CHOC BANANA POPSICLES / ICE CREAM

I've tweaked this recipe several times over the past few weeks and feel that the below ingredient list is at its best. Half an avocado is a necessity, as it makes the mixture creamy and smooth. A frozen banana (or 2 small) is almost a must for creating the ice cream consistency. I like to use 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk and 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk for a delicious flavour, however any almond milk would do. My fiancee and I love these choc banana popsicles, as they taste like a guilt-free ice cream and have been cooling us down over the past few steamy days! 

Ingredients

• 1 large frozen banana or 2 small frozen bananas
• 2 heaped tablespoons cacao powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 a medium avocado 
• 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup water 
• 6 ice block / popsicle moulds

Method

1. Place all the ingredients in a good blender. Blend on a high setting until smooth and all ingredients are well combined. You may need to add more water if the mixture is too thick. 

2. Pour the mixture evenly into 6 ice block/ popsicle moulds and place in the freezer for a minimum of 3 hours. 

To eat- run the mould under hot water for a few seconds to loosen the popsicle. 

Makes / 6 

Total Preparation time / 5 minutes 

Total Freezing time / minimum of 3 hours 

x Emily 

CHOCOLATE (COCO POP) GRANOLA

This granola has been adapted from Sarah Wilson's 'I Quit Sugar for Life' cookbook. This is my 3rd attempt at this granola and I think I have the ingredients and their quantities pretty down pat. I love serving this with fresh fruit and almond milk, however a dollop of natural yoghurt would be beautiful as well. If I have a big morning I eat 3/4 a cup of this granola, for a smaller morning I consume 1/2 cup. After making my own granola I doubt I will ever go back to store-bought. Perhaps you won't either after tasting this Chocolate 'Coco Pop' granola. You can buy puffed corn & rice from major supermarkets and health food stores. Alternatively you can use rolled oats, however I have made it with both and prefer this granola gluten-free. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups puffed corn
• 4 cups puffed rice
• 1 1/2 cups mixed nuts (I used a mixture of almonds, cashews & walnuts), roughly chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 heaped tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons rice malt syrup or honey 
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil

Method

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 140 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix really well so that all the ground cinnamon and cacao powder is combined. 

3. Spread the granola on the prepared baking tray, trying to make a single layer if possible. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes with the tray turned 180 degrees so that the granola bakes evenly. 

4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Serve with fruit and milk or yoghurt if desires. 

Makes / around 7-8 cups

Total Preparation & Cooking time / 45 minutes (plus cooling time) 

x Emily 

RAW GLUTEN-FREE DAIRY-FREE CACAO MOUSSE

Meet the most talked about superfood in the neighbourhood: Cacao Powder. I admit I was a latecomer into this craze, only purchasing my first bag of this amazing powder just last week and I'm already hooked. Sprinkle it on your toasted muesli or into a smoothie for a boost, add to date balls or even use it as the foundation of a gluten-free, dairy-free mousse. This Chocolate Mousse is a recipe from the newest Four-Ingredient Gluten & Lactose-Free cookbook by Kim McCosker. Uber simple to make, it tastes better if you invest in top quality organic or pure maple syrup, not maple 'flavoured' syrup. It’s a gorgeous raw, vegan, gluten, dairy and egg free dessert that can be whipped up in 5 minutes!

The down low on Cacao

·      Cacao powder is made from the seeds of an Amazonian fruit tree and is the purest form of all chocolate 

·      It is one of the most nutrient rich and complex foods

·       It is considered to be a raw food as the temperature used to produce cacao powder never exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, therefore all its vitamins, minerals and antioxidants are preserved (unfortunately regular chocolate is not made this way!)

·      Cacao powder has…wait for it….360 % MORE antioxidants that regular cocoa

·      Cacao is the WORLD’s highest source of magnesium, which is essential for the development of strong bones & teeth, brain power, energy production and relaxing of muscles, detoxification, and the regulation of metabolism.

·      Cacao contains the highest level of antioxidants a food can possibly have; more than green tea, blueberries and red wine combined. Antioxidants help the body to fight off nasty infections, among other things.

·      This ancient Aztec & Mayan food is super equipped with iron and contains 314 % of the recommended daily intake of iron per 28g serving.

·      Cacao increases the endorphins in your body, which boosts your serotonin levels which in turn makes you happy.

·       Last but not least, cacao is great for your skin as it comprises of sulfur, a mineral that assists in detoxifying the liver and therefore encourages strong nails, healthy hair and clear skin.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium avocados
• 1 large banana
• 1/4 cup gluten-free raw cacao powder
• 1/2 cup organic/pure maple syrup 

COOKING 

1. Remove the flesh from the avocados and spoon into a food processor or good blender. Add the banana, cacao and syrup and blend until smooth. Spoon (or pipe if you want a more elegant look) mousse into 4 glasses and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set. Add cut fresh fruit on top of the mousse to serve, if you wish. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / 5 minutes (plus 2 hours refrigeration)

x Emily 

5 INGREDIENT GLUTEN & DAIRY-FREE BROWNIES

I had a bit of a catastrophe in the kitchen on the weekend. I was baking a cake for my Mother’s birthday and was under strict instruction to make it healthy, light and gluten-free. Following a recipe for Banana-Yoghurt cake, I altered the instructions to make it fit these categories. To end a long story short, it did not work as planned. The cake was dry to the point of making everyone parched, however they still ate it and smiled, assuring me that ‘it wasn’t that dry’ and ‘tasted good’. You got to love family and their ability to love you no matter what, even if you serve them a cake that 

could potentially break their teeth.

I will freely and happily admit that I am not a baker. My inability to measure ingredients precisely and completely modify recipes to the point of unrecognisability proves just this. However, let me share with you a recipe for brownies that not even I could screw up (there are only 5 ingredients after all).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup caster sugar
• 120g dairy-free spread, such as Nutalex
• 4 eggs, preferably free range
• 1/2 cocoa powder, sifted
• 100g almond meal 
• Optional- a teaspoon of vanilla essence 

BAKING 

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius/180 for fan forced. Sparingly grease a slice pan/baking tin with coconut oil or other oil. 

2. Place sugar and cocoa in a heatproof bowl and stir to combine. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. When butter is melted, pour over the sugar and cocoa and stir to combine. One by one add the eggs, beating lightly. Add almond meal and stir well until mixed through. 

3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, making sure that the surface is even (you can do this by wetting a tablespoon and patting the mixture down. Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges have set and the centre is just slightly moist. Cool in pan, then transfer to a surface and cut into pieces. 

Makes / 12 - 16 pieces

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Baking time / 25 minutes 

x E 

ALLERGY-FREE ROCKY ROAD

 I feel that it’s high time for a sweet recipe. And what could be better than allergy-free rocky road, which does not even require an oven. This recipe is extremely easy to make and very versatile. For example, you can substitute or add other nuts to the recipe, such as pistachios, pecans or walnuts. You could use other fruit, such as crystallised dried ginger, cranberries or apricots. If you have no gluten & dairy-free requirements, make the recipe with milk and/or white chocolate, but do be prepared for the added calories! A helpful hint - the easier way to melt chocolate evenly and not burn it is to place a small saucepan half filled with water on high heat with a small fry pan on top (not touching the water). Place the chocolate in pieces in the fry pan and gradually stir as the chocolate melts due to the heat of the boiling water below.

INGREDIENTS

• 60g gluten-free & dairy-free marshmallows, roughly chopped (available at Coles in the health food aisle)
• 1/4 cup heaped slivered almonds
• 375-400g dark chocolate, melted (at least 70% cocoa and can be cooking chocolate)
• 1/2 cup halved glace cherries
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened desiccated coconut
• 1/4 cup dried & crystallised pineapple pieces
• coconut oil, to grease

COOKING 

1. Lightly grease a baking slice pan with coconut oil, making sure to grease the sides well. Place the almonds, marshmallows, cherries, coconut and pineapple pieces in a large bowl. Stir in the melted chocolate well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and place in the refrigerator to set for at least one hour. When set, cut into evenly sized squares using a sharp knife. 

Serves / 10-12

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes (including melting the chocolate)

Total Cooking time / 1 hour / 60 minutes to set 

x E

CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO BROWNIES

For half of this weekend, I had an old friend visiting me from Sydney. We had worked together 3 years ago in Washington D.C, and had not seen each other since. I was amazed that during the 26 hours that she was in Brisbane, she was not particularly interested in seeing the sights, museums, galleries, but instead wanted to talk about my blog, healthy cooking and nutrition. Of course I LOVED THIS! We made dinner and dessert together on Friday night, and she vowed to learn how to cook when she returned home to South Korea shortly. I was dying to try out a new brownie recipe I had discovered in ‘The Best Gluten-free, Wheat-free and Dairy-free Recipes’ cookbook by Grace Cheetham and thought this was the perfect occasion. Like a true fearless (or is the word erratic?) baker, I changed the recipe considerably, however the brownies were the tastiest gluten-free, dairy-free dessert I have ever had the pleasure of eating… If I force one recipe down your throat from my blog, this is the one!  

INGREDIENTS

• 50g dairy-free spread (like Nutalex), plus extra for greasing pan 
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (preferable free range)
• 200g dairy-free dark chocolate (a minimum of 70% cocoa solids)
• 35-40g pistachios, shelled & finely chopped
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• baking paper

COOKING

1. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly grease a narrow baking tin (around 20 x 30cm) with spread and line the base and sides with baking paper. 

2. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl or frying pan, breaking the chocolate into pieces (if bought as a block). Place the bowl/frying pan over a saucepan of boiled water that has been reduced to a simmer (make sure that the bottom of the bowl/pan does not touch the water). Stir frequently until chocolate has melted, then add the dairy-free spread, stirring until melted and mixed in. 

3. Remove the bowl/pan from the heat. If using a frying pan, place the melted chocolate in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, vanilla essence and maple syrup, mixing well. Then add the flour and baking powder, making sure to sift these ingredients as gluten-free flour can be very lumpy. Stir well to combine, using a metal spoon. Fold the pistachios into the brownie batter gently. 

4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, spreading the mixture evenly. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until brownie has risen and is quite firm to touch. (Another way to test- insert a skewer into the middle of the brownie- if the skewer comes out with just a little mixture on it, the brownies are done). Remove from heat and cool for 10 minus in the baking tin, then place on a plate or wire rack for 15 minutes to cool. Cut into however many brownie squares you desire. 

Serves / only a few dire chocolate fans

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 35- 40 minutes (cooling time is an extra 25 minutes)

x E