Low carb, cheese, herb and courgette cups

These taste and smell like pizza when they’re baking because of the combination of flavours I used, mainly the Italian herbs with the cheese and tomatoes but you can tailor these to suit your own flavours (see my optional add ins below). They’re also made with low carb almonds and coconut flour meaning they’re low carb/keto friendly and suitable for anyone who needs to watch their carb intake.

Low carb, cheese, herb and courgette cups Breakfast Grainfree Lunch snack

great for a lunchbox

Courgette in this recipe might seem weird at first but trust me, it keeps these really moist and means you don’t have to go through a step of squeezing out the excess water and adds in extra nutritional goodness plus fibre. Because I use bun cases to cook these in, they also make handy lunchbox additions or quick on the go snacks.

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Chocolate orange hemp banana balls

These chocolate orange hemp balls are super nutritious and soft but also lower in sugar than regular energy balls as they use just 1 ripe fresh banana to sweeten them rather than dried fruit, this keeps them lovely and soft but means you need to eat them fast, preferably within 2/3 days (but it won’t be a challenge, trust me!)

They require a bit of setting time to firm up so make them in advance, they make a good afternoon pick me up or prepped the night before for a breakfast snack before a morning gym workout or on your way to work.

Chocolate orange hemp banana balls Breakfast energy balls Grainfree snack vegan

Activate those nuts!
I’ve used Linwoods activated walnuts here as I’m trying to use more activated nuts where possible in my cooking due to the process of activating making the nuts more nutritious but also easier on digestion, plus if you just want to eat them straight it also gives the nuts a lovely crispiness. Walnuts are one of the nuts highest in phytic acid which holds onto nutrients making it harder for your body to extract which is why they’re one of the nuts that you should try to eat soaked/activated whenever possible.
Another reason why I love walnuts and hemp is because they have a good balance of healthy fats which the standard Western diet tends to be lower in and instead, higher in omega 6 fats which when too high can be pro-inflammatory, so eating a variety of omega 3 fats to balance this out is something to keep in mind.

Chocolate orange hemp banana balls Breakfast energy balls Grainfree snack vegan

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Coconut, harissa and pomegranate chickpea pancakes

This combination of creamy coconut, hot harissa and sweet pops of pomegranate seeds on these chickpea pancakes is a dream mixture and great plant based meal full of goodness. There’s antioxidants in the pomegranate seeds, good medium chain, easily digestible fats in the coconut, spices in the harissa paste and fibre and protein in the chickpea flour (which you can get in the supermarket btw).
I really like this meal when I’m craving something different from the usual dinners and flavours you typically rely on and gives you a way to consume more pomegranate seeds which are packed full of Polyphenols which some people probably aren’t getting enough of.

Coconut, harissa and pomegranate chickpea pancakes Breakfast Dinner Grainfree Lunch vegan

Cooking with chickpea/gram flour
If you’ve never made chickpea flour pancakes/mixtures before, just note that it’s slightly different from usual flour so it won’t be as light but is great for savoury meals and provides a good thick texture to the recipe. They also need to be cooked out a bit longer than regular pancakes, they don’t brown quickly so don’t worry about them burning easily. Check out my veggie slices made with chickpea flour for another idea on how to use it.
TIP: for best digestion if you have time to soak the flour and water together for an hour/up to a few hours then this enhances digestibility and nutrition

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Tikka curry carrot muffins

These are savoury tikka flavoured muffins filled with grated carrot for added goodness.
These may sound a little strange but honestly they taste divine, even my own mum who tends to be health food adverse admitted how good they smell coming out of the oven. It’s curry in muffin form, what’s not to love?

Tikka curry carrot muffins Breakfast Grainfree Lunch snack

They make a great lunchbox option for work as they’re easily made the night before and can be taken with you the next day without needing prep work which can be a bit tricky for offices that don’t have great kitchens/lunch areas.

Allergen friendly
These can be adjusted to suit many different diets, such as sub coconut oil instead of butter for dairy free or use chestnut flour for grain free, both flours I’ve tested were gluten free and were still really soft and light. Plus they’re packed with healthy spices and some sneaky carrot to help you along your way to 5 a day, they may even be good enough for picky eaters, why not try it? Seriously, I’ve found them so good I find it hard to stop myself eating nearly the whole batch!

Tikka curry carrot muffins Breakfast Grainfree Lunch snack

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Grain free lemon rosemary scones

For ages now I have really wanted to develop a grain free/lower carb scone especially for people with allergies/gut issues who can’t tolerate the usual flours and therefore tend to not be able to eat things like this. Going through my own issues, I know it can be really sad not enjoying the same things as others so having alternatives which you can have, really helps to keep you on track and your spirits up.

Grain free lemon rosemary scones Breakfast Grainfree Lunch snack

Even if you don’t have any of these issues this recipe makes a nice change from the usual style of scone both flavour wise and in terms of the ingredients used. Plus they’re a lot lower in sugar and way more nutritious than anything you could buy.

This recipe uses lovely fragrant lemon zest and rosemary for flavour, with just a touch of honey, if you’re on keto then you can omit this. When baking, the oils from the lemon get released and start smelling amazing! These are best served warm with a little bit of grass fed butter melting gently on them….I’m drooling just remembering these.
It’s optional but if you have it then you can add in collagen powder which is a great protein source that can be used by the gut to repair the lining.

Grain free lemon rosemary scones Breakfast Grainfree Lunch snack

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Peanut butter protein fudge stuffed chocolate cups

These are by far one of the best things I’ve made in ages, they’re little chocolatey, peanut butter stuffed bites of Heaven!
They make a nice post workout treat as they contain a good mix of antioxidants, protein & healthy fats, particularly if you choose high oleic peanut butter (explained more below).
Go on, treat yo self!

Peanut butter protein fudge stuffed chocolate cups Desserts Grainfree snack vegan

So delicious it’s unreal!

I combined peanut butter and pea protein together to create a “fudge” filling which compliments the dark chocolate perfectly, there’s no added sugar in the filling meaning depending on what percentage choc you choose you can make these quite low sugar or even sugar free by making and sweetening the chocolate yourself as I’ve done in the past.

Pea protein power
I’ve begun using fermented pea protein for better digestibility and nutrition. The brand I used here is Revolution foods which adds digestive herbs and electrolytes which are great for people who workout regularly, it also contains probiotics, adaptogens and piperine to help with nutrient absorption. They’re also completely free from contaminants as well as gluten, soy, dairy etc so very suitable for anyone who is allergen prone or just wants a really high quality protein.

Peanut butter protein fudge stuffed chocolate cups Desserts Grainfree snack vegan

Recipe (makes 6 cups)
-100g dark chocolate of choice
-2 heaped tsp coconut oil
-30g runny peanut butter (I like the high oleic kind)*
-20g pea protein (I used Revolution foods toffee fudge)
-2-3 Tbsp hot water, as needed
*Tip: try to use the runny top part of your nut butter and I recommend high oleic PB as it has more monounsaturated fats than regular PB which is more beneficial for you (I don’t recommend using rich roast/deep roast PB as its too rich)
*I also like to use a pinch of coarse salt in the chocolate which helps cut through the richness and really contrasts with the filling to accentuate the flavour

Peanut butter protein fudge stuffed chocolate cups Desserts Grainfree snack vegan

Directions
First make the filling by mixing together the PB, protein and water, start with 1 Tbsp water then add another if the mix looks too dry/crumbly, you want it to hold together when lightly pressed, shape 6 coins of filling using the palms of your hands, they should be slightly bigger than a two pound coin, set aside.

Peanut butter protein fudge stuffed chocolate cups Desserts Grainfree snack vegan
Next break the chocolate into small bits into a bowl, then add in the coconut oil and melt over a simmering pot of water, stirring frequently until melted
Spoon 1 Tbsp of chocolate into the bun cases, then add the filling then top with more chocolate until the mix is used up
Set into the fridge to firm up for approx 1 hour before devouring!

Peanut butter protein fudge stuffed chocolate cups Desserts Grainfree snack vegan