Ingredients:

• 300g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp mixed ground spice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 apples
• 150g soft brown sugar
• 125g olive oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 100g sultanas
• 40g walnut pieces

Grease a 20cm cake tin and put to one side.

Into a bowl, sift the flour, the baking soda, the mixed ground spice and the ground cinnamon. Peel, core and grate all the apples into another large bowl.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Add the sugar and the olive oil to the grated apples. Mix the eggs into the apple mixture. Next, gently fold into the apple mixture all the dry, sifted ingredients. Add the sultanas and the walnuts to the mixture.

Put the mixture into the greased cake tin. Bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean when pricked into the cake. Once baked, place the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

This apple cake is delicious when eaten warm, but is equally as good the next day. Enjoy with a warm cup of chai.

Alterntative tip: If you are intolerant to regular flour, the recipe works wonderfully with a substitute flour which is wheat and gluten-free. If you don’t wish to use so much sugar, try substituting half the quantity with agave syrup.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups oats
• 1 cup golden syrup
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 handfuls raisins
• handful broken walnuts

Lightly oil a shallow baking tray and put to one side.

In a saucepan, melt the olive oil and the golden syrup over low heat. Stir in the rolled oats, the flour, the walnuts and the raisins, ensuring the mixture binds well. In necessary, adjust the quantities of the wet ingredients or the oats. If more moisture is required, slowly add some milk. The mixture has to be sticky, otherwise it will crumble once it is cooked. Take it off the heat and slowly mix in the egg.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Spoon the mixture onto the baking tray and spread evenly. Pat the mixture down to ensure it is solid and packed together.

Bake in the centre of the oven for approximately 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t brown too quickly.

Once it is cooked, remove from the oven and immediately cut them into squares and leave them to cool.

Alternative tip: For a truly healthy treat, replace the golden syrup with agave or rice syrup. If you are intolerant to dairy products, use rice milk. For a special flavour, use the vanilla-flavoured rice milk. Using a wheat-free flour for this recipe works really well. Substitute with equal amounts. If you are intolerant to eggs, this this recipe works well without the egg. Just slighly adjust the quantity of the wet ingredients to the amount of oats.

For a similarly healthy treat, substitute the raisins with other dried fruits you like e.g. dates of cherries. For the chocoholics, try adding chocolate chips instead of the raisins. Top with a cinnamon-chocolate sauce for a deliciously sweet treat.

Ingredients:

• 4 large ripe bananas
• 3 cups quinoa flour
• ½ cup agave syrup or rice syrup
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup mixed nuts, soaked
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Pinch of salt

Line a 12-cup muffin tray with muffin cases and put to one side.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas, preferably with your hands (wash your hands first!) to get them mushy with some chunks. Blend in the quinoa flour. Slowly add the rice syrup and the olive oil to the mixture and stir all the ingredients together well. Add the nuts, the bicarbonate of soda, the baking powder, the cinnamon, the salt and the vanilla. Mix well. For a bit of extra moisture, add a tablespoon or two of milk (or rice milk for those with dairy intolerances).

Pre-heat the oven to 170°C, 325°F.

Spoon a heaped tablespoon into each muffin case. Do not overfill them as the mixture will rise. Bake for approximately 30 minutes in the centre of the oven, or till the muffins begin to turn golden-brown.

The muffins are scrumptious when eaten warm. If you are allowed chocolate, serve with warm chocolate syrup for a tasty treat. The muffins do store well for about three days if kept in an airtight container.

Alternative tip: If you are allergic to nuts, leave them out altogether. This recipe will work well without them. If you cannot find quinoa flour, try buckwheat flour or millet flour for an equally healthy alternative.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 300g ground almonds
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 75g sultanas
• 1 cup of agave syrup
• handful of broken walnuts
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground mixed spice

Line the baking trays with greaseproof paper and put to one side.

In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds, the sultanas, the walnuts and bicarbonate of soda. Slowly add the olive oil while mixing. Next, stir in the agave syrup. Lightly beat the egg in a separate dish and then slowly stir this into the mixture. Mix in the salt and the ground mixed spice.

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, 335°F.

Place a teaspoon of the batter onto the lined baking trays and gently flatten into a cookie shape. The batter will spread during baking! Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes in the centre of the oven. Keep an eye on them as they do become golden quite quickly.

If there aren’t enough mouths to scoff the cookies on the day you bake them, store in an airtight container to enjoy the next day. As they are soft cookies, if you keep them for too long, they will become chewy.

Alternative tip: If you are unable to eat egg, add another tablespoon of oil, a tablespoon of milk (dairy or rice-based) and a little bit more agave syrup. Don’t add too much syrup otherwise you will have sweet almond cookies!

Enjoy the cookies without the guilty conscience!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 4 tbsp agave syrup
• 1½ cups flour
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¾ cup raisins
• 2 tsp vanilla
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp mixed ground spice
• 1 medium egg
• 1 tbsp milk

Line some baking trays with greaseproof paper and put to one side.

Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add the sugar, oatmeal, and raisins to the bowl. Mix well. Slowly stir in the oil, and then the agave syrup. In a separate dish, lightly beat the egg and then add slowly mix it into the mixture. Add the milk. If the mixture is still loose, add a dash bit more milk. Stir in the vanilla, mixed ground spice and salt

Pre-heat the oven at 170°C, 325°F.

Shape 1 tablespoon of the batter into a cookie, onto the greaseproof paper. They will spread, so do leave some space between the cookies. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes in the centre of the oven, till the cookies are golden brown.

Should you not devour all the spiced oatmeal cookies on the day of baking, the cookies do store well in an airtight container.

Alternative tip: If intolerances exist to certain food types e.g. wheat and dairy, substitutes appear to work equally as well. Use wheat and gluten-free flour.  Gluten-free oatmeal, although tricky to find, is available in some health-food stores. Use rice milk instead of dairy milk. If you cannot eat eggs, add a little bit more oil, agave syrup and milk to help the mixture bind.

Enjoy the healthy munchies!

Stand by for recipes that will hit that sugar craving, without the associated feelings of guilt! Take a chance, be ready to try them out.