Ginger & lemon snack balls

Some days I'll accidentally end up grazing all day until dinner instead of having proper meals. It's not ideal for everyday but life can get so hectic sometimes. On those days a snack like this will fit in the mix perfectly.

There are millions of recipes for bliss balls, brain balls, amaze-balls, whatever-you-want-to-call-them-balls out there but most seem to involve either chocolate or coconut. I love both those ingredients but I was craving something different. I had a delicious raw ginger slice at the Little Bird Unbakery last week and was inspired to use ginger.

The toasted buckwheat coating gives a great crunch and the cashews add a creaminess that works perfectly with the lemon zest and spicy raw ginger.

Ginger & Lemon Snack Balls

1 cup raw cashew nuts

1/2 cup raw walnuts

1/2 cup raw almonds

3 Tbsp sesame seeds

3/4 cup cup dates*

1 Tbsp grated ginger root

Zest of 1 1/2 lemons

1 tsp vanilla essence

100 grams buckwheat (whole groats)

In a saucepan toast buckwheat over a medium heat until lightly colored.

Place dates, almonds, lemon and ginger into a food processor. Pulse well to combine.

Add the remainder of the ingredients (except the buckwheat) and mix for approx 1-2 minute. You want the mixture to be well combined and the nuts finely chopped but don't let it become too smooth. A bit of texture is good.

Use a heaped teaspoon of mixture to roll each ball.

Roll your finished balls in the toasted buckwheat and place in the fridge for an hour to set.

These are best stored in the fridge and will last for 4 days in a airtight container. I often store them in the freezer if we're not going to eat them all in time.

*Medjool dates work brilliantly in recipes like this. Regular dates are fine though if you soak them for half an hour in boiling water first.

(Gluten free, refined sugar free, vegan)

Bone Broth

Eating for wellness shouldn't have to be expensive. While I love buying vital greens powder for smoothies or sprinkling raw cacao nibs on everything, those ingredients can be really pricey.
I love recipes that highlight that simple things are often the very best for us.

Bone broth is great example of this very principle. It's accessible, inexpensive and requires no skill whatsoever to make.

Very simply - chicken, fish or beef bones are simmered for a long time (up to 2 days). You add a little cider vinegar to help draw out the minerals, chuck in a few vegetables for taste and hey presto you're away.

Bone broth is highly nutritious*, full of really easily absorbed minerals. It's amazing for immunity, digestive problems, skin health, you name it and bone broth will probably help.
The wonderful thing is this tonic costs only a few measly dollars to make.

Make sure you use good bones from a butcher that can ideally supply you hormone free meat / bones.
I make my bone broth in my slow cooker. Just as when making stock, bones are ideally roasted first to ensure a great flavour. I often bring the bones and vegetables to the boil in a pot on the stove first and then dump it all in the slow cooker to do its thing for the next two days.

The finished product can be drunk hot in a mug with some salt and pepper or used as a delicious stock for soup, stews etc. Because lots of vegetables contain fat soluble vitamins, making a vegetable (though obviously not vegetarian) soup with your bone broth will make your vegetable soup even more nutritious.

* My research tells me bone broth contains the following goodies: collagen, gelatin, hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, glycosamino glycans, proline, glycine, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. 

Beef Bone Broth

2 kg beef bones (a variety of bones is ideal)

1 onion quartered 

2 carrots cuts into large chunks

2 celery stalks

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 small bunch parsley

Place the bones in a large roasting pan and roast for approx 35 minutes at 180 degrees or until well browned.

Place the bones, onion, carrot, celery and apple cider vinegar into your slow cooker. Cover with water leaving about an inch at the top.

Turn the slow cooker onto high.

Once the liquid is bubbling turn the slow cooker to low and leave for 48 hours.

Add the slow cooker for the last hour of cooking.

Leave the broth to cool slightly before straining through a fine sieve.

Pour the finished stock into jars. Once completely cooled a layer of fat will sit solid the top. Scope this off.

Your broth can be stored in the fridge for a week or frozen. 

Note: A successful broth will gel when cooled.

Weekend In The Country

We've just come home from a really relaxing weekend staying with my partner's parents in Waipu. Their house has the most glorious garden with an orchard, lots of vegetables and lovely trees everywhere. It's such a lovely, inspiring place to spend a weekend and we always come home feeling very lucky it's only a two hour drive away. The weather on Sunday was diabolical and we spent the day reading in front of the fire while my daughter hung out with her grandparents. The rain was torrential all day so we didn't feel guilty about doing nothing much at all. As so often seems to happen in Northland, at 5 o'clock, the clouds cleared, the rain stopped and the sun made a mighty appearance. We took the opportunity to wander around the property at this gorgeous time of day.

Luke's mum is a great cook. We are always very well fed while we're staying with them. We arrived at 7.30 on Friday night. A yummy cheese souffle was waiting for us along with a glass of wine.
She's been making this recipe for 30 years. It comes from a book called: Not Just A Load Of Old Lentils. Such a great title. The recipe is below. The soufflé didn't last long enough for a photograph but trust me it's delicious.

Cheese Souffle 

85 grams butter

2 heaped Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

6 heaped Tbsp grated cheese

4 eggs separated

1/2 tsp mustard powder

salt and pepper

Melt butter and add flour to the saucepan. When the mixture froths remove from heat and stir in the milk. Return to the heat and stir until mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and add grated cheese. Allow to cool slightly and mix in the egg yolks, mustard powder, salt and pepper.

Whisk egg whites until very stiff and fold into the mixture gently.

Pour mixture into a 2 pint soufflé dish and bake at 180 for about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

Coconut, Sultana & Lemon Loaf

Now that I've got a child mornings are especially hectic. My partner and I rush around getting our daughter sorted, coffee brewed (big priority in our household) and attempt to get him out the door at a reasonable time. Most of the time my breakfast takes a back seat to everything else. This coconut, sultana and lemon loaf is a great breakfast solution for me. It can be eaten with one hand while standing up.

It's lightly sweet so is delicious with my cup of coffee and rich enough with the good fats from the almond flour and coconut to give me a bit of distance.

I found the original recipe on a South African paleo food blog and wrote it down. I haven't been able to find the site again to credit it here. The original recipe used only desiccated coconut as the "flour". I prefer a 50/50 mixture of coconut and almond flour and I added sultanas, lemon zest and a little spicy warmth in the form of cinnamon and nutmeg. The result was much more me.

I have two thick slices of this plain or spread with home made roasted almond butter. Having a breakfast of all home made elements is a lovely way to start the day.

This loaf is a great snack any time of the day though. One you can feel good about too. It's gluten free and uses just two tablespoons of maple syrup to sweeten the whole loaf .

Coconut, sultana & lemon loaf
1 1/2 cups ground almonds
1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
2 Tbsp maple syrup
5 free range eggs
1/2 cup sultanas
1 tsp vanilla essence
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 140 degrees.

Use an electric mixer to beat together the eggs, vanilla and maple syrup.

Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and baking powder. Beat to combine.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and the sultanas.

The batter should be very stiff.

Spoon the batter into a loaf tin lined with baking paper. Use a spoon to smooth the top of the mixture.

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave the loaf to cool entirely before slicing.

(Gluten and refined sugar free)