The Cocoa Nut

Just a 22-year-old vegetarian passionate about healthy cooking and living! Snoop around this blog for my healthy, quick & budget-friendly meal ideas, restaurant reviews and more!

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Quick 4pm pick-me-up today was this Goji & Cranberry Quinoa bar by The Foodie Market (purchased at Aldi) and a mug of steaming hot Pukka Chai Tea. Aldi is selling these bars in a few different flavours (Coconut & Hemp, Cacao & Cashew, Pumpkin & Hemp) with pretty good ingredients, and the ones I’ve seen have been vegan as well, which is a bonus! The bars are made of mainly dried fruit, seeds, puffed quinoa and pea protein - definitely a great base for those healthy Omega fats and natural sugars. This bar in particularly was really lovely, with the tart cranberries offsetting the sweetness from the pineapple and goji berries. The bars are pretty affordable too - I believe each bar was just 49 pence if I recall correctly! Perfect for the mid-afternoon slump when you just need something sweet (but healthy!) to keep you going until dinner time. 

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Fresh crudités platter as part of lunch, shared with some lovely housemates. We had some Ryvita crackers and rice cakes, cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks and this amazing beetroot & quinoa hummus from Tesco. 

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Quick and healthy lunch today was seeded bread with the Tesco Beetroot and Quinoa Hummus (so delicious!). I topped the toast with sliced bell peppers and served it with a side salad. I absolutely love the combination of hummus and bell peppers (better if they’re roasted, but I’m a lazy and time-pressed student!). I also love it when I’m eating the rainbow and my food is visually appealing- there’s something about it that makes you feel nourished just looking at the plate!

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Zizzi’s appreciation post. I absolutely love Zizzi’s because of how extensive their menu is, and the fact that they have a dedicated vegan menu (just ask for the allergen menu for the vegan page). I went to Zizzi’s twice in the last week and on both occasions tried their vegan pizza made with a coconut oil-based cheese substitute. The pizza on the top right is their vegan pepperonata with spicy chillis and fire-roasted tomatoes, and the top left is my personal favourite, the winter zucca with roasted butternut squash. I absolutely love the flavour of these pizzas and the base is really light and tasty as well. The portions are also really generous, so I usually have a couple of slices leftover for lunch the next day- always a good thing for a busy student!

Cherry on top of a great meal is their vegan dessert, a glorious sticky chocolate torte with coconut gelato. Would definitely recommend this to dark chocolate lovers!

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Healthy Vegan Truffles

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXFn35MAJ9c/?taken-by=aryashreet

Healthy dessert truffles, anyone?

I love these little sweet balls of goodness. They’re incredibly versatile and customisable- just get the base right and you can experiment with flavours as the recipe is pretty forgiving! I made these to bring over to a potluck dinner, and decided to tweak the flavours to cater to a range of tastes/fussy eaters and it worked a charm! 

Cocoa Biscoff Truffles (makes 6-8): 14 Deglet Noor dates (or any other variety, but use less if using medjool) (soak for half hour before use if the dates are hard/dry) 1-2 tbsp cacao powder 1 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tsp vanilla extract 2-3 tbsp oats (more if mixture is too sticky) 1 tbsp desiccated coconut 2 Lotus biscoffs for the truffles (plus a few more for crumbling on top)

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor together and blend it up until it sticks together. Start with just 2 tbsp oats but add more if mixture is too sticky. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and form small balls. Crush a couple more Lotus biscoffs and roll the balls in the biscuit crumbs. Place in the fridge to chill for about 6 hours before eating.

Custard Date Bites: http://www.thevegancorner.com/custardy-date-bites/

I love The Vegan Corner’s recipes (this one in particular!). The only thing I tweaked was the variety of dates- I used Deglet Noor instead of the Medjool the recipe calls for because the former is much cheaper. So I doubled the original recipe’s quantity of dates to achieve the same effect with the smaller Deglet Noors. 

Hope you enjoy these recipes!

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I’m usually an oatmeal and fruit type of girl when it comes to breakfast, and I don’t usually stray beyond this because it’s my ultimate morning comfort food! But when I’ve got a little more time on my hands to spare, I do love to make my second favourite breakfast food- pancakes.

This recipe is perfect for me because it’s essentially my standard oatmeal ingredients, albeit in pancake form! Really healthy, simple, and also gluten-free if that’s what you’re after.

To make the pancakes (1 serving):

In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup quick oats, 1/2 ripe banana, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp vanilla essence, a dash of cinnamon, and about 1/3 to 1/2 cup plant-based milk (you might need more or less depending on the consistency of your batter; if it’s too thick, add more milk to thin it out. The batter should be pourable but not too runny.) Blend all the ingredients together to form your batter. I’d suggest pouring the plant milk in a little at a time to achieve the perfect consistency. Once your batter is blended, heat some coconut oil in a non-stick pan. Pour a scoop of batter per pancake (about 1-2 tbsp worth of batter) and let it cook until tiny bubbles start forming on the surface of the pancake. Flip, let it cook, and then repeat with the remaining batter. 

I like to top my stack of pancakes with whatever fresh fruit I have on hand, the remaining banana and some peanut butter/tahini as a sauce. On this particular day, I cooked down some fresh blueberries (frozen works well too!) in a pan with some water and optionally maple syrup/agave nectar until it formed a runny puree. Serve and enjoy! 

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What was your undergraduate major?

My undergrad major was in English Literature, and I’m going back to do my Master’s in it this fall (: 

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Hello! I just want to say I really love your blog ❤️ I have anorexia and am now in recovery (kind of) and I love your food ideas! So healthy and look absolutely delicious! I will definitely be using them 💞

Thank you so much! This makes me so happy to hear. Take care and all the best with your recovery <3 

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https://www.instagram.com/p/BXz8pz0gUN_/?taken-by=aryashreet

I’m a huge coconut fan (clearly, by my blog name!) and I’m always looking for new ways to sneak coconut into baked goods. I find that coconut pairs so beautifully with fruit, especially dried varieties like cranberries and raisins. So when I had a spare pack of cranberries lying around a couple of weeks ago, I knew I wanted to create something coconut-y and delicious with them.

Cookies are my favourite form of dessert, so I tested this amazing recipe for vegan Cranberry Coconut cookies: http://makingthymeforhealth.com/cranberry-coconut-oatmeal-cookies/

This recipe is perfect because it’s both gluten-free and refined sugar-free, which is great for me because I’m catering to a few different special dietary needs in my household. I did omit the chopped walnuts because of nut allergies in my house, and they still turned out perfectly well! The cookies were light but still satisfying, and really curbed that sweet craving.

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Instagram post by Arya • Sep 11, 2017 at 8:35am UTC

17 Likes, 3 Comments - Arya (@aryashreet) on Instagram: “Rainy afternoons are for #baking these blueberry coconut babies.”

Hi lovely tumblr people!

Just wanted to let you know that I post a lot of my baking/cooking adventures on my personal instagram too, so do give that a follow if you like that kind of content! I’d really appreciate it too (:

Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://www.instagram.com/aryashreet/

Hope everyone’s having a great start to the week!

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For lunch I made these Mediterranean stuffed peppers with a creamy baba ganoush dressing. This is the perfect recipe when you want to be a bit more adventurous in the kitchen/want to impress guests with minimal effort! To make the peppers, I began by preheating my oven to 200 degrees celsius. I halved multicoloured peppers, carved out the seeds and rinsed them well, before placing them on a baking tray and roasting them in the oven for 20-30 mins. Be careful not to let the peppers get too shrivelled and soggy in the oven, as you still want them to hold up to act as a bowl for the couscous.

While the peppers were roasting, I cooked couscous in a bowl by pouring boiling hot water over couscous in a 1:1 ratio. I covered that and let it sit for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, I sauteed some chopped peppers and courgette in a pot (you can really use any veggies you have on hand!). Once that was cooked through, I added 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp turmeric and a pinch of black pepper. I let the spices roast and combine with the veggies, and added a splash of water to get a thick puree consistency. I let that simmer for a couple of minutes, by which point my couscous was ready. I fluffed the couscous with a fork and added it to the veggie mixture in the pot. I then added a can of mixed beans (chickpeas would work well too!), 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional) and a handful of chopped cranberries. You could also garnish it with some fresh coriander if you have that on hand. Stir everything well to combine, and leave it on a low heat for another 5 mins to let the flavours truly incorporate.

Once your peppers are done, gently spoon the couscous into the peppers, being careful not to over-stuff them. Top with dressing of choice- I thinned out some store bought baba ganoush with water and drizzled it over. Serve and enjoy!

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Lunch today was this salad thrown together with bits and bobs from my fridge. It had a mix of romaine and iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapples and some spiced, roasted sweet potato. To roast the sweet potatoes, I simply cut them into small cubes and tossed in cumin powder, turmeric, black pepper and salt. Then I stuck them in the oven at 200 degrees celsius for 20-25 mins and they came out perfectly crisp and delicious. I always need some type of sauce to flavour salads, so I opted for store-bought hummus today. 

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On a sweeter note, here’s the most delectable vegan Blueberry, Lemon and Poppyseed Loaf I made for tea recently. I much prefer dense breads like this than sweet cakes (that’s the carb-lover in me speaking haha), so this recipe was perfect for me. I love the pairing of zesty lemon and blueberries with the crunch of poppyseeds- a perfect medley of flavours and textures!

Here’s the recipe I used (from the Healthy French Wife): http://www.healthyfrenchwife.com/2017/06/vegan-blueberry-lemon-poppyseed-loaf.html

The only substitution I made was to swap the coconut sugar for white granulated sugar as I didn’t have the former on hand- and it turned out perfectly well!

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I promise to stop with the beet hummus appreciation pics after this post, but here’s another way I enjoy serving my homemade hummus: tossed with some pasta as a rich, creamy dressing. To do this, I simply cook up my pasta with my favourite veggies (I like courgettes, mushrooms and sweetcorn for pasta dishes). Then I thin out the chunky hummus with 2-3 tbsp of the starchy water reserved from cooking the pasta- this ensures the hummus retains its creaminess and doesn’t get too diluted. I mix together the hummus sauce, pasta and veggies, and serve. This dish works well as both a warm dinner and a cold pasta salad for lunch.  

Top with some smoked paprika and nutritional yeast for that savoury, cheesy flavour and enjoy! 

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Thought I’d share one of the many ways I like to enjoy my beetroot hummus (recipe in the previous post). I like to serve it alongside some fresh homemade pretzels- these pretzels are so dense and doughey, and make the perfect pairing with the rich hummus. This is certainly not something I’d make as a quick lunch on a regular basis, but it’s perfect for a treat or to serve at a potluck when I’ve got more time to spare in the kitchen!

I got the pretzel recipe from this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffbxvpkXMco

Hope you’ll give it a try! This pretzel recipe is the most fuss-free one I’ve come across (no need to spend hours waiting for the dough to proof and rise), so it comes together fairly easily. I dusted 3 of my pretzels with some sea salt before baking, and topped the final one with some cinnamon sugar (1 tsp sugar to 1/3 tsp cinnamon for 1 pretzel) to have as a mini-dessert! 

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Really sorry for the hiatus from this blog everyone! I’ve been spending most of my post-exam time catching up with friends and packing up before graduation this coming week. I’ve been doing a lot of cooking and baking in my spare time, though, so stay tuned for more recipes to come in the near future.

This is my homemade beet hummus- I love hummus and have tried a bunch of different variations on the standard chickpea-tahini base, but this is by far my favourite way of making it. Hummus is so versatile- you can use it as a sandwich spread, thinned out as a pasta sauce, a salad dressing- the possibilities are really endless! This particular beet hummus is so attractive it’d be a great dish to bring to a potluck or party too, to serve as a starter with some chips. Even if you’re not the biggest beetroot fan, you can still give this recipe a shot because the beet flavour isn’t overpowering at all- just use 1 beet instead of the 2 this recipe calls for! So here’s my recipe for a quick and easy homemade beet hummus that tastes just as good as it looks!

To make the beet hummus:

In a food processor or blender, add 1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained), 2 small, diced cooked beets (I buy mine pre-cooked and packed from Tesco), 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp of tahini, juice of 1/3 large lemon, 1-2 tsp cumin powder (depending on your preference), 1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional), salt and smoked paprika to taste. Add 1 tbsp of water to help it blend- you might need to add a little more if things get stuck in the blender. 

* Note: You might need to add the chickpeas 1/2 a can at a time if you’ve got a small food processor like me. Also, the more beets you add, the more vibrant the colour and earthy the flavour. I’ve made this recipe using just 1 beet in the past and found that both the colour and the flavour were too mild for my liking.

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It’s been really cold and rainy (yuck) in the UK recently, so I’ve ditched the smoothies and reverted to oatmeal for some morning comfort food. Thankfully summer fruits are in season, so I’ve been really enjoying topping my oats with pomegranate seeds, fresh berries and apricots.