This rocky road inspired chocolate bark is a slightly healthier alternative to the original. It’s also a great gift idea if you’re wanting to save money and still give to those you care about this Christmas.

Ingredients

200g dark chocolate (aim for at least 70%)

140g Pomegranate seeds

60g pistachios (shelled/chopped)

20g unsweetened coconut flakes

Method

1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare the pomegranate seeds, pistachios and coconut flakes in bowls.
2. Fill one large pot with water and place a smaller pot inside. Bring to a boil then reduce to lowest heat. Ensure no water is able to escape into the smaller pot! Break the dark chocolate into pieces and add it to the smaller pot. Stir continuously just until melted. Remove from stove top immediately once melted. Do not overheat as this will cause the chocolate to get lumpy.
3. Pour the melted chocolate onto the baking sheet. Use a spatula to smooth the chocolate into an even layer, about 1/4 inch thick. Quickly sprinkle the pomegranate seeds evenly over top, followed by the pistachios and finally the coconut. Transfer to the fridge or freezer and let chill for 20 to 30 minutes, or until firm.
4. Once the chocolate is firm, break or cut it into pieces. Enjoy!

The post Pistachio & Pomegranate ‘Rocky Road’ Bark – RECIPE appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Before jumping into the yumminess of these, let’s talk about the benefits of Macadamia nuts for your health. So, what is so good about Macadamias?

Studies have shown that including low GI (glycaemic index) nuts like macadamias in a healthy kilojoule-controlled eating plan, combined with regular moderate exercise, can help with weight loss by curbing your appetite.

 Good Fats

Nuts contain good unsaturated fats and don’t increase blood glucose and insulin levels that cause hunger. The macadamia is one of very few plants to include Omega 7, a monounsaturated fatty acid. These healthy oils, combined with fibre and small amounts of plant sterols, help maintain good cholesterol levels, healthy blood vessels and optimal blood supply throughout the whole body, including the brain. They also contain Omega 3 – an essential fatty acid with a wide range of health benefits, including lowering your risk of cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, and migraine headaches.

 High in Antioxidants

Macadamias have the Heart Foundation’s (Australia) coveted Tick of Approval. Antioxidants are part of your body’s natural defence system, and they work by de-activating potentially harmful substances, called free radicals, that damage cells and are thought to contribute to the development of chronic disease.

 Digestive Health

Macadamia nuts are also an easy solution to boosting your digestive health and keeping you regular. Macadamias contain about 2g of fibre per 30g serve, which is like a slice of wholemeal bread.

 Vitamins and Minerals

Macadamias like other plant foods contain a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Just a handful (30g) of raw, unsalted macadamias (15 whole or 30 halves) provides you with:

•       8% of your daily thiamine (vitamin B1), an important vitamin for releasing the energy from food, and necessary for normal functioning of the heart and nervous system.
•       31% of your daily manganese, a trace element important for antioxidant defences, bone health and normal metabolism.
•       9% of your daily magnesium for electrolyte balance, nerve and muscle function and bone strength.
•       4.5% of your daily iron for healthy blood and energy levels
•       12% of your daily niacin for a healthy nervous system, releasing energy from food and good skin structure and function
•       12% of your daily copper for antioxidant protection, immune system function and healthy- looking skin and hair.
•       1.4 grams carbohydrates and 1.9 grams of dietary fibre

Macadamias are packed with essential nutrients, enjoy these beauties, knowing that every handful is doing you good!

Recipe

 Let’s jump to the recipe, it was posted on my Instagram a few weeks ago and everyone loved it! 

These would hands down have to be the easiest, simplest, and convenient after dinner treat or dinner party addition! They have the perfect balance of sweet and salty alongside their beautiful monounsaturated fat. 

Ingredients

Punnet of Organic Fresh Raspberry

Block of Dark Chocolate (Lilly used super blackout @altereco_foods )

Organic Macadamia Nuts

Pinch Salt

Methods

1. Rinse / pat dry raspberries.
2. Insert maco nut into raspberry and sit aside.
3. Melt the block of chocolate and start dropping / tossing the raspberries in.
4. Place all onto some baking paper on a tray or plate and sprinkle with salt.
5. Slide them into the fridge and it’s good as gold.

Enjoy making these fun and delicious bites!

Lilly 😀

The post Raspberry Macadamia Bites appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Ours isn’t a gluten free household, but I do like to cut down the amount of wheat consumed, and I also like to experiment with recipes for my patients. So in the search for gluten free cookies that are easy to make and toddler friendly, this recipe was born.

Millet is a gluten-free ‘ancient’ grain. It is one of the oldest crops known to man, and was one of the first grains that man made bread from. It is more closely related to corn than to wheat. It is usually better digested than most grains, and being free from gluten it is a good alternative to wheat.

It has a nutty taste usually, but there is a potential for slight bitter aftertaste if the flour is a bit older which means the fat has started to oxidise. This can be lessened by keeping the flour in the freezer, or grinding the flour fresh (this would be ideal as you are going to retain more nutrients, but not an option for many people). Use the flour within a few weeks of opening.

Millet is rich in magnesium, as well as vitamin B3 (niacin).

It does have a caution – it acts as a goitrogen, which means it can reduce the uptake of iodine into the thyroid gland. In the ocassional meal (and you know I love to vary up the diet) it’s not going to be an issue, but as a staple it would potentially cause an issue. For those with hyperthyroidism or iodine excess, this is actually a bonus. And if you have enough iodine in your diet, the effect of millet is likely not an issue.

Gluten Free Choc Chip Cookies

These are easy to make and toddler approved. I like to get Ash involved with cooking by measuring out the flour and other ingredients into the little measuring cups and and then getting him to tip it into the mixing bowl. I also ask him to help stir, which he does a little and then I finish up the rest.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup millet flour (140g)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips, or more if desired
• 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp butter or melted coconut oil
• 3-5 tbsp milk of choice, as needed

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190 C.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
3. Add wet ingredients and mix through well.
4. Now you can separate into the cookies by taking a small handful, or a large spoonful and rolling it between your palms to form a ball (approximately golf ball size).
5. Bake for 7 minutes, then remove and let stand on tray for 10 minutes. They will be slightly under cooked when you take them out of the oven but that’s okay because they will finish up on the tray when they’re resting.

The post Gluten Free Choc-Chip Cookies appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

This recipe came about from my attempts to make a bit of  healthier version of Lumberjack cake whilst I was pregnant. I love Lumberjack cake, and one morning I was really feeling like it, but didn’t feel like something quite that sweet. I added some pineapple (like in a Hummingbird cake) and used buckwheat and coconut flour to make it a bit more blood sugar and gut friendly. I was quite impressed with myself for how well they turned out. Let me know if you give them a try.

Ingredients

• 1 apple, cored and diced
• ½ cup dates, chopped
• ½ cup boiling water
• 1 tsp bicarb soda

• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ¾ cup buckwheat flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 2 slices pineapple, chopped
• ½ cup chopped mixed nuts
• 1 cup almond meal
• 3 eggs
• 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out (or ½ tsp vanilla extract)
• ½ tsp each cinnamon and ground ginger
• ¼ tsp each nutmeg and cardamon
• Pinch salt

Topping

• 60g butter
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup shredded coconut (I used finely dessicated because that’s all I had, but this was too fine)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Mix the chopped apples and dates, bicarb soda and boiling water in a bowl. Stir to coat them, cover, then set aside until it’s just warm.

In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the maple syrup then combine the flours, baking soda, salt, spices and vanilla. Fold in the nuts, banana, pineapple and the soaked apple and dates.

Spoon into muffin trays and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile to make the topping, combine the butter, milk and brown sugar in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until the butter has completely melted and the sugar dissolved. Stir through the coconut. Pour this mixture evenly over the muffins, then place them back into the oven for 30 minutes.

The muffins are done when a skewer inserted into the muffins comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool slightly. Serve at room temperature.

The post Lumberjack-ish Muffins appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Look. at. this. Just look at this chocolate fudge, doesn’t it make you want to smoosh your face into your screen in the hope that you’ll be able to taste some of it’s deliciousness?

This Chocolate Fudge is from Lee Holmes’ new book Eat Right for your Shape.

If you think this looks pretty amazing, then scroll down and cheer because I get to share the recipe with you.

This doesn’t just look pretty, it’s easy to make and it tastes devine as well. Just blend, pour and set.

Ingredients:

Makes 15

• 270 g (9½ oz/1 cup) almond butter
• 80 ml (2½ fl oz/1⁄3 cup) extra virgin coconut oil, melted
• 30 g (1 oz/¼ cup) cacao powder
• 90 g (3¼ oz/¼ cup) rice malt syrup
• ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt
• 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract

Method

• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Process the nut butter and coconut oil in a food processor until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy.
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin to 3 cm (1¼ inches) thick and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
• Freeze for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. If stored for longer in the freezer you may need to transfer to the fridge to soften a little.

Want more recipes like this? You can check out Lee’s book here.

In case you missed it, check out Podcast #21 where I interview Lee about this book.

The post Chocolate Fudge appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

This ice cream is dairy free, calcium dense and so easy to make. I love making this to serve after asian inspired meals. Tahini (ground up sesame seeds) is a fantastic source of calcium, and the black tahini has an extra nourishing nutrient hit to it.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup black tahini (ground black sesame seeds)
• ½ cup finely dessicated coconut
• ½ cup coconut nectar (or whatever sweetener you have in the house maple syrup, rice malt syrup or agave syrup)
• 1 can coconut cream
• 1 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp coconut oil (you may need to warm is slightly so its melted)
• 1 tsp chia seeds soaked in 30ml water to form a gel
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
2. Pour into container or silicon molds. Cover and place in the freezer for 1-2 hours.
3. Remove from freezer and stir. Repeat process again in another hour. This helps break up the ice crystals and allows it to freeze evenly.

Should be ready to eat in 4-6hrs.  If consuming on another day, be sure to let sit out of freezer for ½ hr to defrost a little.

I served this with a crumble of toasted mixed nuts.

The post Black Tahini Coconut Ice Cream appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

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I can’t think of a better sounding combination than brownies and peanut butter. Add the jam component in there and it screams deliciousness.

It’s pretty exciting to see a tasty brownie recipe that’s a bit of a healthier option. As will all desserts, even the healthified (yes I made that word up) versions, they’re still a sometimes treat.

This recipe is from the latest IQS Chocolate cookbook, which you can purchase here.

Serves: 24

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

These originated as peanut butter brownies. It wasn’t until Sarah suggested the addition of “jelly” that they became really special.

Ingredients

• coconut oil, butter or ghee for greasing
• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup rice malt syrup, melted
• 3 eggs, lightly whisked
• 1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup raspberries, mashed with a fork

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 9×9 inch lamington/brownie tin with baking paper.

2. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients, except for the peanut butter and raspberries, until smooth.

3. Pour the batter into the lined cake tin. Dollop peanut butter into mixture and use a skewer or knife to create a swirl pattern. Repeat the process with mashed raspberries.

4. Cook for 20-23 minutes, checking at 15 minutes to ensure mixture is not burning. Brownies are cooked when top is slightly firm to the touch. You want them to be gooey so try not to overcook.

5. Allow brownies to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and slicing.

This recipe is from the latest IQS Chocolate cookbook, which you can purchase here.

*I am an affiliate for this eBook and as such receive a small commission on every purchase made by way of this post. Do know however that I only choose to align myself with products and services that I feel add value to my followers.

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The post Molten Peanut Butter ‘N’ Jelly Brownies Recipe appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

(paleo, vegetarian, vegan, delicious)

Who doesn’t love a good chocolate mousse?  It’s one of my favourite desserts, so when I discovered that you can make a healthy, guilt free version from avocado I was over the moon!  It’s super easy, and avocado’s are great for you – they contain stacks of fibre, good (monounsaturated) fats and antioxidants such as Vitamin E.  They’re a super food for fertility, balancing hormones and being anti-inflammatory, plus how cool is this – they’re even shaped like a womb, with the seed being the baby (the doctrine of signatures is so interesting!).

~Serves 4 ~

You’ll need:

• 1 large ripe avocado
• 4 dates, pitted
• 2 tbsp honey (omit if vegan) or coconut sugar
• 1 cup full fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup organic raw cacao powder (raw cacao has more antioxidants than normal cocoa powder)
• 1/4 tsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or ½ vanilla pod, seeds scraped out

Instructions

1.  Process avocado, dates, sweetener of your choice and coconut milk in a hand held food processor until smooth and creamy.

2.  Add cacao powder, chilli powder, salt and vanilla and blitz until well combined, fluffy and smooth, scraping the sides if needed.

3.  Divide the chocolate mousse between 4 individual dessert bowls and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.  You can eat it immediately, but the texture improves with a few hours refrigeration.  It will keep in the fridge for about 2-3 days.

4.  You can garnish with some dusting of cacao powder, some grated dark chocolate or some dried chilli.  Enjoy!

The post Chocolate avocado mousse appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Watermelon, basil, salt and chilli granita

Perfect for the hotter weather, this is always a big crowd please.  Try this one out before watermelon goes out of season.

Serves 4-6

You’ll need:

• ½ watermelon, skin removed and flesh cut into chunks
• Juice of ½ lime
• ¼ tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
• Large handful of fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
• ¼ tsp dried chilli flakes

How to:

1.  Place all ingredients (reserving 1/3 of the basil leaves) into a food processor and blend until the mixture has a pulpy consistency.
2.  Pour mixture into a tray (I used a loaf pan) through a sieve, pressing the contents through well to get as much liquid as possible.  Discard the remaining solids.
3.  Carefully transfer the tray to the freezer and freeze for 4 hours.  Once it has become firm, use a fork to scrape the granita into a snow-like consistency.  You should only need to do this at the end, but it doesn’t hurt to do it at the 2-3 hour mark just in case.
4.  To serve, give the mixture a good scrape to fluff it up, then spoon into serving bowls and stir through a good pinch of the reserved basil leaves, and sprinkle with a little dried chilli flakes.

The post Watermelon, basil, salt and chilli granita appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

I don’t often eat plums outright, and so when I had some plums (and incidentally a lot of oranges) leftover from a savoury dish that were getting a bit old I decided to make something them into a cake.  Whenever I bake cakes they never get finished, so I wanted to make a small cake that was relatively healthy.  I was very impressed with how this cake turned out, it was moist and had a pleasant combination of sweetness and tart.  As a result of it’s deliciousness, it was gone within 2 days.

This recipe has been adapted from a recipe from River Cafe Cook Book Easy.  Quantities have been reduced to make a smaller cake (will serve 4), and coconut flour has been used instead of wheat flour (quantities have also been adjusted for this, as coconut flour has a different absorptive capacity to wheat flour) .

Recipe:

Filling

• 2-3 very ripe plums.
• 30g caster sugar
• Juice and zest of one orange
• 1 vanilla pod

Cake

• 75g unsalted butter
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 10g coconut flour
• 1 -1.5 tsp baking powder
• 50 g almond meal

Topping

• 30g butter
• 25g brown sugar
• zest of one orange
• 50g flaked almonds

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C

1.  Halve and stone the plums and put in an ovenproof dish with the sugar, the orange juice and rind.  Slice the vanilla pod lengthways and add to the dish.  Stir through, then bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod into the filling and discard the empty pod.

2.  Grease a 20cm round spring-form tin, lined with parchment paper, with extra butter.

3.  Soften the butter and beat with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Separate the eggs, and beat the whites until soft peaks form, and then combine with the sugar and butter, then beat in the yolks (this provides extra fluffiness that the coconut flour needs, as it can often get heavy).

4.  Fold in the flours and baking powder, then pour into the tin.  Pour the fruit filling over the top, poking the fruit and juice in occasionally.  Bake in the oven for half an hour.

5.  For the topping, finely grate the orange rind.  Melt the butter and stir in the sugar, zest and flaked almonds.  Spread this over the half-baked cake, lower the heat to 160°C and bake for a further 20 minutes.  Cook the cake in the tin.

The post Plum and Orange Cake (Gluten Free) appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.