Breakfast fruit crumble

Hello everyone!

Today's breakfast was such a treat! It was inspired by the fresh peaches I purchased yesterday. I also had 2 granny smith apples I had been meaning to turn into a classical dessert crumble, which were still waiting for their turn to be turned into some delicious creation! 

Ingredient:

• Any fruits you have on offer (I used 3 peaches, 2 granny smith apples and a handful of dry cranberries)
• 1/3rd of a cup of hazelnuts 
• 1 cup rolled oats 
• A sprinkle of chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate chips since those where the ones I had on hand!)
• 1/4th of a cup of coconut oil (melted) or melted butter (I prefer to use a plant-based butter/margarine)
• 1/4th cup coconut/almond milk
• 1/4th cup packed light brown sugar (aids in the caramelisation of the crumble!) 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of almond butter (any nut butter will do! I choose almond butter since it does not have an overpowering taste)
• 1 tablespoon of honey/agave syrup

Method:

1. Layer the fruit on the bottom of your baking pan
2. Mix the wet ingredients together (milk, egg white, honey, oil or butter, vanilla essence) until well combined. Add to the dry ingredients. Add the spoonful of almond butter and mix until well combined. 
3. Spread out the oat crumble mixture over the fresh and dried fruit. Sprinkle the crushed hazelnuts and chocolate chips (if desired - the nuts provide an extra crunch) 
4. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees and bake until the fruit inside starts bubbling!
5. Serve with a dollop of vanilla Greek yogurt for a hearty, satisfying breakfast! 

Lighter Mixed Berries Cheesecake

On my ongoing quest to make healthier alternatives of beloved desserts, without compromising the taste or texture, I came up with this mixed berry cheesecake which truly lived up to our expectation! This cheesecake requires no baking! It is truly a delicious weekend treat!

Ingredients for cheesecake:

• 200 g of crushed wholegrain biscuits (I used Misura's wholewheat biscuits
• 550 g of light cream cheese 
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence 
• 2 leafs of gelatin
• 100 g confectioner's sugar
• 200 ml of single soya cream (I use alpro)
• 50 g of tahini paste
• 50 g of margarine 

Berry glaze:

• 200 g of mixed forest fruit/mixed frozen berries
  
• 2-3 sheets of gelatin
• Lime juice (around 30 ml)
• Lime zest (optional)
• 40 g of confectioner's sugar

Method:

1. First crush the biscuits and combine with the tahini paste and margarine
2. Layer the biscuit-butter-paste mixture in a spring-form pan covered with light cooking spray and flatten until even. Let the biscuit base rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, prior to adding the cream
3. Let the gelatin sheets soak in cold water for around 5 minutes
4. In the meantime, whisk the light cream cheese and the confectioner's sugar slowly until well incorporated. Add the vanilla essence. 
5. In a pot, warm the cream gently and add the soaked gelatin sheets. Don't forget to remove the excess water from the sheets!
6. Once the gelatin and the cream become one solution, add to the cream cheese mixture
7. Pour the resulting mixture over the pan containing the biscuit base and refrigerate for at least 4 hours
8. Start working on the berry glaze, by placing the gelatin sheets to soak in cold water.
9. In the meantime, start working on the berry sauce by adding the berries and sugar to a pot and heat until the berries start bubbling
10. Add the lime juice and zest and mix over low heat until a sauce forms
11. Puree the lime-berry sauce in a blender and sieve to remove the bits, resulting from the berries
12. Add the gelatin sheets inside the berry sauce and pour over the set cheesecake
13. Return the cheesecake to the fridge and only remove prior to serving
14. Don't forget to tag me if you try it out on my Instagram page @seasonandsavour!

Faux-rocher energy balls

Hi everyone! Hope you're all well! Following many requests about the faux-rerro rocher energy balls, I finally found some time to jot down the recipe! Hope you all enjoy them as much as we did!

Ingredients:

• 125g pitted prunes
• 140g roasted hazelnuts 
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons of honey or agave syrup
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence 
• pinch of salt
• 100g of melting chocolate (feel free to add more accordingly to the shape and size of the ball)

Method:

• Add all the ingredients to a food processor and grind until a thick paste forms (this may take some time)
• Next mold the paste into little balls and place onto a pan lined with a baking sheet.
• Place the balls in the fridge, while melting the chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie
• You can use a variety of melting chocolate to create different designs! I used 52% dark chocolate
• Once the chocolate is lukewarm, place a kebab stick in the balls and dip in the chocolate to coat the ball. Place it on the baking sheet.
• Once all the balls are ready and decorated to your liking, place in the freezer, until serving time! I used crushed hazelnuts, however anything and everything works!
• Serving size is 1-2 balls.
• Store in a tight seal container in the freezer for up to 2 weeks, however I'm sure you'll devour them in no time!
• If you try them out, make sure to tag me on my Instagram page @seasonandsavour!

Greek yogurt-walnut brownies!

Brownies are one of my favorite desserts! However, on my quest of healthy eating I've been trying to make delicious, guilt free bakes! This one turned out pretty awesome! Everyone in my family loved these mini slices of deliciousness! 

For this recipe, I used: 

• 68 g light spelt flour
• 34 g cacao powder
• 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder 
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melt beforehand in microwave)
• 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 200 ml Greek vanilla yogurt (2% fat)
• 2 large eggs
• 15 g milk chocolate chips
• 15 g roughly chopped dark chocolate 
• 20 g roughly chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Line a 8'' square tin with baking paper and spray using light cooking spray.
2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, coffee granules, salt)
4. In a separate container, mix the wet ingredients together (oil, maple syrup, eggs, yogurt)
5. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and combine until homogeneous
6. Add the chocolate chips, chopped dark chocolate and walnuts and mix until well combined with the batter
7. Spread the batter inside the lined cake tin and bake for roughly 25 minutes (this may vary according to your oven - to check if the cake is baked through, insert a kebab stick and if it comes out clean, your cake is ready)
8. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and chopped walnuts for a Sunday afternoon treat!

Spiced pear cake

Hello everyone!

Today's bake is a spiced pear cake full of delicious goodness! Made with light spelt flour and spiced with cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, this cake is a perfect accompaniment with a warm cup of tea! 

Ingredients:

• 272 g of light spelt flour (plain flour does the trick also!)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder
• 120 ml of light olive oil
• 50 ml of maple syrup 
• 50 ml of honey (I used lavender scented honey)
• 50 g of light packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 0.5 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2 sliced pears (for decoration on top)
• 40 g of vanilla yogurt ( I used Greek vanilla yogurt, 2% fat - this helps keep your cake moist)
• 100 ml of milk 

Method:

• Preheat your oven at 165 degrees Celsius
• Add the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix together (flour, spices, baking powder)
• In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, including the honey, maple syrup, sugar, yogurt, milk etc. until homogeneous.
• Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix together until a thick batter forms.
• Spread out in your spring-form pan and add the sliced pears on top (decorate as desired)
• Bake for around 20-30 minutes depending on your oven. 
• Once cooled, you may serve the cake with a dollop of creme fraiche accompanied with a brewing cup of black tea!

Prune & Almond chocolate truffles

Welcome to this next post! Looking forward to sharing this recipe! This is a simple yet nourishing recipe, which is also very tasty! For this recipe we use prunes, almonds and any melting chocolate you have in your pantry! I used leftover Easter eggs, which truly enhanced my truffles!

Let's jump right in, shall we?

Ingredients:

• 125g pitted prunes
• 140g almonds
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• pinch of salt
• 100g of melting chocolate (feel free to add more accordingly to the shape and size of the ball)

Method:

• Add all the ingredients to a food processor and grind until a thick paste forms. 
• Next mold the paste into little balls and place onto a pan lined with a baking sheet.
• Place the balls in the fridge, while melting the chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie.
• You can use a variety of melting chocolate to create different designs!
• Once the chocolate is lukewarm, place a kebab stick in the balls and dip in the chocolate to coat the ball. Place it on the baking sheet.
• Once all the balls are ready and decorated to your liking, place in the freezer, until serving time!
• Serving size is 1-2 balls.

Blueberry & white chocolate healthy muffins

Hi again!

Hope you're having a good week! Today I will be sharing the blueberry white chocolate muffins, a healthy breakfast treat that's satisfying for those craving a sweet treat in the morning! Let's get to it!

Ingredients:

• 136g of wholegrain kamut flour (if you prefer the muffins to be lighter in texture, you can opt for a 1:1 ratio, between wholegrain and 00 flour) 
• 85g of rolled oats (these can be added straight to the better as is, or they can be ground for a smoother texture) 
• 1 egg
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder
• A pinch of salt
• 125ml of milk (I used lactose-free)
• 18g of light tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 120g of light brown sugar 
• 85g blueberries
• 50g white chocolate chips

Method:

• Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
• Whisk the egg and combine with the sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, milk, oil and tahini paste. 
• Once well combined, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until they form the muffin batter. Don't forget to add in the berries and chocolate chips also 
• Line a cupcake pan with 12 muffin cases and spoon in the batter
• Bake for 16 minutes (this may vary depending on your oven) at 185 degrees Celcius
• Let the muffins cool on a cooling rack and enjoy!

Pistachio & Almond butter

Equipment required:

Food processor 

Ingredients:

• 170g of raw pistachios (unsalted) I got mine from one of my local health-shops from the counter to avoid extra charges! It is also environmentally friendly, since you can take your own container and just fill it up!
• 100g of ground almonds
  
• 4 tablespoons of honey 
• 3 teaspoons of vanilla powder (vanilla essence can work just fine also)
• 1 tablespoon of neutral flavored oil (coconut oil would work wonders also)
• 120ml of lactose-free milk (to achieve the desired consistency) 

Method: 

1.  First start by preheating your oven to 165 degrees Celsius. On a baking sheet, spread the raw pistachios and roast for 10 minutes (depending on your oven, this may take more or less time, so pay extra caution!)
   
2. Add the roasted pistachios to the ground almonds in the food processor. Add the vanilla powder, honey and the oil. At this point start the food processor to start off the grinding process. You may need to be patient during this process, since some hand processors cannot operate for more than 2 minutes! Make sure you do this in pulses.
3. Add the milk and further grind together until the desired consistency is achieved.
4. More milk may be added until a butter-like paste forms.
5. Last but not least! Taste and savour the moment!

You may opt to try this delicious paste with coffee, as in my picture or else it goes great on pancakes, toast and all kinds of bakes! If you try it out, be sure to tag me @seasonandsavour!