Curried Kumara Dip + Kumara fries

In our house, our favourite coconut yoghurt is Cathedral Cove Naturals.  I came across this recipe of theirs and can't wait to try it.  If you are doing the Nourish-2-Flourish 21 day program just swap out kumara chips for carrots sticks or seed crackers. 

Photo: Cathedral Cove Naturals

Ingredients

Kumara Fries

• 3 Kumara (Sweet Potato)
• 2 Tbs of our Raw Organic Coconut Oil (melted) 
• Himalayan Sea Salt (to taste)

Curried Coconut Yoghurt Dip

• 1 Cup of our Natural Coconut Yoghurt 
• 1/4 Juice of a Lemon
• 1 Tbs Curry Powder
• 1 Tbs Parsley (finely chopped)
• 1 Tbs Coriander (finely chopped)
• Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch of Chilli Flakes (optional)

Instructions

1. To begin with heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius fan bake. Cut the kumara lengthways into fries. Coat with the melted coconut oil and salt and transfer to the oven to cook for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. 
2. To make the dip add all of the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk to combine. 
3. Serve the fries fresh out the oven with the coconut yoghurt dip. 

Source: Cathedral Cove Naturals

Holy Basil Chai

Baked Chicken with Cracked Pepper and Lemon

This is a super easy recipe.  It is a go to in our house, makes a great family dinner or having guest over? no problem they will love it too, serve cold for a snack the next day or pack for a  picnic (great cold to.)

• 8 - 10 Chicken drum sticks
• 1 Large lemon
• 1 heaped tablespoon black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. Put the chicken in a roast dish.
2. Put the peppercorns in a mortal and bash into small but chunky pieces (this means the pepper is sweeter than using your pepper grinder). Mix in with olive oil and juice from the lemon.
3. Pour over chicken and add bay leaves to chicken and sprinkle salt over chicken.
4. Roast for 40-45 minutes turning once. The chicken should be golden and sticky and the edges slightly dark.

Health Benefits of Black Pepper

A pinch of black pepper added to any recipe works as more than just a flavor enhancer. This king of spices is known to offer a number of health benefits while providing an excellent depth of flavor to a dish.

• Improves Digestion. Consumption of pepper increases the hydrochloric acid secretion in the stomach, thereby facilitating digestion. ...
• Weight Loss
• Skin Care
• Provides Respiratory Relief
• Antibacterial Quality
• Antioxidant Potential
• Enhances Bioavailability
• Improves Cognitive Function

Banana Coconut Cookies

Photo credit Ceres Organics

Whether you’re trying to eat clean, quit sugar or just find something better to snack on, these are for you. With only two ingredients you have zero excuses. You can have yourself a batch of these banana coconut cookies in 30 minutes.

These cookies are free from refined sugar, nuts, egg, dairy and gluten – so pretty much everyone can eat them! Plus banana and coconut is a winning flavour combo, even kids will love them. Double the recipe and you’re sorted for the gym, the kids, at work, and those late night sugar cravings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 banana
• ¾ cup Organic Coconut, Shredded

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper.
2. Pulse the two ingredients in a food processor or blender until combined.
3. Form balls and press down to create a round cookie shape and bake for 25 minutes or until slightly golden.

// Nourish You snapshot

• Rolled oats  - boast soluble fibre that can help lower blood cholesterol. They also contain an antioxidant called bilirubin that can help eliminate free radicals, protecting your body from oxidative stress. Free radicals cause ageing… so make a double batch.

• Bananas - are rich in a mineral called potassium. This mineral is important as it helps maintain fluid levels in the body and regulates the movement of nutrients and waste products in and out of cells.

Source: https://www.ceres.co.nz

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Banana breakfast cookies, like oatmeal but more portable. Just 4 ingredients and 30 minutes make time and you can hit snooze the next morning and grab a handful of these before heading out the door instead. We love oats because they’re really good for you, and pretty economical for what tends to be an underrated whole food. Oats might not look or sound as cool as açai but oats are a good source of fibre, specifically beta-glucans that can reduce bad cholesterol – so they’re good for your heart. Oats

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe bananas
• 1 cup Organic RAW Pitted Dates (chopped small)
• 2 cups Organic Rolled Oats, Jumbo Wholegrain
• 1 teaspoon Organic Ground Cinnamon

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 175°C, and line a tray with baking paper.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl, then add in the chopped dates and oats. Mix well and leave to sit for about 15 minutes in the fridge.
3. Use a tablespoon to create balls with your mixture, they should be around the size of a golf ball. Place onto your lined baking tray, and press down to form little cookies. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. Remove cookies from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Store your cookies in an air-tight container, they’ll keep for up to a week.

READY IN 30 MINUTES | SERVES 10-12

// Nourish You snapshot

• Rolled oats  - boast soluble fibre that can help lower blood cholesterol. They also contain an antioxidant called bilirubin that can help eliminate free radicals, protecting your body from oxidative stress. Free radicals cause ageing… so make a double batch.
• Cinnamon - helps control blood sugar and stimulates brain activity

source: https://www.ceres.co.nz

Peanut Protein bliss balls

• 3 tablespoons Vanilla flavoured protein powder (our favourite is Vital Protein)
• ½ cup cashews or rolled oats (you can use 1/4 cup of each)
• 4 tablespoon Peanut Butter
• 2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon water
• ¼ teaspoon of Vanilla essence
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Process all ingredients until well combined.
2. Use damp hands and roll into balls.
3. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Vitality truffles – Choco dream

Ingredients

• 100g pitted dates (or a mixture of figs & dates)
• 100g apricots (soak in hot water for ½ hr first)
• 100g rolled oats
• 4 t cacao powder (or good quality cocoa powder)
• 2 T coconut oil (or use water if the budget does not run to coconut oil)
• ½ cup hazelnuts

Process all ingredients except the hazelnuts until well combined.

Add hazelnuts and pulse or turbo until they are finely chopped. Use damp hands and roll into balls. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Tip
If you want to make them extra decadent, melt some good quality chocolate (I like to use 70%) and dip them. Set and keep in fridge. Might not tick the supper healthy box :) but a great nourishing homemade option for a chocolate hit.

Chia Seed Pudding - Choco dream

These are super yummy, quick to make and so nourishing for you at the same time. 
Make in a jar or bowl the night before and have it for breakfast or a snack the next day. I love to have this as an afternoon snack, so good to have on hand in the fridge to grab if you are short of time. Also can be made on the day, allow it to sit for about 30 mins before serving.
 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon chia seeds
3 tablespoon Almond milk (or any other milk)
½ teaspoon Cacao powder, or good quality cocoa powder
2 teaspoon greek yoghurt (optional)
Drizzle of honey or maple syrup to taste


Place in a jar and mix well, set aside in the fridge for 30 mins or overnight, serve with sliced banana and any fruit of your choice.

Serves 1

Tips:
Use the above recipe as a guide line, you can use:
any liquid – coconut water or cream, nut milks, water, juice etc
sweeteners – maple syrup, honey, dried fruit etc
swap out the cacao and use cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg etc
add nut butters