But this porridge is worth the effort, plus its Easter! Creamy, wholesome and slightly nutty steel cut oats marry sweet medjool dates and dance with Ayurvedic spices. There's a hint of turmeric too, which gives this porridge that earthy colour, lifting the dish from its regular uninspiring tone. If hot cross buns aren't your vibe, or you just want to give something different a go, give this recipe a try! It's a fun way to increase fibre on your breakfast table, plus it's loaded with antioxidants.
Turmeric is rich in a phytonutrient called curcumin. A phytonutrient is an active compound found in plants that helps them defend themselves when under attack (being nibbled on by an animal, or attacked by a pathogen). The presence of phytonutrients in plants is depicted by their vibrant colour. When we eat phytonutrients, we consume these active compounds and reap their health benefits.
Antioxidants are crucial for good health because they fight the free radicals we are exposed to almost every day– air pollution, cigarette smoke and toxins from things like deodorant and cleaning products. Free radicals are singular molecules which look for pairs amongst our healthy DNA. Antioxidants bind with these free radicals and create a stable a pair, protecting our bodies from replicating unhealthy cells.
Ingredients
1 Cup Steel Cut Oats, soaked overnight
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Dates, pitted and chopped
1 thumb-size piece of ginger
1 piece of turmeric– add as much as you like, I usually add half the size of the ginger
1 Cinnamon Quill
6 Cardamom Pods
2 Cloves
1 Piece Star Anise
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Powder or Vanilla Extract
1 Pinch Salt
Method
1. Add all ingredients into a saucepan. Heat slowly, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer on a low heat for 25 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and a creamy porridge consistency is achieved.
2. Serve into bowls and add your favourite toppings. I used banana, coconut, bee pollen and black sesame seeds. If you like a sweeter porridge, add some honey, maple syrup or coconut nectar to serve.
]]>I probably sound like I'm criticizing this way of eating/lifestyle, but in all honesty, I am completely immersed in it. As lame as all these labels sound, they're marketed for a reason; eating this way makes me feel good and clearly does the same for many others– simple as that.
Sure I have days when I overindulge in raw chocolate, eat refined sugar (shock horror!) and eat half a pizza, and that's because there's nothing wrong with doing so. As confusing and expensive as hemp seeds, cacao powder and goji berries are, give them a try! Add some coconut milk and a banana and make a smoothie with them all– they might just make you feel good too!
This recipe on the other hand, is not confusing nor expensive, yet all the best organic/vegan/gluten free (you get the drill) cafes and restaurants I visited were serving it. It's a simple dish to make and is simple to digest– something we should definitely all consider more regularly. Think about this for a minute... In any meal of the day, the body doesn't digest and absorb the nutrients from your peanut butter on toast, or spaghetti bolognese at once. It actually has to break down and split up the components of your meal into protein, carbohydrate and fat and digest them all separately– it's hard work that requires the timely communication of various hormones, enzymes, secretions and stomach-muscle movements. It's no wonder you feel tired and sluggish after a burger and a milkshake– there are a lot of different components in that meal to break down, digest and absorb. Think of the tired, sluggish feeling that follows a meal like this, as a message from your insides for you to slow down physically and externally, so the digestive system can maximise the energy you have and get to work!
A juice cleanse is probably the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about giving the digestive system a break, but there's really no need to be so radical. The liver is the body's in-built detoxifying organ, and certain foods help to boost its detoxifying potential, like broccoli, cabbage and kale. Including these in your diet regularly, will keep the liver working well– so long as you're not loading up on sugar, alcohol and caffeine at the same time.
Eating kitchari is my solution to resting the digestive system. Kitchari is the chicken soup of Indian cuisine; a wholesome and nourishing dish that you crave when you're sick, or turn to for an easy meal. It's made from a blend of soaked basmati rice and mung dal that resemble a chunky porridge when cooked. The word kitchari literally translates to "a mess of" and this dish is exactly a delicious mess of lentils, rice and spices.
The simplicity of kitchari is what makes it so easy on the digestive system. Pre-soaked lentils and rice increase the digestibility of the nutrients in these foods, making them readily absorbable– rest assured, by pre-soaking, you're maximising the goodness available.
Lentils are especially good for the digestive system because they're loaded with prebiotics and fibre. No doubt you've heard of probiotics– foods containing live bacteria that help to build and encourage the proliferation of bacteria in our gut for optimal health, but prebiotics are the food/fuel preferred by the bacteria living within us (think lentils, beans, garlic, onion and oats). Prebiotics help our good gut bacteria grow and thrive, add bulk to the stool and keep things moving.
For an easy, nourishing meal that's full of nutrition, look no further than kitchari. Break out your best saucepan and get cooking! A good quality heavy-bottomed saucepan for this dish is an absolute must, and is something you'll use and appreciate time and time again in your kitchen.
I've included a recipe for a cashew-coconut-lime cream to serve a-top the Kitchari which adds creaminess, depth and zing– you'll love it.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon quill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon freshly grated turmeric
1/2 cup red lentils, soaked overnight
1/2 cup mung dal, soaked overnight
1/2 cup red rice– or brown or basmati, soaked overnight
3.5 cups water
juice of half a lime
handful chopped coriander (including stems)
1/4 cup cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 tablespoon coconut flakes
heavy pinch salt
1/4 cup water
Method
1. Heat coconut oil in a large saucepan to a medium heat, then add the coriander and cumin seeds to the pan, and listen for when you hear the coriander seeds pop.
2. When the coriander seeds have popped, add in the other spices and salt, along with the ginger and turmeric and cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Add the lentils, mung dal and rice to the pan, stir, then pour in all the water. Bring saucepan to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes. At this stage, all the water should be absorbed, and the lentils and rice will have softened to a chunky porridge-like consistency.
4. Blend or process ingredients for Lime Cashew Cream until combined.
5. Squeeze the lime juice into the saucepan and stir-through the coriander. Serve with cashew-lime cream, or yoghurt.
]]>The best thing about these type of snacks is that they’re appropriate for any time of day. No time for breakfast? Have one, or two. Falling asleep at your desk at 3pm? This snack is perfect. Need a sweet-fix after dinner? Munch away! I’m sure many of us are a little dried-fruit phobic, but all of the good healthy fats from the cashews, coconut and sunflower seeds help to slow down the release of the sugars in the fruit, so you won’t crash and burn. With 10 slices per making, you’re only getting approximately half a date and half a dried fig anyway, so it’s nothing to worry about.
Believe it or not, but dried fruit can actually be your friend– dried figs especially, are really high in iron and together with the spirulina, the bars in this recipe are basically a blood tonic.
Spirulina is somewhat of a wonder weed. A mere tablespoon (approx 4 teaspoons– something that’s achievable through a week) provides 4 grams of protein, 2mg of iron, is high in B-vitamins and packs a nice dose of copper. Spirulina is a great addition to any diet, but a plant-based one especially. Any plant-based food that is rich in both protein and iron goes straight to my ‘must-eat’ list. Unfortunately spirulina doesn’t taste very delicious. Yes, it’s easy to hide it in smoothies, but if you add too much, it can become very hard to swallow said smoothie. I love adding spirulina to any kind of energy bar/bliss ball that’s filled with delicious sweet fruit and creamy fats from nuts and seeds because it completely masks the flavour and just colours your creation with a lovely sea-green hue.
Figs are another great source of iron. You only need to eat about two to yield 2mg of iron, which is a quarter of our daily intake (you have my permission to eat two Fig, Coconut and Spirulina Bars daily to ensure you meet this iron requirement). Iron has the very important job of transporting and storing oxygen around the body and plays a role in our ability to produce energy. The consequences of low iron cause us to feel tired because we physically don’t have enough oxygen circulating around the body and we struggle to produce the energy we need to go about our busy lives.
While red meat, lentils and molasses are probably the top high-iron foods that come to mind, don’t dismiss figs. Figs are unique to these foods because they also contain fructose. Yes, fructose is the type of sugar in fruit and processed foods that converts to fat in the liver, but it actually assists the body with iron absorption too. I really don’t mean to confuse you, but sometimes the facts are confusing! The key message here is moderation and that yes, both figs and spirulina are nice sources of plant-based iron.
Ingredients
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In a traditional household, things like bread, milk and eggs are staple ingredients that can always be relied on to make a quick meal, add to tea and coffee, or form the basis of some kind of weekend baking activity. In most ways, my household is pretty traditional: I’ve got a kitchen, a bedroom, a comfy couch and lots of quirky nick-nacks, but my staple ingredients are far from bread, milk and eggs… My alternatives are easy switches in my book, but for the untrained eye, they’re inconvenient simply because you can’t just pick them up at any old corner store. While this might sound annoying, I truly believe that any opportunity to eat is a serious priveledge and delight– I’m not one for settling and you’ll sooner catch me agreeing to whip up a three course lunch for six friends, than eating a peanut butter sandwich during a moment of temporary starvation.
Before I get carried away and share with you the recipes I’d whip up for said three-course-meal, let me actually talk you through my favourite household staple: Chickpea Pancakes! These pancakes are nothing like the sweet, fluffy, cake-y pancakes of your childhood weekend mornings, rather they’re:
Oh, and did I mention they require only three ingredients! These guys are the real MVP. If you haven’t heard of, or seen chickpea flour before, it’s now excitingly available from supermarkets here and here and from bulk food stores like The Source and Naked Foods. Aside from chickpea pancake making, I also use this staple ingredient as you would regular flour in other baked goods.
These pancakes really are your answer to a speedy breakfast, lunch or dinner and the topping possibilities are endless:
They also pair really well with a warm bowl of soup and generally act as a great replacement for bread in all situations.
As daggy and farty as you probably think they are, chickpeas are a really incredible health food. They’re really high in fibre which is a fantastic thing, but not if your gut microbiome is not used to high-fibre foods. If you find that chickpeas are making you gassy, I’d highly recommend cooking them yourself from scratch, or trying chickpeas in flour form (like in these pancakes) as these methods are far easier to digest. The health benefits of fibre are so worth the initial farty-ness that chickpeas might create, as fibre is in fact the secret to all the health proclamations associated with a vegan or vegetarian diet, including: reducing likelihood of metabolic disease, lowering blood pressure, high antioxidant consumption, the ability to reduce inflammation and a lowered risk of obesity. Need any other reasons to incorporate chickpeas (perhaps this chickpea pancake) in your diet? I hope this becomes a staple in your home too.
Ingredients
Method
I have indeed tried the vegan donuts that some of these stores have to offer, but knew I had to create a version of my own. Almost 15 years on from those Donut King days, it's safe to say that my tastebuds for a deep-fried sugary circle of dough have indeed changed. If that's what you're looking for, you probably won't love my nutrient-dense, lightly-sweetened version with extra cinnamon. BUT, if you don't think you're eating a donut, it is very delicious. It's healthy too, so healthy you could even enjoy this donut for breakfast.
I'm certainly no health food angel and do enjoy treats (dark chocolate) on a regular basis, despite what many of my friends and clients think! I do however, love the challenge of squeezing in as many helpful, nutrient-dense ingredients into my homemade treats as possible. These donuts are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, rich in healing fats and low in sugar.
Method
When you think about crackers, you probably think of Vita-Weets, Peckish Thins and Jatz first but these really don’t compare. For starters, they contain no artificial flavours, colours or MSG and they’re not processed. These crackers are made from only seeds and water; yep you read that correctly. How? Because seeds have an amazing ability soak up and hold water, creating a natural glue for these crunchy crackers. You really won’t believe it until you make them.
The recipe I’ve posted is simply a reflection of what I had in the cupboard at the time, which is another pro about these crackers– you can sort of make them with whatever you have on hand. After some careful experimentation, I’ve come to realise that for this recipe you simply need two cups of seeds, of which the only necessities are the flaxseeds and sesame seeds. If you’ve got sunflower seeds at home, throw them in! If you’ve only got flaxseeds and chia seeds, that will work too! It's also fun to add things like minced garlic, fennel or cumin seeds –play around with the recipe to find your favourite combination and please do share your results in the comments, or on instagram!
By now you're probably thinking "What does this recipe have to do with ham?" I'd simply like to offer this Roasted Vegetable + Pesto Tart as a bloody delicious option, I'd even go as far as to suggest that it could compete with the ham on your Christmas table. Sure, it's not glazed, but it is red and green, and it's a fun, substantial, vegan main meal Christmas option.
Christmas aside, this tart is great for any occasion, and can be filled with literally anything. Have a tub of hummus and some leftover roasted vegetables in your fridge? Voila! Omit the salt from the pastry (maybe just add a pinch instead) and top the crust with whipped coconut cream, sliced bananas and a drizzle of molten chocolate– this tart crust is versatile. It's gluten-free, vegan, made from real, whole food ingredients, and comes together in minutes.
Nutritionally, this recipe hits the mark too. At celebratory events, finding a salad, or vegetable-based dish is easy, but hoping it has protein is another battle. This recipe gets a big tick for both categories, meaning you won't be hungry and resort to scoffing down double dessert if you're no longer relying on your protein quota from Christmas ham.
Chickpea and buckwheat flours contain between 30-40% protein respectively, and they're also great sources of dietary fibre, magnesium and manganese! Hello healthy regular bowels, nourished nervous systems, and healthy enzyme pathways– this tart can do all that!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons chia seeds + 6 tablespoons water
2 cups chickpea flour
1.5 cups buckwheat flour
1 lemon, zested
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1.5 teaspoons salt
cracked black pepper