Chocolate orange orbs

If you're craving a sweet treat, why not opt for something full of anti-oxidants, fibre and good fats that will hit the spot (without any of the processed, refined sugars, oils or carbs).

These orbs make a great treat, and would be an ideal high energy snack during labour (if you feel like eating). Make some up and keep them in the fridge/freezer so you have them on hand.

While this recipe does include chocolate, it's in the form of cacao, it's un-processed form. This preserves more of the beans' nutrients and active enzymes.

Cacao is particularly high in antioxidant flavonoids and minerals. But while it has some nutritional benefits, it also contains some less beneficial substances including caffeine (which should be limited in pregnancy) and oxalic acid, which blocks calcium absorption.

So while cacao in its pure form is way better for you than processed chocolate, treat it in the same way: keep it for treats.

Just sweet enough

Medjool dates are a brilliant sweetener. Their gooey texture adds a caramel-like richness and unlike many other sweeteners, they also contain fibre to support healthy digestion (so these orbs may help to combat constipation - win win!). 

The quantities I use in this recipe create quite a bitter flavour. How sweet you like your orbs is down to personal taste, but I'd recommend trying these proportions first and adding another date if you prefer more sweetness.

Chocolate orange orbs

Makes 9

Ingredients

1tbsp raw cacao powder
1tbsp ground almonds
1tbsp coconut oil
2 medjool dates - chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Zest of half an organic orange
Pinch of sea salt

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and then roll into balls, using a teaspoon of mixture for each one.

Lay the orbs out on greaseproof paper. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour so they set and become firm.

Remove from the fridge, sprinkle half a teaspoon of cacao into a bowl and roll each orb in the powder to coat it, shaking off any excess. 

Serve straight from the fridge or at room temperature. 

Summer berry tarts

Plump, juicy berries are one of my favourite things about summer. I especially love blueberries and their softly sweet sharpness. 

When I was little, we would visit family in America every few summers. We had a great uncle who grew blueberries in his garden, and he would bring us buckets full to the brim with them. We would gleefully dig our hands into the depths of the buckets and stuff fistfuls into our mouths, leaving us with purple stained tongues and fingers. Those blueberry deliveries were always a highlight of our trips.

I've never found berries that taste quite as sweet as those, but these tarts come pretty close.

Berries with benefits

The deep purples, reds and blues of berries offer a clue to their nutritional benefits. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all rich in phytonutrients, including anthocyanins. These powerful anti-oxidant compounds are responsible for berries' bright pigmentation, and help protect our tissues from oxidative stress and inflammation. 

In addition to being fantastic antioxidant sources, berries have a low glycaemic index, meaning they can support more stable blood sugar levels. Regulating blood sugar also prevents oxidative stress on tissues and inflammation caused by high blood sugar.

Now for the tarts

For the topping, I've used a mix of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for different flavours, colours and textures. Blended together, this combination also make a delicious, deep purple filling.

Dates are used to sweeten the crust and filling, while lime zest gives some citrus tanginess to the filling and extra colour to the topping. The oat and ground almond crust provides the perfect crunch to balance the softness of the berries.  Super quick and easy to make, these tarts are a perfectly unfussy dessert, and their rustic (aka messy) prettiness is part of their charm.

The tarts are vegan, and you can make them gluten free by using gluten free oats.

Ingredients

Crust
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup rolled oats
Pinch of himalayan/sea salt
3 medjool dates
2 tbsp coconut oil

For the filling and topping, I used a small punnet each of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries and 1 organic unwaxed lime.

Filling
1 cup mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
1 date
1 tbsp ground almonds
Grated zest of half a lime

Topping
2 cups mixed raspberries, blackberries and blueberries
Grated zest of half a lime 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (fan assisted)

Put the crust ingredients in a food processor and blitz until you have a smooth, sticky consistency that can be rolled into a ball. The mixture will also feel pretty oily, this will help to give it crunch once it's baked.

Divide the crust mixture into six pieces, and roll out each into discs between two sheets of baking paper so they fit your paper baking cups (I used 2 1/2 inch cups). Place the filled paper baking cups on a muffin tin. The mixture might break off a bit, just press back in and fill any holes with your fingers. 

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, removing when the edges start to brown. Leave to cool.

In your clean food processor, add the filling ingredients and blitz until fully mixed. Put a tablespoon of mixture into each of your cooled crusts and then top with the mixed berries and grated lime zest.

Nut milk 2 ways - straight up almond & cash-pistach

Nut milk is one of the most easy but satisfying things to make. The thought of making milk from nuts might seem strange or difficult at first, but with a couple of simple tools it's a breeze.

You can make plain milks to use everyday in porridge or smoothies, or more fancy versions for something a bit more indulgent. Either way, it goes without saying that fresh homemade nut milk tastes miles better than anything you'll buy pre-packaged. And it contains only the whole food ingredients that you choose; no added sugar or weird preservatives.

It's also fun to experiment with different nuts. My current favourites are almond, pistachio and cashew, as featured in these recipes. Next on my list to try are hazelnuts, macadamia and Brazils - the possibilities are endless!

Not only does nut milk taste amazing, but it's also a nutrient-dense alternative to dairy. As well as being a fantastic plant-based source of protein and good fats, almonds, pistachios and cashews are fibre-rich sources of a number of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin E, copper, magnesium and zinc. Whether you follow a dairy free diet or not, I urge you to try it. 

In this post I'm going to share the recipe for straight up almond milk and also something a bit more special. My cashew & pistachio milk with cinnamon, cardamom and date is a kind of plant based, wholefoods milkshake. Perfect as a mid afternoon treat or a decadent addition to a weekend breakfast.

The only kitchen tools you'll need for these recipes are a blender and a nut milk bag or muslin cloth to strain your milk. You can buy nut milk bags online or they're stocked in many health food shops. 

Both these recipes call for soaking the nuts overnight before using them. This is to make them more digestible and their nutrients more available for absorption. Soaking nuts also softens them and makes them plumper, improving the texture of the nut milk.

Straight up almond milk

Makes approx 600ml/1 pint

Ingredients

1 cup almonds (soaked)
3 cups cold water
Pinch of salt

Cover the almonds in cold water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse well (removing any skins that have separated from the almonds) and place in the blender with the water and salt. Blend on high speed until the mixture is smooth.

Put your nut milk bag/muslin over a large bowl or jug and pour the liquid through. You'll need to squeeze the bag/cloth really well until only pulp is left behind.

Pour your strained nut milk into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Cash-pistach nut milk

Makes approx 600ml/1 pint

Ingredients

1/2 cup cashews (soaked)
1/2 cup pistachios (soaked)
1tsp cinnamon
1/4tsp ground cardamom
1 medjool date
2 cups cold water
Pinch of salt

Cover the cashews and pistachios in cold water and soak overnight. Drain, rinse well (removing any skins that have separated from the pistachios) and place in the blender with the water and salt. Blend on high speed until the mixture looks smooth.

Put your nut milk bag/muslin over a large bowl or jug and pour the liquid through. You'll need to squeeze the bag/cloth really well until only pulp is left behind. Now rinse out your blender to remove any bits of ground nuts and pour the strained milk back in with the spices and date. Blend until smooth.

Serve immediately or pour into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Note: It's normal for nut milk to separate a little, just give it a shake or stir if it does. You can use the pulp from straining the milk in energy balls or truffles

Indulgent chocolate orange truffles

Happy 2015! I'm starting the year with a celebratory recipe. It's simple to make, full of anti-oxidants, fibre and good fats and it's completely indulgent.

Indulgence might seem an unlikely angle to take with a new year's recipe. The beginning of the year often comes with a list of don'ts, won'ts or things to give up in the name of self-improvement. But feeling guilt and failure when we stray from these aren't great for us, or our ability to make lasting changes.

Positive resolutions

My philosophy is that resolutions should be positive. Saying 'I'm going to eat more un-processed whole foods' is much more appealing and achievable than saying 'I won't eat any processed foods again, ever'. It's also about being realistic - are you really going to stop loving chocolate and never eat it again? Or could you resolve to eat it less often and in a healthier form?

Treating yourself doesn't have to be bad for you, as this recipe perfectly illustrates. So in the name of balance, I bring you indulgent chocolate orange truffles. A treat for January and beyond.

Love chocolate? I should cacao

Raw cacao is the un-processed form of chocolate. It's made by cold pressing cacao beans (rather than roasting them to produce cocoa). This preserves more of the beans' nutrients and active enzymes. Cacao is particularly high in antioxidant flavonoids and minerals. But while it has some nutritional benefits, it also contains some less beneficial substances including caffeine and oxalic acid, which blocks calcium absorption. So while cacao in its pure form is way better for you than processed chocolate, treat it in the same way: keep it for treats.

Just sweet enough

Medjool dates are a brilliant sweetener. Their gooey texture adds a caramel-like richness and unlike many other sweeteners, they also contain fibre. 

The quantities I use in this recipe create quite a bitter flavour. How sweet you like your truffles is down to personal taste, but I'd recommend trying these proportions first and adding another date if you prefer more sweetness.

With health and happiness for 2015! x

Indulgent chocolate orange truffles

Makes 9 truffles

Ingredients

1tbsp raw cacao powder
1tbsp ground almonds
1tbsp coconut oil
2 medjool dates - chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Zest of half an organic orange
Pinch of sea salt

Mix all ingredients in a food processor and then roll into balls, using a teaspoon of mixture for each one.

Lay the balls out on greaseproof paper. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour so they set and become firm. Remove from the fridge, sprinkle half a teaspoon of cacao into a bowl and roll each truffle in the powder to coat it, shaking off any excess.  Serve straight from the fridge or at room temperature.

Sugar - our weakness for sweetness

Sugar cravings can feel overwhelming and low blood sugar can make you feel terrible. Ditch the highs and lows and restore balance.

Tired, stressed, starving, in need of a hug... at times like these, the yearning for a biscuit, cake or chocolate can be so powerful, we convince ourselves that we need it; that by reaching for that sugar-laden comfort, we’re ‘listening to our body’. 

Well, not quite. While succumbing to the sugar urge might make you feel more awake or content in the short term, the crash that inevitably follows is less fun. The sugar hangover can leave you feeling drowsy, bloated and irritable. Sugar is powerful and addictive, which is why the cravings can be so strong.  

Why do we crave it? We’re introduced to sugar and all its comforting connotations as soon as we’re born. Breast milk, our first food, contains the milk sugar lactose. Glucose, the simple form of sugar, is what our brains and bodies rely on for fuel. But the way our bodies respond to sugar depends on how much we eat, the sources we get it from and how quickly we break it down. 

What happens when we eat it? When we eat simple sugars, like those in sweets or cakes, or refined carbohydrates, like white bread or pasta, the glucose from these foods enters our bloodstream quickly. This causes a blood sugar spike and we rely on the hormone insulin to get the glucose from our blood into our cells. Eating a diet high in sugar makes our insulin work harder, which can lead to health problems, like insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. Recent studies have also linked high sugar intake to the development of heart disease. Not so sweet.

Don't cave when you crave

Stick to un-refined carbohydrates. Brown rice, bread and pasta are higher in fibre than the white versions, taking longer to break down and giving a steadier release of energy.

Eat the whole fruit. Fruit contains sugar (fructose) but also fibre, which helps to slow down carbohydrate digestion. Fibre is removed when fruits are juiced, so better to eat fruit than drink it.

Go for good quality protein with every meal and snack. Nuts, seeds, legumes, eggs and avocado are good options. Protein takes longer to digest, keeping you fuller for longer and reducing sugar cravings.

Foods that will love you back
When you crave something sweet, try one of these snacks instead:

• A handful of raw, unsalted nuts or seeds
• An oatcake with cottage cheese, almond butter or hummus
• A handful of carrot sticks or sugar snap peas

Recipe: Apple, cinnamon, almond & walnut paste

Delicious eaten alone, as a topping on porridge or spread on a cracker. As well as adding warmth and sweetness, cinnamon also contains Chromium which helps regulate blood sugar. This is really easy to make  - perfect for a quick snack or dessert.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 apples, washed and grated
Handful of walnuts, roughly chopped
Handful of flaked almonds, roughly chopped
1/2tsp ground cinnamon (add more to taste)
1tsp apple cider vinegar

Mix ingredients by hand or blend for a smoother paste. Eat immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Pot by Tina Vlassopulos