Raw Cacao Hazelnut Fudge

I am not sure that this is really a true fudge, but it is as close as I will get/make. We make this at work, I am not sure where the recipe comes from, maybe my friend M's head? Or if you know, then please tell me and I will give them due credit. Definitely easier to make if you have access to a Thermomix, or at least a really good food processor.

1 cup cacao

1 cup of raw hazelnuts

1 cup sultanas

1/2 cup coconut oil

3 Tbs raw honey

1/2 cup shredded coconut or coconut flour (optional)

Blend hazelnuts until fine and then put into separate container. Blend remaining ingredients until it becomes a fine paste, gradually add in ground hazelnuts. 

Place two long sheets of glad wrap/cling film onto counter top and place mixture in a line length ways. Roll up to form a sausage and tie one end, with the other end start twisting to compact the mixture and make into an even sausage shape. Place into freezer for 2 hours and then slice into desired thickness, serve and watch them disappear.

Buckwheat Salad...Two Ways!

Happy new year, or is twelve days in too late to say that? Either way hope the year has been going great so far and good health and happiness has found you :)

I seem to go through stages with buckwheat, I love it, eat too much of it then stay away from it for a few months before the cycle goes round again. I am definitely in a love stage at the moment, hence not one but two buckwheat salads.The first is a spicy roast vegetable that perhaps has a nod to the middle east and the second a Mediterranean style with juicy ripe Roma tomatoes.

Spicy Roast Vegetable and Sesame Buckwheat Salad with Tahini Dressing

 

1/4 Japanese pumpkin, peeled and cut into cubes

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

1 large carrot, chopped into slightly smaller size than pumpkin and cauliflower

1 cup or snow peas, sliced thinly 

1/2 red capsicum, sliced thinly

1 spring onion, thinly slices (white and green part)

1 cup buckwheat groats

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 tsp each of turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, ground ginger

1/2 tsp brown mustard seeds (optional)

big handful of fresh mint leaves

half cup tahini

juice of a lemon

salt, pepper and evoo

Place pumpkin, cauliflower and carrot into roasting pan, sprinkle spices, mustard seeds, salt, pepper and evoo over the top and toss to coat. Roast in oven for half an hour on 180 degrees or until cooked. When there is 10 minutes to go on the veggies toss the sesame seeds into the roasting pan. Meanwhile simmer the buckwheat in water for 10 minutes so they retain their shape. rinse and set aside.

Mix tahini and lemon juice together and set aside. Place snow peas, capsicum, onion, mint and buckwheat into salad bowl, whilst roast vegetables and sesame seeds are still hot toss through and combine. Serve and drizzle with tahini dressing. Can be enjoyed warm or cold.

Mediterranean Buckwheat Salad

6 Swiss brown mushrooms, cleaned and cut into wedges

2 juicy ripe Roma tomatoes, seeds removed and thinly sliced

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup buckwheat

2 gloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 small green capsicum, thinly sliced

handful of basil, roughly chopped

salt, pepper, evoo

Simmer buckwheat for 10 minutes to retain shape, fry off mushrooms and garlic in evoo. Combine all thinly sliced ingredients madding salt, pepper and evoo to taste. 

Hope you enjoy these salads, if you haven't tried buckwheat I urge you to give it a go, it is nutty and delicious and oh so easy to cook.

Gluten Free, Vegan Fruit and Nut Cake Challenge

It's nice to do little challenges, I hadn't cooked with gluten free flour before, well not on its own anyway, I used this flour from the local supermarket, which was the gluten part taken care of, for the vegan part I substituted soaked chia seeds  for eggs and coconut oil for butter. The result was not the most attractive muffins, but certainly very moist,  fruity and nutty. Still could use some tweaking but I do believe good enough to share, the fact that I have had two and a half this afternoon is testament to that. 

 

2 cups dates - chopped

1 cup prunes - chopped

1/2 cup dried apricots - chopped

1/2 cup cherries - whole

1/2 cup sultanas 

Good splash of Cointreau

2 cups walnuts

1.5 cups cashews

1.5 cups sunflower seeds

2 Tbs chia seeds

1/2 cup water

3 cups gluten free flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp vanilla extract

125g coconut oil

juice of an orange

extra nuts and maple syrup for decoration

Put chopped fruit and Cointreau into a saucepan, cover with filtered water and simmer for 15 minutes (you can leave the fruit soaking in the Cointreau over night, I didn't have time). Mix through coconut oil and set aside. 

Mix chia seeds and water together and let sit. Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Roughly chop the nuts and seeds and put into a large bowl, add flour and spices and combine. Add fruits, soaked chia seeds, orange juice and vanilla and stir (I needed to add a little more water here as it was a little dry still).

Fill muffin tins with muffin cases and then add mixture, top with nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup, cook for 30-45 minutes (depends on your oven). 

They don't really rise, I think that might be the chia seeds, but they are a dense fruity protein packed little cake that hit the fruitcake spot if you want to try something a little different. 

 

Waldorf Coleslaw and the Exciting Future

Well Uni has officially finished, I eagerly await my results so that I can start practising in the new year I've even managed to successfully get myself a job as a nutritionist, the future certainly looks bright and I am super excited about this next chapter in my life. 

I made this salad at work and have since made it several times with slight variations, it is super healthy and keeps really well, it's the salad I am going to bring to the table at Christmas time, I hope you enjoy it. 

 

Quarter head of cabbage (green) - finely shredded

2 sticks of celery - finely sliced on the diagonal

1 carrot - grated

1 spring onion - finely sliced

3 Tbs sultanas

Juice of one lemon

Half cup walnuts - rough chop

1 apple (or pear) - cored and thinly sliced

Tin of chickpeas (optional) - rinsed

3 Tbs fresh parsley - chopped

2 Tbs EVOO

Soak the sultanas in the lemon juice, preferably overnight, so that they plump up. 

Finely slice the apple and add to the lemony sultanas to coat. Put all of the ingredients except the walnuts into a bowl and combine, sprinkle walnuts on top. Enjoy with a nice glass of aged Riesling. 

Other stuff...

 Me drinking a coffee at my desk on my final days of study, there was plenty of this going on.

Lunch, toasted sprouted bread, feta, tofu, tomato, avocado and spring onion open sandwich, making and photographing food was always a good distraction from study.

Smooth.....eeeeee....

I have been loving smoothies for breakfast, I was never a fan as I need to go through the chewing phase when eating but then a friend, C, said make it thick and eat it with a spoon, brilliant!

I have a knock off of one of those magic bullet blenders which I bought years ago and it is so handy for smoothies, here's some of the ingredients that have been featuring in my smoothies lately...

• bananas
• apples
• pears
• nashi pears
• blueberries
• cherries
• mangoes
• nectarines
• plums
• raspberries
• walnuts
• almonds
• cooked brown rice 
• quinoa
• buckwheat
• oats
• pea protein powder
• psyllium husks
• sheep's milk yoghurt
• cow's milk yoghurt
• cos lettuce
• avocados
• lemon
• baby spinach
• young coconut (flesh and water)
• chia seeds
• sunflower and pumpkin seeds

 What's your favourite combo?