Raw Macadamia Lime 'Cheesecake' (dairy free)

One thing I love about living in tropical Far North Queensland is the abundance of delicious produce grown here. I love that I can go to the local markets and buy locally grown coconuts (and coconut oil), locally grown vanilla beans and cacao nibs and cacaco beans, luscious limes, macadamias, avocadoes, pineapples, lychees, passionfruit, mangoes, and I've even bought sugar cane juice that's juiced while you wait! Even better, lots of these yummy things are given to you by friends, family and acquaintances who just have too much and need to share. Love that.

Last week I did a Thermomix demo for a lady who sent me home with a big bag full of limes and bunches of fresh herbs and rocket from her garden. At other times I've come home with a box of vine ripened tomatoes, pumpkin, avocadoes, lychees and mangoes. I get given bags of passionfruit, boxes of black sapotes, chokos and lettuces. I always say to my husband, 'There's really no way you could starve living here. Why would anyone want to live in the city??' Besides, where in the city can you walk around the corner from your house and see views like this...



But I digress... back to the cheesecake.

So the other day I thought I should make something with some of the limes filling my fruit basket, and the avocados from mum's tree. I really wanted something a bit special, as I had a photo shoot with an online magazine on Friday (Confetti Mag - 1st issue, coming out in May, stay tuned!), and I thought something made with local ingredients would be a good thing to photograph. (We ended up choosing something else to make, and we had lots of fun cooking and taking photos! Two of my favourite things to do.)

{Photo taken by Karen of Confetti Mag}

I remembered a lime and avocado tart I'd made last year and really enjoyed, but I felt it needed to be creamier and less... well... tart! Okay, I know 'raw lime cheesecakes' are all over the internet and I didn't really need to make up another recipe, but I just like to play. I did get some inspiration from this lovely raw lime tart from Fragrant Vanilla Cake (a blog you really should visit if you're into raw food, vegan food, or just delicious desserts) - but I ended up changing it to make the most of some of our lovely local produce, plus whatever I had on hand.

It turned out amaaaaazing!!

My husband is very partial to a good cheesecake, and was very sceptical that my dairy free version would be something he'd want to eat... But after one bite he changed his tune and begged for more. :)

I had a lot of 'drop-ins' that day, and each one had to taste my cheesecake. I made them. (They didn't argue.) They all agreed it was a gem of a recipe, and they all told me I should save it for my book. But being the kind and generous blogger that I am, I dedided to go ahead and share it. And besides, I was a bit worried that after getting 235 comments on the photo I posted on Facebook, plus many private messages, asking for the recipe, I might have a riot if I didn't share!! (But I will have to start being a bit more secretive with new recipes I think, or there won't be any surprises left for the book!)

Consider this your Easter present from me. I think it would make a great Easter Sunday treat... because as much as I love chocolate, it can get a little 'overdone' at Easter time. I'm thinking lime will be a good change.

So here it is, the long-awaited recipe...

Oh, and just a couple of tips: buy the macadamia pieces, they're heaps cheaper than whole nuts and you don't need whole nuts for this recipe. And use organic or homegrown limes if possible, as you don't really want to be eating the zest from limes sprayed with pesticides. Just my opinion.

Raw Macadamia Lime 'Cheesecake'

(Makes one 20cm cheesecake)

Base:

Grind all the base ingredients up together in the Thermomix on speed 9 for 20 seconds, or until finely ground.

- 130g raw macadamia nuts (either unsoaked, or soaked and dehydrated)

- 70g organic shredded or flaked coconut (additive free)

- 8 fresh dates (eg. Medjool), pitted

- a pinch of fine Himalayan salt

   Grease the inside of a 20cm springform cake tin with coconut oil. Press the base mixture firmly into the base of the tin, and up the sides if you like. Set aside.

Filling:

Blitz vanilla beans and lime zest on speed 10 for 10 seconds.

- 2 vanilla beans, snipped into 4 pieces (can use 1 bean in a pinch)

- zest from 2 limes (just peel off with a sharp potato peeler)

Add cashews and grind on speed 10 for 8 seconds.

- 150g raw cashews*

Add remaining ingredients and blend on speed 9 for 1 minute, scraping down as needed, until lovely and smooth.

- flesh of 1 lime

- 320g fresh avocados (or frozen, cut in 1-2cm cubes)

- 100g pure maple syrup

- 55g coconut oil

- a pinch of fine Himalayan salt

Pour filling into springform tin, spreading over the base. Place in freezer for at least half an hour.

* If using soaked raw cashews, only soak for up to 6 hours, drain well and pat dry with tea towel, then mix with the other ingredients (lime, avocado, etc) all at once, blending until smooth.

Just look at those lovely little vanilla bean seeds in the filling.... Mmmm!

Topping:

Mix together until smooth on speed 9:

- 150g raw macadamias (soaked for a few hours, then drained and dried off a bit)

- 150g Ayam coconut cream (or other thick coconut cream)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

- juice of 1 lime

- 30g pure maple syrup

Pour over filling and smooth with spatula.

Decoration:

While topping is still soft, before freezing, add extra macadamia nuts and lime zest for decoration, sprinkling first the nuts, then the zest, around the edge of the cheesecake. (See photos)

- a good sized handful of macadamia nuts, roughly chopped (if you haven't bought them already in pieces)

- zest of one lime, grated with a zester

Place the finished cheesecake, covered with a plastic bag, in the freezer and leave it alone for at least 2 hours, preferably more. It's best eaten semi-frozen. It will last for weeks in the freezer... but we all know that's not going to happen. ;)

Enjoy!

Green Smoothies & Boost Juices... and a Giveaway!

I'm sitting here with the kids and their cousins, watching 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead'. I love how the kids are totally fascinated with the difference that freshly juiced fruits and veges can make to a person's health and well-being. The first time we watched this, Miss C (9 yrs old) decided she wanted to start drinking green juices. Before that, she'd always turned her nose up at anything too obviously 'green'. Now she often runs down to Grandma's house in the morning for a juice, if I'm too slow getting one going! (Grandma makes Thermomix juices every morning, without fail.)

I know some of you will be thinking, 'But that's just too much fructose all at once - too much fruit is not good for you.' I agree, too much concentrated fructose is not good - our bodies need the WHOLE fruit and veges for good health. Which is why I use a Thermomix for my boost juices and smoothies, blending up the whole fruit and veg, and not straining out the fibre. I call it a 'wholefood juice'! Most of us don't get enough micronutrients in our diet, so this is an easy way to do it. Think of it as a 'salad in a glass' - if your kids turn their noses up at salads, you can serve up a green juice with their dinner instead!

If you're worried about too much greens resulting in excess oxalates, have a read of this article. Your body naturally produces oxalates, and unless you have a tendency towards kidney stones, or you have a rare medical condition such as Primary Hyperoxaluria and Enteric Hyperoxaluria, the health benefits of leafy greens far outweigh the risk of forming kidney stones. For instance, dark leafy greens are a fantastic source of calcium, which is really important if you're dairy free. And raw parsley is amazing for your health - it's a rich source of potassium, which stimulates the kidneys to eliminate poisonous waste matter; it helps preserve the proper alkaline balance in your blood, and will promote healthy skin. It's the best vegetable-herb source of iron and vitamin C, is high in magnesium and calcium, and so much more. What I do is rotate my greens so that I'm having different ones each day. Sometimes kale, sometimes baby spinach, or lettuce, or parsley - sometimes a mixture. So add some parsley and greens to your juice and enjoy!

Green smoothies have become such a regular part of the day here that even visitors get handed a glass when they turn up... so be prepared for that if you drop by. ;)

Green juices and smoothies are a great way to start the day. If you leave the fibre in, you'll feel full for a fair while, so they can be used as a meal replacement if you are trying to lose weight, or just a 'pick-me-up' for when you're feeling tired and hungry in the afternoon. And since you're not straining out the fibre with this method of juicing, you can use organic fruit and veges without breaking the bank.  A couple of carrots, a couple of apples, a handful of baby spinach, and a stick of celery makes juice for four people - no need to use half the produce in the fridge!

There's so many different ways to make a green juice or smoothie. Here's some tips to get you started.

For a boost juice, just whiz up your fruit and/or veges and greens with a couple of handfuls of ice on speed 10 for two minutes. Add a little water if you need to thin it down to a drinkable consistency, and there you are. No wasted pulp, and the bowl is easy to clean up afterwards. The reason you need to add ice to your juice is because it helps to grind up the fibres of the fruit and veges, stops the juice from becoming foamy, and also helps retain the enzymes in the juice by keeping them cool. So don't leave out the ice. 

For a green smoothie, you may want a thicker, creamier result. I use frozen bananas and sometimes ground up raw almonds or cashews or sunflower seeds to create the creamy 'smoothie' texture. Some people like it so thick it's almost like soft serve ice cream - I like mine drinkable. Just add more frozen banana or ice or chia seeds (or all three!) if you like it really thick.

Tip for fussy kids: Start with a juice that isn't too thick and has plenty of sweetness, like the Shrek Juice. The texture is usually quite important to kids, so keep it thinned down. Another tip is get them to watch "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" with you. Once they know why it's so important to have lots of living enzymes from raw fruits and veges in their diet, and the difference it will make to their health, they're much more likely to want to drink one.

Here's some recipes that we love - change them around to use what you have on hand.

My Favourite Green Smoothie – makes 4 large serves
(photo at top of page)

- 1 or 2 frozen bananas, quartered
- 2 apples, quartered (no need to peel or de-seed)
- 1 lime, peeled
- 2 handfuls of ice
- 300g coconut water
- 2 or 3 big handfuls of fresh greens (kale, baby spinach, English spinach, cos or butter lettuce)

Blend in the Thermomix on speed 10 for 2 minutes.
Check texture – if it’s too thick, add some more water and reblend briefly.

Tip: You can also add a tablespoon of a nutritious vege powder like Nutra Organics' Vital Veggie Power or Super Greens & Reds if you want an extra micronutrient boost!

Green Coconut Boost Juice

- a couple of big handfuls of kale

- the flesh of a young coconut
- coconut water (from young coconut)
- a frozen banana or two, quartered (depending how thick you like it)
- 1 lime (peeled)
- 2 teaspoons of mesquite powder
- 300g water
- a couple of handfuls of ice

Blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.

Note about mesquite powder: Mesquite powder is made from the bean pods of the mesquite tree, dried and ground up. It has been used as a staple food for centuries by Native Americans. It is a high protein meal that contains good quantities of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron and zinc, and is rich in the amino acid lysine as well. Its low GI of 25 helps maintain stable blood sugar levels. It adds a sweet, nutty taste with a hint of caramel, and can be added to smoothies and other drinks, to jellies, and to baking (breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes and cookies). When used in baking, the mesquite bean powder/flour is used in combination with other flours – substitute ¼ cup-to-½ cup mesquite flour in each cup grain flour.

Lime & Parsley Juice
This may sound a bit scary, but it really is deliciously refreshing!

Grind up Rapadura for 20 sec speed 9.
- 60g rapadura (or more if not adding stevia)

Add and blend for 1 minute, speed 10:
- 300g ice
- 2 limes (peeled)
- a big handful of organic parsley
- 1/2 tsp green stevia powder (opt)
- 300g water

Add water or soda water to the 2 litre mark, or to taste.

Variations: Use 1 orange and 1 lemon instead of the 2 limes. You can use 80-100g Rapadura instead of adding stevia powder.

(Based on the Lemon & Parsley Juice in Thermomix Everyday Cookbook)

Cucumber Orange Juice

Cucumber is another great addition to green juices. This is a great one for the kids, as it's sweet, not too thick, and doesn't taste too 'green'.

- half a cucumber (peeled)
- 2 green apples (quartered)
- 1 orange (peeled)
- 1 lime (peeled)
- 1 frozen banana (quartered)
- 2 big handfuls of ice
- 2 big handfuls of cos lettuce
- 300g water
- 2 tsp of Vital Veggie Powder

Blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.

Note: Vital Veggie Powder is optional, but I love to add some to the kid's drinks for extra nutrients. It's made from oranic carrot, mango, pumpkin, tomato, broccoli sprouts, barley grass, spirulina, alfalfa, psyllium husks and chlorella. Available from Nutra Organics.

Fruity Green Boost Juice

This one can really just be a mixture of whatever fruit you need to use up in your fruit basket. Get creative and see what you can come up with!

- a nectarine or two, deseeded
- a lime, peeled
- an orange, peeled
- a handful or two of grapes
- a couple of handfuls of fresh pineapple
- an apple, quartered
- a big handful of cos lettuce
- a big handful of parsley
- 2 big handfuls of ice
- 300g (or so) of water

Blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.

Blueberry 'Yoghurt' Green Smoothie

Here's one I promised to share on my Facebook page - I love the way this tastes like it has yoghurt in it, but is completely dairy free! The secret is the creamy cashew or almond milk with lime and banana - so simple. The colour doesn't always look so good with creamy berry green smoothies, and I find you need to drink them quickly or they turn greyish - but they really do taste delicious. Just drink it up quickly before the colour changes. :) Here's the recipe:

- 100g raw cashews or blanched almonds

- 2 frozen bananas, quartered

- 100g frozen blueberries

- 1 lime, peeled

- 2 big handfuls of ice

- 1-2 big handfuls of cos lettuce or baby spinach

- 300g coconut water or water

Grind up the dry nuts first for 10 seconds on speed 9. Then add remaining ingredients and blend on speed 10 for 2 minutes.

  

Purple Power Green Smoothie

For a brighter, prettier purple smoothie, try this one!

- 300g frozen blueberries
- 2 nectarines or peaches, deseeded
- 1 frozen banana, quartered
- 2 big handfuls cos lettuce
- 2 big handfuls of ice
- 300g coconut water or water

Blend for 2 minutes speed 10.

I hope that's given you lots of green smoothie inspiration. If you check out this post on my Facebook page you'll get plenty more ideas from readers!

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

Would you like to win a set of these lovely, eco-friendly, Stainless Steel Straws? I asked Ash n Jules if they'd be willing to donate a couple of packs of 4 straws for my lovely readers, and they said, "The less plastic straws in the world, the better!" and sent me a WHOLE BOX FULL!! Wow, I'm so excited to share these with you all. So instead of 2 sets of 4, I have 10 sets of 4 to give away to my readers, and more to give away at our next cooking class* as well! Very exciting.

[Note: Ash & Jules has since sold up and the straws are now available through Biome Eco Stores]

As an added bonus, I also have a 250g pot of Nutra Organics Super Greens & Reds and a 300g pot of Nutra Organics Vital Veggie Power (both worth $39.95) to give away! After researching the ingredients in Nutra Organics products, I'm happy to say I totally recommend them - check out the ingredients for yourself here.

To win a pack of 4 straws

or a pot of Nutra Organics Vege Powders

all you need to do is comment on this blog post,

sharing your favourite green smoothie or juice combo.

If you're new to green juices/smoothies,

comment on which of the above recipes you would love to try!

I'll pick a winner using Random.org next Saturday (9th March) at 5pm - so get those comments rolling in! You've got one week...

Thanks to Ash n Jules for donating the stainless steel straws for this giveaway, and also to Nutra Organics for sending me some of their products to try. They're great! :)

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - SEE WINNERS BELOW.

Happy Green Juicing!

* I run Thermomix cooking classes in Far North Queensland, so if you're in this area, I hope to see you at one soon! A list of the cooking classes being held around Australia are here on the Theromomix website.

Stainless Steel Straw Winners:

Leanne: "I think I want to try them all! The colour looks fantastic and I can't wait to see if they taste as good as they look"

Kelly: "I love making a combo of ice, watermelon, pineapple, silverbeet and passionfruit pulp or frozen yoghurt blocks. sometimes add coconut milk too."

Anna Malcolm: "Oh, I totally want to try the purple power smoothie. It looks so yummy. I absolutely agree with the thermo version of a juice....getting allll the goodies in your juice. On a side note, I totally want a thermomix ...my goal this year is to save for one, yay :-) "

Susan: "Straws sound amazing! Would love to try! I keep trying with smoothies for my kids especially green. I think I may have a winner with the purple power or the blueberry "yoghurt" one and go from there!"

Rebecca: "Great post, Jo and awesome giveaway! I don't use a set combination of greens but usually something like a couple of stalks of kale, a handful of baby spinach, a Lebanese cucumber, a stick of celery, a green apple, a kiwi and some spirulina :) "

Selina Purdy: "I have been eyeing off those straws for a while now! My favourite smoothie for a long time has been your green chocolate smoothie - I have it for breakfast a couple of times a week, so good! After seeing this post I realise I should really branch out more - so many yummy possibilities!"

Karen Cole: "I have also been inspired by watching "Fat, Sick and nearly dead" and have discussed with my partner that we should also introduce Green smoothies to our lives. I love the look of the Purple Power Green Smoothie. Yum!!!"

Bec: "I would love to try cucumber organge juice. My kids are 6 and 3 - do you think Fat,sick and nearly dead will be okay for them? My son is so fussy and won't drink anything that doesn't look normal - so if I hide it though he may try it"

Tebasile of Tebasiles Kitchen: "I blend whatever is in my fridge or garden, including weeds :-) (My recent post: Warm Green Smoothie / Soup)"

Cathi: "My favourite Juice: 1 Carrot, 1 stick of Celery, 1 green Apple, 1 Red Apple and a piece of fresh Ginger to add bite! This is one serving. My daughters and friends all love this one! Of course, I had to be careful how much Ginger I added when making it for the girls but my older daughter loved it with plenty of Ginger, as I do. Your Recipes sound delicious and I know I'll be trying some of them out, if not all of them!

Nutra Organics Powders Winners:

Dianne: "I watched Fat,Sick and nearly dead this afternoon too. I must admit that I hadn't heard about the movie before. Glad I did as I went straight out to get some fresh fruit and veg for smoothies.Good to be motivated again. I think my favourite at the moment is kale,carrot, apple.celery and ginger. Like the idea of pars...ley too." - winner of the Nutra Organics Vital Veggie Power!

Nicola: "I think I could get the kids to go a blue berry juiice first and then work-up to a green boost juice. Love the stainless straws - what a great idea!" - winner of the Nutra Organics Super Greens & Reds! 

Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

 

 (Egg free, gluten free, dairy free, nut free options. Naturally sweetened.)

 

This is my healthier version of an old childhood favourite. I remember scraping the hot cookies off the trays with a spoon as a kid, because I couldn't wait for them to cool and set - yum! 

 

The orginal recipe contained 2 cups of sugar (eek!!), so a few years ago I made up this version using honey or rice malt syrup. My kids love them even more than cooked bikkies as they're so moist and chocolatey. I love them because they're so quick and easy. They're great for when you don't want to turn the oven on but really want cookies. :)

1. Cook in Thermomix at 100C for 15 mins, speed 2.

- 250g rice malt syrup (can use honey, but reduce amount to 150g or leave out coconut sugar)
- 50g coconut sugar (or Rapadura) optional
- 30g cacao powder (or cocoa)
- 120g coconut oil (or butter)
- 130g rice/almond milk (or milk of choice)

2. Add and mix on reverse speed 3 until combined.

- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 220-250g quinoa flakes (or rolled oats)

* If using quinoa flakes, leave in bowl for 10 minutes so flakes soften. If using oats, continue with recipe as soon as mixed. *

3. Drop spoonfuls of mixture onto lined trays and place in freezer to set.

 

Enjoy :)

I like to keep these in the fridge or freezer as they taste best cold and chewy!

 

To make these by hand:

Heat first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan on the stovetop, stirring. Allow to rapid boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in remaining ingredients and drop by spoonfuls onto trays.

Chocolate Fudge Hearts with Raspberry Swirl Topping

It's Valentine's Day tomorrow, and although I'm not into the whole commercialised idea of spending heaps of money on flowers and chocolates and fuzzy teddy bears, I do like to cook something special for the family. (Okay, I admit it. If someone bought me flowers and chocolates I wouldn't say no, as long as it was good chocolate. And fuzzy teddy bears are pretty cute too.)

Anyway, this year I came up with this recipe for dense, fudgey chocolate heart cakes, and just for fun I decorated them with a dairy free chocolate ganache spread, coconut cream, and raspberry coulis. (There's a little video clip below showing how I did the raspberry swirl heart at the bottom of this post.) Of course, we already ate them all because I had to get this blog post done before Valentine's Day. And then I didn't get time to do it til now... oops! So by the time you read this it may be too late to make these for Valentine's Day, but hey, if you love someone you shouldn't need to wait for a certain date on a calendar to show it... so just go make these anyway!

P.S. These cakes are gluten free, grain free, and dairy free. If you can't have nuts you can use flour instead. If you can't have eggs you can probably substitute for those too, I just haven't had a chance to try it.


Chocolate Fudge Hearts

I make these in little heart shaped flan tins - you could use heart shaped muffin tins too, or just make them in regular muffin tins and decorate with a raspberry swirl heart on top. Or you could use a regular cake tin, but you'll need to cook it for a little longer.

Recipe inspired by Tash's Rich Chocolate Cake 

Preheat oven to 190C.

1. Grind chocolate in Thermomix bowl for 10 seconds on speed 9.
- 200g roughly chopped dark chocolate (I use a good quality, dairy free, naturally sweetened 65-70% cocoa chocolate like Valrhona or Rapunzel chocolate)

2. Add dates and chop for 10 seconds on speed 9.
- 150g pitted dates

3. Add coconut oil and melt at 60C for 5 minutes on speed 2.
- 180g coconut oil (or butter or ghee)

4. Add walnuts, salt and eggs and mix on speed 8 for 10 seconds.
- 70g walnuts (or you can use 50g of gluten free or regular plain flour if you can't have nuts)
- 1/4 tsp fine Himalayan or sea salt
- 3 large eggs*

5. Pour mixture into tins (greased with coconut oil or butter) and bake at 190C for approx. 20 minutes for small cakes or muffins, to 30 minutes for a cake. Skewer inserted into centre of cake should come out clean.

Allow cakes to cool, then ice with chocolate ganache spread.

* I didn't have time to try these cakes with an egg replacement, but apple sauce or chia gel are both great replacements. If you use apple sauce, cut down on the amount of dates. Not sure of amounts - will test when I can!

 

 

Chocolate Ganache Spread

This is a recipe I developed as a dairy free, nut free substitute for Nutella, and I found it also works perfectly for a chocolate sauce when hot. You can pour it over a cake like ganache and it will set all firm and glossy in the fridge. Or spread it on toast when it's cold. It's a kind of multi-purpose ganache-spread-topping... for now and then of course. :)

1. Break up chocolate and grind in Thermomix for 10 seconds on sp 9.
- 100g dark dairy free chocolate
    Scrape down bowl.

2. Weigh remaining ingredients into Thermomix bowl and cook for 2 minutes at 60C speed 2.
- 30g coconut oil (or ghee or butter)
- 30g rice malt syrup (or honey)
- 200g thick coconut cream (or less if you like your chocolate darker)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract

3. Place in the fridge to cool a little, then when it's slightly less runny, spread over cake/s and place cakes in fridge to set.*

If there's any ganache spread left, pour it into jar and keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. (Tastes lovely swirled with sunflower seed butter or nut butter on toast or crepes, and topped with slices of banana!)

* Note: I found it was easiest to make the raspberry-coconut cream swirl hearts on top of the cakes if the chocolate ganache was set and firm. The first batch I made while the chocolate was still warm and runny, and although it looked pretty, it was difficult to keep in a heart shape as it tended to run off the edges. (See photo below) So it's up to you - if you want a more freeform swirly heart, go ahead and do it while the chocolate is warm, then put it straight into the freezer to set.

Raspberry Swirl Topping

These  cakes are best served within an hour, once the heart swirls are made, as the raspberry coulis eventually will sink into the cream if it's in the fridge for too long. So make the cakes with the chocolate topping on them and keep them in the fridge until you're ready to finish them off. They can stay in the fridge for days, and actually taste best cold from the fridge.

For the Raspberry Swirl Topping, all you need is:
- tin of smooth coconut cream (do not shake it up!)
- a batch of Raspberry Coulis.

To make the Raspberry Coulis:

Cook raspberries and Rapadura (or preferred sweetener) in Thermomix for 4 minutes at 90C on speed 4. Strain through a fine seive to remove seeds. Set aside to cool.
- 200g raspberries
- 40g Rapadura (or preferred sweetener - see this list sugar alternatives)

Don't shake up the tin of coconut cream! When you open the tin, scoop the thicker cream off the top into a small dish. Whisk cream with a fork until it's nice and smooth.

Using a teaspoon, blob some cream onto the top of the chocolate covered heart cake in the shape of a heart, rounding edges with a butter knife to neaten.

Drizzle on a few small blobs of raspberry coulis.

Using a toothpick, swirl the cream and the coulis together - don't 'over-swirl' or it will all run together. Less is more.

Here's a little video clip showing how I make the topping. (Okay, you can't actually see the 'swirling' process, but hopefully you get the idea!)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Jo xx

Banana Raspberry Muffins

Do you know what's so special about these muffins? (Besides the fact that they look and taste awesome?) You can make them with whatever bits and pieces of grains and seeds and nuts and flours you have lurking in your fridge, freezer and cupboard, and they will be a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Really.

Here's the secret... Soaking!

Yes, if you soak your grains, seeds, nuts, etc, overnight in water with a little bit of something acidic (like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, whey or yoghurt), you will be amazed at the difference in the texture. The soaking softens the grains/seeds/nuts so that you don't have that dry, gritty texture that can often be the outcome in gluten free baking. And it helps to break down the anti-nutrients that cause irritation to the gut, and helps to release the beneficial nutrients. Basically, it makes them much easier to digest, AND yummier!

[Note: If you're worried about using the soaking water, don't be. You don't need to throw out the water that the grains have been soaked in, as the soaking actually causes the phytase to increase and break down the phytates. The phytates aren't just leaching out into the water and staying there, they are being broken down. The only reason you would throw out the water and rinse the grains is if the water tasted sour or bitter.]

Okay, so don't think I'm telling you this because I've got this soaking thing all under control. I'm the world's worst 'last minute' cook - I get a sudden inspiration and have to make it right away! Which means....ummm... unsoaked. But when you can, it is best to think ahead - prepare, soak, ferment, sprout... all that good stuff. :)

A good way to plan ahead is to think about breakfast tomorrow at dinner time tonight. If you'd like to have muffins, pancakes, waffles or crepes for breakfast, either grind the grains up and then soak overnight with the liquids from the recipe, or in some cases (like these muffins), soak the grains & nuts whole. To use whole grains/nuts it needs to be a recipe that has quite a lot of liquid - a batter, not a dough. When you blend it, it needs to be able to create a 'vortex' in the Thermomix - if it doesn't, it's too thick for this method.

I have posted a few of these 'blender batter' recipes before, but I've been going through a lot of my older recipes and tweaking them to reduce the sugars. So here's one of my latest versions of the Blender Batter Muffins, with a lot less sweetening, and my latest combo of grains, seeds and nuts.

By the way, if you don't have a Thermomix, you can try this method in a really powerful blender that crushes ice. But please don't burn out the motor and blame it on me. Unless you just really want a Thermomix, so you're purposely breaking all your appliances so your partner will give in and let you buy one. ;) Otherwise, you could just buy the pre-ground flours and mix them in a mixer with the liquids, then soak overnight, and continue with recipe. Your call.

Makes approx. 2 dozen regular sized muffins

1. First of all, prepare the grains, seeds & nuts for soaking. This needs to be done at least 12 hours (or up to 24 hours) ahead. Weigh them into a glass bowl or dish, then weigh in the liquids. (Set the empty dish on the top of the Thermomix, zero scales, and weigh in the grains, water, etc.) Cover, and set aside for the night.
- 290g whole grains and seeds, your choice *(see note)
- 40g raw almonds (or sunflower seeds/pepitas for nut free version)
- 200g water
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or whey/yoghurt/lemon juice)

(Note: For the muffins in the photo above, I used a couple of handfuls of buckwheat kernels, some millet, a little bit of quinoa, some brown rice and a couple of Tbspns mesquite flour. There's so many different gluten free grains and seeds that you can use - amaranth, teff and sorghum are great too - whatever you have, just so long as it all adds up to 290g. Although if you use a lot of buckwheat you'll need more water as it soaks up the moisture. And don't use coconut flour because it works differently and the ratio of flour to water would be totally out.)

2. When you're ready to make the muffins, tip the soaked grains, seeds & nuts into the Thermomix bowl (with the soaking water) and add oil, syrup, cream, bananas and eggs; then blend on speed 9 for 2 minutes.
- 20g macadamia oil (or other light flavoured oil)
- 60g pure maple syrup (or honey)
- 30g coconut cream (or milk of choice)
- 2 large bananas
- 2 large eggs

3. Scrape down sides of bowl and make sure mixture is smooth. If not, reblend for another minute. Once smooth, add the baking powder, soda and salt, and just barely mix in on speed 5 for 5 seconds.
- 2 tsps baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

4. Pour mixture into muffin cups, filling to 3/4 full. Top with a few raspberries, and bake in 190C oven for 20-25 minutes, or until skewer inserted in muffin comes out clean.

Variation: For Banana Spice Muffins, add 1 tsp cinnamon & 1/2 tsp nutmeg to batter, leave the berries off, and sprinkle muffins with cinnamon and Rapadura or coconut sugar before baking. Can also add a couple of handfuls of pecans or walnuts to batter with the baking powder & soda.

Spicy BBQ Chicken All-in-One Dinner

 



One of the things I love most about my Thermomix is that it makes super-delicious and super-easy 'all-in-one' meals! (You may have noticed that. There's quite a few on my blog.)

Who doesn't love a meal that's quick to put together, doesn't use up every pot in the cupboard, saves electricity by cooking everything at once, and tastes delicious to boot? Not to mention the fact that steamed veges are much better for you than veges boiled to death in a pot of water. So I tend to make a lot of these 'all-in-one' meals, just varying the layers to use whatever I have. When the cooking time is finished, if there's liquid in the bowl, I often use it to make a sauce to pour over the top so nothing is wasted.

Here's one I made up the other night - chicken thighs cooking in a spicy BBQ sauce, with veges and either rice, potatoes or quinoa cooking in the basket in the bowl, and a sauce made with the juices that are left in the bowl at the end. Very simple, a great mid-week meal. It's a little bit spicy, so adjust the chilli powder to taste!

Spicy BBQ Chicken All-in-One Dinner

1. Mince garlic in Thermomix bowl on speed 7 for 3 seconds:

- 2 cloves garlic

 

2. Add remaining sauce ingredients and mix on speed 5 for 10 seconds:

- 80g tomato sauce

- 60g apple cider vinegar

- 30g butter, ghee or oil

- 2 tsp seeded or Dijon mustard

- 2 Tbspns Tamari

- 2 Tbspns lemon juice

- 20g Rapadura or 15g honey

- 1 tsp herb salt

- 1-2 tsp chilli powder

- 2 tsp smoked paprika

 

3. Pour over chicken thighs in a bowl and marinate for half an hour. (If you don't have time you can just go ahead and cook them.)

- 1 kg chicken thighs, fat removed

 

4. Pour water into bowl, insert rice basket, and weigh in rice/quinoa/potatoes.

- 900g water

- 400g basmati rice

    OR

  350g quinoa (rinsed)

    OR   

  fill basket with thickly sliced potatoes (skin on)

5. Put lid on bowl, with Varoma on top. Add veges to lower Varoma tray, and place the upper Varoma tray on top. Line with wet baking paper, and arrange chicken on paper, drizzling with some of the sauce. Set remaining sauce aside for later.
- sliced veges: carrots, broccoli, green beans, red capsicum... or even just frozen peas and corn if you're in a hurry
- chicken in BBQ sauce

 

6. Start cooking for 20 minutes at Varoma temp, speed 4 for rice or quinoa, or 25 minutes for potatoes. When cooking time is finished, remove Varoma (set it on it's lid to catch drips) and remove rice/quinoa/potatoes and cooked veges to a Thermoserver or covered serving dish to keep warm. The chicken will need a little more time to cook.

7. If you cooked rice/quinoa, there won't be much 'juice' left in the bowl. Add some more liquid by carefully draining the juices off the chicken into the bowl. Also, add the reserved BBQ sauce to the bowl (from marinating the chicken). Replace lid and Varoma (bottom tray will be empty), and cook for another 10 minutes at Varoma temperature, speed 2. Chicken should be done - cut a thigh in half to check.

    If you cooked potatoes in the basket, there'll be lots of water left in the bowl. Tip all but about 2 inches of water out. Add juices from chicken and reserved sauce, replace chicken in Varoma tray, and cook as above.

 

The juices left in the bowl - BBQ marinade is added and it is thickened to make sauce.

8. Remove cooked chicken to another Thermoserver or covered serving dish. Make the sauce by adding cornstarch/arrowroot mixture to bowl and cooking at 100C for 4 minutes, speed 4.
- 2 Tbspns cornstarch or arrowroot, mixed with 2 Tbspns water in a cup

 

 

9. Serve chicken, veges and rice/quinoa/potatoes together, drizzled with the sauce.

 

As you can see, it's very handy to have more than one *Thermoserver!

They'll keep your food hot for up to three hours, so you can make dinner ahead of time and keep it in the servers until everyone's ready to eat. No more cold dinners.

 

* A Thermoserver is a double insulated stainless steel serving dish valued at $60, available only through Thermomix home demonstrations in Australia. 

 

* Special Deal for January 2013 *

You can receive TWO Thermoservers for free by purchasing a Thermomix in January,

and holding your home demonstration before the end of February!

Visit the Thermomix website for more details.

Raw Chocolate Truffles

 

Raw Chocolate Truffles with Dried Cranberries

Lately I've been craving these. I'm working hard this month to keep off sugars as much as possible, for my January Body Springclean Challenge! I'm only having a very small amount of natural sweeteners like fruit, dates, raw honey, pure maple syrup, yacon syrup, green stevia, and coconut sugar. That's not so hard, but it's the chocolate I miss most. So now and then I like to have a couple of these raw chocolate truffles to satisfy that sweet, chocolate craving... usually in the late afternoon when my energy levels are getting low.



 I love the silky, smooth, chocolate texture of these truffles, which is achieved by using cacao wafers (or raw cacao licor as it's also known) instead of just raw cacao powder. The cacao wafers are made from raw cacao nibs ground up into a very smooth paste, then set into wafers. The cacao butter hasn't been removed, so it gives just the right creamy texture for raw chocolates and bliss balls. They don't contain any sweeteners or additives, so they are perfect for making all sorts of delicious, healthy chocolate treats!

 You can buy Changing Habits cacao wafers here.

I made up this recipe a couple of months ago and have been meaning to get it on the blog ever since, but time has gotten away. At Christmas time, I divided the mixture in two, and mixed one half with naturally sweetened dried cranberries (deeeeeelicious!), and the other half with some naked ginger and dried apricots. So so good.

I use these organic, naturally sweetened dried cranberries - ingredients are: organic dried cranberries sweetened with organic concentrated apple juice, organic Sunflower Oil (less than 0.5%). I prefer these to the sickly sweet sugary supermarket ones. And I love that they have no preservatives.

You could mix in some roughly chopped nuts instead of dried fruit, or some raw cacao nibs for extra crunch. Or just leave it smooth and plain, and press it into a square dish and cut into small squares like fudge.

Raw Chocolate Fudge

Don't be scared of the 'secret ingredient' - banana! It doesn't taste like banana - that just helps with the texture. The chocolate is so powerful it overtakes the banana. ;) Yes, this is definitely a recipe for hard-core chocolate lovers... so beware if you're one of those strange 'milk chocolate' kinda people. (Ha ha!) For me, the darker the chocolate, the better. And the good thing about dark chocolate is you only need a tiny bit to feel satisfied. So try this recipe for a deliciously healthy, naturally sweetened chocolate hit - mmmmm...


Raw Chocolate Truffles

1. Grind almonds on speed 8 for 8 seconds to make flour, and set aside.
- 150g blanched almonds

2. Grind cacao wafers and vanilla bean for 5 seconds on speed 9.
- 250g cacao wafers
- 1 vanilla bean, cut in thirds

3. Add dates and chop for 10 seconds on speed 9.
- 170g raw dates (or regular dates - chop 20 seconds)

4. Add syrup and cook for 7 minutes at 37C, speed 3.
- 50g pure maple syrup or yacon syrup

5. Add salt, reserved almond flour, and banana and mix on speed 8 until very smooth.
- pinch Himalayan salt
- reserved almond flour
- 1 ripe banana, peeled (not over-ripe, as the flavour will be too strong)

6. Either roll mixture into small balls for truffles, or press into a square dish for fudge. Place in the fridge to harden.

These truffles will last in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Unless you eat them first. ;)