An assortment of goodies :)

Right, it's been a while, so I've got lots of things I've made over the last week or so to update about. So expect plenty of posts today!

Firstly, Banana Maple Nut balls.
Basically, I dried some slices of fresh banana in the microwave, then put them in the blender with some cashew nuts, pecans and currants. Then added a handful of oats, a pinch of cinnamon, a drop of vanilla, a drizzle of maple syrup and a teaspoon of cocoa powder, stirred it all in, then rolled them into balls.

Next up; Chocolate-coated cranberries.
This is pretty much as simple as it sounds, but makes an extra special alternative to chocolate raisins.
I melted some Belgian plain chocolate in a bain mairie-type system, using a metal camping bowl with a rim over a pan of simmering water. I then stirred-in as many cranberries as I could fit, making sure they were all covered, but that there wasn't too much spare chocolate dripping off them. i then using a fork to take them out and place them on a plate covered in greaseproof paper.

I left them to set in the fridge, then scrapped them off into a bowl and sprinkled with cocoa powder and vanilla dusting sugar. Delicious!

And finally, Toasted mixed seeds.
These are one of the simplest possible things to make, but are very much worth it. Just heat a dry frying pan and throw a couple of handfuls of your favourite types of seeds in, then sprinkle with 1-2 teaspoons of soya sauce. Keep stirring them over a medium heat for a minute or two until they're golden and crunchy.

They're fantastic served in liberal heaps on salad, but you can always just snack on them by the handful!

Jen x