Puffed Quinoa Snack Bars

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to be sent a mystery box of ingredients from Food Compass, an online food shopping website with lots of great products (I actually bought some really interesting looking pasta that I am looking forward to trying and I have fallen in love with Cogo Bites – they are soooo yummy!).  In the box I received was puffed quinoa, LSA powder and coconut nectar syrup – all products I hadn’t tried out before, so I decided to use them all together in these snack bars.

I love home made muesli bars and the these Puffed Quinoa Snack Bars are a delish option to add in to the mix (I’ll link our other great muesli bar recipes at the bottom of this post – check them out for other ingredient ideas).  They are held together with honey, so they are best kept in the fridge, as they fall apart a bit if kept at room temperature.  Make them using whatever you have on hand – if you don’t have a certain ingredient, swap it out for something else.  There’s no baking either, just throw everything together and you’re done.  Easy.

Ingredients:
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup puffed quinoa
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ almond meal
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons LSA powder
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon almond essence
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon coconut nectar syrup (or try golden syrup)
½ cup liquid honey

Method:
Grease and line a 20cm x 20cm square tin. 
Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the wet ingredients and mix to combine. 
Press into the prepared tin.  Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into squares and serving.  Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Other great Muesli Bar recipes:

• Easy Muesli Bars
• White Chocolate and Cranberry Muesli Bars
• Chocolate Muesli Bars
• Oaty Banana Nut Bars

Easy Peasy Cheats Cheesecake (Peach Cheesecake)

I first tried this cheesecake while Simon and I were staying at my Nana’s place in Tauranga – she loves it and had made it especially for us (and she might even be able to view the recipe on her iPad we were setting up for her – exciting!).  It uses a pre-made cheesecake mix so there really is no fuss; just make the base, whip up the filling and you’re basically done. 
My Nana had made it using apricots, which I ate and really liked, but I’m not usually an apricot fan so in my mind I was thinking of what else it could be made with.  Funnily enough, my Nana said my Dad hates apricots too, so my Mum and her didn’t tell him what was in the cheesecake and he happily ate quite a bit when my parents visited on a previous occasion!  Anyway, I re-made the cheesecake using peaches and it was delicious.  You can use whatever canned fruit you like in this cheesecake and I am sure it will be delicious!
This is the perfect dessert to whip up if you want to receive a lot of praise without a lot of effort!

Ingredients:
200g biscuits (I used Arnotts Farmbake White Chocolate ones, but something like SuperWine’s or similar will work well too)
75g butter, melted
410g can of fruit (I’ve tried apricots and peaches, but any fruit will work)
500g pottle of cheesecake filling (I used Meadow Fresh)
Zest of one lemon or the grated rind of half an orange

Method:
Place the biscuits in a food processor and process until crumbed (alternatively, place in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin).
Mix through the melted butter, then press into a 20cm circular loose-bottomed tin.
Drain the can of fruit and chop the fruit roughly.
Prepare the cheesecake filling according to packet directions.
Mix the fruit and the cheesecake mix together to combine.
Spread the cheesecake mixture over the prepared biscuit base.  Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set.  Garnish the top of the cheesecake by sprinkling the lemon zest over the top.  Cut into wedges and serve.

Pretzel and Peanut Chocolate Brownies

This Peanut and Pretzel Brownie was inspired by one of the new limited edition Dairy Milk chocolate blocks that have been released by Cadbury.
The brownie itself is deliciously fudgy, then the pretzels and peanuts add a little bit of crunch along with a hint of salt (which is such a great compliment to the chocolate).  Top that all off with chunks of creamy chocolate and we have a winner.
The recipe is super easy to make too!

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
⅓ cup cocoa
125g butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ cup pretzels (roughly broken into pieces)
½ cup peanuts
120g chocolate, roughly chopped (I used the Pretzel and Peanut Chocolate by Cadbury – I think their plain or Picnic varieties would work well too)

Method:
Heat oven to 180°C. Line a 20cm square pan with baking paper.
Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, sugars, and cocoa together in a large bowl.  Add in the wet ingredients and mix well to combine.  Stir through the pretzels, peanuts and chocolate chunks.
Press the mixture into the lined pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until firm. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.