Almond Chocolate Milk
1 cup of Almonds
2 cups filtered water
 3 Tablespoons Raw Cacao
 4 Medjool Dates

Soak almonds in water for at least 1 hour but preferably overnight. Drain, rinse and place in blender. Blend on high speed until finely chopped. Add 1 cup of the filtered water and blend on high to combine. Add another cup of filtered water, 3 tablespoons of raw cacao and 4 medjool dates. Blend on high speed until mixture is creamy (about 30 seconds -1 minute) Pour chocolate mixture through a nut milk bag or muslin cloth and enjoy.
 *The pulp mixture is really yummy too so I roll the leftover nut pulp into balls and dehydrate to make delicious cookies 

I have never craved chocolate as much as I have in the past 12 months. Every few months I get this craving for rich dark minty chocolate and then after a few days, it just disappears.  I absolutely love Pana chocolate but since we live out of town and a block never lasts longer than a few days between Nic, Henry and me, I have started making my own version. I am not sure how they make their chocolate so completely perfect but we think that our version comes pretty close and it definitely hits the spot and is much cheaper than buying it. In the recipe below, I have used maple syrup but feel free to substitute with any of your favourite sweeteners such as coconut syrup, agave, rice malt syrup or honey. This recipe, makes a fairly dark chocolate so if you would like it milder, just reduce the amount of raw cacao to 25-30g or to taste.  I have used peppermint oil in this recipe but orange oil and toasted almonds is equally delicious or you could leave out the oils and just add dried fruit and nuts. Enjoy!!

Peppermint Chocolate
100g Cacao Butter
 40g Cacao
 40g coconut oil (please only use a nice tasting one and not one that has a petroleum smell)
1 tablespoon Carob powder (you can leave this out but i find it makes it taste more like Pana)
 30g Maple Syrup
 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
 Pinch of pink Himalayan salt
6 drops of foodgrade peppermint essential oil (I use the doterra one)
 
Grind up cacao butter in a blender until powdery....
 
If you are using a thermomix, place all of the ingredients in the thermomix except peppermint oil. Heat to 37 degrees Celsius for 4 minutes on speed 1. Scrape down sides and heat to 37 degress on speed 1 for another 5 minutes. Check that mixture has no lumps, add peppermint oil and pour into molds or bowl and place in freezer for 30 minutes to set. Remove from freezer and cut. Store in fridge on warm days or cupboard on cooler days.
 
If you don't have a thermomix, heat some water in a saucepan over low heat. You don't want the water to get much hotter than 50 degrees Celsius. Place a ceramic or glass bowl on top and add the cocao butter. Stir until melted. Add all of the ingredients except the peppermint oil and continue to stir until mixture is runny and well combined. Remove from heat, add peppermint oil and pour into molds. Store in fridge on warm days or cupboard on cooler days. 

I am so excited to finally be sharing my lemon and fig bliss ball recipe. About 12 months ago, I found Soma bars at the health food store. I instantly fell in love with their Fig and wild citrus one but at $7 a bar, I knew that it would be a short lived love affair.  I quickly went home and started mixing up some ingredients and made my own version that work out to taste exactly the same but cost only a fraction of the ones in the shop.  These bliss balls are super quick to make and very filling so a batch does last a while. They are a little more expensive to make than other bliss balls but if you want to  make them go further, just add some coconut or a tablespoon of good quality raw organic protein powder. Enjoy

Today we are chatting to Helen from Greenleaf Bag  about her health journey and their wonderful bags. We have been using Greenleaf bags in the Marinya Cottage Kitchen for about 6 months and absolutely love them so are very excited to be able to have Helen chat with us. She has also very kindly offered to share her beautiful Macadamia Green Salad and offer one of our lucky readers, the chance to win a pack of 3 Greenleaf bags. To enter, simply tell us why you would like a greenleaf bag in the comment section below this blog post and head over and like the Greenleaf Bag  facebook page  or subscribe to their mailing list at greenleafbag.com. Winner will be drawn Monday 23rd March 2015 at 7pm AEST.

How long have you been interested in health and wellbeing?

 I can’t really remember, in fact I have difficulty remember what our ‘old’ lifestyle was really like!  I think our healthy journey started about 5 years ago when my husband and I decided to get our bodies into better shape before we turned 30! 

It started with Max finding himself a personal trainer through the gym he was going to and she had him on protein powders and the only meals he was allowed was plain rolled oats and steamed veges with grilled meat – no condiments!  I got bored very quickly and started looking for an alternative health route to explore.  Our next step was Cyndi O’Meara’s 4 Phase Fat Elimination Protocol – this was a great detox for both of us.  During this time I began reading and exploring and soon we found ourselves at a 3 day bootcamp for health with Don Tolman which meant our next cleanse was his colon cleanse followed by 14 days on pulse. 

Since then I have read widely, one of my favourite authors is Dr Norman Walker who created the first cold press juicer; still made today, the Norwalk Press.  I prefer to learn from the older practitioners such as Don Tolman, Dr Norman Walker and Dr Fred Bisci.   I have experimented with fasting, raw food diet, vegetarian diet; but I love honey in homemade yoghurt too much to go vegan! (however I once said that about not eating meat too!) 

Through my experimentation I found that my healthy expression was greatest when I ate more green leaves.  This was made most obvious to me when experimental diets failed and my healthy expression declined (I have never been really sick, but perhaps I noticed less energy or my sluggish elimination or foggy brain or dry skin) and I would find that I could restore my healthy expression by eating more green leaves.  This led me into the work of Victoria Boutenko who started the Green Smoothie Revolution and Markus Rothkranz a crazy American raw foodist with a really balanced approach (I know that sounds contradictory!  Most health rebels are a bit crazy!). 

Well that leads right into my next question – how did you get started with the Greenleaf Bag?

Well I started buying and growing more green leaves but I found that I often had intentions greater than my actions; meaning I would buy more than I would juice or I had intentions to have more smoothies than I actually did.  So I was frustrated that I was wasting really good quality produce.  I was also frustrated by what seemed to me to be a glaring contradiction in my own actions – I was buying really good quality organic produce direct from the farmers and then putting in a plastic bag before I put it in the fridge.  This seemed ridiculous to me and eventually the bother was great enough that I solved my problem by creating the greenleaf bag.  Now I hope that it can also serve other people and help them enjoy their greens and vegetables in their most nutritious state.  No-one feels motivated to eat the fresh, nutritious produce they bought when they pull I out of the fridge and find that it is sour, bitter and wilted!  If I can encourage people to keep their produce as fresh as it was when they bought it then I believe that I am simultaneously encouraging them to eat more of it which can only have healthy results for everyone!

Does the greenleaf bag really keep produce as fresh as the day it was bought?

I  know, it sounds impossible doesn’t it!  We ran some experiments the results are below and we found that the lettuce, broccoli and carrots all gained weight and crispness when they were kept in the greenleaf bag.  Meaning that they re-hydrated whilst kept in the damp bag.  This is possible because the bags are made from 100% cotton natural fibres which allows the produce to breath – we often forget that even though the produce has been picked it is a still breathing (exchanging gases and therefore, moisture) and when we place our produce in plastic it essentially suffocates which we often call ‘sweating’ in the bag.  So by keeping the produce away from plastic and in a damp natural fibre bag instead the produce can breath and absorb moisture which keeps it sweet, crisp and nutritious for much longer.

How long depends on the quality of the produce when it is purchased and the air flow in the fridge it is kept in.  I have kept super fresh, just picked baby cos lettuce that I buy from my favourite grower at the markets for 2 weeks and still enjoyed it, however it is more desirable to buy only what you need and not need to keep it for two weeks!!!!!

Now we no longer feel that sinking feeling we used to get when we pulled our organic, locally grown produce out of the plastic bag.  There is very little research available about plastic sublimating into food.  However, what I can find suggests that it is always sublimating into our food but in very low amounts, but, these very low amounts accumulate over the course of our life and no-one knows what that really means for our long term health.  So my decision is to limit my exposure to plastic whenever and wherever I can.

Our greenleaf bag works really well and it is our simple contribution to everyone’s healthy journey.    Like you Jane, I have also written some recipes that include green leaves to encourage everyone to eat more of them.  We all know that greens and fresh vegetables are good for us, but sometime we just need a little encouragement and a few good recipes to re-ignite our enjoyment of them.  

You can find out more about Greenleaf bags and purchase them online fromhttp://greenleafbag.com.au/ or via their facebook page here

Helen's Macadamia Green Salad with Honey, Tumeric and Fennel Dressing
2 cups loosely packed, finely chopped Kale (mixed varieties is good, Collard greens are OK)

2 cups loosely packed, finely chopped Cos Lettuce

½ teaspoon of cold pressed extra virgin Macadamia oil

2 teaspoons of raw Honey

1/8 teaspoon of Cinnamon, Allspice & Nutmeg blend* (or simply use Cinnamon alone)

½ teaspoon of powdered Turmeric

½ teaspoon of Fennel seeds

¼ cup of Macadamia nuts


Dry Roasting the Fennel Seeds

Put a fry pan on heat, once it is quite hot, add the Fennel seeds & stir until they are fragrant & very slightly browned.  This will take less than 2 minutes.  Immediately tip the dry roasted Fennel seeds into a cool (room temperature) ceramic bowl.  After they have cooled taste one to make sure they are not burnt.  If they are burnt they will be very bitter.

Honey Dressing

Place Honey, Cinnamon, Allspice & Nutmeg blend, powdered Turmeric & dry roasted Fennel seeds in a bowl.  Stir & Set aside. 

Putting it together!

Place finely chopped Kale leaves in a bowl & add the cold pressed extra virgin Macadamia Oil.  Massage the oil through the leaves.  Do this until the leaves look a little bruised & the oil is evenly distributed throughout.

Add the finely chopped lettuce & honey dressing & toss gently to evenly distribute the honey dressing. 

Sprinkle with the Macadamia nuts.

 
Makes two large serves or 4 serves as a side dish.

 
*  To make the Cinnamon, Allspice & Nutmeg blend place 4 whole Cinnamon sticks, one small (or half a large) Nutmeg nut & 6 Allspice into a powerful spice grinder & grind


Photography and Recipe by Helen and Max Reynolds, Greenleaf Bag

A few days ago, I received a gorgeous message from a mum looking for an allergy friendly hot cross bun for her daughter. When I firstly got the message, I thought it was impossible but after many attempts at gluten, grain, dairy, egg, nut and seed free hot cross buns, we finally have a super delicious, allergy friendly hot cross bun recipe that everyone will want to eat. My grain loving family absolutely love these buns and they are always gone within 30 minutes of coming out of the oven. This recipe makes about 6 good sized buns. Enjoy xo

Allergy Friendly Hot Cross Buns
1 1/4 cup Tapioca Flour
1/3 Coconut Flour
1/2 teaspoon Bi-carb Soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
1/4 cup ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup cooked, cooled and mashed sweet potato flesh 
2 Tablespoons powdered gelatine
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (water can be used if preferred)
1 tablespooon Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup dried fruit (dates, raisins, sultana's ect)
1-2 tablespoons of date or maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil for brushing during cooking

(Crosses)
1 tablespoon Tapioca Flour
1 tablespoon Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Date or Maple Syrup
4-6 tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a tray with baking paper. Combine the tapioca flour, coconut flour, bi-carb soda, spices and lemon rind in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine evenly. Add juice (or water) to a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Use a spoon to break up large clumps and let it absorb the water for a few seconds .Once all of the gelatine is wet, heat and stir over medium low heat until all gelatine is dissolved. Pour gelatine, apple cider vinegar, vanilla , sweet potato and dried fruit into the dry ingredients and stir to form the dough. Let the dough cool for a few minutes before rolling into balls and placing on tray

To make the crosses, combine the extra tapioca and coconut flour and maple syrup. Stir together and slowly add enough water to make a paste. Pipe crosses on top of the buns.

Brush buns with a little olive oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes, remove from oven, brush with extra olive oil and place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Remove from oven and leave to cool slightly before serving. These are best served fresh out of the oven.

It's amazing how many people take their first step into the wholefoods world by moving from chocolate bars or muesli bars to nut bars or 'BeNatural' bars. They taste amazing and often serve as a quick and easy snack for work or road trips. For many years, I never looked at the ingredients in 'BeNatural' bars. I was under the impression that they were healthy because they were in the health food section but when I developed a sensitity to almonds and became food label queen, I quickly realised that they weren't quite as healthy as I was hoping. The ingredients in their nut bars are the following 
Nuts (71%)(peanuts, almonds, walnuts), invert sugar, glucose, honey (3.5%), puffed rice (rice, sugar, salt, barley malt extract, vitamins [vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, folate], minerals [iron, zinc oxide]), humectant (sorbitol), emulsifier (soy lecithin).

I have been trying to figure out how they make these bars sticky but not too sticky for many  many years. There's been loads of attempts and many fails but I am happy to say that I have finally nailed it. The secret to these bars is the honey mixture and ground linseeds. It's what works the magic and makes them taste just like the store bought ones. You MUST heat the honey mixture to 112 degrees celcius or soft ball temperate. If you have a thermomix, this step is super easy but if not, it's really not too hard either. The nut and fruit mixture can be changed as much as you like as long as you have 1 3/4 to 2 cups of nuts/seeds fruit ect. You can toast coconut flakes and add almonds and apricots for the almond and apricot version. You can just do seeds for a nut-free version. The possibilites are endless but just promise me, you will heat the honey!! Enjoy

Homemade and Healthified Be Natural bars
3/4 cup raw Macadamia nuts (whole or halves)
1/3 cup raw Walnuts
1/3 cup raw Pepita's (pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup raw Sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped dates or sultana's

1 tablespoon ground linseeds (flaxmeal)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a rectangle loaf dish with baking paper. Place all of the seeds except the ground linseeds on a baking tray and cook for approx. 10 minutes or until the nuts start to go very slightly golden. To prepare the honey mixture, place the honey, vanilla and pinch of salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and heat until 120 degress celcius (or soft ball stage). *If you have a thermomix, place the honey mixture in the thermomix, set to varoma temperature , 6 minutes, speed 3. Immediately mix the nuts, dried fruit and  ground linseeds into the honey mixture and pour into the lined loaf tin.  Press mixture down gently to flatten. Place in the fridge for 30min-1hr or until cool. Use a serrated knife to cut into bars or squares

I have few words to describe this cake. Moist, delicious, fluffy, super quick, loaded with goodness and oh so good.  If you love magic bean cakes but are looking for a paleo-friendly and dairy-free version, this one's for you. You will never want to eat a normal chocolate cake again. Enjoy!!! Recipe inspired by Kira Westwick's Chocolate Brownie Recipe.

Magic Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake
4 cups finely grated raw sweet potato (loosely packed)
1 cup Raw cocao
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 vanilla bean scraped
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line two round cake tins with baking paper. Whisk or process maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla bean and eggs in a food processor or mixer. Sift the cocao, coconut flour and baking powder into wet mixture and add the sweet potato. Mix or process on medium speed until well combined.  Pour into prepared tins and bake for approx 35 minutes or until the sides come away from the tin and it is cooked in the middle. Leave to cool for 20 minutes before flipping onto cooling rack. Spread the avocado chocolate cream on one cake, place the other cake on top and top with more avocado cream.

Avocado Chocolate Cream
1 whole avocado (seed and skin removed)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup raw cocao

Place all of the ingredients into a bowl  and use a food processor or mixer to combine ingredients until smooth. Avoid over mixing as the oil will begin to separate from the avocado. 

Anyone who has ever been on pinterest, will know that there is nothing new about paleo pancakes. I remember attempting my very first coconut flour pancakes and having a lot of trouble flipping them and then being incredibly disappointed with the dry crumbly texture. And then came the two ingredient egg and banana ones....eek. Again, I couldn't flip them and ended up with sweet scrambled eggs. After many months, I finally put these ones together and we LOVE them. They flip, they're soft and don't taste like coconut flour. If you have constantly been disappointed by paleo pancakes, you must try these. Enjoy!

1 cup Arrowroot Flour
3 tablespoons coconut flour
2 large banana's  mashed
2 eggs (if you have an allergy replace with an extra banana)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons of water
2 teaspoons coconut oil + extra for frying

Whisk banana, eggs, 2 teaspoons of coconut oil and water together. Sift in dry ingredients and whisk until batter is smooth. ( If you have a thermomix, just put everything in and blend until smooth) Heat a fry pan over medium heat and cook pancakes until golden brown before flipping to cook other side. These are great by themselves or can be served with extra banana and maple syrup.

Raw Mocha Fudge
1/2 cup cashew butter (I make my own in a high speed blender)
1/2 cup coconut butter (I make my own in a high speed blender)
1/3 cup coconut oil
3 tablespoons raw cocoa
2 tablespoon of freshly made expresso coffee
1/4 cup rice malt syrup, maple syrup or coconut nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together until smooth and pop in the fridge until firm. Slice and enjoy. Store in fridge.

Happy Australia Day! This morning, at 8am, it was a lovely 32 degrees celcius and we decided that cooking traditional lamingtons was out of the question. My 3yr old had his heart set on having lamingtons for Australia Day so we put these yummy raw ones together. This recipe has been adapted from the on the raw lamingtons from The Raw Food Kitchen. I hope you enjoy :-)

Raw Cake
1 1/2 cups of raw cashews (soaked for at least 30min)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/3 cup coconut cream
1 vanilla bean scraped
Strawberry jam (homemade or store bought. We made some strawberry chia jam)

Chocolate (you can use a good quality store bought one or this one)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup raw cocao
1 cup shredded coconut

Blend together the cashews, desiccated coconut, raw honey, coconut cream and vanilla bean in a high speed blender or thermomix. Press half of the mixture into a greased small square dish.  Spread some strawberry jam on top and then press the other half of the mixture on top. Place in the freezer to firm up. 

To make the chocolate blend the coconut oil, maple syrup and cocoa together. If the weather is cool, you may need to warm  it slightly over a bowl of warm water.

Remove the raw cakes from the freezer and cut into small squares. Dip the cakes into chocolate and then into the shredded coconut. Place on a plate and pop in the freezer to set.