WHAT TO DO NOW... I'M STILL WORKING IT OUT

 
Ok so I was really hoping I would have gotten my super-quick-super-easy-fuss-free-minimal-ingredient-Carob Cake recipe to you guys by now (you can find a pic on my Facebook page here), along with another post/update of how I've been doing since my TCM appointment (if you're unsure of what I'm talking about, read this post)… but as you can see I've not written anything. I think I’ve just about learnt now that each day is so totally unpredictable for me in terms of my energy levels that planning and sticking to plans are starting to appear as pointless. Like today; the plan was to study all day and instead I've been lying in bed all day. And as such the blog posts I wanted to write never got written.

EXHAUSTED BEYOND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE

I haven’t really been keeping you all updated on how my adrenal exhaustion is going, and as things have changed a little I thought I’d give you an update. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, feel free to read a recent-ish post about it all here.

Since then I felt I was doing pretty well until little by little (of which I was completely unaware of until it all became too much) everything started rolling downhill. 

Live Coconut Cream Pie

This (totally nut free, dairy free, gluten free, sugar free, raw, paleo, [and in my case] 100% organic so bloody sensational) stunner of a cake tasted just as good a couple of weeks ago when I made it for my partner's birthday up here in Cairns. I wanted something delicious (obviously), but nothing super time consuming as I had assessments and other things coming out my ears, and we had both only arrived back in Cairns the day earlier from our travels - me to Sydney, he to China. So this is what I found! A simple coconut pie that I jazzed up a bit so it was a proper birthday cake; and not just a cake. I promised you all I'd share the recipe so promise me you'll all make it (your taste buds are shouting YES too).

You will need:
For the crust - 
2 1/2 cups coconut flakes/dessicated coconut
1/4 tsp vanilla (or the insides of one vanilla bean)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup (heaped) finely chopped fresh medjool dates

For the filling -
1 1/4 cups coconut milk*
3/4 cup coconut flesh
3/4 cup (heaped) finely chopped fresh medjool dates
1/2 tsp vanilla (or the insides of one vanilla bean)
2 pinches of salt
3 Tbsp lecithin
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut oil (Important note here - be sure you have an exceptionally good-tasting coconut oil as you will be able to taste it; shit oil makes your cake taste shit. My favourite is Nuigini)
Decorations; fresh fruit, coconut flakes, cacao...

* to make your own coconut milk, blend the flesh of a thai young coconut with the liquid, and uv got milk! One coconut is more than enough for the quantity of milk you need; but you will need more for the additional flesh. I had 4 to be super-over-organised. You'll likely only need 2 but an extra one is always advisable as you can sometimes luck out and open a dodgy one. 

Step 1 - Prepping
Make your coconut milk and put is aside.

Step 2 - Prepping
Prep all your ingredients on the bench. Start pitting and chopping your fresh dates and measuring out all your ingredients. Grab a 20cm cake tin or another flan dish you have, and either grease with coconut oil or line with non-stick paper.
Then in an S-blade food processor, put in coconut flakes, salt and vanilla and begin to process. Start adding small amounts of your chopped dates until it begins to stick together. Use more dates if need be (I did).

Step 3 - Base
Once it's sticky enough to hold together, press your mixture into your prepared cake tin. Use your fingers to work it up the sides of the dish to form more of a crust. Alternatively you can just have the crust as the base, but it might be a little messier getting the cake out.

Step 4 - Filling
Next up, get out your blender. Throw in your coconut milk, coconut flesh, dates, vanilla and salt. Blend all this until super smooth. Add the lecithin and coconut oil and blend again until all this is mixed through well. Dip your finger in to taste. Not optional. If you need something added (sweeter, cinnamon jazz, etc, add it now). And of course taste again :)

Step 5 - Pouring
You guessed it! Pour your delicious mixture straight into your crust. And voila! Easy as pie!

Step 6 - Decorating
You can get creative and decorate your pie any way you wish - the recipe used coconut flakes but as I was making this for Brock's birthday, I wanted something a little more spesh, so I got out the fresh fruit for splashes of colour!
Such an easy recipe. But it looks amazing! I LOVE a fool-proof recipe that always turns out looking a million bux!

Serve with tea if you please. Or have for brekkie like my man insisted (it was his birthday after all)

 Enjoy!



Recipe taken from I Am Grateful recipe book.

Earth to Table

The other week when I was in Sydney, I was lucky enough to be there for the opening of the first raw cafe in Sydney, Earth to Table. It's the baby of Julie Mitsios from Conscious Choice - and when I initially found out Julie had decided to open one, I knew that if anyone can do it, she could! I was way more than excited!

The cafe is totally organic, all raw and vegan. They support local farmers, environmentally friendly products and sustainable agriculture. Everything is made with love, amazing ingredients with flavour combinations that sit side by side in perfect taste-bud harmony on each plate, and served with smiles and attention :)

I had this lunch date planned for weeks anticipating my arrival and flight down to Sydney, and knowing it was opening the day before I left. Total luck there! Those perfect date-match-ups so rarely happen in my world. I was like a kid in a lolly shop with excitement at going to Earth to Table with my best friends, Janine and Sebastien from Simply Raw. The three of us drove up to Bondi Junction (from their cosy beach pad) and was welcomed with big Hello's and smiles from Julie and her team into the bright, fresh new decor of the place. We had a wander around, had a look at all the products available there; books, appliances, raw proteins and super foods powders, seaweeds, dried berries, tea, environmentally friendly drinking bottles, mushroom supplements, and cacao, including my favourite, and the smoothest, most delicious rich raw chocolate ever had, Sacred Heart raw chocolates OMG!! Get them here 'cause orders online from the USA will have you paying truckloads in freight (trust me, I know and learnt that one the hard way).
So after we had our chit chats and admired every inch of the place, we calmed down a little and began perusing the menu... Let me warn you; you might be flipping coins to narrow your choices down. You've got juices, smoothies, coffees, light salads, bigger salads, starter bits n pieces, heartier earthy meals, cakes and more. This is what we had...

Now I LOVE kefir - but I will say I love kombucha more. So seeing this on the menu had me sold. The subtle ginger taste lifted it for me as I'm a lover of water kefir over coconut water kefir, but this drink was delicious none-the-less and helped my belly with everything that followed...

Janine had this salad as her must-have from word go. I have to say, she chose well. Cabbage, broccoli, carrot, kelp, arame, hemp seeds and more all smothered lightly in a delicious creamy dressing. 

COFFEE!! Oh hello you delicious dreamy glass of goodness! I have had a love affair with coffee since it first hit my lips. A barista for 8-odd-years, I've since teetered in and out of my addiction slash love affair as I've played around with my health and tried new things. Having said that... I've always loved the stuff. Give it to me black, straight up, no fillers, creamers or sweeteners. YUM! Sebastien and I share this love for the black stuff, sometimes adding shilajit or reishi for a hint of difference, so when we saw the coffee available here we were in Heaven. Seb was cursing me for putting ideas into his head as to potentially riding up for a daily hit but I said just roll with it! I think coffee is great for so many different reasons, but not when it's taken with dairy and sugar, and of course individually dependent (by that I mean if you've got an addictive personality or suffering adrenal stress, daily coffee shouldn't be on the menu, for example).
From memory there are about 6 different coffee's available, both iced and warm varieties, but we ordered one whose name I can't remember but not because it was only average. This coffee was insanely good! It was a cold-pressed iced coffee with almond milk and WOW it was the most delicious, creamy, iced coffee I've ever had! Def gonna be getting that every trip back home!

Raw garlic bread. Yep, not something you see everyday and this baby immediately had my attention when reading through the menu. The 'bread' is crunchy on the outside yet subtly soft on the inside with a
dreamy garlic flavour running through it all. Served with a traditional South American chimichurri sauce with added bits n' pieces that was to die for - definitely  needs to be bottled!

In all the catering events, raw retreats, and food workshops Julie has done, I have always heard rave reviews about her quiche. Always. Every time. So when I found out she was serving it at her cafe, there was no further thought processes in my head other than YES PLEASE. This was  
quite possibly the best meal we shared. In terms of satiety, price, flavour and everything else, the quiche is the winner! Caramelised onions, olives and marinated mushrooms in a spinach quiche that tastes exactly like my mum's when I was a kid (but minus the cheese, milk, cream, butter, and pastry). So so good!

This was the salad I wanted to try - I LOVE picked, fermented anything! And the cheese on top tasted like a pongy blue cheese (which I always loved eating) it was incredible!  

Another amazing dish filled with lots of veggies including mushies, zucchini, fresh green peas (no doubt hand-shelled), onion and a few others and mixed into a tomato-ey, chilli type concoction of Heaven. And the 'bread' crumbled in your mouth... oh this was good!

And of course no meal is complete without dessert - especially if it's at a raw restaurant! And they are all so appropriately displayed behind glass at the counter so you can oggle and drool, and make your meal choices according to the dessert you've already eyed off - just like we did. Tiramisu it was gonna be! There was also a damn fine looking pear-ginger-caramel cheesecake, a choc-peppermint cake, a nut-free berry cheesecake and raw super food balls.

Here my love of coffee and chocolate intertwine for the most delicious Italian dessert - but made completely raw. So light and smooth each spoonful feels like your mouth is floating in the clouds. The rich chocolate hits the sides and the subtle coffee is enough for any coffee lover but not too much if you're not a huge fan of the stuff. This was totally incredible, delicious, taste-bud tantalising, a real conversation go-er, and the perfect way to finish the most delicious 6-course meal I've probably ever had!

We came. We saw. We conquered.

Janine and I doing our photo's thing with our phones

And we will definitely be back again. In less than a few weeks to be exact. I'll be back down in Sydney November 16th for Coldplay (and more raw cake of course).

In the meantime, I'll be posting the recipe for the coconut cake I made for Brock's birthday last week in a few days. It's super simple and super delicious! And nut-free so the ingredients will set you back less than otherwise which is always nice. Keep your eye out for it. I reckon it will be perfect over the Xmas Summer holidays in Oz, or the chilly Winter elsewhere. I'll be making it again then for sure.


Oh and have you signed up for my weekly Nutrition Notes Newsletter yet? Be sure you do. I'll recap the week's posts, share some nutrition info, giveaways, prizes, recipes, and anything else that inspires me to share. Get you name on the list here

See you there
Christie xx