Stewed Apple Overnight Oats

Summer is definitely on its way but, in the mean time, this recipe has a delicious wintery-ness that will have you wanting to curl up in front of the fire! I absolutely love overnight soaked oats and this is a great way to spice up your breakfast (literally).

Ingredients (Makes 3)

1 cup of oats (gluten free or normal)
1/2 cup of ground flax

1/2 cup of chia seeds

11/2 cups of almond milk

1/2 cup of raisins or sultanas

3 small to medium apples

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

1. Boil a pan of water (around 2 cups)
2. De-core and slice the apples. I choose to do this into relatively big pieces as I like the puree to be slightly chunky and I leave the peel on too
3. Place the apple, cinnamon and nutmeg into the boiling water. Allow it to boil again, then turn down the heat, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for around 15 minutes or until the apples are really soft
4. Drain the water out of the pan into another bowl
5. In order to make the apples into a sort of puree, you can use a hand processor and apply light pressure. If you are using a food processor, keep the setting really low so that you don't make it too smooth (unless thats your aim!). The apples are soft and will puree very quickly
6. Leave the puree to cool
7. Soak the oats in 1 cup of almond milk and stir in a little of the water from the drained apples. A few tablespoons will be enough, any more will make the oats runny
8. Add the flax and around 2/3 of the sultanas to the oats and stir them in
9. Soak the chia seeds in the remaining 1/2 cup of almond milk
10. Once the apple has cooled, you can begin to make the delicious layers. I went with oats, apple, chia, oats and then more apple to finish
11. Top with the remaining sultanas and then pop it in the fridge overnight, ready for breakfast!

A little hint: the remaining water can be drunk as a delicious spiced apple juice either hot or cold.

Pomegranate Salad (DF, GF, Vegan)

The sun is shining in London today and spring is starting to remind us that winter wont last all year. This summery salad is perfect all year round and is filled with goodness.

Ingredients (serves 2-3)

1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds
1 small-medium sweet potato
1/2 apple
2 cups of wild rocket & chard
1 cup of quinoa (I mixed white and red)
1/2 cup of mixed sprouts (mix beans, alfalfa, broccoli & china rose in mine)

(You could add feta for a non-vegan option)

Chop the sweet potato into small cubes and place in the oven for 10-15 mins at 190° or until softened and allow to cool
Cook quinoa as directed on packaging and leave to cool or rinse under cold water
Cut the apple into small cubes, similar to the sweet potato
Once the sweet potato and quinoa is cool, place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly
Serve cold immediately or place in the fridge for later!

If you want to be a bit more particular about the presentation, place the rocket and chard on a plate then spoon the quinoa on top. Add the apples, sweet potato and beans by evenly sprinkling over the salad base and then top with pomegranate and it should look something like this....

Overnight Soaked Oats (DF, GF, RSF, Vegan)

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and its so easy to get stuck in a routine with it - which I am totally guilty of! In a desperate bid of procrastination yesterday afternoon, I decided to take the opportunity to make something a bit more adventurous to brighten up my morning tomorrow. The best part about this recipe is that you can make it the night before or even do a batch to last for a few days.

Ingredients (makes 2-3)

2 bananas
1 mango
1 cup of gluten free oats
11/2 cups almond milk (or milk of choice)
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup desecrated coconut

• Soak the oats in one cup of milk
• With the remaining milk, soak the chia seeds in a separate bowl for 10 minutes or so
• Blend the bananas and mango with a little water - just enough to get it moving. Either blend totally or leave chunks - either work great
• Layer some of the blended mango/banana mixture into the bottom of the glass
• Add a layer of oats (I used the coconut to separate the layers slightly) then place more mixture on top. Then do the same with the chia seeds.
• Top with a final layer of chia seeds and sprinkle the more coconut on top 
• Put in the fridge overnight ready to enjoy in the morning

These really are delicious and a perfect motivation to get you up on a lazy morning!

Rocky Road Loving (GF, DF, RSF, Vegan Option)

So you may have been lucky enough to try the delicious Chocolate Seed Bars that I posted last week. I managed to demolish my first batch far too quickly and set about to fill my fridge with other goodies. I absolutely love that recipe but found it slightly too sweet for my taste so I decided to try fiddling around with it a bit and the result has been a huge success (if I do say so myself).

These have a more biscuity texture and remind me of the Rocky Road's sold in Starbucks (minus marshmallows and lots of other naughty ingredients). In the spirit of Valentine's day I decided to get creative and make mine into cute little heart shapes before ironically enjoying them alone. I'm certainly not complaining!

Whether you're making a treat for someone special or showing yourself some love, these are the perfect way to do it...

Ingredients (makes around 6 squares)

2 tbsp agave nectar 
2 tbsp honey (or swap for more agave nectar for vegan diets)2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp raw cacao
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 handful sultanas
3 tbsp oats (I used gluten free)
2 tbsp quinoa flakes

• Add the agave, coconut oil and cacao to a non-stick pan on a low heat.
• Let it boil and stir continuously for a minute until it forms a smooth liquid.
• Add the other ingredients to the mixture and stir until evenly covered.
• Poor into a lined or greased tin and allow to cool.
• Place in the fridge to harden and then cut into desired size squares or get creative with biscuit cutters like I did - the offcuts make nice little slices too.