I have mentioned here before that I like to start my days with rice protein shakes. Rice protein is a very versatile protein powder, it adds great bulk to shakes, making them super thick and luscious, and most importantly, unlike whey, casein or – heaven forbid – soy protein, rice protein is very easily digested and a great option for an allergy-friendly or vegan diet. It is also one of the more affordable protein powders out there. With its excellent amino acid profile (in fact, rice is the grain with the highest quality protein compared to all other grains), rice protein makes for a great post-workout snack and should not be considered inferior to its dairy-containing sibling powders. Just choose a good (preferably organic) brand as brown rice can be loaded with chemicals.
This shake is a real “superfood” shake (as much as I hate that word). Kale (one of the world’s most nutrient dense foods), blueberries (loaded with antioxidants), avocado (a wealth of monounsaturated fats, the healthiest dietary fats), nut butters (vitamin E), cacao (minerals) and banana (oodles of natural antidepressants) are some of the planet’s healthiest foods, while cinnamon helps stabilising your blood sugar (great in the morning or after a workout!). Most importantly, this shake really tastes great and keeps you full for hours!
I did not add any sweeteners here as the banana and the berries are quite sweet already, but you could add a little honey or stevia if you like it a tad sweeter.
300ml almond milk handful of kale handful of frozen blueberries 1tb cacao 1tb tahin half avocado 1 frozen banana 40g rice protein cinnamon
Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender and…
This. Cake. Is. The. Bomb. I mean, you would never, ever assume that this piece of bliss is actually very good for you, and, in fact, it doesn’t matter. I’d have this healthy or not, but knowing that there are a lot of goodies in this, makes it all the better, doesn’t it? Just look at it:
Are you drooling yet? You should be? And all this for 6 net carbs a piece. Yes, that’s right. And while it’s difficult enough to find goodies that are both yummy AND healthy, it is usually even more difficult to find goodies that are yummy, healthy AND a cinch to make. This one ticks all the boxes. 6 main ingredients, 16 (TOPS!) minutes to whip up (and clean up the bench), and 60 minutes in your lovely oven. That’s it. All these ingredients you should have ready sitting in your pantry (I hope for you that you do! So there isn’t really anything you need to wait for. Whether you need to get away from the dsk, have your in-laws coming over, or just want to try out, what a healthy, easy. and yummy mud cake tastes like, get baking now!
One more thing, this mud cake is very rich and veeery chocolatey, so you might want to adjust the amount of honey (or alternative sweetener) if you have a sweeter tooth.
Oh, I have mentioned that it is paleo, dairy free, sugar free, gluten free, and soy free, right?
120 g organic unrefined virgin coconut oil 120 g raw organic cocoa (use less if you like it less bitter) 120 g honey (use more if you like it sweeter) dash of vanilla essence 1 tin coconut milk (or equivalent amount of other nut milk of choice) 6 large free-range organic eggs 200g almond meal
Preheat oven to 170 °C. Melt coconut oil together with the cocoa, honey, nut milk, and vanilla in a medium-sized pot over low heat until smooth and well combined. Turn off the heat and let cool. Stir in the almond meal and mix well. Lastly, beat the eggs with a hand mixer until pale and frothy. Carefully fold into the cocoa mixture, stir to combine and fill into a prepared round 20cm baking tin. Bake for 60 minutes. Remove to cool and place in the fridge over night. I loe making a layer cake using my instant paleo nutella recipe (see photos).
Remember my healthy nutella recipe? Well, I am the frist one to unserstand that you don’t have the time nor the ambition to go through the whole rigmarole of grinding hazelnuts – and the good news is, you don’t have to! After all, healthy eating only works if you can make it work for you, and in this busy day and age, that means healthy eating needs to be quick and easy. That’s where my instant paleo nutella comes to the rescue. Whikpped up in a jiffy, this baby doesn’t only make for a delightful spread on gluten free bread, a divine topping for crêpes and pancakes or a naughty afternoon snack straight from the spoon, but also works as a great cake frosting! Nuts, cocoa and honey – what’s not to love?
This one is highly customisable, meaning you can use any nut or seed butter that takes your fancy (note that peanut butter is not paleo, but nonetheless works very well here). Choose hazelnut for the real nutella experience, but really, anything works. Allergic to nuts? Choose sunbutter. Vegan? Use maple syrup instead of honey. The suggested amounts are what woeks for me, but you can adjust the amount of sweetener you out in. This really is your nutella!
P.S.: Stay tuned for a gorgeous paleo mud cake recipe!
40g nut or seed butter of choice 20g rice malt or maple syrup 1 tsp raw organic cocoa
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl with a spoon and…
What is this? It tastes luxuriously like soft serve icecream, but doesn’t contain an ounce of dairy. It is vegan yet full of protein. It is sugar-free and will quench any sugar cravings. It is paleo and vegan at the same time. So – WHAT IS IT? Hint: A vegan chocolate soft serve.
Yes, I used to be one of those kids. While I was never much into the burgers and fries, the big M was always synonymous with – soft serve! Those were happy, oblivious days, shovelling down bucket loads of soft serve for just half a buck – sugar, processed oils, pasteurised dairy, and loads of fillers and chemicals included, not to mention that innocent-looking, glutenated cone the whole concoction was (and presumably still is!) in. I really preferred that darn soft serve to a much nicer homemade gelati (even the burgers and fries don’t look that bad compared to it). But who could blame the money-savvy, but sweet-toothed student that I was?
While intolerances and digestive distress make your life more complicated, a whole lot of good comes out of the situation as you get to actually think of what you are putting into your bod, in fact you have to. You will study the web and the literature and come across the gluten free diet, the vegan diet, the paleo diet, the I Quit Sugar diet, and they all smell suspiciously of deprivation. But you totally can have it all, and that is where my blog comes into play.
This magic potion here happened more or less by accident, but then many of the world’s greatest inventions came about that way (think of the slinky, for example). It tastes freakishly like chocolate soft serve, but will fill you up for a looong time. And you have total control over what you put in it! Fancy a cherry ripe? Whip some cherries or red fruit in? Feel hipster-ish? Get the kale out! (But make sure not to overdo it as too much raw greens can really muck up your thyroid, but that’s a different story.) You could even add some coffee if you need a little pick-me-up. Go wild.
So what is this thing? It’s a healthy, vegan, paleo, soy free, gluten free, sugar free, dairy free, high protein, yummy soft serve. I have it for breakfast. But it’s a totally valid dinner option, too.
Vegan Chocolate Soft Serve
Vegan Chocolate Soft Serve
Makes 1 very large serving.
half cup nut milk of choice (or more according to the desired thickness) one scoop vegan protein powder (if using a plain protein powder, add stevia and vanilla) 1 frozen banana half avocado 1 tbsp. almond meal 1 tbsp. tahin 1 tbsp. raw organic cocoa stevia to taste
Mix all ingredients in a high powered blender or food processer and…
Not your usual protein shake – vegan tropical thickshake
As a new mum who loves (and needs) a filling brekkie, but whose packed calendar often does not always allow for cooking up ham and eggs, protein shakes have become my go-to breakfast on busy days with early appointments. No, I am not talking about those junk-filled powders with pictures of muscle men that your gym may serve, but about rice protein shakes!
Granted, while commercial protein shakes based on casein and/or whey may be tastier, they are off-limits if you cannot handle cow’s milk protein. Moreover, they contain ingredients such as soy, industrial seed oils, fructose, and flavourings, which all are a big no-no for a healthy lifestyle. Unflavoured rice protein, on the other hand, is very hypoallergenic, and, for what it’s worth, also vegan!
Of course, it is always better to get your protein intake from real foods, and I’d always choose a hard-boiled egg or a can of tuna over rice protein, but if you are craving a quick post-workout boost or a no-nonsense start to the day, rice protein shakes can be a good addition to your diet, at least occasionally. A little bit of stevia, vanilla essence, and almond or other nut milk go a long way in making unflavoured rice protein more palatable. Add your fruit of choice, some ice, cocoa powder, and/or almond meal, and you end up with a delicious, sinful-tasting milkshake that isn’t even bad for you!
This thickshake combines a decadent chocolate taste with a tropical twist. Not only is it tasty, but very filling, and if you add some maca powder, it is a real pick-me-up!
Makes 1 thickshake
250 ml or one cup nut milk of choice 1 or 2 handfuls of frozen mango pieces juice of one orange 30 g rice protein powder 1 tbs raw cocoa (organic) maca powder (optional) stevia vanilla
Blend up all ingredients in a high-powered blender.
An almost paleo chocolate cake – you really can have it all!If you like chocolate, you are in for a treat. Let me introduce to you a luscious chocolate cake which is not only whipped up in a jiffy, but makes for a perfect breakfast on the go, dessert or afternoon snack – and, most of all, it is absolutely moreish and -almost- paleo. Yes, this is not a misprint! You can absolutely have your cake and eat it all on a paleo diet, provided you find a high quality, sugar-free or low-sugar dark chocolate (I’d settle for nothing less but Lindt Excellence 90% – it is technically not sugar free, but with 6.7 g of sugar per 100g, is unrivalled among dark chocolates. Plus it just is the best tasting dark chocolate I have ever tasted. You can read up more on dark chocolate here).
This cake has a lovely tang to it, is never too sweet, and keeps your blood sugar nice and stable. Just the right thing to round off a great meal. It lasts a long time in the fridge and is very portable. Yes, I think you’ll really love this one. And if you are like me, you should have all the ingredients ready to go in your pantry – I really hope you always have a few bars of Lindt Excellence 90% in your cupboard! It definitely belongs on the list for essential pantry items…
Besides lovely lovely choccie, this gem packs a few other fit foods, such as raw cocoa, organic butter, cinnamon, eggs, almonds, and honey, so you can indulge a bit knowing you’ll do your body and mind something good.
Makes one loaf
150g organic coconut oil 150g very dark chocolate (at least 85% cocoa), roughly chopped 150g organic rice malt or maple syrup juice of 2 large or 3 small oranges 2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp milled flaxseed dissolved in 4 tbsp filtered water) 100g almond meal 45g tapioca starch, sifted 45g potato starch, sifted 30g raw organic cocoa powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/5 tsp baking soda
Preheat oven to 160 °C. Melt butter, chocolate, honey, and orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat until well combined. Turn off the heat and let stand for about 20 minutes.
Fold in the beaten eggs, almond meal, sifted starches, cocoa powder, cinnamon and baking soda and stir batter until smooth.
Grease a loaf pan or line it with baking paper and pour in the batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
This beauty stores best in foil in the fridge for up to two weeks. Although it stays nice and fresh at room temperature, storing it in the fridge will not only result in a nice fudgy texture, but will make the cake also less messy and therefore more lunchbox-friendly.
Nothing beats the creamy, melt-in-the-mouth, buttery consistency of fudge – and no trip to Scotland would be complete without a taste of this heavenly delicacy. Even though store-bought fudges are generally gluten free, they are, unfortunately, far from healthy. Vegetable oils, sugar, pasteurised dairy, and in unfortunate cases even soy make for a nibbly that should be enjoyed only occasionally, if at all. So how about a healthified version of chocolate fudge that you can create in just three minutes? Okay, there is the refrigerating time, so you won’t be able to dig in in three minutes, but three minutes is all you need to spend to enjoy healthy and yummy fudge (and you are welcome to try before chilling!).
125 ml melted coconut oil (raw virgin, organic) 60 g raw cocoa (organic) 75 g honey knob of grass fed butter (optional) good dash of finely ground Himalayan sea salt dash of vanilla
Mix all ingredients until well combined, spoon into a lined 20×20 cm container and chill for an hour or until solid. Lift out the fudge and cut into squares. If you enjoyed this fudge, why not try the following variations: Add mint essence for a classic after dinner treat, chilli powder or ginger for a bit of heat, orange peel, cinnamon and cardamom for a yummy wintery treat, peanut butter for extra indulgence or rose water for a mysterious Middle Eastern touch à la Turkish Delight.
Paleo and Vegan Protein Shake – the best of both worlds!
With a primal or paleo-oriented diet, getting enough protein in shouldn’t be an issue at all – if you are, however, not the biggest fan of meat or fish, meeting your daily protein requirements can be a bit more of a challenge! It is no coincidence that “protein” dereives from the Greek word “protos”, meaning “first” or “most important”. Besides fats and moderate amounts of carbohydrates – mainly from fruit, vegetables, and potatoes -, protein should account for 20-30% of your daily calorie intake – and this does not only apply to you if you are an athlete! Protein is the main building block of every cell in our bodies and is required to make hormones and enzymes. Besides, our body has no capacity of storing protein, which means you have to constantly supply your body with protein from your diet.”Vegan” and “Paleo” is not necessarily mutually exclusive, as I have shown in countless recipes. But even if you don’t follow a vegan diet – and I would advise against a vegan diet for a variety of reasons -, you might struggle to get your share of protein as pretty much all protein supplements use either soy (stay away from that by all means!), dairy, or egg albumen, which can cause adverse reactions in many people. In fact, finding a good, tasty, and healthy protein supplement, whether to fill you up after a strenuous workout or to achieve your protein intake goals, is next to impossible. Although I have seen “paleo” beef protein powders, they are expensive and hard to get your hands on.
An easy way out are rice protein shakes, which should be tolerated by pretty much anyone and impresses with an excellent amino acid profile. Admittedly, it doesn’t boast the best taste, but with a few paleo-friendly accessories, this problem can easily be solved. I created this shake as a convenient, tasty, and healthy source of protein. There is hardly any fructose in it, just glucose from banana (nature’s powerhouse!). Raw organic cocoa means plenty of minerals and antioxidants while at the same time staving off even the most violent chocolate cravings, almond meal provides for texture and an extra dose of vitamin E, and coconut water and coconut milk mean you get in the best of one of the planet’s healthiest foods – now I am sure the shakes they serve you at your local gym can’t even get close to this! Of course, you have plenty of options to “customise” this shake. Not vegan? Add some raw egg (you won’t taste it!)! Not strictly paleo? Consider a dollop of natural peanut butter! Feel like a cherry ripe bar? Get the frozen cherries out for a delicious treat and some added vitamins. Or go all decadent and add a few drops of mint essence for a delicious “dinner mint” treat.
Makes 1 shake
dash of vanilla 1 medium banana 1 tablespoon raw organic cocoa 2 heaped tablespoons almond meal 1 tablespoon stevia 5 ice cubes 2 tablespoons rice protein powder 200 ml coconut water 50 ml coconut milk 1 tsp flax pinch of salt
Add all ingredients in a high-powered blender and mix away!
It´s time to eliminate your prejudices – you don’t have prejudices, you say? I bet you have some – two of which I will eliminate in this blog post. First, I am sure you think that “vegan” and “paleo” is mutually exclusive. Well, yes and no. If you are talking lifestyle, then probably yes. If you are talking indulgent desserts, not necessarily. Oh, you say that “paleo” and “indulgent” is mutually exclusive? And that “vegan” and “indulgent” is mutually exclusive? That actually takes us to four prejudices I will get rid of with this post. What is the fourth one, you ask? Well – have you heard of panna cotta? With the possible exception of Italian chefs, the word “panna cotta” is commonly associated with the words “difficult” or “complicated”. But, actually, this could be the easiest dessert you’ll ever make. And yes, you can finally invite your paleo cousin and vegan sister in law to the same dinner party!
The educated among you will know that “panna cotta” is Italian and means as much as cooked or boiled cream. Which already presents the first challenge as dairy cream is neither paleo or vegan. What to do? Coconut to the rescue! If you have followed this blog, you will know that I am a big fan of coconut – coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut cream – you name it. Not only does this versatile gem taste divine, it is also exceptionally healthy. I have mentioned the various health benefits of coconut numerous times, so I suggest you do your research on this.
The second challenge is the gelatin required in traditional panna cotta recipes – though popular among the paleo community – and rightly so – it is a no-go for a vegan or even vegetarian diet. but nature wouldn´t be nature if it hadn´t bestowed us with a worthy alternative – agar, which you can almost use completely interchangeably with gelatin. Voilà! There you have a dessert which boasts healthy fats and is loaded with antioxidants. Win!
Serves 4
1 tin (420 ml) coconut cream, full fat 1 tablespoon vanilla essence 100 g honey 1 tablespoon agar 200 ml boiling water For the sauce 100 g honey 2 tablespoons raw organic cocoa 1 tablespoon potato starch 1 tin (420 ml) coconut milk 2 tablespoons ground coffee
Heat the cream, vanilla and honey in a saucepan over medium heat until the honey is completely dissolved and everything is well combined. Take off the heat. Boil the agar in the water for five minutes until completely dissolved. Stir into the coconut mass until completely dissolved. Pour the mass into four heat-proof moulds and refrigerate for three hours or until set.
For the sauce, combine all ingredients bar the coffee in a small saucepan over small heat until thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the coffee until completely dissolved. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Happy 2015! What are your resolutions for the new year? If living healthier is on your bucket list for this year (and there is a fair chance it is) then you will probably have banned nutella and banana sandwiches for dinner – at least for the first few days. But if you think that a chocolate hazelnut spread is inherently bad, hear me! Of course, the store bought stuff – no offence to the almighty Ferrero – is loaded with cheap vegetable oils and refined sugar – two ingredients that you should avoid at all costs or only enjoy occasionally. But both hazelnuts and cocoa possess powerful health properties and because they taste divine as well – especially in combination with each other – a chocolate hazelnut spread is just made for my blog!
In fact, although it’s advisable not to overdo it on the nuts (due to their phytic acid content on the one hand and their high level of omega 6 on the other), hazelnuts, with their relatively low omega 6 content, are among the more preferable types of nuts, and come with a healthy does of manganese for strong bones, copper for the utilisation of iron, and vitamin E for cardiovascular benefits on top. You might want to read up on nuts in the context of a paleo diet here.
I based my nutella on this recipe by the detoxinista, but instead of coconut sugar I opted for stevia. Why? Well, while I’m a big fan of the taste and texture of coconut sugar and believe it to be a high-quality type of sugar, it is still a carbohydrate. And, given that spreads are commonly used on bread which is – gluten free or not – a notorious carbohydrate bomb, I believe a spread should be as low in carbs as possible to balance this out – see my recipe for a low-carb jam here. Everyone knows that managing your carbohydrate intake is the key for long-term health and maintaining a normal weight, and that is why I like to replace all sugars, even the “healthy” ones with low-carb alternatives such as stevia, xylitol, or erythritol (no artificial sweeteners though!), especially as I don’t mind the taste of stevia. If you, however, despise it (and I know there are people that do), feel free to use coconut sugar, palm sugar, or raw sugar here (don’t think white sugar would work). Now, for a die-hard paleoist, including stevia in any recipe boasting the word “paleo” is for sure a sacrilege, but living a balanced lifestyle also means to try not to be holier than the pope. Of course, no sweet treat is strictly paleo, but I think that low-calorie, natural sweeteners such as stevia and erythritol are a godsend to enable us to enjoy the occasional sweet treat without deviating from our healthy lifestyle.
Does this nutella taste like the real thing? Well, I think it is pretty close, only better! Think of the inside of a Ferrero Rocher (am I the only one who used to scrape out the insides of a Ferrero Rocher?). Can’t argue with that one!
So without further ado, let’s take three steps to heaven!
225 g hazelnuts 10 g stevia (or 100 g sugar of choice) 15 g cocoa powder 15 g melted coconut oil 50 ml filtered water
1. Preheat oven to 150 °C and roast the hazelnuts on a flat baking sheet for 10-15 minutes or until the skins start to come off. Let cool slightly and then gently rub the nuts in a clean tea towel to remove the skins. Don’t worry about small bits remaining.
2. Pulse nuts approx. 10 minutes in a high powered food processor until you achieve the consistency of a coarse nut butter. I am lazy like my nut butters with a bit of crunch, so I don’t bother processing them to a smooth consistency.
3. Add remaining ingredients and quickly blend until well combined.
Nat's Ladle 