At this time of year I tend to get a little “Sweetie envy”. Everyone tucking into delicious Chocolates and bags of sweets , all of which I can’t have !! So this year it was going to be different. Having never actually eaten Chocolate and Peanut butter together I was rather intigued by the whole idea, knowing they were a favourite of a whole host of friends!  And so I set about making a me friendly version ! And they were too bad either ….

Recipe : 

PBB:

1/2 Cup of smooth Peanut Butter softened.
1/3 Cup Organic Confectioners Sugar (icing ) (not a usual weapon in my arsenal but it is Christmas )
Pinch of Vanilla Powder.

Combine everything into a smooth paste and then roll into even little balls. Mine made 28. But I think it would have made 30 had I not eaten a spoonful of it…

Give a little board or plate another dusting of Icing Sugar to stop them sticking. I popped these in the fridge to harden a little over night.

Recipe :

Carob Ganache

2 tbs Organic Vegetable Shortening
1tbs Maple Syrup
2 tsp (heaped ) Carob Powder
Splash of Milk or Choice (or cream if that’s your thing )

Melt the shortening and the Maple syrup together.
Take off the heat and put in a cool bowl and  quickly whisk in the Carob bit by bit. It has a caking quality to it so go easy and if it gets too clumpy start with a tea spoon or so of the Milk. Once everything is combined and nice and velvety , as it cools slightly dip in the PBB and place back in the fridge to set (or the freezer for a short while if you’re as impatient as I am! )

These kept me feeling pretty smug while everyone else tucked in this year !!

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m often nibbling on random snacks , and these are one of my favorites. My obsession started with these a year or two ago after spotting some on Pinterest. Since then I’m not even sure if I have ever made the same kind twice !
I’m getting ready to travel over the next few days , and what better travelling companion than an extra boost of energy !
Since I was feeling gluttonous festive I thought I’d sweeten these little ones up and top them with a little Marzipan…(yes. I’m that one in the family that adores it. Yes I will have the bit you left. Thanks.) I’m pretty pleased with how cute these turned out so decided to share !

The great things about these little balls are the combinations are endless. I used dates as the base here but dried  Apricots are another favorite. Raisins work well too!
And you can add any “Booster” you like depending on what your body is asking for at that time !

They freeze great too….. sorry. Sales pitch much?

Recipe :
1/2 Cup Almonds
1/4 Buckwheat Groats (optional but add a lovely crunch )
1 1/2 Cups of Medjoul Dates
1tbs Oil of choice
2 tbs (heaped ) Carob
1tbs Date Nectar ( Honey or Maple will work too)

Then pick your booster !!
1 Tsp of
Some options :
Spirulina
Maca
Lucuma
Baobab
Hemp

Or a combination of any ! I went with Maca and Hemp today.

Recipe : Pop the nuts and groats on a baking sheet and out in a 375° oven to toast for 10 minutes.
When they are toasted add the nuts only to a food processor and whizz up to break them down in size. It’s best to pulse here, we aren’t making nut butter!
Once they are aren’t crumbly rubble add the dates , and pulse again until things start to get sticky. Then add the Oil, Carob, Date Nectar, and a little pinch of Salt here and Wizz till everything is sticky. Add your Booster now too!
Once were all sticky , pop into a bowl and mix through the toasted Buckwheat if you’re using.

Roll these into even balls. Mine are about 2cm round.

I then topped these with some delicious all natural Marzipan and a tiny piece of Goji berry for decoration !

More information on Booster Choices coming soon….

Concidering I only made this as I had Lemons and Avacados that needed using up before I left for the weekend I’m really happy with the results ! Having never been a fan of Avacado I now have to say I’m a full convert. You can do soo much with it ! Using it in baking and desserts have been my favourite newfound loves. And here it works excellently to get the creamy smooth finish that you want from a cheesecake !!  Thanks Avacado. You Green squishy beaut.

Sorry. Couldn’t help it. It’s so cute.

Moving on. I was aiming along the lines of a Key Lime pie crossed with Lemon Cheesecake. Oh by the way it takes a little prep time as you need to soak the nuts and seeds over night to process them! It needs freezing time too…

Here’s what I did :

Makes a 5 inch Cheesecake

Recipe :

Base :
1 Cup Oats
1 Cup Ground Almonds
2 tbs Oil or Earth balance
2 tbs Maple Syrup or Honey.

Line your pan with wax paper.

Blitz everything in a food processor until a dough starts to form. And flatten it down into your tin. Pop this in the freezer to start chilling.

Middle :

1/3 Cup Cashews (soaked over night )
1/3 Cup Pumpkin seeds ( soaked over night)
2 Small Avacados
2 Lemons
1 Lime
1/2 Cup Honey or Maple Syrup. (Or to your taste )

Put Cashews and Pumpkin seeds into a food processor and blitz. Once finely ground , add Avacados blitz again until smooth and creamy. Add juice and zest of Lemons and Lime and add your sweetner too ! Blitz again until smooth and thinner. It will smell pretty beautiful at this point too !
Pour this into the nicely chilled Base and pop back in the freezer !

Top:
2 Lemons
1tbs flax seed
1/4 Cup Nut butter of choice
1 Tsp Tumeric (just for colour )
2 tbs Honey or Maple Syrup.

Juice and zest Lemons into a processor, add everything else and blitz till smooth. Add this layer to the top when the under neath layer is already firm other wise they might mix.

Pop everything into the freezer for 3hrs. Of if you are making this in advance freeze as long as you like but make sure you can defrost for an hour or so before serving.  If only seven slices defrost maybe 15 mins. You still want it frozen to maintain shape !

I added a Beetroot juice frozen rose and Buck wheat I had toasted for 10 mins in the oven to decorate (obvs toasted Buckwheat isn’t raw for those out there that keep it raw , you could use fruit or perhaps be pollen if not Vegan ).

This one of my favourite “store cupboard ” favourites. My Dahl moves from the tradional to include a mix of pulses (mainly because when I made it I didn’t have enough of just one ..but luckily it turned out great). I also added sweet potato for added sweetness and another burst of colour.
I love this as a comfort food when it’s cold and dark out. This is more of a warming blend of spices , but if you wanted to add chill for a kick it would work great here to. This recipe makes a fair amount of dahl , but don’t worry it freezes really well!

The split peas I always recommending soaking over night before hand. If not it will add a fair bit of time on the cooking !

Dahl Recipe :
1 cup of split peas (soaked over night )
3/4 cup red lentils
2 tbs Oil of your choice
1 Onion diced
1 inch of Ginger finely chopped
3 cloves of Garlic finely chopped
3tsp Turmeric
1tsp ground Cardamom
Salt
5 cups Vegetable stock  (you may need a little more if it gets dry)
1 Sweet Potato peeled and chopped
1/2 cup Raisins or Currants

Start by sautéing the Onion in the oil on a medium temperature. The idea is to make them soft as opposed to cooking them until browned. Once they’re getting soft , add the Garlic, Ginger and Turmeric  , mix this in making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.
At this point add the Split peas, Red Lentils and Sweet Potato. Give everything a coat in the now yellow oil and then add your Vegetable Stock. At this point I sprinkle in the cardamom and salt.
Give everything a good stir and make sure nothing is stuck on the bottom of the pan. Pop the Raisins in at this stage.
Bring this to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Keep giving it a stir every now and again for about 45 mins or until the split please are tender but still holding shape.

While the Dalh cooks , you can make the Wedges.  You can multiply this up easily if you want more wedges.

Optional toppings :
Corriander leaves (Cilantro)
Toasted Cashews
Toasted Pumkin seeds

Recipe :
2 Potatoes
Tbs Oil
1/2 Tsp ground Ginger
1 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Cumin

Chop potatoes into wedges , and coat with Oil. Sprinkle with spices and toss to coat.
Pop into a preheated 400° oven for 30 mins.

Ok, Turmeric is magical. This bright yellow little concoction has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumour,  antibacterial, and antiviral properties ! Quite the little powerhouse of goodness!  Above all of these things I jusy can’t help but fall in love with its beautiful yellow hue! Naturally very bright and very strong (on that not be careful with it it will stain ) this glorious little ray of sunshine in spice form can transform almost anything!

I am obssesed with love Cauliflower There are a million things you can do with it , boiled Cauli, baked Cauli , steaked Cauli, Cauli pizza base , Cauli rice , Cauli tots, Cauli Tabbouhel, Cauliflower cheese  the list goes on and on .  Sorry. Turned into the Bubba Blue of Cauliflower. But you get my point. Today I wanted it whole and impressive , and roasted. Here’s what I did :

Turn oven to 375 °

Recipe :
For the Turmeric Rub:
2 tbs Shoyu (you can use soy I’d that’s what you prefer )
2 tbs Maple syrup
1tsp Oil of your choice ( I use Avacado)
1/2 tsp Mustard powder
1/2 tsp ground Ginger

1 Medium Cauliflower.

Mix this up into a thin paste. And rub it into the raw Cauliflower. I suggest gloves cos this baby will stain your hands ….

Once Cauli flower is coated, (the colour will look a little dark at this point but don’t worry it will be sunshiney yellow when it’s roasted )pop it in to a roasting dish that you have lined with a little foil , if anything that drips off the Cauli may burn onto your pan so this just makes it easier to clean. Into the oven it goes for about 45 mins to an hour. If it starts getting too dark on the outside but isn’t tender through , feel free to put water into the tray , the steam will speed things up a bit.

While that’s roasting in the oven. You can make the lentil salad.

1 cup lentils cooked to packet instructions (if boiling your own I highly recommend boiling them in vegetable stock for flavour, add a clove of garlic too .

Once the lentils have cooked , reserve a little of the stock they boiled in to help with our dressing.

Dressing :
1/4 cup of Lentil stock liquid
2 tbs Tahini
Salt
1cm piece of fresh Ginger grated.

To Decorate :
Raisins and Pumkin seeds.

Stir the Tahini into the warm stock, it will look a little funny at first but should thin out properly with a good whisk. Add Salt and Ginger to taste.

I used Ginger here as its from the same Family as Turmeric, and they complement each other very well in alot of dishes.

Drizzle the dressing through the cooked Lentils and top with Raisins and Pumpkin seeds.

Your Cauliflower is done when it’s tender through the florets !

This dish is quite versatile. It can be served hot. But room temperature the next day is also great for Lunchboxes !

These little bites proved a little too addictive  ! These work well with a Cheese plate. I’d recently received a Plant based “goats cheese” as a gift and was looking for something to showcase it on. Crackers just didn’t have the same appeal. The idea of a scone was pretty simple , and a mini one to keep it light seemed like plan ….Besides I love anything in miniature **swoon** !! Soo I was thinking of flavors that would work and I had thought about my favourite stuffing. It  is always Leek and Sage , as it’s pretty classic in England. With plenty of Sage growing in the Garden it was crying out to be used !  Plus I find the smell of Sage strangely enchanting … but less of my weird fetishes and back to the food.

So here we have it !!

225g of Spelt Flour (2 cups ) any all purpose flour will work too.

2 tsp baking power

1/2 tsp Salt

55g  ( 1/2 stick) of EarthBalance(vegan)
or Cold butter.

150ml (2/3 cup) Milk of your choice – I used Almond.

1tsp dried garlic

1 bunch of Sage finely chopped

1/2 a Red Onion quite finely chopped

Pre heat the oven to 400°.

Put Flour , Baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the Earth balance or Butter and use your hands to break the butter/spread  so it’s dispersed evenly and the mixture looks like bread crumbs.
Then add in the Garlic , Sage and Onion.
Then gently add the milk bit by bit until it’s incorporated. Try not to over mix or the scones will be heavy. If the mixture is a little sticky make sure to flour your work surface well.

At this point you can shape them however you would like. I just made a large rectangle and cut them into even squares. As long as they are the same size too cook evenly you have free reign to do what you like !

If you want a very golden top brush with a like milk or egg. But that step is optional.

Pop them into the hot oven for about 12 mins but keep a close eye on them !

These were lovely Warm but we still happily being munched at room temperature too!