Halloween Creation

Home made Hummus and Pesto

Black Forest Smoothie

 















My nutritiously delicious big breakfast - ooopsies, literally went over the top as you can see...

Recipe:
(makes 500mL)

Blend together:
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoon LSA
2 tablespoon dried cranberries
1 tablespoon raisins
50g stevia-sweetened chocolate

Over the top it off with:
unsweetened yoghurt
raspberries
stevia sweetened chocolate bits

Break fast NOM NOM :)

Apple Crumble Smoothie

Smoothie and non-smoothie drinkers you need to try this one. Total yumness with a touch of cinnamon spice

I was inspired to make this smoothie after I saw the ingredients in the apple crumble tea that my friend purchased from the herb farm yesterday.

Recipe:
(makes 500mL)

Blend the following in a blender:
2 medium apples
1 C unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons ground LSA
2 table spoon shredded almonds
1 tablespoon raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topped it off with:
unsweetened yoghurt
shredded almonds
sprinkle of cinnamon

ENJOY! x

So Quick, Easy and Yummy Home-made Coconut Ice-cream

Do you like coconut? What about Icecream? Want to avoid the dirty fats and sugars? Ever thought of making your own icecream? But too hard? No time? Well then, this recipe is perfect for you. Oh wow, I sound like a really bad advert!

Anyway, its easy, quick and satisfies that rich icecream craving. Literally takes 2 minutes to make (if that!) and with only 4 essential ingredients ;)

Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons of cardamon or cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla essence )optional

- Blend ingredients together
- Pour into flat dish and chill in freezer for 4 hours+
- Enjoy :)

Coconut Strawberry Cream Pie

Itsa Mash Up - Coconut Strawberry Pie
(Strawberry Cream Pie ft Coconut Chocolate Pie).

Last night for desert I had some blueberries served with left over roasted coconuts from my first (failed) attempt of the coconut chocolate. And it was... delish and got me thinking that I should make those coconut cups with blueberries or other berries in them ... and then I remembered the strawberry cream pie

This mash up uses the coconut base from the coconut chocolate pies and the strawberry filling from the strawberry cream pie - nom nom nom. I prefer the coconut cups over the nut/seed base of the strawberry cream pie - this ones a way to my soul!

I thought about adding chocolate but I decided that most my recipes had chocolate so how about none for a change. (Chocolate swirls in the cream would have made them extra amazing though :P).

Recipe:

Ingredients:
Coconut Cup:
800 grams unsweetened desiccated coconuts
8 tablespoons melted coconut oil and extra for oiling muffin tin
3 tablespoon honey

Strawberry Cream Filling:
2 punnets strawberry
2 1/2 cup raw cashew nuts
100 gram melted coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

- Preheat the oven at 170C and oil the muffin tin with coconut oil
- In a food processor process one cup of coconut with the coconut oil for abut 30 seconds.
- In a large bowl thoroughly combine the rest of the coconut and 3 tablespoons of honey in with the mixture.
- Press the mixture in the muffin tin to form cups, using all the coconut mix - should make 10
- Bake coconut cups in oven for 10 minutes or until brown and set aside
- Process strawberry cream ingredients in food processor until smooth
- Spoon filling into cups and decorate with strawberries
- Chill in freezer for 2+ hours
- Remove from tin and store in freezer

Coconut Chocolate Pie

Ingredients:
800 grams unsweetened desiccated coconuts
350 grams stevia sweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons melted coconut oil and extra for oiling muffin tin
5 tablespoon honey
1 can coconut milk chilled over-night in fridge


- Preheat the oven at 170C and oil the muffin tin with coconut oil
- In a food processor process one cup of coconut with the coconut oil for abut 30 seconds.
- In a large bowl thoroughly combine the rest of the coconut and 3 tablespoons of honey in with the mixture.
- Press the mixture in the muffin tin to form cups, using all the coconut mix - should make 10
- Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown
- Set aside to cool
- Melt/mix chocolate in with the coconut milk and 2 tablespoons honey
- Pour chocolate into the coconut cups and chill for 2 hours plus

Chocolate Walnut Icecream

Easy Pasy Dairy-free Chocolate Walnut Icecream

They say a handful of nuts, I say a bowl-full of walnut icecream

This icecream is free from naughtiness and is full of walnut goodness (main ingredient) - vitamin B, minerals, protein and essential fats.

Recipe:

Ingredients:
2 cup walnuts
2 cup water
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons of cacao powder
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of himalayan or celtic sea salt (optional)

- In a high speed blender or vitamix blend all ingredients together until you get a fluffy texture.
- Freeze in freezer overnight
- For smoother consistency, blend and freeze again

Molasses Ginger Cookies

 

A warm welcome back to baking from these ginger cookies as I feel like I haven't baked anything in a while.

These are made with health promoting herbs and spices (ginger, cinnamon and cloves). It is sweetened wi...th molasses - a natural sweetener that is rich in essential minerals (iron, calcium and magnesium).

Ingredients may sound strange but don't judge until you try!

Recipe:
(makes 12)

Ingredients:
Batter:
1 cup cooked chick peas
1/4 cup peanut or almond butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon unsweetened yoghurt
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1/3 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves


Topping (optional)
1/2 cup stevia sweetened chocolate bits - for topping off the cookie


1) Preheat oven to 180C
2) Process everything in the food processor to form a batter - first adding in dry chickpeas and wet ingredients then dry ingredients
3) Grease baking tray with coconut oil
4) Use a heaped tablespoon of batter to roll into balls and flatten on tray to form cookies
7) Bake in oven for about 15mins or until done
8) Top off cookies with melted chocolate bits

Vanila Strawberry Pancakes

 

 

 

Strawberry pancakes for breakfast because I can. Yay for strawberry season :D

Recipe:

Pancakes:
1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened yoghurt
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teasoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 brown rice flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 finely chopped dates
pinch salt
4 strawberries sliced
coconut oil (for frying)

Extra strawberry for topping
Honey for topping

1) gently beat egg - add yoghurt, vanilla essence and apple cider vinegar and mix
2) add to wet ingredients rice flour, dates and salt and mix
3) heat up coconut oil in frying pan on medium heat and add a heaped teaspoon of batter in to form pancake (I make 3 in a pan to allow room for flipping)
4) when pancake is half cooked place slice strawberries on pancakes
5) flip when one side is cooked
6) when cooked, stack on plate and cook the other pancakes (this recipe makes 5 pancakes)
7) stack the rest of the pancakes and top it off with strawberries and drizzle with honey to taste

Chocolate Almond Cookies

Mid-week Morning Baking: Chocolate Almond Cookies
 
 












These are similar to the double chocolate slices I made the other week with a couple of additional ingredients and I used almond essence instead of vanilla essence. Mmmmm for almond. Munch munch for these tasty almond scented cookies.

Recipe:
(makes 12)
Ingredients:
Batter:
1 cup cooked chick peas
1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
1.5-2 tablespoons of honey (depending on how sweet your tooth is)
2 tablespoon cocoa
1/4 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
1teaspoon almond essence
1 tablespoon unsweetened yoghurt
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup stevia sweetened chocolate bits - for mixing in with batter (crushed chocolate bar)

Topping
1/2 cup stevia sweetened chocolate bits - for topping off the cookie
1/4 cup shredded almonds to top off

1) Preheat oven to 180C
2) Process everything in the food processor to form a batter
3) Grease baking tray with coconut oil
4) Use a heaped tablespoon of batter to roll into balls and flatten on tray to form cookies
7) Bake in oven for about 15mins or until done, turn oven off, take tray out of oven and close oven door to retain heat
8) Top off cookies with chocolate and almonds, turn oven off and place back in oven to melt the chocolate

Mmmmm for chocolate almond cookies ;)

Tortillas made with Coconut Flour

Here is a recipe for those who want to restrict their intake of refined breads and wraps like tortillas - without ruling them out of their diet.

Recipe:
(makes 6 wraps)

Wrap:
1 cup egg whites
1/4cup coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 teaspoon cumin and garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt and cayenne pepper

Filling:
Can be anything, but I used:
Capsicum, carrot, red onion, tomato, chicken and guacamole

1) blend all ingredients in food processor and let it sit for 10 minutes for coconut to absorb fluid
2) heat up a frying pan on medium heat and oil the bottom
3) add 1/4 cup of batter and tilting pan to form a 8 inch wrap
4) when sides have harden and if solid enough to flip, flip and cook other side for another minute

Chocolate Blueberry Pancakes (made with unrefined brown rice flour).

I think I may develop a pancake addiction.... Addiction sounds negative and these pancakes are far from bad so lets call it a healthy pancake habit :) <3

Looking at it you would think that it was loaded with sugar and super-sweet but you will be surprised with how little natural sweetening these pancakes have. The pancakes themselves are sweetened with a couple of dates and the easy to make choc sauce is sweetened with 1 teaspoon of honey.

Wow, was I blown away by this creation. Was exactly what I needed this morning as it was too cold for a smoothie. It was like eating a creamy spongecake with a hint of chocolate sweetness but instead of telling myself "oh I could have done without that" i thought "oooooooooooooh I will definitely be having more of these for breakfast and dam I want to make these for my friends and fam!"

Brown rice flour pancakes are full of nutritional goodness and tastes amazing - can't go wrong ;)

Recipe:
(serves 1-2)

Pancakes:
1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 brown rice flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 finely chopped dates
pinch salt
coconut oil (for frying)

Chocolate sauce:
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon honey


Extra berries and yoghurt for topping

1) gently beat egg - add yoghurt, vanilla essence and apple cider vinegar and mix
2) add to wet ingredients rice flour, cocoa powder, dates and salt and mix
3) stir in blueberries
4) heat up coconut oil in frying pan on medium heat and add a heaped teaspoon of batter in to form pancake (I make 3 in a pan to allow room for flipping)
5) flip when one side is cooked
6) when cooked, stack on plate and cook the other pancakes (this recipe makes 5 pancakes)
7) stack the rest of the pancakes and top it off with yoghurt, blueberries and drizzle with chocolate sauce (chocolate sauce made by mixing the 4 ingredients).

Blueberry Brown Rice Flour Pancakes

These pancakes are just another one of my new kitchen affairs - key is quick and easy! I use brown rice flour instead of wheat flour.

Refined flours/grains are stripped of their nutrients, however brown rice flour, in it's whole grain form gives us protein, fibre and the very vital B vitamins.

Who loves delicious fluffy pancakes?! I do!

Recipe:
(serves 1-2)

1 egg
1/2 cup unsweetened yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 brown rice flour
1/4 cup shredded coconuts
pinch salt
coconut oil (for frying)

1) gently beat egg - add yoghurt and vanilla essence, and mix
2) add to wet ingredients rice flour, coconut and salt and mix
3) stir in blueberries
4) heat up coconut oil in frying pan and add a heaped teaspoon of batter in to form pancake (I make 3 in a pan to allow room for flipping)
5) flip when one side is cooked
6) when cooked, stack on plate and cook the other pancakes (this recipe makes 5 pancakes)
7) stack the rest of the pancakes and top it off with blueberries, shredded coconut, drizzle with honey (I didn't want mine to be too sweet so I just used 1 heaped teaspoon) and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Enjoy! These truly are the fluffiest pancakes I have ever made :)

Double Chocolate Slice (made with chick peas :O)

This slice is flourless/grainless/gluten-free and gets its texture from the chick peas! This recipe is fantastic - not only because it's grainless and free of refined sugars but because it is extremely quick to make.

It literally takes 2 minutes to prepare for the oven (once the chick peas are cooked that is; unless you use canned chick peas). I've actually made this one twice in the last 2 weeks because of it's quick and easiness to guilt-less sweetness.

Recipe:
(makes 6 slices)

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked chick peas
1/2 cup peanut or almond butter
2 tablespoons of honey (depending on how sweet your tooth is)
1/4 teaspoon gluten free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1/3 cup stevia sweetened chocolate bits - for mixing in with batter (crushed chocolate bar)
2 teaspoons stevia sweetened chocolate bits - for topping off the slices

1) Preheat oven to 180C
2) Melt chocolate for the batter
3) Process everything in the food processor to form a batter (including melted chocolate)
4) Grease baking tray with coconut oil
5) Form a rectangular/square "slice" with batter (should be about 1cm thick) - length and with in accordance to the size you want to cut it
6) sprinkle with chocolate bits
7) Bake i oven for about 20 mins or until done
8) Cut into slices one let cooled

ALL DONE! :D

Seedy Red Smoothie

This smoothie is a combo of strawberries and pomegranate. Keeping with the red theme (in to avoid an impolite brown colour) I added some highly nutritious goji berries also. Pomegranate's, like goji berries are known for it's anti-aging properties. You will find that some natural skin-care products are formulated with pomegranate.

This smoothie is lower in sugar than the other smoothies that I have been making this week, which were made with fruits of a higher sugar content, such as apple, pears and bananas. A punnet of strawberry has less sugar than any of those fruits and pomegranates also has relatively less sugar than most other fruits....
I also added ginger, bit of spice that's energizing and is detoxifying.

Strawberries and pomegranates are more expensive than other fruits but everyone should treat themselves from time to time. Plus this smoothie will be comparable to prices of smoothies from smoothie stands and cafes, which don't taste as good anyway This super skin to soul smoothie is worth it

Ingredients
(serves 2)
Punnet of strawberries
1 pomegranate
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon shredded almond
2 tablespoon LSC (usually I use LSA but since I'm using almonds already in this smoothie I used LSC to get some chia seeds in the smoothie too :))
1 tablespoon goji berry (optional)
1 date (or tablespoon raisins)
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
unsweetened yoghurt (optional for topping off)

-blend all ingredients together
(if you want to pretty the smoothie up like I have then leave one 1 strawberry and 1 pocket of pomegranate seeds)
-pour into cup/jar
-top off with yoghurt and decorate with strawberry and pomegranate seeds

Banana Carrot Muffins

 











Breakfast Today = Banana Carrot Muffins

What do you do when your up before the rest of the world? This morning I made banana carrot muffins for breakfast.

Was a nice change from the smoothies that I've been having and if your going to have a fruit muffin or fruity anything, the best time of the day is in the morning. Also, its important to have a lasting feeling of satisfaction by balancing those sugar levels- the eggs and walnuts nuts in this recipe can help with that.

They are yummy little grain-less muffins but were a bit too sweet for me actually. Probably could have done with just the bananas and dates for sweetening and minus the extra honey - less sugar! even better!!!

Recipe:(12 muffins)

 2 Small bananas
 2 eggs
 1/4 cup coconut oil
 1/4 cup coconut flour
 1/2 finely crushed walnuts
 1/2 carrot (grated with the smaller hole)
 6 dates cut int tiny pieces (or 1/4 raisins)

 1 teaspoon baking powder
 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

 1) preheat oven to 180 C
 2) beat eggs and melt oil
 3) mash bananas and mix in beaten eggs and melted coconut oil
 4) add in coconut flour, baking powder and apple cider vinegar and blend well
 5) fold in walnuts, dates and carrots
 6) pour into muffin trays and cook for ten minutes or until done
 7) top it off with unsweetened yoghurt with banana slices and/or walnuts :)

Seaweed Prawn Salad

I have a feeling I will be eating a lot of this wakame salad from now on. This wakame seaweed had been sitting in the freezer for a couple of weeks now. Not sure why, because as with any other salads its easy to prepare. And it tastes just like the ones that I've had at Japanese restaurants - full of flavor. Its made with basic Asian condiments.

Compared to other salads, this one is very filling as wakame is high in protein and fibre. Wakame has great amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium and iodine which are minerals that are commonly lacking in people's diets.

Think its going to be a wakame, avocado cucumber salad tomorrow and am looking forward to it :)
Recipe:
(serves 2)

Ingredients:
Salad:
400g wakame
1 large carrot grated
1/2 capsicum sliced
2 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger (optional)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)

Prawn:
300g prawn meat
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 garlic glove minced

Method:
Marinate prawn with the soy sauce, cayenne and garlic
Soak seaweed in warm water
Pan fry or oven bake the prawns (with cocobut oil)
Drain and squeeze the water from wakame
Add condiments to wakame and mix
Add carrots and capsicum and mix
Add the prawns to the salad mix (may want to let prawns cool first)
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

Strawberry Black Forest Cake

Made this last night for a friend's birthday. This ones as good as any other mud cake, only without the refined sugars and flour. The extra sugar and flour is replaced with sweet potato (same as with the brownies I made last week).

The cake is grain-less and made with less sugar than the usual chocolate mud cakes. Perfect cake for the birthday boy who wants to stay lean. Yummy but healthier - fingers cross that he agrees!

This cake is also suitable for gluten-free :)

Recipe:Ingredients:
(double if you want a double layer cake)

    Cake:

    1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and grated (using the larger holes of the grater)

    2 whole eggs
    3/4-1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder (depends how dark/rich/bitter you want the cake)
    2 tbsp coconut flour
    1/2 cup of melted raw honey   
    1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
    1 heaped tbsp of gluten free baking powder
    ½ tbsp of baking soda
    2 tsp vanilla extract
    125g stevia sweetened dark chocolate (or 70% Whittakers dark chocolate)
    3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

    Garnish:
    Punnet of strawberries
    125g stevia sweetened dark chocolate (or 70% Whittakers dark chocolate)
    1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk  
     Extra chocolate if you want chunks of chocolate on top
   

Instructions:
   Cake:

   -          Preheat oven to 185 °C

-          Combine grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla extract, honey and coconut oil until well mixed. Stir in baking powder and baking soda.  Mix in cocoa powder and coconut flour.

-     Add broken chunks of the chocolate and almond milk into the batter and mix.

-          Pour the mixture into a cake tray greased with coconut oil.

-          Cook for 25 minutes or until cooked.

-          Leave to cool and remove from tin

  
   Garnish:
   -          Melt the dark chocolate with the almond milk and stir frequently until cool and thick enough to
          not run down the side of cake
   -      Spread chocolate on cake and decorate with strawberries as you wish
   -      For a double layer cake add sliced strawberries onto the bottom layer, carefully place second
           second cake layer on top, add melted chocolate and layer with strawberries - I garnished it 
           with chucks of chocolate as you can never have enough chocolate right :D

My Smoothie Super-foods

The weather has warmed up, so I have turned up my smoothie making. Smoothie making to me means easy, tasty, nutrient-rich freshness in a cup. It’s a way for me to add super foods, such as berries, nuts, seeds, powders, oils, herbs, spices and probiotics into my diet. These super foods are “functional foods” as their natural properties function in your body that is beneficial to your health.
I will list the different super food ingredients that I use, it’s health benefits and the type of smoothies I use them in. I’m hoping it’ll help you create some nutritiously delicious smoothies.

Berries – high in antioxidants and lower in sugar than other fruits.
         - Dried Goji Berries  - one of the very few plant based complete protein sources
                                             - contain superoxide dismutase which are enzymes that prevent  
                                                 harmful cholesterol                                               
                                             - adds a slight sweetness and chewiness surprise in the smoothie

Nuts and Seeds – a source of protein, fibre, essential fats and various vitamins and minerals
                             - allows smoothies to keep you fuller for longer
                             - adds texture and thickens the smoothie
                             - any nuts and seeds can be used – I’ve been using almonds and LSA
         - LSA -  (grounded linseed, sunflower seed and almonds)
         - Chia seeds - approximately 20% protein, 34% oil (great source of omega 3) and 25%    
                                  fibre
                             - minerals required for bone health such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and
                                    boron
                              - helps bowel movement and colon health
                              - forms a fun jelly like texture in smoothie
      
Carob powder – source of fibre and natural pectin which cleanses the colon and clears cholesterol
                           - high in many minerals and nutrients that support bone and nervous health
                          - I would use these in “chocolate” smoothies as they are a healthier chocolate                            
                            substitute
                          - because it is brown I would be careful of which smoothies you put them into or how  
                            you use them in a smoothie (to ensure its visually appealing) – for the chocolate,
                            cinnamon banana cake I mixed it in with the chocolate layer.

Green powders (spirulina, wheat grass, barley grass)
- Spirulina – is about 65% protein
                    - contains absorbable iron
                    -  antioxidant-rich
- Wheat grass – contains digestive enzymes that improves digestion
                          - contains chlorophyll which helps with cleansing and detoxifying the body
- Barley grass – source of vitamin B12 and vitamin C
                          - very alkalizing
- I would be careful with which smoothies I put these into due it its strong taste and colour
- I would use them in green smoothies or if it’s a super sweet smoothie that over-rides the taste like banana and apple or one where you add honey or raisins.

Flax-seed oil – source of omega 3
                       - gives the smoothie a smoother texture
                       - no negative effect on taste of smoothie

Avocado – source of essential fats
                 - provides a creamy texture
                 - no negative effect on taste of smoothie

Herbs and Spices - Mint – is rich in vitamins A and C
                                             - is a natural diuretic that reduces fluid retention
                                            – great to add to summer smoothies for cooling affect
                                            - adds a minty flavour
                                - Cinnamon – balances sugar levels and boots metabolism
                                   – adds a bit of spice to the smoothie and could work well with any fruit
                                   smoothies
                                - Ginger - warming, energizing, improves blood circulation, detoxifying and   
                                   antioxidant rich
                                               - spices up and picks up the smoothie

Probiotics – balances out gut bacteria to help with digestion and boost immunity
                   – can add to any smoothies
                   - Powder or unsweetened yoghurt (adds a creamy smooth texture to the smooth)
                                      

Falafel Burger

Ingredients

Falafel:
2 cups cooked chick peas
1 onion
2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
juice of one lemon
2 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Avocado
Rocket leaves
Unsweetened yoghurt

Direction

-          Process all falafel ingredients together in a in a food processor until well mixed

-          Separate mixture into 6

-          Roll into balls and flatten to from patties

-          Fry in a pan with coconut oil until firm

-          Layer the burger with avocado, rocket leaves and unsweetened yoghurt

Grain-less Brownies (made with sweet potato!)

 

Grain-free, gluten-free and refined sugar-free

This recipe is amazing, it is an angel in disguise. The sweet potato is a great flour replacement for that soft moist texture and its natural sweetness means less sugar is required. And you know its good when your brother has 3 pieces in one go!

Ingredients:

    1 medium white sweet potato, peeled and grated (using the larger holes of the grater)

    2 whole eggs
    1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder     
    2 tbsp coconut flour
    1/2 cup of melted raw honey   
    1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
    1 heaped tbsp of gluten free baking powder
    ½ tbsp of baking soda
    2 tsp vanilla extract
   
    200g stevia-sweetened chocolate
    1/2 cup almond milk

Instructions:

   -          Preheat oven to 185 °C

-          Combine grated sweet potato, eggs, vanilla extract, honey and coconut oil until well mixed. Stir in baking powder and baking soda.  Mix in cocoa powder and coconut flour.

-          Pour the mixture into a baking tray greased with coconut oil. It should be about 1 inch thick.

-          Cook for 25 minutes or until cooked.

-          Leave for 5-10 minutes before removing the brownie cake from the tin.

-          Cut into squares once cooled

-          Leave the brownie cake to cool down before cutting.

-          Melt 200 grams of stevia- sweetened chocolate with almond milk and layer on brownies (the chocolates I used had nuts in them)

Enjoy the slices of heaven :)

Broccoli Pesto Kelp Noodle Salad

Going on a grain-less diet can be off-putting when you can't have noodles, pasta and rice. Luckily there's kelp noodles. Made from seaweed, but have no fear if you are assuming that they have a strong taste of sea. The flavour and colours are stripped so it is pretty much tasteless and will absorb the flavours of your added ingredients.

And the best thing about kelp noodles is that it does not require cooking which will reduce preparation for you to make a easy whip-up. If you want to make a warm dish it just needs to be warmed by adding them to a hot broth or a sauce that you have just sautéed.

You can get these noodles from organic and wholefood stores.















Broccoli Pesto Kelp Noodle Salad Recipe:
(serves 2)

Ingredients:

Salad:
1 broccoli head
2 tomatoes
1/4 red onion
340g kelp noodles
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1 avocado
1/4 cup cashew nuts
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Pesto:
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
1 garlic glove
1/4 cashew nuts
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Brewers yeast (2 tablespoons) - optional; gives it a cheesy taste
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Process pesto ingredients in a food processor and put aside
2) Cook the broccoli (boil or steam until bright green) - let it cool
3) Rinse the Kelp noodles in boiling water - let it cool
4) Cut the tomatoes, onion and avocado and mix in the other salad ingredients
5) Mix in the broccoli and kelp noodles
6) Add pesto

Enjoy the crunch! (Yes the Kelp Noodles are crunchy :))

 

Chicken Fried Caulifower Rice (Fried rice without the rice!)

If you want to lay off the grains in the evenings and love your fried rice then give this one a go. Using grated cauliflower to replace your rice is also a great way to increase your vegetable and fibre intake.
Enjoy the total goodness! It tastes just as good as fried rice! That is the beauty of it J

Ingredients:
20g coconut oil
1 garlic clove (crushed)
1 onion (sliced)
100g chicken (cut in cubes)
1 medium carrot (diced)
2 eggs
½ red capsicum (sliced)
3 stalks spring onion (diced)
grated head of 1 cauliflower
2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoon plum vinegar (or other vinegar)
2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional – if you don’t like spiciness then don’t add it)


1) Prepare sauce by mixing salt, soy sauce, lemon juice, plum vinegar and cayenne pepper
2) Heat coconut oil over a large pan
3) Add garlic and onion and sauté
4) Add chicken and 2 tablespoons of sauce and cook until chicken is half cooked
5) Add carrots and cook until soft
6) Add eggs and cook until eggs are solid
7) Add capsicum and spring onions and half the sauce and cook until soft
8) Add cauliflower and the rest of the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes

Satay Chicken Kelp Noodle Salad

(from Dr Libby’s Real Food Chef)

Going on a grainless diet can be off-putting when you can't have noodles and pasta. Luckily there's kelp noodles. Made from seaweed, but have no fear if you are assuming that they have a strong taste of sea. The flavour and colours are stripped so it is pretty much tastless and will absorb the flavours of your added ingredients. In this case the asian flavors of the satay sauce and the fresh herbs.
 

And the best thing about kelp noodles is that it does not requiring cooking which will reduce preparation and cooking time. If you want to make a warm dish it just needs to be warmed by adding them to a hot broth or a sauce that you have just sauteed.

The nutty and sweet sauce is so easy to whip up and you can add it to other salads, noodles and rice dishes

Ingredients:

For Chicken:
600 gram boneless, skinless chicken
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
¼ cup coriander
1 table spoon of seeded finely chopped red chilli
1 tablespoon cooking oil
Salt and ground pepper to taste

For Salad:
1 packet kelp noodle
1 bunch fresh kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
1 cup mung bean sprouts
150g snow peas, julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
½ medium green capsicum , thinly sliced
1 cup fresh mint
1 cup fresh basil
1 cup fresh coriander

For Satay Sauce:

1 cup raw cashew nuts
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon red chilli, seeded and finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger peeled and grated
2 tablespoons tamari
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Method:

For sauce:
1) Combine the cashews with almond butter and water and process with a food processor
2) Add chili, sesame oil, ginger, maple syrup and tamari and pulse until well mixed
3) Pour in water to make the dressing smooth and creamy and blend.

For chicken:
1) Season the chicken with salt, pepper, coriander, chili and parsley.
2) Preheat the oven to 180C
3) Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken

For salad:
1) Combine kelp noodles with chopped kale, sprouts, peas carrot and capsicum
2) Toss the salad with the satay sauce, then add mint, basil and coriander.
3) Place chicken on top and serve

Butter over Margarine

There was a time when fat was the enemy and during that time butter got a bad rap. Butter was and still is by too many people believed to be a major cause of high cholesterol. We know that butter has significant amounts of saturated fats and that saturated fats raise our cholesterol (however that is only half the picture...)

And so margarine was made. Margarine has no saturated fats and it is made of vegetable oil so of course that's got to be better for our cholesterol regulation right. Well at least for a while we thought so. Margarine, although made from vegetable oils, is highly processed; so much that trans fats are formed through the hardening of these vegetable oils. Trans fats are what make our margarines not so innocent.

Saturated fats which are found in butter increase LDL (the bad cholesterol that clog our arteries) while also increasing HDL (the good cholesterol that wipe away the bad). On the other side, we have trans fats in margarine which increase the bad LDL and decrease the good HDL. So although the overall choesterol is increased more from butter consumption compared to margarine, the increased good cholesterol balances out the over all cholesterol and margarine's cholesterol imbalancing effect is left pleading guilty.

So while being mindful of how much fat you are consuming in your diet, choose butter over margarine, now that you have heard the other side of the story.