Faux-Reece's Peanut Butter cups (Healthified!)

If I were to relapse against the whole 'eat clean' diet thing (and I do, more or less daily - especially at work. The parmesan and chilli soda bread is to die for, and don't get me started on those blimin' petit fours), I'd rekindle my love for Reece's peanut butter cups. Those, to me, were perfection, and by far the best offering in the entire sweet/chocolate aisle. Quite a statement, huh?

Even so, despite my previous devotion to all things Reece's, I think I might've just found a recipe to replicate that familiar feeling of stomach-fulfilment without the preceding guilt; introducing the wonder that is the all-healthy, all singing-and-dancing, homemade faux-Reece's cups. These are the bomb, and an absolute must-make recipe for all my fellow Reece's fanatics out there (and somehow I'm pretty sure there are a lot of you). Recipe found at Detoxinista, altered/healthified (even more) by me.



Ingredients:

2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter (salted)
2 over-ripe bananas
1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 tablespoons coconut flour
40g dark chocolate (4 squares of Lindt 90%)
1 teaspoon coconut oil

As always, the process is simples: mash the bananas and combine with the peanut butter, agave and coconut flour in a mixing bowl until the consistency is creamy and irresistible. Grab a baking tray and place the mix into scoops onto the tray (I used mini cupcake holders to recreate that 'cup' effect - y'know, with the crinkled edges and all. I love that shit, and it's all part-and-parcel of the whole mind-blown oh-god-these-are--actually-as-good-as-Reece's effect).



Place the tray in the freezer to set whilst melting your chocolate and coconut oil in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Stir to combine, before fetching the tray once more to drizzle on the melted chocolate/oil, filling in the little gaps at the edges (or, if you chose to scoop sans-cups, drizzle on as best as you can to cover the balls). If your 'balls' are able to be picked up and dipped into the chocolate (as they should be, according to the original recipe. Doh), by all means do so to cover the entire thing (mine were too 'moist'. Yep, I said it...sorry).

Set in the freezer once more for at least 10 minutes before re-experiencing that chocolate/PB love affair (but with a banana-y, coconutty twist). Oh, yes - those were the glory days (and your taste buds are about to be taken back - hurrah)!

Chickpea Blondies!

I'm continuously finding new blogs to pore over - and as a result, feel increasingly out of my depth in this whole healthy/fitness blogging community! As in, how am I even supposed to compete with the likes of amazing blogs like this and this?! Even on the basis of photography, these blogs are outstanding - not to mention their content!

One blog of note that's been permanently stuck on my long line of tabs is that of ChocolateCoveredKatie (is it just me or are there millions of food bloggers/bloggers in general called Katie? Or am I just specifically hunting out the Katie bloggers? Maybe so). Anyway, Katie's blog is full of unique, low-cal and super tasty dessert recipes that are simple to follow and easy to make! And with that, I'll introduce these chickpea blondies, a recipe based on this original recipe by Katie (slightly adapted by me).



Ingredients:

300g chickpeas, cooked (I bought a dry packet of chickpeas as it's more economical than buying the canned versions - though be aware that they'll require soaking overnight, plus 150 minutes on the hob! Ouch...maybe not so economical after all...)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
2 teaspoons brown granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 large banana
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
1 x 27g pack quick oats (Quakers Oats)
2 heaped Tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon coconut oil
20g dark chocolate chips (optional)

Another failed attempt at using the food processor meant transferring my half-beaten chickpea/banana mix to a bowl - someone buy me a decent food processor please? (A vita-mix would be just ideal! Then I can be like all of the other food bloggers, and life would be sweet)



Never-the-less - blend, beat, mash, fork, destroy all ingredients together until you've got yourself a good, batter-y consistency. The final ingredient should be your chocolate chips, if you wish to include them (it's probably for the best). Grease a baking tin (I used a fairly shallow quiche-style dish, which very, very almost managed to fit the whole shabang inside...but not quite. And that is when paper cupcake holders come into swift action).

Your oven should be pre-heated to 350c or gas mark 4. Slide your filled tray/tin/cupcake holders etc into the upper shelf and watch/smell the magic happen...oh, yes; the smell. Seriously good stuff. Remove from the oven after about 30 minutes, and leave to cool (again - if you manage to resist. Resistence is futile! I've probably said that before, but hey, the phrase will - or should, if my baking's up to scratch - always comply!).

The whole batch totals at just over 1000 cals, so split into 10 portions and you've got yourself a super nutritious and delicious pre/post-workout snack/tea-time treat coming in at a measly 100 calories (also if you're interested, 3.4g fat - 1.2g of which saturates - 27g carbs - 22g fibre, 5.6g sugar - plus 3g protein).

Pure, unadulterated bliss - in blondie form. Go on - tuck in!

Black Bean Chocolate Cookies

Yes, that's right...I am still on the black bean hype. What can I say; I had leftover beans, so I had to use them up somehow - and what better way than a batch of fresh chocolate cookies?



I found the recipe from Eliza's blog over at Eliza's Edibles, and just had to try it for myself (despite adapting the ingredients somewhat) using all the leftovers of my chocolate cake from the day before - the ingredients being:

200g black beans
4 tablespoons almond milk (the original recipe suggest 2T - I had to add more due to the dry consistency of my batter)
1.5 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil (Eliza used olive oil - perhaps this is why my consistency wasn't quite right)
1 tablespoon coconut flour (Again, Eliza used 3T wholewheat flour - so my recipe could be considered faulty on various levels. However, the internet informed me that coconut flour is more absorbent in comparison, thus you should divide the original measurement by 3 if you're subbing it for normal, wheat-based flour. And I trust the internet more than my own judgement, obviously)
2 tablespoons agave nectar (same thing again; she used 1/2 cup plus 1T sugar. I'm anti-sugar... thus agave)
1 teaspoon baking powder (nothing has changed here. Did wonder why there were no eggs in original recipe if there's baking powder? Is that a stupid query? I don't understand baking)
Half a vanilla pod (or 1t. vanilla essence, pick as you choose)
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch salt
30g dark chocolate chips (90%, the Lindt stuff as per)

I will say this now: the food processing trick absolutely failed me this time. I don't know what happened, but save to say I was pretty disappointed after the triumph of using it the day previously. Lesson has been learnt; don't always trust the food processor, and a bit of elbow grease is sometimes the best way to do things, even in 2013.

You can choose the food processor option as your own risk - it took a lot of shaking (the blender, I mean. Despite my fury, I was not physically shaking) and forking to get the batter looking a little less... bean-y. I blended everything at once (except the dark chocolate chips - another error of my ways, probably.



Pre-heat your oven to gas mark 6 (erm, 375C?) line your baking tray, grease with oil and chop up your dark chocolate into random sized chunks. The consistency of your batter should be stodgy-dodgy enough to roll into balls (I managed to get 16 out of the mixture) and place on your baking tray with no risk of sloppy-ness. Chuck in your chocolate chunks with fairness to each and every cookie, and place into the oven for 15 minutes - though mine were in a little longer as they were too soft for my liking. Even so, they crisp up considerably once left to cool.



And there we have it; a batch of happy, gooey, healthy chocolate chip cookies, perfect as a supper treat with a cup of milky tea or a glass of delicious almond milk. Me and baking have a love-hate relationship at the moment - it's all a bit new and exciting and weird, to be honest, not to mention a rather 'trial and error'..especially when I decide to change 80% of the original recipe's ingredient list. All in a day's work. Do you have any recommended baking recipes, or even any tips or trick of the trade to share?

A Decadent Take

Whenever I'm feeling slightly down in the dumps (or on my period - usually the two inevitably correspond), I like to perk myself up by treating myself to something decadent in Tesco. Today, this came in the form of 90% cocoa by Lindt (yes, yes - I know. Swoon).

I've been meaning to check out the chocolate aisle for a while, just to see what exactly is available in terms of pure, dark chocolate. The answer being: not a lot. This bar was the highest percentage on offer, and there were a few other brand alternatives that fitted in the 70-80% cocoa category.

Alas, this was the best option for me: the cleanest edible chocolate available in the entire stock of Tesco. I had a nibble as soon as I got home; the taste automatically clarified that I'd made the best decision by purchasing this wholly luxurious treat. (however, I must note: just found this 99% cocoa version also by Lindt on Amazon!)

And of course - you know what's up. The pictures say it all, really. My immediate response was to grate half a square onto my classic concoction of cottage cheese, yoghurt and blueberries (which I can confirm upped the taste-factor by tenfold). Amazing!

If you're looking for a great tasting dark chocolate bar as a stand-by for those pesky chocolate/sweet cravings, I'd definitely recommend you go for Lindt. Just one square is enough in terms of satisfying an unruly sweet tooth (one square being just 54 calories, 0.7g sugar, fat...); unlike some dark chocolate, it's not bitter, and has underlying hints of vanilla making for a slightly creamy and enriching taste. It's also affordable at less than £2 per 100g bar.

Cocoa, like tea, is full of powerful antioxidants called flavonoids, which appear to have positive cardiovascular effects, strengthen the immune system, lead to lower cholesterol/blood pressure and improve the function of blood vessels. Cocoa is also a great source of magnesium (a fundamental mineral that 80% of us lack), providing 327mg per 100g (that's 82% of your daily value,so one little square is 8.2% - almost as much as spinach in mg per gram!). Insane, huh?

Not to mention it's low GI quality - it's deceivingly low sugar content means that just a little is enough to hit the spot, keeping your blood sugars level (much unlike any other addictive chocolate varieties! How many times have you attempted and failed to NOT to finish a bar of Galaxy in one sitting?! I digress).

Happy eating for a happy Sunday! ♥