Healthy Herb & Cheese Sweet Potato bites

If you have been following my blog recipes for a while, you will have probably established how big of a sweet tooth I have, (much like my mother... Thank god for healthier guilt-free alternatives!). My dad on the other hand prefers to snack more on savoury foods. Hence why this time, I thought I'd attempt something he could also enjoy, and prevent him from nibbling on the fried Indian snacks we have lying around from recent wedding celebrations!

Since I had a pre-baked sweet potato sitting in the fridge waiting patiently to be eaten, I thought I'd experiment with it a little by combining sweet and savoury flavours so that both parents could take advantage this weeks creation. It is a common thing to eat sweet potatoes with savoury dishes after all, so I figured there should be no reason why this combo wouldn't work... I wasn't wrong! 

The main aim with these were to ensure they were small enough to have as a healthy snack on the go or savoury treat to have with a hot cuppa, yet satisfying enough to be enjoyed in moderation. Thankfully they were just that! Deliciously herby and moist, and the melted cheesy centre when bitten into as they came fresh out of the oven just sent these to another level!

As with all my recipes, not only are they made from natural and unprocessed ingredients, these are gluten-free, and wheat-free since the base of this recipe comes from sweet potato and quinoa- two incredible nutrient dense carbohydrates sources! 

Ingredients:

250g (cooked weight without skin) or two large sweet potatoes (I find slow baked is best!)

100g quinoa flour (or buckwheat would work well too- just blend your grains in a food processor to turn it into a flour)

30g organic grass fed butter

32g of your favourite cheese cut into small cubes (I used a black peppered cheddar which tasted insanely delicious!)

1 large free range egg

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 tsp sea salt

1/3 tsp black pepper

              

1. Pre-heat fan assisted oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

2. Simply place all ingredients except the cheese into an electric mixer/food processor and mix until well combined. Alternatively separately mix the wet (sweet potato, butter, egg) and dry ingredients (quinoa flour, baking powder, herbs), then combine the two together. It should form a smooth paste much like a sloppy cake batter!

3. Line a cupcake tray with 16 cupcake cases, and use about 2/3 of the batter to spoon roughly one heaped tablespoon of the mixture into each

4. Evenly distribute the cheese between the cupcake cases, placing a couple of cubes into the centre of each 

5. Evenly distribute the remaining batter between the cupcake cases with the remaining batter to ensure the cheese is covered

6. Place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for 20-25 minutes until the tops have become firm and slightly golden

7. Best enjoyed hot so this step requires you to just, well... EAT! ;)

Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Can be enjoyed hot or cold! To re-heat, either microwave for 15-20 seconds, or re-heat in the oven on 200 degrees for 5-8 minutes.

Approximate macro breakdown per cheesy bite:

77 kcals, 3.1g Fat, 10g Carb, 2.1g Protein, 1g Fiber

Energising Fruit & Nut Flapjacks

With the festive season coming to a halt, it's about that time of year where I'm sure many of you will be setting up (if not done already), your New Years resolution to ween yourselves off the booz and unhealthy indulgences, and get that beach body on its way!

Well if you're anything like my family and I, you'll be missing the fruity mince pies and those sweet, warming Christmassy smells and flavours little! This recipe was in fact developed to help my mum ween herself off those calorific mince pies which tend to become part of her daily tea-time routine around Christmas! 

Best thing about this versatile recipe, (as with most of my recipes) is that it requires minimal effort, and uses the simplist of ingredients that you'll more than likely have laying around the kitchen! Apart from the additional potent nautural energiser powder 'Guarana', which I decided to use thanks to Creative Nature Superfoods that is! (But that can be resolved by following the link, or looking down the free form isle in Tesco's or Ocado! ;) )

Guarana comes from the seed of a Portuguese climbing plant of the maple family. It is commonly used in energy drinks, herbal teas, and even weight loss pills in South America due to its natural caffeine content being twice of that found in coffee seeds! This little addition ensures these fruity, moist, flapjacks work great as a morning breakfast snack, or as a pre-workout energy booster!

Ingredients:

150g rolled oats

1 large (120g) banana 

16g (1 tbsp) virgin organic coconut oil or grass fed butter

2 tsp (8g) xylitol (or natural sweetener of choice - honey/maple syrup/stevia)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp (3g) Creative Nature Superfoods Guarana 

1/2 tsp baking powder

About 300-350ml water (or preferred milk/liquid of choice)

Optional add-ins:

35g sunflower seeds

30g crushed almonds

15g dried sweetened cranberries

15g dried sweetened blueberries

15g dried sweetened ginger chopped into small pieces

1. Pre-heat fan oven to 180 degrees Celsius

2. Combine all dry ingredients into a bowl before gradually adding the water (or liquid of choice). Add just enough to produce a 'cake batter' like consistency

3. Line an 8" square baking tin with grease proof paper and grease with some grass fed butter or coconut oil.

4. Pour the 'batter' into the middle of the tin, shake just a little so it spreads evenly. Don't worry if it doesn't quite reach the edges, it will expand a little in the oven!

5. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and leave to bake for 25mins (give or take a few mins depending on your oven! You should be left with a golden brown top and a SLIGHTLY gooey skewer once cooked.)

6. Carefully remove the grease proof paper and leave to cool on a cooling wrack before cutting into 12 slices and devouring with a cup of tea! 

Makes 12 slices

Macros per slice:

162 kcals, 6.9g Fat, 19.1g Carb, 4.3g Protein, 1.4g Fiber

*Feel free to make these as naughty or nice as you like! Add or sub in some chocolate chips as a little treat, or unsweetened dried fruits/nuts to keep it nice and healthy!