When I fall in love with a dish, I always want to reach for my thinking cap and create a healthy version of it.  This may sound to you like culinary madness but this week my mission in the kitchen has been to create a simple Japanese Chicken Teriyaki recipe, filled with nutritious ingredients yet still full of flavour and one that genuinely looks the part. Mr Miyagi? Yes Daniel son!

Stir-fries are great options for mid-week fuss-free meals especially if you’re time-poor yet want something nourishing and filling. My latest recipe can easily be converted to a slow cooked version by skipping the marinade and placing chicken and your choice of vegetables in your slow cooker, pouring the sauce on top and slowly cooking it for about 6-8 hours on low.

Eating healthily doesn’t mean depriving yourself or eating less, it just means eating better and smarter.  The main ingredients to step away from when crafting a healthy home-made Teriyaki marinade are modified corn starch, sunflower oil, breadcrumbs and supermarket processed Asian sauces which are usually full of preservatives and sugar.  You can still enjoy a robust salty taste with a hint of sweetness from a low sugar, low sodium version, just by including ingredients like wheat free tamari, rice malt syrup and coconut oil.

The benefit of stir-fries is that you can veg them up and showcase seasonal ingredients by including anything you have lying about in your fridge. I used broccoli and red and green capsicum which are high in vitamin A and C, as well as potassium, which is important for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs in the human body. When in doubt just let your healthy ingredients crowd out other ingredients and add lots of greens or colours of the rainbow.

This recipe is a corker for the whole family and the richly infused Teriyaki sauce is a nutrient boosting box and dice sauce which can be used to take dishes up a notch.  Slap it on top of grilled chicken wings or legs for game day snacks or pan fry salmon with it and position on top of a sky high crunchy slaw.

Try my Chicken Teriyaki Bowl, bursting with goodness and vitality and let me know what you think?

Teriyaki Chicken Bowl

Serves 4

Ingredients to make the chicken marinade

• 4 chicken breast fillets cut into bite-size pieces or strips
• 2 TBS wheat free tamari

Ingredients for stir fry

• 11/2 TBS coconut oil
• 2 cloves garlic sliced
• 1 inch ginger grated
• 1 small red capsicum sliced thin
• 1 small green capsicum sliced thin
• 1 small head broccoli chopped
• 1/2 small red chili deseeded and diced fine
• 3 spring onions, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
• 1 TBS toasted sesame seeds

 Yummy Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/4 cup wheat free tamari
• 3 TBS rice malt syrup or sweetener of choice
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 heaped tsp arrowroot flour
• 1 TBS coconut oil (melted)

 Method

• Place chicken in a medium bowl and pour the tamari over the top to cover. Stir if needed.  Set aside for 1 hour to marinade
• Heat a large wok or frying pan over medium heat
• Add 3/4 TBS coconut oil and swirl the pan to coat
• Add garlic, ginger and chicken and cook until lightly browned and cooked through
• Transfer to a bowl and set aside
• Add remaining coconut oil to the pan and then add capsicum, broccoli, chili and spring onions, (reserving some spring onions for garnish) stirring until cooked about 5 minutes
• Meanwhile whisk all sauce ingredients together in a medium jug
• Return the chicken to the frying pan and pour sauce over the top stirring until sauce thickens, about a minute
• Spoon into waiting bowls and top with toasted sesame seeds
• Serve alongside brown rice

Find my recipe books here.

This self imposed exhile has been a great excuse to sip on soupy creations, served warm in tea mugs whilst beavering away.  Today I want to share with you one of my particular favourites.

Although it may not be the ultimate eye candy, consider this soup as a bowl of anti-inflammatory goodness. You don’t need potatoes to herald a comfort factor. The combination of celery and leek brings with it a mellow flavour and creaminess without the use of heavy cream.

Celery is best known for its ability to lower blood pressure, but it also helps protect against inflammation within the digestive tract, and aids in digestion. Combined with leeks, which are high in vitamins and minerals, this recipe is a great option to include when you feel like having a belly good holiday.

Leeks contain kaempferol, a natural flavonol that’s also found in broccoli, kale, and cabbage. Numerous preclinical studies have shown that kaempferol have a wide range of pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anti-osteoporotic, estrogenic/antiestrogenic, anxiolytic, analgesic and antiallergic activities. That’s a lot of big words which basically mean it’s eat it, cause it’s good for you!

This soup is adaptable and can be used as a base for whatever veggies you have hanging about in the fridge.  You can omit the cashews and add one cup of coconut milk instead if you prefer.

Here’s how to create my magically gut healing Celery, Leek and Thyme Soup.

GF, WF, DF, SF, VEG   Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 leek chopped
• 1 1/2 heads celery, sliced into 1/2 cm chunks (Throw in a few leaves too if you’re keen)
• 2 cardamom pods, seeds only
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 2/3 cup cashew nuts
• ½ cup coconut milk

Method

• In a heavy based pan heat oil and add garlic and leek
• Add celery, cardamom and thyme and cook for a further 5 mins
• Add stock and bring to the boil then lower heat and cook until celery is tender
• Remove and place in a blender with cashew nuts and blend until smooth
• Return to pan add coconut milk and warm through
• Ladle into bowls

There are less gentler expungement methods of releasing the sluggishness of winter and enjoying an internal spring clean than dramatic master cleanses.  You don’t need to live off roughage and rabbit food or partake in faddish five day juice detoxes and down slippery elm to enjoy the benefits of healing your gut simply and in your own time.

Here are five simple and effective ways to gently give your gut a good seasonal clean and alleviate gastrointestinal anguish.

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY BALANCE OF GUT FLORA

A healthy gut flora balance should include approximately eighty five percent good bacteria to around fifteen percent bad bacteria. However the modern diet that is high in sugar, carbohydrates, preservatives and additives is the perfect breeding ground for promoting an overgrowth of bad bacteria that will kill off your healthy gut flora very quickly.

Other causes of this imbalance include the intake of modern medicines such as antibiotics, or drinking tap water; which contains chemicals such as fluoride and chlorine. If you suffer from acne, low energy, digestive problems, or low immunity; chances are that you have an imbalance in your gut flora that needs to be rectified.

Cutting down on sugar, increasing your intake of dietary fibre, anti-inflammatory healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil and avocadoes, and increasing antioxidant rich foods will help to eliminate bad bacteria. Probiotic and fibre rich foods and an abundance of fresh vegetables including leafy greens will sweep out bad bacteria from your system and have an alkalizing effect on the magical universe within, promoting a healthy gut flora balance.

REST YOUR TUMMY TWICE A WEEK

It’s not difficult to plant your gut in repair mode pronto.  Giving the digestive system a rest a couple of times a week is not rocket science and it will help to fast track your gut lining rebuilding.  Evidence is stacking up towards the benefits of intermittent fasting.

I don’t agree that you need to “fad fast” with no food at all to promote great gut healing.  On your fasting days you can consume a delicious array of health promoting soups that not only fill you up but provide you with beneficial vitamins and minerals.  It’s important not to fast in an extreme way whereby you fall into the trap of not eating at all and then having free reign the following day to gorge out on too much food.  It will become a counterproductive mind trip and will set you up for failure.

The 5/2 diet recommends limiting calories, on fasting days to 600 for men and 500 for women. This is easily achieved this by consuming a smoothie at breakfast and a couple of bowls of delicious soup at breakfast and dinner, giving you the nutrients you need and healing your gut at the same time.

HEAL AND SEAL YOUR INTESTINAL BARRIER

Healing your gut involves a dual focus: improving the balance of good bacteria in the gut, and healing the intestinal walls to decrease intestinal permeability. By doing this you are allowing the gut to smoothly complete all of the functions required to regulate your entire body, without leaking unwanted toxic substances into the bloodstream; minimizing the risk for various diseases.

The gut barrier’s primary focus aside from transporting and eliminating food and water is to prevent foreign, unwanted substances from entering the body. Therefore the gut barrier must remain strong and healthy in order to perform this function. In our unhealthy modern lifestyle, gut permeability or ‘leaky gut’ is becoming a common problem. This involves the breaking down of the intestinal walls; creating ‘holes’ which allow large protein molecules to escape into the body. Because these substances are not supposed to live outside the walls of the gut, the immune system views them as an invader; mounting an immune response that aims to attack these proteins.

Researchers are now recognising that the integrity of the intestinal barrier is paramount in preventing and healing a range of diseases. Healing and sealing the gut barrier can be done by stocking up on mineral rich bone broths.  My 102 year old grandma (who turns 103 next month) has a wonderful recipe for healing broth which you can consume as a soup or soothing drink or use in any recipe that calls for stock.  Why not try my Celery, Leek and Thyme Soupfrom my eBook Heal Your Gut.

FORGET DOING AND START BEING

Finding peace in a stressed-out, digitally dependent culture may just be a matter of thinking differently.  A plethora of articles on mindfulness have been popping up lately, notably Time Magazine’s homogenised piece and Huff Posts more ‘realistic’ take on what the new revolution actually looks like.

As the mindful revolution grabs media attention and extols its health benefits and virtues across the globe, simply speaking, we can’t discount the fact that anyone can practice mindfulness and meditation wherever they are. There’s no doubt that a peaceful mind equates to a healthy gut. Mindfulness is escaping from our thoughts about the past and the future in order to concentrate, body and mind, on the moment.  It’s the exact opposite to what we normally do, going through our endless tasks, thinking about what we did or didn’t do, worrying about what is still to be done and intently focussing on our to do list.

Food and probiotics alone will not promise a thriving colony of healthy bacteria in your gut. Stress and emotional factors can override even the most perfect diet and wellness practices.  Chronic, long term stress that lingers for weeks is incredibly damaging to your gut health. Stress causes many changes within the gut including changes in gastric secretion, gut motility, mucosal permeability, viscal sensitivity and barrier function.  Savouring the pleasures in life as they occur, helps you become fully engaged in activities, and creates a greater capacity to deal with stress and adverse events that inevitably arise.

REVERSE YOUR NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

Evidence also suggests that our bacteria respond in damaging ways to the negative emotions and stress of the host. The hormones secreted during a stress response contribute to the overgrowth of bad bacteria.  Figuring out what causes your negative thoughts is critical. Is it something that can be controlled? What lifestyle changes or decisions can you make that can remove negativity from your life? Sometimes the answer is not clear and you might need to seek outside help and that’s ok.  Incorporating meditation and yoga into your life may be the key to help you deal with these issues.

It’s become increasingly common for meditation to be combined with psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy. This development makes good sense, since both meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy share the common goal of helping people gain perspective on irrational, maladaptive, and self-defeating thoughts. Reversing negative emotions works in part, by helping you to accept your experiences—including painful emotions—rather than react to them with aversion and avoidance.

 What do you do to spring clean your gut? Share your tips in the comments section below.

SHARE THE LOVE BELOW

Every now and then bloggers get slammed for the disproportionate amount of foodie pictures they carpet bomb across the webosphere.  Photography is one of the main artistic forms that bloggers use to capture their creations.  You’ll find overhead kaleidoscopic stacks of vegetables drizzled with glistening extra virgin olive oil, arranged and seated on a clean white plate.  There’s a sprig of strategically positioned micro herbs, and perhaps a carefully placed napkin, I think you know the shots I’m talking about.

When you think about modern art and art throughout history you may think about the great masters at work. The Renaissance oil painter absorbed in their figurative composition or the impressionist creating his visible brush strokes with natural depiction of light. Art has been used throughout the years to commemorate our very existence, to honour our achievements, disappointments and celebrations, to freeze frame personal memories and to document what we love and what we eat.

What was relevant back in the day and revered is still relevant now in the era of contemporary art although we just use another form to capture it.  Looking at it objectively, our aesthetic hasn’t changed but the tools and technology we use to objectify the moment has.  A still life, is still a still life, a selfie once known as the self-portrait is no different and our holiday snaps are our depictions of a landscape painting.  The only difference today is that we capture them on our smart phones or with the help of a digital camera.

In honour of modern art and our creativity I want to share some of the beautiful artful compositions from our wonderful community that are worthy of being hung in the national gallery.

Here’s to modern art and shaping history our way and long may it continue!

@kiaraible Sweet Pistachio Chicken

@niteskye Tapioca Pancakes

@drinkbalance Supercharged Breakfast Bars

@hellogreathealth Buckwheat Risotto

Paul Cézanne Still Life Basket of Apples

 reproduction via flickriver.com

 Steve Brown Supercharged Food Vegetarian

 @vegan-junkie Pistachio Stuffed Mushrooms

@naughtynaturopathmum Chocolate Truffles

 @erycole Mixed Leaf Seeded Salad

 @christine-dominguez Raw Berry Torte

@Amanda Vella Lentil Soup

Frida Kahlo self-portrait-1922

@janehallisey Sweet Potato Ice Cream

@justasprinkleoflove Cacao Bomb Crackles

@B_Serov Smashed Sardines on Chia and Flaxseed Loaf

Egon Schiele Self Portrait

@karen_cottonstylist Indian Style Cauliflower

@melrosecreative Cardamom Tea

Still Life with Books

@allenandunwin Shelfie

Louis-Henri Foreau Still Life with Books

@Lauren Rose Burke NYC Shelfie

@2014freshstart Shelfie

Thank you for sharing the love! Lee xo

During the seasonal cold weather in Sydney, Sunday has now become my favourite day of the week.  That’s because it’s my batch cooking day, a day I look forward to as I start to become the architect, anticipating and planning my menus for the upcoming week. It’s a cost effective way to cook and eat and by sweeping prodigality under the carpet you can whip up a few recipes in unison using bulk ingredients.

Another highlight of batch cooking day is the need to clean the kitchen only once and alleviate the necessity of constantly preparing meals throughout the week.  I adore the wonderful aromas that waft out of my kitchen as my cast iron pot is simmering on the stove top.

This is a beautiful big-on-flavour chicken casserole I chanced upon last Sunday that I will happily enjoy with my family and friends over the coming week.  The casserole can be added to with spontaneity with any ingredients you may pick up along the way to bulk it out.

I played with a few flavours and spices in this recipe and used sumac which pairs wonderfully with chicken, then added to the spice mix paprika, cumin and turmeric for its powerful anti-inflammatory benefits. It really is a simple and effortless dish to make and one that is enhanced flavour-wise with time.

If you are doing my Heal Your Gut program this casserole can be blended at the final stage for easy digestibility.

I also threw in a combination of green vegetables for iron and fibre then flavoured it up further with an injection of alkalizing apple cider vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme.

To really enhance the texture of the casserole I coated the chicken thighs in almond meal with the spice mix and wrestled and rolled them around until they were completely covered.  By the way mums and dads, in the process I discovered a much healthier version of KFC which you could add brown rice krispies/bubbles to for a crunchy snack for the kids!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 1 brown onion chopped
• 1 heaped tsp cumin
• 1 heaped tsp sumac
• 1 heaped tsp of sweet paprika
• 1 TBS turmeric
• ½ cup almond meal to coat
• 6-8 skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cups green vegetables chopped, I used bok choy, zucchini, spring onion and spinach
• 2 large mushrooms sliced
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 2 TBS wheat free tamari
• 2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon
• 1 litre chicken stock or home-made broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• Celtic Sea Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

• Set oven temperature to 170 degrees Celsius
• In a casserole dish heat one TBS olive oil and add garlic and onion and cook over a medium heat until browned then set aside
• Meanwhile places spices in a small tray or on a plate and stir with a spoon then add almond meal
• Coat the chicken thoughts with the almond and spice mixture
• Heat remaining two TBS olive oil in a frying pan and seal off the chicken thighs over a medium heat then remove and place into the casserole dish with onion and garlic and mushrooms
• Add all vegetables, mushrooms, ACV, tamari, lemon and chicken stock and stir gently and bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 5 mins
• Add thyme and season to taste then place in oven for 30 mins until tender
• Remove from the oven and serve with quinoa

It turns out that sadly, commercially produced health bars are home to inflammatory ingredients such as sugar, partially-hydrogenated oils, soy protein isolate and artificial colours, flavours and preservatives.  And even ones touted as healthy are cereal offenders.  With that in mind, if you do partake, you may as well be eating a Tim Tam!

You don’t need to buy your fuel from a petrol station.  These easy-to-make-at-home wholesome energy bars are one of most popular recipes from my recipe book Eat Yourself Beautiful.  So high in the popularity stakes, it would appear that these little tinkers have also been involved in highly competitive bake offs and come up trumps!

Not to sound too over-confident but I’m quite sure that they would pass bake-off scrutinization well ahead of any crumbling croquembouche or Victoria Sponge oozing with Raspberry Jam.

They glow in the nutrition stakes too, with respectable levels of good fats, zinc, dietary fibre and B vitamins.  Easily transported in your bag for a quick-snatch snack, eaten as a portable breakfast or popped into a lunchbox, there’s no reason to not have them on hand when you need a little somethin’ somethin’.

Nut free? Swap out nuts with seeds such as pumpkin and sunflower and add flaxseed meal in place of almond meal.

If you’re lacking in energy, my healthy breakfast bars will pep you up in no time minus the immune system overload.

Give them a go and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

PS: Have you heard about my new Heal Your Gut eBook yet? Find out more here.

Supercharged Breakfast Bars

Ingredients (makes 8)

• Unsalted butter, or coconut oil for greasing
• 125g almond meal
• Pinch of Celtic sea salt
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 60ml coconut oil
• 60ml rice malt syrup, or sweetener of your choice
• 1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 40g cashews, crushed
• 160g combined flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds
• 40g dried cranberries (optional) no additives

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175°C.
• Grease a 20 x 20 x 5 cm square ovenproof tin.
• Mix the almond meal, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl.
• In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, rice malt syrup and vanilla. Add the almond meal mixture, and mix in the nuts, seeds and cranberries, if using.
• Wet your hands and then transfer the mixture to the tin, using your hands to press down firmly on the mixture.
• Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and cool before dividing into eight bars and serving.

Storage Instructions

• These will keep in an airtight container for seven to 10 days.

Many supermarket brands nowadays just don’t cut it when it comes to healthy ingredients and have limited healing prowess.  You’ll find that even though they claim to be natural on the front of the box, in reality they are watered down versions of the real thing and often produced at high temperatures which eliminates much of the goodness.  On top of that artificial colours, preservatives and MSG can be added along with sugar and high doses of salt.

There’s no need to feel intimidated by making your own broth, although there are hundreds of variations of stock recipes, you can do it very simply and once the preparation is done and you’ve left it bubbling on a low heat until ready for use you can go about enjoying your day.  I have a lovely healing chicken broth recipe I’m going to share with you from my brand new Heal Your Gut e Book.

Soothing and immune boosting broth supports digestion by healing and sealing the digestive tract. You can consume it as a soup or soothing drink or use it in any recipe that calls for stock.

The gelatin found in bone broth in particular is a hydrophilic colloid. It attracts and holds liquids, including digestive juices, to fully support digestion. It’s anti-inflammatory, nutrient dense and contains a rich amount of minerals in an easily absorbable format. It not only contains calcium and magnesium, but also phosphorus, silicon, sulfur and trace minerals. It even contains broken down material from cartilage and tendons such as chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine which are beneficial for arthritis and joint pain. That’s why it is so supportive for people who are suffering with auto-immune or gut issues.

Stephen Rennard, M.D agrees, in an off-beat chicken soup study conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center results showed that “Grandma’s Chicken Soup” as it was affectionately known, reduced inflammation in the respiratory system and improved digestion.

“When I’m gone, out of all the research I’ve done, I’ll probably be remembered most for my research on chicken soup,” Dr. Rennard said.

When making any kind of bone broth it can be easily produced from the bones of beef, lamb, poultry, or fish. Dr Rennard believes that a combination of ingredients in broth work together to have beneficial effects.

For a nutrient boost you can add your favourite vegetables and spices to your liking such as garlic, leeks, carrots, onion, celery, sea salt, pepper, parsley, rosemary, thyme, sage, coriander, and ginger.  I like to add turmeric to my stock too. It’s good to avoid bitter vegetables when making a stock so steer clear of using bitter greens, capsicum, cabbage, kale and broccoli; although these vegetables are healthy, they do not improve the flavour.

Bones can be found at your local butcher, or meat departments of food stores and you can also use bones from roasting a chicken or use a variety of bones together. Some people roast them in the oven for 30 minutes beforehand to get a richer flavour, this is up to you.  Chicken stock can be cooked for up to 24 hours and beef can be cooked longer up to 48 hours.

The addition of apple cider vinegar helps to draw valuable minerals from the bones to boost your bone broth and fast track gut healing.

Supercharged Tip

Homemade Broth can be used as the liquid in making soups, stews, gravies, sauces, and reductions. It can also be used to sauté or roast vegetables or you can enjoy it straight from the bowl!

The best way to store it is in sealed glass jars in fridge, ensuring it cools down sufficiently before you place it in the jars.  You can also store it in the freezer or ice cube trays. Recipes that call for a cup of stock would need about 8 cubes.

Healing Chicken Broth

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 2 chicken feet for extra gelatin (optional)
• 2 litres of filtered water
• 2 TBS freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 large onion chopped
• 3 celery sticks chopped
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Place chicken and chicken feet in a large stainless steel pot with water, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice and all vegetables
• Bring to the boil, and remove foam that rises to the top.
• Reduce heat to the lowest setting and cover and simmer
• After two hours remove chicken meat from bones and set aside
• Return bones to pot and simmer for a further 10 hours or up to 24 hours
• Ten minutes before cooking time has finished add parsley and garlic to increase minerals and anti-fungal properties
• Remove bones with a slotted spoon and strain the stock into a large bowl and refrigerate until fat rises to the top and congeals
• Skim off fat (optional) and place stock in a jar or covered container in your refrigerator or use the storage instructions above

You’ll find more information about the book here Heal Your Gut e Book.

I hope that you’ll enjoy the book, it’s a culmination of my personal quest for healing and everything I have learnt along the way to bring my health back into balance.

It’s an informative, uncomplicated and achievable gut healing protocol which will inspire, motivate and bring about true healing to your body minus the expensive supplements and faddish diet trends.

The natural four week protocol is not scary and honors the body as a whole.  The healing program is divided into four phases for you to follow one step at a time, and in your own time.  What I think you’ll embrace about this book is that it’s not dictatorial and takes you into account as an individual on your own healing pathway.

Heal Your Gut encourages you to work with your natural gut flora in a positive and supportive way, and not fight against it as an unwelcome and unruly opponent.  It provides step by step guidance on how to bring your gut flora into balance with food to achieve optimum and enduring health.

Heal Your Gut features over fifty sweet and savoury recipe inspirations, drawing on whole foods and a kaleidoscopic rainbow of healing ingredients.  There are simple solutions for blood sugar, energy maintenance and gut healing and it covers breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.  There are also delicious snacks and beverages to indulge in.The eBook includes step by step guidelines on how to heal your gut, and gives information on self-love and living with flexibility and not rigidity. It features personalised anecdotes to bring healing closer to home, and demonstrates that healing is truly possible.

The book also connects with the emotional, stress and brain related aspects of gut health.  Recognising the activity of cortisol in the body, meeting the Vegus Nerve, and really learning to belly breathe through fears and worries is just one crucial part to healing from within.

There are chapters covering the gut and immune system connection and the two-way interdependent relationship between the gut and the brain.  The book also covers lifestyle factors which contribute to gut health such as such as cleaning products and beauty products.

This isn’t a book to just read, I urge you to interact with it, print it out and make notes in the margins, scribble on it and make it your own wellness plan. This is your book and I have written it for you. Read more and purchase the Heal Your Gut eBook here.

Here’s a peek at some of the healing recipes to enjoy…

Find out more about the book here.

There’s a growing need for meals that alleviate any languid moods which often accompany winter’s chilly weather. Dishes that really sympathize with your hard day’s work and give you a big cuddle to make you feel nourished and pepped up again are a pre-requisite.

Slow cooked meals gladly fulfill a multitude of duties for you including lessening piles of washing up. All you need to do is invest a measly five minutes of hasty ingredient preparation in the morning, to reap an evening of hearty deliciousness.  I’m a big fan of this slow cooked hot pot recipe and chicken saag and think you will embrace them too, try them out and let me know what you think?

Speaking of slow cooker recipes this week I came across a brilliant new Lemon and Cinnamon Lamb Shank recipe to test out in my kitchen.  Hearty lamb shanks respond well to slow cooking and become even more succulent with time.  This delicious creation is from my friend and fellow blogger Sarah Wilson who blogs over here.

It’s a delicious nutrient dense pot of yumminess and flavour and comes from Sarah’s brand new book The I Quit Sugar Slow Cooker Cookbook. 

The book is a compilation of densely nutritious meals that are affordable and easy for families and solos.  Many of the recipes are fuss free so you can throw meals together in the morning and come home to a hearty meal beckoning you with wonderful aromas spreading through your kitchen.

Slow cookers are versatile too, you can create flavoursome curries and hefty stews or even indulge in hearty breakfasts by adding ingredients into the pot before you go to bed.

The I Quit Sugar Slow Cooker Cookbook also features a delicious selection of cakes ‘n’ puds with oozy-chocolate brownies, light and moist cakes and classic family favourites. Yum!

Slow cookers are economical and easy to use, mine required an investment of $30 and I’ve used it successfully now for over five years.  Dishes really benefit from a slow, gentle heat to really bring out the flavours and as the pot is designed for moist-heat cooking, it produces steam which condenses on the lid, then returns to the pot, making it the ideal cooker for curries, shanks, stews, soups and casseroles.

Supercharged Tip: I always use mine on low for a better result!

And now for the delicious recipe.  Enjoy!

Lemon and Cinnamon Lamb Shanks with a Lemony Gremolata

Serves 6-8

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high

Ingredients

• 4-6 lamb shanks (approximately 1.5kg)
• 1 large brown onion, chopped finely
• 2 large carrots, chopped into 2 cm chunks
• 3 stalks celery, chopped into 2 cm chunks (reserve the leaves, chopped)
• 600g baby new potatoes, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup Chicken Stock
• dash of apple cider vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Lemony Gremolata

Ingredients

• 3/4 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped
• 6-8 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
• grated zest and juice of 2 lemons, or 2 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

What to do:

In The Morning:  Place onion, carrot, celery and potatoes in the slow cooker. Arrange the shanks on top then add the remaining ingredients (except the celery leaves and broccolini) over the lot. Stir a little (no need to mix completely). Put on the lid then cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Before Serving:  In the final 20 minutes, add the celery leaves. Make the Lemony Gremolata by combining all ingredients in a jar and shaking vigorously.

Once you’re ready to serve, remove the shanks and pull the meat from the bones. Serve with the Lemony Gremolata.

Tricky Tip: For a seriously lemony kick add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped preserved lemon when you put all of the ingredients into the slow cooker with the shanks.

Suggested sides:  One serve steamed greens per person (broccolini works well) or Sweet Potato Mash.

India is a controlled and chaotically enriching assault on the senses which has altered my perception on reality forever. I would go as far as to say that it quite literally blew my mind.

There are so many things to love about a place that holds the most wonderfully vibrant and alive cuisine in the world, coupled with an ancient system of healing and what’s not to love about the traditional home of downward dog?

So what was my biggest takeaway from India?

I met a myriad of wonderfully genuine and generous people who I felt had a strong sense of kinship and community, perhaps I noticed it more because I could see people’s dependency upon one another.  And not just the kind of dependency which involved getting a step further ahead in business or a personal advancement.  It was more of a matter of sticking together for the sole purposes of survival.  Being immersed in the human element of India and its people gave me an insight and a sense of perspective that can’t be found on a facebook highlight reel.

What did I learn? 

I learnt that it’s not about living your dream.  It’s about living your purpose.  And for me these two things are very different.  For some people living your purpose may be enjoying a simple, happy and uncomplicated life engulfed in personal meaning. For others it may mean the difference between a job and a calling. For me it is both.

The external chaos of India compels you to explore your internal world, let go of the extrinsic and live in the intrinsic to be able to cope with all that is happening externally, the people with leprosy, the snake charmers, a herd of cows on the road, bustling and beeping traffic and a lack of sanitation.  It makes you try to want to understand more than who you are and what your values are, but what your true purpose on this planet is.  For me being in India meant being comfortable with feeling uncomfortable most of the time which helps you to find your purpose sooner.

Speaking of takeaway, the initial reason for my food safari was an urgent craving to delve into the richness and healing properties of Ayurvedic nutrition and cooking and to sink knee-deep in learning about how to eat right for your constitution or dosha.

One of my first stops was Kerala in South India where I studied Ayurvedic nutrition and a practical cooking course in order to research for my next book, Eat Right for Your Shape!

I’ve always had a soft spot for Indian cuisine in particular curries and pretty much any Saag I can get my hands on, but I hadn’t really experienced the taste of true Indian cuisine until my visit to India. A big attraction of the food for me is that it is mostly vegetarian yet so full of flavour and created with simple ingredients.

One of the simplest and most magical dishes I came across was a Keralite dish called Vegetable Thoran, a dry vegetable curry. It literally only took a couple of bites for me to fall head over heels in love.  Part of the magic of cooking traditional Indian cuisine is that it doesn’t have to be about hunting down specific ingredients to make it authentic in a Western sense, such as powdered garam masala, you can use just a handful of  ingredients at hand to whip this up quicker than you can say; Holy Haryana.

In a nutshell the base ingredients to create a thoran are finely chopped or grated vegetables tempered with mustard seeds and cooked with curry leaves, shallots or onions, freshly grated coconut and spices.  You can use any kind of vegetables that are around, carrots, zucchini, cabbage and you can add chili depending upon your preference.

The absolute key to this dish is in your knife handling skills; to create a carefully chopped and constructed pile of goodness it takes calmness and patience and being in the moment, some other facets of Indian wisdom.

Start with good quality organic vegetables where possible and play around until you get the flavours that work for you.

Vegetable Thoran

• 2 TBS coconut oil
• 1 TBS black mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 inch piece of ginger minced
• 1 small onion chopped fine
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 green chili chopped (optional)
• 1 TBS turmeric
• 8-10 small curry leaves (one sprig)
• 4 carrots grated fine
• 500 gms green beans chopped on angle very fine
• Pinch Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 cups grated coconut
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 TBS filtered water

Method

• Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium-high heat
• Place in mustard seeds and fry until they pop
• Add cumin and continue cooking until the colour changes
• Add ginger and onion and garlic and sauté until translucent
• If using chili pop it into the pan now and cook for a minute
• Stir in turmeric and curry leaves
• Pour in green beans and a pinch of salt
• Stir and cook for a couple of minutes
• Add carrot and stir and cook for another couple of minutes
• Now pour in coconut and stir, season to taste
• Cover the pan with a lid and reduce heat to low and continue cooking until vegetables are soft you may need to add a tablespoon of water here if the mixture is too dry to help the cooking (steaming) process
• Garnish with coriander leaves (optional)

Happy Cooking!  You can check out my recipe books here.