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And you clearly need a good laugh.

Have a nice day!

Carob Cake Bars

One of my dearest friends gave me a package of Carob Powder for my birthday. At first I was overwhelmed because the only childhood memory of carob is somehow a blur, but also horrible. I just couldn't stand carob when I was a kid; the smell and the looks were awful. 

My birthday is in August and until this day I just couldn't find any good-looking recipe on the internet with carob powder as the main ingredient. Crazy, right? Do people resent carob powder as much as I did? Anyway, I called my grandma for advice and she gave me the following recipe. It included chocolate so I decided to give it a try. Guess what, I am hooked! The carob powder is not dominant in these bars, and I love that it has some fruity flavor because of the apple. Carob powder for the win.

You need:

2 cups milk

2 cups carob powder

2 cups sugar

2 cups self-raising flour

1 cup sunflower oil (or any other neutral oil)

4 eggs

1 apple, peeled and grated

For the chocolate ganache:

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup sunflower oil

Put all of the ingredients in your stand mixer and mix it up. You can also use a hand-mixer, if you wish. Pour the batter into a greased baking tin of your choice (the bigger the tin, the flatter your bars will be) and bake for 25 minutes on 190°C. Once baked, let cool and prepare the chocolate ganache meanwhile. 

For the world's easiest chocolate ganache just put the chocolate chips and oil in a small oven-proof dish and put it in the still hot oven. Leave it there for five minutes, then stir until smooth. Now pour the ganache over the bars. Leave to cool completely. 

Enjoy!

Pecan Date Bars

Hello dear TCB readers! Long time no see, right? I was literally shocked when I saw that there was no entry in September. Not even a Pinteresting post. Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted a recipe. As you know I tend not to reveal much of my personal outside-the-blog life, but I sure can tell now that life happens when you're busy making other plans. 

I am delighted to share a great recipe with you today. It is another vegan, no bake recipe which I love so much these days. Pecans are my number one snack - they are so nutritious and rich in taste you should definitely buy some. I carry a small zip-lock of pecans in my bag as an emergency when I get hungry or need a snack right away. 

These bars are totally addictive. I love them as an afternoon snack or pre run fuel. You can even enjoy them for breakfast if you wish.

You need:

1 cup pecans

1 cup dates, pitted

1 cup shredded coconut

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate (I used 80% cocoa)

Gather your ingredients and put them in your food processor. Mix until everything holds together and it is a sticky mess. 

Put the mixture in a brownie pan or any other pan you have on hand (just make sure it is not too big). Press down with your hands firmly. Put the pan in the fridge for one hour to set. Meanwhile melt the chocolate - my trick is to put it in the microwave for one minute and there you have it. 

After one hour, remove the pan from the fridge and drizzle the chocolate over the bars. Let cool in the fridge for another hour. Slice into bars and dig in.

Chocolate Popsicles

Summer calls for ice cold desserts. I crave popsicles / ice cream / semifreddo's almost every night and therefore the ice pop mold I bought a few months ago comes in handy. There are many popsicle recipes on the internet, but I don't like the majority of them because it takes so much time to prepare all of the ingredients, and cook a syrup, and so on. These chocolate popsicles are made in no time and taste so amazingly like a chocolate cake. Plus, they're vegan!

What other excuse do you need for a brain freeze?

You need:

2 ripe bananas

2 table spoons cocoa

3 table spoons natural peanut butter

a dash of salt

1 tea spoon vanilla

Put all of the above ingredients in a blender. Mix until combined, use the pulse function to make sure everything is mixed and there are no banana chunks. 

Pour the mixture in a popsicle mold. 

Freeze overnight or for at least 5 hours.

Orange Pancakes (Vegan)

Everyone who loves pancakes get ready. These pancakes will blow your mind. They are so easy to do (3 ingredients!) and taste like fresh oranges squeezed into it. Okay, I really love pancakes and since I try to veganize some of my favorite recipes (nothing major, just trying to eat healthier) I came up with this one. 

You need:

1 cup plain flour

1 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1 table spoon baking powder

Mix the above ingredients until combined. Bake pancakes. Serve with blueberry jam or plain. Eat. 

Now go and bake some! You can thank me later. :)

Mini Vegan Cheesecakes

Hello dear readers! It feels so good to be back again. This past month was crazy - with some health issues, and mentally I wasn't quite prepared to blog. I am glad that it's all behind me and I can focus on much more positive and fun things. 

Sometimes when life gets difficult, I crave something sweet but don't want to bake and go through the whole process of it. Ahh, the cosiness of no-bake desserts!

So, I came over this blog and found the perfect little treat to do. It takes some time to make it because you have to soak the cashews, but it is worth the try! I prefer making such treats late at night, and then finishing it the next morning before work. Then I know a little something will wait for me in the fridge when I come home.

You need:

4 table spoons cashews

1 table spoon agave

4 table spoons coconut, shredded

2 table spoons oats

fruit of choice for the topping

Put the cashews in a bowl, pour enough water over it and leave to soak over night. The next day, put the cashews, agave and coconut in a blender (I use my Magic Bullet) and blend until smooth.

Put the oats in a small saucepan, add two tablespoons water and cook for two minutes or until the oats soak up the water. 

Prepare a mini pie dish by covering it with foil. Spread the oats thinly on the bottom and put in the fridge for a few minutes. Then put the cashew batter over the oats, slightly pressing it down with the backside of a spoon or a spatula. Put your fruit on top and let sit in the fridge for a few hours to cool completely.

Chia Fresca

Hot summer days are just around the corner and I can't wait to relax at the pool. Nothing better than a cool drink in your hands, a great book, good friends and music. With a proper drink I mean water, of course. You can add a twist to your daily water intake by adding some Chia seeds. What you'll get is a natural energy drink called Chia Fresca. It is an amazing drink and so easy to do.

When drinking this in public, a lot of people will stare at your bottle suspiciously because it looks really amazing. Probably they won't ask you what it is, though. 

You need:

2 table spoons Chia seeds

1,5 litres water

Pour the water into a glass or bottle, add the Chia seeds and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes, then mix again to break the clumps. Enjoy! 

Look at those little energy seeds!