buckwheat

Lemon coconut tarts

24th March 2018 by bos.kitchen 2 Comments

Hello friends! Is it too early to say happy Spring? Technically no, but looking outside, you’d never guess! If you’re lacking a little sunshine too, these cheery lemon coconut tarts are here to brighten up your day! Gluten, refined sugar and dairy free, you’re gonna love em! Did I mention they’re no bake and take around 20 minutes to prepare?

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Matcha and blackberry curd tarts

3rd March 2017 by bos.kitchen 2 Comments

These matcha and blackberry curd tarts may just be my favourite recipe yet. Simple, sweet and light, they make the most wonderful dessert or snack. These babies are vegan, gluten and refined sugar free and very almost raw. The flavour combination is something else, I promise you will love them!…

Cacao buckwheat breakfast cups

19th September 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

This month has been full of change. In a really good way. So far I’ve been to a festival in a forest, spent five days in London with my best friend and made some really interesting new connections. It’s only the 19th already! I feel like I’ve learnt to embrace this rollercoaster of a year and welcome whatever else is coming my way with open arms. I definitely don’t feel like I’m the same person I was at the start of the year. It’s weird how sometimes a few months can make you feel like you’ve grown so much. I am truly grateful for the lessons this year has taught me. Without all of them, I wouldn’t be in this place right now. It’s a good feeling knowing it was all for a reason. I have so many plans for the next few months too, so it looks like the end of the year will continue to be eventful!

Anyway, back to breakfast cakes…. these little buckwheat babies are so simple to make and although they look like sweet little tarts, they are loaded with goodness. These raw, gluten free shells are free from nuts and sugar, and a couple in the morning will keep you going until lunch. Buckwheat is a super nutritious whole grain, great at fighting off those mid morning hunger pangs. Cacao is a natural anti depressant and improves your mood.. sounds like perfect Monday morning fuel to me! Load them up with yoghurt and your fave fruits, or make the shells in advance and decorate before serving. I guess these would make great party snacks too. I’m tempted to make them even smaller, into little canapés… I love tiny things! Unless we’re talking jars of peanut butter, then the bigger the better…

Cacao buckwheat breakfast tarts

For the tart shells (makes about 8 small tarts)

1 cup buckwheat
1 tsp lucama powder (optional)
1/2 cup cacao powder
1 cup dates, pitted
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
100ml water

For the filling

1/2 cup non dairy yoghurt
1 vanilla pod (deseeded)
Fresh fruit
Black sesame seeds and mint for garnish

Roughly pulse buckwheat, lucama and cacao in a food processor until starting to crumble.
Now add the dates, coconut oil and water and pulse until the mix comes together in a ball. Add water a tbsp at a time if it is too dry. You should be able to squish it between your fingers without it falling apart.
Take out golf ball size lumps of dough and flatten in your palm. Press into a cupcake mould (I used a silicone one). Pop in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
Mix vanilla pod seeds with non dairy yoghurt and spoon into your tart shells. Garnish with fresh fruit, sesame seeds and mint. Store in the freezer for up to a month. Best eaten after thawing out for 15 minutes.

Blueberry buckwheat parfait

2nd August 2016 by bos.kitchen Leave a Comment

Creamy, sweet, filling and nutritious. These little blueberry beauties are sure to get your day off to a good start! If you don’t have any black currants, just sub them for more blueberries. These take less than five minutes to prepare, just remember to soak your cashews and buckwheat the night before. You do need some frozen bananas too, so don’t forget to pop a couple in the freezer! I always have a tonne pre frozen, I think I presume most people are as banana obsessed as I am.

Buckwheat is naturally gluten free (it’s actually from the rhubarb family) and full of fibre and B vitamins, meaning it’s a great addition to breakfast. It also contains tryptophan which is a natural anti depressant! Just one cup of buckwheat provides 25% of your RDA of tryptophan. It’s pretty awesome stuff.

Blueberries and blackcurrants are from a powerful family of blue fruits and veggies. Anything blessed with this beautiful colour helps fight inflammation in the body, boosts your immune system and contains anti cancer compounds. I’d love to know if you try this simple breakfast parfait!

Blueberry buckwheat parfait (makes 2 parfaits)

3/4 cup buckwheat (soaked overnight in water, rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup cashews (soaked overnight in water, rinsed and drained)
2 frozen bananas
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup black currants
1 tsp acai powder (optional)

Extra berries and mint for decorating (I used leftover brownie crumble too)

Rinse your soaked buckwheat well, until the water runs clear and the sticky residue is removed. Rinse your cashews too.
Add rinsed buckwheat, cashews, frozen bananas, vanilla extract and coconut milk to your blender and blend until smooth. You want it to be thick but pourable, so add a little water if you need to.
Pour the mixture into your glasses until 3/4 full. To the remaining mix in the blender, add blueberries, black currants and acai powder and blend until smooth.
Top up your jars with the purple mix and decorate with more berries, brownie crumble and mint.

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.

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.

Cinnamon buckwheat pancakes with chocolate sauce

9th May 2016 by bos.kitchen 2 Comments

Everyone needs pancakes right? Or maybe it’s just me. I love the endless array of toppings you can use, plus they only take a few minutes to whip up. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning or a post work out refuel. I’ve kept these gluten free, but feel free to sub the buckwheat for plain all purpose flour if that’s all you have. I’ve added cinnamon and maca powder to the dry ingredients. Cinnamon is loaded with antioxidants and is a powerful anti inflammatory. Did I also mention it tastes amazing in pancakes? I love it! Maca powder really energises me and has a powerful balancing effect. I like to have it when I have a big day ahead. It also has a slight caramel flavour, which lends itself perfectly to this recipe. The chocolate sauce is made with carob powder, which is even better for you than cacao, but much cheaper and has more of a rich, dark chocolatey flavour. It’s worth getting your hands on some if you can.

Recipe

Dry

1 cup buckwheat flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 tsp Organic Burst maca powder (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon

Wet

1 mashed banana
1 3/4 cup dairy free mylk (I used almond)
2 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of half a lemon
Coconut oil (for frying)

Chocolate sauce

2 tsp carob powder
2 tsp maple syrup

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Combine all wet ingredients apart from the coconut oil in a jug and add to dry mix. Stir until combined, try not to over mix. You want the mixture to be thick, but very pourable, I always do a little test pancake first and then add more liquid if needed.
Heat your pan up to medium heat and add a dab of coconut oil. Spoon in half a ladel of batter into the pan and fry until bubbles appear all over. Turn over and cook on the other side. Keep in a warm oven until you’ve made all your pancakes.
To make the chocolate sauce, just mix carob powder and maple syrup. Mix well with a fork until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Serve warmed pancakes with chocolate sauce, fresh fruit and more maple syrup!

*If you don’t have buckwheat flour (it can be expensive, I never buy it), just make your own from buckwheat groats. Simply grind buckwheat groats in your blender until they turn into flour, it only takes a couple of minutes!