If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know I have a passion for healtha-fying traditional recipes and making them kid-friendly. In fact, I’ve got a whole book dedicated to it called Supercharged Food for Kids.

If you’re trying to add more apple cider vinegar to yours, your kids or your neighbour’s diet, but can’t stand the taste, you may want to give my gummies a whirl. They're one of the many delicious recipes from my latest book, Supercharge Your Gut. 

It was great being able to drop into Booktopia HQ yesterday and sign hundreds of books, it's safe to say I may have writers cramp for a few days but I have picked up some brand new calligraphy skills to add to my resume!

If you can't wait to get your hands on a copy, the wonderful people at Booktopia are stocking these signed copies which are available right now at the special price of only $27.95. You can pick one up here.

Now that we’re done with a little shameless plug, it’s time to get down to business. And by business, I mean Apple Cider Gummy Bears Business. It's serious stuff, you know!

Apple cider vinegar is seriously good for our health. It can help tackle colds and flus, tame troubled tummies, ease a scratchy throat, control blood sugar levels and even boost weight loss. It has beautiful probiotic enzymes to help balance gut bacteria, improve nutrient assimilation and balance pH levels.

When I’m talking about apple cider vinegar, I mean the real thing. NOT the sweetened and sparkly apple ciders kids are drinking these days. The REAL variety of apple cider vinegar is unfiltered and contains the ‘mother’ of all ingredients – the mother! Most  apple cider vinegars out there have had this crucial ingredient removed and are heavily processed, so make sure you find one that’s got it all intact like this one here.

I'll be the first to admit it, while apple cider vinegar sounds great for our health, it isn't usually the most palatable of ingredients to kids (and pretty much everyone else out there too... if your friend says they LOVE apple cider vinegar, they're probably lying). This is why I’ve combined it with a gut-healing guru, gelatine, and some natural apple juice to make these gummies yummy and good for the tummy!

Gelatine does all the heavy lifting when it comes to gut health! It helps to seal the lining of the gut that's often been opened by various factors such as poor diet and stress. Gelatine can also improve the strength of our digestive system and enhance the secretion of gastric acids to help us break down food, making it easier for us to absorb all the nutrients we're eating! If you're trying to improve your bowel movements (sorry for the possible TMI), gelatine is your gut ninja as it absorbs water which keeps the digestive tract running with fluid and so, promotes good intestinal transit time and healthy bowel movements. Woo-Poo! 

If you're ready to have some seriously devoted healthy gummy fans, you have to give my Apple Cider Gummy Bears a try.

Apple Cider Gummy Bears

Makes about 12

Ingredients:

• 250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) apple juice (no added sugar)
• 60 ml (2 fl oz/164 cup) apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons powdered gelatine

Method:

• In a small saucepan, warm the apple juice and vinegar over medium heat.
• When it starts to bubble, remove from the heat.
• Sprinkle the gelatine on top and whisk briskly until dissolved. Strain.
• Pour into teddy bear moulds, or other moulds of your choice, or into a small lined baking tin.
• Refrigerate for 1–2 hours, or until set.
• Turn out of the moulds, or cut into small squares to serve. The gummies will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for 1–2 weeks.

SUPERCHARGED TIP:

For my vegetarian friends, you can now have you gummies and eat them too! To make Aloe Vera Gummies, replace the vinegar with aloe vera juice.

For Vegetarian Gummies, simply heat up 350 ml (12 fl oz) aloe vera juice in a saucepan, add 1/2 tsp agar-agar powder and stir to dissolve. Agar agar is a flavorless gelling agent, derived from cooked and pressed seaweed.

Continue stirring for a couple of minutes. When the mixture starts to boil, remove from the heat, add some liquid stevia, vanilla extract, chopped mint or whatever spice you like — even berries would be nice!

Pour into an ice-cube tray. Top with shredded coconut if you like, then refrigerate for about 1 hour, or until set.

Inflammation.

What does the word even mean?

We’ve all heard the term inflammation before – whether it’s a stiff joint, achy back, fever or stomach issue, many of us at some point in our lives have experienced it too. Mild inflammation is normal and can be good, showing that your body’s natural defences are working properly. 

For example, let's say you're walking or doing some kind of activity and you fall over, hurt your knee and it starts to swell, that's inflammation in action! Basically, what's happening is your body senses the pain, rushes blood to the site and antibodies are produced which causes swelling to occur. Inflammation here is part of the healing process and it's something we require. 

However, when the body starts to overreact to causes of harm, inflammation can be an issue. Inflammation can have a much bigger impact on our bodies than we realise. It has the potential to spread throughout the body, spiral out of control and cause a whole list of health conditions like arthritis, IBS and more!

Houston, we have a problem. 

More often than not, in cases of inflammation, doctors prescribe anti-inflammatory medication which when taken long-term can have unwanted side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, ulceration and liver or kidney problems. In typical Supercharged Food fashion, one way to alleviate inflammation is by looking at what's on your plate. Taking a more natural approach to reducing inflammation through diet can play a HUGE role in reducing inflammation in the body.

Today I'm sharing some of my key ingredients for reducing inflammation;

Let's start with fibre. By eating lots of fibre-rich fruits, like fruit, vegetables and well prepared whole grains; we can help to reduce inflammation. The aim is to eat about 25 grams of fibre per day.

Some of my favourite vegetables high in anti-inflammatory properties include onion, garlic, peas, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. However, these foods can cause bloating and flatulence in some people so test out small amounts before going full steam ahead.

An easy way to enjoy lots of anti-inflammatory veggies is to sneak them into a hearty soup. Try my  Oven-Baked Veg and Garlic Soup or you might like to the gorgeous Anti-inflammatory spring pea soup down below.

Spice it up! There are so many anti-inflammatory herbs and spices you can use in your everyday cooking to reduce inflammation. Turmeric and Ginger are great. Ginger contains anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial compounds, which block inflammation-producing genes. Whilst the golden hued-spice that’s taken the health world by storm doesn’t need much of an introduction. Turmeric shuts down inflammation in the body and can help prevent liver disease and take care of joint problems.  If you’re in need of these two spices in your life, why not make my Golden Gut Oatmeal Cookies or Turmeric Fudge? Both of these magical spices can be found in a delicious and ready-to-go form in my Golden Gut Blend.

If you're looking at lowering inflammation levels, be sure to cut down on refined sugar, processed foods and trans fat as much as you can. These all increase inflammation in the body. When you’re looking to cut out trans fats, look for their secret code word -  hydrogenated!  Hydrogenated is commercial talk for trans fats. Producers sneak it into vegetable oils, cookies and some margarines, and they can be cleverly disguised. Trans fats can cause toxicity, increase blood pressure and of course, increase inflammation in the body.

Never know what oil to buy at the shops? Do you sometimes want to omit it altogether? The truth is, our bodies NEED fat to function properly, so it’s important to choose fats with benefits. Extra virgin olive oil and extra-virgin coconut oil contain anti-inflammatory properties and a good option for everything – from stir fries, baking vegetables or salad dressings, they have multiple uses and add a delicious taste to everything.

My next suggestion is to become acquainted with Omega-3 fatty foods. I'm talking walnuts, chia seeds and fish such as salmon. Chia seeds are more than fancy little superfood seeds that make delicious puddings (although, that’s a pretty good function on it’s own for breakfast on rush hour mornings!). Chia seeds help to reduce spikes in blood sugar which decreases bodily inflammation. Delicious recipe to try is my Chia and Berry Overnight Breakfast Jar.

If you're a fan of fish and looking for a delicious oceanic dinner, salmon is absolutely brimming with Omega-3's! My Smoked Salmon Living Lentil Bowl will have you swearing by omega-3's everyday. 

While inflammation can cause a huge impact on the body, we don’t necessarily need to seek out pharmaceutical remedies all the time, and natural remedies are available in the kitchen. By monitoring the food you eat and adjusting what you eat accordingly, you can be assured that you’ll be helping to reduce inflammation in your body with every mouthful of these key ingredients.

To get you started on your anti-inflammatory way, I’m sharing my Spring Pea Soup. Peas contain dietary fibre and antioxidants so they reduce inflammation AND encourage healthy gut bacteria. They’re also low in calories but high in protein, antioxidants and micronutrients. 

Pass the Peas, Please!

Anti-inflammatory spring pea soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil or ghee
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 litre vegetable stock (preferably home-made)
• 700 g peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• handful of mint, chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
• handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• sunflower seeds, toasted in a dry frying pan, to serve

Method:

• Heat the coconut oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
• Add the stock, increase the heat to medium and bring to the boil.
• Add the peas and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender (frozen peas need half that cooking time).
• Add the lemon juice, herbs, spices, salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
• Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, then purée to your preferred consistency in a blender or food processor.
• Serve sprinkled with sunflower seeds and topped with extra mint and parsley leaves.

Enjoy this beautiful spring soup and let me know if you love it as much as I do in the comments section below.

It’s been a long and laborious day at the office. You’re already peeved because you had to stay overtime to finish up some work. This means you’re coming home late to a messy house, hungry tummies and a glaringly empty fridge, standing there staring back at you.

You’re oh so tempted to dial in a cheap takeaway but your internal dialogue is torn. Then again, you’re way too tired to prepare a gourmet, organic three-course meal for you and the whole family. To even think about what to make feels like way too much hard work! Still you want to enjoy a healthy meal with all the right nutrients, but without a lot of effort required on your part.

Sound familiar?  If this feels like you, I'm giving you a chance to win the internal debate with two deliciously simple fish recipes from my book Fast Your Way to Wellness. I don’t want you to have to do one ounce of thinking, or over preparing for your meal to appear on the table in a flash.

These are a couple of my favourite go-to weekend recipes that have come to my rescue on many occasions during an "I-need-something-tasty-and-fast" crisis.

What I love about these recipes is that they’re super simple, healthy and don’t take more than 25 minutes each. The first one is the ultimate dinner winner!

Sautéed scallops with mushrooms and spinach

If you’re looking for something light for a dinner for two, this is a great recipe that not only tastes delicious, but also can be on the table in ten minutes.  Shellfish such as scallops are a beautiful source of fat-soluble vitamins, especially vitamin D. Always buy shellfish fresh from your local fishmonger and eat as soon as possible.

Serves 2

179 calories per serve (749 kJ)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 200 g (7 oz/10 small) scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 140 g (5 oz) mixed mushrooms, whole or sliced
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 200 g (7 oz) baby English spinach leaves
• Splash of apple cider vinegar
• Chopped parsley or rosemary sprigs, to serve
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat.

Season the scallops with salt and pepper, sear in the pan for 1–2 minutes on each side, until golden brown, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, thyme and oregano to the pan, then cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and apple cider vinegar, then cook for 1–2 minutes, until the spinach just begins to wilt.

Return the scallops to the pan and cook for 1 minute to heat through.

Serve topped with the parsley or rosemary and with lemon wedges on the side.

When you crave a lazy weekend and want to bring the fancy cafe Buddha bowl into the comfort of your own home, here's your go to recipe.  A bowl overflowing with protein-rich, and low cost lentils, chlorophyll-filled greens and deliciously smoked salmon brimming with omega-3s will provide a lunch of stately standards.  Whilst the lentils are cooking you can take off your shoes and put your feet up on the couch, then all you need to do is serve it up and add your other elements.

For those of you who find lentils hard to digest and you want to gain maximum nutritional value and make them more digestible, you can sprout them by placing them in a fine-mesh sieve or a sprouting jar and rinsing a few times a day for 2 days before you cook them. The lentils will grow little tails! Now there's a great weekend project.

Smoked salmon living lentil bowl

Serves 2

181 calories per serve (758 kJ)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small brown onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 50 g (13/4 oz) brown lentils, rinsed
• 375 ml (13 fl oz/11/2 cups) chicken stock or filtered water
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 handful coriander (cilantro), chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
• 100 g (31/2 oz) baby English spinach leaves
• 100 g (31/2 oz) smoked salmon
• 35 g (11/4 oz/1/2 cup) snow pea (mangetout) sprouts
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic and ginger, then cook for 3–4 minutes, until softened.

Add the lentils, stock or water and cumin.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the lentils are tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Stir through the coriander and capers.

Arrange all the ingredients in serving bowls, then season with a grind of pepper (if using) and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Enjoy your weekend 

Lee xo

I'm going back to the future.

I love blogging and sharing my food adventures with you.

And you sharing right back.

It's what Supercharged Food is all about and why I started blogging in the first place.

So, I’ve decided I’m going back to basics.

You know, when the blogger make a recipe at home in their kitchen, away from the hullabaloo that is life?

Forget FaceTime! Let's get back to face to face time.

Say hello to good old-fashioned, simple Supercharged food blogs.

Here’s the first…

Curate your date night with my Oven Baked Veg and Garlic Soup with Toasted Seeds.

Whether you’re facing first-date butterflies and you want to seriously impress your first date or, you want to make your long-time partner feel a little more special, this SOUPercharged recipe is sure to do the trick. 

Get changed out of your tracksuit pants and throw on your fanciest get-up because date night at home need not be casual!

You don’t need a specific day to show someone you love them. Sometimes love can come through in the simplest of gestures - like making a warming pot of soup with some candles and soft tunes to gently sway to on the couch. 

This baked veg soup is husband-approved and absolutely fool-proof. You can even throw it together while you're getting home from a long day. It's sure to warm you both up from the inside out. 

So, what makes this soup so soupercharged? The cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower, can help fight inflammation because it's rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Whilst garlic can help lower cholesterol and combat heart disease!  Who knew healthy eating could be so sexy?

Don't forget the seedy topping! Seeds are rich in  zinc - a crucial but often forgotten mineral that helps with growth, immunity and can even improve our skin.

And of course, the best part of having a date night at home is what happens after dinner...... 😉

Get your head out of the gutter - I'm a food blogger after all! 

I'm talking about DESSERT. 

Be sure to try out my love heart chocolates. These indulgent delights, with their special smooth and velvety texture and chocolaty buttery taste, are melt-in-your mouth good.  

You'll wonder why you ever made reservations in the first place...

Oven Baked Veg and Garlic Soup with Toasted Seeds

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cauliflower cut into florets
• 2 zucchinis chopped into cubes
• 1 carrot chopped into cubes
• 1/2 bulb garlic unpeeled (about 6 cloves)
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• Pinch chili flakes
• 1 knob butter or 1 tbs olive oil
• 500gms veg or beef stock
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tbs wheat free tamari
• 1 tsp ginger grated

Top with:

• 1/4 cup toasted seeds
• Fresh coriander

Method:

Heat oven to 240 degrees Celsius

Place veg and garlic on a baking tray and splosh with olive oil then add spices and stir to coat

Bake for 25 to 30 mins

Once ready heat butter/oil in heavy based saucepan

Squeeze garlic into pan and break up with a wooden spoon

Place veg into pan and stir

Add stock and remaining ingredients and stir then bring to the boil and reduce heat place on lid and simmer for 10 mins

Ladle into bowls and top with toasted seeds and fresh coriander

It's time fire-up those kettles into full gear, keep the soup spoon handy and pull the fluffiest blanket out from the back of the cupboard – winter is here!

Winter is a time of hibernation, where we crave comfort foods and warming drinks. But we're usually so busy keeping warm, we tend to spend more time eating, less time cooking and even less time working out - which inevitably adds to that extra winter pudge! (Hello... Love Your Gut powder!)

But it's important to keep in mind that winter is also one of the best times of year to stock up on those essential nutrients and eat healthy.

My winter menu generally rotates between comforting soups, spicy stews, crispy stir fries, perfect porridges and spiced teas - all of which can be packed full of nutritional whole foods. Curries and stews are perfect for packing in your veggies and protein, but the misconception is that these delicious wintery meals take a lot of time to cook.

Enter your new best friend: the slow cooker!

Basically, a slow cooker does all the hard work for you, and they're easy to clean - which I know will have most home cooks cheering! If you're time-poor in the evenings, find some slow-cooker recipes - lamb shanks, curries and stews are perfect - throw the ingredients into the cooker, and it'll be ready for you at dinner time. 

I must admit that sometimes, I like to let my inner-Nigella free and venture into the kitchen for some secret midnight snacking!

This is an activity that is totally okay by me... just not something that should happen every single night -  especially when it often involves sugar-laden treats that can often leave your tummy feeling uncomfortable, your blood sugar levels sky high and your brain over wired.

So, what to do? Go for the celery stick instead? This moment is one that many people are often plagued with and a time when you might start to question all of the food decisions you’ve ever made up until this point. 

I know I’m not the only one who partakes in such activities and so, I thought I'd make myself useful and create something that is okay for an anytime treat. This is a recipe that you can keep in your freezer when hunger cravings strike. It's my favourite gut loving and satiating Turmeric Tummy Bark.   These fine chunks of goodness will satisfy your sweet cravings, keep you feeling happy and leave your tummy feeling fine. 

This delicious bark is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, refined-sugar free, nutritious and super scrumptious. I've made sure that it's packed with all the good stuff; turmeric, slivered almonds and my insta-famous Love Your Gut powder. Just one bite will leave you feeling better, rather than worse after you’ve eaten it, and that to me is a treat worth waiting for.

There’s only one word I can use to describe this one pan meal from my brand new cook book Fast Your Way to Wellness and that is Delicious!  

I cannot tell you how many times a good old one-pan has rescued me from the potential stress of last-minute dinner guests, and tired weeknights where it would be ever-so-easy to order in.

With a kitchen filled with plenty of veg and a variety of proteins, herbs and spices, there’s always the possibility of a creative and delicious one-pan that will satisfy the belly and nourish your body.

This particular meal is of the seafood variety, so it’s perfect for warmer days, and a great way to tick off your fish quota for the week.

Interestingly, in all my years of studying, researching, reading, and searching for supercharged foods, seafood has recurred as one of the most healthful ingredients humans can fill their bodies with. Studies show that people who consume fish regularly have a lower risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death from heart disease. More studies have shown that people who serve fish up on their plate have lower rates of cognitive decline, and scientists believe that it may increase grey matter in the brain, protecting it from age related degeneration. Grey matter is the stuff that acts as the major functional tissue in your brain; containing the neurons that are responsible for storing your memories, processing information, and basically making you human!

Fish is a dream to cook with, as it provides protein in a lighter form, it digests beautifully, is versatile, and is high in one of my most highly adored nutrients for inflammatory conditions: omega 3 fatty acids.

Fish oils are one of your best whole food sources of anti-inflammatory fatty acids. There are two types of these fatty acids in fish oil; EPA and DHA. These guys are total legends, as they inhibit the signals of inflammation within the body.

Lose weight, supercharge your energy and feel great with my brand new cookbook!

I’d love to introduce you to my latest book; one that is so close to my heart and part of my own weekly lifestyle. It’s called Fast Your Way to Wellness and it’s fast becoming my favourite book (please don’t tell the others). You can order a copy over here.

I like to think of the new book as one that can be read in conjunction with my bestseller Heal Your Gut; you can think of it as your very own all-in-one fasting resource. It’s the perfect read for everyone – from the fasting newbie to those who are committed to their own fasting regimes or even for the fasting curious.

Intermittent fasting, meaning a calorie reduction for two days a week, is scientifically proven to help you lose weight and improve your overall health. I want to show you how fasting can fit in with your lifestyle, how you can eat abundantly using real foods for fasting, and how you can enjoy your food too!  The most important thing is that you can fast on wholefoods and make it a healthy fasting day instead of reaching for low calorie junk food.

As I’m sure you’re aware by now, I’m all about good gut health! If you want to feel your best physically and emotionally (and let’s be honest – who doesn’t?) gut health is key. Eating fibre rich veggies, digestible foods and sipping on delicious drinks and smoothies are all amazing ways to keep your gut health at bay but sometimes, your digestive system also needs a bit more of a rest.  This is where intermittent fasting comes in. Intermittent fasting gives your body some time to heal, so it can carry on being supercharged and fabulous!  Dramatically reducing calories on two days per week not only kick-starts weight loss, but also rejuvenates the body’s systems, repairs cells and restores vitality.

Here are just a few facts to show you why I live by intermittent fasting:

It reduces blood pressure, reduces inflammation, increases fat burning, improves beneficial gut bacteria and normalises your hunger hormone for better appetite control.

Coming from someone who’s personally experienced autoimmune issues, I’ve seen how much I’ve benefited from intermittent fasting.

When writing Fast Your Way to Wellness, I was keen to share everything I know about fasting and health with you and, most importantly get you on your way to looking and feeling the best that you can naturally.

The book is a gentle guide to different fasting methods to suit your own plans. I share my personal tips for what I do when I get cravings, how I manage my portion sizes and what foods are best for fasting and non-fasting days. I’ve created over ninety new delicious recipes to nourish and sustain you throughout your fast days and keep you motivated.

While many ‘fasters’ often eat low-calorie junk foods or skip meals altogether, Fast Your Way to Wellness provides easy and flavourful meals that will keep you satisfied and happy.  My tasty, nutritious recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and portable snacks include calorie counts, and the menu plans will help get you in the swing of planning your fasting days so they sail by effortlessly. You'll reap the benefits of increased energy and vitality — the bonus will be watching those numbers on the bathroom scale go down, and stay down.

One of my favourite new recipes from the book is a Mint and Ginger Prawns with Coleslaw.  Prawns are delicious summertime food, packed with protein to fill you up. In fact, did you know they have approximately the same amount of protein as chicken or beef, yet half the calories? This means they’re ideal for a fast day!

At only 202 calories per serve (846kJ), it just shows that fasting can be satisfying to your tummy and tastebuds.

Prawn, Mint and Ginger Prawns with Coleslaw

Serves 2

• 1 small carrot, grated
• 180 g (61/4 oz/1/4 small) cabbage, finely shredded
• 180 g (61/4 oz/1/4 small) red cabbage, finely shredded
• 2 kale leaves, stalks removed, roughly chopped or torn
• 1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 150 g (51/2 oz/10 medium) peeled and deveined prawns (shrimp), tails left intact
• mint leaves, to serve

Dressing

• 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 teaspoons wheat-free tamari
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped mint

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small jar, then seal and shake well.

Combine the carrot, cabbages, kale and spring onion in a serving bowl.

Heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the prawns
and cook for 1–2 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

Put the prawns on top of the vegetables, pour over the dressing and serve topped with the mint leaves.

You can purchase the book here.

“Good broth will resurrect the dead,” reads a South American proverb.

Escoffier claimed “Indeed, stock is everything in cooking. Without it, nothing can be done.” A staple and medicinal cure-all in traditional households and the prime ingredient in classic gourmet cuisine, stock or broth made from meat or vegetables is a beautiful meal-base ingredient to always have on hand in the freezer, and has been revered for generations for its ability to nurture the sick and nourish families.

For chefs, stock is the charmed elixir for making soul-warming soups and spectacular sauces.

Vegetable broths made mindfully at home are one of the cheapest and easiest ways to use up leftover veggies, making it a fabulously frugal and environmentally friendly household staple.

If you’re looking to be a more conscious consumer, a homemade stock using up all of your on-hand veggies are the perfect way to enter into the world of frugality, and can help you to justify spending a little extra on quality organic ingredients as you find use for every last skerrick of produce to create delicious meals for you and your family to enjoy.

Beyond adding delicious flavour as the bases of sauces, stocks, soups and stews, they also act as a supercharged “tonic” that are wonderful for adding a dose of healing nutrients that are empowering for health.

Many of the minerals and vital nutrients contained within vegetables are actually bound up within the cell walls of the raw product. Long, slow and gentle cooking actually allows for the breakdown of the cell walls of veggies so that your digestive system can have easy access to the uptake of nutrients.

This is an especially helpful process if you suffer from leaky gut or malabsorption.  Adding broths and stocks is an extra insurance policy to ensure that your body is being flooded with easy-to-digest nutrients and it's one of the staples in my book Heal Your Gut and Heal Your Gut online programs.

I love to experiment with different flavours of seasonal vegetables, herbs and scrap leftovers to create nourishing stocks and tasty, nutrient-rich broths that are both delicious and healing.

Happy Thanksgiving  😀 

This recipe is for especially for my American friends. It’s time to throw away those elasticated pants that are synonymous with post thanksgiving feasting, and turn your attention towards my tummy gummies to help target any lingering after-feast bloat.

Thankfully, my gut healing turmeric gummies have arrived just in time, to offer relief from festive over eating and have you and your digestive system back on track quickly.

By the way, if you're still on the hunt for a good healthy pumpkin pie recipe, you'll love this one below which is studded with raspberries with hints of vanilla and a cashew and flaxseed base.

These delicious gummy treats can help to reduce inflammation and settle down your digestive system. They’re loaded with the queen of spices; turmeric, providing a lot more than just boosting colour and flavour; it can also aid in weight maintenance and is a powerful anti-oxidant.

Ginger and turmeric are quite closely related and, like turmeric, ginger also helps to decrease inflammation in the body and serve as a wonderful immunity booster and de-bloater. A dazzling duo, think of this combination as an inflammation-squashing addition that can be sprinkled into your many of your favourite meals and made into soothing hot drinks. Ginger can also reduce nausea, and is an appetite suppressant.

You’ll be surprised at how super quick and easy these gummies are to prepare. Black pepper is included in these gorgeous gummies since it helps to improve the amount of curcumin from the turmeric absorbed by your body (the more the merrier!), and the rice malt syrup helps to counteract the bitterness of the turmeric and the heat of the ginger. Feel free to add another sweetener of your choice like raw honey if you prefer.

Want to improve your gut health?

A gut cleanser is an excellent tool to fight bloating symptoms and feel cleansed, especially after one too many serves of thanksgiving potatoes! My Supercharged Food Love Your Gut Powder ensures you’ll go from a full-on turkey belly to a leaned and toned tum. The mineral-rich, natural, plant-based and vegan food can be consumed in the morning with a smoothie or is great on its own with a glass of water.

If you want to recharge your gut the healthy way, why not consider my Gut programs.

Enjoy gobbling up these healthy snacks…

Turmeric Tummy Gummies

Makes about a dozen

Supercharged Tip: Pour the mixture into moulds for some quirky shapes!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp gelatin powder
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp Love Your Gut powder (optional)
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• Few cracks of black pepper
• 3 tbsp rice malt syrup

Method: 

1. Place water in a large bowl and sprinkle over gelatin until it starts to bloom, set aside while prepping the other ingredients
2. Add coconut milk, turmeric, LYG powder, ginger, pepper and rice malt syrup to a pot and heat on a low heat for 5 minutes, and whisk to combine 
3. Slowly add the coconut milk mixture to the gelatin and whisk to combine, this may take a few minutes to remove any lumps
4. Pour through a sieve into a plastic or glass container mould and leave in the fridge for 3 hours, or until firm enough to turn out and slice into cubes
5. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week

Lee x

Need a break from your regular granola? Why not try my Layered Berry and Rhubarb Breakfast Pudding? The rhubarb/berry mix can be pre-made the night before, so it's easy to pull together during morning rush hour.

Stewing fruit is a kitchen art that has been lost in modern times. Even the thought of the word “stewing” tends to evoke images of a housemaid hundreds of years ago, stirring a large pot slowly over a bubbling stove; something that many of us just don’t feel we have the time for in our rushed modern lifestyle.

But I think culturally it’s so interesting to see the 180 degree cultural shift towards more “artisan” ways of living and preparing food. There’s a genuine desire to get back to the way things were traditionally made and prepared through fermenting beverages such as kombucha, and making sauerkraut and sourdough from scratch. Stewing fruits is a beautiful, simple and frugal way to enjoy the mindful practice of traditional food preparation in your own home.

Stewed fruit recipes were extremely common in the past, before enhanced storage facilities and modern processing techniques. Pre the days of year-round fruit availability in supermarkets, home cooks would savour the flavours of the seasons by preserving fruit in different ways. After a seasonal haul of apricots for example, kitchen folk dried as much as they could and found other ways to plump it up throughout the winter. Fruits could also be extended in their lifespan by cooking and stewing if they were looking like they were passing their used by date.

Stewed fruit is perhaps the best way to use up all of that fruit you've hoarded on a fruit picking excursion. It’s also a great way to enjoy frozen fruit you may have stored as a result of a berry picking session or bargain bulk buy at your local farmers market.

This Layered Berry and Rhubarb Breakfast Pudding recipe is a gorgeous breakfast or dessert that can utilise seasonal berries and lovely fresh rhubarb. As a rhubarb fan I can tell you that there's nothing quite like the tangy taste and radiant rose-red colour that these divine stalks bring to a dish, especially when baked in pies and crumbles or stewed and spooned over porridges.

Stewing the rhubarb and berries slowly together releases the bright red colours; indicating high amounts of beneficial antioxidants such as heart-friendly proanthocyanidins. Enjoy these traditional stewed fruits with the coconut cream for a delightful and cosy dessert, or make extra of the stewed fruits to eat as a snack with yoghurt and toasted nuts and seeds, or if you really can't give it up just yet, spooned over your morning granola.

From my ebook The Renewable Table

Layered Rhubarb and Berry Breakfast Pudding

Serves 4

To make rhubarb:

Ingredients

• 750 gms rhubarb trimmed and chopped into 2-3 inch pieces
• 250 gms strawberries
• 125 gms raspberries (reserve some for topping)
• 100g coconut sugar or sweetener of choice
• 1 orange, zested and juiced (reserve some zest for topping)
• 1 inch knob ginger grated
• 1 tsp vanilla bean powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 270 mls coconut cream

Method

Place rhubarb and berries in large saucepan and place coconut sugar, orange juice and zest, ginger, vanilla and water over the top.

Bring to a boil and simmer gently until soft, about 10-15 minutes until rhubarb/berry mixture is cooked but still holds it shape.

Remove from pan and place layers into a jar. Start with rhubarb mixture and then coconut cream and repeat until all ingredients are used. 

Top with extra berries, orange peel and shredded coconut.