chia and goji toasted muesli

It's a bit of a rainy drizzly day today, so I decided that after the house work, some time in the kitchen was called for.

I wanted to make something that would jazz up my breakfasts a bit, as these days I've just fallen into the pattern of fruit and yogurt to start my day. Toasted muesli is exactly the addition that I'm in need of.

Packed with omega-3's in the chia, antioxidants in the goji and wholegrain's in the oats - this will do my growing baby bump a whole lot of good. Not to mention tastes amazing!

Ingredients

1/4 c organic honey

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 c rolled oats

1/4 c chia seeds

1/2 c goji berries

Method

Melt honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan on the stove.

Once melted, remove from stove and stir in all other ingredients.

Spread on to a parchment lined tray and bake for 20 minutes at 100 C, door slightly ajar.

Keep your eye on it, tossing every 5 minutes or so.

Remove from oven and cool completely before crumbling the mixture.

Store in an airtight container up to a week or two.

activated vanilla walnuts

I love productive days.

My hours at work have gone back to normal, which means I was finally able to get on top of the house work. I'm not one to feel comfortable if there are lingering jobs waiting to be done.

But, now, I am at ease.

Tidying, sorting, washing, cleaning, ironing etc - all done! I've got the incense burning, fresh bunch of lilies from the garden and the fire on full blaze.

Not only all that, but I was able to catch a movie with my best friend (whom I love dearly).

So, after a busy day, it's time for a well deserved snack.

I've had these walnuts on to dehydrate for 24 hours, so now is as good a time as any to dig in.

Walnuts are super high in Vitamin E which has been found to significantly protect against heart problems. Also high in calcium, manganese, omega 3, copper, potassium and magnesium; walnuts provide so much of the good anti-oxidants that our bodies thrive on.

To properly engage these nutrients, I have activated these walnuts by first soaking them in water for 12 hours. This enables the nut to come alive again - literally. The enzymes in the nut start to break down as if it were about to grow. In doing this, your body is absorbing pure live nutrients rather than trying to break down the tough nut first. What better way to nourish your body than with living foods.

Even though they have been dehydrated, they are still activated as they have not been dried out too much to become dormant again.

Ingredients

(makes 3 cups)

3 c raw walnuts, soaked for 12 hours

2 tblsp malt extract

2 tsp vanilla extract

Thoroughly combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

Lay out on dehydrator trays and place on 40 C setting (level II for me).

Dehydrate for 24 hours.

Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

homemade chocolate with amaranth: vegan, low-gi

Homemade chocolate isn’t as difficult as you think it is. If you have all the ingredients available to you, it should take no more than 5 minutes.

Finding vegan chocolate is getting easier, but it’s still a bit of a challenge. Coupled with my love of making things from scratch, creating my own chocolate is a must.

Being the control freak that I am, I like to be able to tailor make my food to my tasting. If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I like to keep my desserts low-gi and not overly sweet.

I added a bit of coconut butter/oil to the recipe to stretch out the cocoa butter; this is where the mass producers would add in milk products.

I know cocoa butter is a bit dear, but it’s well worth the purchase. And a little bit goes a long way.

I’ve used the popped amaranth from my previous post to bulk out the chocolate, resulting in a bit of a ‘chocolate crackle’ adaptation.

This recipe turned out really tasty! Even Joel, who loves his ‘normal’ chocolate, was way on board devouring 4 portions in one sitting.

It’s sweetened just enough to offset the vanilla salt and with the roasted amaranth – yummm..

Other than the popped amaranth, this recipe is raw.

Don’t expect to be eating commercial chocolate when you nibble on a bit of this. I feel my this recipe is taking chocolate back to the raw basics and celebrating what makes chocolate real.

Ingredients

(makes 40)

1/4 c raw cocoa butter

1 tblsp coconut oil

1 tblsp creamed coconut

1 c popped amaranth

1/4 raw lucuma powder

3 tblsp raw cocoa

1 tblsp agave nectar

1 tsp vanilla extract

20 drops stevia (add more for desired sweetness)

1 vanilla bean, seeds

1/4 tsp vanilla salt

Melt cocoa butter, coconut oil and creamed coconut over warm water.

Meanwhile, combine amaranth, lucuma and cocoa powder in a bowl, mix together and create a well in the middle.

In the well pour remaining ingredients and slowly add the melted oils.

Stir thoroughly until all combined and spoon 2 tsp amounts into chocolate moulds or ice cube trays.

Set in the refrigerator to set for a couple of hours.

Then you should be ready to enjoy!

Store in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.

coconut & elderflower mini muffins with creamed coconut: vegan, low-gi

We had a Princess party over the weekend for our friends 2 daughters.

When asking what I could bring, it was suggested that I bake a dairy-free cake.

If I ever make anything sweet, it's always low-gi. I only have low-gi sweeteners at home so it means I get to be creative.

But my biggest dilemma is what cake to make when your not a sweet tooth.

Hmm, coconut always goes down well - right?!

Not to mention my best friend took me out to an amazing local organic health store last week where I picked up some creamed coconut. This stuff is dangerously, unbelievably, insanely delicious. And the store.. well.. I'll be back.

But, what else to go in my mini muffins..

Swinging on the refrigerator door staring into the ice box, I was hoping something would jump out at me. Eventually I noticed my Elderflower concentrate.

I bought it ages ago, but not really being into cordials, it's just been sitting there.

Ding ding - add it to the coconut muffins for a refreshing floral kick.

Ingredients

(makes 24)

3 tblsp 'No Egg', egg replacer*

1 c water

Dry

1 c wholemeal spelt flour

1 c finely desiccated coconut

1 tsp bi-carb soda

1/4 lucuma powder

1/4 coconut sugar

1/3 mesquite powder

Wet

1 tsp vanilla extract

10 drops of stevia

2 tblsp coconut oil

2 tblsp Elderflower concentrate

creamed coconut

coconut chips

Heat oven to 150 C and spray a mini muffin tin with oil.

Whisk egg replacer and water together in a small jug, set aside.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl, make a well.

Pour all wet items into the well, along with the 'egg' mixture.

In a circular motion, stir the ingredients until well combined.

Spoon 1-2 tblsp of the batter into the muffin holes.

Bake for 10-15 mins.

Turn onto cooling rack to cool completely.

Using a butter knife, spread 1 tsp of warmed creamed coconut over the muffins and sprinkle with coconut chips.

Place in refrigerator to cool - for at least 10 mins.

*If you didn't want to use egg replacer, you could use 3 eggs instead of the replacer and water.

I thought this would be a fitting post to put up, seeing tomorrow will be my birthday and what better way than to celebrate with cake!

xo

cabbage wraps with smoked trout and avocado cream

What a beautful weekend this was.

The days were so clear and the sun was out.

We went for a hike to recharge our batteries and took the pug dog as usual - I have no idea how our little fellow can keep up with the giant leaps and rock climbing.

He amazes us every time.

It was truly beautiful and felt amazing to be able to shed down to one layer again.

But, after a big hike, we needed to replenish our bodies with good wholesome foods.

We were pretty hungry by the time we got home, that's where I made up these healthy wraps.

I had to snap up a few pictures pretty quickly as we were both ready to devour these super wraps.

Joel kept hovering saying, "can we eat them yet.."

Full of healthy fats from the avocado, trout and cabbage - we felt so satisfied and wholesome again.

I reckon cabbage is a bit of an underrated vegetable. It's an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A. The uniqueness of cabbage in cancer prevention is due to the three different nutrient types: antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and glucosinolates*.

*Glucosinolates: organic active compounds believed to have anticancer properties. These anticancer compounds operate in a couple of ways: acting as a natural pesticide triggering the body’s own detoxification systems, slowing cancer cell growth and supporting DNA repair.

Ingredients

(makes 10)

10 outer cabbage leaves, washed with thick vein removed

1 medium smoked trout

toothpicks

Avocado Cream

4 avocados

1 large lemon

pinch or two of Himalayan rock salt

Combine ingredients for avocado cream in a food processor/blender and whiz until smooth and 'whipped' - about 1 minute.

Spread a tablespoon of avocado and trout on the top of the cabbage leaf (horizontally). 

Then, gently roll from the bottom up.

Thread a toothpick through the top to secure the wrap shut.

Repeat and eat!

You could fill these wraps with what ever you feel like, they are super versatile.