#foodiefriendsinlottieskitchen
Life has been treating me well lately. I am full of inspiration and ideas, am currently still doing my Guest Editor week at Finnberry (see post below) and have a new thing coming now! Yes, I am very excited to announce a new project that I'm working on - it's called #foodiefriendsinlottieskitchen and will be a series of my favourite foodie friends creating recipes to be shared in Lottie's little kitchen - that is HERE! Furthermore I'll properly introduce them and tell you about why they instagram and what their favourite foods are. These are the two things that inspire me most about instagram and I'm excited to hear what my foodie friends will say.
And the first one of them is my lovely friend Gabriela, a polish girl who lives in Canada. She has one of the prettiest, natural and flowery instagram accounts (@nourishingeveryday), but furthermore Brie was the first girl I ever got in contact with via instagram and has turned into a real life friend of mine. We talk and laugh a lot together (via snapchat and whatsapp that is, blame the distance!) and I'm so happy she has escaped the monster that was anorexia and is now a vibrant and wonderfully positive healthnut! Brie recently launched a blog about healthy eating and recovery which can be found here! About why she instagrams and her favourite foods Brie says:
"My favorite food is vegetable sushi with soy sauce! I absolutely love to go out with my family on special occasions and catch up over chopsticks, green tea, and sushi. My favorites are sweet potato, avocado, and mango! There are a few reasons why I instagram. One very obvious reason is that I LOVE food! I'm a total foodie! But I love incorporating plant-based foods that have wonderful health benefits into each of my meals. Two, I love photography, and although I am not especially talented and do not have to time to fully dedicate myself to it, I love making my food look beautiful and snapping a picture to share with the world! Three, and most importantly, I instagram to share my story with others. I talk about very personal, often embarrassing aspects of my recovery from Anorexia because those are the things others don't really share, but need to be heard the most. I hope to help people who are lost find their way out by guiding them slowly with my photos and words.
My girl Brie is also known as absolut pumpkin fanatic no. 1 and so she of course made something containing those! Yes, she was kind enough to create some absolutely incredible pumkin pie bites with a lot of delicious spices for me and for you guys to remake! I hope you'll love them just as much as I do!"
(crust)
8 medjool dates
2/4 cup pecans
¾ cup rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
(filling)
½ cup pure pumpkin puree (can be made by frying and blending pieces of pumpkin!)
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup soaked cashews
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp cinnamon
As Brie says, these are a little tricky to make, but totally fun at the same time!
Soak your cashews overnight, or at least for 4 or so hours before you begin making your balls. Start off with your crust. Combine the dates combine with the pecans, oats, and cinnamon. Blend on high speed until your mixture is coarse and a little sticky. You can add very little amounts of water if your mixture isn’t blending easily, but the more you add, the sticker they get…so be careful.
For the filling combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, cashews, vanilla, and cinnamon and blend until smooth. Then spread the crust on a parchmentpaper into a long rectangle. Using a small spoon, put a dollop of filling onto 6 spaces. Using a knife, cut the outline of 6 squares around the filling, and one at a time, start rolling up the corners to close the balls. Roll it in your hands to give it a round shape, and put it on a tray on another piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the squares, and when you are done, chop some pecans and roll the balls in them for some extra fun! Chill in the freezer for 2 hours, and then enjoy your little snack! Store any extras in a container in the freezer. Thaw for about 5 minutes before eating.
Amazing right? I'm off to the supermarket now to buy pumpkins... bye!