Snack attack!! It happens to the best of us.

I will never get tired of saying this, the best way to keep your life and diet healthy and stay on track,  is always to think ahead and to have a plan. You want to be ready when those snack attacks happen, when you feel stress or anxious and ‘need’ a bite. You want to make sure you reach for the right things, don’t you?

These Tangerine Ginger balls will be your best friends when those snack attack moments come your way!! They are perfect for post workout or ‘on to go’ snack. They are super easy to make, although you will need a food processor, and keep wonderfully in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

They are delicious without coating them, but for a more luxury treat you could coat them in cacao powder or in shredded coconut.

I made these pretty balls for an Brunch event I organized with my beautiful friend Gema and they were a total success. I used tangering and ginger essential oil to flavour them since the theme was cooking with essential oils, but you could perfectly use tangerine zest and ground ginger.

And because is Christmas and cookie boxes are everywhere, this tangerine and ginger wonder balls would look amazing as Christmas present

I hope you all enjoy these as much as I do!! Oh and if you upload a photo be sure to tag @healthyforkful, I’d love to see your creations!

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Tangerine Ginger Wonder Balls

Course Snack

Cuisine Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 25 small

Ingredients

• 32 dates pitted
• 60 grams quick oats
• 40 grams sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 30 grams coconut flour
• 12 drops Tangerine Essential Oil (Young Living) (or 1 teaspoon of tangerine zest)
• 1 drop Ginger Essential Oil (Young Living) (1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)

Instructions

• Process sunflower seeds in a food processor until they turn tiny breadcrums. Remove and reserve.
• Add dates to the food processor and process until they form a thick paste. Add in oats, sunflower seeds, cocoa powder, coconut flour and essential oils (or zest and ground ginger).
• Roll dough into bite sized balls.
• Roll balls in cocoa (optional) and store in an airtight container.

The post Tangerine Ginger Wonder Balls appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

1st of Dicember means for me the beginning of the Christmas Season. Even if you can see tv ads, the xmas lights on the street, presents and turrone from early November, I am able to hold myself until the 1st of December to begin Xmas arragements.

When talking to Xmas the one thing that first come into my mind are COOKIES! Yes I love the American tradition of exchanging cookies, make few different types, decorating them, pack them in beautiful boxes and share them with friends and family.

Trully is that most of the cookies and traditional Xmas sweets are loaded with refinated flour, sugars and decorated with artificial colouring, but you always can twist a little bit the recipe and make them much more nutritious and healthy.

Today’s cookies are all made with natural ingredients, 100% pure cacao, organic butter, much less sugar and whole spelt flour, but the best that they are super yummy. Italian biscotti, o carquinyoles how they are called in Catalonia, Hazelnut and Chocolate Cookies or Healthier Gingerbread Cookies are the ones I propose to you today.

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Galletas de Jengibre, versión saludable

Clásicas galletas de jengibre pero más nutritivas y saludables.

Course Galletas

Cuisine Navideña, Saludable

Ingredients

• 165 gramos de harina de espelta integral
• ¾ cucharadita de maicena
• ¼ cucharadita de levadura en polvo
• 1 ½ cucharadita de jengibre molido
• ¼ cucharadita de canela molida
• ⅛ cucharadita de nuez moscada molida
• ⅛ cucharadita de clavo molido
• 30 gramos de mantequilla ecológica sin sal o aceite de coco, derretido y enfriado ligeramente
• 1 huevo grande de corral temperatura ambiente
• 1 ½ cucharadita de extracto de vainilla
• 60 ml de melaza

Instructions

• Mezcle la harina, la maicena, la levadura, el jengibre, la canela, la nuez moscada y los clavos en un bol mediano. En un bol aparte, mezcle la mantequilla y el huevo. Añada la melaza. Agregue la mezcla de harina, revolviendo hasta que se incorpore. Transfiera la masa al centro de una hoja grande de papel de horno y forme un rectángulo de 2 centímetros. Cubra la parte superior con otra hoja grande de papel de horno. Enfríe la masa durante al menos 1 hora.
• Precaliente el horno a 175°C y alinee dos bandejas para hornear con papel de horno.  
• Con ayuda de un rodillo estira la masa de las galletas, para que te sea más fácil, puedes hacerlo dejando los papeles entre la masa y el rodillo, así este no se pegará. Estírala hasta que tenga 0,5 centímetros de grosor. 

  Con un cortador de galletas, corta la masa y colóquelas en la bandeja preparada. Con los restos de masa, vuelve a formar una bola y vuelve a estirarla, repitiendo el proceso. 
• Hornee las galletas  durante 8-10 minutos. Sácalas del horno, déjalas enfriar 5 minutos antes de pasarlas a una rejilla para que se enfríen completamente. 

Notes

Podéis cortarlas con forma de muñequito, el clásico gingerbread men, o como he hecho yo, en círculo y luego decorarlas con un poquito de glaseado para hacerlas más festivas.

The post December ¡Healthier Christmas Cookies! appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays, a party which purpose is to give thanks.

And yes, I know we should not need a specific day to express gratitude, it should be something that we practice everyday, because being grateful brings us many benefits and advantages,

• It makes you happier, because it makes you focus on what you have and not on what you do not have, translating into a state of greater happiness.
• The person who receives the compliment will also be happier.
• Strengthen relationships, by thanking someone, you are seeing the positive side of those people, you are recognizing their merit and their value.
• You develop a tendency to be more positive

And many more that remain in the inkwell.

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving in petit committee, just the two of us, so there has been no roast turkey, we had instead a delicious Coq au Vin made with love, slow cooked until the chicken meat came off the bone, a maximum delight.

Do not be intimidated by the name, coq au vin is just the French words for chicken cooked in wine, a classic dish of French cuisine. As I say, it consists of a chicken stew in a casserole for few hours and I just made it healthier by adding extra vegetable.

As long as you can, use free range chicken, make sure that they have grown naturally, and that they have been fed with organic corn and cereals (without toxins), this will make the meat much more juicy, tender, not to mention that it will provide you much better quality nutrients to your body.

The recipe itself is very easy, simple, tasty … and so good. The secret? A little patience, a lot of time over the heat and a lot of fresh herbs.

How is it prepared? Well, sauté chicken, caramelize the onion and garlic, add the tomato concentrate, rest of the vegetables, the wine, the broth, cover and forget about it;)

Normally I do not usually cook with wine, I always tend to substitute it with broth or even miso paste, but today I wanted something traditional and special, and the wine is the heart of this recipe, it provides flavor and helps the chicken to be tender.

Serve with mashed potatoes or better mashed cauliflower and you will have a delicious dinner that will please everyone. And it is ideal for when we have to cook for a large crowd of people as usually happens on these dates;)

If you do this coq au vin, I’d love to read what do you thing, so please, leave me a comment below. And, of course, if you make this recipe, do not forget to tag me on Instagram too! One of my favorite things is to look at all the photos of the dishes you have prepared!

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Coq au vin | Wine Chicken Casserole

Ideal dish for when we have a large crowd of guests at home. It is simple, it is rich and it will please everyone.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Christmas, Healthy, Thanksgiving

Ingredients

• 1 onion cut in julienne
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon of tomato concentrate
• 2 carrots peeled and cut into pieces of 5 cm
• 2 free-range chicken thighs
• 200 grams portobello or white mushrooms in quarters
• 250 ml red wine
• 250 ml chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 fresh rosemary sprigs
• salt and black pepper
• mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower to serve

Instructions

• Put a large skillet on high heat, when hot, seal the chicken thighs until they are well browned. Remove from heat and reserve.

  In the same pan, lower the heat, and add the onion and garlic in the oil that the chicken has released, if you see that it is not enough, add a little more. Let the onion caramelize slowly, about 10 minutes.

  Add the tomato concentrate, take a couple of turns to mix well. Add chicken thighs, carrots and mushrooms.

  Pour the red wine, the chicken stock, the bay leaves, the thyme and the rosemary. Season, cover and cook at low temperature for 2 hours. Take a look every half hour to see that it does not run out of broth and that the boil does not stop. If necessary add more hot chicken broth.

  Once the time has passed, uncover it and turn up the heat, let it boil for 15-20 minutes to reduce the sauce. Remove the bay leaves, rosemary and thyme and discard.

  Serve chicken and sauce over mashed potatoes.

  If you wanted the sauce a little thicker, you could thicken it with a little cornstarch. In a bowl, add a teaspoon of cornstarch and a spoonful of the stew stock, disolve the cornstarch and then add to the stew. Take a couple of turns and let it boil until it thickens. If you wanted it very thick, add more cornstarch, but always keep in mind that when it gets a little cold it will thicken more.

The post Coq au Vin | Wine Chicken Casserole appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

These cookies are those that I like to bake over and over again, because they are amazing. Crunchy, delicate and super tasty. I often wrap them in beautiful packages and give them as a gift to family and friends. Another thing that I usually do is to make the dough, cut it and freeze it, so if there are unplanned visits at home, I just have to bake them and… surprise! freshly homemade cookies to leave them speechless, hehe. They are very easy to make and what I love about these cookies is that they are not too sweet.

They are made with spelt flour, an old grain that is related to wheat, but has a lower gluten content, so it is more beneficial to the digestive system. It could perfectly be replaced by oatmeal, which is a great source of soluble fiber that will help regulate your bowel function, in addition to reducing cholesterol and keeping you full for hours. In this recipe, I like to use butter, but you could use coconut oil too, I always choose organic butter, and although many demonize butter, it is a very rich source of vitamin A (necessary for sight and skin) , and vitamin D (essential to absorb calcium). Nuts such as hazelnuts are full of proteins that can help your body repair and also maintain a healthy immune system.

Do you need more reasons to get yourself into the kitchen to bake them?

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Hazelnut & Chocolate Cookies

Course Cookies

Ingredients

• 50 grams whole spelt flour
• 60 grams muscovado sugar or panela
• 80 grams organic butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 75 grams toasted hazelnut chopped into thick pieces
• 50 grams dark chocolate 75% (or cacao nibs) chopped

Instructions

• Sift the flour in a bowl.
• Place the butter in the bowl and whisk together with the sugar at low medium speed, until creamy, 1-2 minutes.
• Add the egg and vanilla, beat until mixed. Reduce speed and dry ingredients in three additions and chopped chocolate.
• Separate the dough in half and shape each half of elongated sausages. Cover with film and press both ends with the hand towards the center to tighten the dough. Chill prepared dough for at least 3 hours.
• Remove the cold dough and cut the cookies to a thickness of 1 centimeter. Place each cookie a couple of centimeters away on a baking sheet. Bake until the biscuits are lightly browned, about 18-20 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a grid to cool completely.
• Keep them in an airtight container for a week.

The post Hazelnut & Chocolate Cookies appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

You will love any of these warm and cozy festive drinks. Beetroot Latte and Chai Hot Chocolate (caffeine free) are perfect for sipping on while opening presents on Christmas morning, for a slow afternoon while chatting or playing board games with your family and actually during any cold day.

Along with your golden latte, they are also great alternatives to your morning coffee (sorry, I don’t like coffee) and the perfect elixir for curing almost any cold. Warming antioxidant loaded beetroot, the anti-inflammatory ginger, powered cinnamon and the cold fighting honey will rescue you from any annoying cold this winter.

You could even mix it up sometime today or tomorrow and warm it up when you are ready to enjoy it! And about the kind of milk, feel free, I’ve tasted it with cow’s milk, coconut milk and almond milk and all versions are delicious! (Note, did you know mylk with “y” refers when your lattes are made with plant-based ‘milk’? Yes, a new foodie term for our vocabulary )

I would love to know if you think you’ll enjoy these mylks during the holiday, so please leave a comment below or tag #healthyforkful on Instagram if you try any of the recipes.

PS. From this digital corner, I would like to wish you all, a beautiful and happy Christmas, with lots of healthy and nutritious food surrounded by your loved ones!

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Beetroot Latte

Course Drinks

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 400 ml milk of your choice a bit extra for foaming
• 2 teaspoons honey or any other sweetener
• 1-2 beetroot*, roasted or boiled peeled
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

• In a blender add all ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Pour on a small pot and heat up until boiling. Pass through a sieve. Foam a little extra milk with a handheld foamer or a cappuccino machine.
• Pour your beetroot latte into two glasses or mugs and top with foamed milk. Sprinkle some ground cinnamon on top before serving. 

Notes

• Instead of using a boiled or roasted beetroot, you could just add two shots of beetroot juice to your mylk and warm it up with the rest of ingredients.

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Chai Hot Chocolate (caffeine free)

Course Drinks

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

• 400 ml milk of your choice
• 90 grams cacao nibs
• 10 cardamom pods
• 2 sticks cinnamon
• 1 star anise
• 1 vanilla bean
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons honey or any other sweetener

Instructions

• Pour the milk into a pot.
  

  Add cacao nibs, all the spices and honey. Bring almost to simmer. Remove from the heat, cover and let it rest 5-10 minutes to infuse.
• Strain hot chocolate over two mugs, sprinkle some ground cinnamon or cacao powder and serve it immediately!

The post Christmas Drinks appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

Christmas is upon us and probably many of you already know what are you gonna eat for Xmas Eve, Xmas Day and St Stephens, but I’m sure there are some others uncertain about what is going to be their holiday menus. Maybe you go to your parents home or to your family in law place and these big ‘issue’ is solved, but maybe you’d like to contribute with a magic touch and bring something nobody is waiting for. Be that as it may, I would like to be helpful and provide you with some delicious and easy ideas.

Weeks before Xmas, I brainstorm millions of ideas to prepare. I always come up with quiet a lot, with so many that I saturate myself and in the end I always go to the known or ones that I pick up randomly.

This year, I thought about making a small compilation of recipes ideas that will drive you throw all your meals at Christmas Day. All them are delicious, nutritious and easy.

You could start the day, what about light amaranth pancakes or a powerful porridge to enter in the Christmas Mood?

As lunch or dinner starter, you could have a comforting soup, they are great to warm up your body and prepare it to have a peaceful digestion. Let’s go with a pumpkin soup, because pumpkin is in season and is super easy to make, is perfect to be served as entrée.

If you are a Xmas guest, probably the main course is already done, so don’t worry about it. While if you are hosting the dinner, you could be cool and surprise everyone with a vegetarian main course, the roasted fennel and goat cheese tart we made a couple of weeks ago or a root vegetable stew served with lentils or brown rice would be perfect. But don’t forget the sides and the salad!

And now comes my favourite part, dessert!! I shouldn’t say it, but is the dish I make more effort and with the one I really what to amaze, so usually I prepare more than one plus some cookies for the tea & coffee. This year we could go for a turron cream caramel (look below for the recipe), a two colour cake like the chocolate pumpkin spiced cake and some almond and chocolate cookies.

Turron Creme Caramel

Light and refreshing creme caramel with a hint of delicious and sweet almonds. Perfect for after a big lunch like Christmas

• 500 ml milk (of your choice)
• 4 happy eggs
• 200 grams turron de Jijona (soft turron)
• 2 tablespoons honey (or any other liquid sweetener)
• dark chocolate (to serve)

1. Preheat the oven at 170ºC

2. Beat eggs with turron and honey. 

   In a pot, warm up the milk and pour over the egg mix and mix well.

3. Pour the mixture in 6 ramikens or dessert glasses.

4. Pour water in a deep oven pan and place the glasses in. Bake in the water bath at 170º for 30 minutes. It is important the water doesn’t boil.

5. Let them cool and decorate with dark chocolate before serving.

 

The post Xmas Day Recipe Ideas appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

A Christmas cake everyone will love!!

I made this cake a couple of weeks ago for a client. She was very easy-going and left to me the decision of what kind of cake to make. I knew she wanted something Xmassy and that she loves chocolate so I decide to mix things up and ta-dah… Chocolate Pumpkin Spiced Cake was born!!

It was so good that I made it again for my mother in law birthday and everyone was so please and really enjoyed.

Despite its decadent and indulgent look, this cake is still in the healthy range, it is made with vegetables (pumpkin), protective heart health olive oil, antioxidant-rich chocolate, fiber-high flours and it’s low in sugar. What else can we ask to a holiday cake?

If you are looking for ideas for your Christmas magic table, just look in my celebration seccion and enjoy a healthy holidays!

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Chocolate + Pumpkin Spiced Cake

Delicious and healthy cake, perfect for the holiday season.

Course Dessert

Prep Time 16 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 56 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 50 grams pure cacao powder
• 50 grams coconut sugar
• 250 ml boiling water
• 2 eggs
• 50 grams coconut sugar
• 125 ml olive oil
• 225 grams spelt flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pumpkin Spiced Cake

• 3 eggs
• 100 ml olive oil
• 50 grams coconut sugar
• 200 grams pumpkin peeled and grated
• 70 grams pecan nuts chopped
• 120 grams spelt flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice or a mix of nutmeg, clove and ginger

Whipped Cream Cheese Icing

• 400 ml cream whipped
• 375 grams cream cheese
• 4 tablespoons honey or any liquid sweetener
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180ªC.

  Line the bottom of two 20cm round tins with baking parchment.

For the Chocolate Cake

• Put the cocoa and 50g of coconut sugar into a bowl and pour in the boiling water. Whisk to mix and set aside.
• Cream the eggs and the rest of coconut sugar. Add slowly the oil and vanilla essence and keep beating.
• In another bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and bicarb together. 
• Incorporate the dried ingredients to the egg mixture and fold in the cocoa mixture.
• Pour in one of the prepared tins and bake for about 30-40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

For the Pumpkin Spiced Cake

• Beat the eggs with the sugar in a large bowl, then add the oil, grated pumpkin and chopped pecans. 
• Sift in the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden or metal spoon.
• Pour the mixture into one of the prepared tins and bake for 30-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool.

For the Icing

• Whip the cream cheese, cinnamon and honey in a bowl until soft and aerated.
• In another bowl, whip cream until it forms soft peaks.
• Add the cream cheese mixture and whip until it forms stiff peaks.
• Building the cake
• Cut the bun of the cakes to make them flat.

  Cut each cake in two layers. 
• Place one of the chocolate layers in a cake stand or plate and spread 1/5 of the icing. Top with a pumpkin spiced layer and spread another 1/2 of the icing. Repeat finishing spreading the remaining icing over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula.
• Decorate with some ground cinnamon or chocolate curls.

The post Xmas Magic: Chocolate + Pumpkin Spiced Cake appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

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 Christmas is around the corner, just two weeks left for one of the most exciting day of the year.

Are you feeling stressed because you don’t know what to cook for your new vegetarian daughter in-law? Your not so young kids have decided to leave meat out of their diet and you don’t know what to do beside the big turkey? Will you be the only no meat-eater at a dinner party you have been invited?

Whether you are invited to a dinner party or you are hosting it, nowadays, there is a lot to thing about the menu… With so many diets and eating trends around, can be a challenge to make everyone happy at a dinner event, but with a bit of effort and willing everyone will be happily feed.

I really love this season, Christmas song have been playing for a while at home, the happy spirit on the streets, the sparkling lights, the cookies exchange, the ‘ugly’ Xmas jumpers, dinner parties… so many things to love and get excited about! Don’t let the menu’s decision ruin your holiday!

This delicious and festive savoury tart is perfect as a vegetarian master piece that will pleasure any non meat eaters on the table. The combination of roasted fennel and goat cheese is a winner and adding some kale will surprise your most healthy guest, showing you are really taking care of them. Plus, it is an elegant main course, yummy and easy to make!

The base is made with coconut oil and buckwheat flour, which is gluten free, although you could even use store-bought puff pastry to make it easier for you. Fennel is perfect for digestive support and can help with bloating, which is great for these foodies holiday. Kale is just the heaven of vitamins and minerals, it’s rich in vitamins A, C and K, as well as calcium, potassium, copper and iron, all necessary for healthy bones, skin and eyes.

I know it can be a bit of extra work to create another dish beside your usual Christmas menu, but the efforts are worth it, that person will really feel the overwhelming attempt and will be always grateful! On the other hand, if you are the vegetarian, bring it yourself! It would be a nice gesture to free your host of the ‘trouble’ and he will be also super thankful!

Are you one of those who bother about satisfing everyone around the table?

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Roasted Fennel & Goat Cheese Tart

Course Main Course

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

Base

• 120 grams buckwheat flour you can grind your buckwheat groats
• 60 grams almond meal
• 90 grams coconut oil
• a pinch salt
• 60 ml cold water

Filling

• 125 ml champagne
• 90 grams brown sugar
• 500 gr small fennel bulbs trimmed and halved
• 2 eggs
• 250 ml evaporated milk or single cream
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt & black pepper
• 2 kale leaves chopped
• 80 grams soft goat cheese you could blend hard goat cheese with some milk to make it more spreadable

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
• To make the base, place the buckwheat flour, almond meal and salt in a bowl and mix well. 

  Add the cold coconut oil and rub it against the flour with your fingertips until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.

  Add the cold water step by step and with a fork blend just until the dough hold together. Wrap and reserve in the fridge.
• Meanwhile, roast the fennel, by placing the champagne, sugar, salt and pepper in a small baking ray. Add the fennel, cut side down and roast for 30 minutes or until tender and golden. Reduce oven to 180ª.
• Beat the eggs, evaporated milk, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Line a greased loose-bottomed tin (mine is 34*12cm, but you could use a 20cm round one) with the dough, just press the dough onto the bottom and up sides of the tin. Trim dough flush with edge of pans.
• Top the base with kale and fennel, cut-side up. Pour over the egg mixture and place spoonfuls of the soft goat cheese around the fennel.
• Bake for 40 minutes or until set and golden.

Notes

You could use store-bought puff pastry instead of making the dough, it's equally decadent and delicious.

The post Vegetarian Christmas: Roasted Fennel & Goat Cheese Tart appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

How is it possible? Fall season is ending and I haven´t posted any apple recipe ?!?

Looks like this year I have been cooking more pumpkin meals than ever. Probably because I have to give an use to the 35kg of pumpkin we bought for Halloween Yes, my home was very cosy and well fallish decorated .

But because there isn’t a fall without an apple pie, I wanted to bring you a special one. A Cardamom Apple Pie with a crunchy thin spelt crust.

I love to use Fuji apple variety, they are sweet and super crunchy and always end up cooking wonderfully. I marinated them with delicious and fragrant cardamom, a bit of cinnamon (just love the combo of apples and cinnamon too much) and some coconut sugar.

Classic crust is delicious but also loaded with fat and refined flour, that why I prefer to play with it and make it more nutritious. I’ve changed the butter for coconut oil and reduced its quantity. I’ve just swapped the plain flour for half spelt flour and half almond meal giving the pastry a sutil sweet flavour, so I could leave out the bit of sugar the classic pie pastry have.

You could serve this cardamom apple pie warm or at room temperature, with some homemade vanilla ice-cream or a delicious creme anglaise (I just try one made with coconut cream and is superb!).

Because is a fruity cake and healthy carbs I love to make it just about any day of the week, it helps to make the weekdays fun and easier!

What about you? How you make your days funnier? Tag #healthyforkful on Instagram or leave a comment below so I don’t miss any of your happy moments!

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Cardamom Apple Pie

Fall Cardamom Apple Pie. Make it into two individual tarts or one big.

Course Dessert

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Pastry

• 100 grams spelt flour
• 100 gram almond meal
• 60 grams cornstarch
• 75 grams cold coconut oil
• 6-10 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 3-4 Fuji apples* Diced
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil

Instructions

• To make the pastry, place all ingredients except the water into a big bowl. Rub the coconut oil with the flour until you get a sand texture. Tablespoon by tablespoon, add the cold water, mixing with a spatula until the dough just hold together. Wrap it with plastic wrap, flatten and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, diced the apple and marinate them with the sugar and spices*.

• Divide the dough into 4. Over slightly dusted table, roll one of them into a round, big enough to cover the base and sides of an 11 cm round mould. Trim the edges.
• Fill with half of the marinated apples, brush them with melted coconut. Roll another dough ball into a round, lift it and cover the apples. You could decorate the top making some holes on it or just making a draw with the leftover dough.
• Repit the same to make another small pie.
• Bake it 20-30 minutes until the dough is golden and apples are soft.
• Serve it with homemade vanilla ice-cream or creme anglaise.

Notes

* You could cook your apples in advance with the spices, sugar and oil.

** If you prefer, you could make just a big 20-22cm round pie, by dividing the dough into two balls, using one for the bottom and other for the top.

The post Cardamom Apple Pie appeared first on Healthy Forkful.

Biscotti (or cantuccini) are a classic Italian cookies/biscuits. In Spain, specially in Catalonia, we also have our own version called carquiñoles.

Their particularity is that the dough is baked whole, in a shape of a loaf. When is ready, then is cut in individual biscotti and bake again, just for few minutes to make them drier. So we could say they are twice-baked cookies. They are dry and crunchy and delicious soak in milk or even wine (like Italians do).

Usually are made with almonds and butter, but I’ve created a little different healthier version. First time to make them was last Christmas and they were so good that I added to my favourite cookie list, and will bake them again this year. You could swap almonds for hazelnuts or add a little bit of orange zest or ginger candy to make them more festive.

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Chocolate Biscotti

Delicious healthy Chocolate Biscotti

Course Cookies

Cuisine Healthy, Italian

Prep Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 30 uds

Ingredients

• 200 g spelt flour
• 60 g 100% cocoa powder
• 150 g coconut sugar
• 50 g quality dark chocolate 75%
• 100 g whole almonds
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 medium free-range eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• Heat the oven 180ºC. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
• Weigh out all the dry ingredients and very roughly chop the chocolate and almonds into chunks.
• Put the flour, cocoa, sugar, the chocolate, baking powder and ½ teaspoon of sea salt into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.
• Beat together and add the eggs and vanilla and pulse until the dough just comes together.
• (You could do all this with your hands, mix dry ingredients into a bowl, add the chopped chocolate, and then, add the beaten eggs and vanilla and mix with your hands until in becomes a kind of dry dough)
• Tip onto a floured surface, add the almonds and work the dough to a ball.
• Divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape each piece into a log approximately 3cm x 30cm.
• Carefully transfer the dough logs onto one of the baking trays and bake for 25 minutes, until hard on the outside but not all the way through – this will allow you to slice the biscotti without the log crumbling. Leave to cool in the tin.
• With a serrated knife, cut the biscotti diagonally into 1.5cm-thick slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm. The biscuits may still seem a little soft but they will firm up as they cool.
• These will keep in an airtight container for a few days.

son unas galletas típicas italinas, se caracterizan porque se hornea toda la masa entera, dándole forma alargada, y una vez hecha, se cortan los biscotti

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