Fig & Date Balls

 Ingredients:
600g dates
6-8 dried figs
6 dried organic apricots
5 tbsp. goji berries
1½ tsp. ginger powder
1½ tsp. cinnamon
1 tbs. raw cacao powder
2-3 tbsp. shredded coconut for rolling

Method:

Place all ingredients into a food processor in a couple of batches to allow them to be chopped up finely enough.  Add just a little water while blitzing to combine.

Once all mixture is blitzed, roll into balls and coat in shredded coconut.  Store in the fridge in an airtight container, allowing them to set for about an hour before eating.

This is Erica's spin on the date ball, which can easily become a staple energizing snack for us all to have on hand. I love the flavours of the ginger and cinnamon used together. 

Enjoy  💖 Shaz

Triple C Pudding

                                                        

Why triple C you may ask?  Well, it is Cacao, Coconut Crumble Pudding....

I have made this pudding in a couple of different ways and all taste great however you decide to make it.  You can make it as a cacao and cinnamon pudding as pictured on the right, or you can make up a lime chia pudding with a crumble to go with it. (pictured on the left)

It's so quick to make the actual pudding, so taking a little time to do the layering really doesn't matter too much.

Starting with the Chia, Cacao and Cinnamon Pudding:
Ingredients-
1 cup almond milk
3 tbsp. chia seeds
1 1/2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. maple syrup 
Method-
Simply place the almond milk, chia seeds & cacao into a small bowl and mix through until well combined.  Make sure all the cacao has dissolved or you'll end up with a few bitter bites as you eat.  Lastly add the maple syrup and mix through. Cover this and place in the fridge to set overnight or at least for about 8 hours.  
You can eat this one on its own served with berries or a little crumble mix* sprinkled on top. 

Next is the Coconut, Lime Chia Pudding:
Ingredients-
1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp. chia seeds
juice of 1 lime (approx.60ml)
Method-
Mix together the coconut milk, chia seeds and the juice from the lime until they are all well combined.  Place into individual bowls and put in the fridge for about 6 hours to set.
Serve with a little crumble* on top and a few chopped strawberries.  Very easy to make these ahead of time.

If you're putting them together in one dessert, pop each pudding into the fridge for about an hour, before giving it another quick stir and  carefully spooning/ layering individual bowls or jars.  Sprinkle the crumble over the top and garnish with some fresh strawberries.

* For the crumble, place 1/2 cup almond meal, 1/2 cup desiccated coconut, 1 tbsp. honey, 1 1/2 tbsp. raw cacao powder and a pinch of himalayan salt into a small processor and blend until it forms a moist grainy consistency.  Sprinkle a little over the top of each individual bowl, or even at the base before the pudding goes in.

Enjoy 💖 Shaz 

Raw Caramel Slice... Well almost all raw...

For ease of sharing and transporting in a cold bag I have made this slice using the best quality dark chocolate I could find for the top layer.  (A Lindt Dessert 70% dark Chocolate) That is why it is almost all raw.  You can make with a raw choc on top, but it doesn't transport as well, and adds a little extra time to make it.

Ingredients

Base:
1 cup almond meal
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. raw cacao
pinch himalayan salt

Filling:
6 tbsp. cashew butter*
1 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp maple syrup
4 tbsp coconut oil (measured in its melted form)
3 tbsp. coconut cream
¼ tsp. vanilla extract concentrate
pinch himalayan salt

Top Layer:
100g dark chocolate (gently melted) 

Method

Line a 20cm slice cake tin with baking paper (base and sides with overhang) and set aside.

Place all the base ingredients into a food processor and blend until the mixture sticks together and resembles wet grainy sand on the beach.  Press this mixture into your tin and pop it in the fridge while you work on the filling.

Place all the filling ingredients into your processor and blend at a medium speed until they are just combined.  Pour this over the base and pop back in the fridge.

Gently melt the chocolate in a bowl over some near boiling water and carefully pour the chocolate over the slice filling.  Smooth out as much as possible with a knife before popping back into the fridge for the final setting.  

Once the chocolate is set, slice and store either in the fridge if you intend to eat in the next day or so, or in the freezer in an airtight container if you want it for a little later.

*Cashew butter is pretty easy to make.  For this slice I used 200g dry roasted cashews and popped them into the tiny blender on a high speed. Blended for a couple of minutes until it turned to butter.  I did add a tablespoon or 2 of macadamia oil to help get the consistency I was after.  You can also find it with the spreads in the supermarket, which I did the first time I made this, but so much nicer making my own.

Enjoy 💗 Shaz