Monday, March 21, 2016

Cashew Macarons

MACARONS ARE HEAVEN

That's true! Macarons are heaven, so I wanted to create my own recipe. But I wanted to make them different in a way yet still delicious. So, one of the main ingredients in macarons are almonds (well, almond meal is, but the stores here don't seem to sell it).

One day they had the cashews on sale and I thought maybe I could try creating a macaron recipe using homemade cashew flour instead!

So I did, and they came out amazing!



LOOK AT THEM! THEY'RE SO PRETTYYYY!
They're pink and pretty and perfect and I love them and sfhghddggnnhh

*note: I made this recipe twice: the first time the feet formed while the macarons rested as per usual, but the second time they didn't even after 1 hour of rest, however they did in the oven after about 5-7 minutes. So don't panic if you followed the steps exactly but the feet didn't form, they might form in the oven just like they did for me!

Tips: Let the macarons rest for 30 minutes-1 hour in a non humid room (macarons are not fans of humidity).
Once you pipe them onto the baking sheet, bang the pan on a flat, hard surface to get rid of the air bubbles.
Also make sure you sift your dry ingredients because clumps of cashew won't help!

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Healthy Sugar Free Banana Bread

Some might say it's hard being healthy. Those people have not tried this healthy sugar free banana bread!





This recipe is amazing because it has no added unhealthy sugar yet it still is sweet from the orange juice and bananas!

Of course, the sweetness of the banana bread is determined by how ripe your bananas are.

Don't panic if your bananas are black, they are supposed to be!
The insides look like this: soft, sweet and squishy!
*Note: this banana bread tends to get sweeter the longer it cools, so wait for it to cool completely before devouring! If you let it cool overnight, it will taste amazing and very sweet the next day!

If you follow the exact recipe, you will be rewarded with a beautiful, soft, healthy and sweet banana bread!
**note: to make this banana bread even healthier, use a certified gluten free flour or a flour lower in carbs, like oat flour, almond flour or coconut flour
Note: I did use an egg for this recipe because eggs help make cakes and other baked goods nice and fluffy, but you can totally switch it out for a flax egg or probably any other egg substitute for this banana bread to truly be nice and healthy! It may come out a bit more decadent and fudge like but it'll still taste great!