Connection Challenge & Vegan Flapjacks

From March 2020 ……

We are into our second week of lock-down here in New Zealand though many here have decided to use a Māori reference of rāhui instead.  I kind of like that term so may begin adopting it … rather than using a term of imprisonment! I have to be honest though and say that not much has actually changed for our whānau aside from Himself working from home and the few activities we partook in being cancelled.  We are now adjusting to online keyboard lessons, judo via YouTube and Rangers (Girl Guides) on Zoom 🙂

It has given me a bit more time to do some other work, hence the time to blog and bake 🙂  It has also inspired me to create a bit of a challenge for people – a connection challenge.  With the mail stopped (well for us anyway) and all these businesses bombarding my inbox with their updates I thought it would be great to receive some real mail from friends and family.  I have begun with an email to a friend, themselves have done likewise.

The best thing is that it made me feel great that I may be putting a smile on someone’s face and that there may just be an email coming back to put a smile on mine!  I know that everyone has gone on social media more but there is nothing like a personal letter/email to really make you feel that you are connected.  All the more important at the moment when you can’t physically connect. It could be to a loved one, a friend or even someone you have admired for a while.  Copy the photo below and share as much as you want on Social media …. just get writing as well 🙂

Give it a go … it will make you feel great!

So I thought I should give you a bit of nourishment to see you through all those letters/emails of connection that you’ll be writing 🙂  This is a flapjack recipe which I have adapted to make it vegan.  I only discovered these delicious morals when we lived in Ireland and then I couldn’t get enough of them!  Those of you in Ireland and the UK will know them well with the name flapjack.  Those of you in NZ may know them as porridge biscuits … so I have been informed.  Either way they are a quick, easy and delicious treat.

Vegan Flapjacks

300gm rolled oats (the smaller ones are better)

50gm desiccated coconut

75gm coconut sugar

125gm coconut oil

40ml maple syrup

• Melt oil and stir in sugar and maple syrup until well mixed.
• Add to rolled oats and coconut mixture and mix well again.
• Place in a baking paper lined tin (I used 23cm x 20 cm size tin).  Pressing it down flat as much as possible.
• Bake at 180C for 20-25 mins or until you can see that the oats are golden. 160 C if you have a fan oven
• Take out of the oven and score into squares while it is warm.
• Allow to cool fully in the tin before removing.   Storing them in the fridge to really set them is good as the coconut oil does soften quickly
• ENJOY!

Warm out of the oven

Until the next blog … whenever that fancy grabs me …. kia ora, kia kaha ā kia manawanui (Be well, be strong and be patient)

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

Chocolate Peppermint Macaroons

It is funny just how much I use coconut in my recipes considering I have always thought of myself as not enjoying coconut things. Anyway …. it does seem to be a go to sweet addition to many recipes which allow for taking out sugar or other fillers.  I think all of my offerings, bar one, for morning tea during my 5 week infant massage course have coconut added!  Not that anyone seems to mind and this week my offering of chocolate peppermint macaroons was a bit of a hit so I thought I would share it one here for everyone to find.

All that is left from a batch of 30!

I did get this recipe, before I adapted it a bit, from Hungry Cub.  She had shared a delicious raspberry recipe however, in usual form for me, because I did not have all the ingredients I opted for a chocolate peppermint one.  Mine look no way near as beautiful or perfect as hers either ….. I tend to go for the natural, just chucked together look it seems and not just in my baking  either ;).  Anyway (looks aside) they taste yum, are very easy to make and best of all they are dairy free and gluten free!

2 Cups of shredded coconut

1 1/4 Tablespoons cocoa

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 Tablespoons runny honey

a few drops of peppermint essence

2 egg whites

For the coating – optional

50gm 90% dark chocolate (this is dairy free)

1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil

• Pre-heat the oven to 160 C
• Mix the coconut and cocoa together and mix well.
• Add the honey, vanilla and peppermint essence into the the coconut mixture and make sure it is well blended.
• Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks
• Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.
• On a baking paper lined tray put teaspoonful size piles of the coconut mixture and bake for 10-12 mins or until they are browning a little on top.
• Once the macaroons are cool fully melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler (a small bowl over a pot of boiling water is my method).
• Dip the base of each macaroon into the chocolate and place on a baking paper lined tray to set.  If you have extra you could also drizzle some chocolate over the top of the macaroons for an extra chocolaty treat.
• Place the tray into the fridge to set fully and store there until serving or in-between servings if they last that long!
• Enjoy

Well that is it for this week.  Until next time when I will probably share some Vegan recipe we are trying, now that my boy has decided that is his preferred eating, I hope this finds you healthy, happy and enjoying all the sweetness life has to offer.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz

GF, dairy, refined sugar free and paleo delight

Just had to share this one, a triple layer chocolate caramel slice which is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free as well as Paleo!!

My second batch which had a double thickness base.

Yes you read correctly…. a delicious triple layer chocolate caramel slice which is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free as well as Paleo. This recipe is so easy and the thing I love most about it is that apart from an avocado I had everything in the cupboards.  My kind of recipe!

I will share the recipe link soon, I just wanted to add a few comments about my batches.

– Firstly the recipe says 2 avocados which I used first time around and yielded so much chocolaty goodness that we ended up just eating some as the layer was so, so thick already.  Second attempt I used one medium sized one and still had a good cover – see photo above.

– Secondly the thinner the base layer the better.  I had a bigger tin that the recipe (mine was 17 x 20 cm) and so the first batch seemed to have too thin a base however when I doubled the recipe for the base it was too thick to cut easily or to bite into. Thinner is better for this one 🙂

– Thirdly if you are not a nut lover (that is having them sprinkled on top) then you’ll be glad to know that this recipe is just as yummy without them on.

– Lastly, a big warning!!  Once you make this you will be making it again and scoffing it a lot as it is so so delicious!! Even wheat, dairy, grain and sugar loving himself couldn’t get enough 🙂

Thanks so much to Hungry Cub for sharing it.

Hope this finds you enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

Arohanui

Y

www.becominghealthy.co.nz