These no-bake almond cherry bars are a super easy, delicious treat that all the family will love! Perfect in lunchboxes for the kids or as a grab-and-go snack, they're full of natural ingredients and taste divine. Enjoy!

Recipe by Amie Forster.

Makes 12 | Prep time: 10 minutes | Chill time: 1 hour 

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Oats
• ½ Cup Almond/Peanut Butter
• ½ Cup Fresh Cherries (de-stoned)
• ¼ Cup Maple Syrup
• ½ Cup Almonds
• ½ Cup Desiccated Coconut

Method

1. Mix oats, almonds and coconut in a bowl; add maple and nut butter and mix well.
2. Add cherries and mix again until all oats and coconut have stuck with the wet ingredients.
3. Place in a medium baking tray and freeze for a minimum of one hour.
4. Remove from freezer and cut into bars.
5. Store individually in the freezer for up to one month.

Photo Credit: HaaralaHamilton

Our friends the Squirrel Sisters, Gracie and Sophie Tyrrell, have a new cookbook out and gave us here at Sundried a sneak-peek of one of their delicious new healthy recipes.

Their book, Naturally Delicious Snacks & Treats: Over 100 healthy recipes by Gracie and Sophie Tyrrell, published by Pavilion Books, is available now on Amazon.

Salmon Skewers Recipe

Lovely, zesty pesto goes really well with fish so long as you leave out the usual Parmesan. Try to buy the slimmer-in-width, but thicker-in-general fillets of salmon so you can get 5-6 chunky dice out of each one. Thinner fillets won’t hold onto the skewers quite so well.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 chunky salmon fillets (about 360g)
• 8-12 cherry tomatoes
• Olive oil, for frying

For the pesto:

• 40g rocket (arugula)
• 15g cup pine nuts
• Zest of 1 small lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Start by making the pesto. Put the rocket, pine nuts, lemon zest and juice, sea salt flakes and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with black pepper and a little more salt, if wished, to taste.

Chop the salmon into 2.5–3-cm chunks and pop them in a bowl. Add half of the pesto and stir to coat the salmon well. You can leave this to marinate in the fridge if you have time, or just cook them straight away.

Thread the salmon chunks onto short skewers, alternating with the cherry tomatoes. You should get 4–6 skewers in total.

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large non- stick frying pan (skillet). Add the skewers and cook for about 10 minutes in total, turning every couple of minutes so that each of the sides gets browned.

Serve with the remaining pesto drizzled over the top.

Blueberry muffins have got to be one of the most underrated sweet treats of all time. What could be better than a perfectly soft muffin dotted with deliciously tangy and tart blueberries? A vegan version!

Many thanks to Wheybox for this recipe.

Serves: 6 | Baking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

100g oats

100g ground almonds

100g blueberries

2x blueberry flavour No Whey sachets

250ml dairy-free milk (oat, soy, almond)

3 tbsp maple syrup

Method

Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth

Spoon into muffin cases

Bake for 35 minutes at 180 degrees/Gas Mark 4

Top with coconut for an extra indulgent treat!

Many thanks to the team at Vega® for this recipe.

Serves 4 | 20 Minutes Prep Time

Homemade vegan ice cream, is there anything better…? How about Protein Vegan Ice Cream Sundaes! Not only is this recipe utterly delicious, we have added our Vega Essentials Nutritional Powder to the ice cream mixture to increase the protein and vitamin content. So, you think you’re just eating classic ice cream, however you’re also eating lots of fruit and vegetables that contribute to the 16 different vitamins and minerals present in just one scoop of Vega Essentials. Not that you can taste them!

So why not give this recipe a go, no ice cream maker required, just a few sandwich bags and you’ll have a refreshing dessert in this hot weather in no time!

Ingredients

Vegan Ice Cream

500 ml plant-based drink, like coconut or almond

50 g coconut or caster sugar

1 ripe avocado

1 scoop Chocolate Vega Essentials Nutritional Powder

25 g cocoa powder

1 pinch salt

Vegan Ice Cream equipment

4 re-sealable small sandwich bags

4 re-sealable large sandwich bags

Bag ice cubes

300 g rock salt

Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream

400 ml can coconut milk, **CHILLED OVERNIGHT**

1 tsp vanilla extract

Maple syrup, as desired

Chocolate Sauce

1 large bar dark chocolate

1 Tbsp coconut oil

Optional Toppings: Cherries, roasted nuts

Preparation

Vegan Ice Cream

Blend together the ice cream ingredients until smooth and then pour evenly between into 4 small sandwich bags. Seal tightly, trying to remove as much air as possible.

In the large sandwich bags, evenly distribute the ice and rock salt.

Place one small sandwich bag into each large bag and seal tightly.

Squeeze the bags for 10 to 15 minutes or until the ice cream is thickened.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Meanwhile, remove only the coconut cream from the can of coconut milk.

Using an electric mixer, whip until soft peaks form. Add in vanilla extract and maple syrup as desired.

Chocolate Sauce

Break the chocolate into cubes. In the microwave or in a pan over a low heat, melt the chocolate and coconut oil until just melted

Assemble Sundae

Place the ice cream in bowls, top with chocolate sauce, whipped cream and any extra toppings.

For more delicious recipes by Vega® make sure to follow them on Instagram (@VegaTeam_UK) and Facebook!

This dairy-free salted caramel cheesecake uses GATO & Co melting chocolate fondants as the base for a touch of luxury and is perfect for impressing guests at a dinner party or just for enjoying yourself!

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the base

3 x GATO & Co. Melting Chocolate Fondants

For the cheesecake

• 156g cashews (soaked overnight)
• 37.5g coconut oil (melted)
• 25g cacao butter (melted)
• 37.5g almond butter or tahini
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 2 tbsp light agave nectar or maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp mesquite or maca powder (optional)
• 1 tsp lucuma powder (optional)
• Pinch fine Himalayan pink/sea salt (if coarse, grind)
• 1 lemon, juice only
• 87.5g courgette (peeled and cubed)

For the salted caramel

• 37.5 g coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup nut milk of choice
• 2 pitted medjool dates (soaked in hot water for 1 hour)
• 2 tbsp light agave nectar or maple syrup
• 2 tbsp almond butter ortahini
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp sea salt or 1/4 tsp fine Himalayan pink
• 1/4 tsp mesquite or maca powder (optional)
• 1/4 tsp lucuma powder (optional)

Method:

1. Start by dividing your GATO puds equally into a silicone mould with 8 cavities or alternatively place into a small, lined, springform cake tin. I found that roughly 2 tbsp per cavity was best. ‘Knuckle’ in the mixture until evenly distributed. Place into the fridge/freezer until needed later.
2. Place all of the ingredients for your cheesecake into the bowl of your food processor, except for the courgette, and process until smooth. Add your peeled and cubed courgette and process on low until fully combined. 
3. Place your silicone mould (or cake tin) onto a baking tray – this will make it easier to transport to your fridge or freezer. Pour the filling into the indentations and place in the refrigerator for up to 3 hours, or the freezer for 30 mins-1 hour, until set.
4. It’s now time to whip up your salted caramel topping. Drain your soaked dates and place into a bullet style blender of food processor and blend until smooth.
5. Remove your cheesecakes from the mould and drizzle over your salted caramel - enjoy!

Recipe developed by Georgina Young