Eat yourself beautiful

I’m so excited to be able to share with you three recipes from my new book, Supercharged Food: Eat Yourself Beautiful. In this book, I’ve focused on creating delicious recipes for juices, snacks and meals using key nutrient-rich and anti-inflammatory ingredients and everyday foods that boost longevity.

Each of these new recipes includes powerful ingredients for graceful ageing and healing: ingredients such as those that contain the skin-boosting power of plant collagen and the most potent antioxidants on the planet. These secret ingredients will keep you feeling healthy on the inside and looking fabulous on the outside, no matter what age you are.

When you are trying to refine your diet, it’s important to make small changes daily so as not to overwhelm your body. If you are constantly eating the wrong foods, it can become noticeable on the outside: your skin can become pigmented and dry, your hair brittle and lifeless, and you can develop other external Beauty woes such as a flaky scalp, bloating, red or puffy eyes with dark circles, and loose skin or wrinkles. Eating the right foods can really help you to feel good on the inside and that will start to reflect on the outside, too.

There are many factors to ageing. One of the main ageing accelerators in the body is poor digestion: when your gut becomes sluggish the body doesn’t absorb nutrients very well, resulting in different areas of your body, such as your skin and nails, hair and muscles, becoming undernourished. Other ageing accelerators include inflammation, hormone imbalance and over-acidity in the body.

I’d love to give you three new recipes to add to your cooking repertoire. I hope you like them and that they become regular guests at your family’s kitchen table.

BREAKFAST

Cranberry & Walnut Granola

Serves: 4
Cooking time: 30 mins

1½ cups quinoa or brown rice flakes
¾ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup dried cranberries
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pepitas
2 tbsp almond flakes
1 tbsp flaxseeds
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup rice malt syrup, or sweetener of your choice
½ tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut flakes
Almond milk, to serve

Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Combine quinoa, walnuts, cranberries, sunflower seeds, pepitas, almond flakes, flaxseeds, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix well to combine. Place coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat and heat until it has melted. Add rice malt syrup and vanilla and stir for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

Pour liquid mixture over dry ingredients and stir well, ensuring dry ingredients are coated thoroughly. Transfer mixture to baking tray in a single layer, then bake in oven for 20 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking up any clumps that form. Remove from oven, add coconut flakes and bake for a further 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

To serve, place in a bowl and top with almond milk. It also tastes great on its own.

Note: Granola keeps for four weeks in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

MAIN MEAL

Gado Gado

Serves: 2
Cooking time: 20 mins

½ head Chinese cabbage (wong bok), shredded
1 bunch bok choy (pak choy), roughly chopped
250g green or snake beans, cut into 4cm lengths
1 cup bean sprouts
4 organic boiled eggs, peeled & halved
Crisp-fried garlic, to serve (optional)
1 handful of chopped nuts, such as almonds, peanuts or raw cashew nuts, to serve (optional)

Dressing
1 small garlic clove, minced
2–3cm piece of ginger, peeled & grated
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp additive-free coconut milk
3 tbsp almond or peanut butter
2 tbsp wheat-free tamari
½ tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 drops stevia liquid
Celtic sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Steam vegetables over a saucepan of simmering water for 6 minutes or until they are tender.

Meanwhile, to make dressing, place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Transfer vegetables to a serving bowl and coat with dressing, tossing well to combine. Top with sprouts and eggs, sprinkle over crispy garlic and chopped nuts, if using, and serve.

DESSERT

Raspberry-Studded Pumpkin Pie

Serves: Makes 1 pie
Cooking time: 60 mins including preparation

Base
Coconut oil or unsalted butter, for greasing
â…” cup raw cashew nuts
¼ cup sesame seeds
1½ tbsp chia seeds
1½ tbsp flaxseeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
â…“ cup cooked brown rice
â…“ cup quinoa flakes
6 drops stevia liquid or 1 tbsp rice malt syrup
1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2–3 tbsp coconut oil or 40–60g unsalted butter

Topping
600g pumpkin or sweet potato, steamed & cooled
1 tbsp almond milk
2 large organic eggs, beaten
6 drops stevia liquid
1 tbsp coconut oil
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
About 20 raspberries

Preheat oven to 190°C and lightly grease a 20cm spring-form cake tin or pie dish.

Combine all base ingredients in a food processor, adding coconut oil last, and process for about 15 seconds or until crunchy. Remove dough and, using your hands, press it evenly into prepared tin, packing it slightly around edges to make a crust. Bake blind for 10–15 minutes or until base is firm and lightly golden in colour.

To make topping, combine all ingredients, except raspberries, in a large bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Spoon topping over base and stud with raspberries. Return pie to oven and bake for 35 minutes.

Note: This is delicious served either warm or chilled. It will keep for five days in an airtight container in the fridge.