Gut-friendly Prebiotic Guacamole

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’ll be happy to never see another Easter egg (and definitely happy for my kids not to!) for at least another 12 months. By Easter Sunday I generally can’t bear to see any more recipes for delicious chocolate fudge cakes, and I start craving anchovies on buttery garlic bread. This year, Easter Sunday also fell on my son’s 7th birthday, so we had the double-whammy of ice-cream cake too!

Anyway, this guacamole doesn’t have any anchovies (although I might give that a try sometime…), but it’s a good ‘re-set’ dip to keep in the fridge for meals and snacks, with lots of veggies, good fats, and prebiotic fibre.

We hear all about probiotics in health and wellness land, the good bacteria for our gut, which are found in yoghurt, kefir and other fermented products – and the food industry has jumped all over the marketing opportunities. But we rarely hear about prebiotics. In his book ‘The Clever Guts Diet’, Dr Michael Mosley discusses the importance of prebiotic fibre. This is plant fibre the body cannot digest, but which acts like ‘fertiliser for the gut’, laying the foundations so that the good bacteria can thrive.

Maybe gut fertiliser just isn’t as sexy to sell. 😉 Continue reading →

Fiery Dragon Eggs (aka baked avocado eggs with chilli salsa)

It’s Game of Thrones season! Woohooooo. GoT is one of my favourite TV shows (probably my most favourite, to be honest); so I was pretty stoked when fellow nerd Marisa, of Miss Marzipan, started a three month Food of Thrones feature over on Instagram (see #foodofthrones2016). Although she initially invited foodie Instagrammers to make GoT themed dishes in the lead-up to the season premiere (check out her You Know Nothing Jon Snow Cone), a bunch of us got REALLY EXCITED – so Marisa decided to continue it throughout the season. 😀 Each week, she sets a theme for people to contribute to, and she will be developing an eBook at the end featuring some of the vegetarian meals. This will be downloadable after a small donation to charity. Continue reading →

Sweet or Savoury Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles

I love waffles. What’s not to love? Slightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, fun to eat – with all those little grooves to catch the delicious toppings. As a parent I also like them because they’re easy to make. I don’t often have the patience for pancakes – all that flipping, and waiting around for bubbles to appear, while my children claw at my legs. So much standing around, and waiting, and being clawed at. The waffle iron, on the other hand, does all the work, which gives me time to do other things. Like eat waffles.

I’ve written before about my love for sweet potato. I first came across its use in sweet dishes in Well Nourished’s Berry Nice Brownies, and I also developed a recipe for Sweet Potato Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese and Candied Pecans. But these Sweet or Savoury Spiced Sweet Potato Waffles are my new favourite. I’ve been testing them out for weeks, much to the delight of my boys (husband included!), including trying out gluten-free and dairy-free variations, which are included at the end of the recipe. They are versatile and complement sweet and savoury toppings. Eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! The waffles are completely sweetener-free, as I prefer to add sweetness to the toppings. Continue reading →