus is at its best and avocados are perfectly ripe. Perhaps serve with a beautiful fish? I like adding grilled halloumi cheese here, which has the different texture when cooked – brown and crispy outside, but still soft and gooey inside. Simple dressing made of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, olive oil and white wine vinegar brings all ingredients together. Sprinkle a good quality of sea salt on top to season.
GrapefruitAnother way of using grapefruits is preserving them in syrup. It can be used for grapefruit sweet tea, cakes, desserts such as adding on top of ice cream or panna cotta, etc. It is perfect for later use. I peeled and segmented about  5 grape fruits. As you do so, try to collect as much juice from the grapefruit into a cup as you can. Once all your fruits are segmented, place the grapefruit juice into a medium sauce pan along with maple syrup, grated ginger and a couple of sprigs of mint. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, for about 15-20 minutes. Then, strain out the mint leaves. Pack sterilized jars with grapefruit segments and pour the boiling syrup into the jar leaving a inch space. Cool it down completely before you put it in the fridge. I like adding a teaspoon of this syrup into my green tea, full of vitamins! Maybe use it for happy hour in gin, vodka or margarita as well?

Posted in: Dessert, Dinner, Drinks, Gluten Free, Lunch, My recipes, salads, Vegetarian

Super Healthy Coconut Crunch

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coconut crunch
I’m so excited I came across this new ingredient for my gluten-free baking. It is organic coconut crunch! As good as it sounds, coconut crunch is naturally high in fibre, vitamins and minerals and a great source of iron for vegetarians. So what is it? After the extra virgin coconut oil has been extracted, the coconut flesh is then air-dried and processed to grounds with no bleaching, preservatives or additives. I’m glad nothing is wasted! It retains its natural brownish colour, nutty coconut taste and crunch texture, perfect for baking coconut cookies, fruit crumbles, cakes, etc. I purchased online but I’m sure you can find them in local health food shops, too.

These cookies are for everyone to enjoy. For the better health, I used the amazing chia seeds to replace eggs. Coconut oil and coconut palm sugar is used instead of butter and refined sugar. Nutty tahini and a hint of Himalayan salt is also going to add a richness and satiety, you will never miss a store-bought sugary cookies ever again. On top of that, it is embarrassingly easy and quick to make when all ingredients are ready in your pantry. Be responsible cause I know you cannot stop after just one x

Ingredients (x6-7 cookies)

Strongly brewed espresso
15g chia seeds
50g coconut sugar
50g coconut crunch
50g brown rice flour
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
a pinch of Himalayan salt

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine with a spatula. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until chia seeds swell up and coconut crunch/ flour absorb all moisture. Spoon a cookie batter onto a lined baking paper and gently press with the back of spoon into rounds. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Let it cool completely and enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee.

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

Goji Chia Jam

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Goji chia jam If you want your jam to be sugar-free, raw, rich in EFA’S, dietary fibre, full of antioxidants, essential vitamins and minerals, this is the recipe for you. Perfect on a slice of bread, mixed in with natural yoghurt or as topping on morning breakfast bowl. It is super healthy, naturally sweet and nourishes you from inside out. My mum used to make a tea out of it together with cinnamon and honey, perfect in winter when I get a cold because goji berries are high in vitamin C and boost your immune system. This amazing fruit has all essential amino acids, high concentration of protein, great for vegetarians. On top of that, it is naturally anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. So eat more of these guys!
Goji chia jam1Ingredients

100g goji berries
20g chia seeds
1 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp vanilla powder
zest and juice from one orange
water to soak goji berries

Soak goji berries for an hour. Place soaked goji berries, chia seeds, honey, vanilla powder, zest and juice from orange in a food processor. Blend until you get a jam consistency. Taste and adjust sweetness. Transfer to a glass jar and keep refrigerated. If you don’t like a taste of goji berries, you can add blue berries or raspberries into this.

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

My Version of Raw Baklava

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Raw BaklavaI don’t know much about baklava. In fact, I’ve seen them around at the Turkish or Greek restaurants, but never tasted it before. Bronze glazed pastry on top, thick nut layer in the middle, strata solid bottom, drenched in sugar syrup or honey or some sort. It looks seriously sweet, but the colour and aroma from pistachio nuts, cardamom, rose water and cinnamon is truly appealing. I wanted to try it. I wanted to make a healthier version – gluten-free, refined-sugar free, butter-free.

Ingredients

50g of pistachio nuts
50g almond meal
20g flaxseed meal
1 tbsp of water
20g chia seeds
6 dates
1 tsp of coconut oil
1 tsp rose water
1 tsp of cardamom
1 tsp of cinnamon
a pinch of Himalayan salt
1 tbsp of raw honey

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you get a dough consistency. Pour the mixture into a little container and press with the back of the spoon. Set in the fridge or freezer. After a few hours, take it out of the fridge or freezer and cut into little diamonds. Drizzle raw honey and sprinkle more pistachio nuts over the top. I keep the rest of mine in the freezer and take it out 10 minutes before serve.

 

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