Chocolate Chip Date Cookies

 

These are amazing!!! Takes chocolate chip cookies to a whole new level - a healthy and super delicious one!
Secret ingredient are dates! They are the sweetener and give the cookies a nice caramel flovour. Ground almonds make them gluten free and adds protein, Vitamin E and Omega 3. These will totally satisfy a sweet tooth.

The recipe is adopted by Hemsley + Hemsley (check them out. They do excellent food!)

How to:
Preheat oven to 180°C
-100g dates (make a paste out of them, throw in a food processor or blender or very finely chop them. If they are a little too dry pour over boiled water and let sit for about 10 mins, then discard water)
-250g ground almonds

 -85g organic grass-feed butter, room temperature
- half tsp baking powder
-pinch of salt
-100g of the darkest chocolate you can find, chop roughly

Mix all together. Then form bite-sized balls and press flat on a lined baking tray. Bake for 10-15 mins or until golden brown. Cookign time depends on the shape of your cookies. Let allow to cool for at least 10 mins (I know this is one of the hardest parts).

Enjoy with your favorite cuppa!

Two notes:
1. You can even eat them raw! Form into balls and keep in the fridge.
2. When baking I have something healthy to nibble on.  Fruit, veggie sticks with a dip or a (greek) yogurt. Otherwise there wouldn't be much cookie dough left.

Coconut Berryliciousness

 Todays breakfast was inspired by Abigail O'Neils Neopolitian Smoothie. First time ever that I made a smoothie with young coconut meat but it was soo delicious!!! In my smoothies I love to use berries. They are sweet but without much suger and they are packed with antioxidants -very good for your skin! Coconut is a good source of good fat and in this smoothie will keep full for hours! Flax seeds contain healthy fats as well as good protein. To make it taste even  more like a treat I added cacao powder -also full of antioxidants! And for added sweetness and to make it more creamy I blended in a banana as well. Unfortunately I ran out of chia seeds so I topped with mullberries (taste like gummy bears) and cacao nibs for an extra choco kick.

Makes 1 big or 2 medium servings

-Meat and  water of a young coconut

-1 cup of berries (I used half raspberries half blueberries)

-1 banana
-3 Tbsp flax seeds
-1 Tbsp cacao powder
Blend for about a minute and top with favourite toppings. Enjoy!

Next time I will try and add some spinach or kale and only half a banana but chia seeds. And because it's a really sweet smoothie I wouldnt top it again with mulberries ( and reserve them for green smoothies),but may be some almond butter. You could also add shelled hemp seeds which are an excellent source of protein.