CHOCOLATE (COCO POP) GRANOLA

This granola has been adapted from Sarah Wilson's 'I Quit Sugar for Life' cookbook. This is my 3rd attempt at this granola and I think I have the ingredients and their quantities pretty down pat. I love serving this with fresh fruit and almond milk, however a dollop of natural yoghurt would be beautiful as well. If I have a big morning I eat 3/4 a cup of this granola, for a smaller morning I consume 1/2 cup. After making my own granola I doubt I will ever go back to store-bought. Perhaps you won't either after tasting this Chocolate 'Coco Pop' granola. You can buy puffed corn & rice from major supermarkets and health food stores. Alternatively you can use rolled oats, however I have made it with both and prefer this granola gluten-free. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups puffed corn
• 4 cups puffed rice
• 1 1/2 cups mixed nuts (I used a mixture of almonds, cashews & walnuts), roughly chopped
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 heaped tablespoons cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons rice malt syrup or honey 
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil

Method

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 140 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix really well so that all the ground cinnamon and cacao powder is combined. 

3. Spread the granola on the prepared baking tray, trying to make a single layer if possible. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then remove and place back in the oven for another 20 minutes with the tray turned 180 degrees so that the granola bakes evenly. 

4. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely. Serve with fruit and milk or yoghurt if desires. 

Makes / around 7-8 cups

Total Preparation & Cooking time / 45 minutes (plus cooling time) 

x Emily 

SIMPLE HOMEMADE POPCORN

Who doesn't love popcorn? I love eating it as a snack, especially as it tricks my brain into thinking I am consuming something akin to 'junk food', such as chips. I like making my own popcorn as it is so much cheaper than buying the packaged bags from stores. In addition, making your own means that you can control the amount of salt and oil that goes into it. The recipe below is very simple and makes a whopping 13 cups of popcorn! I put the popcorn in small zip lock bags so I can control my portion size. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons rice bran oil or coconut oil, melted
• 2/3 cup popping corn
• a small pinch of sea salt & ground black pepper

Cooking 

1. Heat the oil in a medium to large saucepan over medium-high heat, covered with a tight fitting lid. Swirl to coat the oil and add just 3 kernels to the oil.

2. When all 3 kernels have popped, add the remainder of the popcorn to the pan. Cover and shake the pan well so that all the kernels are coated with oil. Continue cooking the popcorn until you can no longer hear the kernels pop (this will take between 2-4 minutes, depending on your stove). 

3. Remove the kernels from the stove, place in a large serving bowl to cool and sprinkle salt & pepper on top. Toss well to combine. 

Makes / 13 cups 

Total Preparation & Cooking time / around 6 minutes 

x Emily 

ROLLED OAT & CACAO BLISS BALLS

I often fail miserably to have just one of these bliss balls a day, however I try never to go over two a day. Thess balls were inspired from a delicious batch a lovely client gave me to sample a few weeks ago. If you do not have a food processor handy, not to worry. Instead you can just mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl; your bliss balls will take on a chunkier texture that is equally as nice as a smooth consistency. I often find myself doubling the recipe so I have lots of these treats in the fridge! You could use puffed rice or puffed quinoa instead of oats. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (or gluten-free rolled oats if celiac)
• 2-3 heaped tablespoons raw cacao (depends on how chocolatey you want it!)
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup or honey 
• 2 heaped tablespoons natural peanut butter (contains only peanuts)
• 1 heaped tablespoon hulled tahini (or substitute for another tablespoon of peanut butter)
• pinch of sea salt
• 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 1/4 cup water 
• Optional- 2 heaped tablespoons of protein powder (I use rice or pea protein powder) 
• Desiccated coconut - to roll balls in 

Method

1. Process all the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. If the mixture is too dry, add additional water; 1 tablespoon at a time to the processor and stir. (Without a food processor: stir all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. Add more water if needed). 

2. Pour a layer of desiccated coconut on a serving plate. With wet hands roll each ball then roll in the coconut. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to eat. 

Makes / 12-13 medium balls 

x Emily 

GRATED BEETROOT, EDAMAME & BROCCOLI SALAD

Another grated salad for this week, this time featuring one of my favourite vegetables: Beetroot. I used to think that beetroot was a bit of a bitch to cook, however the health benefits of this root vegetable make its cooking time well worth it. 

Beetroot contains magnesium, iron, potassium, fibre, protein, antioxidants, vitamins A, B6, C and folic acid, among other vitamins and minerals! This purple vegetable plays a part in reducing blood pressure and the risk of heart attacks and strokes due to its high content of nitrates, which create a gas called nitric oxide in the blood that increases the size of blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. Beetroot also reduces the risk of osteoporosis, as it contains the mineral silica that supports the body to use calcium. This wonderful vegetable is basically fat free, low in calories and has a very low GL index, which means that it transforms into sugars very slowly in the body, hence stabilising blood sugar levels. Beetroot is comprised of soluble fibre, which has been shown to lower cholesterol. Beetroot also contains carotenoids and flavonoids, which prohibit bad cholesterol from accumulating in arteries. And an astounding benefit: a recent study revealed that the immense amount of nitrates in beetroot may be responsible for fighting the advancement of dementia, as one of the functions of nitric oxide in the blood is to increase blood flow to the brain.

So after that considerable list of only a few of beetroot's numerous health benefits, I suggest you get some in you!  

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 medium beetroot, skin peeled and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• al foil
• 1 broccoli head, chopped into even-sized florets & stalk chopped
• 200g edamame, shelled & pods discarded
• 20g coconut flakes, toasted or raw
• 15g sunflower seeds
• 15g pepitas

Tahini Sour Dressing

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 heaped tablespoon tahini
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• sea salt 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Wrap each beetroot half in foil and place in a medium deep baking tray with 2-3cm of water and 1 tablespoon olive oil in it. Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until the beetroot halves are tender (that is, a knife can easily slide through them). Remove from the oven, remove from foil when cool enough to handle and leave to cool for a few more minutes. Once the beetroot is cool, grate the beetroot using gloves. 

2. Whilst the beetroot is roasting / cooling, make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients and whisking well. If the tahini is still clumpy after whisking, add a splash or two of water. 
ng the broccoli and steaming it; bring a medium half full saucepan of water to the boil and place the broccoli florets and stalks in a sieve or colander on top of the pan. Steam for around 5 minutes, covered, or until the broccoli is just tender but not soggy. Remove from heat. 

4. Place the grated cooked beetroot, cooked broccoli, edamame, coconut, sunflower seeds and pepitas in a large serving bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle the tahini dressing over the top. 

Serves / 4 as a light meal
Total Preparation & Cooking time (as the preparation can be done whilst the cooking is happening) / around 1 hour. 

x Emily 

TERESA CUTTER'S HEALTHY CARROT CAKE

This is by far the most delicious carrot cake I have never had the pleasure of eating. It is filled with half a kilo of vegetables, low in sugar and gluten & dairy free. It is also incredibly easy to make, as it does not require any electric mixing or any icing. I served this cake on father's day to eight people (myself included) and we all loved it. Looking past the moistness and lightness of this cake, it is also very good for you. The 500 grams of carrots in this cake contain lots of vitamin A and carotenoids that assist with a healthy immune system. Almond meal is always a foundation in the cakes that I bake, as they take the place of flour beautifully, create a moist texture and are choc-full of protein. 

Ingredients

• 500g grated carrots
• 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 300 g almond meal
• 50 ml macadamia coconut oil, plus extra to grease
• 160 g organic maple syrup, honey or rice malt syrup
• 1 cup sultanas
• 2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
• Optional- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or other nut 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 160 degrees celsius. Line a 18-20cm baking tin with baking paper and grease lightly with coconut oil. 

2. Combine carrot, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, almond meal, oil, sweetener, sultanas, baking powder and nuts, if using. Stir well until all ingredients are combined. 

3. Bake in the oven for 60-90 minutes, checking every 5-10 minutes after the 60 minute mark to see if the cake is cooked through. Cover with foil if the top of the cake starts to really brown. 

4. Remove the cake from the oven, leave it to cool completely in the tin and then gently turn the cake out. 

Serves approx. 16. This cake is tasty enough to serve without icing but you can top with natural yoghurt if you desire. 

Total Preparation time / 15 - 20 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 60-90 minutes plus cooling time. 

x Emily 

VIETNAMESE GRATED & SHREDDED SALAD

This is the type of food that I love to eat. Fresh, filled with vegetables and light. My family often jokes that I (and most of them) were Asian in a past life as we could eat Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The idea for this grated / shredded salad was born from the Sarah Wilson 'I Quit Sugar for Life'. She has dedicated 2 pages to grated salads and I thought to myself 'what a great idea; I can feed these types of salads to Chris (my fiancé) without him really catching on that they are in fact salads, due to the various textures and potential for meat in the dishes. If you are looking for a heartier meal, toss in some rice vermicelli noodles. 

Ingredients

Salad

• 2 x 250g (or similar size) chicken breasts
• 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage
• 2 cups finely shredded wombok
• 2 medium carrots, finely grated
• 3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
• Optional- a generous handful of finely chopped coriander, mint, chives and/or green shallots

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• the juice of 1 large lime
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed 
• 2 tablespoons water

Cooking

1. Place the chicken breasts in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, covered, then simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and let the saucepan stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove the poached chicken from the pan and leave to cool for a few minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. 

3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into small pieces. 

4. Combine the chicken pieces, cabbage, wombok, carrot, sesame seeds and herbs if using in a large serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing on top and toss well to combine. 

Serves / 4 as a light meal

Total Preparation time / 10 - 15 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 25 minutes approx. 

x Emily 

QUINOA & DATE BANANA BREAD

I have baked numerous different banana breads over the past few years. This recipe has been the cumulation of learning from those previous recipes as well as a bit of a Lola Berry influence. I like to make my banana bread gluten-free, lactose-free and low in sugar so that it is a completely acceptable snack or dessert. Hope you enjoy my take on it! 

Ingredients

• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 free range eggs, beaten
• 1 cup quinoa flakes
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus extra to dust 
• 1 teaspoon bi-carb of soda
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
• pinch of sea salt
• 3 tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, plus extra to grease
• 5-6 large Medjool dates, pitted & roughly chopped 
• Optional- a handful of chopped nuts, such as walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts. 

Cooking 

1. Preheat a fan forced oven to 180 degrees celsius. Lightly brush the base and sides of a loaf tin with melted coconut oil. 

2. Combine the mashed bananas, beaten eggs, quinoa flakes, almond meal, vanilla, cinnamon, bi-carb, baking powder and salt and stir well to combine. Add the maple syrup and coconut oil and stir well. Fold in the chopped dates and nuts, if adding. 

3. Pour the banana batter into the prepared loaf tin, evening out the top of the batter with a wet large spoon. Bake in the oven for 55 minutes for a moist, soft banana bread or for over 1 hour for a harder bread. 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 55 minutes minimum 

x Emily