Tag Archives: Vegan

Japanese Brown Rice Salad

This super-simple salad is a flavour-bomb and a refreshing accompaniment to a sustainably-sourced protein; think homemade organic chicken skewers or crispy-skinned sardines. It also works as a beautiful light meal – maybe add some extra nuts/seeds, avocado and some of your fave roast veggies for bulk and extra satisfaction.

I love having coconut aminos and coconut vinegar on hand.

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Broccoli Coconut Rice

No rave from me today, just one of my favourite savoury dishes of late, that ticks all the boxes, no matter what you’re dietary requirements, food philosophies or health preferences.

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Have you tried Spaghetti Squash?

Spaghetti squashes are finally becoming more easily available in Australia. They used to be something that American bloggers would write about all the time and I’d be all like; well, thats lovely, but where on earth should a humble Adelaidian locate one of these funky-sounding squashes?

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Simple Butternut “Custard”

I’ve been craving gentle, easy to prepare comfort food lately. More than anything, I’ve been wanting veggies and lots of them! I’m honestly not even all that bothered with meat or fish at the moment (though I still try to eat some salmon at least once a week because as much as I believe in listening to your body, I do know that those omega-3’s aren’t going to synthesise themselves). This super quick recipe was born out of my desire for something sweet, creamy, gall-bladder friendly and that would only take minutes to prepare.

Lets be honest lovely ones, we don’t always have broth on hand (nor do we feel like it – especially when we’ve been on GAPS for almost two years). We don’t always think ahead and do meal prep (because we are HUMAN!). We don’t always crave the classic “meat and veg” dinners that we know are nutritious and balanced. We just want something that is so ridiculously easy to digest that we can go to bed within an hour after dinner if we so desire. We want something that feels far more like a “treat” than it actually is. Sweet, creamy and salty, without being stodgy or “too rich”.

I’ve enjoyed this “custard” pretty much every night this week and am still not sick of it (always a good sign by the 7th or 8th night right?). I start my meal with a bowl of this amazing dish. The butternut cooks while I enjoy my first course, and then all I have to do is add the coconut cream and salt and voila … “dessert”.

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I call this “custard” because it’s smooth, sweet, comforting and creamy, though it’s completely egg, gluten, dairy, nut and sugar-free, and suitable for pretty much every single dietary philosophy out there (GAPS, paleo, vegan, AIP and the list goes on!)

This ‘custard’ is appropriate for any time of the day as a light meal, snack or “dessert” after a savoury first course. It also doubles as a scrummy “mash” if you leave it a tad chunky and can be served with your fave quality protein source; sustainably-sourced fish, homemade meatballs, organic chicken legs, a big dollop of homemade hummus etc. it can even be made with your fave variety of sweet spud (the white or purple ones are perfect for this cooking method!) or you can do a 50/50 mix of pumpkin and plantains (a potato-like starchy veggie that looks like a fat green banana) to get some resistant starch (fuel for your good gut bugs) into your day.

Now enough from me, let’s cook comfort food!

Creamy Butternut “Custard”


  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped Butternut pumpkin (or peeled and chopped sweet spuds, plantains or a combo of the three)
  • Filtered water for cooking
  • 2 heaped tablespoons of Ayam coconut cream
  • Herbamare , organic fine sea salt or Seaweed Salt, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon of Changing Habits probiotic powder (optional), or probiotic powder of choice. I like the Changing Habits brand because it’s got a beautiful earthy and salty flavour that takes this creamy favourite to an epic next level

Method

Add Butternut to small saucepan with approx 1 cup of filtered water and bring to the boil with the lid on, turning down to a simmer (lowest heat) and cook for 10 or so minutes or until pumpkin is nice and soft.

Drain cooking liquid into a mug or glass. This is a sweet warm water that some of the pumpkin nutrients have leached into – drink it! It’s  nutritious and aids digestion. Add a dash of coconut or rice milk for a creamy pumpkin “latte”. Place pumpkin into a bowl and mash with coconut cream and salt to taste (you can choose how smooth or chunky you want it – for a silky smooth result blend on high in a high-speed blender or food processor such as the Vitamix).

“If you take a probiotic powder, you can wait for the mash to cool a little, and stir the powder through. This adds a malt-like sweetness and saves you the bother of downing a pill or try or attempting to dissolve the powder in water. Great for kids that need probiotics but won’t take them in capsule form”

To be honest, I usually mash it all up in the saucepan and eat it out of there to save on dishes (plus it keeps it warmer for longer so I can savour each mouthful). You can double, quadruple (etc.) the recipe for more people or if you want leftovers to heat up tomorrow (but it’s so yummy that leftovers might never make it to the fridge – I’m warning you now)

I know this is hardly a recipe as it’s so basic, but sometimes we need to be reminded that minimal ingredients and simple cooking methods can yield incredible results. And the easier and quicker (and cheaper) the better right?

My Favourite Green Smoothie

I have updated this post (I am writing to you in June 2019 and the post was originally written in 2016). It was wordy. Yawn! This smoothie doesn’t need a rant. It just needs to be embraced.

An even tastier variation is available in my glorious paperback; Periods, Poo & A Glorious You but for now, the original base recipe will do just dandily.

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Totally Addictive Cauliflower Rice

This cauliflower rice is ready in under 10 mins, uses regular, non-exotic ingredients (so probably won’t require any complicated shopping trips – handy at this time of year) and is (wait for it) gluten, dairy, nut, sugar, soy, egg, legume and starch free, suitable for paleo, GAPS, SCD, vegan, vegetarian and ketogenic diets to boot.

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Probiotic Power Choccie Smoothie

This Smoothie is made on a base of homemade Kultured Wellness coconut yoghurt. I am a sucker for shop bought coconut yoghurts, but it sure is cheaper to purchase the starter culture and make your own from scratch. Do I always make my own? No. Honestly, I still prefer the taste and consistency of a good Coyo (or equivalent), but when I’m feeling thrifty, the homemade variety does the job.

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Jaffa Euphoria Balls

Do you ever set out to make a basic recipe, only to be overwhelmed by an intuitive plea to modify the recipe to such an extent that you manifest an entirely original product?

I was just going to do a basic date, cashew and cacao wafer bliss ball recipe, but then I saw all the other ingredients in the pantry and completely changed my mind.

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Sweet and Simple Green Coconut Smoothie

No rant today.

Behold potassium-rich, gut-loving, bowel-cleansing heaven in a glass. This is one of my favourite summer treats.

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