Quite possible the easiest and healthiest chocolate muffins you will ever make!
Makes 12 mini muffins or 7 large muffins
Ingredients 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce 1/2 cup to 1 cup sugar or preferred sweetener equivalent, depending on taste 3/4 cup (plant) milk of choice 1/4 cup cacao or cocoa 2 tsp baking powder dash of vanilla pinch of salt
Note: You will need a silicon mould as they will stick to paper muffin cups due to their low fat content.
Preheat oven to 180 °C. Dump all ingredients (no particular order needed!) in a large mixing bowl and mix with a whisk or wooden spoon until you obtain a smooth and pourable batter. This should not take long at all. Evenly distribute into the muffin moulds. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them rest in the hot oven for 5 minutes, then take them out and let them rest on the bench for 10 minutes. Only remove them from the mould once they have cooled as they will stick.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! I hope you all have lovely plans for the weekend. Whether or not you are into St. Patrick’s Days festivities, green smoothies are a great way to get you off to a great way to get you off to a good start. You can cram pretty much any greens and other goodies into green smoothies and thus make sure you get a healthy dose of greens in before you start your day. Plus, they look lovely and are sure to brighten up your day in more way than one.
While I believe you should have green smoothies as often as possible, they are especially beneficial before and after a night out, be it for St. Patrick’s Day or not! Alcohol is a vitamin thief, so by having a green smoothie before and after drinking, you are replacing lost nutrients and hydrate your body as alcohol is dehydrating. A short sleep is also helped best by packing as much nutrients as you can into your morning drink. That way, you can dance the Saturday away and still enjoy Sunday lunch with your family.
Below are my three favourite green smoothies. Enjoy!
Superfood Smash Green Smoothie
Superfood Smash Green Smoothies
Serves One
One handfull of kale
A handfull of spinach
Handfull of lettuce
One small zucchini, chopped
One stalk celery, chopped
Small apple, chopped
Half a frozen banana
Dash of coconut water or plant milk to blend
One scoop vegan vanilla protein poweder
5 icecubes
Any additions such as wheatgrass etc.
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender and enjoy.
Green Warrior Smoothie
Warrior Green Smoothies
Serves One
One kiwifruit
One handfull of spinach
Half a small avocado
1 tbs chia seeds
One scoop vegan vanilla protein powder
A dash of almond milk
1 tsp barley grass powder
5 icecubes
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender and enjoy.
Anti-Hangover Green Smoothie
Hangover Green Smoothies
Serves Two
One handfull of baby spinach or lamb’s lettuce
One cup of coconut water
One scoop vegan vanilla protein powder
One inch piece fresh ginger, grated
2 Medjool dates
1 small zucchini or cucumber
One frozen banana
1 tbsp tahin
Dash of lemon juice
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender and enjoy.
Sundays are for smoothie bowls (actually, every day of the week is), and with “golden milks” featuring turmeric and other delicious spices being all the rage right now, it was only a matter of course for me to create a golden smoothie bowl! A golden mango and turmeric smoothie bowl, to be precise. Turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and cayenne fire up your digestion in the morning (or make for a great pick-me-up in the afternoon), while kale, banana, and mango provide fibre and micronutrients and the vegan protein powder makes sure you last until lunch!
This smoothie bowl is not only pretty to look at, it is also insanely creamy and delicious, very filling and warms you from the inside out. No need to pick up a sugary chai latte from your local Star****s! I always keep a stash of frozen mango, banana, and kale in my freezer, which means that it takes less than a minute to throw everything together! And if you don’t post it on instagram you don’t even need to decorate it! The toppings are completely optional, but apart from completing the look, I find they always add a nice crunch and textural variation to the smoothie bowl – not to mention that they also provide you with extra nutrients!
Golden Mango Turmeric Smoothie Bowl
Golden Mango and Turmeric Smoothie Bowl
1 large smoothie bowl
1 cup plant milk 30 g vanilla-flavoured vegan protein powder frozen banana 1 cup frozen mango a handfull of kale 1 tbsp psyllium, LSA or flaxmeal 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp cinnamon pinch cardamom 1/4 tsp ginger pinch of cayenne
toppings (optional) such as goji berries, nuts, seeds, granola, fresh or dried fruit, chia…
Blitz everything bar the toppings in a high-powered blender, transfer to a cute bowl and top with your favourite toppings.
Nat's Ladle 