pumpkin seeds

Quinoa, nut, fruit and seed loaf

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

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I don’t go to Selfridges often, but when I do, I always buy a copy of Donna Hay’s Fresh and Light magazine. It’s a beautiful magazine and feels more like a book that a magazine. This quinoa, nut, fruit and seed loaf belongs to the ‘wholesome loaf’ series which consists of four loaves, including Peanut butter and banana loaf and Rhubarb, raspberry and coconut loaf which I will definitely be making.

This loaf makes a really healthy and filling breakfast and also a really tasty afternoon snack, which is why there was only half the loaf left for the picture!

 

Ingredients

40g sunflower seeds

40g pumpkin seeds

115g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

80g brazil nuts, roughly chopped

40g currants (I used dried cherries as I’m not a fan of currants)

75g raisins

180g cooked quinoa* (I used mixed quinoa and bulgur wheat)

60g coconut sugar (brown sugar would do)

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

280g Greek yoghurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

140g spelt flour, sifted

*90g uncooked quinoa makes 180g of cooked quinoa

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Directions

  • Preheat oven to 180C/ fan 160C/Gas Mark 4
  • Place the sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts and brazil nuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat until you can hear the seeds popping. Remove 80g and set aside for the topping. Put the rest in a large bowl.
  • Add all the other ingredients to the large bowl and mix until well combined
  • Put the mixture in a lined loaf tin. Scatter the seeds and nuts set aside earlier on to the top of the loaf and bake in the oven for 70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
  • Leave to cool slightly in the tin before removing.

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Chocolate bark with ginger, cranberries and pumpkin seeds

~ louisehad ~ 1 Comment

Chocolate Bark

 

I made this chocolate bark as a Christmas gift for my neighbours, but now I’m thinking about it, it is actually perfect for a post-Christmas healthy treat. I used a very dark chocolate for this, 85%. This type of chocolate doesn’t have much sugar and is full of antioxidants. You can of course use any topping you like for this bark. I went for the warming flavour of ginger. I also added dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds. The edible gold stars were just to give it a bit of Christmas sparkle. I think next time I’ll use goji berries, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds and feel very virtuous!

 

Ingredients

300g 85% dark chocolate (100g is approximately 1 bar of chocolate, so you can adjust the quantities accordingly).

A handful of crystallised ginger, finely chopped

A handful of pumpkin seeds, toasted

A handful of cranberries

Edible gold stars

Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Cranberries and Pumpkin seeds

 

 

Directions

  • Put the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan and gently heat until you hear them starting to pop. Set aside and leave to cool.
  • Line a baking tray with a silicon mat, greaseproof paper or cling film.
  • Melt the chocolate very gently in a bain marie by breaking the chocolate into small pieces and putting them in a heatproof bowl. Put about 1 inch of hot water in a saucepan and sit the bowl over the pan, but so it is not touching the water. Allow the chocolate to melt. Be patient, if you rush the process, the chocolate won’t like it and will seize up.
  • Pour the melted chocolate into your baking tray. You can make the layer as thin as you like. Using a spatula, make sure the chocolate has spread evenly. Sprinkle over your toppings and leave to cool in the fridge for a couple of hours.
  • When the chocolate has set, turn it out of the tin and either snap into pieces or cut into squares. If you want to cut the chocolate into squares, the chocolate shouldn’t be set completely hard.

Christmas Chocolate Bark