Gluten Free Banana Bread

I don’t know whether it’s the word ‘bread’ but there is a misconception that banana bread is a healthy option for breakfast. In actual fact, you might as well eat cake to start off your day. With lots of sugar and fat and being pretty much devoid of protein and good fibre, banana bread should be seen as a treat, not part of the everyday diet. Yes, the sugar will give a boost in the morning but an hour or so later, the high will wear off and you will be left feeling tired and reaching for coffee and snacks (see my July post on breakfast). However some banana breads are better than others such as those made with very ripe bananas instead of sugar, yoghurt in the place of butter and healthy alternatives to white flour.

The carbohydrate in an unripe banana is mostly in the form of starch, but in a ripe banana, the starch is converted to glucose giving it a much sweeter taste. Therefore, very ripe bananas, the black ones that look like they are ready for the bin, can be used to sweeten banana bread instead of copious amounts of sugar. These are the ones I have used in this recipe so I only need to add a small amount of honey to the mix. But don’t forget, although you are eating natural sugar, it’s still sugar! This recipe also substitutes yoghurt and a small amount of olive oil for butter which reduces the saturated fat content found in many banana breads.

Finally, there are few banana breads out there that cater for wheat free or gluten free diets. I have used a mixture of buckwheat flour and coconut flour, neither of which contain any wheat or gluten. Coconut flour has the highest fibre content of any flour with a staggering 38.5g of fibre per 100g and has a low concentration of digestible carbohydrates. Clinical studies have found that coconut flour lowers the GI of foods when used in baking.


1¼ cup organic buckwheat flour
¾ cup organic coconut flour
1 tsp low allergy baking powder
¼ tsp sea salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped
1½ cups ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup low fat natural yoghurt
2 tbsp honey
2 large eggs
¼ cup olive oil

Heat oven to 180 deg C, mix all dry ingredients together. Mix wet ingredients together and then fold carefully into dry ingredients until combined. Pour into a greased loaf tin and put in the oven for 50 minutes until golden brown. Can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

Healthier crumble with apple, rhubarb and ginger

During my quest to reduce the amount of alcohol in my diet, I have found myself craving sweet carbohydrate substitutes, particularly after eating dinner. A healthier alternative to eating chocolate, lollies or fatty desserts is fruit. Fruit can be made into great desserts, crumble being one of the most popular. Unfortunately, most crumbles are full of saturated fat, sugar and simple carbohydrates, not a combination that should be eaten too often. However, crumble can be a dessert that is full of fibre, high in complex carbs and essential fatty acids and lower in sugar. And it can be wheat free. If you need to sweeten the fruit, you can use agave nectar instead of sugar. Agave nectar is 90% fructose giving it a low glycaemic index. Cinnamon also helps to sweeten fruit without adding calories and it also balances blood sugar levels – important for those with sugar cravings. Ginger gives the fruit a nice twist and has countless health benefits. Instead of using flour, butter and sugar for the crumble, I use oats, nuts, honey and olive oil/butter. This increases the fibre and essential fatty acid content and lowers the GI, unusual qualities in a dessert. It’s a dessert that is healthy enough to be eaten as a snack too. Serve with goats yoghurt.

· Bunch of rhubarb, washed and chopped into 2 inch lengths
· 4 or 5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
· 2 tsp of organic agave nectar
· 2 inch stick of ginger grated
· ½ tsp of cinnamon

For crumble topping

· 1 cup organic rolled oats
· ½ cup of puffed brown rice
· ½ cup of almonds, cashews and seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, poppy) crushed
· 2 tbsp of olive oil or butter
· 1 tbsp of honey

Put the fruit, agave nectar, ginger and cinnamon in a saucepan with a small amount of water, cover and cook until soft. Meanwhile, mix together crumble ingredients. Place stewed fruit into an ovenproof dish and cover with crumble mixture. Bake in the oven at 180oC until golden.

Quick Quinoa Risotto

I love risotto but eat it fairly infrequently because it’s high in simple carbohydrates and often low in protein content. I think of risotto as a treat rather than a staple of my everyday diet. Of course you can make a healthier risotto with brown rice, however, whether you are using white arborio or brown rice, risotto needs lots of time, love and attention. I’m often too busy to offer these cooking qualities in the week so instead I opt for a more protein rich, lower fat and less time consuming quinoa risotto.

Quinoa has a low glycaemic index and is high in fibre and protein (approx 15%). Unusually for a plant, it contains a balanced set of amino acids making it a complete protein and thus a perfect food source for vegetarians.

You can increase the protein content of this meal by serving alongside a piece of poached salmon, trout, white fish or chicken. This protein rich, low fat, complex carbohydrate meal is great for week nights when you are short of time and ingredients. Feel free to substitute for any veggies you have available. I don’t see why this risotto can’t be part of everyday life. Serves around 4 as a side.

· 1 bulb of fennel sliced
· Handful of mushrooms sliced
· Couple of handfuls of spinach
· 2 cloves of garlic chopped
· Fresh chilli – chopped
· 1-2 cups of quinoa
· Chicken stock
· ½ lemon juiced
· 1 tbsp Olive oil
· Salt and pepper
· Parsley

· Optional: drizzle of unrefined brown flaxseed oil to serve

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and fry garlic and chilli for 1 minute. Add fennel, coat with the oil and sauté for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for further 5-10 mins. Add quinoa and mix well. Add a couple of cups of chicken stock and simmer. Stir occasionally and if it becomes dry, add more chicken stock. The quinoa should cook in about 15 minutes and the germ ring will become visible. A few minutes before serving, stir the spinach through the quinoa until cooked. Add lemon juice and seasoning to taste and top with chopped fresh parsley and a drizzle of flaxseed oil.

Back to balance chicken soup

Eating out frequently, together with desserts and glasses of wine and not enough healthy home cooked food often leads to weight gain, lethargy and the need to bring balance back into your life. At times like this, I try to take back control of my diet and weight with a mini detox. By mini detox, I mean giving my body a rest for a few days from fats, sugar and alcohol. This takes stress off the liver and pancreas and helps to shed the recently gained extra kilos.

The problem with detoxing is that you really need to make all meals yourself to ensure you eat a low fat, low sugar and highly nutritious diet. We don’t all have time to make breakfast, lunch and dinner and so at these feeling out of kilter periods, I make chicken soup. Lots of it.

The great thing about this soup is that it has lots of veggies, lots of protein and is low in fat and sugar. The stock also contains silica which improves the structure and function of connective tissue such as skin, hair and nails. It’s easy to make and can be used for lunch or dinner for up to a week.

For variation at each meal, it can be served over different cooked grains/legumes such as lentils, cannellini beans, quinoa, brown rice or pearl barley. Green leafy veggies are great for detoxing the liver but feel free to vary. Instead of adding extra salt to taste, top your soup bowl with a teaspoon of Umeboshi paste. Umeboshi helps to stimulate the liver and kidneys and detoxify the body of toxins.

Try to use organic meat and veg whenever possible.

Stock
· 1 whole organic chicken
· Carrot
· Onion (halved)
· Bay leaf
· 6 peppercorns

Soup
· Tbsp of olive oil
· 2 or 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
· 2 carrots (finely chopped)
· 2 celery sticks (finely chopped)
· 2 onions (finely chopped)
· 2 leeks (roughly chopped)
· Mixture of other green veg/cruciferous veg such as broccoli, kale, spinach, silverbeet, cavalo nero
· 2 x bay leaves
· Oregano
· Macrobiotic salt/unrefined sea salt
· Optional: drizzle of unrefined brown flaxseed oil to serve

In large saucepan, submerge chicken in water (enough water to cover chicken) and add onion, carrot, bay leaf and peppercorns. Bring to boil and then simmer for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Pour chicken stock into separate saucepan and skim fat off the top. Separate chicken meat from the bone removing the fat, chop roughly and set aside.

Heat the oil and throw in the chopped carrot, celery, onion and garlic and sweat on a low heat for 25 minutes. Then throw in rest of vegetables and oregano and stir for few minutes. Add the chicken meat, stock and bay leaves, bring to the boil and then simmer for 45 minutes or less if you can’t wait. Season to taste and add chopped parsley. Serve over choice grains or legumes.

Healing protein smoothie

This smoothie is great for healing the gut of those with IBS or dysbiosis or just for the morning after a big night out. It’s also a great breakfast or post workout snack and can be boosted with a good quality protein powder. You can of course forgo the slippery elm and aloe vera if you don’t feel your gut is compromised.

The fruits can be varied, try to use those in season. I always try to add berries because they contain lots of antioxidants and fibre and have a low glycaemic index. And they taste good! The addition of aloe vera juice and slippery elm powder have a soothing and healing effect on inflamed gut linings. You can make this dairy free by taking out the yoghurt or adding goat/sheeps yoghurt. You can also use oat or almond milk in the place of soy.

· 150ml of Bonsoy milk
· 2 tbsp of low fat organic yoghurt
· Handful of oats (soaked if possible)
· Tsp/tbsp of slippery elm (depending on what you feel works for you)
· 50ml aloe vera juice
· Tbsp linseed meal/LSA/flaxseed oil
· Ground cinnamon
· Optional scoop of good quality protein powder

Combination of two or more of below fruits (depending on what is in season):

· Strawberries
· Blueberries
· Banana to thicken
· Mango
· Pomegranate

Chuck all ingredients into a blender and voila

Organic puffed brown rice muesli with yoghurt, strawberries and cinnamon

It is important to start the day with a healthy and nutritious breakfast that includes complex carbs, protein and good fat. Eating just simple carbohydrates for breakfast (e.g. raisin toast) will leave you hungry after the initial high and grabbing for a snack. You are also more likely to suffer from the mid afternoon craving and lethargy that so many of us experience.

This is one of my favourite breakfasts, its high in B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, complex carbohydrate and protein and low in saturated fat. So many mueslis bought in the supermarket are toasted (high in fat), high in sugar and full of preservatives. I like to know what I’m eating and keep it pretty simple. Raw nuts and seeds can be added, as can linseeds in place of flaxseed oil. Other grains can be used instead of the puffed brown rice such as puffed millet, buckwheat or amaranth. I make a mix of oats and brown puffed rice and any additional seeds at the beginning of the week so I don’t need to make it every morning. Adding cinnamon to breakfast is a great way to sweeten cereals without adding calories. Cinnamon is also fantastic for controlling blood glucose and therefore cravings.

I like to use fruits in season, blueberries are perfect in summer and in winter you can use grated organic apple or top with some stewed rhubarb and ginger.

• 3/4 tbsp of puffed brown rice



• 3/4 tbsp of organic rolled oats



• 150 ml Bonsoy milk



• 3 tbsp of organic low fat natural yoghurt



• 4 Chopped strawberries



• Ground cinnamon



• Tbsp of unrefined brown flaxseed oil drizzled over the top