Hazelnuts.

Wondering what so good about them?

Wonder no longer people as I have the answer you’ve been waiting with baited breath for.  These little beauties are wonderfully rich in protein, fiber, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals and are brilliant for your heart, nervous system and overall digestive health. 

Don’t believe me?  Here’s a little snapshot of just how good they are:

Pecans.  Rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, they can help decrease “bad cholesterol” and increases “good cholesterol” levels in the blood.

Seriously.  A simple nut can help do this?!

They’re also a wonderful nut to consume for those of us suffering the effects of hypothyroidism, as they’re a rich source of manganese, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.

Something I read recently … “A healthy thyroid keeps the body warm, youthful, and energized”.  Hmmm….this ain't me anymore.

But I’m working on it!

One of the biggest things I decided to change in my diet about a year ago was to go 100% gluten free, and I’ve never looked back.  There was an almost instant difference in the way my body felt, especially in both my tummy and thyroid when I made the commitment to stop “fluffing” around the edges.  I’m not coeliac (I’ve been tested), but having experimented on myself with this subject for quite some time – gluten will not be passing these lips any day soon……not sure how I’ll go when I head back to France though….hmmmm….  

A punch of lemon, the crunch of nuts and a soft, sticky texture - these little cakes are pure Summer in a white paper wrapper, waiting impatiently to be de-robed and gobbled greedily.

They stick to the wrappers a little, giving you total permission to indulge in the lady like ritual of "licking the paper".  A favourite past time of mine, normally completed behind closed doors, but when taken to a picnic on a hot Summers day.....bring it on, is all I'm sayin'.

Coconut Sugar.  The most nutritious with the lowest glycemic index of any natural sugar and a deep caramel colour which is perfect for recipes with chocolate, caramel and nuts.

So why don't I use it very often?

Breakfast.  

Who the hell would ever knowingly miss eating it?  It's my favourite meal of the day and a meal I would NEVER miss.  

My usual breakfast of choice is savoury, based around eggs, avocado (which I can't get enough of lately) and veggies.  It's usually packed full of protein, fat and greens that keep me going right through until those first stirrings of hunger around midday.

Some days, not often, but occasionally, I crave something different.  A little crunchier.  A little sweeter.  Like this chocolate granola that I keep stashed in my freezer for such times.

Don't be fooled.  This breakfast cereal still packs a protein and fat punch and will keep you going through to your next meal....no need for mindless snacking between meals with a bowl of this baby in your tummy....

The Challenge.

~

A three course lunch menu taking into account a non-seafood eater, a non-meat or chicken eater and for moi, a non-gluten and refined sugar eater (and at the moment, a non-cow milk dairy eater).  Holy smoke.  Talk about a challenge.

I may be a blogger, but working full-time in the corporate world leaves little time for my own cooking, photography and blogging, let alone the chance to peruse all the beautiful inspirational blogs out there.  

Petite Kitchen  is an exception.

I've been following Eleanor's adventures for quite some time and was a BIG fan of her first hugely successful cookbook My Petite Kitchen.   So when Murdoch Books had Eleanor's second cookbook up for review, I jumped at the chance.

Bouchon.  

How could you not love this wonderful word?

1)  it simply rolls off the tongue like sweet honey;

2) it is a little cake whose shape resembles a cork (bouchon in French); and

3)  a French cork comes from a bottle of French wine....need I say more?

Perhaps chocolate is a more sexy choice for cupcakes and perhaps vanilla would be my normal, personal choice, but somehow the humble root vegetable known as carrot was all I could think about.

So on a glorious Saturday afternoon I grated, sifted, stirred and baked.

This recipe is gluten and refined-sugar free, but I didn't notice.

On Monday's you will more than likely find me hiding out at a little hole in the wall down one of Melbourne's busy lane ways.  This is no exaggeration as it is literally a hole in the wall, but inside that hole are two of the sweetest ladies you're ever likely to meet.  Also in that hole, you'll also find some of the yummiest food being whipped up.  

A huge smile always appears on my face when Sally whips out the rolling pin and cookie dough, or when we end up playing "waitress" whilst sipping our own coffee.  These lovely ladies have the biggest smiles and hearts in the business and whenever I find myself whipping out my own rolling pin, I always think of them.

Did you know that the Hazelnut is rich in unsaturated fats, you know the kind of fat that is actually good for the heart?  Much of this fat is called oleic acid, which has been shown to lower "bad" cholesterol and raise the "good" kind. 

They're also packed full of magnesium and vitamin E, which has been proven to protect your skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, such as skin cancer and premature aging.

This is just the tip of the iceberg!

Are you a snacker?

I use to be.

I was one of the millions that could never get past 3pm without a snack of some sort.

Haigs chocolate, jelly babies, cupcake….I really wasn’t fussed!

Now, I can honestly tell you that I am no longer a snacker.

I eat three meals a day, and 99% of the time I’m satisfied right through to the next meal, and I owe it all to eliminating nearly 100%  fructose from my diet about 6 months ago.

I no longer get that inevitable 3pm slump/sugar craving.

I’m no longer starving hungry between meals where I think I’m going to die.

Sometimes I just want cake. 

Problem is, you have to bake a whole cake for just one slice and if you're anything like me, once a whole cake has been baked and is sitting on the cake plate, one slice just won't do!

I've found the answer - These yummy individual little puddings. 

You only have to make one AND they're fructose free!