Candy Bars!

I’m a sucker for anything that’s salty and sweet, and if you add chocolate to the mix it’s the best snack ever.   What I like best about these candy bars is that they use all real, healthy ingredients and are very straightforward to throw together. You do have to plan ahead a bit though and let the cashew, date, shredded coconut, maple syrup and peanut butter filling set for a few hours.  I skipped this step one time and they were messier and more crumbly than when you let them chill.

The recipe calls for almond butter, but since I didn’t have any I substituted natural peanut butter and I have zero complaints about how these turned out.  Coconut flour and coconut oil are also in the original recipe but again I substituted (a bit less) regular flour and peanut oil.  I’m sure there are many variations you could try and come up with an above average snack each time!

Candy Bar ingredients

Start by blending the cashews (or whatever other nut you want to use) until they’re a fine meal.  Then throw in everything else (except the chocolate chips) and blend until a sticky dough ball forms.

Spread the mixture into a parchment paper lined dish.  The parchment will make it much easier to free these treats from the dish later on, and you’re going to want fast, easy access.

Set up a double boiler and melt the chocolate chips and oil, then spread the melted mixture on top of the cooled nut mixture.

I actually felt that this amount of chocolate while delicious, could be overpoweringly sweet at times.  Next time I think I’ll cut it in half and just get a hint of sweetness.  Gotta find that flavour balance!

Candy Bars!

Candy Bars Recipe

1 1/2 cups salted cashews
1 1/2 cups dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips (or 3/4 cups if you want just a hint of sweetness)
1 1/2 tablespoons oil (coconut, peanut, canola, etc.)

1. Grind the cashews to a very fine meal in a food processor.  Add the dates, peanut (or almond) butter, maple syrup, flour, shredded coconut, almond extract and pulse until you have a sticky ball of dough.
2. Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper and press the cashew mixture out onto the paper, making a rectangle 1 inch deep.  Refrigerate mixture for a few hours until it’s firm.
3. Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and oil in a stainless steel or glass bowl set over a pot of boiling water (make sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl).  Stir the mixture until it’s just melted, remove the bowl from the heat, and pour the chocolate mixture over the cold cashew mix.  Return the bar to the fridge and let it cool until the chocolate coating is set, at least 1 hour.
4. Using the parchment, lift the bar out of the sheet pan and cut it into rectangles.  Serve at once or store in an airtight container

From:  It’s All Good

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry

This is easily one of the most flavourful curries I’ve ever made.  I have my go-to curry recipe, but thought I’d spice it up a bit and try a curry recipe from Jamie Oliver.  I had some sweet potatoes that needed to be used up so his sweet potato and chick pea curry called to me.  I made a few minor adjustments based on what I had in the fridge, and man oh man, this turned out great!  What I loved most was how rich the curry tasted, and how the sweetness from the potatoes was a perfect balance.  Fresh cilantro, salty cashews and Greek yogurt really put this curry over the top.

It all starts with a solid base of onions, garlic and curry paste.

Onion and garlic curry base

Then add your veggies and some coconut milk and let it simmer until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Veggie and coconut curry

Once the sauce has thickened up and you are about to serve, throw in some spinach.  Stir, let sit for a few minutes until just wilted.

Spinach curry

Then serve it up with cilantro, cashews and Greek yogurt. Prepare for your taste buds to rejoice!

Sweet Potato and Chick Pea Curry

Dang.  Just try this.  So good.

Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry Recipe

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 white onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
3 tbsp curry paste
1 red chilli, finely chopped
3cm piece of ginger, grated
A bunch of cilantro, stalks chopped, leaves picked
1 cup cauliflower
2 sweet potatoes, cut into chunks
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped or 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 x 400ml tin light coconut milk
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
400g spinach, washed
Dollop Greek yogurt
1 tbsp chopped cashews
Poppadoms and rice, to serve

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and curry paste, mix well, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and golden.
2. Add the chilli, ginger, cilantro stalks, cauliflower, sweet potato and chickpeas. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 200ml water (or broth) and bring to the boil.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10–15 minutes. Remove the lid, then cook for a further 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is cooked through and the sauce thickened. Add more water/broth if necessary, 1/4 cup at a time.  Stir in the coconut milk and cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Scatter over the coriander leaves, cashews, greek yogurt, then serve with poppadums and rice.
4. To freeze the curry for another time, leave to cool in the pan, then spoon into portion-sized containers or freezer bags and freeze. The curry will keep there for up to 3 months.

From: Jamie Oliver