A Healthy, Wholefood Christmas

November 25, 2014 · 98 Comments

A Healthy Wholefood Christmas!

A wholefood Christmas really doesn’t have to involve loads of time slaving over a hot stove. Who wants to do that in 40 degree weather anyway???

My advice is to keep it simple.

Choose a protein dish, hot or cold, add in a few salads or side dishes and a delicious fresh fruit platter. You can cook and freeze Christmas baking in advance and defrost the night before. Starters can be as simple as a wheel of brie scattered with cherries. Make use of relatives and guests by emailing them the recipe of what they can bring.

Serve up some my Pomegranate, Mint and Lime Fizz and some organic wine and beer (less headaches) and lots of fruity water.

Most of all, relax and enjoy this precious time with family and friends. It doesn’t matter if it’s not all perfect.

Anyway, let’s get into the food, shall we?

Recipes

I have been stalking all my favourite whole food blogs in the last few weeks, trying to rustle up a Christmas menu for us. So, I thought I would share with you some of the amazing recipes with you.

Some I have made before, some are new, but they all have a whole, real food style. I hope you enjoy this bumper list of festive foods.

Please add any links you have for more food in the comments and when you make something, use the hashtag #WholeFoodChristmas so we can all get inspired. ♥

Getting Started

Pear, Brie and Proscuitto Forks

Cucumber Rounds with Salmon and Herbed Broadbean Dip

Half Shell Scallops with Garlic and Herbs

Carrot Hummus

Cashew and Macadamia Cheese Log

White Bean and Almond Dip

Chickpea and Seed Crackers

Easy Seed Crackers

Cured Coconut Lime Fish

Fresh Prawns with Two Dipping Sauces

Red Pepper and Almond Dip

Herbed Labne

Sweet Potato Bites with Guacamole and Bacon

The Main Event

GF Sweet Nutty Stuffed Pork (pictured)

Roasted Savoury Spiced Chicken

Buttermilk and Herb Crispy Chicken

Crispy Skin Roast Pork Belly in the Thermomix

Jamie Oliver’s Pork Belly Roast

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Red Wine Sauce

Roasted Shoulder of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Smoked Salmon and Swiss Cheese Tart

Baked Salmon with Coconut and Ginger Crust

Tomato, Asparagus and Brie Tart

Quinoa Stuffing with Fresh Herbs and Pistachio Nuts

On the Side

Salads

Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad (pictured)

Red Cabbage, Apple and Fennel Salad

Beetroot and Coconut Salad

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Salad

Pomegranate and Maple Spiced Walnut Salad

Strawberry and Avocado Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Watermelon and Cucumber Salad with Coconut and Lime Dressing

Green Bean and Almond Salad

Pumpkin Pear and Pinenut Salad

Cumin Spiced Carrot Herb Salad

Tropical Mango and Rocket Salad

Green Salad with Persian Fetta and Lemon

Roasted Beetroot Salad with Fig and Smashed Raspberry Dressing

Caprese Salad

Beetroot, Apple and Mint Salad

Carrot and Cashew Salad

Lemon Roasted Asparagus with Green Beans and Smoked Paprika Dressing

Pumpkin and Pistachio Couscous

Vegetables

Char-Grilled Brussel Sprouts

Fragrant Baked Carrot Stack

Zucchini Gratin

Quinoa, Pesto and Caramelized Onion

Cauliflower Fried Rice with Tumeric, Ginger and Almonds

Cinnamon Roasted Sweet Potato

Roasted Baby Carrot with Pistachio and Hummus

Spiced Potato Wedges with Oregano, Paprika and Chilli

Something Sweet

Fun Food and Gifts

Fun and Healthy Christmas Food for Kids

25 Homemade Real Food Gifts

Reindeer Food, the NNAM way

Grinch Fruit Kebabs

Watermelon Christmas Trees

Edible Christmas Trees

Cookie Christmas Wreath

Sweets

Healthy White Christmas

Paleo White Christmas Rocky Road

Chocolate Coated Nuts

Macadamia Chocolate Fudge

Crio Mac

Rumballs

Apricot Balls

Healthy White Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate Crackle Christmas Trees

Wheat and Dairy Free Panforte

Desserts

Chocolate Cherry Tart (gluten free, dairy free)

Raspberry Marshmallow Slice

Organic Sisters Festive Slice

Christmas Spiced Semi-Freddo

Raw Cherry Cheesecake

Lemon Custard Tart

Sticky Pecan and Hazelnut Tart

Crustless Macadamia Tart

Torte Caprese with Berry Nougat

Strawberry and Marscapone Tartlets

Cranberry Pear Tart

Cherry Jelly

Bitter Chocolate Cheesecake with Goji and Coconut

Organic Sisters Trifle

Cakes, Puddings and Pies

Cakes

Crio Bru Christmas Cake

Gluten Free Christmas Cake

Healthy Christmas Cake

Pecan Cinnamon Spiced Fruit Cake

Ginger and Molasses Loaf

Gingerbread Cake

Spiced Fig and Ginger Bread

Pumpkin Fruit Cake

Spiced Gingerbread Cake

Moist Fig and Nut Flour Cake

Supercharged Christmas Fruit Cake

Puddings

Paleo Christmas Pudding with Custard

Sticky Vegan Toffee Pudding

Grain Free Christmas Pudding

Gluten Free No Bake Christmas Pudding

The Perfect Custard

Biscuits

Gingerbread House with Marshmallow Snow

Gingerbread Cake Donuts

Christmas Cranberry Bars

Gluten Free Gingerbread Men (pictured)

Healthy Gingerbread Men

Gingerbread Cookies

Gluten Free Spiced Orange Choc Chunk Biscuits

Cardamom, Rosewater and Pistachio Shortbread

Mince Pies

Grain Free Rhubarb Mince Tarts

Gluten Free Mince Pies

Healthy Fruit Mince Pies

Raw Christmas Fruit Pies

Favourite Fruit Mince Tarts

Fermented Fruit Mince Pies with GF Pastry

Merry Christmas!

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

July 28, 2014 · 20 Comments

I have been hankering for something delicious and lemony!

Combined with some yoghurt that needed to be used and inspired by this recipe, I baked a lemon yoghurt cake.

It is dense, moist and very zingy. I really like it and so did the kids!

If you are familiar with orange almond cake, the texture is a bit similar even though it’s made differently.

If you can’t get fine polenta, just process regular polenta a little first in the food processor so your cake isn’t too ‘crunchy’!

If you are dairy free, you can try it with coconut yoghurt and coconut oil, but I can’t make any guarantees.

As usual, I love feedback, so let me know if you make it and how you go. Send me a photo on Facebook!

Lemon Yoghurt Cake

Vital Stats: Gluten free, Refined sugar free

Okay, so this is what you need:

1 1/2 cups organic almonds (or almond meal)

1/2 cup fine organic polenta

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/2 tspn bicarbonate of soda

3 organic eggs

Juice and zest of one organic lemon

3/4 cup organic coconut or rapadura sugar

125g organic butter, cubed and softened

3/4 cup organic greek yoghurt

Okay, this is how you do it:

Preheat the oven to 170° celsius and line a round, deep cake tin with non-toxic baking paper.

Thermomix:

Whack the almonds in thermy and blitz speed 7 for 10-15 seconds to make almond meal.

Throw in the rest of your ingredients and mix, speed 5 for 20-30 seconds until all ingredients are well combined and the batter looks smooth.

Fling into the cake tin and into the oven for 45 minutes or until cooked through. Cool on a wire rack and use a serrated knife to cut. It can be eaten slightly warm.

Non-thermomix:

Use almond meal and process all ingredients in a food processor until combined.

HOT TIP: This is delicious served with cream, custard or more yoghurt. If you can’t get fine polenta, give it a whizz in the thermomix or food processor before you start.

Want more lemon recipes ??

10 Zesty Lemon Recipes

Healthy Chocolate Muffins!

January 8, 2014 · 39 Comments

My gorgeous daughter has done it again.

She has a love affair with chocolate and created these babies, inspired by a recipe at Elana’s pantry.

They are sooooo good! Lovely and moist with lots of chocolatey flavour.

You can ice them with whatever you like, but they really don’t need it.

DID YOU KNOW? coconut flour has the highest amount of dietary fibre than any other flour!

Healthy Chocolate Muffins

Vital Stats: grain free, gluten free, nut free, naturally sweetened

So this is what you need:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup organic cacao powder

1/2 teaspoon good quality salt

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

6 organic eggs

1/2 cup macadamia or coconut oil (should not be solid)

1 cup honey or sweetener of your choice

So this is how you do it:

Preheat oven to 190° celsius.

Line a 12 cup muffin tray with baking papers. (I like using the If You Care range – there are no toxins!)

Put the dry ingredients in the thermomix and whizz on speed 5 for 10 seconds.

Add the wet ingredients and whizz on speed 4 for 10 seconds until just combined.

Chuck into the muffin papers and cook in the oven for about 25 minutes or until cooked through.

Don’t let the mixture sit too long, the coconut flour doesn’t like it and you will end up with dry, tough muffins.

Non thermomix instructions: Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in the other. Combine gently.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do! Let me know how you go with them.

Want more? Try these other recipes:

Rich Chocolate Cake

Beetroot and Strawberry Brownies

10 Healthy Muffin Recipes

Six Healthy Birthday Cakes

Rich Chocolate Cake

August 21, 2013 · 22 Comments

I was so proud of my girl (age 12) for making this cake all by herself. She found a recipe, adapted it, thermified it, Aussified it, cooked it, iced and decorated it when I was out one day. I came home to chocolate cake heaven.

When I tasted it, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was! So moist, so chocolately! Then I found out the recipe had ….(wait for it)……10 eggs!!

Okaaaaaay. A special occasion cake or a cake for people with lots of chooks. But when I mentioned it on Facebook, you were all keen for the recipe, so here it is. Inspired by this one at Elena’s Pantry.

The Natural New Age Girl’s Rich Chocolate Cake.

Vital Stats: gluten free, grain free, nut free, vegetarian, naturally sweetened

Okay, so this is what you need:

10 organic, free range eggs

1 cup virgin, organic coconut oil

1 1/2 cups organic honey (or use maple syrup)

3/4 cup organic coconut flour

1/4 cup organic cacao powder

1 teaspoon pink himalayan salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Okay, so this is how you do it:

Preheat your oven to 160° celsius.

In your thermomix (speed7, 20 seconds) or food processor or by hand, whizz the eggs, oil (melted), honey and vanilla essence.

Using a sifter over the top of the thermomix or bowl, whack in the dry ingredients.

Mix together (thermomix reverse speed 5, 30 seconds) until well combined.

Pour into a large, deep, round cake tin, about 23cm diameter. I always line them with the If You Care baking paper.

Bake for 60-80 minutes or until the middle is firm.

You can also cook in two cake tins and reduce cooking time to about 40 minutes.

Leave in the pan to cool.

Icing:

My clever girl used a tub of cream cheese (don’t get the low fat ones, they have yucky fillers), honey and cacao powder. In quantities ’till it tasted good’ she tells me! Check out my other healthy icing ideas.

Decorate with fresh strawberries and enjoy!

Do your kids bake cakes?

Six Healthy Birthday Cakes

March 4, 2013 · 56 Comments

Six Healthy Birthday Cakes

The cake is always the star of a birthday party, especially for kids!

Making a home-made cake means you can control what’s in it, it won’t cost you an arm and a leg and has the special ingredient – mum love! ♥

Check out these six fabulous ideas for healthier birthday cakes. I personally think they are yummier than the sweet, sickly rich cakes.

If you want a bigger cake, double the recipe and stack two on top of each other or bake in a large rectangular pan.

I also have some healthy icing and decoration options for you.

Healthy Chocolate Birthday Cake (aka Sonia’s Chocolate Yoghurt Cake)

Easy Healthy Cake by Georgia at Well Nourished

Strawberry Cake by Tash at Fur Kids and Food.

Chocolate and Beetroot Birthday Cake by Jude Blereau at Whole Food Cooking

Gluten-Free Thyme and Lemon Cake with Vanilla Bean Frosting by Kelly Gibney

Grain, dairy and refined sugar free birthday cake by Urban Poser

Fresh Fruit Watermelon Cake by Apron Strings

You might also like to try my Rich Chocolate Cake, Banana Breads, Coconut Hummingbird Cake or the Crio Bru Chocolate Fruit Cake.

Can you tell I love cake?

♥ Healthier Icing

Icing or frosting usually is a heap of icing sugar! Tasty but not so healthy! Here are some other options that still taste great but are a bit healthier.

Gooey Chocolate Icing

Raw Chocolate Glaze

Coconut Cream Whip

Paleo Chocolate Frosting

Chocolate Avocado Mousse

Cream cheese with honey

Fresh organic cream

Marscapone cheese mixed with pureed berries and honey to taste

Avoid food colouring if you can – that’s where all the nasty additives hide. Source some natural food colourings like Hoppers just make your own natural food colourings.

To make an easy chocolate icing, add a couple of spoons of raw cacao, Superfoods for Kidz Berry Choc Chunk powder or melted dark chocolate and mix with cream, cream cheese or whipped coconut cream.

♥ Healthier Cake Decorations

Fresh fruit is always a winner. Use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.

Hoppers make a range of natural sprinkles that are free from artificial colours and flavours

Chopped nuts

Fresh flowers

Bliss balls

Natural Confectionery Company lollies (still sugar but there is no artifical stuff)

Organic Times Gems (a healthier Smartie)

You can also decorate with non-edible items like toys (just take them off before you eat!). A couple of my kid’s favourite cakes have been a dolly varden, a cake with Bob the Builder toy and bulldozer and a cake with a Steve Irwin doll, plastic trees and a few Natural Confectionery Company crocodiles!

Sparklers are not so great as the metal flakes they give off are not safe to ingest. If you want to use birthday candles, beeswax are the safest option.

I would love to hear your ideas and tips for making a healthier birthday cake. You can upload your photos to my Facebook Page, Natural New Age Mum.

Pin Me!

Coconut Hummingbird Cake – Thermomix

February 6, 2013 · 24 Comments

This gorgeous recipe popped up on my Facebook newsfeed before Christmas and I just had to make it. Hummingbird cake is one of my all time favourites and until now, I had never seen a grain-free, gluten-free recipe for it.

This Coconut Hummingbird Cake recipe is the brainchild of the amazing Allison at Frisky Lemon Nutrition. Check out her webpage and facebook. I tweaked it a little and Australiafied and thermomixified it. (They are so real words!)

Allison decorated hers with a lovely cream cheese frosting and pecans, but this was all eaten before I even got the chance to get that far! I think it would be lovely with some coconut cream frosting. It is truly delicious and one of our family’s firm favourites. I hope you like it as much as we do.

Coconut Hummingbird Cake

Vital Stats: Grain Free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Okay, this is what you need:

3/4 cup coconut flour

1 tablespoon organic cinnamon (I use Planet Organic brand)

1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt

1 teaspoon of bicarb soda

10 sulphur-free dates

1 tablespoon organic apple juice concentrate (AJC)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup organic,virgin coconut oil

6 organic eggs

2 ripe organic bananas

1 can of Ceres organic pineapple *

1 cup organic walnuts (or pecans)

3 tablespoons filtered water

Okay, so this is how you do it:

* Set your oven to 180 degrees celsius and line a deep, round cake tin with baking paper.

* Chop the nuts in the thermomix, speed 5 for 2-3 seconds. Set aside.

* Chuck the dates in the thermomix with 3 tablespoons of filtered water. Cook for 2 mins on 100 degrees, speed 1. Whizz on speed 8-9 to make a paste. Cool in the thermy.

* Fling in the AJC, chopped bananas, eggs, vanilla, coconut oil, drained and chopped pineapple and whizz on speed 4 until well combined and pineapple is crushed- about 10 to 20 seconds.

* Whack into the thermomix the flour, bicarb soda, nuts and salt. On REVERSE, mix on speed 3 for 20 seconds until thoroughly combined.

* Pour into cake tin. Bung it into the oven and cook for 45 mins to one hour or until set. Cool on a wire cake rack.

For non-thermomix instructions, please refer to Allison’s recipe here. I hope you love this Coconut Hummingbird Cake!!

Are you a fan of hummingbird cake?

*I found these canned Organic Pineapple Chunks in a BPA free can. I keep a couple in the pantry for recipes.