Christmas chocolate orange truffles

Hey guys!

Happy December!

This year I'm going to be making lots of my Christmas presents.  These truffles are a really great gift idea to give to someone for Christmas or just as a treat.  The truffles are not only delicious but packed full of nutritious ingredients and I promise you that they taste even better than traditional truffles which contain dairy ( and often lots of sugar too).

I have put my truffles in a glass jar tied with ribbon, but you could use a box or dish too.
Just remember to store the truffles in the fridge until they are eaten.

So, here is my recipe..

Christmas chocolate orange truffles

You will need:

1/2 cup ground almonds ( you could substitute more oats if you are making them for someone with a nut allergy)
1 cup  ground oats*
3 tbsp coconut sugar or your favourite unrefined sugar
The juice from 1/2 orange
1 chia or flax seed 'egg'
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp of raw cacao powder
1 tbsp hemp protein powder ( or your favourite superfood powder)
1 tbsp maca powder
for rolling truffles choose from raw cacao, chia seeds, coconut

Method

Put oats in to a food processor or similar and pulse for a minute until the oats have turned into flour.
Mix the chia egg together and allow to stand for a few minutes.  Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl & mix together.  Add in to the bowl the orange juice, orange zest & chia egg.  Mix together until you have a sticky dough.  Place the bowl into the fridge for around 15 minutes.  Once chilled take a desert spoon of the mixture and get rolling! roll the truffle around in one of your coatings, place on a lined baking tray.
When all the truffles are rolled chill for another 15 minutes ( re shape if necessary) before you put them in to your gift box or jar.

*The base is a mix of almonds and oats.  If you are making the truffles for someone who is Coeliac you will need to ensure that the oats are certified gluten free.


I hope that you enjoy making them!


Love from Moo x


don't forget to tag me @moosfood

Raspberry Jam Chocolate Chip Pancakes! (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar Free)

Hi guys.

This is my recipe for my favourite buckwheat chocolate chip pancakes with raspberry jam! These are super quick to make and really healthy so a perfect breakfast to have before school or a busy day. I used flaxseed to bind them together which has lots of nutritional benefits. They contain loads of omega-3 fatty acids which are very healthy fats! They are also an antioxidant and very rich in fibre. They make the perfect egg substitute to bind everything together, but if you don't have any flax and aren't vegan you can replace them for 1 egg.

You will need:

• 2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flax seed mixed with 6 tbsp water and left to form a gel)
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• A handful of chocolate chips
• 1 cup frozen raspberries
• 2 tbsp date syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice!

Combine your water with your flaxseeds and leave to set to form a thick gel. In a mixing bowl, combine your flour and baking powder. Add your almond milk, mashed banana and vanilla essence and mix together. Once they've formed a gel, add your flax egg. Then mix in your chocolate chips! 

Heat a pan with coconut oil, and add 1/4 cup of the mixture at a time to make a small pancake. Once they start to bubble on top, flip them over.

While your pancakes are cooking you can make your jam. Heat the raspberries and sweetener until the raspberries have melted down into a sauce.

Then remove your pancakes from the pan and top with your raspberry sauce and other toppings of your choice! I like to use flaked almonds, goji berries and pumpkin seeds on mine. 

Don't forget to tag me in your pictures if you make them! Use the hashtag #MoosFood

Hope you enjoy!

Moo x

Healthy Nutella! (Vegan, Sugar Free, Gluten Free)

Hi guys!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I'm hoping to make it up to you with this vegan, healthy nutella recipe! This honestly tastes exactly like normal nutella, only 100 times better for you! I love having mine on banana buckwheat pancakes for breakfast, or just dipping berries into it as a snack after school.

I use raw cacao to make my nutella, which is the unrefined version of cocoa powder. Cacao is one of the most powerful antioxidants, even more than berries! These antioxidants protect the body from ageing and disease. Cacao is also rich in magnesium, which is great for healthy skin, hair and nails as well as a healthy liver and pancreas. Cacao has also been found to regulate blood pressure and reduce cholesterol, whilst building the immune system.  Normal cocoa powder is stripped of all these nutrients in the production process, so although it tastes exactly the same raw cacao is definitely a healthier choice! However, if you don't have cacao, you can substitute it for normal cocoa powder, just bare in mind you may have to add a little more as cacao is more concentrated therefore stronger in flavour.

Hope you like the recipe!

Makes enough for 1 regular sized jam jar full.

You will need: 

• 250g hazelnuts 
• 4 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 4 tbsp brown rice syrup or any liquid sweetener of your choice
• 5 tbsp almond milk 
• A food processor - you could also use a blender or nutribullet, but the nutella won't be as smooth as the normal one!

Preheat your oven to 170C. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper, and spread out your hazelnuts. Bake for 20 mins until shells are dark brown and starting to flake off. 

Remove all of the shells by rubbing the nuts between your fingers, this is a really important step otherwise your nutella will be a bit grainy!

Soak the shelled nuts in water for at least 30 minutes, or longer preferably for easier blending!

Add the nuts to your food processor, and blitz until a smooth nut butter forms (the texture of smooth peanut butter), then add your cacao and sweetener. Blitz again, and add almond milk until you reach your desired consistency.

Spoon the nutella into a jar and store it in the fridge for up to a week, if it lasts that long!

Moo x

Chocolate Iced Oat Cookies! (Vegan, Gluten-free)

Hi everyone!

Today I'm going to be telling you how to make my chocolate chip oat cookies. These are a great quick and easy snack and really cheap to make! I love taking them in my lunch boxes to school or on a picnic. 

Due to the oats they are very high in fibre, so unlike bought cookies they will keep you full for longer and give you lots of energy throughout the day. As they have no refined sugar in, they will also keep your blood sugar levels stable so you won't get a sugar high and then sugar crash after eating them! Maple syrup also contains more minerals than honey, it is a good source of calcium, iron, potassium and manganese making it a really beneficial sugar substitute!

You will need:

• 100g self raising gluten free flour
• 100g melted coconut oil (plus a bit extra for icing)
• 75g maple syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice
• 75g rolled oats
• 1 chia egg (mix 1 tbsp chia seeds with 3 tbsp water and leave to form a gel)
• 100g dark chocolate (you can buy this, or sometimes I make my own to make it healthier using coconut oil, cacao and maple syrup)
• A splash of almond milk if necessary

Simply mix your wet ingredients, combine with the dry ingredients and add a little almond milk if the consistency is too crumbly. Form into balls and flatten on a baking sheet, then bake on 180C for around 15 minutes or until they are golden brown.

While the cookies are cooling begin to make your icing by melting your chocolate with a little coconut oil. Once melted, take off the heat and stir constantly until you get a thick icing (this way it won't drip off the sides of your cookies). Spread onto the cookies once they're cool, and decorate with toppings of your choice. I like almonds, goji berries and more chia seeds on mine!

Hope you liked the recipe, please tag me on instagram if you make any of my recipes so I can see your pictures!

Moo x

Raw banana and raspberry ice cream!

Hi everyone!

This recipe is for my favourite banana and raspberry ice cream. Its super easy to make, you only need 2 ingredients and a blender!

You will need:

• 4 frozen bananas (make sure you freeze these overnight at least)
• 2 cups frozen raspberries

Simply place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and combine! If you're using a blender you may need to add a splash of almond milk or water to help it blend. I like mine in a bowl with extra raspberries on top or in a cone, I even have it for breakfast! You can also freeze the ice cream again if you'd like to save it for another day.

My favourite smoothie bowl recipe!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog, this is my first ever post!

I will be posting recipes to vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free meals, snacks and treats.

Today's recipe is one of my favourite breakfasts, a smoothie bowl with toppings!

You will need (makes 1 smoothie bowl):

• 1 cup frozen mango
• 1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tablespoon flax seeds (optional)

Toppings:

• Sliced kiwi
• Homemade granola
• Pumpkin seeds
• Flaked almonds

To make it, simply combine all of the ingredients in your blender/food processor, and blend until smooth. You might need to add a bit more water if you want it more runny, you could also add even more water to make it into a drinkable smoothie. Then add all of your toppings and enjoy!

Please leave me some comments and feedback and if you make any of the recipes tag #moosfood on instagram and twitter.

Follow me on instagram @moosfood

Thankyou for reading!

Love Moo x