Raspberry Bounty Bars - Vegan and Gluten Free - Recipe

Raspberry Bounty Bars

Vegan and Gluten Free

These are amazing! If you like normal bounty bars (Coconut and chocolate!) then you will love the addition of raspberries. They look pretty too so would make wonderful gifts. They do take a while so plan ahead.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups desiccated coconut

½ cup coconut cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup caster sugar (or sugar replacement)

¾ cup raspberries

2 tablespoons coconut oil

300g dark chocolate

METHOD

1.     Combine half of the desiccated coconut, half of the coconut cream, the vanilla and the sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until combined and the mixture sticks together when pinched between two fingers. Press into a baking paper lined 20cm loaf tin, smoothing the top. Place in the freezer.

2.     Combine the remaining desiccated coconut and coconut cream with the raspberries and half of the coconut oil in the food processor. Pulse until the mixture comes together, adding 1 extra tablespoon of coconut cream if necessary. Smooth on top of the coconut mixture and smooth the top. Freeze for 4 hours. Remove to the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

3.     Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a basin over a pot of boiling water making sure the basin does not touch the boiling water. When it is smooth, stir through the remaining coconut oil

4.     Remove the coconut and raspberry filling from the refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife into 10/12 rectangles. Dip into the melted chocolate and place on a piece of baking paper. Stand for 30 minutes until set. You can also keep in the freezer for a frozen treat.

I use Whittaker's Dark 50% so the coating is not too intense but any dark chocolate will do.

Carrot and Walnut Cake - Vegan and Gluten Free - Recipe

Carrot and Walnut Cake

Vegan and Gluten Free

This cake is nutty and moist with the yummy cream cheese icing you expect with a carrot cake but it is so delicious you don't need the icing if you can't source the vegan cream cheese. You could also ice with a lemon icing made with icing sugar, margarine and lemon juice. The vegan cream cheese is available at New World supermarkets or health food shops like Piko in Christchurch. It is rather expensive at $11 for an 8 oz tub.

Ingredients

Vegan and gluten free margarine for greasing

225g/ 8 oz gluten-free self-raising flour

2 tsp gluten-free baking powder

115g/ 4 oz brown sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

85g/ 3 oz walnuts, roughly chopped

225g/ 8 oz carrots, grated

125ml/ 4 fl oz maple syrup

125ml/ 4 fl oz vegetable oil

100g crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting

115g/4 oz vegan and gluten-free cream cheese

55g/ 2 oz vegan and gluten-free margarine (Olivani)

225 g/ 8 oz vegan and gluten-free icing sugar

Juice and zest of a lemon

Extra zest for decorating.

1 tsp vanilla essence

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C/ 325 degrees F. Grease an 18cm round, loose-based cake tin and line with baking paper.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and walnuts and mix with a wooden spoon.

Stir the carrots into the dry ingredients, along with the maple syrup, pineapple and oil and mix with a wooden spoon.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top with a rubber spatula and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin to firm up for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before icing.

To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, margarine, icing sugar, lemon juice and zest and vanilla together until smooth. Using an electric mixer is easiest for this. Spread the icing on the cake and sides if you wish. Sprinkle with lemon zest .

Coconut and Chia Snack Pots - Dairy Free

Coconut and Chia Snack Pots

Dairy Free

These tasty little snack pots are dairy free and very healthy - full of nutrient with no artificial anything! Yummy flavours too!

They are not cheap with each one working out at approx. $3 but when you want a quick, tasty boost they are worth it to have in the fridge.

Carrot Cake - Gluten Free - Recipe

Carrot Cake

Gluten Free

This carrot cake is moist and fudgey. Definitely needs to be eaten with a fork. It has crunchy walnuts and pineapple to help make it moist. The rice flour and ground almonds give it a great texture. I looked twice at the quantity of cinnamon and ginger but it is the perfect quantity.

Ingredients

¾ cup rice flour

¼ cup cornflour

½ cup ground almonds

1 ½ cups caster sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

¾ tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp ground ginger

1 cup walnut pieces

¾ cup grapeseed or vegetable oil

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrot

¾ cup crushed pineapple, well drained

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Butter a 23cm-diameter loose-bottomed cake tin and line the bottom with paper.

Place the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add the oil, eggs, vanilla, carrot and pineapple and mix well. Pour into the tin and place in the oven for 45 – 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Cake can be split in half and filled with cream cheese icing if wished.

Cream Cheese icing

 ·      85g cream cheese

·      60g butter  -  softened

·      1 tsp vanilla

·         2 cups icing sugar

Beat all ingredients together. Spread evenly on the cake and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Gooey Peanut Caramel Bars - Gluten Free with a Vegan Option - Recipe

Gooey Peanut Caramel Bars

Gluten Free with Vegan Option (Make the caramel sauce with Dairy Free Margarine like Olivani)

These are a bit fiddly and do take a long time but are well worth it. The combination of  the sweetness and saltiness and the gooey sauce make it a delicious treat.

If you are not using butter, the sauce does not harden as firm so best to keep in the freezer and take out five minutes before serving.

They take at least 4 hours of fridge/freezer time so allow for this when you plan to make them.

‘Nougat’ Base

½ cup coconut cream

2 Tbsp rice malt syrup

Pinch of sea salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 Tbsp coconut flour plus extra if needed

½ cup peanut or cashew butter

Filling

½ cup Gooey Caramel Sauce (See below)

¼ cup peanuts, roughly chopped

Chocolate Coating

200g dark chocolate

Line a loaf tin with baking paper. Combine all ingredients for the base in a bowl until mixture comes together and forms a very soft dough. You may need to add more coconut flour to achieve the right consistency.

Spoon mixture into the lined tin and freeze for 1 – 2 hours or until firm to the touch. Remove from the freezer and cover with Gooey Caramel Sauce. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and slice base into 20 even pieces. Place back in the freezer for a further hour to set again.

Line a  tray with baking paper. Remove the tray from the freezer. Lift the bars out of the tin and place them separately on the tray. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler. Coat them with the chocolate. Put them back in the freezer.

Gooey Caramel Sauce

1/3 cup rice malt syrup

100g butter or Dairy Free Olivani if you wish to make it vegan

½ cup coconut cream.

Heat the rice syrup in a pan until bubbling vigorously. If you have a candy thermometer, heat until the caramel reaches 135 degrees C. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook the syrup for 13 minutes until it has reduced down. The mixture should be thick, drippy and lightly coat the back of a spoon.

Add butter (or Olivani) and stir until combined over a medium heat. Remove from heat and slowly add coconut cream, stirring until combined. Pour caramel into a bowl and sit in the freezer for a few hours until thick. 

Chocolate, date and fig truffles - Vegan, Refined Sugar and Gluten Free

Chocolate, Date and Fig Truffles

Vegan, Refined Sugar and Gluten Free

Truffles are great for a morning or afternoon tea. These ones use healthy, nutritious ingredients and they are not too sweet.

150g dates, pitted

¼ cup hot water

150g dried figs, stems discarded, quartered

¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

½ cup toasted pecans (can be replaced with other nuts like walnuts but pecans do add a rich flavour)

½ cup almond meal

¼ cup cocoa powder, plus extra for rolling

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Soak dates in water for 30 minutes. Reserve the water. In a food processor, blend or process dates, figs, pumpkin seeds, pecans, almond meal, cocoa and vanilla until almost smooth and combined. If the mixture is too dry, add a little of the date water and blend further.

Roll rounded teaspoons of mixture into 30 balls, then roll in extra cocoa. Store truffles in the fridge in an airtight container.

If you find the cocoa is a bit bitter you can mix it with a few tablespoons of icing sugar (Don’t add this if you wish to keep them refined sugar free) or alternately coat the balls in fine coconut.