Category: Recipes

Orange Chocolate Easter Eggs

One of the beautiful things about living in Dubai is that you’re surrounded by people from all over the world each celebrating different holidays and traditions. For some of us, this weekend is special because it is the celebration of Easter!

We are all about balance at Fruitful Day and that means indulging every once and a while especially when it’s a special occasion.  With this is mind, we selected an Easter-themed Orange Chocolate Egg recipe for today! The egg is a traditional symbol of new life and rebirth.

As we get ready to start the spring season, whether you’re celebrating Easter or not, this season is known as a time for rejuvenation and renewal. Take 10 minutes today and set your intentions for the month. The goal is not perfection, but rather to look for small ways you can grow and improve yourself.

Orange Chocolate Easter Egg (makes one 14cm egg or a few smaller ones)

1 hour including chilling time

 INGREDEINTS

  • 2 x 100g bars of dark chocolate
  • Zest I orange
  • 3 squares of white chocolate
  • 1 tsp turmeric

INGREDEINTS

  • 1 saucepan
  • 1 glass bowl that will fit on the saucepan
  • Spatula
  • Zester
  • Knife
  • Chopping board
  • Small paint brush
  • Egg moulds of desired size

METHOD

The first thing to do when preparing any chocolate for egg making or dipping is to temper it. Tempering ensures the smooth glossy finish you see on chocolate and the sharp snap it has when you bit into it. The white discolouring or ‘bloom’ you see on some chocolate is a result of the cocoa butter separating when the chocolate is not properly tempered. To avoid this, the chocolate needs to go through a heating and cooling process that allows the fat crystals to seize at the correct size and create the desirable finish.

There are a few different methods to achieve this and some can be quite complex. Here is one quite simple ‘seeding’ method that requires only basic equipment and doesn’t require a thermometer.

  1. Roughly cut your dark chocolate up into pieces.
  2. Place a small saucepan of water on medium heat and place a bowl over the saucepan. This acts as a bain-marie. The water should be gently simmering but not boiling.
  3. Put 2/3 of the chocolate into the bowl and let it melt. Once it’s 80% melted add the orange zest and stir.
  4. Remove from the heat and place on a cloth. Make sure none of the water gets into the chocolate or it will sieze.
  5. Add the remaining 1/3 of the chocolate to the bowl and stir until melted. At this point the chocolate should feel as though it’s slightly below body temperature.
  6. Pour the chocolate into your egg mould and swirl it around until it’s evenly coated. Leave a small amount of chocolate in the bowl to glue the halves together later.
  7. Repeat this with both halves of the egg.
  8. Place in the freezer to harden for 10 minutes.
  9. If your chocolate has hardened by the time the egg halves are ready then place it over the hot water for a few seconds to soften it up.
  10. Remove the egg halves from the egg mould and shave uneven edges with a knife.
  11. Paint the edges of the egg halves with melted chocolate and then glue the two halves together. Place in the freezer to set.
  12. Repeat steps 1, 2 and 3 with the white chocolate, adding 1 tsp of turmeric for colour.
  13. Remove the whole egg from the chiller and splatter or paint the egg with the orange/yellow chocolate. Place in the freezer to set one more time.

Immunity March: Strawberry, Basil, Lime & Coconut Water Popsicles

This month has flown by and we hope everyone is enjoying some well-deserved rest over spring break. We have the kids home for a few weeks so we thought it was fitting to include a popsicle recipe that is perfect to make and enjoy with the family! This is our last recipe for month focusing on immunity.

Not only are these strawberry, basil, lime and coconut water popsicles beautiful, the coconut water contains lauric acid, which is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. This makes it a great immune system booster that can help us fight infection!

We have some delicious recipes coming next month including a special Easter treat. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!

Strawberry, Basil, Lime & Coconut Water Popsicles (makes approx. 8)

15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Strawberry, Basil, Lime & Coconut Water Popsicles

  • 10 strawberries from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 16 basil leaves
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • ½ cup coconut water from the Fruitful Day Box
  • Option to sweeten with honey or maple, however, usually the strawberries are sweet enough!

METHOD

Strawberry, Basil, Lime & Coconut Water Popsicles

  1. Blend all ingredients and pour into the popsicle moulds and freeze for several hours.

If you want your popsicles to look like the ones in the photograph:

  1. Pour only a little of the strawberry liquid into the popsicle mould and let it set in the freezer for several hours.
  2. Pour coconut water in to fill the mould and add a basil leaf for colour. Freeze again for several hours and then remove.

 

 

 

 

 

Immunity March: Banana Pancakes

Between Happiness Day, Mother’s Day, and end of term, it’s been another busy week here at Fruitful Day HQ! We’re looking forward to spending some extra time with the kids over the next couple of weeks and if we’re perfectly honest getting some extra hours of sleep too. These down periods are hugely important to building our immunity as we give our bodies a change to rest and recharge.

Our banana pancake recipe today is the perfect breakfast for after you’ve gotten your 7-8 hours of sleep!. It is simple, healthy and fun to make with the kids.

Generally speaking pancakes aren’t thought to be a ‘healthy’ breakfast, but by substituting a few key ingredients they are actually good for you without comprising on taste. In this recipe, both flour and milk have been substituted, which are inflammatory and the opposite of immune boosting. In addition, these pancakes include bananas, which are full of nutrients help to support the immune function like iron, zinc, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and selenium.

Enjoy your holidays and remember PREVENTION is the key to not getting sick so rest up, eat well, stay hydrated and take time to do things that make you HAPPY.

Banana Pancakes (makes 15 palm sized pancakes)

45 – 50 minutes (If you have a larger pan and can cook several at once it will be faster)  

INGREDIENTS

Immunity March: Banana Pancakes

  • 3 bananas
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tbsp peanut butter
  • ¾ cup oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon

 METHOD

Immunity March: Banana Pancakes

  1. Put two non stick pans on medium heat.
  2. Blend all ingredients into a batter.
  3. Add 1 tsp ghee into each pan and pour batter until it spreads out into a palm sized shape in the pan. Note – these pancakes will not hold together like regular flour pancakes so if you make them too big they will break up.
  4. Flip pancake once cooked and cook on the other side.
  5. Continue until all the batter is used.
  6. Serve with yoghurt, coconut cream, fruit, honey, maple, cacao nibs or any topping of choice.

 

 

 

Immunity March: Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

What a week last week! We finally launched delivery to Abu Dhabi and were honored to be a supporting partner for the 5th annual WOMEN ACHIEVE Symposium hosted by the AmCham Abu Dhabi.  You can read more about the event here. One of the distinguished speakers, Honorable Barbara A. Leaf, US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, was such a pleasure to listen to. She spoke about how her key to living a happy life was being confident, curious, and authentic. As a women-led business, we’re not always the best at being confident, but she  simply said “fake it until you feel it”, “fake it until you believe it”, and “fake it until you make it”. We left the event inspired about what we can achieve in Abu Dhabi and just a little bit more confident that we will make it!

Now you’re probably wondering what does all of this have to do with a fish taco recipe… well we had someone tell us last week they loved the look of our recipes, but weren’t sure they could actually make them! We always select our recipes based on seasonal fruits, nuts, and dried fruits available in our boxes and add ingredients that help you to take care of yourself and your health. This month it’s about boosting your immunity, which is why we’ve selected a pineapple recipe, a single serving of which contains 130% of your daily Vitamin C.

This week we encourage you to pick just one recipe from our blog and “fake it until you make it”, we promise your health will thank you!

Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw (serves 2)

40 – 50 minutes (not including marination time)

Immunity March: Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 soft shell corn tacos

For the slaw

  • One handful thinly sliced red cabbage
  • One diced tomato
  • Pineapple from the Fruitful Day Box
  • One sliced red onion
  • Juice 1 lime
  • One handful chopped coriander
  • Salt & pepper

For the fish

  • Two fillets of white fish (sea bass, sea bream, tilapia)
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

For the avocado pure 

  • One Avocado
  • Juice of 3 limes
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • Pinch of salt 

For the garnish

  • One thinly sliced radish
  • One handful coriander leaves
  • Sour cream

METHOD

Immunity March: Fish Tacos with Pineapple Slaw

For the slaw

  1. Combine thinly sliced cabbage, diced cucumber, lime juice, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl.
  2. Grill pineapple and red onion on a griddle until scorched and softened. (Option to omit this step but it adds flavour and also makes the onion less strong).
  3. Once cooled, add pineapple and onion to the rest of the slaw mixture.

For the fish  

  1. Combine all spices, oil and lime juice and then rub over the fish fillets. Marinate for 30 – 60 minutes.
  2. Heat a pan on medium heat, add 1 tbsp ghee and cook the fish. It should take 3 – 5 minutes per side to be nicely browned.
  3. Remove from the pan and break into pieces for each taco.

For the avocado puree

  1. Blend avocado with lime juice, cumin and salt until smooth.

To assemble

  1. Layer the fish and slaw onto a taco shell.
  2. Garnish with the radish, coriander leaves and sour cream.
  3. Add avocado puree.

Immunity March: Gooseberry & Mango Crumble

We hope everyone is having a good week. It’s been hectic on our side as we have something special to announce this Thursday that we’ve been working hard on! When you’re busy running around, it’s often easy to forget to take care of yourself, but it’s so important to make sure you don’t get run down and sick. Eating the right foods can help you build up your IMMUNITY, which is our focus for the month of March.

Today’s recipe is a gooseberry and mango crumble, which we have selected this month because of the immunity boosting qualities of gooseberries. Gooseberries actually have more Vitamin C than lemons, which helps to boost your immunity and clear your skin. In addition, they are full of Vitamin A, which is known to improve eyesight and of course immunity too. They are also known for their anti-oxidant qualities, which are unique compared to other berries because of their yellow-orange color.

If you’ve never had a gooseberry and wondering what to expect, think about Sour Patch Kids, but the healthy version of course! We’re so excited about this recipe, we may bake one on Thursday to celebrate our announcement!

Gooseberry & Mango Crumble (makes one 25cm shallow crumble)  

30 – 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

Immunity March: Gooseberry & Mango Crumble

 For the fruit mixture

  • 1 mango (approx. 560g) from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 100g gooseberries from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 20g coconut sugar
  • Juice 1 lime
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

 For the crumble  

  •  50g gluten free flour
  • 100g almond flour
  • 40g coconut flour
  • 80g roughly chopped almonds
  • 30g coconut sugar
  • 125g grass fed butter
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2tsp ginger powder
  • Pinch of salt

METHOD

Immunity March: Gooseberry & Mango Crumble

  1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees C.
  2. Cube the mango, cut the tops off the gooseberries and cut them in half.
  3. Place fruits in a bowl along with the coconut sugar, lime, salt and cinnamon. Mix well and then scoop into the baking dish.
  4. Bake the fruit mixture on it’s own for 10 minutes. This ensures a very caramelised flavour.
  5. While the fruit is baking, mix all flours together in a bowl along with the chopped almonds, coconut sugar, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
  6. Cube the butter and then rub it into the flour and spice mixture. The mixture should begin to be crumbly, however, you don’t want the crumbs to be too small as they will burn in the oven.
  7. Remove the fruit mixture from the oven and sprinkle the crumble mixture over it evenly.
  8. Return to the oven and bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until browned on top.
  9. Serve with yoghurt or cream.

Immunity March: Mint Cacao Bliss Balls

March is here and people are getting colds left, right, and center! For the body’s natural defenses to work smoothly and make sure you’re not next to get sick, your immune system has to be working properly. Choosing foods rich in the right vitamins and nutrients will help keep your immune system strong and you healthy!

Throughout the month of March we will feature easy to make recipes, which are aimed at boosting your IMMUNITY. As always, we’d love to hear from you about what types of recipes you’d like to see next!

Our first recipe of the month are mint cacao bliss balls! To understand why we would select a chocolate recipe as our first recipe, it is important to first understand the difference between cacao and cocoa. Although both start from the same place (the beans from the cacao tree’s seed pods), the process they undergo means they have very different benefits to offer. Cacao, which is very minimally processed at low temperatures, is full of nutrients like magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Some of the known health benefits are protecting your heart, lowering your insulin, as well as other antioxidant effects, which protect your cells from damage. Cocoa, on the other hand, is heated to much higher temperatures where sugars and other sweeteners are usually added. The heating process means that some of the more powerful antioxidant effects and health benefits are lost as compared to cacao*.

When you make your food from scratch, you can decide what ingredients you’re feeding your body! So while these mint cacao bliss balls might look like naughty treats, the ingredients have been very carefully selected to boost your immunity and fill you up with the good stuff. Wishing you all a very healthy, happy March!

Mint Cacao Bliss Balls (makes approx. 30 balls)
Immunity March: Mint Cacao Bliss Balls

30 – 45 minutes (including time to roll the balls)  

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup cashews from the Fruitful Day Box
  • ½ cup desiccated coconut
  • ½ cup cacao powder
  • pinch salt
  • drop of mint extract
  • 1 cup dates
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp peanut butter

METHOD

Immunity March: Mint Cacao Bliss Balls

  1. Roast cashews for 10 minutes on a baking tray at 180 degrees C for 10 minutes or until browned. (This step isn’t necessary, however, roasting the nuts does improve the flavour).
  2. Combine all dry ingredients; cashews, coconut, cacao powder and salt in a food processor and pulse until evenly chopped.
  3. Add wet ingredients; dates, coconut oil, peanut butter and mint extract and process until a dough forms.
  4. Remove from the food processor and roll into balls. Store in the fridge.

 

 

*Source: https://blog.paleohacks.com/cacao-vs-cocoa/

Energy February: Upside-Down Orange Cake

If you’ve been following our blog this month, you’ll know we’ve been focusing on foods that can help you boost your energy levels. Choosing your ingredients carefully is the difference between the right kind of sugar, carbohydrates, and fats, which boost your energy levels and the wrong kind, which will leave you feeling tired and hungry a short time later.

Our last recipe of the month is an upside-down orange cake. Many people love to eat cake mid morning or mid afternoon as an energy boost when they are hitting a low. However, traditional cake made with flour and sugar is high glycemic which means it will spike your blood sugar levels quickly and sharply, however, make you feel tired and hungry later in the day. This cake made with almond flour and maple, is much lower on the glycemic index and will be sure to satisfy your sweet tooth without playing havoc with your blood sugar levels and appetite. 

If you’ve received blood oranges in your box this week, we recommend swapping out the oranges for blood oranges in the recipe for a stunning finish!

Upside-down Orange Cake (one 20cm cake)

INGREDEINTS

  • 3 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 3 tbsp grass fed butter 
  • 1/3 cup (65g) ghee/butter
  • 1 ¾ cups (175g) almond flour
  • ¼ cup (30g) arrowroot flour or any gluten free flour blend
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 3 eggs
  • ½ cup (120ml) maple syrup/honey
  • 2 tsp vanilla powder/extract
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 2 Oranges from the fruitful day box

METHOD

Upside-down Orange Cake (one 20cm cake)

  1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees C. Grease or line a cake tin and set aside.
  2. Zest the oranges and then slice into 1cm slices. Cut the peel off each slice leaving a slither of the pith to hold the orange together.
  3. Heat the coconut sugar and butter in a pan on low heat until the sugar is melted. Pour this mixture into the bottom of the prepared cake tin and spread evenly.
  4. Arrange the orange slices over the butter and sugar mixture.
  5. In one bowl mix the almond flour, arrowroot, salt and baking soda.
  6. Separate the egg whites from the yolks and in another bowl mix the yolks, maple syrup, melted ghee, vanilla, lemon juice and orange zest.
  7. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer or kitchen aid until they form soft peaks.
  8. Mix the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and then fold in the egg whites.
  9. Pour this cake mixture over the oranges in the cake tin.
  10. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Check the cake after 8 – 10 minutes and cover if it has began to brown. As soon as you see browning you need to cover for the remainder of the cooking time.

Energy February: Mango Chicken Salad

FAT.  Yikes that’s not a word anyone likes to hear, but before you jump to any conclusions hear us out! There is such thing as healthy fats, In fact, healthy fats in the form of foods such as avocados, olive oil and feta will help keep you fuller for longer and therefore actually keep you from indulging in unhealthy fats later in the day like chips or chocolate bars.  

Although ‘fat’ has been demonized in the past, many people are now realizing how important it is to facilitate many body functions. In fact, roughly half of our cell membrane structure is composed of saturated fat. Saturated fat can be found in good quality animal products such as cheese and ghee or butter, as well as avocados, which contain a huge amounts of fat-soluble vitamins like K2, A and D, among others. Although these foods have been vilified for being calorific, the nutrient density of them allows us to stay fuller for longer.

A lunch salad like our chicken mango and avocado salad with zesty mango dressing will sustain you through the afternoon without that mid-afternoon energy dip we often have to fight off. As with any kind of eating, it’s about listening to your body and being mindful about your choices. If you are still feeling hungry later in the afternoon, our antioxidant date balls, which can be made ahead of time for the week are always a good choice.

Remember eating well is a form of self respect.

Chicken Mango & Avocado Salad with Zesty Mango dressing. (serves 2)

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Mango & Avocado Salad with Zesty Mango dressing

For the salad

  • 2 organic chicken breasts
  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1 block of feta cheese
  • 1 handful of cherry tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 handfuls rocket or baby spinach
  • Mango from the Fruitful Day Box
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil

For the dressing

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp minced ginger
  • ½ cup mango from the Fruitful Day box
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup coriander

 METHOD

Chicken Mango & Avocado Salad with Zesty Mango dressing

 For the salad

  1. Crush the garlic, add olive oil and 2 tsp salt and marinate the chicken breasts for at least 10 minutes. Preheat over to 170 degrees C.
  2. Peel and slice the sweet potato into wedges.
  3. Place a griddle on medium/low heat and brush with ghee or coconut oil.
  4. Place chicken breasts on the griddle and allow to cook slowly for 30-40 minutes, turning half way through.

* alternatively you can cook them on high heat for less time, however, I prefer to do it this way and prepare the rest of the salad while the chicken is cooking.

  1. Put the sweet potato wedges on a roasting tray in the oven with the ghee and 2 tsp salt and allow to roast for 20 – 30 minutes or until browned.
  2. Slice cherry tomato, cucumber and avocado and set aside. Squeeze some lime on the avocado to stop it browning.
  3. Cube feta cheese and wash rocket/spinach leaves and set aside.

For the dressing

  1. Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor.

 To assemble

  1. The grilled chicken and sweet potato should be ready at the same time. When the chicken is ready, remove from the oven and slice into strips.
  2. Assemble chicken with all other ingredients on a plate and drizzle over the dressing.

Energy February: Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream

Our Valentine’s gift to you is a recipe for mint chocolate chip nice cream! You’re probably thinking, how the heck can this be healthy?! Well this nice cream is made with bananas, which are a great source of essential vitamins and minerals, including potassium, magnesium, and fiber. They are a great food for working out as they contain quick-acting carbohydrates, which increase energy levels.  In addition, they have nutrients to help with muscle repair and balance water retention so can also be eaten post-workout. Yes, bananas do have sugar, but at the end of the day they are still a much better choice than traditional dairy and sugar filled ice creams. Besides, if you have kids you’ll know ice cream is the best way to ‘hide’ nutrients such as spirulina since they’ll be so distracted by those chocolate chips on top! We hope you’re enjoying this months recipes focused on ENERGY, in case you missed them we have also shared a passion fruit cheesecake and an apple compote & granola with yoghurt recipe.

Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream

INGREDIENTS

Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream

For the mint nice cream 

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • ½ cup coconut cream
  • ½ cup soaked cashews
  • 1/8 tsp mint extractt
  • 1 tbsp cacao nibs
  • ½ tsp spirulina powder
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder

 METHOD

Mint Chocolate Chip Nice Cream

  1. Blend all ingredients except the cacao nibs and cacao powder. You may need to add more coconut cream if the blade is not spinning and the mixture is too thick. However, don’t add too much as it will become too thin.
  2. Once blended pour half the mixture into a bowl.
  3. Add 1 tbsp cacao powder to the remaining mixture and blend.
  4. Layer the green mint and brown chocolate ice cream in a bowl or glass and top with the cacao nibs.

 

 

Energy February: Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Passion Fruit Cheesecake (makes 12 mini 6cm cakes or one large 20cm cake)

We’re continuing our focus on energy with a passion fruit cheesecake recipe, which uses dates in the base. Most of us know that dates are higher in sugar than many other fruits, however, they are high in natural, useful sugars like fructose, glucose, and sucrose.  These sugars are easily processed and utilized by the body for energy. So instead of reaching for a pre-packaged dessert, try to make this dessert from scratch and you’ll not only taste the difference, but feel the difference as well! 

INGREDIENTS

For the base

  • 1 cup almonds
  • ¾ cup dates
  • 1/3 cup cacao powder
  • ½ cup dessicated coconut
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

For the filling  

  • 2 cup soaked cashew 
  • 6 tbsp coconut oil
  • 6 tbsp cacao butter
  • 8 tbsp coconut cream
  • ¾ cup passion fruit
  • 6 tbsp maple syrup
  • ½ tsp vanilla

METHOD

  1. Soak cashews in water overnight or for at least 4 hours.
  2. Put dry base ingredients; almond, cacao powder, coconut and salt in a food processor and blend until the nuts are finely chopped.
  3. Add the dates to the processor and blend. If the mixture comes together well in your hand, then there is no need for coconut oil. This will depend on how dry the dates are; drier dates will call for more coconut oil.
  4. Press the base into the bottom of your moulds until it is ½ – 1cm thick.
  5. Drain and rinse cashews from their water and then blend all filling ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.
  6. Pour filling over the base and allow to set in the freezer for 2 – 4 hours.

Garnish options:

  • fresh passion fruit
  • dehydrated passion fruit
  • nuts & seeds
  • edible flowers
  • Coconut cream – put a can of coconut cream in the fridge overnight. Open and scoop out the top half of the can which will be thick and separated from the water. Whip with a hand whisk or kitchen aid. It will now be thick enough to use as a garnish.