SUGAR FREE APPLE BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE

Sometimes we just feel like dessert! And at those times it is still ideal to look for sugar free options.

You really can’t beat the combo of warm cinnamon apples, buttery sweet crumble and cold ice cream. Yum! So let’s do it! You won’t even be able to tell there is no sugar - this recipe is sweet and really hits the spot.

Team it with a protein ice cream or Halotop ice cream that is low in sugar, or some coconut yogurt.

INGREDIENTS & METHOD

- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

- 3 pink lady apples, peeled and chopped

- Cinnamon

- Lakanto sweetner

Boil the apples until soft but still a little firm. Then strain out the water and sprinkle cinnamon and lakanto to taste.

+1 punnet of blackberries!

CRUMBLE

- 1 cup rolled oats

- 1/2 almond meal

- 4 Tbsp lakanto

- 2 Tbsp cinnatmon

- 1/2 cup shredded coconut

- Salted butter (approx 125g) melted to mix all ingredients to be moist.

Spray a dish with coconut oil and lay the apples down and mix in the blackberries. Lay your oat mix evenly on top of the fruit. Bake on 180 for approx. 30 minutes or until you see the top browning. Dish up with your choice of ice cream/cream.

FETA DRESSED SALAD

Another day another Salad!

This one is very simple. It has a nice crunch and a tasty tangy dressing. Perfect for Spring/Summer. A great accompaniment for a BBQ or for any side of protein. It’s also a good base salad - so if you want to add other things to it you can get creative. You could also just opt to take the feta dressing recipe and add that to any other salad.

Always choose the freshest ingredients from the market. The cos lettus for example is just sooooooo much better form the market, rather than supermarket!

SALAD INGREDIENTS

- 1 large cos lettus

- 1 radicchio

- 1/2 bunch of dill

- 1/2 cup of pinenuts

- salt & pepper

- optional spring onion or red onion

DRESSING

Blend together and pour over just before serving

- 150g feta

- 1 Tbsp olive oil

- Juice of 1 lemon

- 1 tsp dijon

- 1/2 tsp crushed garlic

- 1 tsp lakanto sweetner

- 1/4-1/3 cup of water to thin

Spring Papaya Salad

Here it is! A fresh, sweet and perfectly balanced salad for your next BBQ.

This salad is sooooo simple and so satisfying. Such a perfect accompaniment with any protein. Treat yourself or impress your guests.

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 papaya, cubed

- 5-6 truss tomatos, cubed

- 1/4 purple onion, finely sliced

- 1 mozeralla ball, shredded or cubed

- bunch of basil, chopped

- 2 baby cos, to layer the bowl

- olive oil

- salt & pepper

- balsamic glaze

METHOD

- Arrange the baby cos to cover the bowl base.

- Mix all ingredients together in a seperate bowl and then sprinkle salt and pepper, olive oil and balsamic glaze.

- Pour over the lettus.

I’d love to hear about how you enjoyed this one :) Comment here or send me an email with you thoughts and/or any ideas for types of recipes you might like in the future: wendy@wendylaroche.com

SALAD TRICKS #2 Salad Toppers Edition

Salad Toppers. Yum Yum.

I love salads. But sometimes I need some new flavours or textures or just something different to make it more exciting. It’s hard to think of new ideas all the time, and I have realised that sometimes some simple toppers provide that new little adventure on the salad. So here are 3 salad topper options that I have been enjoying lately.

PICKLED ONIONS

- 2-3 purple onions

-  3/4 cup of apple cider vinegar

- 2 Tbsp lakanto

METHOD

- Put vinegar and sweetner in a jar and shake to combine.

- Add the onions and press down with a spoon.

- Leave for an hour before using.

- Store in the fridge afterwards.

ROASTED TAMARI SEEDS

- 400g Pumpkin seeds

- 400g Sunflower seeds

- 200g Sessame seeds

- Tamari

METHOD

- Preheat oven to 180.

- Line baking trays and spray with olive oil.

- Put all seeds in a bowl and mix in Tamari until all seeds are coated and there is no residue at the bottom of the bowl.

- Bake in the oven for approx. 20 min. At halfway I take them out and stir them around and swap so they both get a turn on the top shelf.

- Let cool before putting in a jar for storage.

SHAVED FENNEL

- 1 Fennel, shaved or thinly sliced

- 2 celery stick thinly sliced

- Olive oil, approx. 1-2 Tbsp

-Salt

METHOD

- Mix all together in a bowl using hands to massage the oil into the fennel.

For SALAD TRICKS #1 post click HERE

CINNAMON BAKED APPLE WITH CARAMEL DRIZZLE

Do you have a sweet tooth and also need something warming for the soul?

You have to try this! Full of sweetness and flavour, warm and perfect for winter. It really hits the spot for that sugar craving too! This really works perfectly if you just are having one of those days and need a sugar fix or have cravings for dessert. You can also make this for a breakfast option or a sweet afternoon snack!

You can add some coconut yogurt for serving if you want to go all out.

INGREDIENTS

• Granny Smith apple

• Cinnamon

• All spice and/or ground cloves

• Caramel liquid stevia

• Sweetner - Lakanto or Xylitol

METHOD

• Use a corer to remove the Granny Smith apple cores

• Place the apple on a lined baking tray

• First sprinkle heaps of cinnamon in the core

• Then sprinkle sweetner liberally

• Option to stuff saltana’s in the core (I don’t for myself but you can do for the kids)

• Sprinkle more cinnamon inside and on top & more sweetener and some all spice or ground cloves and more cinnamon.

• Then drizzle caramel flavour liquid stevia over the top.

• Bake for about half an hour - until the apple starts to split open.

• When serving, use a spoon to gather the caramalised liquid from under the apples and spoon it on top.

• Option to sprinkle more sweetner and cinnamon.

  😍😍😍