Pumpkin Streusel Cake with Maple Syrup Glaze

I'm just going to leave this recipe here… in hopes you find it and make it and eat it all and then you can tell me what a great friend I am (hehe) 

 Ingredients: 

Cake:

2 cups gluten free all purpose flour (I used Orgran)

3 teaspoons of baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

Approximately 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of nutmeg (but you could add ginger and all spice or any other spice you wanted to if you have them, that’s just all I had)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup dairy free milk of choice (I used almond- coconut milk)

1 cup pumpkin puree (how I made mine: steamed some cubed pumpkin in the microwave, and then put it through my food processor until a puree consistency)

½ cup raw sugar/ coconut sugar (you could use coconut sugar, I will try it with that next time!)

½ cup oil, both coconut oil and olive oil work (I used olive oil because I like the flavor it gives a cake)

Streusel layer:

½ cup raw sugar/ coconut sugar

¾ cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used Orgran)

5 tablespoons non-dairy margarine, at room temperature (I heated mine in the microwave for just a little bit, so it was warm-ish but not melting)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, approximately

½ cup of roughly chopped pecans (up to you if you want to swap the nut around, you can use walnuts if you wanted to!)

Maple glaze:

½ cup icing sugar, sifted well

2 teaspoons non-dairy milk (I used almond-coconut milk)

½ teaspoon maple syrup

Oil, to grease cake tin

Cake tin (I used a round 20cm one, but you can make it any shape you wanted to really, or into muffins! Muffins could be fun hehe)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease your cake tin (or muffin tray) with oil of choice (I used spray on coconut oil for an easy solution).

First, make the streusel layer. In a bowl, combine the sifted flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans, until well mixed through. Then, add your room temperature dairy free margarine (I used nuttelex) with your fingers combine all ingredients until it creates a crumble/ crumb. Set aside for now, and get going with the cake-y part!

Chop your pumpkin into cubes and in a steaming dish (or on the stove) steam your pumpkin until quite soft. Then, add it to your food processer and process until smooth.

In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and spices and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk the dairy free milk and the apple cider vinegar together and leave to “curdle”. Finally, add the pumpkin, sugar and oil to the dry mixture as well as the curdled milk, and stir to combine. The mixture will be quite thick, so do not over mix.

In your greased cake tin, lay half the cake mixture down evenly, and then top with about half the streusel mixture. Then, as best you can, evenly spread out the remaining cake mixture and then crumble the last of the streusel on top of that.

The cake will need to bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until you can stick a knife in the center and it comes out clean or relatively so (I find it’s a moist cake anyway). When it is cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes or so, or until it’s relatively cool to the touch.

When it is cool, you can make the maple glaze! In a small bowl, combine the icing sugar, milk and maple syrup well until it has formed a smooth runny mixture. Drizzle over the top of the cake, and then you’re done. You have one of the most delicious cakes I have ever eaten right in front of you (and that’s not testament to my cooking because I’m not even that good, the cake is honestly heavenly).

I warn you, if people see or hear about you making it, they will want to come over. So if you want it all to yourself, I suggest locking your doors and closing your blinds hehe, otherwise you will have visitors! But honestly, what is cake without someone to enjoy it? Share it around and celebrate deliciousness together J

Let me know if you make it, would love to hear your opinion on it! 

Bliss Ball (or Bounty) pancakes

Oh holy bliss. Get it? Bl- never mind haha. I'm being a loser. However, these pancakes were a winner. Well, in my eyes anyway. In yours? Who knows (probably yes because let's be real coconut and chocolate is the perfect mix) but try 'em for yourself and see :) oh and if you do, tag me on instagram or send me a comment here or just tell me! Tell the world! Celebrate the great things in life.

Ingredients: 

Approximately 1/4 (or a little more) of buckwheat flour, and approximately 1/4 (or a little less) of brown rice flour (can use just 1/2 cup buckwheat instead if you like) 

2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax and 6 tbsp water) 

1 banana, extra ripe, mashed 

1 tbsp maca powder (I use this one, this is optional but highly recommended for extra nutrition from your pancakes) 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 cup milk of choice (I used almond-coconut milk) 

Sweetener of choice (I found it needed it due to the cacao, so I used maybe about a tablespoon of agave syrup) 

2 tbsp raw cacao powder (I used loving earth, you could use a mixture of cacao and carob if you don't want sweetener perhaps!) 

2 tbsp of desiccated coconut (I used maybe a touch more but it's up to you how much or little you like) 

Method: 

If you haven't made your flax eggs over night, do that first by mixing the water and the flax together and placing in the fridge. Meanwhile, mash your banana and set it aside. In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, maca, cacao powder, coconut) and mix. Then, add the wet ingredients (flax eggs, banana, milk of choice, sweetener of choice if using) until all well combined. 

Heat a non-stick pan with a little oil of choice (I love using coconut oil for my cooking) and then cook the pancakes one by one, using a few tablespoons of batter per pancake until all cooked. Remember to flip when the pancakes are showing bubbles on the first side, and the underneath and outsides are cooked well. 

Stack em up, topping em up and eat em up! I personally added for this first run coconut yoghurt and coconut peanut butter (keeping within the theme), banana, strawberries, blend co superfood sprinkle and some rose petals. Ooft. 

Peanut butter ice magic sauce

Mmmmmm it's like two of my favourite things combined and I loves it.

Ingredients: 

Peanut butter or nut butter of choice (if you don't like or eat peanuts) 

Coconut oil, melted 

You will have to play around with amounts yourself as it will depend on how much you're making but I generally think I do two tablespoons of peanut butter to one tablespoon of coconut oil (depending on how runny you want it and how thick your PB is) 

Method: 

Melt down the coconut oil and then add your peanut butter to it, stirring to combine and then quickly add it to your dish and watch as it goes all ice magic like :) 

Gluten free RAWnola (inspired by Loni Jane)

Guys this is so tasty and so simple to make and so wholesome. Get. on. the. LJ. Rawnola. Train. No stops, end destination of deliciousness.

Recipe adapted from Loni Jane 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup quinoa flakes 

7-8 dates, pitted 

1/2 cup coconut, shredded 

Cinnamon, optional (but recommended) 

Method: 

Place all things in blender. 

Blend. 

When combined in a luscious crumble, remove from blender. And try not to eat it all at once. 

But if you did there would be no shame in it because SO GOOD. ;)

Mediterranean Falafels

These may not be perfect just yet! But I did a thing and it was delicious. And I've decided that making things from scratch yourself is way more fun anyway, and so rewarding!

And I love falafels and hummus and this was a fun experiment that kind of worked out well and I am proud of myself. I will make them again until I'm 100% happy with them but yay falafel!

Served here with paprika sweet potato chunks, hummus, olives and vegies. Oh and a mango banana baobab smoothie of course! 

Ingredients: 

2 cans of chickpeas, drained 

2 tbsp of lemon juice 

2 tbsp of garlic paste 

1/2 cup of parsley 

1/4 cup coriander (or other herb if you want to swap it up) 

1 tbsp of paprika 

1 tbsp of sumac (or any spice you want to use)

Method: 

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blend until a fine crumb has formed. Roll falafels into balls individually in your palm, and then place on a lightly greased oven tray and bake until crisp, and then flip to other side. Remove when cooked through on both sides. Alternatively, heat a frying pan with oil of choice and fry falafels in the pan. 

I also made my own hummus and served it in a big bowl of goodness and it was delicious. If you make, I hope you enjoy! 

Blueberry Pie Pancakes

Mmm these were like a warm hug, tasted like my childhood and went down easily and tastily. My stomach didn't have one bad thing to say about this stack. Fresh, fruity and tasty as hell.

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup buckwheat flour and 1/4 cup brown rice flour (approximately, would work with just buckwheat or a little less than half a cup brown rice flour, which is what I tend to do) 

Approx 1 tbsp maca powder (I use this one) and 1tbsp Mesquite powder (optional) 

1 tbsp vanilla extract, or real vanilla if you have it 

2 flax eggs (2 tbsp flaxseed and 6 tbsp of water, left for at least half an hour but for as long as possible) 

1/2 cup milk of choice 

1 tsp baking powder 

One banana, mashed, ripe

As many blueberries as you like! 

For the compote: 

A couple of handfuls of your favourite berries 

Between 1/4-1/2 cup of water 

A few drops of vanilla, and spices of your choice (if you like, not necessary, could also add maple syrup or agave if you want it sweeter) 

Method: 

Make the pancake batter in a big bowl first! Have your flax eggs in the fridge and your banana mashed and ready. Combine the flours, baking powder and maca powder and mesquite powder to the bowl and combine. Next, add your wet ingredients (almond milk, banana, vanilla extract, flax eggs) and combine to make the mixture nice and smooth. 

In a well greased pan, cook your pancakes one by one, adding a few blueberries straight away after placing a couple of spoonfuls of the mixture in the pan. Cook until bubbles start to form on top, and then flip. Remove when cooked, and repeat until all finished. 

For the compote, simply place berries in a saucepan with the water and the vanilla/ spices/ extras and bring to the boil, then reduce down to a simmer until thickened up, mashing berries as you go, to form a thick sauce. 

And hey presto, got yourself some pie pancakes! Make sure you wash your hands after though, my hands were looking a little blue by the end of breakfast (hehe) 

Mango nana ice cream

Holy mango, I found mango and I am in love with mango and hi (haha). Sorry, I just love mango.

This was so refreshing and tangy and literal summer in a bowl :)

Ingredients: (up to you on portion sizes etc.) 

Frozen banana, peeled 

Frozen mango, peeled and cut up 

Coconut water/ almond milk/ liquid of choice 

Baobab powder (optional, but I recommend) I use this one

Method: 

Blend all ingredients in the blender until smooth, and once done, place in bowl and add toppings (or eat it straight from the blender if you want haha!) 

I topped mine with banana, strawberries, coconut chips, buckinis, and cocotella (chocolate coconut spread… oh my!) 

The baobab gave it an extra tangy hit BUT it gave me so so much energy, oh my word. Recommend it 100 percent if you want some extra energy for throughout the day! 

Good food to make you feel good.