With Mother’s Day only a couple of days away it seems fitting that this weeks Feature Friday Recipe is Scones with Jam and Cream! YUM! The Merrymaker sisters have nailed this recipe and doesn’t it just look incredible! I will HAVE to make a batch this weekend and eat them. Continue reading “FEATURE FRIDAY – PUMPKIN COCONUT SCONES”
I am sure I have spoken about this PLENTY of times before but here is the OFFICIAL Froyo recipe page. What’s Froyo? Frozen yoghurt … and boy is it delish! Especially this home made version. Frozen yoghurt might sound like the healthier option to ice cream or soft serves but beware some varieties are laden with sugar and nasties. There is a reason it tastes to sweet… Continue reading “ORIGINAL FROYO”
The best thing about my satay sauce >> RECIPE HERE, is that it is so versatile; satay pizza, pies >> RECIPE HERE, burgers, curry, stir fry and it also makes the perfect dipping sauce for rice paper rolls or these juicy little coconut chicken nuggets. Continue reading “THAI COCONUT CHICKEN NUGGETS”
The best part about my delicious Bolognese ragu recipe >>HERE is that it can be used for much more than just your spag bol! Continue reading “BOLOGNESE EGGPLANT STACK”
This is super super easy to whip up and if you can wait 30 minutes for it to set in the freezer then you have some homemade sugar free delicious GUILT FREE raw dark chocolate with no extras or nasties to devour!!
The coconut and pistachio can be substituted for almost ANYTHING. Hazelnuts, almonds, goji berries, frozen raspberries, cacao nibs, mint oil, dates…. anything. Just pick your favourite chocolate flavour and get creative.
RAW COCONUT AND PISTACHIO CHOCOLATE BARK
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 Tbs coconut almond butter
2 Tbs cacao powder
2 Tbs rice malt or maple syrup
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Handful of coconut flakes and pistachio nuts to top.
METHOD: Mix melted coconut oil, butter, syrup and powder together. When combined add desiccated coconut. Pour onto lined baking tray or plate. I find a plate or dish with an edge will prevent any spills of over flows.
Sprinkle with coconut chips and pistachio nuts and place in freezer (flat) for 30 mins.
When set simply snap into large shards aka bark and enjoy. Store in a snap lock bag in the freezer for when you feel like a piece of sugar free unprocessed healthy chocolate to go with that after dinner cuppa!
K
This is a simple and delicious meal that is so easy to whip up – and I bet you have had it before. Zucchini pie, tart or slice call it what you wish, it is a homemade classic that has been circulating for years. Here is a ‘healthy’ recipe alternative for the dairy and gluten intolerant and even options for the paleo inclined.
ZUCCHINI SLICE – SF, GF, PALEO
1-2 medium zucchinis
1 medium sweet potato
2 tomatoes (topping)
1 brown large onion
8 jumbo eggs
1 cup diced bacon or ham (left over Christmas ham works a gem)
1 cup almond meal (or any other flour alternative – I use spelt or buckwheat flour and it’s divine)
2/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper
handful of pepitas or pine nuts (or both)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (can omit for paleo diets)
METHOD:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a large baking dish with baking paper. Grate the zucchinis and sweet potato. Place in a large bowl. Add the diced bacon/ham, finely diced onion and grated cheese.
In your food processor crack the eggs, add the oil and process until light and fluffy. Pour into bowl and mix through. Add the flour/meal, cumin, pepper and salt and stir with a wooden spoon until combined.
Pour mixture into lined baking dish. Top with sliced tomato and sprinkle with pepitas. Bake for 45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
K
Growing up with an Italian best friend I was always excited when I heard of the upcoming ‘tomato sauce day’. All I could imagine was my friend, her Nonna and huge Italian family standing in buckets of tomatoes squashing them with their feet. Although she constantly reminded me that this was NOT the case and that they had machines to squash the tomatoes now, I always wondered. No where near as fun if you ask me but much more hygienic!!
Alas you don’t have to be Italian or have a Nonna to have your own delicious hand made organic tomato sauce. This recipe is so easy and can be used for soups, pasta sauces, baked eggs, meatballs, gnocchi, pizza sauce and plenty more. Give it a go…
HOME-MADE SMASHED TOMATO SAUCE
1.5kg fresh tomatoes
1 brown onion
3 garlic cloves
small handful of basil or oregano
large pinch of salt and pepper
1 tsp sweetness (honey, maple or stevia)
2 Tablespoons of butter
METHOD: In a large pot fry up the onion, garlic and herbs in butter. Add the tomatoes whole and sautee for 5 minutes. When they are soft and starting to peel themselves, smash them with a fork or potato masher. Or carefully pour mixture into a food processor and blend until smooth.
Leave to cool before transferring to a large jar/jars. You will have lots of tomato sauce to put some into takeaway containers and freeze for later.
K
Growing up spaghetti bolognaise was my staple meal. When we went out for dinner, mum would make sure they had the good ol’ spag on the menu (either spag or lasagna) and I would be one happy chappy.
After having ongoing problems digesting wheat and grains over the last few years I went off pasta with the exception of whole meal or spelt versions. After investing in a vegetable spiraliser / julienne peeler I have been able to reunite with my spaghetti bolognaise and pasta love and let me tell you – it’s life changing!
Super simple and effective, zucchini pasta is becoming a bit of a fad around raw kitchens and wholefood healthy conscious cafes – with good reason. It means that us unfortunate type with a stomach that hates me more than life itself, can still enjoy twirling that pasta around my fork and splashing red Napolitano sauce all over me.
A favourite in our kitchen at the moment is my pesto pasta topped with a fillet of crispy skin salmon. Perfect combination of protein, essential fats, omega 3’s and greens.
ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH FRESH BASIL PESTO AND SALMON – serves 2
2 fillets of salmon with skin
2-3 large zucchinis
1 cup of grape cherry tomatoes
6 asparagus spears
4 heaped tablespoons of my pesto sauce >> RECIPE HERE
1/4 cup walnuts
Fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese for garnish
METHOD: Using the spiraliser/julienne peeler, peel the 3 zucchinis until you hit the core. Don’t peel the core/seeds. Set aside for later.
Finely chop the zucchini cores up and place in fry pan with some olive oil. Add chopped asparagus and the cherry tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the pesto sauce and stir until combined.
In a second fry pan – fry the salmon pieces in some olive oil until nice and crispy. I like mine to be slightly undercooked so just cook it until you are satisfied. Set aside.
Pour some olive oil in a hot pan and add the zucchini pasta for 2-3 minutes. Add the diced zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes and pesto mix. Stir until well combined. Don’t over cook the zucchini noodles otherwise they will be soggy.
Divide the pasta into two bowls and top with the fillet of salmon and some extra parmesan cheese and walnuts. Garnish with a fresh basil leaf and serve! They wont believe its zucchini!!
K
This recipe is by the incredible Adriana Harlan, author of “Living Healthy With Chocolate”. If anyone knows a thing or two about healthy clean chocolate treats it’s Adriana – and so I wanted to share this amazing recipe with you as choc mint is one of my serious weaknesses!! You will love it! P.s Mum – when you get back from your travels you MUST make this for Dad!!
PEPPERMINT CRISP CHOCOLATE STICKS – Paleo, GF, SF, DF
6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
4 tablespoons raw cacao powder
4 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon peppermint extract
pinch of salt
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup pecans
METHOD:
Happy baking
K
Another ‘hot’ health craze going around at the moment is pouring your smoothie into a bowl and eating it with a spoon. Yep forget jars in 2015, it’s all about the bowls… and even more about the copious amounts of decorative toppings.
My favourite ice cream flavour would have to be choc mint hands down, followed closely by coconut. This smoothie bowl literally tastes like you have smashed a whole packet of Arnott’s mint slice. Definitely worth a try!
CHOC – MINT SMOOTHIE BOWL – serves 1
NOTE: this smoothie bowl has 2 components/halves but it still the one serve
GREEN HALF
2 frozen bananas
1 scoop protein (or LSA)
Handful spinach leaves
Small handful of mint leaves
1 Tbs almond butter
1 cup almond milk
1 scoop vanilla or chocolate whey protein
Blend until thick and well combined. Pour HALF into one side of a bowl.
CHOC HALF
With the other half remaining in the blender add
1 Tbs cacao powder
1 Tbs cacao nibs
dash of almond milk
and blend. Pour into other side of the bowl. Top with almonds, chia seeds, coconut, cacao nibs, goji berries or buckinis. Go wild!!
K
KATIE MORGAN 