Cheezy Chickpea Balls

Yesterday, I received a big bag containing Lupin flakes, sent to me by Rhiannon over at Lupin Foods, all the way from Australia. So, what are Lupin Flakes then? The first thought that popped into my mind was Remus Lupin from the Harry Potter books. Ehrm, obviously not the case here. I did a little research on lupin Foods’ website and here’s what I found:

·      Lupins are part of the legume family and are mostly produced in Western Australia

·      Lupins are one of the best sources of vegan protein ON THE PLANET with 40g of protein per 100g dry flakes! (yes, I’m as shocked as you are)

·       If you’re looking to incorporate more fiber in your diet, look no more. Lupin flakes contain 37g of protein per 100g dry flakes. That’s almost 4 times the fiber content of whole wheat flour!

·      There’s no risk of Lupin poisoning when you’re consuming Lupin Flakes; the Australian Sweet Lupin contains only miniscule amounts of the toxic alkaloids found in the bitter varieties so no need to worry.

·      Is one of few vegan foods that contain all the 9 essential amino acids.

The packaging

Those are pretty amazing stats as far as I’m concerned and I really do look forward to using Lupin Flakes in more of my recipes!

This was my first attempt at a lupin recipe and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. These chickpea balls are crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and provide a wonderful, savoury contrast to the sweet potato fries. Plus, one serving  contains 18g of protein! I mostly stick to a low-protein diet as I don’t believe the overconsumption of protein, that is so common these days, does any good to our bodies. Still, it’s absolutely vital to get enough protein when you’re on a plant-based diet and these balls are the perfect way to do so.

Cheezy Chickpea Balls

2/3 cup chickpeas (canned, drained and rinsed)

2 tbsp Lupin flakes*

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp almond milk

½ tsp psyllium husk

½ tsp dried oregano

Pinch of garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

*if you don’t have access to Lupin flakes, you could make the balls without them.

How to: 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180C. Blend all ingredients with a hand blender and shape meatball-sized balls with your hands. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until they’re crisp and golden on the outside.

Easy-peasy Sweet Potato Fries

1 medium sized sweet potato

That’s it!

1. Pre-heat your oven to 170C. Cut your sweet potato into long strips and trim off any thin, sharp edges that might burn in the oven. Place the fries on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes, turning them halfway through for an even bake.

Serve your fries and chickpea balls with lots of veggies and a yummy sauce to dip in if you wish!

Love, Tilda

Peanut Butter Squarebar-Chunk Cookies and a Squarebar Review!

A while ago, I received a package of Squarebars sent to me by the lovely Sarah, who together with her husband Andrew, launched Squarebar back in 2012. Let's just say our paths couldn't have crossed at a better time. Since my decision to slowly ease my way into a vegan lifestyle, I have been looking everywhere for tasty, vegan protein bars that don't taste like sand and that I feel comfortable eating. By comfortable I mean eco-friendly (no soy), refined-sugar-free and last but NOT least an ingredient list that doesn't contain 64827349 different ingredients of which you can only pronounce about 0.05%. Yup, my standards are high. Or are they? Is it really that weird to want something pure and cruelty-free, something that I know has been made with love and every earthling's best in mind? I think not. Nevertheless, those criteria are hard to fulfil.

This is where the Squarebars come into the picture. Because they are all of that and more; Non-GMO, organic, no gluten and no peanuts can be added to the list. Plus they pack a punch of protein with a whooping 11-12 grams of plant protein per 48g bar. I haven't been able to workout as much as I would've liked to lately (hehe) but I can imagine these bars would be perfect to refuel with after hitting it hard at the gym. Well, perfect for any snack to be honest. I chop these bars up and use in my baking or to top my nana ice cream bowls with (and trust me, the dark chocolate coating is even better when it freezes on top of the nice cream, yummy yummy).

All the different flavours

But, let's be honest here, no food is worth eating if it doesn't taste good. I wouldn't eat dog's shit, frog intestines (ew) or plastic pellets, even if they were the healthiest super foods on the planet because there are limits, even for health-fanatics like myself. Okay, I've probably scared half of everyone reading this away so let's just blurt it out: these bars are not any of that, they're absolutely DELICIOUS! No need to worry. They're all coated in a crowd-pleasing (crunchy, if you keep it cold), delectable dark chocolate layer, a pretty good first impression if I may say so myself. Then comes the actual filling which differs slightly between the bars. The Cocoa Almond has small slivers of almonds in it (I love the fact that you can actually SEE the almonds), the Cocoa Coconut combines the chocolate and coconut flavours wonderfully (hey, we all know that choco and coco are besties, don't we?) and finally, my favourite; the Cocoa Crunch bar which is a real chocolate hit with added crunch from brown rice crispies. Does it get better than that? (Answer: Unless it suddenly started raining perfectly ripe bananas from the sky, then no, it doesn't)

Inside the Cocoa Crunch bar

Conclusion: I can without doubt in mind tell you that these are some of the absolute best vegan protein bars out there. They're a 10/10 for me. My sole advice for you would be to get your hands on a box of these goodies asap! You can buy them from Squarebar's own website,  Vitacost or (my own no. 1 choice for international shipping) iHerb. If you're a first-time customer with iHerb, feel free to use my promo code, PWF503 for up to 10 dollars off!

So let's cut to the chase, here's the recipe, using Squarebars of course! best vegan cookies I've made so far :)

Peanut Butter Squarebar-Chunk Cookies

Vegan cookie line-up!

Yields: 12-14 cookies

Pre-heat oven to: 175C 

Mix:

3 tbsp all-natural peanut butter 

5 tbsp brown rice flour 

1/4 cup raw date sugar or coconut sugar

4 fresh or soaked dates (about 50g)

1/2 tbsp freshly ground flax seeds (don't use pre-ground as flaxseed oil goes rancid very quickly)

1 tbsp coconut oil

Fold in:

1/2 chopped Squarebar (any flavour)
1 handful raw or unsalted, chopped peanuts

How to:

1. Place all of the "mix" ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and pulse with a hand blender until the dates have become a gooey mess. This could of course be done in a food processor as well, only I find a hand blender much easier to use when working with smaller quantities like this.
2. Fold in your chopped Squarebar and peanuts. Work the dough with your hands until the yummy nuts and chunks have spread out evenly.
3. Press the cookies out on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes (175C). Let them cool on the baking tray, then store in an airtight container in the cupboard.

Cookie Monster hugs and kisses!
Tilda

Fresh from the oven