Tag Archives: snack

Recipes, Wellness

Sweet chocolate tart with fruit

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2013-12-26 09.40.56

I am reposting this recipe as l have made it several times since l first wrote about it and now l love it even more. It is really quick to make and is so sweet and delicious with a thick, creamy texture. A small piece is very satisfying as it is quite rich in flavour.

This chocolate tart can be eaten straight from the freezer where it will be firm and cool, or at room temperature where it is quite soft but holds together and has a really creamy delicious taste. This recipe was given to me by a friend who sourced it from http://www.wholefoodsimply.com. I made the tart a week before it was required and covered it with cling wrap while still in the baking tray and placed it in the freezer. On the day of the event l removed it from the freezer and tray, and decorated it with some festive coloured fruits and berries. I placed it in the fridge until we had to leave for the party and ideally it will remain in the fridge or be taken from the freezer just before serving.

I used a round baking tray with a decorative edge that had a removable base. I greased the inside of the tray with organic coconut oil and then made the base.

In the food processor l placed:

1 cup of activated almonds (the original recipe said hazelnuts and l have also use walnuts), 1 cup of desiccated or shredded coconut and 8 large medjool dates (remember to take out the seeds).

Blend well in the food processor and then press firmly into the pan. Place this into the freezer to set while you make the filling.

In the food processor blend together:

1 ripe avocado, 3 heaped teaspoons of cocoa or cacao, 3 tablespoons of organic coconut oil and 1 cup of medjool dates (seeds removed). Once combined add 1 cup of frozen raspberries and gently pulse through the mix so they are roughly chopped up or blend thoroughly if you want them mixed through.

Remove the base from the freezer and fill with the delicious chocolate mix. Smooth the top with a spoon, cover with cling wrap return to the freezer. When you are ready to serve the tart, remove it from the freezer and decorate with extra berries and fruit. The fruit is really just one idea of what could accompany this tart. You can use your imagination and serve it with what suits your diet and preferences. I used green grapes when decorating this tart but my favourite grapes are the red or very black ones. Ensure you wash them well though as they are usually sprayed with a nasty chemical that some people can react to.

An alternative to this is to cut the tart up into single serves and place them into a container in the freezer. My daughter is just loving being able to go to the freezer and grab a piece a couple of times a week when she feels like something sweet. I also have had this after work when l have been really tired and needed a pick me up.

If you enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am also on Facebook and Twitter. Thanks Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

My favourite chocolate

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chocolate

Finding products that are healthy, minimally processed and taste good can be a challenge! One of these foods l think is chocolate as the market is flooded with so many choices and sweetened with a variety of products that the consumer can find confusing to understand the origins of. My dietician recommended the Loving Earth range of chocolate to me and over the past year l have tried many of the different flavours and find that a couple of small squares every day or so supports my well being and keeps the chocolate cravings well managed.

chocolate bulk chocolate duo mint chocolate

At the moment l am enjoying a block of the Organic Raw Dark Chocolate.

raw chocolate

How is this chocolate different to the varieties found in the supermarket?

The Organic Raw Dark Chocolate pictured above is a raw chocolate and it has only two ingredients which are 72% minimum organic raw cacao and organic evaporated coconut nectar. They are the only ingredients in the chocolate and the taste is rich and amazing. This chocolate is also Australian owned and made in the Factory located in Melbourne. I have found a few health food stores in my area who sell the range such as the Cheltenham Organic Store, Melbourne or Raw on Rye but you need to watch out as some other businesses l have been to charge quite high prices and l think around $6-$7  is a good price to pay for the 100g block. I also buy this range online from places like Bulk wholefoods on the Mornington Peninsula which is one of my favourite suppliers. If you buy the chocolate online try to do it in weather that isn’t too hot as sometimes my blocks have arrived slightly soft, or some businesses offer a cool pack as an extra charge to help keep the chocolate cool.

This is not the type of chocolate that you can sit down on the couch with and eat the whole block as it is so rich that you will probably feel sick. One or two pieces is a real taste sensation. The mylk chocolate variety is really nice and my other favourite is the dark chocolate with orange and gubinge. I am sure there are other brands for sale in the raw organic field that are wonderful but this is a recommendation for this brand based on a lot of taste testing by myself. I also use these blocks in my cooking such as the chocolate chip cookies in the recipe section of this website and it is fantastic to cook with.

If you enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am also on Facebook and Twitter and the links are on the website. Thankyou Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

Rosemary and Sea Salt seed bars

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2014-03-12 20.14.24

These were really nice on their own but l can imagine having them with a nut butter or avocado with tuna or salmon on top. I cut them quite small so they are more like a cracker biscuit and have placed them in the freezer to pack in my lunch when working.

Ingredients:

1 cup of organic sesame seeds

1 cup of organic pumpkin seeds

1 cup of organic sunflower seeds

1 generous tablespoon organic coconut oil

1 generous tablespoon raw organic honey

1 heaped tablespoon fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup filtered water

Place all of the ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth.

Spoon the mix into a well greased biscuit tray (mine was 24cm x 34cm) and spread out smoothly with a spatula until even across the pan. I greased the pan with organic coconut oil and it is very important to grease the base well. The mixture should be about 1/2 cm thick across the tray. Bake in a 180 degree celsius oven until golden on top. Remove from the oven and while still in the tray cut the mix into slices. A tip is to run a knife around the edge of the tray to loosen the bars slightly. I cut mine into small squares as it had slightly stuck to the tray and they were easy to get out with a spatula. Carefully lift each piece out of the tray and place carefully with space between each piece onto two clean and greased trays. Return to the oven and bake for about another ten minutes or until they are looking golden. Remove from the tray with a spatula and place on the cooling rack. You can eat these bars fresh or place in the freezer to use later on.

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Recipes

Sweet Potato chips

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2014-03-02 14.29.57

I just made a batch of these and they were gone in a flash. Eaten straight from the oven they are so delicious with a warm and sweet flavour. You can make these with lots of different vegetables but sweet potato is my favourite cooked in coconut oil with a sprinkling of sea salt and ground black pepper.

Ingredients:

One large sweet potato

One tablespoon organic coconut oil

Pinch of sea salt

Pinch of ground black pepper.

Method:

Firstly peel and wash your sweet potato. You can use several sweet potatoes if you want to make a really big batch. You will just need more oil and salt. If you have a mandolin or other kind of slicer that is a help but l cut these with a knife and it gave them a rustic quality. Cutting them too thin isn’t really a problem but if you cut them too thick they will remain slightly soggy and not go crispy. They will still taste nice but it is better to try and cut them all quite thin so they cook evenly.

Once they are cut place them in a bowl with the sea salt, black pepper and melted coconut oil. You can use Extra Virgin Oilive Oil if you don’t have coconut oil or you don’t like the flavour. Give it all a good mix so the sweet potatoes are all coated in oil.

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Lay the sweet potato slices out on trays lined with baking paper and place into a pre-heated hot oven (200 degrees celsius). After about five minutes take them out and flip over each piece of sweet potato with some tongs. This can be a bit fiddly but will ensure the sweet potato chips are nice and crispy. I used three trays for the one sweet potato so if you make a big batch you will need to do a few batches to cook them all.

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When the sweet potato chips are looking golden and some are showing signs of burning on the edges they are done. Remove the trays from the oven and let the sweet potato chips cool for about five minutes. Pick each one up with tongs and place in a bowl to serve. They should be quite crispy and still warm. They are best eaten straight away.

If you have enjoyed this post please share it with someone. I am also on Facebook and Twitter. Thankyou Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

Apple and cinnamon cake (Paleo)

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2013-10-13 16.05.36 2013-11-04 16.41.38

I am re-posting this recipe because l have many new followers and wanted to share this wonderful recipe again with everyone. The mix of coconut, cinnamon and apple is really enticing and satisfying. Since l have adopted the Paleo diet this cake has become one of my favourite snacks.

Ingredients:

2 green apples, 2 cups almond meal, 1/4 cup coconut flour , 6 free range eggs, 1/4 cup organic coconut oil, 1/4 cup raw organic honey, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (Bob’s Red Mill Aluminium free ).

Method:

Chop up the apples into small pieces. I leave the skin on because of the additional fibre and nutrients. Place in a saucepan with the organic coconut oil and cinnamon. Bring to the boil then simmer until the apples are soft. The smell in your kitchen will be amazing. Beat eggs and honey then add dry ingredients. Add contents of the saucepan and mix together. Place mixture in a greased and lined loaf tin and bake in a 170 degree celsius oven for approximately 40 minutes. Cool on cake rack. Yum! You can also use square tins as the picture above shows. The cake on the right is darker because l let the cinnamon and apple mix cook a bit longer than for the cake on the left. 

Hint;

When cool l slice this cake into single portions, wrap in glad wrap and freeze. When l am working and pack a lunch l just pop a piece into my lunchbox. Now my husband has realised how delicious it is l make double batches every few weeks to keep up the supply.

Recipes, Wellness

Sweet potato slice (Paleo)

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2014-01-08 19.55.51 2014-01-08 19.54.19

A taste sensation straight out of the oven!

Who would have thought that sweet potato would be so delicious in baked goods. When this slice came out of the oven it was really delicious and l admit that l had two pieces because it was very tasty. I also have a liking for eating my treats straight out of the freezer and this slice is really good cold and hard as well. The recipe is really sweet so if you need to you could cut down on the Stevia granules or just have a small piece.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized sweet potato peeled, steamed, mashed and cooled (about 2 cups when mashed)

1 dessert spoon of granulated stevia

Just under ½ a cup of raw organic honey

¼ cup organic coconut oil

2 free range eggs (beaten)

1 cup of coconut flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon all spice

½ teaspoon organic vanilla essence

2 teaspoons baking powder (gluten free).

Method:

Pre-heat a fan forced oven to approximately 160 degrees celsius or a bit higher. Grease a slice tray with organic coconut oil. I used a glass dish and that worked well. Line the base with baking paper.

Gently mix all of the ingredients together with a spoon, ensuring everything is evenly distributed. Smooth the top of the mixture with the back of the spoon so it is nice and even. Place in the oven and cook until golden on top and just coming away from the edge of the baking dish.

When the dish is cooked remove it from the oven and leave to rest for a few minutes in the dish. Run a knife carefully around the edge of the slice and as it cools a bit the slice will pull away from the dish. Place the cooling rack on top of the slice and with a t-towel so you don’t burn your hands flip the cooling rack and slice tray up-side down so that the slice is out of the dish and on the tray. I then used a second cooling rack to turn the slice over to the right side. I cut the slice into small pieces and after l had tried a couple and it had cooled, l wrapped each piece individually with cling wrap and placed in the freezer. This would be delicious as a dessert but l will use it mainly as a snack for when l am out and have my lunch box with me.