Festive Gingerbread people

Hey Guys

It's my favourite time of the year... Christmas!!!! (and also my birthday).  I have been making these gingerbread people non stop.  They are really good for lunch boxes or snacks ( every time me & my mum go past the plate we pick one up!) & they are the best dipped in hot chocolate.

The gingerbread is gluten free and refined sugar free.  I used traditional icing powder and water to pipe on to my gingerbread people, but you could easily replace that with adding raisins or small nuts to make the features.  Just be sure to press them firmly into the gingerbread people before they are baked.

Did you know that black strap Molasses is traditional in making gingerbread, it's high in iron, calcium, magnesium, B6 and selenium, as well as being delicious

For the gingerbread you will need:

3/4 cup oats ( check they are labelled gluten free if you have a gluten allergy)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tsp GF baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 vegan margarine or coconut oil
1 tbsp blackstrap molasses
3 tbsp date syrup or your favourite unrefined sweetener
1 flax 'egg' ( 1 tbsp flax add 3 tbsp water)
Gingerbread people cutters
icing sugar if you are using this to pipe or 
small nuts or raisins

Method

Mix up the flax egg and leave to stand for a few minutes.  Place the oats into a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth flour.  Add in to the food processor ( or bowl) the rest of the dry ingredients , mix well.  Add the butter, molasses, date syrup and finally the flax egg.  I pulse the food processor until I have a fairly sticky dough. Now have a taste, you may want to add more sweetener, or if the dough is really 'wet' add a small amount of rice flour. 

Tip out the dough on to a piece of clingfilm, wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Heat the oven to 180C.  

Roll out the gingerbread between 2 pieces of baking parchment.  You may need to sprinkle them with a little rice flour if the dough is too sticky.  Use cutters to make your people and carefully lift ( I use a pallet knife) on to a lined baking tray. If you are using raisins or nuts for the features, press them firmly into place now.

Bake for around 18 minutes until golden brown.  The gingerbread may still feel soft as you get it out of the oven but don't worry as it hardens up as it cools.  You can experiment with the cooking time to get them exactly how you like them ( I like them crisp on the out side but still soft in the middle!)

I hope you enjoyed this recipe.  If you make any thing off my blog don't forget to tag me @moosfood on instagram.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Love from Moo x

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

My Vegan Lunchbox

Hello everyone!

Today I'm going to be showing you what I pack in my vegan lunchboxes for school. Below is two examples of what I've eaten for lunch this week, if you'd like me to make this a regular post please let me know. I often have leftovers from dinner the night before or sometimes I make it fresh in the morning! I hope this gives you some ideas for your own lunches or snacks.

Lunchbox no.1 is:

• 2 buckwheat, carrot, sweet potato and cumin fritters
• Carrot sticks
• 1 gluten-free pitta bread
• A pot of hummus 
• Homemade popcorn
• My homemade raspberry & banana raw ice cream (recipe coming soon!)

Lunchbox no.2 is:

• Homemade tomato & garlic dip sauce
• Homemade potato wedges (recipe coming soon!)
• Cucumber and pepper sticks
• 1 sliced orange
• 1 Alpro soya chocolate pot

I hope you enjoyed this post and got some ideas, thanks for reading! Please remember to leave me comments saying what recipes you'd like to see next.

Love Moo x