Paleo Cacao Smoothie

Tastes like a chocolate milkshake only healthy! A tasty and healthy smoothie which is sugar free and paleo to boot! Bee Pollen is touted as a super food and is rich in protein, free amino acids, B-complex vitamins as well as folic acid. You can find it in any reputable health food store. Cacao is full of flavonoids which act as natural anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants help to protect the body from aging and disease caused by free radicals.

Serve 3 large smoothies

2 frozen bananas
1 tbsp chia seeds
2 tsp organic raw cacao powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 x 400ml can lite coconut milk
1 x 4cm knob ginger sliced thinly
400ml water
1 tbsp bee pollen
Ice cubes (enough to give the smoothie a thick and icy texture)

If you don't want the Paleo option: add 1-2 tsp coconut sugar or honey for extra sweetness

Add the ginger, cacao, cinnamon and chia seeds with your coconut milk and blend until well combined and ginger has broken down. Add your frozen banana, cup of water and ice cubes plus your coconut sugar if using. Blend until the ice is crushed and you have a chocolatey looking smoothie on your hands!

Enjoy!

No Cook Choc-Coconut Balls

I am becoming obsessed with the raw food movement. It started with green smoothies and has progressed to raw treats. I do not know where it will end, but what I DO KNOW is that making these snacks just got a whole lot easier since I got my THERMOMIX. Wow. What a life changing little piece of kitchen gadgetry that is.

Making these raw treats in the thermomix is a snap, but a food processor does the job just as well.

Makes around 20 balls.

Ingredients
1 cup pitted medjool dates (soaked in water for 10 minutes to soften)
1/3 cup raw cacao powder
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
1 tbsp chia seeds
25 grams organic coconut flakes
100 grams rolled oats
150 grams of nut butter (I use Mayver nut and seed spread)
100 grams raw almonds
1-2 tbsp coconut sugar or honey (but only add this if you like a sweeter treat)

1/2 cup shredded coconut to coat balls.

Process the raw almonds until they resemble crumbs. Add the oats, and continue to blend until the oats and almonds are both ground. Add the dates, cacao powder, nut butter, coconut oil, coconut flakes, chia seeds and coconut sugar. Continue to process until the mix comes together.

Place mix in a bowl, and shape into walnut size balls, and place on a tray. In a separate bowl add the shredded coconut, and then roll each Choc-Coconut ball into the coconut until well coated.

Place the tray in the freezer so the balls firm up. You can then pop them in the fridge (will keep for around 3-5 days) or do what I do and place in a snap-lock bag and keep in the freezer for on-hand snacks when the sugar cravings hit!

Another variation is to add a raspberry into the centre of each ball, so that when you bite into the into it you get a tart raspberry hit to offset the rich chocolatey goodness.

Raspberry and Coconut Chia Sago

For a number of months now I have espoused the benefits of coconut oil to anyone who will listen. I have used the liquid of the Gods to fry my eggs in, butter my toast, and even to oven-bake my muesli. I have, also, occasionally been known to eat it by the spoonful straight out of the jar. But lately I have stepped the health kick up a notch. I have become a mixologist of green breakfast smoothies and a mad scientist of sorts concocting kick-ass healthy raw snacks and desserts. Hell I have even tried activating the only nuts I could find in the cupboard - pistachios, and to cap it all off I ordered bee pollen online from Cheap Superfoods to add to my herbal tea.

Where to next you ask? By stealth and in the pale light of the moon, my mission involves converting members of my family onto the health food train without their knowledge. If they can eat something that tastes delicious and then have the added health benefit - then a little subterfuge between us is surely forgivable, no?

I hate to admit I did not take a photo of this dessert. My bad. But by virtue of the fact it was a winner with the family who actually thought it was real sago I will be making it again and I will update this post once I do, so you too can revel in the marvel that is my Raspberry and Coconut Chia Sago!

Ingredients - Serves 4
1 x 400ml can light coconut milk (if you only have coconut cream that's fine but just pour it into a bowl and whisk out any lumps before you use it)
1/3 cup of white or black Chia seeds (I used a blend)
2 tbs of honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups frozen or fresh raspberries (I used frozen)
1/2 cup of whole toasted pistachios
4 tbsp toasted coconut flakes

Place the coconut milk, honey and vanilla extract in a bowl and stir well. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until the Chia seeds have absorbed the coconut milk and the mix resembles sago.

Toast the coconut flakes for 5-10 minutes either on stove-top or in the oven. I soaked my pistachios for a couple of hours to remove the skins, then I dry roasted them on an oven tray at 130 degrees for about 20-30 minutes. You don't have to do this - its perfectly fine to leave the skins on and just toast as they are for 10 minutes at 180 degrees.

Using either 4 serving glasses or 4 small dessert bowls divide the Chia sago mix into the bottom of each. Then dividing the other ingredients top each bowl with the raspberries, the pistachios and the coconut flakes. Using a teaspoon then drizzle a little honey over the top of each bowl before serving.

* You can use any nuts you like, and any fruit for that matter. Opt for whatever is seasonal and to your tastes!