Banana-Blueberry-Coconut & Raspberry-Blackberry-Coconut Ice-Blocks!

Spring in Australia is nearly here! The sun is coming out more, the birds are singing, and I'm finding myself beginning to crave fresh, fruity flavours much more! So today I decided to make two different kinds of ice-blocks with Natural Raw C coconut water, and dipped them in some cacao-choc sauce + pistachios + coconut for a bit of added decadence ;) Hope you enjoy!


BANANA-BLUEBERRY (makes approx. 3)

• 1 ripe banana
• 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) blueberries
• 2/3 cup Natural Raw C coconut water

RASPBERRY-BLACKBERRY (makes approx. 3)

• 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) raspberries
• 1/2 cup frozen (or fresh) blackberries
• 2/3 cup Natural Raw C coconut water

CACAO-CHOC SAUCE + TOPPINGS

• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• desiccated coconut
• crushed raw pistachios

Method:

- For the banana-blueberry ice-blocks, blend together all ingredients until smooth.

- Pour into ice-block moulds and place in freezer overnight or until completely set

- Do the same for the raspberry-blackberry ice-blocks :)

- In the morning remove from moulds (you may need to run some warm water over them so they come out) and set aside.

- For the cacao-choc sauce, mix all ingredients together so that there are no lumps. If you are finding it difficult you may need to place the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat to achieve a smooth texture.
- Dip the tips of each ice-block into the choc. sauce, then immediately into the pistachios or coconut (or whatever else you'd like to use!) It is important to do it quickly otherwise the chocolate will set and won't stick to your toppings!
-Eat straight away or store in an air-tight container in the freezer :)

Choc-orange Banana Ice-cream Cookie Sandwiches - 3 Ways!

These yummy little treats are perfect for any time of the day! Breakfast. brunch, dessert - I find I'm always in the mood for them! The recipe is super simple too, so they're perfect for when you need to whip up something delicious with limited time! Hope you love them as much as we did :)

COOKIES

• 3/4 cup oat flour (just blend up rolled oats in the blender!)
• 1 tbsp coconut flour
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 - 2 tbsp cacao powder (depending on how chocolate-y you want it)

ORANGE-BANANA ICE-CREAM

• 1 frozen banana (cut into coins beforehand)
• 1 tsp orange rind
• pistachios, cacao nibs or anything else you'd like to roll your ice-cream sandwiches in!

Method:

- Mash the banana in a bowl, then add the rest of the cookie ingredients. 

- Use a rolling pin to roll between two baking sheets, and use a cookie cutter to cut into round circles.

- Cook in the oven for around 10-15 minutes (or until slightly browned) on 160C.

- Allow to cool completely.

- For the ice-cream, blend up the banana and the orange rind in a food processor until nice and smooth.

- Place a dollop of ice-cream on one cookie, then squish the other on top!

- Roll them in pistachios, cacao nibs, or anything else - be creative!

You could also freeze these immediately after making them so that the ice-cream hardens up a little more!

Enjoy :) xx

CHOC-RASPBERRY-VANILLA-PB RAW VEGAN CAKE

 Okay so it's a  bit of a mouthful (literally) but this was one of the tastiest cakes I've made! It's raw, vegan and packed full of deliciousness!
Last time I made a raw vegan cake was back in January when it was summer, and up until now I felt that raw cakes were really more of a summer thing...but this one definitely proves that idea wrong! There are four layers - the base (made up primarily of dates..YUM), the two middle layers (one being chocolate, the other raspberry + vanilla), and the top, which is peanut butter cups (super easy!) and some decorative raspberries
Here is the recipe. If you make it please tag us - we love seeing all of your recreations! :)


RAW VEGAN CHOC-RASPBERRY-VANILLA-PB CAKE
Base:
1 cup dates
1/2 cup almonds

Chocolate Layer:
1 banana
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
1 and 1/2 tbsp cacao powder
1 tbsp maple syrup

Raspberry-Vanilla Layer:
1 banana
1 cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
1 tbsp maple syrup
3/4 cup raspberries (frozen or fresh)
1 tbsp desiccated coconut
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Peanut Butter Cups:
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp maple syrup
Peanut butter

DIRECTIONS:

-For the base, blend together dates and almonds in a food processor and spread at the bottom of an approx. 15cm round pan

-For the chocolate layer, blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour into the pan and smooth out.
-Do the same for the raspberry-vanilla layer, except only place 1/2 cup raspberries into the processor.
-Once combined, gently fold in the remaining raspberries (so that you can have some yummy chunks when you bite into it!).
-Pour mixture on top of choc layer, being careful not to press too hard when smoothing out so that the layers don't mix together. Place in the freezer for 8 hours or overnight.

-For the peanut butter cups, mix together the coconut oil, cacao and maple syrup until completely smooth. If you are finding it difficult you may need to place the ingredients in a saucepan over low heat to achieve a smooth texture.
-Line 4 cupcake tins and pour in just enough choc sauce to cover the bottom of them.
-Place in the freezer for about 10 minutes so they can harden.
-Remove from freezer and spoon a small dollop of peanut butter in the middle of each cup.
-Then, pour the rest of the choc sauce over it to cover the peanut butter completely.
-Freeze for at least 20 minutes.

Once done, it's time to assemble the cake! I placed 3 peanut butter cups on the top of my cake and crumbled up the fourth :) I also used the leftover chocolate sauce to drizzle around the edge of the cake, and topped with some more raspberries!

Store in the fridge for about a week.

Enjoy! xx

Zesty Pasta & Kale Salad

This pasta was a bit of an experiment- and it turned out to be delicious! Orange may seem like a very traditional breakfast food, but it works well in this savoury dish :) I kept the salad and pasta separate for the photo but they tasted goooood mixed together. The kale salad is one I make regularly- If you're like me and don't like the bitter taste of raw kale, this is a super easy way to get rid of the bitterness and make it tasty!

Kale Salad

Big bunch of curly kale (about 15-20 stalks)

1/2 an avocado

1 tsp lime juice

Zesty Pasta

3 zucchinis

1 punnet cherry tomatoes

1/2 an avocado

1 tsp lime juice

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp chopped spring onion

1/2 tsp chopped dill

Pinch of tumeric

For the salad, remove the stems from the kale leaves and rip or chop the leaves into small pieces. Using a fork, mash the avocado with the lime juice until smooth. Pour the dressing over the kale and massage with your hands for a few minutes or until the leaves have started to wilt.

For the pasta, spiralize or peel the zucchinis into thin strips. Thinly slice the tomatoes. Blend the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Combine the zucchini, tomatoes and sauce together.

This makes a biiiig serving, so you might want to share it... Maybe ;)