A delicious chocolate slice free from gluten, dairy and processed sugar, while also being incredibly nutritious.
This will be gone in a flash!
This is a simple raw slice that l made using the food processor in just minutes. A taste test of the processed ingredients was delicious.
Ingredients:
1 cup of organic almond meal (blanched)
1/4 cup rice malt syrup
1 cup organic shredded coconut
1/2 cup organic raw coconut oil
2 generous tablespoons of organic raw cacao
6 organic medjool dates (seeds removed)
1/2 cup flaked almonds
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
Place all of the ingredients in the food processor. (The nuts could be substituted for any other kind of nut you like)
Give all the ingredients a quick whiz in the food processor.
Place the mixture into a baking dish lined with baking paper. Push it down with a spatula so there is a nice even layer of approximately 1 cm thick. Smooth the surface with the spatula.
The mixture is sitting on baking paper and has been smoothed out with a spatula.
Place in the freezer and when frozen cut into individual pieces. The slice freezers in about an hour and can be stored in an appropriate container in the freezer where you can just take a piece or two out as required.
Cut the slice into individual pieces.
Note: You can buy blanched and natural almond meal. I have been using natural almond meal in most of my recipes which is almond meal with the skin on. I have now switched to blanched almond meal as it is so much softer in my baking.
You can follow me daily on Instagram at holistic_paleo
Buy organic pantry staples from my favourite online storeFor all your Paleo, health and wellness books
Bake a batch of mini quiche and discover how delicious they are! Fantastic for the whole family.
A small quiche can be part of a meal or a great snack.
The basic ingredient of the mini quiche is eggs (preferably free range or organic). What you add to the mix is entirely up to your preferences. This could include seeds, nuts, vegetables, cheese and seasonings as examples.
Broccoli quiche:
Mix in a bowl eggs, grated carrot, spring onion green tops, parsley, a meat such as tuna (optional), pink rock salt and black pepper. Grease the pan very well or use patty pans. Pour the mixture into each hole in the pan and place a piece of raw broccoli in the centre of each. Cook in a 200 degree celsius oven until firm and golden.
These muffins are poured directly into the pan. Ensure you grease it well.Nice and golden,. Use a knife to cut around the edges and gently pull out.
Egg and bacon quiche are delicious straight out of the oven.
Place a strip of bacon into the greased tray and crack an egg into each hole. Season with pink rock salt and black pepper.
These simple egg and bacon snacks are so easy to make and the bacon makes them easy to lift out of the pan.Cook until the eggs are just cookedFantastic served with vegetables
Mini quiche are also a great snack and lunch box filler. Have the leftovers the next day with a salad for lunch or grab one for morning tea. Alternatively enjoy the quiche the next night by gently reheating in the oven and serving with a delicious salad or roast vegetables.
Small broccoli quiche with a beetroot spiral salad, sweet potato chips and bacon. Quite a combination.
I hope you have enjoyed this post. You can follow me daily on Instagram at holistic_paleo
For all your gluten free and organic pantry suppliesBrighten up your kitchen and life today
This soup has a wonderful balance of flavours with the most important element being a beautiful home-made chicken stock. It is such a delightful colour and looks so much like tomato soup but has a very distinctive flavour of beetroot with a lovely sweetness.
A thick and delicious soup with a surprising flavour.
Ingredients:
Check the recipe-soup section of the website for the chicken stock recipe.
1 litre of home-made chicken stock, 2 small beetroot or 1 1/2 large, 1 medium sweet potato, 1 large brown onion, 1/2 teaspoon pink rock salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.Just a small amount of pumpkin to thicken up the soup.
Method:
Prepare the vegetables by washing, peeling and chopping.
Add all ingredients except the stock, into a medium-sized saucepan with some olive oil.Cook until the vegetables are starting to soften and stir the ingredients every few minutes.
Add the stock and put the lid on and let simmer for about 60 minutes.
When the vegetables are soft take off the stove and blend with a hand blender.Blend well so that there are no lumps. Place back on the stove on a gentle simmer for approximately another 30 minutes. Check the seasoning and adjust as required.
This is a very thick and filling soup. It has the most delicious sweet flavour and the colour is enticing. The main tips for this soup are to brown the vegetables before you put the stock in, use a very good quality home-made stock and use fresh vegetables.
You can follow me daily on Instagram at holistic_paleo
Home made stock is so handy and can be used as a base in dishes such as soups, casseroles, sauces or as a broth. It is extremely nutritious and adds a lovely flavour to your cooking.
A clear and beautiful stock.
When l had a colonoscopy recently l strained it through a muslin cloth and had it before the procedure and it helped me get through the fasting period.
Here it is as a broth with garlic and parsley.
It freezes very well and if you put it in lots of small containers is easy to add to your favourite dishes. Alternatively freeze it in a couple of larger containers and use it as a base for a soup or casserole.
A lovely vegetable soup.Apricot chicken (The recipe is in the main meal section)
To make the stock start off with a good quality organic or free range chicken which you can cook using your favourite method. I usually roast mine and have a meal or two with it then use the leftover bones, meat and skin to make the stock.
A delicious roasted chicken
Place the chicken carcass, left over meat and skin in a large stainless steel pot and cover with cold filtered water.
Put all the leftovers in the pot and cover with filtered water. Don’t use tap water if you can avoid it.
Add the following to the pot:
1 onion or spring onion chopped up
2 or 3 celery sticks chopped into a few pieces
2 medium sized carrots chopped up
Several bay leaves
A small dash of organic apple cider vinegar
A few black peppercorns
Everything is in the pot now.
Put the lid on and bring to the boil. Let the pot simmer most of the day and overnight if you can. When it has cooled slightly strain into a large pot or bowl.
This part is a bit tricky.It is so golden and looks delicious.
Carefully pour into the storage containers. I usually freeze most of it and keep a small amount in the fridge for use during the week.
This size is handy to add to smaller mealsThis size container is good as a base for a soup or casserole.
Some of the stock can be used straight away to make a delicious soup.
Vegetables prepared for the soupCooking nicely and the smell in the house will be lovely.A delicious home made soup.
Do yourself a favour and make your own stock. It is very quick to make and the taste is sensational.
If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. You can follow me daily on Instagram at holistic_paleo.
Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is a nutritious gluten-free grain alternative and is in fact a seed from a vegetable linked to swiss chard, spinach and beets. It is considered a super food and is high in protein, with a good balance of all 8 essential amino acids, making it a good choice for vegetarians. It is also high in fibre and has a low-GI, beneficial for keeping blood sugar levels stable as well as having a slightly alkaline effect on the body.
This dish was very quick to make as l pre-cooked the quinoa and the flavours in it were lovely. There was a strong hint of lemon, a crunch from the walnuts and a flavour kick from the addition of fresh ginger and cumin.
The risotto is quite sticky so it held together nicely when l placed it in a glass ramekin to shape.
I was inspired to make this risotto as l have a vegetable garden filled with greens including masses of silverbeet. There is no need to follow my recipe to the letter as part of cooking is having fun and experimenting with new ingredients and flavours, and my cooking is quite plain due to food intolerances, so you may wish to spice it up a bit more.
Ingredients:
2 cups organic quinoa (l used white)
Filtered water
Olive oil
1 tablespoon organic tomato paste
1 small tomato diced
1/2 red capsicum diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 large leaves of silverbeet
Fresh parsley and basil chopped
1 cm fresh gInger finely sliced
2 spring onion green tops sliced
5 snow peas sliced
1/2 carrot finely diced
1 cup roughly chopped raw activated walnuts (or another nut)
Lemon juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon Organic apple cider vinegar
Pink rock salt and ground black pepper (season to taste)
White quinoa
Cooking quinoa requires some pre-planning as it needs to be soaked and rinsed prior to cooking. I soaked 2 cups of quinoa in filtered water all day and then rinsed just before cooking to remove the bitter tasting saponins. You can soak it for a shorter time such as 30 minutes if that is all the time you have. I placed the rinsed quinoa in a saucepan and covered with filtered water so that there was about an inch of water on top of the grain. I brought it to the boil, then let it simmer with the lid on until the water was absorbed and the seeds had popped open. You can turn the heat off at this point while the rest of the dish cooks.
In a fry pan place a splash of olive oil, the organic tomato paste, tomato, red capsicum and cumin. Let that cook for a minute then add the quinoa and mix well. Now add the rest of the ingredients and season well to taste with pink rock salt and ground black pepper.
Give it a good mix for a couple of minutes and serve. I spooned mine into a ramekin, then turned it upside down and let it slip out onto the plate. It looked lovely when it was on the table garnished with lemon rind and parsley.
If you don’t have the ingredients listed just use what you have in the fridge and you can also make the risotto the traditional way by adding the liquid in small intervals to the uncooked quinoa.
Below l have included a link to my favourite supplier of all organic goods such as quinoa and other pantry essentials. They offer a great service and very good prices with free delivery if your purchase is over a certain amount which is listed on their website depending on your location.
A fabulous online store for my Australian followers.
If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. You can also follow me on Instagram at holistic_paleo where you will get daily photos of the meals l prepare and a few other interesting things aimed at inspiring a healthier life.
Mental and practical roadblocks people use to not have a green smoothie in their life.
It it scary to drink a green smoothie
I don’t want to drink vegetables, especially green ones
There are things in there l won’t like
I’ve never had a chia seed
I don’t have a blender
The ingredients are expensive
It will taste awful
I’d rather have a normal fruit smoothie
Do any of these sound familiar? They can all be overcome if you can think out side of your comfort zone. If you don’t have a blender they can be purchased very cheaply or you can borrow one, and if you grow your own green leafy vegetables that is another one crossed off the list.
Take the plunge and try a simple recipe for your first smoothie that is guaranteed to be delicious. You can even leave the chia seeds out.
Cos lettuce (fill up half the blender with this, but make sure it is well washed), one small banana, one navel orange, 1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional), some fresh mint and enough plain coconut water to give a good consistency to drink or you can eat it with a spoon.
Just pile all of the ingredients into the blender and process. Pour it into a glass and enjoy!
An amazing colour with a wonderful sweet flavour.
A green smoothie is different to a green juice. A juice has most of the fibre removed and is much lighter to drink and digest. When l was very unwell last year l loved having a green juice as the nutrients were quickly and easily broken down and absorbed for use in the body, whereas a smoothie was too heavy for me and l just couldn’t digest them.
A green juice made with the Cold Pressed juicer.
Part of the joy of drinking a green smoothie is that it is green!
A green smoothie can quickly turn a not so nice colour if you add certain ingredients to it such as raspberries, blueberries or blackberries. It could go a brown colour and will taste great, but won’t look so appetising.
Choosing your ingredients:
1. Start by picking your choice of greens. You can have just the one such as cos lettuce, kale, spinach or silverbeet or a mixture. Cos lettuce is so sweet and lovely and l love the smaller green spinach leaves.
2. What liquid are you going to have in your juice? I would advise either plain coconut water or filtered water.
3. Choose the fruit you are going to add. This could be banana, apple, peach, apricot, pear, mango, pineapple, orange and mandarin as examples. Citrus is wonderful as it will help your body absorb the iron from the greens.
4. Add a few interesting things to your smoothie. Limes and lemon’s with the skin on will give the smoothie a kick, while fresh ginger and herbs such as parsley and mint will help to enhance the flavour.
5. Add additional nutrients such as chia seeds, green powders or nuts.
This smoothie has lots of greens, a few strawberries, chia seeds, activated almonds, orange and filtered water.This was such a filling smoothie and there are speckles of red through it from the strawberries.
A way to combine a green smoothie with a more colourful ingredients and still have it looking good is to have some fun putting it together as in the one below. Both the green and pink sections tasted wonderful, but when mixed together were a not so nice brown colour.
A green smoothie with a dash of colour!
The green section is cos lettuce, banana, green apple and coconut water. The pink layer is strawberries, blueberries, acai berry powder, chia seeds, banana and coconut water. I make the green part first and pour it into two glasses and wash the blender, then make the pink part. The decorative pointy bits l do with a stainless steel straw and it looks nice to drink!
A smoothie can easily be a meal if you add in good sources of protein such as chia seeds and nuts. I drink them slowly as it is a lot of liquid going into the stomach all at once and adding the nuts and chia seeds make it a bit heavier and thicker as well as slowing down the digestion of the sugars in the drink. Sometimes l have a handful of nuts with the smoothie if it has a lot of fruit in it and this balances out the snack.
The best way to get started on your smoothie adventure is to fill up your fridge with lots of healthy fresh food. Here is a quick snapshot of my fridge as it looks most of the time.
I really need a bigger fridge!
If you have enjoyed this post please share it with a friend. You can keep up to date with my daily meals and wellness tips on Facebook: holistic wellness for life, Instagram at holistic_paleo as well as Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Pinterest.
A lovely cake which is Paleo friendly, gluten, dairy and processed sugar-free. Before this cake is cooked it is the loveliest pink colour which unfortunately disappears after it has been baked in the oven.
The end piece is always so crunchy and delicious!
Ingredients:
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup organic coconut flour (no need to sift, just squash the lumps))
6 free range eggs (700g)
A generous 1/4 cup organic coconut oil (gently melted)
A generous 1/4 cup raw organic honey (gently melted)
1 teaspoon organic cinnamon
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda (Bob’s Red Mill Aluminium free ).
One small fresh beetroot peeled and grated
1/2 cup raw activated walnuts chopped roughly (or just raw walnuts)
Extra whole walnuts for the top of the cake.
Ready to be mixed
Place all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and gently combine with a spatula.
The colour is lovely
Place the mixture in a greased and lined baking tin. Smooth the top with a spatula and then place the extra whole walnuts on top of the cake
I greased my tin with coconut oil.
Bake in a 180 degree celsius oven until golden and quite firm.
The cake will be golden and smell delicious
Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake to separate it from the tin. Turn the cake gently onto the cooling rack, remove the baking paper from the bottom and turn over.
Let the cake cool and then sample a piece! I use a serrated knife to gently cut a piece.The cake is lovely eaten warm!
If you have enjoyed this post please share it with a friend. You can also follow me on Instagram at holistic_paleo.
I have never been a lover of apple crumble or of cooked apple in general but l do like to eat something sweet once in a while. I have seen a few apple and berry crumble dishes on Instagram recently and they have been sitting in the back of my mind as l have been contemplating how to make a healthy version that would appeal to me. I literally got my favourite ingredients out of the pantry and layered them on top of one another with a wonderful result. The whole family pounced on this dish as soon as it came out of the oven and the flavours mixed together beautifully.
Once you have peeled and sliced the apples this dish takes just a minute to put together.
Ingredients/Method: Everything organic if possible.
Apples- I used four small apples but if they are very large just two might do. It really depends on the size of the dish and your family. I peel the apples because of the horrible waxy coating but you could leave the skin on if they are from your own tree as an example. Core and slice the apples and place randomly in a baking dish. I used a smallish oval ceramic dish.
Coconut flour Sprinkle 1 tablespoon over the apples.
Coconut flakes- Add 1 generous tablespoon over the apples.
Cinnamon- I didn’t measure this as l just sprinkled a really generous layer over the whole dish.
Almond meal- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons over the apples (you could rub in the coconut oil here if you want)
Flaked almonds- I didn’t measure this either but just sprinkled a generous hand full over the dish. There really isn’t a limit as to how much you can put on as they go a lovely brown colour and add some crunch.
Coconut oil- I placed one generous teaspoon over the entire dish. I just put little bits all over the top and you can use more if you want an extra coconut flavour or you could rub it into the almond meal before you add it.
Honey- I used a raw organic honey and drizzled 1 generous teaspoon over the whole dish.
Ready for the oven. Just layer all the ingredients on top of each other.
Cooking instructions:
I covered the dish with aluminium foil and placed in a 180 degree pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes and then took the foil off and cooked it until the whole top was golden and looking delicious.
I had this plain but you could top it with a healthy ice-cream or fresh fruit.
The serving looks quite small in the photo but it is a sweet dish and l was completely satisfied after eating this. The recipe could easily be adapted by using different fruits such as peach or adding some berries to the apple.
If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am also on Instagram, Pinterest, Flickr, Tumblr and Twitter where l share my daily recipes and meals.
A delicious healthy snack bar that will add some sweetness to your day!
Eat them straight from the freezer or pack them into the lunch box.
Having healthy snacks on hand is vital if you are going to avoid making poor food choices. Being on a restricted diet is hard enough without feeling hungry or as though you are missing out. These bars are healthy, sweet, paleo, gluten, dairy and processed sugar free. They are filled with natural goodness and are a favourite snack of mine. The recipe is flexible and you can change them to suit your own preferences such as leaving out the nuts, using different seeds or changing some of the quantities. All of the ingredients l use are organic and the nuts and larger seeds are activated which means l have soaked them in filtered water and sea salt for a day, rinsed them well and then dehydrated. This process helps to remove the anti-nutrients and support good digestion.
Ingredients:
1 cup activated organic sunflower seeds
1 cup activated organic pumpkin seeds
1 cup organic sesame seeds
1 cup black chia seeds
1 cup activated mixed nuts (e.g almond, walnut, and brazil)
A generous 1/2 cup organic shredded coconut
8 Medjool Dates seeded and chopped (roughly chop just to make it easier for the food processor)
A good 1/2 cup raw organic honey (use organic or regular honey if that is what you have)
A good 1/2 cup organic coconut oil
These ingredients add a delicious flavour to the bars.
Place the nuts, seeds, shredded coconut and dates in the food processor and chop until roughly chopped. Gently warm the honey and coconut oil in a saucepan and pour into the food processor. Pulse until all there is a good consistency and all the nuts and seeds have been broken up.
Be careful of the very sharp blade.
Have a tray ready which is lined with baking paper. Run your finger around the edge of the tray so there is a crease in the paper. Pour the ingredients onto a tray lined with baking paper. Now is a good time to have a taste test. The mix should be sweet and delicious.
The mix is ready to be flattened.
Use a spatula to flatten the mix and make sure it is quite even across the whole tray and give special attention to the corners.
Ready for the oven
I have tried a few different oven temperatures and times but basically you don’t want the oven too hot as you will burn the seeds and lose lots of nutrients, and you want to just cook it until the edges are going golden. I cooked mine today in a Fan Forced Convection Oven at 170 Degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. You will be able to check this after your first batch.
Remove the tray from the oven and let cool until cold. Another option is when it is slightly cool to place it in the freezer for an hour whilst still on the tray. This is what l do now as l don’t like to wait.
Remove from the freezer and cut.
Use the edges of the baking paper to carefully remove the bars as a whole from the tray and lay it on a flat bench. Cut the bars while still on the baking paper into whatever size suits you using a very sharp knife and wiping clean after cutting a row. Another option is to use a pizza cutter and it helps to give it or the knife a wipe after each row. I think it is better to have the bars quite small as then you have more of a choice over serving size.
Carefully lift each bar into the container for freezing unless you are going to eat them all fresh, but they are very nice eaten when they are just out of the freezer and such a handy snack to take to work or when you are out.
Store in an airtight container in the freezer
The best part of the whole cooking experience is eating the crumbs. Scrape them off the baking paper and into a bowl. Enjoy! You could dip something into these crumbs such as a banana or use them as a topping.
I love this part!
Something to be aware of when eating these bars is that the chia seeds can get stuck in your teeth. This is really a cosmetic issue, so it is best to do a quick tooth check after you have eaten them and you may need a tooth pick to remove them as they can be a bit stubborn.
If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest and Tumblr.
A favourite snack that you can make at home! This is a twist on the popular sesame snap but the recipe is easily modified to have a more traditional flavour. The original recipe is from ‘The Merrymaker Sisters” website and l have modified it by adding in poppy seeds and cinnamon.
This is a very quick and easy snack to make and they can be kept in the freezer to add to lunch boxes.
Ingredients:
1 and 3/4 cups of organic sesame seeds
1 cup of organic almond meal
1/2 cup raw organic honey
1/4 cup organic coconut oil
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 generous teaspoon cinnamon
Note: If you want a traditional sesame snap leave the poppy seeds and cinnamon out and use 2 cups of sesame seeds.
Method:
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Place half of the mixture onto a piece of baking paper and cover with another piece of baking paper. Roll out carefully to flatten.
Gently roll the mixture so it is even.
Roll the mix to about 1/2 a centimetre. Remove the top paper and use a knife to straighten the edges and then re-roll. Do this for the other half of the mixture.
Life the baking paper and flattened mixture onto the baking tray
Bake the sesame snaps in a 180 degree celsius oven for approximately 10 minutes or until golden.
Golden cooked sesame snaps.
Let the sesame snaps cool for a short time and then lift off the tray by grabbing the edges of the baking paper. Place on a flat surface and using a sharp knife cut the edges off and then cut into rows and then smaller pieces.
Use the edges to taste test your cooking.These are the plain sesame snaps. Once cooled they can easily be stored in the freezer and are a handy snack.
It is a good idea to make your own snacks if you can as this ensures that you know exactly what is in the food you are eating. There are no nasty additives, colours or flavours in these bars, and this is a great way to eat healthier.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. I post daily on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter and the links are on the bottom of the website. Thank you Carolyn
A raw frozen treat free of gluten, dairy and processed sugar.
Morning snack: fresh strawberries, raw organic dark chocolate and the frozen chocolate, coconut and strawberry balls.
These little balls of sweetness are a delightful raw frozen treat to have at any time of the day and the combination of chocolate, fresh strawberries and coconut is very nice. They are quite soft at room temperature which is why they are best eaten frozen, but if a firmer ball is desired the avocado can be left out.
Ingredients:
Fresh strawberries!I actually used fresh coconut, but shredded coconut is excellent.
8 medjool dates (seeded)
1 dessert spoon organic raw cacao
3 tablespoons organic coconut oil
2 cups of mixed raw nuts (I used brazil and walnuts)
8 fresh strawberries (washed and the green top removed).
2 tablespoons black chia seeds
1/2 cup organic shredded coconut (plus a bit extra for rolling the balls in)
1 small avocado (optional)
Instructions for making the balls:
Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and mix until well blended.
Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and blend.
Use a spoon to form balls of mix and roll in the extra shredded coconut.
Roll the balls in the extra coconut.
Place the balls in a container and place in the freezer.
Serve the balls with some fresh strawberries.
As these balls are raw they are really quick to make and filled with wonderful nutrients. Store the balls in an airtight container in the freezer and grab one when you need a healthy snack.
If you have enjoyed this post please share it with a friend.
The smell of a cake baking in the oven is really lovely and the anticipation builds as the cake is almost cooked. This recipe has a lovely combination of fresh beetroot and pumpkin in a paleo friendly, gluten and dairy free recipe.
An afternoon delight!
Ingredients:
Fresh beetroot and pumpkin
Fresh beetroot and pumpkin as shown in the picture. I used one medium sized beetroot. Grate them in the food processor using a fine grating disk or hand grate if you don’t have a food processor.
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 cups almond meal
6 free range eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/4 cup organic coconut oil (gently melted)
1/4 cup (generous) raw organic honey (gently melted)
Place all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
Mix the ingredients well ensuring there are no clumps of beetroot or pumpkin.
Place the mix into a greased and lined loaf dish.
Use a spatula to ensure the top is smooth and even.
Decorate with pumpkin seeds.
The pumpkin seeds add a lovely crunch to the top of the cake.
Bake in a pre-heated 180 degree celsius oven until well done. It is quite a heavy cake so will have a very golden brown appearance when cooked. Remove from the baking dish and let cool on a cooling rack. Slice and eat. Freeze any leftovers for the lunch box.
A lovely moist cake with an interesting sweet flavour!
If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. Thankyou Carolyn
Instagram: holistic_paleo and Twitter: Holistic Paleo@carolynlgray
Live & eat mindfully. Gluten & dairy free recipes.
Holistic Wellness for Life 