Superfood Trail Mix Clusters (Nut Free)

 

 

Superfood Trail Mix Clusters

 

Well, it's back to school tomorrow for the kids here in Queensland, and we've been tossing around lots of healthy lunch box ideas here on my Facebook page. While we were chatting, I remembered I'd been meaning to come up with a trail mix my kids would like... they're not too keen on the usual nuts and sultanas ones. So I dashed off to the kitchen and emptied half my pantry onto the bench, had a bit of a brainstorm, and this is what I came up with. Instead of a traditional trail mix, I made the mixture into little clusters, as I think it's easier to eat this way.

I used superfood berries and dried cherries instead of sultanas; seeds and shredded coconut instead of nuts; and Cacao Crunch instead of chocolate chips. (Cacao Crunch is cacao nibs rolled in a liquified form of the roasted nibs, then rolled in panela (Rapadura) - so yum! Very lightly sweet, but chocolatey and full of antioxidants!)

Cacao Crunch

For a great energy boost, munch on a small handful of these... but beware, don't eat them before bed, or you won't sleep! (I know this by experience...lol)

If you don't have the berries and cherries, just substitute with whatever you have - dried apricots or peaches chopped in bits, sultanas, currants, etc. I would suggest you try the goji berries and goldenberries, though, if you possibly can, as they're lovely and tart and SO good for you! (And again, very high in antioxidants!)

Here's some of the ingredients I used in my trail mix clusters...

 

 

Goji Berries, Cacao Crunch, Goldenberries, Organic Dried Cherries, Coconut Butter (homemade from shredded coconut) and Organic Shredded Coconut (all available from most health food stores or online)

 

 

Goldenberries, goji berries and Cacao Crunch - yum!

Superfood Trail Mix Clusters (Nut Free)

1. First, make a batch of coconut butter and remove to a jar or bowl. Or if you like, you could use bought coconut butter. (You'll need 150g.) I don't mean coconut oil, I mean dried coconut which is ground up to make a paste (like a nut butter) which sets hard as it cools. (Keep coconut butter in a jar in the cupboard - it gets too hard in the fridge.)

I used coconut butter I already had in a jar, and just chopped it up a bit with a knife so it was all crumbly. (See photo below)

 

 

2. Weigh coconut butter into Thermomix bowl:

- 150g coconut butter

 

3. Add remaining ingredients to Thermomix and mix on reverse, speed 3, for about 10 seconds or until well combined:

- 15g shredded dried organic coconut (or coconut flakes), unsweetened

- 35g goji berries

- 50g Cacao Crunch

- 40g Goldenberries

- 60g pepitas

- 30g sunflower seeds

- 60g dried organic cherries

- 50g coconut oil (extra virgin)

- 10 to 15 drops vanilla liquid stevia (or plain), or to taste

 

Mixture should be damp, and sticking together, like this:



 

 

3. Pour mixture out onto a tray and flatten a bit with your hands. Pop it into the freezer for a bit, until coconut oil solidifies.

 

4. Break apart gently into little clusters. Place handfuls into little ziploc bags and keep them in the freezer to put into lunchboxes, or to grab as you run out the door for an on-the-go snack.

 

 

 

Note: If the weather is hot and there's no cold pack in the lunch box, these clusters may fall apart. Don't worry, they can just be eaten crumbly like a 'normal' trail mix, too. :)

 

 

Variation:

 

Instead of letting mixture set on a tray in the freezer, press mixture firmly into chocolate molds, then freeze for a while. Pop them out of molds and keep in a bag in the freezer.

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy!

Buckwheat & Almond Crepes (or Wraps)

Buckwheat & Almond Crepes

filled with Strawberries & Vanilla-Cashew Cream

This morning I decided to make crepes out of buckwheat and almonds for breakfast. They were the best I've ever made! The secret? Partly the recipe (which was one I made up on the spur of the moment, knowing the basic ratio for crepe recipes), and partly the way I cooked them. I couldn't wait to share the recipe on Facebook, but I held back a bit of info so I'd have something to blog about... lol!

I don't know about you, but I've always found crepes a bit of a pain to make. Unless you have a good crepe pan, they can get stuck, or tear when you try and turn them over. So this morning I decided to save time and effort, and, well, CHEAT!! I cooked them in my sandwich press. :) It worked SO well that I won't cook them any other way now. It was really, really easy. No messed up crepes, not even one! This really is the simplest, quickest way to make crepes EVER.

This recipe is obviously gluten free; practically grain free (since buckwheat is not a grain); and it's also dairy free. (It's not egg free, but I'm thinking it could be if you used chia seeds instead of the eggs, and increased the amount of water a little. I'll try that soon and let you know how it goes.) The ground up almonds plus the water make the 'milk' for the recipe. It just so simple. I love recipes that really get back to the basics, and this is one of those.

These crepes are also perfect to use as savoury wraps; just leave out the vanilla. Gluten free wraps are generally awful - they are dry, and crumble when you try to wrap them around your food. But these crepes are soft and pliable, and are fine the next day so you can make them ahead. I also find these ones don't go soggy like the last gluten free crepes I tried to use as wraps, so that's another big plus! So make up a batch, and keep them in the fridge in a sealed ziploc bag, ready for school lunches - much cheaper and healthier than bought gluten free wraps, and they taste lots better.

Oh, and by the way, you can cook them longer and they'll turn into crisp 'wafers', which you can cut into wedges and serve with ice cream! Such a versatile recipe :) Hope you like them!

Buckwheat & Almond Crepes/Wraps

Soaked method:

1. Soak buckwheat and almonds in water, with vinegar, in a glass bowl (covered), overnight:

- 150g buckwheat, hulled

- 100g raw almonds

- 450g water

- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2. Next morning, blend soaked buckwheat and nuts in the soaking water on speed 9 for 2 minutes, adding a little water if needed. The mixture should form a vortex while blending - if it doesn't, it's too thick and you need to drizzle in water until it does. You should be able to see the metal top of the blades while it blends.

3. Add remaining ingredients and blend again for 1 minute, speed 9:

- 3 large eggs

- a pinch of salt

- 2 tsps vanilla extract (leave out if making savoury wraps)

- 45g macadamia oil (or other light flavoured oil)

4. Leave the batter to sit for 15 minutes in a cool spot, or in the fridge. It will get a bit thicker, so check it to see if you need to add any water. It shouldn't be as thick as pancake batter. (You can always add more water after the first crepe is made, if it's too thick.)

5. Preheat sandwich press. When it's ready, pour in the crepe batter, making sure you only make the crepe half the size you want it, as it will spread. (You can of course cook these in a crepe pan or frying pan instead of a sandwich press. You'll need a little oil or butter in the pan for each crepe. I would use coconut oil or ghee.)



6. Gently close lid and allow to cook until ready (about a minute, maybe a little more). If you want crispy 'wafers', cook until brown. (Don't worry if your crepes are a little bit crisp around the edges when you remove them - they soften up as they cool.)

7. Place crepes on a plate as you cook them, covering with a tea towel to keep warm. Leftover crepes can be stored in a plastic bag in the fridge for a few days.

Non-Soaked Method

(for those of you who are in a hurry to make these and can't wait!)

1. Grind up the dry buckwheat in your Thermomix bowl on speed 9 for 1 minute:

- 150g buckwheat, hulled

2. Add almonds and grind for another 20 seconds, speed 9:

- 100g raw almonds

3. Add remaining ingredients and mix for 30 seconds on speed 9:

- 3 large eggs

- 450g water

- pinch of salt

- 2 tsps vanilla extract (leave out if making savoury wraps)

- 45g macadamia oil

4. Cook as per instructions above.

I like my crepes filled with fresh strawberries and vanilla-cashew cream, and drizzled with a little pure maple syrup... How do you like yours?

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Today I had a very happy accident! I started to make my green chocolate smoothie for the kids for morning tea, but decided to change it around a bit (as I do), but before I could add the water, THIS happened...

 

Creamy, chocolate deliciousness! How? What?? I couldn't believe it! I grabbed a spoon out of the drawer and popped some into my mouth, and started to squeal and do happy dances all over the kitchen... it's amazing!!!

 

It's like chocolate cream only creamier. It's a mixture between a mousse and a semifreddo. The flavour actually reminds me of the Milo ice-cream I loved as a kid, only better! (Did you love that too?) So don't be put off by the quirky ingredients and lack of sugar - even the fussiest will love this one... unless they find out it has avocado in it - shhhh. ;-) And no, it's not just the usual vegan chocolate mousse made from avocado and cacao powder. You'll see.

 

I made it twice today, because the first time I was just chucking things in willy-nilly, intent only on getting some raw spinach and avocado into my 9 year old, and I didn't really take much notice of how much of everything I used. So when it became the most awesome chocolate concoction ever, I decided I'd better make it again and write down the amounts. So here it is, after much teasing on Facebook and Instragram - my deliciously decadent, sugar free, dairy free, egg free chocolate mousse! (And don't worry, I didn't add the spinach, so it's not as scary as you may have at first supposed.)

 

 

 

 

{P.S. Some would argue that it's not really 'airy' enough to be a 'mousse', and maybe I should have called it a Vegan Semifreddo... but I was in too much of a hurry to eat it to worry about the perfect name. I'm sure you understand.}

 

 

Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse

 

{Serves 6}

 

1. Grind up the raw cashews in the Thermomix on speed 9 for 10 seconds:

- 150g raw cashews

 

2. Add ice and grind on speed 9 for 20 seconds:

- 350g ice cubes

 

3. Scrape down bowl with spatula; add vanilla, cacao and dates, and grind on speed 9 for 30 seconds:

- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

- 30g raw cacao powder (I used Loving Earth cacao powder & it's very strong - if not using Loving Earth brand, you may need 35g)

- 100g dates (or to taste)

 

(I used regular dates which were semi-frozen, and I think the texture of these contributed to the thickness of the mousse. If you use fresh dates, it may turn out a bit softer, but you can add more ice to thicken it if you need to.)

 

4. The mixture will be a bit lumpy at this stage, especially if you are using dried dates instead of fresh dates. Scrape down the bowl and lid with the spatula, and keep blending on speed 9 until you get a smooth, creamy mixture. It will take at least another minute.

Chocolate mixture after blending, and before adding the avocado

5. Scrape down bowl again, and add avocado. This is actually optional - without the avocado, you'll still have a lovely, thick, chocolate cashew cream as in the photo above. The avocado does make it thicker and creamier though, so don't be afraid to try it!
- flesh of 1 ripe avocado (make sure the avocado is a nice one - no bad spots, or it'll have a slightly bitter taste)

Note: If you find your mousse is not thick enough (it won't stay swirled up into a peak), add another handful of ice and reblend on speed 9 for 1 minute, until smooth.

6. Spoon into small dessert bowls and enjoy! You can freeze this for later - half frozen it tastes like the most divine soft serve ice-cream ever... If you freeze it until it's solid, you'll need to thaw it a bit before using again.

 

One Bowl Thermomix Carrot Cake! {gluten free, dairy free}

  

Do you make carrot cake 'from scratch', the old fashioned way? Do you end up with a big mess? Carrot peels in the sink, bits of grated carrot sticking to the grater and scattered over the counter, a chopping board covered in bits of walnuts and pineapple, a bowl for the wet ingredients, goop from the eggs on the counter, a whisk, a bowl for the dry ingredients, a floury sieve, a wooden spoon... then once you've tidied all that up, you've got to make the cream cheese icing! Messy. And lots of dishes to wash. So you probably don't make it very often, right? I know I didn't when I had to make it that way!

Maybe you're thinking, 'Nope! I make mine in the Thermomix, or a food processor!' Getting closer... but how many steps does your recipe take? I'm amazed at all the extraneous steps in so many recipes. Cut 'em out! Who wants recipes with lots of steps, anyway? Not me. I've streamlined my carrot cake recipe to two main steps. Plus stirring in some raisins if you like. (Okay, and one more step for the icing.) First the wet ingredients go in, along with the quartered carrots and chunks of fresh pineapple - grated, chopped and mixed all at once. Then I add the dry ingredients, including the nuts, and chop and mix those for a few seconds. Then stir through some raisins. That's it. Pour it in the tin, pop it in the oven, and let the Thermomix bowl wash itself. ;-) You can even skip peeling the carrots and just give them a scrub if you like. Too easy.

By the way, this recipe makes great carrot cake cupcakes, too! I'm afraid I ate four of them today. And a slice of cake. Oops. Good thing they're healthy! :D

I've made a quick coconut cream topping for these. If you'd rather you could make a vanilla cashew cream.

For a nut free version, just replace the walnuts with shredded coconut.

This recipe makes two cakes, or a cake and 12 cupcakes.

Or about 24 cupcakes. :-)

1. Preheat oven to 165C. (Cakes made with honey need to cook at a lower temp, for longer, otherwise they'll be burnt on the outside and gooey on the inside; so don't be tempted to turn the oven higher.) Grease and flour a bundt tin or ring tin, and 12 muffin cups, or two ring tins or 24 muffin cups... you get the idea. If you're going to use cake tins, make sure they're not regular ones or the middle won't cook well - if you don't have a ring tin or a bundt tin, just grease and flour a small glass, and place it upside down in the middle of a round cake tin, and use that.

2. Weigh carrots, pineapple and wet ingredients into the Thermomix bowl, and mix on speed 5 for 15 seconds:

- 400g carrots, quartered

- 300g chunks of fresh pineapple (you can use tinned pieces, but add them with the dry ingredients so they don't get too chopped up)

- 4 large eggs

- 80g macadamia oil (or other light flavoured oil)

- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or good quality vanilla extract)

- 180g honey* (preferrably raw, unheated)

3. Add dry ingredients and mix on speed 5 for 5 seconds:

- 380g plain gluten free flour (you can make your own mix if you'd rather, see this recipe)

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 2 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)

- 3/4 tsp sea salt

- 150g walnuts (unchopped)

* Note: for a nut free cake, leave walnuts out and add a couple of handfuls of shredded coconut with the sultanas instead.

4. Optional: stir in raisins/sultanas on speed 3 for 5 seconds:

- 80g raisins or sultanas

5. Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes for cupcakes, and an hour and a half for cakes, depending on your oven. Check by poking a skewer into the centre - it should come out nearly clean when the cakes are done. If the cake is getting too brown on top, just cover it with foil and keep baking til done. Don't cut it straight away while hot - it will be very moist inside. Let them cool, even in the fridge, before icing and eating, and the texture will be better.

* Note about honey: I buy raw, unheated honey in 2 litre bottles from local beekeepers - it's cheaper than buying honey in little containers from the grocery store, it doesn't have added glucose (which a lot of so called 'pure' honey has), it's unheated so there's more goodness in it, and it supports locals!

Coconut Cream Topping

For the topping, you'll need a cold tin of coconut cream - I keep a tin in my fridge for times like this. When it gets cold, the cream rises to the top and thickens, just like thick dairy cream.

In the Thermomix bowl, stir together the topping ingredients on speed 3 until just combined:

- 200g thick coconut cream (organic)

- 2 tsps fresh lemon juice (to make it tangy - optional)

- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or good quality vanilla extract)

- 60g raw honey (or to taste)

Pour into a dish and refrigerate to thicken again.

When the cakes are cool, top with coconut cream and sprinkle with some extra chopped walnuts or shredded coconut.

Store finished cakes in the fridge.

Gooey Chocolate Icing (dairy free, sugar free, vegan)

Here we are, a couple of days into our (mostly) grain free, sugar free, dairy free challenge, and I realize I'm going to have to make a birthday cake for my youngest that will not make her want to live permanently at Grandma's house! What to do? She had asked for a plain chocolate cake, which I quickly agreed to a few days ago, thinking I'd just whiz up our favourite, quick chocolate cake in the Thermomix (Cyndi O'Meara's Chocolate Cake from her "Changing Habits, Changing Lives Cookbook", made with spelt flour and rice-almond milk). Sigh. Couldn't do that, has grains in it. I thought about making the Flourless Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies in a cake tin, but I didn't have any hazelnuts. I couldn't make the Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake because it has lots of chocolate in it - too much sugar. Torte Caprese? No, way too much sugar! Hmmm... So I decided to make a chocolate cake based on my Flourless Pecan Cake recipe instead. 

I had some leftover ground almonds, so I chucked them in, added some pecans and started grinding them up... then realized I didn't have any coconut cream! And so a new recipe was born. It has some pretty cool changes - a couple of surprise ingredients which help to cut down the Rapadura to 40g, and keep it moist and rich. I'll share the recipe soon, as I'm still tweaking it, because I want to be sure it's 'just right' before I post it for you all to try! (You never can have too many chocolate cake recipes, right?)

Anyway, I digress. What I wanted to say was after making this grain free chocolate cake, I decided it really would be better with some icing. And surely my eight year old wouldn't argue if I put some icing on her 'plain chocolate cake'? I'd been meaning to work out another dairy free, sugar free icing that didn't involve margerine (ick, one of my pet hates!) or chocolate pieces (because you don't always have chocolate on hand, especially if you have a husband like mine who steals it and leaves the empty packet in the fridge so you don't realize!)... and anyway, I couldn't use chocolate unless it was my healthy homemade one, because we're avoiding sugar. So, with some internet research and a bit of imaginative tweaking, I came up with this simple, delicious recipe! Hope you like it as much as we did. (Yep, it's all gone. At least it will be when I get back into the kitchen. :D )

Makes enough icing for one 20cm round cake (spread thickly!)

1. Grind cashews for 10 seconds, speed 9, until fine:

- 100g raw cashews*

2. Add remaining ingredients and mix at speed 6 for 30 seconds, scrape down, add a little more water if needed, and mix another 30 seconds until smooth:

- 3 fresh pitted dates

- 20g raw cacao powder

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 20g pure maple syrup

- 20g filtered water

Spread the icing thickly on your cake and enjoy, guilt free!! 

* Next time I'll try soaking the cashews for half an hour first, then grind up all the ingredients at once. This might make a smoother icing. I was too impatient to try it this time!

Pink Fruit Cereal

Raw fruit 'cereals' are great for cutting down on grains in your diet, and are very quick and easy to make - perfect for a quick breakfast. And fruit is the perfect breakfast food, as it should really should be eaten on an empty stomach, so it can cleanse and energise your body and get everything moving. The nuts are an important addition as you should always have some protein for breakfast as well - it wakes you up, and keeps your blood sugar levels from dropping too quickly. (If you can't have nuts, add in some seeds instead.)

If you find fruit for breakfast doesn't fill you up enough, at least try and have some fruit before you have your toast and eggs, or whatever you like to eat for breaky. You can use any fruits really, with or without nuts, and add in some seeds and coconut if you like. The blueberries in this one make it a lovely pink colour.  (Should really be blue, don't you think?!)  

This is a great winter breakfast when there's not a lot of different types of fruit around. I also love this one for snacks, when I'm feeling the need for something sweet - it has no added sweeteners, just the fruit, so it's a healthy substitute for cake or bikkies!

Place all the ingredients in the Thermomix bowl, and pulse 3 or 4 times with the Turbo button (with lid in locked position) until it reaches the desired texture:

- 3 apples, quartered (peeled if not organic)

- 1 or 2 bananas, quartered

- a handful or two of frozen blueberries

- a handful of sultanas

- a large handful of pecans

- a handful of shredded coconut

- a drizzle of vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

(If you want the bananas to be in nice little pieces, chop them by hand and stir them in at the end.  I can't be bothered in the morning!)