That’s a damn fine (Paleo) Cherry Pie…

Ok, I know that’s not the line, it’s the coffee line – but I’m pretty sure that Agent Cooper would approve. Much like he’d approve of my cherry pie… I’m not sure that it’d put the infamous cherry pie at Norma’s Diner to shame but still it’s a pretty damn good pie!

Now, if all of these references are going over your head don’t worry I shall explain. It is all from a early 90s TV series (and film) called ‘Twin Peaks’ directed by David Lynch – it is seriously dark, quirky, creepy but also incredibly gripping. In the show the FBI Agent Dale Cooper heads an investigation into the murder of the homecoming queen Laura Palmer. The show is full of beautiful pin-up ladies such as the deliciously naughty psychofox Audrey Horne.

There are mad backwards talking scenes in the infamous ‘Black Lodge’ with it’s luscious red curtains and black and white zig-zag lino flooring. There’s even a lady that carries a log around with her like it’s a baby – yes a log!!! Oh and there is a cameo somewhere along the line with David Duchovny as DEA Agent Dennis who later becomes a Denise!

The whole show oozed mystique and sex appeal, and the colour red is plastered everywhere ready to seduce you.

Agent Cooper loved coffee but he also loved his cherry pie! I hope you love my pie just as much as he would!

It’s gluten-free, grain-free, and there is a Vegan substitution for the pastry. This pie is seriously sweet, juicy and just perfect with a nice big cup of coffee. Sour cherries are best for this, so the fresher you can get, the better. If you are using very ripe or sweet cherries I would recommend that you add in some lemon juice to sour it up.

I also used apricot kernels in this to add to the bitter almond flavour. If you can get hold of them I would definitely recommend it, but be careful as excess consumption of apricot kernels can be fatal! You should not consume more than 2 kernels a day!

There is a slight bit of skill involved in making this pie as you will have to do a spot of lattice work but if the prospect of this scares you and you really can’t bear to do it then just make it an open pie, which would be equally as pretty. You could also top it completely.

I have included a recipe for some ‘Noyau Cream’ in this post as it is super scrummy and brings an amazing freshness to the whole pie experience. The noyau is simply the tiny kernel within the stone of a an apricot or even cherry. It really has the nicest flavour you can imagine, much like marzipan!

I also topped my pie with my Paleo Faux Icing Sugar once it had cooled!

Makes: 10 slices

Preparation time: 50 minutes

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

For the Paleo pastry:

200g tapioca flour
100g almond flour
200g raw grass-fed unsalted butter (substitute for 100g coconut oil for Vegan option)
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (optional but yummy)
Juice & pulp of 1 orange
30ml ice cold water

For the cherry filling:

500g sour cherries (if you cannot get sour cherries add juice 1/2 lemon)
100g coconut sugar
2 tbsp tapioca flour
1/2 tbsp Kirsch (is optional but naughty in a great way)
1 tsp bitter almond extract
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
6 apricot kernels

For the egg wash:

1 free-range egg (omit if you are Vegan)
A splash of your favourite nut milk
A couple of drops of bitter almond extract

For the Paleo ‘noyau’ style cream:

1 tin coconut milk (refridgerated overnight)
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp bitter almond extract
6 apricot kernels

Method:

1. The night before place your tin of coconut milk (for the noyau cream) into the fridge and leave until needed.
2. Firstly start on your pastry. In a small mixing bowl sieve in your flours, sugar and salt. Add your vanilla powder and mix.
3. Chop your butter into small cubes and throw in.
4. Cover the bowl with cling film, give it a good shake until the butter is covered by the flour and then place into the freezer for 20 minutes. This is what makes your pastry lovely and light and crumbly.
5. In the meantime freshly squeeze your orange juice, removing the pulp at the same time. Pop it into the fridge to chill until needed.
6. Remove your flour and butter bowl from the freezer and pour into your food processor. Process until it comes together into small oat like sized balls.
7. Pulse in your orange juice and pulp. Process until it only just starts to come together as a ball.
8. Remove the pastry from the processor, cover in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
9. Whilst you are waiting begin to prepare your cherry filling. De-stone all of your cherries.
10. Crush the apricot kernels into a fine powder using a pestle and mortar. Once this is done stir in all of the ingredients for your filling, cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge to allow the flavours to seep out into the ‘sauce’.
11. Remove your dough from the fridge place back into the food processor and pulse in 2 tsp of your chilled water. Process on full speed until the dough has warmed up enough to be handled.
12. Lightly grease a 9″ fluted edge (loose based) pie tin with some butter or coconut oil.
13. Lightly dust your work surface and rolling pin with some tapioca flour.
14. Take 1/2 of your dough and lightly roll it out until it is about 1/2″ wider than the diameter of the tin. Carefully place it into the tin and press it down and around all of the indentations. Cut off any excess.
15. Remove your pie filling from the fridge, give it a good stir and then pour into your pie crust. Place into the fridge.
16. Pre-heat your oven to 180C.
17. Quickly whizz up your remaining dough in the food processor again you may want to add a tsp of water again to get it going.
18. Roll the dough out into a rectangle that has 1″ excess around all edges from the diameter of your pie tin (i.e.11″).
19. Using a pairing knife or even a pizza cutter cut into 1cm-1.5cm strips. The wider the strips the easier it will be to make your lattice. Divide your strips equally by 2.
20. Get a sheet of greaseproof paper out. Place half of your strips of dough vertically and place another at the very top leaving some excess to work with. Begin to weave it under and over until you get to the very end.
21. Repeat the process with another piece of pastry until you have completely finished your lattice. Work as fast as you can as this dough likes to warm up, dry out and then becomes prone to breakage.
22. Remove your pie from the fridge. Hold your pie very carefully at a diagonal angle. Get someone to hold it for you if you can. Line up your lattice and flip it over as fast and as carefully as you can so that it is placed evenly.
23. Gently press the lattice and join it into the edges of the pie crust.
24. If there are any breakages just carefully patch them up and don’t worry too much as once it has baked you won’t be able to see anything too serious. Cut off any excess pastry.
25. Whisk up all of the ingredients for your egg wash and using a pastry brush wash over the lattice thoroughly.
26. Place the pie onto a baking tray and place on the middle shelf of the oven.
27. Cook for around an hour or until the pie filling is bubbling through right to the middle of the pie and the lattice is a beautiful golden brown. If you feel at any time that the lattice is cooking faster than the rest of the pie keep using your egg wash to prevent burning. You can also place a large cake tin over the top to almost ‘steam’ the pie if needs be.
28. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
29. Prepare your noyau cream by removing your tin of chilled coconut milk from the fridge. Open the tin, poke a hole into the creamy top layer and drain out all of the water. Scoop out all of the solid cream into a large mixing bowl.
30. Crush your apricot kernels and using a pestle and mortar to grind them into a fine powder.
31. Add your ground apricot kernels and remaining ingredients into the cream and whisk using large strokes to beat in as much air as possible. This will make the cream nice and fluffy and light. Once the cream forms large stiff peaks it is done!
32. Slice your pie and warm your slice gently in the oven on a low heat. Top with your noyau cream, grab a coffee and go wild!

 

Georgie’s Paleo Chrimbo Mincemeat

It’s nearly Christmas and so I’m getting all of my recipes perfected and out of the way so that you can all make something delicious and yummy! Why miss out on the finer things in life when you don’t have to?!

As I get older I seem to be becoming more and more of a Christmas fanatic whereas say 5 years ago I was definitely a Christmas Scrooge. I hated Christmas, I hated the food and the booze. I’m still not much of a fan of the booze but I really am starting to appreciate it in my food more. I did use rum in this recipe, but a rather nice one called Kraken oh and a splash of Kirsch too.

Kraken rum is gluten-free and vegan and it is distilled from molasses (made from sugar cane) and is aged for a period of 12-24 months.  It is also heavily spiced with; cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and vanilla, among others. You don’t have to use alcohol for this though. You can use orange juice as a substitute in identical quantities to the alcohol, however make sure that you store the end product in the fridge and consume within two weeks. If you use alcohol in this you can store in an airtight mason jar for up to 6 months in a cool dark place.

This is perfect in mince pies but also great as a yogurt topper on your favourite coconut yogurt! Mmmmm yummy!

Makes: Roughly 2 cups

Preparation Time: 10 minutes (30 minutes cooling time)

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

100g sultanas
100g raisins
100g currants
45g dried cherries
4 tbsp candied mixed peel
1 small bramley apple (finely diced)
75g raw unsalted grass-fed butter (or coconut oil for Vegan option)
100g coconut sugar
Juice of 1/2 orange
Juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tbsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp Kirsch
60ml Kraken rum

Method:

1. Place all of your ingredients except for your alcohol in a heavy bottomed, medium sized pan. Heat on a low heat until the butter melts and the mixture begins to simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes and stir occasionally. If you are not using alcohol use all of your orange juice and simmer until the liquid has evapourated.
2. Leave the mixture to cool completely and then stir in your alcohol.
3. Spoon into an airtight mason jar and top with a cellophane disc to help keep it fresh. It couldn’t be simpler!

If you need to find some mason jars to fit this into I bought mine from Ocado for £3.49 each. The mincemeat filled 1 and 1/4 jars. I also used the Tala Jam Pot Covers too for £1.50.

Paleo Candied Mixed Peel

It might seem a little bit drastic to make your own candied peel but I would much rather know what is going into my food then buying a product full of refined sugars just because it’s Christmas. Plus there is something so satisfying about making your own mincemeat completely from scratch!

This can be enjoyed in many Chrimbo treats and puddings, or even as a treat on it’s own – it’s gorgeous dipped in dark chocolate and crushed nuts!

Make sure that you save your syrup and you can add it to hot chocolates, coffees and even drizzle over yogurt or through cheesecake!

Makes: Approx. 4 tbsp

Preparation Time: 5 minutes (25 minutes cooling time)

Cooking Time: Approx. 1 hr 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Rind of 1 lemon
Rind of 1 orange
1 heaped tbsp raw honey (you can use 2 tbsp maple syrup for vegan substitute)
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 1/3 cups water
1 tsp mixed spice

Method:

1. Wash your fruit thoroughly under a hot tap.
2. Cut your fruit into 4 wedges and peel off the rind.
3. Cut each piece of rind into 4 strips.
4. Place the rind in a small pan of boiling water, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the peel in a colander.
5. Using your small pan place all of the syrup ingredients into the pan and heat on a low heat until the sugar has melted.
6. Add your mixed peel strips. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes until the peel becomes translucent and soft.
7. Leave to cool in the syrup. Once cooled remove the peel using a slotted spoon and drip dry each strip slightly.
8. Place the strips onto a wire rack and place onto a baking tray. Cook your peel on the lowest setting until nice and dry. It may be ever so slightly tacky to the touch but not wet. Leave to cool completely.
9. Once cooled, using a pair of kitchen scissors to cut each strip into little squares.
10. Use in mincemeat, Christmas pudding or dip the strips into dark chocolate for a nice chewy Chrimbo snack!

Paleo Spiced Fruit Bread

Best served toasted with some raw grass-fed butter!

Christmas is nearing and how can anyone not crave some sweet, spiced and succulent Paleo fruit bread?!

I’ve mentioned before that I never really like bread but I guess that is a little bit of a white lie! This bread is nutritious and delicious – win win!!! Now you might notice that I use a small amount of milled chia seed in my loaves – why? Because it helps to give your bread a ‘bounce’ similar to that of real bread.

I am very lucky to have the wonderful people at Sukrin looking after me by supplying some of their flours to cook with. I used their Almond Flour and Coconut Flour in this recipe. The difference with their flours in comparison to other mainstream ones is that they have a slightly reduced fat content (don’t worry this is done by cold pressing!) which makes them much finer and more malleable –  almost like real flour!

Sukrin coconut, sesame & almond flours.

Makes: 1 small loaf

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Proving Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: Roughly 25-30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the yeast mixture:

1 tbsp dried active yeast

50ml nut or coconut milk

50ml cold water

50ml boiling water

3 tbsp coconut sugar

For the bread mixture:

1 cup tapioca flour
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tbsp milled chia seeds
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1.5 tbsp baking powder
50g raw grass-fed unsalted butter (coconut oil can be used but will give a different taste)
3 eggs
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (with the mother)

For the fruit mixture:

Juice, zest & pulp of 1 medium orange
3/4 cup mixed dried fruit
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp maple syrup

For the egg wash:

1 egg
1 tbsp coconut sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Dash of nut milk

Method:

1. Firstly prepare your yeast mix. In a cup or measuring jug combine your milk, cold water & hot water.
2. Stir in your yeast and coconut sugar until the coconut sugar begins to dissolve. Leave to stand for around 10 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl combine all of your fruit mixture ingredients. Stir thoroughly and leave to rest until needed later.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine your tapioca, almond and coconut flours. Add your milled chia seeds.
5. Add your salt, baking powder and coconut sugar and stir until evenly distributed. (Sometimes I find it easier to just use a whisk!)
6. Next melt your butter and add to the mix. Stir in your eggs.
7. Your yeast mixture should now have doubled in size. Give it a good stir and pour into the flour mixture.
8. Now add your apple cider vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and mix until your have a nice tacky dough.
9. Pour in your fruit mixture and mix.
10. Knead the dough inside your bowl for about 5 minutes until it starts to become really smooth.
11. Line a small loaf tin (mine is roughly 9″x5″ with greased parchment paper and transfer your dough. Grease your hands with a little coconut oil to prevent the dough from sticking to you and  ‘knuckle’ the dough in until it is nice and even.
12. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to proof in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size. This can be inside your oven with the light on or if you’re good at judging temperature pre-heat it for a few minutes with the door open.
13. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4.
14. Place your bread in the oven.
15. Whisk together all of your ingredients for your egg wash in a small cup or bowl.
16. Your bread will be done once it is golden brown on top and has come away from the sides a little. The best way of testing this is to pop a sharp knife into the middle of the bread and if it comes out clean and boiling hot to the touch then it is ready!
17. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Remove the baking parchment and place the loaf back into the tin. Spread the egg wash evenly and thickly over the loaf using a pastry brush. This helps to crisp up and sweeten the crust. Don’t leave in the oven for any longer than 5 minutes otherwise you will end up with a burnt loaf! I find that if you leave it to get to a dark brown (verging on burnt look) colour it is perfect and does not in any way taste burnt!
18. Remove from the oven, tip out of the loaf tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.
19. Serve toasted with some good old fashioned grass-fed raw butter.

If you’d like to follow Sukrin online then check out the links below:

Twitter: @SukrinUK

Facebook: @SukrinUK

Instagram: @sukrinuk

Pinterest: @SukrinUK

Caveman Kitchen Spiral Cutter Review, Competition & Recipe!

Scroll to the bottom of the page for your chance to win 1 of 5 of these Caveman Kitchen Spiral Cutters!

A couple of weeks ago I was very lucky to receive one of The Caveman Kitchen’s Spiral Cutters. It has literally become my new best friend! It comes in a nifty little box and has a stylish yet fuctional design to it. It totes 2 Japanese stainless steel blades in two sizes which gives you the option of having a ‘spaghetti’  thickness or a ‘tagiatelle’ thickness.  To top it all off it comes with a little bottle brush type cleaner, a safety cap (so you don’t julienne your finger skin) and an e-book which boasts a whopping 36 pages of recipes that well… put mine to shame! Ramen noodles, Pad Thai, Creamy Basil Alfredo – you name it!

This is perfect for anyone embarking upon a Paleo, Vegan or Raw food diet. It really is one of those little compact gadgets you should have in your cupboard! So anyways enough of my ramblings and onto the good stuff!!!

Functionality

Functionality is key in the kitchen!

So I shall start off by telling you how this little wonderous gadget works. You stick stuff in, you twist it round and around and out comes your wonderful raw veggie ‘pasta’. Simples.

The blades

You have 2 options of pasta width to go for and with either of the blades however placing a lighter amount of pressure on your vegetable whilst spiralising results in a thinner and more dainty pasta. Placing a heavy amount of pressure on your vegetable increases the overall thickness.  I like to use the wider blades for softer vegetables like courgettes and the thinner blades on harder vegetables like carrot, sweet potato and parsnips.

Getting your pasta to be one long continuous strip is slightly trickier than you may imagine and takes a little while to get going. Once about a quarter of your vegetable has been spiralised it starts to become steadier within the cutter and then turns into one long noodle. You will get a few scraps at the beginning and end of the process but nothing that will bother your culinary experience.

Wastage

Like all spiral cutters there is always a small amount of ‘wastage’ and probably more so with this one. However, this doesn’t really bother me as the design of this cutter makes the whole process faster and less messy than any other spiraliser I have used in the past. As you can see in the bottom left picture this is generally what you will have left over after spiralising. You cannot get it to go further into the cutter without cutting your fingers off. The second picture on the bottom right is what is left over inside the cutter after spiralising and is fairly small in diameter. I just chuck these bits in with my cooking.

The safety cap

If you look in the bottom left hand picture you can see the safety cap in all of it’s glory (complete with courgette). This is a great idea as all you have to do is to pop the cap onto the end of your veggies and twist to your heart’s content. I do like to use it with wider vegetables, however I can’t help but to try and spiralise every last piece of any narrower vegetable that allows me to pop my big chunky man like fingers into it. And have taken the risk several times.

I have to confess that I have also cut my fingers several times too doing so – use the safety cap people!

The bottle brush cleaner

Another ingenious creation! This brush is fantastic as it can get into every nook and cranny and scrub it clean! Every spiraliser that I have had has been big and clunky and hard to clean.  This is amazing and a complete time saver in the kitchen.  If you’ve got a busy household then I have to say that this is the item for you over those crank handled ones.

Design

I love the design of this product. It’s incredibly slick, minimalist, it’s compact and it carries the awesome and modern Caveman Kitchen logo on the stainless steel outer handles.

The ‘hour glass’ type design means that it can stand proud on any kitchen top without looking like a piece of clutter or another kitchen gadget. The compact size of the cutter makes it perfect for small kitchens and overcrowded ones too. This is key for me as I have the tiniest kitchen and never enough storage to contain all of my kitchen gadgets that I have accumulated over the many years.

The overall verdict

At £11.99 (and free shipping within the UK) this is an absolute bargain!

This is the sturdiest vegetable spiraliser/cutter that I have ever used. The last one that I owned had a crank handle and I pretty much broke everything that was attached to is because I am quite heavy handed. I did not have a problem with this one at all. You could put full force onto this and it will not break at all. It’s incredbly durable. I feel safe in knowing that if I ever suffer from a Gordon Ramsay style episode of ‘kitchen rage’ that I shall be safe to launch this and not need to invest in a new one.

The ease of use, compact nature and mess-free cutting make this all worth while. The e-book is also so creative that there will be something in there for anyone – raw salads, stir-fry and pasta. If I had known this had existed before I received one then I would most definitely have bought one myself.

Plus you can have fun figuring out what will and won’t spiralise!  Just a little heads up – aubergine is a no go! (Yes I really did go there)

If you’d like to get your hands on one now then check out the Caveman Kitchen Amazon Store.

Recipe

Yes I made this fab Tahini Mixed Veggie Noodles and Sweet Egg Omelette! Click here for the recipe!

IT’S COMPETITION TIME!!!

So the moment that you have all been waiting for! The wonderful folk at Caveman Kitchen have allocated 5 Caveman Cutters for Greens of the Stone Age readers to win!

But don’t worry – nobody is a loser! All runners up receive a 20% off discount off of the wonderful Caveman Cutter. It’s a win win situation!

(I reckon by now you’d like to get your hands on one of these little shiny bad boys right?! Yup!)

All you have to do is click the link here answer the question and follow the instructions – easy peasy! It literally takes 1 minute to complete!

Please note: Competition is now closed and all winners will be informed 12th November 2014 via the e-mail address that they have provided. Good Luck!

Paleo Tahini Mixed Veggie Noodles & Sweet Egg Omelette

So, the lovely people at the Caveman Kitchen sent me their Vegetable Spiraliser to have a play with and I created this wonderful meal!

It’s a sort of Middle Eastern and Asian fusion dish that I knocked together with all of my favourite ingredients I had left in my kitchen. It’s comforting, it’s flavoursome and it’s spicy!

Serves: 4 people

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

For the ‘noodles’:

4 large carrots
4 courgettes
1 large aubergine
Juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp coconut oil (for frying)

For the tahini dressing:

Juice of 1 lime
6 garlic cloves (peeled)
3″ piece root ginger (peeled)
1/2 large bunch fresh coriander
5 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp raw honey
1/2 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt

For the sweet egg omelette:

9 free-range eggs
2 tbsp raw honey (melted)
3 tbsp coconut/liquid aminos
1 tsp coconut oil (for frying)

Optional seasonings:

1 tbsp Nanami Togarashi
1 tbsp sesame oil
Handful of chopped fresh coriander

Method:

1. Spiralise your carrots and courgettes and place into a large mixing bowl.
2. Slice your aubergine into slices lengthways and then slice again into thin ‘ribbons’. Place into the mixing bowl with the rest of your vegetables.
3. Pour over your lime juice and mix thoroughly. Set aside until later.
4. Now prepare your dressing. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside until you cook your noodles!
5. For the omelette whisk together all of the ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl until thoroughly mixed.
6. In a large frying pan melt your coconut oil over a low heat and pour in your egg mixture. Cook on a low heat for around 5 minutes. Once the top starts to look as though it is wanting to form transfer to a grill until fully set. Remove and set to one side.
7. In a large wok melt your coconut oil over a medium heat. Transfer your veggie noodles and fry for 2 minutes.
8. Pour over your tahini sauce and mix evenly. Reduce the heat to a low heat and cook for a further 3 minutes stirring every minute. Turn off the heat.
9. Flip your omelette pan upside down over a chopping board. Fold the omelette into four or just simply roll the omelette up swiss roll style! Cut your omelette width ways into mouthsized chunks.
10. Transfer your noodles into your serving dish, top with your sweet omelette and any of your desired toppings. Enjoy!!!

Paleo Grasshopper Pie Cheesecake Squares

So the lovely people at Naturya sent me out some Chlorella Powder to experiment with, and in return I created this recipe to feature on their website! Pretty amazing hey?! I feel super lucky.

So Grasshopper Pie. Yeah, I love that stuff, I mean I really love it! Buuuuuut… I also love cheesecake. So I had to make this. It’s Paleo, it’s Vegan, it’s raw and it makes chlorella taste goooood. What more could you honestly want?

Makes: 16 medium sized squares

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the ‘biscuit’ base:

100g almonds

1 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp vanilla essence

1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 tbsp coconut oil

100g 90% chocolate (or 75g cacao solids)

For the Grasshopper cheesecake:

1/2 cup coconut oil

50g cacao butter
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup coconut sugar

200g cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight)

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1 peeled courgette (finely sliced)

10 drops peppermint extract

2 tsp chlorella powder

For decoration:

A little grated chocolate (this is optional but I think looks fab!)

Method:

1.  For the base, combine all of the ingredients and process until a sandy texture (have a nibble, if it reminds you of biscuit crumbs crossed with chocolate it’s done!).
2. Line a 6″x8″ tin and pour in the base mixture.  ‘Knuckle’ the mixture in until evenly distributed. Place in the freezer until it is needed later.
3. For the cheesecake filling place the coconut oil, cacao butter, coconut milk and coconut sugar over a bain-marie until fully melted. This could take around 15 minutes.  You could grate the cacao butter but I think this is equally as time consuming.
4. Meanwhile, in a food processor blend the cashews and vanilla essence until a smooth paste. This will probably take around 5 minutes.
5. Once the cacao butter mix has melted fully, pour it into the cashew paste and blend until smooth. Make sure you periodically scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl with a spatula to ensure that it mixes evenly.
6. Add your courgette, peppermint extract and chlorella powder. Blend until smooth and evenly distributed. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl thoroughly.
7. Remove the biscuit base from the freezer and pour over the Grasshopper cheesecake mix. Spread evenly with a spatula until the mix is level.
8. Sprinkle over your grated chocolate and return to the freezer until set.
9. Remove from the freezer and cut into squares. Serve and enjoy! Yummy yummy!

Paleo Barleygrass White Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Paleo, Vegan and darn right tasty!

So the lovely people at Naturya sent me out some Barleygrass Powder to experiment with, and in return I created this recipe to feature on their website! Pretty cool huh?!

This recipe takes the classic nut butter style cup and puts a clean, mean, and green spin on it. Barleygrass has a very ‘clean’ and earthy taste to it which is almost comparable in flavour to matcha green tea.

Delicious! (And I’m not just saying that!)

Makes: 6 medium sized cups

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For the barleygrass white chocolate:

2 tbsp coconut milk powder

1 tbsp coconut sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

50g cacao butter
1 tbsp barleygrass powder

For the almond butter filling:

2 tbsp almond butter

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp coconut sugar

Pinch of Himalyan pink salt

Method:

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the barleygrass white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl (except for the barleygrass powder) over a bain-marie. Heat on a low heat, stirring frequently until fully melted.
2. Whisk in your barleygrass powder until fully blended.
3. Divide one half of the mixture between 6 cupcake cases. Place in the freezer to set. Set aside the remaining mixture.
4. Now prepare your almond butter filling. Combine all of the ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a bain-marie. Heat on a low heat, stirring frequently until the mixture comes together into a smooth paste.
5. Remove the chocolate cups from the freezer and divide the almond butter filling equally between the 6 cups. Return to the freezer for 5 minutes.
6. Return the remaining barleygrass chocolate to the bain-marie and mix thoroughly.
7. Remove the cups from the freezer and evenly divide the remaining chocolate mixture between the 6 cups. Return to the freezer until set.
8. Once set remove from the cupcake cases and enjoy!

 

Paleo White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake

So as you can see above this is a picture of the cheesecake thawing out. It was the only light I had available so I am going to try and take some more pictures of the last few slices tomorrow in the daylight but below are some I took tonight.  I feel far too excited to contain this recipe any longer so I’m posting it up now!

This cheesecake is dedicated to my lovely friend Jade who made the suggestion when I asked what people would like making for Chocolate Week.  I have to say I think that this week is going to be incredibly dangerous for my midsection!

I know what you are all wondering… what was this cheesecake like? Well my lovely friends… It was actually, sort of… PERFECT!

I very rarely praise myself but I actually can’t fault this in any way whatsoever; it tastes like cheesecake, the texture is the same as cheesecake, and the base is actually like a real biscuity base.  I am utterly blown away.  What makes this even more special is that it is actually Vegan too, and would be raw if it weren’t for the raspberry filling.

Enough of me rattling on about how wonderful it is, you must try it for yourselves!

Makes: 10-12 slices

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the base:

100g macadamia nuts
1/2 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp maple syrup

For the white chocolate filling:

1/2 cup coconut oil
50g cacao butter
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut sugar
250g/2 cups cashews (soaked overnight or min. 4 hours)
1 tbsp vanilla essence
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Juice 1.5 lemons
1 peeled courgette (cubed)

For the raspberry filling:

1.5 cups frozen raspberries
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp tapioca flour
Squeeze of lemon juice

Handful of raspberries for decoration (optional)

Method:

1.  For the base, combine all of the ingredients and process until a sandy texture (have a nibble, if it reminds you of biscuit crimbs it’s done!).
2. Line a 9″ springform or loose base tin. Pour in the base mixture and ‘knuckle’ it in until evenly distributed. Place in the freezer until later.
3. For the white chocolate filling place the coconut oil, cacao butter, maple syrup and coconut sugar over a bain-marie until fully melted. This could take around 15 minutes.  You could grate the cacao butter but I think this is equally as time consuming.
4. Meanwhile, place the rest of the ingredients into the food processor, except for the courgette, and process until smooth.
5. Next get started on your raspberry filling. Place the frozen raspberries, water and coconut sugar into a medium sized pan and cook on a low heat until simmering. Make sure to squash down the berries as much as possible.  This will take around 10 minutes max.
6. Remove your ‘white chocolate’ mix from the bain-marie and combine with the rest of the white chocolate filling.  Process until smooth.
7. Remove your raspberry mix from the heat and begin to strain through a sieve into a small mixing bowl.  This will take a lot of leg work to get as much of the fruit through as possible. Stop straining when you are left with pretty much just seeds!
8. Combine the lemon juice and tapioca flour and whisk thoroughly.
9. Return the raspberry mix to the heat or place the bowl into the microwave until the mixture is bubbling. Be sure to whisk frequently.  Once the mix has thickened to a thick and slightly ‘gummy’ sauce set aside.
10. To your white chocolate filling add in your peeled and cubed courgette. Blend until smooth and fluffy.
11. Remove your base from the freezer and pour in half of your white chocolate filling, spreading evenly with a spatula.
12. Pour in one third of your raspberry filling and using a small spatula dip in and swirl around the filling. This will give you your marbling effect!
13. Pour in the last half of your white chocolate filling and smooth until evenly distributed.
14. Add the remaining two thirds of the raspberry filling. Using a small spatula or knife, dip in and draw downward parallel lines and then parallel lines across until you reach your desired level of marbling. Feel free to just swirl it around. Make it your own!!!
15. Place your cheesecake into the freezer until set.
16. Slice and serve!!! Yummy yummy scrummy in your tummy! (Not mine i’ve eaten mine already!)

Paleo Chocolate Brownies… or are they cakes? I don’t know… Crownies?! They are Paleo Crownies….

Are they brownies? are they cake? I have no idea… crownies anyone?

Soooo as you all know I have been super excited about Chocolate Week, yes you heard me right… It’s a nationwide celebration of the finest chocolatiers and chocolate companies… and well chocolate.  So I thought that I would join in with the fun and concoct some delicious chocolate creations everyday this week.  Some strange and some homely… but all to do with chocolate!

Today I was going to get cracking on with my Paleo/Vegan White Chocolate & Raspberry Cheesecake but decided that I wanted to soak my nuts for the filling for the full 24 hours.  So I had to make something chocolatey right? Right!

Chocolate brownies, they’re simple and delicious… and well usually really bad for you.  I wanted to make a slightly healthier brownie because I am going to have a full week of sampling sweet treats and I want to keep my weight low for training goals (I am currently training for a half marathon).  My daughter had her friend around and every kid likes brownies.  So brownies it was.

But… as you can see something went a little wrong… I cooked them for too long and I think I got some of my proportions wrong (I realised I put in 1 tbsp of baking powder rather than 1 tsp) but these are really yummy whatever they are.  They are halfway between a cake and a brownie. A really squidgy, moist cake that borders on brownie, but sadly is not brownie.

Anyways enough of my tired ramblings here is my recipe for brownies (or not brownies)…

Makes: 16-20 (depending upon how greedy you are)

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

90g cacao solids
100g raw grass-fed unsalted butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup raw honey
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 sweet potato (cubed)
1 tbsp vanilla
4 eggs
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
3 tbsp almond flour
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, melt your cacao solids, butter, coconut oil, coconut sugar and raw honey over a bain-marie.
3. Whilst you are melting your chocolate mix throw the rest of your ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Once your chocolate mix has fully melted pour into the cake batter and blend until smooth.
5. Line and grease a small baking/brownie pan. Pour in your batter.
6. Place the mix into the oven and bake until ever so slightly wobbly in the middle.
7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the pan and cutting.
8. Enjoy your crownies!

So as you can see pretty simple, but also pretty yummy… and yes I know I have not made them in any conventional way whatsoever but I promise that I will post up some super naughty ones another time… the real fudgy ooey gooey kind!