Cinnamon Coconut Squares with Chocolate Topping

Yum, another coconutty treat.  :D  The original name for this recipe is raw bounty squares, but since we don't even get those around here, the name says nothing to me about what it is . . . so the re-name.

Coconut base

2 cups desiccated coconut, unsweetened
165ml coconut milk (2/3 cup + 1 tsp)
3 tbs melted coconut oil
3 tbs coconut blossom sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla powder

•  combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix with a fork until well combined
• pour mixture into a glass dish lined with wax paper - press the mixture down firmly
• place in freezer for an hour to set

 Chocolate topping

5 tbs coconut oil
3 tbs cocoa powder
1 tbs coconut blossom sugar

• combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir while melting over a pot with hot water
• pour over coconut mixture and place in fridge for 10 mins to set

I decided to put everything in a pot and melt it directly on the stove, except the coconut blossom sugar didn't melt at all, so I added a few squirts of honey but that didn't mix into the coconut-chocolate mixture, so finally I took it off stove and sieved the mixture into a bowl to get rid of the unmelted sugar and globs of honey - I pressed it through the sieve with a spoon and most of the honey went throught but it wouldn't blend in nicely with the chocolate mixture, BUT oh well, I poured it over anyway and it's good.  Maybe I should read properly and follow the recipe next time, I think the coconut sugar burned, since it does burn easily.  Ish.  Of course the honey makes it non-vegan, so keep that in mind if you want to keep this recipe vegan.

These should be kept refrigerated.

They are really tasty though, a keeper for sure. :)

Recipe credit to Make and Bake from Scratch.

Banana Chocolate Fudge

I've decided to post this recipe only because banana-choc recipes seem to be popular on the net, so there must be folk out there who like it, but after trying a few banana-choc recipes, and being disappointed each time, I've decided I'm not a fan of this combo.
That being said, there's nothing really wrong with it, so those who do like the banana-choc combo may well really enjoy this, so here's to y'all . . .

They DO look YUM though, don't they!

160g very ripe banana
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tbs coconut flour
1 1/2 tbs coconut blossom sugar
1/8 tsp himalayan salt
1/4 cup + 2tbs cocoa powder

• place all ingrediets in food processor and blend until well combined 
• grease a glass dish with some coconut oil, press mixture into dish and refrigerate for a few hours until set
• cut into slices and enjoy! Keep refrigerated.

Recipe credit to Chocolate Covered Katie, with some adaptations of my own.

Savoury Chickpea "Bread"

This is the first time I'm using chickpea flour, and it's resulted in an interesting flavour, I think I like it and will try more recipes with it.

1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbs ground flax
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup milk (the recipe says not rice milk as it doesn't react well with the vinegar)
1 tbs water

• preheat oven to 200C and grease a glass dish (I used about 8x5 inch)
• combine flax with all wet ingredients and whisk very well
• in a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well, then pour the wet into the dry and mix until well combined
• pour mixture into greased dish and bake for about 10-12 mins
• let cool and cut into squares

This is yummy on it's own as an accompaniment to a dish, or, my fave, served with apricot jam, mmmmm . . . 

Recipe credit to Chocolate Covered Katie

Veggie Lentil Cottage Pie

This is such a good hearty satisfying yummy dish.  And a good source of protein and fiber.
You can make this dish vegan by using a vegan butter and milk substitute in the mashed potatoes.

Filling:
250g brown lentils, cooked, drained & set aside
coconut oil for frying
1 leek, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 cup steamed butternut (I pre steamed mine for about 15 mins)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used button but you can use others)
1 cup peas (not canned)
3 tomatoes, finely chopped
115g container tomato paste (heaped 1/3 cup)
1 tsp veggie stock powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 bay leaves
1 tsp himalayan salt
1/4 tsp powdered pepper

Topping:
4 cups potatoes, steamed until soft (about 30 mins - I steamed them while filling was cooking so that mash is fresh & soft when I spread it on filling)
salt & butter to taste
a little milk to make it "fluffier"

• heat oil and fry onion, leek, salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric & stock powder until onion is translucent, about 5 mins
• add remaining ingredients with 1 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat & simmer 15 mins
• while it's simmering, chop & steam the potatoes - when they're done, mash them with salt, butter & a little bit of milk - add little milk at a time and add more if you see you want the mash to be more fluffy
• remove cover and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed (it took me about 20 mins), but leave some moisture left, it mustn't be simmered dry
• place filling into a glass dish (remember to remove bay leaves) & gently spread mash potato over the top
• serve & enjoyyyy

Sweet Potato Chocolate Brownie Dessert

This is a brownie that's best munched as a pudding, it's very soft . . . and has a sort of fresh taste to it, I think it has something to do with the sweet potato and coconut oil - maybe you'll get what I mean when you try it.

When it comes out the oven it's super soft.

And it's incredibly moist, very pudding-y.

1 3/4 cups peeled, cooked & mashed sweet potatoes (I steam mine for about 25 minutes)
1/4 cup greek yoghurt
egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs
2 vanilla powder or pure vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut blossom sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tbs coconut flour

•  in a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well
• grease a glass dish with some coconut oil, pour mixture in and bake at 175C for 30 minutes - it should be firm but it will be very soft to the touch, and gooey inside
• allow to cool and serve - dish up with a spoon, you'll have to eat this brownie dessert with a fork, it's that soft

You can also refrigerate it for a few hours until it firms up a little more - I left it in over night, then cut into squares and serve - you'll probably still need to munch it with a fork though:

Fruity Oat Bars

I was once again looking for recipes where I can use up bananas that I otherwise couldn't use in time before they turn totally brown & mushy, and came across this one.  They're good for snacking or lunch boxes, as well as part of a quick breakfast when you're in a hurry. 

3 large ripe bananas
2 cups oats (the gluten-free kind if you want to be sure it's gluten-free)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/4 cup chopped dates*
1/4 cup chopped cranberries*
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

* You can add more of these fruits if you wish, or add raisins as well.  These bars were tasty but I would add some more fruit next time - it really "spices" up these bars.

• preheat oven to 180 degree C, line a 16 x 25 cm glass dish with baking paper (extend over the sides so you can pick it up easily) and grease baking paper really well, else it'll stick to the bars - as me, I know
• mash bananas until smooth, then add remaining ingredients and stir until well combined
• pour mixture into prepared dish and press down evenly
• bake for about 30 minutes (until it starts to turn a little golden), cool completely then cut into bars

Tomato Rice Pilaf

This is just about a staple in our house, we all love it, not only because it's tasty but also because it's quick and easy to make (latter part is very important haha).

1 medium - large onion (sliced & roughly chopped)
1 tbs coconut oil
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups veggie stock
400g fresh diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp himalayan salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp ground coriander

•  fry onion in oil until it starts to become translucent
• add rice and spices and mix to coat
• add tomato and stock, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20-25 mins

Good as a dish on it's own, or as a side-dish.

Vegan Lentil Carrot Burgers

These are a healthy alternative to meat or frozen burger patties.  Unlike most burger patties, these are actually nice when eaten just as is - I made these especially so that baby (well, 1 year & almost 2 month baby) can join us for our burger dinner.  :)

This makes about 9 small burgers.

2 1/2 cups cooked & drained lentils (about 1 cup dried), mashed (I blended them in a food processor - quicker than trying to mash 'em)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup finely grated carrots
3 tbs tomato paste
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I used gluten-free bread)
salt to taste
coconut or sunflower oil for frying (coconut will give it a slight coconutty taste)

• put lentils in a bowl & add all remaining ingredients except oil
• mix well
• shape into patties & fry both sides in a little oil until heated through

Make your burger and munch away!

We didn't have burger buns so we had to use sliced bread, and the slices were way bigger than the burgers so I used a cookie cutter to make smaller pieces of bread (this is the only shape I had that was just the right size)

Yum, a good burger.

Gluten-free Single Serve Chocolate Cake

This is an adaptation of a 5 min microwave cake someone showed me long ago, and I finally decided to make a second attempt at a healthier and gluten-free version (my first attempt turned out horrid), and it turned out surprisingly GOOD!  I'm not a pro at adapting recipes and actually have them turn out good in the end.
This one takes a little longer than 5 minutes to do though.  Unless you have superman's speedy powers.

It really doesn't look impressive as far as cakes go, but the taste makes up for it.
And this version actually turned out more moist and gooey-fudgy than the original, so it's delicious!

2 tbs coconut flour
2 tbs gluten-free flour mix
3 tbs cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs
3 tbs greek yoghurt
3 tbs coconut oil (liquid)
3 tbs agave nectar

• combine flours, cocoa powder & baking powder in a coffee mug & mix with a fork
• add egg replacer & greek yoghurt and mix well to combine fully
• add coconut oil & mix
• add agave and mix well to combine, and make sure there's no dry flour in the bottom of the mug
• microwave for 3 mins

Soft Banana Coconut Cookies

These are pleasant little high-fibre cookies to snack on.

You know how you always have those extra bananas lying around, no longer in their prime, waiting for you to find something to do with them, and you swear you'll go google up on banana recipe ideas tomorrow . . . and how those same bananas always end up going black and then you're so relieved to be able to throw them away now and have that weight of finding a recipe finally lift off your shoulders? . . .  No?  It's only me then?

Well I've found another way to use up that banana before it expands the fruit fly population in my kitchen.

10 pitted organic dried dates
1 soft banana
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut (not sweetened)

• throw all ingredients in a food processor & process until smooth
• the mixture should be a little moist, but not gooey or too dry - just right to shape into little balls & hold their shape - add more banana if too dry, or more coconut if too wet
• take large teaspoon sized portions & shape into little balls (or something resembling a ball), press slightly flat, place on a buttered baking sheet
• bake at 165 degree C for about 10 mins.  The cookies should be soft

Raw Chocolate Cookies

I'm completely addicted to chocolates & cakes and things, so I'm looking & searching & SEARCHING some more for healthy treats to satisfy my unhealthy cravings, and then I found these cookies - when I first tried them I thought "uhhhh, they taste like coco powder", but then the more I munched 'em, the nicer they became and now I'll definitely be making them again.  So bottom line, these may take a little getting used to, but they do satisfy a chocolate craving, and they ARE tasty.

In fact, my husband does our shopping every week, and he'll always get us a slab of chocolate for the weekend, and this week I told him not to get me one, 'cause I'm gonna make me some 'a these cookies instead.  A proud moment for me.  :)

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (I'm using normal store bought cocoa powder for now, but I'll be making the switch to the raw one soon)
2 tbs liquid sweetener (maple syrup, honey, agave, I used organic rice syrup)
4 tbs + 1 tps organic coconut oil, melted

• put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix to combine well
• take teaspoon sized portions, roll into little balls and squish em flat to form a cookie shape
• place in a glass dish & refrigerate for about 1 hour until "set"                                              

NOTE: if you use coconut oil in it's semi-solid state, the recipe will still work, but the batter will be reeeeally crumbly - just take teaspoonfulls of mixture and press into shape, it will hold together.

Spiced Date Balls

These are SO yummy, and what's even better is that they're absolutely healthy so you don't even have to feel bad no matter how many of 'em you munch.  :)

They're sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan, and raw, so NO nutrients were harmed in the making of this healthy delight.

1 cup (packed) organic dates, pips removed
1/2 cup gluten-free oats (not the instant kind)
2 small carrots, peeled & roughly chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
unsweetened dried desiccated coconut for rolling in

Throw all the ingredients (except coconut) into a food processor and blend until mixed but not totally smooth or pasty.

Roll teaspoon sized portions into little balls, roll in coconut to cover, and they're good to go!  You can chill them in the fridge first if you like but it doesn't make that much difference in the end.  You get out about 24 balls.

I've actually been looking for healthier foods & treats that I can make for baby (and ultimately the rest of family too!), so I'm chuffed at having found something that I find divine too (and extra happy that it's so much healthier than cake hehe).

Butternut Soup

This is a really yummy & easy soup to make.  Butternut is one of my FAVE veggies, so I love this dish.

1 butternut, peeled & chopped into large chunks
1 onion, chopped into chunks
veggie stock
sunflower or coconut oil
cinnamon
nutmeg
cayenne (optional)

•  place chopped veggies on baking tray, drizzle generously with oil, sprinkle over lots of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and if you want to add cayenne for some kick, sprinkle just a light layer over (or add more if you like it hot)
• bake at 180 degree C for 1 hour, until tender and cooked
•  place in a food processor and add veggie stock - blend and add more veggie stock to get the soup a consistency that you like - you can make it chunky or smooth

Easy peasy.  :)

Coconut Vanilla Pudding

I used a vanilla cake box mix to make this pudding, and it turned out so yum. :)

It's a cake mix but I made a pudding out of it.  I used a gluten-free vanilla mix and added my own wet ingredients in place of what the box said, and I'm impressed. :D  Here goes:

1 Orgran vanilla cake box mix (available at Dischem)
1 can coconut milk (400ml)
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
15ml veggie oil

• pour coconut milk into mixing bowl, add cake mix & mix with a fork to combine
• add desiccated coconut & oil, beat with electric beater on low speed for 1 min
• beat with electric beater on high speed for 4 mins
• pour into baking dish (I used a glass dish) and bake for 30 mins at 180 degree C

The vegan instruction on the box say to add 250ml water & 15ml oil.  I added more coconut milk because I thought maybe I need to do so because I added desiccated coconut.  It turned out really moist and you could taste the coconut - I really like it.

And then I decided to spice it up for some difference, and then it became EVEN BETTER!

I poured a little raspberry preserve over the cake and then poured some cream around it and turned it into a double-yummy dessert. :D

Chewy Peanut Butter & Honey Oatmeal Squares

WOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm proud to say that this is the first GOOD recipe that I've invented all on my own!  My husband really likes it too, so that really has to mean something...hehe.

It's exciting because I'm not very good in the kitchen...even when I follow a recipe to the letter sometimes, a flop occurs in the end product.

To be honest, what sort of inspired this adventure were these rice crispie squares, but mine's much healthier! :)

Anyway, what's good about this sweet treat is that I think it can be classified as a healthy delight. :D  I was wanting to come up with a sweet snack that's actually good for you, and I believe this one is - it contains no sugar, no processed foods and lots of nutrition and fibre.  Since this was an experiment, I made a tiny portion, so next time I'll tripple the ingredients and see if that works out, then I'll amend this recipe.  Here goes:

1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup organic sugar-free peanut butter
1/4 cup uncooked oats
1 tbs sunflower seeds
1 tbs sesame seeds
1 tbs molasses bran
1 tbs ground flax seeds
1 tbs digestive bran
1/2 tsp sweet molasses (see also blackstrap molasses)

• warm up the honey & peanut butter on the stove on low heat and mix to combine (don't "cook" it or heat it up unnecessarily long), remove from heat, mix in molasses
• add all other ingredients and mix well - it's quite a stiff mix!
• place in a greased glass dish and press down to even out the top.  I wet a spoon with a couple drops of water and used that to press down the mixture - it's quite sticky
• set in fridge for at least an hour, cut into squares and munch!

The tiny portion

 

Mmmmm - chewy (not SO sticky actually) peanut butter and honey yumminess. :D  Needless to say that it's already finished.

Tapioca Pudding with Pineapple & Cream

I didn't know exactly what tapioca was made from myself, so I google it quick: Tapioca is made from the cassava root and does contain some nutrients and fiber, however the processed tapioca bought in store seems to have virtually no nutrients left and so all it contains at that stage is mainly starch.

 Tapioca cooked on it's own has virtually no flavour at all, so I suppose it's used mainly as a base ingredient and then everything else is added to add a flavour.

Anyway, all I use tapioca for is this pudding. :)  Because you have to soak the tapioca before you use it, you need to begin this recipe the night before you want to cook it.

500g uncooked tapioca
1 cup sugar
1 can crushed pineapple (undrained) (+- 400g can)
 250ml cream

Makes a big pot of pudding - many servings!

• Before you go to bed, place tapioca in a pot and cover completely with water and cover with the lid.  Let soak until the next morning.  Before I started cooking it, I topped it up with more water to cover the tapioca again.  Cook on low to medium heat until the tapioca becomes clear (this may take up to an hour or so), stirring frequently so as to prevent it from burning and sticking to the pot.  I added little bits of water throughout every now and then when it started sticking to the pot - the water is absorbed quickly by the tapioca.  The tapioca is done when most of them have turned clear, like this:

•  Add the sugar (I only added 1/2 cup sugar because that's fine for my liking), pineapple with juice and mix until well combined.  Let cool a bit.
• Then add the cream.  You can add more cream if you'd like it more creamy

It's a nice subtle-tasting pudding and I love it. It's quite filling too.  It's yummy while still warm, or chilled.  Should be kept in fridge after cooking so that it keeps longer.

By the way, I read that tapioca flour can be used as a substitute for other flours, it's gluten-free and apparently a healthier option compared even to whole wheat flour.

Gluten-Free Banana Honey Oat Muffins

These muffins are so delicious and so sweet - as well as gluten-free & white sugar-free. 

3 very ripe bananas, mushed
3/4 cup honey
2 tbs ground flaxseeds mixed with 4 tbs water & left to stand for +- 5 mins before adding
1/3 cup apple sauce (or oil if you wish)
1/3 cup plain greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup uncooked oats
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1.   Preheat oven to 180 C / 375 F and grease muffin tins.
2.   Combine bananas, honey, apple sauce, yoghurt, vanilla & flaxseed mixture
3.   In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder & baking soda.  Pour banana mixture into dry ingredients and stir to just combine.
4.   Stir in pecans and divide among muffin tin.  Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until tester stick comes out nearly clean.

I used mini bread loaf tins because my muffin tins were occupied by cinnamon sweet potato muffins, so I baked it for 18 mins and they came out perfect, so you may have to bake them for a slightly shorter time if using a muffin tin.

These sticky, moist & soft muffins would make for a great dessert served with cream. :)

Linked up at these tasty blogs:

Sweet as Sugar Cookies   It's a Blog Party
Craft-O-Maniac               C.R.A.F.T.
Keeping it Simple             The DIY ShowOff

Gluten-free Cinnamon Sweet Potato Muffins

I think I now love baking with sweet potatoes, because of the 2 different sweet potato muffins that I've tried out, both of them always turned out so soft and moist and spongy and yummy!  :)

1 cup oats, uncooked
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
300 ml mashed sweet potato (the original recipe actually called for 450ml, but due to a mistake on my part in converting ounces to cups, I ended up with 300ml....but it seemed to work out perfect!)
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1/2 cup plain greek yoghurt
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup rice milk
1 tbs ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbs water, let stand for +- 3 mins before adding to rest of ingredients
1 tsp vanilla

1.   Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F and grease muffin tin.
2.   In a large bowl, add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and stevia - mix well.  Then add sweet potatoes, oil, milk, flaxseed mixture, yoghurt and vanilla and mix until just well moistened.
3.   Divide into 12 muffin tins and bake for about 15 mins (or until tester stick comes out mostly clean).

I actually prefer if there is still some doughy-ness on the end of the tester stick, because then I know my muffins aren't too dry - but they're never still uncooked inside.

Also, I froze them for a day or 2 to test 'em out, and they freeze well - they're still soft and moist after defrosting.

Linked to these tasty blogs:

Rook No. 17         Be Different, Act Normal
Sugar Bananas       Muffin Monday
I Heart Naptime     .

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Banana Raisin Muffins

These are nice for breaksfast and for snacking on the run too.  They're sugar free too, and because of the buckwheat flour that I used, they're also gluten-free!

3 very ripe bananas, mushed
1 tbs ground flax seed mixed with 1 tbs water, let stand for 2-3 minutes before adding to rest of ingredients
3/4 cup plain greek yoghurt
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup oats, uncooked
1/4 tsp stevia powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp himalayan crystal salt (the fine, not course, one)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (I hardly taste this so next time I'll add at least 1 tsp)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup almonds, pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional, for crunch)

1.   In a small bowl mix mushed bananas, flax mixed with water and yoghurt.
2.   In a larger bowl combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, oats, stevia and cinnamon.  Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir just to combine.  Stir in raisins and nuts.
3.   Divide mixture among prepared muffin tin and bake at 200 C / 400 F for 18 minutes or until test stick comes out mostly clean.

I tried half the muffins with raisins and the other half with chopped dates - I prefer the raisins as it adds more sweetness and besides, you can barely taste the dates.
I also prefer using almonds since they are alkaline forming whereas pecans and walnuts are acid forming.
And even though the cinnamon is hardly noticable, these muffins are still good. :)

I also froze them for a few days to test them out, and they freeze really well, they're still soft and moist after defrosting.