raspberry quinoa muffins with an almond crumb (vegan)

30th April 2017

This garden breathes beautifully of our time here……

and deeply grateful for the gifts it has given……

raspberry quinoa muffins with an almond crumb

Makes 10 muffins (I use these sized baking cups)

A recipe I make often based on this Plum Millet Cake, the sweet almond crumb adds a delicious crunchy texture which contrasts nicely with the sourness of the raspberries. These muffins are tender, fragrant and light. The maple syrup can be replaced with ½ cup brown sugar plus ¼ cup/50g almond milk.

I made my own muffin liners by tearing up 12 x 12 cm square pieces of baking paper and pressing them down into the tray – if you grease the tin beforehand the liners behave nicely. If you don’t have a muffin tin, this recipe can also be made as a cake, may need to increase the baking time.

for the quinoa

¼ cup/50g quinoa

½ cup/125ml water

for the almond crumb

½ cup/45g flaked almonds

2 Tbsp/25g brown sugar/coconut sugar

2 Tbsp/45g maple syrup

for the cake

1½ cup/210g whole-spelt flour

1 Tbsp aluminium-free baking powder

¾ cup/220g maple syrup

⅓ cup/65g mild-tasting olive/coconut oil

¼ cup/50g almond milk

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

zest of 1 lemon

¼ tsp fine rock salt

150g frozen/fresh raspberries

cook the quinoa

1. Rinse and drain the quinoa, place in a pan, add water, and bring to a boil; then reduce heat to maintain a rapid simmer – simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, uncovered, until the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat; cover and let sit for 10 minutes, then measure out 1 cup/130g cooked quinoa – set aside.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and fill a muffin tray with 10 liners.

prepare the almond crumb

3. In a small bowl place the flaked almonds, sugar and maple syrup, stir to combine – set aside.

prepare the cake

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

5. In a medium jug, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, almond milk, vanilla, lemon zest, salt and cooked quinoa.

6. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients, and using a rubber spatula, stir until well combined, then gently fold in the raspberries – be careful not to over-mix.

7. Scoop the batter into muffin cups, filling them all the way to the top using a spoon or an ice cream scoop. Spoon a teaspoon of the almond crumb on top of each muffin.

8. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, until golden or a toothpick comes out clean. Take the muffins out of the tin and place them on a wire rack to cool.

Serve with a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Goodness shared by Stacey

0

chocolate-hazelnut truffles & pecan-cardamom date balls (vegan)

17th December 2016

These make a wonderfully healthy addition to bring along to a festive celebration or wrap them up in some recycled paper, a ribbon with a little bit of nature tucked in somewhere for a well-wisher or loved one. They are always appreciated. Some other ideas are this homemade raw halvah or zesty mango bliss balls or these chocolate covered caramels Or an assortment of all three!

chocolate – toasted hazelnut truffles

You could experiment with the different variations of these chocolate balls by adding orange or lemon zest, fresh mint, peppermint essence or even delicately salted. For a smoother consistency, grind the nuts first, and then add the rest of the ingredients.

I like how toasting brings out the rich flavour in the nuts. If wanting to keep the truffles raw skip the toasting process.

Inspired by Donna’s Date Chocolate Balls & Green Kitchen Stories

Makes about 18 – 20 balls

ingredients

15 large Medjool dates, pitted

50g dried unsweetened shredded coconut

100g toasted hazelnuts/almonds

1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 – 4 Tbsp cacao/carob powder

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp cinnamon powder

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

2. Place the hazelnuts on a tray and toast for 12 minutes, roll in a clean tea towel to remove some of the skin. The toasting brings out the warm rich hazelnut flavour.

3. Place all the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse for about 1 minute or until the mixture comes together.

4. Take a small amount of the mixture and roll into small round balls. If you are having trouble with the mixture coming together, place the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes. Roll the balls in cocoa/carob powder, finely chopped toasted almond flakes or shredded coconut.

5. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving, or package them into a jar tied with ribbon or raffia for a holiday gift offering.

pecan – cardamom spiced date balls

I love these bite-size balls for their exotic taste! If possible, grind your own cardamom as the taste is so much more fragrant, fresher and more intense.

A recipe inspired by Anna.

Makes 18 – 20

ingredients

12 large medjool dates, pitted

50g dried cranberries/goji berries (if using goji berries roughly chop)

50g dried unsweetened shredded coconut

100g raw pecans

1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 Tbsp freshly ground cardamom

1 Tbsp water

1 tsp ginger powder/1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger

preparation

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor, and pulse for 1 minute or until the mixture comes together.

2. Take a small amount of the mixture and roll into small round balls; half the size of a golf ball. If you are having trouble with the mixture coming together, place the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes. Roll the balls in finely chopped toasted pecans or shredded coconut.

3. Place in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving. Or package them into a jar tied with ribbon or raffia for a holiday gift offering.

Goodness shared by Stacey

0

apple almond oat slice (vegan)

8th October 2015

The clouds opened up and gave us an offering, and now, this moment we are soaking up the rain, sun and light…

and feeling truly blessed in seeing all this sweet unknown…

apple almond oat slice

Makes one 9-inch square slice.

Another recipe from Amy Chaplin’s – At Home in the Wholefood Kitchen.

Leave the skins on the apples as they give a beautiful red blush to the slice. I have tried this with many fruits – my favourite being the apple and freshly picked small plums. If using small plums or cherries there is no need to saute them, just toss them in the maple syrup and vanilla before placing them on the oat slice.

ingredients

1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

4 small red-skinned apples, core & cut into ½ inch slices

4 tsp vanilla extract, divided

⅔ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup, divided

1½ cups regular rolled oats

1 cup dried shredded coconut

1½ cups almond meal

½ cup barley/whole wheat spelt flour

1½ tsp aluminium-free baking powder

½ cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 Tbsp unsweetened apricot or jam of choice

preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Line a 9 x 9-inch square cake pan and line with parchment paper, covering the bottom and about an inch up sides; set aside.

2. Warm coconut oil in a wide skillet over medium heat, add apples and saute for 5 minutes or until golden in parts.

3. Stir in 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and continue cooking for another 6 – 8 minutes, lowering heat if apples begin to brown. Cook until apples are soft but not falling apart. If they’re still firm, reduce heat to low, cover skillet, and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Add oats to a food processor and blend until finely ground, then transfer to a medium bowl and mix in the almond meal, flour, coconut and baking powder.

6. In another bowl, whisk remaining ⅔ maple syrup, remaining vanilla and oil, then pour into dry ingredients – stir to combine.

7. Lightly press the batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 12 – 15 minutes.

8. Remove from oven (leave the oven on), and arrange apples 4 in a row over the surface of the slice, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge. (I only had 3 big apples so I improvised and ended up with 3 rows, the smaller apples work better in slicing and the overall look). Lightly press apples into the cake and return to oven for 20 – 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow the cake to cool.

9. To make the glaze, place jam in a small pot over medium heat and stir until melted, about 1 minute.

10. Remove from heat and use a pastry brush to lightly brush glaze over the surface of the apples. Cut into squares and serve with vanilla ice-cream or thick yoghurt and a sprinkling of toasted almonds.

Goodness shared by Stacey

2

tropical fruit nut balls (vegan)

25th January 2015

We visited this piece of paradise in December last year as my partner’s friend had decided to celebrate his 50th there. What a wonderful place to mark a milestone.

A perfect place to slow the pace down, relax, rejuvenate……..to do whatever one desires. Ahhh, to be back there……and it looks like this will happen just after my 50th milestone.

Until then, these Tropical Fruit and Nut Balls (inspired by many variations of the Bliss Ball/Energy Ball floating around) can provide a bit of the tropics into my day. Coconut, apricots, goji berries, pistachios, almonds are the basis for this version. Any combination of preferred dried fruit and nuts can be substituted. I have experimented with a variety of ingredient ratios, and I think this recipe provides a perfect balance of nuts, fruit and base.

a tropical island getaway

blue skies, golden sands, fluffy white clouds, mirrored waters……..

Hamilton Island, Queensland, Australia

tropical fruit nut balls

Makes about 20 balls

ingredients

1 cup dried apricots

2 cups shredded coconut

¾ cup almonds (can use almond meal if prefer)

¼ cup pistachios

¼ cup goji berries

1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)

1 Tbsp maple syrup/honey

3 Tbsp unrefined coconut oil

desiccated coconut, for rolling balls

preparation

1. Add all ingredients (minus the desiccated coconut) to a food processor. Pulse till mixed and a fine, crumb forms. You may need to stop and scrape down the mixture a few times, depending on the quality of the machine. Taste and test texture.

2. Add more maple syrup/honey if prefer mixture to be sweeter. If the mixture is too dry/crumbly, add more coconut oil.

3. Roll into small balls, then in the desiccated coconut. Chill and store in the fridge in an airtight container.

Goodness shared by Donna

6

date chocolate balls (vegan)

14th January 2013

The festive season brings with it many treats.

Usually associated with over-indulgence and richness. But, not these special treats. A friend of mine, Caroline, brought these delectable treats over on New Year’s Eve. Now, when she told me she was bringing ‘Chocolate Date Balls’, I visualised the decadent, sugary variety. One bit of these proved my thinking to be correct. But, not accurate in the least.

Caroline’s son is a bit of a health foodie and a very talented ultra-runner. In his quest to enhance his performances, he constantly experiments with a variety of superfoods, recipes and natural, wholefood diets. Inspired by the antioxidants that cacao provides (the good quality raw version), his girlfriend found this little treasure of a recipe.

Pure goodness in a natural state with minimal ingredients.

dates

cacao

water

and rolling goodnesses of choice

Too easy and tastes almost too good to be truly good for you. And yet it is. Hard to believe, I know.

Something that needs to be tried for yourself to believe how good they really are.

date chocolate balls

Makes approx. 30 small balls

ingredients

500g packed pitted dates, roughly chopped

3 Tbsp good-quality raw cacao powder

dash of water

handful chopped almonds (or nuts of choice)

extra cacao for rolling

shredded/desiccated coconut (toasted if you prefer)

preparation

1. Add dates, almonds and cacao to a bowl and toss through so cocoa is spread evenly.

2. Add a dash of water and using your hands, mould and squash mixture to form a sticky, smooth paste. Add more water if necessary (be careful as too much will make the mixture too runny).

3. Have small, individual bowls of the extra cacao, coconut or other rolling ingredients (eg. finely chopped nuts of choice)

4. Using a teaspoon, scoop up a small ball of mixture. Place in the palm of the hand, and use both hands to roll mixture into a smooth, ball shape.

5. Roll ball in the topping of choice. Place in a sealed container lined with baking paper. Continue forming balls and rolling in the mixture. Seal container and store in the fridge.

Be warned. They may not last too long, though.

Goodness shared from Donna

1

almond butter

8th April 2012

Spring is here and the garden is exploding with colours and fragrance. The Jasmin is in full bloom and the wisteria is in its full, lilac beauty. This also means there is so much work to do in this explosion of growth and enthusiasm. I just unloaded my car with bags and bags of manure and a whole box full of summer seedlings, which need to be planted today after I write this post. But first, a favourite and a constant staple in our house – toasted almond butter.

Roasting the nuts before grinding is optional. I like how it brings out the wonderful nutty aroma of the almond. If you decide to keep them raw just keep in mind the grinding process will be much longer and you will require a very powerful grinder. You can try all sorts of nut or seed butter creations, like sunflower – brazil or combining sesame – macadamia, almond – hazelnut. Just make sure with hazelnuts you remove the bitter skins by rubbing them together after roasting. I prefer using just almonds, as their qualities are less heating than most other nuts and seeds.

If the nut butter doesn’t come together or you need to speed up the process, add a tablespoon of walnut oil or oil of your choice after the first 4 minutes of grinding. The process is a bit daunting, but just have patience and don’t quit too early.

My favourite way of eating almond butter is smeared on two halves of a Medjool date for a sweet at the end of a meal. My son loves to eat crunchy apple slices dipped in almond butter and enjoys it with home-made strawberry jam on bread.

Makes a wonderful welcome gift for someone special.

toasted almond butter

Makes approximately 2 cups

Preparation – 30 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups whole raw organic almonds

¼ tsp rock salt (optional)

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.

2. Toast the almonds – spread the almonds out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 12 – 15 minutes until fragrant and they are just starting to brown lightly inside; if not then return to the oven for another 2 minutes and check again. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3. Grind the almonds – transfer to a food processor, add salt and blend, using the highest setting for 1 – 2 minutes to grind them to a powder. Scrape down the sides of the container. The whole process takes between 12 – 18 minutes, all depending on the machine you are using, the quality and quantity of the almonds and how well they are roasted.

After two minutes, it should look like a coarse almond meal:

After 4 minutes, the oils will start to release:

As it keeps blending it will release more of the oils and look like this. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides.

After 8 – 10 minutes it will look like this. A ball may form, break it up into a few pieces and keep blending and scraping down the sides…..

After 12 – 14 minutes, it will look like this. Keep going….you want to wait until the oils are fully released.

And finally, 2 – 4 more minutes, blend until it is completely smooth with a slight sheen.

I find that the almond butter needs to sit for 1 – 2 hours after making it for the flavours to develop and come together. Store in a jar in the fridge and use within 1 month.

Goodness shared from Stacey

0

health crunch muesli cookies (vegan)

9th October 2011

Happiness

=

Getting up early.

First rain.

Yellow leaves falling.

A big girl who will still sit in your lap, sometimes.

A big boy that still needs my hugs, all the time.

The first green salad from the garden.

Golden afternoon light.

Little, white jasmine flowers falling on the ground, waiting to be picked up,

and

being lost in their sweet scent.

The quietness in that deep silence.

Friends.

Winning scrabble.

Peacock feathers.

The smell of little babies.

A new camera and its endless possibilities.

I would like to try making these cookies with the left-over almond pulp from making almond milk. I have been looking for a sweet which is gluten-free and dairy-free. These I stumbled across on this website – www.teresacutter.com. It is important to grind the almonds very finely which will absorb the liquid much better. Also, the second time I made these, I added 1 cup cranberries, instead of ½ cup; half chopped very finely and the rest, roughly chopped. I also pressed half an almond on the top of each biscuit, which added another dimension to them. I did tweak the recipe a bit from the original.

health crunch muesli cookies

Approximately 30 cookies

ingredients

⅓ cup organic coconut oil, melted

⅓ – ½ cup maple syrup (depending on your preferred sweetness)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups almonds

1 cup walnuts/pecans

⅓ cup ground linseed/flaxseed

½ cup sesame and sunflower seeds (a combination of both to make ½ cup)

½ – 1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped (depending on how much you like cranberries)

¼ cup dried shredded coconut

preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/330F. Line two baking sheets with baking paper.

2. In a small mixing bowl, pour the melted coconut oil over the maple syrup, and whisk in the vanilla extract – set aside.

3. In a food processor, place in the almonds and grind until fine, then empty into a large mixing bowl.

4. Place the walnuts into the food processor and whiz for a few seconds, just until they are roughly broken up, add to bowl.

5. Add linseed, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut and cranberries – combine well.

6. Pour in the wet mixture – mix thoroughly until well combined.

7. Divide into 30 balls (If the mixture is crumbling just add a little hot water until it becomes easier to handle.) Place onto the prepared baking tray, then flatten slightly. At this stage, press a whole almond into each if you prefer.

8. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until golden and well cooked through. Watch carefully!

Rest on the tray until cool, then store in an air-tight container.

Goodness shared from Stacey

Recent Posts

almonds

raspberry quinoa muffins with an almond crumb (vegan)

30th April 2017

raspberry quinoa muffins with an almond crumb

chocolate-hazelnut truffles & pecan-cardamom date balls (vegan)

17th December 2016

chocolate – toasted hazelnut truffles

pecan – cardamom spiced date balls

apple almond oat slice (vegan)

8th October 2015

apple almond oat slice

tropical fruit nut balls (vegan)

25th January 2015

tropical fruit nut balls

date chocolate balls (vegan)

14th January 2013

date chocolate balls

almond butter

8th April 2012

toasted almond butter

health crunch muesli cookies (vegan)

9th October 2011

health crunch muesli cookies