Bounty Cheesecakes

Bounty are one of my favourite chocolates (with cherry ripe and crunchy!) and I have always wanted to make my own 'cleaner' version. But instead of making smaller bounties I decided to turn them into Bounty cheesecakes for a dessert one night. They were pleasantly a hit! All I need to do next time is add some cherries and I could turn these into cherry ripe cheesecakes, mmmmm.......

Bounty Cheesecakes

Base:
3/4 cup soaked almonds (approx. 2 hours and drained)
2 Tbsp desiccated coconut
1/4 cup soaked dates (15min in boiling water then drained)
2 tsp coconut oil
1 Tbsp cacao powder
Pinch of sea salt

Line a 6 hole muffin pan with baking paper. Process all base ingredients in a processor until combined. Press the base mixture evenly onto the bottom of the pans and let set in the freezer/fridge while you make the middle.

Coconut middle:
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup coconut cream
3 Tbsp coconut oil (or butter)
4 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
1 Tbsp vanilla
Pinch of sea salt

Put all ingredients but the desiccated coconut in a saucepan and stir over low heat until dissolved. Stir in the desiccated coconut, remove from heat and divide mixture evenly over the top of the bases. Leave to set in the fridge.

Chocolate topping:
1 Tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup coconut cream
2 Tbsp cacao powder
1 tsp maple syrup

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spread over the top of the cheesecakes. Sprinkle tops with coconut flakes and set in the fridge. Serve when set and enjoy!

 

These can be made in advance and left in the freezer for a day or two until ready to serve. You could always omit the base, create the middle and form small bit sized chocolate pieces, set in the freezer and roll the pieces in the chocolate topping. You could also use melted chocolate as oppose to making your own.

Bon appetite! :)

Choc Banana Raw Smoothie Bowl

After having a few days of juices for breakfast to help cleanse and heal after a general anaesthetic, I have enjoying the refreshing vibe these have given me, but after a few days I was craving something with more sustenance. What better way to progress than a raw smoothie bowl for breakfast! I absolutely love these and the diverse flavours you can create with a simple base of frozen bananas :D A perfect cooling breakfast as our Aussie summer approaches...

Choc Banana Raw Smoothie Bowl

2 small frozen bananas
1 Tbsp Cacao powder
2 tsp @loving_earth chia seeds 
1/4 cup nutmilk (or water) 
1/2 tsp @loving_earth mesquite powder 
Optional 1 scoop raw protein powder 

Blend in a processor until smooth and top with your favourite toppings such as coconut, blueberries,  buckinis, bee pollen and mesquite powder :)

You can also try experimenting by adding in different fruits or even vege's! Mango is another of my favourites :)

Enjoy!

Banana & Blueberry Wholemeal muffins (Sugar Free)

A few years back when I first started getting into health foods and creating recipes one of the first things I wanted to try was healthier baking. I have no shame in admitting I am a muffin/cake/sweet tooth addict! And one of my first missions was to try sugar free muffins, still sweet but only using the natural sugars of fruits, and what better way to try this than two of my favourite fruits bananas and blueberries!

Since I made them 2 years ago now my mum has loved having them for a midnight snack when she comes home from working night fill. So since it was a while ago I thought I'd post them again (now mum can find the recipe a lot easier rather than looking through archives ;))

Banana & Blueberry Wholemeal Muffins (Sugar free)

3 medium bananas mashed
1 peeled and grated green apple
1 egg
½ cup (125ml) water
125ml vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (250g) wholemeal SR flour
1/3 cup White SR flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
2¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

PREPARATION METHOD Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes

1. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees C. Grease 18 muffin cups, or line with patty cups.

 2. Mix together mashed bananas, egg, grated apple, water, and oil in a large bowl. Mix in flour, baking soda, and baking powder until mostly smooth (you will still see lumps from the banana, but that's okay!). Gently fold the blueberries into the batter.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes. Remove muffins from tins, and cool on a wire rack.


TIP: if you would like to keep these vegan simply replace the egg with one tablespoon of ground flax seeds and 3 tablespoons of water set in the fridge for 15 minutes.


Enjoy! :)

Raw Raspberry Smoothie Bowl

Wow what a month January has been! It is hard to believe tomorrow begins the second month of 2014, February is my favourite month of the year (not just because it is my birthday month) - it is a month to reignite your new year goals and encourage yourself for the things you have changed for the better. It is also a month of love and I believe whether you are in a relationship, single, a single mother or father or what ever your circumstance may be, make sure you do something to love yourself as you are the person you truly have to live with and if you treat yourself right with love then you will have a life of love around you :)

Back on track... there is so much I need to share with you!! So first I will take it back to a couple of recipe I have made and tried which I love starting with a raw raspberry smoothie bowl of goodness!

After our trip to Samudra and an introduction to the glorious Acai bowls, I couldn’t resist trying a few more similar creations for breakfast (or desert!!). On the last day of my holidays before I started my final year of medicine (Eeek!!) I decided to create a Raw Raspberry Smoothie Bowl full of nutrients, superfoods and colour!

Raw Raspberry Smoothie Bowl

Ingredients

One frozen banana
2/3 cup frozen raspberries
2 tsp chia seeds
½ cup water
1 tsp coconut oil
1tsp honey
1tsp mesquite powder
1 tablespoon LSA

Method

Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth!

I topped mine with more goodies including raw granols, shredded coconut, spirulina, acai and bee pollen… it was morning bliss :)

xox

Acai Bowl - My First One!!

Mum, Sarah and I had couldn't go without a little road trip over the festive season to the new Samudra café down in Dunsborough which has recently been renovated! Plus Sarah ad not been there before I we were keen to show her the amazing meals Samudra offer :)

The new café/restaurant is a lovely open area with the lovely wooden building, tree's, vegetable garden, old combo outside.. once you enter you feel a wave of relaxation and clarity just by stepping into the café. We arrived before midday when they were about the change from breakfast to lunch and decided we would try a degustation of their meals from breakfast to lunch which turned out to be the best decision to try more meals!!

Our first one was a breakfast Acai bowl... wow!!! It was our first acai bowl ever and it did not disappoint! I was marvelling at the colour but the taste and freshness was mouth watering :)

Next we had some 'starters' of spelt wood fired pizza with home made dips and fresh sea salt... again delish!!

Our 'lunch' meal was one we all wanted to try - a raw pad thai salad, it was so fresh and crisp with a tasty cashew, lime, chilli dressing, I can't wait to try make my own one of these :)

Needless to say when I got home the next day I could not go by without trying my own acai bowl using slightly different ingredients, this is what I used making enough for 2 people...

1 frozen banana
3/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp acai powder
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 avocado
1 tsp mesquite powder (optional)
2 tsp maple syrup (you can used honey)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk

Simply mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth!


























I topped mine with bee pollen, goji berries, blueberries and a sprinkle of coconut and it was delicious!
First acai bowl = success!! :D

Before we left we couldn't go without a chilli hot cacao (me) and shared a piece of raw white chocolate and strawberry cheesecake... ;)

 

xox

Vegan Falafels by Dr Libby

Dr Libby's Real Food Kitchen Cookbook is fast becoming one of my favourites! In honesty I have been confiscating mums version of this cookbook and drooling over the delicious and nutritious recipes and meals she provides. I came across this recipe for Falafels which I had to try first using organic raw chickpeas which were soaked and cooked from scratch. The recipe instructs to cook the falafels in enough oil to cover the base of a pan, but I found the extra oil made my falafels fall apart and they held there shape better with minimal oil, just enough to let them go golden :)

 

Ingredients

375g dried chickpeas, soaked 10 hours or cooked
One bunch of fresh parsley
One bunch of fresh coriander
One stalk of celery chopped
One brown onion chopped
5 cloves of garlic chopped

1 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp spelt flour (I used millet flour)
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Method
Process the chickpeas, parsley, coriander, celery, onion and garlic in a food processor until well combined. 

 

Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the baking powder, spelt flour, ground cumin and sesame seeds until well combined. I just mixed them in the processor bowl :)

 

Heat a little olive or coconut oil in a large fry pan, roll the falafels into small balls and flatter with a fork in the pan. Cook each side around 2-3 minutes until golden. Place on paper towel to cool :)



These made quite a few! I have frozen most to mix into some salads for lunch or dinner in the coming days, these are quite simple but very tasty thanks to the herbs and spices. The picture below is a standard lunch I have been making this week with spinach, capsicum, mushrooms, cucumber, avocado olives and falafel mixed into the salad topped with savoury yeast flakes (which taste like cheese!!) and turmeric :) love it!

I can't wait to try more of Dr Libby's recipes!!

xox

Ignite - My 2014

For three years now my mum and I have been inspired by Ali Edwards to think about our year ahead. We may think of things we wish to do & achieve, who we wish to become and what we value, what needs a little (or big!) change in our life and how we wish to implement new beginnings or tweaks to our every day to become happier and healthier both inside and out.

In 2012 my first word was 'confidence'. This was a big year for me as it was the first of my clinical years in the hospitals for my medical studies and I knew my confidence and my voice to speak out for what I believed in needed a little nudge! For 2013 my word was 'Bloom'. The past year saw me take the 5th year of my medical studies into the rural clinical school as I spent the year in Busselton helping to deliver babies, learning the art of the sick child, meeting specialists and many wonderful doctors from Bunbury to Augusta. It was my year to branch away from the crowded big smoke of Perth and bloom into the person previously hidden behind the busy life of the city. Also suffering sport injuries I used the year to work on different aspects of my fitness such as weight training and bought my first road bike!

Sometimes thoughts and ideas can jump out of you when you least expect it. I unintentionally tend to do a lot of important thinking at the gym. As strange at it sounds I find the gym and exercise is time for 'me' and with motivating music my mind drifts into what I believe in and my goals and dreams. Naturally my word came while I was sweating it out on the stationary bike before a weights class, I was listening to Fall out Boy - 'My songs know what you did in the dark (Light 'em up)' and I knew then and there that after allowing myself to bloom in 2013, it was time to 'Ignite' myself back in Perth and for 2014!!

To tell the truth my first word was 'reignite' but then I realised I don't want to go back to the old ways, I am ready to ignite into a newer and fresher me. I am ready to be myself with passion and confidence, commit to my beliefs and values with enthusiasm, optimism and dedication!
Some large goals for me in 2014 include:

• Make the most of all opportunities that come my way starting with an elective to Westmead Children's Hospital in Sydney this February for 4 weeks
• Not worry about what other people may think or say - I would rather be a nobody happily being myself than be a 'somebody' and lost
• Complete the 90km half ironman cycle leg as a team
• Conquer my injuries and return to track athletics (and hopefully try the 400m hurdles!) and if all goes well compete in the Australian University games in Sydney in September/October
• Nourish my body with wholesome and fresh foods and teach/inspire those around me how tasty and simple wholesome foods can be!
• Learn more Yoga - Yoga Sundays - and Meditate even 5-10 minutes a day
• And of course... complete my final year of Medical school gaining as much experience as I can and come the end of 2014 - become a Doctor!!!

It is easy to say our goals and visions at the start of the new year. Its one thing to write our resolutions down but without action and commitment our goals are as good as the piece of paper we have written it on. With every journey to achieving new goals are hard times and struggles as well as the excitement and success, so when those harder times come I have written myself a letter reminding me of my goals and who I am and at the start of each month or (when I am down/stressed) I will light a candle to remind myself of my word - 'Ignite'.

Our mind is like a muscle in its own and if it not worked and fed with motivation and inspiration, it too will shrivel away and we will lose our focus and commitment. You only regret the things you have not done (or at least tried!!) SO lets get out there and make 2014 our biggest, best and happiest year yet!

And no matter what your resolutions and goals are, envision them, believe in them and above all remember to always be yourself :)

2014, lets IGNITE!!

xox