Zingy Lemon Coconut Balls

Very simple, lemony, nutritious & totally delicious.

Adapted slightly from Petite Kitchen..Simple Wholefood Recipes

1 cup of ground almonds

1 1/2 cups fine coconut

1/2 cup softened butter (softened)

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla essence

Finely grated zest of a large lemon

Juice of the same lemon

Pulse the almond & coconut in food processor until extra fine,

 then add all other ingredients & pulse/process until it all comes together as a dough.

Chill until it all firms up nicely.

Roll in to balls & then in to coconut.

Best kept chilled.

Coconut oil is a good substitute for butter if you prefer.

A tangy variation on this recipe is the addition of dried apricots & cranberries.

I soaked 1 cup of tangy "real" dried apricots in the juice of an orange for several hours before adding to the above mixture, leaving out the lemon juice & adding a handful of dried cranberries.

Catherine

Coconut Chocolate Balls

I just discovered these yummy little balls the other day & they are quite brilliant.
Very coconutty & extremely delicious.
I am finding that coconut oil is a fabulous food with a huge number of uses & health benefits.
It is the basis of this recipe along with coconut itself.
As often happens..after making them according to this recipe I made a few adjustments of my own & here is what I arrived at...just so I don't forget.

Melt 1/2 cup of organic coconut oil
 with 1 tbsp of butter & 1/2 cup of honey over a gentle heat.
Cook stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes glossy & thick.

Stir in 2 tbsp really good quality cocoa like Valhrona & continue to stir & cook for another couple of minutes. Just be careful not to burn it, so don't wander off about now.

Cool a little, then add:
2 tsps (true) vanilla essence & 1/8th tsp of good salt.
Mix in 2 to 2 1/2 cups of fine desiccated coconut & stir to combine all the ingredients.
The mixture will set as it cools & then you can make it in to balls.
Roll in coconut if you like.
Doesn't need to go in the fridge..unless you need to hide them.
I also placed some mounds on slices of banana & froze for an hour or so.
Such a yummy flavour combination & a quick dessert that kids will love & "other" people will wonder what on earth they are!
You might prefer the other version over at free coconut recipes.com
either way I'm sure they taste much the same.

Brilliant Vege Dips

I came across these fabulous dips in a Dish magazine recently & rushed home to try them, with a few adjustments to suit (or perhaps because I couldn't quite remember everything)

They are really, really simple & tasty & might even sneak the odd vegetable past a child!

The green dip is utterly delicious & tastes of fresh sweet peas. It is even better the next day after the flavours develop further so make lots!

The second dip is a spicy roasted carrot & chickpea blend.

I found some early tender broad beans but I'm sure that frozen ones would do just fine.

 Cook 1 cup broad beans until just tender, around 5 minutes in a small amount of water.
Run under the cold tap to cool, drain well & then slip off the outer skins.

 Cook 1 cup baby frozen peas in a small amount of water until just tender & still bright green. Run under cold water to cool. Drain well.

 Mix together broad beans, peas, 1/2 to 1 avocado, 1 tsp good salt, ground black pepper, big squeeze of lemon juice & a drizzle of good olive oil.

 Pulse in a food processor or with a whizz stick until well combined but not super smooth.

 That's it! Eat with crunchy veges like carrots, cucumber & peppers or crostini etc. The colour is magnificent & stays that way : )

 Roasted Carrot & Chickpea Dip.
2 large carrots. I like to give the carrots a wash, prick them all over with a knife, wrap them in damp paper towels & pop them in the microwave for 4 mins each (large carrots). Unwrap, cool a little & cut in to chunks. Tip in to a frypan with a good slug of olive oil.
Add 1 tsp of ground cummin & coriander, salt & some freshly ground black pepper. Garlic if you like it. Fry until the carrots are all yummy & roasted looking. Add a drained can of chickpeas or cooked ones if you prefer. Mix altogether & fry a little longer. Tip in to a food processor & add some more olive oil & lemon juice. Pulse to combine to a chunky texture or use a whizz stick. Adjust seasoning.
These two dips can be used as a platter meal..sorry ate them before I thought to arrange them with other veges ; ) They are equally fabulous the next day & would make great picnic food too.
Carrots are so different cooked this way as a vegetable..try them sometime..even without the spices..yum!

Catherine

Sesame Lavosh

Lavosh is really handy, fun to make & so yummy & crunchy.

Also keeps really well...silly me, it won't last that long!

This recipe comes via Annabel Langbein.

1 cup plain flour 
1/3 cup wholemeal flour 
2 tbsp each black and white sesame seeds (or 4 tbsp just one kind) 
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano 
1 tsp salt 
1/4 cup olive oil 
1 tsp sesame oil 
1/2 cup water 
To finish:  olive oil and flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 165C/325F.  

In a mixing bowl stir together the flours, sesame seeds, oregano and salt. Mix the oils and water together and add to the dry ingredients, stirring to form a soft, pliable dough. 

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each out on a lightly floured board as thinly as possible. Each quarter should yield a rectangle of about 34 x 16cm (13 x 6 inches). Cut each rectangle into strips of about 4 x 17cm (1.5 x 6.5 inches) and roll again - they need to be virtually see-through. 

Carefully transfer the strips to a baking tray, brush them lightly with oil and sprinkle lightly with flaky salt. Bake until they are crisp and pale golden, about 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool fully before storing in an airtight container. 

makes approx 40