Lemon and Date Amazeballs

Recipes, Snacks, Sweet TreatsLeave a comment
My youngest daughter loves lemony sweet treats.  Her favourites are lemon curd muffins, lemon slices and lemon meringue pies.  As I'm sans an oven at the moment I can't "make over" her favourite baked treats into healthier versions, so I came up with these raw lemon and date balls. These little lemon and date balls didn't last long in our house! Tart and sweet at the same time, they are a great refined sugar, dairy and gluten free snack. Simple and easy to make and ooh so delicious.  They are great as an after school snack and lunchbox filler.  So simple to make, so get the kids helping in the kitchen. :)
You Will Need:
Desiccated coconut 1 ½ cups Cashews 1 cup Medjool dates 8 (chopped) Maple Syrup 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil 4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice and Zest – 1 lemon Desiccated coconut ½ cup for coating  
To Do:
1. Pop all of your ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. I find using your hands to mix works the best. 2.  Blend until you can form dough with your hands. 3.  Roll dough into balls. 4. Put the topping coconut on a plate and gently roll the balls in the coconut. You can eat some now ☺ or place the balls in the fridge for about an hour to set. 5. Keep in the fridge and pull out for a little snack or they are great to pop into kids lunches. Recipe makes around 15 balls, or if you roll them smaller than I did, about 24. Yum.  

Creamy Cacao Coconut Yoghurt

Breakfast, Recipes, Sweet TreatsLeave a comment
There is one thing I really miss since going dairy free and that’s YOGHURT! I love it and I used to eat it a lot, especially during blueberry season. Greek yoghurt and blueberries – yummm! That tangy taste, creamy texture, melt in your mouth… I could go on and on… Anyway, I gave up dairy and found coconut yoghurt! I could eat coconut yoghurt everyday too, but the problem is it’s really expensive. So, what can I do to feed my coconut yoghurt addiction? I make my own. I’ve been experimenting with making my own coconut yoghurt and came up with this simple delicious recipe. I make it using only 3 ingredients: coconut milk or cream, a sweetener, and probiotic capsules (plus cacao if you want the chocolatey kind, and I do). Simply combine the ingredients and leave to sit in a warm place for a day or two. Then voila! Creamy, chocolatey yoghurt for breakfast. You need a good quality coconut milk or cream to begin with, and also good quality probiotic capsules. All coconut cream / milk brands differ slightly, as do the probiotic capsules. You many need to adjust amounts slightly to produce a yoghurt of the consistency you like. cy2real  
You Will Need:
1 can of coconut cream or milk (use the full fat variety) 3 good quality probiotic powder capsules 2 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey 6 tablespoons of cacao powder
What To Do:
  1. Sterilise a glass jar, either by boiling in water or heating in a low oven for 10 minutes or putting it through your dishwasher.
  2. Warm the coconut cream or milk in a pan over a very low heat, until warm to touch.
  3. Pour the warmed coconut cream or milk into the sterilised jar, and add the powder from the probiotic pills.
  4. Add honey or maple syrup.
  5. Stir until well combined.
  6. Place the jar in a sunny place like a benchtop, for 12 hours. Alternatively you could also place it in a yoghurt maker or in a hot water cupboard wrapped in a tea towel.
  7. After 24 hours, add the raw cacao powder to the fermenting yoghurt and blend it all up in a high-speed blender.
  8. Pop yoghurt back in your jar, screw the lid on and place in the fridge for 1-2 days. You will find that the yoghurt will thicken considerably once stored in the fridge. It will also become thicker and slightly tarter each day.
  9. The yoghurt keeps up to 2 weeks in the fridge, but it won’t last that long!
  10. After 1 or 2 days, depending on how you like it, serve and enjoy! Serve a couple of spoonfuls on top of fruit, or in smoothies or with homemade granola. I have topped my cacao coconut yoghurt with goji berries and Little Bird Cacao Grawnola. Recipe makes a small jar or bowl full of yoghurt.
The greek yoghurt kind of thickness in the picture was achieved by using 3 good quality probiotic capsules and waiting for 4 days.

Apricot and Ginger Amazeballs

Sweet TreatsLeave a comment
I love ginger! I could put it in everything. I have fresh ginger in hot water instead of coffee, whenever I feel like a hot drink. It always “picks’ me up and is very warming and comforting in winter. I also rarely get sick and haven’t had a cold in years. Ginger strengthens your immune system and is great at easing a queasy tummy from motion, travel or morning sickness. I have added the zing of ginger to these yummy Amazeballs and little pieces of organic dried apricots. Dried apricots are rich in Vitamin A, potassium, iron and fiber. Add to that an anti-oxidant boost of cacao and coconut oil and these little babies pack a powerful hit of nutrients! You will love the little ginger kick you get in your mouth after you have had one!   ginger2  
You Will Need:
2 cups of desiccated coconut ½ a cup of cacao powder ½ a cup of dried apricot pieces 2 tablespoons of ground ginger 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (melted) 2 tablespoons of maple syrup 1 teaspoon of vanilla 1 teaspoon of cinnamon A pinch of salt
What To Do:
  1. Put all of your ingredients into a food processor, or mix together in a large bowl.
  2. Roll the mixture into small balls and pop in the refrigerator to chill and set. You can eat them without putting them in the fridge first, but I think they are nicer when they’re chilled.
  3. Makes 24 small balls.