People usually think that gluten free versions of all-time-favourites suck. And indeed, most store-bought gluten free cakes, biscuits, and breads suck, and chances are, your first attempts at gluten free baking will too. Mine did, anyway. But it is possible to produce gluten free and even completely grain free versions of your old favourites without sacrificing taste, texture, and experience.
These brownie cookies don’t suck. And I dare say, they taste better than the glutenated versions from the coffeeshop. They won’t send you into a slump, either. Just the best that nature has to offer, organic nut butter, unprocessed cocoa powder, high-quality fats, natural honey. Absolutely no grain, no sugar, and no hydrogenated or trans fats! These are a bit crumblier than normal brownies, more like cookies, which I like, and have an intense chocolate flavour. Are they brownies? Are they cookies? Decide for yourself! Fact is, they are full of chocolatey awesomeness – enough to bust any cravings you might have.
These brownie cookies are not only everything you were looking for in a chocolatey treat, they are also simple and highly customisable. If you are strictly paleo (or allergic to peanuts for that matter), sub any other nut butter for peanut butter and other nuts for peanuts. If you are vegan, use coconut oil instead of butter, maple syrup or erythritol instead of honey, and egg replacer or a chia egg instead of egg. It’s really that simple!
See – there is no reason to give up your favourite treats when going paleo or gluten free! Be warned though, as these are pretty kickass – think Lindt, not Cadbury. So if you are a Cadbury eater, you might have to reconsider – or add (a lot) more sugar!
Makes 12 brownie cookies
200 g crunchy natural peanut butter (or any other nut butter) 100 g roasted, unsalted peanuts 100 g honey 1 egg or flax egg 30 g coconut oil, melted 30 g cocoa powder dash of vanilla pinch of sea salt pinch of baking soda
Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Prepare a 20 x 20 cm baking pan by greasing and/or lining with parchment paper to easily remove the brownie cookies later. Stir all ingredients together in a medium-size bowl and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake on middle rack for about 20 minutes (the brownie batter should still be a little bit wobbly in the middle). Let cool on a plate and cut into 12 pieces. Store in the fridge in an airtight container.
Yes, they damn taste like the real thing! It sounds like several oxymora in one title – “healthy gluten free chocolate chip donuts”. First of all, donuts are not meant to be healthy, especially not if they are chocolate chip! Donuts are sugary, yeasty monsters dripping with unhealthy trans-fats! Second, donuts are not meant to be gluten free. Well, in fact, few baked goods are, but donuts? Gluten free??? Plus, “gluten free” in fact rarely means healthy. Think of all the refined starches in processed gluten free goods, the added sugar and trans-fats…no, “healthy gluten free donuts” just seems too good to be true!
Maybe you just recently found out you are celiac or gluten intolerant and are missing your regular trips to the Krispy Kreme store. Or you need to cut back on sugar and starches for health reasons, meaning something like donuts is off-limits. But is it really? What if you could stuff your face with some delish donuts, knowing they contain hardly any sugar, only wholegrains instead of white starches, and healthy coconut oil instead of trans-fats? Donuts that are not only yummy but that won’t send you into an insuline rollercoaster? And what if you could pinch yourself and still find yourself nibbling on these donuts? Donuts that damn taste like the real thing?
It’s not a dream. It’s not a joke. It’s blunt reality. This is even more stunning than Germany’s 7-1 win over Brazil. You can make these. You can make donuts that are gluten free, almost sugar free, wholegrain, low GI, and -yup- healthy in a matter of 30 minutes. And they damn taste like the real thing. Impress your hubby, your kids, your guests, your colleagues and yourself with this sinfully tasty but guilt-free treat. You deserve it! P.S.: You probably don’t need even need to “stuff your face” as these are truly satisfying. Yay for stable blood sugar!
To give you a brief overview what’s in these donuts: Sorghum – high in protein, manages cholesterol levels, high in antioxidants, aids in blood sugar control, promotes digestive health due to its high fiber content, boasts magnesium and copper Millet – copper (helps utilisation of iron), phosphorus (supports nervous system), manganese (supports healthy bone structure), magnesium (reduces migraines and asthma attacks), niacin (lowers cholesterol), high in insoluble fiber Buckwheat – supports cardiovascular system, controls blood sugar, high in minerals, fibre and polyphenolic antioxidants Sea salt – supports immune system, healthy bones, reduces cholesterol levels, controls blood sugar, prevents muscle spasms Eggs – high quality amino acids, vitamins A (for good eyesight), D (bones), E (nerves), K (heart protective), B2 (prevents headaches), B5 (alleviates stress), B12 (fights dementia), folate (bones), phosphorus, selenium (brain), choline (to build cell membranes), lutein (for eye health), support “good” cholesterol
Yogurt – protein, lactose-free, probiotics for good digestion Coconut oil – weight loss, stress relief, increased immunity and much more Dark chocolate – antioxidants
I must admit I am quite pleased with myself as it is the first time I baked something entirely out of wholegrain flours! Donuts are actually quite good for that purpose as they are naturally a bit denser than, say, muffins. But don’t let that fool you – these donuts are soft, moist and luscious, and I promise you, you won’t go back to Krispy Kreme once you had these! And, yes, they damn taste like the real thing!
Who was Krispy Kreme, again?
Makes 18 mini donuts
70 g sorghum flour 70 g millet flour 35 g buckwheat flour 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or erythritol 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt 1/2 teaspoon tapioca 1/5 tsp baking soda
2 eggs 150 g Greek yogurt 125 ml natural almond milk 20 g melted coconut oil 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
80 g dark chocolate chips
For the glaze:
90 g dark chocolate chips 20 g coconut oil hundreds and thousands (optional)
If you don’t have a donut pan, get one NOW. Preheat oven to 180 °C. Use two different mixing bowls, one to mix the dry ingredients (flours, salt, tapioca, soda, sugar) and one to mix the wet ingredients (eggs, yogurt, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla). Make sure the contents of each bowl is a homogenous mass. Carefully add the wet to the dry ingredients while whisking so as to receive a smooth dough. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop the dough into the donut pan and bake for approx. 20 minutes or a couple minutes longer. Make sure the donuts are golden brown and puffy on the outside.
When cooled, prepare the glaze by melting the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in the microwave in a microwave-proof small dish such as a whisky glass. Choose a low setting, microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for another 30 seconds, stir again. You might have to microwave them for another 30 seconds but it depends. Once it looks like glaze, you are ready to go! Drizzle the donuts (or dunk them) and decorate with hundreds and thousands.
Healthy doesn’t mean boring – scrumptious vegan coffee and chocolate chip muffins
Even if you are a carnivore like me, you will sooner or later stumble upon vegan desserts if you need/want/try to avoid dairy. The label “vegan” on any restaurant or supermarket item per definitionem means free of animal products and therefore free of dairy – a safe bet for those with a casein allergy, lactose intolerance, or who simply want to avoid dairy for other health and/or lifestyle reasons. I do love my goat’s and sheep’s milk, the occasional cheese platter and, of course, my eggies, but I wanted to create something nice and scrumptious for all you vegan and/or dairy intolerant out there – and what would be better than a luscious, naughty little muffin?
In baking, you have heaps of options to replace animal products with plant products – there are flax or chia seeds you can use instead of eggs, almond milk, rice milk, oat milk instead of cow’s milk…the list goes on! And if you can’t have butter, there is always coconut oil! If you thought “vegan” is synonymous with boring and chaste, think again – these wouldn’t be my muffins if they weren’t a bit naughty! And do you really think my hubs would survive a day at work with boring snacks? These muffins are made in a jiffy, fill the house with a lovely smell, and taste so-not-gluten free! In fact, they are moist and luscious and have the soft, fluffy crumb we all love and miss about glutenated muffins! And -unlike baking with gluten flours- there is no danger of overmixing the batter, as there is no gluten that can get activated! Yay!
Don’t let the labels “healthy”, “vegan” and “gluten free” deter you – these muffins boast LOTS of coffee and LOTS of chocolate! What better way to make it through a working day on your desk? Not only do they look good, smell even better and taste divine, they are the perfect nutritious breakfast and/or afternoon snack: Fibre and omega 3 from chia seeds; iron, zinc, calcium, potassium,polyphenols and antioxidants from coconut sugar (which is so much better for your blood sugar than regular sugar and won’t send you into a carb-induced stupor); anti-viral lauric acid from coconut oil; vitamin E from almond milk; antioxidants and minerals from dark chocolate; magnesium and copper from sorghum – maybe they are not that naughty after all?
Makes 18 small muffins
100 g organic coconut oil, very soft 70 g organic coconut sugar 2 “chia eggs” (i.e. 2 level tablespoons of black chia seeds dissolved in equal amounts of filtered water) 1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract 125 g sorghum flour 75 g millet flour 80 g of any starch (i.e. any mix of tapioca, potato starch, rice starch, maize starch) 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt 1 level teaspoon aluminium-free baking soda 1 cup almond milk 1 cup freshly brewed filter coffee, very strong 200 g vegan dark chocolate chips (from the health food store; alternatively, try very high-quality dark chocolate such as Lindt Excellence 90%)
Preheat oven to 170 °C and line or grease your muffin pan/s. Beat the coconut oil with the coconut sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add vanilla and chia eggs, mix in. In a separate bowl with a spout, mix together the coffee and almond milk. In another, bigger, bowl with spout mix the flours, starches, salt, and baking soda. Alternatingly, add almond coffee mix and flour mix to the coconut mix while beating until you get a homogenous, pancake-like, rather liquid batter. Stir in the chocolate chips. Fill muffin pan and bake for 18 minutes.
Healthy, Easy and Yummy Granola Bars with Chocolate, Chia, and Almonds!
My man loves muesli bars. He used to get 24-packs of those hideous store-bought, highly processed, toxic, and also expensive “muesli bars”, and no, they didn’t even taste good in my opinion! Having finally used up our stock of processed junk “muesli bars”, it was high time to swing the kitchen knife again and come up with my own healthy granola bar recipe!
Given that I still had rolled oats and sultanas in my pantry which I wanted to use up (I am not a huge fan of sultanas tbh, but I cannot stand throwing things out), the opportunity seemed perfect. I was on the prowl for a good granola bar recipe online and I got my inspiration mainly from The Minimalist Baker, but I tweaked it a bit to make it “husband friendly”, i.e. I added dark chocolate chips for a bit of naughtiness, cornflakes for some added “crunch”, chia for extra goodness, and I changed the ratios a bit. I used ABC butter instead of peanut butter for its more favourable health benefits and its subtler taste. Oh, and yes, I used sultanas instead of dates, as this is what I had and I didn’t want to go shopping again. It worked just as well. Pretty cool if you can just start a recipe and everything ready, ay? The result is an almost perfect muesli bar that my hubby would choose over store-bought concoctions anytime. They are not 5-ingredient ones, but they are still surprisingly easy to make. Are they messy? Yes, but that’s part of the fun!
For one 20×20 cm baking pan
140 g rolled oats 60 g cornflakes 20 g chia seeds 150 g almonds 200 g sultanas 100 g dark chocolate chips 130 g nut butter (I used almond, brazil and cashew nut butter) 50 g honey or maple syrup pinch of salt
Line the baking pan with parchment paper to easily remove the granola later and preheat oven to 180 °C. Line a baking sheet also with parchment paper and spread the oats, chia seeds, and almonds. Toast in the oven for 12-15 minutes, occasionally stirring, or until slightly browned. This step is actually not necessary, but it improves the taste a lot, and the chocolate chips will melt and incorporate nicely later.
While the oat mixture is toasting away, knead the sultanas with a tiny little bit of hot water so as to get a sticky, dough-like consistency. The sultanas should come together as a ball. Then, heat the nut butter, honey, and salt on very small heat while constantly stirring – don’t let it catch! – until honey is incorporated.
Take oat mixture out of the oven, add cornflakes, chocolate chips, sultanas, and warm honey-nut-mix, and incorporate. Beware, you will get your hands sticky, veeeery sticky, but you have my official permission to lick your fingers! (Just leave a little bit for the actual granola bars!) Make sure that the granola mass actually IS really sticky or else it will become messy and crumbly later!
Pour the mix into the prepared baking pan and pat it down REALLY HARD! Yes, you can use violence here; in fact, I’d advise to do so! I used another sheet of parchment and another baking pan which I pressed onto the granola mass. You could also use a book and stand on it – I have heard of people doing that! Now it’s time for 30 minutes in the freezer – do not attempt to cut the bars before you have frozen them! After 30 minutes, remove from freezer and very cautiously start to cut into how many bars you like. Store in refrigerator. Note: Collect any crumbs, toast them and enjoy with almond milk as a nutritious start to the day!
I have mentioned before that I am an absolute icecream addict. And yes, you can be dairy intolerant and an icecream addict! See here, here, and here. And now HERE. My husband is a great whisky and bourbon lover, and on the occasion of his recent birthday, I wanted to create a dessert we could both thoroughly enjoy. Born was my vegan maple bourbon infused icecream based on coconut milk! For all you sceptics out there, the end product doesn’t taste anything like coconut, but everything like decadence and creamy deliciousness! This icecream goes extraordinarily well with my decadent flourless chocolate mud cake and actually tastes like Bailey’s, only better! Pretty cool, ay?
You could replace the maple syrup with honey, and that would work just as well, but I reckon the maple syrup in combination with the Bourbon is sublime and takes the whole thing to a new level. Put some “Tiger Rag” on, and you are right in New Orleans! I mean, seriously. I am already thinking of adding maple glazed chipotle pecans, but let’s take it easy this time and start churning this three-ingredient icecream! Okay okay, it’s six ingredients, but the vanilla, molasses, and sea salt are totally optional – albeit highly recommended! By the way, you don’t need an icecream maker for this. If you don’t have one or forgot to chill the churner, you can pour the coconut-bourbon-mass into a shallow container, freeze it, and stir every hour or so until the desired consistency is reached. Thanks to the coconut milk, the booze, and the liquid maple syrup, this icecream gets nice and creamy, just as it should be. You don’t need to cook anything here, all you need to do is to chill the tins of coconut milk in the fridge over night before you get started.
2 420 ml tins of full-cream coconut milk, chilled over night 1 tsp vanilla extrace 1/2 cup maple syrup 2 Tbsp Bourbon whisky 1 Tbsp molases 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Whisk the creamy part of the coconut milk, vanilla, maple syrup, bourbon, molasses, and salt until homogenic. Pour into a glass on ice and enjoy your homemade Bailey’s! Get your icecream maker going and pour the mixture in while churning. Then let your favourite kitchen device do its work according to manufacturer’s instructions. After 20 to 25 minutes, the icecream has a soft serve consistency. Pour into a container and freeze a bit more until firm. Enjoy on its own or serve alongside a rich chocolate dessert.
I promised you some time ago to publish a more nutritious, starch free chocolate cake recipe. I tend to keep my promises. I wanted to create the most perfect chocolate cake recipe in the world, and here it is. Don’t even look at anything else! It happens to be not only gluten free, but entirely grain free. It is actually virtually Paleo. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that this cake could be served in the best chocolateries and pâtisseries in Paris and would pass. This will be the richest, most luscious, most delightful, most exquisite, ambrosial, and, yup, most decadent chocolate cake you EVER devour.
Since I like to make decadence healthy you can actually afford indulging in this treasure. I promise you that this is the most guilt-free yet most guilty-tasting chocolate cake you’ll ever sink your teeth in. It is actually only a handful of ingredients, but it is of utter importance that all of these ingredients are of pristine quality. I used real Lindt 70% chocolate, so use the best dark chocolate you can lay your hands on.
Thanks to this indulgence being flourless, it is and stays gooey, melt-in-the-mouth and moist and does not dry out. The egg whites make the cake fluffy and moist without the nasty sponginess of flour-full cakes. This cake doesn’t puff up much, but I think towering cakes should be left to weddings anyway!
Serve this cake on the best plates you have, get your nicest tablecloth out, light a candle, and play some Handel – anything else wouldn’t do this lavish delicacy justice. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Makes one medium-size round cake
150 g organic coconut oil or butter or a mixture of the two 150 g high-quality dark chocolate (70%; I used Lindt Excellence) 50 g cocoa powder 6 eggs, separated 100 g honey (or coconut sugar) 1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional) pinch of sea salt
For the frosting
150 ghigh-quality dark chocolate (70%; I used Lindt Excellence) 3 tbsp coconut cream pinch of sea salt
optional: ca. 30 g milk or white chocolate and 1 tsp coconut oil for the pattern
Preheat the oven to 130 °C. This is important. Although this seems like s low temperature, too much heat will cause the cake to burn outside and the gases to expand too rapidly, leaving a deflated cake with a pancake-y texture. Melt the fat, vanilla, (cinnamon) and chocolate in a double boiler while stirring, turn off the heat once half the chocolate is melted and keep stirring. Take the chocolate off the boiler. Meanwhile, cream the yolks with honey or sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat the egg whites with the sea salt in a very clean, separate bowl on high until stiff peaks form. Pour the melted chocolate-fat-mix into the yolk mix, stirring. Finally, fold in the whites VERY CAREFULLY. Bake for 40 minutes. There should still be a bit of chocolate on the toothpick!
Let the cake cool and prepare the frosting by melting all the frosting ingredients together and icing the cake. You might want to put a ring around the cake to help the frosting build up on top of the cake and not running down on the sides. Refrigerate. If you like you can melt a bit of white or milk chocolate with coconut oil to “paint” a pattern on top of the cake. Serve with icecream (link) or apricot coulis. The cake will last in the fridge for almost two weeks.
Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Sugar Free Hot Cross Buns
Happy Easter everyone! What are family gatherings without traditions? When you have food intolerances – especially gluten intolerance – it can be hard to enjoy all the family traditions. Birthday cake, christmas pudding, and pumpkin pie are all off-limits, and so are the ultimate Good Friday traditions of fish and chips and hot cross buns – or aren’t they?
You will need to get your hands dirty, folks, but it’s definitely worth it! I created some yummy gluten free hot cross buns for you that you can safely serve your gluten-eating family and friends. Gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nasty free, but with lots of flavour and texture and full of juicy sultanas. I did not use lemon peel in this recipe, as no-one in my family is a huge fan of them, but you are of course welcome to add it. Looks like Easter is saved this time. And I have eight more months to serve you the yummiest gluten free ginger bread you’ve ever had!
These buns are fairly easy to make, but you have to calculate a bit of time – 15 minutes of kneading, 45 minutes of resting, and another 25 minutes of baking.
Makes 9 buns
90 g sorghum flour 75 g rice flour 35 g arrowroot 1 tbsp dry yeast 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp cardamom 1/2 tsp nutmeg generous pinch of salt 3/4 cup plant milk 2 flax eggs (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp flaxseed dissolved in 4 tbsp filtered water) 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted 3 tbsp organic maple syrup dash of lemon juice 75 g sultanas 30 g (sugar-free) citrus peel (optional) 75 g erythritol 2 tsp lemon juice
Mix the flours, arrowroot, yeast, spices, and salt in a large mixing bowl until one colour. Beat the flax, oil, maple syrup, and lemon juice in a separate, smaller bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat on high until well combined. Fold in sultanas and citrus peel, if using. Thoroughly wet your hands to prevent sticking, shape nine equally big buns and spread on a prepared baking sheet. As they will rise a bit, remember to leave enough space between the individual buns. Cover with cling wrap and let rest in a warm place for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C. When the buns have risen, remove the cling wrap, shape a cross on every bun, and bake on the middle rack for approximately 25 minutes or until golden brown at the edges. Turn off the oven and take out the buns to cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, prepare the icing – mix erythritol and lemon juice until of pasty consistency. Fill in a sandwich bag and cut a tiny hole in it to spread the icing in the lines of the crosses.
Serve the buns while still hot and fresh. They will get a bit solid the next day, but you can easily chuck them into microwave or oven to bring them back to life.
It’s autumn! (For all the ones who think “WTF? It’s April!”, we are talking southern hemisphere here!) Although we still get sunny days in the low 20s, the evenings have that certain something about them that reminds me of the dusky, hazy, and utterly magical October evenings I remember from Europe. Autumn is my favourite season, featuring colourful trees, the smell of leaves and fresh chestnuts, a mellow light, cool-but-not-too-cool days, and a long dusk – and not least some of my favourite foods to eat, which all start with p – potatoes, pumpkin, pears, and -yup- plums!
Even though we started harvesting our lovely plums already a couple of months ago, these yummy purple and yellow fruits are still ubiquitous. As I am still in the phase of perfecting my gluten free bread making skills but want to go a bit more easy on nut butters (think anti-metabolic PUFAs…), I needed to come up with a good jam. Unlike my home country, the selection of jams here in Australia leaves a lot to be desired. It’s hard to find a jam with a fruit content of more than 30% (when in Germany, you can only get 50% +!), and even the ones with a supposed fruit content of 50% taste like sugary mush. Any wonder when sugar and glucose syrup are the main ingredients! I usually prefer going without any sweetener at all as fruit has a natural sweetness to it that doesn’t need tampering with. However, plums are a bit of a different animal, as they are quite sour, so I opted to use a bit of Xylitol. Xylitol (just like erythritol) is a safe natural sweetener that has actually been shown to be beneficial for teeth and even to reverse cavities! I have no issues with Xylitol in terms of digestive distress, but if you are extra sensitive, you might want to opt for eryhtritol instead, which is also an excellent sweetener. Of course, you can use “real” sugar or stevia although I don’t think that stevia gives jam the nicest taste.
I know what you think, that (white) sugar is needed to preserve the jam – and you are absolutely right. However, I am not a preserve-maker (yet), and I like my jam being ready instantly, and I like it fresh! This jam should last a couple weeks in the fridge – it’s so delicious though that you will get through it quicker! The great thing about plums is that they have enough natural pectin, meaning that unlike with other jams, you don’t need to add pectin during the jam-making process and will still get that “jamminess”. Yes, you really can make this jam spontaneously as it takes less than 5 minutes to make! It is really as easy as! Tip: By adding some wintery spices (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom etc.) you will get that perfect autumn feeling!
500 g plums, washed, cored, and roughly chopped (leave skin on) 1 tbsp apple juice 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp xylitol (or alternative sweetener) 2 tsp arrowroot starch cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg (optional)
Combine plums, apple juice, and lemon juice in a saucepan over moderate heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Whisk the arroworoot starch with 2 tsp water until a pasty consistency is achieved. Add the arrowroot paste, stirring vigorously. The plums should instantly start to thicken up. Now add the sweetener and the spices and stir until the desired consistency is reached. Let cool completely and transfer to mason jar. Lasts a couple of weeks in the fridge. This jam is great on gluten free bread, in yoghurt and quark, or straight from the spoon.
Super Nutritious Smoothie without Nasties – not only for Breakfast!
I know, I know…I have neglected you badly during the last weeks, dear friends…I was very busy with work and other things that life throws at you, and although my workload wasn’t necessarily much higher than usual, I just didn’t have the nerve for blogging or experimenting. I was also lacking a bit of inspiration and didn’t come up with anything worth publishing. But the wait is finally over, and I promise you to not let you down and blog regularly from now on! I was also studying a lot about nutrition during my recent quiet weeks – not only about food intolerances per se, but about stress, metabolism, and how to heal your metabolism with nutritious (and plenty of) foods and lots of rest. I hope that I can incorporate my ongoing findings into my blog work in the future. Let’s just say for now that wholesome, “real”, nutrient-dense foods are the key for healing your body and mind and can potentially even reverse food intolerances. Wouldn’t it be nice?
And for those times that life is throwing a bunch of things at you and you don’t know where to start, how about a super-nutritious smoothie to boost your mind and body? No, it’s not one of your fat-free, sugar-free, chemical-laden “health smoothies”, but real food turned into a luscious milk shake! One of these for breaky really sets you up for the day, but it is not reserved for breakfast alone. Let me tell you about all the goodies you get in one glass:
tropical fruit for valuable micronutrients and a delicious taste of sun and holiday
avocado for healthy mono-unsaturated fats, needed for cell repair, hormones, satiety, texture, and taste
chia seeds for protein and omega 3’s
maca for an extra energy boost and stamina
coconut sugar, a low GI sweetening option with great taste and nutrients
rice protein powder for tummy-friendly protein
sea salt to replace electrolytes lost during sleep, boost your metabolism, facilitate the assimilation of nutrients, and make the flavour pop!
Oh yes, and it tastes great! The healthy fats from chia and avocado make sure to keep you full for a long time – did you know that your body cannot use nutrients like vitamins and minerals such as calcium without an adequate amount of fat? It’s time to reconsider whether that “healthy low-fat smoothie” they offer you at a juice bar is really that healthy…I’d like to argue that my version is far superior and really gives your body the fuel it needs!
Makes 1 large smoothie
1 large frozen banana 1 cup frozen mango a quarter avocado 1 tbsp chia seeds, dissolved in water or milk (“chia gel”) (or try flaxseed) 3/4 cup plant milk 1 scoop protein powder of choice (I use rice protein) generous pinch of sea salt 1 tsp coconut sugar or other sweetener half a cup soy or coconut yoghurt (optional, to make it thicker= maca powder (optional)
I recommend chopping the banana, mango, and avo together in a powerful food processor first. Then add all the other ingredients and blitz away! Yum!
Refreshing watermelon slushie – healthy, easy and yummy!
The blazing hot days are getting fewer and fewer in the Southern hemisphere now, but – we still get the occasional day when the mercury climbs above 30 degrees. Our latest gadget – yes, we bought an air condition – still gets to be used, yay! Don’t want to see our electricity bill later…
Anyways, I was in a dilemma the other day, as I needed to cool down, but couldn’t be bothered making icecream, and store-bought sugar laden icecream or sorbet is not an option for me, as you know. So, I got creative again, and whipped up the world’s easiest and mega delicious watermelon slushie! You know, not those chemical-laden slushies you get at the convenience store or petrol station, but a slushie that loves you back! Not only is it yummy and extreeeeemely refreshing, it’s also a great way to stay hydrated when the sun does not have mercy! And if you have a good processor, you can whip this up in a jiffy – 15 seconds, to be precise!
Makes 1 large slushie (or 2 small ones!)
3 cups watermelon, roughly diced 1 tbsp lemon juice fresh mint to taste 5 icecubes
Blitz everything in a food processor and enjoy! Tip: Sugar or salt rim your glass before for an impressive alcohol free party cocktail!
Nat's Ladle 