Sweet potato gooey brownies

These brownies are vegan and gluten-free yet are still as gooey as proper brownies should be!

Ingredients:
Dry ingredients
3 tbsp coconut flour
30g ground almond
3 tbsp shredded coconut (you could also use chopped walnuts or pecans)
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp raw cacao powder
2 tbsp raw cacao nibs (or dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 large sweet potato (peeled)
3 heaped tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp honey or brown rice syrup/malt syrup
100ml coconut/almond/rice milk

Method:

Steam or bake the sweet potato until tender. Melt the coconut oil and blend the sweet potato, coconut oil, honey and vanilla essence in food processor until smooth.
In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together and slowly add the wet mixture, stirring in the milk slowly.

Grease a baking tray with coconut oil and spoon the mixture into the tray, smoothing over with a knife.

Bake in the middle of a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for around 25 minutes.

Leave to cool and then cut into squares. For an even more decadent treat, serve with a dollop of whipped coconut cream.

Spinach and sweetcorn quinoa breakfast muffins

These delicious muffins are a great breakfast on the go, or a healthier alternative to a sweet afternoon cupcake! You could experiment with any other flavours - feta cheese, dried or fresh herbs, peppers or sun dried tomatoes.

Ingredients: Makes about 18

200g Spelt flour (you could use any other flour)

120g Quinoa flakes

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg

80ml olive oil

250ml almond milk (or any other type of milk)

100g fresh spinach, finely chopped

150g sweetcorn kernels

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tsp cracked black pepper

Pinch of salt

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees C. 

Combine all of the dry ingredients and then stir in the spinach, sweetcorn. In a glass jar, combine the egg, olive oil and milk, whisking with a fork until well combined. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients using a fork until combined well.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases (it makes around 14 large or 20 small). Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve, or serve warm. 

Nutritional info per muffin:
179 calories
6g fat
5g protein
1g sugar

Cauliflower pizza (yes really)

I've been meaning to try this for ages and had been a bit dubious about whether you could really make a cauliflower pizza base taste good - and you can! Result. This is going on my weekly menu.

Ingredients:

For the base
1/2 cauliflower head
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (makes it taste better but is not essential - you could use dried herbs, a little mustard or just salt, pepper and chilli flakes)
 1 egg
chilli flakes
salt and pepper
dried herbs (optional)

For the topping
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 fresh tomato
2 garlic cloves
handful of fresh basil
1/2 grated courgette
black olives
1/2 tin anchovies
30g strong cheddar/any cheese
sweetcorn or any other veg
chilli flakes
olive oil

To make the base, grate the cauliflower and cook in microwave for around 7 minutes until tender.

Leave to cool and then stir in the nutritional yeast, salt and pepper, dried herbs if using and egg. Combine well. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and press cauliflower into pizza base shape. Bake in pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C for around 15 minutes (until golden brown and crispy).

In the meantime,  blend the tomato, garlic, tomato puree and basil in food processor or blender. Spread on top of the pizza, with the courgette and rest of the toppings.
Bake again in oven for around 15 minutes.

Peanut butter cups (Who needs Reese's?!)

No Hershey's in sight

I have to confess, if I could eat Reese's Peanut butter cups everyday, I would. But as a nutritionist I'd probably have to do this in secret!
So instead, I decided to try making healthy peanut butter cups - with less sugar, raw cocoa and super-fat coconut oil. They took less than 30 minutes from start to finish - bonus for when you're needing to scratch that sugar craving itch!
Now I wouldn't recommend guzzling these like fruit, they are after all still sweets. But one a day as a post-dinner treat? Go for it!

Ingredients:

Peanut layer

• 3 tbsp no-added sugar peanut butter (Meridian or Whole Earth are good brands)
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tbsp rice malt syrup (or you could use honey)
•  Chocolate layer:
• 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tbsp rice malt syrup
• 1 tbsp warm water

How to do it:

Using a food processor, blend all of the ingredients for the peanut layer. Spoon into small cake cases or silicone cake trays. Using a knife smooth the peanut layer. Harden in the fridge for around 15 minutes. To make the chocolate layer, melt the coconut oil and then stir in the rice malt syrup. Add the cacao powder and warm water, mixing until smooth. Cover the peanut cups with the chocolate and cool in fridge for around 15 minutes until set.

Enjoy! x

Gluten-free Banana and chocolate bread

As I was getting a bit bored of my buckwheat porridge I decided to make a not-too-sweet banana bread to have for breakfasts (ok, and morning, afternoon and evening!) this week.
I was worried the almond flour might leave it a bit dense but it was really light and fluffy. I added a few superfoods (chia, raw cacao) and prunes to give it a bit more sweetness. Delish.
(This recipe is an adaptation of Hemsley and Hemsley's banana bread.)





Ingredients:
2 large ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp rice malt syrup
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp lemon juice
230g ground almonds
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 tbsp raw cacao nibs
sprinkle of Himalayan salt
2 tbsp chopped prunes
1 tbsp pumpkin seeds (you could use any seeds or chopped nuts)

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C and line a loaf tray with baking paper.

Mash the banana in with the melted coconut oil and mix well. Add the syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, lemon juice, prunes, bicarb and salt and mix well.
Stir in the ground almond, chia, cacao nibs and mix well until thoroughly combined. Pour into the tin and bake for just over an hour.
Serve warm or toasted!

Nutri Bullet - what's the biggie?

I've been asked a lot recently about the NutriBullet - what's so good about it/is it worth investing in one, why is it different to my blender?

Here are my thoughts. The NutriBullet is a "superfood nutrition extractor" (note, NutriBullet manufacturers came up with this definition!). It's called an extractor because it's effectively a very high powered blender, so can cut through really tough fibres in foods, allowing vitamins, minerals and essential fats to 'escape'. As it's so high powered, it can blend nuts and seeds and produce really smooth smoothies.

But surely our teeth, and then stomachs, and then intestines can do a pretty good job at getting to the nutrients we need? Yes and no. When we chew, we release enzymes that help to digest food - and our teeth obviously break food down. This all then continues in our stomachs and small and large intestines. When you have a smoothie or a juice, there's no chewing so less enzymes are produced to break down the food, but because it's already broken down, the nutrients will be absorbed more quickly. But this isn't always good - sugar is also absorbed more quickly, and you'll get a bigger sugar spike and then a bigger sugar crash (especially if you're having a smoothie or juice with fruit in it).

Juicing vs blending vs eating

With a juicer, you extract the juice from the fruit and veg and leaving behind the fibre. Good if you want an easy to digest nutrient boost, less good if you want filling up, or to get the benefits of slow releasing energy.
Blending keeps the fibre, and you can also add some protein and essential fats to your smoothies by using nut milk, coconut milk, avocadoes, nuts and seeds, yogurt, nut butter etc.
Eating your fruit and veg means you'll be getting all of the goodness - but you may not find you can get quite so much. For example it's very easy to stick a handful of spinach, an apple, 2 carrots and some ginger in a juicer - yet it would take much longer to eat and digest those whole!

Nutribullet vs blender vs juicer

Nutribullets are small, easy to use and easy to clean. They are a good choice if you want to add nuts and seeds to your smoothies and if you want to take it with you anywhere! Blenders can be just as good though - go for a high powered, glass jug blender for max benefits. Juicers can be bulky and difficult to clean but are a good choice if you want a low-fibre, nutrient rich boost (juices can be a good choice if you struggle to get much fruit and veg into your diet usually or struggle with high fibre).  The Phillips HR187 that I have is an easy to clean juicer.

Verdict

Smoothies can be a good way to get vitamins and nutrients in your diet when you're too busy to sit down and eat a proper meal, or if you're in need of any extra nutrient boost (perhaps you're run down, training for a hard physical event or have been poorly). Juices will do the same but won't fill you up and can be high in sugar if you don't make veggie based juices (always use a 3:1 ratio of veggies to fruits in your juices).
Aim to eat most of your meals and avoid juice cleanses or replacing meals with shakes or smoothies for any sustained time. You'll miss out on all of the benefits that healthy, delicious real food can bring you.

Superfoods of 2015

What will be the big food hitters of 2015? Say bye bye Kale and quinoa - these are the superfoods you need in your life this year.

Cauliflower

Yep, it's having a massive resurgence. But forget that mushy stuff served with your Sunday roast, it's all about using this old school veg to replace your carbs - think cauliflower pizza base, cauli mash or even cauli egg fried rice!

This white cruciferous vegetable might not look like it's a superfood powerhouse, but looks can be deceiving -  cauliflower contains super substances that can help to balance hormones, boost liver health, fight cancer AND lower blood pressure!

Try Hemsley & Hemsley's Cauliflower mash Shepherd's Pie - delish.

http://www.hemsleyandhemsley.com/recipe/cottage-pie-with-cauliflower-mash/

Bone broth

Seriously, I'm not pulling your leg. Bone broth is what all the cool nutrition kids are downing. Put down your green smoothie - bone broth is the latest statement drink to be seen guzzling.

What's so good about it? Bone broth is pretty high in nutrients as when you boil bones, many of the nutrients leach into the liquid - amino acids, collagen and calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. It's not a myth that chicken broth helps when you're ill - this is partly down to the anti-inflammatory substances found in the broth.

Other bonuses of making your own bone broth are that it's cheap, it saves food wastage and it will contain less salt and fat than your commercial stocks and soups. So get boiling those bones!

Lucuma

Forget Acai – there’s a new South American superfood on the scene. Lucuma is a subtropical fruit known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing properties. Despite being super-sweet, it has a very small effect on blood sugar levels making it a great choice for diabetics and for using instead of sugar to sweeten cakes, desserts or smoothies!

Bullet-proof coffee

Decaf, Soya lattes are so 2014, this year the bullet-proof coffee is hitting the mainstream. Paleo followers don't need any convincing that this unlikely combo of butter, MCTS (a group of fats) and coffee is the best way to start the day. But is it really better than a regular cappucino? Possibly, possibly not. A bullet proof coffee typically contains at least 2 tbsp of butter plus 1 tbsp of MCTs. This is a whole lotta fat to consume in one go. Many people will have this instead of a meal, meaning that they're missing out on other nutrients. On the plus side, fat keeps you feeling full, is an energy source and won't affect blood sugar levels dramatically.

Try it and see if it works for you but avoid replacing meals with this fatty coffee combo.

Amaranth

Like Quinoa,  Amaranth is in a group known as pseudo-cereals, which means it’s not a true cereal grain like oats or wheat. One of the benefits of this is that it’s gluten-free. Health benefits include its high protein content, alongside a good dose of iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

Cook with a little veggie stock it in a similar way to rice, or have it instead of oats for a yummy porridge. 

Happy healthy 2015!
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