Date Truffle Recipe - Valentine's Date Night just got Fruitier with Forest Feast #ThePerfectDate

Forest Feast produce an amazing range of dried fruit, and for Valentine's Day, their Medjool Dates are the perfect ingredient for cooking up a deliciously healthy treat for your loved one. With dates being a great source of minerals, fibre, amino acids and energy, they are a nutrient dense, modern superfood. Medjool dates have a sweet, sticky, soft caramel quality making them a luxurious, natural treat and are considered an aphrodisiac and symbol of sex and fertility in some cultures - perfect for Valentine's Day!

Forest Feast sent me some of their Medjool Dates and a recipe to make some Date Truffles. The recipe is suitable for vegans and is a super healthy alternative to chocolates. The bite size balls of decadence are rich and delicious.

Medjool Date Recipe

7 Forest Feast Medjool Dated (pitted)
65g of nuts (I used walnuts)
85g ground almonds
30g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
pinch of sea salt

Soak dates in hot water for a few minutes to soften.
Drain and squeeze.
Finely grind nuts in food processor. Add ground almonds and cocoa and pulse together.
Add dates, vanilla and sea salt and pulse to form a sticky ball.
Take teaspoon size balls and press into a silicone heart mould.
Pop into freezer and once hard pop them out and roll in cocoa powder.
Alternatively, roll into balls and roll in cocoa powder, chopped nuts or dessicated coconut - or keep them naked if preferred!

Not the prettiest truffle, but they are absolutely lush!

Forest Feast dried fruits are available online and from retailers nationwide. Medjool Dates are £2.85 for a 180g bag and Smart and Hearty Dates are £1.99 for a 100g bag. Perfect for snacking or cooking.


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Banana and Chia Seed Porridge Recipe

Starting the day with a healthy breakfast really can really make a difference to you energy levels and vitality during the day. I have been experimenting with creating some plant based, vegan friendly dishes, that will harness all the goodness of nutrient dense ingredients, but still taste delicious. This is my breakfast dish that I think ticks the boxes.

Banana and Chia Seed Porridge

Ingredients

1 cup of coconut or almond milk

1/2 cup of porridge oats

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1/2 banana - sliced

Method

Put milk and oats into a small saucepan and bring to boil.

Add chia seeds and sliced banana to pan.

Simmer for 3-4 minutes until cooked through.

This porridge is rich, creamy and naturally sweet. The slow release energy from the oats keeps you energised and satisfied, while the superfood chia seeds add quality nutrients to the dish. It's quick and easy and really is a great start to the day.

Baobab Superfruit - Good For You, Good for Africa

I am always interested in foods that have positive health benefits.  So when I was offered some of the new superfood  Baobab to try out, I was willing to give it a try!  Then I discovered that this product is also helping the African farmers who grow it, giving them an income to educate their children and provide for their families.  Villagers are able to improve their communities thanks to production and harvesting of the sustainable Baobab crop.

The Baobab tree is an unusual creation that looks upside down as if it has roots in the air.  It produces big, waxy, white flowers which are pollinated by bats.  In Africa, they call it the tree of life and it can live for thousands of years. The fruits have a hard shell and contain a fruity, powdery pulp around black seeds, which is harvested by the farmers.

Baobab powder is very nutritious, rich in vitamin C, B vitamins, Calcium, Potassium, anti-oxidants and Iron. It is low in sugar and high in fibre. It is said to strengthen the immune system, fight colds, ward of some diseases, give you energy and is a great pick me up.  A superfood indeed!  You can use it in many ways including adding it to smoothies, as an additive in baking or to sprinkle over cereals.

We've received a couple of 5g sachets to sample.  Baobab powder has a tangy, fruity flavour which enhances the taste of whatever it is added to.  We added some to a smoothie to add some extra nutrition and goodness.

How to Make a Superfood Smoothie 

1 cup of Apple Juice

1 banana

1 handful of frozen mixed berries

1 teaspoon of Baobab powder

Throw everything into a blender and blitz!

Serve with a straw.
Delicious and full of healthy ingredients!

Baobab can be purchased from the Eden Project's online shop for £1 a sachet or £5 for a pack of eight.  It's also available in larger jars and packets.  Find the superfood Fruit Powder here.

Image from The Eden Project

Here is a recipe for Baobab pancakes  presented by African chef Malcolm Riley.  Baobab powder really is versatile and so nutritious, it is well worth giving it a try to enhance the health of your family.


                            

A Healthier Chocolate Fix with Mighty Mix Cookies!

It's nearly Easter and the shops have been displaying hundreds of chocolatey treats for weeks.  It can be hard to resist the temptation, but there is another way to achieve a chocolate fix with a healthier twist!  Linwoods have an alternative where you can enjoy an Easter treat without the guilt.  Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa, Strawberries and Blueberries give you the all the flavour of quality cocoa whilst giving you a health and energy boost at the same time.

Natural Cocoa powder which is used in the mix is high in Flavanols , which help maintain a healthy heart and circulation.   Just two spoonfuls of this tasty mix contains the same antioxidants as 3 portions of broccoli, a cabbage, 6 carrots, 10 tomatoes, 2 apples and a grapefruit!

It also has 75% reduced fat when compared to other cocoa in most dark chocolate products.

This Superfood Mix also contains Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium and Omega 3.  This chocolate fix will add valuable nutrition to your diet.

We've been sent a packet of Linwoods Milled Flaxseed, Cocoa, Strawberries and Blueberries along with a recipe to make  "Chocolate Mighty Mix Cookies"!

So with the help of my Tiny Testers, we have put Linwoods to the test.  Is it possible to make a  chocolatey treat that is really good for you?!

  

125g Linwoods Milled Organic Flaxseed, Cocoa and Berries 100g Margarine  or Butter 60g Oats 70g Self Raising Flour 45g Sugar 5ml Vanilla Flavouring

The cookies really do taste healthy.  They are wholesome,  oaty, earthy, seedy and have an intense chocolatey taste.  They were very moreish but not very sweet.  The girls happily chomped through them (but said they would have liked a bit more sugar in them). 

If you are looking for a really healthy ingredient to add nutritional value to your diet, Linwoods is definitely the answer.   I will definitely experiment by using it in other recipes.  The list of health benefits listed on the pack is impressive.  Just adding two dessert spoonfuls of the mix to your meals in a day will provide all the benefits of this superfood.  Sprinkle over cereals, put it in smoothies or in homemade bread, add to yogurt, use in stuffing or nut roasts, sprinkle over cooked vegetables or use in desserts, cakes or biscuits.  There are nine different products in the range so you're sure to find one you love!

Available from independent health food stores, Holland & Barrett, Julian Graves, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and pharmacies across the UK and retail at approximately £8.00 per pack and range from 49p to 99p for a mini pack.

If you would like to start feeling the benefits from Linwoods Superfoods, register free for the 10 Day Healthy Superfoods Challenge via the Facebook page and receive a 10 Day Variety Pack!