Lemony Blueberry Smoothie
Today i'm off on holiday. Well a holiday of sorts as my plan is to work... hard!
I hadn't originally planned to go on holiday as I went away not so long ago with family over Easter, but the opportunity to take some time out with friends in Spain was too good to miss. However I'm planning on taking my laptop and getting up nice and early (way before normal people do on holidays!) to write up lots of notes and create some coaching materials before the day gets underway. When I go away with my girls there is always a lot of sitting by the pool reading books... it just so happens that my books will consist of 'The Blood Sugar Solution' 'You Can Heal You Life' and 'I Quit Sugar' instead of the latest light hearted fiction blockbuster...
Without the distraction of the Internet it will be interesting to see how the next few days turn out! I'm curious, scared and excited to be without the 'lifeline' that is the internet and email.
In other news the I have been busy creating another ebook for The Real Food Source (I know I've mentioned it a few times in recent months) it's been long in the works and became much more involved than originally anticipated but is finally being launched in the next few days. The focus is all on nut butters (or nut pastes which are basically unroasted pure blended nut butters) it has been such a fun book to create and the recipe ideas were almost infinite! The nut pastes (almond and cashew) they sell on their website are fabulous and I have been buying... erm... rather a lot of it, particularly during my strict candia phase when nut butter became a bit of an obsession! I worked out it's actually about the same price to buy 1kg tubs of pre-blended organic nut paste as it is to buy the nuts and blend them myself! The ebook will be another free download from their website and i'll link it directly next week when i'm back from my holiday.
In the meantime here is a little teaser recipe, I wanted to share a simple nut butter smoothie recipe and since this had a tropical holiday vibe I felt it was pretty appropriate for the summer sunshine and my holiday!
Enjoy!
Recipe: Lemony Blueberry Smoothie
“Pack a purple punch with this fruity delight. Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and are one of the lowest sugar fruits... so be generous!”
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- 2 cups frozen blueberries
- 1 banana
- Juice of half a lemon (plus grated rind for top)
- 2 heaped tbs unroasted nut butter (either almond or cashew)
- 1 ½ cups water
Method:
Blend everything together until very smooth. Add a little extra water if you prefer a thinner smoothie. Pour into glasses and grate a little lemon rind on the top of each.
Note: as an alternative to lemon you could try ½ tsp vanilla bean powder blended through.
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I can't stop eating nut butter! (a recipe and other news)
Seriously, I can't stop eating nut butter!!
Okay, let's backtrack a little. You may remember this post where I talked about digestion and different ways in which foods can help us, I also briefly mentioned I've been having a few issues myself. Well the issues have persisted and two weeks ago I finally decide to do something about it since my own attempts weren't coming to much. I saw a kinesiologist who, after performing an array of muscle testing, advised that amongst a few other mineral imbalances I had candida issues. The dreaded sugarfree diet ensued…
So for the last two weeks I have been on a strict anti-candida diet. No sugar of any kind. No fruit of any kind. No sweet vegetables of any kind.
So what have I actually been eating? Lots of greens, beans and pulses, some porridge (minus the fruit)… AND a ridiculous amount of nut butter!!
I never truly appreciated the idea that fat helps crowd out sugar cravings, but that's exactly what seems to have taken place. I made the 'mistake' of making a couple of sweet nut butter concoctions… they were so good I literally consumed a whole jar last weekend ;-/
I'm hoping this is just an adjustment phase and that once I've got my head around things a little bit more and have come up with other recipes to snack on and substitute the foods I miss then it will become easier.
I had two main concerns in beginning this diet:
1- In running Wholeplus I always test the recipe batches as I produce them and not being able to test any of the mixture for 4+ weeks is going to be extremely tricky indeed. But i'll find a way.
2- I didn't want to have a boring recipe blog for the next month as sweet and fruity things are always up there on the agenda from me and a month of savouries wasn't necessarily my idea of fun for you lot.
So I have an idea...
Starting from April I will be hosting a guest-post slot once a week to bring you recipes from others in the healthy nutrition field. I will update you more about this in a few days time so keep your eyes peeled. I also have a few extra recipes up my sleeve that i haven't yet blogged.
In other news, I have been loaned a juicer to test and review for the blog… much excitement here as I've been in talks with Tribest UK for a number of weeks since I was very keen to get involved with the whole juicing game. I will be posting a full review and recipes shortly, you may have already seen a few pics crop up on my Instagram if you follow me there.
Lastly, I didn't want to leave without giving you a little recipe or two…
These are both candida friendly AND entire-human-population-friendly recipes as they are so simple and so good! One lesson I've learned so far on the candida diet is that when stevia is your only option for sweetness, use cinnamon and vanilla spices very liberally as they help to balance the taste of the stevia and also naturally give the impression of sweetness themselves so make for the perfect option when creating lightly sweet treats. Cashews also have a subtle creamy sweetness so made the perfect base for these butters.
Make these and you'll appreciate exactly why I can't stop eating nut-butter. You have been warned :-)
P.s If anyone has been on the candida diet or has any tips for me… be sure to throw them my way!!
Recipe: Vanilla and cinnamon cashew butter
Makes 1 jar
Ingredients:
2 tbs coconut oil
3 cups cashews (soak the cashews unless you have a high powered processor)*
2 tsp vanilla powder
2 tsp cinnamon
5 drops stevia*
Method:
Melt the coconut oil and then blend with the remaining ingredints in a food processor until the cashews are ground very finely and you have a silky smooth spread.
Recipe: Chocolate cashew spread
Makes 1 jar
Ingredients:
½ cup cacao liquor chips
2 tbs coconut oil
3 cups cashews*
1 heaped tbs vanilla powder
10 drops stevia*
Method:
Melt cacao and coconut oil and then blend with the remining ingredints in a food processor until the cashews are ground as finely as possible and you have a smooth spread.
Notes:
* This would probably work well and be even smoother with 1-2 tbs syrup instead of the stevia for those not on a candida diet (not tested).
* I have a very powerful food processor that blitzed the cashews as they were, but you may have more success and a creamier result by soaking the cashews for a few hours first and discarding the soaking water before proceeding with the recipe. Note- the resulting butter may be a little less thick and would be advisable to keep in the fridge due to the slight water content potentially affecting the shelf life.
I'd love you to join me in other places too!
Why not sign up for emails in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. Day to day you can also find me in these places:
Date and walnut butters... seriously addictive!!
I have made both versions of this addictive 'butter' twice now... the second time was supposed to be given as a gift to friend. Ummmm.... that didn't quite happen. A spoon and my mouth happened ;-/
Oh well... there is always another time (my friend got another gift instead- in case you were wondering!)
So, these 'butters' are seriously addictive.
Seriously.
And they take barely any tip to whip up.
Winner!
They tickle the 'sweet' tastebuds without being overly so, the delicate rich flavours of the toasted walnuts are beautifully complimented with the dates. The chocolate version gives you your chocolate hit, again without taking you to sugar overload. Being so dense in nuts, a spoonful will be enough to hit the spot. I guess in many ways you have a kind of 'trail mix in a pot'.
I originally got the idea for semi-sweet nut butter spreads here on Ricki Heller's site, she uses purely stevia as a sweetener as dates are a no go for her, but I loved the ideas and options she suggested, so I went to have a play and a tweak myself.
I spread these butters on crackers, sandwiched between cookies, stirred through ice cream, blitzed into a milkshake. The list is pretty much endless- though I will admit I mostly ate it straight from the spoon. I may need to learn a little self control.
Nut butter... sweet or savoury? How do you eat yours?
I have loads more 'nut butter' recipes currently under creation... I am in the midst of creating yet another free book for the Real Food Source, and this one is dedicated to nut butters! We hope to release in in the next month... I will keep you posted!
Recipe: Date and walnut butters
Each makes 2 smallish jars
Ingredients- The 'Regular'
2 cups heaped walnuts- lightly toasted
Pinch sea salt
½ cup dates
1 tbs coconut oil
Ingredients- The 'Chocolate'
2 cups heaped walnuts- lightly toasted
Pinch salt
½ cup dates
1 tbs coconut oil
2 tbs raw cocoa powder
2 tbs raw cacao nibs
few drops stevia if extra sweetness desired
Method:
Roast the walnuts for about 5 minutes- you want them to be lightly toasted, make sure there are no burnt bits as it will impair the favour.
Blend all the ingredients together until smooth and easily spreadable, stirring cacao nibs through last (if using)
These will store in a jar on the counter for a few weeks- mine didn't last longer than a week (and that's pushing it!)
I'd love you to join me in other places too!
Why not sign up for emails in my sidebar where I feature roundups and special offers. If you are new round here check out my 'About' and 'Getting Started' tabs up top. To buy nibbles you can also find me over at Wholeplus. Day to day you can also find me here:
Cookie dough dip
At the time I was experimenting with my bitter chocolate thins in sandwich form I also came across a recipe for a cookie dough dip on Chocolate Covered Katie’s blog. It uses chickpeas as its main ingredient which had me intrigued since I’ve used chickpea here in my baking before. The principle of the recipe was so simple that I couldn’t help having a go myself. This is now the second time I’ve made this dip and in the process I added a few small changes to the original recipe.
In case you’re wondering I then als had to make some chocolate cookies to truly test the dip out. Cookies dipped in cookie dough …. Oh yes, double whammy!
This dip would also be great used as a frosting (thin out with a little more soy milk as necessary), as the cream for a chocolate thins sandwich or dipped with fresh fruit. Feel free to throw in some chocolate chips or whatever you fancy if you eat it on its own as a dessert.
Oh and just one more thing… the notion of big globs of ‘cookie dough’ then triggered an idea for another yummy twist on this recipe… don’t worry I’ll be sharing all very soon!
Recipe: Cookie dough dip
Makes 1 small bowlful
Ingredients
- 100g cooked or canned chickpeas
- A pinch of salt
- Pinch of baking soda
- 2 tbs soy milk powder (optional but I think it helps give a more sweet-vanilla-milky edge)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbs peanut butter (or other nut butters for a more ‘neutral’ taste)
- Approx. 3 tbs soymilk
- 3 tbs ground oatmeal
- 1/4 cup agave plus ¼ tsp stevia
- ¼ tsp cinnamon or nutmeg
Method
Blend everything together in a food processor until very smooth. If not eating straight away, store in the fridge with clingfilm pressing down on surface so a ‘skin’ doesn’t form.
P.S. You may have noted that my title bar has a new page added called ‘Baking tips’. I’d had a few queries from readers regarding conversions for the recipes where I’ve used Metric instead of American standards. For a while now I’d also been meaning to put together a summary of the basic principles that apply to my approach to baking as a whole. So, it was a good incentive to stop dithering and get it written… I hope you find it helps!
No-Bake Protein Packed 'Power Cubes'
The ‘power cube’ was an early recipe generated by a practical need for a healthy quick fix protein kick after a gym session. They were first conceived as bars with the intention of a being a healthy cereal bar but the consistency was denser and soft (not dry and crisp) lending itself to a flap-jack style bite sized cube.
Thus, the 'Power Cube' was born!
I feel these bars could be a bit ‘Marmite’ in that you’ll either love em or hate em! The notion behind the cube was less ‘treat’ and more ‘nutrition’ but over the weeks and months I have refined the recipe to my own personal tastes, and so I happen to love them! My family members however do not proclaim these to be among my best work (but again, let me remind you of their reason for being, so best not compared to an indulgent cake!) They are very flexible and accommodating so feel free to change things about and throw in what you fancy- the idea being you get a dense protein rich oaty bar as the end of it!
These bars are rich in a balance of protein fats and carbs and so are also great to grab on the run when you are not sure when you will next be eating or to have a couple tucked away in your bag in case of emergency as a mini meal replacement! The cubes are also raw further boosting their nutritional status.
Recipe: No-Bake Protein Power Cubes
Makes a 20x25cm tray cut into 25 cubes.
Ingredients:
- 400g oats
- 30g dessicated coconut
- 30 hemp seeds (other small or ground seeds can be used)
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tbs ground ginger or cinnamon (optional)
- 150g isolated soy protein powder (Note: any mild flavoured plant protein blend would work)
- 3 tbs almond butter
- 3 tbs smooth peanut butter (or use all PB or almond if preferred)
- 1 ripe banana- mashed
- 1 tbs vanilla essence
- 2 tbs agave syrup
- ½ tsp stevia
- Approx ¼ cup soy milk or other non-dairy milk (just enough to hold the mixture together well)
Method:
Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix and mash wet ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix together adding as much soy milk as needed to create firm sticky dough. Firmly press the mixture into a 20x25 cm tray (or whatever similar size you have). It is easiest to line the tray with baking parchment as this will then simply lift out when ready to cut. Place the tin in the fridge for an hour (or longer) to firm up. When firm cut into cubes and store in the fridge. The cubes will keep for a week or more in the fridge and also freeze well.
I like to make ‘gingery’ power cubes as I love ginger but feel free to vary the spices and cocoa content to your own preference.
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