Berry cheesecake semifreddo(ish)

I have an amazing treat for you.
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of desserts and I’m especially fond of them if they are full of goodness.
This berry cheesecake semifreddo(ish) dessert is just that.
A higher protein treat full of nourishing berries and a base made of oats and seeds. It’s technically healthy enough for breakfast because if we think about it, it’s actually just berries, yogurt and granola. 🤫
In case you aren’t familiar with semifreddo, it’s basically melting ice cream. Semifreddo = half frozen.
Here is how to make it:

Ingredients for 4 generous portions

For the oat base:
25g pumpkin seeds
50g oats
70g Medjool dates, pitted (4-5 dates approximately)
50g of butter or 2 tbsp coconut oil

For the berry yoghurt layer:
250g of full-fat Greek yoghurt or equivalent plant-based yoghurt
150g of berries - I used a mix of frozen strawberries & raspberries
3 tbsp of agave, maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp of lemon juice
I also added a tablespoon of rose syrup but this is entirely optional

Method:
Line a small loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
To make the base, blitz the oats, dates and seeds in a food processor or blender until they resemble crumbs. Transfer to a bowl.
Melt the butter or coconut oil.
Stir the butter or coconut oil into the oaty mix.
Transfer to the lined loaf tin and press it all down to form a base.
To make the berry yoghurt layer, blend all of the ingredients until smooth.
Pour the yoghurt layer over the base and freeze for at least 4 hours.
When you are ready to eat it, remove it from the freezer and allow it to defrost slightly for around 20 minutes before serving.
Slice into generous portions and serve with a few extra fresh berries if desired.

If you like pina colada

Then you’ll enjoy these cooling ice lollies of goodness.
Reality: ice lollies are the easiest thing to make and can be useful in helping you get to that 10-a-day veg & fruit target.
These pina colada(ish) ice lollies were made on a particularly warm day at the Ibiza retreat. In lieu of being in Ibiza, they are a nice cooling treat for warm British days too.
As a bonus, they are full of nutrients.
Here is how to make them:

Ingredients to make approximately 8-10 ice lollies
1 ripe pineapple, the riper the better
4 kale leaves, stems included
1 lime, juice only
Option: 1/2 a tin of coconut milk

Method:
Peel the pineapple and chop it into chunks. No need to remove the core of it, it processes well and contains extra juice.
Wash the kale.
Squeeze or juice the lime.
Either run everything through a juicer or blend everything using a blender and strain through a fine mesh sieve, nut milk bag or muslin cloth.
If you want to add extra pina colada(ish) vibes then incorporate 1/2 a tin of coconut milk.
Divide the juice between ice lolly moulds.
Freeze & enjoy.

Skin-boosting smoothie bowl

The skin is super good at showing us when we are low on nutrients or have just experienced a lovely (irony) bout of stress.
Like many other organs of the body, the skin needs a lot of nutrients to remain in tip-top condition.
Here are some of the nutrients that are especially important:

Vitamin C & Zinc - these both help to repair the skin and assist in growing new healthy skin cells
Vitamin A - this one helps to protect the skin and also plays a role in skin repair
Healthy fats - yes, the skin needs fats, fats keep the moisture in and play a protective role
Protein - this forms the main structure of the skin

There are others but as far as making smoothies/ smoothie bowls goes, these 5 are a great starting point.
Here is how to make this skin-boosting smoothie bowl.

Ingredients for 1

1/2 mug of frozen cherries - for Vitamin C
1/2 mug of frozen blueberries - for Vit c & skin supporting antioxidants
A handful of kale - for Vitamin A
1/2 an avocado - it’s full of healthy fats & skin supporting Vitamin E
3 tablespoons of hemps seeds - for zinc & skin healthy Omega 3 fats - check Good Hemp for hemp seed hearts
1 heaped tablespoon of collagen (optional) - collagen is the main structural protein in the skin, some studies show a benefit to skin health with supplementation, others state it’s increased intakes of protein on the whole that benefit skin health. If you don’t have any collagen powder handy then use a protein powder instead. I used this collagen.
1 heaped tablespoon of kefir - I used a coconut kefir by the Coconut Collaborative. Kefir plays a role in gut health which is indirectly linked with skin health.
1-2 dates if you like a sweeter smoothie bowl
3/4s of a mug of milk or milk alternative

Method:
Blend everything using a high-speed blender.
Transfer to a bowl and top with toppings of your choice.

Green mole

I was deep into researching Spanish food for the Ibiza retreat held last April when I stumbled across a recipe for mole.
It turns out the Spanish conquered a bit, leaving their influence on the food culture of whole swathes of South America. I was thankful for this discovery because the Ibiza retreats are fully vegetarian and Spanish cooking is anything but.
Cue hours of South American food research and the discovery of green mole.
Mole, arguably one of the shining stars of Latin American cuisine, is a sauce made from a combination of onion, chilli, nuts, seeds and fruit. It has a rich, sweet and sour flavour profile with a mild chilli kick that forms a flavoursome base for anything that is added on top.
I’m underselling it here, it’s actually super tasty.

Mole comes in MANY varieties. I’m semi reliably informed by an episode of ‘Somebody Feed Phil’ that every family has their own secret recipe.
The one that appealed to me the most during my research was a recipe for pistachio green mole. It’s a half-cooked, half-raw combination finished with lime and balanced with earthy nuts.
Long story short, I ended up reworking the recipe because unsurprisingly, we aren’t into chilli varieties as much as the Mexicans so it was hard to obtain 30% of the ingredients needed for the authentic version.

The end result is a nutrient-dense, amazingly flavoursome sauce that will elevate anything you may happen to throw on top.
For me, the toppings ended up being roasted courgette & leek, black rice, greens, edible flowers, pistachios and a Clarence Court egg (not pictured). BUT, you pop whatever you fancy on top. It goes just as well with proteins as it does with plant-based toppings.

Ingredients for 4 portions:

1 medium onion, roughly diced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
2x medium Bramley apples, roughly chopped & the core removed
1 yellow pepper
1 green chilli, roughly chopped, deseeded if you like less heat
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
100g of hemp seeds - I used Good Hemp, available in most supermarkets
1 handful of coriander
1 handful of parsley
2 large handfuls of spinach
2 limes
Sea salt and black pepper
Cooking oil of your choice

For the top:
Black rice, cooked according to packet instructions
4x Clarence Court eggs, hard or soft boiled
4x small courgettes, sliced and roasted
Any soft herbs
A handful of roasted & salted pistachios, shells removed

Method:

Put the grill on maximum heat.
Slice the pepper down each side so it forms 4 flat pieces.
Put the pepper pieces on a roasting tray and put under the grill until the skin on the pepper has charred. This makes the pepper pieces sweet and smokey, adding extra flavour.
Set aside to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the pepper pieces.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Put the apple pieces on a roasting tray, drizzle with oil and roast until you make the sauce.
Put a saucepan on a medium heat and add a splash of oil.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and cook until softened (around 5 minutes).
Add the tomato, pepper pieces and hemp seeds to the sauce. Add a couple of splashes of water and cook for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have cooked down.
Throw in the roasted apple pieces and cook for another couple of minutes, adding a splash of water if it’s beginning to look dry.
Season well with sea salt and black pepper.
Transfer the sauce to a blender, add the coriander, parsley and spinach and squeeze in the juice of 1.5 limes.
Season again with sea salt and black pepper and blend until completely smooth.
Check the flavour and add more lime juice, salt or pepper as required.

To serve, divide the sauce between 4 bowls and top with the desired toppings.