Have you tried making your own energy-balls yet, the superfood of 2017? If not, you should really give it a try. They’re not only super healthy, they’re also so easy to prepare and you can store them for up to a week in the fridge. That way you and your family can enjoy healthy snacks every day. In this energy-ball recipe, I used apricot and hazelnut in combination with lemon and honey, which created a fresh and nutty flavor.
I’m addicted to spicy food. In fact, when starting with a savory breakfast in the morning, some spicy chili peppers have to be on my plate already. The following recipe is my version of an Asian chili garlic paste that is free of refined sugar or artificial additives. I use this paste in my Asian-influenced dishes. Since I try to leave out sugar and artificial additives, I now work on preparing my own pastes and sauces. Because of the added coconut oil and vinegar, you can easily store the paste in your fridge for up to two weeks or freeze it in small ice cube portions.
Energy balls are healthy small bites packed with highly nutritious ingredients. They are one of the food trends of 2017. With only five ingredients I created a very easy, quick to prepare, and super delicious version of a Raffaello-style energy ball, a perfect Valentine’s treat for you and your loved one. This is also a great example of a healthy dessert and will help those of us who made a New Year’s resolution of a healthier lifestyle. I’m using almond and coconut, rich in healthy fat, fiber, magnesium, and vitamin E, and organic honey as a sweetener. Did you know that honey has antibacterial properties? That’s why honey is often called a natural antibiotic. We’ve never been using a lot of refined sugar in our house, but after starting my blog about two years ago, I cut out refined sugar completely. It feels great to eat healthy desserts.
Dessert is a must for any special occasion such as Christmas dinner, and my theme for this year’s menu is Wild Christmas. The following recipe is a great expression of this theme using nature’s ingredients. The nutty and creamy flavor of the poppy seed mousse in combination with the fruity sweet wild blueberry coulis creates a delicious well balanced dessert that’s also not too sweet.
While visiting Barcelona recently, I enjoyed my very first Crema Catalana. It is the Spanish version of the French Crème Brulée. The original Crema Catalana is lighter than Crème Brulée and the lemon or orange zest adds a beautiful fruity flavor. In my recipe, I went a bit further and made the fruity part with mandarins and rooibos tea from South Africa, my second home. “Crème a la South Afrique” could have been another name for this 😉
