Trick or Treat?
Halloween is a time to indulge the sweet, so most will choose to have the treat!
Alas, we eat our entire stash, soon after we suffer ‘candy crash’…
But there is a remedy, in the cleverly crafted recipe.
By adding a trick to the treat, that candy monsters will love to eat!
Turmeric, Beetroot, and Spinach ‘Mystery Macaroons’
Ingredients (macaroons)
2/3 cup almond flour
1 tbsp mesquite powder
1 cup coconut sugar (finely ground, using a coffee grinder or blender)
5 tbsp coconut sugar (granulated not ground)
3 large egg whites (room temperature)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300F/150C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper, tracing 1 inch circles, spaced 1/2 inch apart makes a good piping guide.
Sieve colourant of choice*, finely ground coconut sugar, almond flour and mesquite powder twice through into a mixing bowl. * 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, or 1 tsp beetroot power, or 1 tsp spinach powder.
Place egg whites into a separate bowl and beat (stand or hand mixer works best) on high until frothy. Slowly incorporate the granulated coconut sugar until stiff peaks form.
Using a flexible spatula gently fold in the dry ingredients to the meringue, careful not to loose too much air.
To prepare for piping, use the flat of your spatula to press the mix against the side of the bowl. Repeat until the consistency is viscous but not too runny.
Pour the mix into a piping bag and onto your prepared parchment using the stencils as a guide. Before baking tap the trays on the counter to knockout any air bubbles.
Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the shells are just hard.
Once cool you can fill with the complimentary fillings (see below).
Ingredients (filling)
2 cups unsalted cashew nuts (soaked for 4-5 hours or overnight)
2 tbsp coconut nectar
Instructions
Drain cashews and place in a blender or food processor with 1/4 cup of cool water and coconut nectar. Pulse on high into a thick, smooth cream.
Combine (blend/process) cashew cream with…
Turmeric: 3/4 cup pumpkin puree, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground ginger
Beetroot: 1 tsp maqui berry powder
Spinach: 1/4 tsp powdered matcha tea
These recipes add an element of fun and trickery to your treats but also help to counter candy crash, by replacing refined sugars with low GI sweeteners.
About the Sweeteners
Coconut Sugar is a great tasting, mineral rich, low GI (35) cane sugar alternative, produced from coconut palm blossoms.
Coconut Nectar is produced from coconut palm blossoms and is a great tasting, low GI (35) alternative for people with fructose sensitivities.
Mesquite Powder from Peru is a traditional Native American food with a very low GI and a high mineral content.
These recipes used clever ingredients deriving energy and nutrition from native and sustainable plant foods, many of which were sourced from LovingEarth.
Loving Earth are a wonderful source of inspiration and sustainable superfood ingredients, to learn more visit: www.lovingearth.net
