If you've ever spent more than two seconds on my blog, you probably know about my undying love for salted caramel. I've been a salted caramel enthusiast for about five years now, dating way back to my pre-vegan days. I went vegan before salted caramel hit the mainstream and I thank God for that each and every day.. it definitely wouldn't have been healthy.
I've
been on a mission ever since then to create healthy salted caramel
dishes, and once I discovered the beauty of the medjool date, I haven't
looked back once. Now, overnight oats aren't exactly the prettiest meal.
They are, however, such a simple dish, and are perfect for those
mornings when you have zero time, or simply don't feel like cooking.
They're also great for those warmer mornings when you still want
porridge. (I.E. all you people in the other hemisphere that aren't in
freezing cold winter right now!)
What you'll need:
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- 2 medjool dates
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- 1 cup of water
- a pinch of salt (OPTIONAL!)
What you'll need to do:
- In a blender (or food processor), mix together the banana, dates, vanilla and water until completely combined.
- Get a container, or jar if you're feeling particularly hip, and add in the cup of rolled oats.
- Mix in the liquid from the blender until it completely covers the oats.
- It shouldn't be TOO runny - if you're finding it is, add in some more oats until you're happy with the consistency.
- Put in the fridge overnight, or for at least eight hours.
- Take out in the morning and serve! You can always add in some extra fresh fruit on top, but this is totally optional. The oats taste great by themselves!
If you don't eat salt, feel free to leave it out. It isn't a must.. although it is extremely delicious. Let me know if you try this recipe out!
I absolutely ADORE Clif Bars. They are my favourite snack, especially when I'm traveling or on the go. Or hiking, as the package suggests, which I've only ever done once. The only problem with Clif Bars is that they're kiiiiinda high in fat and they also contain nuts, something that my body doesn't really like all that much. I've been trying to come up with my own Clif Bar recipe for a while now, but almost all the flavours contain nuts and I was struggling to be creative. Until I thought about how good the caramel apple pie flavoured porridge I make every day is and how that should be a Clif Bar too. Alas, my Clif Bar is caramel apple pie flavour! I also am considering trying to make a pumpkin spice flavour - let me know if you'd be interested in those! These Clif Bars are also soy free!
A word of warning before I begin though. These Clif Bars don't contain any processed sugars, and therefore are A LOT less sweet than your typical muesli (granola?) bar. I like them like that though. If you are big on sweet things, I'd consider adding extra dates or maple syrup at your own disclosure.
Caramel Apple Pie Cliff Bars (Makes 6)
What you'll need:
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup oat flour (or flour of your choice)
- 1/2 cup puffed brown rice
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 5 pitted medjool dates
- 220ml apple sauce
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp water
What you'll need to do:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
- In a food processor mix dates, apple sauce, maple syrup and water until combined. Set the mixture aside.
- In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, oat flour, ground flax seed, cinnamon and puffed brown rice. Make sure it's mixed evenly.
- Slowly mix in the wet ingredients to the dry until your mixture is well combined. It should be sticky and quite wet.
- Form the mixture into the shape of a Clif/muesli bar and place onto a lined baking tray.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the bar gets slightly golden.
- Leave to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
- ENJOY!
I'd love to hear if you tried this recipe what you thought! As I said previously, it's not an extremely sweet recipe, but it really does emulate a Clif Bar and it gives you that boost of energy just like a Clif Bar would! They should last in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Are there any other flavours of Clif Bars you'd like health-ified? Or maybe just a flavour you wish existed?! Let me know in the comments and I'll give it a go.
Vegan nuggets are delicious. Regardless of the brand, they taste good. However, store bought nuggets are full of all kinds of ingredients and don't leave you feeling so great. I've been trying to make the perfect vege burger over the past couple of months and somehow stumbled across this perfect combination of plant products that creates a delicious, but HEALTHY, nugget! You can eat as many of these as you like - HOORAY!
Everyone can enjoy these nuggets - they're vegan, gluten free, oil free, nut free, soy free.
What you'll need:
- 400 grams of chickpeas (usually one whole can)
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp mustard
What you'll need to do:
- Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
- Drain your chickpeas and rinse them thoroughly. I recommend saving the liquid as it becomes aquafaba and is SO versatile. I'll be posting recipes using it soon!
- Put all of the ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender. You CAN just mash everything together with a fork - however it takes a lot longer and is quite painstaking.
- Blitz together for about a minute. Be sure to not over do it! You may need to push the sides down but be sure to just mix until well-combined.
- If you have any chickpeas that didn't blend, just mash them with a fork.
- Take the mixture out of the processor and form into nugget like shapes.
- Place down on a lined tray and put into the oven.
- Cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Flip them over at half-time to ensure they cook evenly.
- Leave them to sit for about five minutes and then enjoy!
Let me know if you try them out! They're best served with tomato or barbecue sauce - or even spicy mayo ;)
