For my Stuffed Baked Apple recipe, I have used a cranberry and hazelnut filling. This is a very seasonal, delicious filling combining the crunch of the hazelnut with the tartness of the cranberries and the sweetness from the agave nectar oozing into the apple – yum!

Stuffed Baked Apple Ingredients: serves 4

• 4 x Bramley Apples (1 per person)
• 100g fresh cranberries
• Handful of chopped hazelnuts
• Splash of Orange Juice
• 1 tbsp of Agave Nectar

Stuffed Baked Apple Recipe:

Add the fresh cranberries to a saucepan, squeeze in the agave nectar and enough orange juice up to the level of the cranberries. Place on a medium heat until the cranberries begin to simmer, turn the heat to low and leave to stew for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Taste and add more agave nectar if required.

Meanwhile, prepare the apples. Using an apple corer, remove 3/4 of the apple core, ensuring all the pips are removed whilst leaving a base layer of apple to keep the filling in. If you do not own an apple corer, you can use a knife and teaspoon instead.

Once all the apples are cored. Pierce the skin of each apple, all the way around to aid the cooking process.

When the cranberry mixture is ready, remove from the heat, place in a mixing bowl and stir in the chopped hazelnuts.

Place the apples on a baking tray and pour the cranberry mixture evenly between each apple.

Place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes. Remove from the oven when they are soft / your desired texture. Overcooking the apple will cause them to collapse so keep a watchful eye on them!

Serve with a dollop of Oatly Cream, Vanilla Booja Booja Ice Cream.

Stuffed Baked Apple – delicious, seasonal, heart warming english food fussy foodie style!

Pefkect Granola contains – Jumbo Oats, Golden Linseeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Almonds, Brazil Nuts, Pecan Nuts, agave nectar  and Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil.

Now at £4.99 a pop Perfekt Granola is a bit pricey however it’s pretty tasty and you can  make it last longer using a few spoonfuls spice up some of the usual breakfast cereal suspects. I had my Perfekt Granola this morning with some puffed oats, a few extra seeds with a splash of oatly and I have to say the taste was pretty special, so look out for the special box next time you need some cereal.

For one mug of coconut hot chocolate:

• 1/3 of a 400ml can of coconut milk
• Chunk of 100% Pure Cacao or tbsp of cocoa (mixed with water to a paste)
• Squeeze of agave nectar (1/2 tsp)
• 80ml of water
• Pinch of cinnamon

Add the coconut milk, cacao, agave nectar, water and cinnamon to a non stick pan. Gently heat until all the cacao has melted and the liquid is slightly thickened, taste for sweetness and serve immediately in a mug to enjoy.

Hope you all enjoy my coconut hot chocolate treat as much as I did.

Egg Free Muffins Ingredients (6-8 muffins):

• 8oz Gluten free flour – I used 50% Rice Flour 50% Gram Flour
• 2 1/2 tsps Gluten free baking powder
• 2 tbsps dessicated coconut
• 1 tbsps Agave Nectar (2 big squeezes)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tsp Ener-G Egg replacer (beaten in 2 tbsps of water)
• 1/2 pint milk ( I used 50% rice milk 50% soya milk)
• 3 tbsps oil

To make the egg free muffins, preheat oven to 200 degrees C (Gas mark 6). Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Stir in the dessicated coconut and agave nectar.

In a separate bowl combine the egg replacer, milk and oil. Add at once to the flour mixture and stir to combine thoroughly.

Pour the muffin mixture into greased muffin or fairy cake tins then bake in the over for 25 or until done. Pop the muffins out of the tin to cool, or if like me eat straight from the oven.

I am really excited to try lots of different flavours of egg free muffins, as this recipe can really form the basis of any muffin flavour. Give them a try, as I would love to know what you think.

It was a taste sensation as the taste of creamy coconut cream melted in my mouth, with tiny pieces of coconut to add some bite – loved it!  How can something with so little in taste so great: Pure water from reverse osmosis, Agave Nectar, Cashew Nuts and Coconut.

Vegan coconut ice cream from Booja Booja - with cocoa sprinkle

I have now tried two Booja Booja Ice Cream varieties and the chocolate is still my favourite  as I love the cocoa kick that it has.

Buy from: www.goodnessdirect.com

Booja Booja have done it again with this vegan coconut ice cream, it’s a really summery taste one that I will be tasting again soon. In fact I am just holding off diving into the freezer now as I type this and it’s only 7:40am.

Chocolate Agar Mousse Ingredients – serves 2

• 245 ml Soya Milk (you could also use oatly, rice milk  etc)
• 1 oz 100% Pure Cacao (big hunk)
• 1 heaped tsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsps of Agave Nectar (adjust to taste)
• 1tsp Agar Flakes
• 3 heaped tsp Oatly Cream (optional)

In a cast iron or non stick pan add the soya milk and cocoa. Gently heat the milk, stirring occasionally to incorporate and melt the 100% cacao. During this process in a small bowl mix the cocoa powder with a small amount of water to make a paste, once the paste is ready add to the milk mixture and combine. Whilst stirring bring to a gentle boil, once combined add the Agar Flakes and Agave Nectar and stir for a minute or so to dissolve the Agar Flakes.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a food processor and blitz to ensure that all ingredients are well combined. At this stage add the optional oatly cream (you could also use goats cream if tolerated), this gives a lighter agar mousse.

Pour the chocolate agar mousse mixture into small ramkins and put in the fridge to set for a couple of hours.

My tasty chocolate agar mousse

Once set simply grab a spoon and enjoy the Agar Mousse - my partner Phil and I really enjoyed both the taste and the texture, so it will be on the menu again very soon.

For this seriously simple tasty treat all you need is some:

• Cacao - 100% chocolate
• Agave nectar (could do with honey if an option)
• Soya, Rice Milk or Oatly Milk
• Optional: Sugar Free Vanilla Essence, Pinch of Cinnamon
• Various items to dip in fondue: nuts, banana, strawberries etc

I have only done this once so it’s more an idea at the moment rather than specific measures etc, so be prepared to wing it a little.

To make the sugar free fondue:

1. In a glass bowl over some simmering water melt a large lump of cacao
2. Whilst melting squeeze in a big heaped teaspoon of agave nectar
3. Keep mixing the chocolate mixture over a low temperature until melted
4. Once melted keep stirring over the heat and briskly mix in a few tablespoons of the milk (soya, rice, oatly) to make a runny chocolate mixture. If this congeals keep mixing and add a little more liquid to get the desired consistency.
5. Taste for sweetness and adjust according to taste
6. Take your dipping items and dunk into the sugar free fondue mixture and enjoy!

NB. Top tip we used tooth pick to dip the fruit into the mixture a great way to cover the fruit and keep your hands clean.

I will be making this tasty sugar free fondue again, so will take a photo for next time. It was eaten way to quickly for any fondue photo opportunity his time.

Thai is great for Fussy Foodies as its easy to adapt for most food intolerances.

My bite sized thai fish cakes

I adapted my recipe from Delia’s – Thai Fishcake recipes – thanks Delia for the inspiration!

Thai Fish Cake Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450 g) any white fish (cod, haddock, hake, etc.) weighed after boning and skinning - cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 spring onions, very finely sliced into rounds (including the green parts)
• 2 heaped tbsp Thai paste
• 1 green chilli, de-seeded
• 2 tbsp groundnut or seasame oil for frying
• Salt

Thai fish cake recipe steps:

1. Place the chunks of fish, the coriander leaves, lime juice, spring onions, Thai paste, chilli and a little salt in a food processor and blend till you have a finely minced texture – don’t blend it to a fine purée, else it will go sloppy.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl, take dessertspoons of the mixture and form them into balls, squeezing the mixture together.
3. Place them on a flat surface and flatten them out with the palm of your hand into small cake shapes about 1½ inches (4 cm) in diameter. You should get 16 in all.
4. Put fish cakes on a plate and cover with clingfilm and leave them in the fridge for a couple of hours to firm up.
5. When ready to cook the fish cakes, heat 2 tbls of preferred oil in a frying pan and, when it’s very hot and beginning to shimmer, fry the cakes for about 1 minute on each side, then drain on kitchen paper. Serve whilst pipping hot!

To accompany the Thai Fish cakes I made two dipping sauces, prior to cooking the fish cakes…

Cucumber dipping sauce:

• 2 inches (5 cm) unpeeled cucumber
• 2 shallots or salad onions
• 1 small carrot
• 1 small green chilli, de-seeded
• 1 level tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 level tbsp roasted peanuts
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar
• 4 fl oz (110 ml) rice vinegar or wine vinegar (0ptional)
• 1 tbsp Wheat Free Soya Sauce
• 1 tbsp seasame or groundnut oil

N.B Due to the vinegar this dipping recipe contains yeast.

Cucumber dipping sauce recipe steps:

1. Place the cucumber, shallots or salad onions, carrot, chilli, ginger and peanuts in the a food processor and whiz till very finely chopped.
2. Transfer the chopped vegetables to a bowl. Next mix the agave nectar with the vinegar to dissolve it, then pour it over the vegetables along with the soy sauce and oil. Mix thoroughly – chill until ready to serve.

Sesame and lime dipping sauce:

• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 dsp Thai fish sauce – sugar free version
• 1 tbsp wheat free soy sauce
• 1 medium red chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped

Sesame and lime dipping sauce recipe steps:

1. To make this dipping first step is to toast the sesame seeds. Using a small, solid frying pan, add the sesame seeds and toast them, moving them around in the pan to brown them evenly. As soon as they begin to splutter and pop and turn golden, they’re ready – this will take 1-2 minutes.
2. Remove sesame seeds from the frying pan to a serving bowl and simply stir in the rest of the ingredients – chill until ready to serve.

Thai Fish Cakes verdict:

If you fancy something Thai and tasty for an evening meal this week give thes Thai Fish cakes ago.

Agave nectar is described as being …

“real alternative to sugar. And a natural substitute for those naughty synthetic sweeteners.”

The Agave Plant

The Agave plant, originating in Mexico, has long been cultivated on the well-drained rocky slopes of this region.

The agave plant

Typically the liquid is fermented  from the agave plant, which is now widely known as Tequila, and until recently has been the main use of the plant.

What is Agave Nectar?

Within the agave plant is a pineapple-like core (called pina), the pina contains the nectar. The nectar has to then be refined to break down the complex carbohydrates into simple sugars (primarily fructose).

To produce the agave nectar product, the agave juice is pressed from the core and then filtered to increase clarity. The nectar is then heated, causing thermic hydrolysis, resulting in the transition from complex carbohydrate to simple sugar. The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan.

This process gives a sweet syrup, like a very runny treacle and dissolves easily in liquid.

• When substituting agave as a sweetener in recipes, reduce your liquid by about 1/4th and reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees
• Pure agave has a shelf life of about 3 years
• Agave is about 25% sweeter than table sugar (sucrose) due to its fructose content, consequently, less agave is needed for the same effect.

Agave Nectar GI Index

Agave nectar generally typically carries a GI index between 25 and 50, assuming its not been messed with.

NB. Honey has a GI of about 83, and glucose has a GI of 137. Anything below 55 is defined as low glycemic, and considered diabetic friendly.

Agave Nectra and Candida

“The form of fructose in agave nectar is a complex structure called inulin. Inulins are a group of short chain fructose molecules called oligosaccharides which occur naturally in few sugar sources. Inulin helps in the absorption of Calcium and Magnesium. The sugar in agave nectar, while still being very sweet, does not feed Candida yeast and other unfriendly anaerobic bacteria in the small intestines and Colon. Anaerobic bacteria recognize the inulin in agave nectar as a sugar source yet when they try and feed on it as other sugar sources you have been putting in your body the unfriendly bacteria cannot extract sufficient energy from the Agave nectar to progress life cycle. “ Sourced from Health N Vitality Website

So it seems Agave Nectarreally is a winning sugar alternative. It’s versatile, tastes great, so sweet you only use a tiny amount and it won’t spike blood glucose quite as badly as white sugar, brown sugar, or honey. Overall as with anything I think Agave Nectar should be used in moderation but is a great addition to a Fussy Foodie store cupboard.

Agave nectar chewy oaty bar

Agave Nectar Chewy Oat Bar Ingredients (makes approx. 10 pieces)

• 6oz porridge oat
• 2oz pumpkin or sunflower seeds, or a mixture of the two
• 1oz desiccated coconut
• 1oz rice flour
• 7oz agave nectar 2 tbsps Agave Nectar
• 5oz dried fruit, chopped (I used apricots, dates and sultanas)
• 4½oz crunchy peanut butter (sugar & dairy free)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract / half a vanilla pod
• Splash of milk of your choice (I used Oatly)

NB. This recipe has been tweaked based on Rachel Allens recipe on bbc.co.uk.

Agave Nectar Chewy Oat Bar Recipe

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees.  Grease and line a rectangular baking tray with baking paper, leaving a small amount of baking paper over hanging the sides to make it easier to remove after baking.

Weigh out the dry ingredients (oats, flour, seeds) and mix in a large mixing bowl.

Add the peanut butter, and agave nectar to a saucepan and warm through on the hob for a couple of minutes. When warmed through, add enough Oatly / milk to make a syrup consistency then add the dried fruit and stir until the peanut butter melts.

Once melted and the ingredients have combined, pour over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Transfer to the baking tray, pressing down firmly. Place in the pre-heated oven for approximately 25 minutes, or until the mixture becomes golden brown and firm to the touch.

Leave in the baking tray to cool and harden. Once cool, remove the bar from the tray, cut into pieces and enjoy!

The bars will last for about a week in an airtight container and are suitable for freezing.

These Agave Nectar Chewy Oat Bars really are a nice treat and so simple to make using everyday ingredients. The recipe could also be adapted in so many ways to suit individual tastes – all seeds, all dried fruit, maybe adding cocoa / cacao could work or if you fancy an even bigger treat, maybe 85% chocolate chips!