Chocolate Raspberry Goji Slice (No Baking needed)

I love chocolate, I do and I came to the realization that because I do, let's face it I am going to be eating it a lot and for most likely the rest of my life! Soo I decided that on top of store bought chocolate delights I would like to have some chocolate recipes up my sleeve that had some nutritional benefits in them!

This slice was such a surprise hit with my kids and taste testers I really liked it but thought the unsweetened fruit layer would be too sour but everyone, especially my kids (who whenever I make it I find sneaking bits out of the fridge and leaving tell tale crumbs on the floor) love it!

Chocolate Raspberry Goji Slice

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cacao butter ( I get mine from health food shops, maleny iga, Kunara (used to be known as The Natural Foodtsore on the Sunshine Coast)  You can also buy it online.
• 1/4 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup dark coconut sugar (it should be nice and rich and brown not the processed white stuff, again health food stores, baking shops, good supermarkets)
• 1/4 cup rice malt syrup (I actually got mine from my local Coles but also from health food shops etc)
• 1 &1/2 cups dried, unsweetened raspberries. (You can do this yourself with a dehydrator or you will most likely need to go to a health food/bulk dried food and ingredient type shop for these, you could also use other dried unsweetened fruit of choice)
• 1/2 cup goji berries
• 1 cup coconut oil ( I use coconut essence )
• 3 & 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
• 1/2 cup rice malt syrup
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup almond milk
• pinch pink himalayan salt

Method

• Grease a slice tray with a little coconut oil and line with baking paper. 
• Place the raspberries and goji berries together in a bowl and cover with water, allow to sit and swell.
• In a large bowl combine the desiccated coconut, rice malt syrup, 1/2 cup of the milk. Mix together well. It should be a thick, sticky consistency. If it is too dry you can add a little more milk or rice malt syrup but you do not want it too runny.
• Press the desiccated coconut mixture firmly into the tray, pressing it down evenly.
• Chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
• In a saucepan place the cacao butter and put it on it's lowest possible setting, let it very gently melt to a liquid. Do not leave.
• Remove melted cacao butter from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Add in the rice malt syrup stir together.
• Add in pinch of himalyan salt and cacao, stir together.
• Lastly add in the coconut sugar and stir it all together well, it should be nice and still have a liquid consistency to be able to pour it on top of the slice and not come into a clump.
• Drain the berry mixture and spread them out evenly over the coconut layer in the tray.
• Pour the cacao chocolate mixture even over the top, use a spatula to ensure it is evenly covering the slice.
• Cover and place the slice in the fridge for at least 4 hours, best left overnight.
• Remove and slice up.
• Store in the fridge.

Notes

• For taking in lunchboxes place in a container on top of an ice brick to keep it from melting. It does not melt as fast as coconut oil chocolate but will still be effected by heat.
• Great for entertaining, after school treats and late night choccy foxes

Toddler Tips

• Cut into small pieces, as toddlers can take awhile sometimes to eat things this can get a little messy on a hot day so I would recommend some wipes handy ;)
• Toddlers really like the sweet with the sour fruit combo!

(C) RebeccaMugridge2013

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Bek XXX

Bek's Banana Bread - Gluten Free

Bek’s Banana Bread

Banana bread is such a classic delight and there are so many classic recipes and ways to make it.
This is my moist, gluten free version made using coconut flour, no refined sugar and delicious macadamia meal. It is soft, sweet and nutty deliciousness sweetened with banana.

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas ( yes you can absolutely use those mushy black looking in ones in the fruit bowl!)
• 3 free range eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup dark coconut sugar, powdered or finely grated (see notes)
• 2 cups macadamia meal
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (or almond, soy)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon himalyan salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or 8 drops vanilla stevia
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Extra shredded coconut & cranberries to sprinkle top of cake

Method

• Pre heat oven to 180'c
• Grease and line a loaf tin with baking paper, I use If You Care baking paper - ethical and safe 
• Mash the bananas, adding in the cinnamon
• Whisk the eggs and mix in with the banana
• Stir in the oil, mix together and then the milk
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and pour the banana mixture in mixing together to form a batter
• Pour into the loaf tin
• Top with extra shredded coconut and some cranberries
• Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until cooked through and a skewer comes out clean
• Leave in tin to cool slightly for ease of slicing
• Slice into bread slices or into snack friendly sliced cubes (pictured)
• Serve warm as is or with butter

Notes

• Lovely warm or cold
• Perfect for lunchboxes and afternoon or to use up very ripe bananas
• Coconut sugar - look out for the dark brown coconut sugar at your local health food store, supermarket or Asian grocery store where you can usually buy it in a hard log for under $5 and sometimes already ground.

Toddler Tips

• Banana bread is such a hit with kids and they often especially like it served warm with cold butter on top.
  
  
  Happy Cooking
  
  Bek XX
  
  Recipe and photography (c)Rebeccamgridge2013

Fresh Pineapple & Spelt Upside Down Cake

Pineapples!
I love fresh pineapple. It smells and tastes so wonderful. I am really lucky to live on the beautiful Sunshine Coast where they grow them too. I love taking the kids for a drive and showing them what fields of growing pineapples look like, and even showing them of course the Sunshine Coast's very own icon, the Big Pineapple in Nambour! Here is a cake I created celebrating lovely, fresh, in season pineapples from a commercial project I did for Maleny Iga.

Fresh Pineapple & Spelt Upside Down Cake

Using beautiful fresh, local pineapples in a very decorative upside down cake.  A delicious with a tropical feel.

Ingredients
• 1 fresh ripe pineapple
• 1 cup sour pitted cherries (I used Morello)
• 125 grams butter
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon organic vanilla paste
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 2 free range eggs
• 2/3 cup dark coconut sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 & 1/2 cups spelt flour
• ¾ cup coconut sugar
• 1 &1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Paper towel

Method
• Pre heat oven to 180’c.
• Grease a deep cake tin really well, especially the base.
• In a saucepan gently melt the 5 tablespoon butter with the dark brown sugar. Stirring constantly. Once it has all melted together, remove from heat.
• Pour the butter/sugar mixture into the prepared cake tin.
• Remove top and bottom and all skin from the fresh pineapple. Either core the pineapple so you can slice it into rings or cut into cubes. Pat dry on paper towel.
• Arrange the pineapple pieces onto the sugar/butter mixture at the base of the cake tin. Fill in the spaces with the Morello sour pitted cherries
• Beat the butter and coconut sugar together well, then beat in the vanilla paste, and the eggs.
• Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into the butter mixture.
• Gradually add the pineapple juice bit by bit, mixing it all together.
• Pour the cake mixture on top of the pineapple and cherries.
• Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until golden and firm on top to the touch.
• Remove from oven and allow to sit in its pan on a cooling rack for approximately 10 minutes.
• Carefully run a knife along all edges of the pan to loosen the cake.
• Invert the cake onto the serving dish.

Notes
• A beautiful sweet cake that looks very decorative so perfect for entertaining.
• If fresh pineapples are unavailable you could use tinned but fresh gives it a beautiful flavour.

Toddler tips
• The sweetness of pineapple makes this a very popular cake with toddlers and kids of all ages.


Images and recipe (c)RebeccaMugridge 2013

Special Note: I love china, especially blue china and I am *just a bit* in love with Maxwell Williams too (no I am not paid to say that in any way) The china you see here in this picture is called Sprinkle by Maxwell Williams and I got it for Christmas from my mum - awww I know right? Best present ever, shes a wonderful mum) sharing with you as I have been asked at a lot at the taste testing events at the Maleny IGA and from facebook posts and this blog post where I get my china/plates/display dishes and what it is called XX