WIN a Copy of Sarah Wilson's I Quit Sugar Cookbook!

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while may remember my sugar-free journey. I was inspired by Sarah's e-book to do an 8 week program to quit sugar. 8 weeks turned into many more and although I now enjoy an occasional treat, I still don't get cravings for sweet things. Sarah's new hard-cover book is out now and I am so happy to have one of my recipes featured in this book.

I have one copy to give away and for your chance to win, simply leave a comment below telling why you should read this book.

Please note that this giveaway is available for Australian entries only. Entries close February 16. 2013

Good Luck!

To read more about my sugar-free journey, please visit these posts:


8 Sugar-Free Weeks http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/8-sugar-free-weeks-and-still-going.html

21-Day Sugar-Free Vegan Challenge

Week 1 http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/21-day-sugar-free-vegan-challenge-week.html

Week 2  http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/21-day-sugar-free-vegan-challenge-week_17.html

Week 3 http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/21-day-sugar-free-vegan-challenge-week_25.html

My Sugar-Free Journey http://scandifoodie.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/my-sugar-free-journey-giveaway.html

My Sugar-Free Journey + A Giveaway!

My sugar-free journey so far

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while may remember that back in October 2011, I was inspired by this book to quit sugar. The challenge for me was not as dramatic as it may sound - it basically meant no fruit (for about 4 months), no more dark chocolate and baking with rice syrup instead of raw sugar or honey which I had done in the past. It's been over 8 months since I went sugar-free and although I now eat fruit daily, I haven't got back to eating dark chocolate and when I do bake, I use either a couple of tablespoons of rice syrup or just fresh fruit as a sweetener.

Sprouted quinoa and coconut crisp

What changes did I experience after quitting sugar?

Contrary to many testimonies of the sugar-free diet, I didn't actually loose any weight. I like to think of this as a good result as it indicated that I wasn't actually eating a lot of sugar to begin with. I did, however, stop craving for sweet things, especially after meals and I noticed my palate became much 'cleaner'. I don't eat as much fruit as I used to eat and I tend to stick to apples, unless I'm baking with fruit (like bananas). When I eat out I don't order desserts, but this is not just because of sugar, but also because it's almost impossible to find vegan desserts at "main stream" restaurants.

Low-sugar, vegan millet and blueberry pancakes

Why should you go sugar-free?

I do recommend people to first become aware of the amount of sugar they are consuming daily and then adjusting their diet accordingly. I don't really think you should get so hung up on whether or not you should eat fruit, but I would instead encourage you to look at all the processed foods (including processed white sugar) you may be consuming and cutting down on those. As a tip, and this goes for going vegan too by the way, I would suggest that you change your way of thinking. Instead of thinking that you are "missing out" on something if you don't eat sugar, processed foods, etc. try to think about what else is available and how much you will gain in terms of better health, cleaner skin and more energy.

Toasted Super Muesli

Chocolate-blueberry pudding, persimmon brownies and banana and walnut bread (all vegan, low-sugar)

The I Quit Sugar Cookbook by Sarah Wilson

I am so excited to announce that earlier this week, Sarah published another great e-book titled "I Quit Sugar Cookbook". This book is full of sugar-free and low-sugar recipes from Sarah and many others including Aran, Maggie, Gwyneth and myself. Needless to say I feel utterly honoured to be amongst the contributors for this book. You will find 4 of my recipes included in the I Quit Sugar Cookbook and I am so smitten to be featured.

Since I'm on the topic, if you are in Australia, you may want to pick up a copy of the latest Wellbeing Magazine, as well. Sarah's e-book and my recipes are featured there, along with my photos. Thank you Sarah and Wellbeing Magazine for the features! 

Photography by Marija Ivkovic

I am so pleased to let you know that Sarah has kindly offered three I Quit Sugar Cookbooks to give away to Scandi Foodie readers! The competition is open to all readers, in Australia and overseas, and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment below answering this simple question "Why do I want to quit sugar?" This competition ends May 31, 2012.

If you have any comments or questions about my sugar-free journey (or my vegan journey, for that matter!), please don't hesitate to email me at scandifoodie [at] gmail [dot] com or leave a comment below. You can also find me on Twitter @ScandiFoodie.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you and good luck!

Vegan Zucchini Tarts

Hello hello my lovelies! I hope you had a great weekend!

I am very excited about this recipe. The more I embrace the vegan diet, the more I discover recipes I can make vegan. Like these tarts, for example! I always used to think one needs an egg white (if not the whole egg) to bind the base ingredients together when making a tart and one might even need to throw in some dairy or another egg for the filling, right? Wrong! These tasty zucchini tarts are 100% vegan and truly truly enjoyable! 

The final recipes for my 21-day vegan challenge are coming up later this week. I have received some encouraging feedback from quite a few people and I thank you so much for that! To me personally, this has been the easiest 'challenge' I have ever embarked and if it truly takes 21 days to change a habit (that's what they say!), this has certainly done more than just that. I have learned to embrace the vegan diet, learned so much about veganism and my only regret is that I haven't done this earlier! Anyway, I will share more thoughts about going vegan and a summary of the challenge a bit later. In the mean time, here's the vegan zucchini tart recipe!

Vegan Zucchini Tarts

(makes 2 small individual tarts)

Base

50g rolled oats

20g puffed brown rice

80g rye flour (or wholegrain spelt flour)

pinch of quality salt (Celtic sea salt is excellent)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons water

Filling

about 1/2 cup (100g) cooked quinoa (left-over is fine)

1 zucchini, sliced into thin disks

100g rough almond meal

extra-virgin olive oil

1. Grind the rolled oats and puffed brown rice in a food processor. Add flour and salt and grind until quite fine. Add olive oil and water and lightly knead into a ball. Divide the dough into two and spread into two greased (with olive oil) individual tart pans (12-13cm each). Cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C.

3. Bake the bases for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread the quinoa on top of the bases. Top the quinoa with the zucchini slices, sprinkle the almond meal on top and drizzle with some olive oil. Continue to bake for a further 15-20 minutes. You can lower the oven to 160C. Leave to cool on a wire rack before removing from the pans and serving.

Vegan Carrot Muffins

Hi friends!

Here's the vegan breakfast recipe I promised you earlier this week. These carrot muffins became my instant favourite - and they're sugar-free too! I love the gorgeous colour given by the freshly made carrot juice and they are just perfect for your breakfast table or enjoyed with a cup of tea in the afternoon.

It's funny how we tend to think baking as such a strict, rule-laden form of art. Baking without white flour, sugar, butter and eggs can (in my opinion at least) result in just as tasty (if not tastier) and certainly much healthier outcome. The whole process becomes much more interesting and enjoyable when you stop treating baking as a chemistry class and start experimenting with your own ideas instead.

These muffins are a perfect example: trust the natural sweetness of carrots (no additional sugar needed), the combining force of tahini (instead of egg) and the goodness of the wholegrain. I'm in love!

 

Vegan Carrot Muffins

(makes 10)

(Recipe inspired by Caroline Marie Dupont)

260g wholegrain spelt flour

110g rolled oats

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

375ml (1 1/2 cups) freshly made carrot-ginger juice*

50ml olive oil

2 tablespoon tahini (recipe here)

* I used about a kilo of carrots and a small knob of ginger to make the juice. 

1. Preheat oven to 180C and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin.

2. Mix all the dry ingredients together.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the juice, olive oil and tahini.

4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Leave to cool on a wire rack before serving.

Baked rhubarb oatmeal

This morning, after being down with a cold for the past four days, I felt like having something a bit more wholesome and warming for breakfast. I can't think of many meals more comforting than a bowl of oatmeal and that's exactly what I needed this morning. Combined with almonds, chia seeds and cinnamon and a layer of soft rhubarb on the bottom, this baked oatmeal is truly comforting, and perfect for lazy weekend mornings.

 

Baked rhubarb oatmeal

(Recipe inspired by Heidi Swanson + this recipe)

230g rhubarb, chopped into 2cm pieces (fresh or frozen)

230g rolled oats (use gluten-free, if you prefer)

100g almonds, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

500ml home-made almond milk (recipe here)

olive oil, for brushing

1. Preheat oven to 180C and brush a medium-sized oven dish lightly with olive oil.

2. Cover the bottom of the dish with rhubarb pieces. Combine the oats, almond, chia seeds, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. Pour the mixture on top of the rhubarbs and finally pour the almond milk (evenly) on top. 

3. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

On conscious, mindful eating + A recipe for Power Balls!

In my New Year’s post I talked about the changes I had made during the previous year - quitting sugar and dairy and returning to vegetarianism.  All these choices were pushed by a strong will for a healthier life and a growing awareness of my surroundings.  I have always been very conscientious, so it feels like a natural, ethical decision to not eat meat and instead eat foods that I feel provide me with the best nourishment and lead me towards a better health and wellbeing.

Conscious eating is more than just making the right ethical choices. It is about getting in tune with your body, knowing what it needs and what it can’t tolerate and how it reacts to the foods you are consuming. Practising this kind of awareness takes time and patience and I cannot claim to have mastered it fully myself. Experimenting with dietary changes, like the ones I mentioned above, can give you a better understanding of what it is that your body acquires.  

Along with the right ethical and nutritional choices, conscious eating is also about appreciating the food and fully embracing all meals. Caroline Dupont, the author of ‘Enlightened Eating’, recommends practising conscious eating by avoiding all distractions at meal time, appreciating the food with all your senses (the smell, the colours, the taste and texture) and making eating a complete experience.  

In today's busy world, it is easy to see why this is so hard to put in practise. A lot of people eat most of their meals on the run – grabbing breakfast on their way to work, eating lunch at their desks and finishing the day with a meal in front of the tv or a computer. Convenience conjoined with multitasking is everything and people have lost part of their intuition when it comes to consuming food. That intuition, amongst other things, should tell you when you're hungry and what foods you should eat/avoid for optimum health. If eating is always secondary and distractions are present, it is impossible to follow that intuition.

My journey to conscious eating begins when I buy the produce. There is nothing I love more than going to my local farmers' markets every week to pick up fresh ingredients to cook with. Chatting to the growers who picked their produce for the market just the previous night gives me a real connection to the food and a much deeper appreciation for it. I cannot claim to be perfect, however, as just like many others, I sometimes do eat meals in front of my laptop, working and typing away. I have made a conscious effort, however, to be more aware and make conscious eating a habitual choice. These are the first steps towards a more mindful eating.

Tips on how to get started

1. Be aware of the origins of your food. Shop at farmers' markets, if you can. Select products that have less food miles. 
2. If you do eat meat (or other animal products), make sure you know the source and be sure the animals have been treated and killed as humanely as possible. 
3. Eat more raw foods and choose a variety of colours, flavours, textures and shapes – this will accentuate the whole eating experience.  
4. Experiment with different dietary changes. Try a week without gluten and dairy and see if you feel different. Try eating more vegetables and less fruit, try cutting out all sugar. Note down the feelings you experience during the experiment.
5. Make meal times a priority – no tv, no computer, no magazines or books. Set the table (even if you’re eating alone), light up a candle and savour the meal.

With these thoughts, I’ll switch off my laptop, pour myself a cup of tea and savour one or two of these delicious, gooey, spiced sweet potato and cacao power balls. Enjoy!

Power Balls

(makes 10)

450g cooked and mashed sweet potato

2 heaped tablespoons almond butter (made with 1/2 cup raw almonds, recipe here)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

2 teaspoons pure, raw cacao powder (unsweetened)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon ground licorice

virgin coconut oil, for rolling

unsweetened desiccated coconut, for rolling (optional)

1. Combine the sweet potato, almond butter and chia seeds in a bowl.

2. Mix together the cacao and the spices and stir into the mixture. You should have a gooey, sticky mixture. Rub your hands lightly with coconut oil and roll the dough into about 10 balls. 

3. Chill the balls in the fridge (20-30 minutes), then roll the balls in desiccated coconut before serving. These will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Juicing and Cleansing

This morning I visited my local health store to stock up on some liquid iron (a supplement I take every now and then), Super Greens powder (containing spirulina, barley grass, chlorella and wheat grass) and other essentials (raw chickpeas, sunflower seeds, flaxseed oil, etc). I can just imagine how busy these stores get right after New Year. Everyone has made that (same) New Year's resolution to lose weight, to quit smoking, to live healthier. People are desperately seeking for a (preferably) quick diet solution that will help them lose those extra kilos.

Although I can't exactly say I over-indulged during my break (see my Christmas menu here and New Year's menu here), I felt like it was a good time to reassess my relationship with food. Having done a three day alkalising cleanse in the past, I didn't really want to set up any time restrictions, nor do a full-on juice fast, but rather just replace some of my meals with fresh juices, leaving one light meal (a salad with greens, flaxseed oil and some sunflower seeds) to have each day. I will go like this for 3 days, 5 days, a week - whatever feels right.

This method works well for me, especially since I have already quit sugar and dairy and consume no alcohol and nowadays very little caffeine, if at all. My juicer has been churning all spring and summer and I've become a little addicted to my fresh vegetable juices in the morning and my daily green smoothies. Juicing is a great way to cleanse and even if you are not keen to do the whole fasting thing, you can easily add fresh vegetable juices in your daily diet and perhaps try a green smoothie as a light meal or just as a snack. For a real super smoothie, try mixing in some flaxseed oil and Super Greens powder.

I'm a strong believer in eating right for your body type - we are not all the same so how could one eating plan possibly work for everyone? I also like to experiment and see what effect these experiments might have in my health and general wellbeing. I can honestly say that quitting sugar and dairy have made me feel better. This to me is enough proof to keep me on this clean path. Equally, eating meat never suited me and I have no desire to go back being a carnivore. Thus, I think each person should first understand their body type (Deepak Chopra's book below is a great way to start) and then make the necessary dietary/lifestyle adjustments. What works for me, might not work for you. It is as simple as that.

Here are some of my favourite vegetable juices to get you started. You can really let your creativity go wild! Almost anything can be juiced, even sweet potatoes, onions, garlic and cabbages! Just remember to use seasonal produce and preferably choose organic. If you're using conventional produce, washing the ingredients with white vinegar-water mixture (with a ratio of approximately 1:3) might help reduce the amount of toxic residue.

Green Beauty Juice

 1/2 bunch of celery (with leafy tops)

 1 long cucumber

 a knob of ginger

 juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Wash all the ingredients well. Juice the celery, cucumber and ginger. Squeeze in the lemon juice. Drink immediately (or preferably within 2-3 hours).

Green Smoothie

 1 portion of Green Beauty Juice

a large handful of spinach

1/2 avocado, chopped

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

2 teaspoons Super Greens

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Drink immediately or within 2-3 hours.

Gorgeous Beet Juice

2-3 beets (can use the leaves as well, if you wish)

a knob of ginger

juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Juice the beets and the ginger. Drizzle with lemon. Drink immediately.

Other tasty flavour combinations include:

carrot

ginger

lemon

cucumber

broccoli

ginger

lemon

bok choy

parsley

ginger

lemon

Other tips for cleansing

I try to dry-brush my entire body every day or at least a few times a week. Here is a good guide for dry-brushing.

I love having a (rather large) range of herbal teas in my pantry at all times. Some of my favourite flavours include licorice root, peppermint, different warm spice mixes (like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves) and dandelion root tea. Herbal teas are a great caffeine-free alternative for coffee.

Exercise-wise, it probably goes without saying that rigorous training, whilst cleansing, might not be the best idea. I prefer walking, swimming and yoga (even when not cleansing), but I also allow my body to rest more during the cleanse.

These are just some of the books I've been reading lately:

Dupont, C.M. Enlightened Eating - Nourishment for Body and Soul (2006)
Deepak, C.  Perfect Health - The Complete Mind/Body Guide (2001)
Junger, A. Clean - The Revolutionary Program to Restore Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself (2009)

New Year's Salad

As many food traditions as there are for Christmas, New Year's celebrations have always had a somewhat less significant and much less 'strict' array of dishes on offer (at least in my family). I suppose most people cook so much for Christmas that by the time it's New Year's everyone feels like something easy and quick, yet celebratory food for the occasion. In my family we often prepared some light salads, different kinds of herring and finger foods. Here in Australia I haven't yet quite figured out what dishes 'should' be on the New Year's Eve menu.

This red cabbage and lentil salad may not be traditional, but I certainly wouldn't mind including it in my (yet non-existing) New Year's repertoire. I adore the deep, rich colours and the mild flavours perfect to accompany any other dish you may want to have on the table. This makes a big batch suitable to be scooped on a big platter and shared amongst friends.

 New Year's Salad

(serves 4)

1/4 red cabbage

1 medium sized beetroot

100g beluga lentils

2 tablespoons sherry or apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil

1 tablespoon red peppercorns, slightly crushed

5 tablespoons raw, unsalted pepitas

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon ground celery seed

pinch of sea salt

1. Cook the beluga lentils in plenty of water until just tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.

2. Thinly slice the cabbage and julienne the beetroot. Add in to the bowl and toss well with the lentils.

3. Add in vinegar and oil and the red peppercorns.

4. Place the pepitas, mustard seeds and celery seed in a dry frying pan. Season with salt and toast for a few minutes on medium heat until the mustard seeds start to 'pop'. Add the mixture into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and toss well to combine.

Quick Summer Gazpacho

Now that we've all survived Christmas (or have we?), it's time to take it easy for a few days and let our minds and bodies rest. My Christmas menu worked wonders and I felt satisfied, but not stuffed. Still, I don't mind having a few lighter days to balance things out and this quick summer gazpacho is a perfect way to enjoy summer's bounty. 

I've used sweet tomatoes as a base for this cold soup. Blended with cucumber and cooked chickpeas, the colour of the soup is a beautiful pale peach and the taste is sweet but tangy, thanks to the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. This is a perfectly filling, yet light meal for a summer's day.

Quick Summer Gazpacho

(serves 2-4)

600g tomatoes, seeded and cut into chunks

1 big cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks

250g cooked chickpeas

2 scallions/spring onions, sliced

(fresh herbs, like parsley and basil)

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground celery seeds

pinch of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1. Place the tomatoes, cucumber, cooked chickpeas and spring onions and herbs (if using) in a blender. Blend until smooth.

2. Season the mixture with paprika, ground celery seeds, salt and pepper. Add in the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. Blend for a couple of minutes. Add water/ice if you want it thinner. Serve cool.

Merry Christmas!

Hi friends!


I hope you are all well and happy and easing into the Christmas spirit. I'm sure some of you are busy baking and preparing Christmas meals or doing some last-minute gift shopping, but I hope all of you are able to take a break, even a short one, and relax a little. Although Christmas in Australia is always somewhat different to me than what I'm used to, and I still haven't quite got the hang of it, I'm looking forward to a few days off to take a breath.

Here is my vegetarian, gluten-free and sugar-free Christmas menu. There are lots of colours, fresh and pure flavours, not forgetting the treats! The two vegetable casseroles are served as mains, alongside with the two salads. I will be snacking on activated, spiced nuts and those deliciously addictive rosemary almonds. As for dessert, the sweet potato tartlets washed down with cool rhubarb glögg, are a perfect way to end the Christmas meal. 


I wish you all a happy Christmas and I hope you'll get to spend time with your loved ones. Enjoy and be merry!

Maria
x

Christmas Menu

Lanttulaatikko - Swede Casserole

Porkkanalaatikko - Carrot & Quinoa Casserole

Toasted Buckwheat and Beetroot Salad

Rosolli - Christmas Salad

Cool Rhubarb Glögg

Spiced Sweet Potato Tartlets

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

Activated, Spiced Nuts

Finnish Christmas with a Twist: Cool rhubarb glögg

It's been a busy end of the year for me and I'm sure I'm not the only one anticipating a little break. It'll be a short one for me, however, but even a few days off are more than welcome. I am hoping to spend some time just sitting outside, on the balcony, with a cool drink in hand, reading a good book. The drink of choice for me would have to be this cool rhubarb glögg - a spiced drink made to remind me of Christmas, but adapted to season's demands. 

I adore rhubarb, I'm sure you've realised that by now, and this drink is for all you die-hard rhubarb lovers out there. It's completely sugar-free, so prepare yourself for some real rhubarb flavour pared with warming spices and a drizzle of lemon juice to freshen it all up. I am more than happy to pour myself a glass of this with lots of ice, lift my feet up and bury my head in a book.

Cool rhubarb glögg

(serves 2)

500g rhubarb, chopped

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anis

5 whole cloves

5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed

knob of fresh ginger, peeled and cut into slices

1/2 lemon, juiced

ice, to serve

1. Place the rhubarb, spices and ginger in a saucepan and add about 1 litre of water. Bring the mixture to boil, then leave to simmer for about 15 minutes. 

2. Drain the juice into a bowl and leave to cool.

3. Drizzle with lemon and serve cool with ice.

Finnish Christmas with a Twist: Carrot-Quinoa Casserole

The realisation that Christmas is only a week away suddenly came to me whilst browsing my calendar. I had clearly been so immersed in all other activities that I had successfully closed my eyes and ears from the Christmas clutter one can bump into just about anywhere at this time of the year. I deliberately avoid all shopping centres (even when it's not Christmas) and although I've written down several reminders of Christmas gifts and cards, my mind has subconsciously swept past those notes. 

It is not too late to do my Christmas shopping, however, as I'm planning to do most of it online this year. I am concentrating on ethical gifts and my reasoning for this is simple: there are simply too many unwanted Christmas gifts shared every year, too much junk that is forgotten in the far corners of your home and never looked at again. Christmas is about giving, right? So why not give a gift that passes on the goodness, a gift that gives?

There are plenty of options available for these ethical gifts. Here in Australia websites like Oxfam and other charity organisations offer suitable options for all budgets. If you're unsure about donating to international organisations, why not look for a local institution or organisation to support? I'm sure many of them will be more than delighted to receive donations at this time of the year.

Christmas shopping aside, this carrot-quinoa casserole continues my "Finnish Christmas with a Twist" series. Traditionally, this casserole is made with rice porridge, but to lift up the protein and nutrients content, I've used quinoa instead. I've replaced bread crumbs with almond meal and left out the syrup that is traditionally used to sweeten this dish. The organic carrots I bought from the farmers markets were so sweet they needn't any extra help! This is a perfect addition to my Christmas table.

 

Carrot-Quinoa Casserole*

(serves 4)

1kg carrots (sweet, organic)

1 cup quinoa**

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

freshly grated nutmeg

pinch of sea salt

1 egg (free-range, organic)

3-4 tablespoons almond meal

* Update!! This recipe can also be made vegan! The egg is not necessary in the recipe. You can also use sweet potato (about 400g mashed) instead of carrot. Delicious!

** I used Tasmanian quinoa that has a slightly more "porridge" like texture. If you are using other type of quinoa, use a little bit less water (about 1 1/2 cups). 

1. Peel the carrots, cut them in large pieces, and place in a large casserole. Add just enough water to cover all carrots. Bring to boil, then leave to simmer until the carrots are completely tender. Drain, but save the sweet boiling water!

2. Rinse the quinoa and place in a saucepan. Use the carrot boiling water and some additional water to cook the quinoa (about 2 cups). Cook the quinoa for about 7-10 minutes, it can still have a little bite to it and some water left in the pan. Pour the quinoa in a large glass bowl (don't drain) and leave to cool slightly. 

3. Preheat the oven to 175C and grease (with oil if you want to keep this dish dairy-free) an oven dish. 

4. Mash the carrots into a smooth purée. Add the mash into the cooled down quinoa and season with the spices. Stir in the egg.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared oven dish and even the top. Sprinkle with almond meal and bake for about 30 minutes. Leave to cool slightly, but serve warm. 

Links to ethical gifts

For my friends in Finland http://www.kepa.fi/osallistu/eettiset-joululahjat
Australia http://www.oxfamunwrapped.com.au
For all other countries, please google "ethical gifts" to find organisations near you.

Sugar-free Christmas Baking: Spiced sweet potato tarts

The recent happenings (moving house, work, etc.) have made me realise why some people might find it so hard to stay on track with their healthy eating and exercise. As soon as life gets busy - you're travelling, working long hours or there is something new happening in your life, you start taking short-cuts and sacrifice your healthy routines. Often people find it easier to stick to their healthy habits when they have time to really focus on making conscious choices of what and how to eat, exercise and get enough sleep. As soon as other things get on the way, they lapse and might find it hard to get back on track.
I think the only thing that can keep you always on track is that those healthy habits are so established in your life that they are part of your lifestyle and thus you make the right choices subconsciously.  I'm often told how healthy I am or how 'good' I am because I exercise daily, but for me it's just my lifestyle, the way I've chosen to live. I don't have to think about it, healthy eating and exercise are part of my everyday life. When I started the sugar-free challenge it took me about two weeks to break the habit of having sugar in my diet. I actually had to concentrate on not grabbing a fruit to eat as a snack or adding honey in my tea. After the first two weeks, however, I had established the new eating habits and didn't have to make a conscious effort to exclude sugar from my diet.

Another way to stick to your diet is to stay organised and plan ahead as much as possible. When we were moving house, I knew I wouldn't have time to cook, so I prepared us meals beforehand, and had sugar-free snacks and plenty of water at hand. I do this even when we are travelling or when I know I have a long working day ahead. I always pack lunch and snacks and lots of water with me, so I don't have to sacrifice anything even during the busiest of times.

This Christmas, I am planning to stay sugar- and dairy-free. I don't see why I should change anything now that I've established this diet as part of my lifestyle. There are plenty of options available, so I don't feel like I am missing out on anything. These spiced sweet potato tarts are definitely going to be part of my holiday repertoire. I've used my favourite grain-free crust and topped it with spiced sweet potato purée. The warm spices and the coconut oil combined with the sweet potato make these tarts perfect for your Christmas dessert table.

Spiced sweet potato tarts

(makes 10-12)

Crust

200g almond meal

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of sea salt

1 large egg (organic, free-range)

2 tablespoons good olive oil

Filling

400g cooked sweet potato (about 1 medium sized)

2 tablespoons coconut milk or almond milk (my recipe here)

1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground licorice

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground bitter orange peel powder, optional

pinch of sea salt

almond slices, toasted, to serve

1. To make the crust, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and lightly knead into a smooth dough. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal portions. Press each portion into the bottom and the sides of small cupcake molds. Leave to chill in the fridge for 10-20 minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 180C.

3. Place all the ingredients for the filling in a food processor and purée into a smooth paste. Set aside.

4. Bake the crusts in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and fill each cup with a portion of the sweet potato filling.

5. Lower the temperature to 150C and continue to bake the tarts for a further 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before sprinkling with toasted almond slices.