Mango Macadamia Smoothie

Flesh from 2 large mango cheeks ( Kensington Pride mangoes are my favourite is)
1/2 banana
1/2 cup of milk (soy, nut, cow, rice
1 heaped tablespoon of raw macadamia butter
Tsp of maple syrup/honey/agave
Cup of ice

Blend until smooth, pour into glass and dollop with a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and serve with a spoon :)

Stir Fried Long Green Eggplant with Tofu & Coconut Rice (& Steamed Okra)

Stir Fried Long Green Eggplant (Serves 2-3)


2 tbs of extra virgin coconut oil
6 cloves of garlic
1 red chilli
1 red onion sliced
175 grams of firm tofu crumbled
3 Thai long green eggplant sliced into 1cm coins
1/2 cup of water
1 large handful of basil chopped
4 tbsps of tamari
1 tbs agave nectar

Place garlic and half the red chilli in a mortar and pestle and pound until a paste is formed. Heat coconut oil in a large heavy based pan or wok. Add garlic, chilli and red onion and saute until fragrant. Add crumbled tofu and stir for a few minutes. Add eggplant, stir to combine and let sit for a minute. Add 3 tablespoons of tamari and 1/2 cup of water, cover with lid and cook/steam/simmer for 3 minutes. Remove lid and stir through 1 table spoon of tamari, 1 tablespoon of agave nectar and the chopped basil. Serve with coconut rice and garnish with a few sprigs of basil, 1/2 the sliced red chilli and some raw cashews.




Coconut Rice
1 tbs of extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup basmati rice rinsed
1 cup of water
1 cup of coconut milk
pinch of salt


Heat a saucepan, add coconut oil and rice and stir over medium heat until translucent. Add coconut milk and water a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for a further 10 minutes.


Okra
Two handfuls of okra

Place okra in a steamer and steam for 3-8 minutes until bright green and you can pierce them easily with a fork. Remove from steamer, season with salt.

Avocado, Apple & Sunflower Sprout Salad

Salad (Serves 2 )
1 ripe avocado
1 pink lady apple
Sunflower sprouts
Couple of tbspoons of fresh coriander

Cut an avocado in half and remove the seed. Carefully spoon out avocado flesh in one piece Slice into strips. Slice 1/2 a pink lady apple into match sticks. Roughly chop two tablespoons of coriander (or if very fresh just pluck off the leaves).

Dressing

1 tsp of finely grated ginger
1 tsp of miso paste
1/2 tsp of agave nectar (or other sweetener, honey, maple syrup, sugar)
1 tspoons tamari
1 tbspoons black vinegar
2 tbspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tbspoons water

Mix all ingredients together.

Assembly
 Arrange a handful of sunflower sprouts on two plates. Top with half of the chopped avocado, half of the chopped apple and sprinkle each with a table spoon of coriander. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Beginner Green Smoothie

This is a great green smoothie for beginners as the 'green' cholophyll taste isn't quite so obvious. As you start to get used to them you can mix it up a lot and become very experimental and creative with flavours, using different greens and fruit combinations. Try and keep in simple only using fruit, greens and water and for optimal digestion save your smoothie supplements like nuts and superfood additions for other smoothies :)

It is very important to mix up your greens and be sure not to have the same greens everyday - as always variety is best. To begin I suggest trying silverbeet and spinach as these greens don't have an intensely strong flavour.

Always try and use organic greens in these smoothies, and if you are buying organic produce it is best not to wash the greens under chlorinated water as this will kill a lot of the nutrients. Just brush off the dirt with a cloth :)

For more info on green smoothies check out the green smoothie pioneer and her family. They have lots of recipes and I love their 15 green smoothies in 3 minutes clip - Great for some ideas :)

Ingredients
2 cups of firmly packed greens (silverbeet, english spinach, kale, purple kale, curly kale, Asian greens)
1 banana peeled
1 cups of frozen berries of choice
1 orange peeled
approx. 1 cup of chopped watermelon
2 cups of water

Method
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Makes approx. 4 cups of smoothie.

This one in the picture doesn't look very 'green' as I used purple curly kale. Was delicious though! :)

Easy Malaysian Vegetarian Laksa

Vegetarian Laksa inspired and adapted to be vegetarian friendly from a recipe from the Food Safari cookbook.

I have made a beautiful laksa with laksa pasta I made from scratch. It was so delicious. However this is a great alternative, very easy and quick and can become a regular week night meal. I have always found it difficult to find a vegetarian laksa paste. However fairly recently I discovered Charmaine Solomon's Vegetarian Laksa Paste- I was stoked! It can be tricky to get. My local supermarket stocked it and then it disappeared. I have recently found it in Thomas Dux and bought a few of them as I find it is great to have handy for when I feel like a laksa fix.

Ingredients

6-8 schallots roughly chopped

6-8 garlic cloves roughly chopped

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 red chilli roughly chopped

125 mls of water

Rice vermicelli noodles

Egg noodles (I sometimes just use rice vermecelli and pad thai noodles or whichever I have!)

4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

2 heaped tbsp of Charmaine Solomon's Vegetarian Laksa Paste

2 carrots chopped

1/2 small broccoli

1/4 cauliflower chopped

2 handfulls of small mushrooms, halved or left whole

Bunch of asian greens e.g. bok choy, choy sum, gai lan roughly chopped

1 litre vegetable stock

1 can coconut cream

Fried *tofu puffs or chopped firm tofu

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Juice of 1 lime

Bean sprouts

Spring onions, chopped

Red chilli, sliced

Coriander leaves

Deep fried shallots

Fresh lime wedges

* You can get tofu puffs from Asian grocery stores

Method

1) Place schallots, garlic cloves, ginger and chilli in a food processor, add water gradually and blend until it becomes smooth.

2) Prepare rice noodles by blanching them in boiling water. When softened refresh in a colander under cold water.

3) Heat coconut oil in a large pot and add fresh paste and gently fry for a few minutes Add laksa paste and fry for a couple more minutes before adding the carrot, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower.

4) Saute vegetables for a few more minutes until coated in paste and fragrant.

5) Add vegetable stock, bring to the boil and add coconut cream and tofu. Add sugar and salt to taste and the stalks of the asian greens and simmer for a few minutes to bring out flavours. Squeeze in fresh lime and stir through the leaves of the Asian greens.

6) Divide the noodles amongst bowls.

7) Spoon over some vegetables and broth

8) Top with fresh bean spouts, freshly chopped coriander, chopped red chilli and lime wedges to serve.





Raw Cacao Power Smoothie

Want to fulfill that chocolate craving for breakfast but feel energised with no regrets? Try this smoothie... Raw cacao is full of goodness... I have a few variations of this chocolate smoothie combo. I love banana and chocolate together, the banana adds flavour, sweetness and to sweeten and makes it thick... I made this for breakfast this morning - I feel like another - yum!

Ingredients

1 heaped tbs of raw cacao powder

1/2 tsp maca powder

2 tbs hemp protein meal

1 large banana (frozen is best)

250 mls hazelnut milk

1 heaped tbs of hazelnut meal (left over from the hazelnut milk). OR you could use LSA.

1-2 tbs of bonvit date spread OR 8 dates soaked for 30 minutes

pinch of celtic sea salt

1 tbs black tahini

Handful of ice

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve and enjoy immediately.

* If you prefer it sweeter you can always add a few more dates or try adding a pinch of stevia or a drizzle of raw honey or maple syrup.

Salads - Food for the Warmer Months

As it slowly gets warmer during Spring we naturally start to crave fresher, lighter meals such as salads. With lots of fresh fruit coming into season such as berries, bananas, passion fruit, watermelons, mangoes, nectarines and peaches they are difficult to resist after eating apples all winter!

Traditionally, Chinese Medicine doesn’t condone eating too much raw food, as its cold nature can cause an imbalance in the digestive system and body. However, slowly incorporating more raw foods into your diet as the weather warms up is a great way to awaken your energy and senses after the cold weather! ** As always, balance and moderation is the key!  

**If you have digestive problems you may wish to speak to your Chinese medicine practitioner about the best foods for your constitutional type.

Tips when eating raw foods

  

• Avoid the fridge: It is important not to eat food and drink straight from the fridge. Keep this in mind when preparing a raw salad as this accentuates the cold energy of raw food and makes it more difficult to digest.

• Add some warm cooked vegetables: When eating a salad try adding some lightly blanched, steamed or baked vegetables to warm the salad slightly, thereby making it easier on the digestive system.
• Stew, bake or grill fruit: This is an alternative way to enjoy fruit (especially for dessert with some natural yoghurt :) )

Six Ways with Salads

1)      Get creative: The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can do to make a yummy salad. You don’t always need baby spinach, or mixed lettuces.  Try using English spinach or throw in some chopped silver beet or shredded cabbage. You can also try grating some raw pumpkin, zucchini or beetroot into your salad. This adds colour and flavour and also adds variety to your diet.

2)      Go  nutty: Add raw nuts and seeds. This is one way to increase essential fatty acids in your diet and contributes to the texture and flavour. Try sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds, cashews, almonds, pine nuts...

3)      Add colour and sweetness: With fresh fruit! Add some grated apple, chopped oranges and mango, sliced pear, diced peaches, nectarines or kiwi fruit... You could also add a handful of sultanas or currents. These are just some suggestions. I have tried all of the above and I think fruit in salads is delish!

4)      Play with texture: Using different techniques when preparing the ingredients for a salad changes the flavour of the final product. For example, you can chop it, grate it, or use a potato peeler to create ribbons of carrot or zucchini.

5)      Shake it up: To me a dressing makes a salad and brings it all together. Making your own dressing tastes a million times better than buying one. It is also very simple and much healthier for you.  Once you have mastered a basic recipe and familiarised yourself with different flavours you can start trying new things by changing the type of vinegar or oil (see recipes below).

6)      Spice it up:  Fresh herbs in salad can bring the salad to life; try using parsley, coriander, basil or mint...

Salad Dressing Suggestions

Mediterranean

 ½ garlic clove crushed or finely chopped

1 heaped teaspoon of Dijon or seeded mustard

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, white balsamic or red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons or extra virgin olive oil

 pinch of salt, pepper to taste

Optional: Add 1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt

Asian Immune Booster

4 garlic cloves crushed or finely chopped

½ cup of olive oil

2 table spoons of fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

Black pepper to taste

Black Sabbath

½ clove of garlic crushed or finely chopped

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

½ lemon juiced (approximate 4-5 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons of Black tahini (you can also use regular hulled tahini)

pinch of salt, pepper to taste

Optional: add 2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt

The black tahini may intimidate you but it has a very mild delicate flavour and is made from black sesame seeds – it is very yummy!

My Favourite Salads of the Moment...

All ingredients are listed, however quantities are not included – go with your feeling and adapt to your taste :)

Ruccola Salad

Rocket: Wash and dry

Parmesan: Grate

Pear: Thinly slice or use a mandolin

Toasted pine nuts: Toast on a dry pan over high heat, constantly tossing until golden

Balsamic and olive oil: To drizzle

Salt and pepper: To taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl serve before a meal or as a side to pasta, lasagne or home made pizza :)

Green Bomb

Raw English spinach: Wash, drain, and tear

Tomatoes: Dice

Avocados: Chop

Pepitas: Raw

Pumpkin: Grate

Red onion: Finely slice

Put all ingredients in a bowl, top with “Black Sabbath” dressing and toss.

Rose Elliot’s Coconut Quinoa Curry

I love this recipe. It is so easy and quick to prepare – a great mid-week, nutritious winter warmer! You can vary the flavours by using different curry pastes and also by using different vegetables. Or if you only have frozen that’s fine too! I usually use whatever I have in the fridge but I really like pumpkin, capsicum, mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant... I usually get carried away and use too many and it still tastes delish! Quinoa is a grain like seed, traditionally used by the Incas of South America. It is a gluten-free super food, high in complete protein and has many health giving benefits.

Serves 4
2 heaped tablespoons of your favourite curry paste
1 onion chopped
200g quinoa rinsed (any colour – I use tri-colour quinoa)
700g of mixed frozen or freshly chopped vegetables of your choice
2x 400ml cans of coconut milk
250mls water
Salt
Coriander

Method
Saute onion and curry paste in a large pot to release the flavours. Add quinoa, vegetables, coconut milk and water. Bring to the boil, reduce and simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt, and garnish with chopped coriander.

(Recipe from Rose Elliot’s New Complete Vegetarian)

Spanish Garlic Soup - Sopa de Ajo

Garlic not only has fantastic flavour, it is also loaded with health giving properties. It invigorates the immune system, promotes circulation, eliminates toxins and possesses antibiotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties (1). It is great to eat garlic at the onset of a cold as it helps to promote sweating. It can also lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels. Garlic helps to stimulate the Lung Qi (energy), is warming in nature and therefore assists in eliminating ‘cold’ from the body.


Serves 5
The soup can be made ahead of time and be heated up before serving. In fact the longer it is left the richer the soup will become as the flavours develop. **Do not add the eggs until just before serving.**

Soup
1 1/2 heads organic garlic
100 mls olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
4 shallots finely sliced
4 tomatoes diced
2 Litres of vegetable or chicken stock
5 free range eggs (optional)

Croutons
8 slices sourdough bread
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Extra olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Peel all the garlic and place in a large mortar and pestle. Pound until roughly broken up into small pieces. Place garlic in a large saucepan and cover with 100 mls olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and when the oil starts to bubble turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook, stirring, approx. 5 – 10 minutes. Add the paprika, thyme, bay leaves and shallots and stir for a further 5 minutes or until the shallots have softened. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring to the boil, turn down to low heat and simmer with the lid on for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, cut bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 10–15 minutes until crunchy.

Just before serving the soup, while it is simmering, remove the lid and with wooden spoon create a whirlpool. Gently crack an egg into the soup to poach, trying not to break the yolk. Follow with remaining eggs, adding at 30 second intervals, allowing each to cook before adding the next. You may need to turn the heat up slightly as the eggs will cool the temperature of the soup. Serve by ladling soup into each bowl and dividing the eggs between them. Top with croutons and fresh thyme or parsley.


(1) Pitchford, P. (2002). Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition) North Atlantic Books, USA.

Cacao & Banana Energy Porridge

This recipe was inspired simply because I LOVE porridge for breakfast in winter and I also LOVE chocolate! Steel-cut oats are high in protein and fibre and have a lower glycemic index then instant oats, helping to sustain your energy levels for longer. Cinnamon adds to the warming nature of this dish and the raw cacao is packed with minerals and antioxidants. This brekkie is bound to get you going for the day! :)

Serves 1-2
1/3 cup Steel-cut oats (local health food store)
1 3/4 cup of water
pinch cinnamon
1/2 mashed banana, 1/2 chopped to serve
1 Tbs raw cacao
1 Tbs ground flax seeds
1 Tbs sunflower seeds
Stevia or maple syrup to sweeten
Your choice of milk to serve (rice, soy, almond, cow's)

Combine oats and water in a pot over low heat, bring to the boil, turn down and simmer for 15-20 minutes until thick and creamy (as it thickens you may need to stir it so it doesn't stick). Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon, mashed banana, raw cacao, flax and sunflower seeds. Sweeten with stevia or maple syrup. Pour into a bowl and drizzle with milk and top with remaining banana. YUM!

NB. I recommend soaking all grains before cooking them - This will not only reduce cooking time but also aid digestion. The night before place the oats and water in a jar with a squeeze of lemon juice. The next morning place content of jar into a saucepan and cook as directed above.

Fennel Winter Salad

I love to use fresh seasonal veggies. I bought some fennel bulbs, oranges and dill at the organic markets over the weekend and this was the product of their inspiration... 

Serves 4
1 large fennel bulb – shaved (very thinly slice with a knife or use a mandolin)
2 carrots, grated
3 Tablespoons pine nuts toasted
Rind from 1 orange
Rind and juice of 1 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
3 tablespoons of freshly chopped dill
½ red onion finely sliced

Combine all ingredients, drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Nut Mylk

Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pepitas. Which ever is your favourite - make a fresh and healthy nutritious alternative to cow's milk, soy milk and rice milk. Try nut milk.

Ingredients
1 cups of raw nuts or seeds (or you can mix - ABC nut mix is great; almonds, brazil nuts and cashews)
Muslin Cloth

Method
1) Place nuts in a bowl, cover with water and soak overnight
2) Rinse nuts and discard water
3) Place nuts in a blender with 4 cups of water and blend at high speed until smooth
4) Drape muslin cloth over a large bowl and pour nut milk slowly into the centre. Gather the edges of the cloth together and squeeze out all the moisture from the the nut pulp
5) Place nut milk in a jar or jug and store in the fridge. Use on muesli, porridge, make smoothies or chia pudding!

Tips
Keep the nut pulp in a contain in the fridge and use over the next few days. You can sprinkle it over fruit with yoghurt or replace it in recipes instead of flour or almond meal.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Healthy and delicious. Chia seeds are full of omega 3, fibre, protein and antioxidants. Satisfy your chocolate cravings with this beautiful satisfying raw dessert recipe. It also makes for a great energising breakfast! You can also add a tablespoon to smoothies.

1 1/2 cups of nut mylk

4 tbsp of chia seeds

1 tsp of vanilla essence

pinch of celtic sea salt

3 tbsp of raw cacao

2 tbsp of agave nectar or maple syrup or to sweeten (you could also use a pinch of stevia)

Cacao nibs to serve

Place all ingredients in a jar. Seal tightly with a lid and shake well. Keep shaking every few minutes to ensure that the chia seeds don't clump together. They will slowly start to swell. For a thick chia pudding leave in the fridge overnight. The longer you leave the chia the thicker the pudding will become until it reaches a sago like consistency. Serve with a raw cacao nibs, sifted raw cacao and a drizzle of maple syrup or agave nectar :)

Traditional Banoffi Pie

I discovered and fell in love with banoffi pie in Goa, India. Where the cafes have such an array of dishes on offer and where you can indulge in just about anything your heart desires. Although this looks like a really rich dish, the bananas and whipped cream cut through the rich caramel and the flavours work amazingly well together. This is a very easy dessert, but just remember to prepare you dulce de leche (caramel) ahead otherwise this will slow you down!

Ingredients

1 tin of dulce de leche
2-3 large bananas
280 grams of McVities Chocolate or plain Digestives
300mls of double cream, or whipping cream
2 tablespoons butter

Method

1) Gently heat butter in a saucepan until liquid (or just leave some out at room temperature to soften).
2) Place the biscuits in a food processor and blend until they are crumbs 3) Add melted butter to food processor and blend until combined.
4) Transfer the biscuit crumbs to a round dish (a large pyrex dish or spring form cake tin is good) and pat with a spoon so that they cover the base. 
4) Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set.
5) Pour/spoon the dulce de leche (caramel) from the tin onto the biscuit base of the Pyrex dish. Place back in the fridge to set. 
6) Whip the cream until peaking with seeds of the vanilla bean and the sugar.
7) Spoon half of the cream mixture on top of the caramel.
8) Slice the bananas and arrange them on top of the first layer of cream working in a circle from the outside in to the centre overlapping them as you go.
9) spoon the rest of the cream over the bananas and smooth out.
10) Decorate with grated chocolate. Keep in the fridge until ready to eat! 

Tips

You can also buy pre-made caramel from most supermarkets (it is not quite the same as making it yourself but does make the process a little speedier if you're short for time)

Raw Spiced Chocolate Drops

Want to try the healthiest and most melt in the mouth chocolate you have ever eaten? Try this! The raw movement has been taking off and you can now buy raw pre-made chocolate in most health food shops and organic cafes. However it is so easy to make yourself and nothing beats the pride and satisfaction of making something from scratch yourself.  I must admit that this recipe comes with a warning - these ingredients are EXPENSIVE! However once you have these superior quality ingredients you can make it again and try other yummy raw chocolate recipes! 

I also think raw cocoa butter would make for a much better, healthier, more nourishing, skin healing and rejuvenating body and face cream than anything else on the market (and if you look at it like that is more than likely cheaper than all of those highly processed products).

This recipe was inspired by the Choc Chic which has a lot of great info about making your own raw chocolate recipes at home. To this recipe I also added a pinch of dried chilli and a pinch of cinnamon. Instead of agave nectar I used organic maple syrup.

Why raw? Raw cocoa contains over 300 nutritional compounds and contains essential minerals including magnesium. It has twice as many antioxidants as regular heated cocoa.