Baklava Cheesecake Bars

What is it about cheesecake that makes people go cuckoo over it. Whenever we go out to eat with our little sister, it is guaranteed, without fail that she will order a cheesecake for dessert. We once asked her why this was, and she said she just couldn't help it, whenever there's cheesecake it automatically trumps every other dessert surrounding it, is what she explained.

Well, we didn't have the right pan to make a cheesecake cheesecake, but we did make cheesecake bars! This way it's a small portion of an incredibly rich dessert that just feels like you're eating a snack. We added stevia and reduced some of the honey to make them a bit healthier. Remember cream cheese, greek yogurt and eggs all have lots of protein to balance out the glycemic index, so you won't get horrible sugar highs with this cheesecake!

These were honestly so deliciously creamy, we ended up making them twice. If you're a fan of baklava then you will really love these! Splurge on some good quality honey instead of billy bee, you'll really taste the difference in these.

 Drizzle honey and top with walnuts!

Crust
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup spelt flour
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp honey

Filling
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1/4 cup good quality honey
1 tsp lemon juice
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp egg whites
Stevia to taste
Pinch of salt

Combine crust ingredients, press into a small cake pan (9 X 9). Bake for about 8 minutes on 350F or until golden. Take out of oven, layer chopped walnuts and drizzled honey on the bottom, then pour in cream cheese mixture. Bake for another 30 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes in fridge, or ideally overnight. And there you have it! Drizzle with more honey and top with more walnuts.

Mocha Monkey Breakfast Cookies

If you love coffee flavoured sweet things, you will love these cookies! Jenn and I wanted to make breakfast cookies but not your usual dried fruit and nut cookies that you see frequently in coffee shops and on the web. We wanted something fun and different, enter the Mocha Monkey! Coffee, chocolate, banana, almond, and oat deliciousness! We didn't want them too sweet, there's only 3 tbsp honey plus a little stevia, which makes them perfect for breakfast!

These came out crispy on the outside and chewy and soft on the inside. If you like a crispier cookie, just flatten out before baking.

 

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 egg

1/4 cup almond milk

1 tsp instate coffee
1/4 cup almond milk

3/4 cup spelt flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp honey

1/2 cup almonds

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup banana chips crumbled 

Stevia to taste (we added about 1/4 tsp)

Combine dry ingredients including instant coffee, mix eggs and almond milk. Combine wet into dry, add coconut oil, and almonds, chocolate chips and banana chips. Bake for 15-16 minutes at 350F.

These were honestly so so good! I always underestimate coffee flavour in baked goods and desserts. If you haven't tried coffee in cookies definitely give these a go! We ate the whole plate in less than an hour.

Sweet Potato Goat Cheese Quiche

This is our first ever quiche! Can you believe it? I think I had one once at Cultures salad bar in the mall, but that was way back in the day. To us, quiche represents adventure, venturing out into the abyss that is eggs and cheese, which is kind of hilariously sad considering quiche is a staple to most people. But after making this version involving goat cheese and our favourite veggie: the sweet potato, it's safe to say quiche is the word.

We were inspired by Coconut and Quinoa's recipe for Sweet Potato Quiche. The only thing is we substituted the cream for milk and substituted the swiss cheese for more goat cheese. It turned out pretty rich and creamy so no worries if you don't have heavy cream, just sub milk in!

This is super super simple, just look at the number of ingredients. And although there's not much to it, it's incredibly delicious! We just kept saying, this is so good, this is so good, why is quiche so good, ahh! etc. This would be the perfect thing for brunch or if you want to bring something vegetarian but also fancy to a potluck. (Yes, potlucks aren't just for the middle aged). The goat cheese makes it so velvety smooth! And it goes surprisingly well with the sweet potato. You can sub arugula or spinach for the parsley, or add in some red onion!

You could mix and match your ingredients too, the combinations are endless! One veggie, one cheese and one herb. We thought of, red pepper, feta and oregano; or potato, cheddar, and chive!

Crust:

1 cup spelt flour

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup warm water

Filling:

1 small sweet potato, cubed and roasted

1/3 cup crumbled goat's cheese

Handful of chopped parsley

3 eggs

1 1/4 cup organic 2 % milk

1/4 tsp salt

Black pepper

Combine ingredients for crust, pat into pie plate and flute (make a fancy design) around the rim. Once potatoes are roasted add into pie crust along with cheese and parsley. Pour egg mixture over top and bake on 350F for 45 minutes, I only baked mine for 30-ish possible 35 min. You'll know when it's done when the egg mixture is puffed and cooked through (it shouldn't wiggle when you shift the pan).  

Now that we've made quiche once, we will never again under-estimate quiches and their ridiculously easy and economical deliciousness.