Recipe: good-for-you chocolate fudge

Oh look at me blogging from my iPhone! How cool am I? Anyways, enough bragging and more blogging! Yesterday (as you all know) was valentines day so over the weekend I made a delicious chocolate treat for my valentine. I modified it from a recipe I was given by lovely stranger. Next time I try it I will soak the dates overnight so that this can be a yummy raw treat.

Good-for-you chocolate fudge
1 can coconut cream
250g dates
1tsp raw organic honey
1/4 cup raw natural organic peanut butter
1/4 cup desicated coconut
1/4 cup LSA
1/4 cup raw organic cocoa powder or carob powder

Place the coconut cream, honey, dates and peanut butter into a sauce pan and heat until dates are softened. Then wiz the mixture up with a stck mixer. Add coconut, coca, LSA and mix till well combined. Press into a glass dish and put in the fridge to set overnight. When set cut into small squares. You can even store it in the freezer for a yummy frozen treat!

Recipe: Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread

Yes, I am still here and I'm sorry for disappearing for as long as I have.
But it was all for a good cause. You may have noticed a new little box on eat love adjust. And that's because Mr. Ox and I have finally opened up our very own little clinic! Which means that this little blog will be moving soon to a new website. I will keep you all posted.
So obviously being crazy busy gives you a craving for delicious baked goods so I came up with this to keep us fueled between meetings and patients. And my, is it good! It's fudge-y and dense, good hot and cold and if you're feeling really naughty fry up a slice with a little butter - heaven.


Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Bread
1/2 cup cold pressed virgin olive oil
1/2 cup raw organic sugar
1 organic free range egg, beaten
3 very ripe medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups quinoa flour
1/2 LSA
1 tsp aluminium gluten free baking powder
1/4 tsp good quality salt
3 tsp raw organic cocoa powder

Mash the bananas together, then add sugar, egg and oil, mix well. Into the wet mix sift in flour and baking powder. Ad salt, cocoa and LSA. Mix till combined. Pour mixture into a well oiled loaf tin and bake for 35min at 180C, you want it to be a little fudge-y so be careful not to over cook. This will keep in the fridge for about a week, that is if you don't eat it all in one sitting...

Review: "Food Matters" Doco

Oh my. Not in a long while have a seen something that resonated so much with me. I urge you all to go out and get the dvd of food matters right now. Seriously, drop what you are doing and go get it. This brilliant documentary talks about how important nutrition is. It talks about politics and govenment and cancer and personal responsibility and every person in this film has the same opinions on health and all these other things that I and other Chiropractors do! Finally! Yes, we are not crazy, there are many smart people out there who believe that we do not need anything to "cure" us, that health comes from nature and from within. Brilliant. I thank James & Laurentine for bringing information that is so often ignored to the public. Really top draw.

Superfood: Chia Seed

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Something that I have started adding to my morning smoothies is Chia seeds. These tiny little seeds are the highest plant source of omega 3's. And we all know how important omega 3's are. They also have a very good ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 (3:1) while most foods have a ration of about 1:15-30, a ratio that is actually bad for you as it increases inflammation and thus pain and other nasty symptoms. But the superfood Chia is also a great source of dietary fibre, which helps stave off colon cancer and heart disease. Chia is also packed full of protein to keep you full and anti-oxidants in the form of Quercetin, which helps you stay fit, healthy, young and full of energy. What's not to love?
Sprinkle them on salads, bake them in muffins or bread or try them in a smoothie.

Anti-oxidant fill me up
great for breakfast
serves 2
1/4 cup frozen blueberries or mixed berries
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons high quality vegetable protein powder
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut milk or cream
2 small bananas
1/4 cup organic apple juice
2 heaped teaspoons green powder (either wheat grass, barley grass or vital greens)

Place all ingredients into a blender and blend till combined. Drink straight away.

Mr. Ox's "Pasta" Sauce's

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Once in a while Mr. Ox dons the apron and shoves me out of the kitchen. His "go to meals" used to be pasta, but alas, being the bossy boots I am, he now smothers green veggies with his amazing pasta sauces. Both are adapted from Jamie Oliver recipes, the tuna is my favourite while Mr. Ox prefers the creamy one.

Tuna Sauce
1 large can of good quality tuna in oil
1 large red onion diced
1/2 of a lemon
1 400g can of canned tomatoes
1 fresh red chili, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt to taste
safflower oil

Fry the onion in the oil until translucent. Drain tuna and add to onion, stir to break up a little, then add the cinnamon, chili and zest of half the lemon. Stir to combine then add can of tomato. Heat through then add the juice of half a lemon. Serve over steamed greens.


Courgette Carbonara
4 small courgettes, cut in half and then sliced on the diagonal
3-4 rashers good quality bacon cut into small chunks
200ml organic cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 a handful of freshly ground parmesan cheese
small amount of organic butter
small handful of thyme leaves

Fry the bacon in a fry ban with a small amount of butter. When the bacon is starting to colour and crisp up, add the cut courgettes. Add a good amount of ground black pepper and thyme leaves then stir to coat the courgette in the bacon. Cook until courgette is soften and lightly golden. Turn the heat down and add the cream. Stir and then add the grated parmesan. Cook until the sauce thickens a little then serve over steamed greens.

Healthy Snax

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The first thing I noticed about giving up processed carbohydrates was how hungry I felt. Back in the old days I would grad a few rice cakes to tide me over, but alas, no more. So I had to get creative. Stashing healthy snacks in my desk draw kept me from gnawing my own arm off. Here are a few tips:

Burger in a Bowl

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Ah the first recipe of the year and it's a good one! In fact it's Mr. Ox's favourite, because lets face it, who doesn't love a good burger? The beauty of this is that you can tweek it to suit yourself, make it as healthy (or naughty) as you want. Perhaps use lentil patties or tofu or a field mushroom or chicken or lamb or steak or fish or kangaroo instead of a mince patty. A friend of mine has build-your-own-burger night where she just puts a whole lot of things in the middle of the table for everyone to help themselves. Marvellous.

Christmas Baking: Chocolate and Cinnamon Swirl Pavlova

I just couldn't resist posting just one more Christmas baking recipe. Mainly because this one is a doosy! It's got everything, cinnamon spice, chocolate and what's an Aussie Christmas without cherries and a good pav. I made these as individual meringues for easy of serving. You could also bake these and give them as gifts wrapped in cellophane, especially if everyone is too stuffed after Christmas lunch to eat them!

Chirstmas Baking: Shortbread

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What's Christmas with out shortbread? This is my gluten free version I adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe. It's super buttery and super crumbly, make it once and you'll realise why its called the best shortbread in the world.

The best (gluten free) shortbread in the world
250g best (pref. organic) unsalted butter
3x(125g) of gluten free flour (I use one part rice flour, one part gluten free plain flour and one part corn flour to make up 375g of flour)
100g organic golden caster sugar
optional flavours: zest of one lemon, 2 crumpled dried lavender flowers, vanilla essence

Cream together butter and sugar then add flavouring if using. Add in flour and mix together with a spoon till well combined. Press dough into a baking tray and prick all over with a fork. Bake at 170C until golden on top (about an hour). Cut into fingers while still warm.

Christmas Greens

A few nice green ideas for your holiday table.

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Surviving the silly season the first

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Being one of my favourite things, of course I'm going to start with:
Chapter one: Food

1. Skip the deep fried finger food and stick to the fresher options such as sushi and cold rolls
2. Avoid the carby potatoes and such with your turkey and ham and save those up for pudding and cake! (Christmas is also a great time to try out gluten free baking as many recipes lend themselves to substituting flour for almond meal)

Christmas Baking: Panaforte (Siena Cake)

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This is more a toffee than a cake. It's chewy, chocolatey and packed with dried fruit and nuts. With no flour in it, it makes an excellent gluten free treat. Because it's so dense it packs and travels well and so makes and excellent gift. I've used a few recipes (including one from my mother-in-law) to put this one together. It got rave reviews last Christmas. It takes a bit of time, but you have to try it, totally worth it, a labour of love.

Heart Health

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In case you didn't get the memo, I'm not a big fan of carbs. And guess who else back me up on this? The Italians. Yep those spaghetti eating, pizza inventing, cannoli lovers have done some research that showed women who have a diet high in refined white carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, rice and pasta are 2.25 times more likely to develop heart disease than their carb dodging counterparts. Good news for men though, the study found that men don't appear to have the same like between carbs and heart disease, bad news is men still have a higher rate or heart disease and death resulting from it than women. Still, heart health, yet another reason to put down that slice of toast.

Cave men can cook

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What's not to love about prehistoric man? He's ruggedly handsome, a burly protector and he can prepare you the freshest, healthiest meal ever. An American study has shown that consuming a  paleolithic type diet similar to our preagricultural hunter-gatherer ancestors is good for us. A paleolithic diet is made up of lean meat, fruits, vegetables and nuts, and excludes nonpaleolithic foods, such as cereal grains, dairy and legumes. After just 10 days of this diet, researches found subjects had decrease blood pressure, improved glucose tolerance, decreased insulin secretion, increased insulin sensitivity and large and significant decreases in cholesterol, lipoprotiens and triglycerides. Who knew Early Man was sexy and smart! 

Salmon with egg and lemon sauce

Not my best picture, but you get the idea

I'm always looking for new ways to cook fish and salmon is my favourite. I found this recipe while flicking through an old greek cookbook of my mum's. It was a hit with Mr. Ox, although next time I may substitute the onions for leeks since we both found the onions a little strong. I opted for salmon but any firm fish would work well. The sauce is tangy and creamy (good for you too) and would work well with asparagus too. Serve it with a simple green salad and its a perfect summer meal.

Dairy and Calcium

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"If I don't eat dairy, how will I get Calcium for my bones?"
A common question I get asked.
Now a small amount of organic dairy is not too bad for you, for example I would choose real butter over margarine any day (I trust cows more than I trust scientists) but too much of anything (other than green vegetables) is not good for you.
But lets look at dairy and its claims to being so benificial to health.

Carbohydrates

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Now that I have explained the problems behind the modern day food pyramid, I wanted to answer some of the questions I get asked about the food "pie" I advocate to my patients.
First up is Carbohydrates. Or more correctly, Complex/Produced/Starchy Carbohydrates. Lots of vegetables such as carrots have a decent amount of carbohydrates as well, but I'm not so concerned about them.

Tales of the misunderstood: Low Fat Diets

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Low Fat, is there any other word combination I hate more? I think not. The idea of decreasing your fat intake is based on the lipid hypothesis which states that a high fat diet is the major contributor to cardiovascular disease. This idea was based on poor scientific evidence from the start and in recent years has been heavily criticized (for an informative and funny look at the situation, watch the documentary Fat Head).

Superfood: Watercress

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Watercress is an underrated herb in more ways than one. Recent studies show that watercress is packed with a natural plant compound called phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). With a name that complicated it has to do something good for you! PEITC is an anti cancer compound that works by turning off a protein called Hypoxia Inducible Factor (HIF). HIF is produced by cancerous tumors causing surrounding normal tissues to grow new blood vessels into the tumor, providing the cancer with
oxygen and nutrients. This protein plays a critical role in the development and spread of breast and other cancers. And just 80g of watercress is packed full of cancer fighting PEITC goodness, so get into it! To help you get started here is a fantastic watercress pesto recipe to try, serve it with grilled fish for extra cancer fighting powers.

Cabbage Rolls

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Is everyone enjoying mince week as much as I am? Even Poh had a little mince going on this week. This week has even got me looking up new mince recipes, I'm going to try a lebanese inspired meat loaf soon, will keep you posted. But really, a week isn't enough. I didn't post about meat balls, moussaka, dumplings or my awesome chili. But by special request by my dear friend I left back in Irealnd, I am posting my famous (well in our friend circle its famous) cabbage rolls, inspired by Jill.