Category Archives for Recipes

Nutty Green Smoothie

I love to start my mornings with a smoothie and this one really hits the spot.  The combination of spinach and fruit makes it sweet and alkalising and with the addition of almond butter, you get a good dose of essential fats that will keep you feeling satisfied and full for hours. 

Ingredients:
 2 cups fresh spinach
1 frozen banana (peel banana and put in freezer for at least 3 hours)
1 cup frozen strawberries
¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
3-4 mint leaves
2 tablespoons almond butter

Method:
 Place the spinach, strawberries, almond milk and mint into a blender and blend on high until smooth.

Then add the banana and almond butter and blend just enough to mix in the banana. Do not over blend.

Serves 1

Raw Coconut Cheesecake

Cheesecake has always been a favourite of mine, but after removing dairy from my diet almost 2 years ago, I was on the hunt to find a dairy-free alternative. This recipe is a very simple and quick recipe that represents your biscuit base cheesecake. It has a slight hint of chocolate and a subtle coconut flavour for a little difference.

For Base -
 1 and ½ cups desiccated coconut
½ cup raw cashews
10 medjool dates, seeds removed
2 tablespoons cacao
1 tablespoon full fat coconut cream

For Topping -
1 and ½ cups raw cashews (before you start making the base, soak the nuts in enough water to cover them)
1 cup full fat coconut cream
4 tablespoons honey (use maple syrup for vegan alternative)
4 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

Method:
Soak raw cashes required for topping in enough water to cover them. Prepare 18com spring form dish by lining base and sides with parchment paper.

Start making the base by adding all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until it resembles a crumbly texture.

Spread mixture into prepared dish and use your hands to press mixture firmly. Place in the fridge whilst preparing topping.

Drain and rinse the cashews. Place in blender and pulse with 1 tablespoon of the coconut cream. Scrape the sides and pulse again with 1 tablespoon of coconut cream. Repeat this process for a third time to ensure that the cashews are as smooth as possible.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend on medium to high speed for 30-40 seconds until the mixture is all smooth.

Remove the base from the fridge and poor with the topping mixture. Place the cheesecake in the freezer for 4-6 hours to set. Remove cheesecake from freezer 20 minutes prior to eating.

Serves 10-12

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

There are many days when I have craved a soup for lunch or dinner, but haven't had one pre-prepared on hand, so have had to put one together quickly. This creamy cauliflower soup is definitely a ‘go to’ option and due to its thick consistency, more often than not it ends up being my complete meal.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 litre vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup coconut milk (optional)

Method:
Heat olive oil in heavy based saucepan.
Add onion and sauté for approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for a further minute
Add the remainder of the cauliflower, stock and seasoning. Stir well.
Bring soup to the boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for approximately 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft and tender..
Remove from heat and using a hand blender, blend until smooth.
Check seasoning and add coconut milk now if using.

Serves 4

Garlic and Thyme Roasted Carrots

If you think carrots only come in orange, you're wrong! You can get carrots in a variety of colours, which is a great way to make sure you eat a rainbow. This recipe is a great side dish to have with your lean protein meal, that is quick and easy to make.

Ingredients:
750g mixed carrots (orange, yellow, purple), washed well
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Few sprigs of fresh Thyme
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Prepare carrots by slicing them in half and place on a tray.
Drizzle with olive oil and add all other ingredients.
Toss well so that all the carrots are coated.
Place in oven for 40-45 minutes until the carrots have caramelised.

Serves 4-6 as a side

Chickpea Minestrone Soup

With the warmer months behind us and the cooler weather setting in, there is nothing better than a nice hearty bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. The recipe below came together after pulling out of the fridge the bits and pieces that I had. It is a great basis for a vegetable soup that can be changed and altered to suit whatever vegetables you have on hand. I personally like to add some chilli flakes for that extra pow!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, sliced and washed
3 celery stalks, diced
2 zucchini, diced
½ cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
500ml vegetable stock
100g baby spinach leaves

Method:
Heat olive oil in heavy based saucepan.
Add leek and celery and sauté for approximately 5 minutes.
Add the remainder of the vegetables, seasoning, diced tomatoes and chickpeas and toss well.
Pour in vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and tender.
Add spinach leaves and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve.
Can be served with toasted bread.

Serves 4-6

Tumeric Roasted Cauliflower Salad

I live for salads, but they can sometimes be quite time consuming to put together. So when I was thinking about this one, my aim was to come up with a salad that had little ingredients, was easy to put together but tasted amazing. In my opinion the recipe below has met the brief. This salad can be a meal on it’s own or used as a delicious accompaniment to the rest of your meal. Try it and let me know what you think.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tin lentils, rinsed and drained
½ cup green olives
handful fresh parsley, chopped
cracked pepper to taste
sprinkle chilli flakes

Dressing:
¼ cup tahini
½ garlic clove, crushed
½ lemon juiced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup filtered water

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Mix oil, cumin, turmeric and salt together to form a paste.
Toss cauliflower florets in paste making sure all the cauliflower has been covered well.
Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes until cauliflower starts to brown.
Whilst cauliflower is cooking, prepare dressing by placing all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth consistency. You may need to add more water in small amounts to achieve the desired consistency.
Once cauliflower has finished cooking, transfer to salad bowl and combine the remainder of the ingredients.
Drizzle salad with tahini dressing.

Serves 4

Choc-Mint Smoothie

The flavour combination of chocolate and mint is a classic. This smoothie is rich in antioxidants, and provides so much nourishment, it will keep you feeling full for hours.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups almond or cashew mylk
½ frozen banana
2 pitted dates
2 tablespoons cacao nibs
1 tablespoon cacao
½ tablespoon flaxseeds
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Few drops peppermint essence
Few fresh mint leaves
Handful spinach leaves

Method:
Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
If you prefer a little crunch, hold off from adding the cacao nibs until the end and then pulse them in for a few seconds.

Serves 1

Tamari Marinated Salmon

Over the past year I have found it increasingly difficult to eat Asian inspired foods out in a restaurant as all the sauces and marinades are packed with refined sugar and if you ask for adjustments to be made, the usual response is that they can’t accommodate as the food will be very bland and they prefer for me not to have that experience. However Asian food does not have to be bland at all without the inclusion of refined sugar. Try out this recipe and let me know what you think.

Ingredients

4 x 180g Salmon fillets
½ cup tamari
1 garlic glove minced
1-2 tablespoons raw honey (depending on how sweet you like it)
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method:

Prepare marinade by combining tamari, garlic, honey, salt and sesame seeds.
Marinade salmon for up to 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Prepare salmon by placing skin side down on tray lined with baking paper.
Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on how you like to eat your salmon.

Serves 4

Healthy Natural Muesli

For most of us, mornings are a rush to get out of the house. Whether it's to get the kids to school, or to get to work on time, breakfast - which is the most important meal of the day - needs to be a quick and easy meal. After a good night's sleep where our metabolism has slowed down, the first meal of the day needs to kickstart it and get us going for the day. That's why this muesli is such a great option. Once completed, it's sitting there waiting for you in the fridge. The combinations are endless depending on your taste, but here is a simple well balanced recipe to get you started.

Ingredients

250g organic oats
100g almonds, flaked
100g walnuts, chopped
100g sunflower seeds
200g dried fruit (I like to use a combination of mulberries, apple, jumbo raisins, & apricots)
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon chia seed
Pinch of cinnamon
Pinch of ground vanilla



Method:

Combine ingredients and store in a glass container in the fridge until needed.

Muesli can be stored for 1 month.

Serves 10

Acai Bowl

Acai berries are considered one of the healthiest berries and one of nature's superfoods. They are low in sugar, anti-oxidant rich, and high in calcium, fibre, iron and vitamin K. The properties contained in acai berries are linked to the prevention of health problems such as arthritis, inflammation, obesity, heart disease, oxidative stress and cancer. With each mouthful you get that burst of chocolate, berry flavour, so no wonder why people question whether it actually is healthy!

Ingredients

1 cup coconut water / almond mylk
1 packet frozen acai
½ frozen banana
¼ cup blueberries
1 handful spinach
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon macca (optional)

Method
Place all ingredients in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a bowl and serve with toppings such as shredded coconut, fresh berries, cacao nibs, granola or chia seeds.

Serves 1

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