walnut, chia and rhubarb cookies

I’ve been utilising the dehydrator a bit more lately, can you tell?

This time is a fruity healthy cookie cracker. Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, vegan, no added sugar, low-gi, mostly raw.. they are the perfect on-the-go snack.

Joel says they are more like fruit crackers than cookies. But I think he had greasy, buttery cookies on his mind when I produced these for him to try.

His verdict: they are really tasty, but you spend the next couple of minutes picking chia seeds out of your teeth.

I know this would bother him, because, Joel is a minimal effort kind of guy when it comes to food. He won’t eat muesli because it takes too long to chew. Yep, he is a different sort.

These ‘cookies’ (and I use the term loosely) are an impromptu idea I had to use up a bunch of rhubarb that was sitting in the refrigerator.

What?! Use up rhubarb! Like it is some kind of space waster.

It is not like that at all. Honest.

I love rhubarb, but because we are leaving in a couple of days for the snow (for a week) and I couldn’t justify baking it into something that would not keep – or that doesn’t travel well.

Alas! Dehydration.

Ingredients

(makes 20+)

1/4 c chia seeds

1 1/2 c water

1 bunch rhubard, chopped into inch long lengths

1 tblsp water

1 c walnuts, soaked for 12 hours and drained

2 bananas, mashed

1 tsp cinnamon, ground

1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix chia seeds and water and set aside for 20 mins so the seeds can activate.

Next, place rhubarb and water in a small pot and heat until the fruit is soft.

Remove from heat and cool.

Empty walnuts into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

Next add the bananas, cinnamon, vanilla and rhubarb to the walnut mixture and process until well combined.

Then, gently fold through the chia seeds.

Line dehydrating trays with parchment or teleflex sheets.

Place a cookie cutter on the tray and spoon in 2 tblsp sized portions - or whatever will fit.

Gently remove the cookie cutter and repeat until the mixture is all used up.

Dehydrate on 40 C for 20 hours.

chia delight

This is my go-to breakfast; especially on a Monday morning.

No one likes to end a beautiful weekend to go back to work.

So, when I know that I won't have much time in the morning (on account of the snooze button), this is my go-to healthy breakfast.

The night before I put together the following ingredients so it's ready to go as I dash out the door.

I love the way it sets and becomes almost pudding-like.

Chia seeds can soak up to 10 times the amount of its body weight (which can be great for hydration during exercise).

After eating, the nutrients travel to the cells very quickly due to the ease in digestion and assimilation.  Use them when you want to build or regenerate healthy body tissue.

High in fibre, omega 3's and protein, this Aztec super food keeps me going all morning.

My ch-ch-ch-chia breakfasts vary each morning - as to the different fruits, nut butters and kefir water/milk available to me.

This recipe outlines my most basic of recipes and is the foundation of my chia delights.

Ingredients

(makes 1)

1 1/2 tblsp black chia seeds

1 c coconut kefir milk (or any liquid/milk of choosing)

fruit, seeds and nut butters

Combine chia seeds and coconut kefir together, whisk well.

Set aside for at least 10 minutes, or place in refrigerator overnight until set.

Top with desired fruit, nuts/seeds and enjoy.

Good morning sleepy heads! xo

sour orange and fresh coconut sauce

The other day when coming home, we pulled into our street to see two of our little neighbours holding up "oranges, lemons, mandarines - for sale".

They were so cute! I think that was their main marketing strategy.

The two girls had a little table set up at the start of the road, trying to catch customers.

I HAD to stop.

They'd gone out earlier that day and picked some fresh citrus fruit from their orchard.

I ended up with $4 worth of goods (2 kg oranges, 5 lemons, 5 sour oranges). As a tip I gave each of the a $2 coin for being so adorable, they were so happy.

This sauce is super versatile - you could use it as a sweet, kind of like a lemon curd, or you can add it to some grilled tempeh/tofu steaks. We ended up eating it with some steamed blue-eye cod.

Ingredients

(makes 400mL)

2 sour oranges, peeled and de-pitted

1 c young coconut flesh

a pinch of vanilla salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender/food processor and whiz until thick and creamy.

Serve.

apple and tahini breakfast soup

My breakfasts usually include some sort of grain.

I'm not opposed to grains, but I wanted to try something a little different that would be lighter on the digestion.

That's where I came up with the idea of a breakfast soup.

Yes, soup!

My recent tahini addiction forced me to include it somehow and I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible.

So, with only 2 or 3 ingredients - this is such an easy and quick breakfast to whip up.

I made this soup straight after a morning workout, so I opted to add a poached egg on top for some extra protein. 

The egg is optional and you can omit this part if you choose.

Ingredients

(serves 1)

1 large apple, roughly chopped

1 tblsp tahini

*Optional: 1 organic free-range egg

Place apple in a small saucepan with enough water to cover 2 inches of the bottom of the pot.

Cook until apple is tender (you can poke a knife easy through).

Remove from heat and combine tahini with the cooked apple in a blender. 

Whiz until pureed.

Serve!

*Optional: 

Bring a small pot of water to the boil. 

Stir the water in an anti-clockwise direction.

While the water is still spinning, crack the egg into the middle of the pot. 

Let the water return to boil for 1 minute.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the poached egg draining excess liquid and place on top of the 'soup'.

Sprinkle with a pinch of vanilla salt. 

okara savoury cakes

As promised, here is the recipe for the left over Okara from the soy milk/tofu of my previous post.

I'm not a fan of food wastage and try to incorporate any byproducts into new recipes.

Okara is the perfect example of this. Not only is it a versatile ingredient, but also very nutritionally beneficial.

One hundred grams of wet paste contains 3.2 g of protein as well as 4.1 g of fiber and 80 mg of calcium with only 50 calories. Okara also provides small amounts of iron, niacin, riboflavin and thiamine.

Much like tofu, Okara acts like a sponge adopting its surrounding flavours.

Wet Okara paste.

Usually I add any left over Okara into a bread mix, but this time I opted for something a little different.

Savoury pancakes!

Joel says these pancakes taste potato-y, which made them the perfect candidate for a fishy compliment.

You really could top these delicious savoury cakes with whatever you choose, but I have gone with smoked trout.

Have I expressed my love for smoked trout?

No? Well, I adore smoked trout.

It's on the menu at least once a week.

Ingredients

(makes 12)

 1 1/2 c or so left over okara from making tofu

1 c buckwheat flour

1 tsp bi-carb soda

1/2 c almond milk

1 c water

pinch of salt

coconut oil for frying

Whisk all ingredients together until it comes together in a batter-like consistency.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a heavy based pan and spoon dessert spoon sizes of the batter into the pan.

Cook each side for 5-7 minutes.

Once cooked through place on a cooling rack for a couple of minutes.

Top with your desired topping.

I have gone with some smoked trout and freshly chopped chives.

raw mint slice - protein packed and sugar free

Following a recipe is not really my strong suit.

I like to mix things up - bit of this, bit of that. By the end of the meal I can barely remember what I have put into it!

For the sake of this blog, I'm getting better on taking note of what I'm adding.

This recipe is a perfect example of this.

 I decided to adapt a recipe I saw ages ago into a healthy option.

Substituting, tasting, adding, minusing - I had to sit down straight after I'd finished and take specific note on what went into these mint slices, because they are healthily tasty!

These bad boys contain approx 17 g of protein with only 70 calories. 

Perfect raw food 'sweet' snack.

I'm not really a sweet tooth, but I do enjoy a cup of tea after dinner - mostly accompanied with fruit or some raw vegan chocolate.

These mint slices went so perfectly with a cup of liquorice tea - I had to stop myself going back for 3rds!

Ingredients

(makes approx 20)

1 c triticle flakes (alt. rolled oats), soaked for 4-8 hours, drained 

1/3 c raw protein powder

1/4 c carob powder

1/4 c raw cacao powder

40 ml coconut oil

1 tblsp black chia seeds

1 tblsp hemp seeds

1 tsp natural stevia

1 tsp mint essence

extra water

Combine all ingredients (minus the water) in a food processor.

Process and slowly add water until you have a non-sticky, dough-like consistency.

Divide into tablespoon proportions, roll into balls and then flatten into desired shape.

Place on a baking paper covered plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Done.

Store in refrigerator or freezer. 

Love x

raw peanut butter

We've always got a stock of home-made nut butter in the refrigerator.

At the moment it just happens to be this raw peanut butter.

It's perfect on toast or as a big blob on your morning breakie.

Peanut butter has got a bad wrap these days. Mostly because of the processing involved with the mass produced store bought variety.

Peanuts aren't bad for you. In fact, peanuts are not true nuts but a member of the legume family - related to peas, lentils, chickpeas and other beans. 

Peanuts are good source of vitamin E, niacin, folate, protein and manganese and this little legume is a big ally for a healthy heart.

Not only do peanuts contain oleic acid, the healthful fat found in olive oil, but new research shows these tasty legumes are also as rich in antioxidants as many fruits - such as apples or carrots.

Ingredients

(300ml)

500 g raw peanuts (skin can be left on)

Himalayan rock salt (optional)

Place nuts in a food processor and process for about 5 - 10 minutes, until runny - like the consistency of thick honey. Stop processing every now and then to give processor a break and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

If you are adding salt, start with a pinch then process, taste and add more if you want.

Store in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks - might keep for longer, but it doesn't last much longer than that in our house.

Devour xo