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Review: The Nutribox

Snacking gets a bad rap. It’s not terribly surprising when you consider that the most widely-consumed snack foods are high in refined sugar, salt + fat, and low in nutritional value. But, fear not! It doesn’t have to be the case, and mindful snacking can in fact be a great way to boost your intake of essential nutrients as well as keep your energy levels stable and stave off any between-meal hunger pangs.

A few months ago I came across the nutribox, a company here in the UK whose mission is to make it easier for people to eat healthily. They offer a monthly subscription service delivering a box packed full of nutritious and delicious snacks to your home or office.

Although I love to make my own snacks when possible, life can get the better of me, just like anyone and in those busy times it’s great to have healthy snacks on hand. These last few months while I was frantically revising and then taking my finals the nutribox was a lifesaver. .

There are two sizes of box available (pictured is the larger one) and in every box you get a wide range of sweet and savoury, chewy and crunchy delights, a mix of treats like raw chocolate and more virtuous snacks like dried fruit and nuts.

A lot of the products featured aren’t widely available in stores so another bonus for me is being able to support smaller businesses who are promoting healthy eating. Last weekend the allergy + free from show and V-delicious veggie good food show took place and I had the opportunity to meet the people behind many of these great products too. They’ve already set the date for 2014 so don’t miss out!

Pictured above are the treats I got in this month’s nutribox:

[I’ve linked to the individual company websites if you’re interested in finding out a bit more info on the products]

Cofresh Lentil Chips (Tomato + Basil)

Sanchi Tamari Crackers

Clearly Scrumptious Simply Strawberries

Miss Wallflower Raw “Refresh” bites

Bounce Spirulina + Ginseng Energy Ball

2 x Frank Bars (Blueberry + Chocolate, Double Chocolate)

Rude Health “the beetroot” Bar

Nakd Strawberry Crunch Bar

Trek Morning Berry Protein Flapjack

Creative Nature Super Seed Bar

MULU Raw Chocolate Buttons

Ombar Raw Probiotic Coconut Chocolate

Conscious Raw Handmade Essential Orange Chocolate

5x 40g Bags Ludlow Nut Company Nut, Dried Fruit + Seed Mixes (“Energise me”, “Scarlet Pimpernel”, “Omega Seed Mix”)

Can you see why I get ridiculously excited when my box arrives each month?!

The default box isn’t entirely vegan but they’ve just created a vegan box option which I’m very pleased about…oh and all the snacks are gluten-free.

Order now and get 25% off your first delivery.

If you try them out I hope you enjoy your boxes as much as I do mine

Are you a snacker? If so, what are your favourite products?

Do you ever get foodie goodies delivered?

Picnic + Pimm’s

The weather was beautiful all of last week in England and I seized the opportunity for some outdoor eating. It’s not often it’s warm enough (or not raining!). I had a group of uni friends around to celebrate the summer with vegan food and Pimm’s.

I don’t know how well-known Pimm’s is outside of the UK since it really is the quintessential English summer drink. I’m not a big drinker at all but I would never turn down a glass of Pimm’s.

It’s a gin-based liqueur which is mixed with lemonade, fresh fruit and mint. You can add whatever you like but I’m partial to strawberries, oranges, apples + cucumber.

Along with several jugs of Pimm’s throughout the afternoon there was plenty to eat. It was fun introducing my friends to the delights of animal-free food, since none of them are even vegetarians. We were having too much fun so I forgot to take pictures of the spread but did snap a couple- here’s my first plate of food

And here’s the menu:

Chickpea Flour Veggie Quiche (Soy-free)

Rosemary Focaccia (Veganomicon)

Falafel (Vegan with a Vengeance) + Mediterranean Cashew Cucumber Dip (Veganomicon)

Crudités + Homemade Hummus

Green Salad

Chickpea, Tomato + Basil Salad (See below)

New Potato Salad with Mustard Dill Dressing [unpictured]

Here’s my lovely focaccia- I was really pleased with how well it turned out- great flavour and texture.

Oh…and there was dessert of course- Strawberries, Vanilla Ice Cream + Chocolate Brownies! (I would have loved to have made raw brownies but wanted to keep everything fairly simple and familiar for the omnivores)

The Chickpea, Tomato, Basil Salad was so simple but incredibly delicious and something I’ll definitely make throughout the summer when the tomatoes and basil in the garden get going properly.

Chickpea Tomato Basil Salad:

3 C Cooked Chickpeas (or 2 cans)

4 C Cherry Tomatoes, halved

3 Cloves Garlic

2T Apple Cider Vinegar

2 T Red Wine Vinegar

1T Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar

1T Olive Oil

As much Basil as you like, julienned

Good pinch Sea salt + Plenty of Black Pepper

Have you been dining al fresco at all this year? Any good picnic recipes to share?

Raw Mango Coconut Tartlets

Raw desserts are my favourite. Rich, creamy and often substantial but without leaving you feeling like you just ate a brick.

Being vegan does mean it’s pretty much impossible to buy dessert out (in Oxford at least) and I’ve been pretty pushed for time recently with studying and exams sadly leaving me limited opportunity for kitchen fun. I’m someone who needs a sweet fix every day and I’ve been making do with fruit, dark chocolate and snack bars. But…the snack bars and the chocolate have run out and fruit alone isn’t cutting the mustard. So, now I’m free as a bird, I decided it was time to remedy the lack of dessert asap.

I had a mango waiting to be eaten and thought a tart with a sweet and tangy mango layer would be yummy. The typical base for a creamy raw dessert is cashews, but as you might have read in my last post, I’m trying to use up things I’ve got and my cashews ran out a while ago. Not giving up on my dessert that easily I had to come up with another option. I remembered some delicious lemon tarts I made a few months ago which used agar flakes and coconut butter for creaminess and to thicken up the filling and thought I’d adapt the recipe for a mango variety.

Raw Mango Coconut Tartlets:

(Adapted from Fragrant Vanilla Cake)

Crust:

1/2C Almond Meal (a scant 1/2 cup whole almonds ground in a food processor)
1/2C Shredded coconut
3/4C Dates (Prunes also work!)
1/8t Salt

Mango Layer:

1T Agar flakes
6T Hot water
1 1/2C Diced mango
3T Lemon juice
2T Agave nectar
1T Coconut oil, melted
3T Coconut butter, melted (I used homemade but also recommend Artisana brand)

Coconut Flakes to top

Combine ingredients for the crust in a food processor, adding the dates in gradually as you may need more or less depending on how soft they are. The mixture should start to stick together.

Divide the crust mixture between 6 silicone muffin cases (you could use any tart tins you have or even ramekins lined with cling film). Press firmly to form a base. Put the tartlets in the fridge or freezer to firm up while you make the mango layer.

For the mango cream, dissolve the agar flakes in hot water and leave to cool while you get the other ingredients ready. In a blender, blend together all the remaining ingredients along with the agar mixture until you get a nice smooth creamy consistency. Taste for sweetness, you may want a touch more agave or lemon juice depending on your preference and the ripeness of your mango.

Divide the mango cream between the cases and tap down hard on a counter to remove air bubbles. Place in freezer for a few hours to firm up completely before removing from the cases. Pop tartlets out of cases and allow to sit in the fridge or at room temperature until the mango layer has softened up. Not too long or it will melt everywhere!

Top with coconut flakes to serve

Makes 6

(Stored in the freezer these will keep for several weeks)

PRINT RECIPE HERE

I love mango in savoury dishes too- grain + bean salads, kale salads with avocado + toasted nuts, fruity salsa for a dip or to serve with tacos.

What’s your favourite mango recipe?

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About

Welcome to Coconut and Berries!

I love healthy vegan food and cooking but it wasn’t always that way. Here’s my story…

I grew up on a pretty typical omnivorous diet but was extremely picky- my favourite food being plain pasta for a long time! I also didn’t like any fruit and it was only when I was about 15 that I started to enjoy it. I wasn’t really into “real food” and often eating out I’d pick at my main course in favour of dessert or sweets I went mostly vegetarian when away at boarding school, mainly because I felt uneasy about eating the meat we were served, but still never really thought deeply about the question of eating animals or my food choices.

I encountered veganism for the first time at university and very quickly made the decision that that was the path I wanted to follow.

My relationship with food had definitely turned rocky in my late teens and all food became the enemy. It’s taken some time but gradually things have turned around.

I credit veganism in large part to my recovery and I know I’m not alone in this experience. It was going vegan which really helped me to feel good about the food I was eating, knowing that I’m not contributing to the violent practices of raising and killing animals for our consumption, nor the destruction of the environment which goes hand in hand with the animal “industries”.

I also taught myself to cook and now one of my favourite things to do is spend time what I call “playing in the kitchen”. Of course vegan food isn’t in itself health food and it’s certainly possible to eat badly on a vegan diet, but I’ve also embraced healthy eating and get pretty excited about discovering new-to-me ingredients and recipes which keeps me motivated to eat well. But, I think it’s important to acknowledge that I don’t like to demonize foods and make a point of enjoying cake and cookies every now and again too (as long as they’re vegan of course)..and I eat dark chocolate most days!

Going vegan for me has been so much more than about the food, rather a transformation into (hopefully!) a more compassionate person with a deeper connection with the world around me.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the recipes and please do share your thoughts or drop me an email if you have any questions or suggestions, I love hearing from you.

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Search Results for: chocolate

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