BOOK GIVEAWAY

THOUGHTFUL CONSUMPTION

CONTEMPORARY CULTURE THESE DAYS IS ABOUT MINDFULNESS; CARING FOR OTHERS, CARING FOR THE PLANET AND ALSO CARING ABOUT OURSELVES AND OUR LONG TERM HEALTH.

“Y ou are what you eat” is frequently heard in both a positive and negative sentiment. Up-and-coming culinary star Izelle Hoffman knows this all too well.

This Northern Cape native was born with congenital hip dysplasia and underwent 14 different surgeries during the course of her childhood. With so much time spent in hospital, she knows the benefits of a healthy diet. Hoffman is on a culinary crusade to change the way people think about their food and the relationship they have with it.

It’s not about right or wrong but about making informed choices which can benefit overall health, she believes. It’s the reason she wrote Mindful Eating – and also why the book is subtitled: 78 recipes to eat your way to better health.

How many people know, for example, that regulating blood sugar by eating sweet potato not only benefits insulin levels in the bloodstream but that this humble tuber also boasts anti-inflammatory properties too?

Honey is not only a great alternative to refined white sugar but it has antiviral and anti-fungal benefits too. These are just two of the many valuable snippets of information contained in the book.

The recipes cover all the bases: from breakfasts which are not only healthy but really tasty and diverse, to quick and easy lunches and dinners which are substantial as well as nutritious.

As the promo blurb for Mindful Eating states: “Mindful Eating is more than a cookbook; it is an inspirational and motivational guide to leading a healthy lifestyle through good eating.”

Hoffman believes that eating the right foods and choosing a life of wellness can also incorporate traditional African styles of cooking, where raw ingredients and freshness are priority.

Like so many South Africans, growing your own vegetables and experimenting with different flavours was always a part of Izelle’s upbringing. With both her grandmother and her mother boasting a world class vegetable garden and her aunt, who was the moderator of Home Economics for the North West province, Izelle’s development into a ‘’conscious foodie’’ was inevitable.

She might not have trained as a chef but her life spent growing up in a household where great food that was always a comfort and source of nourishment, it was almost preordained or a natural progression for her to take inspiration from the dishes she grew up with and turn them into a modern, playful and healthy culinary experience.

FOR THE WIN: BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS I am quite the morning person and love getting out of bed on the right foot (pun intended), but then I have to kick-start the day with a champion breakfast. These breakfasts are guaranteed to put a smile on your gorgeous face that you’ll wear all day. You’re welcome!

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE PUFFED RICE Servings: 8–10

4 cups puffed brown rice 4 cups puffed white rice 1 Tbsp caramel essence 1 Tbsp vanilla essence ¼ cup almond butter 2 Tbsp olive oil ¼ cup raw honey 3 heaped Tbsp raw cacao powder 2 tsp Oryx desert salt

1 Preheat the oven to 150 °C and line a baking tray with baking paper. 2 Mix the brown and white puffed rice in a large mixing bowl. 3 Combine the remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl until the almond butter is properly mixed with the olive oil and honey. 4 Pour over the puffed rice and mix well. 5 Transfer the mixture to the lined baking tray. 6 Bake for 8 minutes, then give it a stir and bake for another 7 minutes. 7 Allow to cool properly for about 45 minutes and then store in an airtight container. It will keep for 1 - 2 weeks in the pantry or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

NOTE: One can use 8 cups of either white or brown rice, but I prefer it 50/50. White for the crunch and brown for the fibre.

A COPY OF MINFDFUL EATING To qualify, send an e-mail or a postcard clearly marked Cheers Book Giveaway and containing your name, ID number, physical address (not a PO Box please!) along with a contact telephone number to qualify for the lucky draw. ADDRESS: cheers@cheersmag.co.za or Cheers, PO Box 259, Rondebosch 7701. ENTRY DEADLINE: 15 TH APRIL 2020 See T&C’s on pg 04 WIN

CHOC CHIP BLONDIES Servings: 12–16 blondies

2 x 410 g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 6 Tbsp raw honey 100 g almond butter 1 tsp vanilla essence 2 tsp caramel essence 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 50 g almond flour 1 tsp Oryx desert salt 2 large eggs 100 g dairy-free dark chocolate, chopped (I prefer Gayleen’s Decadence)

1 Preheat the oven to 180 °C on thermo-fan. Line a 20 x 20 cm baking pan with baking paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 2 Place the chickpeas in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Add all the other ingredients, except the eggs and chocolate, and process on high for 3–5 minutes, scraping down the sides, until the mixture is smooth and well blended. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can pulp the chickpeas with a blender, add the rest of the ingredients and beat with an electric beater for 2 minutes on high speed.) 3 Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until light and fluffy, then add to the chickpea mixture and beat for another 30 seconds to mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

4 Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan, level it out and bake for 15–20 minutes. The edges will be crispy and firm to the touch, while the centre will remain moist and soft. 5 Allow to cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares and serving. The centre will firm up a bit while cooling, but will remain perfectly moist and soft.

NOTE: These gluten-free soft and fudgy blondies are bursting with healthy flavour, are naturally sweetened and are the perfect dessert to sneak in some protein-packed chickpeas.

All-time favourite! I prefer serving it with unsweetened almond milk and a pinch of love. Now you can enjoy it guilt-free with a healthy smile on your face.

CREAMY GARLIC AND BUTTERBEAN SOUP WITH OVEN-ROASTED CHICKPEAS servings: 8–10

SOUP 2 Tbsp olive oil 4 x 410 g cans butterbeans, drained and processed or blended until smooth 8 cups unsweetened almond milk 2 heaped tsp crushed garlic 4 tsp almond flour 5 tsp Oryx desert salt 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 Tbsp dried rosemary 6 Tbsp raw honey zest and juice of 2 lemons 100 g spinach, chopped 4 celery stalks, chopped 4 large carrots, sliced 2 handfuls of chopped fresh Italian parsley

OVEN-ROASTED CHICKPEAS 2 x 410 g cans chickpeas, drained 1 Tbsp olive oil ½ tsp Oryx desert salt ¼ tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp paprika Pinch of dried parsley

1 Spray a large saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Add all the soup ingredients and bring to the boil over low heat, stirring regularly. Cook for about 45 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the soup is lovely and thick. 2 While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 220 °C and spray a baking tray with non-stick cooking spray or line with baking paper. 3 Rinse the chickpeas and pat dry with paper towel. 4 Place the chickpeas in a mixing bowl and stir in the oil, salt, black pepper, paprika and parsley. 5 Spread the chickpeas on the greased baking tray and bake for 15–25 minutes until crispy. 6 Serve the soup sprinkled with the oven-roasted chickpeas.

SOY AND SESAME BEEF STRIPS Servings: 4

2 Tbsp olive oil 3 spring onions, chopped 1 heaped tsp crushed garlic 1 medium red, orange or yellow bell pepper, cut into strips (keep the seeds) 600 g beef strips 5 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari 2 Tbsp sesame seeds 1 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 cup raw honey ½ tsp Oryx desert salt

1 Handful of chopped fresh Italian parsley 2 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the spring onions, garlic, bell pepper and reserved seeds for about 5 minutes to release their flavour, then add the beef strips and fry until the meat is golden brown. 3 In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce or tamari, sesame seeds, black pepper, honey and salt. Add this to the pan once the meat is cooked, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the moisture has evaporated. 4 Add the chopped fresh parsley, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container and storing in the fridge to use when needed.

NOTE: Be on the lookout for tamari, a more mature gluten-free alternative to soy sauce.

A winner served with rice and green beans!