15 LichField Road556835 Singapore
I could live only eating fruits and veggies (don’t do it though it’s not balanced 🙂 ! And we are spoilt here, especially when it is the mango season ! My kids love fruits too, but sometimes find it a bit boring when I tell them their afternoon snack will always feature a fruit. Smoothies are a great way to shake it up and make it much more fun for them to have their dose of real natural sugar, vitamins and fibers ! And yes smoothies are much better in my opinion than juices. I have a cold pressed juicer at home and do use it, especially to make veggies juices. But compared to a smoothie you lose all fibers when you juice. And for that reason too, smoothies are much more filling and Leo will always be satisfied with a smoothie whereas he ll ask for more after a big cold pressed juice 🙂
Adjust the recipe below to get the consistency you like and either drink or eat it. In case you make a smoothie bowl, top with goji berries, extra banana or mango slices, hemp seeds, pomegranate, raw cacao nibs, quinoa flakes or coconut flakes.
Ingredients (Serves 2)
- 1 +1/4 cup frozen mangoes
- 1 cup frozen bananas
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 5/6 ice cubes (adjust to consistency you like)
- Optional 1/4 tsp real vanilla extract
Instruction
Put everything in your high speed blender, blend until smooth.
Hello ! Feeling you need a little “cheer me up” this morning for breakfast ? Then think about chocolate 🙂 But not the nasty “N….a” spread you put on toasts or hot choc you drink with marshmallows 🙂 I am talking about real chocolate benefits, ie raw “Cacao”. Do you actually know the difference between cacao and cocoa ?
Simple: raw cacao comes from cold-pressed un-roasted cacao beans. It keeps all the goodness of cacao, which are numerous: living enzymes, antioxidants, magnesium (which can help reduce stress :), potassium, and iron). And lastly it is rich in alkaloids which interact with our neurotransmitters and help us feel good !!!!….
Cocoa comes from the same beans but they have been roasted at high temperatures, hence less nutritional benefits. However if you can’t find raw cacao, cocoa is still a valid option for this smoothie. Healthy enough and will also put a big smile on your face 🙂
Recipe so simple you have no excuse not to make it as I am sure you have everything you need in your pantry ! ENJOY and share your comments !
Serves 1:
1 frozen banana (not too ripe if you want to reduce sugar level)
1/4 cup GF oats
125 ml almond milk (adjust to consistence level you like)
1 tbsp raw cacao
1 tsp chia seeds
1 to 2 soft dates (adjust to your sweet tooth)
1/2 tsp real vanilla extract
Pinch of sea salt
Blend everything in your high speed blender / thermomix until smooth. Pour less / more milk wether you want to drink or eat it. If eaten as a smoothie bowl top with extra seeds, quinoa puffs, cacao nibs, more dates or fresh fruits. YUM 🙂
In French we say “avoir la banane” meaning “being happy” and yes bananas are a super fruit that puts a smile on my face ! They contain a fair amount of fibers and several antioxidants, and are proven to help digestion. They are quite sweet indeed but if you eat raw bananas go for the unripe bananas as their GI is only about 30 (whereas ripe bananas GI is approx 60). Great in smoothies and vegan nice creams, when you bake vegan cakes you also tend to use a lot of bananas as they are a good binder and can often help replace part of the eggs and also some oil in recipes.
In the banana bread though they are not an ingredient but THE STAR INGREDIENT of the recipe ! To ensure a tasteful and sweet loaf, chose them super ripe (which is super easy in SG) and if they are not ripe enough put them for sometime in your oven (with their skin) to speed up the process before using in your batter.
Banana bread have so many variations and so many people claim to have the best banana bread recipe, I am not gonna write this one is the best you’ll ever have 🙂 But if you look for a rich tasty flourless loaf, you’ll probably end up baking this one more than once !!
Moist, rich in protein and healthy fats, gluten free, refined sugar free, vegetarian but not vegan (you can replace eggs with egg replacer of flax eggs. It will still be good, but denser and more moist / won’t rise the same). GIVE IT A TRY !!
INGREDIENTS
- 200 grs almond meal
- 300 grs large mashed super ripe bananas + 1 banana sliced in 2 to top
- 3 large eggs ( or vegan equivalent)
- 50 grs maple syrup
- 50 ml olive oil
- 25 grs flax meal
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 160 °C fan forced.
- Whisk together eggs, mashed bananas, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup.
- Add the almond flour and flax meal, salt, baking soda, lemon juice and stir until all smooth
- Transfer the batter to a pan lined with parchment paper and distribute the batter evenly. Add the 2 banana halves on top (and some flaked almonds if you want)
- Bake the loaf for approx 55 to 65 min until a toothpick comes out clean (if at some point it starts to become to dark on the top, cover with aluminium foil and continue baking)
- Once done, take it out from oven and let it cool in the pan before taking out and slicing.
- Can keep for 5 to 6 days in the fridge in airtight container, or be sliced and frozen for 2 months.
Took me quite sometime to post this recipe … Sorry for those who have been asking me, I haven’t been so good with the blog maintenance lately. But here it is ! the recipe for a super nice vegan loaf cake that reminds me of the “not so nutritionally nice” but yummy “savane” cake I ate as a kid. In this one, the use of banana gives it a nice moist texture and sweetens it lightly in addition to maple syrup. Even if you don’t like banana, give it a try as it does not overwhelm the flavor and this cake should definitely become one of your kids favorite once you have baked it for them (Rose definitely adores it). Yet it is GF, vegan and refined sugar free !!
Actually they can bake it themselves and have fun playing with the different layers of chocolate and vanilla flavors 🙂
Recipe link below.
Blueberries are a must have staple in my fridge and freezer. Those cuties are so yummy and good for you 🙂 rich in vitamins, antioxidants, with a low GI and a pretty colour, what’s not to like ? When we were living in France I planted some blueberries plants in our garden… as we’ll be back in our house for a few days this summer I wish they grew and we can pick up some straight from the bushes ! Lately I have been eating some almost everyday in my chia puddings, breakfast muffins, as a compote to top my banana bread or to make scones. Today it’s a smoothie I wanted to make with these beauties. So here it goes: 100% vegan, GF, indulgent yet nutritionally balanced (especially if you add some plant protein). The perfect way to start your day ! Try it and let me know 🙂
For 1 serve
- 2/3 cup frozen blueberries
- 1/3 cup frozen blackberries
- 1/2 frozen banana
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (adjust to taste)
- 1 heaped tbsp tahini
- 1 cup almond or cashew (creamier) milk
- Optional: 1 tbsp protein powder
- Optional: 1 to 2 soft dates if you have a sweet tooth 🙂
Blend everything in your high speed blender (I have a thermomix), adding the milk gradually to get the desired consistency. You can opt to drink it (in that case add more milk or complete with water) or make a smoothie bowl and then stop when the consistency is still thick. Top with fresh berries, coconut flakes, raw cacao nibs, a little tahini (yum) and enjoy !
Nb: you can make it 1 day ahead, though the colour will not be as nice due to the banana and smoothies are better made just before eating to enjoy all their nutrients and vitamins.
Nb2: if you don’t like banana, skip it and replace with 1/3 cup frozen mango.
Did my first “official” catering event today (ie not for a friend 🙂 ) so feeling a bit overwhelmed and exhausted and too tired to bake after that 🙂
So I thought it was a good time to update my blog, at last ! I had promise to post the recipe of this really delicious gluten free lime and almond banana loaf I posted on IG a few days ago. Here it comes ! I increased a little the quantity of lime vs the original recipe from Golden door Australia. Also I put a little less maple syrup, to get it less sweet but you can always increase that by adding a syrup if you have a sweeter tooth than me. The recipe is ridiculously easy and turns out to be very yummy for breakfast or afternoon snacks. Also it is really nutritionally balanced with the healthy fat and proteins coming from the almonds and absence of any refined sugar. Follow the link below and share any comments you have after. Enjoy this beautiful week end start wherever you are on planet earth (here I am literally melting !! soo hot !)
http://chickpeaandberries.com/lime-and-almond-banana-loaf/
Hey everyone !
Have seen so many carrot cake posts on insta over the last few weeks, it reminded me I hadn’t done any for a long time.
The seriously good one I did a few months ago was not vegan with a super yummy icing… not super healthy but so satisfying I will do it again for sure 🙂
For today I wanted something more balanced, I could have for breakfast or as a light snack, and less sugary 🙂
So my recipe below is : vegan, GF, low fat and low calorie !
You can try and let me know your thoughts.. pretty sure you will not notice it is a healthy cake… but will definitely tick the “it’s a yummy cake” box 🙂
Follow the link below to go to the recipe.
So today I opt for turmeric for breakfast 🙂 I can see the look on your face already … last week she had cauliflower, now it is turmeric… what’s next ?
Well the beauty of vegan cuisine is that you reinvent recipes each day. You play with flavors combo, textures, and look for wholesomeness of ingredients whenever you cook.
So why not turmeric ?
This bright spice that gives the yellow colour you love in your curries, is an ancient root well known now for its anti inflammatory properties and has been used for ages in Chinese and Indian medicine !
So be good with your body and start your day with this beautiful and delightful bowl !
Vegan, protein rich, anti inflammatory, naturally sweetened … Just go for it, the recipe is just below:
- 1 ripe banana cut in chunks and frozen
- 2 tbsp vegan protein powder
- 1 tbsp almond, cashew or macadamia butter
- 1/2 cup almond milk (adjust according to your liking)
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- raw cacao nibs and other toppings according to your like
Put everything except the toppings in your high speed blender and add the milk gradually.
Drink or serve in a bowl with crushed raw cacao nibs and a dust of turmeric.
A little sick this morning, I felt I needed a cosy smoothie to get me through the day.
Opted for this vegan chai spiced version, I had tried and loved in Australia a few months ago.
It is super balanced, blending fruits and veggies :), proteins and good fats. And the spices will bring a nice flavor and are said to have great anti inflammatory qualities !
I guess it could become a regular, as it turned out so good !!
Sharing the recipe below so you can enjoy it too and share your comments 🙂
Enjoy
INGREDIENTS
- 1 frozen ripe banana cut in chunks
- 2/3 cup peeled cucumber
- 1/3 cup almond milk (unsweetened, better if home made 🙂 you can switch for other plant based or even regular milk if you are not vegan)
- 1 tbsp almond butter (or hazelnut or PB)
- 1 tbsp flaxseed flour
- 1 tbsp vegan protein
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/8 to 1/4 clove (according to your taste)
- 1/4 tsp cardamon
Put everything in your high speed blender, adding the milk gradually up to the consistency you like.
Drink it or have a smoothie bowl, adding some crunchy bites like raw cacao nibs, dried mulberries, dried apples or figs, ..
ENJOY 🙂
Today it is Hari Raya. Kids are at home since it is a public holiday in Singapore. Wind is blowing and a thunderstorm is on its way.
So we have decided to bake together a yummy comforting banana bread that we’ll eat playing games together.
Enjoy your day wherever you are and follow the recipe link below if you want to try this 100% vegan, gluten free, naturally sweetened treat.