Sweet Potato Brownies **RECIPE**

This is my first attempt at trying to create a sugar free brownie, and although they're not a typical sweet, chocolatey treat, they do have a wonderful gooey texture with a crunch on top and satisfy those chocolate cravings!

I'll continue to play around with this recipe, maybe adding something to bring slightly more sweetness to it - because it's what we're all used to! I wanted to shy away from the allowed paleo sweeteners such as honey, date syrup and coconut sugar as much as possible. I'd love for you to try these out, customising the ingredients and letting me know how you get on.

These provide a raw, nutty flavour and are a great snacking alternative to the sugar filled real thing!

Ingredients

• 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes
• 15 Medjool Dates
• 100g Coconut Flour 
• 80g Ground Almonds
• Handful of Macadamia Nuts (or other nuts/seeds of your choice)
• 5 Tablespoons Raw Cacao Powder
• 2 Tablespoons of Lucy Bee Coconut Oil
• 50ml Tap Water
• Pinch of Salt
• Almonds to Top
• (Optional Paleo Sweetener)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180c or 160c fan.
2. Peel and chop the sweet potato, place into a microwaveable bowl with 1 teaspoon of Lucy Bee and a sprinkling of water to avoid them drying out (alternatively you can steam the potatoes). Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave then fold the potato into the oil, to ensure each piece is coated. Heat again until cooked, I done another 3 minutes, mashed a little then a further 2 minutes.
3. Pit the dates and chuck them into a food processor, along with the sweet potato (allow to cool first) and blitz. Add the nuts or seeds so they break into slightly smaller pieces. If you are using a compliant sweetener, also add this here.
4. Combine the ground almonds, coconut flour, cacao, salt with the date/potato mixture and start to fold.
5. If coconut oil isn't liquid, melt it by popping in the microwave for 20 seconds. Use a little to grease a 9" square cake tin, and add the rest to the brownie mixture, little bit at a time, folding it in.
6. Start to knead the mixture, until it combines but still feels sticky, add a little water if needed.
7. Press the mixture evenly into the cake tin, and cook for 15-20 minutes until firm but springy.
8. Leave in the tin for 20 minutes before turning out upside down. Whilst the brownies are still warm, sprinkle with flaked almonds, gently press down and leave to cool for 5 minutes before cutting with a pizza cutter! I made 9 initially (in the picture), but found them quite rich, so made 18 out of them. They would also work well as brownie bites, cutting them up even further!

Let me know how you get on and what changes you make, and I'll update this post if I improve it!

Cauliflower Egg Fried "Rice" **Recipe**

I hate cauliflower, BUT when I first made this dish I completely shocked myself. It has a similar texture to rice, with a bit of a bite and a slight cauliflower taste, but it's overpowered by the egg, sesame oil and coconut aminos.

My Ingredients (Serves 2)

1 Small Cauliflower
2 Tsp Sesame Seed Oil
2 Eggs
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Ginger Powder (optional)
Pinch of White Pepper (optional)
Coconut Aminos (or soy sauce if you don't follow Whole30)
Spring Onions (optional)
Any extras you fancy like king prawns or shredded chicken.

My Method

Here's what I done, you can also freeze the blitzed cauliflower ready to go another day! If you use a large cauliflower instead of small, use 1/2 now and freeze the other half.

First, separate your cauliflower into small florets and pop them into your food processor:

Blitz 10-15 times until it resembles rice or cous cous:

Heat a teaspoon of sesame oil (keeps the authentic taste) in a wok or frying pan: 

Then add the cauliflower and give a quick stir. Break 2 eggs into a bowl, whisk briefly with a dash more of sesame seed oil, a pinch of salt, white pepper and a pinch of ginger powder (or add fresh if you prefer). Make a well in the "rice" and chuck in the egg mixture. Leave to heat for a few seconds and slowly begin to poke at it with a wooden spoon to break it up. When the egg is beginning to cook after a few more seconds, gradually begin to fold in the "rice":

I then add coconut aminos, a Whole30 alternative to soy sauce, however if you're not doing the Whole30, just pop in some light/dark soy sauce to taste. I go with about 2 tablespoons:

At this point you could chuck in any extras like spring onions (I usually would but I didn't have any), peas (not Whole30), or some king prawns:

It's a really simple dish to make, and tastes really authentic too! You could serve it with a simple salad or with a home made curry or as a side with some meat or fish!

I hope you enjoy this version of the takeaway classic... Even using the above recipe with normal rice is much better than ordering the greasy take away, but remember rice is off limits for anyone actively doing their Whole30 duties!