Tag: homemade

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!

Countdown to Easter: Part One

Easter is one of my favourite holidays and not just because of the food (which is epic!). It is a time of year to be thoughtful and to make small sacrifices during lent.

The Orthodox calendar is fairly strict when it comes to fasting, and while it is not good to make excuses, I am just terrible at following it. Aside from certain days when I try to avoid meat and dairy altogether, instead of exactly following the rules, I simply try to eat more vegan and vegetarian meals and limit eating red meat during lent.

I will be showcasing some of these delicious, hearty and simple veggie-based meals over the next few weeks. To kick off my Countdown to Easter series, here is a recipe for Spanakorizo (translation: Spinach Rice).

This dish can be a filling meal, or can be served as a side dish. I like to load it up with lots of spinach to make it extra healthy. Use the biggest pot you can find – it will make wilting down your greens a lot easier. Throw in as many onions, green onions, leeks, or shallots that you have – they will make it even more delicious!

Be sure to check back for more on my Countdown to Easter series. Enjoy!

 

Cheese, Please

I cannot figure out what makes cheese so magical, but somehow it has the ability to elevate every dish that it is paired with.

It is wonderfully versatile and can be used for sweets, savoury, baked, fried, or enjoyed on its own. The only thing better than cheese is learning how to make your own.

I recently decided to try my hand at making Ricotta Cheese. It was so creamy and delicious, not to mention ridiculously easy, that I could not believe I had put it off for so long. Try this simple recipe and enjoy having Fresh Ricotta Cheese everyday.

You’re Welcome.

The Ultimate Greek Dinner

I love gyros but I refuse to eat them anywhere other than Greece. I created this recipe to satisfy my craving and for a healthy spin on the traditional street food. Do not forget to check out my recipe for Fresh and Easy Tzatziki (below)! Perfect on the gyros, as a dip, or as a snack.

Happy cooking!

Mouth-watering inspiration from the popular spot, Obelisk in Fira, Santorini.

Mouth-watering inspiration from the popular spot, Obelisk in Fira, Santorini.