Category Archives: Snacks

Vegan Chocolate Star Cookies

These festive vegan chocolate star cookies are fun to make over the Christmas period! They are delicious and chocolatey and perfect for an afternoon treat! These vegan chocolate star cookies are 100% cruelty- and gluten free! if you are feeling creative you can also try out my vegan raisin cookies or my vegan ginger cookies.

Vegan Chocolate Star Cookies Vegan Chocolate Star Cookies Vegan Chocolate Star Cookies

Makes 12 star cookies

Ingredients

225g Gluten free oats

1tsp Baking powder

3tbsp Cacao powder

1tbsp Ground flaxseed or gram flour

150ml Almond milk

100ml Rapeseed oil

2tbsp Agave nectar

50g Raisins

Instructions

Firstly preheat the fan oven to 180C.

Secondly weigh out the oats and pour them into a blender (I used the Vitamix) with the baking powder, cacao and flaxseed. Blend until you have a fine flour.

Now pour the flour into a bowl and add the raisins. Make a well in the middle of the flour. Measure out all the liquid ingredients into a jug. Now pour some of the liquid mixture into the well. Mix together until it forms a sticky cookie dough. Add the remaining liquid mixture to mix in any flour sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Next put a piece of baking paper on a baking tray. Place an 8.5cm star-shaped cookie cutter onto the baking paper. Next scoop out the dough using a dessert spoon and drop a portion into the star-shaped cookie cutter. Press down with a teaspoon until the dough fills the star shaped evenly. Now repeat again until you have 12 star cookies!

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Finally remove from the cookies from the oven and leave to cool.

Enjoy your cookies! Store in an airtight container and eat within a week.

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Energy Balls Recipe

If you are looking for a quick and healthy snack, these energy balls are perfect. They are packed full of plant protein, omega 3 and fibre to keep you feeling full for longer. You can make this energy balls recipe in around 30 minutes. Furthermore you can make a batch at the weekend and they will last all week.

They are perfect for those times when you come home from work hungry and need a quick snack to keep you going before dinner. Or you can have them as an afternoon treat! They are also fantastic to keep in your bag as a snack for when you are out and about.

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Makes 8 energy balls

Ingredients

115g Almonds

150g Dates

2tbsp Hemp protein powder

1tbsp Ground flaxseed

3tbsp Cacao powder

3tbsp Desiccated coconut

Instructions

Firstly soak the almonds overnight and soak the dates for at least 15 minutes.

Now add all the ingredients into a food processor. Blend until the mixture sticks together in a ball. Wash your hands. Next with your hands roll the sticky mixture into 8 medium sized balls that are roughly the same size.

Store in a container in the fridge. Eat within a week.

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Vegan Ginger Cookies

These tasty vegan ginger cookies are nice and spicy to warm you up on a cool winter’s day! They are gluten-free and vegan and quick to make. Ginger is anti-inflammatory and good for circulation and the added cinnamon is good for blood sugar control. I would recommend sourcing Ceylon cinnamon which is true cinnamon as the cinnamon in the supermarkets is cassia that can cause liver damage if eaten in large quantities.

Vegan Ginger Cookies Vegan Ginger Cookies Makes 13 cookies

Ingredients

225g Gluten free oats

1tsp Baking powder

1tbsp Ground ginger

1/2tbsp Ground cinnamon

1tbsp Ground flaxseed

150ml Almond milk

100ml Rapeseed oil

2tbsp Agave nectar

Instructions

Preheat the fan oven to 180C.

Weigh out the oats and pour them into a blender (I used the Vitamix) with the baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and flaxseed. Blend until you have a fine flour.

Now pour the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour. Now pour in some of the almond milk, the rapeseed oil and agave nectar. Mix together until it forms a sticky cookie dough. Add the remaining almond milk to mix in any flour sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Now put a piece of baking paper on a baking tray. Next scoop out the dough using a dessert spoon and drop each portion onto the baking tray. Spread out evenly. Now press down on each cookie with the back of the spoon to flatten them slightly.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven a leave to cool.

Enjoy your cookies! Store in an airtight container and eat within a week.

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Vegan Raisin Cookies

These delicious vegan raisin cookies are very moreish and did not last long in our house! My brother loved them! It is amazing how quick and easy it was to make this tasty treat! Additionally they are gluten free and vegan!

Vegan Raisin CookiesVegan Raisin Cookies Vegan Raisin Cookies

Makes 13 cookies

Ingredients

225g Gluten free oats

1 tsp Baking powder

100g Raisins

150ml Almond milk

100ml Rapeseed oil

2 tbsp Agave nectar

Instructions

Firstly preheat the fan oven to 180C.

Now weigh out the oats and pour them into a blender (I used the Vitamix) with the baking powder. Blend until you have a fine oat flour.

Next pour the oat flour into a bowl. Add in the raisins and mix in well with a wooden spoon. Make a well in the middle of the flour. Now pour in 100ml almond milk, the rapeseed oil and the agave nectar. Mix together until it forms a sticky cookie dough. Add the remaining almond milk to mix in any flour sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Now put a piece of baking paper on a baking tray. Next scoop out the dough using a dessert spoon and drop each portion onto the baking tray. Spread out evenly. Now press down on each cookie with the back of the spoon to flatten them slightly.

Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Finally remove from the cookies from oven and leave to cool.

Enjoy your cookies! Store in an airtight container and eat within a week.

Inspired by the recipe on Violet’s Veg*n e-Comics.

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Quick Gluten Free Flapjacks

This flapjacks were inspired because a friend said I should make some cookies and I had a bag of gluten free muesli sitting in the cupboard. So I thought I would create some quick gluten free flapjacks! The recipe is so quick and simple to make, just take the gluten free muesli, add the liquids, mix and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes! It is a tasty and healthy snack that anyone can make within half an hour.

Quick gluten free flapjacks Quick gluten free flapjacks

Makes 9 flapjacks

Ingredients

375g Gluten free muesli

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tbsp Agave nectar

100g Rapeseed oil

100ml Filtered water

Instructions

Preheat a fan oven to 180C.

Weigh out the muesli and add in into a bowl. Sprinkle on the cinnamon. Pour in the rapeseed oil, filtered water and agave nectar. Mix in well. Pour the mixture into a 9 inch square flapjack tray. Press down with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and even all over.

Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Cut into 9 squares.

Store in an airtight container and eat within a week.

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Guacamole Recipe

I’m back in England after a relaxing holiday in Spain! Continuing on with the Spanish-themed recipes and also having lots of avocados in the fridge I decided to make this authentic guacamole! It is so simple to make and is delicious served as a dip or spread on oatcakes! It is also rich in Vitamin C and is great for detoxing with the coriander.

Guacamole

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

2 Ripe avocados

1/2 Red onion

1 Medium tomato

15g (1/2 a bunch) Fresh cilantro

1 Lime

1/2 tsp Sea salt

1 Jalapeno (optional)

Instructions

Finely chop the onion and place into a bowl.

Now chop the tomato into quarters, then using a knife cut off the skin of each quarter in one movement. Chop up the tomato pulp and add to the bowl.

Chop off and discard the stems of the cilantro, then finely chop the cilantro leaves and place in the bowl.

Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice of each half into the bowl.

Now cut each avocado into quarters and pull out the stone. Peel off the skin of each quarter and put the avocado flesh into the bowl.

Season with salt.

Now using a fork mash up the avocado and mix together all the ingredients well.

Spoon the guacamole into a small bowl and serve with tortilla chips or vegetable crudites as a dip. Also delicious spread on oatcakes or rice cakes.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat within 2 days.

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Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms Recipe

Ever since I tried these garlic mushrooms (champinones) as a tapas in an authentic Spanish restaurant in Jalon I have wanted to make them! They are so simple to make and so tasty! Today we stayed in and relaxed by the pool and I made them for lunch on toast.

Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 tbsp Olive oil

3 Medium button mushrooms

1 Garlic clove

1/2 tsp Dried parsley

1/2 tsp Sea salt

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a low heat.

Thinly slice the mushrooms and add to the pan. Chop the garlic and add to the pan. Season with the parsley and sea salt and mix in.

Saute on a low heat for 15-20 minutes until the mushrooms are delicately soft and slightly brown. Regularly stir and turn over the mushrooms.

Serve warm as a tapas snack or delicious served on toast.

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Gluten-free, Vegan Fruit Bread

This delicious, sweet, fruit bread is so easy to make and has the health benefits of being gluten and dairy free. It is tasty sliced and served with strawberry jam. It did not last long in our house!

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Ingredients

350g      Rice flour
150g      Buckwheat flour
1 tsp      Dried yeast
1 tsp      Himalayan pink crystal salt
1 tsp      Cinnamon
1 tsp      Ginger
150g      Raisins
350ml    Filtered water
1tsp       Coconut oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Add the dry ingredients and the raisins into a large bowl. Wash your hands. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the water. Mix the ingredients together using your hands.

Now leave the dough to rise for an hour an a half until it has doubled in size.

Next grease a bread tray using the coconut oil. Place the dough into the bread tray and bake in the oven for 35 minutes.

Leave the bread to cool for 5 minutes then place on a wire rack. Once cool slice the bread.

Store in a cool, dry place and eat within 3-4 days.

Vegan Victoria Sponge Cake

Treat yourself to this delicious vegan victoria sponge cake that is 100% vegan and gluten-free! It makes a tasty afternoon snack! It has taken me 2 days and 2 ovens but I have finally done it! Hope you enjoy this recipe!

Vegan Victoria Sponge

Vegan Victoria Sponge Recipe

Sponge Cake Ingredients

100g Buckwheat flour

300g White rice flour

200g Golden caster sugar

4tsp Baking powder

2tbsp Coconut oil + extra for greasing

3tbsp Ground flaxseed + 600ml water (3 flax eggs)

Strawberry Jam Ingredients

100ml Water

100g Strawberries

50g Golden caster sugar

Vegan Cream Ingredients

100g Cashew nuts

1 Ripe banana

Instructions

Soak the cashew nuts in water overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan.

Grease two 20cm springform cake tins with coconut oil.

Sieve the dry ingredients, including the buckwheat flour, rice flour, caster sugar and baking powder, into a large bowl.

With a spoon push the flour to the sides of the bowl to make a hole in the middle. Add the coconut oil. Now mix the flaxseed and water together in a glass to make the flax eggs. Pour half the flax egg mixture into the gap and begin to mix in the flour using a wooden spoon. Pour in the rest of the flax eggs. Mix it together very quickly as the baking powder will start working and you want to get it in the oven as soon as possible. You can use an electric whisk for a smoother mixture.

Now pour half the mixture into each of the cake tins and put in the preheated oven immediately. Bake for 20-30 minutes. You can put a skewer in the cake and if it comes out dry you know the cake is cooked.

While the cake is cooking, prepare the strawberry jam. Add the water and the strawberries to a pan on a medium heat. Mush up the strawberries using a wooden spoon. Heat until the strawberries begin to soften. Now add in the sugar. Heat until the sugar has dissolved. Now bring the mixture to the boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes stirring regularly. Finally pour the mixture into a jam jar and leave to set.

While the cake is cooking, prepare the vegan cream. Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a blender with the chopped banana. Blend on full power until you have a smooth, creamy mixture. You may need to push down the sides of the mixture and blend again.

Remove the cakes and leave to cool. Next spread on a layer of the strawberry jam onto the top surface of one of the cakes. Now spread a layer of the vegan cream on top of the jam. Finally you can carefully place the second cake on top of the vegan cream and voila!

Store in an airtight container and eat within 3-4 days.

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10 Healthy Snack Ideas

It has been a while since I last posted an article on my blog. I have been very busy with assignments and studying for my nutritional therapy exam in July! Also mercury retrograde in Gemini made it difficult to move forward with new ideas – but that has finished now yay! And I feel my creative flow is returning! I hope you enjoy my healthy snack ideas!

If you are out and about and want to grab a snack from a shop there are healthy options such as Nakd bars or cereal bars or even fruit. If you have time it is even healthier to prepare your own healthy snacks to bring with you. Below are a list of 10 healthy snacks ideas that you can make and keep in your bag:

  1. Gluten Free Oat Flapjacks – these tasty flapjacks are high in protein and a filling snack.P1010579
  2. Green Smoothie – you can make up your favourite smoothie and keep it with you in a flask for a hydrating drink. P1000324
  3. Raw Chocolate Brownies – these chocolate brownies are the perfect snack for when you have a chocolate craving!Raw Chocolate Brownies
  4. Raw Chocolate Bar – more chocolate to satisfy that chocolate craving!phppHQM7WAM
  5. Vegan Chocolate Muffins – these high protein muffins are a tasty snack.P1000687
  6. Gluten Free Blueberries Muffins – it is summer and blueberries are in season. You could use them to make these healthy muffins.DSCF1295
  7. Raw Mango Cheesecake – who doesn’t love cheesecake!P1000443
  8. Vegan Chana Halva – these are a popular snack in the east.P1000860
  9. Amaranth Gingernut Biscuits – get creative and try out a new grain like amaranth to make biscuits!P1000100
  10. Chocolate Snowballs – my chocolate snowballs were popular when I brought them into college. They are rich and chocolatey!P1000077