The Best Fairtrade Recipes to Try

Using Fairtrade products has never been easier; in this day and age there are many ethically sourced food items available to you, so you can cook up a storm in the kitchen without feeling guilty about where the ingredients you are incorporating have come from. We have chosen some right delightful recipes for you to explore…enjoy!
Green Beans with Brown Butter & Toasted Almonds

• 1 lb Fair Trade Certified green beans (trimmed)
• 1 stick salted butter
• ½ cup raw sliced almonds
• 1 tbsp flaky sea salt
• ¼ cup roughly chopped Fair Trade Certified chives (optional)

1. To begin with preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking tray with a baking sheet within it. Spread the almonds across the foiled sheet and toast for 3 – 6 minutes – remove when golden.
2. Boil a large pot of salted water and fill a large bowl with two cups of ice water. Add the green beans to the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Then remove the vegetables from the boiling water and immediately transfer to the ice water.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat and stir constantly until it begins foaming and turns brown. Then remove from heat, add the green beans and then coat with 1/4 cup of almonds.
4. Serve neatly in a dish and garnish as you please with the remaining almonds, chives and a dash of sea salt.

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Fair Trade Certified confectioners’ sugar
• 2 TSP Fair Trade Certified vanilla
• 12 large Fair Trade Certified strawberries, hulled
• 2 TBSP graham cracker crumbs
• 2 Fair Trade Certified semisweet chocolate chip squares (optional)
• 1 TSP canola oil (optional)

1. To prep, line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
2. Take a bowl and beat together the cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
3. Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a spoon.
4. Use a knife to cut a cone shape out of each strawberry top.
5. Fill each strawberry hole with 1 tbsp of the cream cheese filling.
6. Place the crackers into a bowl and dip each strawberry into the crumbs.
7. Melt the chocolate and canola oil in 30 second intervals stirring each time for 1 – 3 minutes.
8. Dip the unfilled ends of the fruits into the melted chocolate.
9. Place the strawberries on the baking sheet and refrigerate until set.

Giant Chocolate Toffee Cookies

• 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 TSP baking powder
• 1/4 TSP salt
• 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet Fair Trade Certified Chocolate (chopped)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups (packed) Fair Trade Certified sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 TBSP Fair Trade Certified vanilla
• 5.1 4-ounce chocolate covered English toffee bars (such as Heath) (coarsely chopped)

1. Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and whisk.
2. Stir chocolate and butter over simmering water until smooth. Then remove and allow to cool.
3. Beat the sugar and eggs until thick and then add in the chocolate mixture and vanilla.
4. Stir in flour mixture and add the toffee and nuts.
5. Chill the batter until firm (takes approx 45 minutes).
6. Drop batter by ¼ cupfuls onto 2 large baking sheets, spacing the mounds apart. The mix can make 18 cookies.
7. Bake until the tops are cracked and dry (approx 15 minutes warming in the oven).
8. Cool and then enjoy!

Bhakti Tropical Chai Ginger Smoothie

• 2 cups strawberries
• ½ cup Fair Trade Certified™ Bhakti Chai Concentrate, Unsweetened
• 1 orange
• 1/2 banana
• 1 mango
• 1 inch ginger (peeled) for an added kick!

1. This recipe couldn’t be easier. Simply mix all of the ingredients in a blender until your desired texture and then pour into a chilled glass – delish.

Recipes courtesy of fairtradecertified.org.
> Hannah Montgomery