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It’s such a solid starter recipe and naturally free of animal products too.
Lemon & cashew energy balls
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Read moreBeetroot dip & oat crackers
Sunday afternoons are for a good movie, a tasty dip and some crackers.
Just like this skinny beetroot dip and oat crackers, which are nothing short of delicious.
Whilst other dips such as hummus use a fair amount of olive oil, this recipe didn't require any for flavour so it is accidentally "skinny". In case hummus is your favourite thing in the world and you are left wondering what on earth would be the issue with the added oil then let me just reassure you: there is no issue. Extra virgin olive oil is considered a healthy fat but as with any oils, moderation is the key.
This recipe gets around that moderation issue somewhat.
Ingredients for the crackers
100g oats
30g flax seeds
200ml water
60ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Ingredients for the dip
4 medium beetroots (450g), peeled
5 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 tsp rapeseed oil
2 tsp tahini (sesame paste)
1 lemon
sea salt and pepper to taste
Method:
To make the beetroot dip:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Cut the beetroots into wedges and put them on a roasting tray. Scatter over the garlic cloves and drizzle with a teaspoon of rapeseed oil. Stir well to combine with the oil and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Roast in the oven for 40 minutes and set it aside to cool.
Once it is cool enough to handle, put the beetroot in a food processor or blender with the tahini, juice of a lemon, a good pinch of sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and 5 tablespoons of water. Peel, the now roasted, garlic and put that in the blender too.
Blend until smooth. Taste the dip and adjust the seasoning as required.
To make the crackers:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
Mill the oats and flax seeds into a flour by whizzing it on the highest setting in a blender or food processor. Decant the flour into a large bowl, add the salt, water and olive oil and stir well until completely combined.
Pour the mixture onto the baking tray and spread it out as thinly as it'll go.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the baking sheet out and slice the crackers into squares with a pizza cutter or sharp knife.
Return it to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes.
The crackers should be solid but not browned. Allow them to cool before consuming.
Smokey super seeds
Get a daily boost of fibre, antioxidants and minerals by snacking on seeds.
Check out my previous post to discover why snacking on seeds is a smart move.
For this recipe, I combined pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds with smoked paprika for a hint of bacon-like flavour.
Try them, they make an amazing afternoon snack and also go well sprinkled on salads.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup each of pumpkin & sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Combine the tamari, tomato paste, paprika and cayenne (if using). It should form a paste.
Coat the seeds in the paste by stirring it all together until well combined.
Put the whole thing on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Give it a good stir every 5 minutes to ensure the seeds toast evenly.
