Make Your Nuts Active

"When having a smackerel of something to eat with a friend, don't eat so much that you get stuck in the doorway trying to get out.". Winnie the Pooh

On the weekend I had some friends over for lunch. it was lovely to have the house filled with the warmth and comfort of true friendship and of course nourishing food. For nibbles I served some of my home made activated almonds and macadamias, which went down well. A little too well... Its important to soak your nuts before consuming, this helps to reduce the phytic acid in the nuts. Phytic acid is a form of phosphorus, found in nuts, seeds, beans and grains, which can block the absorption of other nutrients such as iron, calcium and magnesium. Phytic acid can also inhibit enzymes needed for digestion of protein and sugar. More info, including a list of foods and their phytic acid levels, can be found here. In order to neutralise most of the phytic acid, it is ideal to soak nuts for 18 hours, then dry them out at a low temp, and roast them. You can purchase pre-packaged activated nuts in the shops, at an exorbitant price. Sure it takes longer, but it's way more fun to make your own, plus you can flavour them any way you like.  So here's my recipe for activated nuts. 1-2 handfuls of your favourite nuts (I mostly use almonds and macadamias) Soak the nuts in a glass or ceramic bowl of filtered water overnight, up to 18 hours if you can. In the morning, pat the nuts dry lightly with some paper towel. Add your choice of spices, herbs and salt. I like to use sprinkles of himalayan pink salt and  Vata spice blend, which contains Cumin, Ginger, Fenugreek, Turmeric, Turbinado Sugar, Salt and Asafoetida . I sometimes also add cinnamon for a sweeter taste. Pop the nuts on a tray and into the oven on the lowest temp possible until they dry out. You can then roast them at a hotter temp until they are crispy.  Allow to cool, and enjoy! See if you can save some for later... Nat x

A paleo dinner party and divine dessert

Had the in-laws over for dinner the other night. On the menu was mustard, lemon and herb rubbed pork fillets, steamed greens with bacon and pine nuts, roasted cherry tomatoes, and a cauliflower and parsnip mash. Dinner seemed to be a great success, apart from the overload of garlic I put into the cauliflower mash (to level the playing field I made sure everyone ate it!) 
Apparently my father-in-law has been inspired to adopt a paleo eating plan and is clearing out the cupboards and researching recipes as we speak - what more can one hope for?!


Dessert was a winner. I borrowed a recipe for a Berry Cobbler from Everyday Paleo and modified a little. The original was done with fresh blackberries but I used frozen berries. 


Here's my take on it (serves 6-8 peeps, depending on the peeps):


Mixed Berry Crumble
Take one large rectangle baking dish.

Fill the dish with about 800g frozen mixed berries (I used strawberries, raspberries and blueberries).


For the topping I mixed up:
1 cup almond meal
0.5 cup organic shredded coconut
0.5 cup coconut flour
1 Tbs organic cinnamon
1 tsp organic vanilla
2 sachets Natvia
1 egg
2-3 Tbs coconut oil


Mix the egg and the oil into the dry ingredients. Using wet fingers, crumble the topping over the frozen berries.


Bake in moderate oven until topping has browned and the house is filled with delightful cinnamony-vanilla scents...


Enjoy on its own if you want to keep it purely paleo, or serve with some organic yoghurt, ice cream or cream. 
It was delicious the next day for breakfast and for afternoon tea...
The only downside is I forgot to take a pic, it was gone too quick! 


On the bench (substitutions):
Use whatever fruit is in season or you enjoy. Next time I plan to add in some apple and rhubarb. Would be great crumbled on top of halved stone fruits too.
You could add in some honey to the fruit or crumble mixture if you prefer it sweeter. 
If you don't like the coconut taste you could sub the flour for extra nut meal and some chopped nuts for crunch. 


Enjoy x

Happy healthy comfort food: Choc-Avo Mousse

I experienced a huge disappointment this week. Disappointment must be my least favourite emotion. Nothing healthy, happy or serene about it. But there's something about a good kick in the guts that forces you to step back and take a long hard look at things. For some reason disappointment motivates me to set new goals, find a fresh perspective. Plan. Start anew. 
And if all else fails, cook. Eat. Enjoy.
 

Choc-Avo Mousse
This is a gluten free, dairy free, paleo dessert full of healthy fats and antioxidants. And with only 3 ingredients it doesn't get much easier than this! 

1 tsp good quality, organic cocoa or cacao powder

1 tsp honey

half an avocado 
(can be organic if you like the taste but pesticide residue is low in avos, for more reading on this, click here)


Mash the avocado with a fork, then gently sir in the cocoa and honey. Mix well. You could use a food processor for a smoother consistency. I just couldn't be bothered cleaning mine tonight!
I served the mousse with a few frozen raspberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon. It has a delightful creamy texture and is infinitely satisfying. 

On the bench (substitutions):
Sub honey for any sweetener of your choice. Add more cinnamon or some vanilla to taste. 
Add some yoghurt or cream for a touch of dairy goodness if you wish. 
Delicious and never disappointing! 
Nat x

Kale Pesto

A Sunday morning ritual: visited my favourite organic markets at Frenchs Forest this morning. It ticks all my boxes: a happy, healthy, serene place. Where's the serenity you may ask? The crowds may be bustling but its all in the pursuit of a tasty and healthy week's fare. Nothing beats finding that perfect bunch of beautiful leafy veg, coming home and creating something magical...
I found some delightful bunches of curly kale and decided to use one to make a pesto sauce for the week. 
So here's a recipe for a delicious, alkalising pesto. Gluten free, dairy free and paleo. Tastes great on its own, as a dip, smeared over roast vegies or protein, especially a nice fillet of salmon. Can be mixed into pasta for any grain eating folk out there.  


1 bunch organic kurly cale, steamed
2 organic zucchini steamed
juice half lemon
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 knob ginger, chopped
2 Tbs sunflower butter (I used Ceres Organic brand) 
a few generous twists of himalayan pink rock salt
few shakes black pepper


Blend all ingredients in a food processor and you're done. Licking the bowl is a must! 
On the bench (substitutions):
On the fat front, you could exchange the sunflower butter for tahini or another spread. You could also throw in a handful or so of walnuts instead. 
The garlic flavour can come thorough quite strongly so if you're not a garlic lover or have a hot date you may wish to sub it out, or roast the garlic beforehand for a milder taste.
I've also made this before with a bunch of basil thrown in, just didn't find any at the markets this morning. 


Enjoy!
Nat x

Coconut Berry Ice-cream goodness

Christened my new ice-cream maker last night, best present ever! 
I made a delicious, high protein, sugar free and mostly dairy free ice cream which keeps beckoning me from the freezer despite the chilly temperature outside, twas simply irresistible. 
So here's how it went:


Ingredients:


2 whole organic eggs
1 can coconut milk (I used Spiral Foods organic light)
1.5- 2 cups organic frozen raspberries
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 tsp cacao ( I actually used a spoonful of Miessence Berry Radical powder)
1 tsp honey
1 serve sweetener (I used 1 sachet of Natvia)
1 shake organic cinnamon


I put all ingredients into the food processor, pulsed and blended until smooth. I then added all to my new ice-cream maker, and ran it for about 10-15 minutes. You can run it longer if you prefer a harder consistency. I like a soft serve style texture. Eat immediately with extra chocolate powder and/or strawberries. You could also serve with chopped dark chocolate and nuts for texture. Put the leftovers into the freezer for later (if you can resist!) 
If you don't have an ice-cream maker I'm sure putting the pureed mixture into the freezer would still produce a heavenly result. 


Nat x