by Siobhan | Apr 18, 2018 | Breakfast, Lunch, snack, vegan
What better way to have a delicious, nourishing, quick breakfast ready to go when you are than by baking these brownie breakfast bars the night before!
bursting blueberry breakfast brownies
They are made from jumbo oats, fresh blueberries, ripe bananas and a touch of cacao powder to give a decadent, chocolate taste and once baked they’ll provide you with a quick, healthy breakfast option in the mornings meaning it’s easier to get out the door. They’re also a great recipe to use up any overly ripe bananas you have hanging around your fruit bowl.
These taste best when slightly warm as the cacao chocolate flavour comes through more and with your favourite yogurt to contrast with the berries and rich cacao.
Benefits
-No oil or eggs
-vegan & gluten free
-1 bowl
-No sweeteners, fruit only
-High fibre & portable
Top with yogurt, fruit & cinnamon
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by Siobhan | Apr 4, 2018 | Dinner, Lunch, vegan
This is a great, quick, healthy meal made from simple ingredients that you can whip up within 15mins and when paired with a big plate of greens it’s highly nutritious too. It also makes a good meat free dinner/lunch option and is handy for when you haven’t been shopping in a while as we all tend to have some oats and beans tucked away somewhere in the cupboard.
I love using beans in cooking, they are such a nutritious cheap ingredient and are so versatile. I love the combo of chilli and lemon as it’s refreshing and full of flavour which is what you need to perk up plain beans.
To add more flavour I’ve created a creamy harrissa dressing, If you’ve never used harrissa before then you’re really missing out, It’s a spicy paste similar to chipotle which I’ve paired with creamy tahini/yogurt (choose your favourite) to create a lovely silky dressing for these nuggets which you definitely won’t want to leave out as it gives much needed moisture to the dish.
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by Siobhan | Mar 26, 2018 | Desserts, Grainfree, vegan
I’ve been loving the combination lately of cashew butter and some sweetness, it’s absolutely amazing! Plus as you’ll know if you’ve glanced at any of my recipes, I love to make my own chocolate treats so what better way or time to do it than Easter and by making a healthier version of a classic Easter treat -homemade creme egg!!
I’ve also included a sugar free option to sweeten the fillings with and you can use a very dark/diabetic friendly chocolate meaning they can be tailored for anyone who needs a low sugar option, although even with the liquid sweeteners it’s still low sugar overall per egg with a much richer taste meaning you eat less of them while still getting your chocolate creamy centred hit!
Tip: I used silicon egg moulds that I found in the pound store
Dark chocolate oozey goodness!
These are also a great thing to make with the kids to keep them occupied or for homemade Easter gifts and you could tailor them if needed, for example, add some orange oil extract for a choc orange flavour or colour the centre with something pink for a pop of colour (of course it would no longer resemble a creme egg, but would still look just as pretty).
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by Siobhan | Mar 21, 2018 | Desserts, energy balls, Grainfree, snack, vegan
When I first thought up this recipe I really hoped it would work well as I wanted to create a soft, indulgent yet healthier chocolate truffle and what better way to make that happen than by adding an entire avocado to the mix to give it a soft truffle like texture while getting all the skin and heart health benefits from both the avocado and cacao!
Soft texture, rich flavours, guilt free indulgence
Chocolate truffle benefits
-Filled with antioxidants
-More fibre than standard truffles
-Lightly sweetened and dairy free
-Great for nourishing the skin
As I’ve made these multiple times, I discovered that if you have a nice powder handy such as a dry berry powder or lucuma (fruit powder that has a caramel like flavour) to roll the balls in then you can reduce the liquid sweetener as more flavour is gained from the powders and as it’s on the outside of the truffles it’s the first thing to hit your tongue, so it kind of tricks your taste buds into thinking it’s sweeter than it is. Coconut works well too if you prefer that flavour combo over a sweeter one.
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by Siobhan | Mar 14, 2018 | Breakfast, Desserts, Grainfree, vegan
Ok, so let me start by explaining for anyone who doesn’t know what a shamrock shake is, it’s an American based minty green milkshake that a certain, highly famous burger chain created a while ago in celebration of St Patrick’s day.
If you missed it last year, check out my green St Patrick’s day omelette here.
As St Patrick’s day is approaching, I thought I’d create a healthier version using wholefoods and even better, make it sugar free!
After having to change up my diet to ease my gut issues it’s made me realise even more that not everyone can use standard ingredients or recipes which can be very frustrating and is why I’ve been wanting to create more sugar free recipes here for anyone who can’t, for whatever reason, tolerate traditional sweeteners, even the unrefined ones I tend to use such as honey or coconut sugar.
Plus, most shakes/smoothies tend to have a banana chucked in, which again, some people may need to omit or would like to change up every now and then so I’ve used liquid stevia drops in this recipe, reasons include:
-sugar free (so diabetics can use it)
-doesn’t cause digestive flare ups like other natural sweeteners may do
-doesn’t negatively alter gut bacteria like certain artificial sweeteners
-easier to measure out than uncut, green powdered stevia (which is the preferred form but as I mentioned harder to use and source)
As stevia is over 200 times sweeter than sugar you only need a little bit so measure it out carefully anytime you use it. You can find it online or in health food shops, try to find ones that aren’t diluted with other sweeteners and that are alcohol free.
creamy mint chocolate goodness
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