Category Archives: Little Treats

3-Ingredient Fig & Almond Bites | Raw, Vegan

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Each one of these 3-ingredient fig & almond bites is a perfect mouthful of sweet fig, delicate almond and nutty tahini, and is packed full of vitamins A, B2, E & K, calcium and more.Fig & Almond Bites, Raw Vegan | The Tofu DiariesI seem to be on a roll at the moment making lots of vegan desserts. This time of year, and all of winter really, makes me crave sugary things and hopefully these will be something to turn back to for a sweet treat that doesn’t really have any added sugar. These fig & almond bites are another ideal healthy option.Fig & Almond Bites, Raw Vegan | The Tofu DiariesAs I mentioned in my last recipe post (a vegan apple crumble recipe using quinoa if you missed it!) my new kitchen is slowly coming together with the addition of some carefully chosen blue crockery. Another recent addition is this adorable Scandinavian-inspired Setesdal set of measuring cups that were sent to me by Culture Vulture Direct. I’m excited about these for two reasons. Firstly they add some much needed animals into my crockery collection with foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs and more incorporated into the folk print.Fig & Almond Bites, Raw Vegan | The Tofu DiariesSecondly, as someone who only really weighs ingredients so I can write proper recipes that stand a chance of being followed, these really appeal to me as an effortless way to measure ingredient ratios. Actually, as a bonus they make following US recipes that rely on cup measurements a whole lot easier too!Fig & Almond Bites, Raw Vegan | The Tofu DiariesCulture Vulture Direct is a website full of what they call ‘finds from a world well-travelled.’ I’ve completely fallen in love with their curated selection of home and kitchen ware and, consequently, I now have my eye on several things from their website such as these zinc photo frames and this gorgeous folk print coffee pot. They are exactly the kind of website I love stumbling across to find something that bit more special and I know these measuring cups are going to be very well-used in my kitchen.Fig & Almond Bites, Raw Vegan | The Tofu DiariesFor this recipe, using measuring cups was an ideal way to get the right ratio of figs/almonds/tahini easily and quickly. I’ve been making some kind of raw treat almost every week as they are perfect to keep me going during an afternoon in the office, without resorting to something processed or full of refined sugar. The quantities here make twelve small balls but can be increased or decreased just by keeping the 4:2:1 ratio the same.

Makes approx. 12

Ingredients:

1 cup dried figs, chopped

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup tahini

Method:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until they have formed a sticky dough

2. Separate the mixture and roll into small balls

3. Eat and enjoy!Fig & Almond Bites, Raw Vegan | The Tofu Diaries

What have you bought for your kitchen recently? Share in the comments!

Cruelty-free Bathtimes | Blogs I Love

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As an animal-lover, vegetarian, and a lover of bathtime, finding beauty products that haven’t been tested on animals and that you know are truly cruelty-free does inevitably require a little more research. There’s also the matter of making sure they are vegan or even vegetarian, depending on your requirements. It also demands a bit more trial and error in finding products that suit you and prior planning if you need to order online.

Luckily, there are more and more ethical companies popping up all the time to provide plenty of choice. In addition, there are some incredible bloggers out there navigating this territory for us and giving us something lovely to read at the same time. Over time I hope to be able to provide some useful information on the topic by sharing the brands and products I use, and new ones I find, with you – I’d love to hear your thoughts on if this is the kind of thing you’d like to read here.Cruelty-free blogs Without further delay, I am going to share with you some useful links and cruelty-free bloggers that I love:

What is your favourite cruelty-free brand? Do you have any blogs or resources to recommend? Share below or over on !

Raw, Vegan Food on the Go – Creative Nature Bars

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Working full-time means it can be hard sometimes to find time to create my own healthy snacks on a regular basis. As a result there are few foodie discoveries right now that delight me more than finding more amazing companies who are filling this gap with raw, vegan, super food packed options.Creative Nature BarsCreative Nature are a UK company creating high quality nutrient-dense snack bars filled with cold-pressed oils, seeds and dried fruit that more than fit the bill. All of their products are vegan-registered and certified organic.Creative Nature BarsThe bars come in four flavours: Tropical Treat, Heavenly Cacao, Blissful Berry, and Sublime Seed. The cold-pressed oils in them give them a more moist texture than many raw food bars, whilst the added extras such as hemp powder in the Sublime Seed bar and pau d’arco in the Tropical Treat give the flavours an unexpected complexity. The Heavenly Cacao is perfect for satisfying a chocolate craving too with its raw cocao nibs, cocao powder and maca powder.Creative Nature BarsCreative Nature offers free UK mainland shipping for orders over 2kg so there’s no reason not to head over to their range of super food bars and stock up!

Have you ever tried Creative Nature Super Food Bars? Do you have a favourite healthy snack?

Peppermint & Goji Bliss Balls | Raw, Vegan

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Delicious bite-sized sweet treats, with a hint of peppermint, packed full of fibre, antioxidants, calcium, essential amino acids and a source of vitamins and minerals.Raw & Vegan Peppermint & Goji Bliss Balls | The Tofu DiariesThere are just so many good things to say about bliss balls. There is the endless possibility for creating different combinations and flavours. They don’t require any baking or lengthy prep and are ready to eat right away. They keep well in the fridge for around a week (if you can restrain yourself, that is). Most of all, they satisfy any sweet craving whilst being full of nutritious ingredients. They do contain naturally occurring sugars but as far as sweet treats go, I’d say they are pretty guilt-free.Raw & Vegan Peppermint & Goji Bliss Balls | The Tofu DiariesAm I bit late the party only just creating my first ‘bliss balls’ recipe? Well, maybe. They’ve been on my radar as something I wanted to try out and experiment with creating my own flavours but it’s only recently, after moving out of a shared house and into somewhere I can have nice kitchen things and have the space for them, that I’ve invested in a good blender/food processor.Raw & Vegan Peppermint & Goji Bliss Balls | The Tofu DiariesI’ve had some amazing similar treats in restaurants and in pre-made raw bars, but this was my first time of making raw bliss balls. To get started I actually made a few different varieties, including some delicious lemon-flavoured ones and a batch minus the coconut so Pete could get involved (since he isn’t a coconut fan). The peppermint ones however were the stand out of the bunch and the ones I wanted to share.

Most ingredients in the recipe can be mixed up and changed to your taste though – the tahini can be switched for a nut butter, nuts can be used in place of seeds, cocoa powder instead of coconut and so on.Raw & Vegan Peppermint & Goji Bliss Balls | The Tofu DiariesMakes around 6 balls

Ingredients:

20(ish) dates, roughly chopped

2tbsp mixed seeds

1tbsp dried goji berries

1tbsp tahini

1/4tsp natural peppermint flavouring/essence (I used flavoured stevia liquid)

Desiccated coconut, for coating

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients (bar the coconut) to a food processor. Blend until it has broken down into a sticky, fine mixture. If your processor isn’t too powerful, give the seeds a quick whizz before adding the other ingredients.

2. Remove the blade from the food processor. Using your hands, bring the mixture together and roll into small palm-sized balls.

3. Cover the bottom of a plate or wide dish with the coconut and roll the balls in it until they are full coated. Enjoy!Raw & Vegan Peppermint & Goji Bliss Balls | The Tofu DiariesHave you made bliss balls before? What is your favourite flavour concoction?

Don’t forget to enter my Nibnibs giveaway!

Little Vegetarian Treats: Mininibs from Ripon, Yorkshire

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Something I love about living in Yorkshire, aside from all of the beautiful countryside, is the creativity and artisanal flair you find here. One of the wonderful things about having adopted the county as my home is the chance to discover many of them first hand, whether it is from living and working in such a vibrant neighbourhood as Chapel Allerton or from exploring the surrounding towns.

NibNibs is one such company. Located up in North Yorkshire, they create handmade nibbles fresh from their bakery in Ripon using only the finest locally sourced ingredients. Their vegetarian snacks contain Yorkshire-milled wheat and British Cheddar (they even list Yorkshire water as an ingredient) making the food miles that go into these remarkably low. Since hearing from NibNibs, I have been, well, nibbling my way through their yummy range of mininibs.

NibNibs MininibsThe cheerfully packaged mininibs come in three exceptionally cheesy flavours: Cheddar Cheese, Cheddar & Spicy Chili, and Cheddar &Cheeky Onion. The first thing to hit you with each variety is undoubtedly the Cheddar, but what I really love is how the accompanying flavours – be it chilli or onion – develop after the initial cheesy hit. After my first mininib, I wasn’t too sure but as soon as it was done with I couldn’t wait to reach for the next one; the strong flavour combined with the crunch makes these beyond moreish!Mininibs 2NibNib’s Salt & Pepper Jumbo Peanuts were another pleasant surprise, and dare I say it, equally as moreish.Mininibs 3The pots are all foil sealed when they arrive with a handy little lid to keep them fresh after opening. It also makes them ideal to pop into your bag for a snack on the go.

This giveaway has now closed – thanks to the 3511 of you who entered!

And finally, the all important question, where do I nibble mine? …At my desk to keep me going through the afternoon! Where would you nibble yours?