Raw Mango & Coconut Fudge

A couple of months ago I made a raw strawberry and coconut fudge, but now it's the mangoes turn to shine.  So many sweet, juicy mangoes in season here right now, so I've had a little play and created this tasty treat.  As with any of the creations with mango, you can freeze the mangoes now while they're in season, or in fact find them in the freezer section ready to use.  Fresh is preferable though.

Ingredients:
1 cup cashews (soaked for 4hrs or overnight) 

1 ¼ cups desiccated coconut
1½ tbsp. coconut oil
¼ tsp. vanilla extract concentrate
Just under ¼ cup honey/sweetener of choice (this will vary depending on how sweet the mango is, so taste a little mango first)
Flesh from 1 medium ripe mango
Extra coconut for decoration

 
Method:
Line a (21cm x 10cm) slice tray with baking paper and set it aside.

Place the pre-soaked cashews and the desiccated coconut into the blender/food processor, and blend on a low speed until the nuts are smooth, pushing down the sides occasionally to ensure an even consistency. Depending on your blender, this should take about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the coconut oil, vanilla, honey and mango and blend until well combined.

Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and smooth it out using the back of your spoon to make it flat. Sprinkle a little extra shredded coconut on top, and freeze for 2-3 hours until it’s firm and set.

Cut into small squares to serve.  Store in an airtight container in the freezer, pulling out for about 10 minutes before serving so it’s not too hard to eat. 

(Makes about 20 squares)

 Enjoy  💗 Shaz

Mango and Spinach Smoothie

Smoothies are a great way to get lots of nutrients into your body without too much preparation, which makes them a great meal for breakfast or throughout the day when you’re short on time.  You can chop and change the greens used for this one for variety, which will also vary the flavour.  Kale or baby spinach both work well.  Now I'm not a huge fan of the old fashioned spinach or silverbeet as my Grandma used to call it, but find the varieties of baby spinach quite palatable. 
Teamed with the good fats found in avocado, this smoothie really is a meal in itself.  Mangoes are just coming into season here at the moment, and avocados are a sensible price, so it's smoothie time again..... Yum!!

  

Ingredients:

1 mango (seeded and sliced)

½ an avocado

2 handfuls of baby spinach

a little squeeze of honey

a little Himalayan salt

approx. 1 ½ cups of coconut water

a few ice cubes*

Method:

Simply place all the ingredients into the blender in the order listed above and blend until the spinach in particular, is well chopped and your ingredients are now smooth.  Serve well chilled.

As with any smoothie you make, if you want you can always add a teaspoon of maca powder if you have it, or protein powder.  They will change the flavour a little, but will give your smoothie that extra boost.

*When mangoes are in season chop them up and have them in snap lock bags in the freezer ready to go, with a serve in each little bag. This eliminates the need to use ice cubes, and also allows us to enjoy the deliciousness of the mangoes for just a little bit longer when they're harder to get hold of.

Enjoy 💖 Shaz

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

 

Peppermint Patties

Ingredients

White Bottom:

½ cup coconut butter

2 tbsp. coconut oil

2 tbsp. honey (+1tbsp. if required for those with a sweet tooth)

¼ tsp. peppermint oil

Chocolate Top:

¼ cup raw cacao powder

⅓ cup coconut oil

1 tbsp. honey

¼ tsp. peppermint oil

Method

Separate about 24 mini foil baking cups into an oblong container and set aside.  (The cups I used had a base about the size of a 10c piece)  Popping them into a container from the start just makes it easier to move them in and out of the freezer while you're working on the second layer.

Combine the coconut butter* and coconut oil in a medium bowl, before adding the honey and then the peppermint oil.  Be patient if the weather is a little cooler, as the coconut oil will be solid and require a little more attention to allow them to combine well to achieve a smooth consistency. Once this is achieved, spoon the mixture evenly between the mini cups, and pop them into the freezer to set while you make the top layer.

To make the chocolate layer, place the coconut oil and cacao in a small bowl resting over near boiling water to just melt the oil if it's in its solid state.  Stir these thoroughly making sure there are no lumps present.  Add the honey doing the same.  No lumps…  Lastly take off the heat and stir the peppermint oil through. 

Spoon this mixture over the top of the peppermint layer and place back in the freezer for approx. 30 minutes to set.

These can be made in advance and stored in the freezer to have on hand for a treat or for a special occasion. Thank you Trudy for sharing this recipe with me.

*coconut butter can be  found at the health food store or you could make your own by blending shredded coconut with a little coconut oil and himalayan salt for approx.  5-10 minutes, straining through a very fine sieve.  Repeating process until only a small amount of shredded coconut remains.

Enjoy 💖 Shaz