Ingredients 260g self-raising flour (gluten free if required) 40g plain flour (gf if required) 500g overripe bananas, well-smashed/pureed 2 eggs or egg replacer pinch of sea salt vanilla essence 100g sugar of choice 1tsp cinnamon half cup milk or dairy alternative of choice half a cup of apple sauce
Method Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a loaf pan with baking paper, allowing it to overhang. Sift the flours, salt and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar and make a well in the centre. Add mashed bananas, apple sauce, egg replacer, vanilla and milk. Stir until well combined. Spoon batter into prepared pan Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and cut into slices. Keeps well in the fridge for at least 5 days.
Bliss balls, energy balls, power balls – there are many names for these beautiful little babies that are not only your best mate when the 3pm munchies hit, but also a great addition to your little one’s lunchbox as they are completely nut free and allergy friendly and provide sustained energy thanks to rolled oats, dried dates and a smidge of protein powder!
Of course these are very customisable, but here I am offering my quick, easy, healthy and yummy version for a snack/treat/breakfast that my kids actually eat and that is just as good for grown-ups too!
Makes 24 balls
One cup packed dried dates (approx. 170g)
2/3 (two thirds) cup shredded coconut (approx 40g)
1.5 cups rolled oats (approx 120g)
One scoop vegan vanilla or choc protein
1 tbsp raw cacao
Pinch of salt
Start by soaking the dates in hot water until soft. Drain, but keep the date water. Blitz all ingredients in a high-powered blender while adding the date water gradually until the mixture comes together. If you add to much loquid you might have to add some more of the dry ingredients. It’s okay for the mix to be sticky but it should still be able to be formed into balls.
Roll into balls (roughly 22-28 depending on size) and roll in more coconut or oats as desired. Pop into fridge or freezer until ready to eat.
Waffles are the ultimate comfort food – unfortunately, they are usually also loaded with fat and other unhealthy ingredients. If you are looking for a healthy but no less yummy version of waffles to pop into your kids’ lunchboxes or have ready for a quick breakfast or afternoon snack, please give my waffles a try.
If you don’t have a waffle maker (I highly recommend this mini waffle maker from Kmart), the batter also works for mini pancakes!
For 12 mini waffles, you will need:
2 cups oats 1.5 cups plant milk or water 1 cup apple sauce 1 tbsp flaxseed (optional, but thickens the batter up nicely) 1 tbsp raw sugar or other sweetener 2 tsp of vanilla essence 1 tsp cinnamon (optional) 1 tsp baking powder pinch of salt
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth. Let sit for a few minutes for the batter to thicken. Heat up your waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make waffles according to the manufacturer’s instructions and enjoy!
This is probably the recipe I am making most often in my kitchen and still it has taken me so long to get around to posting it!
Everyone needs a recipe for a quick and easy lunchbox-friendly bar in their repertoire, so here comes my version of a low-fat, vegan, nut-free, gluten free (if you use gf oats) oatmeal bar that is a hit in lunchboxes, for picnics, afternoon tea, and at kids birthday parties alike! It is full of fibre to keep small (and big) tummies full and slow carbs to get those brains working. I also love it as a mess-free and satisfying breakfast on the go with its great balance of plant protein, complex carbohydrates, fibre, and a small amount of healthy fats (naturally occurring fats in oats and from any seeds you are adding if any).
Whip it up every Sunday afternoon for the week ahead and fill your house with the cozy aroma of this healthy and yummy oatmeal bar! This is an extremely customizable and forgiving recipe – use whatever milk or sweetener you like, add any combination of dried fruits, nuts and seeds (if nuts are allowed) or even chocolate chips. Add gingerbread spice or pumpkin pie spice for an autumnal twist, glaze it with chocolate – the options are seriously endless. You can adjust the sweetener to your liking and even leave it out altogether and your bars will still be tasty! It is also pretty fool proof – I don’t even really follow a recipe anymore and always manage to create something delicious based on this loose recipe matrix.
4 cups old-fashioned oats (you can use quick oats, but the result will be a bit more mushy and with less of a “bite” to it, still delish tho!) 4 flaxseed eggs or egg replacer eggs (or use “real” eggs if not vegan) 1/4-1/2 cup (more or less) honey, maple syrup or raw sugar or mix hereof (adjust to taste) 1 cup plant milk 3/4-1 cup apple sauce 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tbsp of vanilla essence pinch of sea salt 1 cup (adjust to taste) any mix of dried fruit (dates, sultanas, cranberries, candied peel etc.) and seeds/nuts (optional) 1 tbsp Cinnamon and/or other spice (gingerbread or pumpkin pie spice is lovely) optional: melted dark chocolate to drizzle over
Mix all ingredients and let stand for 20 minutes for the pats to soften and the flavours to develop. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a square 20cm baking pan with baking paper and pour the batter in, smoothing the top. Bake at 180°C for around 30 minutes. Let cool, then cut into 30 squares.
Quick, easy, healthy and yummy pumpkin spice bars – a great breakfast or snack!
Looking for a quick easy and healthy recipe to have at hand when the 3pm slump strikes, the kids come home hungry from school or you need a quick breakfast on the run that doesn’t weigh you down? Then look no further than these pumpkin spice bars!
I have made and perfected this recipe countless times over the years and let me just reassure you that these pumpkin spice bars don’t need to be pumpkin spice bars at all. You can replace the pumpkin puree with apple puree and have apple bars (my favourite!) or replace it with banana and have banana bars etc. This recipe is veeery forgiving – you can play around with different grains, different sweeteners (or omit sweetener altogether) and it will always work!
Ingredients: 3 flax eggs (3 tbs ground flaxseed dissolved in 9 tbs water or plant milk and left to thicken) 3 cups rolled oats 3/4 tsp baking powder 1 cup pumpkin puree (or apple sauce or other fruit/veg puree) cinnamon and other spices to taste pinch of salt 1 cup soy milk or other plant milk 1/4 cup coconut sugar or other sweetener (may be omitted) sultanas or other dried fruit and seeds (half a cup)
Method: Preheat fan-forced oven to 180°C. Line or grease a 20×30 cm baking tin. Stir all ingredients together and let rest for 20 minutes – the longer the better! Pour into prepared tin and bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Let cool completely before you slice into squares.
Substitutions and adjustments:
As for oats, you can use quick or rolled oats, the rolled oats give a better texture though.
Sweetener: I have made these many times, including with raw sugar, coconut sugar, stevia, honey, and maple syrup and they all work well. As the oats, apple sauce and dried fruit are naturally sweet you can even omit sweetener altogether.
Milk: You can use any plant milk you like. I used soy milk to keep it nut free, but feel free to use nut milks if you don’t need the bars to be nut free.
Add-ins: These bars are very low in fat as they are free of oil, butter and eggs. The fat only derives from the natural fat in the oats and the seeds. If you follow a very low fat diet, omit the seeds and just add dried fruit.
Flax eggs: If you eat eggs, you can use 2 whole eggs instead of the aquafaba.
Pumpkin puree/apple sauce: mashed banana works well if you don’t have apple sauce, or any type of “baby food” purees. I’ve made these with pumpkin purée with great results.
Soooo….it’s been 3 whole years since I last posted. Crazy, I know. And we all know that a few things happened last year. So let me just say I hope you are all staying safe and sane and because I thought we can all use a little bliss and energy in our lives right now, I created these bliss balls (or energy balls) for you.
They are obviously gluten free, dairy free and vegan as all the creations on this page. And they are also high in protein to feed that baby biceps. Being nut-free, they are not only great for kids lunchboxes, they are also considerably lower in fat than nut-based bliss balls.
When I found out, that my two littlies really like dates, I decided to harvest this opportunity and create these super yummy and super healthy treats that only require THREE simple ingredients and are ready in a jiffy! Think juicy dates, your favourite vegan protein powder (obviously, do not use powder that contains stimulants if you are making these for kids), as well as buckwheat groats! If your protein powder is not salted, I also highly recommend adding a good pinch of Himalyan sea salt. And because being flexible is key, feel free to add whatever you fancy – raw cacao powder, maca powder, coffee powder, nuts, seeds…the sky really is the limit!
Are you ready?
Delicious nut free bliss balls
Makes approx. 20-25 bliss balls
250 g juicy dates 100 g vegan protein powder of choice 50 g raw buckwheat groats pinch of Himalayan sea salt (optional, but highly recommended) any other add-ins (optional) (coffee, chocolate chips, nuts…)
Chuck everything into a high powered blender and blitz away! Note, you will probably have to add a little (!) (hot) water to get the mix going, depending on the amount of moisture in your dates.
The mix should come together in a ball after about 20 seconds or so. If not, add a tiny dash more water. Don’t forget to scrape the sides of your blender with a spatula.
Now comes the fun part: Roll into balls! If you can resist, I’d highly recommend putting these in the fridge for a bit before tucking in.
Please let me know in the comments if you made these and what you added. 🙂
As you can gather from the title, things are getting serious at NWC headquarters, friends. I mean, coffee is obviously always serious business. But a vegan paleo iced coffee? And one that is high protein, high in fiber, low carb, low fat, dairy free (it’s vegan – duh!), soy free, gluten free, sugar free (it’s paleo – duh!) no less? Add fairtrade to the equation (if you use fairtrade coffee) and you can’t get more hipster than this.
Caffeine is always a good idea (before 4pm that is) but with the weather in Melbourne warming up (kinda), the cravings for an iced latte are getting stronger. Are you with me? Does that mean you should succumb to the overpriced frappuccino at your local coffee shop? I hope not. The good thing is, you can prepare my vegan paleo iced coffee in less than a minute in the comfort of your own home and get a serious buzz while still following your vegan, paleo, low carb, low fat etc. diet. Whatever rocks your boat.
It is worth mentioning as an aside that this vegan paleo iced coffee is thick, creamy and delicious. Just like an iced coffee should be.
Ready to kick the afternoon slump in its a**?
Vegan Paleo Iced Coffee
Vegan Paleo Iced Coffee
Serves 1
15 oz. or 450ml filtered water (or plant milk to make it even more creamy) 2 tsp instant coffee granules 5-7 large icecubes 1 large scoop vanilla pea protein powder flavdrops or sweetener to taste 1 tsp organic guar gum
Vegan “milk” shakes and smoothies (which don’t contain dairy obviously) are all the rage these days. They usually rely heavily on frozen bananas and/or other fruit as well as dried fruit such as dates to achieve a sweet, creamy and thick consistency. While arguably delicious, this makes them heavy on the carbs and sugars, and if you follow a lowcarb diet, they can easily account for your daily allowance of carbohydrates. Enter my low-carb vegan vanilla milkshake – so thick and creamy you won’t miss anything. And it virtually doesn’t have any net carbs!
Low-Carb Vegan Vanilla Milkshake
The secret ingredient is my newly found favourite ingredient – guar gum! It is a completely natural low-carb binder that provides a luscious and viscous texture to anything from smoothies, puddigs and oatmeal to soups, sauces, and homemade icecream. More recipes featuring guar gum will follow but it truly is a game changer if you like your smoothies thick! Plus, you don’t need frozen bananas, yogurt or icecream to get this a dreamy creamy milkshake-y texture.
While I don’t necessarily avoid carbs and sugar myself and don’t think they are the devil they are sometimes made out to be, there are a number of reasons you might want to go easy on carbohydrates. And with this milkshake, you are in for a treat! It is high in protein, low i carbs and low in fat and will keep you going for a while! It is the perfect afternoon treat or dessert that won’t blow your calorie budget. Moreover, it is easy as and only requires ingredients you are likely to have at hand. You won’t even need a milk alternative as it works perfectly fine with plain water. Your favourite nut milk will provide for a creamier texture though.
This milk shake is extremely customisable. You can add your favourite protein powder or any other superfood powder. Add some coffee or raw cacao for an extra boost against that arvo slump. Or dump in any veggies that are starting to look a bit sad. Not to mention, this beauty is ready in 30 seconds to beat that hangry feeling in no time. This milkshake is your lady!
Low-Carb Vegan Vanilla Milkshake
Serves 1-2
500 ml plant milk or filtered water 5-7 icecubes 1 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder 1 tsp organic guar gum vanilla flavdrops or your favourite sweetener vanilla extract (optional) any extras (superfoods, coffee, maca…)
Blitz all ingredients in your high powered blender and –
It’s my birthday and I brought you muffins! Not any old muffins, but the most delicious, moist, fruity, fudgy, crowd-pleasing vegan glutenfree lowfat pear streusel muffins! Yes, that’s right. While anything involving the word “streusel” would usually conjure the idea of either vegan, gluten free or lowfat, these babies are exactly that. No white flour, butter or refined sugar involved, and with fat only coming from the fat naturally occurring in oats. Who is in?
Vegan Glutenfree Lowfat Pear Streusel Muffins
These little delights were born out of the necessity to do something with a huge bag full of pears that our supermarket gave away for next to nothing as they were approaching their use-by date. Ever since my teenage years, I have enjoyed making muffins. It is such an easy way to use up whatever fruit you have on hand, it is quick, virtually fool-proof and the results never disappoint. Using fruit in muffins is also a great way to lower their fat content as the fruit keeps the nice and luscious.
Back to my bag full of pears and my obsession with muffins. So vegan glutenfree lowfat pear streusel muffins it was. I had never attempted streusel before so I am quite pleased how these babes turned out after the first attempt. As I said, they are ready in a jiffy and not complicated at all. Perfect if you just want to whip up something quickly for surprise guests or the 3pm munchies.
As my daughter and hubby (who are not into health food at all) devoured them, I can’t really say how long these will keep…:-)
Vegan Glutenfree Lowfat Pear Streusel Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
For the streusel: 1/4 cup oat flour 1/3 cup coconut sugar 2/3 cup oats 1/2 cup applesauce cinnamon
For the muffins: one cup soy milk or other plant milk 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup applesauce 2 cups oat flour 1/2 cup coconut sugar 4 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt cinnamon 4 pears, diced
Preheat oven to 180 °C and grease a muffin tin or line it with liners. In a large mixing bowl, mix the milk with the vinegar, vanilla and applesauce and set aside for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the streusel by mixing all the streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
After 15 minutes are up, add the oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and gently stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated and you have a smooth batter. Fold in the diced pear. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin, then divide the streusel on top of the muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes and let cool in pan for another 10 minutes before taking them out. Best to store in the fridge in an airtight container.
While it’s not really smoothie weather yet here in Melbourne, I would not want you to miss out on this absolutely divinely delicious smoothie that I whipped up back when the weather was more clement (and strawberries were in season) – tada! My creamy strawberry & tahin smoothie!
Creamy Strawberry and Tahin Smoothie
At first sight, you would not think the combination of strawberries and tahin to be a natural one, but trust me, it is mind-blowingly, seriously more-ish! This smoothie is more rich than the smoothies I usually make, but it is very satisfying and will certainly keep you fuller for much longer than lighter smoothies. It is therefore an ideal summery breakfast to keep you going until lunch time or also a great healthy way to finish a meal and avoid late-night munchies.
Tahini not only tastes delicious and yields a great texture when mixed into smoothies and nicecreams, it is also rich in minerals such as phosphorus, lecithin, magnesium, potassium and iron (source) – very important for vegetarians and vegans! The vitamin C in the strawberries and lemon juice actually makes the iron in the tahin more available in your body, so you get to reap the maximum benefits. Tahin is also a good source of methionine, which aids liver detoxification (hangover from last night’s barbecue, anyone?) and is one of the best sources of calcium out there – take that, dairy eaters!
Dates add even more iron and -along with the bananas- magnesium, which is great news. Did you know that magnesium might actually the mineral most people are deficient in? At the same time, magnesium is absolutely vital to keep up your energy levels in this fast-paced world. For athletes, magnesium will significantly contribute to avoiding cramps. Now that’s a winner! Dates also provide a hefty dose of fiber. This is important especially if you consume a lot of liquid meals such as smoothies.
Ready to dig in?
Creamy Strawberry & Tahin Smoothie {vg}
Serves 2
2 cups strawberries, fresh or frozen 1 banana, frozen 1 cup plant milk half a cup dates 2 tsp lemon juice 1 tbsp tahin 1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender, pour into two (cute) glasses and…
Nat's Ladle 