Tag: coconut

4 ingredients Rafaello (no sugar)

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Another Instagram inspired recipe. I think I need a rehab, because my head gets overloaded with all the Instagram photos and ideas I would like to try. And obviously there’s not enough time in the world I would be able to try them all. I got to the point that I consume more (content) than I can process, and I spend more time on it, that I could actually use for testing these ideas. My procrastination wins with each photo scrolled on IG, and I feel like soon I will need to bury my phone under the tree in front of my house. Some of you might know that feeling – you grab your phone just to check the emails and you wake up an hour later scrolling photos and reels on IG. There’s hardly any benefit from that, but when you catch yourself on that, it’s usually already too late and some of your time gets soaked by a black hole.

This annoys me because I’ve never had this tendency to endlessly scroll FB or watch whole seasons of Netflix series in one night (I hardly ever watch any series). So this time I’ve made a resolution and give myself a ban for Instagram. Before that though, I have this low carb Rafaello recipe for you, inspired by Instagram.

It’s super easy and quick, and if you love coconut I’m sure you’ll like it. I’m not a coconut fan but I like Rafaello, that’s why I was curious how it tastes. And although it doesn’t contain that crunchy wafer inside, that real Rafaello does, it’s actually quite good. I have to admit I didn’t add any sugar replacement to it, which for sure would make it better. So if you prefer sweet sweets add some sort of sugar (icing sugar) or sugar replacement. For sure next time I will add some sweetness to it.

Also if you don’t have a coffee grinder to grind dessicated coconut, you can use either coconut flour (but add teaspoon by teaspoon – not sure how it’s going to work) or coconut cream (very thick, much thicker than coconut milk). Most probably the second one will work much better as coconut flour will soak up all the moisture and might make your Rafaello quite dry.

It will literally take you couple minutes to prepare, plus about 30 minutes in the fridge. And as all low carb high fat snacks – you won’t need more 2-3 when you feel full (comparing to real Rafaello where you can eat whole box and you’ll still feel like it’s not enough).

4 ingredients Rafaello (no sugar)

NOTE: my cup is regular 250ml glass

INGREDIENTS for about 20 fat bombs:

  • 1½ cup dessicated coconut
  • 250g mascarpone
  • handful of almonds
  • ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • optionally: xylitol or other sugar replacement

DIRECTIONS

Finely grind 1 cup of coconut using a coffee grinder. Put away the other ½ cup for sprinkle. Combine grinded coconut with mascarpone and vanilla extract, first using a spoon, then simply use your hand (if you use sugar replacement also add it). Using your hands make small balls a size of a walnut placing an almond in each of them. Coat in the remaining coconut and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Store in the fridge for 2-3 days.

low carb coconut, peanut butter & chocolate bars

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This is a typical ketogenic dessert – low in carbohydrates and high in fats, also great if you need a boost of energy and you rather like less sweet snacks. It’s a mix of coconut, chia seeds, peanut butter, dark chocolate and dried cranberries. As an extra touch I decided to add little bit of dried lavender. It adds quite original aroma. But you can skip it or add something else: freeze-dry fruits or nuts. But slightly sour taste of cranberries goes great with the rest of ingredients.

It’s great as a snack or dessert when when you’re on high fat diet. The only downside I see is storing – bottom layer is made mostly with butter and coconut oil, so in the room temperature it melts quite fast. So if you’d like to take it with you as a snack for a outdoor summertime trip it will melt in couple minutes. But it’s a great snack if you have a fridge on hand.

If you skip the butter, add only coconut oil and use dairy free chocolate, it will become a great vegan keto snack.

low carb coconut, peanut butter & chocolate bars

INGREDIENTS:

  • about 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • about 3-4 tbsp butter
  • about 10 tbsp dessicated coconut
  • 4-5 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tsp xylitol or other sweetener
  • couple spoons of crunchy peanut butter
  • 200g 80% cacao dark chocolate
  • handful of cranberries
  • optionally: little bit of dried lavender

DIRECTIONS

You will need soft butter, so it’s best to take it off the fridge at least an hour earlier. Mix together butter, coconut oil (not melted), desiccated coconut, chia seeds and xylitol using a spoon or food processor. When combine transfer it to a form and spread all over the bottom and the sides. Place in the fridge or freezer to set.

In the meantime melt the chocolate using double boiler method. In a small pot heat some water, place heat resistant bowl over the pot, so the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the surface of water. Place pieces of chocolate in the bowl and slowly melt until runny. Set aside.

Place a layer of crunchy peanut butter over the coconut. Slowly pour melted chocolate on top and even the surface. Add dried cranberries and a little bit of lavender. Again place in the fridge or freezer.

Cut with a sharp knife. Chocolate will break so if you want to avoid that, place your knife in a hot water, should help.

Store in the fridge, as bottom layer melts quickly in a room temperature.

turmeric latte – winter blend

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You can easily buy ready made blend of turmeric latte, and that’s how I started. But it’s more expensive and less fun, than when you make your own mix. I enjoy making my own blend, I can add as many ingredients as I want, in proportions I like the most. And I love this winter flavor latte. Most often I make hot bulletproof latte for myself, and a smoothie for my partner, that he can take to work.

According to ayurvedic medicine that is one of the world’s oldest holistic healing systems. It’s based on the belief that health and wellness depend on a balance between the mind, body, and spirit. Ayurveda treats the body as a whole, not just the bunch of organs or systems that are not connected with each other. So in ayurvedic theory of disease, poor digestion is actually the root cause of most disorders. When the food we eat is not digested properly, and the by-product of poor digestion, builds up in the body, clogging the microchannels of the body. Not only does this further block the efficient flow of nutrients to the different parts of the body, weakening the immune system, but also make a good ground for bacteria and diseases.

That’s where the spices helps to make the magic. They not only helps to digest the food, but also to get rid of this unwanted by-product of metabolism. Turmeric, ginger and cinnamon helps to clean your body. Cloves are known to have antiseptic properties (and their smell is often associated with the dentist – oh I know something about it, mixing eugenol everyday for two years). But as with every natural remedies it need to be taken systematically, so they can work gently and gradually.

If you’ve never tried turmeric latte, I highly recommend it. It has a specific taste, but if you’ll like it you’ll love it 😉

 

turmeric latte – winter blend

INGREDIENTS (descending):

  • turmeric
  • cinnamon
  • desiccated coconut
  • cloves
  • ginger

DIRECTIONS

Proportions: Turmeric is your base, so it’s going to be your main ingredient. All depends how much of the blend you want to make. If you only want to try whether you will like it, one full teaspoon will be enough. I add one heaped teaspoon of blend for one cup of latte.

If you want to make a bigger batch, you’ll need a lot more. Add the rest of spices in proportions you like the most. I add quite a lot of cinnamon, because I like it’s sweet, warm and slightly spicy flavor. Coconut is for extra fat and flavor. You can grind it in a coffee grinder, to get more powdery consistency, but I don’t mind bits of coconut in my latte. Cloves gives a wonderful sweetness and aroma. And finally spicy ginger, but not too much, that’s why I add only a little bit.

You can use this blend to make a latte, smoothie or add to your morning porridge (if you eat porridge, ugh… I miss my morning porridge).

Enjoy!