Coconut and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Here's a little treat that I threw together last night. These muffins work wonders when you "gotta have something", and at the same time want to feed your body with something nutritious. They're quite filling, which make them a perfect snack between lunch and dinner. Did I mention they were gluten-free and sugar-free? And that I found the recipe at blog favorite ComfyBelly only moderated slightly?

Ingredients (makes about 8 muffins)

• 1,5 dl coconut flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 0,5 dl agave nectar (or your preferred sweetener of any kind)
• 1,5 tablespoons of extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of lucuma powder (Superfood with a sweet taste. Can be skipped)
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract  
• About 50 gram dark chocolate (I used Lindt 90% cocoa) finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Blend all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Using a whisk, or mixer on a low setting, blend in all the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until well-blended.
4. Fill each muffin liner about 2/3 of the way full with batter.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is starting to brown a bit. Eat right away!
6. Store any leftovers covered or in the refrigerator 

Flourless Apple Cake

I have just made the most heavenly low carb apple cake. Completely without flour and sugar, and still just sweet enough. My serving guests don't normally eat low carb og lchf, and they both loved it!
Here is the recipe:

3 egg
3 dl cottage cheese
1-2 tbs  cream
100 gram ground almonds
50 gram ground walnuts
0,5 dl erythritol
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 big apple

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 23 cm round cake tin.

Combine all of your dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Combine eggs, vanilla, cheese and cream in another large mixing bowl and use a hand blender to make a fine mass. Add the dry ingredients and stir everything well together.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, add peeled and chopped chunks of apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, and put in the hot oven for 30-35 minutes. It is meant to be slightly rough around the edges, so don't cry if it cracks when you remove it from the tin.

Serve with anything from creme fraiche to whipped cream with vanilla quark.

Yummy!

KichenAid In the House!

Everyone could need some aid in the kitchen...

Finally my new KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer is here! I had a tough time deciding what color to go for. I suggested fuchsia, but the family's male voice quickly shut that down.... So we agreed on grey, that actually blends well in with the general home decor. I bought the mixer  + some extra equipment from Pixmania, because of the price, but fortunately everything also arrived promptly in just a few days.
Of course, I had to test it out right away by baking these strawberry and chocolate scones. However, mine turned out more like crumble... The taste, however, was delicious. Recommended low carb treat!

Yummy breakfast muffins (lchf)

Filling everyday muffins

Here is the recipe for my favorite breakfast muffins that I found at one of my favorite food blogs, "lchf-bloggen". These are perfect to carry in your bag and eat "au natural" as a snack or with cheese for breakfast/lunch.

Ingredients for 6-8 muffins:
1 cup cottage cheese
2-3 tbs. psyllium husk powder
1 cup grounded almonds (or almond flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or 2 tbs. pesto and some dried basil if you haven't got fresh herbs)
1/4 cup water
4 whipped eggs
1/2 ts. salt
3/4 cup freshly grounded parmesan cheese

Preheat your oven to 200'C.
Mix everything except for the parmesan in a bowl. Pour into muffins forms (silicon or non stick - that is important!) and sprinkle with cheese. If you haven't got parmesan, you can use any kind of cheese, actually. I like cheddar.

Bake for approx. 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

iHerb Delivery

From iHerb to my mailbox!

After switching to the lchf diet (low carb high fat), iHerb has been my new convenience web shop. Their selection is impeccable, and with prices well below Norwegian equivalents, who can resist?
What I got this time is raw cacao powder (propped with antioxidants, great to mix in your natural yoghurt and for desserts and baking), almond flour, liquid stevia (all natural sweeteners), and Spirulina (a single-celled freshwater algae and an incredible source of nutrients, makes your energy level boost!)
Who says you need sugar when craving sweets?

My low carb müsli

This müsli will keep you going for hours and hours! I eat it almost every morning with turkish yoghurt and rasberries. Yummy and healthy for carb-avoiders.

Receipe

1 dl pumpkin seeds

1 dl sunflower kernels

1 dl flaxseeds

1 dl sesame seeds

1 dl chopped almonds (or a selection of your favorite nuts)

1 dl angle flake coconut (I make my own, which gives a much richer taste. See how to do it here) 

1/2 dl extra virgin coconut oil (like cocosa)

1tbs cinnamon

Mix everything together in a bowl and let it set for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven.

Roast for at least 15 minutes, 200 Celsius, then let cool before storing it in an airtight container. Or eat some of it right away!

Happy breakfast! 

1/2 dl water

Sweet Monday

Don't let the Monday blues hit you. Yes, the weekend is over, but no need to drown your sorrows in cold water. I prefer to light a candle and snuggle up in front of my iMac with a seasonal vanilla espresso and home made biscotti - before hitting the gym. Happy Monday!

Biscotto is "twice baked" italian cookies that comes in an endless amount of variations. Not too sweet and not too greasy - just the prefect accessory to your tea or espresso. 

I opted for the below recipe that I found in an old issue of Maison Mat og Vin. As usual I made my own twist to it by adding a few tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice and swapping dark chocolate with white. 

Delizioso!

(Almost) Healthy Brownie

I love brownies and chocolate cake, but whenever I decide to bake one and  search for recipe, the amount of sugar and butter goes against all my sensible nutrition knowledge. 400 gram butter? I don't think so... There must be a healthier option out there?!   After some research, I found one that I used as a base for this. And the result was surprisingly good. Yummy! This receipe is a keeper, and worth sharing with you.

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 dl sugar
1 dl all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla sugar
a pinch of salt
1,5 dl quark (kesam in Norwegian - a light fresh cheese)
100 gram dark chocolate

Whisk the eggs and sugar. Mix together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl before mixing it with the egg-mix. Stir in quark and chopped chocolate (save some for sprinkling over the top). Distribute the dough in a greased pie pan.

Bake in the middle of the oven on 180 degrees Celsius  for about 20 minutes (not too long. It is supposed to be a bit floating in the middle)
Serve it warm with ice cream - or cold with an freshly brewed espresso. Mmmmm!

Now it is time to blind the blind folds. Sleep tight!

Domestic Goddess?

This weekend I've felt a bit like Nigella, the domestic goddess, producing a whole lot of home cooking. I blame all the inspirational food bloggers out there for my sudden motivation. Besides from five glasses of plum -and apple jam, I have made the following:

• Home made müsli
• Pumpkin puree
• Pumkin Spice Latte
• Breakfast whole wheat rolls 

And between all the cooking I have compensated with walks in the forest and buying new cycling shoes (on sale!) for starting up with spinning again.

If you enjoy cooking as much as I do (or want to learn more) you should check out these blogs:

• Lekkermunn.no (Norwegian)
• Trines Mektige Matblogg (Norwegian)
• Vaffelhjerte (Norwegian)
• Mat på Bordet (Norwegian)

Dinner Party!

Outfit for the night: My new sequined blazer from H&M (love the dark blue colour!), blouse from Zara, denim shorts from Levi's, and suede pumps from Eden Shoes (bought in Paris)

Having good friends over for dinner sure is a true energy boost! Although the food took some time to cook, it was well worth the time. I served satay meatballs, bulgur salad with mint and squash, tzatziki, and mango salsa. And for dessert: Banana cake with vanilla ice cream. Yummy!

We definitively have to do repeat this event!

My Favourite Chocolate Cake

Since today's my boyfriend's birthday, I had the perfect reason to make my Chocolate cake favourite. The cake is juicy and tasty, and with squash and refined rape oil, it's (close to) healthy too!

Chocolate Squash Cake

170 g dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa)

3 dl plain wheat flour

1/2 tsp becarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp vanilla sugar

1 1/4 dl sugar

225 g grated squash

2 eggs

1 3/4 dl refined rape oil (or sun seed oil)

Mix together flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, and vanilla sugar. Add sugar, grated squash, mixture of egg and oil, and melted chocolate. Bake the cake in a spring form cake tin, at 180 degrees, for

50 minutes or until the cake is set, but slightly wobbly in the centre.

Chocolate Icing

150 g margarine

5 dl powdered sugar

1 dl cocoa powder

3 tbsp strong coffee

Spread the icing evenly over the cake while it is still warm.

Serve your lucky guests and enjoy!

Photo: vg.no

Tea Time!

I don't like coffee, but I'm a real tea lover, drinking several cups a day. My favourite is tea from Palais des thés, located in Vibes Gate 10 and in 14 other locations as listed here. Whether you like it sweet, bitter, strong or spicy, your most desired tea flavour can be found here. Without doubt!

If you like big cups like me, go for these white ones from IKEA. I love the size and the price!