A little green treat

I need afternoon snacks, and sweet ones are always preferable. This little green treat is an adjusted version of The Green Kitchen Stories magic mousse. The variation came about as I didn't have raw cacao powder and because I was craving something green. It's just about the simplest and quickest treat to make and it will fulfil that creamy, sweet, craving you might have late afternoon. 

Here is what you need, serves one: 

1 ripe banana

1/2 ripe avocado

1/2 tbsp raw cacao nibs

pinch of himalayan sea salt

1 tbsp nut butter of your taste* ( I used a mixed version containing, almond, cashew and hazelnut)

1 tsp - spirulina/ chlorella or other green super food powder

* keep in mind that the nut butter will influence the texture and taste. Tahini is always a winner in my opinion but it will turn this treat towards a more savoury flavour.

Place all the ingredients in a blender, mix, taste adding more nut butter or cacao to taste.

Now sit back and enjoy the healthy treat you made!

Sprouted buckwheat, banana & cocao nib granola

My sister has sent me granola from Australia twice and both times when the granola nears the end I am depressed. The Australians call the activated buckwheat granola Buckini's. I like the sound of that. 

So I tried to make something similar. Not close to as good as the Aussie version but close enough. 

Buckwheat is gluten free, in fact it's a fruit not a grain. The health benefit of anything sprouted is what you awaken the otherwise dormant nutrients locked in the sprouted ingredient. So basically you're boosting the nutrient content. While making it much easier for your system to digest. 

If you don't have the patience to sprout the buckwheat (trust me it's super simple), you could use just dried regular buckwheat. Just not sure if it will turn out really hard. 

I recently found out about the super food lucuma. It's a natural sweetener, low GI,  that is often used in Central America. The added benefit is that it contains good levels of the cancer fighting B vitamin Beta-carotene, iron, zinc as well as calcium and protein. It's the first time I use it and for me, it was a mild enough sweetness with no strange long lingering after taste. 

I bet adding some hazelnuts to the mix would also bring about another level of yummy. 

Ingredients: 

4 dl sprouted buckwheat*

2 tsp ground cardamon or cinnamon 

1,5  banana - over ripe, mashed

1,5 tbsp coconut oil, melted

pinch of salt 

1,5 dl pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or half of each  

1,5 dl walnuts or pecans 

2 tbsp lucuma - optional

1,5 dl shaved coconut

1 dl chia seeds or flax

1 dl mulberries

2/3 dl cacao nibs

optional - 2 tbsp maple syrup (if you like your granola sweet)
yocuma

1. Pre-heat your oven to 150C. 
2. In a bowl add the sprouted buckwheat, mashed banana, coconut oil, salt, cardamon or cinnamon and mix (and maple syrup of you want extra sweetness). You want to mix it thoroughly. 
3. Add the nuts and seeds and the flaked coconut. 
4. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper. 
5. Spread the mix out so that you allow for as much browning of each ingredient as possible. 
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-40min. Each 10min you want to give it all a stir, so that you get everything roasted and toasted without burning. 
7. Allow to cool completely before transferring to a container, then add the chia/flax, mulberries, cacao nibs and mix or shake around to spread those last yummies evenly through the granola. 

This granola will keep out of the fridge for about 1 week. So eat up!! I can highly recommend eating it with coconut or sheep yoghurt and some fresh fruit of the season. 

* Sprouting buckwheat is real simple. Add the dried buckwheat to a bowl and cover with water for 8 hours (over night), place a plate over the bowl so its not air tight but covered. Rinse thoroughly and then return the semi wet buckwheats to the same bowl. Again cover with a plate. Leave for another day.

Breakfast indulgence, Banana chia pancakes

I love to indulge on Sunday's. Pancakes are a favourite breakfast item. I have posted a recipe for fluffy (gluten free) pancakes previously, which is still a favorite, but requires several steps and is a bit time consuming to prep. These pancakes are not fluffy, they are deliciously dense and heavy due to the use of bananas. This recipe was inspired by a similar one on the blog 'Healthy breakfast Club, I have just added my own twist.

I am in a total pancake mode at the moment, and have been experimenting with various versions. This recipe is flexible on the flour you use, you can exchange the oat flor for spelt (I would suggest, half whole wheat and half white) almond flour, quinoa flour. 

Here is what you need to make 6 pancakes. Believe me 3 is enough for a person of big appetite. 

If you don't like banana in your batter you can skip it!

2 very ripe banana's (or 2 dl yoghurt, I like to use sheep)

3 dl oat flour* (can be exchanged for other flours)

1,5 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt 

1 tbsp coconut sugar 

zest from half a lemon

2 eggs

2 tbsp coconut oil 

1-2 tbsp chia seeds

1. Melt the coconut oil in the pan you plan to fry the pancakes in. 
2. In a bowl mix all the dry ingredients. 
3. In a blender mix the bananas, add the melted coconut oil, leaving the pan with a little fat over to fry in. 
4. Now mix the wet with the dry ingredients. 
5. Heat then pan and about half a dl of mix to the pan. If you have a large enough pan you should be able to fry off several in one pan. The first pancakes always take the longest, have patience. You want to flip them over once you see they give off a bubble on the surface. This takes between 204minutes for the first batch, this time shortens once the pan has really heated up. 

Enjoy the pancakes with maple syrup, berries and roasted walnuts and/ or hazelnuts. 

Banana flaxseed bread

I am a sucker for good banana bread. I keep making new versions playing with the ingredients to find new textures and consistencies. This version is more of a bread than cake as it's firmer, dryer and less sweet than a cake. Its best served toasted and buttered and if you want to be 'crazy' spread on some nut butter of your choice with some honey over the top.

For this recipe you will need:

3 small or 2 large over ripe bananas (almost black would be best)
2dl spelt flour (I used half whole wheat spelt and half white unbleached)
1 dl buckwheat or oat flour
3 eggs (room temp)
1 grated apple
0,5 dl maple syrup or honey
1 dl sugar (I used palm sugar)
70 grams melted butter or coconut oil
1,5 dl flax seeds
2,5 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 dl roasted walnuts
optional - 0,5 dl coconut flakes

You could also add sunflower or pine nuts instead of the walnuts, or pecans. Some poppy seeds are also always nice to add, just 2 tbsp or so.

1. Pre heat your oven to 180 C. 
2. Mix the eggs with the sugar, honey/syrup, you want a fluffy consistency and a white-ish colour.
3. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. 
4. Mash the bananas.
5. On a low heat melt the butter or coconut oil. 
6. Now bit by bit add the dry ingredients to the egg mix, blend slowly. 
7. Add the cooled butter/oil, blend slowly.
8. Now add the banana and walnuts, again blend slowly. 
9. Butter or grease a cake/bread pan and dust with flour. 
10. Pour the batter into the cake pan and place in the middle of your oven. Bake for between 45min-1hour, depending on the heat of your oven. test by sticking a fortk or knife into the middle of the cake, the fork/knife should come out dry and not coated by dough.

As I mentioned above this bread does best if toasted and eaten with butter or nut butter and a little honey.