Vitality Magazine Summer 2016-17

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HEALTHY KITCHEN

SUPERFOOD CHRISTMAS CAKE Serves 10 FRUIT MIX 1½ cups Power Super Foods Goldenberries 1 cup Power Super Foods Goji Berries 1 cup dried apple slices, diced ½ cup dry pineapple pieces, diced ½ cup pitted dates, diced Rind and juice of 2 oranges (approx. ½ cup juice) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon mixed spice 1 teaspoon cinnamon 2 teaspoons boiling water

CAKE 1 cup firm-packed Power Super Foods Coconut Sugar 250g butter, cubed and at room temperature 4 eggs, lightly whisked 2 cups plain flour 1 teaspoon cinnamon ½ cup pine nuts 50-60 blanched almonds Cherries and desiccated coconut, to serve

Method • Combine all ingredients for the fruit mix together in a bowl. Cover, and allow to sit for at least 6 hours.

• Pre-heat oven to 150°C and line a 22cm spring form cake tin with baking paper.

• In a large bowl, beat together the coconut sugar and butter.

• Add the eggs, one by one, lightly beating between each addition.

• Sift in the flour and cinnamon, stirring well with a wooden spoon.

• Add the fruit mix prepared earlier including any juices. Stir well.

• Fold through the pine nuts.

• Spoon the mix into the cake tin.

• Use a spatula to flatten the top and tap the tin on the bench gently to remove any air bubbles.

• Press blanched almonds lightly into the top.

• Cover the cake with aluminium foil, sealing as firmly as you can around the edges of the tin.

• Bake at 150°C for 2.5 hours (150 minutes) or until a skewer comes out cleanly from the middle.

• Serve topped with fresh or warmed frozen cherries and a sprinkle of desiccated coconut.

r ----------- · --------------------------1 These recipes were created by Natalie Zee from Healthy Natty @healthynatty. Natalie uses Well Naturally No Sugar Added Chocolate (available in the health food section of Woolworths, Coles and selected independent supermarkets and health food stores) and Power Super Foods (available from all good health food stores) in these recipes. For more Well Naturally recipes, visit wellnaturally.com.au.

For more Power Super Foods recipes, visit powersuperfoods.com.au.

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HEALTHY KITCHEN

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES DARK CHOC & MACADAMIA Makes 16 truffles 135g (3 x 45g bars) Well Naturally No Sugar Added Chocolate Rich Dark 2 teaspoons coconut oil 6 teaspoons coconut cream Pinch of salt 6 tablespoons crushed macadamias ½ cup crushed macadamias, for coating VALENCIA ORANGE Makes 12 truffles 135g (3 x 45g bars) Well Naturally No Sugar Added Chocolate Valencia Orange 2 teaspoons coconut oil

6 teaspoons coconut cream 2 teaspoons Power Super Foods Cacao Nibs (optional – for crunch) ½ cup Power Super Foods Cacao Powder, for coating COCONUT & GOJI Makes 18 truffles 135g (3 x 45g bars) Well Naturally No Sugar Added Chocolate Creamy Milk 2 teaspoons coconut oil 6 teaspoons coconut cream 6 tablespoons Power Super Foods Goji Berries, roughly chopped 8 tablespoons desiccated coconut ¾ cup desiccated coconut, for coating

Method • In a small pot, melt the chocolate and coconut oil over very low heat, taking it off and back onto the heat, stirring with a metal spoon until smooth.

• Once melted, add the coconut cream and flavour ingredients (macadamias and salt or cacao nibs or goji berries and coconut).

• Spread the mix onto a large, flat plate lined with baking paper and place in the freezer until it just starts to firm (approx. 3-5 minutes).

• Once the mix has started to firm and is dough-like to touch, wet your hands in cold water and pick up teaspoon-size pieces of the mix.

• Roll the mix into balls and then into the coating.

• Place onto a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate until firm.

• Remove from the fridge 10 minutes before serving.

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HEALTHY KITCHEN

OUR FRIED RICE I know that there are hundreds of versions of fried rice out there but this version, not surprisingly, has a little French influence: butter! There is a reason this ingredient is a chef’s secret weapon.

Serves 4 300g (1½ cups) jasmine or long-grain rice

8 medium raw prawns, peeled and deveined, each cut into 3 pieces

4 eggs

1 tablespoon sea salt

Pinch of sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper 80ml (¹⁄ 3 cup) peanut oil 1 large brown onion, finely chopped 3 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), cut into cubes, or 250g streaky bacon, cut into 5 mm thick strips

3 spring onions, pale and green parts separated, thinly sliced on the diagonal 20g butter Dash of fish sauce (optional)

Method Wash the rice four or five times until the water runs clear. Transfer to a medium saucepan and add 750ml (3 cups) of water, ensuring the rice is level so it cooks evenly. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, or until tunnels form in the rice and most of the water has been absorbed.

Take off the heat and set aside, covered, for about 10 minutes to allow the rice to steam through and become fluffy. Remove the lid and run a fork through the rice. (You can also use a rice cooker.)

Spread the cooked rice on a baking tray lined with baking paper (this will help the rice cool faster and will also soak up any excess moisture). You can do this up to a day ahead and keep it in the fridge, if you like.

Put the eggs, sugar and a pinch of the white pepper in a bowl and whisk together.

Heat a large wok over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil.

When it is smoking hot, pour in the egg mixture. As soon as the egg starts to sizzle, start stirring it as if you are making scrambled eggs.

Remove the egg from the wok as soon it’s cooked and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the wok and wait until it is smoking again, then add the onion and stir-fry until it starts to become translucent.

Add the Chinese sausage or bacon and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle over the remaining white pepper as you are cooking, then add the prawns and cook for a further 1 minute. Season with salt, then add the cooked rice. Spread the rice around the wok, then let it sit for a few minutes. Don’t over-stir the rice at this point – you want it to stick to the wok and crisp up, adding a delicious texture to the dish.

Add soy sauce to taste. If the rice looks a little dry, add hot water 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Toss through the pale part of the spring onion and the cooked egg, then remove from the heat and scatter over the green part of the spring onion.

Quickly mix through the butter to give the rice a flavour boost and a good shine, season with a dash of fish sauce, if you like, and serve.

Recipes and images from More Please! By Manu Feildel (Murdoch Books) photography

by Rob Palmer RRP $39.99

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HEALTHY KITCHEN

OVEN-BAKED RATATOUILLE Serves 4 as a main or 6 as a side If you’re not a big fan of vegetables, I have a feeling this recipe from the south of France will change your mind. Ripe vegetables are baked together with garlic and fresh herbs, and the result smells like summer.

60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

3 Japanese eggplants

4 brown onions, thinly sliced

6 truss tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped rosemary

2 tablespoons thyme leaves 3 large zucchini

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method Preheat the oven to 200°C. Place a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sauté the onion for about 15 minutes, or until lightly golden, reducing the heat a little if the onion begins to catch. Add the garlic and 1 tablespoon of thyme and cook for 2 minutes.

Spread the onion mixture over the base of a large roasting tin.

Wash the veggies and cut them widthways into 1cm thick slices.

Tightly arrange the vegetables in rows over the onion base, starting with the zucchini, then the eggplant, then the tomato.

Gently push the slices out so they sit in a diagonal pattern, exposing some of the flesh. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and remaining thyme. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 45 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

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High intakes of certain nutrients can positively affect our health. Despite our best efforts though, it can be difficult to ensure we get these nutrients in adequate amounts. Enter superfoods. Nutritionist Cate Lilja explains why these powerhouses should be a part of our everyday diet, and which ones pack the most punch.

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EATFIT

As the name suggests, superfoods are those that are especially nutrient dense. They are a great way to boost our diet with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients to support health and wellbeing.

They hail from some of the most remote and exotic corners of the globe, from the top of the Andes to the depths of the sea.

Whilst relatively new to our grocery aisle shelves, most superfoods are steeped in history, having been revered for millennia by traditional cultures for their nutritive properties.

Whether you are looking to boost your omega 3 to maintain supple skin or topping up your magnesium after a heavy workout, there is a superfood for you. Here is a run-down of some of our favourites:

Maca is the humble tuber of a cruciferous vegetable related to broccoli. As with all cruciferous vegetables, maca contains sulphur­ rich glucosinolates, a group of compounds currently under investigation for their cancer inhibiting properties.

In its native Peru, maca is thought to promote vitality and fertility and has been the subject of several studies investigating its effect on libido and hormone balancing for reduction of PMS and menopause symptoms.

Add a teaspoon to your smoothie for a morning vitality boost!

Berries are widely considered to be some of the healthiest fruits available due to their generally high antioxidant levels and low sugar content, but not all berries are created equal.

Acai is the dark purple Amazonian berry that is super high in the antioxidant compound anthocyandin, with a whopping ORAC value (measure of antioxidant activity) of 161,000- 15 times that of blueberries! With its mild berry and somewhat chocolatey flavour, it is delicious mixed into yoghurt, added to a smoothie or sprinkled on fruit or muesli.

Goji berries are packed with Vitamin C and carotenoids and have been cultivated for over 6,000 years in China, where they are thought to enhance energy and even improve eye sight. These mildly-sweet berries can be added to a trail mix or salad. You could even try brewing a cup of tea with the dried berries.

Hailing from Mexico, chia seeds are the highest known source of plant-based omega 3. They are also high in a special kind of dietary fibre that gives them their amazing gelling properties.

Add a tablespoon to sauces and porridge to thicken and add texture. Or mix up a chia pudding with your favourite milk (or mylk) and flavour with spices- a healthy snack for any time of day.

Super seaweeds are some of the most mineral dense foods on the planet and an important source of iodine, iron, chromium, magnesium and calcium. They are also rich sources of plant-based protein and dietary fibre.

Dulse, with its mild umami flavour, is one of our favourites. Simply add a couple of leaves to your stocks, soups and stews. You can also sprinkle the flakes over stir-fries or a boiled egg for a supercharged, protein-packed snack.

A powerhouse of nutrition and ' energy boosting goodness - no wonder the Incas used cacao beans as currency! High in magnesium, protein and healthy fats, and boasting an ORAC of over 95,000, it is perfect after a workout or in preparation for a busy day.

Create chocolatey smoothies and raw treats, add a spoonful to your coffee for a healthy mocha, or throw some cacao nibs in your cookie batter.

Power Super Foods is available from all good health food stores. For more information and recipes, visit powersuperfoods.com.au.

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Solid, long-term relationships require dedication. It is not enough to simply cruise along expecting sunny skies. As Dr Winfried Sedhoff explains, treating your partner with time, focus and consideration will guide you away from the rocks and into calm, sparkling seas.

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