Dr Libby Weaver's beetroot chocolate mudcake

This cake packs all the divine flavour of a traditional chocolate cake but is so much more beneficial for your health. The beetroot aids in liver detoxification processes, the psyllium is a great source of dietary fiber and the selenium from the nuts is a potent antioxidant and a nutrient vital for thyroid function. Enjoy in small slices, as these powerhouse ingredients support elimination!

Ingredients

For the cake mixture:

• 2 cups brazil nuts
• 2 cups desiccated coconut
• 3 medium beetroots (beets), peeled and grated
• 4 fresh medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup currants
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons psyllium husks, ground

For the icing:

• 1 cup raw cashew nuts, unsalted
• 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
• 100g (3 1/2 ounces) cacao butter, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon tamari

Method

For the cake mixture:

1. Grind the brazil nuts in a food processor, then set them aside in a bowl.
2. Combine the dates, currants and maple syrup in the bowl of the food processor and pulse until smooth.
3. Blend the date mixture with the ground nuts and the grated beetroots in a large bowl.
4. Add the coconut, cacao powder and psyllium husks to the bowl and stir them in until blended with the date and nut mixtures.
5. Scrape the blended mixture back into the bowl of the food processor and pulse until the ingredients are well combined and finely textured.
6. Line a cake tin with baking paper and spread the batter evenly over the bottom. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until firm to the touch.

For the icing:

1. Gently melt the cacao butter in a small saucepan then allow it to cool.
2. Combine the cashews, cacao powder, maple syrup, lemon juice and tamari in the bowl of a food processor or Vita-mix blender and process until the nuts are well ground.
3. With the motor running, pour in the melted cacao butter and blend until the mixture is smooth.
4. Spoon the icing over the cake and refrigerate until the icing is set, about 15 minutes.

Source: http://www.drlibby.com/recipe/beetroot-chocolate-mud-cake/

Food Stuff: Banana and blueberry muffins (with hidden vegetables)

I did a lot of searching around the internet for The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious recipes that were really simple and easy - who's got time for anything else? I tried a number of recipes, and in the end I decided to use those as inspirations for this one. It really is dead easy, and so long as you have a supply of frozen fruit and vegetable purees in the freezer you are good to go (if you have a child like mine who did not progress quickly to whole foods then you will always have a supply of purees handy!).

Preparation time: 10 minutes or less *
Baking time: 25-30 minutes
Makes ≈ 24 mini muffins.

Ingredients:

¾ cup of wholemeal flour
½ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
5 T soft brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 ½ cups mashed bananas (works out to be about 2 large bananas)
4 cubes vegetable (whichever you fancy), 1 cube fruit **
½ cup blueberries (I use frozen)

Preheat oven to 180° C. Spray muffin molds with cooking spray. In a large bowl beat sugar and oil together. Add eggs and beat well. Then beat in bananas and purees.

Add flour mix and blueberries to the wet mix. Fold in until just combined - do not over-mix (muffins will turn out dense and horrible).

NOTE: don’t worry, the mixture is supposed to be loose and wet.

¾ fill muffin molds with mixture, and bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out cleanly.

Let cool in molds for 5 minutes, then turn muffins out. Best served warm.

*A little planning goes a long way for me. To save time with the actual assembly of ingredients before baking I do a little of the preparation beforehand – like when I have a few minutes to spare in the evening when Kien is in bed. I put the measured flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a container. I put the frozen cubes of vegetables and fruit purees in a cup and they can thaw out overnight in the fridge.

**I make fruit purees like apple and pear by chopping up pealed fruit and microwaving them with a bit of water at the bottom of a bowl until tender – about 10 minutes on high using my little microwave. For vegetable purees I buy whatever is in season such as brocolli, zuchini or cauliflour. I steam the vegetables until still firm but not hard (al dente – although I’m not sure the Italian term can be used for vegetables). I use a stick bender to puree the fruit or vege, and freeze in ice cube trays.