Raw Lime, Coconut and Pistachio Cheesecake

Christmas pudding with custard, cherry and peppermint cassata, fresh fruit salad, mango and white chocolate cheesecake.... there was nothing short of delicious indulgence at our table for Christmas desert! Yet I could not go without including a raw desert for the Christmas table in my quest to continuously show my family that deserts can be both healthy AND delicious! Last year I made my first Raw Chocolate-Raspberry cheesecake for Christmas which was a success, so this year I decided to make a Raw Lime, Coconut and Pistachio cheesecake which in my opinion was even tastier than last years :) I have come to realise that coconut cream and coconut milk as well as almonds are amazing ingredients in most raw foods and make a creamy consistency once blended which mimic your standard cream and ice cream (or try blended frozen bananas!!).

The recipe I used is based from Eat, Move & Inspire with the addition of pistachios for the extra texture and crunch in the cheesecake.

 

Raw Lime, Coconut and Pistachio Cheesecake

For the crust 1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup fresh dates, pitted
1/3 cup organic shredded coconut
2 tbs organic maple syrup

Filling
 2 cups raw cashew nuts
1 1/4 cup organic light coconut cream (I used a full can of macro organic coconut cream)
1/4 cup organic maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil
Juice of two limes
Rind of 1 lime

How to make it…

1. Line the bottom of a 20cm spring-form pan with baking paper.
2. Place the crust ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

 

Press into the bottom of the spring-form pan and chill in the freezer for 10 minutes. 



 

3. Place all the filling ingredients minus the pistachios into the food processor and process for a few minutes until smooth.

 4. You can either chopped the pistachios to your liking and mix into the filling or add them to the blender and process for a few seconds to chop.

 

5. Pour the filling into the pan, over the crust, and chill in the refrigerator overnight or until set.

 

6. Serve with a few extra slices of lime and extra shredded coconut!

It was great to see everyone eating the raw cheesecake although it was hard to beat my cousins amazing mango-white chocolate cheesecake with all the trimmings!! But most of my family where pleasantly surprised with how delicious the raw cheesecake tasted and that is always a win! Sitting around with my lovely family indulging in all our homemade goods in great spirits thankful for what we have, what more could you ask for at Christmas :)

 

Merry Christmas!!

xox

Raw Cinnamon-Buckwheat Granola

Mum and I have been ready for some tasty raw granola for breakfast, so Sunday I had an ultimate 'Sunday sesh' and cooked vegan moussaka, honey joys, raw chocolate mousse... and Raw Cinnamon Buckwheat granola! I was very pleased with my 'cooking' session home by myself. While some people cannot understand how cooking can be an enjoyable activity I love the creativity and experimentations you can do, what foods and flavours you can create and of course trying new recipes to increase your knowledge :) But back to the granola!

I love the combination of cinnamon and coconut mixed with nuts and dried fruits, the smell from the dehydrator as these dehydrate is mouth watering! I could have easily just put the granola in the sun on this 40 degree summer heat but the granola needs to dehydrate for 18-24 hours. Alternatively if you do not have a dehydrator you can do an un-raw version and dry the granola in an oven for 15-20 minutes but watch it does not burn!

Raw Cinnamon-Buckwheat Granola

Ingredients

1 cup Raw Buckwheat Groats soaked 1-2 hours and rinsed well
1 cup flaxseeds soaked in 1 cup of water (not drained) for 1 hour
1 cup steel cut oats (less processed but you can use rolled oats or omit these and double the buckwheat) soaked 1-2 hours with the buckwheat
1 cup mixed nuts (pecan are great but I used walnuts and almonds chopped)
1/2 cup flaked coconut (or desiccated)
3/4 cup dried raisins or cranberries
1 Tbsp coconut sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp organic maple syrup
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

After soaking the buckwheat, steel cut oats and flaxseeds +/- the nuts, mix all ingredients into a large bowl until well combined.

Ready to mix!

Line 3-4 dehydrator trays with baking paper and dehydrate at 43 degrees for 10-12 hours.

This can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month and can be re-dehydrated if it starts to moisten :)

I had mine with almond milk, blueberries and some maple syrup, so goooood!!! Enjoy your raw cinnamon-coconut filled 'rawsome' breakfast :)

xx

Vegan Quinoa & Lentil Lasagna

Over the Summer mum and I have been trying to trial recipes from Dr Libby's book - 'The Real food Kitchen'. I came across a recipe for a Quinoa based moussaka which to me is more of a lasagna as it does not have eggplant, so I call it vegan lasagne and I had to try it! This has a lovely quinoa and lentil base filled with herbs and tomato layered with oven roasted Zucchini, Sweet potato and Pumpkin :) So much goodness!!

This is made in three parts, the roasted vegetable layer, tomato sauce and bolognaise... I cooked my quinoa and lentils first so it is ready to make the bolognaise then started on the vegetables and went from there :)

Vegan Quinoa & Lentil Lasagna

Roasted vegetable layer

5 small zucchini's cut lengthways into slices (I used a whole large one)
1 large sweet potato cut lengthways into several slices
1/4 pumpkin cut into long thin slices
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 small sprig rosemary leaves, chopped
1 sprig thyme leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 170C.
Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, toss with the rosemary, thyme and parsley.
Line a baking tray with baking paper and arrange vegetables on top.
Bake in a hot oven for 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Vegetable, Quinoa and Lentils ready to go!

Tomato Sauce

2 medium cans of diced tomatoes
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
8 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Salt and Pepper to taste

Drain the juice from the tomatoes and transfer to the bowl of a blender.
Add the chopped parsley, tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Add the maple syrup and pulse until well blended.

Bolognaise mixture

1 cup brown lentil, cooked
1 cup quinoa, cooked
1 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh chili, seeded and finely chopped

Combine the cooked lentils and quinoa in a large bowl and toss with the parsley, basil, spring onion and fresh chili.
Stir in 2 cups of the tomato sauce and mix until well blended.

To assemble...

Lightly oil a 24x14cm baking pan.
Start with a layer of sweet potato slices and cover with 2.5 cups of the quinoa-lentil bolognaise.

Next layer the zucchini and any left over sweet potato slices. Spoon a thin layer of the remaining bolognaise mixture over the zucchini.

Lastly top with the pumpkin slices pressing firmly.

Bake in the oven for 35 minutes to heat through and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

This is great with some greens on the side such as broccoli and beans, or a light summer salad!
In all honesty I was a little nervous how this would turn out and whether it would be edible and flavoursome for my family... but it was! I will be making this again and look forward to having the left overs in the next couple of days as the flavours have a chance to sink in more :)

Fact - Lentils are low in 2 essential amino acids (methionine and cysteine) but when combined with quinoa, completes the protein spectrum!

xx

Raw Choc-Banana & Coconut Trifle

Raw Ice cream has got to be one of my favourites. First because it is healthy, second it is so easy to make!! Third it taste delicious and fourth it is just as versatile as any other ice cream and can be turned into many deserts or simply eaten on its own :) So while my parents were out for some late night shopping I had a flare of creativity (which seems to be as far as my creative gene goes :P) and with my pre made coconut yoghurt created some Raw Chocolate, Banana, Coconut and Raspberry Trifles!!

The layers you see here are raw chocolate ice cream, chopped fresh banana, homemade coconut yoghurt (see previous post for recipe) some raspberries then repeated layers :)

Raw Chocolate ice cream is so easy make! you will need...

2 frozen bananas
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
1 Tbsp cacao powder

Process these ingredients until smooth :) This can be made without the cashews if you do not have any.

My family quite enjoyed them and even my sisters boyfriend who is a chef (and never heard of raw ice cream before) gave me a 9.5/10... Master-chef worthy? ;) Maybe these will be featuring at our Christmas Day family lunch! You could layer these in any way you like, maybe even omit the cacao and have vanilla ice cream or make it strawberry or blueberry flavoured... the choice and possibilities are endless, I can't wait to make some more raw ice cream :)

Raw Zucchini Noodles with Peanut-Ginger Sauce

Zucchini noodles are amazing. So amazing in fact that I think everyone should have their own spiraliser to make their own vegetable noodles!! I only found out after we had all eaten dinner the other night that my dad did not even know he was eating zucchini and thought it was the usual 'pasta'.... Win!!

There are many recipes out there for vegetable noodle dishes as a healthy alternative to the usual pasta from packets, zucchini noodles seem to be by far the most popular and easier to make. With a love of peanut butter I came across a version of this recipe from the Fat free Vegan Kitchen and decided to give it a go with the risk of it being a little too 'zingy' for my family with some chili added (optional!!).


Raw Zucchini Noodles with Peanut-Ginger Sauce

Ingredients

1 whole green zucchini

1Tbsp organic peanut butter
1Tbsp water
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 Tbsp Tamari (or soy sauce)
1/2 tsp chilli
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger

Spiralise the eashed Zucchini with the ends chopped off and set aside in a bowl.

In another small bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients until combined adding more water if you find it too thick. Mix in the zucchini noodles with chopped cherry tomatoes and serve!

How easy is that?? I made this for my family for a side dish tonight and will definitely be making this again either as aside or a full meal :)

The Spiraliser ;)

xx

Coconut Yoghurt - Homemade :)

In summer there is nothing better than a cool drink or food to help through those summer days. yoghurt is a good alternative to ice cream, but home made dairy-free yoghurt is something I have wanted to try for a while!!

Most true yoghurt recipes have cultures and probiotics in them making them a little harder to make. I was quite happy when I found a version of this coconut yoghurt recipe which although does not have the cultures good for you digestive health, is still full of goodness of raw coconut and cashews!!

Coconuts are full of electrolytes (particularly the coconut water) which are great for rehydrating our bodies and fuelling us for the day. They also contain anti bacterial and anti fungal properties which are great for digestion in themselves! It has also been proven to have anti cancer properties :) Coconut Water has been regarded as more nutritious than whole milk – Less fat and NO cholesterol!
And did you know coconut water is a universal donor– Its apparently identical to human blood plasma!
This Coconut Yoghurt is getting better and better :) So this is the recipe I used...

Ingredients
Flesh of 1 young coconut
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup coconut water
1 Tablespoon maple syrup

I have to thank my dad for opening the coconut and getting the flesh for me (even if it cost us a snapped knife!!)

Blend the ingredients in a food processor until smooth, mine took 8-9 minutes as the mixture takes a while to get smooth. Mine was still a little on the rough consistency but I quite liked it like that :)

 

 I have loved mixing this yoghurt in with my breakfast whether it be chia pudding, overnight oats, porridge or on top of pancakes it add a delicious flavour!! Plus it is great with raw banana ice cream as a desert (see post to follow soon!!)

Mixed in with Chia pudding, cinnamon and banana :)

I will get to the cultured home made yoghurt one day but for now I am happy with my super food dairy alternative :D Enjoy!

xx

Homemade Hummus

When one is studying, one needs good snack food available. With some chickpeas in my cupboard I excitedly turned them into a delicious homemade hummus which became a delicious snack AND lunch with carrot and egg salads, I was hooked :) Dips can actually be so easy to make! After a quick look I had all the right ingredients I needed and this was made in no time...

Homemade Hummus

600g rinsed chickpeas (about 1 can)
1tsp ground cumin
2Tbsp tahini
100ml Olive oil
3 cloves garlic crushed
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup water

Mix the rinsed chickpeas, ground cumin, tahini, Olive oil, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the water and blend again until combined.

And your hummus is ready!!

I love sprinkling sesame seeds on top, this is great with carrot, celery, crackers... or by the spoon ;) Hummus is a great source of protein especially for vegetarians and has been known to help lower cholesterol in the blood and has omega-3 fatty acids great for the health of your heart and joints!

xox

Paleo Pumpkin Brownies - Just for Halloween :)

Inspired by Halloween, this recipe was one of my 'study break' trials towrds the end of October with a need of some good brain food!! So I came across this Paleo Pumpkin Brownie  recipe made with cooked pumpkin... some hidden vege goodness which even my housemates could not tell was there!
Extra vegetables in delicious brownies?? Best. Brownies. Ever.

Paleo Pumpkin Brownie

1 cup cooked pumpkin
4 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp coconut oil
4 pitted dates
1/3 cup coconut flour
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp bicarbonate
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cacao powder
1/3 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In a food processor blend the cooked pumpkin, eggs, honey, vanilla, coconut oil and pitted dates until smooth.
In a mixing bowl sift the coconut flour, cinnamon, bicarbonate, baking powder and cacao powder. Make a well in the center and add wet mix and mix until combined.
Add the shredded coconut (optional) and chopped walnuts and mix.
Transfer into lined lamination tray and bake at 180 degrees C for 25 min, cool and cut and enjoy!

I thought my brain was replenished after these ;)

xox

Tough Mudder Perth and Banana-Mudder Paleo Muffins!

In August myself, my sister and 2 of her friends decided to challenge ourselves with a new event... the Western Mud Rush! It is a yearly 8km event which saw us running through the WA equestrian stadium challenging our fitness and mental strength by crawling through mud, barbed wire, under trench tunnels and hay bales, climbing over Berlin walls, down a mud slide, carrying sand bags, jumping into an ice bath and so much more. It is a great mental and physical challenge while also incorporating some of the best sportsmanship you will see at an event. While there is a race in the first wave, for the other couple of thousand people the day is all about getting through the obstacles with your mates and helping other do the same no matter what. It was so much fun and as I obliterated fears of claustrophobia I had never gotten so muddy and been so exhilarated!!

This day was also the first I had heard of an even bigger mud event - Tough Mudder.

"Tough Mudder events are 20km hardcore obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, over one million inspiring participants worldwide to date, and more than $5 million raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world."

And yet 2 months later I found myself at the start of the line for TM in Perth with my adrenaline pumping... these events are addictive!! So what did we do? Have a look here at the possible obstacles you can do. Our course was over a beautiful farm land where we ran through bush, small rivers, hills with great views, wheat fields and dirt tracks. Our obstacles ranged from crawling under barbed wire in mud, climbing Berlin walls, diving under mud barrels, carrying logs, climbing spider rope webs, trenching through thick mud, 'walking the plank' into muddy water, monkey bars, balancing beams, swimming on your back in mud water under a 20cm breathing space called 'cage crawl' (my most mentally challenging one which turned out to be easier than I thought!) trekking through ice water and going under (I almost didn't make it out from brain freeze!!), the infamous electric shock therapy and electric eel run and one of my favorites running up a half pipe leaping to grab the edge and be pulled over by your team mates in one of the last challenges known as 'Everest'.

A snapshot taken of me running through the 'Electric Shock Therapy'... still smiling!!

It took us a good 3 and a half hours running and walking and the feeling of crossing that line and getting awarded your orange tough mudder headband was such a great feeling of accomplishment, you have just finished what is regarded as one of the toughest events on the planet!

I wore my headband in Bunbury the next day, and the nods and smiles of approval I got from 2 fellow tough mudders wearing their bands and shirt was the nod of 'yep, I know what you went through too and it was awesome!' You suddenly have a special extended tough mudder family :)

And what I think helped get us through? Well I made some special Banana-Mudder Paleo Muffins which were sure a hit pre and post TM!! I love these they are so flavorsome and moist they have become my favorite muffin recipe which I am only too happy to share :)

Banana-Mudder Muffins (they will forever be called this haha)

3 large ripe banana's
4 eggs 
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup almond meal
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup cacao powder (not cocoa!)
1/4 cup coconut oil melted

Method
Mix the chopped bananas, vanilla and eggs in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the flour, almond meal, cinnamon, cacao and baking soda and mix again until combined. Lastly mix in the melted coconut oil until combined.

Scoop equally into patty pan trays (12), add a slice of banana on top (optional) and cook in a moderate oven for 30-35min.

you could also make these as Choc-Blueberry muffins by adding a cup of frozen blueberries or add an extra crunch with chopped almonds or walnuts :)

On a final note, never let your mind get in the way of what you can achieve. The mind is the most powerful tool to the body and the only real freedom we have is freedom from fear... you can achieve anything you want to, you just have to believe it :)

xox

Hello Summer!

It is hard to believe it is almost the end of yet another year, even harder to believe the past month has gone in which I have sat my 5th year medicine exams regarded as the hardest exams of the whole 6 year degree... phew!!! The weeks of solid study with the examination period sweat and tears can only be described as sweet relief when the last page is turned and the last whistle of examinations sounds. Although so nervous for our 3 hour 16 station practical exam, I had an epiphany towards the end as although I was nervous I was actually starting to relax and enjoy the exams in the sense of how far I have come and how much I had learnt in the past year alone... when you start to enjoy your exams you know you are on the right path in life!!!

The only down side to exams is I sit and study all day.... minus my 2 hour daily break for the gym, bike ride or beach walk which keeps me sane!

But I admit, while some people do not eat when they are stressed, I am a sugar eater :( and my mind plays tug-o-war with large block of chocolate my mum gave me to get through the study as mentally I need it but physically I don't... and when it comes to study the mental side wins. At least while the treats rolled in my main meals stayed healthy and I even had the odd meal to try something new :) I apologize for not writing my recipes here but I had to pull the line when it came to exams ;) But that is what summer is for!! December has come, our lovely decorated Christmas tree is now up, shopping is in full swing and I am rejuvenating myself and my blog trialing recipes and working on my fitness :)

So my last post was 19th of October... 19TH OF OCTOBER!!! Wow where do I start! Throughout October before exams I was building up my strength for what is regarded as one of the toughest events in the world... Tough mudder :) This will have it own post but it was so much fun both mentally and physically challenging with some of the best sportsmanship you will see.

I also competed in my first fun run in 18 months and while it felt so good to run again (and I even came 6th in the 5km with an alright time!) My injury prone feet did not agree with running again and I was left disheartened whether I will ever get back into running! But where there is a will there is a way :)

And the recipes and 'cooking' continued from Paleo muffins (engulfed by my tough mudder group!) to raw ice cream and new salads and I will share the good ones with you here in the next few days. I think it's also time to reevaluate some fitness and health goals :)