Category: Recipes

Paleo Toffee Apples

Our last recipe for today is one the kids are sure to love, toffee apples! This is a great one to get the kids involved in making together and we’re sure the whole family will enjoy.  

Whereas traditional toffee is made with a lot of sugar and often with other unnatural flavoring agents, this recipe idea is a very simple alternative that tastes the same and can serve as a post dinner festive snack! When you’re shopping for the ingredients make sure to buy good quality honey and coconut cream with only ‘coconut kernel’ and ‘water’ on the label. Most coconut creams will contain thickeners and stabilizers such as guar gum, which you want to avoid. 

We hope you and your family have a wonderful time over the festive period! We’d love to hear from you if you’ve enjoyed our special edition holiday recipes.  Drop us a line anytime on [email protected] even if it’s just to say ‘hi’!

Paleo Toffee Apples 

 

1 – 1.5 hours

Ingredients

  • 3 apples from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 1 cup of coconut milk
  • 1 cup of honey
  • 1 pinch of salt

METHOD

  1. Place coconut cream, honey and salt into a heavy bottom saucepan on medium heat.
  2. Bring to a simmer. Once bubbles start forming you can stir to keep from bubbling over. This should take 20 – 30 minutes.
  3. Continue to simmer until the temperature reaches 120 degrees C on a candy thermometer.
  4. While the honey and coconut cream are simmering, poke your sticks into the apples – you can use popsicle sticks or actual sticks from a tree.
  5. Line a baking tray with baking paper for the apples to rest on.
  6. Once 120 degrees C is reached, remove from the heat and allow to cool to around 80 degrees C, which will be a good temperature for dipping.
  7. Dip the apples one by one into the toffee and then place them on their sides on the baking tray. You can also add nuts or desiccated coconut to the toffee at this point.
  8. Allow to set in the fridge for several hours. Some of the toffee will drip off which you can either discard or mould with your hands back onto the apple.

Chocolate Orange Tart

It’s Christmas Eve and what better way to celebrate than with a chocolate orange tart!  This tart is rich, creamy and indiscernibly healthy. How you wonder? If you use coconut cream and a refined sugar-free dark chocolate it is gluten, dairy and refined sugar free, which seems surprising for how decadent it is. Even if you use full cream and 85% Lindt chocolate, it’s still a gluten free dessert with minimal added sugar! 

This makes our Chocolate Orange Tart the perfect to please both the health conscious and the more indulgent festive eaters. With that, we wish those celebrating a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

We are so grateful for your loyal support through out 2018. We wouldn’t have been able to make it this far with out our most important ingredient – you our customer. Your continued support has allowed us to grow the team and get more creative in the process. We hope to continue to deliver the freshest, tastiest hand picked fruits to you and to continue to brighten up your days.

Chocolate Orange Tart (makes one 21cm tart)  

1 hour 15 mins

Ingredients for the crust

  • 120g gluten free flour
  • 120g buckwheat flour
  • 2 free range eggs
  • 100g butter
  • 100g coconut sugar
  • Zest of one orange from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 1 tea spoon cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt

Ingredients for the filling

  • 1 ¼ cups full cream or coconut cream
  • 2 tea spoon orange zest from the Fruitful Day Oranges
  • 300g dark chocolate (I used 85%)
  • 2 eggs
  • Pinch of salt

METHOD for the crust

  1. Remove butter from the fridge to soften and preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
  2. Add all dry crust ingredients to a mixing bowl; gluten free flour, buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, zest, cinnamon & salt and sift together.
  3. Chop butter into cubes and whisk eggs in a separate bowl.
  4. Put cubed butter and eggs into the bowl with the dry ingredients and bring together as a dough in your hands.
  5. Wrap dough in the cling film and allow to harden in the fridge for one hour.
  6. Grease a 21cm tart tin or silicon mould with ghee or coconut oil.
  7. Once the dough is set, remove from the fridge and place onto a clean, dry floured surface.
  8. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a flat circular shape. You may not be able to roll it very thinly as gluten-free crusts are much harder to work with.
  9. Once in the mould, you can press with your fingers to even it out across the bottom and up the sides. Then prick the crust with a fork all over.
  10. Cut out a circle of baking paper approximately 30 cm in diameter.
  11. Place this over your pie crust and pour some rice or beans into the centre to hold the paper down – this is called ‘blind baking’ – it allows the crust to bake evenly on it’s own before putting the filling in. The beans or rice act as weights to hold the baking paper down.
  12. Blind bake for 15 minutes and then set aside while making the filling

 

METHOD for the filling

  1. Put cream in a heavy bottom saucepan on medium heat and add the zest and salt. Bring to a simmer and stir.
  2. While cream is heating, finely chop 230g chocolate and place in a wide bottomed bowl.
  3. Pour 90% of the cream onto the chocolate and let it sit for 3 – 5 minutes. This allows the cream to melt the chocolate.
  4. Pour the remaining cream into a bowl with the eggs and whisk quickly. This tempers the egg mixture so the eggs don’t curdle when they come in contact with the hot cream.
  5. Next, add the egg and cream mixture to the chocolate and cream mixture. Stir with a whisk from the centre outwards until everything in incorporated evenly.
  6. Pour this mixture into the crust and bake for 18 minutes or until the chocolate is set in the centre.
  7. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
  8. Remove from tart tin and garnish with remaining chocolate and orange zest.

 

Persimmon Spiced Tea

This time of the year is always special. It’s a wonderful time to reflect on 2018 and get excited about the year ahead. It’s a time to be grateful for family and friends near and far.  It’s also a time to stop and appreciate yourself. Taking care of yourself, your mental well-being, and your physical well-being is one of the most important things you can do. So take a moment and appreciate what you’ve done for your health and happiness in 2018. Use this time during the holidays to slow down and simply enjoy the joy of the festive period.

With that in mind, what better way to get into the holiday spirit than by enjoying a spiced tea infused with fruits, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise! There’s no reason to even buy a tea bag, you can actually make your own and create all sorts of unique flavors. For instance, you can use citrus zest, any sliced winter fruits, and add in herbs like mint and a sweetener in the form of honey or dates. 

The combinations are endless and we’re sure you’ll enjoy slowing down for a moment once you have a delicious cup of tea.

Persimmon Spiced Tea (makes approximately 1 liter of tea)

 

1 – 2 hours depending how strong you like the tea!

Ingredients

  • 2 liters of water
  • 1 table spoon finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 6 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 sliced persimmons from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 12 cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 tea spoon peppercorns
  • 2 crushed cardamom pods

METHOD

  1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  2. You can simmer the tea for almost 2 hours which really concentrates the flavour and makes it very spicy. You should taste it after 30 minutes and again every 15 minutes. Then stop the simmering process when you are happy with the flavour. The longer it simmers for, the more the flavour is concentrated.

Poached Pears

Sometimes the simplest things, are the best! Pears are a beautiful fruit to enjoy in the winter while they’re ripe and delicious. While traditionally this dish, poached pears, is made with a lot of sugar, this is a healthier alternative that doesn’t compromise on flavor. A few tablespoons of honey, plus the sweetness from the added citrus fruits concentrated down, makes a really amazing tasty syrup. 

This dessert looks really impressive on a plate, but is so simple and easy to do. Don’t forget to cut the bottoms off the pears when you’re preparing a plate, so they can stand up on their own.

If you’re wondering why pears should be part of your diet, they contain high levels of antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber. That means all sorts of good things like better digestion, guarding against age-related diseases, and having anti-inflammatory effects. Go on and enjoy your dessert!

Poached Pears

 

1 – 1.5 hours

 Ingredients

  • 1 liter of water
  • 3 pears from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 2 crushed cardamom pods
  • 2 table spoons of honey
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 2 star anise
  • 12 cloves
  • 1 thinly sliced orange from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 2 tea spoons finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 1 table spoon of apple cider vinegar
  • Ice cream/full cream to serve (optional)

METHOD

  1. Peel the pears but leave the stems attached.
  2. Cut out a baking paper circle the same diameter as your saucepan – you can do this by placing the saucepan down on the baking paper and drawing around the base of the saucepan with a pencil.
  3. Place all ingredients in the saucepan and place the baking paper on top. It should float on the surface of the water – this keeps the pears fully submerged while they are poaching.
  4. Bring to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer for 1 hour. After 1 hour check the softness of the pears. If they need more time continue cooking, however, be careful not to overcook or they will be mushy. The amount of time they need depends on the size and ripeness of the pear.
  5. Once the pears are soft, pour the liquid through a strainer into a bowl. Set the pears aside, discard the spices and place the liquid back in the saucepan.
  6. Now on high heat, boil the poaching liquid until it is reduced to around 2 table spoons. At this point it will be viscous and syrupy.
  7. Place the pears in a bowl and pour the syrup over. Add ice cream or cream as the combination of the hot pears and cold ice cream is great!

Granola & Apple Compote Jars

It’s been a while since we posted a recipe on our blog, but we’re back!  This time with a delicious home made granola recipe, which is much better than any store bought granola that often contains added sugar, palm oil and non-gluten free grains. Once the granola is pre-prepared, it is very quick breakfast you can put in a jar and take with you to work or as a post-workout snack.  In our jars, we’ve paired the homemade granola with apple compote and yoghurt, but you can get creative with just about any fruit! This time of year pears are some of our favorites, for instance.

We have some more exciting recipes coming up in the next weeks so keep checking back!

Granola & Apple Compote Jars 

1 hour

INGREDIENTS for the apple compote

  • 4 apples from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

INGREDIENTS for the granola 

  • ½ cup fresh shredded coconut OR dried desiccated
  • ½ cup oats
  • ½ cup walnuts from the Fruitful Day Box
  • ½ cup hazelnuts from the Fruitful Day Box
  • ½ cup peanuts from the Fruitful Day Box
  • ½ cup pumpkin seeds from the Fruitful Day Box  ½ cup sunflower seeds from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 4 tbsp honey OR maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • ½ cup cranberries from the Fruitful Day Box
  • ½ cup raisins from the Fruitful Day Box

METHOD for the apple compote

  1. Preheat over to 180 degrees C.
  2. Peel apples and chop into quarters.
  3. Place on a baking tray, sprinkle with cinnamon and coconut oil and mix around with your hands.
  4. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until soft.
  5. Remove from the oven. You can either eat the apples as they are or put in a food processor for a more compote like consistency. Alternatively, you can cut them into smaller pieces at the beginning before roasting for a chunky compote.
  6. To serve, layer the granola, compote and yoghurt into a jar in any order.

Spinach, Blueberry & Banana Pancakes

It’s been a few weeks since we posted our last recipe and with the first day of school around the corner, we wanted to give you some ideas to start the year on a healthy and happy note.

So have you heard of the old wives’ tale that you should eat your colors? Then you’ll love these green pancakes!

Pancakes are traditionally thought of as an unhealthy breakfast, but these are actually gluten free, sugar free, dairy free and paleo. In addition, they are great way to get spinach into what is otherwise a “treat” type meal especially for kids. Continue reading Spinach, Blueberry & Banana Pancakes

Raw Brownies

We’re almost to the end of the 7 recipes in 7 days! If you’ve enjoyed these recipes, we’d love you to share them on social media and tag us at @fruitfuldayuae on Instagram and @fruitfulday on Facebook.

Our second to last recipe is for raw brownies, which essentially means they don’t need to be baked and thus are very quick and easy to make!

In an earlier blog post, we discussed the difference between cacao and cocoa. In case you missed it, check it out here in our mint cacao bliss balls recipe.  In short, if you can, choose cacao over cocoa because it is made by cold-pressing un-roasted beans meaning all the enzymes are left tact and we can enjoy all the health benefits.

Raw Brownies (makes one 20cm x 14cm brownie sheet – can be cut into any size) 

Raw Brownies

30 minutes

INGREDIENTS for the brownie

  • 1 ½ cups mixed nuts and seeds from the Fruitful Day box: sunflower seeds, cashews, pecans, pumpkin seeds
  • ¾ cup fresh grated coconut (or substitute for dry desiccated coconut)
  • ¾ cup cacao powder
  • 1 ½ cups dates from the Fruitful Day box
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • ¼ tsp salt

INGREDIENTS for the ganache 

  • 200g dark chocolate
  • 200g coconut cream

Raw Brownies

METHOD for the brownie

  1. Add all dry ingredients to a food processor; nuts, seeds, cacao powder and salt and pulse until broken down into small pieces.
  2. Add wet ingredients; dates, grated coconut, peanut butter, coconut butter and coconut oil. Process until the ingredients come together as a dough.
  3. Line a rectangular baking tray with cling film.
  4. Press the brownie dough into the tray and flatten until it’s a brownie sheet about 2cm thick.

* Note – if you substitute fresh grated coconut with desiccated coconut, the dough may be quite dry. If this is the case, add more peanut butter, coconut butter or coconut oil. The dryness of both the coconut and the dates will determine whether to add more wet ingredients. The dough should come together and hold together easily.

METHOD for the ganache 

  1. Cut chocolate up into little pieces and place in a large bowl.
  2. Place coconut cream in a saucepan on medium heat and allow to reach a gentle simmer – do not boil.
  3. Pour coconut cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes until all the chocolate is melted.
  4. With a whisk, stir the mixture until the chocolate and cream are combined. Allow to set in the fridge for 10 – 15 minutes or until it’s of a spreadable consistency.
  5. With a spatula, spread the ganache over the chocolate brownie and garnish with some sea salt or cacao nibs.

Apricot Muffin

If your kids are anything like ours, they’re always asking for muffins, but it’s not easy choosing a healthy recipe that they’ll still like.

Today’s apricot muffins are made with almond and coconut flour making them far more nutritious, but without compromising on taste. Win for mom and dad, win for the kids!

Instead of muffins, you could also bake this as a sweet loaf and enjoy with butter and jam in the morning.  Either way, we’re sure you’re going to love it!

Apricot Muffins  

(makes 9 small muffins)  

Apricot Muffin

45 minutes (including baking time)

INGREDIENTS for the muffins 

  • ½ cup ghee
  • 2 ¼ cups almond flour
  • ½ cup coconut sugar
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 apricots from the Fruitful Day box.

METHOD 

Apricot Muffin

  1. Preheat over to 180 degrees C.
  2. Melt ghee in a saucepan or in the microwave and set aside.
  3. Slice or chop apricots and set aside.
  4. In one bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; almond flour, coconut sugar, baking soda and salt.
  5. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients; melted ghee, eggs and vanilla.
  6. Add the mixtures together along with the sliced apricot and combine until a dough forms.
  7. Grease or line your muffin tray.
  8. Bake for 22 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Gavurdagi Pomegranate Salad

Our recipe journey continues today with a salad you can easily take to work with you or enjoy in the evening with grilled meats! This salad is called Gavurdagi, which is a traditional Turkish salad similar to Tabbouleh, however, the pomegranate and walnuts add amazing new flavor to it.

We’re big fans of adding fruit to salads here at Fruitful Day (no surprise there!).  In case you missed it, we previously featured a mango chicken salad here and a pomegranate and quinoa salad here.

We hope you all have a fantastically fruitful week ahead. We have a few more recipes to share in our series of 7 so stay tuned and get ready to #rebootwithfruit!

Gavurdagi Pomegranate Salad  

Gavurdagi Pomegranate Salad

(serves 4) 

15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2/3 tomatoes
  • 2/3 cucumbers
  • Small bunch of parsley
  • 4 spring onions
  • 100g walnuts
  • 100g fresh pomegranate seeds from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Salt & pepper to taste

METHOD 

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C
  2. Place whole walnuts in the oven and roast for 8 minutes.
  3. In one large bowl add: washed and cubed tomatoes and cucumbers, thinly sliced spring onions, finely chopped parsley and pomegranate.
  4. Mix olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon, salt, pepper and sumac together.
  5. Once walnuts are cooled, chop into small pieces.
  6. Toss all salad ingredients together and lastly add dressing.