COFFEE HAZLENUT FUDGE - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

COFFEE HAZLENUT FUDGE - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

By onegreenplanet.org - Julie Van Den Kerchove

SERVES 15

Ingredients

175g/1 cup of hazelnuts, ideally soaked overnight and dehydrated until crisp

105g/½ cup of extra virgin coconut oil, soft or completely melted

80g/¼ cup of maple syrup

1 tablespoon of coconut sugar (or 1 large soft date, pitted)

1 to 1 ½ teaspoon of ground coffee beans

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract (or ½ teaspoon of vanilla powder)

1/8 teaspoon of Himalayan crystal salt or sea salt

40g/¼ cup of hazelnuts (pulse to mix)

40g/¼ cup of hazelnuts, roughly chopped (as a topping)

Instructions

Place the hazelnuts in a food processor fitted with an S-blade and pulse until finely ground.  Add coconut oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar, ground coffee beans, vanilla extract and salt. Mix until well combined.  Finally, add the extra hazelnuts and pulse to mix. You only want to add these last so they stay crunchy.  Take your baking pan and line it with some baking paper or plastic foil. This way, your hazelnut coffee fudge won’t stick to the pan once it gets out of the freezer.  Pour your liquid fudge into the lined baking pan.

Top the fudge with roughly chopped hazelnuts or other toppings of your choice: roughly chopped coffee beans, cacao nibs, coconut chips, dried mulberries…  Put the baking pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour until the fudge has completely set.  Cut the chilled fudge into slices and serve right away.

THIS HAPPENS WHEN YOU BREAK YOUR SUGAR HABIT

THIS HAPPENS WHEN YOU BREAK YOUR SUGAR HABIT

By lifehack.org - by Hannah Glenn

You may have quit a handful of bad habits over the years—smoking, unhealthy relationships, or over-spending on clothes or coffee. However, quitting sugar might be the most challenging habit to break.

What Research Says

We know that sugar is “bad for you,” but did you know that it can affect you physically and even mentally way beyond just getting a little chubby? Your intestinal balance can be thrown completely out of whack from eating too much sugar, leaving you susceptible to autoimmune problems and chronic intestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease, IBS, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease and, of course, diabetes. 

Breaking your sugar habit is hard to imagine because we’re biologically hooked on the stuff. It’s essentially a drug, according to this article and studies like this.

Socially Alienating

Sugar is also standard in our culture. There is sugar in almost every packaged food, and turning down a co-worker’s offer for a doughnut is practically a slap in the face. If you really want to lay off the sugar, you have to be resilient through relentless temptation.

The good news is that once you’re past the withdrawal, over the social awkwardness, and label reading becomes second nature, you find that life opens up in some unexpected and delightful ways.

Here are 5 ways quitting (or at least cutting back on) sugar can make life more enjoyable.

1.You Won’t Always Be Itching For Your Next Hit.

Like any addict, you’ve probably found yourself in a state of urgency when you “need” a piece of cake to give you that happy feeling and ease a building irritation.

It’s subtle sometimes, and easily disguised as a normal desire all wrapped up in our own urges and a longstanding relationship with really good marketing.

Being free of this desire puts you on an even keel. Essentially, you’ll be a more stable and balanced person who can focus more and delve into tasks without turning to a substance to take the edge off.

READ MORE HERE

CREAMY RAW CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO PIE - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

CREAMY RAW CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO PIE - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

By onegreenplanet.org - Erin Druga

SERVES 6-12

Crust:

300g/1 1/2 cup pitted dates

75g/1/2 cup almonds

40g/1/2 cup shredded coconut

80g/1/4 cup organic maple syrup or raw honey

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 teaspoons cacao powder

Filling:

225g/1 1/2 cup soaked cashews*

120ml/1/2 cup cold water

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cacao powder

60ml/1/4 cup brewed coffee

3 tablespoons organic maple syrup or raw honey

3 pitted dates

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon espresso beans

To Make the Crust:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse. It may take a while to crush everything up so be patient – no more than a minute though.  Spray a pie pan or round cake pan (I used an 8-inch cake pan, but either will work) with nonstick spray or coconut oil and, using a spatula, flatten crust out in bottom. Rub spatula over mixture so that it is smooth and then place in freezer.

To Make the Filling:

Combine cashews and water in a blender and pulse until mixture turns smooth.  Add in cacao, coffee and syrup and blend.  Lastly, add in dates and espresso beans.  Remove crust from freezer and pour filling over top, using a spatula to smooth out if needed.  Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes or until mixture hardens; cut into slices and serve.  Store in freezer or refrigerator – either will work.

12 REASONS YOU SHOULD KEEP DRINKING APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

12 REASONS YOU SHOULD KEEP DRINKING APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

By lifehack.org - Julie Dargan

Apple cider vinegar is a fruit vinegar with apples as the starting material. No surprises there.

What will surprise you is the following 12 reasons why you should be making apple cider vinegar a part of your daily routine.

1. Weight loss

Keeping in shape can be a hard task for many people, especially for women as they enter the menopause. Apple cider vinegar is one of these easiest additions to your daily routine that will help with weight loss by increasing your body’s metabolism and decreasing your appetite.

It also is excellent in stabilizing your blood sugar levels.

2. Improves Digestion

In its raw form, apple cider vinegar is an excellent digestive tonic, aiding the liver in breaking down fatty foods, proteins and minerals, as soon as foods enter your stomach.

The pH of the stomach should be in the range of 1.5 – 3.5 making it an acidic environment. Malic acid and tartaric acid are both found in apple cider vinegar and help keep the acid content in your stomach in balance.

Improving your digestion aids in weight loss also. You are not what you eat, but what you absorb. If your body is not breaking down the nutrients from the foods you eat, you may not feel satisfied after eating a meal and are tempted to eat more.

Apple cider vinegar helps in breaking down the nutrients from the foods you eat, making them accessible to the cells of your body, the result being less cravings.

READ MORE HERE

ONION HERB COCONUT FLOUR BISCUITS

ONION HERB COCONUT FLOUR BISCUITS

By empoweredsustenance.com

Makes: 8-10 small biscuits

Ingredients

6 Tbs. coconut flour

6 Tbs. real lard or coconut oil, melted

2 eggs

1/4 cup very finely minced onion

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tbs. GAPS/SCD yogurt or additive free coconut milk

1 Tbs. fresh chopped herbs (parsley, dill, thyme... whatever you have) OR 3/4 tsp. dried herbs

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350/175C. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Mix together the coconut flour, lard/oil, eggs, onion, garlic, yogurt/coconut milk, and herbs Let sit for 5 minutes; the batter will thicken slightly.  Mix in the baking soda and vinegar. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the baking sheets. Use the back of a spoon to spread the batter into circles about 1/2” thick. The batter will not spread very much when baking.  Bake for 12-15 minutes, until moist but cooked through. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving, or they will be too crumbly.

Notes

Have all ingredients at room temperature

PUMPKIN SEED CANELLINI MEATBALLS WITH COURGETTE SPAGHETTI

PUMPKIN SEED CANELLINI MEATBALLS WITH COURGETTE SPAGHETTI

By  onegreenplanet.org - Ida Hemmingsson-Holl

The Meatballs:

110g/¾ cup pumpkins seeds, soaked in hot water for at least ten minutes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp oregano

2 cans Cannellini beans, well rinsed

1 tsp. Salt

Tomato Sauce:

2 – 3 tbsp. olive oil

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1.5 tbsp. thyme

1.5 tbsp. oregano

Approx. 10 leaves fresh basil

8 large tomatoes (ideally the dark red, juicy kind), chopped into large chunks

7 ounces tomato paste

240ml/1 cup red wine

360ml/1.5 cup water, more if needed

2 tbsp raw honey

1 tsp salt

Courgette Spaghetti:

3 medium sized courgettes (more if your guests are hungry)

Place the pumpkin seeds in hot water and turn the oven to 200/100C.  In a frying pan, add the olive oil, the red onion, the garlic, the thyme and the oregano. Leave on low heat while occasionally stirring until the onions start to soften. Then remove the water from the pumpkin seeds, and add those and the well-rinsed Cannellini beans. Increase the heat and fry for a minute or two while stirring.  Remove the pan from the stove and blend it all together thoroughly using a hand mixer. It will be very sticky, perfect to immediately form small meatballs. Add a baking paper to a baking tray on which you place the meatballs. Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes (depends on oven and size of meatballs so keep a close eye, and roll them around a few times to get them a little crunchy on all sides). You can make these the day or two before and keep in the fridge.

The Sauce:

Add the olive oil to a pan and bring to medium heat. Add the garlic and the herbs and fry while stirring for a minute or two before adding the rest of the ingredients. Let it boil for at least 40 minutes, until the tomatoes have become soft enough to blend in with the rest of the sauce. Ten minutes before serving, taste, and adjust the flavour with more salt, thyme, oregano, red wine, honey etc. Add more water (and red wine) throughout cooking if needed to get to the right consistency.

Courgette Spaghetti

Make spaghetti out of well washed courgette using a mandolin, spiralizer or even a potato peeler.

CONFIDENCE ISN'T INHERITED, IT'S BORN THROUGH PRACTICE

CONFIDENCE ISN'T INHERITED, IT'S BORN THROUGH PRACTICE

By lifehack.org - Ramon Nuez

It’s an incredible feeling when you can walk into a room and you’re courageous. You have no limiting beliefs because you have placed yourself in a state of absolute certainty. This conviction gives you the courage to not play it safe, to leave your comfort zone, and to be remarkable.

Unfortunately, those confident days are rare for some. Why? Because of the story you are telling yourself: “I am not good enough.” It’s a terrible story that limits your confidence and keeps you anchored to living an unremarkably average life.

You know the life I am talking about:

• You never stand out or draw attention to yourself.
• You stopped learning anything new after college.
• You would never question your boss’ boss in a meeting.
• You would not suggest an idea that would be contrary to best practice.

Does that sound eerily familiar? Even embarrassingly uncomfortable?

I believed the story that, “I am not good enough,” for the better part of my life. I knew there was more to my life, but I was enslaved by the disempowering stories. Human beings are storytellers. It’s the vehicle we use to engage with the world around us. And, if you tell a lie for long enough, it becomes your truth.

The only way to break the bonds of living a lie is to divorce the limiting beliefs — that is exactly what I did.

How? I focused on creating affirmations. These were not your average proclamations, like: “I have been given endless talents that I begin to utilize today.”

These affirmations are specific, actionable, time-bound and gift-wrapped in your why. These types of affirmations, when repeated regularly, will reprogram your disempowering story into an empowering one.

Here is an example:

“I am committed to losing 30 pounds and weighing 167 pounds by March 3, 2016, so that I can set an example of health, fitness, and goal achievement to my family.”

The Habit or Action:

“To ensure that I lose 30 pounds, I am committed to running the NYC Marathon in 2016 and drinking 96 ounces of water every day.”

A good strategy is to set your alarm on your smartphone to chime every 60 minutes. Once the alarm goes off, recite your affirmation until it becomes a habit. The process of reprogramming your stories is not easy, but with repetition your limiting beliefs will be replaced by empowering beliefs.

As your confidence increases, you will purposely begin to step outside of your comfort zone. Before too long, you will be approaching life situations courageously and in a state of absolute certainty.

If you need a push in the right direction, here is a list of 10 confidence-boosting activities to try.

READ MORE HERE

COCONUT JAM SLICE - NO SUGAR

COCONUT JAM SLICE - NO SUGAR

By themerrymakersisters.com 

Serves 12

Ingredients

180g/1 1/2 cups almond meal

2/3 cup butter (or 150g)

30g/1/4 cup coconut flour

1 egg

1 tsp. 100% vanilla extract

1 tsp. Cinnamon

FOR THE FILLING

400g/2 cups raspberries (thaw if frozen)

FOR THE TOPPING

160g/2 cups desiccated coconut

2 egss

1 tsp. 100% vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) slice tin with baking paper.  Now, start with the base.  In a mix master (or blender) cream the almond meal, flour and butter together.  Add the egg, vanilla and cinnamon.  Press evenly in to the lined tin (use damp fingers to make this easier) and place in to the oven for 15 minutes.  Take out of the oven and allow to cool.  Meanwhile, blend the raspberries until pureed. Leave this for now.  In a bowl mix the topping ingredients until combined.  Spread the raspberry filling on top of the biscuit base, then sprinkle the topping mixture on top, press down slightly.  Place back in to the oven for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool before slicing.

6 THINGS YOU SHOULD STOP FEELING GUILTY ABOUT

6 THINGS YOU SHOULD STOP FEELING GUILTY ABOUT

By greatist.com - Susie Moore

In Mandarin Chinese, they have two words for selfish. One means doing that which is beneficial to you and the other means hoarding, greedy, and cruel. We, in English, have pushed those two words together.” — author Elizabeth Gilbert

“I hate myself. I mean, I not only had pasta last night, but bread and crème brûlée as well!”

“You think that’s bad? I had two cupcakes yesterday that a sales rep brought in. Two! I gotta get my butt to spin class tonight so I can live with myself.”

This was a conversation I recently overheard between two 20-something women in Starbucks. But as I rolled my eyes and shook my head, I had to catch myself. I was feeling guilty that morning too. I had just texted a friend to decline a girls’ dinner because of a pressing work deadline. In fact, I’ve had to decline quite a lot of stuff this year. It never feels good. I’m not just disappointed to miss out on the fun, I feel guilty for letting down my friends.

As a life coach, I help people across an ocean of occurrences, from starting a business to moving across the country to getting a divorce. No matter the life circumstances, guilt remains a huge, universal, and ugly part of our emotional existence. Guilt can serve you in one way only. If it’s truly recurring, it can highlight something that you need to change in your life: too much drinking, too much work, a bad relationship.

But guilt should not enslave you. You can use it as a trigger for change, to inspire action, like an apology to someone you hurt. Yet ongoing guilt is not productive. We apply it far too liberally upon innocent circumstances in our lives. By definition, guilt is “a cognitive or emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes—accurately or not—that he or she has compromised his or her own standards of conduct or has violated a moral standard and bears significant responsibility for that violation.”

If this accurately describes your guilt, take steps to correct it the best way you know how. But unless you have violated your standards or moral code in a serious way (cheating, stealing, hurting someone on purpose), guilt need not apply to all the crap you allow it to.

Here are six common guilt triggers (that violate no moral codes) that I hear regularly. Consider this permission to drop them entirely.

READ MORE HERE

ORANGE BEETROOT TARTLETS WITH ALMOND FIG CRUST

ORANGE BEETROOT TARTLETS WITH ALMOND FIG CRUST

By onegreenplanet.org - Emily von Euw

SERVES3

Crust:

200g/1 cup gooey dried figs

90g/3/4 cup almond flour

Cream:

175g/1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 3 hours then rinsed

1/4 cup peeled and chopped red beet

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 peeled and chopped orange

3 tablespoons chopped pistachios or nuts of your choice

Instructions

To make the crust: blend the figs and almond flour together until you get a sticky, very thick paste that’s similar to heavy dough. Press into lined tart tins. If the dough is too sticky when you’re trying to press it into the tart tins, just wet your fingers a little.  To make the cream: blend all ingredients together until smooth and like very thick yogurt. Pour into your tart crusts and refrigerate overnight so the flavours can develop. Garnish with chopped pistachios and enjoy! 

Note: I had some left over cream so I blended it with water and got pink cashew beet milk. Cool.

CREAMY VEGAN KALE COLESLAW

CREAMY VEGAN KALE COLESLAW

By vegetariansnob.com

Ingredients

1 large bunch of kale

2 carrots, peeled

2 Tbl tahini

1 Tbl Dijon mustard

2 Tbl apple cider vinegar

1 Tbl raw honey

½ tsp of salt

1 Tbl of grated or finely sliced red onion (about ¼ of an onion)

Instructions

Begin by shredding your kale. I found the easiest way to do this was using my food processor with the slicing disk (aka the scary one), but you can also just chop it quickly with the normal blade or chop it up finely or tear the leaves. It doesn’t shred like cabbage does, but it still works well if finely chopped in this recipe.  Next, shred your two carrots. I found the easiest way to do this was by using the food processor grater attachment. However, if you don’t want to use 2 different food processor blades, then you can just chop this up finely too.  In a medium size bowl combine your tahini, mustard, vinegar, agave, and salt and stir until everything is well combined.  Next, add your kale, carrots, and red onion to a medium sized bowl and mix up your veggies.  Add in 1 Tbl of your dressing mix into the veggie mix and massage into the veggies until the veggie mix is as creamy as you want it! Serve Immediately.

SWEET POTATO BANANA MINI MUFFINS

SWEET POTATO BANANA MINI MUFFINS

By blog.paleohacks.com

Makes:24

Ingredients:

110g/1/2 cup cooked sweet potato puree

1 ripe banana, mashed (~⅓ cup)

3 eggs

76g/⅓ cup sunflower seed, almond* or cashew butter* (may substitute any nut or seed butter of choice)

2 T coconut oil, melted

2 T pure raw honey

30g/¼ cup coconut flour

30g/¼ cup almond flour

1 t cinnamon

1 t baking soda

½ t salt

40g/⅓ cup add-in’s: dark chocolate chips, chopped nuts*, sunflower seeds, dried cherries and/or raisins (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350°F/175C.  Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners or grease with oil.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.  In a sauce pan, combine and melt maple syrup, coconut oil, sunflower seed butter over medium heat. Remove from heat and slightly cool.  Add the sweet potato, banana, eggs, coconut oil, sunflower seed butter, and maple syrup to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.  Divide the batter evenly, filling each muffin well.   Bake for 15 minutes. If making regular sized muffins, bake for 22-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and transfer muffins out of pan and on to wire rack to cool.

WHICH IS HEALTHIER: DRINKING A LITTLE EVERY DAY OR ONLY AT WEEKENDS?

WHICH IS HEALTHIER: DRINKING A LITTLE EVERY DAY OR ONLY AT WEEKENDS?

By greatist.com - Alexandra Duron

If there’s one thing that tends to blur the line between friend and foe, it’s alcohol. One glass of wine can easily morph into two. Then add shots to the mix, and your casual night out gets sloppy fast. So we had to wonder: Is it better to stay sober during the week and get crazy on the weekend or pour yourself one drink on the daily?

Why It Hurts to Go Hard

We hate to be killjoys, but just because you didn’t partake during the work week doesn’t mean you’ve got a free pass to rage your face off on Friday. In fact, there’s a lengthy list of how heavy drinking—even if it’s confined to a single night—can wreck your health.

For starters, binge drinking (i.e. pounding four drinks if you’re a girl and five if you’re a guy in under two hours) boosts your risk for liver disease, which in turn damages other organs in the body, such as your heart, kidney, and brain. And you may be hitting that threshold more often than you realize. One standard drink technically equals 12 ounces of regular beer, five ounces of wine, and 1.5 ounces of hard (80-proof) liquor—meaning a couple of hefty pours at happy hour can add up fast.

Worst-case scenario: Since alcohol acts as a depressant, drinking a substantial amount in a relatively short time period can lead to alcohol poisoning/overdose, coma, or death, explains Dessa Bergen-Cico, Ph.D., an associate professor of Public Health and Addiction Studies at Syracuse University. When a person consumes more alcohol than their body can metabolize at one time, the concentration of alcohol builds up in the bloodstream, suppressing vital functions like breathing and heart rate.

READ MORE HERE

PUMPKIN PEANUT OR ALMOND BUTTER PANCAKES - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

PUMPKIN PEANUT OR ALMOND BUTTER PANCAKES - VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE

By onegreenplanet.org - Michaell Johnson

Ingredients

240ml/1 cup unsweetened nut or coconut milk

1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

165g/3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup or raw honey

1 tablespoon peanut or almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons certified gluten-free buckwheat flour

2 tbsp almond flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

Pinch pink Himalayan salt

Pinch ginger (or freshly grated!)

Coconut oil or butter for the skillet

Instructions

Pour the cup of unsweetened milk and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl. Let it sit for five minutes.  Add the rest of the ingredients, in order, stirring in between the wet and dry ingredients to make sure they are evenly distributed –especially the almond butter.  Heat the skillet to a medium-high heat. The higher the temperature, the higher the pancake will be, just make sure it doesn’t burn! If it burns, it’s too hot.  Pour on skillet in desired shape and cook on both sides. Repeat.

7 SIMPLE PRACTICES THAT WILL HELP YOU BEAT EVERYDAY ANXIETY

7 SIMPLE PRACTICES THAT WILL HELP YOU BEAT EVERYDAY ANXIETY

By mindbodygreen.com - Thai Nguyen

Neglecting your mental health is a silent killer that will cripple your quality of life. Increased stress, anxiety, and frustration can even lead to mental illness if ignored.

Just as your physical fitness and health depend on avoiding detrimental habits, there are destructive mental habits you need to avoid. Here are seven simple practices for a healthy, happy mind:

1. When you start "catastrophic thinking," notice. Try to process a situation objectively.

When unforeseen complications arise, we tend to default to the “worst-case scenario” — getting an email from your boss automatically means you’re about to get fired. It’s an exaggerated defense mechanism, according to evolutionary psychologists; these fearful thoughts are supposed to steer you away from ever doing anything detrimental.

Here's the thing about catastrophic thinking: It's irrational. It causes your brain to produce cortisol and create stress. The key is to prevent your mind from jumping to conclusions. Process a situation objectively, as it unfolds, with the information you have at hand. Don’t let your mind start playing with hypotheticals.

READ MORE HERE

MINTY GREEN CHOCOLATE CREAM BARS

MINTY GREEN CHOCOLATE CREAM BARS

By onegreenplanet.org - Emily von Euw

MINTY GREEN CHOCOLATE CREAM BARS

For the base

150g/1 cup oats or buckwheat groats

200g/1 cup dates

1 teaspoon cacao powder (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

For the chocolate layer

2 tablespoons cacao powder

55g/1/4 cup melted cacao butter

50g/1/4 cup dates

1 tablespoon maca powder

1 tablespoon lucuma powder

1 banana (optional, to add bulk)

For the mint layer

1 avocado

3-4 tablespoons greens powder (I used this one)

1/6 cup coconut nectar (or other preferred liquid sweetener)

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/8 cup packed mint leaves (or approximately 10 drops of peppermint oil)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt (optional)

For the base layer

Pulse the oats or buckwheat groats in your food processor until you have a rough flour.  Add the rest of the ingredients and process until it all begins to stick together.  Press into the bottom of a lined baking pan and put in the fridge.

For the chocolate

Blend all the ingredients together until smooth. If it’s too thick, add some water.

Pour onto your base and put in the freezer until solid, about 1 hour.

For the mint layer

Blend all the ingredients until smooth.  Spread onto your chocolate layer and refrigerate overnight until it’s set.  Decorate with mint leaves and cacao nibs if you wish.

NUTELLA MUD CAKE - GLUTEN FREE

NUTELLA MUD CAKE - GLUTEN FREE

By themerrymakersisters.com 

NUTELLA MUD CAKE

Serves 16

STUFF YOU NEED

300g/1 1/2 cups quinoa (any colour)

720ml/3 cups water

340g/1 1/2 cups butter melted (can also use coconut oil!)

180g/1 1/2 cups cup raw cacao powder

160ml/2/3 cup coconut milk (canned)

170g/1/2 cup rice malt syrup (or natural sweetener for choice)

8 eggs

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. 100% vanilla extract

pinch of salt

FOR THE NUTELLA FROSTING

300g/2 cups roasted hazelnuts

105g/1/2 cup coconut oil

3 tbs. raw cacao powder

2 tbs. butter or tahini

1 tbs. natural sweetener of choice

1 tsp. 100% vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

NOW WHAT

Preheat oven to 170 °C (340°F) and line a 2 x 20 cm (8 inch) spring form cake tins with baking paper.  Bring quinoa and water to boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  It should take about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool (you can make this the day before!).  In a mix master, beat the eggs, coconut milk and vanilla.  Add the quinoa and butter and mix on medium speed.  Finally, add the cacao, rice malt syrup, salt, and apple cider vinegar, mix on super low speed until just combined. The batter is quite runny!  Evenly divide the cake batter in to the 2 prepared cake tins and place into the oven for 30 minutes.  Allow to cool, turn out, then ice!

For the frosting, place all the ingredients, into a blender or food processor and whiz on medium until smooth and creamy.  Spread half the icing evenly on top of 1cake. Place another cake on top, then use the rest of the icing on top of the second cake!