One-Bite Wonders! Chocolate Orange Truffles

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES     SERVES: 6 (2/3 truffles each) 

These decadent chocolate truffles are a quick treat to whip up for your family, friends and 'pop'-in guests over the holiday season. I always make a double batch because the first batch doesn’t make it out of the kitchen…!

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Cacao, a prized food of the early Mayan empire, is an unprocessed form of chocolate and one of the richest sources of antioxidant foods in the world. Happily for us it is an excellent source of magnesium, helping relax sore muscles and frayed nerves over the hectic holiday season!

INGREDIENTS

15 Medjool dates
1½ cups raw walnut pieces
¾ cup cacao powder
1½ tablespoons honey
Rind of orange
1 -3 teaspoons orange juice, depending on moisture level and for a festive treat, add a splash of brandy but cut back on the orange juice! 
Pinch of sea salt

LET'S Mix!

1. Take the pits out of the dates making sure you have removed one pit for each date - sounds silly I know, but it can really wreck one's food processor blade!

2. Toss the pits in the bin

3. Place walnuts in a food processor and grind for several seconds until it has formed a coarse powder

4. Add the pitted dates, cacao powder, honey, orange rind and salt to the processor and process until the mixture comes together into a moist dough

5. Add the orange juice, one teaspoon at a time, until you can ‘pinch’ the dough in your fingers and it sticks together

6. Fill a small bowl with warm water and put on one the side

7. With clean hands, use your fingers to take about a small walnut size piece out of the processor and put in the palm of your hand.

8. Now roll your palms together to form a ball, continuing to wet your palms as they become sticky

9. Place each ball on a tray and chill before serving (Warning: They may not make it past the fridge)

Happy Bars!

PREP TIME: 20 minutes     COOLING TIME: 1-2 hours

These bar are full of amazing antioxidant and plant protein ingredients for beastly power and strength!  In addition to being nut-free (great for lunch boxes, camps and sports events), they are also dairy-free, refined sugar-free and gluten-free. Now that's GOT to make you happy! 

Nutritional Bites

Eating oats, seeds and dried fruit will increase fibre consumption which may help with blood sugar control since fibre helps to slow down our body's metabolism of carbs and the absorption of sugar. 

Ingredients

Sauce
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup brown rice syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Dry ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1 tablespoon either flax OR chia seeds (whole, not ground)
1 cup total of dried fruit such as apricots, figs, raisins, dates - cut into small bit-size pieces
1/3 cup goji berries
1/3 cup bittersweet cacao nibs or dairy free, nut free chocolate chips (I love Camino brand)
1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Let’s Prep!

1. Line a square baking dish (8x8") with parchment paper (preferably unbleached and chlorine-free).

2. In a small pan on very low heat, gently melt together the 'sauce' - the coconut oil, brown rice syrup, cinnamon powder and salt, then turn off the heat - we want to keep this bar raw!

3. Meanwhile in a large bowl add the oats, pumpkin, hemp and flax (or chia) seeds, chopped fruit, goji berries and shredded coconut.

4. Pour the sauce onto the dry ingredients, mixing it up well so everything gets a good coating.

5. Lastly, add the chocolate chips - they will start to melt. If you would like them to remain whole, cool the mixture for 15 minutes before adding the chocolate chips.

6. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment paper and press down REALLY HARD with the back of a clean large spoon or spatula to make an even condensed layer – about ½“ thick. BRIT BEET TIP: I like to fold the edges of the parchment paper back over the mixture to create a clean edge.

7. Then using clean hands, press down firmly with your palms, making sure you press down all around the edge. This step is VIP as it helps ‘hold’ the bars together.

8. If you need the bars in a hurry, slide the dish into the freezer for 30 minutes otherwise place them in the fridge for 1-2 hours to cool down and firm-up

9. Once set, remove and cut the bars into the size you want to dig your teeth into!

5 Star Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

5 Star Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

PREP TIME: 25 minutes     COOK TIME:  50 minutes to 1 hour

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Buckwheat, commonly thought of as a grain, is in fact a fruit seed, closely related to rhubarb. It contains nutritious components that protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and by acting as an antioxidant. 

It took me a long time to tweak this recipe – I wanted a truly tasty banana bread with healthy fats, no refined sugar, dairy and gluten free. I usually double up this recipe and freeze one for later as it’s very popular! A good tip is to use up all your overripe bananas; I put my overripe bananas in the freezer and pull them out a few hours before starting to bake so they come up to room temperature. 

Wet ingredients

½ cup coconut sugar  
¾ cup coconut oil
5 large bananas
3 organic egg

Dry ingredients

3/4 cup each of buckwheat flour and brown rice flour (1.5 cups in total)
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup good dairy-free quality chocolate chips (I like ‘Camino’ brand)

 LET'S COOK!

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf tin with coconut oil, or use unbleached parchment paper to line the tin, I find this makes it easier to lift out!

2. In the food processor, mix together all the wet ingredients well, then add the dry ingredients in (I never bother to sieve the baking soda and flour together before I add it and it comes out perfectly fine).

3. Pulse to combine – don’t over mix at this point

4. Cook for 50-1 hour in the middle of the oven or until a skewer comes out clean. (Note: it can take up to one hour and 15 minutes to cook, especially if you were using frozen bananas that have not fully defrosted!)

5. Leave it to cool down on a wire rack before taking it out of the loaf time. Be ready for the hordes!

Age Busting Superfood Seed Salad

PREP TIME: 10 minutes   SERVES: 4 as a side dish

Here is simple and delicious salad recipe combining the essential nutrients needed to support the collagen matrix to give you a more youthful and glowing complexion. Got to to love that! 

Nutritional Bites

Into our 40’s, and especially as we transition through the menopause stage, hormonal aging brings with it an increase in ‘mirror shock’!  Wrinkles and dry, sagging skin creep up on us as estrogen levels that were once part of our collagen production line, start to wane. But wait, help is on the way! Greens, seeds and fruit are armed with phytoestrogens - plant compounds that help replace estrogen levels that slow down that aging process (thank goodness).  

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale (Lacinato kale or curly kale is my fav) with its thick stalks removed
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, dry roasted or raw
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, dry roasted or raw
1 tablespoon raw hemps seeds
2-3 radishes, sliced thinly

Dressing
1 avocado, with the pit removed
1 tablespoon of olive oil or avocado oil
Zest of half a large lemon
1-2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, depending on how 'sharp' you like it
1- 2 tablespoons of water for a smooth 'whipped cream' consistency
Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste

Let's Prep!

1. If you are dry roasting your seeds, go ahead and put your seeds in a non-stick skillet (preferably enamel) with no oil and dry roast on medium high heat, until golden brown and fragrant. Alternatively, roast in a single layer on a lined baking tray in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 300F.

2. Roll up your dark greens into a 'cigar' shape and cut into 1" vertical strip, then slide them into a salad bowl.

3. Blend up the salad dressing and massage into the greens (with clean hands) until the greens are soft and have reduced in size (takes about 30 seconds).

4. Just before you are ready to serve, toss the raw or dry-roasted nuts and the sliced radishes over the greens. Voila!

Super Seed Loaf

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES   COOK TIME: 45-50 MINUTES 

I’ve wanted to create a gluten-free nut/seed loaf for some time and ended up picking one of Toronto’s hottest days to experiment– no accounting for timing! I love the fact that this loaf contains an array of protein filled nuts and seeds, with a European twist on taste, thanks to the addition of fennel seeds and fennel powder. If you are not a fan of fennel, just leave it out and add your own favourite herb – such as basil.  Just be aware that like any ‘bread’, it does require time to ‘rest’ so make sure you factor this into your timing.

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Cashew nuts are a great nut choice - they have a lower fat content than most other nuts with 3/4's of their total fat being from oleic acid which promotes heart health.  

INGREDIENTS

I heaping cup cashew nuts
2 cups pumpkin seeds
¾ cups sunflower seeds
1¼ cups brown rice flour
3 tablespoons psyllium husks (ground)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds (whole)
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1.5 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
3 teaspoons of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon each of dried marjoram and oregano
2 ½ cups water
Sprinkle of oats

 LET'S COOK!

1. Put your cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds in the food processor (not blender or you will get a soggy mess) and grind them up until they have a ‘floury’ appearance – usually takes around 2 minutes.

2. Pour them into a large mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients, except the water and mix together.

3. Next, add the water, stirring it around - the mixture will be pretty thick and heavy which is what you are looking for.

4. Leave to rest for 1 hour on the counter - this allows the psyllium husks to absorb all the water and act as a 'binding agent'.

5. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper (preferably chlorine free) or grease with avocado oil (it has a smoke point over 400F).

6. Spoon the thick, gooey mixture into loaf pan and with clean hands, press the mixture down evenly into the loaf pan and finally sprinkle with oats for a rustic touch.

7. Slide it into the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until your knife comes out clean, then place the pan on a wire rack to cool - if you try lifting it out before it has cooled you might have a Super Seed mess! Meanwhile, whilst the smell of delicious Super Seed Loaf wafts around your kitchen, grab your favorite toppings ready for spreading!