Tag Archives: Holistic

Recipes, Wellness

Beetroot and pumpkin cake (gluten and dairy free)

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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:

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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. 

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Mix the ingredients well ensuring there are no clumps of beetroot or pumpkin.

Place the mix into a greased and lined loaf dish.

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Use a spatula to ensure the top is smooth and even.

Decorate with pumpkin seeds.

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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.

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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

Recipes, Wellness

Raw lime and cinnamon bars

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My first raw bar and the flavours are lovely!

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A perfect snack!

The lime and cinnamon infuse through the bars which are firm, wholesome and delicious. I eat these straight from the freezer and they are a real treat.

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You will be able to stock up the freezer and pack these in the lunch box.

Ingredients:

2 cups of nuts (I used raw activated walnuts and brazil nuts)

2 cups of seeds (I used 1/2 cup each of pepitas, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and chia seeds)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

10 medjool dates that have been deseeded and soaked in warm water for 15 minutes then drained

The juice and zest of one large or two small limes.

1/2 cup raw organic honey (slightly warmed)

1/2 cup organic coconut oil (gently melted)

Extra pepitas to put on top of the mixture 

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Everything goes into the food processor.

Place everything into the food processor and pulse to the desired consistency. The soft dates, coconut oil and honey should be blended in well and the nuts broken into small pieces.

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Everything is blended well.

Press the mix into a baking dish lined with baking paper. Mine was approximately 22cm and was a glass dish. Use the spare pumpkin seeds (pepitas) to decorate the top of the mix.

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Push the pumpkin seeds into the top of the mix to decorate.

Place the mixture into the freezer for about an hour.

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This is the fun part!

Lift the slab out of the dish by grabbing the edges of the baking paper. Using a sharp knife cut the mix into long bars and then squares. After you have had a taste test, place the rest of the bars into a container and store in the freezer.

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Ready for the freezer

I have found that the lovely lime flavour is enhanced over time, and the bars l have eaten from the freezer have had a very enticing hint of lime, which reminds me of the feeling l get when l am drinking a beautiful herbal tea.

If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. Thankyou carolyn

You can follow me on Instagram: holistic_paleo and Twitter; holistic paleo@carolynlgray

Recipes, Wellness

Having fun with your smoothies!

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I have been experimenting with my smoothies lately and it has been great fun. I am alternating the smoothies with juices and love how the flavours change with the addition of a different ingredient and am amazed at the colours that can be produced from using fruits such as berries or vegetables like Bok Choy. I like to use the fruits and vegetables which are in season and l only add filtered water to my smoothies as l don’t drink any kind of milk.

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Colourful, delicious and nutritious.

I have been layering my smoothies to make them look more attractive and experimenting with different ingredient combinations. The smoothie above has three layers that l mixed around with the straw. The red layer is frozen raspberries and water, the green layer is cos lettuce, pineapple, green apple, banana, black chia seeds and water. The yellow layer is cantelope and mandarin. All of the layers were really nice.

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Love the colour!

The ingredients in this one are spinach, cos lettuce, pineapple, banana, green apple, black chia seeds, mint and filtered water.

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A fun looking smoothie!

This smoothie needed to be mixed to drink, but the layers added some fun to it. The green layer is cos lettuce, spinach, mint, green apple and water, while the yellow layer is mandarin, black chia seeds and water.

An interesting smoothie!
I love the layers!

This smoothie was so much fun to make and l had to mix this one to drink it also. The green layer is cos lettuce, green apple, mint and water. The yellow layer is orange, banana, chia seeds and water, and the top layer is cherries, raspberries and water.

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Both the colours had an amazing flavour.

I made this smoothie today and it was a joy to drink as both of the colour combinations had a divine flavour. The green half is cos lettuce, green apple, parsley, banana and water. The red half is blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, black chia seeds and water.

Have some fun with your smoothies and experiment with different flavours. Add in fresh ginger, herbs from the garden, lemons and limes. They are filled with so many nutrients and lots of fibre. Try to have a mix of green vegetables and fruit so the sugar load isn’t so great and just one glass is a good amount. Enjoy!

I am on Instagram at holistic_paleo and Twitter at Holistic Paleo@carolynlgray

Recipes, Wellness

Chocolate mousse extreme!

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   Oh, what a decadent treat this is! Except it is made from all healthy ingredients!

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Strawberries and chocolate. What a combination!

This mouse will last a few days and is better after it has set, although a taste as soon as it is made is definitely advised as it is so delicious! This recipe is taken from the latest edition of ‘Wellbeing’ magazine but mine looks a lot darker and richer probably because l added a bit more raw cacao.

In the top picture l used the mousse to top a chocolate tart (see recipe in dessert section) and added in a chocolate ball also (see recipe section). The strawberries add so much colour to the dish and l topped it all with some finely sliced Loving Earth Organic Raw Chocolate.

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Chocolate and berry pancake.

In this picture l added the mousse to my morning berry pancake which was made using Buckwheat & Coconut flours, eggs, water, chia seeds and berries.

The ingredients for the Mousse are:

2 ripe avocados, peeled and stone removed

40g raw organic cacao powder (I used a generous tablespoon as l couldn’t wait to measure it)

2 tablespoons raw organic honey

85g medjool dates, pitted & soaked in warm water for 20 minutes, then drained (I couldn’t wait the 20 minutes as l was desperate to taste the mousse, so l just used the pitted dates without soaking and draining).

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways & seeds scraped (I used organic vanilla essence-1/2 a teaspoon)

Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. That’s it. Now taste test!

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Pure chocolate mousse!

I have called this chocolate mousse extreme because for me this is an extreme taste sensation and indulgence. Living with food intolerances, sensitivities and a limited diet is a daily challenge and a dish like this can brighten up my whole world.

If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am on Twitter at Holistic Paleo@carolynlgray and Instagram @Holistic_Paleo. Thanks Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

A simple Sweet Potato soup

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A light and sweet soup.

This is a very light and comforting sweet potato soup with a chicken broth base. It was really quick to make as the broth was in the freezer and was ready within a couple of hours. The recipe for making the broth is in another post on the website but home made broth is best and you will be rewarded with a lovely flavour and lots of added nutrients.

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Home made chicken stock

In a medium sized saucepan l placed the stock (about 3 cups), 2 medium to large peeled and chopped sweet potatoes, 1 cup of diced pumpkin, 1 cup of diced cauliflower and 2 diced carrots. I brought this to the boil and then let it simmer for a couple of hours. I blended the hot soup in the pot with my hand blender and served. I like to season my soup at the table and l used ground black pepper and sea salt which really brought out the flavours in the soup.

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Piping hot just out of the pot!

When reheating the soup the next day l use a saucepan which only takes a couple of minutes. As soon as it gets to the boil reduce the heat and let it simmer for about a minute and it will be delicious. I am on a healing and wellness diet and don’t cook or heat any food in the microwave oven as l believe it damages the structure of the food and reduces the vitamin and mineral content.

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Reheat your soup on the stove and dont use the microwave oven.

I wasn’t feeling well from a Winter virus when l made this soup and it is just the right consistency for a delicate stomach to handle. It is both soothing and comforting with a lovely flavour.

If you have enjoyed this post please share it with a friend. I place photos daily on Instagram and share recipes and wellness tips also through Facebook and Twitter. Thank you Carolyn

 

Recipes, Wellness

Banana, Coconut, Lemon and Poppy seed cake (gluten, dairy and processed sugar free)

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2014-06-20 19.15.00
A piece or two for morning tea!

This cake is made with real ingredients and as a result each of the flavours can be tasted when enjoying this cake. The fresh banana, lemon juice, lemon zest, organic shredded coconut and poppy seeds give this cake a lovely balance and depth of flavour which is extremely satisfying. When making this cake l used the base recipe that l have for all of my Paleo cakes and l was heading in the direction of a banana or lemon cake, when the idea came to combine them. I couldn’t resist adding poppy seeds as they go so well with lemon, and l adore coconut and the flavour is already in the cake from the organic coconut oil.

Place all of the dry ingredients  into a bowl and mix with a spoon:

2 cups of almond meal

1/4 cup of organic coconut flour

1/2 cup poppy seeds

1/2 cup organic shredded coconut

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

 Place all of the wet ingredients into another bowl and mix gently until combined:

6 free range eggs

1/4 cup organic coconut oil gently melted

1/4 cup raw organic honey gently melted (organic honey is fine).

2 large bananas mashed with a fork

Lemon zest and juice. I used 4 small lemons but you could use 2 large ones. Grate the zest into the mix and add the lemon juice.

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The dry and wet ingredients combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly with a spoon.

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Ready for the oven!

Place the mix into a greased and lined loaf pan and cook in a 180 degree celsius oven until golden. Use your own visuals and experience with your oven to determine if your cake is cooked and when done gently turn onto a cake rack.

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Just out of the oven!

I have tried this cake warm, just out of the oven and cold the next day. The banana flavour is more intense in the cake when hot and l preferred it cold the next day for that reason. It is quite a dense cake and held together very well. You could ice it with your favourite mix if desired but l just left it plain as there was so much flavour already and it is a very moist cake.

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I cut this cake as soon as it was out of the oven and the smell was lovely.

If you enjoyed this post please share it with a friend. I am also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter daily where l share recipes, wellness tips and reflections. I would love you to follow me. Thanks Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

Raspberry and coconut pancake (free of gluten, dairy and processed sugar)

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2014-06-17 07.17.31
Topped with walnuts, frozen raspberries, flaked coconut and organic maple syrup.

A pancake is an enjoyable start to the day and this one is free of gluten, dairy and processed sugar. I like to use the same basic mix for all of my pancakes and make enough that it will last for a few days stored in the fridge. To change the flavour l just add different ingredients, and l find that this is a good way to add some variety to my Breakfast dishes whilst addressing my need for a diet free of gluten and which will not cause me to suffer a food intolerance/sensitivity reaction.

Place the following ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a spoon.

1 cup organic buckwheat flour

1 cup organic coconut flour

1/2 cup organic quinoa flakes

4 free range eggs

1 tablespoon black chia seeds

1 cup of frozen raspberries

Filtered water: enough to make a moist mix as the quinoa flakes and chia seeds will over time thicken the mix. You can add other types of berries here instead of raspberries depending on your preference.

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Place a small scoop of the mix onto a pre-heated non stick pan coated with a small amount of olive oil. Cook slowly until golden and then carefully flip over. To make the topping for this pancake l mixed in the blender a handful of frozen raspberries and a handful of walnuts so they were combined and l sprinkled this over the pancake. I then topped it with some flaked coconut and organic maple syrup. You can vary the toppings and another idea is to add some raspberries and water to the blender to make a liquid raspberry topping that can be poured over and around the pancake. Add just enough water until the blender will mix it and blend until a smooth consistency is achieved.

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If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter where l share daily wellness tips, recipes and reflections.

Wellness

Rolled Chicken Breast with a tasty herb, nut and vegetable filling

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Just out of the oven and smelling amazing!

Rolled Chicken Breast: A lovely centre piece for a main dish. 

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Rolled chicken served with roasted swede chips, steamed brussel sprouts and roasted pumpkin slices topped with raw organic honey and organic sesame seeds.

This was my first attempt at using a chicken breast like this and l was motivated by all the wonderful roulage recipes l have seen on the television show Master Chef recently. While not to the same standard it was delicious and met all my dietary requirements.

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The free range chicken breasts flattened and topped with the filling.

I flattened two free range chicken breasts by placing each one inside cling wrap and pounding with a mallet. To do this l placed cling wrap on the chopping board, placed the washed meat on top and covered it with more cling wrap. I gently pounded the meat with a kitchen mallet and you could also use a rolling pin to gently get it a bit flatter at this point. I did this for each breast separately.

I then made a delicious filling in the food processor which was a handful of raw walnuts, a couple of spring onion tops (the green parts), two large brussel sprouts, 1 tablespoon of organic coconut oil, a handful of flat leaf parsley, a small handful of pepitas, ground black salt and Pink Himalayan Crystal Salt. I processed this until it was evenly chopped and then placed half on each chicken breast. I used organic coconut oil in this mix as l do not eat dairy but if you do eat dairy then an organic grass fed butter would be very nice in its place.

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The rolled and tied chicken breast.

I pulled the two sides of the breast together and wrapped some twine (cooking string) around the chicken as in the picture above, Be sure to tie it at each end and push the filling in as you go along. Place the rolled chicken on a baking tray lined with baking paper and drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and place in the oven. Cook until the chicken is cooked and then take the foil off and let it brown or place under the grill ensuring it doesn’t dry out. Carefully cut the string along the length of the chicken and remove. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving. Each rolled chicken piece will serve a few people if you add vegetables or salad and l had a piece cold the next day which was lovely.

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Cold rolled chicken breast. Just as nice as when it was first cooked.

I cooked up some roasted swede chips and they were very delicious. I like their unusual taste and they were nice cold as well. Pumpkin dressed with honey and sesame seeds is really nice, but drizzle the honey on in the last five minutes and only quickly cook the sesame seeds so they don’t lose their nutrients.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Experiment with the filling to suit your tastes and serve it with your favourite vegetables or salad.

If you have enjoyed this post please share it with a friend. I also share my recipes and wellness tips daily on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I would love you to follow me. Thanks Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

Chilli Dipping Sauce

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Not too spicy, refreshing, tangy and best of all made with nourishing ingredients.

This is a really nice dipping sauce and is just right for those of us who are sensitive to most things in a bottle or package. It is a recipe taken from the Gawler Foundation Cook Book ‘eat well: be well’ which l recently reviewed on another blog and is a book l can highly recommend.

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Amazing ingredients!

Gather together the ingredients shown above:

3/4 cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar which l keep in the fridge.

1/2 cup Raw organic Honey (any honey is fine but l like this one)

1/8 teaspoon dried chilli flakes or 1/ fresh chilli finely diced (I used the dried chilli and used the smallest amount which l cut finely with a knife. The amount added will vary for each person).

5cm piece fresh ginger (grated)

1 small red capsicum or 1/2 a largish one (Finely diced. I did this in the food processor)

1 spring onion finely chopped (I only use the green tops due to a food sensitivity)

Method:

In a small saucepan bring the honey and vinegar to the boil, then add the chilli and let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes.

Place the red capsicum in a bowl and squeeze the grated ginger so the juice falls on top of the capsicum. Give it a gentle mix.

The original recipe now says to pour the honey mixture over the capsicum mix and let it cool and then add the spring onion, but l did something different here. I let the honey mix cool first and then poured it over the capsicum as l wanted the capsicum to remain raw and then added the spring onion, so up to you as to which method you choose.

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Dumplings (chicken, vegetable and herb)

I used the sauce to pour over these small steamed dumplings l made using rice paper sheets. The rest of the family had the sauce with my crispy cinnamon chicken (see recipe section on website) and basmati rice.

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Lunchtime healthy salad. I drizzled the chilli sauce over the salad. It was a taste sensation!

This is a very versatile sauce and really easy to make as long as you have the ingredients on hand. Adding flavour to a meal can be a challenge when you have food intolerances or sensitivities and this sauce will definately added some brightness and flavour to those of us living on a restricted diet.

If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am also on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and would love you to follow me. Thanks Carolyn

Recipes, Wellness

Refreshing sweet smoothie

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2014-06-07 15.28.40
A sweet and delicious smoothie! I actually ate this with a spoon as it was too thick for the straw.

There is something about mixing up a batch of smoothies for the family that is fun and exciting! Changing the colour of the smoothie by using different ingredients is part of the enjoyment, but if you mix greens with berries such as raspberries the taste is good but the colour is a not so enticing brown. I made this smoothie in a large blender as l wanted enough for the whole family, but l have also been making a lot of individual smoothies lately as l have a new blender that makes smoothies to go.

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Smoothie to go blender!

These containers are good when l am just about to go somewhere in the car or l am sitting at my desk. The blender came with two containers so l will often make one for myself and one for my youngest daughter who loves smoothies.

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I have problems digesting too much fruit at once so l try to balance my smoothies with leafy green vegetables and chia seeds and l don’t have too large a serving. The smoothie below was for my daughter and contains yoghurt. I don’t eat dairy so wouldn’t put yoghurt in my smoothies, but my daughter loved the creaminess of this smoothie.

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This is a smoothie that l made for my daughter which was fruit, water, raw organic cashews and yoghurt.

To make the featured green smoothie l placed the following ingredients in the blender:

1 large banana or 2 small ones

A good chunk of pineapple

2 green apples. I took the skin off because of the wax on the skin which l find hard to get off

Some spinach and cos lettuce leaves

A few pieces of fresh mint. Pull the leaves away from the stem.

1 tablespoon of black chia seeds

About 3/4 of a cup of filtered water. It will depend on the size and amount of the other ingredients. You can always add more if it is too thick but you can’t take it out if you add too much. I had to add some water as the blender needed the liquid to get mixing and the blender was so full l had to push the lid on. I also like a thick smoothie and eat it with a spoon, but if you like a thinner smoothie and want to dilute the sugars then add more water.

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This was enough for 3 serves.

Smoothies are a great source of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. They can be made to suit each person’s tastes and they are fun to make. I don’t have a smoothie every day, but l have them a few times a week. Sometimes l just feel like eating the whole fruit such as a banana or orange and this is usually when l am really busy or l might make a juice instead. It does take more time to make a smoothie or juice than to just grab a piece of fruit, but l love that l can mix it up and have something different each day.

If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I also share daily recipes and wellness tips on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Thanks Carolyn

Wellness

Frozen chocolate balls

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2014-06-03 11.47.08
Frozen chocolate balls. Almost like chocolate ice-cream!

These little balls are very sweet and delicious. I have a few on the plate here but l would just eat one at a time. You can eat them when they are freshly made, but l like to keep my snacks in the freezer, and these taste quite like chocolate ice-cream (remembering that l actually haven’t eaten any chocolate ice-cream for a few years now).

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon raw organic Cacao (I use the Loving Earth brand)

1 frozen banana

1/2 cups almonds (activated if possible)

1/4 cup organic coconut flakes

4 medjool dates (seeds removed)

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Freshly made!

Place all of the ingredients in the food processor and mix well. Roll into small balls and cover in raw organic cacao. I have had these in the freezer in an air tight container for a few months and they are still tasting great. When they are frozen they are still just soft enough to bite into and the flavour is a mix of coconut and chocolate. The dates and banana bind them together and they are jam packed full of nutrients as well as making you feel good because they taste so great!

If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I am also on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter where l share daily wellness tips and recipes.

Wellness

Wake me up, morning juice!

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Sweet, tangy, invigorating, stimulating, nutritious, alive, enticing and smooth.

Take the juicer out of the cupboard, borrow one or buy one and put making a juice on top of your list of things to do this weekend!

Which juicer to buy is another blog which l have already done, but whether it is a centrifugal juicer or a cold pressed juicer, you can make a delicious refreshing and nutritious juice that will liven up your day. You can experiment with ingredients and use whatever suits. Don’t be afraid to add in vegetables such as beetroot, cos lettuce, spinach, kale, sweet potato or broccoli. You can make this a fun activity to share with family members or challenge yourself to try new and interesting flavours. Juices can literally be the colours of the rainbow!

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The first step in making a juice is to get all of your ingredients ready. If you have a centrifugal juicer then it is a matter of washing them, peeling and a bit of chopping. A cold pressed juicer required more preparation, but it is very good for leafy greens and retains more nutrients.

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This morning’s juice: Cos lettuce, 1/2 lemon, small piece pineapple, one green apple, mint and 4 carrots.

Have all the fruit and vegetables ready to go!

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Mix up the soft and hard ingredients and process the greens first.

The pulp is most of the fibre from the fruit. You could compost it or use it for some baking.

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Once your juice is finished it is time to wash your machine parts. Don’t wait until you have finished your juice as this is a job that needs to be done as soon as possible. The filter is a delicate piece of equipment in any juicer and can become blocked. Clean this first with warm water and the little brush that comes with the juicer.

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Lay all the clean pieces on a t-towel to dry.

I find it hard to just make enough juice for one person and usually have some to share. This morning’s juice was very sweet and just what l needed for an early start to the day. One glass of a sweet juice is enough for me and l would have it with a protein to balance my blood sugar levels and for me this will be my morning healthy pancake.

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The main thing is to enjoy your juicing. If you put too much fruit in it and find it doesn’t agree with you, then add in some more greens or other vegetables. Everyone’s taste buds are different. Try adding ginger or herbs to the mix and see how wonderful the flavours can be. This is a way to get the whole family involved and living a healthier life.

If you have enjoyed this post please share with a friend. I also share daily recipes and wellness tips on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Thanks Carolyn