It’s hard to believe it’s almost November! Where has the year gone? My kitchen is full of pumpkins, the log burner is fired up and bonfire night is just around the corner! I’m already planning winter recipes and a have a crazy busy month coming up in November. I always crave a healthy, naturally sweet treat to fuel me through long days at work and these Rocky Road Bars are just the trick!…
sugar free
Pumpkin bread
Pumpkin season has just started and what better way to kick it off than with this moist, tender, SUPER delicious pumpkin bread? I hadn’t ever baked a pumpkin loaf before and I have to admit I wasn’t expecting it to be anywhere near as delicious as this. Boy did I underestimate it. It’s literally the BEST cake I’ve ever made! Which is saying something as I’m really not a big cake person. The texture is so fluffy and almost melts in your mouth. Infused with pumpkin spice, naturally sweet roasted pumpkin puree and topped with a creamy vanilla frosting, it’s the must have recipe this season! …
Raspberry vanilla banana bread
The oven is firing up again and I’m too excited for all the recipes I have coming your way! Banana bread is probably my favourite thing to bake, so naturally I’m kicking off baking season with a new variation on this classic cake – raspberry vanilla banana bread. Always simple to prepare, tender and moist without being overly sweet, banana bread is the perfect cake to have with a cup of strong coffee or herbal tea. As we’ve got a few weeks of summer berries left, I’ve thrown in some fresh raspberries and boy does this cake deliver! …
Raw brownies
This post is sponsored by WelleCo, all opinions are my own.
Brownies are one of those desserts that never get old, right? I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a brownie I didn’t enjoy. They’re usually very rich and sugary and for that reason I usually bake them every once in a while, for special occasions. Not so with this raw brownie! Gluten, refined sugar and dairy free and nutritious enough to have any time. No baking involved, just a blender, small pan and about 10 minutes to prepare! …
No bake ‘Twix’ bars
Happy June, friends! I’m back to bring you one of the things I’ve always wanted to recreate, the classic ‘Twix’ bar. That shortbread base and gooey caramel layer coated in chocolate is a winning combination! I simply had to try and make it myself, with no dairy, refined sugar or gluten, just wholesome ingredients (and a little chocolate of course)….
Salted caramel smoothie bowls
Salted caramel. One of those flavours that almost instantly makes my mouth water. I’m usually too impatient to wait until after dinner for my sweet fix, so I love dessert flavoured breakfast bowls. These salted caramel smoothie bowls taste heavenly and I can’t wait to share this recipe with you! They only take a couple of minutes to prepare and are fuelling me through my busy days at the minute….
Lemon coconut tarts
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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Blueberry almond pancakes
If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ll have noticed I’m having a bit of a pancake moment. No longer just for the weekend, I’m whipping them up on the regular. It still feels like winter here at the minute and smoothie bowls just aren’t cutting it. I want something quick and nourishing for breakfast, but it has to be warm and sweet! Enter these simple and satisfying blueberry almond pancakes.
I used to love pancakes when I was little. Sprinkled with lemon and sugar, they were such a rare treat. I’m making up for lost time by making countless variations these past few weeks, and continuing on my mission to become a Pro at breakfast. This year I’ve linked up with Provamel for their Pro campaign, which is all about encouraging people to make positive choices when it comes to food and drink. This means being Pro 100% plant-based, Pro organic and Pro ethically sourced products that respect our environment – and it couldn’t be easier with their delicious range of plant-based drinks and alternatives to yogurt!
After a few attempts with different ingredients, I’ve struck pancake gold! Sweetened with only blueberries, cinnamon and banana and fluffed up with sparkling water, these may be my favourite pancakes yet. They’re studded with blueberries – naturally, I had to add blueberries on top and layer them up with drizzles of almond butter. Blueberry, cinnamon and almond butter is one of my favourite flavour combinations ever – my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
The base mix is made with Provamel Almond Unsweetened drink, which is organic, sugars free … and absolutely delicious! The almonds are sourced from the EU – I try and avoid buying things from the other side of the planet whenever possible to reduce my carbon footprint – another plus for Provamel.
It’s great to see more ethically sourced, organic options in the supermarket now, I firmly believe that we all have the power to creative a positive change for the future if we make small changes to how we shop. Having a carton of Provamel Almond Unsweetened drink in my fridge is super handy and saves me time in the morning. Plus it contains no sugars, which means I can feel a little better about that small drizzle of maple syrup!
This recipe is pretty flexible, so if you don’t have sparkling water, just add more Provamel Almond Unsweetened. No blueberries? Just sub any other berry or leave them out. If gluten-free is your thing, I’ve included a gluten-free option below, although they won’t be quite as fluffy.
I’m in heaven eating these blueberry almond dreams for breakfast. They’re fluffy, banana infused, naturally sweet and hearty enough to keep you going until lunch. You can even make the batter ahead of time and enjoy pancakes in a jiffy throughout the week (breakfast Pro style). If you cook up too many, just reheat them in a dry pan or toaster. They only take 15 mins to prep and by the end of it you’ll have a towering mound of delicious fluffy pancakes, ready to be demolished.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below, rate it or take a snap and tag me on Instagram @bos.kitchen so I can drool over your towering stack of pancakes!
Happy pancaking, friends!
xoxoxoxo
Blueberry almond pancakes
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Bo's Kitchen
Recipe type: Blueberry pancakes
Serves: 8 pancakes
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup flour or plain g/f flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup sparkling water
- 1 cup Provamel almond drink
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup blueberries
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Toppings
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- ½ cup blueberries
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Mash banana with a fork in a small bowl until smooth. Add to flour mix along with sparkling water and vanilla. Stir well with a wooden spoon, then slowly add in the almond drink until quite thick but pourable. The batter should drop slowly off the spoon.
- Fold through the blueberries.
- Heat up a small non stick frying pan to a medium heat with a little coconut oil. Pour in ¼ cup batter per pancake, flipping when bubbles appear. Keep cooked pancakes warm in a low oven until ready to serve. Layer up with almond butter and top with blueberries.
Marbled banana bread
Friends, I got a special recipe to share with you this week – marbled chocolate banana bread. This one is from my battered old cookbook and has been a staple recipe for over ten years now. It’s a keeper. You’re only an hour away from this delicious bread. …
No bake nut brownie
I promised to publish this recipe a couple of weeks ago and it’s finally here! Rich, indulgent, no bake brownie that’s refined sugar free, gluten free and vegan of course.
If you’ve never tried raw brownies before, bookmark this recipe now! I promise you’ll love them – any dessert that’s loaded with chocolate and doesn’t require baking is always a winner for me.
I’m a huge brownie lover but I’m always on the hunt for a healthy version. This one is made with cacao rather than cocao, which is unrefined and therefore more nutritionally dense. I’ve also added chia seeds and maca powder to the brownie base, for an extra helping of protein, b vitamins and omegas. The base is fudgey but with enough bite to hold together and the chocolate ganache is smooth, creamy and sweet, so rich and delicious that just a little slice will suffice.
Feel free to play around with the recipe, you could try different nuts or seeds, personally I love using hazelnuts because they taste so magical with chocolate. I’ve made the base with almonds and walnuts and both came out delicious. I’ve had fun testing out these brownies, they never seem to last very long which is a good sign!
Many thanks to two of my faves, Minimalist Baker and The Bojon Gourmet who have both inspired me with their incredible raw brownie recipes to try out whilst creating these! This recipe is heavily adapted from their recipes so I must say thank you!
I’m thrilled to be featured in the first edition of In The Moment magazine, out in the UK this month! Lots of my recipes are in there, along with an in depth interview with me about how I got into veganism, blogging and cooking. For more information check out their website here (these brownies are featured there too).
If you do try these out, please let me know – I’d love to hear what you think of them! You can also subscribe to my mailing list (just look on the right of this page) and you’ll get my recipes emailed directly to you before anybody else.
Sending you copious amounts of chocolate ganache,
Bo
xoxoxo
No bake nut brownie
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Author: Bo's Kitchen
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1.25 cup hazelnuts
- ¼ cup almonds or walnuts
- ½ cup raw cacao powder
- pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tbsp maca powder
- 1 cup pitted dates
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 2 tbsp coconut milk
Instructions
- Start by making the brownie base. Preheat the oven to 180•c . Add the hazelnuts to a baking tray and cook for about 10 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool then rub off as much of the skin as you can with a clean tea towel. Set about 2 tbsp aside for the ganache. Place remaining hazelnuts in a food processor and process until they are a fine, sandy texture. Now add in almonds, cacao powder, chia seeds, maca powder and salt and pulse until the mixture comes together. Set aside in a bowl.
- Add pitted dates and vanilla to the blender and pulse until it forms a paste. Add back in the brownie mix and pulse again until a rough dough is formed - it should stick together when you press it together, if not, add a tbsp of water at a time.
- Put mixture into a lined loaf pan, pressing down firmly to flatten out and pop in the fridge to set.
- Make the ganache topping by melting coconut oil gently over a small pan of water. Take off the heat and add in coconut milk, maple syrup and cacao powder. Whisk until totally smooth and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes. Pour over the brownie base and sprinkle with hazelnuts, cacao nibs and sea salt. Chill until firm, cut into slices and enjoy! Keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.