bos.kitchen

Chocolate marzipan truffles

14th July 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

Chocolate and marzipan has to be one of my favourite flavour combinations, what a treat. I always used to have marzipan from the fridge when my Mum made wedding cakes (and icing too, oops). There was often a nice big chunk in there for decorating but I couldn’t help taking a little piece now and then (basically whenever I had the opportunity). I adore those marzipan bars you can buy in some health stores too, just a generous bar of marzipan, smothered in dark chocolate. Mmmmmm. I love the smell of it, almonds are so sweet and delicious. These babies are gluten free, refined sugar free and packed with healthy protein. You can omit the amaretto if you like, it just won’t taste as marzipan-y, is that a word?!

I got the basis for this recipe from the Lazy Cat Kitchen blog and in it Ania suggests tempering your chocolate, to get the ultimate snap and sheen to your little truffles. I’d never done it before, but now definitely recommend tempering for the best results. It wasn’t tricky, but you do need a thermometer- it’s all about using it at just the right temperature.

Chocolate marzipan truffles (makes 24 truffles)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups almonds
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond mylk
10 tsp amaretto
1 tsp lemon zest
Pinch of sea salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
250g vegan dark chocolate, broken into medium size pieces (use a sugar free dark chocolate bar to keep totally sugar free)
Small handful of almonds, toasted and roughly chopped

Blend almonds and cashews together in your food processor until finely ground, to a flour.
Add lemon zest, maple syrup, almond mylk, amaretto, lemon zest, sea salt and vanilla to a small bowl and whisk together.
Slowly add the mix, little by little, to the blender and pulse until combined. The mixture should be sticking together with your fingers. Bring dough together with your fingers and shape into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge.
Slowly melt 150g of your chocolate in a bain-marie (a bowl gently heated over boiling water), being careful to keep the water away from your bowl of chocolate (water is the worst thing that could happen to your melted chocolate, be careful).
When the chocolate has melted, take off the heat and gently stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to get things cooling. Chocolate fully melts at 46°C, but you want to cool it down to between 31 to 33°C. Add the remaining 100g of chocolate, this will increase the rate of the cooling process. Keep checking the temperature with your thermometer every five minutes or so.
While the chocolate is cooling, take your marzipan dough out the fridge and make into balls. I made a tablespoon of dough per truffle. When the chocolate has reached the magical temperature of between 31 and 33°C, you’re ready to dip! Dunk your balls into the chocolate and leave to dry on a cooling rack.
Put any remaining chocolate into a piping bag, or just drizzle on top of the truffles. Garnish with toasted chopped almonds. Try not to eat them all to yourself.

Kiwi and lime chia popsicles

9th July 2016 by bos.kitchen 2 Comments

Cool down this summer with my kiwi and lime chia popsicles! They’re sweet and creamy but so healthy you can enjoy them for breakfast. Packed with energising chia seeds and healthy fats from the coconut and nut milk, you’ll get that nourishing, full up feeling without feeling sluggish. They’re the perfect zesty treat to liven up your day. I love the texture of frozen chia seeds in coconut milk, it’s such a fun way to try chia!

(Makes 10)

1 3/4 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup almond mylk (or other non dairy mylk)
2 tbsp rice malt syrup
2 limes, juiced and zested
1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 pod, seeded
1/4 cup Organic Burst chia seeds
2 kiwis, thinly sliced (I used Zespri golden kiwi fruit)

1. Stir coconut milk, almond mylk, rice malt syrup, lime juice and zest, vanilla and chia seeds together. Mix really well to make sure there are no lumps. Leave to soak for at least 15 minutes.

2. Rub a tiny bit of rice malt syrup on your kiwi slices and stick inside your popsicle mould. Slowly pour in the chia pudding and set in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

Rose sherbet

5th July 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

An exotic Rose Sherbet, the best way to cool down on a warm day. Made with ice, cashews, strawberries and rosewater. This sherbet is so creamy and refreshing. My version is refined sugar and dairy free. I added a little raw beetroot to boost the rosy pink, but you can omit this if you don’t have any. I made this originally with 1 tbsp of rosewater, which wasn’t enough for me. My advice is to add a tbsp at a time and taste, some rosewater can be very potent.

Sherbet has been around since the 16th century! It is traditionally made from fruit juices or extracts of flowers, mixed with sugar and water to form a syrup. The syrup is then stored and mixed at a later time with water or ice. As refrigeration was only available to the rich, reducing fruit to a syrup or liquid meant that even the poor could enjoy something sweet and fruity all year round.

Sherbet is an important drink in Muslim culture and often served to end a day’s fasting during Ramadan. In Egyptian Arabic, you can say ‘dam sharbaat’ which means somebody is very sweet, it translates to ‘his blood is sherbet’. Children are often called ’sharbaataat’, meaning ‘cuties’ or ’sweethearts’. How cute is that? In some parts of Turkey, a woman drinks rose sherbet to show she has accepted the groom’s hand in marriage. This is a very special drink with a lot of history, I had so much fun learning about it!

Recipe – makes enough for two glasses

3/4 cup cashews (soaked overnight and drained)
1 large handful of ice
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen strawberries
2-3 tbsp rosewater
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp rice malt syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
2 inch piece of peeled, raw beetroot (optional)

Add all ingredients to blender and process on high until smooth and creamy.

Jammie Dodgers

3rd July 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

Jammie Dodgers, Bo’s Kitchen style. Jammie Dodgers hail from the UK and consist of a sticky, mega sweet jam sandwiched between two shortbread cookies. These traditional biscuits used to be vegan, but as with most accidentally vegan snacks, they decided to put an animal product back in the mix for no apparent reason, so I had to make my own.

This simple cookie recipe surprised me with how delicious it was, considering it only has five ingredients! The jam is a chia jam with strawberry and plum, if you have any left over it tastes great on toast or on top of oatmeal. They keep really well in the fridge, as the coconut oil helps to keep them firm. They’re made with coconut sugar and coconut oil, far healthier than their sugar laden, non vegan cookie twin. Of course I’ve made this vegan and E number free! I made these with spelt flour, but I’m sure you could use a gluten free flour too. I may give them a whirl with buckwheat flour next.I’ve eaten most of this batch to myself so I know they must be good! I’d love to hear how you get on if you try this recipe, I’m already preparing for my second batch tomorrow…

Recipe

200g coconut oil, melted
130g coconut sugar
1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water)
2 tsp vanilla extract
350g spelt flour

Strawberry and plum chia jam

1 cup strawberries, chopped
4 fresh plums, pitted and chopped
3 tbsp Organic Burst chia seeds
2 tbsp maple syrup/agave syrup
1/4 cup water

Preheat your oven to 180°c and line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
Make your chia jam by adding all jam ingredients to a small saucepan and bringing to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for around 30 minutes until jammy, stirring every now and then. Add a little more water if you need to.
To make the cookie dough, mix coconut oil and coconut sugar in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Then add flax egg and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Add the spelt flour, using your spoon at first and then your hands, to make sure it all comes together as a dough.
Leave dough to chill for 15 minutes in the fridge. Make sure your chia jam is set aside to cool. Sprinkle a little spelt flour on your work surface and roll the dough out to about 5mm thick. Cut out your dough using one round cookie cutter and one heart cutter. Cut out as many cookie shapes as possible and use the heart cutter for half of them.
Use a spatula to carefully lay the cookies on your prepared baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are lightly coloured, but not brown at the edges (they will firm as they cool). Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Using a teaspoon, dollop a heaping spoon of jam on your cookie and gently press the heart shape cookie on top. Sprinkle with a tiny amount of icing sugar if serving immediately, or keep in the fridge to enjoy later.

Raw kiwi cheesecakes

1st July 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

I have to admit, I’ve never been a cheesecake fan. Too rich and creamy for me. But raw cheesecakes? Yes please. They are filling, nutritious, delicious and require minimal effort to make! The best thing is they stay fresh for up to a month in your freezer, so anytime you get a sweet craving, you can satisfy all your sugary needs with a healthy alternative. These slices are raw, refined sugar free and vegan of course! If you don’t have any almonds, feel free to sub in more buckwheat groats. I used Zespri Golden Kiwis for this recipe, which you can find in all major UK retailers until October. If you haven’t tried them before, definitely keep an eye out for some, they taste like a cross between a regular kiwi and bananas! I’m sure you already know by now how I feel about bananas. So these sunny little fellas were right up my street.

Raw kiwi cheesecakes

Base

1/2 cup buckwheat groats
1 1/2 cups pitted dried dates
1/2 cup almonds
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted

Filling

3 cups raw cashew nuts, soaked overnight in water and drained
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
Juice of one lemon or lime
1/2 cup agave or maple syrup
1/2 tsp matcha powder
1/3 cup coconut milk
2 green kiwi fruit (1 peeled, 1 unpeeled)
1 golden kiwi fruit (unpeeled)

Prepare your slice tin (I used an 8 inch square tin), line with baking paper, ensuring the paper goes up over the sides.
Blend buckwheat groats briefly on their own in your blender or food processor, until crumbly, but not quite flour. Now add in the dates, almonds and coconut oil and blend until mixture starts to stick together. Press into your lined tin. I put another layer of baking paper on my base at this stage, followed by a book on top, to make sure it’s evenly flattened. Set aside in the fridge. Rinse out your blender.
Now the filling. Pop drained cashews, coconut oil, lemon/lime juice and agave syrup into blender and blend on high until really smooth. Keep going until there are no lumps remaining.
Add half of the filling mix to your chilled base and pop in the freezer briefly. To the remaining mix, add matcha powder, coconut milk and one green peeled kiwi fruit. Blend again until smooth. Add a little more matcha if you’d like it greener.
Now add your final layer- pour on the green coloured filling on to your cheesecake. Slice up your remaining two kiwi fruit and arrange on top, alternating between green and yellow kiwi slices. Pop in the freezer to set overnight.
Let sit out of the freezer for 30 minutes before slicing. Stores in the freezer for up to a month.

Baobab sunshine smoothie bowls

30th June 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

Wake up and feel amazing with my baobab sunshine smoothie bowls. This recipe reminds me of being on holiday. Creamy coconut milk, pineapple and orange are a winning combination. With the weather being so wet and dreary here in the UK at the moment, I am resorting to making my own sunshine in the kitchen!

I added a good dose of Organic Burst baobab to these beauties for an extra pick me up. Baobab is full of natural vitamin C and iron, which is just the thing if you’re feeling tired and depleted of energy. It has a slight citrus flavour which works beautifully in these fruity bowls. I’ve also added a little of my favourite spice, turmeric, which is a powerful anti inflammatory with a multitude of benefits. It’s secret is curcumin, a powerful healing compound. Did you know that in some studies, curcumin has been proven as effective as Prozac in treating manic depression? In fact, some studies show curcumin to be even more effective than prescription drugs! I won’t rave about it for too long, but seriously, take a minute or two to do some research on this miracle spice and you’ll see what I mean.

Baobab sunshine smoothie (makes enough for two bowls)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

4 frozen bananas

1 pear

1/4 pineapple

1 orange

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp Organic Burst baobab

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth, adding more water as needed.

2. Top with fresh fruit, coconut shreds, toasted nuts and chia pudding.

Cherry chia jam parfait

25th June 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

The cherry obsession continues! This time in the form of a gloriously rich and creamy parfait layered with a berrylicious jam. Chia jam is a great way to try chia if you haven’t given it a go before. The lumpy texture can take a little getting used to, but if you like jam, you’ll dig chia jam. This is full of healthy proteins and fats and the jam is sugar free and brimming with berries. I also put a little carob sauce at the bottom of the jar as a little treat. If you don’t have all the berries listed below, feel free to just sub with whatever you have enough of. As long as you use 2 cups of fruit in total it will still turn into jam. Making almond butter can take a while even in a high speed blender, but boy is it worth it. The flavour of freshly roasted almonds with this cherry chia jam is something else. The recipe makes enough for about two of these jars, or if you’re making one jar just enjoy the leftovers on top of your smoothie bowls for the rest of the week! The jam is great on toast too.

Cherry chia jam

1 cup cherries, pitted
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 tbsp maple syrup

Coconut chia pudding

1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp chia seeds

Almond butter

2 cups whole, unroasted almonds
1/2 tsp sea salt

Carob sauce

2 tbsp carob powder
2 tbsp maple syrup

Make your chia pudding at least 4 hours in advance. Add all coconut chia pudding ingredients to a jar and mix well. Cover and leave in the fridge until the chia seeds have plumped up.
If you’re making the almond butter, heat oven to 170°c. Add almonds to baking tray and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
Take almonds out the oven and process in a blender with the sea salt until smooth and runny- this takes about 10 minutes in my Vitamix, just keep scraping the sides down, mashing and pulsing and eventually it will turn to butter!
To make your cherry chia jam, add cherries, blueberries and strawberries to a small pan and heat gently with 1/2 cup of cold water, chia seeds and maple syrup. After about 20-30 minutes it should reach a jam like consistency. Set aside to cool.
Make your carob sauce by mixing carob and maple syrup together.
Layer your jar with carob sauce at the bottom, then your coconut chia pudding, cherry chia jam and almond butter. Garnish with fresh berries and buckwheat for crunch.

*Leftovers of the chia jam and pudding will keep well in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Strawberry cookies and cream cheesecake

19th June 2016 by bos.kitchen 2 Comments

Strawberry cookies and cream cheesecake is here! There seems to be so many cookies and cream recipes about lately, I couldn’t resist making my contribution with this delicious slice. It took a few attempts and several bags of cashews, but I’ve finally mastered it. The base is sweet and chewy like every good cookie should be and the filling is creamy and light with hints of vanilla. It’s refined sugar free, gluten free, raw and vegan. If you don’t have carob, by all means sub with cacao or cocoa, but carob really does give the best dark chocolate cookie flavour. This cheesecake is light and creamy and makes for a crowd pleasing dessert at a dinner party. My friends have enjoyed testing this one out for me! I’d love to see if you try it!

Recipe (Makes 12-14 slices)

Base

1 cup unroasted buckwheat groats (or sub with more pecans)
1 cup whole raw pecans
1 1/2 cups pitted dried dates, roughly chopped
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
3 tbsp carob powder

Filling

3 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight in cold water and drained
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup coconut milk
Juice of one lemon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup or rice malt syrup
1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
1/2 cup cacao nibs
1 cup strawberries, hulled and quartered

Carob cookie crumb topping

1/2 cup dates
1/2 cup pecans
1 tbsp carob
2 tbsp maple syrup or rice malt syrup

If you’re using buckwheat groats in your base, blend them for a few minutes in your blender until ‘sandy’, you want them to be finely ground, but not so much that it turns to flour.
Add pecans, dates, coconut oil and carob to the ground buckwheat and pulse and blend until the mixture starts to stick together.
Press mixture down firmly into a lined tin. I used a 28×18 cm slice tin. Pop in the fridge while you make the filling. If you’d like to make the crumb topping, add the dates, pecans, carob and maple syrup to your blender and pulse until crumbly. Set aside.
Rinse out your blender and add cashews, coconut oil, coconut milk, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides half way through. Fold through the strawberries and cacao nibs.
Pour the filling on top of the base and pop in the freezer to set for at least 4 hours.
Remove from the freezer and leave for 20-30 mins before slicing. Top with fresh strawberries and your carob cookie crumb.

Cherry coconut nice cream

12th June 2016 by bos.kitchen 2 Comments

Cherry season is here! They taste so delicious right now. I love everything cherry flavour (including lip balms and fizzy cola bottles). Enter the perfect healthy treat to showcase this ruby red summer fruit, cherry coconut nice cream. The carob sauce is a firm staple in my kitchen, it’s luscious and gooey and a doddle to make. If you love dark chocolate, give carob a go. It’s more nutritionally dense than cacao and doesn’t contain caffeine which means it’s perfect to eat any time of the day! The toasted coconut chips on top of this take it to ice cream sundae level, so I’d really recommend making them. Cherry, carob and coconut may just be my new favourite thing.

Recipe (Makes enough for two, as pictured)

4 frozen bananas, chopped
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp cashew butter
2 medjool dates, pitted
1 tbsp Organic Burst maca (optional)
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted
1/4 cup toasted coconut chips
2 tbsp carob powder
2 tbsp maple syrup

If you haven’t toasted your coconut chips, chuck the chips onto a small baking tray. Bake in the oven at 140°c and keep an eye on them. After about 10 minutes they should be starting to turn golden around the edges. Take out and leave to cool.
Make your coconut nice cream by adding frozen bananas, coconut milk, vanilla extract, cashew butter, dates and maca powder (if using) to your blender or food processor. Pulse and mash every so often, adding a little coconut milk at a time until smooth. Add water bit by bit if you need to soften it.
Smooth your first layer down in your jar(s). Split the remaining mix in half, adding the cherries to the half left in the blender. Mix well until smooth. Now scoop out the cherry nice cream and pop in the freezer with the coconut nice cream and your jar(s). Leave to set for at least 30 minutes.
Make the carob sauce by mixing carob powder and maple syrup until smooth and glossy.
Grab everything from the freezer and layer up! Top with your toasted coconut chips, carob sauce and fresh cherries on top!

Tropical golden kiwi smoothie

9th June 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

Summertime is well and truly here in the UK and I couldn’t be happier. After what seems like an eternity of cold weather, I can finally start to enjoy my smoothies and nice cream in the heat! What better way to celebrate the sunshine than slurping on a big chilled jar of tropical smoothie. I used golden kiwi here, but feel free to use regular kiwi if you can’t find this one. Although the golden kiwi does really work well- it tastes like a cross between a banana and a green kiwi!

Recipe (Makes one large smoothie, or two regular glasses)

1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
Handful of ice
1 cup frozen banana
1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 mango
2 golden kiwis
1 tsp turmeric (optional, but makes it extra golden and nutritious)

If you want to decorate your jar, thinly slice some kiwi and brush with a little coconut oil. Stick to the inside of your jar and pop the jar in the freezer- this helps the slices to stick. Add coconut milk, water, ice, banana and pineapple to blend and mix until smooth. Pour half the mix into your jar and pop back into the freezer to set. I left mine for about 30 minutes.
To the remaining smoothie, add coconut oil, mango, kiwis and 1 tsp turmeric. Blend until smooth. Slowly pour into your jar. Decorate with fresh mint, toasted coconut and fruit slices. Enjoy the tropical vibes!