CleanWorkout.com Recipes: Superfood Cookie Butter

I have teamed up with the Professional Personal trainers at CleanWorkout.com to bring you a delightfully decadent tasting, yet somewhat guilt-free, snack: SUPERFOOD COOKIE BUTTER!

Balance is key to a healthy lifestyle, as well as to a good diet. Part of maintaining that balance is never feeling like you are depriving yourself of snacks and treats. To create the perfect healthy Cookie Butter, it needed to have a rich, satisfying texture, and bold, spicy flavours.

Coconut Oil is such a versatile ingredient – You can use it for making flaky vegan pie crusts or as an intense moisturizer/cleanser/tooth whitener in beauty applications. When kept below 24 degrees Celsius, it has the perfect buttery consistency.

We use the same spices in our Better than Yia Yia’s Gingerbread cookies, which is the perfect flavour profile for traditional Cookie Butter. We added turmeric for an extra health kick and black pepper to help absorption in the body. Toasting the spices in oil for a few minutes helps them release their essential oils, bringing out deeper flavours, and removing any chalkiness that sometimes happens with ground spices. Pink Himalayan Sea Salt was chosen for its extra minerals, but table salt or fine sea salt can also be used.

Since this is a dessert, we have to have some sugar. We chose richly flavoured sweeteners like brown sugar, molasses and pure maple syrup, because a little goes a long way. Maple syrup also has a low GI, which means that it does not spike your blood sugar, leading to fat storage; The calories you consume are more quickly expended as energy. Molasses also help with the classic gingersnap cookie flavour, and help with the smooth, thick consistency of the final product.

To preserve the healthy oils in the cooked spices and to keep your Superfood Cookie Butter fresh, keep it in the refrigerator up to four weeks. Remove it about 15 minutes before digging in.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

3 tbsp + 1/2 cup Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
Pinch of Ground Clove
1 tsp Ground Ginger
Pinch of Turmeric
Pinch of Black Pepper
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Grated Nutmeg
Pinch of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Sweeteners

1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 to 2 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
1 to 2 tbsp Fancy Molasses

 

TIP: Make it Chocolate Cookie Butter by adding 1 tbsp of Cacao Powder

TIP: Make it Crunchy Cookie Butter by folding in chopped nuts

 

How to Enjoy Superfood Cookie Butter

  • Blend it into Smoothies
  • Spread it on Toast – Top with Chopped Nuts like Almonds, Pecans or Walnuts for a crunchy breakfast
  • Try Baking with it – Mix Clean Cookie Butter Swirls into Cakes and Cupcakes
  • Use it as a Dip
  • Melt it and Pour it onto Ice Cream or Greek Yogurt
  • Eat it on a Spoon

1. Warm your spices in 3 tbsp Coconut Oil over low heat for 1 – 2 minutes. You want to warm the spices to bring out their oils to give your Cookie Butter more flavour. I also find that cooking spices like turmeric and cinnamon soften their flavours, giving them more sweetness and less of a chalky taste.

2. Add your sweeteners. Continue warming the mixture over low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the molasses are combined.

3. Turn off the heat and let cool for 20 minutes.

4. Add room temperature spice mixture to 1/2 cup Coconut Oil.

5. Stir to Combine. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes until the mix starts to solidify.

6. Remove from the refrigerator and shake to redistribute spices and molasses. Chill for another 15 minutes, or until it reaches a ‘Peanut Butter like’ consistency.

7. Stir your Cooled Cookie Butter and Enjoy!

CleanWorkout.com Recipes: Japanese Balance Bowls

I recently had the pleasure of teaming up with CleanWorkout.com to create more Delicious, Healthy, Nutritious and Versatile Meals… Japanese Balance Bowls.

I was inspired by my travels through Tokyo last year. Major department stores like Shinjuku’s Isetan and Shibuya’s Tokyo Hands had large underground grocery stores and patisseries. Filled to the brim with fresh fish, meats and produce, simple preparations are best to let the beautiful ingredients shine.

These Balance Bowls are so simple to prepare and can be customized to suit your tastes. Plus, you can make them ahead of time and store them in the refrigerate them for a quick, balanced lunch or dinner.

 

Red Velvet Beet Cupcakes for the Toronto Raptors

Red Velvet is one of those cakes that usually looks more exciting than it tastes. After years of trying, I finally create the PERFECT RED VELVET CUPCAKE!

The secret ingredient? BEETS!

To cheer on the Toronto Raptors, I combined the perfect red velvet cupcake with the perfect cream cheese frosting, and decorated them with a delicious chocolate raptor claw.

These cupcakes are great for parties and you do not have to feel that guilty for eating them.

Check out the video and recipe below!

Making the Perfect Red Velvet CakE

Ingredients:
(Yields ~9 – 10 Normal Cupcakes)
– 1/4 cup Buttermilk (or 1/4 cup of Milk + 1 tsp White Vinegar – let stand 10 minutes before using)
– 1 – 2 Medium Beets for Roasted Beet Puree
– 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
– 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
– 1 Egg
– 3 tbsp Natural Cocoa Powder
– 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
– 2 tbsp Water
– 1 cup All Purpose Flour (I use Five Roses Brand)
– 3/4 cup Sugar (I use Redpath’s Special Fine Granulated Sugar)
– Pinch of Salt
– 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
– 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

STEP 1: Roasted Beet Puree

– 1 – 2 Medium sized beets
– Wash beets thoroughly
– Place on aluminum foil with a drizzle of olive oil and salt
– Bake at 350 F for 75 Minutes, or until tender
– Cool and then Peel the Skin
– Chop beets in a food processor with 2-3 tbsp of water until they are coarsely ground.

STEP 2: Blend Wet Ingredients

– Combine the following in food processor
– 1/4 cup Buttermilk
– 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp Beet Puree (from Step 1)
– 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
– 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

– Blend until completely smooth

– Add 1 Egg and pulse a few times until it is mixed

STEP 3: Warm over Medium Heat

– 3 tbsp Natural Cocoa Powder
– 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
– 2 tbsp Water
– Gently simmer for a few minutes, whisking periodically so the cocoa does not burn, and then turn off the heat.
– Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before next step.

STEP 4: Sift Together

– 1 cup All Purpose Flour
– 3/4 cup Sugar
– Pinch of Salt
– 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
– 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

– Pre-heat your oven to 350 F
– Whisk together dry ingredients
– Add the slightly cooled Cocoa and Oil Mixture, and mix to combine.
– Add your Beet mixture in three stages.
– Scrape down the bowl and mix for 10 seconds after each addition.

– Fill your lined cupcake tins with batter
– Use an ice cream scoop for even cakes and cooking time.

– Bake at 350 F for 18 – 20 minutes.
– You can usually tell they are done when you smell cake!

Making your Chocolate “Raptor Claw” Decorations

What you Need:
– 3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
– 1 tbsp Cream
– Red Sugar Crystals
– Silicone Baking Liner

– Combine the chocolate chips and cream.
– Microwave on Medium Heat for 1 minute.
– Mix well. If chocolate has not melted, heat for 30 seconds at medium heat (repeat if necessary).
– Use a tea spoon to spread your chocolate “claws” onto your silicone baking liner.
– When you are happy with your shapes, sprinkle with red sugar crystals.
– Place your baking liner on a tray and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Making The Perfect Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
(Yields ~6 Heavily Frosted Cupcakes)
– 1/4 cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
– 3 tbsp Special Fine Granulated Sugar
– 1/2 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
– 1 tbsp Icing Sugar
– 2 tbsp Whole Milk

– Add Butter and sugar to stand mixer and beat for approximately 10 minutes.
– The mixture will roughly double in size and turn white.
– When it has whipped enough, you will not notice the texture of sugar crystals.
– When the butter and sugar is whipped, add Philadelphia Cream Cheese, icing sugar and milk.
– Whip for a few minutes, scraping down the bowl, until the icing is light and fluffy.

ASSEMBLING your Cupcakes

– Use a ziplock bag to pipe your Cream Cheese Frosting onto cooled cupcakes.
– Sprinkle with Red Decorative Sugar Crystals.
– Carefully remove Chocolate “Claws” from Silicone Baking Sheet (use a knife or spatula to help).
– Gently place your claws and serve!

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Four Essential Honey Masks

I love using natural products in lieu of store bought beauty products, and I love honey! Honey is known for its health benefits but is often underrated for its cosmetic uses.

Honey has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and healing properties that give you healthy skin and hair. It is also rich in enzymes that calm your skin, and draws moisture into the skin. I recommend using raw honey for beauty treatments since it has not been heat-treated and contains the most enzymes.

Tip: If you do not have time for a full mask, use a dab of raw honey as a spot treatment to heal blemishes.

The next time you are treating yourself to a spa day, try one of these all natural masks. Which one is your favourite?