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Strawberry Sweet Heart Truffles

· Natalie 22 Comments

Caramel hearts with a strawberry center and rich chocolate shell make for the perfect Valentine’s truffles–almost as quick & easy to make as to devour!

Strawberry Sweet Heart Truffles

Sweet. Shaped like hearts. Strawberry jam filled and strawberry dust sprinkled. So silly simple the tutorial video almost felt unnecessary. So speedy to assemble you can probably make them in less time than it takes to read this post. And I wouldn’t blame you for choosing that option, there isn’t any chocolate at the end of reading.

▽ L I N K S B E L O W ▽ ▷R E C I P E: ▷E B O O K: http://amzn.to/28RJhsJ C O N N E C T ▶Website: https://www.feastingonfruit.com ▶Instagram: http://instagram.com/feastingonfruit ▶Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/feastingonfruit ▶Twitter: https://twitter.com/feastingonfruit ▶Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/feastingonfruit M U S I C (heart) Yes You Can by HookSounds http://www.hooksounds.com/ Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International — CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music provided by Music for Creators https://youtu.be/Tfenfvh_rMU

But since you are sticking with me, let’s chat about these sweet-centered bites! From inside to out the layers are: strawberry jam > sticky “caramel” > chocolate shell > strawberry dust. That may sound like a lot of layers after I promised you simple, but there is no flour or food processors or truffle ball-forming required!

You know when you are splitting open a date to pluck out that pesky oblong pit? And you start from the stem side, squeeze, and split it down the middle? And about halfway down the date with a little digging its usually possible to pull the pit out from amidst all those sticky fibers? STOP! Right there. Look at the now partially-split, pit-free date in your hand (because you are doing this with me as you read along, yes?) It’s a perfect heart, don’t you see it!?

And just when I thought dates were as amazing as a fruit could be…something else to add to the Why Dates Are The Most Magical Fruit list. I think this natural heart resemblance discovery helps to offset their natural beetle resemblance problem somewhat too, don’t you?

Strawberry Sweet Heart Truffles

After you wiggle the pit out of it’s caramel cave, there is plenty of space for squeezing in a fruity jam filling. Since simple is the theme here, I just used my go-to fruit-juice-sweetened strawberry jam. You could use homemade strawberry jam instead, but that will require a bit longer than the 5 minutes I promised. A piping bag is best for this step, or a plastic bag with one corner snipped off works too.

Now that the dates hearts are stuffed with strawberry, a coating of dark chocolate holds all that sweetness inside. For a pop of pink on the outside, magical fairy fruit dust (a.k.a. blended freeze dried strawberries) is the perfect finishing touch before a few minutes in the freezer to set.

Strawberry Sweet Heart Truffles

Happy sweet heart making!

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5-Minute Strawberry Sweet Heart Truffles

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 10 truffles 1x
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Description

Caramel hearts with a strawberry center and rich chocolate shell make for the perfect Valentine’s truffle–almost as quick & easy to make as to devour!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 10 Medjool dates
  • 1/2 cup strawberry jam (homemade or store-bought)
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup freeze dried strawberries

Instructions

  1. Spoon the strawberry jam into a piping bag or plastic bag with one corner cut off and set aside.
  2. In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips. Set aside.
  3. In a completely DRY blender, grind the freeze dried strawberries to a powder. Set aside in a safe and dry place, any moisture will cause the powder to clump.
  4. Pinch the stem side of one medjool date and pull apart slowly to split the date halfway. Do not go too far or tear the date completely in half. Remove the pit. If you are confused, watch the video for a demo.
  5. Repeat until all dates are pitted.
  6. Insert the tip of the piping bag into the cavity where the pit used to be and squeeze to fill with jam. Repeat until all dates are filled.
  7. Dip each date in melted chocolate to completely coat. Transfer to a plate/pan lined with wax paper.
  8. Sprinkle with strawberry dust, and chill until the chocolate is set. Enjoy!
  9. They can stay be kept at room temperature once the chocolate is set, but keep best in the fridge.

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Strawberry Sweet Heart Truffles

Vegan Date Caramel Slice

· Natalie 33 Comments

Easy oat cookie crust, healthy date caramel filling, silky chocolate ganache on top–this Date Caramel Slice is 3 layers of sweet vegan decadence!

Vegan Date Caramel Slice

I almost posted a healthy non-chocolate recipe today, but with just a little over a week until Valentine’s Day I think a marathon of all chocolate things all week long is in order.

When I said “healthy” I meant cake. The almost recipe of today was cake. But Valentine’s Day is one holiday where a full-size cake really isn’t the appropriate way to celebrate, although cake is not out of the question entirely…

Pretty pink-fluff frosted cupcakes? Sure!

Snazzy shimmering cake pops? Absolutely!

A cup of chocolate cake brimming with berries? Very V-Day approved! 

Small, sweet, and shareable–those are the kinds of treats that are perfect for Valentine’s.

An entire cake would just be weird. Now an entire cake blanketed in conversation hearts…nope, still weird. Possibly weirder.

Vegan Date Caramel Slice

There is nothing pink or heart-shaped about this recipe. But if you think about it, the combination of caramel and chocolate has been at the core of Valentine’s Day, filling red cardboard boxes next berry and nougat and ganache-centered sweets since forever. It’s true you never really know what you are going to get when you bite into those mysterious chocolate-covered morsels (unless you consult the very confusing diagram on the back of the box), but I’d be willing to bet at least one in every box will be caramel on the inside.

Instead of concealing the caramel, this Vegan Date Caramel Slice presents three delicious layers in plain sight: crust, caramel, and chocolate ganache.

Vegan Date Caramel SliceVegan Date Caramel Slice

The crust. Traditional caramel slice recipes typically have a shortbread crust, while more alternative and raw recipes often go with a nut + date mix. I kind of combined the two, taking the sweet, simple, crumbly-not-chewy texture of shortbread and the nubbly-ness of a nut-based crust. But naturally-sweetened and oat-based of course!

For texture, steel cut oats are the perfect chunky, chopped-nut-like choice. You could swap in actual chopped nuts or hemp seeds here instead. For the cookie part in between, oat flour and maple syrup mix to make a mildly sweet shortbread-like crust. I highly recommend adding a pinch of salt to the crust too for flavor balance!

The caramel. Keeping with the simple theme of this recipe, the caramel layer is only 3 ingredients. First is date paste, because it is already practically caramel all by itself. Then a little bit of cashew butter (or almond butter would work too, but I find the flavor to be much stronger) to thicken the filling and help it set into a slice-able consistency. And finally vanilla bean powder, because what’s caramel without a touch of sweet vanilla!

Just melt the cashew butter, mix it all up, and spread over the cookie crust.

The chocolate. Plain melted chocolate would work for the final layer, but it tends to shatter instead of neatly slicing. Adding just a few tablespoons of non-dairy milk to the chocolate chips before melting turns them into a chocolate ganache with more silkiness and much better slice-ability. And a final sprinkling of coarse salt on top is the perfect finishing touch.

Vegan Date Caramel Slice

Now you are just an overnight freezer stay away from a delightful date caramel sandwich! (Where the crust and the chocolate are like the bread…and the caramel is the…well you get the picture. I hope.)

Vegan Date Caramel Slice

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Vegan Date Caramel Slice

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 480 minutes
  • Total Time: 510 minutes
  • Yield: 6 squares 1x
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Description

Easy oat cookie crust, healthy date caramel filling, silky chocolate ganache on top–this Date Caramel Slice is 3 layers of sweet vegan decadence!

Ingredients

Scale

Crust

  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 3/4 cup steel cut oats (or chopped nuts, hemp seeds, rolled oats)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • Pinch of salt

Date Caramel Layer

  • 1 cup date paste
  • 1/4 cup cashew butter (or almond butter)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla bean powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Chocolate Layer

  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 3 tbsp non-dairy milk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Combine all the crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. It should be a sticky, clumpy dough.
  3. Press into a baking dish (approx. 8×5″) lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F.
  4. Allow the crust to cool while you make the caramel layer.
  5. Melt the cashew butter. Combine the cashew butter, date paste, and vanilla. Whisk vigorously to combine.
  6. Spread on top of the crust. Freeze.
  7. In a bowl, combine the chocolate chips and non-dairy milk. Melt in the microwave or on the stove using a double boiler. Stir until smooth.
  8. Pour/dollop the chocolate on top of the caramel. Carefully spread to the edges of the pan to completely cover the caramel.
  9. Freeze overnight.
  10. Remove from the freezer a few minutes before slicing and eating.

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Vegan Date Caramel Slice

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Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles

· Natalie 68 Comments

Naturally gluten-free waffles made with oats and flecked with sweet berry spots–these Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles are a perfect easy, healthy, vegan breakfast!

Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

If you remember back before I left on my other-side-of-the-globe adventures, I was in the middle of bombarding you with an abundance of breakfast recipes. Overnight oats with a touch of kombucha tang. Oil-free scones with bright red berry bits. Savory pancakes with a beginning-of-the-day dose of veg. A brownie made of oatmeal because if it’s made of oatmeal it counts as breakfast. Picking up where we left off after a brief pause for something pink, let’s add waffles to the list.

Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

When I make pancakes, it’s all about the pillow-like fluff.  But waffles cook in a confined space, there is only so much room for rise between two hot metal plates. Sure inner fluff is important, but with waffles it’s really about making the most of all that waffle-meets-iron surface area and maximizing the crispy toasty outer texture!

These waffles are based on my fluffy banana-free pancake recipe but with a few slight modifications and of course a berry addition because blueberries are the best breakfast berry in my humble purple-loving opinion. Anytime you see a bowl of oats or a pancake stack on the blog or Instagram without bluebs, you can be pretty sure I added them after the photo.

Because I knew these Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles would be on camera, I bought a pint of fresh blueberries just for the occasion. But the fresh blueberries this time of year are just orbs of nothingness, like someone forgot to give them flavor. So good old frozen blueberries are my year round frozen fruit bestie.

Ever in need of a late night sweet treat but already ate all the ice cream want to keep it relatively healthy? Frozen blueberries + coconut milk + chocolate chips = the BEST!! The coconut milk poured on top hardens and gives the berries a delicious sweet frozen shell. And the chocolate chips are optional but so yum. Or you could swap them out for caramel or chocolate sauce, mmmmm…

Wait what what were we talking about??

Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

Waffles! Blueberry waffles. Blueberry oat flour waffles. Right.

You could use fresh or frozen blueberries in this recipe. Either way they will smush and heat up and turn deliciously jammy! Or you could use other berries or fruits instead. I topped my two-waffle stack with a dollop of coconut cream, a sprinkle of hemp seeds, and of course maple syrup. Because breakfast.

Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

This recipe usually makes two large waffles, but that will vary depending on the shape and size of your waffle iron. I find it to be the perfect amount of waffle for one very hungry human or for sharing with a blueberry breakfast-loving buddy. Just devour while they are warm and toasty for ultimate oaty waffle wondrous-ness!

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Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles

★★★★★ 4.9 from 9 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 minutes
  • Total Time: 11 minutes
  • Yield: 2 large waffles 1x
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Description

Naturally gluten-free waffles made with oats and flecked with sweet berry spots–these Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles are a perfect easy healthy breakfast!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup non-dairy milk
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • Toppings: coconut whipped cream (hemp seeds, maple syrup, more berries)

Instructions

  1. Combine everything except for the blueberries in a high speed blender. Blend until well combined, but do not over blend. You can alternatively mix eventing together by hand in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add the blueberries and pulse briefly to mix them in.
  3. Spray the waffle iron with coconut oil or nonstick spray (even if it says “nonstick” I find they usually stick if you skip this).
  4. Pour half the batter into a preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturers instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter.
  5. Top with coconut whipped cream hemp seeds, berries, and maple syrup (or whatever toppings you love) and enjoy!

Looking for a less berry, more banana breakfast? These super fluffy Banana Smoothie Pancakes should do the trick…

Fluffy Banana Smoothie Pancakes

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Blueberry Oat Flour Waffles {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

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Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons

· Natalie 17 Comments

These 4-ingredient, fiercely fuchsia, chocolate-coated coconut macaroons are the perfect healthy vegan treat to share with your Valentine!

Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

Macaroon. Macaron. It really is just unnecessarily confusing.

Why call two completely different cookies by almost the exact same name? I can’t think of any logical reason other than to confuse innocent cookie-craving people like me.

One is cute, coconutty, and quite simple with just a handful of ingredients. The other is fancy, multi-layered, and requires almost CIA-like code cracking precision to properly execute. Or so I’ve heard.

Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

Since I have very little experience with either of these cookies, I thought I would start with the cute one first–double O. Although I did steal the brightly colored cookie concept from the single O kind, but that’s just because it’s almost Valentine’s Day and pink is the color of the moment.

Usually when February comes around I stock up on berries for all my Valentine’s-colored cooking needs. But there is a non-berry fruit even more perfectly pink than either of those two: pitaya!

Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

These fiercely fuchsia bites of chocolate-coated coconut are sweet and simple to make with only 4 ingredients. Coconut is the primary ingredient of course, but there is also maple syrup for sweetness, a small amount of oat flour to help bind, and pitaya for color.

A special kind of coconut. While not fat-free, these macaroons are oil-free and lower in fat than most macaroon recipes thanks to a new-to-me ingredient–Reduced Fat Shredded Coconut from Let’s Do Organics. Now before you get skeptical wondering what sort of funky food science this must be, don’t worry it’s nothing crazy or unnatural. Almost half of the fat is removed by steam extraction, so it is still just pure, 1-ingredient, organic coconut.

I highly recommend it for my high carb low fat friends who still love the delicious taste of coconut. It is noticeably less oily that regular shredded coconut, but tastes just the same. Of course you can use regular shredded coconut in this recipe as well.

Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

Pink! As I mentioned previously, I used pitaya (these cubes, defrosted) to turn the macaroons pink. But that is not the only natural coloring option. You could use freeze-dried pitaya powder and slightly less shredded coconut to make up for the decreased wet ingredients. Or steamed beets or beet juice. Or raspberry or strawberry puree (be sure to strain out the seeds first if using raspberries). The shade of pink will vary slightly, but be very Valentine’s Day appropriate regardless.

Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

Instead of pureeing the pitaya first, I just let the food processor mix everything together for me before scooping or smushing the dough into balls and baking. After baking they are slightly crispy and toasty on the outside with a soft sweet center. And a dunk in dark chocolate plus extra drizzle on top only makes them more macaroon magical! 

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Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 10 -12 macaroons 1x
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Description

These 4-ingredient, fiercely fuchsia, chocolate-coated coconut macaroons are the perfect healthy vegan treat to share with your Valentine!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup frozen pitaya (see post above for other pink options, defrosted)
  • For coating: 1/2 cup chocolate chips (melted)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. In a food processor, combine the shredded coconut, oat flour, maple syrup, and pitaya. Process until well combined. It should hold together when squeezed, if not add a tablespoon or two more maple syrup.
  3. Shape into balls, squeezing tightly. Place on a lined baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 15-18 mins at 350F.
  5. Let them cool for at least 10-15 minutes before dipping/drizzling with chocolate.
  6. Refrigerate or freeze until the chocolate sets, then enjoy! Keep leftovers in the fridge.

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Pitaya Pink Coconut Macaroons {vegan, gluten-free, oil-free}

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Travel: Fiji and Australia

· Natalie 30 Comments

Fiji & Australia

Two weeks in Fiji and Australia—what an amazing trip!

This was my first time traveling outside of the US, and it was an absolutely amazing couple of weeks. I am on a huge double-decker plane 11 hours into a 15 hour flight as I write this, and I am simultaneously excited to get home and already missing all the people and places from the trip.

Fiji & AustraliaFiji & AustraliaFiji & Australia

Fiji

For my first international excursion this was a big contrast from the world I am used to. The culture of Fiji is fascinating, I learned so much and yet still feel like I barely scratched the surface. And the weather was pretty much my dream come true—warm and sunny with the occasional storm to cool things off. The kind of weather that allows for outdoor showers and leaving the windows open 24/7.

Plus I got to experience it all with my sister who I hadn’t seen in months, so that made the entire adventure 10 times better!

Aside from exploring and experiencing the city of Suva, I did some more tourist-y things too. Snorkeling over top of coral amidst fish of every color and the biggest blue starfish I’ve ever seen. Kayaking in the most beautiful turquoise water alongside a few small sharks and almost beaching countless times. Laying in a hammock chair in total zen mode and soaking up the potent Fiji sunshine. Did you know that it is possible to sunburn so badly your face actually swells? Me neither, but I can tell you that it is. My Vitamin D levels are totally topped up now.

Fiji & Australia

The food. It is an easy place to eat raw and fruity, the tropical fruit is abundant and delicious. Papayas, mangoes, pineapple, passionfruit, and coconuts EVERYWHERE. Coconut trees line the roads and just about every roadside market has them. And smoothies and fresh juices are available almost everywhere too.

But besides fruit, it is not the easiest place to eat vegan. Grocery stores are very different, seafood is the norm, and dairy has a way of sneaking into things when you least expect it. For instance, at a cafe one morning I ordered an iced coffee which rice milk (the most common non-dairy milk option I saw in Fiji, although still not all that common) and it turns out iced coffee = coffee flavored milkshake, complete with ice cream…surprise!

Fiji & AustraliaFiji & Australia

A few of my favorite eats…

Sila (a.k.a. side-of-the-road corn). After passing tons of little stands promising “Hot Corn” we finally stopped to try it. Basically from a large boiling pot they pulled out ears of corn still in husks, dunked them into cold water, peeled them, and handed them to us in a grocery bag. It tasted nothing like the corn on the cob I am used to, but I loved it. It was much tougher and chewier, reminiscent of the texture of boiled chestnuts.

Snowy House. I cannot wait to recreate this for the blog (and eat many many batches while getting the recipe just right!) It was kind of like ice cream, kind of like a snow cone—shaved ice but with ice cream-like flavors: chocolate, green tea, red bean, coffee, etc. It comes in a big metal bowl with granola/cereal hiding underneath and a scoop of ice cream (or rice cream!) on top. So yummy we went back 3 times!!

I also tried Indian food for the first time in Fiji, which sounds weird but is actually really common there. I don’t really know what I ate—some sort of veggie dish involving okra with saffron rice—but it was delicious.

Fiji & Australia

Breadfruit. A not-so-fruity fruit, but one of my favorite things I tried the whole trip! It is not sweet at all, and actually very starchy and potato like although a little more fibrous. Cut into wedges and fried it was delicious. I regretted giving space on my plate to anything but breadfruit at that lunch buffet. You could see it growing all over the place too like in the photo above.

Continuing on the starchy plant theme, the cassava root was delicious too. I’m not sure if it was baked or fried, but it was also very reminiscent of potato wedges although a little lighter. It was fun to finally try the actual root from which one of my favorite flours comes. Taro root is also really common in Fiji, I saw massive bundles of it with the green tops still on standing tall at many of the roadside markets we passed. I never got a chance to try the root itself, but I did get to try the cooked taro leaves. They reminded me a lot of cooked spinach, a little less witty and limp, but really tasty.

Fiji & AustraliaFiji & Australia

There are stray animals all over the island. These two happy water-frolicking Fiji dogs are lucky enough to call a secluded island resort their home. And this little feline friend somehow always found her way into our Airbnb right at meal times and sometimes snuck back for a midnight trashcan raid snack.

Australia

Since I was in the neighborhood hemisphere, after Fiji I hopped over to Australia to meet up with my awesome Aussie friend, Arman, for a few days exploring Melbourne.

Even though I only had 3 days there, I feel like I got a wonderful taste of the place—one day wandering the city, one day outside in the sun and at the Melbourne Zoo, and one day seeing the coast and browsing IKEA because it’s not every day I get the chance to nerd out over photo props with a fellow food blogger friend.

Fiji & Australia

(Disclaimer: I was very camera-forgetful by the time I got to Australia, so please excuse the lack of photos from this part of the trip!)

Delicious food highlights…

After so many new and unexpected food experiences in Fiji, Melbourne was a wonderful contrast with tons of healthy options. Although every single evening did end in a cold creamy dessert of some kind. While escaping the chilliest month of winter back home, I am going to eat as many frozen desserts as possible!

Fritz Gelato. The flavor selection was total delicious overwhelm, we both just stood there just staring undecided for an awkwardly long amount of time. I ended up going with half mint chocolate chip and half bounty—a surprisingly un-fruity choice but sometimes my love for chocolate takes precedence. Both were amazing and quickly devoured before melting or blowing away since we were walking along the ocean.

Gelatissimo. This time I went fruity with lemon and strawberry sorbet. There were tons of fruity dairy-free options like mango, passionfruit, green apple, raspberry, blood orange, and I don’t even remember what else.

Frozen by a Thousand Blessings. Self serve frozen yogurt but with dairy-free options! The two dairy-free flavors were strawberry and almond mylk hazelnut, I got both. The strawberry was creamier, but I liked the nutty flavor of the hazelnut better. The topping bar had some unique choices too like mini GF chocolate cupcakes and mini cheesecakes—some dessert on top of your dessert.

Okay I’ll stop with the frozen desserts now.

A really fun non dessert place we went was Spud Bar. It felt like being at Subway but with a delicious, hot, scissor-mashed sweet potato instead of bread for piling high with any number of toppings. I never would’ve thought to put spinach, tomato, beets, and corn on a sweet potato, but let me tell you it works!

Lunches were usually something quick on the go amidst exploring, but one trend I noticed (and loved!) is how easy it is to find sushi just about anywhere. Even at the museum next to the usual burgers and sandwiches you could grab a couple of sushi rolls instead. I wish the US would adopt this trend.

Fiji & Australia

Am I exhausted? Yes. Would I do it again in a second? Heck yes!!

But right now I am looking forward to getting back to reality and back to recipe creation. That is one of my favorite things about travel, the joy is two-fold: 1) the excitement of the adventure itself and 2) the sweetness of home that only time away can make me fully appreciate.

This will certainly not be my last adventure abroad 🙂