I made a different version of this pasta salad for Mother's Day but I pretty much made it the regular way, i.e. buying a jar of pesto and adding it to cooked pasta. This time I wanted to make my own as I have an over abundance of basil from my windowsill garden and why not?! If it doesn't work out then at least I can say I tried right?
I found this recipe (and there are countless on Pinterest) in Ruby Roth's book 'The Help Yourself Cookbook For Kids'. Judging by how easy her other recipes are (I mean, they're for kids - how hard can they be?) I knew this could be a winner.
Yay or Nay: Yay
I don't know if you've tried other vegan/veggie pesto recipes but this is AMAZING! It really does taste like real pesto - which kind of makes me question what is actually in those supermarket jars of pesto. Don't bother with them, make this NOW!
TIP: I used cashews instead of the traditional pine nuts (which are extortionately expensive - why exactly?!) and Ruth does give other options for nuts.
As school has wrapped up and I'm finding more time on my hands, now I have time to spend with friends - hence the Cookie Social. Its great to be off as I can truly look up new recipes, browse cookbooks for inspiration and have random events where food is the focal point!
Back to the making of the Cookie Social, the idea was for each of the group to cook a different cookie and basically drink wine, munch on cookies while catching up. While scrolling through Instagram I saw top YouTuber Tanya Burr promoting her new baking cookbook. One of her sneak peak recipes were for Salted Nutella Cookies. The book wasn't going to be released in time for the Cookie Social, so instead I found this Nutella Stuffed Oatmeal, Hazelnut and Choc Chip Cookies online and I was ready to bake!
Yay or Nay: Yay
SOOOOO good! I even managed to convert a sweet-hater to a cookie lover. I mean what's not to love? Nutella, toasted nuts, chocolate chips, chewy oats and a touch of saltiness to balance out the sweet. What are you doing reading this - go make them!!!
TIP: Mine
were slightly thicker in size as I tried to fit all of them on one baking sheet (made 15 not 16 like the recipe states) so I cooked them a little longer than the recommended 12 mins
and the nutella rolling was tricker than it sounded - prepare to get your
hands dirty. Do each step one by one rather than per cookie to reduce the mess!
I've been actively trying to cut refined sugar out of my diet for the last week, it has been a gradual thing and when things pop up e.g. birthdays (note: my own!) it's hard to say no. Or rude especially when someone has baked you a cake for the occasion! Side effects have been some headaches but that could be hayfever or just plain stress!
So protein bites or raw balls or whatever you call 'em are a great option especially if you work out or juggling two jobs and can't find the time to make/bring a healthy snack. I scoured the net for easy, no fuss and minimal ingredients to make mine and these Cacao Coconut Cashew Balls seem like a great place to start!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I must admit I made two versions of these and the bottom two pictures are from a prior batch I made with different ingredients. The first set are for this post; the only difference was the one prior had almond butter and almonds in them and the other (current batch) had soaked dates. Essentially the idea is the same, put all the dry ingredients together and whizz, then add the oil, water and dates. The cashew batch were definitely wetter for soaking the dates and harder to roll when the time came. The other recipe was actually better for rolling but both taste amazing!
Back home I loved Dorset Cereal's Mueslis however now I'm in Upstate New York it is definitely harder to find this brand. Dorset Cereal's were pretty much natural and sugar free so finding an alternative is a bit of a chore especially with all that ingredient list reading. Now I know granola is a completely different bowl entirely but every now and then I need that crunch without all the gunk!
At lunch I'll usually have plain Greek yoghurt with raw seeds, nut and unsweetened coconut flakes but to mix it up I figured sykr yoghurt with homemade granola would be an alternative. Deliciously Ella's recipe for Cinnamon and Pecan Granola looked enticing and most importantly healthy. As a plus I could control the amount of sugar if necessary.
Yay or Nay: 50/50
This one had me torn, I admit that I kind of doctored the recipe as I didn't want to make a ton (mostly because I didn't have the right quantity for some of the ingredients) in case it didn't turn out how I thought it would. In actual fact I think I was pretty close but I halved all the ingredients to try balance it out. I also substituted maple syrup for honey (plus put slightly less in) but I think that's why it didn't clump together that well. I also put less cinnamon in as I don't like a ton of it but the final result is a slight hint of sweetness and cinnamony-ness! However I do think 30 mins in the oven is a bit too long (I only put it in for 25 stirring at the 12 minute mark) as I ended up with slightly burnt pecan pieces which can taste horribly bitter! I would try this again though but I might stick with the recipe to see if there is a difference!
