Have you noticed a bit of a theme going on here? Chocolate and Orange AGAIN? Well, it is my favourite chocolate combo and when you can healthily eat chocolate for breakfast with the sprightly zest of orange, what could possibly be wrong with that?
For those of you who are baffled by the title of this recipe - Jaffa Cake - Jaffa Cakes are a ubiquitous treat in the UK, a cakey bottom, an orange jelly layer, coated in thin chocolate that crackles and shatters as you bite in to it. I've never met a child nor adult who doesn't love jaffa cakes, symbolic of 90's packed lunches. But, unfortunately I have never discovered a vegan variety hence my need to make Jaffa Cake inspired smoothies, cupcakes, oatmeal or muffins!
More importantly, this recipe comes to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight to remember, thank and support the farmers around the world who grow and produce the foods we eat every single day without a single thought. That banana we grab on the run and that handful of cashews we throw into our blender, were laboured by growers in some of the poorest parts of the world, many of whom can't eat more than a single meal a day despite the foods they grow, that we eat.
The theme of Fairtrade Fortnight 2016 is: Sit Down for Breakfast, Stand Up for Farmers.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Have a hearty breakfast and you will feel energised, think clearly and stay active as the day carries on. However, millions of people across the world don't earn enough to know where their next meal is coming from, and half of the world's hungry people live on small farms despite them growing the food we have every day.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2016 will run from 29 FEBRUARY - 13 MARCH and will highlight the severe lack of food guarantee for farmersaround the world, bringing together shoppers, campaigners and businesses to take action. The multi-platform campaign will feature a giant Fairtrade breakfast to inspire UK public to sit down for breakfast in support of the farmers who grow the food we have every morning, such as coffee, tea, cocoa and bananas.
From Ma's Happy Life Kitchen Coconut Milk to Traidcraft's GEOBARS and a cup of Percol's Fairtrade and Organic Americano, Fairtrade products make a real difference to the lives, and futures, of more than 1.5 million farmers and workers in developing nations.
For more information about Fairtrade Fortnight 2016, visit http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/breakfast.
Fairtrade products don't always mean more expensive products for us, or there might be a mere few pence in it. So if you can, use Fairtrade wherever possible and as you can afford. Luckily, in some supermarkets, some products are only available in Fairtrade form so you are supporting farmers effortlessly.
Ingredients: Makes 10 servings
- 2 cups jumbo oats (gf certified if necessary)
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup melon seeds
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup dessicated or shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup popped quinoa
- 1 tbsp rice protein powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup pecans
- zest and juice of a large orange
- 1/4 cup cashew butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp cocoa
- 1/4 cup dried cherries
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 120C/250F
- Mix dry ingredients (up to and including orange zest) except cherries and cocoa
- Melt the cashew butter, syrup, orange juice, vanilla and cocoa in a small pan until smooth. Mix cocoa mixture into the dry mix
- Spread out evenly on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, stir and return for a further 5-10 minutes. It will crisp on cooling.
- Stir in the dried cherries once cooled.