Back on the Wagon with Cacao and Almond Klugel

      Cacao & Almond Klugel

   
Ok, so let's not ask where I've been. Let's just say that I fell momentarily off the wagon and took a little while to claw my way back but back I am and to celebrate I have whipped up a batch of these yummy  little morsels for you to try.

I call them Klugel coz I just can't bring myself to call them balls!

The cool thing about these Klugel, other than their fantastic texture & deliciousness, is that they are good for you. For one thing they are raw, secondly they contain no cane sugar and thirdly they are packed full of anti-oxidants, protein, vitamins & minerals.


Cacao & Almond Klugel

250gms Almonds

150gms Shredded Coconut

150gms Honey

100gms Cacao

50 gms Coconut Oil

~ Place almonds in TM bowl. 10 secs , speed 6. Turbo pulse any remaining large pieces. Do not over pulverise. The texture of the almonds is part of the appeal of these little balls, I mean Klugel.

If you don't have a Thermomix you can use a blender. Process in small batches or you will end up with fine almond meal at the bottom and chunks on top.

~ Add coconut and cacao. Mix on speed 4 for 10 seconds.

~ Add honey and coconut oil. You can melt the coconut oil first if it's hard or set TM temp at 37 and mix on speed 3 for about 4 mins or until it has melted.

~ The mixture should now have come together and is ready to be shaped into balls, I mean Klugel. You can shape them more elegantly than I have if you want - personally I like the rustic look.

~ Place in fridge for 30 minutes before rolling in cacao to finish off.

Mango & Blueberry Icecream - a 'post-pact' dessert to keep you honest....

It happens every night in our house. We eat dinner, (and it's almost always fabulous - we love our food!), then we start looking around for 'something sweet'. Now, if I hadn't just made 'the pact', it'd probably be a block of Lindt (or maybe even two blocks of Lindt?), a quick batch of brownies, a lemon tart or some delicious home-made icecream. Let's face it there's always something sweet to be found in our pantry that is either ready to be immediately devoured or soon ready following a few deft moves in the kitchen.
However last night being post pact, extreme measures were called for. Hmm, but there's that block of organic, dark 70% Green & Black's chocolate that I hid in the bottom drawer from OK only yesterday. Surely that would have no sugar? Yes indeed, but wait, I have a better idea...
Mango & Blueberry Icecream. Made in a matter of moments if you have a Thermomix*. Which I do.
If you don't have a Thermomix, try it in a blender then put it in the freezer for an hour or so. It might just work.

Ingredients
1tsp Natvia sweetener*
250gms frozen mango*
50 gms frozen blueberries*
1/3 cup cream or coconut cream

Method
Place sweetener into Thermomix & pulverise for 5 seconds, speed 9
Add frozen fruit, speed 9 for 30 seconds, scraping sides down with spatula.
Add cream and process for 20-30 seconds on speed 6.
Voila! Serve and swoon.

* Natvia is a natural sweetener made from Stevia. You may not find that particular brand where you live - it doesn't matter, just find a stevia based product and use that. 1 tsp contains 0.6 calories and 0.2 gms carbs. It contains no Aspartame, no Saccharin, no Sucralose, no artificial colours or flavours and no preservatives. I plan to make this again tonight - yes, it was that good - but this time I'm omitting the stevia. Mango is so very sweet and I'm thinking we may not need to add any sweetener at all.
* Any frozen fruit will work for this recipe. Use whatever you have on hand. It is not always easy to remember to freeze fruit but it is so easy to buy and keep bags of frozen mango cheeks, raspberries, blueberries or mixed berries in your freezer. And they are so good for you! Yum! Enjoy!
*Thermomix, ah Thermomix! If you have not yet heard of these amazing little wonders of German design ingeniousness, check them out here. I've only had mine for 3 weeks so I'm no expert yet but I have to say - LOVE IT!  For this icecream recipe it is invaluable. The texture of this sweet dessert is astounding considering the ridiculously short list of ingredients. It whips it into a texture closely resembling silken cream caramel. And all in less than 60 seconds. Seriously fabulous.

The Road To No Sugar

So here it is, my first post. This blog is all about keeping me on track. The sugar-free track. All my life I've been addicted to sugar. Today I'm giving it up. Cold turkey.
I've made a pact with my precious daughter. We shook hands, looked into one another's eyes and said 'No more!'
Trouble is, I've made such pacts before. I tend to cheat. I'm weak.
This time though, you guys are going to help me... keep me honest. Thanks in advance. You're sweet!