All posts tagged: chocolate

Lotus Biscoff Rocky Road

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With New Zealand back in Lockdown 3.0, this means more time for baking and getting creative in the kitchen! My favourite things to bake are cookies, brownies, slices and more recently, rocky road. The world-famous Lotus Biscoff has finally landed in New Zealand (available in New World and Pak’nSave supermarkets) and I was recently sent some of their biscuits and spread to try… very exciting!!! (ad/gifted). Lotus Biscoff will take your coffee experience to a whole new level, with its unique flavour (using an original recipe created in 1932, and baked in Lembeke, Belgium), crunchy bite and iconic shape. Their biscuits and spread taste like caramel gingerbread… the perfect excuse to use in baking! While I had plans to make Biscoff Stuffed Cookies, I settled on Rocky Road instead. This delicious and decadent recipe only has five ingredients – Lotus Biscoff Spread and Biscuits, Butter, Nestle Milkybar Gold Chocolate (similar to Caramilk) and Marshmallows – these cuties were purchased from Japan Mart. Recipe below – enjoy! Lotus Biscoff Rocky Road Ingredients 3 x 170g blocks …

Taste of Auckland 19

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HEADS UP FOODIES… TASTE OF AUCKLAND IS HERE!!! November is the most exciting month of the year, for three reasons: 1. It is my birthday month; 2. It is starting to feel like summer; and 3. Taste of Auckland has arrived – woohoo! On Thursday night, I attended my sixth Taste of Auckland, including the VIP Opening, where Taste presented the ‘Best in Taste Awards’, judged by MARCO PIERRE WHITE (and daughter), Tony Stewart (Clooney), Chand Sahrawat (Sid at The French Cafe/Cassia) and Amanda Linnell (VIVA). The winning dish was the Beetroot Taco Pao with Pulled Sticky Pork Belly, Pickled Carrot and Crispy Shallots by Nanam. Jessabel Granada / Executive Chef at Nanam Plus, a new award this year – ‘People’s Choice Award’ – judged by Nicole O’Brien, who won a VIVA competition to become the judge! Her top pick was the “Miann Hot Dog” with Chocolate Parfait, Eclair, Passionfruit and Raspberry by Miann. Read more below to see a picture! Held over four days (31 October – 3 November), Taste of Auckland is ideal for those who love food, cooking and everything in between. In other words, it is …

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

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I don’t know about you, but when I hear ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Peanut Butter’ in the same sentence, I get REALLY REALLY EXCITED! I love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but unfortunately they are full of sugar and also not good for the waistline, and because I love to eat a variety of chocolate during the week, I wanted to find a balance between the two.  Below is my recipe for Vegan Peanut Butter Cups – they are super simple and easy to make, and only require 4 ingredients! Can also guarantee that your friends and family will love them! Makes 24 mini cups. INGREDIENTS For the Peanut Butter Cups: 1 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Revive Peanut Butter) 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (I like Blue Coconut) 1 tablespoon maple syrup For the Chocolate Topping: 1 cup of coconut oil, melted 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 x 100g blocks of 70% Lindt chocolate (it is in fact vegan – yay!), roughly chopped and melted METHOD 1. Pop 24 mini muffin cases on trays.  2. Combine the coconut oil, maple syrup and dark chocolate …

Matakana Village Farmers’ Market

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One of the main reasons Aucklanders’ make the trip up to Matakana is to visit the famous Matakana Village Farmers’ Market. With it being only an hour (or less) drive up, it is a great activity to do on a Saturday. My parents moved up to Matakana last year, so every few weekends I have been checking out this foodie lover’s market.  You will find an array of foodie delights – there are many artisan producers selling their products, most of which are made locally in and around Matakana. These include:  An abundance of colourful Fruits and Vegetables Homemade Nut Butters including peanut, almond, cashew and dark chocolate Homemade Baking and Pies Handcrafted Chocolates Crepes, Sausages, Whitebait Fritters and Mexican Food Cheeses like blue, brie, Camembert and feta Plus, locally brewed coffee and beer, olive oils, fine wines (hello feijoa!), beautiful flowers, live music, and of course, the dog sitting service which is seriously cute (you cannot bring your dogs into the market). Tips for the market: Get there early (ideally 9am on the dot), …

A Weekend in Wellington

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It was my birthday a few weeks’ ago, so I decided to spend a weekend in Wellington. Here’s what we got up to on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy! FRIDAY We arrived in Wellington around 1pm and thankfully, it was a nice sunny day! Uber seemed a tempting way to get to our hotel, but instead we caught the Airport bus to the “Wellington Railway Station” ($12 one way). The trip only takes about 20 minutes, but somehow we missed our stop, and ended up on the motorway, driving to Petone! Never fear, we had planned to visit Petone in the afternoon. Ravenous, we headed to Kilim for a late lunch. Kilim is a family owned restaurant (there is also a branch in Napier which we have been to) and they do great Turkish fare. We ordered their Doner Kebab with chicken and Iskender Meal with falafel, which also comes with a generous amount of rice, hummus, beetroot dip, mixed salad, tabbouleh and Turkish bread. Both meals were filling, delicious and reasonably priced. Highly recommend …

Krispy Kreme Chancery Square

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  Attention doughnut lovers, the HYPE is real… Krispy Kreme is opening a third store in Auckland CBD’s Chancery Square… tomorrow!!! This world-famous doughnut and coffee chain first opened in 1937, and the brand is still going strong, having celebrated its 80th birthday last year (on 13 July). There are over 1,000 stores around the world – with New Zealand now in the mix, 35 countries selling these divine doughnuts! In February, Krispy Kreme opened its first New Zealand store in Manukau and its second store last month at Auckland Airport’s domestic terminal. It has been a roaring success ever since! The new Krispy Kreme store in Chancery is extra special – it is not just a second store, but a brand-new look for Krispy Kreme – first of its kind in the world. It is Krispy Kreme like you have never experienced before! Are you excited yet?! Details for the Grand Opening below… Tonight, Evo and I went along to Krispy Kreme’s new store in Chancery for an exclusive sneak peak! This new branch is …

Choc-Almond Slice with Cocavo

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Baking is one of my favourite hobbies. Cookies, brownies and slices are my favourite things to bake. So, when I was sent the whole range of Cocavo products recently (and having never used their products in baking or cooking before), I was super excited to create a recipe using Cocavo’s products.  For those of you that are not familiar with Cocavo, they are a New Zealand owned and run company which produces a unique blend of extra virgin coconut and avocado oils, bringing the healthiest cooking oil to the market. Their products are made from all natural premium ingredients and are dairy and gluten free, and suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Cocavo has five delicious flavours, including: Cocavo Original (used in a variety of sweet and savoury dishes) Cocavo Light (the light flavour does not have the aroma or taste of coconut, which makes it the perfect cooking oil for everyday use) Cocavo with Chili and Lime (use for seafood or stir-fry dishes) Cocavo with Cilantro, Lime and Ginger (will bring out the flavours in Thai or …

Taste of Auckland 18

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HEADS UP FOODIES… TASTE OF AUCKLAND IS HERE!!! November is the most exciting month of the year, for three reasons: 1. It is my birthday month; 2. It is starting to feel like summer; and 3. Taste of Auckland has arrived – woohoo! 2018 is a big year for Taste of Auckland presented by Electrolux as they are celebrating 10 years! This iconic food festival has helped launch brands, watch restaurants come and go, and of course, provide the public with an amazing event each year.  Taste is also being held in a brand new location – occupying the entire space of Queen’s Wharf on the waterfront! I am in love with the new seaside location, as it is more spacious, and easier to get to. You could drive, but why not walk down from work or take public transport if you can?!  On Thursday night, I attended my fifth Taste of Auckland, including the VIP Opening, where Taste presented the ‘Best in Taste Awards’, judged by Chand Sahrawat, Lachlan Colwill and Amanda Linnell. The winning dish was Xoong’s Ruakaka Kingfish Tartare. …

American Express Restaurant Month: SOUL goes NOLA

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Food lovers rejoice because American Express Restaurant Month is here! From 1-31 August, American Express Restaurant Month celebrates Auckland CBD’s diverse dining scene, offering 25 unique dining events and the chance to experience over 100 special menus, priced at $25, $40 and $55+. It is also a great opportunity to step outside the box and eat odd – try a food you wouldn’t normally eat and have a whole lot of fun doing it! Last Sunday, a friend and I were invited to dine at SOUL. In honor of Restaurant Month this year, SOUL goes NOLA! They have a limited edition menu which is inspired by the colours, textures, flavours and food trends of New Orleans! The SOUL goes NOLA menu will be available until 26 August for both lunch and dinner, for just $40 per person for a two-course meal or $50 including dessert. It’s bold, it’s funky, it’s pure southern deliciousness! We indulged in their $50 three course lunch, matched with their Restaurant Month special cocktail featuring house-made limoncello, fig and thyme cocktail and two Church Road wines – McDonald …

Auckland’s Best Street Food

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  I absolutely love street food. We are very lucky in Auckland as we are spoilt for choice when it comes to street food. There are many food trucks and stands offering a wide variety – think bao, dumplings, fried chicken, vegan burgers, tacos, sushi in cones, egg waffles, milk and cookies and gelato to name a few. Below, I have rounded up my favourite food trucks and food stands around Auckland, so that you can go out and enjoy them as much as I do! JUDGE BAO Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post – 5 Reasons Why I Love Judge Bao. Everything I wrote in the post remains the same – the owners, Debbie and Jamie are so down to earth, very welcoming and passionate about their product. Their bao is delicious and I enjoy trying their new creations and love seeing them at various food festivals and markets. Judge Bao make soft and fluffy Chinese steamed buns filled with mouthwatering tofu, pork belly or beef (and sometimes fish and chicken), fresh herbs …