Chew

We are Sam and Alice: Photographers. Food-Lovers. Travellers. Recipe Testers and Bloggers. © 2014 all rights reserved

[chewmagazine]

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cookies

These were the perfect amount of sweet. Just one cookie would stop any sugary cravings. 

They were also quite easy to make, but maybe a little messy - as you're dealing with some sticky ingredients. 

You also need a strong blender to chop up the dates and peanuts. And maybe some patience..

All in all, a good protein-filled snack that was enjoyed by all! 

Ingredients for Cookies:

1 cup of peanuts

1/2 cup peanut butter

10 dates (pitted)

1 tablespoon of agave syrup (or honey)

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

Ingredients for Chocolate Sauce

3 tablespoon of coconut oil

3 tablespoon of cocoa powder 

1 1/2 tablespoon of agave syrup (or honey)

Method

Place the peanuts in blender and process until coarse

Add peanut butter and blend together

Add dates, agave and coconut oil into the blender

Scoop out cookie shaped dough and chill for an hour in the fridge

Meanwhile, melt coconut oil and mix with cocoa powder and agave 

Dip the cookies when chilled and enjoy!

Original recipe 

[chewmagazine]

Mad Cucumber Vegan Lounge

In the Triangle, Bournemouth sits a lounge with a variety of foods, smoothies, teas and sweet treats.

We enjoyed some smoothies, garlic bread, soup and sweet treats

It's such a relaxed environment, it's one of those places you feel like you can stay all day. 

Sofas and comfy seats, and reading material all included. As well as some board games. 

Even if you're not a vegan, there's loads of choices of foods and everything tastes great - worth a visit!

I enjoyed a carrot & coconut soup with a green smoothie - it was all so tasty

[chewmagazine]

Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bars

These were a success, they're so more-ish that it's near dangerous

It also uses simple ingredients that everyone might have in their pantry. I didn't have to go shopping once for this - just happened to have all components at the ready..

It also takes about five minutes to put together and you only have to wait 20 minutes while it's hardening in the freezer. This all makes it too easy to keep making them again and again

You can also adapt the recipe according to your preferences - adding chocolate chips, coconut, cinnamon, raisins etc... 

Ingredients:

1 cup oats

1 cup chocolate protein powder

1 cup rice krispies (or any other crunchy cereal)

2 tbsp chia seeds

1/2 cup peanut butter (or any other nut butter)

1/4 cup milk

3 tbsp agave nectar (or honey)

Method

Mix all ingredients (oats, protein powder, rice krispies, chia seeds) in a large bowl

Mix the wet ingredients (peanut butter, milk and agave) in a smaller bowl and microwave for 30 secs

Add the wet ingredients to the dry

Add extra little bit of water in order to get all ingredients sticking together

Press the mixture a the bottom of a pan

Place in the freezer for 20 minutes 

Cut into eight bars and store in the fridge!

[chewmagazine]

Strawberry Pavlova

Pavlovas are very easy to make and the ingredients are cheap! You can use any fruit what want, I used strawberries as these are in season. Don't worry if your meringue cracks, this happened to me. Once you cover your meringue with whipped cream and fruit you wont notice the imperfections :) 

Recipe by BBC Good Food

If you fancy something more naughty add melted chocolate to the meringue before you pop it into the oven or drizzling with chocolate, caramel or strawberry sauce.

By Sam

[chewmagazine]

Birthday Visits in Bournemouth

My birthday was a while back but I was very lucky in that friends came to visit me in Bournemouth. Since it was everyone's first time in this beach-side town, we had a little tour of the city, starting with drinks at Aruba.

Some fresh mint tea in South Coast Roast Cafe..

and some photos at the end of the pier. 

Luckily the weather was on our side that weekend, and a walk down the beach was also enjoyed!

[chewmagazine]

BBQ Weather!

This week the weather has been brilliant. At the weekend we planned to have a BBQ, we left it to the last minute as usual and had to wonder round the shops looking for rolls, burgers and picking up the last few packets of sausages. 

For me summer is all about sitting in the garden eating dinner and relaxing with a glass of wine or a very cold beer.

When everyone is in the garden my cats Patsy (top) and Sasha (bottom) roll around wanting to be stroked and hover around the table waiting for someone to drop their food.

By Sam

[chewmagazine]

Portland, England

After the quick morning and lunch in Weymouth, we went a bit further to Portland where beautiful scenery of cliffs, beaches and the sea could be seen. The weather really helped too! 

Alice

[chewmagazine]

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

I made these delicious cupcakes using a carrot cake box mix from Betty Crocker. Topped with cream cheese frosting these cakes are so moist, light and they wont last very long! You can find the recipe here. I used the box mix and only added the essential eggs, water and olive oil (instead of vegetable oil), but they would taste lovely with the added crunch of walnuts or raisins too. The recipe made 17 large cupcakes with a good dollop of cream cheese frosting and decorated with a sprinkling of silver balls.   

By Sam

[chewmagazine]

Weymouth, England

I enjoyed a small day trip and lunch in Weymouth, a small maritime town on the south coast of England, where we got to sit outside for the first time this year and enjoy the sunny weather.

Alice 

[chewmagazine]

Healthy Falafel Lunch

This falafel recipe is baked, making it much healthier and easy

All you need is:

1 can of chickpeas, drained

1 chopped onion

1 handful parsley

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons of oats

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin

pinch of salt and pepper and paprika

1 tbsp water

Simply preheat your oven to 180C, pulse the chickpeas until slightly grainy and add all other ingredients except for the water. Mix well until evenly combined and then add water, little by little until the consistency enables you to make small balls. Place on a cooking sheet and bake for 30 minutes and done!

I paired this with sweet potato fries, a small salad, hummus, homemade cumin and coriander yogurt sauce, and homemade smoothie! 

Alice 

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Danebury Iron Age Hillfort

By Sam

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Grain-Free Chocolate Brownies

The recipe can be found here! 

A healthy alternative to a usually decadent treat.

Alice

[chewmagazine]

Cherry Bakewell Cake

This cake tasted amazing! It was so moist and sweet just like a cherry bakewell tart. The recipe is easier than you think, you literally shove all the cake ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Bake, then smother in jam, icing and roasted almonds. A perfect cake for birthdays and special occasions, you will definitely impress everyone with how lovely it looks and its wonderful taste.

Recipe by BBC GoodFood

By Sam

[chewmagazine]

Apple and Almond Cake

This cake is so simple and easy to make, and very delicious! Both light, because of the lack of flour and fruity by the addition of apples, it's a great option as a dessert after a large meal!

The recipe came from Nigella, and can be seen here.

By Alice

[chewmagazine]

Healthified Chocolate Chips Cookies

If you’re looking for a healthy little treat for a snack, here it is!

These little cookies are made with few ingredients and all are healthy, with no sugar and no flour.

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (drained)

1/2 cup of honey/agave nectar

2/3 cup of peanut butter

1 handful of almonds

1/3 cup of chocolate chips

Combine all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, in a blender

Mix in the chocolate chips

Cook for 20 minutes at 180 degrees

(You can also add coconut or raisins to this recipe for extra flavour)

By Alice

[chewmagazine]

Sam's No Nut Energy Bars

I have been wanting to make my own energy bars for a while now as they are so expensive in the supermarket. Energy bars can range from £1-£2 a bar which is crazy money if you eating one a day.

Looking online for homemade recipes without nuts (my boyfriend is allergic) was very hard so I decided to create my own taking inspiration from these recipes by Chocolate Covered Katie and Health is Happiness.

This recipe is ever so simple! Using only 5 ingredients (you can add/subtract other ingredients if you want) these are so yummy give you that energy boost before a workout!

You can buy all these ingredients in bulk which saves you even more money. These ingredients only cost me £6 and made 16 bars! I still have a few ingredients left over the next time too. These bars are so delicious, they taste just like flapjacks with its crunchy texture and the apricot and coconut are made for each other. I hope you enjoy eating these!

Ingredients (makes 16 bars)

2 cups (325g) Dates

1 1/4 cups (250g) Apricots

1 cup (150g) Linseeds/Flaxseeds

1/2 cup (100g) Sunflower Seeds

2/3 cup (70g) Dried Grated Coconut

Method

Blend all the ingredients together.

Press into a lined baking tray.

Refrigerate until the bars are solid.

Cut into bars and eat!

Keep these bars in the fridge for freshness and to keep them solid :)

Nutrition Information (per bar 1/16)

Calories: 197

Carbohydrates: 23g

Fat: 9g

Protein: 4g

By Sam

[chewmagazine]

Galette Des Rois

In France, a traditional cake is served in January, shortly after Christmas, to celebrate the Epiphany. The cake is made with an almond paste and features a porcelain piece within the cake for someone to find, whoever find it within their piece of cake is made King for the day.

This January, we made our own cake and placed a coin inside.

Ingredients

2 sheets of puff pastry

4 egg yolks

100 grams of sugar

100 grams of ground almonds

100 grams of butter

Method

Mix three egg yolks with the sugar until whitened

Mix in the butter and ground almonds

Place the first sheet of puff pastry in a pie dish

Put in the almond mixture, and place a coin, then place the second sheet of puff pastry on top, making sure that the two sheets are sealed and none of the almond mixture can be seen or leaked.

Mix the final egg yolk and brush on top of the cake

Put in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes, then at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Take out to let cool and enjoy.

By Alice