Today I have a delicious treat for you that takes only five minutes to prepare…
Maple Glazed Nuts ♥
These taste SO good! And they’re packed with lots of nutty goodness
I’ve just made a fresh batch as a treat for Lil’ L and his friend when they get home from school. I’m also going to bag some up for M to take out on his mountain bike rides this weekend.
As well as making a great post-school and exercise snack, they’re also the perfect snack to munch on at work to keep your energy levels up.
Be warned though, they are addictive and they will test your will power! If (like me) you’re tempted to devour the whole lot in one go, I suggest bagging it up into individual size portions and hiding them
Ingredients
2 cups of nuts (I use a mix of raw walnut halves, pecans and whole almonds*)
4 tbsp maple syrup (I use Clark’s Original Maple Syrup, which is a mix of maple and carob syrup. It tastes great but is much cheaper than pure maple syrup)
sea salt, optional
* You will often find that nuts such as almonds, cashews and peanuts are cheaper in Asian grocery stores or in the World aisles of large supermarkets. Currently, a 750g bag of Aasani Raw Almonds costs £5 in Tesco.
Method
Preheat a dry frying pan (skillet) on a medium-high heat.
Add the nuts and dry fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the maple syrup and continue stirring for about 3 minutes, until the nuts are fully coated and the syrup has caramelised and become very sticky.
Space out the nuts on a piece of non stick baking paper. If you like the sweet and salty combo, lightly sprinkle the nuts with salt as soon as they have left the pan. As they cool, the nuts will firm up, become shiny, and not sticky at all. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Last Wednesday I was all set to publish a post on my current favourite lunches, including this beautiful Sweet Beet Soup…
and this yummy wrap…
Seeded wholegrain tortilla with caramelised onion hummus, grated carrot, grated red cabbage, chopped raw beet root, sweet pickle, sunflower & hemp seeds
… when I discovered that the theme for this month’s WIAW parties is ‘Going Green’! My choice of food colour was all wrong! :/
But no worries, I’m back this week with a recipe for a dish that’s very green indeed… Leek and Watercress Soup. I’ve mentioned this soup a couple of times on the blog already as it’s one of Lil’ L’s all-time favourite soups. He’s been eating it since he was a toddler! A couple of my readers have requested the recipe and I do apologise for how long it’s taken me to get round to posting it. I’ve got a serious backlog of recipes to post this year, but I’m slowly getting there!
For those of you that may be concerned that watercress is too peppery for kids, rest assured that when cooked in this soup, the pepperiness of the watercress becomes very subtle indeed. The addition of potatoes contributes to the soup’s mild flavour, as well as giving it a lovely, creamy texture, without the need for milk or cream.
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2-3 medium potatoes, chopped (only peel if the skin is thick). (Alternatively, use sweet potatoes for added nutrition and sweetness)
2 medium leeks, chopped
150g / 5½ oz / 3 cups watercress
1 litre / 35 fl oz / 4 cups vegetable stock
Finely chopped red pepper and sprinkling of lightly toasted flaked almonds and seeds (we love pumpkin seeds lightly fried in a little olive oil and raw hemp seeds), for garnish
Method
Gently heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the leeks, potatoes and watercress, cover with a lid and allow to sweat on a low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the stock, bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the potato has softened (15-20 minutes).
Allow the soup to cool slightly, before blending. If the soup is a little thick, add more stock. Return the soup to the stove and gently heat through. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
Garnish the soup with some flaked almonds, seeds and red pepper and serve in warm bowls with a slice or two of wholegrain bread.
And finally, before I go, I would just like to show you one of my latest green food obsessions… Edamame (Soya) Beans!
I can’t believe that I only discovered these beans last month! How on earth did it take me so long? My friend ordered them as a starter when we met for lunch in London and I proceeded to devour the whole bowl!
Back home in Bath, I’ve discovered that Waitrose sell fresh edamame beans on their sushi bar, and in bags in the frozen vegetable section. I much prefer the unshelled beans. There’s something really satisfying about popping them out. Lil’ L loves them too, so I’ve been adding them to his lunch box as a ‘treat’
As well as being packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, soya beans are also a great source of protein. If you’re interested in reading more about their health benefits, the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation have produced an informative 60 page booklet that’s available to download for free.
I love the fact that even at my old age I’m still discovering new foods.
Are there any foods that you’ve recently discovered that you love?
When I first started blogging, I recall there was a wave of health food bloggers posting recipes for ‘Healthier’ Monkey bread. I had absolutely no idea what ‘Monkey bread’ was or why it had such a funny name!
Monkey bread, also called monkey puzzle bread, sticky bread, African coffee cake, golden crown, pinch-me cake, bubbleloaf and monkey brains is a sweet, sticky, gooey pastry served in the United States for breakfast. The bread is made with pieces of sweet yeast dough which are baked in a cake pan after first being covered in melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. It is traditionally served hot so that the baked segments can be easily torn away with the fingers and eaten by hand.
Sounds yummy doesn’t it? However, traditional Monkey Bread isn’t particularly healthy. It contains A LOT of fat and sugar In contrast, the ‘healthified’ versions often use bread or pizza dough as their base, and are glazed with healthier alternatives to butter and refined cane sugar.
Inspired by Mama Pea’s Healthy Monkey Bread recipe, I decided to have a go at making some Apple and Cinnamon Monkey Bread myself one Sunday as a ‘special breakfast’. It was a huge hit with Lil’ L and M and, I must admit, I’m rather partial to it too.
The ‘authentic’ way to serve Monkey Bread is to invert it onto a plate…
However, we prefer to eat it straight from the pan. Hands get less messy, and you can use the balls to mop up any syrup left in the pan.
If you’re lucky enough to have a breadmaker, then this recipe requires very little effort at all. You simply throw all the dough ingredients in the machine and press a button. I’ve had my breadmaker for a couple of years now and it’s been fantastic! I use it at least a couple of times a week for making breads, pizza doughs and naan breads. I reckon it’s easily paid for itself in terms of the amount of times we’ve chosen to stay in rather than going to Pizza Express!
Today, I made some Monkey Bread as an after-school treat for Lil’ L and his friend, and I made it by hand to see how it compared to the bread-maker version. To be honest, making dough by hand doesn’t require THAT much effort. It takes less than 15 minutes, which isn’t too bad at all. Plus kneading dough is great exercise for the arms.
Below I’ve given instructions for making the Monkey Bread by hand and in a breadmaker. If you’re planning to eat it for breakfast, you can easily prepare the dough the night before and chill it in the fridge. In the morning, simply remove the dough from the fridge about 20 minutes before you need to use it.
Makes 18-20 dough balls (serves 3-4)
Hands-on time: 10-30 minutes (depending on whether you make the dough in a breadmaker or by hand)
Dough resting time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Dough
½ tsp fast action/easy blend yeast
300g / 11oz / 2 cups strong wholemeal (wholewheat) bread flour (I use chapatti flour which is a very fine wholemeal flour)
½ tsp sea salt
170ml / 5¾ fl oz / ¾ cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp olive oil
Apple Cinnamon Syrup
1 organic apple, cored and chopped (I keep the skin on)
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil (or you could use non dairy margarine, like Pure)
2 tbsp maple or agave syrup (I often use Clark’s Original Maple Syrup)
1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Method
Prepare the dough. - In a breadmaker: Throw all the ingredients in the pan and select ‘pizza dough’. The programme should take around 45 minutes. When it signals that it’s ready, leave the dough in the machine for a further 20 minutes or so to rise. - By hand: Place the yeast, flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the warm water and oil. Mix well with a spoon, then bring it together with your hands until you have a sticky dough. Knead for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea cloth or oiled cling film (plastic wrap), and leave in a warm place for about an hour until it has doubled in size. If your house is cool (like ours) then cover with oiled foil and leave in the oven at 40C / 100F for an hour. When the dough is ready, remove from the oven, knead for a couple more minutes then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / Gas 6. Brush or spray a 23 cm / 9″ loose bottom pan with oil.
Prepare the cinnamon sugar: In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.
Prepare the apple cinnamon syrup: First blend the apple into a smooth puree. I find the easiest way to do this is to place the apple pieces in a bowl and use a hand blender (stick / immersion blender). Place the apple puree, coconut oil, syrup, sugar and cinnamon in a small pan and gently heat until the oil has melted.
Pull off small amounts of dough and roll them into balls about 2½ cm / 1″ in diameter. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar and place in the oiled pan. Repeat until all the dough has been used. Evenly space out the balls in the pan (they will expand when baking). If you have any cinnamon sugar left over, add it to the syrup pan.
Spoon the apple cinnamon syrup evenly over the top and in between the dough balls. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes.
Serve warm, either inverted onto a plate or straight from the pan.
Good Hemp Seed Giveaway Results!
Before I go, I’d like to announce the winners of the Good Hemp Seed Giveaway. The eligible entries were placed in chronological order and 3 winners were randomly selected using Random.org.
I’m delighted to announce that the winners are…
1. Emma
2. Samantha
3. Penniless Veggie
Please email your postal addresses and I’ll arrange for the gifts to be sent to you asap.
Have a great weekend everyone! xx
This post contains affiliate links to Amazon and Elements for Life. Any commission that I receive through these links will help to fund the future development of Bit of the Good Stuff.
On dark, chilly mornings, my preference is for a breakfast that’s going to be warming and filling. One of my current breakfast obsessions is this….
Hot chocolate!
However, this is no ordinary hot chocolate. I add some secret ingredients into the blend to transform it into a full breakfast in a glass
Here’s a sneaky peek…
I add three ‘super foods’ to this hot chocolate, which are packed with nutrients: chia seeds, shelled hemp seeds and ground almonds. Here’s a quick run down of their great properties:
Chia Seeds
Good source of protein, and contains all 9 essential amino acids.
Very rich source of omega 3 essential fatty acid.
Good source of minerals, notably phosphorus, manganese, calcium and zinc.
High in dietary fibre.
Easily digested and absorbs more than 9 times its weight in liquid when soaked, helping to regular blood sugar and hydration.
Hemp Seeds
High protein content and contains all the essential amino acids, making it a ‘complete’ protein.
Has the perfect ratio of omega-3 to omega-6.
Contains phytosterols, which have been shown to reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol.
High content of antioxidants (all part of the Vitamin E family).
The globulin edestin in hemp seed closely resembles that found in human blood plasma and is completely compatible with the human digestive system, making it easily digested, absorbed and utilised.
Almonds
Good source of protein.
High in minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese and copper.
Great source of antioxidants, including vitamin E
Contain lots of compounds called phytochemicals which help protect against cardiovascular disease and fight free radical damage.
Good source of dietary fibre.
Low in saturated fat and a good source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.
While you can use regular cocoa powder in this drink, I use raw cacao powder, which has a huge range of health benefits (check out this post for more info).
After reading about all these wonderful nutritional benefits, you’re going to feel so good when you drink a glass of this hot chocolate
As well as adding lots of great nutrients, I find that the addition of the seeds and ground almonds actually enhances the texture of the hot chocolate, making it lovely ‘n’ creamy. Also, thanks to the seeds and almonds (especially the chia seeds), just one glass of this hot chocolate will leave you feeling full up.
As well as making the perfect ‘breakfast in a glass’ for chilly mornings, it also makes a great post-school or work snack. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Here’s how I make it:
Ingredients
1 Tbsp cacao powder (you can use regular cocoa powder if you wish)
1 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp ground almonds (‘almond meal’)
ish)
1 Tbsp shelled hemp seeds (optional, adds even more nutrition but can alter the taste slightly)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup non dairy milk (I use Alpro sweetened almond milk, soya milk or hazelnut drink)
1 tsp natural sweetener (or, to taste. I use agave syrup or coconut palm sugar)
To make a lightly spiced hot chocolate, add a dash of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg
Method
Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend at high speed until smooth. Pause after a minute or so to scrape down the sides of the jug, then blend at high speed again for another couple of minutes.
Pour into a small saucepan and gently heat through, stirring regularly. (If using raw cacao powder, make sure you keep the heat very low and gently warm in order to preserve all the nutrients).
Our favourite way to serve this drink is in glass cappuccino mugs.
Delicious!
[This recipe has been submitted to Ricki Heller's #Wellness Weekend 20-24 December 2012]
Suppliers
Shelled hemp seeds, chia seeds and raw cacao powder are available from health food stores. If you live in the Bath area, they can be bought from Harvest, on Walcot Street.
Shelled hemp seeds and chia seeds are also available from Holland & Barrett stores, as well as from their online shop.
Good Hemp supply a great range of hemp products. I contacted them today, and they’ve kindly given me a discount voucher for their online shop to share with my lovely readers Just enter goodstuff20 at the checkout to receive 20% off all their products! The voucher expires on 30th December 2012.
In addition to their seeds I highly recommend the Good Hemp oils and milks. I haven’t tried my hot chocolate using hemp milk yet, but Good Hemp have assured me that it’s delicious. I’ll definitely give it a try and report back!
Raw cacao powder, shelled hemp seeds and chia seeds are available from Elements for Life, both online and from stockists in the South West of England (see their website for details). In replacement of the raw cacao powder, vanilla and sweetener in my hot chocolate drink, you could use some of the delicious Elements for Life raw hot chocolate powders.
Healthy Supplies offer a huge array of super foods from their online store, including chia seeds and shelled hemp seeds. They have a structured discounting system that is available to everyone all year round.
Magic Mayan Raw Chocolate Giveaway Results
And just before I go, I must share the results of my December giveaway. The entries were places in chronological order, and three winners selected at random.
The lucky winners are…
Laura Agar Wilson
Karin
Althaf
Congratulations guys! Please email me your postal addresses (sharon at bitofthegoodstuff dot com) and I’ll arrange for the chocolates to be sent to you asap x
Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great week so far
I had lots of fun this afternoon with the kids at my ‘Wednesday Workshops’ (the little Buddhist meditation classes I teach at our local primary school). After a beautiful meditation on ‘the kindness of others’, I thought it’d be fun to watch one of my favourite Star Wars clips.
When it ended, I asked them if they’d learnt anything from watching it. Their hands shot up in the air and they started reeling off the lessons they’d learnt including…
Never give up (even if you’re finding something difficult or have already failed in your first few attempts)
Don’t get distracted
Control your mind
Believe in yourself
Size doesn’t matter
All that wisdom from watching a 5 minute clip of Yoda! Just imagine how wise they’ll be after they’ve watched all six Star Wars films
After watching the clip, we had great fun making paper fortune tellers and filling them with Yoda quotes and kind messages.
Think you the relationship between Master and Padawan is only to help them?
Oh, this is what we let them believe, yes! But when the day comes that even old Yoda does not learn something from his students – then truly, he shall be a teacher no more.
WIAW – Sensible Snacking … Lil’ L Style!
This month, the lovely Jenn over at Peas and Crayons has set ‘Sensible Snacking’ as the theme for our weekly ‘What I Ate Wednesday’ foodie parties. I think this is a great theme as it’s all too easy to reach for the junk snacks when we’re feeling a bit peckish.
For me, the most important thing is making sure that Lil’ L has snacks that are going to sustain his energy levels. On weekdays, he has a morning snack at playtime and an after-school snack. I try to make sure that these snacks contain whole foods, complex carbs and minimal sugar so that his energy levels don’t peak and slump. I also want encourage him to develop healthy snacking habits for the future.
Now that he’s older, I involve him in the decision making about his choice of snacks. Here’s a run down of some of his current favourite snacks (all of which he’s eaten in the past week).
Morning Snacks
2 seeded flatbread crackers with bean pate or houmous filling (his number 1 current favourite snack)
2 wholegrain rice cakes with yeast extract (these taste like the Marmite rice cakes but they have the added bonus of being wholegrain)
2 sesame wholegrain rice cakes with St Dalfour Strawberry spread or Manuka honey filling (the honey was a gift from his grandma!)
Packet of wholegrain mini biscuits with no added sugar or salt.
Almonds and sunflower seeds roasted in a tiny amount of low-salt soy sauce (recipe here)
Apple cinnamon pancakes with chopped pecans, ground linseed and a drizzle of maple syrup.
I make pancakes every Sunday and Lil’ L likes to have the leftover pancakes on a Wednesday before his swimming lesson (warmed in the microwave).
Wholemeal choc chip or almond cookie.
We also make a fruit smoothie after school. This week, he’s made smoothies with different combinations of pineapple, blueberries , banana and strawberries, non dairy milks and yoghurt, and chia seeds for an omega-3 boost (the seeds are completely obliterated in a high speed blender, so you don’t even notice them).
We’re always on the look out for new snacks, so do let me know if you have any suggestions. If you have kids, I’d love to hear what their favourite snacks are. And equally importantly, what’s your current favourite snack?
Hi. I'm Sharon. Originally from Essex, I now live in Bath with my hubbie and 9 year old son (Lil' L). This is a blog about the stuff I'm currently passionate about, including my journey into the world of whole food plant-based cooking. All recipes on this site are family- friendly and have been road-tested and approved by Lil' L.
In contrast, the ‘healthified’ versions often use bread or pizza dough as their base, and are glazed with healthier alternatives to butter and refined cane sugar.
