Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter - I use Hi-PRO Nutrition (can replace with cashew butter or almond butter)
1 ripe banana (the browner the sweeter)

1 can of chickpeas

4 tbsp date syrup/maple syrup

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Optional: 1/4 cup rolled oats or 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Mash the banana.

3. Drain and rinse the chickpeas

4. Add all ingredients, except chocolate chips, to a food processor.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand

6. Pour the mixture into tray and bake for 20 minutes.

7. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before slicing into about 12 brownies.

The Ultimate Banana Bread

Nothing says “comfort” like a straight-from-the-oven loaf of banana bread, and this one is incredibly decadent, spongey and super moist. It is naturally sweet thanks to the over-ripe bananas, with undertones of caramel from the date nectar and maple syrup, and a slight spice from the cinnamon. It works perfectly as breakfast, spread with some peanut butter or even on it's own as an afternoon pick-me-up. Like the vast majority of my recipes, it is free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar, and is made from healthy and wholesome ingredients - what's not to love?

Ingredients: 

4 over-ripe bananas

1 cup ground almonds

1.5 cups gluten-free flour (I recommend buckwheat or brown rice flour for the texture)

2 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp date nectar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp melted coconut oil + extra for greasing

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Optional add-ins: 2 tbsp chia seeds, 2 tbsp cacao nibs, handful of raisins/sultanas, handful of blueberries/raspberries.

Method:

1. Start by pre-heating the oven to 160C and grease a loaf tin with coconut oil. 
2. Whisk the eggs, maple syrup, date syrup, coconut oil and vanilla in a large bowl, then mash the bananas with a fork and add them to the bowl. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, ground almonds, salt, cinnamon and baking powder.

4. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir well. 
5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and allow it to bake for 50-60 mins.

6. Allow the bread to fully cool (30 minutes) before removing from the tin.
7. Best served with a thick slab of peanut butter and a drizzle of honey.

I’d love to know what your favourite banana bread add-ins are? Do you like yours loaded with blueberries, crunchy peanut butter, dark chocolate chips, walnuts and pumpkin seeds? Or do you prefer this simple, classic loaf just the way it is?

The Mae Deli by Deliciously Ella

The highly-anticipated opening of The Mae Deli has finally arrived and the deli opened its doors in the heart of London's Marylebone earlier this week. For those of you who haven't heard of Ella Woodward (have you been hiding under a rock?), she is the Instagram sensation with 653,000 followers, the author of the number one best-selling book on Amazon this year as well as the successful blogger behind deliciouslyella.com. The name "The Mae Deli" is an acronym of Matthew (Ella's fiancé) and Ella.

As soon as I stepped foot inside the deli, I could sense the warm and welcoming atmosphere of this gorgeous and cozy setting. Both Matthew and Ella were present and I was fortunate enough to have a lovely chat with one of my all-time healthy inspirations!

The food is based on the Deliciously Ella philosophy, using natural ingredients free from wheat, dairy and refined sugar. The breakfast menu ranges from smashed avocado on rye toast, to healthy bowls of porridge, chia pudding, bircher muesli, açai bowl and coconut yoghurt, as well as a variety of toppings such as toasted seeds and coconut chips.

For lunch and dinner, the mix-and-match concept of Mae bowls allow you to choose from a selection of nourishing plant-based dishes, with options such as maple roasted sweet potatoes, pecan sprouts, miso and sesame glazed aubergine, lemon quinoa, edamame brown rice, pesto broad bean dip and turmeric cauliflower.

For dessert, there is an array of healthy sweet treats, including freshly baked pecan brownies, coconut truffles and power balls made from hemp, chia, flax, almonds, dates, cranberries, goji berries and cacao. I had a brownie and it tasted so incredibly indulgent! 

The fresh juices are all organic and cold-pressed to retain the nutrients and the smoothies are loaded with ingredients such as almond butter, hemp, cacao and oats, on top of fruits and veggies, to up the nutritional content and make them more filling. I had the Green Glow which had such a wonderful creamy texture and tasted delicious!

I also purchased a bag of the toasted coconut, maple and raisin granola, which I can't stop snacking on!

The Deli is located at 21 Seymour Place. Go and check it out - I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do!

Caramelized cinnamon pears and figs

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven 180 degrees.

2. Melt coconut oil on a baking tray in the oven.

3. Slice pears into wedges, slice figs in half and pit the medjool dates. Add blackberries, pecans and pine nuts.

4. Toss in freshly squeezed lemon juice and lots of cinnamon. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle a pinch of coconut sugar.

5. Put pears in the oven on a low heat, covered in tin foil.

6. After 25 mins, remove tin foil, and add the rest (figs, dates, blackberries, pecans, pine nuts) to the oven tray. 

7. After a further 15 mins, remove tray from oven and add to a serving plate. Sprinkle with lemon juice, cacao nibs, more cinnamon and dessicated coconut.

Healthy Reece's Peanut Butter Cacao Carob Cups

My healthy Reece's Peanut Butter Cacao Carob Cups make the most scrumptious guilt-free dessert or the ideal mid-afternoon pick-me-up bursting with superfood powers from the coconut oil, coconut sugar, cacao and carob powder.

Here is the recipe I'm sure you've all been dying to get your hands on!

Ingredients (makes 8 cups) :

8 tbsp coconut oil

3 tbsp cacao powder

3 tbsp carob powder

5 tbsp sweetener of choice - I use half coconut sugar and half maple syrup but agave nectar works too!

1/2 cup organic peanut butter

4 drops vanilla essence

3/4 tbsp honey

Instructions:

1. Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan on a low heat. Stir in the cacao powder, carob powder and your sweetener of choice until it forms a liquid consistency.

2. Place 8 cupcake cases on a lined baking tray.

3. Add 3/4 tbsp of the melted chocolate mixture to each cupcake case.

4. Place in the freezer for 12-15 mins while the chocolate hardens.

5. Meanwhile, put the peanut butter, vanilla essence and honey together in a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds on a low heat and then stir well.

6. Add an equal amount of the peanut butter mixture to each case then put back in the freezer for 8-10 mins

7. Add 1 tbsp of the remaining chocolate mixture to each case with any toppings you like: try fresh blueberries, dried goji berries, raw cacao nibs, dessiccated coconut or sultanas! Put in freezer for 15 mins.

8. Enjoy!!

How to make Chia pudding

What is a chia pudding? It is simply chia seeds mixed with your choice of liquid (my favourites are coconut milk and almond milk), flavourings (such as cinnamon, vanilla or a spoon of peanut butter) and potentially some berries or mashed banana. Chia seeds, when mixed with liquid, form a gel-like substance which turns the mixture into a “pudding” after soaking for a couple of hours.

Chia puddings are one of the best snacks as they are so easy to make, super nourishing for your body and of course they taste delicious! The nutritional content of chia seeds is high due to containing plenty of fiber, protein, calcium, potassium, antioxidants and omegas. They also boost your metabolism and keep your energy levels balanced due to their combination of vitamins and minerals.

Here are some of my favourite chia pudding combinations to inspire you to get creative! I usually use unsweetened almond milk milk as the liquid in my puddings but you could substitute for any other milk that you wish, from coconut milk to oat milk to hemp milk.

Chocolate chia pudding

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup almond milk

1tsp cacao

1tsp carob

Pinch of cinnamon

Vanilla chia pudding

2tbsp chia seeds


1/2 cup coconut milk

1/2tsp vanilla powder

Açaí chia pudding

2tbsp chia seeds


1/2 cup almond milk

1tsp açaí berry powder

Matcha chia pudding

2tbsp chia seeds


1/2 cup coconut milk


1tsp matcha powder

How to do it?

1. Stir the ingredients together in a jar.

* Place the jar (covered) in the fridge and let it stay there for at least 1-2 hours until the liquid is absorbed.

* Take the jar from the fridge, stir again, then serve with your choice of toppings: berries, coconut flakes, cacao nibs, honey, peanut butter... And enjoy!

How to make: peanut butter and banana overnight oats

These peanut butter and banana overnight oats make a dreamy, creamy dessert-for-breakfast, with the sweet flavours of the PB and honey and a thick pudding consistency.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of almond milk

1/2 mashed ripe banana

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tsp raw honey

Method:

Stir all the ingredients together and leave in the fridge overnight.

In the morning, layer it with toppings of your choice - I use raspberries, cacao nibs, dessiccated coconut flakes and a little more PB (because there's no such thing as too much PB!)

What to do with an almost-empty jar of peanut butter