Happy Australia Day and New Recipes !

HAPPY AUSSIE DAY TO YOU !

I hope you all had a fun and relaxing Australia Day, celebrating our beautiful country with your friends, family and the Aussie sun, sea, salt & smiles.

If you joined in the Havaiana Challenge, well done to all states and a Big Congratulations to  Western Australia who took out the world record for 2013 !

Check out the video footage here:  Havaiana Thong Challenge 2013

For Australia Day in the Caribbean Islands, my family members down in Trinidad decided to put on a good ole fashioned Aussie celebration and we spent the day up in St Vincent by the pool, dressed in Aussie bandanas and t-shirts while an Aussie flag flew from a nearby palm tree.

Later in the afternoon, I decided I would try my hand at baking Lamingtons, the super famous cake of Australian culture (some say cuisine!)

There are a few great raw recipes out there for Lamingtons but to keep with the traditional texture and taste, I have provided Theresa Cutter’s (The Healthy Chef!) healthy Lamington recipe.

You may like to perfect this one for next year 🙂

HEALTHY AUSTRALIA DAY LAMINGTONS

(just 3g of fat and 99 calories!)

Lucky for me, I found 2 dried coconuts under a nearby coconut tree. I removed the husk and grated the meat to oven bake and create my very own desiccated coconut.

Make your very own home made dried coconut by grating the coconut and placing in an oven at 180 degrees celcius for 25 minutes (or until crispy and lightly browned)

You can easily use store bought organic desiccated coconut also

Ingredients:

6 organic free range eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 tablespoons raw maple syrup or 3 drops of pure liquid stevia
1/4 cup cold pressed macadamia nut oil or coconut oil
1/2 cup natural coconut flour
2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 cup shredded or desiccated coconut for rolling

Chocolate grenache:
100g good quality dark chocolate  70 – 85 % cocoa – finally chopped
60 ml (1/4 cup / 2 fl oz)  coconut water or coconut milk

Theresa’s Tips (love the way she has done this!):

Preheat your oven to 160 C / 320 F.
Whip the eggs, vanilla and honey for 10 minutes until light and creamy.
Pour in the macadamia nut oil with the eggs still whipping and mix well.
Add the coconut flour and baking powder and mix until combined.
Pour lamington cake mix into a square 22 cm baking tin lined completely with baking paper.
Sprinkle the raspberries evenly over the top.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until cooked through.
Cool for 30 minutes before lifting out from the tin to completely cool.
Divide cake into 25 mini squares.
Make your chocolate ganache:
Heat the coconut water or coconut milk if in a small pan until almost boiling.  Turn off the heat.
Add the chocolate and stir it through the coconut until you have a smooth silky ganache.
Spread each square of lamington with a little chocolate ganache very lightly and thinly with a small knife on all sides.
Roll in coconut and place onto a tray lined with baking paper to set.

Enjoy these delicious lamingtons as part of your next Aussie Celebration or as a healthy alternative to other cakes and flans.

Now to keep with the green and yellow theme, we have been talking about this lime cheesecake pudding on facebook. Hope you LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe like I doooo !

LIME Cheesecake Pudding

Adapted from Allison Eats

The crust:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup brazil nuts
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 2 tbsp unsweetened dried coconut
• 1/4 cup date paste (about 1/3 packed cup of whole pitted dates, run through the food processor first)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

For the key lime filling:

• 3 cups raw macadamia nuts
• 1 cup freshly pressed almond milk (this can be done in a cold press juicer)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice
• 3/4 cup raw pure maple syrup or agave nectar
• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp or pure vanilla extract (alcohol free!)
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, liquid form

Method:

1. Create the base by processing almonds and coconut to a coarse meal in food processor or high speed blender. Add the date paste, vanilla extract and salt. Process until well combined.
2. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan. Set aside.
3. Next, rinse your food processor and add macadamia nuts, almond milk, fresh lime juice, maple or agave and vanilla pod or extract in food processor until smooth and creamy (it will take a few minutes).
4. Pour into the springform pan on top of the crust. Gently tap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
5. Place the finished cheesecake in the freezer to set. 3 hours or until the middle of the cheesecake is firm to the touch.
6. Slice and top with lime zest to serve.

Feel free to leave comments below or send through your blog requests.

Enjoy and never forget how great it is to play with food 🙂

Always committed to your success,

Marissa

www.marissanieves.com