So I am still in California enjoying myself in the sun and eating way too much food - all healthy of course though so it doesn't matter - right? Maybe... But just in case I have been riding the bike my boyfriend bought for me for when I got here (how nice is that!?!?!?) every where I go to burn off the extra treats I have been consuming. I have been feeling very inspired and been getting way too excited by the food here. I can't believe how far ahead of Australia the USA is. Don't get me wrong Australia, we're getting there - but we don't have places the size of Whole Foods dedicated to organic and good produce... Anyone else who has walked into a Whole Foods in the US or UK will agree with me that these are NEEDED in Australia, the small 1/8 of an aisle section we have dedicated to "health foods" is a joke compared to these supermarkets twice the size of ours but are fully dedicated to what our 1/8 an aisle is. Then there is also Sprouts and Trader Joe's!? C'mon now!! At least give us one! Oh and don't even get me started on the farmers markets here! So much cheap organic produce my wallet has hardly been dented! I am so happy with the way Australia is progressing toward the whole food/clean eating movement at the rate it is, but we still have a long way to go in terms of the products and produce we have available to us. SIGH!

I will be doing a post on my travel findings shortly, but for now enjoy this recipe for my favourite guilt free biscuits! There is nothing like a good biscuit. However most of the time whilst I am nibbling on a biccie I find myself doing the shifty eyes. I'm sure some of you know what I am talking about by the "shifty eyes", you know that look around you as you bite into something naughty - scared that you're going to get caught with sugary crumbs all over your face? Well with these biscuits there is NO shifty eyes, and you don't even feel guilty if you have two (or three) at a time. These ones have me salivating the moment I start getting out the ingredients. I am sure my family can all vouch for how good these babies are too, mainly because if I look in the biscuit tin the day after I have made them I am lucky to find ONE left. They are gluten free, refined sugar free and vegan. PLUS quick to make! Hurray for biscuits!

Ingredients
makes about 16-20 cookies

1/3 cup milk of choice (soy/hemp/almond/coconut)
8 medjool dates
1 tbsp lucuma or mesquite powder
2 cup almond meal
2 inch nob ginger grated finely
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 tbsp raw honey or 2 tbsp rice malt
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup chocolate or carob of choice (chopped roughly to the size of choc chips)
1/4 cup pitted dates

Preheat oven to 180c.

Place all ingredients except the almonds, chocolate and pitted dates in a food processor and whizz until relatively smooth and combined. Put mixture into a mixing bowl and place in your slivered almonds, chopped chocolate and quartered pitted dates. Mix with a spoon (or if don't mind some mess - use your hands) until all ingredients are evenly combined.

Spoon mixture and roll into a ball and place on a baking tray. Flatten balls down with the back of a spoon or fork and place into the preheated oven.

Bake in oven for roughly 15 minutes or until golden.

Sneak a biscuit whilst warm (of course) then let the others cool down on the tray for roughly 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Keep in a container and enjoy! These family friendly biscuits will not last long, trust me...

Ginger, Almond & Date Biscuits