Today I’m sharing a “tray gourmet” platter perfect for a relaxing weekend get together or event. It’s simple to create a modern healthy mezze plate and one that has a variation of tastes and textures.

My Sunflower Seed Falafel Balls are a sensational nibble that can be paired with a variety of drooling dishes to craft a Middle Eastern inspired banquet along with a scrumptious Wheat Free Tabouleh.

Mezze originates in the Middle East and translates to ‘appetizers’. Over time Mezze’s have evolved to include tables overflowing with cosmopolitan spreads; Middle-Eastern, Greek, Italian and Nordic inspired morsels- four different yet favoured ways to enjoy Mezze plates.

At my recent Eat Clean Green and Vegetarian recipe book launch party, falafels were the flavour of the evening.  A popular nibble served drizzled or smothered (depending upon how you want to look at it!) in Tahini Dipping Sauce. Before the plates, piled high with mountains of balls could even skim the surface of the trestle tables, people were lunging forward for more.

To create a mouth-watering mix and match mezze, serve the sunflower seed falafels with Mini Lamb Koftas, perfect for the flextarians in the house and a generous bowl of Baba Ganoush and Hummus. Add in fresh olives and my delicious warm or chilled Slow Cooked Green Beans. Serve alongside a simple yet culinary colourful Wheat Free Tabouleh which belongs on every mezze plate.

You can also add extra dips if necessary depending upon the number of people you are accommodating. My Red Capsicum and Hazelnut or Basil Pesto have impeccable credentials and if you’re worried about making everything from scratch, all of these recipes can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for ease on the day.

Cracker-wise whip up some Lemony Herby Crackers and make extra as they will store in an air tight container for your next Middle Eastern immersion. Or try my Gluten Free Pitta Pockets which work well as a vehicle for flavour filled dips.

Sunflower Seed Falafel Balls with Tahini Dipping Sauce

Falafels have long been a middle eastern favourite and these are a great alternative to store bought deep fried falafel balls, processed in cheap cooking oils. The falafel consistency is attained by using half sunflower seeds and half cashews. The final result is a nutty consistency with zesty flavours and surprise crunches along the way.

Cashews and sunflowers seeds have a high satiety index- making you feel fuller for longer and more quickly. The double combo of nuts and seeds will help make your skin glow and leave your hair looking luscious thanks to the Vitamin E and Omega-3 fats. The tahini dressing also provides a great source of protein and calcium and is an easy to digest dipper.

Be generous with the lemon juice in both the falafel balls and the tahini dressing. The added lemon juice in the tahini dressing gives a zesty explosion of flavour in the mouth when consumed!

Sunflower Seed Falafel Balls with Tahini Dipping Sauce

WF DF GF SF VEG VG

Makes 4—5

Ingredients

• 75 g (21/2 oz/1/2 cup) sunflower seeds
• 80 g (23/4 oz/1/2 cup) cashews
• 1 tablespoon organic nut butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped red capsicum (pepper)
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 shallot, chopped
• pinch of Celtic sea salt
• 40 g (11/2 oz/1/4 cup) toasted sesame seeds, for coating
• lettuce leaf, to serve

Tahini Dipping Sauce

• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 6 drops stevia liquid
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• pinch of Celtic sea salt

Method

• Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F/Gas 7) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
• To make the tahini dipping sauce, place all the ingredients in a food processor with 2 tablespoons of filtered water and blend until smooth and creamy.
• Place all the falafel ingredients, except the sesame seeds and lettuce, in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly blended.
• Use an ice-cream scoop to form round balls. Roll in the sesame seeds, transfer to the baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until crispy.
• Serve in a lettuce leaf and dress with the tahini dipping sauce.

Wheat-Free Tabouleh

WF DF GF SF VEG VG

Serves 6–8

Ingredients

• 70 g (21/2 oz/1/3 cup) quinoa, rinsed
• 80 g (23/4 oz/2½ cups) flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped
• 1 handful mint, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/ 1/3 cup) lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Lebanese (short) cucumber, diced
• 4 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
• 3 spring onions (scallions), sliced
• 6–8 iceberg lettuce cups, to serve

Method

• Cook the quinoa in a saucepan of simmering water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, combine the parsley, mint, garlic, salt, lemon juice, olive oil, cucumber, tomatoes and spring onion.
• Season well with freshly ground black pepper.
• Add the quinoa and mix thoroughly. Divide among the lettuce cups and serve.

Happy Cooking 🙂

Lee xo

I wake up to the soothing scent of mint blowing through the wind. I look out my window to see beautiful coconuts falling from the trees. I’m in absolute bliss.

Now if we take this to the real world, I’ve just woken up from my sleep and I’m ready to start the day as quickly as I can hit my snooze button. With my beautiful new The Whole Boodies products though, I wake up feeling like I’m on holiday every day of the week. The Whole Boodies has an irresistible range products that are made of natural, nourishing and whole ingredients! 

The Whole Boodies are a beautiful certified organic Australian-owned brand that will leave you feeling refreshed, calm and more than ready to start the day ahead! They have a range of vegan, organic body, hair and oral care that is packaged in bright bottles with cheeky humour. It's hard to not fall in love with this brand! 

The Whole Boodies Mint Toothpaste 100g

Grab your toothbrush and get brushing! Get ready to say goodbye to the nasties of toothpastes that we once knew – because this toothpaste has none of that. The Whole Boodies Mint Toothpaste is sulfate and fluoride free, natural, organic and vegan! It cleverly combines a blend of organic essential oils without any nasties to ensure you’ll be feeling kissing ready in no time. Using this toothpaste will leave your mouth feeling fresh and your teeth shiny and bright.

The Whole Boodies Mint Mouthwash 250ml

This mouthwash contains only the finest essential oils and organic aloe vera to bring you minty fresh breath, pristine gums and a super clean feel. The Whole Boodies Mint Mouthwash will put up a strong fight against any bacteria and bad breath coming your way. The best part is, you can swish this wash around your mouth and know that it is made of only the finest organic ingredients that are completely natural and kind to the environment.  

The Whole Boodies Coconut Vanilla Body Wash 250ml

Are you counting down the days (or like me, constantly fantasizing) about your next tropical island getaway? Look no further than The Whole Boodies Body Wash! Using only natural and organic ingredients that are completely cruelty-free and vegan, this brilliant bottle packs a powerful cleaning punch with plant-based ingredients! Oh, and did we mention it’ll make you smell like sweet vanilla and tropical coconut? Come on, give yourself some love! You deserve it.  

The Whole Boodies Coconut Vanilla Body Lotion 250ml

Want to carry that tropical coconut scent with you every day? I’ve got the solution! The Whole Boodies Coconut Vanilla Body Lotion is perfect for lathering on for any occasion – before going out, before bed and just when you’re in the mood to treat yourself. It combines the perfect combination of sweet vanilla with tropical coconut to bring you that tropical island feel everyday of the week. This dreamy lotion uses only natural and organic ingredients to provide deeply soft and hydrated skin. Coconuts contains a boat load of antioxidants which help combat dryness and premature skin aging! What are you waiting for?  Take that trip to paradise.

The Whole Boodies is your answer to hair, body and oral care that is natural, organic, cruelty free, looks good, smells good, works well and is affordable!

You can learn more about The Whole Boodies products here: www.thewholeboodies.com.au

I love it when a yummy breakfast cereal hits my desk and it’s rare that one does that’s healthy and still tastes good.

For all those with a penchant for paleo, Forage Paleo cereal will fit right into your caveman or woman pantry and being grain free, having no added sugar and packed with good fats of almonds and macadamia nuts you’ll be getting benefits of prehistoric proportions.

for·age- (noun)- The act of look or searching for food or provisions…

… and that is exactly what the team at Forage Cereal have done- searched high and low for great quality ingredients that compliment each other to make a range of delicious breakfast cereals that are sure to provide you with enough energy to get you through your day.

Forage has four different cereals available. Often after eating a bowl of cereal you can feel heavy and bloated, but after my bowl of Forage Cereal served with my homemade nut milk I felt energized, satisfied and ready for the day ahead.

Forage Bircher and Porridge are the other two cereals in the range.  Often with Bircher muesli you can end up with an indistinguishable bowl of mush that works well as a poly-filler but on your gut, not so much! Forage Bircher features macadamia nuts, almonds and cranberries to ensure that you can gather morsels of flavor and texture with every scoop.

Check out the Forage website where you can find out the nutritional benefits of the range and also buy online.

I’ve recently discovered MSM which is an ingredient that I hadn’t heard too much about.  My sister came over from Perth to visit me over Christmas and had bought with her some MSM powder as she suffers from Osteo-arthritis and had heard about it from one of her friends.  She mentioned how she has been really happy with the results and her symptoms had diminished significantly, so I thought I’d give the skin care products a try.

Mismo skincare products treat skincare conditions naturally and the range includes cleansers and make up products also.  All of the creams and gels include MSM- an organic sulphur and natural pain relief agent.  I tried out the Cell smoother, A-C-E Vitmain Serum and Rejuvenating Gel and they all made my skin look smoother brighter and replensihed.

MSM has super powers and can help to treat a range of conditions from arthritis to acne, constipation and irritable bowel to psoriasis and allergies. Mismo’s MSM powder can be bought online and added to a cup of water and consumed daily to help treat a variety of ailments.

I loved using Mismo’s Magnesium Gel to help release tight muscles and inflammation. Because it is absorbed through the skin rather than the digestive system, the maximum amount of magnesium is absorbed which is often compromised when digested orally. Mismo is also Australian made and ethically tested making sure no animals are used in the testing process.  The products contain NO sodium lauryl sulphate, propylene glycol, Alcohol, artificial colours or mineral oils and are paraben free which is a bonus.

More information about Mismo and how to get your hands on their MSM products can be found here.

Ciao Bellas!

Love is in the air… and so is the aroma of freshly made chocolate.  There's no better time to share a recipe for my delicious Love Heart Chocolates for you to woo your boo or BFF.

When you think of Valentine’s Day clichés do you conjur up little Italian men meandering and weaving their way around restaurant tables selling freshly picked red roses for "all the beuwdiful ladies out there"?

However you celebrate The Feast of St Valentine, make the ones you love feel special and show your adoration with delicious hand-made Love Heart Chocolates made with raw cacao for the ultimate understated romantic gesture.

What makes these indulgent delights so lovingly special is their smooth and velvety texture and chocolaty and buttery taste.  As they melt in your mouth they also fill you up with goodness too.

Why choose to frequent confectionery aisles, when the superiority of homemade chocolate is so simple to achieve at home?

Whether you’re indulging in a little self-love, or wanting to impress that special someone, my Love Heart creations exude adoration and will win over the hearts of even the most discerning chocolate lover.

If you do happen to go overboard this Valentine’s Day, be sure to remind yourself of the following reasons to eat raw cacao, especially when you're nibbling on your second batch of chocs.

• Raw Cacao is overflowing with one of the world’s most deficient major minerals, magnesium. In fact, there’s no known source on earth that provides more.  Magnesium is essential in developing a strong healthy heart, can help to relax menstrual cramping, strengthen your bones and open up more than three hundred detoxification pathways in the human body.
• Raw Cacao is super-rich in antioxidants.  Ten percent of raw cacao powder is filled with them. They act as protective factors for the heart and circulatory system by increasing the ability of arteries to dilate, improving the functioning of the cells that line blood vessels and reducing the oxidsation of bad cholesterol (LDL).  Interestingly, dairy appear to counteract these amazing antioxidant effects; just another added reason you should try my DAIRY FREE love hearts.
• Raw cacao= happier you= lots of loving! Thank Phenylthylamine (PEA), a chemical that’s released into the blood stream when we are sexually aroused, and abundant in the brains of happy people.   PEA is responsible for dopamine (the pleasure hormone), adrenaline and noradrenaline. When you eat cacao, your mental concentration will increase, livening up your attitude and increasing positive emotions such as joy, happiness and perhaps some hanky panky with the apple of your eye. Nudge nudge wink wink!

Bite into my bite sized treats anytime of the year and if you’re having a downer of a day pump yourself up with cacao.  It’s a delicious way to improve cognition and emotional health.

These can be made in different shaped moulds for after dinner treats or fun treats at your next family party. If you’re feeling a little adventurous, add some orange or peppermint extract, crushed raw almonds, walnuts or cashews.

This recipe is from my new recipe book Eat Clean, Green and Vegetarian.

Happy Vee Day,

Love Lee xo

Love Heart Chocolates

WF DF GF  SF  VEG  VG

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 40 g (11/2 oz) shaved cacao butter
• 1/4 cup organic coconut butter
• 30 g (1 oz/1/4 cup) raw cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 10–12 drops stevia liquid, or 1 teaspoon powdered, or to taste

Method

• To make the dark chocolate, melt the butters in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Add the other ingredients and whisk until smooth.
• Place in love heart moulds and freeze for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the freezer and wait a few minutes before popping the chocolate out from the moulds. If in hard moulds, tap the bottom until the hearts fall out.
• To make white chocolate, follow the method above but omit the cacao powder.
• The chocolates will keep in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Feeling puffy? And I’m not talking about Puff Daddy, Diddy, Sean Coombs, P.Diddy.  If a notorious B.I.G tummy is ruining your swagger, read on for ways to beat the bloat and find a flatter and healthier tum.

During the festive season, we tend to consume a whole lot more, with the average person munching through three times their usual food intake on Christmas day alone.

We create more meals during the holidays so it’s not surprising we slip into January still feeling like we are suffering the dreaded Boxing Day bloat.

Because of all dat ‘flava’ and the additional foods we consume, indulging on sweets, desserts, alcohol, rich, salty and fatty foods, this causes bad bacteria to multiply in our gut, producing the gas that makes us look and feel like Biggie Smalls.

If you’ve ever arisen with a flat stomach, only to find it distended a few hours later, it can be very hard to channel your inner fly girl when you have to undo your jeans mid-morning and look like you’re expecting by the time you go to bed. That’s so wack!

But back up, now that the festive season is over and your relaxed food intake is being tightened up, I’m gonna break it down and give you some tips from my Heal Your Gut program, on how can you work off all of the roast potatoes and chocolate truffles sensibly.

‘We about that action down here at Supercharged Food yall’.

I have no idea what i just wrote 🙂

One of the best ways to settle down your over worked digestive system is to give it a well-earned rest so that you can reset the balance.  This is not just rest from food but also environmental and physical factors.

KEEP STRESSORS AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AT BAY

Your gut is extremely sensitive to what is going on in your life mentally and emotionally. Negative emotions and stress are two big triggers for an upset tummy. Generally, when we find ourselves in a specific stressful situation (a work deadline, an argument with our partner) we’re aware of the tension, physically and mentally.

But sometimes, the stress or negativity goes unnoticed or is unconsciously buried deep into our subconscious to protect us from the pain and discomfort. When this happens, your bloating becomes a way for your body to communicate with you.

Are you feeling overwhelmed? Are you holding on to emotions, such as fear and anger, and accumulating them instead of digesting them?

Take some time to honestly look at what is going on in your life on a deeper level than just what sort of food you’re eating. There might be a very powerful message behind your bloating that you're unaware of.  Run it back and press rewind in your mind.  You know where it’s at!

Word up! Some other simple ways to reduce bloating are;

CONNECT WITH YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WHILE EATING

When you’re feeling stressed, upset or rushed, your nervous system goes into fight-or-flight mode. Stress hormones are high and blood flow to your gut is reduced, which makes your digestive fire weaker and your digestion slower. As food is not properly digested, fermentation and bloating often occur. To avoid this from happening, always eat in a quiet environment. Sit down and take a few deep belly breaths. Never eat standing, at your desk or while checking your phone. You know it!

To give your digestive system all the support it needs to optimally digest the food, be mindful of the food you’re eating and the amazing process happening in your body.

Start by thoroughly chewing your food. We’ve all heard that digestion starts in the mouth, yet very few of us chew their food properly. This advice alone could greatly reduce your bloating. No half steppin’.

Eat slowly and put your fork down after each bite. Eating quickly causes more air to be sucked into your stomach, resulting in gas and bloating.

Avoid these common – yet very often overlooked, off the chain culprits;

DON'T DRINK TOO MUCH WATER WHILE EATING

I’m a fierce advocate of listening to your body cues so I’d never advise not drinking if you’re thirsty. However, try and avoid gulping down large amounts of water whilst eating, as it will dilute your digestive enzymes, making your digestion weaker and bloating more likely to occur.

STOP CHEWING GUM

Chewing gum leads to swallowing air, which can cause bloating, it’s as simple as that. Plus, sugar-free gums are usually packed with sugar alcohol, like maltitol, sorbitol and xylitol, which are no-no-notorious for causing gas.

QUIT DRINKING THROUGH A STRAW

Again, this causes excess air to be swallowed. Gulp!

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