healthy treats Archives - Heavenlynn Healthy

Rhubarb Oat Bars with Streusel Crumb Topping

Lynn — Wed, 18 May 2016 06:00:59 +0000

I’m proud to introduce these rhubarb oat bars with streusel crumb topping as my first dish washer supported recipe ever! We finally got a dish washer last week, and I could not be happier about it. Can you believe that every recipe testing session for the blog has been followed by an extreme dish washing job by either me or Jannis? Even though we did have fun at those dish washing sessions, I highly appreciate the amount of time I now save by simply stuffing everything into our new kitchen gadget. Is there a dish washer appreciation day yet? Because I really think there should be.

Now on to this delicious treat. I’ve already shared an oat bar recipe a few months ago, and now that rhubarb is in season, I knew I needed to try it with rhubarb instead of raspberries. The result was pure heaven, and Jannis almost ate the entire thing by himself. There are only natural ingredients in these oat bars, so feel free to enjoy some guilt-free treats next time you have a family event or your girlfriends over for girls’ night.

Rhubarb is an amazing fruit that tastes great in crumbles or tartes, so I thought it would be just as delicious in my oat bars. The long red roots are also extremely healthy as they contain lots of vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of calcium, which strengthens teeth and bones. Rhubarb is also a noticeable source of vitamin K, which is very important for blood clotting. It also contains the compound lutein, which is especially important for healthy eyes and skin.

The layer of rhubarb chia jam in between the two layers of crushed almonds, buckwheat flour and maple syrup really creates a sensation in your mouth that you and your guests will love. In fact, as I am writing this, I am really craving them again.

Rhubarb Oat Bars with Streusel Crumb Topping

Prep time

40 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

1 hour

Author: Lynn

Serves: 20 bars

Ingredients

For the base:

6 cups (600g) of (gluten free) oats
2 cups (300g) of almonds
⅔ cup (140g) of coconut oil
2 ripe bananas
½ cup (120ml) of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of coconut sugar
¼ cup (60ml) of almond milk
2 tablespoons of chia seeds + 6 tablespoons of cold water
1 teaspoon of aluminum-free baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla powder
a pinch of salt

For the rhubarb chia jam:

10 cups (1000g) of fresh or frozen rhubarb
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
4 tablespoons of chia seeds
a pinch of vanilla

For the streusel crumble topping:

1 cup (100g) of (gluten free) oats
1 cup (150g) of almonds
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
4 tablespoons of maple syrup
a pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

For the rhubarb chia jam:

Start by making the rhubarb chia jam. Slice the rhubarb into bite-sized cubes, and put them into a medium saucepan together with the maple syrup. Heat over medium heat while stirring it frequently and breaking down the rhubarb, leaving some for texture. Bring to a quick boil, then reduce the heat to low, and add the chia seeds. Stir for a couple of minutes, and then remove it from the heat and let it cool down and thicken.

To make the base:

Place the almonds and oats into a food processor to break them down into a flour. Place the flour into a mixing bowl with all the other dry ingredients, and mix everything well. Combine the chia seeds with the water in a small bowl and let it thicken for at least 10 minutes, Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl with a fork.
Heat the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat, and add the maple syrup. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the coconut maple syrup mix over the dry ingredients. Add the banana and chia mix, and mix everything well with a hand mixer or a wooden spoon.
Gradually add the almond milk to reach the desired consistency. You want a crumbly, but still slightly sticky dough texture. Add more almond milk if necessary.
Line a 17 x 15 inches baking tray (or two 8 x 8 inch square baking trays) with baking paper. This is a tough task, because the dough can be quite sticky and hard to spread. It helps if you get someone to hold the baking paper.
Evenly spread the rhubarb chia jam on top of the base.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (360°F).

For the streusel crumb topping:

Place the oats and almonds into a food processor, and pulse for a few times until it is nicely broken down into a flour, but still contains some pieces of almonds. Heat the coconut oil, honey and cinnamon in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sticky coconut oil mix to the oats and almonds, and mix well in you food processor.
Using your hands, crumble the streusel on top of the chia jam.
Bake for about 20 - 25 minutes. Check the bars after 15 minutes to see if the streusel start to get brown. If necessary cover the bars with tin foil to avoid burning for the rest of the time. The bars need to be baked for at least 20 minutes, so the base gets heated all the way through.
Take the bars out of the oven and let them cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Enjoy!

Enjoy!

Did you make this recipe or have any suggestions, questions or comments?

Feel free to leave a comment below, and don’t forget to tag your creations on social media using #heavenlynnhealthy.

I’d love for this blog to be a dialogue.

The post Rhubarb Oat Bars with Streusel Crumb Topping appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

Healthy Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

Lynn — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 21:28:45 +0000

These apple cinnamon muffins are simply heavenly (otherwise they wouldn’t be on this blog of course). I’ve uploaded a photo of them on Instagram a few weeks ago, and have been asked every day since then when I was going to share the recipe on the blog. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with their texture, so I had to make a few more batches to finalize the recipe, and today it is finally ready to be shared with you.

Growing up in an area that is home to the most delicious apples, I have a special connection to the little red (or green) fruits. Unfortunately I am a tad bit spoilt when it comes to apples, and I only like the really crisp and sweet and sour ones like Braeburn. For this recipe, however, the sweeter the apples the better.

Apples are one of the healthiest fruits on the planet. They are an amazing source of the fiber pectin, which aids digestion and regulates blood sugar. They also contain a whole array of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, one of the most well-known antioxidants, and minerals such as magnesium, iron or potassium, all of which are vital for healthy body functions.

Instead of refined white flour, which can be found in most apple-cinnamon muffins, I use a mixture of ground almonds, buckwheat and oats. This not only makes the muffins gluten free, but also adds a huge amount of healthy, plant based protein to the treats. They also come with a heavenly chore of apple sauce, which is my favorite part about them. If you think that this is strange, then just leave this part out, but I swear, then you’ll be missing out.

Finally I just want to add one more thing before I let you indulge in their deliciousness: as with all baked goods, these muffins still contain sugar, fat and carbohydrates. Even though they are a healthier option, and their sugar is unrefined, and their carbs are mainly fiber, I would treat them like regular muffins. As I always say: go crazy on the veggies and moderately enjoy sweet treats. And now enough of the lecture and happy baking.

Healthy Apple-Cinnamon Muffins

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Lynn

Serves: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup (100g) of ground almonds
1 cup (100g) of (gluten-free) buckwheat flour (or coconut flour)
¾ cup (75g) of (gluten-free) oats
1 cup (150g) coconut sugar
1 cup (240ml) of almond milk ( (gluten-free) oat milk or rice milk)
2 apples (mine weighed 150g each)
½ cup (120g) of homemade apple purée
⅓ cup (80g) of extra-virgin coconut oil (+ 1 or tablespoons for greasing )
2 tablespoons of chia seeds + 6 tablespoons of cold water
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder (or any other plant based thickener)
1½ teaspoons aluminium free baking powder
½ teaspoon of baking soda
a pinch of salt

Instructions

Start by pre-heating the oven to 200°C (400°F). Grease the muffin tin with coconut oil.
Add about three tablespoons of the almond milk and the arrowroot powder to a bowl and whisk well until the powder has completely dissolved. Then add the rest of the almond milk and the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and set aside.
Now add the chia seeds and water to another bowl and let it thicken for about 10 minutes.
Grate one of the apples and cut about half of the other one into thin strips. This will be used to decorate the muffins. You can either eat the other half or store it in the fridge for breakfast.
Now add the oats to a food processor or strong blender, and break them down to a flour. Add all the other dry ingredients and mix well. Now add the chia-egg, almond milk, coconut oil and about ⅓ a cup (80g) of the apple purée. You can either mix it in your food processor or you can use a hand mixer to do so. Now add the grated apple and carefully mix it into the dough. If you are using a food processor, be careful not to use too much power or the apple will completely dissolve in the dough.
Next, add the dough to the muffin tin, only filling the holes half way up. Add about a teaspoon of the remaining apple sauce to each muffin, and cover with the rest of the dough.
Grease the apple slices with coconut oil, cut them in half and stick them into the muffins, gently pressing them down while you do so.
Bake the apple cinnamon muffins for about 25 minutes until they are golden brown and you can pull a fork out of it clean (you want to do the test somewhere around the sides, as the apple purée will still be wet in the middle, which is supposed to be this way.)
Enjoy!

The recipe is adapted from Cookie & Kate and Love & Lemons.

Enjoy!

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